Chapter 25

System 001 felt as if its entire being was on the verge of exploding—but it didn't matter; the forced activation mode for the protective shield was ready at a moment's notice.

The cub, snatched into the sky by the giant eagle's claws, was still caught up in the excitement of "flying high." Not a hint of fear could be felt; the little one was even happily chatting with the system.

"Tongtong! Youyou is flying!"

The tiny tot was looking down at the scene on the ground with a face full of excitement, waving hands cheerfully at Wolberry the gray wolf, Berryman the golden lion, and the demi-human Salvador below: "Lily! Berry! Youyou is here!"

On the ground, the gray wolf Wolberry and the golden lion Berryman, who had been so tense their fur was standing on end, had let out roars of warning the moment Su You was snatched away. But the two S-class high-level beastkin were no match for the twelve super-S-class sacred beasts. They could only watch helplessly as the eagle descended from the sky to carry the cub away.

The gray wolf and the golden lion had expected the cub to be terrified by the sudden lift-off. Instead, as the warriors anxiously looked up, they saw the cub in the sky happily waving at them.

Wolberry: "..."
Berryman: "..."

The two massive S-class beasts stared at the cub, who was spiraling upward in the grip of the giant eagle yet still managing to wiggle and wave back at them.

The gray wolf and the golden lion, who had been worried about the cub being frightened out of its wits, suddenly felt that they were the ones who were truly losing their composure.

:)

Well, if it wasn't afraid... fine, then. It was okay.

Of course, what truly made Wolberry and Berryman breathe a sigh of relief was that after the cub was snatched up, the sacred beasts atop the twelve high pillars released their mental lock on them.

Facing the sudden dissipation of the oppressive pressure, the two beasts exhaled, though they kept their eyes fixed on the cub in the sky.

So... what was happening now? What was the situation? Was the true objective of these sacred beasts... this little guy?!

Although the intimidating aura from the sacred beasts had vanished and the cub in the air was still waving happily, the gray wolf, the golden lion, and the demi-human standing on the ground remained filled with an irrepressible anxiety.

Even the powerful gray wolf warrior found it hard to believe—not long ago, it had been eager to get rid of this cub, but now, seeing the child taken into the air by the sacred beasts, the first thought that crossed its mind was no longer to leave.

The restless gray wolf looked up, its front paws instinctively scratching the ground. The golden lion beside it was also staring at the sky, seemingly planning to leap up and rescue the cub the moment there was any sign the giant eagle might drop it.

When these two sworn rivals noticed each other’s intentions, both S-class beasts subconsciously turned their heads away, only to look back up at the sky in unison a moment later.

In the air, the cub held by the giant eagle stayed in its grasp for only a short while before being dropped onto the giant python atop another pillar.

The moment the eagle's claws released, System 001 was about to force-start the protective shield, but its keen sensors quickly detected a soft yet resilient mass of air wrapping around the cub as the eagle cast it down.

Enveloped in the air currents, the tiny cub landed bouncing and lively on the python's head. The giant snake, large enough to swallow the cub in one gulp, let the child slide down from its head along its body, as if playing on a python-shaped rotating slide.

The moment the eagle released its grip, the cub, wrapped in the air mass, tumbled curiously in the weightlessness before landing softly and gently on the python's head.

"Wow! Snakey!"

The little one had already seen what kind of animals the sacred beasts on the other eleven pillars were while in the air. Now, not having stayed on the python's head for long, the happy cub slid down the snake's body with a cheerful "whoosh."

Having never been to an amusement park, the cub was clapping its little hands with glowing eyes by the time it slid all the way to the tip of the "python-brand slide."

After reaching the end of the tail, the cub touched the python longingly and looked up into its large head with politeness: "Snakey, can I play one more time?"

As it spoke, the little one held up its chubby hand, forming the number "1." "Just 1 time?"

The python: "..."

The giant snake, which could terrify anyone into a faint, looked silently at the cub. Finally, it seemed to sigh, curled its tail around the child on the pillar, and tossed it back onto its head.

Once back on the python's head, the little one wiggled its bottom happily and then slid down the python's body again with a "whoosh."

