Chapter 7 Three Days to Save a Grumpy Girl
Kai woke up the next morning feeling different.
His body felt lighter, his mind sharper, and his muscles didn't ache as much as they should have after a night of sleeping on a lumpy cot. He sat up and stretched, and for a moment, he almost felt like he could take on the world.
Then Pugzooka sneezed directly in his face.
"Good morning to you too," Kai said, wiping his cheek.
"You were snoring," Pugzooka said. "Loudly. I couldn't sleep."
"You're a beast. You sleep on the floor."
"Exactly. The floor is uncomfortable enough without your snoring shaking the whole room."
Kai ignored him and stood up. He flexed his arms, expecting something dramatic—maybe muscles that hadn't been there before, or some kind of glowing aura. Nothing happened. He just felt... normal. But better.
"Something's different," Kai said.
"Your smell?" Pugzooka asked. "Because I've been meaning to tell you—"
"No, not that." Kai frowned. "I feel stronger. Faster. Like I could run without getting tired."
"You're imagining things."
"Am I?"
Kai walked over to the small table in the corner of the storage room. There was a wooden chair sitting there, old and creaky. On impulse, Kai grabbed the back of the chair and lifted it with one hand.
It felt light. Really light.
"Okay, that's new," Kai said.
Pugzooka hopped off the cot and stared at the chair. "You could always lift a chair."
"This chair is heavy. I remember because I tripped over it yesterday and hurt my toe."
"That's because you're clumsy, not weak."
Kai put the chair down and looked at his hands. He didn't feel like a superhero. He didn't feel like he could punch through walls. But he definitely felt stronger than he did yesterday. Stronger than he had ever felt in his old world.
"What's happening to me?" Kai asked.
Pugzooka opened his mouth to answer, but before he could speak, a blue screen appeared in front of Kai's face.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
[ PLAYER BONUS: HARD MODE ]
[ As a Hard Mode player, all stat gains from leveling up are doubled for both you and your beast. ]
[ You are currently twice as strong as a normal Beast Master of the same level. ]
[ Your beast is twice as strong as a normal beast of the same level. ]
[ Congratulations. You chose Hard Mode. Now you get Hard Mode benefits. ]
[ Also, Hard Mode penalties. But those will come later. ]
[ Have fun. ]
The screen faded away.
Kai stared at the empty space where the screen had been. His mouth hung open.
"Did you see that?" Kai asked.
Pugzooka nodded slowly. "I saw it."
"I'm twice as strong? That's... that's amazing!"
"You're also twice as stupid, but that's just natural talent."
Kai ignored the insult and pumped his fist in the air. "This is perfect! I can take on Rino right now! I can—"
There was a loud knock at the front door of the shop.
Kai and Pugzooka froze.
"Coming," Heston's voice called from somewhere in the shop.
Kai rushed out of the storage room and into the main area. Heston was already at the door, his hand on the handle. Before the old man could open it, Kai grabbed his arm.
"Wait," Kai whispered. "What if it's Rino?"
Heston hesitated. Then he opened the door anyway.
Standing outside was a man Kai had never seen before. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with a scar across his cheek and arms like tree trunks. His clothes were rough and dirty, and he had a small beast perched on his shoulder—a lizard with red eyes and sharp claws.
The man looked down at Heston with cold eyes.
"Message from Rino," the man said. His voice was deep and flat.
Heston's face went pale. "What is it?"
The man pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and shoved it into Heston's chest. "Read it. You have three days."
Then he looked past Heston and saw Kai standing in the shadows. The man's eyes narrowed. For a moment, Kai thought he was going to say something.
Then the man looked at Pugzooka.
Pugzooka stared back.
The man's tough expression cracked. His eyes went wide, and he took a small step backward. His lizard beast hissed, but the man didn't seem to care. He was too busy staring at Pugzooka with what looked like genuine fear.
"What is that?" the man asked, pointing at Pugzooka.
Kai looked down at his beast. Pugzooka was just standing there, looking cute and smelly.
"That's my beast," Kai said.
"It's hideous," the man said. His voice wavered.
"Excuse me?" Pugzooka almost said. Kai kicked him before he could speak.
The man took another step back. His lizard beast was now hiding behind his head. "Just... just read the note," the man stammered. Then he turned and walked away quickly—almost running.
Kai watched him go, confused.
"Did that guy just get scared of you?" Kai asked.
"People are intimidated by my presence," Pugzooka said smugly. "It's a natural reaction."
"He ran away."
"Because he knew he couldn't handle this much greatness."
Heston didn't heard the both of them and focused on unfolding the paper. His face went from pale to white as he read the message.
"What does it say?" Kai asked.
Heston handed him the note. His hands were shaking.
Kai read it out loud. "Three days. Pay 300 silver, or I sell the girl to a trader from the eastern continent. You'll never see her again. Don't test me. — Rino."
Kai lowered the paper. Three days. They had three days to rescue Mira.
"We don't have three days," Heston said, his voice cracking. "I don't have that kind of money. I don't have—"
"We don't need money," Kai said.
Heston looked at him like he was crazy. "What?"
"We're not paying him. We're going to get Mira back ourselves."
Heston shook his head slowly. "Kai, you're a good kid. But you're new. You have one beast. Rino has three. His men are dangerous. You can't—"
"I'm stronger than I was yesterday," Kai said. "I got stronger when Pugzooka leveled up. And according to the Sys— Gut feeling, I'm twice as strong as a normal Beast Master at my level."
