Chapter 4
“Whiiine….”
“It’s okay now — I’ll protect you!”
Protect me? A mere human, protecting a magical beast like me?
What kind of nonsense is that, woof…
Humans have only ever hurt me…
So why—why does this one have such warm hands, woof…
As the wind lashed against my ears, the woman drew a gleaming weapon and drove it straight into a rock jutting out from the cliff face below.
CLAAANG!
The shriek of metal splitting stone rang in my ears, and the powerful vibration coursed through the woman’s body—straight into mine.
“Ah— thought I was gonna die! You okay, puppy?”
“Kyuuung…”
“Phew… Good thing my Strength stat’s high. Yikes—can’t even see the bottom from here.”
Muttering something I didn’t understand, she braced one foot against the cliff wall and began to steady herself.
“Hey, puppy, can you dig your claws in and hold onto me tight? So you don’t fall.”
As if under a spell, I nodded and sank my claws into her, clinging fast to her body.
“That’s it! You understand me? Wow, you’re a genius dog.”
She laughed, then pulled a rope from her pocket, looping it around herself and me to tie us together securely.
“There. Told you it’s always good to be prepared. Hold on tight, it’s gonna get bumpy.”
And with that, she started swinging her axe into the cliffside, climbing up with astonishing speed and determination.
“Hup—!”
By the time I came back to my senses from sheer awe, we were already at the top.
She wiped the sweat from her brow, set me gently on the ground, and patted my head.
“You must’ve been scared. You did great.”
Her voice—so gentle and warm—I’d never heard anything like it in my entire life.
Her face and clothes were covered in dirt, and through the torn fabric ripped by my claws, crimson blood dripped freely.
“Kyuuu… lick.”
The wound was deep—surely it hurt terribly.
I looked into her bright blue eyes, still shining even through the pain, and stepped closer.
Then I began to lick her battered hands.
“Aww… you’re licking me ‘cause you think I’m hurt? It’s okay, I’m tougher than I look.”
She smiled softly, then spread her arms wide open toward me.
“C’mon, let’s go home.”
That day, I made a decision—
To serve this woman with overwhelming strength, for the rest of my life.
“Arf!”
…and to make her my new master.
“Ugh, my whole body aches…”
Yesterday I’d burned through my energy cleaning all day, and just when I thought I could rest—
That troublemaking puppy dragged me into a midnight cliff-climbing workout that drained every last drop of stamina I had left.
[System Warning! HP has fallen to a critical level.
Please use a recovery item or move to a safe location immediately!]
I’d told the puppy not to worry, but honestly—I was losing my mind.
Strange noises echoed through the forest, the darkness pressed in from every direction, and the cuts and scrapes from the climb stung like crazy.
Not to mention the endless spam of system warning messages in my head.
Ugh, as if things could get any worse…
If I ran into another impossible situation like this—
BEEP BEEP!
I could almost see the red emergency lights flashing in my brain.
So, I had no choice but to sling the puppy over my shoulder, swing my axe around to clear the path, and head home.
Good thing no one else was around—
If anyone saw me like that, they’d definitely think I was a lunatic.
After finally making it back home, I collapsed.
No energy left to even go upstairs.
By the time I opened my eyes, sunlight was pouring in through the windows, and my whole body ached like I’d been run over.
“Pant… pant… pant!”
“Morning, puppy. Sleep well?”
The little dog wagged its tail wildly the moment I opened my eyes.
So cute… as always.
“Kyuuu!”
Maybe because he’d finally opened up to me after last night, he even rolled over to show his belly.
Perfect timing.
Now that we were bonded, it was time to give this adorable creature… a name.
“Hey, puppy, can I give you a name?”
“Kyuuung!!”
He nodded enthusiastically, as if he actually understood.
Yep. A genius dog indeed.
After a short moment of admiration, I crossed my arms and started thinking seriously.
A name… that’s identity itself. This was no trivial matter.
Hmm, he’s got black fur—so maybe Choco, or Coal, or Shadow…
No, no. My name’s Zoe Blanche. Something more exotic, avant-garde maybe?
William Shakespeare the Third? Alexander the Great the Second? Or… Frederick von Schneider…?
…Yeah, maybe a bit much.
My tragic naming sense and indecisive nature failed me once again.
“Black fur, red eyes… huh, red?”
After much mental wandering, inspiration finally struck. I turned to the puppy and said,
“…Ruby. That’s your name. Because your eyes are red like rubies.”
“Kyuu, kyuuu!”
The puppy wagged his tail even harder at the sound of it.
Guess that means he likes it.
My first cutie — the panda, Lulu.
My second cutie — the puppy, Ruby.
Perfect match. Couldn’t have chosen better if I tried.
“Alright then, from now on, your name is Ruby!”
“Kyuu!”
And at that moment—Ruby’s body began to glow.
“Wh-what the?! What’s happening?!”
As I panicked, a system window appeared before me.
[System Message] Congratulations! You have tamed your first Magical Beast!
— Title earned: Beast Tamer
Granted to one who can tame magical beasts and monsters.Skill acquired: Monster Taming
Allows the player to tame and bind magical creatures. Successful taming enhances their attack and defense stats, and they will obey your commands.Skill acquired: Monster Summon
Allows the player to summon tamed monsters into battle. Higher-ranked beasts require greater proficiency.
“W-wait, what?! Beast Tamer?!”
I couldn’t even process the flood of messages.
The first person to tame a magical beast? When did I—
…Hold on. Don’t tell me—
I slowly looked over at Ruby, who was still shimmering faintly with light.
My Ruby… is a magical beast?!
No way! How could something this small and adorable be a monster?!
In the game, monsters were all, well—monstrous!
Grotesque! Intimidating! Not cute in the slightest!
I clutched my head, unable to believe reality.
But even as my sanity teetered, the system faithfully continued its job.
Ding!
[System Message] Congratulations! Special Quest “Register in the Monster Encyclopedia” completed!
Reward:
Lucky Gacha Tickets — 5 Normal, 3 Rare, 1 Special+10 HP
+5 Agility
+15 LuckThe tamed magical beast has been automatically registered in your Monster Encyclopedia.
※ Note: “Magical Beasts” are a special subclass of monsters resembling animals.
Would you like to open the Monster Encyclopedia? [YES] [NO]
Wait, Monster Encyclopedia?! Not Animal Encyclopedia?!
“Hey, devs, can’t you see I’m having a mental breakdown? Give me a second to process this!”
I yelled at the system window in pure frustration.
But, of course, it ignored me and popped up another prompt.
[Open Monster Encyclopedia?] [YES] [NO]
At that point, under relentless digital pressure, I surrendered.
“Fine! FINE! I’ll look, happy now?!”
With an irritated face, I jabbed the YES button.
[Zoe Blanche’s Monster Encyclopedia (1/???)]
1.
Name: Ruby (♂)
Species: Inferno Puppy (Epic Tier)
Ability: Fire Magic
Rank: S-Class Magical Beast
I scanned through the details quickly.
Species: Inferno Puppy…? So he’s a fire-type beast dog?
Can use flame magic… and wait—what?
“S-S Class?!”
This tiny thing… is S-Class?! But I’m just F-Rank!
Normally, S-Rank beasts are boss-level monsters! But…
“Look at him! He’s small and fluffy and soft—how can he be S-Class?!”
“Kyuuu!!”
