"I can't believe he wasted the gem."

"He is a weirdo, what did you expect of someone that could consider that monster his friend?"

"I don't get why you girls are all hung up on his pet. I'm more interested in how he killed the beast in the first place." The tall blonde threw her hands up to express her frustration.

"That's because you're a battle freak Delphy." Cassie said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That's not it. Think about it, the guy was facing two beasts alone before we showed up and was heavily injured, yet he still managed to kill the beast he was fighting quicker than the five of us could take down ours." Her voice continuously rose until she was shouting in frustration.

"I'm curious about that too. He seemed to be a mage, so how does he hunt alone?" Stella pointed out while running her hand through her hair.

"He casts really fast."

"You saw it Talis?"

"Yep."

"Of course you did." Cassie said while rolling her eyes and crossing her arms "Can we get off this topic?"

"How fast?" Stella asked as her steps halted.

"Um, around five or six seconds for three spells."

"Bullllllshit." Cassie waved her hands "There is no way his average casting time is two seconds."

Talis shrugged "Believe what you want, but that was what I saw."

"All I saw was a dirty man. I mean, that scraggly rat's nest on his face and that smell. Ugh, I wanted to vomit." Cassie scrunched her face and made exaggerated retching sounds.

"It was pretty bad. Though, it's not like you can shower out here. Even as much as I like being clean, I don't feel safe jumping in the water."

"True. I wonder how long he has been out here for things to get that bad." The red-haired girl mused.

"What makes you think it's only that bad because he has been on the new world?" Cassie joked.

The red-haired woman rolled her eyes with a cheeky smile.

Stella remained quiet, but her expression was growing more solemn as she listened. She couldn't help but reevaluate her opinion of the man. He wasn't just weird, he was an enigma. A mage that could hunt solo, casts spells in under two seconds, and tamed a monster from an unknown land.

Such a person wasn't normal. She would have to be more cautious and observant in the future.

...

Kade leaned against a tree. Looking up, he could see the gate only a short distance away and smiled wryly.

It should only have taken him five days at most to return, but almost two weeks had passed. His body was in constant pain and he could feel a fever beginning from the infection in his wounds. He was so close, but his legs felt like lead.

He looked to his right and couldn't help but glare in envy. Obruo was slightly ahead of him looking back in confusion. The pup's wounds had healed at an incredible speed and it showed no signs of discomfort.

He cursed his biology for a bit while resting before sucking it up and continuing. As he closed in on the gate, he was met with a surprising development.

A large number of people were scurrying around busily and the skeletons of multiple structures could be seen.

'Are they building a town? A base? a checkpoint?' He mused as he limped forward. It was interesting, but it might become a problem if anyone tried to block his entrance or exit. Surely they wouldn't.

He eyed the new structures with a little suspicion as he hobbled toward the gate. He noticed many workers glance at him before panic spread across their faces.

It was comical how their expressions changed rapidly. First panic, then confusion, then disgust. When he realized they started covering their noses, he felt something was off.

He was only confused for a moment. 'Ah. I stink.' He could only return an apologetic expression. He had long grown numb to his own stench after over four months without proper hygiene and self-care.

Honestly, it was already hard enough to clean his ass in the wild after taking care of business. Running out of supplies and having to use water and weird leaves was less than ideal.

"Maybe I should find a good way to deal with this." He mumbled quietly. As a mage, he would eventually have countless tools at his disposal. Something as simple as proper hygiene was doable.

There was one good aspect of his current plight. Everyone went out of their way to avoid him, which meant no interrogation. This was a blessing as he had Obruo with him and would rather not constantly explain why and how. Luckily, the pup stayed glued to his hip and didn't run off or cause trouble.

With everyone parting like the red seas, he was able to clear the distance to the gate rather quickly. Stepping through, he saw the change he had expected. In a short four months, numerous buildings had been built.

His eyes locked on the one he needed the most. A hospital. He wasn't surprised that they had managed to build a huge, towering hospital in a short amount of time, but he was impressed. Someone, likely the government, had spent a ridiculous amount of money on the construction.

"Identify yourself. Cough, cough." A soldier approached and asked cautiously before covering the lower half of his face.

"Sorry." Kade said sheepishly "Kardis Tempero."

The man held his breath while checking for the name on the tablet in his hands "Found you. Returning from a..." His eyes widened and his expression turned awkward "Four and a half month trip."

"Whew. It's been that long already?" Kade widened his eyes in jest.

The soldier looked up from the tablet and finally took more than a glance at the stinky man in front of him. His expression changed multiple times as his gaze traveled from the top to the bottom until his gaze finally moved to Obruo.

He quickly backpedaled as he pulled his gun from his back

"Hold it." Kade growled "Tread carefully. If you shoot my pup it will be the last thing you ever do." His voice was harsh as his left hand was covered in misty energy.

The man hesitated, his eyes locked onto the animal. Until he felt a blazing heat wafting against his face. His eyes shifted to the right, allowing him to see a white fire that was growing rapidly.

