The Tower had a system where every 10th floor was a boss floor, while the floors before and after were filled with minions.
Some minions were actually bosses that hadn't evolved yet, so you had to watch their movements carefully to learn how the real boss would fight.
I walked straight into the thickets between the trees.
Maybe the Aul only came out at night under the moonlight? They were wolves, after all.
I had read their legend once, but I'd forgotten most of it—it was so long ago.
After wandering for a while, they still hadn't appeared. Maybe I should rest until the sky turned into a full-moon night.
Balance lay down under a thick tree, the rustling leaves and soft breeze like calming music.
Finally, the foggy night arrived. The Aul's howls echoed loudly. Their shadows appeared, carrying Balance—who was fast asleep—into their den.
Not long after, Balance woke up, realizing he was already inside the Aul's lair.
He looked around quickly. "What happened?"
One Aul walked up to him and gently untied his bindings.
Balance was stunned. "Huh?! What?!" He looked around at the strange place.
POP
The Goddess's system appeared. "DID YOU FORGET YOUR FAMILY'S EMBLEM?!"
Balance turned his face away from the system.
The Goddess glared.
"Uh, what does a family emblem have to do with anything? It's just a symbol," Balance said, confused.
The Goddess facepalmed. "Oh my god! Did you never read your family's history?!"
Balance turned away again. "History? We should look at the present and future, not the past," he said awkwardly, like a kid lying badly.
"DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT TO YOU?"
Balance sat cross-legged. Strangely, the Aul who freed him also sat cross-legged, as if he understood.
The Goddess explained: "DON'T SKIP THIS! In most families, emblems are just symbols. But some great families chosen by gods during the First Night War were given powers and genes tied to their emblems. Like Jaeger with hunting skills, Naveah with butterfly transformation, Cygnus with swan beauty, Shield with raven scouting and shadow defense, Valkrie descended from Valkriea… and you, Night—the wolf leader! That's why they're so loyal to you!"
Balance mocked: "Of course, because they think I'm a solid furry. Furry solid solid solid!"
The Goddess facepalmed again. "IT'S BECAUSE WOLVES ARE SOLID WITH THEIR OWN KIND! THEY SEE YOU AS A BROTHER, NOT BECAUSE YOU'RE 'SOLID FURRY,' YOU IDIOT!"
"Sorry…" Balance muttered.
The Aul beside him looked over. "What's wrong?" Balance asked.
The Aul handed him a pan of roasted meat. "Uh, thanks?"
The Aul gave him a thumbs-up. Balance was too tired to be surprised anymore.
The Aul ran back to her group like a little girl, revealing she was actually a loli furry.
"So she's a girl?!" Balance said.
"YOU JUST REALIZED?!" the Goddess shouted.
Balance glared at the system again.
Night fell. The Aul lit a bonfire and howled under the full moon.
Balance watched the ceremony. "Hey, Goddess."
"YES?!"
With a blank look, Balance spoke: "This warmth… I should've felt it long ago, right?"
The Goddess whispered softly: "THIS IS THE TRUE TRADITION OF WOLVES."
Balance lowered his head, stammering: "But why do I only feel it now?" Tears streamed down his face.
The Goddess created an imitation body, hugging him gently to calm him. She had silver-white curly hair with a pink ribbon, a halo above her head, magenta-pink eyes with heart symbols, a long white gown, and large white wings.
"IT'S OKAY. NOW YOU CAN FEEL IT. SOMEDAY, THE FRIENDS WHO BROKE THEIR PROMISES WILL REGRET IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BOTTLE UP YOUR EMOTIONS. IT'S NORMAL FOR HUMANS TO CRY."
She stroked Balance until he fell asleep.
"REST. A HARD FUTURE AWAITS YOU, BUT A HAPPY ENDING WILL COME. MAYBE YOUR PAST AND SOME CYCLES WILL BE LONELY, BUT IN TIME MANY WILL BE WITH YOU."
She laid his head on her lap.
The Aul approached, asking if the boy was asleep. They seemed to see Balance as just a child.
The Goddess told them to quiet down, and they did.
She stroked his forehead with a smile. "GOOD NIGHT, JUSTICE."
