Changes After Awakening

As the sun rose and the moon set, who knew how many days had passed!

Yet in this sewer where daylight never reached, time seemed to have frozen!

Other than the river that still flowed on, the traces around them remained exactly as they had always been.

Master!

Sploing!

Little Ball nestled up beside Moss and rubbed against her body before turning and bouncing toward the cave entrance!

As it passed the entrance, Little Ball stretched out a tentacle and drew a crooked scratch on the wall.

By now, the wall had been carved with who knew how many marks, densely packed together!

Record! Record!

Little Ball bounced happily a few times, then continued hopping toward the entrance!

Standing at the entrance like Moss used to, it carefully and quietly checked the situation outside!

Invisible magic power flowed out through its body, feeding the conditions at the entrance back to Little Ball.

Sensing that the scene outside was unchanged, Little Ball cried out happily:

Safe!

It had done this scene who knew how many times already, and its movements were exceptionally practiced!

It bounced out of the cave, and before long, Little Ball came bouncing back again!

Master! Water!

Little Ball moved beside Moss, extending a tentacle toward her lips and slowly feeding her the water stored inside its body.

Sploing!

After feeding her water, Little Ball wobbled a few times, then bounced back and forth across the open space alone, playing.

The Flame Marsh Lizard that Moss had mostly eaten was now reduced to nothing but a clean white skeleton and a large pile of scales scattered nearby.

Little Ball crawled over the skeleton, as delighted as though it were in an amusement park!

After playing alone for a long while, Little Ball once again moved close to Moss, affectionately rubbing against the still-sleeping Moss.

Master...

Little Ball called softly to Moss, then placed her atop its head once more to use as a mattress.

A great deal of invisible magic essence still drifted through the cave, glimmering faintly as it continuously swirled around and gathered beside Moss.

Little Ball absorbed the magic essence in the air and entered sleep once more alongside its master.

Congratulations, Awakened One. Your level has increased!

Name: ???

Job: Warrior

Level: Bronze Level 6

Constitution: 6

Spirit: 6

Job Points: 4

The notification from the laws pierced through Moss's mind like a bolt of thunder!

Moss, who had been standing atop a snow-covered mountain, suddenly came back to her senses!

Ugh... How long has it been? How long did I sleep?

A flicker of doubt crossed Moss's mind as her soul, which had wandered through endless dreams, swiftly returned to reality!

Having regained consciousness, she slowly opened her eyes again!

"I'm back?"

Moss murmured to herself. Looking at the dim surroundings before her, compared to the magnificent world of her dreams, this place was practically hell!

Yet it was precisely this familiar scene that gave Moss the sense of reality that only the real world could offer!

"I'm back... What a long dream that was..."

After sleeping came waking. Little Ball slowly awakened from its dreams!

Greeting, recording, feeding water, playing, absorbing magic essence, sleeping!

Day after day, its simple and repetitive life brought Little Ball neither loneliness nor pain. Instead, it thoroughly enjoyed itself.

However, just as it prepared to carry out the most important daily ritual—greeting its master—it discovered that life seemed to have changed!

That familiar connection—the one Little Ball had grown so attached to—became unusually active today!

Master?

Little Ball's adorably dazed voice echoed in Moss's heart, making her curl her lips into a smile as she sat atop it.

Moss reached out and gently stroked Little Ball, warm magic flowing into its body.

"I'm back. You've worked hard during this time... You did very well!"

As Little Ball felt that familiar yet slightly unfamiliar touch, an emotion it had never experienced before suddenly rose within its innocent heart!

Sadness? Happiness? It didn't know!

This was an emotion Little Ball had never felt before...

But there was one thing it knew: right now, it wanted to cling to Moss as hard as it could and vent that emotion in its heart!

So, in the happiest voice it had ever used, Little Ball kept calling out:

Master!!! Master!!!

Puyo! Puyo! Puyo!

Little Ball bounced continuously, flinging Moss to the ground and rubbing against her at a speed that nearly sparked!

"Alright, alright..."

Moss rubbed Little Ball with an amused, helpless smile before pulling it tightly into her arms.

Holding Little Ball and feeling the excitement it conveyed, she could not help closing her eyes.

After a long while, Moss finally whispered to Little Ball:

"...Thank you, Little Ball."

This incident had truly been a close call. If Little Ball had not sent her such a large amount of magical essence, it might really have been over.

Even Moss had not expected Little Ball to make such a decisive decision in so short a time.

"Perhaps only feelings so pure—wanting only to protect its master... could make a decision that was practically suicidal."

Moss murmured to herself, then lowered her head and rubbed against Little Ball for the first time.

After this near-death experience, she had finally accepted Little Ball from the bottom of her heart!

No longer as an ordinary pet, but as a companion and family member who had faced life and death alongside her!

Moss's feelings were also conveyed to Little Ball through the connection between them!

Master! Family!!!

Still innocent and ignorant, Little Ball experienced another emotion it had never felt before!

But this time, Little Ball knew the name of that feeling. It was familial love—the kind that let them give everything for one another!

Moss and Little Ball quietly nestled together, feeling each other's presence. The bond in their hearts seemed to have grown even stronger.

Talent: Slime Affinity → Slime Affinity I

Only when the Golden Finger's voice sounded in her mind did Moss open her eyes.

"Goodness..."

She smiled and rubbed Little Ball again before slowly getting to her feet.

Even with the constant nourishment of magical essence, Moss's body, which had not moved for so long, still swayed unsteadily as she stood.

Of course, there were also some other reasons for that.

"Huh?"

Moss~

Moss let out a confused sound, then covered her mouth in surprise!

"My voice!"

Moss, moss, moss~

She had not noticed while interacting with Little Ball earlier, but only now did Moss realize that her voice had changed!

But that was not the important part. What truly made Moss cry out in shock was her body!

A faint fiery red hue showed through her snow-white fur, while the slightly curled fur on her chest looked soft and fluffy!

Startled and flustered, Moss hurriedly examined her body!

The color of the fur all over her body had changed, and it had grown much longer, becoming exceptionally thick!

The fur atop her head, behind her neck, and on her chest had become especially dense, and even her tail was covered in extremely thick white fur!

Moss swished her tail. It was fluffy and soft, nothing like a rat's tail at all!

Her body structure had also changed. Her originally cylindrical body had undergone enormous alterations!

For some reason, the hunched spine typical of rodents had straightened, while her lower body had been raised and become slimmer and longer!

Her limbs had thickened considerably, no longer as thin as bamboo poles like a rat's. Aside from the fact that she could not retract the claws on her forepaws, they honestly looked more like feline paws.

And the five black-red claws at the tips of her paws were thick and sharp, looking even more powerful!

Beneath the fluffy fur, her body had unexpectedly become streamlined, making Moss feel that both her range of movement and speed had improved!

"W-What's going on?!"

Moss touched the snowy-white fur on her head, cupping the white hair hanging beside her face as she cried out in shock!

"A dream? Am I still dreaming?!!!"

Mmmmmmm~~~~~