Finally understanding the gravity of the situation. He lowered his weapon and grabbed his radio.

"Uh, I need an officer at the checkpoint, we have a... Situation."

He took a few more steps back "I'm not authorized to allow your passage, sir. We will have to wait on my superior." His tone was respectful.

Kade sighed "I figured as much." He cast a barrier around himself and Obruo before facepalming.

He knew that there might be some troubles with bringing Obruo over, but he absolutely refused to leave the pup in the new world. He was closer to this animal than he was to most people in his life.

It only took a few minutes for a group of soldiers to appear, who upon seeing Obruo, immediately readied their weapons.

"I'm First Lieutenant Pollo. What is the problem?" A middle-aged man asked while looking over the tablet the guard handed to him.

"I'm returning to earth after a trip to the new world."

"Hm. Kardis Tempero. Over four months since you departed." The man glanced up at him before moving his eyes to Obruo "And, this thing is your pet?"

"Something like that." Kade replied with a small nod "More of a friend."

"I see. Let's go with a pet." Lieutenant Pollo said as he tapped the tablet "Many things have changed in the four months that you've been gone, Mr. Tempero. After seeing a doctor, I'd advise familiarizing yourself with the changes."

"Noted."

"Okay, What is the species of your pet?" The Lieutenant asked, "All pets from Detrius need to be registered to an owner."

"Uh... I'm not sure. I named it Obruo if that is sufficient."

The Lieutenant used the tabled to take a picture, and after a short time, he replied. "It's not in the database. This is the first. As such, you get to name the species."

Kade raised a brow before sinking into thought. Nearly a minute passed before he decided "Regius Catulinus"

"Latin?" The man asked inquisitively "What does it mean?"

"Royal Canine." Kade said proudly.

His last name was King. He hated it when he was younger because it was the last name of the father that abandoned him. However, the definition of the word appealed to him. It aligned with his ambitions.

So why not name the species of his first pet as such? Though, he still disagreed with calling Obruo a pet. It felt too impartial.

"Cool name. Alright, I've approved and registered the species while assigning you credit. Keep in mind, you are fully responsible for your pet and any damage it might cause."

"I understand."

"Soldier." The Lieutenant addressed one of his subordinates "Arrange transport and escort this man and his pet to the hospital."

"Sir, the hospital doesn't allow pets." The soldier said timidly while eyeing Obruo.

The Lieutenant sighed "Just do as I say."

"Yes, sir."

soon, a truck parked in front of them. kade sat on the tailgate as obruo playfully chased them.

kade smiled. he was rather surprised that the process was so smooth. he doubted many people had brought tamed animals back with them if any, but it wasn't too far-fetched to assume that live creatures would be brought back at some point.

Rich people enjoyed displaying their vanity with exotic animals, and none would be more exotic than the creatures from the new world. Not to mention, there could be other champions that decided to tame animals on a whim.

perhaps they were just preparing for the eventuality.

the ride was short, a few hundred meters at most. He slid off the tailgate and hobbled into the hospital and up to the reception while looking around.

It was more crowded than he expected.

"Hello. I need treatment." Kade said to the receptionist

The woman behind the counter stopped typing as she looked up. She picked up a phone and asked for assistance. Moments later, two nurses, one male, and one female arrived.

"Can you follow us, sir, or would you like a wheelchair?"

"I think I can manage."

He was led through the building.

"Please, have a seat while we do the initial examination."

Kade did as asked. He observed both nurses curiously. Neither seemed phased by Obruo, which he found peculiar considering the reactions of the soldiers.

"Do you have any wounds other than the ones on your upper body?"

"No."

"Alright. We will submit our assessment and then take you to shower."

After a few minutes, the two led him to a large bathroom with sectioned showers. They didn't even allow him to wash himself and instead, they took care of everything.

After putting on a hospital gown, he was taken to a private room to wait for the doctor.

He rummaged through his rucksack and pulled out his phone before frowning. It had a slight bend in the frame and the screen was shattered. Optimistically, he held the power button to no avail.

He looked around the room and found a landline. Picking up the receiver, he dialed a number and held it up to his ear.

"This is Jones."

'"J, it's K."

"K?! Dude, where the hell have you been?"

"The new world. I just got back."

"I knew you were going, but for five months? We all thought you'd kicked the bucket."

"I won't die so uneventfully. When I go down, it'll be in a blaze of glory that shocks the world. You'd definitely hear about it."

"Hah, Good. if you die, I'll kill you."

"Pfft, haha. Weeb shit aside, did you make a decision?"

"I was waiting on you to return. How did the trip go?"

"There were some complications. The team I was on kicked me out and refused to give me a split. So, I hit it solo."

"Wait wait wait. Tell me you didn't let that shit fly."

"Heh, it was six people, what was I supposed to do? But they will get theirs in time, I can promise you that."

"Alright. We'll crush them. So, how did you do solo?"

