"Ahh... I'm sleepy~ This is supposed to be a game. Did they emulate the drowsiness after eating as well? Oh well, good night, big brothers and sisters," Ioki drowsily said to the sphere as he clumsily opened each menu to finally close his LIVE.
"Good night, brother! Finally, I could continue hunting," Mr. Turtle typed.
"Ahh! Finally, I could continue to hate on myself again!" Ihatelife typed.
Ioki then rests his head on top of the bloated furry belly of the Death Spot, "Ah... So fluffy!" Ioki rested as he playfully caressed the big Kobold's tummy.
"Hehe, that tickles..." A drowsy voice came out from the Kobold.
"Hehe, that tickles, huh..." Ioki replied as he closed his eyes.
"HUH?!" Ioki opened his eyes and looked at the Death Spot.
Ioki stared at the Death Spot with confusion for a few moments. The Death Spot himself opened his eyes wide as Ioki stared at him.
Slowly, the muzzle of the Death Spot opened as his tongue slipped, "L-leader! You could understand what I just said?"
Ioki rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times as he slowly looked around and saw the other Kobolds woke up with their gaze fixed on Ioki.
"Leader! You could understand us?"
"Leader has been blessed by Goddess Terra!"
"Hmmh? Huh? Wha? Did the Leader just speak our tongue?"
Apparently, after staying with them for a while, the blessing from Hermes had finally grown. This is because the difference in the ability level needed to understand the Goblins and the Kobolds fundamentally differed because of their level gap.
"The new Leader understands our tongue! Let's party!" Another Kobold shouted as he stood up with his paws in the air.
Suddenly, a bunch of bones and rocks were thrown toward the poor Kobold's direction as the other Kobolds jeered and booed him.
"We just had a feast!"
"We need to rest so we can work tomorrow, you dumdum..."
"Hey! Why did you throw my bone?"
Ioki laughed as he watched the Kobold getting buried under the random stuff thrown at him. Watching him laugh, the other Kobolds laughed as well, with their tongues out and swaying with each laughter.
The festive mood of the pack spread throughout the Arena. Although the Fortune Squad had their special place in Ioki's heart when they forged their bond under the starry night, the whole Kobolds Pack is different because they shared a lavish feast together after Ioki claimed the throne.
"You've reached maximum affinity with the Kobolds at the Kobolds Cave! You have their utmost respect!"
"Kobold Whisperer | Grade: Unique
You've reached maximum affinity with a Kobold.
Bonus: Kobold's Tongue (Passive), You will have an easier time conversing with any Kobolds, Dog Whistle, Cha +10."
An achievement window popped up, like the time when Ioki was together with the Fortune Squad.
What's different this time is what follows after multiple pop-ups could be seen after Ioki swiped the achievement notification as he rested his head again on the Death Spot's belly.
"God of Language smiled at your achievements."
"God of Language has shown a massive interest in you!"
"God of Language wishes for you to become his apostle one day if you prove your worth more!"
"God of Destruction is telling God of Language to fuck off."
"Goddess of Earth has blessed you with: Blessings of Terra (minor)."
"Goddess of Earth wishes you the best for your future endeavors!"
"Ahh, you guys are so noisy..." Ioki said as he yawned.
He tried his best to keep his eyes open, but the gravity of his eyelids had been multiplied by tens. Add to that the fluffiness and the comfiness of the Death Spot's warm and soft belly, then it went over nine hundred!
Ioki tried to swipe the window, but as he raised his hand, it just fell down... Unconsciously, the Death Spot put his furry paw over Ioki's body. This made Ioki feel safer and warmer inside this stone-cold cave with the occasional night winds blowing.
Meanwhile, outside of the Arena, the crowds slowly dissipated as they returned back to their activities. Some, of course, even took some screenshots and pictures of them from the outside and tried their best to capture the moment when the deadly mobs before them turned docile as a little boy slept in between.
The Vermilion Dawn is no different. Some of the members took advantage of their numbers and crowded the entrance as the crowds slowly dispersed.
"Isn't Ioki just have the right amount of cuteness and brattiness?"
"Right?! Have you joined his fan club?"
"Ughh... Can you girls please move aside? I am trying to take pictures of the adorable Kobolds paw beans!"
Some new Players who tried to take the pictures or videos were getting denied access, or they just lost the nerve to approach after seeing a bunch of Players covered in red armor standing right beside the entrance.
Seeing this happen before him, Reinhardt could only shake his head and sigh, "Seriously... If you have nothing better to do, then please just go hunt or train yourself!"
"Boo, what a killjoy!" Lilian booed with her thumbs pointing down, "Seriously... Let them enjoy some stuffs. You've been pushing them too hard lately. Do you not trust them that much?"
