The Entire Demon World is Fighting for My Favor: A Shura Field 7

Chapter 7

Lin Ran, stroking the little creature’s head and finding it didn’t flinch or run away, emboldened, scooped it up and carefully placed it in the crook of his arm. Sootball wobbled, instinctively gripping Lin Ran’s sleeve, its soft paws finding purchase on his arm as it looked up at him, wide-eyed.

So soft, so cute. Lin Ran’s heart melted. It was a good thing he logged in after all; otherwise, he would have missed this ultimate fluffy experience. He was incredibly curious about how the game achieved this. Sootball felt even more perfect than before, soft and squishy, and so docile it didn’t even protest being petted.

How could it be so well-behaved?

Lin Ran had completely forgotten the cub’s initial wariness and skittishness. His fatherly filter was thickening rapidly.

“Anyway, I’m Jiang Lin Ran, so from now on, you’re Jiang Meiqiu (Sootball)!” Unaware that Sootball had a family name, Lin Ran confidently gave it a full name.

The familiar syllables triggered a flicker of recognition in Nemo’s memory. Lin Ran… Lin-zai…

“Cheep.” It blinked its large, round eyes at its caretaker.

A few seconds later, a system notification appeared:

[Affection +20, Current affection: 50!]

Lin Ran, immersed in petting Sootball: !?

Wow, petting in person gave so much affection! Previously, he had struggled to reach 30 affection through feeding, bathing, and petting through the screen. Now, he gained 20 points in one go, reaching 50, almost halfway to the max.

Lin Ran, in disbelief, lifted Sootball up with both hands. Sootball’s little tail dangled as it stared at him. This position, exposing its vulnerability, would usually trigger a struggle, but because it was Lin Ran holding it, Sootball tried to overcome its anxiety.

“Cheep, cheep!” It made a token effort to wriggle free.

Lin Ran chuckled and poked its head. “You’re so cute, baby.”

Sootball: !

Lin Ran was completely unaware of the potent effect his casual endearments had on the demon cub.

Holding Sootball, he finally had time to examine the small wooden house nearby. For the first time, he pushed open the door and stepped inside from a first-person perspective.

“What’s going on with this game anyway?”

The level 1 wooden house was simple, with just a wooden bed and a table. Sootball looked at Lin Ran, then at the house, thinking it was too shabby. He wanted to give Lin-zai a nice, big house. The little wish popped into his mind.

Lin Ran, oblivious to his cub’s ambitious thoughts, wasn’t disgusted the house at all. On the contrary, he found it charming, like staying in a local guesthouse while traveling abroad.

Perhaps due to the Immersive Mode, the game interface had also changed slightly.

[Due to increased difficulty in Immersive Mode, rewards are doubled. Please manage your energy and control risks.]

For example, the familiar daily task panel no longer allowed him to complete tasks automatically. Instead, he was given a basket and a pair of gloves.

[Today’s Task: Collect 1 basket of thorn grass. Thorn grass is an important building material. Collect a basket for future use! Reward: 100 gold (doubled).]

Fortunately, the reward was doubled to 100 gold. Lin Ran, a diligent daily task completer, immediately grabbed the basket and gloves and headed out.

“Just picking grass, right?” Theoretically, with his rural experience, this shouldn’t be a problem.

However, reality proved more challenging than expected. Lin Ran discovered a translucent beginner’s barrier around the house with a 5-meter radius. The grayish-black miasma and strange creatures outside couldn’t enter this safe zone.

But to collect thorn grass, he had to leave the barrier. Outside, contact with the miasma or even scratches from plants reduced his health.

[Health: 85/100]

Just collecting the first thorn grass cost him 15 health points. Recovering 1 health point took 1 minute. The difficulty was indeed doubled.

What troubled him most was his height. At 1.78 meters, he was too short to reach many of the thorn grasses growing higher up.

“Cheep…” As Lin Ran precariously balanced on a branch, trying to reach a thorn grass growing halfway up an ancient tree, he heard Sootball’s voice behind him.

The little creature, flapping its wings with unusual effort, awkwardly snatched the thorn grass and placed it in Lin Ran’s hand. Then, it sat by the basket, looking up at him.

Lin Ran stared at the scene, then at the precious thorn grass in his hand. Was his little cub helping him with his chores?!

[System Notification: When cub affection is above 50, there’s a chance they will assist the player in completing tasks.]
[Sootball is worried about you, so it came out to help.]
[Important Notice: Feigning weakness to encourage the cub to use its wings will aid in its recovery. Hidden task activating soon.]

