Save Me! There's a Dog Here!

Outside the internet café.

Huo Yuhao swiftly set up the grill, lit the fire, and brushed on oil.

Though he was only eleven, years of enduring cold stares at the Duke's Estate had taught him how to survive. He had long since developed excellent cooking skills in the back kitchen.

Sizzle—

The instant the herring touched the scorching grill, the crackling of bursting fat was especially pleasing.

The special cumin powder and secret jalapeño seasoning Lu Yuan had casually tossed him gave the aroma a soul.

A domineering charred fragrance instantly overwhelmed the forest's original earthy smell.

For soul beasts that had never eaten cooked food, this complex aroma filled with technology and ruthless additives was simply irresistible.

Inside the shop.

Scarlet King, who was being repeatedly tortured by Odogaron in Monster Hunter, suddenly twitched his nose twice.

"Hm? What's that smell?"

Its in-game avatar was a burly red-haired man. Distracted for just a moment, it was sent flying by a vicious sweep of Odogaron's tail.

The cart appeared on the Screen once more.

[Quest Failed]

"I'm done playing! This piece of trash is impossible to beat!"

Scarlet King angrily took off its helmet. Before it could even flare up, that fragrance hooked its very soul.

It instantly reverted to its true form—a three-headed Demon Mastiff—and all three heads drooled as they stared toward the entrance.

The Auspicious Beast also removed its helmet, its ruby-like eyes fixed intently on the brush in Huo Yuhao's hand.

Huo Yuhao was focused on turning the grilled fish when he suddenly felt a chill down his back.

The moment he looked up, he nearly lost his soul from fright.

On his left stood a magnificent golden lion, swallowing its saliva like mad.

On his right was a giant red-furred vicious dog with three heads, green light gleaming from all six eyes.

"H-Here you go." Huo Yuhao tremblingly offered over a freshly grilled fish.

Scarlet King did not stand on ceremony. Its middle head swallowed the fish in one bite, bones and all, crunching loudly.

"Mmm! Delicious!" All six of Scarlet King's eyes widened at once. "This taste... it's ten thousand times better than that Wind Baboon!"

The Auspicious Beast was far more elegant. It pointed at the fish with a claw, signaling Huo Yuhao to remove the bones before giving it one.

Lu Yuan sat behind the counter, watching the harmonious scene with a satisfied nod. He felt like the director of a zoo.

However, right at that moment.

A strange scraping sound suddenly came from the ground beneath the internet café.

Rustle, rustle, rustle...

The anti-slip mat beneath Huo Yuhao's feet bulged into a large mound.

"What is that?" Scarlet King warily raised its head, jalapeño powder still clinging to its mouth.

The next second.

Bang!

The floor tiles shattered, and dirt flew everywhere.

A huge, white, fat head violently burst out from underground.

It was a full seven meters long, snow-white all over, with ten faint golden stripes shining across its body. Its tiny eyes were full of the excitement of escaping with its life.

It was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, fleeing in blind panic and mistaking this place for a shelter.

"Wahahahaha! I finally made it out!"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm threw back his head and howled, tears even welling up in his eyes.

"I'm exhausted! That old bastard Di Tian definitely never expected me to find such a perfect place, one that even blocks divine senses! This place is practically heaven... huh?"

His laughter abruptly cut off, like a duck being strangled by the neck.

The air suddenly became terrifyingly quiet.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm blinked blankly.

Directly in front of him, less than two meters away.

Scarlet King's three heads, coated in jalapeño powder, froze mid-motion. Its chewing stopped instantly, and six deep, dark eyes stared straight at him.

To his left, the Auspicious Beast elegantly licked cumin from its paws. Even its tightly shut Eye of Destiny seemed to be trembling intensely with excitement.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm stiffly turned his neck and looked toward the human child holding a grilled-fish brush, his face utterly blank.

Finally, he saw Lu Yuan sitting behind the floor-to-ceiling window, casually swirling a cola in his hand with an amused expression.

Scarlet King swallowed the fish in its mouth and twitched its nose.

"That smell..."

