Chapter 23

    The Birth of Möbius's Pet: Black Lightning

    Möbius, hurled away by the hammer strike, felt pain throughout his body due to his exhausted condition. Despite his struggle to move, he managed to summon his sniper rifle into his hand, intending to use its scope in place of binoculars as it seemed the only option to assist the three women in their assault. The sight of the women taking the fight seriously sent shivers down his spine, making him realize that under no circumstances should they be angered.

    Then something extraordinary happened. As the women said something he couldn't hear, the tip of the sniper rifle emitted a bright white light. He sensed it had something to do with him because the light at the rifle's tip grew brighter as the women finished speaking. When the boss fell, the opportunity came, and he fired without hesitation.

    Cool shot

    30,000 (Critical hit on a fatal spot)

    The bullet from Möbius hit the ring on the head of the Arc Angel precisely, penetrating and embedding itself deep within the creature. The three women, who saw him deliver the fatal shot that helped them, smiled faintly at him knowing his exhausted state made it difficult for him to move. The fact that he still pushed himself to use the fatal blow really showed his real effort.

    "That’s…I can rest in peace."

    Möbius uttered his final words, thinking the boss was finally defeated, and then passed out, not seeing the body of the Arc Angel explode and dissolve into a shower of light particles.

    Boom!

    10,000

    ‘Congratulations, Mr. Möbius and team have successfully eliminated the Arc Angel.’

    ‘Mr. Möbius, your level has been raised to 39.’

    ‘Gumiho's level has been raised to 40.’

    ‘Inari's level has been raised to 45.’

    The falling loot included a substantial amount of money, the giant hammer it wielded, two spherical stones for weapon upgrades, and some gold ornaments.

    "Möbius, hang in there, okay?"

    Inari, concerned about Möbius's condition, hurried over to check on the young man who was unconscious. As she arrived, the fox mother quickly healed his wounds.

    "Mom, how is Möbius doing?"

    Gumiho and Leia, still in her half-vampire form, followed and checked on Möbius as well. Inari's relaxed expression was enough to answer their question.

    "He'll be fine after about 8 hours of sleep."

    Inari, who had Möbius laying on her lap, gently stroked the young man's hair. She responded with a smile that made both of them smile as well.

    "Sorry that I didn't take it seriously from the start, causing Möbius to end up like this."

    Leia bowed to the fox mother and daughter, sitting down and holding Möbius's hand. She felt terribly guilty for not acting earnestly sooner, becoming a burden to the group. If she had used her demon form from the start, she could have flown across the bridge they had just crossed or could have perfectly avoided the Arc Angel's hammer smash by hiding in the shadows.

    "We feel the same."

    The fox mother and daughter apologized and bowed to Leia in return. If they had used their fox form to carry Möbius across the bridge, it would have been much quicker, or if they had used their half-fox form from the start of the boss fight, their fatal moves would have been stronger and might have ended the fight sooner.

    "Sob... Möbius must be scared seeing me like this."

    Leia, who had never seen her own reflection while transformed into a demon, began to cry, believing she must look hideous because once she transforms, she must stay in that form for at least 12 hours, meaning the young man would definitely see her demonic form.

    However, Gumiho tilted her head, not understanding Leia's words and actions, thinking that the petite woman looked beautiful in her demon form with her jet-black hair, beautiful red eyes, and even the small fangs peeking out from her upper teeth looked cute.

    "Why be scared?"

    As Leia was about to look up at Gumiho, she saw that the fox mother and daughter also weren't ordinary. Both had golden triangular ears with fluffy white tufts, and nine similarly fluffy tails gently swaying behind them, making Leia realize they were of the same class as her.

    "Why do Miho and Inari have ears and tails too? Are you witches?"

    "Not at all, we're monsters, and Möbius is our partner."

    Inari smiled and told the truth, as there was no point in hiding it any longer.

    "Oh... is that so? It's just the rule of assistance then..."