"I'm a little worse for wear, but I came out good I think. In roughly a month and a half, I managed to get fourteen gems. Though, I only have seven with me."

"Fourteen huh. I've kept up with everything related to the factions and champions. The lowest quality beast gem goes for around 2,000 credits. The conversion rate of credits to USD is 1:10. So you made $140,000 in a month and a half?"

Kade couldn't help but rub his forehead while glancing at Obruo. The damn pup had consumed sixty grand!

"Right."

"I don't want to know why you only have seven gems, but that's still seventy grand in less than two months. And, that's the lowest estimate."

"Keep in mind, I'll make a lot more as I become stronger. So, can we do it?"

"The start will be slow, but yea. We can do it! I'll get the boys together. When will you be home?"

"When I get out of the hospital I'll catch a plane that way."

"I won't ask. I'll see you soon."

"Sure."

Kade hung up and laid in the bed to wait on the doctor. It felt good to be home, but he was already missing the simplicity of Detrius. Though, that wasn't to say that the hustle of Earth was bad. It had its own charm.

Soon, the doctor appeared and got to work. Luckily, none of his organs were wounded. After some stitching and bandaging, he was good to go. The doctor wrote prescriptions for painkillers and anti-biotics before clearing him for release.

He grimaced when he saw the bill. Just over eight grand. Realistically, this wasn't bad when it came to American health care, but it still hurt to see such a high number. At least this hospital had generous facilities which made the stay comfortable.

He sighed dejectedly before getting his meds and leaving. He eventually found transportation to an airport and was on a plane to Springfield in just a few hours.

The entire area around the gate had changed to support champions, hoping to prosper amidst the chaos. Detrius offered opportunities to everyone, not just champions.

He wanted to check for other changes, but he had no way to connect to the internet at the moment so rather than experience a boring flight, he decided to get some sleep.

-

A few hours later he was woken up by a stewardess and left the plane. He had to wait nearly two more hours before Obruo appeared in a large cage.

The pup was throwing a fit, and the workers seemed terrified as they transported it.

Kade was truly surprised when they allowed the scary creature onto the plane. From how smoothly Obruo was able to integrate into society, he realized just how serious humanity was about adapting to the changes.

"Calm down, Obruo." Kade opened the cage and cupped the pup's jaw "You're scaring these nice people."

Obruo quickly calmed down at Kade's touch. It was commendable that the pup hadn't destroyed the cage in a fit, which highlighted its intelligence and self-control.

Kade led the pup out and hailed a taxi. Though the driver was apprehensive at the sight of Obruo, he allowed the creature to ride with. It was an awkward ride, but thankfully it was quick.

Kade paid before alighting the car with Obruo.

"Ah, sir! Wait a moment please."

Kade turned with a raised brow.

"Can I get a picture?"

"Heh, sure." Kade chuckled before waving the man over.

The driver came close cautiously, awkwardly trying to position himself.

Kade grew agitated before grabbing the man's shoulder and pulling him closer so he could get all three of them in the picture, despite his expression.

Kade waved the man off before leading Obruo into the house.

"I'm home, and I've brought a friend!"

His mother appeared with a toddler in her arms and an elated expression. However, her expression soured almost immediately.

Kade quickly explained and assuaged her worries, though she was still hesitant. He sighed before deciding to head to Jones's room before his mother had a panic attack.

The lanky man was engrossed in his computer screen with his headphones blaring music.

Kade nudged the man.

"I'm back."

"Yo, you made it quick. We've got a lot to discu... What is that?" He asked with wide eyes.

"Obruo, my friend and teammate."

Jones looked at him for a moment, stunned, before a wry smile sprouted. "You always did make weird friends."

...

Kade entered the bar with Jones, who led him to a table occupied by two men. Their faces had changed a bit, but he recognized them immediately.

Their reunion was a bit dramatic as the two sprung to their feet and shouted loudly while hugging him roughly, grabbing the attention of the entire bar before they sat down.

Questions immediately came about Obruo, which he had expected and explained while longing for the day he no longer had to explain.

"Pfft, haha. Well, I guess it's a part of the family now." A short, slightly chunky man said with a laugh and a large grin.

"True enough, anyway. Kade, you sorry son of a gun, why the hell did it take you so long to come to see us?"

"Sorry, Mike." Kade replied with a guilty smile "Life's been busy, and you know how I am."

"Just cause you get lost in passion doesn't mean you get to forget about us!" A square-faced, red-haired man hissed as he slammed his beer glass to the table, his beard wet.

"Jesus Hank, keep it down." Kade rebuked as he leaned forward "I didn't forget, I'm here, aren't I? I'll never forget my family, nor my roots."

"Fuckin' right. You better not!" Hank said as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Enough, enough," Mike said as he slapped Hank's back. "So what's this plan Jones keeps telling us about?"

Kade smirked before taking a sip of beer. "How do you feel about reforging ourselves and going big?"