HLABS 17

Chapter 17

Fluffy Pet (2)

World Tree Tower, 2nd Floor.

In a forested area on the remote northern side, large deciduous trees swayed gently.

Minho, wearing a mask and a robe, heavily armed underneath with various equipment, walked carefully while surveying his surroundings.

“Hmm… this should do.”

He had come to this secluded spot, cautiously, just in case anyone was following him.

After all, the Association had already classified him as an F-rank talent. But if someone noticed him wandering around the 2nd floor… suspicion would be inevitable.

“Alright, time to start.”

Minho adjusted his grip on his sword and peeked out from behind a tree trunk.

“Fshhh! Fshhh!”

Across the forest, an orc exhaled through its nose as it walked.

“Let’s start light, with just one of them.”

The 2nd floor monsters were extremely weak compared to Minho’s abilities. He had no intention of overdoing it from the start.

He didn’t want to live flamboyantly like an S-rank hunter. He just enjoyed his quiet life in his small apartment. For this hunt, all he needed was to safely gather some fluffy pet food. Later, when he gained more combat experience, he could gradually level up.

That’s when it happened.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Huh?”

A familiar bark came from behind. Turning his head, he saw Fluffy—no, Gosul—looking at him with shining eyes, wagging her tail… quite violently.

“Huh? You… why are you here?”

“Woof!”

A chill ran down his spine. He didn’t mind personally, but…

‘Isn’t it dangerous for you to be here?’

Gosul was level 1. Considering that monsters on this floor started at level 11, she was basically in the middle of predators.

‘We need to get out of here.’

Just as he thought this…

“Gruk! Gruk! Kweeeek!”

A roar came from behind. Turning his head, he saw an enraged orc rapidly approaching.

“Damn it!”

He wasn’t mentally ready yet. Taking a deep breath, Minho charged forward. He hated the idea of that disgusting creature getting anywhere near the adorable Gosul.

“Grrk! Grrrk!”

As the distance closed, the orc readjusted its axe. Minho squinted and analyzed its movements.

‘Right side.’

Having watched countless orcs being taken down following Venti, he knew their preparatory movements and axe speed perfectly. And…

‘Do you know how much I’ve trained in Venti-style weapon techniques?’

He had spent nights in the park training rigorously. According to the techniques:

When fighting monsters with a lot of muscle, like orcs, observe their muscle movements carefully.
For example, if the left thigh and right chest muscles swell slightly, it indicates a diagonal push from the left. Catching these subtle movements allows you to predict the attack.

Minho’s eyes scanned the orc’s body. The left thigh and right chest muscles were slightly swollen.

‘It’s coming diagonally from the left.’

Whoosh!

Just as he predicted, a stone axe swung diagonally.

‘Now!’

With perfect timing, Minho rolled forward, aimed at the orc’s chest, and thrust his sword.

Crack!

“Gwahk!”

The orc fell backward.

“Kweeeek!”

It thrashed about. But there was a problem.

‘Damn! The sword didn’t go all the way in!’

His sword hadn’t fully pierced the orc’s heart. Its thick skin, combined with Minho’s zero investment in strength stats, was the issue. But he knew the rule: if you don’t have teeth, use your gums.

“Die, you bastard!”

He placed almost all his weight on the sword, pushing it further.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Eventually, the sword pierced completely.

“Grrr…”

The orc lay flat on the ground, lifeless. Minho exhaled in relief.

‘Not too difficult.’

All that Venti-style training had paid off. Though partly, it was just raw stats. Either way, the important thing was that it was defeated.

‘This is fine… taking them down one by one won’t be too hard.’

Now, he just needed to extract the magic stones from the chest and feed them to Gosul. Minho sighed and gripped his sword. But…

“Ugh!”

The orc’s stiff body clung to the sword, probably due to post-mortem rigidity. Again, his lack of strength stats was the issue.

‘Damn it, I’ll have to invest in strength next time.’

Just then…

“Grrk!”
“Kyeek! Kyeeeek!”

Rough roars came from nearby. Turning, he saw three orcs charging furiously. Gosul’s barking must have drawn their aggro.

“Damn it!”

Minho struggled to pull out his sword. The distance between them closed rapidly.

‘Should I abandon the sword?’

He decided immediately. Their attacks weren’t strong, and escaping with high agility was easy. The sword might be wasted, but keeping Gosul safe was the priority.

At that moment…

“Woof!”

A shadow suddenly darted forward.

“Huh?”

Minho’s eyes widened as he saw Gosul charging forward, eyes blazing red.

“G-Gosul?”

He thought to intercept, abandoning his sword and running forward.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

“Gwahk!”
“Kek! Kek!”

