"All hail the great panda!" In a comical fashion, Nox kowtowed before the little panda, dramatically banging his head on the ground. How could he not? After all, this little panda had swept away the giant centipede, at the Intimidate Tier, with a tsunami of water from its little stomach!
[Kyaa!] The little panda, hand placed behind its back, blushed as it looked away. The praise was overwhelming, but it liked seeing Nox happy and proud, so it didn't complain.
Subconsciously, the panda swore to keep making its father proud, even if it meant removing any obstacles in his path.As it considered this, a faint deadly aura leaked from the panda. No one noticed, as it wasn't directed at anyone present. However, a certain white cat observing everything silently felt that aura.
Fluffington glared at the panda that was taking all the attention of his best friend with contempt.
[Hmmmm, it appears I'll have to show this new fellow who's the boss around here...]
After seeing what the little harmless panda was capable of, Serena and Nyx had decided to shut their brains and just go with the flow. Of all the scenarios they had expected, none involved a baby panda shooting a flood of water from its mouth. How was that even possible? It was simply unheard of! The power far exceeded what the little creature should be capable of!
And somehow it had used this power to deal with the Great Centipede!
Although she didn't want to admit it, Nyx was starting to see her twin brother in a good light.
'Maybe he can really protect himself now.' Her smile soon morphed into something else as a spark of determination ignited in her eyes. 'I need to Awaken my class as well... I need to get my hands on powerful skills, if not... if not I'll be left behind by this scoundrel. Then I'll become a burden.'
Although she wasn't jealous of her brother, Nyx was fiercely competitive and independent. She was the kind that preferred to carve her own path in life rather than aimlessly follow events like a puppet controlled by a higher being.
Thinking about this, she couldn't wait to leave this godforsaken place and storm to the nearest Temple to awaken her class.
As Nyx was deep in her thoughts, Nox received a System message, notifying him about the death of the Centipede.
'Half exp, does this mean the attack killed the centipede or was it something else?'
Nox pondered for a while but didn't delve deeper since it was just a fleeting thought. Instead, he focused his attention on the panda; he was yet to give the little guy a name.
"Hmmmm, I'm not really good with names... how about Oogway?"
The panda vigorously shook its head; it clearly didn't like that name.
Nox chuckled at the panda's reaction. He then looked at Fluffington at the side. "Fluffington, do you mind helping me out here?"
[Hmmm, I don't mind rendering my privileged expertise to you,] Fluffington said in a condescending tone as he swaggered over.
[My name is Lord Fluffington,] he said to the panda with an air of arrogance.
Nox furrowed his brows when he saw what was about to unfold. "Don't bully him, Fluffington," he warned.
[Bully? Tsk, that's beneath me,] Fluffington casually waved it off. Nox wanted to argue that he was a big bully, but the cat wisely said, [Scram from here now. If you'll excuse us, I'd like to know about this gentlepanda that reeks of flirtation.]
The boy narrowed his eyes. 'What is this bastard up to?' he thought as he excused himself, of course, while keeping an eye on them. He'd be a fool to leave Fluffington alone with the panda.
[So, you are?] Fluffington spoke as he circled around the panda that was standing stiff in an upright posture while shivering slightly. This was because it was under Fluffington's monarch aura.
[P-panda!] Since it didn't have a name yet, the panda felt it was okay to use this one for now. As it looked at the intimidating cat, it felt a strange connection to it like the way it did with Nox. However, the main difference was that he could sense the hostile vibe the cat was giving off.
But why? It did nothing to offend him. And why did it have a hard time moving its limbs? This pressure was too overbearing; not even the giant centipede made it feel this way.
[Panda? Hmmm, funny name. Not the worst I've heard though. That stupid Nox once tried to change my name to Pussy,] Fluffington had a reminiscent look before shaking his head and focusing on the main topic at hand. [Although I don't like you in particular, I feel you should at least have a good name, so how about Thirteen?]
"Thirteen isn't particularly bad. The number thirteen signifies positivity and blah blah, so it's fine," Nox, eavesdropping on the conversation, chimed in.
The panda thought for a little before nodding its head. Since his Papa liked the name, he loved it too.
With the panda's consent, Nox imputed the name.
< Thirteen >
Finished looking at the panda's stat, the group of three children resumed their search for the gateway that led to the real world.
The search took longer than Serena anticipated. They traversed island after island, each with its own unique terrain and different beasts, yet they still couldn't find the portal.
It reached a point where Serena, acting as their pathfinder all this while, began to worry they were lost.
Fortunately, they then stumbled upon what appeared to be a lighthouse, or at least what used to be one. The 6-story building was located in a sandy plain infected by sandworms.
To get inside, the group had no choice but to battle their way through. With the additional help of Thirteen and Fluffington, it was smooth sailing. Not only did they get rid of the sandworms, but Nox's experience points bar also shot through the roof.
Experience: 60/150
When they finally gained access to the lighthouse, they found what they were looking for on the sixth floor. A metal ring with shimmering pale silver light in the middle, its surface constantly rippling.
"If I guess right, this is the gateway?" Nyx asked as she glanced at the portal.
"Yes...Phew." Serena flicked droplets of sweat from her forehead. "For a moment, I thought we'd never find it."
"Sigh, if I had stayed a little longer, I could have leveled up." Nox said with a bit of melancholy in his voice.
"Stay longer huh? That shouldn't be a problem."
Suddenly, the three kids heard a voice.
While they were trying to find the owner of that voice, three uniformed men stepped out from behind the gateway.
"Of all the things, who would've thought a bunch of kids would be the first to find this dimension. Kron, with his braided hair, stepped forward, unsheathing his sword. "Well, this is actually a good thing because we can get rid of you brats easily, and no one would know!"
Kron grinned as he slashed his sword.
"Judgment's Slash!"