"Feels familiar..."

"Isn't that the million-year charging bank that got away?"

The expressions on Scarlet King's three heads first froze, then its eyes widened more and more. Finally, its mouths split into grins, revealing bone-white fangs.

A ferocious beast's pressure was about to erupt instinctively!

"Mommy! How did I leave the wolf den only to enter a tiger's mouth?!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm let out a shriek so miserable that his voice cracked.

He had never imagined that the safe house he had painstakingly dug a tunnel to find would turn out to be Scarlet King and the Auspicious Beast's open-air cafeteria!

What kind of hellish joke was this?!

Run? Where could he run? Scarlet King's teeth were right above his head!

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's survival instincts exploded in an instant.

Without even thinking, his body turned into a streak of spiritual white light. Rather than burrowing back underground, he shot straight toward the nearest and seemingly weakest creature—Huo Yuhao!

"I can't live like this anymore! I'm too miserable! I'll just hide inside a human!"

Whoosh!

The white light flashed into Huo Yuhao's brow like lightning.

Huo Yuhao felt as if his brain had been struck by a massive hammer. Without even managing a groan, his eyes rolled back and he fell stiffly backward.

"Bastard! That's this king's supplement!"

Scarlet King raised a flaming claw and was about to slap Huo Yuhao's head, intending to dig that worm out.

"Freeze."

A light, drifting word rang through the air.

Scarlet King's massive claw, capable of smashing rocks, stopped forcibly one centimeter from Huo Yuhao's nose, unable to move forward another inch.

"Boss! That's Sky Dream Ice Silkworm! If I eat him, I might be able to break through to three hundred thousand years!" Scarlet King panicked, all three heads drooling. "That's fat meat delivered right to my mouth!"

Lu Yuan set down his cola and shook his head, his tone calm but unquestionable.

"I said fighting is forbidden in the shop. Besides, this kid is my employee."

He walked over to the unconscious Huo Yuhao, looking at the faint golden pattern appearing and disappearing between the boy's brows. A playful curve rose on his lips.

Although the location had changed, was this the power of plot correction? This worm had still chosen Huo Yuhao.

"However, since you entered my shop, how this script plays out will be up to me."

Lu Yuan crouched down, extended a finger, and lightly tapped Huo Yuhao's forehead.

Inside Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea.

This had originally been a dry, desolate space. Now, because of Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's arrival, it had become a golden ocean.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was curled up into a trembling ball. He transformed the place with spiritual power while whimpering and crying.

"Wuwuwu... I'm so miserable... This human is a little weak, but at least he can hide my aura... As long as I seal my power, that dog Scarlet King probably won't find me..."

"Ahem."

A sudden cough sounded above the Spiritual Sea.

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm jolted and abruptly looked up.

Above this spiritual ocean, an enormous golden projection slowly condensed into form.

The man sat cross-legged in the void, and he was even holding that damned cup of black bubbling water!

Lu Yuan's projection looked down at the enormous silkworm baby and greeted him with a smile.

"Oh, so this is the legendary million-year soul beast? Looks like it would taste pretty good. No wonder Scarlet King wants to eat you."

"Y-You... who are you?!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice trembled.

This was the Spiritual Sea! Apart from the host and himself, how could there possibly be a third person here?

And this human's aura was unfathomable. Within this space, he actually felt that the other party was even more terrifying than Di Tian!

"I'm the owner of this shop, and this kid's guardian."

Lu Yuan pointed at the vast spiritual ocean below.

"You entered my employee's head without my permission and wanted to force a contract on him? Isn't that against the rules?"

"Mercy, mighty one!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately dropped to his knees without a shred of dignity. "I... no, this lowly one was forced into it! There are dogs outside! That three-headed dog wants to eat me! I can only survive by hiding here! I mean this kid no harm! I want to grant him a great fortune! I want to make him a god!"

"Alright, stop selling dreams." Lu Yuan waved a hand. "I know what you want. You want to use him as a vessel to carry out your god-making plan, while gaining immortality through it as well, right?"