Lin Ran, initially touched by his cub’s helpfulness, hadn’t expected this interaction. He had inadvertently encouraged Sootball to use its wings.

Recalling past experiences, he realized Sootball only used its damaged wings in emergencies or when trying to escape. Most of the time, it preferred to stay grounded, perhaps self-conscious about its awkward flight.

But now, holding the thorn grass, he sincerely praised the little creature: “Our Sootball is so amazing! You got it in one try.”

Unexpectedly, after this simple praise, Sootball chirped and immediately flew off to find more thorn grass.

Wait, maybe he overdid the praise.

“Slow down! Sootball!” Now, it was Lin Ran chasing after the little creature with the basket.

With Sootball’s help, collecting thorn grass became much easier, almost effortless. While navigating the forest, Lin Ran had time to observe his surroundings.

The black miasma was clearly poisonous, reducing his health upon contact. The luminous butterflies, though beautiful, looked dangerous with their vibrant colors. And in the distance, atop the mountains, he thought he saw a massive, imposing castle. It was like a vivid, fantastical world unfolding before him.

“Cheep cheep!” Sootball, perched on Lin Ran’s arm like a little radar, excitedly spotted another thorn grass growing on a cliff face.

“Just a few more, and we can go home,” Lin Ran checked the task list.

“Cheep!” Sootball immediately flew towards it, its flight making Lin Ran thoughtful. If only he could find a doctor to examine its wing and see what was wrong. Would there be towns and doctors in this game?

As he pondered, a lurking shadow made his pupils constrict. It was a wisp of black miasma, but it seemed to possess a low level of intelligence, camouflaging itself as vegetation to ambush him.

“Sootball, watch out on your left—” Reacting instinctively, Lin Ran used the basket as a shield, trying to fend off the shadow.

The low-level miasma, startled by being discovered, abandoned its attack and retreated.

“Cheep!” Sootball, also frightened, lost control of its flight and almost fell from the branch.

But instead of landing in the thorns, it found itself caught by Lin Ran.

“Cheep…”

“Rest for a while. You’ve been amazing, Sootball. I’ll collect the rest, okay?” Before it could react, Lin Ran gently placed it in the basket, stroking its soft cheek. Sootball seemed to understand, chirping softly and settling down. But its gaze lingered on the scratches on Lin Ran’s arm.

Lin Ran proceeded cautiously, but no more monsters appeared. He successfully collected all the thorn grass. Just as he submitted the task, a new notification appeared:

[Daily task complete! Homestead construction progress (1/3)]
[Double rewards for Immersive Mode, double rewards for first task completion, double rewards for cub partner “Moon Goddess” halo… Total: 400 gold received!]

Unexpectedly, after a series of calculations, the game awarded him a whopping 400 gold. The Encounter Card for Sootball had only cost 500.

And this “Moon Goddess” halo bonus… did it mean the previous reward was also related to Sootball? Was Sootball really transferring his “good luck” to him? Or did the halo have some special effect?

After completing the task, Lin Ran sat at the wooden table, watching Sootball diligently drinking its milk. He couldn’t help but replay the events in his mind. Seeing Sootball with milk stains around its mouth, despite being exhausted, made him smile. He should make a little bib for it…

Lost in thought, his energy depleted, he fell asleep at the table.

Sootball, finishing its milk, looked up and saw Lin Ran asleep. His long eyelashes cast shadows on his face in the moonlight, his expression peaceful. Scratches from the thorn grass collection were visible on his hands and face, slightly inflamed now.

“Cheep…” Sootball examined the scratches, chirping softly. It wanted to nuzzle him but was afraid of causing pain. It hopped into its basket, grabbed a clean, soft blue floral blanket, and tried to cover Lin Ran with it. Its caretaker had said humans were fragile and could easily catch a cold.

Perhaps even Lin Ran wouldn’t have guessed that in Sootball’s eyes, he was the one being taken care of.

The little creature struggled to maneuver the blanket, finally draping it over Lin Ran’s shoulders. Just then, as Lin Ran automatically logged out, his body dissolved into golden light and disappeared. The blanket fell to the floor.

Sootball watched quietly, understanding that he had left. It would have to wait until next time to see him again.

Remembering Lin Ran’s wounds, it looked towards the forest, sniffing the air. It glanced at its wings, hesitated, then spread them and flew into the depths of the forest.

It was going to find medicine for Lin-zai.