Bug God's Territory.
A tall, shadowy figure stepped out of the tunnel, it was Hans, fresh from his power upgrades.
Seeing their boss arrive, all the Tiger-level monsters in the territory immediately gathered.
The new recruits stood tall and eager, showing off their energy; the veterans, however, were drenched in sweat, terrified that the boss might call their name for one of those horrifying "meal delivery" missions.
After all, aside from the boss himself, none of the monsters who went on those missions had ever come back.
A proper horror story, that, anyone with a single working brain cell could guess what happened to them,
No promotions.
No pay raises.
No survivors.
Hans took his usual seat on the carefully carved stone throne. His claw tapped lightly against the cold armrest, making a crisp tak-tak sound as he swept his gaze over his neatly lined-up subordinates.
"Where's Fang?"
At once, a particularly eager tiger monster rushed off to the warehouse, where Fangwas busy checking inventory. In no time, Fang came racing over, riding on that same tiger's back.
"Bug God, sir!" Fang called from afar. "Your humble servant is late! Please forgive me!"
Hans: "…"
He stared, speechless, at the mouse monster who had somehow gotten twice as fat since the last time he saw it, now gliding toward him on tigerback.
'What was this?'
'A rat pretending to be mighty through borrowed power?'
Fang's fur was sleek and shiny now, his round body radiating a life of luxury. His beady eyes glinted with sharp cunning, but one thing hadn't changed: the way he looked up at Hans, eyes full of open worship and fanatic loyalty.
Loyalty.jpg
Hans couldn't help but feel both amused and a little annoyed.
He'd promoted that rat casually, and somehow, the thing was now living better than its boss.
Fang flattened himself on the floor, voice dripping with flattery.
"Lord Bug God! Whatever you need, just say the word! I'll do my absolute best!"
"Alright, alright, get up."
"Yes, my lord!"
Hans suddenly found himself understanding Psykos a little better, perhaps that psychic lady felt this same mix of irritation and confusion dealing with him.
"Fang, I'll be leaving for a while. I've got a mission from Lord Evil Eyes\."
At the mention of Lord Evil Eyes, Fangt's beady pupils widened. It clearly knew what that name meant.
Reverence filled its expression, mixed with pride, like a father watching his son succeed… or like a nerd seeing his waifu max-leveled and fully geared.
Hans: "???"
'Stop imagining weird stuff!'
After giving Fang a warning glare, Hans continued, "While I'm gone, you'll be in charge of everything here. Also, make sure Lord Pochi's food is prepared on time every day, no mistakes, understood?"
"Yes! Yes! Understood, my lord!!"
Fang nodded so fast it looked like it was pounding garlic. You'd think Hans had given it a top-secret, world-saving mission instead of… feeding a dog.
"Don't worry, sir! I'll make sure everything's perfect!"
"Good."
Seeing Fang's fired-up face, Hans smiled slightly. "Do well, and when I return, I'll take you to meet Lord Evil Eyes. Maybe… you'll even get a chance to grow stronger."
"W-wait, what!?"
Fang froze, body trembling like it had just been hit by lightning.
As a lowly Wolf-level monster, even after clinging to the new Bug God's thigh, Fang still lived cautiously, terrified that some powerful stranger might squash him without a second thought.
Because, really, he was just too weak.
"M-my lord…" Fang stammered, nearly in tears, "My loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and moon above! I would go through hell and back for you!!"
Hans nodded approvingly.
'A cultured monster indeed.'
It was true, nothing kept subordinates loyal like big promises and vague rewards.
Hans had never been the type for management talk, but after dealing with Evil Eye long enough, he'd somehow picked up the corporate art of motivational manipulation.
Hans then glanced at the tiger monster crouched behind Fang. "What's your name?"
The tiger stiffened, surprised that its boss had spoken to it. Its rough voice carried honest humility, "Lord Bug God, I… don't have a name yet. You can call me whatever you like."
Hans nodded approvingly.
Now that's the kind of attitude he liked.
"Alright then," he said after a pause, "from now on, your name's Predaking."
A tiger named Predaking, perfectly reasonable.
"P-Predaking?!" ×2
The tiger's body trembled in awe, while Fanh looked utterly dumbfounded.
The tiger repeated its new name again and again, the more it said it, the cooler it sounded.
Fang, on the other hand, looked miserable, 'I came first! Why didn't I get a name that awesome!?'
"Predaking thanks Lord Bug God for the name!!"
Hans smiled. "Predaking, from now on you'll be Fangt's right-hand. Protect him and keep him safe, got it?"
"Yes, my lord! I won't let you down!"
Fang's eyes sparkled with joy. Its tail nearly wagged into orbit.
'See? The boss still cares about me!'
…....
Pochi's Territory.
The giant black hound stirred from its sleep, raising its head and sniffing the air.
It caught a familiar scent and blinked its six massive eyes in confusion.
"Woof…?" (Huh? Didn't you just come by earlier?)
Moments later, a gust of wind roared through the tunnels as the massive beast raced across the ground, stopping at a wide corridor where it spotted Hans, only three meters tall now, practically tiny by comparison.
"Woof, woof woof?" (You were just here! Why again?)
Hans smiled and walked over like he'd done it a hundred times before. As his black armor lit up with red glowing lines, he raised his claw, gleaming cold and sharp, and skillfully began grooming Pochi's shiny, silky black fur.