Chapter 25
“That means, heehee, Lady Zoe — you’re now officially one of us, a member of Anthragon!”
“…Excuse me?”
Did she just tell me to become an ant?
As I was imagining myself turning into an ant, a quest completion window popped up.
[<System>] Congratulations! You’ve completed the quest: ‘Reclaim the Home of Anthragon!’
Reward: Loyalty of the Anthragon Tribe. You are now one of them!
Special Reward: A glass bottle containing the Guardian’s Magic. (Sprinkle the magic in this bottle inside a dungeon, and the dungeon will regenerate naturally.)
What the hell… I actually became a member of Anthragon?
And for once, that evil system even gave me a special reward!
“If I sprinkle this magic, the dungeon will regenerate…”
So… does that mean the ecosystem will restore itself?
I stared blankly at the floating system window (also known as “thin air”), and Queen Quiltila seized the moment to continue.
“Well then, I’ll take that as your acceptance. I look forward to working with you, Anthragon No. 0.”
“Ah, yes… wait—what? No, that’s not—!”
Before I could finish, Quiltila had already left the dining hall.
“What did she just say?” asked Luan quietly, looking at me.
“She, uh… said I should be the top-ranking member of the Anthragon tribe. Well, as expected of a queen—she sure knows talent when she sees it.”
“Zoe, you really are popular with monsters.”
Luan’s gaze turned sharp again.
Ugh, my stomach’s going to get indigestion from this glare…
By the way, what was he trying to ask me earlier?
Suddenly too nervous to find out, I avoided his eyes.
– A human becoming one of us? You should be honored!
– Yeah! From now on, Zoe, you’re our footstool!
The Anthragons were already growling at me, trying to assert dominance.
Really? They’re already pulling rank?
Wait a second—I’m ranked zero, right? Doesn’t that make me the highest in the hierarchy?
Heh… maybe it’s time to teach them some discipline.
Crossing my arms confidently, I smirked.
“Oh, darlings, did you forget? Lady Quiltila herself called me Anthragon No. 0. I may be new, but that makes me your superior. So, let’s all be very nice to our No. 0, okay?”
– Tch! Look at that smug face! So annoying!
– What the hell! How can a human outrank us?
Heh, so this is what power feels like.
As I basked in the glory of authority, Luan gave me a look full of pity and disbelief.
“What? Got a problem with your mighty No. 0?”
“Not at all. How could anyone have a problem with the great No. 0?”
Luan, I saw that smirk. Don’t think I didn’t.
I shot him a charismatic glare worthy of my rank and strode outside.
“Oh, real sprouts are growing!”
When I opened the glass bottle of Guardian’s Magic and sprinkled it inside the dungeon, fresh green shoots began to sprout everywhere, and resources started to regenerate.
Soon, monsters of all sizes began to reappear as well.
So this is what “natural restoration” looks like…
I did hesitate a little — I mean, what did the weaker monsters ever do wrong to deserve being eaten by stronger ones?
But in the end, I decided to let the ecosystem find its own balance.
Yeah, that’s right. Don’t impose human values on nature…
“Is this… your ability, Zoe?” Luan asked in surprise as he watched the scene unfold.
“Ah, well… no, not exactly. I just found this bottle earlier and sprinkled it out of curiosity, and this happened! Hahaha.”
I tried to laugh it off, but Luan’s eyes narrowed.
Oh no. Please just let this slide.
Would he believe me if I told him it was a system quest reward? …Maybe?
“I see. Zoe, you’re very lucky.”
Even though his tone was calm, the suspicion didn’t fade from his eyes.
Please stop glaring like that; it’s terrifying.
Honestly, the gap between Luan’s gentle smile and his expressionless face was massive — probably because of those sharp eyes of his.
“Haha, yeah. I keep finding exactly what I need, huh…”
But then I paused.
Come to think of it, isn’t it strange how the system always gives me exactly what I want, right when I need it?
…Maybe I’m just overthinking it.
Well, this is a game world, and I’m the player — maybe it’s just to keep the game flowing smoothly.
I pushed the unease aside and started walking.
“Luan, shall we go? Queen Quiltila said we can leave now.”
“…Yes.”
Still deep in thought, Luan followed behind me silently.
Sigh. What a long day.
Chapter 5. I’m a Monster Tamer, But I Turned Into an Animal (1)
– Anthragon No. 1! Help out over here too!
– Got it! Just let me finish this first!
“Hehehe…”
“…Zoe, if you keep grinning like that, your face will split,” Luan said, looking at me in concern.
But how could I stop smiling?
When I came out of the dungeon, I nearly fainted — our house had completely collapsed. Just flattened.
The dungeon basement (the Forbidden Library) somehow survived intact, though, which was amazing in itself.
With tears in my eyes, I begged Queen Quiltila for help.
Not only did she gladly lend me the Anthragons’ labor force, she even let Luan and me stay in the Anthragon Palace while reconstruction took place.
She also gave Luan the Anthragon seal — proof of membership. With it, he could teleport between the palace and the dungeon, though only within a limited range.
So that’s how the Anthragons survived even when resources ran low…
Thanks to Queen Quiltila’s generosity, Luan and I were each given a spacious, elegant room to stay in.
At that moment, I made up my mind:
As Anthragon No. 0, I would devote all my loyalty to Queen Quiltila.
– Hey Zoe! Stop grinning and come help, will ya?!
“Hey, it’s ‘No. 0,’ thank you very much. And if you’re asking for help, try being a little more polite, hmm?”
– You f**ing little…!*
Even as the Anthragons cursed at me from all directions, I couldn’t stop smiling.
Hehe… my lovely, chaotic home sweet home.
Just yesterday, our shack was on the verge of collapse — now, it was transforming into a grand mansion.
– Zoe! We’ve dug a temporary well! There’s groundwater nearby!
“Thanks, No. 18!”
According to Luan, people in this world usually install a magic-stone-powered water system, but it required a permit from the Magic Tower and tons of bureaucracy.
So, for now, the Anthragons dug us a simple well we could use.
No more having to summon Atika every time I needed water — I could’ve cried from relief.
“All right! This room needs a massive dressing room! I’ll fill it with all my masterpieces! Mwahaha!”
“No. 17, how about expanding the kitchen instead? The old one was way too cramped, and we can add a pantry for the dishes and… hmm, the oven should be…”
Seriously, why are they more passionate about my house than I am?
“Honestly,” Luan murmured as he watched the monsters work, “I’ll never get used to this sight. Monsters aren’t supposed to obey anyone like this.”
“See? Told you I’m a first-rate tamer!”
“…Seems I underestimated you.”
To clear his doubts, I demonstrated my taming skills — both magical and practical — and it seemed to finally convince him.
“Right? I’m sure there must be other tamers somewhere in the Empire…”
“No,” Luan cut in firmly. “No one else has powers like yours, Zoe. Of that, I’m certain.”
Damn it. Guess his suspicions aren’t completely gone after all.
