The Supermarket System

Kai was stunned by what Jo had just said. Jo knew that several high-level monsters were surrounding them—some were B and C-rank, and there were three A-rank monsters. Given that Jo had just told Kai to rest first, did Jo actually plan to fight them all while Kai rested, or was Kai just overthinking things?

"Wait, Jo... you’re not planning to fight them all by yourself while I rest, are you?" Kai asked.

Jo was taken aback by this; from the look on his face, it was clear he was embarrassed at being caught. Jo remained silent, merely nodding his head, not daring to look directly at his young master.

"Oh, Jo... don’t act on your own, I—"

"But I am your servant, young master! I will protect you even if it costs me my life," Jo replied.

Kai could see a slightly different gleam in Jo’s eyes—not like the Jo he was used to seeing. It was as if Jo had just revealed his true self, the one he’d been hiding so carefully behind his sweet, innocent smile all this time.

"Wait here for a moment, Jo. I’ll be right back," Kai said.

Kai got up from his seat, stepped out of the treehouse, and stood on the treehouse balcony.

There was a small lamp hanging there—a lamp made from a magic light stone. Although it was just a small lamp, it helped Kai see far into the distance.

Using the knowledge passed down by his father, Duke Hendry, Kai created a protective dome that was even stronger than before. Kai had worked tirelessly to strengthen his defenses, for his own sake and for the sake of those around him. It was perfect for a moment like this.

"Cough cough!" Kai coughed as he’d overused his magical energy for the protective dome.

"Young Master!" Jo pulled Kai back into the treehouse, as the rain was still falling heavily.

Jo sat Kai back down in the most comfortable chair in the house.

The treehouse was his home—a house he’d built himself, not far from Jean’s house. Although Jean’s house was more spacious and better equipped, he felt his little treehouse was more comfortable for his young master. Because there, he had something unique.

A heated stone table. Just sitting around that stone table made one feel warmer. Although it was called a stone table, it was actually just a lightweight wooden table with heating stones placed underneath it.

Kai felt the same way; he realized that the table in front of him was making him feel warm. It reminded Kai of the kotatsu, the heated table belonging to his Japanese assassin friend.

"You created a shield that big and that strong; of course you’re going to be this weak," said Jo, clearly worried.

Kai chuckled and replied, "Don’t worry, Jo. My magical energy regenerates faster than anyone else’s."

"In that case, let me fight those monsters." Jo tried to stand up, but Kai pulled his arm, making him sit back down.

"Wait a minute, I’ve already set up a barrier; they won’t be able to break through it easily," said Kai.

Jo didn’t seem to accept Kai’s words so easily.

"Please let me go and defeat those monsters for you, young master. You can help me once you’ve recovered. I’m just afraid they’ll come and attack you while you’re this weak," said Jo.

[Aery here!]

[You seem to be having trouble, master]

[Actually, you can channel your magical energy to help your servant fight the monsters, and even if your servant does the fighting, your mission will still be considered a success]

[However, there’s one condition]

[This mission isn’t like the others that can be carried out by your servant on your behalf]

[You must enter into a contract with your servant]

[With this contract, your servant will become even stronger, as they’ll receive additional power from you]

[Your servant will know when you’re injured or in danger]

[Your servant will also be able to find you easily, just like GPS]

[To form the contract, you must mix your blood. Just prick your fingers until a little blood comes out, then mix the blood together]

[If a white light appears when you mix your blood, it means you’ve formed a contract of loyalty]

[This contract isn’t a marriage, nor is it slavery; it’s simply a bond of mutual support and loyalty]

Kai clutched his head after hearing the explanation from Aery, his AI assistant.

Then Kai glanced at Jo, who was waiting for Kai’s answer to let him go defeat the monster.

"Jo... you can go as long as you make a contract with me. Are you willing?" Kai asked.

Jo furrowed his brow. "But I’m a man, young master..."

"Hey, it’s not a marriage contract! Nor is it a slavery contract!" Kai retorted irritably.

Jo chuckled at seeing his young master get angry, because it looked funny to him.

"Do you mean a blood contract between two people who will help each other? But am I even eligible for such a contract? I’m just your servant."