"Tell him, Lilian! Vice-leader has been working us to the bone. Every time we just logged in, if he is online, then he would always ask us to train... Some of us started to consider this game as a chore thanks to that..." A sad voice came from the Vermilion Dawn group following Lilian's reply.
"But... It's all because I trust all of you, that I know you can do better... If everything worked out in the end, then we will take the fi---" Reinhardt tried to explain.
Lilian's finger hushed Reinhardt even though it only touched the surface of his helmet, but Reinhardt knew the profound meaning behind the gesture.
"Shhhh... We all know that. However, if this keep up, the Vermilion Dawn may cease to exist. Is that what you desire? Do you want everyone to abandon the crimson flag we proudly bear?" Lilian inquired as her fingers gracefully moved and rested on the side of his helmet.
She then placed her other hand on the opposite side. With Reinhardt's head gently cradled by her hands, she firmly directed his gaze toward her. "Listen, we all know how much Vermilion Dawn means to you... We're well aware of how deeply you desire the best for us. But if you continue pushing everyone at this pace... it won't be long before they start to drift away from us..." Lilian said solemnly as she gazed into the gap between Reinhardt's visor.
The mood went somber after Lilian said that all the Vermilion Dawn members could be seen staring at the ground...
"Us?" Reinhardt mumbled.
"That's right, us. Even if Vermilion Dawn disbands one day, I will always be by your side!" Lilian replied with a smile.
The Vermilion Dawn members were smiling as they saw the two act like lovers.
"Now, I believe you guys should go on your own way. Let me take care of this rigid Vice-leader of ours," Lilian said as she pointed to the other members.
They said their goodbyes and teleported while the others walked out of the now-empty path leading to the entrance of the cave. After seeing the last one left, Reinhardt put his back on the wall and sat down.
"Shouldn't you follow them and enjoy your free time as well?" Reinhardt inquired Lilian.
"See? What did I just say?!" Lilian pouted her mouth at Reinhardt, "I said I would never leave you alone... Yet you already pushed me again... Please, give me a chance Reinhardt... That's all I want..."
After finishing her sentence, Lilian did the same as Reinhardt had done moments earlier. She leaned against the wall and slowly sat down. Her eyes were fixed on Reinhardt's crimson helmet before she finally rested her head on Reinhardt's shoulder.
"You know the answer to this, Lilian... I'm sorry," Reinhardt replied as he stared off into the distance.
Lilian knows that if this is the same Reinhardt when they first met, she wouldn't even dream of standing so close to him. Whether he is conscious of his own action or not, Reinhardt's heart slowly warmed up to the presence of Lilian as he lent his shoulder for her to rest.
"If our firstborn is a boy, I want to name him Ioki. You wouldn't mind, right?" Lilian teased as she attempted to peer into Reinhardt's helmet.
"Lilian!" Reinhardt shouted.
Lilian chuckled at his reply. While the two were paving their road to a happy household, no... While Lilian is struggling to warm the frostbitten heart of Reinhardt's, Ioki is slowly drifting to dreamland while he sleeps between the fluffy heaven of the once dangerous Kobolds.
"Hehe, did that tickle you, Pack Leader?" Ioki talked in his sleep.
***
"Hey! Hey! Wake up!" A gruff resonant voice reverberated through the darkness.
"H---huh? Where am I?" Ioki stuttered as he looked around.
The place Ioki found himself in was a void of pitch-black, occasionally interrupted by faint lines of gray and distant rainbows. It felt like staring into the abyss itself.
Ioki saw a figure that was standing with quite a considerable amount of distance before him. He tried to focus on the figure's silhouette as he slowly walked toward him.
In response, the figure also began to move towards Ioki, gradually coming into clear view. The imposing figure stood at a towering two meters in height, clad in a tattered black Gi adorned with a striking purple belt. Messy hair was restrained by a solitary purple band.
His gaze is fierce, his eyebrow is slanted upward, and his eyes are narrow. Making the focus of his pitch-black pupil is almost the same as staring at a black hole. Each second you stare at him, the more you get sucked into it.
A sinister grin crept onto the figure's lips, accompanied by a coarse, ominous voice. "Stop right there! This is as close as you should ever let an enemy stand before you."
Raising his right arm, palm open, fingers pointing skyward, the figure executed a downward slashing motion. The pitch-black void that Ioki had awakened to began to tremble, with tremors quickly escalating into violent quakes. The illusion of a dark sky shattered, and the ground beneath ruptured, tearing in two.
"Wh---" Ioki's words were cut short as his body was violently torn apart.