Chapter 16
As Lin Ran held the moonstone, a cascade of system notifications appeared:
[Beep—Congratulations! Obtained rare item: Radiant Moon Crystal (unique item in Demon World)!]
[Cub affection level has reached 99. Rewards: Complete Lilith’s Mirror x1, Seasonal Moon Goddess Halo x1]
[Activated hidden side quest: Friendship of the Luna Clan. Duration: Unlimited]
[Livestream duration requirement met. Reward: 3000 gold received.]
This was the first time Lin Ran had received so many notifications at once. The livestream ended automatically after Sootball gave him the Radiant Moon Crystal, despite the demons’ shock and pleas for it to continue.
The Demon World forum exploded.
[Unbelievable! Did we just see a highest-level ability awakening? How many years has it been?]
[I just want to know if the Luna Clan elders know about this Law Crystal being given to a human.]
[This is a serious problem…] The demons grew concerned. The Luna Clan, a proud and ancient race with a rich heritage, were among the most powerful demons. One of their treasures being given to a human was unthinkable.
[Is that human in danger now? Someone might kill him for the crystal…]
[I doubt it. A cub capable of creating such a high-level crystal must have a powerful family. It’s probably complicated.]
[Besides, the livestream showed no coercion. The cub gave it willingly!] Many demons, unspokenly, admitted they might have done the same. That human was just too good with cubs!
[So, where can I buy a bib… I want one. TwT] Amid the discussion about the crystal, many still inquired about the bib.
Those who hadn’t paid for the livestreaming feature were completely lost, filled with regret for not accumulating enough points. “Demon World’s” user activity and online time skyrocketed as demons frantically completed tasks, fearing they would miss the next livestream.
[System Notification: Sorry, minors cannot donate. Gifted points will be returned to your account within five business days.] An Xun, in the airport lounge, found his donation attempt unsuccessful. He kept replaying the scene of the cub blowing out the candle. He had imagined his own birthday being like that.
Browsing the forum, he learned the black cub belonged to a powerful and prestigious clan, unlike him, a mutated monster. Mutated demons like him were usually silent on the forum, fearing exposure. They were outcasts, neither human nor demon, accepted by neither side.
Perhaps only a pure-blooded cub like that could encounter such an NPC in “Demon World.” The game was dangerous; without sufficient knowledge, many demons didn’t dare venture too far.
“Honey, we need to board soon. You can’t disappear during filming this time. The penalty fees are huge,” his parents said, returning after their argument.
“You won’t be able to buy those toys you want, and we’ll have to cancel our trip abroad. Think about your fans; they’re all waiting for you. Do you want to disappoint them?” Seeing An Xun still engrossed in his phone, they tried to remove his headphones.
“Don’t touch that.” An Xun jumped up, protectively clutching his headphones, his furry ears briefly visible. His parents froze, their eyes filled with fear and confusion.
Meanwhile, in “Demon World,” Lin Ran, oblivious to the storm he had created, was setting up a wisteria swing in front of his house.
“There, all done. You can play on it now,” he said, satisfied with the swing he had bought with his livestream earnings.
“Cheep!” Sootball landed on the swing, but as Lin Ran pushed it gently, it flew back to his shoulder.
“Why are you so timid now?” he chuckled, petting it. Sootball didn’t seem offended.
“Cheep!” It simply preferred to stay on his shoulder, snuggling against his neck like a warm little heater.
“Oh, I shouldn’t have bought it if you don’t like it,” Lin Ran said, surprised. But the swing looked beautiful as a decoration; it wasn’t a waste of gold.
He was also happy to see Sootball’s wings, though still underdeveloped, now emitting trails of purple demonic energy with each flap, compensating for their imperfection. Its flight was much steadier now.
As for the moonstone… he decided to keep it safe for Sootball until it was older.
He now had enough gold for another Encounter Card. Looking at Sootball and then at the cards in the shop, he felt a strange sense of “having a second child.” No, that wasn’t right! He was just giving fluffy creatures a home!
He should focus on his daily tasks.
[Beep—Daily task updated. Strange order from another world: Handmade Cub Bibs x10. Reward: 1000 gold.]
“Huh?” The daily task was different this time, a bib order. It was much easier, and the reward was even higher. This game was becoming more and more enjoyable, incredibly player-friendly.
The only problem was he was running out of time in Immersive Mode.
“I’m leaving now, Sootball. See you tomorrow. Be good and don’t wander off…” He gave Sootball a final pet and logged out.
“Cheep.” Sootball nuzzled his finger, then held the little birthday hat, seemingly fascinated by it. It even collected the confetti and put it inside the hat, holding it like a precious treasure.
The Oni couple, anxiously awaiting Sootball’s return, were on edge. The livestream had ended, but their cub was still in “Demon World,” and they had no way of knowing what was happening. They were thrilled about its awakened ability but also worried about the human and the Radiant Moon Crystal. They knew nothing about the human’s intentions or how he had gotten close to Sootball.
“It seems the young master started spending more time in ‘Demon World’ a while ago. But prolonged exposure to demonic energy is beneficial for cubs, so we didn’t investigate,” the butler said, realizing the change had started earlier than they thought.
“But I assure you, everything is improving. His flight is more stable, he’s less resistant to lessons, and that human seems harmless,” he added. If the livestream was anything to go by, the young master had even awakened his bloodline ability!
“Why wasn’t I informed about these changes sooner?” Oni asked, the atmosphere turning tense.
“Cheep~” Just then, Sootball, having spent his new points to bring back the hat and confetti, logged out, excited like a child returning from an amusement park.
“Nemo!?”
“You’re finally back!”
“Cheep?” The happy cub, surprised by the crowd, looked around, then at his mother.
“He really awakened…” Oni, usually assertive, looked at Sootball’s fluttering wings, her voice choked with emotion, forgetting all her questions and suspicions.
Sensing her unusual demeanor, Sootball, for the first time, didn’t fly away. It stared at her for a moment, then fetched a tissue and offered it to her, like A-Ran did after his baths. It didn’t know what else to do. What would A-Ran do if he was about to cry? It tried to remember.
As it pondered, Oni, holding the tissue, surprised everyone by asking, not about the crystal, but something else:
“Your father and I want to meet him. Is that okay, Nemo? We promise we won’t hurt him.”
…Meet A-Ran? Sootball hesitated. Though still young, it sensed Lin Ran’s “aesthetic preferences.” Its parents, in their adult forms, weren’t exactly what A-Ran would find appealing. What if they scared him?
“Cheep cheep cheep…!” A few minutes later, the Luna Clan demons fell silent after hearing Sootball’s request. Even if A-Ran agreed, they had to log in as cubs?! Wasn’t that a bit embarrassing?
“Absolutely,” Oni, however, was the first to agree.
Seconds later, a giant black fluffball, a larger version of Sootball, appeared in the study. Being older, it couldn’t shrink as much, its size proportionally larger. Yorke, always following his wife’s lead, transformed into another fluffball.
“Oh, this is interesting. I can’t seem to shrink my belly… Sorry, Nemo,” Yorke said, his fondness for human beer giving him a slight paunch.
“So, I have to do this too?” the butler asked, looking at the scene, seemingly ready to transform into a “cub” to meet this mysterious human if Sootball commanded it.
“Cheep…” Sootball, looking at the scene, was stunned. It was like a Sootball family, from small to large: Sootball, Sootball Pro, and Sootball Pro Max!
