After defeating the creatures of the Dark Forest, Alex began his journey back to the guild. Satisfied at having completed his first mission without help, though somewhat tired, he walked along the path leading home. However, taking a careless step, he stumbled over something soft and warm.
"What the hell…?" he muttered, looking down.
It was an enormous tail: thick, pale pink, and seeming to glow under the moonlight. The air around Alex grew heavy as he looked up and saw the owner of that tail.
Lying before him was a gigantic lion, three times larger than a normal one. Its fur was a deep pink, and its imposing body was partially covered by black scales that wrapped around its neck, front legs, and part of its tail. It was sleeping peacefully, its chest rising and falling with slow breaths.
"This… can't be real," thought Alex, feeling a cold sweat run down his back.
The lion stirred, letting out a yawn that revealed a row of fangs sharp as blades. Then, it opened its eyes. Alex stepped back, rooted to the spot.
"Why did you wake me?" asked the lion in a deep, tired voice, its golden eyes shining in the darkness as they fixed on Alex.
Alex swallowed hard. A giant pink lion that talks. I definitely shouldn't have left camp without EMI or Aria.
He forced himself to maintain his composure, even though every instinct screamed at him to run.
"I… I didn't mean to wake you. I was just finishing a mission to deal with some creatures that were attacking the villagers."
The lion stared at him, studying him in silence… until its stomach emitted a loud growl. Alex felt his heart stop. Is that hunger? Am I about to be eaten?
Panicking, Alex suddenly remembered he still had some monster meat that EMI had hunted days ago. Moving slowly, he took out a portion wrapped in a cloth and offered it to the lion.
The lion sniffed the meat, then quickly took it. As it chewed, its eyes opened in surprise.
"This… this is delicious. I've never tasted cooked meat before."
A spark of joy shone in the lion's eyes.
"Did you prepare this?" it asked.
"Uh… yes," Alex lied, not wanting to mention EMI.
"You are impressive," said the lion, smiling with what seemed like genuine satisfaction.
Encouraged by the unexpected success, Alex pulled out something else he had bought at the market: a small artifact that, when activated, transformed into a giant, soft pillow. He placed it before the lion.
"Maybe this will help you rest better…" he said, trying not to sound nervous.
The lion observed the pillow, touched it curiously with a claw, and then tried it. Immediately, its eyes lit up with wonder.
"This is marvelous. I didn't know things like this existed."
With a satisfied sigh, the lion lay down on the pillow, visibly relaxed.
"Thank you, human. You are peculiar… but generous." And with that, it closed its eyes and fell back asleep.
Alex let out a sigh of relief, grateful not to have ended up as dinner, and continued on his way back.
---
But the calm didn't last long. As Alex neared the edge of the forest, he was ambushed by a larger group of the same creatures he had fought earlier. Surrounded and outnumbered, he activated the offensive technique of his rune, releasing explosions that eliminated several of them.
Despite his effort, the number of enemies kept increasing. Alex retreated until his back was against a tree.
"Seems like… my luck has run out here," he thought, resigned.
Suddenly, a sphere of dark energy shot through the air, striking the creatures and annihilating half of them. Alex looked toward the source of the attack, stunned.
Emerging from among the trees was the giant lion, its body radiating an intimidating presence. Although it looked a bit tired, its eyes were fixed on the remaining enemies.
The creatures tried to flee, but the lion opened its mouth and released a beam of dark energy that transformed into a massive sphere, obliterating them instantly.
Alex remained frozen, unsure whether to thank the lion… or run for his life. The lion turned its golden gaze toward him and spoke:
"That was for the food… and for the pillow."
Without saying anything more, the lion turned and disappeared into the thicket of the forest.
Alex stayed in place for several minutes, trying to process what had just happened. Finally, he let out a nervous laugh.
"Maybe… going out today wasn't such a good idea after all."
---
As he returned to the guild to report his completed mission, he couldn't help but wonder how EMI and Aria would have reacted if they had seen everything.
"They'd probably say I should have waited for them…" he said with a smile, imagining their reactions.
Alex handed in his completed mission, while among the adventurers, whispers began to spread about the "mysterious stranger" who had suddenly appeared in the guild.