Though Domination had limited uses at the present moment, Cairn knew it would be incredibly beneficial once he reached Level 20 and acquired the supplemental [What's Yours is Mine] Skill, allowing him to use the Skills of his Familiars. MP might be an issue, but with [Fledgling Hero] doubling the amount of AP he received, he could increase his Intelligence to more than 300 by the time he reached Level 20. If he started at 20 and invested in it every Level to 30, it would increase by 510.
"Now we just need to track down that cheeky little Chinchilla," said Cairn, prompting an affirming nod from Kaia. The [Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla] was the main reason he had decided upon the [Dominion] Skill as his first choice. Capturing it would provide him an excuse for his Inventory, allow Kaia to have one of her own, and its [Treasure Sense] would allow them to locate rare and valuable goods. And that was just its current capabilities. As it Leveled up and evolved, it would acquire new, potentially even more useful Skills.
"We could try setting a trap for it," proposed Kaia. "So long as we don't leave the items unattended too long, the Dungeon won't be able to break down and absorb them."
"That definitely would have been the best option before," said Cairn. "But thanks to the consideration of our favorite Goddess, we now have a more efficient option. The helmet I'm wearing can visualize and lock onto scent trails, so we just need to look around until we find a scent distinguishable from a Naked Horned Rat's. With my eyes and your ears, it's only a matter of time before we find our prey."
"I won't let you down," asserted Kaia, her expression turning serious. The sight of Cairn willfully throwing himself into a horde of monsters had left a profound impression on her. Now, rather than following him out of a sense of duty, she wanted to stand by and support him of her own accord.
Without thinking about it, Cairn extended his hand to caress the space between Kaia's floppy ears, his expression and tone softening as he said, "Then be sure to prioritize your safety and survival. I'm a zombie bastard that can revive countless times without consequence. Keep that in mind."
Though she had buried Cain beneath her fluff several times, Kaia's eyes widened, her body tensing when he abruptly caressed her head. Petting was viewed as an act of intimacy among her people, so even though the likelihood of Cairn viewing her that way was slim, her cheeks became hot as the rhythm between her two hearts accelerated.
Unaware of the consequences of his actions, Cairn turned his attention to the loot items littering the ground, retracting his hand from Kaia's head as he said, "We should pick up these items. If the Chinchilla has bored into the Dungeon's wall or concealed itself underground, we might be able to lure it out by leaving a pile of loot near the entrance of its burrow."
Recovering her senses, Kaia responded with a curt "Right..." before taking the initiative to start collecting the thousands of fangs, tails, crystals, and other miscellaneous items. Cairn eventually followed her example, but not before toggling on his [Thermal Vision] and [Scent Lock] enchantments to familiarize himself with their use. Doing so allowed him to see a prominent green haze covering much of the floor, presumably representing the scent of the Naked Horned Rats, but the colors that garnered his attention were the wispy trails following in Kaia's wake, one bright yellow and the other a faint, pastel pink...
Noticing where the second scent trail originated, Cairn promptly turned his attention to the process of gathering loot. At the same time, he made a mental note to be more 'thoughtful' of how he used [Scent Lock] in the future. The source of some aromas wasn't meant to be discerned...
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With most Dungeons entering a lull period following the clearing of the Guardian's Chamber, Cairn and Kaia didn't encounter nearly as many rats while searching for the Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla. They did discover a Mimic impersonating a large rock, but thanks to Cairn's [Insight], it failed to surprise them due to the Name, Level, and Title hovering over its head.
"This has to be it," said Cairn, discovering a faint yellow trail zig-zagging through an area with a small spring surrounded by moss-covered stones. There was even a tree growing next to the spring, its trunk half-fused with the wall but still growing strong.
Confirming Cairn's suspicions, Kaia supplied, "I definitely hear something other than a Naked Horned Rat. Unless my ears are playing tricks on me, it's coming from the trunk of that tree—hmmm?"
"What's wrong?" asked Cairn.
"The sound disappeared..." replied Kaia, her ears perking up and angling in the direction of the tree as the muscles near their entrance expanded, drastically enhancing her sensitivity to sound. Even while the muscles in their ears were contracted, Karakuts had one of the most potent senses of hearing among all creatures. When their ear canals were fully exposed, they could even detect the infrasonic frequencies produced by the earth, allowing them to forecast earthquakes and other natural disasters well in advance.
Contracting the muscles in her ears, Kaia asserted, "I wasn't mistaken. It's holding its breath, but I can hear its heartbeat and the movement of its muscles and joints. It's trembling."
"Sounds like it has good hearing and at least a middling intellect," noted Cairn. "Well, at least compared to a Naked Horned Rat. Those things had no survival instinct."
Making his way over to the tree, Cairn kneeled next to it and activated his [Sophistry], declaring, "Hey, I don't know if you can understand me, but if you can, we mean you no harm. Here, a peace offering."
Pulling out one of the silver coins he had looted, Cairn set it on the ground and sat with his legs crossed. [Domination] said nothing about making the creatures he dominated trust him. It also had a finite number of uses, so if he could persuade the Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla to come with them of its own accord, it would save him a Familiar slot.
