The Rise of the Winter Wolf - Book 5 - Chapter 42 - Growing Up (Patreon)

Wolf

I can’t help but smile as I continue killing the corrupted arachnids with the little wolf pup on my head.

This little fella is a lot nicer than the annoying chick or fox. A lot nicer indeed.

She’s also rather adorable if I’m being honest.

I let out a sigh after tearing the very last spider in half. The last one that I can sense in the area. With the exception of the mini boss nearby. Which turns out to not actually be in every single spaceship. Just around a fourth or so of them. Maybe a fifth.

The little wolf on my head lets out a little whine while rubbing her snout against the side of my head. And I almost reach up to pet her before once again remembering that I can’t initiate physical contact with one of these immortal creatures. Only they can initiate it with me.

Something that’s let to me patting my own head quite a few times since meeting with her.

I take a deep breath before walking back to one of the other spaceships. One that doesn’t have a mini boss in it. And after getting inside I open up my portable system store and then begin lounging around on the couch as the wolf pup jumps down from my head to land on my lap. Then it starts rubbing its head against my hand, making me smile.

A smile that quickly vanishes when I hear Sapphire’s voice.

‘Father, would you mind explaining who your little friend is?’ she asks in a not-so-happy sounding voice.

Uh. I get the feeling she might be a little upset.

I purse my lips for a second before deciding to just answer and see what happens.

‘This is snow. She’s a new friend I picked up in the dungeon. You should come back sometime and say hi.’

Maybe that’ll work?

Sapphire responds right away, saying, ‘I’ll be coming back soon alright. But I don’t see Snow having a good time when I do.’

I blink at that answer, only to realize that she cut off the connection.

Huh. She is very much not happy.

Guess it’s that jealousy kicking in again. Or maybe she just doesn’t like these immortal creatures?

I know she would always attack the chick and fox.

The wolf pup continues rubbing her head against my hand, making me smile again. Then I open the System Forums where I immediately find quite the number of fan threads already set up for Snow. And even some apparently talking about my smile, since I don’t tend to smile too often.

That’s… weird.

Other than that, the top threads on the forums right now are still discussing the end of the Holy Empire, with the next highest threads being those over the Progenitor Battlegrounds. Mostly discussing the rewards people are getting for their participation.

Rewards that are almost on par with what you can get in the Administrator Dungeon. In fact, there is even a single Tier 10 item in the rewards. Just that it would take thousands of years of fighting to get the rewards points needed for it.

Guess The Reaper probably put it there for motivation. To show the people fighting under him that he can give them some rather nice rewards that are absolutely worth the effort. Even if they’ll never actually get it.

And if they do somehow get it, I doubt he’d care either way. It’s not like they’d be a threat to him even with a Tier 10 item.

My thoughts come to a halt when a bright, pale blue light shines from my chest, filling the room. Then Sapphire appears in her humanoid form with her eyes closed right in front of me wearing clothes that honestly remind me of my old clothing back before the System Initialization. A black jacket over a regular black shirt and black pants.

After a few seconds she opens her eyes again and scowls at me. Or rather, at the wolf pup on my head.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I turn into nothing but ice element and make my retreat, leaving Snow to end up floating in the air where my head was right when Sapphire reaches out to attack her. Only for her attack to go straight through Snow just as expected.

I sigh.

Please not again.

To my surprise though, Sapphire just looks at the wolf pup and snorts once before walking up to me and transforming back into her miniature spider form. Then she climbs up to her spot on my shoulder and gives the wolf pup a glare as if marking her territory.

The wolf pup floats over to me and glares back at her before going up to land on my other shoulder with what I think is a wolf pout on her face.

I glance between the two, finding the both of them purposefully looking away from each other. Then I look up at the ceiling and sigh again.

At the very least Sapphire isn’t relentlessly trying to attack Snow.

Looks like she really has grown up quite a bit.

I smile again at that before asking Sapphire, “So why did you come back if you aren’t interacting with Snow?”

Please tell me she didn’t just come back to attack Snow once and then reclaim my shoulder.

Sapphire looks at me for a second before jumping down and returning to her bipedal form and answering, “Because I want to help you with the mini boss.”

I raise both of my eyebrows at that.

So she came to help me?

I reach forwards and pat Sapphire on the head with a full smile on my face as I tell her, “Thank you.”

She smiles back.

Snow suddenly growls, making both me and Sapphire glance at her to find the wolf pup looking at the wall in the direction of the mini boss. A mini boss that I now notice is moving around the neighboring ship.

“Looks like the mini boss is on the move,” I state, to which Sapphire nods her head. Then I dismiss the portable system store and we both begin heading for the exit of the ship.

Time to take on the mini boss of the 241st floor.

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