Arthur glanced down.

"...You too."

He tapped her lightly.

"No free ride."

Her tail flicked once.

He smiled faintly.

Then his attention returned to the system.

Sovereign Investment.

That part was simple enough.

Feed IP. Boost growth.

But not blindly as there were limits.

"...So they still had to train them properly."

That actually made him more comfortable.

If it was just a shortcut, he wouldn’t trust it.

But this?

This was support

Not forced growth.

"Yeah... I can work with that."

Then came the second part again.

Intent Reflection.

Arthur went quiet for a few seconds.

That part...

It really was dangerous.

Not in a bad way.

But in a way that could change a lot.

"...It reads them."

Not just at surface level.. but their Intent.

The core of how they fight.

How they think.

How they survive.

Arthur leaned his head back slightly.

This was real value.

The system wasn’t just helping them grow. But it was also guiding that growth without forcing it.

Just... aligning it.

Arthur smiled.

Mel looked up at him again, reacting to the slight change in his voice.

Arthur noticed and shook his head lightly.

"Don’t worry. I’m not using it on you yet."

He rubbed her head again.

"We’ll take it slow."

He meant that.

The system already warned him.

Push too hard, and it breaks.

And he wasn’t about to lose this just because he got impatient.

Arthur closed his eyes for a second, thinking.

Then opened them again.

"...Tomorrow."

That was the first real chance. At training.

That’s where it would happen.

Naturally.

He wouldn’t need to force anything or explain everything either.

He could just... observe.

And when the moment felt right.. he’d try it.

Arthur exhaled slowly.

"...Yeah. Hope that works."

Currently, things felt... lined up.

Clear.

No confusion.

No rush.

Just a path forward.

Mel let out a small sound again, almost like she was trying to get his attention.

Arthur looked down.

"...What?"

She stared at him.

Then nudged his hand slightly.

Arthur blinked.

Then laughed softly.

"Seriously?"

He shook his head.

"You’re already getting comfortable."

Her tail moved again.

Arthur sighed, but there was no complaint in it.

"Alright."

He leaned forward slightly and picked her up.

She didn’t resist and that alone told him enough.

"...Come on."

He stood up and moved toward the bed.

His body finally starting to feel the weight of the day.

Everything from the dungeon.

The fight.

The core.

The system.

Now this.

"...Yeah, I’m done."

He dropped onto the bed without much care.

Mel shifted in his arms before settling against him.

Close.

Warm.

Arthur stared at the ceiling for a moment.

"...Didn’t expect this."

He said it quietly.

"Not the dungeon. Not the system. Not you."

Mel didn’t move.

But she stayed there.

Arthur let out a slow breath.

"...But it all worked out."

His eyes slowly started to close.

"For now... that’s enough."

The thoughts in his head began to slow.

Plans.

Ideas.

Possibilities.

All of it could wait.

Tomorrow was another day.

Another chance to test things. To grow. To push forward.

But right now... he just needed rest.

Mel shifted slightly, pressing closer as his breathing steadied.

Arthur didn’t react. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He was already slipping.

"...We start tomorrow."

His voice was barely there.

And then..

Silence.

The room settled.

As the weight of the day finally caught up to him.

Light slipped into the room before Arthur even opened his eyes.

It wasn’t harsh, just enough to pull him out of sleep slowly.

He shifted a little, wanting to ignore it, but something else made that impossible.

A soft weight landed on his chest.

Then again.

And again.

Arthur frowned.

"...What..."

Before he could finish, something small stepped on his face.

His eyes snapped open.

And there she was.

Mel.

She stood over him like she owned the place, her small paws pressing into him as her tail moved with clear excitement.

Arthur stared at her for a second.

"...Oh! it’s you."

She tilted her head and then jumped again.

Right on his chest.

Arthur groaned, rubbing his face as he finally pushed himself up.

"Alright, alright. I’m up."

The moment he sat up properly, the memories came back.

The dungeon.

The system.

The bond.

He looked at her again, this time properly.

"... So it wasn’t a dream."

Mel let out a soft sound, stepping closer without hesitation.

Arthur’s expression softened a bit.

He reached out and ran his hand through her fur.

"Morning, Mel."

She didn’t understand the words.

But she reacted anyway.

Her tail moved faster, and she leaned into his touch like she had been waiting for it.

Arthur let out a quiet breath.

"...Yeah. Thought so."

He kept stroking her head slowly.

"If only you could actually answer back."

He paused, then shook his head lightly.

"...Well, maybe later."

With how things had been going, he wouldn’t even be surprised.

The system had already done more than enough to prove that nothing was impossible.

Arthur stretched a little, his body finally waking up.

"Alright."

He looked at her again.

"Let’s get moving."

Mel watched him closely.

Not confused.

Just... attentive.

Arthur noticed that.

"...You really do get more than you should."

He smirked slightly.

"Good. Makes things easier."

He stood up, then gestured lightly with his hand.

"First thing, we clean you up."

Mel blinked.

Arthur pointed toward the wash area.

"Bath."

He made a small motion, mimicking washing.

"...Then me. Then training."

He spoke as he moved, not expecting her to fully understand, but still talking anyway.

It felt natural.

Mel followed his gestures with her eyes.

Her ears twitched.

Arthur paused.

"...You actually get that, don’t you?"

Her tail moved once.

And that was enough of an answer.

Arthur chuckled.

"Yeah... you’re not normal."

He didn’t mind.

If anything, it made things better.

He stepped forward, bending slightly as he picked her up.

"Come on, let’s get the day started."

A/N:

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