A Zoologist’s Guide to Surviving Magical Creatures

"No. I refuse to accept the both of you as colleagues. I'm going to meet Naga," I fumed, already storming toward the office door when, as if summoned by my irritation, Naga stepped inside holding a large fruit basket.

"Naga, perfect timing! I need to—"

"Ah, you've already met your new colleagues!" Naga interrupted cheerfully, completely derailing my momentum. "I personally assigned them to you to ensure your safety. Since you're well acquainted with them, I figured it was the best fit." He grinned as though he'd just done me the biggest favor in the world.

Before I could protest, he thrust the fruit basket into my arms. "Here's a welcome-back-to-MECCP gift!"

I stared at him, dumbfounded, the fruit basket sitting heavy in my hands. "You mean to say they're my bodyguards now?"

"Bodyguards?" Jiuge snorted, crossing her arms. Her nine tails swished in annoyance, nearly knocking over a desk lamp. "Don't insult us. We're your private contractors for personal safety."

Agnos, lounging against a desk, added lazily, "We're being handsomely paid to monitor you, offer necessary advice, and, most importantly, make sure you don't do something stupid that jeopardizes missions."

I glared at him. "What? Since when am I a walking disaster? Isn't that your job?"

Agnos smirked but didn't bother to reply.

Naga, meanwhile, laughed heartily and clapped me on the back, nearly sending the fruit basket tumbling. "Don't take it personally, Carl. They're only here to assist you. The heavy-duty work and final decisions are still entirely yours."

"Then my decision is to not have them as colleagues," I shot back stubbornly. "I already have Fenrir babysitting me."

"Fenrir is busy with his own duties," Naga explained, his tone calm but firm. "He can't always protect you in time. These two can. And don't forget, you have the authority to issue commands to them."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Naga raised a hand to silence me. He conjured a shimmer of magic in the air, and suddenly, my MECCP and Mythica ID floated before me.

"Hey, that's—"

Before I could finish, my IDs changed. The sleek black design gleamed as if taunting me.

"You're now officially a VVVIP member!" Naga declared proudly.

At that moment, everything around me transformed into sunshine, rainbows, and an orchestra of triumphant fanfare. My frustration evaporated, replaced by uncontainable joy.

"No kidding! I… I'm… You mean to say I'm a VVVIP now?" I practically leaped with excitement, clutching my upgraded ID like a trophy. "Yes! Hah! Look at that, Agnos! I'm a VVVIP now, just like you!"

Agnos glanced at me over his tea, unimpressed. He exchanged a look with Jiuge before muttering, "Oh look, he's one of you now."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked with a grin, my curiosity piqued.

Then, leaning in slightly, I added, "Looks like we're even now, Agnos. I've got the same perks you've been flaunting all this time."

Agnos waved his fingers dismissively. "No, no. You're mistaken. I'm above you. You've got three Vs. Just like Jiuge here." His smirk widened. "I have four Vs. Big difference."

My grin faltered. I blinked, my excitement crumbling like a poorly built sandcastle. "What?! Why do I only get three?!" I turned to Naga, feeling utterly betrayed.

Naga chuckled and patted my back again—his go-to move for pacifying outrage. "There are strict requirements for a VVVVIP membership. You'll need more grand achievements to qualify. So, work hard, Carl." And just like that, he left, leaving me standing there with my shattered pride.

Agnos sipped his tea, unbothered. Jiuge glanced at me, her expression unreadable but likely unimpressed.

One day, I promised myself as I glared at Agnos's smug face, I'll earn that fourth V. And when I do, I'll flaunt it so hard you'll choke on that tea.

A knock on the door startled me, and I jumped, nearly spilling the fruit basket. An elf wearing the official MECCP uniform stood in the doorway. He was dragging a cart piled high with files and paperwork, while his other hand held what looked like a sleek magical tablet. His name tag read Cainan.

"Is there a Carl Suis here?" he asked, his tone as monotone as an ancient clock.

Both Agnos and Jiuge immediately pointed to me, as if trying to absolve themselves of any responsibility.

I raised my hand hesitantly. "That's me. I'm Carl Suis."

"Sign here, please." He thrust the tablet toward me.

I scrawled my signature with a finger, only to have him pull out a device I recognized—a magical ID scanner. He motioned for me to scan my MECCP card. When he caught sight of the sleek black card in my hand, his eyebrow quirked upward, a hint of surprise breaking his stoic demeanor.

"A VVVIP member," he remarked, his eyes giving me a once-over. "And a mortal, no less."

A flicker of pride warmed my chest. Suddenly, all the earlier disappointments about my three measly Vs vanished.

"What's all this?" I asked, eyeing the cart stacked with what looked like decades' worth of bureaucracy.

"Not my business, man. I'm just the delivery guy," Cainan replied with a shrug.

"Oh, right."

"But for what it's worth, this came from the MCA—Mythica Cold Archives. MECCP requested it from The Council," he added.

"That sounds... important."

"Probably. Where do you want these?"

I gestured toward a glass-walled room in the corner, outfitted with a medium-sized meeting table. "You can leave them there."

Cainan rolled the cart into the room, neatly depositing the mountain of files. Before leaving, he handed me an envelope embossed with a wolf insignia.

"This was included in the delivery," he said before disappearing down the hallway.

I opened the envelope and found a letter from Fenrir. The wolf god's neat handwriting filled the page.

Carl,

These files contain unresolved cases, unexplained mysteries, and missing creature reports—all potentially linked to the imbalance of Mythica. To date, none of them have been fully solved. Congratulations, though, on resolving two cases already: the Domos Haidou Conspiracy and the Berserk Coralites.

Be cautious, however. I suspect the involvement of Unknown Gods in some of these incidents. Whether they are corrupted or merely acting in their own interest is still unclear. Stay vigilant.

Regards,

Fenrir

I stared at the pile of files, now dominating the table, and let out a deep sigh. "This is going to be a looooong day," I muttered, dragging myself over to start organizing the mess.