Chapter 38 Feeling Uneasy

Surprised by the Moonlit Feline's sudden show of affection, Mark's mind went blank for an instant.

'Get off me.' He telepathically ordered.

But the new Underling didn't seem to care.

'I said get off me.'

Feeling comfortable, the Moonlit Feline retracted its claws and started kneading Mark's neck and cheek.

The next instant, it lay down on his broad shoulder.

Annoyance quickly turned into irritation and red Aura engulfed Mark's body.

The Moonlit Feline quickly jumped off and away.

For some reason, Mark was reminded of the Sixth Floor's Guardian.

The Moonlit Feline hissed loudly as it raised its back and tail.

Mark felt puzzled by his own self and emotions.

He quickly took back control over his anger and Aura.

Mark shook his head and turned away.

He started munching on the dead Monsters around him.

Mark tore their bodies apart and used his fangs to crush their bones and muscles.

It was the first time in a while that he had devoured Monsters this way.

'Why isn't it listening to me?'

[The Moonlit Feline has become your Underling through Submission.]

[The Authority you have on such an Underling is limited.]

[While the Underling cannot hurt you, it can disobey your commands.]

'Right. So this was an option too...? The other Monsters always died fighting or fleeing. Submission, huh?'

Mark wasn't sure why the Moonlit Feline had decided to submit.

Was it intelligent enough to realize that submitting was its only shot at survival?

Or was it more cowardly than all the other Monsters Mark had encountered?

'It ticks me off. That's the first time an Underling doesn't obey me, not only that...'

Mark stared at the white cat in front of him, and slight uneasiness started emerging inside him.

'Tsk. I was excited to have you. But now, I'm just annoyed.'

The Moonlit Feline dropped its guard.

After a couple of seconds, it started cleaning its white fur by gently licking it.

Mark crouched down.

He stared at the "Monster" that was meticulously cleaning itself.

'I'm not even sure why I'm annoyed, which makes it worse. A lot worse.'

Mark shook his head.

'Is this thing even a Monster?'

He went back to munching on the different unmoving creatures around him.

A couple of minutes later,

Purrrr-

The Moonlit Feline started kneading its paws on Mark's leg.

'What?'

To be disturbed in the middle of his meal was not something Mark was used to.

Therefore, the disturbance annoyed him.

The Underling's eyes turned towards the Monster that was being devoured.

'Huh?'

The Moonlit Feline stared intently.

'Hungry?' Mark asked telepathically as he extended a piece.

The Underling's eyes lit up.

'Tsk. I guess cats need to eat...'

[It is not a cat, but rather, a "Moonlit Feline" Monster.]

'Mm. Yeah. I guess...'

After devouring the unmoving Monsters, Mark stood tall.

He jumped onto the upper floor, where he had previously been.

'You're agile enough. I'm sure you can make it.' Mark thought, while staring at the Moonlit Feline from above.

The cat ran and stood below the upper floor's edge.

It took a couple of steps back before jumping up with all its strength.

But it wasn't enough to get to the top.

The Moonlit Feline fell back to the ground.

The white cat stared at its new Master.

For some reason, its blue eyes piercing through the darkness shook Mark.

'Light, Fiery. Let's get going.' He thought, as he turned away.

His precious Underlings, crossed the large hole by either jumping over it or climbing onto the room's ceiling.

'Well, I guess I'll go through that Unique Evolution now.'

[Reward has been chosen.]

[Dictate your preferences.]

[The System will deal with the details.]

'So, I can use the body parts of Monsters I've devoured. Alright... Ummm... Where do I even start...?'

[Which devoured Monster's body type would you like?]

'Oh, yes. That's better. Let's do it this way. Ummm, I guess sizewise I would like that of Royal Minotaurs. They're about two meters tall which is plenty. Can't give Monsters too big a target.'

[How many limbs would you like?]

'Ummm... I guess having four limbs is good. But make them human-like... Or, I guess Orc-like, since I've devoured Orcs. But I would like the muscles and bones of Royal Minotaurs. They're the strongest Monsters around. Agility-wise, Insect Monsters are pretty good, but their limbs are too fragile.'

[How about your preferred skin?]

'Wait, I would also like a tail. The one I have now is pretty good. Also, those demons weren't too strong, but they sure were agile in mid-air. I'll take their wings. Skin... huh? I don't know about skin but these Lower Wyvern scales are good protection.'

[How about your skull?]

'Right... Those Inferior Drakes had extremely tough and sharp fangs. I'll take those. Horns aren't that useful when you have fangs, but still. Royal Minotaur horns again. Oh, claws! Those Elite Velvet Werewolves had good claws. They could retract them too. Plus, they could even penetrate my scales and made me bleed quite a bit. I'll definitely take their claws.'

[Input has been recorded.]

[Unique Evolution will begin in 10 seconds.]

