MTLNOVEL Chapter 275: The Difference Between Nodes (1)
To say that Aoni and Charlotte were shaken by the sight in front of them would be the understatement of the century.
For as far back as Traveler's knowledge goes, there was a stringent hierarchy when it comes to nodes. Grade-1 Nodes give weak monsters and only a couple at most.
Yet one singular, insignificant node had spawned not two weak monsters but four creatures that could even be considered strong on a global scale.
Kuro: A natural 4-Star, an Alpha Artic Direwolf breed, would have been more than enough to start up a bidding war to end all bidding wars when it comes to Low-Tier Travelers.
Kuro alone shattered the knowledge about 1-Star Nodes capping out at one star, but if it was he alone, then what was happening could have been considered a fluke.
"This…what is going on…" Aoni asked no one in particular as he felt the connection forming between himself and the two smaller yet clearly female wolves.
"If you don't know…who are we supposed to ask?" Charlotte stated after placing Glacia down on her seat and walking up beside her brother.
Unlike Aoni, who was still wet behind the ears, Char had been a traveler for a little over a year now, and having used her fair share of summoning nodes, she was pretty used to how they worked.
Yet there was one thing that really confused her, and that was the bulging belly of one She-wolf in particular.
"Pregnant?"
The larger of the two she-wolves released a low sound, between a purr and a growl, as Charlotte stepped up and gently ran her hand through the wolf's furry flank.
{'My lord, she is indeed pregnant; however, I have no memory of how or when it happened; I just know it is my child within her.'} Kuro added while keeping a careful eye on Charlotte.
It was one thing for his lord to be so close, yet this woman, who was clearly related to Aoni, was another story; thus, he kept an air of caution between them.
"Which…*Cough*, which one of these two is your second?" Clearing his throat as he checked the Summon's display for the new wolves' information, Aoni asked Kuro with a hint of suspicion.
After all, he remembered the wolf stating wives instead of a singular wife, implying they were both his wives somehow.
Kuro didn't vocalize his answer but instead brushed his big head against the pregnant she-wolf.
"I see; well then she will be named uh…"
"No anime references Ao…" Snapping her head toward her brother, Charlotte chided with dead eyes.
"Tsk, I guess Puck is out, then how about Malys *Said Malice*."
6: Adult Ul-Aenocyn lupus Arctos
Malys
Age: 5 Years
Gender: ♀
Potential: Three-Star
Grade: ☆☆☆ (►)
Passives:
Artic Movement: ☆☆☆ (►)
Silent Artic Tracking: ☆☆☆ (►)
Ice Manipulation: ☆☆☆ (►)
STATUS: Pregnant
'Her passives are a bit different, a lower grade of Artic Movement, and she has Ice Manipulation unlike Kuro…sure enough, there's a Status effect too.'
{'Thank you, my liege,} Hearing her new name, Malys, who was quite pleased by it, crept forward and endearingly licked Aoni's cheek. Her voice a mature and subtle song of power and motherly affection.
Similar to Kuro, she bore all the physical traits one would expect from a giant wolf, albeit on a smaller scale, both physically and not quite as imposing as her male counterpart.
Then there was the second she-wolf, who appeared much more tame than the pack leaders. In fact, if there were a singular word to describe this second she-wolf, it would be cute.
With a total shift in momentum away from the fierce beasts that were now named Kuro and Malys, this third wolf seemed more gentle and soft, almost like a nursemaid or Auntie.
{'What about me, my lord?'} The second she-wolf sounded more like a young woman than Malys, her voice playful and cheery, lacking all the intimidation one would expect from a monster standing just a little shorter than head height for Aoni.
Nudging her way to the front, the second she-wolf happily wagged her tail in anticipation of being named, her cheerful nature put on display for Aoni and Charlotte and even earning a giggle out of Char to the point that she ended up taking the big wolf head in her hands and giving the summon a bunch of ear scratches and pets.
"Sofffttt…hmmm," Charlotte mused with a cheeky grin as she rubbed her face all over the wolf, who in turn matched her level of enjoyment by doing the same.
Seeing this, Aoni couldn't help himself, and after getting a few pets in, he was amazed at how soft the she-wolf's fur was.
"Terri, you will be Terri."
{'Thanks milord!'}
SLURPPP
"Ahh haha," receiving a full face lick from Terri, Aoni couldn't help but laugh while Glacia huffed loudly behind him, clearly not pleased by how much attention this new sister was getting.
7: Adult Ul-Aenocyn lupus Arctos
Terri
Age: 4 Years
Gender: ♀
Potential: Two-Star
Grade: ☆☆ (►)
Passives:
Artic Movement: ☆☆ (►)
Artic Tracking: ☆☆ (►)
'4, 3, 2, not a single one of them is 1-Star…' Aoni thought while looking at the final floating orb, which was indistinguishable from the two that transformed into Terri and Malys.
"Well, one left…"
Pop
WOOSHHH
{'PLAYY!!!'}
"Oh shit…!"
BOOOMM
{'PWAYYY!'}
Before Aoni could even have a moment to blink, the second the light vanished, a furry blue missile slammed into his chest before zipping around the room in circles.
Its speed…was something that he could barely keep tabs on, and that's when he noticed…a certain white missile spazz out and join in.
"Oh no…theres another one…" Robotically turning to look over his shoulder, Aoni's and Kuro's eyes met, forming a look that said more than words could ever.
{'My lord…hes…a bit hyper…I hope that won't be a problem, and worry not, my wives can keep him in check.'} Kuro said with a bit of hesitation.
"Grrrooooowlll"
"Yiip…" Hearing the low growl of his mother, Malys, and skittering to a stop only to get tackled by an "In-Play-Time-Mode" Glacia, Aoni was finally able to get a good look at who would undoubtedly be a source of many future headaches.