All eyes were fixed on Mamenosuke; the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A moment later, Cecil's mouth fell open: "Did that cat just talk?!"
Lulune nodded: "Right? It really spoke up."
"Heh, how could a cat talk? I must still be half-asleep." Cecil turned to walk away, as if hoping to go back to bed and pretend this wasn't happening.
Astraea smiled gently.
"Hey, come back." Shaka called out, pointing at the huddled feline in front of him. "So, what do we do with this guy now?"
Lulune stroked her chin, bending down to look at Mamenosuke who was curled into a ball, pretending to be invisible.
"Is this really the ferocious demon beast that killed over ten people in one night? It looks so cowardly and gluttonous."
Shaka was equally confused. He poked Mamenosuke's side and demanded: "Quick tell us the truth."
The cat peeked out pitifully, tears streaming down its face: "What was I supposed to do? I was desperate!"
"They tricked me with dried fish, then locked me up and didn't feed me at all! Monsters need to eat too! It's been half a month, half a month since I've had a proper meal!"
"I miss the honey, cloud fruit, and purple carrots from my hometown…"
A foodie forced into starvation? What a mess! And remarkably, it had gone hungry for half a month without touching the corpses of its victims. This was nothing like a typical monster.
Shaka felt a pang of sympathy: "You've got a point. If anyone tried to stop me from eating, I'd fight them tooth and nail."
Astraea stepped forward to deliver her verdict:
"Shaka-kun I didn't tell you earlier, but Ruri-chan has awakened her magic, and this black cat is her familiar."
"Magic?" Shaka asked in astonishment.
Astraea pulled him aside to explain quietly:
"Thit cat is extraordinary. It's a War Shadow that consumed remnants left by Behemoth in the dungeon. It also ate large quantities of magic stones, eventually transforming into a special monster, like a materialized curse."
"But Ruri-chan's magic can perfectly counter and assimilate Mamenosuke."
Shaka was surprised. The journey of this young magic user was truly bizarre.
"So what do you intend to do with Mame no Suke, Lady Astraea?"
Astraea paused to think: "While there's no precedent for accepting magical beasts as Familia members, I believe we should make one."
"It killed people," Shaka pointed out. Though he understood the circumstances of some heretics, not all were kind and the cat's past worried him.
"Justice isn't just about punishment. Guiding evil toward good is also my duty. Besides, according to Mamenosuke, it was a victim too, the mercenaries were the ones in the wrong."
"So I think we can make an exception."
After listening to the goddess's words, Shaka considered for a moment:
"Since you've made your decision, Lady leah, I won't object. After all, I wanted to help increase the black cat's ability to protect itself anyway."
The main issue is that it's so stupid… Shaka thought to himself. I'll have to bring some catnip from the other world, maybe that'll keep the fool in line.
Once Mamenosuke was officially welcomed into the group, they had a quick dinner. Shaka then followed Astraea to the Astraea Familia Shrine for his Falna update.
Practice made perfect, Shaka removed his shirt and lay on the altar as the goddess's fingers, glowing with sacred light, traced along his cervical spine. Ancient incantations appeared behind her as she activated the blessing.
ABILITY UPDATE
Shaka
Level: 1
- Strength: I22 → H150
- Endurance: I20 → H130
- Dexterity: I20 → I77
- Agility: I24 → I89
- Magic: H100 → G207
Magic: [Descendant]
Skills: [Mysterious Aspiration], [Wings of Justice]
Shaka examined the parchment, his total ability growth came to 467 points, more than four times his previous gains. This was from defeating a Level 1 BugBear, a Level 2 Venomous Cat Demon, and the Level 3 Giant Minotaur. Each battle had been life-or-death, and with initial growth being faster, the results were staggering.
"Still this is nothing compared to Bell Cranel. I risked my life fighting enemies two levels above me, while he breaks records every time he steps into the dungeon."
Yamato helped in the end too, she must have gained a lot as well.
At least he had the high-quality experience needed to level up. As long as he kept hunting monsters and building his stats step by step, advancement would be smooth.
Shaka burned the parchment, his expression calm. The boost in attributes meant he could recruit more helpers,creating a snowball effect that would only grow stronger.
Instead of leaving immediately, he pulled out the black hide dropped by the Minotaur.
"Lady Astraea, I feel something's wrong about this incident. The way that boss evolved was unnatural. That black coloring… isn't that unique to the God Assassins?"
"Why would it appear on a surface monster? The real problem is this drop…"
The goddess took the tough hide and examined it closely. Her brow furrowed, and her expression grew anxious.
"What is it?" Shaka asked.
Astraea sighed deeply: "This is dragon skin."
"A dragon?!" Shaka's eyes widened. "Which dragon?"
"The Black Dragon."
Her voice was grave:
"Strictly speaking, these are scales from a subspecies of Black Dragon. It was a Minotaur, how could it have the biological traits of a dragon subspecies?"
Shaka absorbed the shocking news, then added:
"That forest was strange too. There were far too many monsters for just a small mountain. And their types were all mixed,usually, monster groups with a leader are of the same species, but these clearly followed a leader of a different race."
Suddenly, realization dawned on him as he looked at the dragon skin: "That's it, dragons. If all these monsters carry Black Dragon bloodline, then their hierarchy makes sense they're organized by how concentrated their dragon blood is!"
Astraea nodded seriously: "The situation has definitely escalated. Reports have been coming in from across the land of villages and forests destroyed by monsters. I never thought Orario's surrounding areas would be affected too."
"What do you mean?" Shaka asked, confused.
"Do you know the three most mysterious places in the world?"
Shaka nodded: "The Dungeon, the Great Tree Sea… and Dragon Valley."
He fell silent, he knew Bete Loga of the Loki Familia had lost everything there. The werewolf's entire beastman tribe was destroyed by a dragon-type monster that crawled out of Dragon Valley, leaving him with scars that ran deeper than any physical wound. It was this trauma that forged Bete into the "Mad Wolf" of the Loki Familia driven by a relentless pursuit of strength and a harsh refusal to let weakness lead to more loss.
Shaka also knew those dragon-type beasts were no ordinary monsters, they were henchmen of the One-Eyed Black Dragon, one of the world's three sealed calamities alongside Behemoth and Leviathan.
Like those other great beasts, the Black Dragon could split its body and create clones. These clones were powerful and carried traits of the original much like how Behemoth's clones wield its cursed black wind.
"But how are surface monsters getting their hands on dragon flesh and blood to become so strong? The mastermind we suspected earlier couldn't possibly have that kind of power."
The answer became clear:
"Other forces are involved. They're taking advantage of the chaos to achieve their own goals."
"Who could they be?"