Mark turned back towards the hole in the middle of the room.

'Strange...'

The uneasy feeling that used to float in the background of his mind faded, but a new one emerged.

One that he had felt many times, but at the same time, entirely different.

[Unique Evolution will now begin.]

'Somehow, I wish I was more... Like... You...' Mark thought as his consciousness faded.

His body hit the ground.

The next second, a veil of Mana covered that body.

...

Minutes later, the Mana faded, and Mark opened his eyes.

'How long have I been out?' He asked telepathically while laying on the ground.

[7 minutes and 43 seconds.]

'I see. Somehow... I wish this could happen more often...' Mark thought before extending his arms towards the ceiling.

'Huh? Why... Why are my arms white?'

Mark stood up and checked his whole body.

Close to 100% of his body, from head to toe to the tip of his tail, was white as snow.

The scales covering his body had gone from red to white.

There was only one part that wasn't covered by scales, his wings.

Those were still black as night, just like the Inferior Demons'.

[Your wish to look like the Moonlit Feline has been taken into account.]

'My wish? Look like? What are you talking about? It wasn't about looks or color, it was about... What was it about?'

Mark thought about it deeply, but he could not find an answer.

'White isn't the stealthiest color. Anyways...'

[Would you like to check your new form?]

'Huh? Sure.'

For no more than a second, something akin to a mirror appeared in front of Mark.

If it wasn't for his Advanced Kinetic Vision, he would not have been able to see much.

Mark's whole body was practically white, except for his wings.

Two thick black lines stretched from below his eyes all the way to his waist.

'Those black lines are... Cool, but also creepy. Which is good? Horns are looking sturdy. The scales too. Intimidating really. Yeah... I look pretty strong. I might have gotten a bit shorter though... My skull doesn't look like that of a Minotaur... Nor that of a Wyvern, huh... Anyways, Stats are the same as before too, so that's good. Smaller, but just as strong. I guess that makes me stronger. Wait...'

As the mirror disappeared, Mark used his hands to reach over his head.

'Horns... Yep. Huh? As I thought, no ears. What kind of design is that?'

But before Mark could read the System's answer, a loud and long howl resonated throughout the Fifth Floor.

Mark felt, for the first time in a while, something akin to guilt, which awoken annoyance inside of him once more.

'Tsk. At least I know I can still hear...'

A second howl echoed.

A louder one.

A longer one.

A sadder one.

Mark couldn't help but go back towards the huge hole in the middle of the room.

As he stared down, he found the Moonlit Feline laying on the ground.

Its ears were down and its jaw was stuck to the floor.

Two large blue pupils staring at the ground shined through the darkness.

'From now on, you listen to me. Otherwise, you stay there.'

The cat immediately stood back up with excitement.

Mark jumped down.

He carefully spread his wings, before landing a couple of meters away from the Moonlit Feline.

Mark crouched down and gave it an open palm.

His hand was big enough for the Moonlit Feline to fit on.

The little Monster's pupils grew even larger.

Ignoring Mark, it playfully jumped onto his palm before jumping once more and landing on his shoulder.

Slowly but surely, Mark stood back up.

Irritation was swelling inside of him, but he controlled himself.

'You can have it this once. Just this once.' Mark thought as he spread his wings.

As he got back to his other Underlings' side, Mark, gently but firmly, pushed the Moonlit Feline off his shoulder.

The latter landed on the ground, but it did not hiss menacingly the way it had before.

'You can get on Fiery. Guess I'll have to think of a name for you...'

Mark's uneasy feeling started to fade away.

Still, he wasn't sure what was causing it.

Maybe its cause was that, for the first time, an Underling had disobeyed him.

Maybe it was because he couldn't help but want complete and utter control over his Underlings.

After all, they were Monsters.

How was he supposed to trust them, if they weren't completely under his control?

Maybe the cause of that feeling was that, for the first time, something had shown him affection.

His Underlings had already given their lives for him, but this... Seemed different.

Or maybe, just maybe, its cause was that, for the first time, he didn't have to kill the creature standing in front of him.

Ever since waking up inside the Dungeon, the only law was "kill or be killed".

And for the first time, Mark didn't have to attack, hurt or kill.

Not only did he not do so, but the other creature didn't either.

A peaceful encounter of sorts.

Although the answer might've been something entirely different.

After all, even Mark did not know the reason behind that feeling.

Not yet, at least.

The Moonlit Feline climbed onto Fiery's back.

Only then, did it notice.

HISS-

'Don't pay it any mind. It'll just have to get used to it.' Mark telepathically told his Underling.

But despite the Moonlit Feline's hissing, Light stayed seated, indifferent.

'The Fourth Floor, huh? Let's do it. Oh-'

Mark remembered.

'Wasn't there something about leaving the Dungeon on the Fourth Floor?'