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's eyes widened. "You... how do you know? Can you read minds?!"

Lu Yuan did not explain. He merely said flatly.

"Since you're already in here, I can't be bothered dragging you out to feed the dogs. This kid does need a cheat, but I have three conditions."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm nodded desperately. "Please speak, mighty one! Forget three, even three hundred would be fine!"

"First, no body-snatching. Be a proper portable old grandpa."

"Second, this kid's body is now under the internet café's management. While he works here, you'll use your spiritual power to help him work."

"Third..."

Lu Yuan revealed a devilish smile that made Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's heart tremble.

"From now on, you'll be responsible for assisting him in games. If you dare slack off, I'll undo a few layers of your seals and let Scarlet King outside follow the scent in here."

Though Sky Dream Ice Silkworm did not understand what a "game" was, he nodded frantically for the sake of survival.

"No problem! As long as you don't feed me to the dogs, I'll do anything!"

"Deal."

After saying that, Lu Yuan's projection gradually dissipated.

Back in the real world.

Lu Yuan withdrew his finger and slowly stood.

Scarlet King was still pacing anxiously nearby.

"Boss, we're really not eating him? That's an incredible tonic..."

"All you know is eating."

Lu Yuan smacked Scarlet King's middle head with a disappointed look.

"Think further ahead. Broaden your horizons."

"Think about it. Why do you keep getting sliced up by Odogaron in Monster Hunter? Isn't it because you react too slowly and can't predict its moves?"

Scarlet King let out an aggrieved whimper, but did not argue.

"That worm is a million-year spiritual-type soul beast. If it lives inside this kid, and this kid becomes your support..."

Lu Yuan began to patiently guide it.

"Whenever you team up with this kid to play games, he can give you full-map vision, call out enemy positions, and buff your spiritual power..."

"Then forget a mere Odogaron. Even that flying Rathalos in the sky—wouldn't you be able to pin it down and rub it into the ground?"

Scarlet King froze.

Its three heads rapidly calculated.

Eating this worm would only increase its cultivation somewhat, and it would still have to go back and guard Di Tian's gate.

But if it kept him... that meant gaining a top-tier gaming helper who could help it clear Monster Hunter... Once it trained up its skills, why would it need to fear Myriad Demon King or Xiong Jun?

Even an idiot could do that math!

The ferociousness in Scarlet King's eyes instantly softened. Looking at the unconscious Huo Yuhao, it was as though it were staring at an unmatched treasure.

"The boss is absolutely right!"

Scarlet King licked its lips, its tone incomparably fawning.

"Then we'll raise him for now, until he helps this king destroy that mad dog!"

Right at that moment.

Urgent sounds of wind breaking suddenly came from the distant woods.

Two figures swept over the treetops like startled swans, rushing over beneath the moonlight.

The man was tall and elegant, with refined features; the woman had flowing long hair and a delicate, adorable appearance.

They were Bei Bei and Tang Ya.

They had been searching for soul beasts on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest when they caught the scent of an enticingly strange fragrance.

"Xiao Ya, be careful. The aura is up ahead..."

Bei Bei pushed aside the bushes. The next second, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Before that strange glowing glass house, a mountain-sized ferocious beast with three heads had its bloody maw open as it lowered its head toward Huo Yuhao, who lay motionless on the ground. Its Sharpness fangs were only centimeters from the boy's throat!

Beside it, there was also a golden-glowing lion watching coldly.

"That's... a three-headed Red Demon Mastiff?!"

Bei Bei's face instantly turned deathly pale, and even his voice changed pitch.

"This is bad! That's a ten-thousand-year ferocious beast, and there's a human child on the ground!"

The posture of this legendary ferocious beast clearly showed that it was about to feed!

Tang Ya grew anxious as well. Though she could be somewhat scheming at times, she was kind-hearted. How could she endure the sight before her?

Several Blue Silver Grass seeds instantly appeared at her fingertips, and three Soul Rings—two yellow and one purple—lit up around her.

Tang Ya completely ignored the vast gap in strength between them and shouted:

"Beast! Let go of that child!!"