Heston blinked. "Twice as strong?"
"It's a Hard Mode thing."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It's a game thing. You wouldn't understand."
Heston stared at him for a long moment. Then he sighed, the fight draining out of him. "Even if you're stronger, you still don't know how to fight. Rino has been a Beast Master for years. He has experience. He has tactics. You have... enthusiasm."
"He also has my daughter," Heston added quietly. "I can't lose her, Kai."
"You won't," Kai said. "I promise."
Heston shook his head again, but there was something new in his eyes. A tiny glimmer of hope. "What's your plan?"
Kai opened his mouth. Then he closed it. "I'm working on that part."
"Of course you are," Pugzooka muttered.
-
Later that day.
Kai decided the first step was gathering information. He couldn't just walk into Rino's hideout without knowing what he was facing. That was how people got killed—or worse, tied upside down to trees.
He left Heston's shop and walked through Dustwell, trying to look like a normal traveler. Pugzooka followed behind him, pretending to be a normal beast.
"You don't need to follow me," Kai whispered.
"Yes I do," Pugzooka whispered back. "You're an idiot. You'll get lost."
"I won't get lost."
"You literally got lost in a forest for three days."
"That was different."
"How?"
"There was a rhino involved."
Pugzooka made a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a growl.
Kai reached the edge of town, where the buildings grew shabbier and the streets dirtier. This was Rino's territory. Kai could feel it. The people here moved faster, looked down more, and didn't make eye contact.
He spotted a group of men standing outside a tavern. They were rough-looking, with weapons and beasts at their sides. They looked exactly like the kind of people who worked for a thug like Rino.
Kai took a deep breath and walked toward them.
"What are you doing?" Pugzooka hissed.
"Gathering information."
"By walking toward scary men?"
"I have a plan."
"Your plans are terrible."
"Shut up."
Kai approached the men and forced a friendly smile. "Hey there. I'm new in town. I'm looking for someone named Rino. Heard he runs things around here."
The men stopped talking and looked at him. All of them had cold, unfriendly eyes.
One of them stepped forward. He was shorter than the others but had a mean face and a nasty grin. "What do you want with Rino?"
"I have a business proposition," Kai said. "A profitable one."
The man laughed. It wasn't a nice laugh. "A business proposition. From a kid in dirty clothes with a squirrel on his lap."
Pugzooka growled. Kai kicked him gently.
"Let's just say I'm connected," Kai said, trying to sound mysterious. "I have access to certain... resources."
The man squinted at him. "What kind of resources?"
"Information. About beasts. Rare ones."
The man stared at Kai for a long moment. Then he laughed again. "You're a terrible liar, kid. I've been lying for twenty years. I can spot a fake from a mile away."
Kai's smile faltered. "Okay, maybe I'm not connected. But I'm looking for work. I heard Rino pays well."
The man's eyes got darker. "If you want work, you talk to Rino directly. But he's not seeing anyone today. Come back tomorrow. If you're still alive."
He said the last part with a grin that made Kai's blood run cold.
Kai decided he had pushed his luck far enough. "Thanks. I'll do that." He turned and walked away, trying not to look like he was running.
Behind him, the men laughed.
"You almost got us killed," Pugzooka said once they were out of earshot.
"I got information."
"What information?"
"They said Rino is in that building." Kai pointed at a large, fortified building at the end of the street. "That's his hideout."
"How do you know?"
"The guy looked at it when he said Rino wasn't seeing anyone. It was a tell."
Pugzooka looked at the building. It was surrounded by guards and had beasts patrolling the perimeter. "That's not a hideout. That's a fortress."
"Same thing."
"Same thing?"
"Basically."
Kai stared at the building, his mind racing. He had three days. He had double strength. He had a talking beast who wouldn't shut up. That was everything he needed.
Now he just needed a plan.
-
Back at Heston's shop.
Kai sat at the table with a piece of paper and a stick of charcoal. He was trying to sketch a plan, but it looked like a child's drawing of a chicken.
"So," Pugzooka said, looking at the paper, "we walk through the front door, punch everyone, and leave?"
"That's the basic outline," Kai said.
"It's not an outline. It's a disaster."
Heston came in from the back room, his face still pale. "Have you figured anything out?"
"Almost," Kai said.
"Almost?"
"I just need to iron out a few details."
"Like the part where we don't die," Pugzooka whispered.
Heston sat down heavily across from Kai. "I've been thinking. Maybe we can negotiate. Rino is greedy, but he's not unreasonable. If I offer him something else—"
"No negotiations," Kai said firmly. "He already has Mira. You can't give him any more."
"Then what do we do?"
Kai looked at his terrible drawing. Then he looked at Pugzooka, who was staring at him with something that might have been trust or might have been pity.
"We do what I do best," Kai said.
"What's that?" Heston asked.
"I don't know yet," Kai admitted. "But I'll figure it out. I always figure it out."
"In your games," Pugzooka hissed. "You figure it out in your games."
"This is the same thing."
"It's really not."
Kai ignored him and folded the paper. "We have three days. That's three days to level up, gather information, and come up with a plan that works."
"And if you can't?" Heston asked.
Kai didn't answer. He couldn't.
But he knew one thing for sure.
He was not going to let Mira stay with Rino. Not for three days. Not for three hours.
He was going to rescue her.
Even if it killed him.