At the entrance of the Bandasia Shrine Plaza, the gray wolf, the golden lion, and the demi-human Salvador stood in stunned silence.

Moments ago, when the eagle had let go, the wolf and the lion had been ready to pounce. Who could have imagined?

The cub that would bury its face in their necks and rub against their fur was now adjusting perfectly well to the top of a giant python.

Especially after seeing the majestic sacred python being treated as a toy, played with over and over again...

Oh, yes.

The cub, which had promised "one more time," found it hard to go back on its word after the second slide. It could only look at the python with such longing that it might as well have had "I want to play" written on its face.

As one of the twelve powerful and majestic sacred beasts, the python could not resist the cub's yearning eyes, so it used its tail to toss the little one back onto its head, letting the child play happily once more.

As the saying goes, one thing leads to another...

In the end, the gray wolf and the golden lion crouching outside the square fell into a long, profound silence. At this moment, they felt a bit relieved that the other high-level beastkin had not yet arrived at the Bandasia Shrine Plaza; otherwise, the glorious and magnificent image of the twelve sacred beasts might have been shattered in a single second.

Finally, perhaps feeling that it shouldn't be so "doting" toward the cub, the python didn't let it slide again. After the cub slid down one last time, the snake flicked its tail, wrapping the child in a protective air current and tossing it to the adjacent pillar.

On this pillar was a black panther with sleek, oily fur. Before the massive beast could even let out a low growl, the cub had already hugged its tail and was rubbing against it.

The three-and-a-half-year-old cub thought this "amusement park" was simply amazing! Everywhere were wonderful, cute, fuzzy things, plus a bird that would fly him through the air and a snake that let him play on slides!

The tiny tot even asked his system a miraculous question: "Tongtong, can Youyou 'challenge' in this amusement park forever?"

System 001: [...]

From initial heart-pounding panic to the current quiet silence, System 001 didn't know how to answer the cub's question.

Or rather... should it feel moved?

After all, this little one, who had gone wild with play, still remembered the concept of a "challenge."

Finally, System 001 sighed and replied in its gentle tone: [We cannot stay here forever, but at least for now, you can play to your heart's content.]

Yes.

Although System 001 had realized that the giant beasts in this mysterious plaza were conducting some strange trial or test on the cub, to a three-and-a-half-year-old with nerves of steel, every movement of these giant beasts felt like playing with him.

The little one was absolutely thrilled. After being dropped by the panther onto another pillar, he was greeted by a giant, fuzzy, colorful spider.

The massive spider perched on the pillar, a terrifying creature even larger than the cub, with four pairs of eyes and two pairs of fangs. When it looked at the cub with those eight pitch-black eyes, everyone expected the cub to scream. Instead, the child spoke up with curiosity yet again—

"Wow! You have so many eyes!"

The giant spider stared at the cub in silence, unsure of what expression to use to face this tiny creature.

Or perhaps, being a spider, even if its expression did change, the cub wouldn't be able to tell, would it?

The tiny cub acted as if he didn't know the meaning of fear. He looked at the giant spider, examined its eyes, then touched his own, and finally, as if confirming something, said: "Youyou only has two eyes..."

It was as if he had lost a strange competition.

System 001 watched its host in silence, then gently comforted him: [But Youyou's eyes are the most beautiful.]

Upon hearing the system's comfort, the little one blinked and suddenly asked curiously: "What about Tongtong? How many eyes does Tongtong have?"

System 001 was about to instinctively reply, "Systems do not have eyes," but for some reason, it responded impulsively: [Two. I am just like Youyou, I only have two eyes.]

Hearing the system's reply, the little one immediately cheered up and clapped his hands happily: "Yay! Youyou and Tongtong have the same number of eyes!"

On the high pillar, the eight-eyed giant spider seemed to be excluded in that moment. It spat a transparent web toward another pillar in the distance, creating a wobbly "bridge" between the two.

The little one looked curiously at the "bridge" and then at the new sacred beast on the distant pillar. He waved goodbye to the giant spider and headed toward the new "challenge."

At the edge of the Bandasia Shrine Plaza, the gray wolf Wolberry and the golden lion Berryman, who had initially been tense, watched the scene before them. The expressions of the two S-class high-level beastkin suddenly turned solemn.