Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

VOLUME V: SMOLDERING DAWN | CHAPTER 147: A Debt Carried Forward

Suddenly, as if the emotions invited venom in her veins, she abruptly turned away and hugged herself tightly. With deep breaths, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused on steading the erratic beating of her heart. Though her circumstances were anything but ordinary, she couldn't ignore the sense of duty she felt toward the boy who had risked everything to save her. Yet, despite that debt, she couldn't bring herself to close the chasm between them.

With a heavy sigh, she cast a glance at her canine companion, still weak from the battle with the chimera. His wounds were a constant reminder of the solemn responsibility she had been given—to safeguard the deity at all costs. She had sworn to protect him, and there was no room for failure in that oath.

After a careful survey of their surroundings, she had noticed a town just beyond the forest's edge. Her plan was simple: leave the pup in the boy's care, trusting that they would both rely on each other to find the help they so desperately needed. But, unfortunately, her injured savior was being unreasonably difficult.

"Awrru~" the pup sighed wearily again, his belly growling softly in protest.

The girl's eyes lit up as the woeful sound reached her ears, and she leaned in closer, a bright idea forming. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her voice a hushed melody of inspiration. "I know just the thing to brighten you both up!"

The pup's ears twitched, his gaze turning.

"Monstron!" she declared, her tone infused with a burst of excitement.

Before the words could even completely leave the girl's mouth, the ball of fluff sprang to life, up and raring to go, oceanic eyes burning with vigor.

"That's the spirit!" the girl beamed with determination, tiny fingers curled into tight fists. But moments later, as she was peeling her bruised and reddened face off the hard ground following a failed lunge at a Horned Rabbit, that determination quickly evaporated.

"...This seemed so much easier when it was just a thought," she murmured despairingly, teary-eyed. "But I can't give up now—Rai and that boy are depending on me. I can't afford to let them down."

From the neighboring brush, the pup looked on with a poker face as his female companion, time and time again, tracked and pounced on a Horned Rabbit, only to miss her mark by a wide margin. Then she would cry and throw a tantrum like a petulant child, begging the terrified bunnies to allow themselves to get caught.

"Fudge that!" one of them seemed to say as it bolted into the woods.

The pup's stomach growled again, a sharp reminder of their dire situation. It was becoming painfully clear that, at the rate things were going, all three of them would starve and waste away to nothing. The girl's intentions were pure, but it was obvious she was no hunter. Despite the lingering injuries that had yet to yield to his remarkable regenerative abilities, the canine knew it was time to take matters into his own paws.

His eyes remained focused on the girl as she stalked another rabbit, her moves clumsily and uncertain. She made her move too soon, tripping over an unseen root and sprawling forward with a cry of frustration. The rabbit, startled by her misstep, bolted away, but the pup had already anticipated its next move. In a flash, he lunged, cutting off its escape route. His jaws snapped shut around its neck with precision, the creature stilling instantly in his grasp.

"Rai!" the girl cried, excitement bubbling in her voice as she rushed over with her two left feet. "You did it! You actually caught one! Are you okay? I'm amazed you were able to move like that with those injuries."

The pup placed the motionless rabbit on the ground with a proud huff, then spun in a quick circle, his tail wagging furiously as he celebrated his success. But as his stomach growled again, louder this time, his excitement quickly turned into a sudden crash to the ground. He sprawled out, his tongue lolling from his mouth as he panted in exaggerated exhaustion.

The girl giggled softly, but there was a sadness behind her eyes. "It looks like you're mostly healed up now," she said, reaching down to caress the pup's head. "With proper food and rest, you'll be back at full strength in no time."

When her hand paused atop his head, the canine glanced up to find tears spilling down his friend's cheeks. Heartbroken by the sight, he leapt into her arms and licked her cheek with a whimper, her salty tears adding to the weight of his grief.

"After everything he's done for us," she sobbed quietly, "we can't just leave him here to die... all alone."

"Rawrwu."

"Take good care of him, Rai," she whispered softly, her voice breaking. "When he's able to stand on his own, come back to me, okay? I'm going to miss you more than you know."

"Kyuu~"