Chapter 26: Book 1, Chapter 27: The Stars Beyond The Sky

The conversation with Sharlot was distracting enough that he barely noticed a window had appeared shortly after the battle was done.

-Notice-

4 Blightlings have been slain

You have earned the following:

184 Bronze Coins
13 Silver Coins
691 Experience
3 Bile Sacks
2 Rotten Fangs
Another window immediately appeared over the list of rewards.

-Congratulations, You Are Now Level 7!-

You have received the following:

5 Attribute Points
2 Soul Points

Shane was expectedly delighted to level up and distributed the five attribute points into [Vitality], [Intelligence], and [Wisdom]. The joy of knowing his summons could make him stronger through their victories gave him hope for limitless power through a massive army of summons and companions. If he was going to be forced to live in this infinite world, he, too, wanted a taste of that infinity for himself.

Not for endless conquering, mind you, but for the privilege of maximizing comfort at all times in what would normally be an uncomfortable fate.

With both of them feeling good for their own reasons, Shane and Sharlot leisurely made their way back to their recently built dwelling. Sharlot was empowered and confident after having impressed her, at times, stern master. At that moment, she thought to ask a question.

"Master, may I shrink down and ride within your hood?" She stole glances at him as she asked.

Shane didn't think her request was unreasonable. How else would she stay hidden when he was in a town or city? Either way, it was a request he could stomach compared to what she pulled when he first summoned her.

"I think you've earned that right after today. Try anything funny, though, and I'll walk you around on a leash."

She saw the big goofy smile on his face and almost replied with how much she would enjoy wearing a leash for him. At the last moment, she held her tongue and responded with a courteous thank you. She then shrank down to the size of a tarantula and skittered up Shane's body starting with one of his legs.

Feeling a tarantula crawling on him wasn't the most positive experience he'd ever had. Once Sharlot got comfortable within the hood resting behind his head, he too was comforted, knowing one of his strongest allies could be with him like that at all times.

As Shane neared his dwelling, he could hear a strange chaotic noise coming from the direction of his home. He began to run, dashing through the occasionally dense foliage of the countryside. Shane was closer, and the sound was getting louder and even more destructive. After rounding a bend that would lead to a secondary path ascending to what his dwelling was perched on, he saw the source of the noise.

It was a tall man, maybe as tall as seven feet. Except it wasn't really a man, at least not in the human sense. He was undoubtedly humanoid with a torso, arms, legs, feet, and a head. Still, all of those things had slight animalistic properties. Tan fur, claws, and a lion's head with a dark red, almost fluffy, mane were what immediately stood out. He even had a tail, though it seemed tightly wrapped through several oversized belt loops.

The lion man was wearing battered iron-plated armor cuirass, dull scale-mail pants, and matching leather gloves and boots. It didn't look like he was of royalty, more like someone who was always fighting. Maybe he's on the run from something or someone? So why is he destroying my house? Shane thought, greatly concerned.

The man, or more accurately a beast, was savagely dismantling Shane's dwelling with frightening ease. He was wielding what looked like a giant metal battle hammer with glowing runes etched into each face on opposite sides of the weapon. A single casual blow from it took down an entire wall.

Shane could feel a pit forming in his stomach. This guy looked like bad news, but he wasn't going to just stand around and let it happen either.

"Master, why is that furry man destroying your home?" asked Sharlot.

Shane wanted to smile at the way she asked him that, but this was bad, and it was time to act.

"Dunno, but I'm going to find out."

Sharlot didn't have to see his face to know how upset and angry he was at the wanton destruction. Shane walked halfway up the path to his dwelling before addressing the armor-clad lion.

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"HEY!" he shouted angrily. "Why are you destroying my home?!"

The man turned slowly. Shane could see the guy's face was entirely lion in its appearance. A powerful snout and sharp yellow eyes greeted him, but in a way that made Shane feel his arrival was expected and unsurprising. If anything, the man's features oozed boredom from the destruction and confrontation in response to it.

The man slowly and confidently looked behind himself toward what was left of the wooden cabin. Multiple walls had been caved in or ripped away. Half of the roof was on the floor, and neither Liz nor Humphrey were yelling for help. Nothing but silence escaped the broken home.

Anger, born of impatience from the man's lackadaisical attitude, rose from the deep pit of Shane's very being.

"Answer me fucker!"

The lion didn't answer. In fact, he barely even reacted. He simply turned again toward Shane with that same detestable stoic expression. The animosity inside him for this feline shithead was beyond his control at this point. He began marching up the path toward the man. With one hand summoning [Skeleton Crew] virtually on top of the lion—while his other hand unsheathed his short sword.

"Sharlot, I want you to hit this guy with those fear-inducing babi-"

Shane wanted her to inflict fear upon him before combining debuffs through her poison and his taunting spell that he had been saving to use for the first time. Fear is what came first, but not to the lion.

-Notice-

Skeleton Crew has been defeated

Shane experienced it first, a creeping chill that numbed every part of him. The sense of hopelessness manifested from watching the armored man tear apart his skeletons with a single swipe of his fur-covered arm. Meanwhile, Sharlot had already expanded in size and was showering the man with her young. The lion lifted a single leg and brought it down with such force that it collapsed the entire side of the plateau. A shockwave followed by several tons of dirt blasted outward in every direction.

Both Shane and Sharlot were blown back off the path that led upward. Shane's head was spinning, and he tried shaking it to re-orient himself.

"Master!" Her voice was urgent. "All of my young have been destroyed. Tell me what to do."

Shane wobbled to his feet and started to move away from where he last saw the lion man. There's no way I can take him down as I am now. We need to escape! His mind raced.

"Run! As far and as fast as you can! I'll catch up in no t-"

A sizeable gloved hand grasped his shoulder and held him in place. The pressure was unlike anything he had ever felt before—It was like having Mt. Everest as a backpack. Shane couldn't move in the slightest; all he could do was wait for whatever came next. Suddenly a deep voice rumbled behind him.

"Are you a human?" The grip became tighter.

Shane winced from the pain. He was sure his collarbone would snap if the man squeezed any harder.

"Yes, I am human. I was reborn into this world from anoth-"

A second hand clamped down on Shane's other shoulder with equal strength. He heard the voice speak again; the man's tone was thick with anger. Part of him wanted to feel angry at the lion man. How can he be mad at me? He's the one that destroyed MY home! He wanted to say out loud but dared not to.

"Your history is irrelevant. You were born a human; that's bad enough."

Shane was going to ask the furry man to elaborate before he felt both hands lift him and then throw him straight up. The wind pressure was astounding. He couldn't see and could only hear a torrent of rushing wind. Shane expected to start feeling the sensation of falling any second. Still, it became harder to breathe, and the rushing of air in his ears lessened.

Seconds passed, and he began choking on nothing—there was nothing to inhale. He opened his eyes in alarm and would never forget the sight he beheld. Shane looked down and saw an endless world beneath him that stretched out toward the horizon of space itself. Behind him was a vibrant night sky full of planets, stars, and galaxies.

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