Her spirit left the imitation body, leaving it as a pillow for Balance.
Morning came. The Aul woke Balance by tapping him.
"Euung…"
Balance opened his eyes, startled by their faces so close. He quickly apologized for worrying them. They invited him to join the hunt.
Balance noticed the Goddess's imitation body fading in the wind. "She's short too," he thought shamelessly.
The Aul chief invited him to join their group. Maybe they thought he was a kid. Technically, he was in 8th grade… though with his fake ID, he was in 10th grade.
He followed them, walking in the middle of the line.
The Aul girl from last night was at the front—turns out she was the chief's daughter. "So she's the alpha."
After three hours, they rested. The chief spoke in human language. Balance, too tired to be surprised, just said "oh."
The chief explained: "We are the Lunare tribe. We prefer to flee from humans rather than attack like other tribes."
Balance asked: "Other tribes? So there's more than one?"
The chief nodded. "There are four tribes here: Raid, Ancor, Wave, and us Lunare. The other three hunt humans and get slaughtered in return. We Lunare learn of humans' presence from our goddess Diana, guided by the moon. When the moon predicts humans, we move away. It seems the moon doesn't see you as human, so you're not a threat."
"So the moon thinks I'm a furry?!" Balance joked.
The system slapped him. "BE RESPECTFUL!"
Balance scowled.
The chief told long stories about their ancestor, a warwolf accused of betraying the gods, though they believed he hadn't. Their tribe was born from fragments of soul—thought, strength, desire, and Lunare from true feelings.
Their ancestor, the sixth child of a chief, had loved a primordial dragon goddess. Their child was Hydra and Des******, who died from the gods' false accusations.
Balance felt the name was familiar, though censored. "Why does that name feel close?"
He stopped walking. An Aul beside him asked if he was okay. Balance smiled to reassure him, and the Aul pulled his hand so he wouldn't fall behind.
They passed strange plants—glowing corn-like stalks, butterfly-leaf plants that flapped like wings.
Balance asked: "Chief, can we eat that?"
The chief warned: "Oh, Lampduhs. Don't! That's a snake nest."
Balance froze. "That was close."
After a week of traveling, they reached floor 15, the swamp of Zuma frogs.
"Careful! Don't get caught by their slimy tongues or you'll be dragged into the swamp," the chief warned.
Balance imagined it, shuddering.
Though exhausted, he realized he was learning more here than by skipping floors. He trained his golems, hunted, and learned forgotten history.
Checking his stats, he was shocked—his golems could level up too. "READ THE TUTORIAL!" the Goddess scolded.
"Sorry…"
Now his golems were level 70, and he was level 110.
Suddenly, human Councils appeared, hunting.
The chief shouted: "WE'VE BEEN DETECTED! FOLLOW ME, RUN!"
The Aul fled.
"ATTACK!" one Council leader roared, sword raised.
Balance thought: Can I save them?
He stopped. The chief asked why.
Balance said: "Run. I'm human too. They won't see me as a threat."
The chief looked at him sadly. "Human? But you look so much like him…"
He ran after his tribe.
Balance summoned golems to block the Councils.
"WHY WOULD A HUMAN SIDE WITH MONSTERS?!" the Council leader shouted.
Balance answered calmly: "Humans are different too. And these Aul didn't harm you."
The leader's sword flashed to Balance's neck. "Monster is still monster. You're just a newbie. Show respect to seniors."
Balance chuckled. "What's funny?!"
He smirked. "Nothing. Just that you saved succubi before—aren't they monsters too? Double standards much?"
My neck stung painfully.
My golem blocked the sword.
"You're going way too far for just dealing with a junior, uncle." The leader was shocked at my boldness.
"You're pretty brave for a newbie summoner."
"Yeah, I'm just pissed off."
The other Councils surrounded Balance at once.
"What a coward. You said it was just a kid summoner, but you brought backup?" Balance sneered.
Balance summoned ten golems and ten giant ants with his skills.
"CRUSH THEM!"
~To be continued~
Lore Note: The Aul are wolf-like monsters, similar to werewolves, except their legs are reversed. In this world's setting, werewolves are much larger and taller, while the Aul are smaller but more agile.