Though it took nearly half an hour, a tiny figure eventually poked its head out from beneath one of the tree's roots, revealing a round face, chubby cheeks, and blue and white fur. It also had rounded ears, cobalt-blue eyes, and tiny horns protruding from its brows. However, what caught Cairn's interest was the glimmer of intellect visible in its oversized pupils, a trait reflected in its status.
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Name: Mamongatarou
Species: Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla
Gender: Male
Age: 4
Title: Glutton(Eating provides various benefits, but hunger accumulates four times as quickly)
Class: Sage
[Attributes]
Level: 10/60(32,685/36,890)[Sage(10)]
HP: 1,501/1,592
MP: 12,249/13,334
Str: 8
Agi: 79
Vit: 61
Int: 142+71
Dex: 52+8
Cha: 108+22
Talent(s): [Wisdom(10/60)], [Treasure Sense(10/60)], [Cheek Pouch Vault(10/60)], [Soft Body(10/60)], [Omni-Elemental Mastery(7/58)], [Omni-Elemental Resistance(6/55)], [Stunted Growth(-)]
Skill(s): [Dazzling Gleam(MAX)], [Discharge(7/10)], [Water Ball(4/10)], [Earth Spike(4/10)], [Wind Cutter(3/10)], [Fire Ball(3/10)], [Flash(3/10)], [Darkness(2/10)
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"Wow, you're one smart rodent," remarked Cairn. "As a human, I kind of feel embarrassed..."
Though it stared up at Cairn while he was speaking, the Chinchilla turned its attention to the silver coin the moment he was done, tentatively approaching the shiny piece of metal as a faint rumbling emanated from his stomach.
Remaining silent and still, Cairn watched the predominately blue ball of fluff pick up his offering and nibble on it as if it were a cracker. It had a nearly spherical body and a squirrel-like tail that curled into an s-shape as it sat on its hind legs, and every now and then, flecks of pink would appear in its eyes, and its fur would shimmer as if light was passing through it.
Waiting until the Chinchilla had finished its meal, its big eyes staring up at him, Cairn pulled out another silver coin, setting it carefully on the ground as he said, "If you're willing to come with us, I can help you grow strong and provide you food you'd never find in this meager Dungeon..."
Picking up the proferred coin, the Chinchilla stared up at Cairn with a look that conveyed he was willing to consider the proposition but needed more convincing. In response, Cairn stuck his hand into his Inventory, causing a black void to appear where his wrist came to an end, saying, "Here, this is just an example of what we can provide."
Punctuating his words, Cairn began rapidly ejecting the items he and Kaia had looted from his Inventory. His actions nearly caused the Chinchilla to run back into its nest, but after realizing he wasn't under attack, the fluffy rodent watched in awe as thousands of mouthwatering morsels formed a small mountain in front of it.
Without waiting for Cairn's permission, the Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla jumped at the mountain of loot and began shoveling it into his mouth like a vacuum cleaner sucking up lint. Less than three minutes later, nearly a hundred kilograms of loot had disappeared into the body of a palm-sized rat that couldn't weigh more than 800 grams.
Waiting until the Chinchilla had finished hoarding everything, Cairn said, "Consider that a small offering. If you come with us, even dragon bones could be a part of your menu in a few years. All we ask in exchange is that you help us store select materials and equipment. Everything else will be yours to do with as you please. Sound good?"
Shifting his gaze between Cairn and Kaia, several seconds passed before the Treasure-Hunting Chinchilla scurried past the former and crawled up onto the back of the latter, making itself comfortable atop her saddle-like armor before raising his hand and issuing an affirming, "Chi..!" as if to say, "Let's go...!"
Though he felt like he had been slapped in the face when the Chinchilla ran past him, Cairn just shook his head and climbed to his feet, prompting Kaia to do the same. He was originally planning to entrust the tiny rodent to her, regardless, so he didn't let its behavior bother him too much as he tapped the air and said, "Let's see if this works."
Seeing a tiny blue window abruptly appear before him, the Treasure-Hoarding Chinchilla leaped nearly five meters into the air. When it landed, a discernibly embarrassed and slightly aggrieved look marred its face as it scowled at Cairn and listened to the latter's explanation. A few minutes later, Cairn's and Kaia's Party gained its third member...
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After refusing to reveal the details of their explanation, Cairn, Kaia, and Tarou parted ways with the surly Captain Luciano and spent four hours trekking back to the Ancilliary Grand Cathedral of Austral, stopping for food no less than seven times. Fortunately, while Tarou's eyes glistened with intrigue at every new sight, it was intelligent enough not to wander off. It was also very sensitive to people's gazes, so whenever someone would look over, it would conceal itself in bushy hair flowing from Kaia's head, slightly annoying the Level 19 Karakut.
Fortunately for Tarou, Kaia was used to helping her mother and aunt take care of the tribe's younglings, so she was willing to allow the Chinchilla to do as it pleased so long as it didn't wander off and steered clear from the entrance of her ears.
And thus, the tale of the Great Sage Mamongatarou and his merry band of servants began. At least, that was the thought going through Tarou's mind as he sat atop Kaia's head, staring in awe at wonders he could have never imagined in the confines of his Dungeon home...
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(A/N: Naruhodo, Mamonga-sama...)