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Chapter 16
“Fluffy Companion (1)”:
Minho stared at the floor.
The cracked orb was faintly glowing, almost pitifully.
He frowned.
“Huuu…”
He carefully touched the cracked area with his fingertip and let out a sigh.
He didn’t know exactly what it was, but it had come from defeating a boss monster… a legendary, ‘mythical’-grade item.
By any measure, it was an incredibly valuable object.
And now, it was shattered so hopelessly—he couldn’t help feeling exasperated.
“Can a person have this much bad luck?”
Well, no need to be too negative.
He could try gluing it together.
Or… maybe there’s still a way to use it in its current state.
Just as he tried to think positively, a status window suddenly flashed before his eyes.
[The Spirit Egg is about to hatch!]
Minho tilted his head.
“Spirit Egg? Hatch?”
What was this all of a sudden?
The egg on the floor began to shake violently.
Cracks spread further, accompanied by sounds:
Jjeojjeok! Jjeojjeojjeok!
It felt as if something inside was about to come out.
Instinctively, Minho took a step back, lowering his body as if preparing to run at any moment.
‘It’s not going to explode, right?’
Just then…
Kwa-jik!
The egg burst open completely, and something sprang out.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
“…Huh?”
It was an animal.
Tiny in size, somewhere between a puppy and a fox… with reddish fur.
Its eyes sparkled like jewels, and the sound of its cries was so faint that it was unbearably cute.
“What… is that?”
Just as Minho’s face filled with questions, the status window spoke again.
[This is the reincarnation of the Great Demon Clan member Alcaras. Thanks to your purification of the evil energy, it has returned to its original form—the primordial Fire Spirit. Try raising this reincarnated being. Depending on your nurturing, it may become an angel or a demon. Perhaps.]
[Synergy effects with the Infinite Solo Room are active.]
[‘Pet Management’ feature unlocked!]
‘So… this little guy is the reincarnation of that terrifying Great Demon Clan member Venti defeated?’
The only resemblance was the reddish hue of its body…
How on earth could it go from that to this tiny, cute form through growth?
‘I guess that’s why you shouldn’t have bad upbringing in childhood.’
It was a bit funny coming from someone like him who grew up in an orphanage.
But that didn’t matter now.
“Hmmm…”
Minho stroked his chin and looked at the reincarnated creature.
A fox-like appearance, sparkling eyes, and fur so soft it looked fluffy and dry.
“Cute.”
A smile spread across his face.
Then,
“Kiiing?”
The reincarnated creature tilted its head and let out a small cry.
Thump!
Minho’s heart raced.
It was visually overwhelming cuteness.
At that moment, his instinct spoke:
‘This is fate.’
He had already been thinking it would be nice to have a pet, as living alone felt lonely.
The fact that it was a reincarnation of a Great Demon Clan member was slightly concerning, but… the status window had said it clearly:
Raise it well, and it will be fine.
Meanwhile, the creature crouched down and licked itself with its tongue.
Minho watched with a pleased smile for a moment, then gathered his senses.
‘First, let’s open the pet management feature.’
Thanks to the synergy effect with the Infinite Solo Room, it seemed he had acquired a new ability.
Before officially adopting the pet, he wanted to check this out.
The status window appeared immediately.
[Pet Management]
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Name: Pet1 (Name can be changed)
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Level: 1
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Hunger: 30/100
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Talent: Child of Flame
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[Assign Residence Area]
‘It even has a level and a talent.’
He had seen this in the player community.
Pets appearing in the tower each have different talents and can level up with the player.
There were even talents like ‘Beast Master’ where you train your pet to climb the tower together.
Of course, Minho…
‘What kind of fights could I do with that tiny thing? Ridiculous.’
He had no intention of using it for battle.
A pet is meant to be a companion. To protect and nurture.
Pushing it into a hunting ground? That’s animal abuse.
If anything went wrong, he could end up on a broadcast and in legal trouble.
While he sorted out his thoughts,
“Nk! Nk! Nk!”
A desperate cry came from the creature in front of him.
Looking up, he saw the reincarnated being staring at him with pleading eyes.
At that moment, Minho instinctively understood:
This little guy was very hungry.
“Wait a moment!”
Thump! Crash!
Minho immediately ran out the door and went to the nearest 24-hour unmanned pet shop, buying everything he could find.
“Chicken soup for dogs… hmm… maybe some chewable treats too. This will be easy to eat.”
He filled the basket like he was sweeping the store clean, then returned to his solo room.
“Kiiing! Kiiing!”
The fox-puppy—or rather, the reincarnated creature—wagged its tail furiously, greeting Minho.
It looked so desperate, as if it might collapse if not fed immediately.
“W-wait! Just a second!”
Thump! Crash!
Minho quickly tore open the dog soup, placed it in a bowl, and microwaved it.
As soon as he handed it over:
Chop! Chop! Chop!
