"Why are you so late?"
As expected, the moment Victor arrived, Kierra was already outside—arms crossed, scowling at him.
Victor met her gaze but didn't slow his pace.
'Here we go…'
"I ran into a special phenomenon at the lake," he explained calmly. "That's why I was a little late."
Kierra's scowl softened into curiosity. "Special phenomenon? What do you mean?" She fell into step beside him, the flickering firelight from her torch casting shadows across her face.
"Nothing much," Victor replied nonchalantly. "A Moon Flower bloomed there. A rare one. Naturally, a bunch of terrifying monsters gathered to fight over it."
He shrugged as if it were no big deal and made his way to the campsite, where a raging fire crackled warmly. Without hesitation, he sat down beside Philip, stretching his legs.
The moment his words registered, Philip and the five girls froze.
Their eyes widened, their minds painting vivid images of the chaotic, deadly struggle he had just described.
A place swarming with powerful monsters, all battling viciously for a rare treasure…
And yet, Victor had simply walked away from there, unharmed.
Kierra paused, processing his words.
Then, in a softer tone, she spoke.
"It's good that you didn't let greed cloud your judgment, Raizel. If you had, you might not be standing here in one piece."
Victor simply nodded, unfazed. Without hesitation, he reached for a skewered piece of meat and took a bite.
Philip, however, wasn't done yet. His eyes gleamed with an unnatural interest as he leaned forward.
"Wait… are you saying it's the same Moon Flower that can level up monsters and pets?"
Victor swallowed and nodded. "Yes, that's the one."
Philip's jaw nearly dropped. "Oh, damn! You just missed out on a huge opportunity, Raizel! If you had somehow gotten your hands on that thing, you could have sold it for hundreds of thousands of dollars—easily!"
Victor chuckled at Philip's enthusiasm, shaking his head. "Haha..Well, I'd need to be alive to enjoy that money, wouldn't I?"
He took another bite, savoring the food while Philip groaned in disappointment.
Kierra just sighed, throwing a glance at Victor thinking: this guy really didn't let anything rattle him.
As everyone dug into their food, Victor suddenly noticed something off.
He lowered his skewer and glanced around. "Hey, Where's Oscar, Philip? And where's your pet, Kierra?"
It finally hit him; the two monkey cubs were missing.
Kierra, chewing on her meat, waved off his concern. "Oh, them? They're inside the hut. Don't worry, Raizel. They've been well-fed and are resting. We're preparing them to officially become our pets."
She flashed a satisfied grin. "Philip agreed to help us unlock the Pet Function."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? That easily? What's the catch?"
His doubtful gaze turned toward Philip thinking, there was no way this guy was being generous for free.
Philip smirked, clearly impressed. "Haha... You really are sharp, Raizel."
Then, with a casual shrug, he admitted, "Yeah, there is a catch. You'll owe me a favor in the future. That's the deal. What do you say?"
Victor glanced at Kierra, wanting to see her stance in this. She gave him a small nod—clearly, she had already agreed.
He sighed. "Alright, but you can't be unreasonable when the time comes. Otherwise, I'm not doing it. Got it?"
Philip's smirk widened to a smile.
"Relax, I wouldn't be that unreasonable." He said casually.
But the glint in his eyes?
It said otherwise.
Victor sighed again, biting into his food. This guy was definitely going to be a headache later.
---
After finishing their meal, making sure to clear away all traces of food, the five rescued girls retired to the hut for the night.
Outside, under the dim glow of the campfire, Victor, Kierra, and Philip gathered, each holding their monkey cub.
It was time to unlock the Pet Function.
Philip cracked his knuckles, his smirk widening. "Alright, ready?"
Kierra nodded, holding Lulu securely in her arms. Anticipation flickered in her eyes. "Yes, let's get this over with."
Philip's smirk deepened. "Just a heads-up—it might be a little painful."
"For the cubs, I mean."
Without further warning, his hands began to glow with a vibrant green energy. The light pulsed and expanded, forming two separate cocoons—one enveloping Victor and Oscar, the other surrounding Kierra and Lulu.
As the strange energy wrapped around him, Victor instinctively felt an urge to reject it—to dispel it with his Antimagic Field.
But he forced himself to hold back.
This was part of the process of System.
He needed to see it through.
Victor read through the notifications, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.
Oscar was now officially registered as his companion, complete with a Companion Space—a personal dimension where he could summon or store his pet at will.
This was incredibly convenient.
Not only could Oscar be kept safe in dangerous situations, but Victor wouldn't have to worry about feeding or protecting him constantly.
And the best part? The Master-Servant bond wasn't absolute.
If Oscar ever misbehaved, became disloyal, or simply proved to be a burden, Victor could dismiss him without a second thought.
After all, they weren't deeply bonded. At least, not yet.
But if Oscar proved himselfuseful, then maybe that would change.
As the magical energy faded away, completing the ritual, Kierra stood there grinning.
There were no signs of the monkey cubs in sight.
"Oh, the ritual spell was successful!" Phillip's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, though his tone suggested he had been doubtful all along.
Kierra and Victor both narrowed their eyes at him.
"Wait… did you just make us your guinea pigs? You haven't tried this on anyone before?" Kierra asked, her eyes practically burning with anger.
Victor also caught onto the implication. Was he being serious?
If the ritual had failed, wouldn't they have been in danger?
Phillip blinked in confusion. "Huh? Did I say that? You must be hearing things, miss. Alright, goodnight."
With that, he quickly slipped away into the hut reserved for the men, avoiding further confrontation.
Kierra and Victor exchanged glances, both irritated at Phillip's blatant dodge.
"That little—! I swear, if he wasn't useful, I'd have strangled him to death," Kierra muttered, crossing her arms.
Victor let out a sigh, shaking his head. "At least it worked. But yeah… he totally made us test subjects."
Kierra huffed but didn't argue. It was too late to do anything now, and at least they had successfully unlocked the Pet Function.
"Well, whatever. Lulu is safe, and I can summon her whenever I want," she said, relaxing her shoulders. "Let's just get some rest. We have an escort mission tomorrow."