The morning mist hung low over the ridges when Luciel and Mino finally found the rock tortoise again. Around the nearby hills, jagged spurs of stone jutted from the earth like the teeth of a sleeping giant, silent and unmoving—except for the faint rumble of the enormous creature breathing in the distance.
"Woo~"
The sound came out like a muffled sob. The rock tortoise's mournful cry echoed through the valley the moment it spotted its master.
Luciel blinked, startled. "What's wrong, buddy?"
The tortoise lowered its head pitifully, its shell glinting with veins of earthy brown. The thought came through the mental link that tied them together—a faint pulse of hunger that made Luciel's temples throb.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "You're hungry again, aren't you?"
Mino's big blue eyes widened. "Black Tortoise… hungry?"
She gaped at the enormous beast in disbelief. The thing was the size of a small cottage already—how much food could something like that even eat? She imagined mountains of meat and piles of vegetables disappearing into its mouth, and her head began to spin.
Then, in Luciel's mind, the mechanical tone of the System chimed in.
> Ding! Consume one evolution point per day to feed. This resolves the hunger problem of domesticated beasts.
Luciel's face darkened. "System, you could've said that earlier."
Feeding this creature by hand? He'd starve before it did.
The System remained silent, as if pretending innocence.
Luciel exhaled. "Alright, big guy. Stretch your head out—I'll give you something to eat."
Mino tilted her head, her long rabbit ears twitching. "Energy? You can… feed it energy?"
"Something like that," Luciel replied with a faint smile.
The tortoise let out a delighted hiss, lumbering closer. Its massive head, as wide as a boulder, pushed through the mist until it loomed directly above them.
Luciel placed his hand against its stony forehead. "System, evolve the rock tortoise—and fill its hunger while you're at it."
> Ding! Level 2 Rock Tortoise evolving to Level 3. Deducting 100 evolution points.
Ding! Evolution successful.
Ding! New talent acquired: Earth Rock Burst Sting.
Ding! Synchronizing Trainer ability: Earth Rock Burst (Level 3).
A surge of energy rippled through Luciel's body. His muscles tightened; his bones felt heavier, stronger. The familiar heat of evolution pulsed from his core, threading through his veins.
"System, display my stats," he said eagerly.
A holographic window unfolded in his mind.
> Trainer: Luciel
Strength: 21
Speed: 21
Endurance: 22
Spirit: 32
Life Span: 24 years / 420 years
Evolution Points: 219
Abilities:
– Earth Rock Burst (Level 3)
– Mimic Stealth (Level 3)
Domesticated Beasts:
Rock Tortoise – Talent: Earth Rock Spike (Level 3)
Three-Color Lizard – Talent: Mimic Stealth (Level 3)
Luciel grinned, eyes gleaming. A life span of four hundred years. Not long ago, he hadn't dared dream of surviving past thirty.
"Luciel! Look—look at Black Tortoise!"
Mino tugged at his sleeve, her voice trembling with excitement.
Luciel looked up—and froze.
The tortoise was… bigger. Much bigger.
Before, it had been roughly the size of a ten-square-meter hut. Now it loomed over them like a moving fortress, nearly a hundred square meters wide. Its shell was a landscape of its own, ridged with stone and glimmering with mineral light.
The creature let out a triumphant bellow. "Ooooo!"
Then it stomped one massive foot.
The ground trembled.
A second later, a spear of rock burst upward from the soil—a meter thick, razor-sharp, and glowing faintly with earthen energy. It launched forward like a cannon shell, smashing into the cliffside a hundred meters away.
"BOOM!"
The rock wall disintegrated into rubble, sending shards flying.
Mino's rabbit ears stood on end. Her mouth hung open. "T-that was amazing!"
Luciel couldn't help but smile. "Finally, a proper long-range attack."
"Too amazing! Too cool!" she squeaked, bouncing on her feet.
Luciel chuckled. The girl's vocabulary for excitement was adorably limited.
He turned back to the tortoise. "Alright, big guy. Give us a lift."
At over six meters tall, climbing onto its back was no simple feat. The surface was studded with jagged spurs, and Mino certainly couldn't scale that.
The tortoise seemed to understand. With a deep rumble, it lowered itself and caused the surrounding ground to shift. A staircase of stone rose from the earth, spiraling upward to its back.