The reincarnated creature ate the soup eagerly.
Its tail wagged wildly.
A sunflower-like smile lit up Minho’s face.
Within minutes, the bowl was completely empty.
“Kiiing! Kiiing!”
“Oh my, you finished it all? Good boy!”
When Minho reached out, the creature rubbed its head against his palm affectionately.
Its uniquely soft and fluffy fur sent Minho’s happiness soaring to the max.
A few days later, on a sunny day, in the open field…
“Alright, let’s go!”
Minho threw a frisbee forward.
“Woof!”
Tatatat!
The reincarnated creature dashed forward like crazy, leaped, and caught the frisbee in its mouth.
Then it ran back to Minho and handed it over.
“Good boy! Well done, Gosul!”
Minho gave it a treat and patted its head.
Watching 20 consecutive episodes of the dog training stream ‘Dogs Save the World’ had clearly helped.
Why the name Gosul?
‘Well… the fur texture is fluffy… gosul-gosul.’
Intuitive, and cute too.
Anyway, Minho was thoroughly enjoying this happiness.
“Gosul, go!”
They repeated frisbee throws many times.
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause came from the side.
“Wow! Mom, look at that dog! It’s amazing!”
“See, the dog is good!”
He turned to see a child holding their mother’s hand, staring at them.
“Can I pet the dog?”
“Slowly, let it sniff first.”
Sniff sniff!
Once Gosul sniffed the child’s hand enough, Minho carefully let the child place their hand on its head.
“Kiiing! Kiiing!”
It didn’t mind, closing its eyes and nuzzling its head.
Minho then let the child give Gosul a treat directly.
“What’s the dog’s name?”
“Gosul. Its fur is fluffy.”
“Hehe, Gosul is so cute!”
After a satisfying time,
“Let’s go!”
Minho returned to his room with light steps.
Perhaps because he was no longer alone, the room now felt warmer.
He lay on the beanbag, Gosul on his stomach, gently stroking its head.
‘This feels like a dream.’
He cleaned, watched some YouTube (his ‘Solo King’ guild episodes had been a hit, though he felt a little guilty), walked and played with Gosul…
A life completely unlike the one of working from dawn till late night—a 10,000% dream life.
And if time remained…
-
Hah! Haah!
He trained using the weapon techniques book Venti had given him.
It seemed pointless, but it was Venti’s effort, and good for exercise anyway.
‘Not bad as a workout.’
The only concern was… he wouldn’t be able to climb the tower for a while.
‘Venti might not come.’
They hadn’t discussed details, but he could tell Venti was probably dealing with complicated tower-related matters in his world.
In the worst case, Venti might not return, meaning no more magic stone collection or tower climbing.
So continuing this life forever would be impossible.
The only answer:
‘I’ll climb the tower on my own.’
Currently, Minho’s level was 39.
With all his achievements, his effective stats were far above level 50.
Even without combat talents, he could handle tower hunting just fine.
Of course, he had no intention of challenging the 6th-floor boss.
He’d quietly level up on the lower floors, gather magic stones, and stay safe while earning enough money.
Climbing the tower alone without Venti was a little worrisome, but…
‘I have to survive too.’
He had prepared for this to some extent.
Just then…
“Kiiing! Kiiing!”
“Huh?”
Gosul, sitting on his stomach, shivered.
It looked pained.
Minho’s face showed concern.
‘Are you hurt?’
It had eaten well, and until recently… it had been fine.
He quickly checked nearby animal hospitals on his phone.
Then,
[Pet ‘Gosul’ is writhing from hunger.]
[Quickly provide an energy source.]
“Hunger?”
He checked the pet management window: Hunger 5/100.
‘What? I fed it properly. Why is it still hungry?’
Just then, the status window spoke again:
[Reincarnated pets require magic power to sustain themselves in addition to food. Recommended: absorb magic stones.]
“Ah…”
Minho’s head felt like it had been hit with a hammer.
Considering that Gosul wasn’t an ordinary animal but a tower creature… it made sense.
The problem:
‘I already sold all my magic stones.’
He had sold everything during his last hunt.
Buying stones now would take time…
The fastest solution was obvious:
‘I need to enter the tower immediately.’
The time had come sooner than expected.
Minho rummaged through his drawers and grabbed his gear: leather armor, sword, shield, helmet…
Items he had prepared for solo hunting.
He equipped them and connected the door to the Tower of the World Tree.
[The door is now linked to the Tower of the World Tree!]
Minho took a deep breath.
“Gosul, wait a bit. Daddy will be back soon.”
“Kiiing! Kiiing!”
Gosul shivered, sending a pitiful gaze.
Minho shut his eyes tightly and stepped through the door.
Then…
“Kiiing?”
Gosul quietly got up and slowly walked forward.
So quietly that Minho didn’t notice.
As Gosul just barely passed through the door…
Clunk!
The door to the solo room closed firmly.