Kai shook his head, "You’re eligible, Jo..."

"But how can you be this nice to a stranger? I mean, I know we’re close—really close, even. But... I mean—" Jo seemed to be struggling to put his thoughts into words. His tongue was tied; he couldn’t bring himself to say what he really wanted to say.

Kai patted the young werewolf on the shoulder.

"Jo... I know you’re hiding something, and so am I—I have a lot I’m hiding from you, and you can trust me, right? I trust you, too. Even without you telling me everything, I trust you, Jo."

Jo fell silent for a moment, until only the silence and the sound of the heavy rain could be heard there.

Then Jo bit his index finger with his fangs, drawing a small drop of blood.

"I’m ready to make a blood contract, and I’ll be loyal to you forever."

Kai was stunned by the intense seriousness in Jo’s eyes.

"Oh, um—what should I use to cut my finger and draw blood?" Kai asked, confused. He pulled his right hand out from under the blanket. It was a small hand that looked fragile, yet strong at the same time.

"Excuse me, young master, let me do it for you," said Jo, holding out a small, sharp knife.

Kai extended his small hand, letting Jo run the knife along the tip of his index finger.

Then their blood was mingled, as Jo pressed his index finger against Kai’s.

A white light appeared, just as Aery had described earlier.

"We’ve made a contract, young master. And I won’t leave you—my life is only for you—"

"Jo... stop saying things like that. Your life is for you alone; it’s enough just to say you’re loyal to me. You’re not a puppet, but a living being... even though we’ve made a contract, you can still live as you always have," said Kai.

Jo said nothing, simply gazing silently at his young master, who had such unusual thoughts. It was as if he had come from another world.

However, Jo trusted Kai—he trusted him more than he trusted himself.

Jo stood up, feeling stronger than usual.

"It seems our contract is starting to take effect, young master. I feel a strange power coursing through my body—as if I’m many times stronger than usual. I’ll fight them for you right away!" said Jo, transforming into his monster form.

This time, he was no longer a cute, cuddly puppy, but a powerful, massive wolf.

Jo ran in his giant wolf form, charging through the heavy rain to confront the high-level monsters, who were once again under the influence of the demon necklace.

Kai himself monitored the situation through his detection magic, which displayed everything on a holographic screen.

Kai also saw all the information about the monsters that were trying to attack. Suddenly, Kai’s attention was drawn to two shocking piece of information.

However, it wasn’t information about the high-level monster that was attacking.

There were two things that surprised Kai at that moment.

First, Jo’s power had increased drastically, and his status was no longer that of an ordinary Diamond-Horned Wolf teenager. Instead, he had transformed into a Diamond-Horned Wolf Prince. Kai didn’t know what the difference was, but even Jo’s power level had changed drastically.

An SS-rank diamond-horned wolf prince.

Then, the second thing that left Kai stunned was... someone walking slowly toward the treehouse where Kai was. But that figure suddenly stopped exactly one hundred meters from the treehouse.

Kai didn’t want to check it out, because it was better for Jo to bring that person to the treehouse himself.

At that moment, Kai focused on helping Jo with the magic spells he might need—such as physical enhancement, additional magical energy, and so on.

[You have successfully completed the mission to hunt three A-rank monsters through your servant]

[You are entitled to receive the Fairy King’s Ring!]

Then a small light appeared on the table in front of Kai; when the light faded, a velvet ring box appeared.

Kai opened the ring box and saw a ring inside.

The ring was very simple, made of high-quality gold and set with a white gemstone. When he lifted the ring, the gem’s color shifted to red and black, then returned to white.

Kai tried on the ring, which was actually much too large for Kaileon’s tiny fingers.

But the ring immediately adjusted to fit Kaileon’s index finger once it was put on.

[You have equipped the fairy king’s ring!]

[It will take about one or two days for your body to adjust to the ring]

[Please be patient]

"Young Master! I found someone who’s passed out!"

Just as Kai had expected, Jo arrived not only with their prey but also with a teenager Kai knew very well.

A young man named Rio.

"I’ll heal him, Jo... just stay calm."