It had been five hours since then.
The four pups were already curled up against him, their small bodies resting peacefully in his lap or by his side. They'd grown familiar with him quickly—nuzzling his fingers, licking his palms, and sometimes letting out tiny yawns before snuggling deeper into sleep.
After naming them—just so they'd each have their own identity—Takumi discovered something strange. Because of his divine title, Chosen of the God of Wealth, the pups had undergone a mutation. A golden shimmer had passed over their bodies, and a new title had appeared above each of their heads:
★ Chosen of the Blessed Kind
Right after that, they entered what the system called a Slumber Evolution state. Now, floating numbers blinked softly above them.
[Time Remaining: 2 minutes, 32 seconds]
Takumi sat beside them patiently, watching the timer tick down.
He'd learned from the system that his ability to view detailed status screens, not just his own but others' as well, was rare—something that even most nobles or adventurers in this world didn't possess. It was a cheat, plain and simple. He could see origins, power levels, past accomplishments... even potential.
It made him feel like a walking appraisal crystal.
"Just a little longer," he muttered, glancing at the countdown.
"Then I'll try out that artifact…"
While waiting, Takumi had opened up the system's offering shop—curious to see if there was anything that could help him raise the cubs properly. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. If they were going to be with him, he'd raise them right.
That's when he found it.
A mysterious artifact buried in a tucked-away catalogue labeled [Tamer & Summoner Exclusive Tools]. Its name:
Everdawn Sanctuary Crystal
According to the description, it could absorb and store any tamed beast—or even forcefully pull one in. Once inside, the creature would live in a self-contained ecosystem: rivers, forests, a mild climate, abundant mana, and best of all, enhanced growth speed that could multiply natural development rates several times over.
It was a perfect rearing ground. Practically made for someone like him.
The catch? It consumed Mana Stones for maintenance and stability.
"Oh great, another resource I'll have to farm…"
But the moment Takumi opened his inventory, the system chimed.
[New Currency Detected: Peak-tier Mana Crystals]
Not only did he have mana stones—he had their elite form.
Mana Crystals, two entire tiers above what the artifact required. And not just a handful. He had forty million of them.
Takumi blinked. Then sighed.
"Of course. Why am I even surprised anymore?"
He confirmed the artifact acquisition, bound it to himself, and gently placed it beside the sleeping pups, syncing it to them.
Just then, a chime rang.
[Level Up: Kaito Takumi has reached Level 2.]
[New Skills Unlocked:]
— Dimensional Contract
— Contract Creation
'Contract...?' Takumi raised a brow, intrigued.
'Looks like raising them just got even more interesting…'
Among the four, the eldest was a male—small, sharp-eyed, and already showing signs of a protective nature. The other three were females. Apparently, in their bloodline—and this world in general—males were far rarer. That detail sparked a thought in Takumi's mind.
Out of curiosity, he brought up the global demographic balance through the system. What he found made his heart skip.\
[World Gender Ratio: 1 Male : 7.6 Females]
[Polygamy: Common Practice. Socially Accepted. Legally Supported.]
Takumi almost jumped with joy.
"This world… might be the dream."
His thoughts spun into overdrive. Older sister types, gentle MILFs, sweet little-sister archetypes, cold sword maidens, fox-eared tsunderes… The possibilities were endless, and his mind was already writing fanfics faster than his body could keep up.
So absorbed was he in his fantasy harem delusion that he didn't notice the countdown reaching zero.
"WAFF!"
A sharp bark snapped him back to reality. The four little ones were up—eyes glowing faintly with magic, bodies shivering with fresh energy. They were jumping around, tails wagging, fur sleek and slightly more lustrous than before. Evolution complete.
"Yuki, Eve, Ira, Kuro," he called out softly.
As if recognizing their names, the pups immediately stopped moving, looked at him with full attention, and then—one by one—sat down. Obedient. Alert. Connected.
Takumi smiled. "Good boy and good girls."
He gave each one a head pat, their tails thumping the ground happily. Wanting to reward them, he took out a premium meat slab from his inventory—a high-grade cut of Storm Wyvern flesh, freshly offered by a renowned barbarian warlock from another world.
The smell hit the pups instantly.
And then it was chaos.
They dove at the meat like it was their last meal—ripping, chomping, and devouring it with adorable savagery. Bits of steam wafted up as the magically preserved wyvern meat released traces of mana.
Storm Wyvern was no joke—it was a high-magic beast. But there was a reason he picked it: after evolution, the system identified their bloodline clearly—
[Storm Wolf - Bloodline Grade: High]
(Note: Previously, the Chimera-Wolf hybrid lineage was successfully cleansed through divine intervention and future generations will evolve along the elemental wolf path.)
