The Fox Grove was as peaceful yet full of dangers as usual.
Jack and wolf were both stealthily crawling in the vegetation as they did their very best to bypass the random foxes. The monsters would have loved nothing more than to tear them apart!
Just as they were bypassing a small group of enemies, the wolf turned toward Jack, tilting its head puzzled. Why weren’t they killing them?! Those guys contained meat! Sure, it wasn’t as good as the one the humans had but still…
“You see, time is money, and money is meat. Thus, by saving time, we are getting more meat in the future. Do you understand?” Jack explained.
For a small wolf, such a concept was tricky. Economics? What was that? Also, how was giving up meat causing them to have more in the end?! It didn’t make sense?!
“Woo?!” (Confused)
“Don’t worry about it and just enjoy the ride. You’ll begin to understand the more time you spend with me. Anyway, we’re almost there!” Jack reassured.
“Woo!” (Determined)
It was normal for an animal not to understand something as ridiculous as money. It would definitely take a while.
That’s how they kept going until they finally arrived at a clearing.
It was glaringly obvious how special this place was: the whole area was a stone plaza! Then in the middle, there was a large fox statue. This reeked of a Boss fight! Jack couldn’t help but have a smile adorn his face.
“Alright, listen carefully, little one! Beating this guy will require us to work together! Make sure you follow my directives, and everything will be just fine— probably!”
“Woo!” (Nodding solemnly)
Jack slowly approached the statue. There was a red gem at the foot of it that looked like a bright red button. What excellent attention to detail! He decisively pressed on it, the statue showing incredible changes.
It began to glow a bright orange light that began to radiate outward. The light reached the edge of the platform where large orange walls made of energy appeared, caging them in the arena.
Escaping was now impossible, well besides by dying.
As if on cue, the statue began cracking, revealing the monster hiding underneath. Unsurprisingly it was a fox, and it was bigger than a goddamn bear! It looked so damn intimidating too!
As soon as it appeared, it growled toward the sky. The Big Boss was here, and it was showing its dominance!
<Protector of the Fox Grove! Lv 20!>
How would a level 5 player react to such an insanely high level? A normal one would probably freak out, despair, and give up. But Jack? Hell naw! He was here to kill that guy!
That’s when it turned its attention toward them. The little wolf instantly began shaking in worry. Compared to its master, it indeed was weak! Its tail was even between its legs in shame.
“Woo?!” (Uncertain)
“Hehe, everything will be just fine.”
“Woo?” (Really?!)
It feared disappointing its master more than it feared death, and by far!
“If you can’t believe in yourself, then at least believe in the me that believes in you.” Jack slowly and shamelessly uttered.
That’s when the trembling pup became a resolute one. This was an overused line for Jack, but it was actually the first time the wolf ever heard it. It suddenly felt like howling, but now was not the time.
“Right, but before we proceed, let’s do this.”
Jack winked at his partner as he threw the Fox Repellent at the Boss! It exploded right unto the creature as a gaseous cloud enveloped it entirely. A few seconds was all it took for the effect to activate.
<Protector of the Fox Grove! Lv 8!>
Yep, it had lowered its level by a whopping 12! Well, it still was extremely high, but it wasn’t impossible to defeat anymore.
“Now, that’s better. Let’s fucking Gooo!!” Jack cried out.
“RROAAAAARRRR!!!” The Boss screamed.
“Tch— This guy sure is detrimental to the cuteness level of its species!” Jack relaxedly commented as he settled the wolf pup on his head.
“Woo?!” (Puzzled)
“I’ll show you how it’s done. Your HP is really low, so you can’t even afford to get hit. Remember my movements….” Jack instructed.
Anyone used to pets in VR gaming would have laughed at his foolishness. Teaching a pet like one would a disciple? Was he inexperienced or crazy?! But, he disagreed. So what? This was Infinite!
That’s when the fox suddenly snarled at Jack before stepping forward— well, teleporting would have been more accurate.
“Pay attention to the floor. It will flash with a subtle orange glow at the spot the Boss is teleporting to! This allows for outplays like this!”
The fox suddenly reappeared and clawed at Jack….only to realize that the man was already in its back, stabbing its ass! What the hell?!
The fox tried to use its Fox Dash ability a few times, but each ended up with it suffering harsh damage targeting its vital spot!
-12
-14
-13
The Boss soon realized that its regular attacks were way more effective! Every single hit, even blocked, would still deal two damage to Jack!
-2
-2
-2
But every time, Jack would counter. He didn’t let anyone walk over him, especially not a fox!
-7
-2
-8
– 2
-8
“Can you spot the orange glows now?”
“Woo!” (Confident)
This would be a trial by fire! The wolf stepped down from his head and began dodging to the best of its abilities. Jack even traded a bit of damage to let it practice a bit more. Luckily he could dodge the vast majority of attacks!
At some point, he felt that the wolf was ready and increased his damage output again. That’s how they cleared the first phase of the boss fight.
“This is the part that will become hard. If you can hold your own, this will be so much easier.” Jack explained.
“Woo!” (Serious)
“You’ll want to keep dodging, but this time we want to sandwich the Boss between us! Keep attacking whenever it’s safe to do so. Can you do that?”
“Woo!” (Heroic!)
Creator’s Thought
Training is important. Experience is required for everyone who is starting on their Infinite journey. This of course includes pets. That is why most people either get a low-level pet that barely does anything (cause it’s cute) or get a powerful one then patiently train it.