Gosul ran through the orcs, tearing them apart, blood spraying into the air. In about five seconds, the heads of all three orcs hit the ground.

“Huh… what?”

It happened in the blink of an eye. Stunned, Minho could only blink in disbelief.

“Sniff sniff sniff!”

Gosul, covered in green blood, wagged her tail energetically as she approached. She looked cute… but also terrifying.

‘I-I’m scared.’

The orcs weren’t even pets… and she had just shredded them easily? Weren’t you supposed to be a level 1 dog?

‘A reincarnation of a great demon tribe, huh?’

The power of genetics hit him hard. Well, all was good.

“Well done, well done. Good girl.”

Minho carefully patted Gosul’s head with a smile. As they regrouped…

“Sniff sniff!”

Gosul turned to the orc corpses, seemingly wanting something. Minho immediately understood.

“Ah, wait.”

Crack! Crack!

He sliced open the orc’s chest and pulled out a glowing blue magic stone.

“You want this, huh?”

“Bang! Bang!”

He handed the stone forward. Gosul devoured it eagerly.

[‘Gosul’ has increased from Level 1 to Level 2!]
[Hunger recovered by 5%.]

As she leveled up, her hunger recovered. After feeding her all three stones…

“Sniff sniff sniff!”

She wagged her tail energetically, clearly stronger now. Minho sighed, drew his sword, and lightly tapped his shoulder, lost in thought.

‘Is this really okay?’

Having Gosul hunt for him felt like pet abuse. He thought raising her gently was the right way… but what could he do?

After a while, he decided.

“Alright, I’ve made up my mind.”

Clenching his fists with a determined expression, he prepared for the hunt.

Deep in the forest, Gosul unleashed flames and tore the orcs apart, an overwhelming massacre. Minho followed, clapping and handing her magic stones.

‘Luck is truly on my side.’

Gosul had already defeated over 70 orcs. Her hunger was full, and her level had soared past 10. It was like swimming in shallow waters without Venti’s help—previously, he had worried about overcoming this challenge alone.

‘As expected, I’m lucky.’

By sunset, after finishing the hunt, Minho said,

“Alright, let’s go home, Gosul.”

“Woof!”

They returned straight to his apartment. He grinned.

‘Over 50 magic stones left from the hunt.’

Worth roughly three million won. It took time, but he did it without Venti’s help. Of course, he needed to feed Gosul regularly, but…

‘Judging by how fast her hunger decreases… hunting once a week should suffice.’

Gosul also seemed to enjoy hunting—a literal win-win. Minho’s grin wouldn’t fade.

The only problem:

“Ugh, this is filthy.”

His sword, armor, and robe were covered in orc blood, emitting a nasty smell. The thought of washing everything made him sigh.

“Bang! Bang!”
“…You need a bath too.”

Gosul, also covered in blood, needed a bath first.

A few days later, in the apartment, Minho played tug-of-war with a rope toy.

“Bang! Bang!”
“Whoa, you’ve gotten strong! Look at this!”

Gosul tugged with all her strength, wagging her tail. Minho smiled at her cuteness.

“How can you be so cute? My little angel.”

He fussed over her in ways he normally wouldn’t.

Then…

“Grrr!”

Crack!

“Huh?”

Gosul must have gotten angry. The rope tore apart. Minho laughed awkwardly at the flying pieces.

“Wow… my Gosul is so strong. Haha.”

The memory of washing her after returning from the World Tree Tower flashed before him.

• Woof! Woof! Woof!

• It’s okay, Gosul! It’s okay!

That day, a little demon had descended into the bathtub. Though he managed to wash her, the memory still gave him chills.

‘Still… cute.’

He quickly grabbed another rope and resumed play.

“Alright, Gosul, this one…”

Meanwhile, the TV in the living room displayed news.

Currently, the Player Association, government, and top guilds are searching for the so-called “Solo King” player, but have found no trace.
Agencies are offering rewards and are trying every means to locate this player…

Reports suggested that many players were still searching for Minho, portraying him almost as a mastermind manipulating the world behind the scenes.

Professor Kang Sang-ho, why isn’t this Solo King climbing the tower?
Perhaps preparing secretly. The player likely aims to climb without being noticed. Our association and guilds should take note; he’s most likely on the 6th floor.

“No, I’m just at home playing with my dog. And without Venti, I can’t climb the tower.”

He wanted to refute these false claims but had no choice; maintaining his ordinary life meant keeping silent.

“Good girl, Gosul. Here’s a treat.”

Just then, his smartphone vibrated violently.

“Huh?”

The name on the screen:

[Investigator Kang Jin]

“Why is he contacting me now?”

Minho frowned at the unfamiliar name.