Chapter 10
“Cheep…” Normally, being denied a desired action would upset a cub. But Sootball, blinking at Lin Ran, sensed not anger but a more complex emotion.
“LING… ZAI!” It repeated the nickname, a hint of playful defiance in its voice. It found speaking intriguing, a way to elicit different reactions from Lin-zai.
“No more Lin-zai. Repeat after me, A-Ran!” Lin Ran covered Sootball’s mouth, feigning sternness as he taught it the new name.
Even the most daring tutors hired by the Oni couple hadn’t dared to teach Sootball this way. It was well known that touching the fangs of a Luna Clan descendant, a powerful demon race symbolized by the moon, was taboo. Doing so often provoked a violent reaction, sometimes even fatal.
Even though Nemo was just a cub with developmental deficiencies, his fangs carried the purest Luna Clan venom.
“Mmm.” But when Lin Ran covered its mouth, Sootball only tensed for a moment before relaxing in his arms, carefully retracting its fangs. It didn’t want to hurt Lin-zai’s fingers.
“Did you hear me?” Lin Ran, thinking he had scared Sootball, looked down, seeing its puffed cheeks, unsure what it was doing. It looked so cute he almost laughed, unaware of how close his fingers had been to danger.
“It’s okay if you can’t say it yet. Our Sootball is already amazing for learning those syllables so quickly,” he reassured the cub, petting its head, not wanting it to feel discouraged.
Sootball, however, was trying to remember the pronunciation. A… RAN? It could do it.
Lin Ran was more concerned about the flight training quests. Curing Sootball’s wings would be wonderful. But where had Sootball gone last time to activate the new quest? Was it because it had used its wings frequently?
Pondering how to communicate with the cub, he showed it a golden fruit. “Do you remember how you got this when you went exploring?” he asked gently.
Sootball, however, mistook his intention, thinking he wanted more.
“Cheep cheep!” It tugged at Lin Ran’s clothes, wanting to lead him somewhere.
“Eh, you want to take me there?” Lin Ran asked, and Sootball nodded.
“Cheep!” It thought Lin Ran wanted to know the location. As long as the magic tree remained, it would regularly bear these precious fruits. Such locations were usually kept secret among demon races. But Sootball was happy to share it with A-Ran.
“Should we prepare something? At least change clothes and bring a bag?” Though not what he had expected, Lin Ran thought it was a good idea. The Immersive Mode duration was stable this time, making an outing feasible.
[Beep—Quest activated: Flight Training (2)!] As they decided to go, a new flight training quest was issued.
Lin Ran, recalling the previous daily task, realized the game was deliberately creating opportunities for Sootball to use its wings. If the cub itself wasn’t willing to fly, these quests would be impossible to complete. Forcing it to fly was out of the question.
“Cheep cheep!” Seeing Sootball eager to go, Lin Ran felt he had stumbled upon the right approach. Perhaps all creatures, after getting a new outfit, wanted to show it off?
“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you? You want to fly and lead the way?” he asked, amused.
“Cheep.” If A-Ran carried him, the branches would block his view. Sootball nodded and awkwardly took flight.
Lin Ran followed, keeping a safe distance, not interfering with Sootball’s navigation but ready to catch it if it fell. It felt like when his grandparents taught him to ride a bicycle, always staying close behind.
Sootball occasionally looked back to make sure Lin Ran was following before continuing.
Initially, Lin Ran thought the destination wouldn’t be far. But the map was surprisingly large. He was physically fit, used to working in the fields and mountains, but this trek left him slightly breathless. The surroundings grew increasingly silent, eerily so.
“There are more resources here, but fewer animals,” he observed, looking at the giant fruit trees and the scattered, glittering minerals, clearly valuable items. He also felt that the dimly lit forest had a strange, melancholic beauty, like a once-grand garden now overgrown and abandoned.
“Cheep!” Sootball chirped, flapping its wings to signal they were close.
“If it’s just up ahead, do you want to rest? You’ve been flying for a while now. Taking a break is good,” Lin Ran suggested.
Sootball thought it could fly further, but Lin Ran’s outstretched arms were too tempting. After a brief hesitation, it landed in his arms, chirping. As expected, Lin Ran petted its head, its eyes closing in contentment.
Holding Sootball, which was getting heavier from its daily milk consumption, Lin Ran looked at the trees ahead, parting the branches. The sight that greeted him made him gasp.
“So beautiful…” A vast lake shimmered with layers of pale gold, like a rainbow dissolved in water. A giant golden magic tree stood in the center, as if it had been there for millennia. The golden fruits on its branches were the same ones Sootball had brought back.
“Cheep!” Even Sootball was surprised. He had just taken some, and new ones had already grown. This could only mean one thing: the demonic energy in this area was incredibly potent.