    Leia suddenly remembered that in this game, if a player's status was too low, they would immediately receive a partner. Even though she didn’t know why Möbius had two partners, this realization sparked a mix of emotions within her. On one side, she was glad they weren't real humans who could take Möbius away from her.

    However, having spent even a short time with them, she knew the feelings Inari and Gumiho had for Möbius were just as genuine as hers. But the reality was harsh; the relationship between a real human and game monsters was painfully sad, making her couldn’t help but wish the game hadn't designed the characters to have such realistic emotions.

    "If that's the case between you and Möbius..."

    Leia looked at Inari with a sorrowful gaze. Inari was well aware of the stark realities that separated the world of monsters from that of humans and always kept in mind her true nature.

    "After Möbius fully recovers, make sure to take good care of him."

    Inari told Leia, her voice laden with sadness.

    "Um..."

    Leia looked at Inari's face, which, despite a smile, seemed deeply melancholic. She resolved not to be jealous of Möbius with the two foxes anymore, realizing that their relationship with Möbius was just like the game's name—a dream counting down to an awakening. She then pulled out a large tent to cover the mattress Möbius was lying on.

    "Sweet treats can really help during sad times like these. As for whether Möbius will be scared of you, you'll know when he wakes up."

    Gumiho, who had known and accepted the reality since she first saw the man lying in her mother's lap, pulled out some sweets from Möbius's red refrigerator and offered them to the other two girls, who readily accepted.

    After enjoying the sweets and feeling somewhat better, they all lay down comfortably on the mattress where Möbius was resting. Since the room was a boss room, no monsters would spawn, and the boss would take at least a week to respawn.

    When Möbius woke up, he found himself on the same futon but now covered by the large tent. As he looked around, he saw Gumiho and Inari, who draped their soft, golden tails over him as usual. However, he couldn't see Leia, but soon felt something curled up on him.

    "Good morning, Möbius..."

    The soft voice came from the small figure curled up on him. The figure then wriggled out from under the pile of golden tails that was covering him, revealing long, delicate black hair, small bat wings on her back, tiny fangs that made her sweet face even cuter, and sparkling red eyes like rubies that stared at him unblinkingly.

    "Good morning, Young Miss."

    Möbius gently stroked Leia's jet-black hair. No words were needed—just this gentle, warm touch was enough to assure her that no matter her condition, he would always take good care of her. Pleased, Leia then looked at the two foxes lying beside Möbius, and he switched to gently patting Gumiho's head.

    "Good morning, Möbius."

    Gumiho slowly opened her emerald, green eyes and smiled back at Möbius, who greeted her in return.

    "Good morning, Miho."

    Möbius responded and then gently patted Inari's head.

    "Good morning, Möbius."

    Inari opened her sparkling golden eyes and looked at the man in front of her.

    "Good morning, Inari."

    "Everyone, I apologize for yesterday. I pushed myself too hard, causing such trouble."

    Möbius apologized for making it difficult for his companions by overexerting himself the previous day, which put them in danger.

    "Yes, that’s right, Möbius, you need to make it up to us."

    Inari, the teaser, quickly narrowed her beautiful eyes and gave Möbius her usual mischievous look.

    "If we get out, you'll owe us another round of sweets around the town."

    Gumiho, the owner of the fourth-dimensional stomach, cheerfully suggested. How could any frozen sweet compete with freshly made ones?

    "Let's get out of here first."

    Leia returned to her usual cool demeanor, unaware that her half-demon form made her look even cuter when trying to act cold.

    "Alright, let’s see what's inside the treasure chest."

    Möbius smiled at the girls after they walked out from under the black tent, which Leia had packed away, and walked with the two fox girls to see what the level 65 boss had been guarding.

    "Hey, what do you all think is in that big chest?"

    Gumiho asked as they approached the large chest on the pyramid.

    "It might be a weapon. It would be great if it's something we could actually use, because none of the good weapons we've found so far have been usable by us."

