Me And My Pet Mico

In the aftermath, Mico landed lightly amidst the wreckage of the Local Hub, the Phoenix clutched gently in his maw. He was careful—not a single fang pierced its burning feathers.

He had heard when Zarn said, "Don't kill it."

If one had been watching closely, they would have seen how the blue streak had pierced through the firebird's chest just before it exploded. The Phoenix had been disarmed in that instant. Zarn had warned him mentally:

"It might still have one more screech left. No point letting it recover—take it down in one go."

So he did.

Now, with measured steps, Mico carried the Phoenix toward the group. As he reached them, he dropped the subdued bird at Arth's feet before moving to Zarn's side.

Zarn leaned against Mico, casually petting him. "I win." He smiled at Arth, his voice light, almost teasing.

"Nice job," he spoke to Mico through their link, "you're pretty strong too."

Mico puffed out his chest in pride. "Not 'pretty strong.' I'm really strong—probably as strong as you on a good day."

Zarn chuckled. "Yeah, of course. You're the strongest beast on this planet too." His sarcasm was clear, but he didn't argue.

Arth, meanwhile, stood frozen, his eyes locked onto his fallen companion.

"Mrath lost... It lost."

The words escaped his lips in disbelief.

It took him a moment to snap out of his daze before he rushed to his Phoenix, kneeling beside it. He let out a breath of relief upon seeing that it was still alive—shaken, but breathing. Mico had been precise, ensuring not to deliver a fatal blow.

The guards stood still, equally stunned. Unlike Arth, they understood the full picture. They had seen everything.

Mico wasn't just a bit stronger than Mrath.

He was on another level. Perhaps two.

In Senar terms, Mrath was a mid-tier Adept-class beast, roughly at a low-level Class 4 user's strength. That alone made it one of the strongest beasts in their city. Yet Mico had overwhelmed it without a scratch.

That meant only one thing—Mico was likely a high-class Adept-tier beast, strong enough to match even a high-level Class 4 fighter like them.

Nathaniel stepped forward, crouching beside Arth and placing his hands over the Phoenix. A soft lemon-colored glow radiated from his palms. Above his head, a small bird emerged from a summoning circle, wings flapping gently. It circled over Mrath, scattering shimmering motes of energy onto the fallen beast.

Zarn's gaze sharpened.

"A natural healer." He mused. Not as rare as us natural summoners, but still hard to come by. For Arth to have one as a bodyguard... his background must be stronger than I thought. But this guy—

Zarn suddenly straightened, his eyes snapping upward through the shattered warehouse roof before sweeping the surroundings.

"I wouldn't like to get involved in this."

Arth's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You win."

Zarn blinked. "Huh?"

Arth exhaled sharply, his face still stiff with frustration. "You win. Your Mico is stronger. You don't have to gloat about it."

Zarn smirked. "Yeah. But I don't think that's what you should be worried about right now."

He gestured toward Kendrick, whose sharp gaze was locked onto a dark corner of the warehouse. The air in that spot felt... off.

Kendrick's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. "Just show yourselves. I know you're there."

A metallic rasp echoed as he drew his weapon from his space ring. Beside him, a massive grey wolf-like beast materialized. It stood nearly two meters tall—just as tall as Kendrick himself—its fur laced with pulsing blue veins.

Zarn's eyes flickered toward Kendrick's beast, recognition clicking in his mind.

So, he's a dual-power type... A summoner and a fighter... I think... Hmm, maybe I should have done a bit more studying.

It was rare but not unheard of. Those who could fight at such high levels while also commanding high-tier beasts were dangerous in any battle.

Arth, however, had no time to think about Kendrick. His focus was on the figure emerging from the shadows.

His breath hitched.

An Assassin. Using a shadow related skill... Most likely a Natural Assassin power-type.

Everything about the figure screamed it—the way they moved without a sound, their subtle control of presence, even the placement of their beast, positioned to strike the moment an opening appeared.

Are they here to kill me? No... this should be more of a kidnapping situation.

The cloaked figure stepped forward, a beast loping at their side. The beast resembled a furless gorilla, its massive hands riddled with patches of rock, marking it as a rock-type.

More figures followed—six in total, emerging from the darkness. Unlike the cloaked figure, they wore no hoods. But each bore an emblem burned onto their clothing.

Kendrick's eyes narrowed.

Seven of them. But only one is a real problem.

His mind assessed them instantly.

The cloaked figure was at high-level Class 4—his equal. The rest were low-level Class 4, which meant his beast alone could handle them without much trouble.

Adept-tier beasts covered everything from low-level Class 3 to high-level Class 4, but Kendrick's beast was at the peak. Against these grunts? It was more than enough.

Kendrick exhaled, steadying himself. "I respect your courage for moving against us, but isn't this a little... futile?"

The cloaked figure chuckled, lifting a hand to their mouth in mock amusement. "Futile? Hehe..."

Tch. Kendrick clicked his tongue. "Nathaniel, take the beast. I'll handle our cloaked friend here."

But before Nathaniel could respond—

"Hmm. You might have more to worry about than that."

Zarn's voice cut in, calm but firm.

Kendrick frowned. "What?"

His instincts were sharp. He had accounted for everything—the seven enemies, their beasts, the potential fight. The only anomaly was the observer higher in the sky...

Unless—

Had he missed something?

Zarn pointed directly at Nathaniel.

"Him."

Kendrick's stomach dropped.

Nathaniel placed a firm hand on Arth's shoulder and turned to face Kendrick.

A slow smirk crossed his lips. "No hard feelings. Just doing my job—my real job."

For a moment, the warehouse fell into utter silence.

Then—

"You motherfucker!!!"

Kendrick's angry roar shattered the quiet.