Michael came back fifteen minutes or so later and carefully fed the two pups with Harin, who were excited about it.
And after doing that, the family of four, including one little furry beast, had an enjoyable supper.
Soon after dinner, Michael started brushing Hao and successfully completed another quest and received an additional 10 EXP in his EXP pool..
The next day.
Michael was at their farm when suddenly a small convoy of military trucks passed through the country road that leads towards the small nearby mountain in the distance.
"What the? Did a dungeon appear not far off from here?" murmured Michael when he saw the passing military vehicles leading to somewhere around the nearby mountain just two kilometers away from their house..
"Hao!?"
Hao ran towards Michael and called out to him from below.
Michael looked down and saw Hao staring at him and said, "Ohh, it's just the army. There must be a dungeon nearby if there's a convoy of them"
"Hawow!"
"What? You want me...to follow them and take a look?" Michael said while pointing at his chest, a little shock at Hao's absurd request!
'Seriously!? Just how curious are you? They're the f*cking army, they don't f*ck around!'
Michael really wanted to scold her, but he didn't dare to as he's afraid of kowtowing on the ground.
The edge of Michael's lips twitch as he thought to himself, 'I'm probably the only Super out there, where my Beast Spirit can beat the shit out of me'
"Hao!"
"W-what?"
Suddenly, a small shadow shot upwards and appeared before Michael's face, and a cute paw full of fluffiness shot towards Michael's face and gave him the good ol' haymaker on his face!
Slap!
"Ahck! Dammit! It hurts like hell!" Michael held his reddish cheek and started screaming in pain towards the skies, while Hao who landed on the ground looked at him with a disdainful expression on her face.
"Hao! Hawow!" said Hao while gently licking her paw that was used to smack Michael.
"Fine! Geez, you're such a curious furball! You're gonna get us into trouble because of it sooner or later, and that might be today!" said Michael, a little annoyed, and even though he didn't want to admit it, he was also curious about the appearance of the army convoy.
As it's not everyday you see them.
So he hurriedly went back home with Hao on his shoulders and rode an old looking mountain bike and followed the trail that the army convoy passed through.
Michael and Hao rode through the unpaved rural road surrounded by nature at both sides of the road, and the sound of birds and insects, and the rustling of leaves in the background.
A minute later, they arrived at a large clearing before stopping at the foot of the mountain where the road broke off into two paths, where one road leads towards the nearby highway, while the other road on the other hand, is a rugged mountain road that leads up the mountain.
"They're really heading up the mountain? There's no valuable thing on the mountain except nature itself, unless they either discovered a hidden mine, or they really discovered a dungeon rift that recently appeared somewhere in the mountain" said Michael while looking at the tracks on the road with a pondering expression on his face.
"Hawow!" Hao quietly urged Michael from his shoulder while softly pressing her paw against Michael's cheek.
"Even if I'm a Super, and the army discovers us sneaking around them. We'd certainly get into trouble. Anyway, why are you even insisting on following them? It's not like it would benefit us even if there's a dungeon around here"
"Hawow! Haoong!"
Then suddenly, Hao jumped on the bike handle clumsily and started explaining something to Michael in a clumsy manner with her paws.
"What are you talking about? There's something over there that could help us get stronger?" asked Michael with a dumbfounded look on his face as he couldn't believe what he's hearing from Hao.
After the initial excitement, he suddenly became doubtful and said, "Wait damn a minute, how would you even know that? You don't even have a skill meant for detecting treasures or something similar, don't tell me it's just your gut feeling now, does it?"
With a bright look on her face, Hao raised a paw and answered, "Hawow~!"
"What do you mean 'yes'!?" Michael couldn't help but really raise his voice when he heard Hao's answer, as he felt like she was just messing with him and out to get him.
"Hawow!"
"Suit up!? Do you think I'm Ironman or something!?"
In the end, the man and cat? Made their way up the mountain on foot while Michael left his bike on the roadside at the foot of the mountain, locked on a tree.
Meanwhile, somewhere around the mountain.
"Captain, the rift is confirmed as a dungeon, and its only Level 1" said a soldier who came running towards a stern looking soldier while holding something in his hands that keeps producing sounds similar to the Dragon Radar.
The soldier with a Captain's rank raised an eyebrow and said, "Only Level 1? But that's good, this will be town's second Level 1 Dungeon"
Level 1, it's the lowest rank and non threatening dungeon that even civilians could easily take care of.
As the lowest rank dungeon, only weak monsters like slimes, horned rabbits, goblins and the like could pass through the rift and arrive here on Earth, but anything stronger would be repelled from passing through the rift.
In fact, Level 1 Dungeons are even far more important than higher rank dungeons because of how easy they are and that they could provide a constant supply of mana crystals, no matter how small the quantity and quality is.
While the two of them were talking, tens of soldiers around them were busy cutting down trees and clearing the surroundings, and in the center of them is a small bluish oval rift in the space, that's a foot distance from the ground and around a meter or so in height.
The Captain was looking at the dungeon rift saying, "Send the information to the relevant department, before sending it to the local TA"
"Yes sir!" the young soldier saluted before making his way over towards a small recently erected tent beside an army truck.
*****
"So, what are we looking at?" whispered Michael as he and Hao hid behind a foliage, just over thirty meters away from the group of soldiers as they watched the soldiers work from a small cliff above the army.
"Hao~" replied Hao in a soft tone that only the two of them could hear.
"W-what? You mean...whatever that thing that could make us stronger is on the other side of that rift?" asked Michael with a dumbfounded look on his face as his head slowly turned towards Hao sitting beside him.
"Hawow~!"
Rubbing his chin with a pondering and serious expression on his face, Michael said, "So it's the monsters from the ahhhhhh!!!"
"Yaaa! Hao! How dare you prank me!?"
Suddenly standing up from their hiding spot, Michael started yelling in anger while Hao just pulled her eyelids down and made a face at Michael, which infuriated him more.
"Yaaaaaahhh...ahh..ahhh..! D-don't shoot!"
Michael was about to yell again when he finally realized the soldiers below them were looking at them and are ready to pull their guns out, and so, he helplessly raised his hands in the air while wearing an awkward look on his face.
'Dammit! I shouldn't have trusted her!'
Michael was on the verge of tears.
Pranked by his own beast spirit.
Check!
*****
TA - Terran Association
Current Status:
[Michael Grey] [Human]
Level 2] 30/200 EXP
Strength: 11.5
Agility: 10.5
Stamina: 11.5
Attribute Point(s): 0