Luciel offered his hand to Mino. "After you."
Her small fingers slipped into his palm, soft and warm. Together they climbed the steps, reaching the creature's shell once again.
"It's so spacious now!" Mino spun in a circle, laughing. "We could build a whole village up here!"
Luciel watched her twirl, her white hair glinting in the sunlight like silk. The way her long ears danced as she moved made him smile. She looked so carefree—like a butterfly fluttering over a mountain.
"So," he asked, "what kind of house do you want to build?"
She stopped mid-spin. "Eh? Me?"
"Of course. What kind of home would you like, Mino?"
Her ears drooped slightly as she crouched, thinking hard. "I… I don't know. I've never built a house before."
Luciel chuckled. "The ears give you away, you know."
She blinked up at him. "Eh?"
"When you're confused, they twist around like that," he said, pointing. "It's actually kind of cute."
Her cheeks flushed pink. "Luciel…"
After a moment, she mumbled, "Maybe… just a wooden shed? Like before?"
He shook his head gently. "Too simple. Think bigger."
"I can't," she admitted helplessly. "I don't know what's good or bad."
"Then take a look at this."
Luciel reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of cloth. He spread it on the tortoise's back. Black ink lines covered the surface—clean, confident strokes that formed the outline of a small house.
Mino crouched beside him, eyes wide. "You drew this?"
"Last night," he said with a modest smile.
The design was simple but elegant: two bedrooms, a living area, a bathroom, and a small yard enclosed by stone walls. A home that felt human, warm, and safe.
Mino's eyes sparkled. "Can we… really build this?"
"Of course," Luciel said. "We have all the space we need."
She studied the sketch again, her excitement dimming as practicality hit. "But we'll need so many stones…"
Luciel only smiled and tapped his foot on the shell beneath them. "Don't forget whose back we're standing on."
At his thought command, the tortoise rumbled approvingly.
"Ooooooo~!"
The ground in the distance shuddered as rocks began to rise from the hillsides. Huge slabs of stone floated toward them, guided by invisible force, and gently landed on the tortoise's back one by one. Rectangular blocks of varying sizes stacked neatly beside Luciel like a ready-made supply yard.
Mino's eyes shone brighter than ever. "Black Tortoise is incredible!"
Luciel grinned. "Alright, let's get to work. We'll start by marking the layout."
He pulled out a stick of charcoal and crouched, sketching guidelines directly on the shell's surface. The tortoise shifted slightly underfoot, careful not to disturb him.
"Leave the heavy work to me!" Mino declared proudly, puffing out her small chest.
Luciel laughed. "Alright, little architect, I'll hold you to that."
Together, they began arranging the stones. Mino followed the charcoal lines, pointing where each piece should go, while the tortoise obediently lifted and placed them using its earth-control ability. The air filled with the steady rumble of moving rock and Mino's cheerful chatter.
Luciel stepped back for a moment to watch. The girl's pale hair fluttered in the breeze as she waved her arms like a conductor guiding an orchestra. Her laughter echoed across the shell, bright and lively.
For the first time in a long while, Luciel felt something like peace.
He sent a thought to the tortoise. Good work, buddy. Without you, this would've taken months.
The creature let out a low hum in response, proud of itself.
Luciel considered using the rock spurs on the tortoise's shell as construction material—they were solid and perfectly shaped—but he quickly dismissed the idea. Those spikes were part of its armor, its natural defense. Removing them for convenience would be foolish.
Better to use the stones it summoned instead. Once the walls were in place, the tortoise could fuse the stone together seamlessly, eliminating the need for mortar. The structure would be sturdier than any human-built house—and perfectly anchored to the creature's shell.
Mino skipped toward him, wiping sweat from her forehead. "We're really doing it, Luciel! We're building a house on a turtle!"
He chuckled softly. "A moving home. Not bad, huh?"
She grinned. "The safest home in the world!"
Luciel gazed at her—her radiant expression, the sunlight on her skin, the reflection of the sky in her eyes. For a fleeting moment, he forgot about the dangers waiting beyond the hills, the blood-bearded raiders, or the endless struggle for survival.
Right now, it was just the three of them—man, girl, and tortoise—building a dream in the middle of a wild, dangerous world.
And that, Luciel thought, was enough.