He had steered them away from their chimera heritage—the monstrous three-headed path—and put them on a purer, more noble course. The catalogue he'd bought from the system's Magical Beast Rearing Archives confirmed it: Storm Wolf was a rare and powerful line, and feeding them high-quality elemental meat early in development would exponentially boost their affinity and growth.
And he had plenty of wyvern meat.
Thanks to his divine favor, his offerings now reached across worlds—like the one currently embroiled in conflict between humans and dragons.
In that world, humans are in dire straits, though heroes of the kind were rising in their world and thanks to that, humans were also able to fight back against the dragon lineage. So, Takumi was able to find a lot of dragon and wyvern meat within them.
He poked Kuro's belly as the little guy lay on his back, eyes half-closed in a food coma. Kuro gave a little squeak, wiggled, then nuzzled Takumi's finger in return. The others weren't far behind, their bloated stomachs rising and falling with satisfied little huffs.
"Waff…"
He couldn't help but chuckle. Looking at them now, you'd never believe these were descendants of apex predators. They looked more like oversized magical puppies than fearsome wolves. If it weren't for his system's identification power, Takumi might have assumed the wolves in that cave were just raising some dogs to eat later.
"Yeah… you guys are definitely mine now."
He leaned back against the cave wall, watching them drift back to sleep, little tails twitching as if chasing meat in their dreams.
"Wyvern meat looks really good... Maybe I'll try making something from it."
With that thought, Takumi began scanning the system shop for a defensive artifact—something that could shield him while he camped. He found several options but eventually settled on one called the Aegis Veil, a dome-shaped, barrier-casting relic that activated on proximity threat or manual trigger. With a flick of his finger, it deployed—a translucent, faintly glowing shield enveloping his campsite.
With the sun setting behind the forest's canopy, Takumi quickly set up a tent, arranging a comfortable sleeping spot by the firepit. As he activated a field generator to keep the ground warm, a portal shimmered open nearby—leading into the personal dimension he'd acquired earlier.
Immediately, Kuro and the others, now awake and well-fed, perked up and ran toward it.
"Waff!"
Fwhoosh—Fwhoosh—Fwhoosh—
One by one, they leaped inside like excited children discovering a theme park. Takumi peeked in to see them sprawled out across a sun-drenched field, soft winds ruffling their fur, tails wagging lazily as they basked in the pocket dimension's ambient mana.
"Damn, they look completely thrilled… Well, that's good enough."
With a satisfied sigh, Takumi turned back to his preparations. He summoned an outdoor cooking setup—stove, utensils, magic-flame burner—and opened his status panel. If he was going to cook properly, he'd need more than instinct.
New Class Acquired: [Wilderness Cook]
Job Level: 99 (via Scroll)
He'd learned something new, too: unlike his Elemental Archer class, these acquired classes didn't provide skills upon leveling. Skills had to be learned through Skill Books or Recipe Scrolls.
Fortunately, he came prepared.
From his Infinite Inventory, he pulled out a thick recipe book titled.
[Gourmet Alchemy: Dragonkind Cuisine Vol. 1 — Wyvern Meats]
In moments, the knowledge flowed into his mind—techniques, temperature timings, flavor balances. Using his high INT and AGI, Takumi worked swiftly and precisely.
He began marinating the wyvern cuts in a blend of pepperroot, fireleaf oil, and mountain herbs. Then seared them over the flame, locking in the juices before slow-simmering in a mana-rich broth. The aroma was intoxicating—smoky, spicy, and rich with wild depth.
By the time he plated the dish—charred wyvern flank over fluffy steamed rice with ember-sauce glaze—the smell alone was enough to make his stomach rumble.
He took a bite.
And the world paused.
The outer sear gave way to juicy, tender meat that practically melted on his tongue. The sauce burst with elemental heat, awakening every corner of his palate.
"Holy—this is next-level…"
Each bite was better than the last. His enhanced senses made the experience even more overwhelming, with every detail—from flavor notes to the warmth spreading in his chest—etched into memory.
Even the air seemed to respond, with a gentle breeze sweeping through the barrier as if nature itself approved.
Takumi leaned back, grinning.
"If this is my new life... I'm so not complaining."
In the pocket dimension, Kuro barked softly in his sleep while Eve rolled over with a snort, tummy still rounded from dinner.
Takumi looked over at them, then back at the dish.
"Maybe I'll open a restaurant after I conquer a kingdom or two…"