    Inari responded, knowing that given Möbius's constant encounters with danger, she wished everyone could be more capable, with weapons being a shortcut to enhancing their strength quickly.

    "Maybe, but something that big could also be full of gold."

    Leia looked around at the golden stripes on the walls and the golden pyramid; it seemed quite possible that the large chest could contain gold.

    "But I'd rather have an 80% discount coupon for food."

    Möbius half-jokingly, but seriously wished for it, given that his funds were down to only 400,000 Ryo. Fortunately, he had been granted a subsidy by the late Purple Spider, saving him from spending too much on ammunition.

    Soon, they reached the chest on the pyramid. Upon closer inspection, they found it to be very large—4 meters wide, 5 meters long, and 2 meters high. It was a golden stone chest that seemed to contain something very important. Möbius walked around it but found no way to open it.

    "Place your hand here, Möbius."

    Leia pointed to a spot on the chest that seemed to require a handprint. The young man complied immediately, and the lid floated up while the chest itself slowly sank into the ground, leaving only the treasures inside.

    The treasure was something that no one could have ever guessed would be hidden within this ancient site. It was a car, but it was entirely unlike any car Möbius had ever seen before. It was a sleek, black four-seater convertible, beautifully designed to minimize air resistance. The seats were made of fine leather, polished to a gleam. Four of them looked at it with mixed feelings, but they were soon overtaken by an even greater surprise.

    Rumble...

    A powerful earthquake struck, causing the entire room to tremble violently. Small pieces of fell from the ceiling. Soon, they felt something powerful they had never experienced before. At the far end of the room, opposite the entrance they had used, a giant eyeball appeared on the wall. It moved around, and then slowly revealed its true form—a dense sphere of darkness, about 100 meters in diameter, with a vivid red eye staring back at them.

    ‘Player Möbius has encountered Complete Destruction, level 666, a Grand Boss monster.’

    "Detection of Grand Boss monster seal failure... Initiating seal reactivation. It is advised that all occupants evacuate immediately."

    As emotionless voice of the young woman rose, resembling a sequence of recorded messages, coming from beneath the pyramid. Then, the eyeball slowly floated towards them.

    "Möbius, look out!!!"

    A large stone slab slowly began to descend from the room's high ceiling, fortunately near the exit door. If it closed completely, they would be forced to confront the eyeball boss behind them—a fight they couldn't possibly win since the highest player level capped at 100, so there’s no way they could defeat a boss ranked as high as 666.

    "Everyone, get in the car!!! Möbius, you drive."

    Leia hurried to the passenger seat and motioned for Möbius to take the driver's seat immediately. Gumiho and Inari quickly jumped into the back seats.

    "But I don't know how to drive."

    Möbius, who had memory issues, said uncertainly to the small woman beside him. Despite having driven before, he couldn’t remember how to operate a vehicle. However, Leia, usually as cool as ice, urgently responded,

    "Just be quiet and find the ignition. You know how to drive."

    "It's coming, hurry up."

    Gumiho, watching the giant eyeball slowly approach from behind, while the stone slab in front had already slid down a quarter of the way, urgently directed the young man in the driver's seat to prompt some movement from this thing.

    "Where is it? I can’t find it anywhere."

    Möbius and Leia scrambled to find the car’s start button, pressing every button they could see, but nothing seemed to work. The eyeball was drawing closer, and the stone continued to descend, pressuring the young man to figure out what to do. Finally, he had an idea.

    "Then let’s just ask the car itself."

    He grabbed a Spirit Crystal and inserting it into a screen in the middle of the dashboard. The crystal disappeared into the screen, and the entire car began to glow with a white light.

    ‘Player Möbius is using a Spirit Crystal to change the status of the target.’

    ‘Player Möbius has acquired a Lamborghini Reventon, calculating status...’

    ‘Congratulations, your Lamborghini Reventon has been registered as… your pet, Mr. Möbius.’