“Cheep cheep!” Sootball instinctively wanted to fly over and collect all the fruits.
Lin Ran chuckled, realizing his cub had a hoarding tendency.
Unable to contain Sootball any longer, he released it, watching as it flew to the tree, picked the fruits, and struggled to fly back with the heavy load.
“Be careful! One or two is enough. Isn’t it too heavy?” In a way, this was weight training. Who would have thought the previously flight-averse cub would now carry weights while flying?
Amusingly, Sootball, seeing Lin Ran on the shore, instinctively wanted to chirp and show off its treasures. But it forgot it had the fruits in its mouth, almost dropping them into the water. It swerved to catch them, plummeting a few meters before regaining control and flying back.
“Don’t talk while carrying things, Sootball,” Lin Ran said, relieved, realizing he shouldn’t distract it mid-flight.
Sootball finally landed, placing the fruits in Lin Ran’s backpack.
“Cheep!” It puffed out its chest proudly, as if seeking praise.
“You’re so amazing! Our Sootball can hunt now, bringing food home,” Lin Ran praised without hesitation, making Sootball’s tail wag.
“Cheep?” But as Sootball flew back to the tree for more fruits, it saw its reflection in the water and noticed its moon bib was missing.
“What’s wrong? Your bib is gone?” Lin Ran also noticed.
“Don’t worry, it must be nearby. If we can’t find it, we can make another one. Maybe it got caught on something…” Lin Ran reassured Sootball, searching around. It couldn’t have gone far.
“Cheep—” Sootball seemed determined to find the bib.
A few minutes later, Lin Ran spotted it floating near the far shore. It must have fallen off during Sootball’s flight.
“I found it, Sootball! It’s in the water. Wait, don’t move. I’ll get it.” He needed to find a stick to reach it.
As he carefully made his way through the bushes, a sight made him freeze, his blood running cold. A massive, reddish-gold lion was walking towards the water’s edge, its expression cold and predatory. Hearing Lin Ran’s movements, it stopped and stared at him menacingly.
Ignoring the imminent danger, it was a magnificent beast, its muscles rippling with power, its golden eyes narrowed as it assessed the human who had trespassed on its territory.
Lin Ran’s legs went numb, but he didn’t dare move. Any sign of weakness might provoke an attack. He remembered stories of wild animal attacks from his childhood. And now, with injuries in the game translating to reality, he wasn’t sure if he would survive this encounter. He had been careless, assuming Sootball’s previous visit meant the area was safe…
Sootball! He suddenly realized Sootball was still flying towards him.
“Cheep—” Sootball, arriving breathlessly, saw Lin Ran facing the beast and instantly bristled.
“Sootball, don’t come over!” Seeing Sootball trying to protect him, Lin Ran quickly threw his backpack at the lion, hoping to distract it, and ran into the forest. If he could reach a narrow area, he might be able to slow it down.
However, the lion simply grabbed the backpack and pursued him. Seconds later, a heavy paw pinned him to the ground.
Lin Ran: Hiss…!
He braced for excruciating pain. This game was too realistic. Would he die having petted a giant fluffy lion? He started thinking about his life, resigned to his fate.
But the pain didn’t come. He opened his eyes, wondering if the lion was playing some kind of game. It was now close, looking down at him silently. Where was that strong smell of blood coming from?
He felt warm blood on his hand and realized it wasn’t his. It was the lion’s! The creature, despite its severe injury, seemed unconcerned. When Lin Ran touched its bleeding leg, it just flicked its tail, its gaze still fixed on his face, as if pondering something.
“Um, do you need me to bandage that? It’ll get worse if it keeps bleeding,” Lin Ran asked tentatively, sensing no hostility, retrieving his backpack. The medical supplies were meant for Sootball, but he seemed to be doing something very strange, trying to converse with a giant lion.
“Cheep!” Just then, Sootball arrived, launching itself at the lion’s tail, its fangs sinking in. It only knew that A-Ran seemed to be in danger.
Lin Ran was both touched and terrified. Sootball was too small; it wouldn’t even be a mouthful for the lion.
“…” But the lion merely glanced at the Luna Clan cub clinging to its tail. Before Lin Ran could react, it nudged its tail towards him, and Sootball, losing its grip, was flung back into Lin Ran’s arms. Its tiny fangs hadn’t even broken the skin.
Lin Ran caught Sootball, his gaze meeting the lion’s. He had a strange feeling that the creature wasn’t being gentle but rather exuding an absolute arrogance and dominance, as if everything was under its control. It wasn’t just surface-level ferocity; it wouldn’t be easily provoked. What could have caused such a severe injury?
