The Foo Dog Awakens

The Goblin King turned.

Eyes burning like coals. Breath steaming from cracked fangs.

And then he charged.

“HE SEES US!” Naomi screamed.

Vanni dove off the cart. “BRACE YOURSELVES!”

“LYSSA—!” I shouted.

“Already on it!” Her staff lit up with arcane light. “Barrier: Frost Shell!”

A wall of shimmering blue energy snapped into place—but the Goblin King didn’t stop.

He plowed straight through it, like it was made of tissue paper.

The sheer force of the impact sent everyone flying.

I hit the ground with a grunt, tumbling across dirt and roots until I slammed into a tree.

[HP -25]

Pain flashed through me—but I was already moving again.

“LUFFY, GET BACK!”

My dog stood frozen, growling, fur bristling like lightning.

The Goblin King roared and raised his massive cleaver—one made of dark steel and bones fused with flesh.

“[LEVEL 40 – GOBLIN KING: MOK’RAGH, THE DESERTER]”

“Ren, don’t—!” Naomi called.

The goblin let out a guttural roar, its jagged axe dragging across the ground like a reaper’s scythe. Its skin was thick, gray-green like moldy iron, and its level floated above its head: [Lv. 40 - Goblin King].

This thing wasn’t just strong—it was anomaly-level. It shouldn’t have even been in this forest.

We all stood frozen for half a breath too long.

Then I shouted, “Everyone RUN! I’ll hold it off!”

Naomi’s eyes widened. “Ren, no—!”

“GO!”

My body moved on instinct as I activated Focused Slash, dashing toward the monster, drawing its attention with a wild swing.

The Goblin King turned and slammed its axe down.

I barely rolled to the side.

BOOM.

The earth cracked where I’d just been standing.

The thing was fast—too fast for something its size.

“MOVE!” I yelled again. “Vanni, take the cart and GO!”

He cracked the reins without hesitation, horses bolting as Naomi leapt aboard, flinging healing orbs at me as she vanished into the trees. Lyssa stayed frozen behind a tree, hesitating.

I turned, panting.

The Goblin King was already on me.

CLANG!

His axe met my sword.

Metal screeched.

My knees buckled.

Then—

CRACK.

Pain exploded in my ribs as the axe caught me in the side. I flew across the clearing, slammed into a tree, and crumpled to the ground.

Blood. So much blood.

Everything was blurry.

“Luffy…? Where—”

But Luffy wasn’t barking.

He was growling.

Low. Deep. Unrecognizable.

My vision cleared just enough to see him standing between me and the Goblin King, teeth bared, body trembling.

Then—

[SYSTEM ALERT]

Familiar Transformation Triggered

Awakening: Luffin The Foo Dog Guardian – Lv. 1

You have invoked the ancient guardian spirit within.

Stat Boost: +50% SPD / +50% ATK / +25% DEF

Special Ability Unlocked: 🐾 Foo Dog Sphere – Lv. 1

A celestial glow pulsed from Luffy’s paws.

An energy sphere formed — swirling blue, divine, like starlight condensed into magic.

Then he vanished.

He zipped forward like a streak of lightning—SLAM—and the Goblin King reeled back, a chunk of its armor shattered by the sacred energy blast.

Another sphere.

Then another.

Each orb left a howling trail of power behind it, slamming into the Goblin’s chest, shoulder, and gut—exploding on impact like magical cannonballs.

The Goblin shrieked in pain.

Still, it raised its axe again.

But Luffy shielded me with his sphere which pushed the goblin back and lunged him against a tree, panting hard, growling like a war beast.

Behind him, Lyssa sprinted into the clearing.

“YOU IDIOT!” she screamed, dropping to her knees next to me. “Why didn’t you run?!”

“Because…” I coughed, “I might be a perver and useless but I’m the leader. I protect everyone…”

My vision dimmed again. “Besides… if I died, you could go back to your divine throne and video games, right?”

Lyssa stared down at me.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me into a crushing hug.

“You idiot… you absolute idiot…!”

Her voice cracked. “You almost died, and you’re still making dumb jokes—!”

“Hey… it was a decent joke…”

“SHUT UP.”

She pressed her forehead to mine. “You can’t die. Not now. Not before I… Not before I repay you for dragging me into this mess.”

Then Naomi appeared, skidding into the clearing, holding a glowing green candy.

“REGEN CANDY—MOVE!”

Lyssa popped it into my mouth, and as soon as I swallowed, warmth flooded through me like hot tea and firelight. Bones reset. Flesh stitched itself. My vision cleared.

Luffy stood above me.

Head low.

Eyes glowing bright blue.

Something ancient pulsed from him. Something sacred.

He let out a mighty, echoing bark—and the sound rippled with energy.

the air around his front paw glowed, forming a shimmering ball of energy, like a glowing orb of light.

His first Foo Dog Sphere.

And then—he moved.

No. He vanished.

To the naked eye, it looked like he blinked forward—appearing right at the Goblin King’s face.

WHAM!

The energy ball slammed into Mok’ragh’s jaw with a sound like thunder.

The king reeled back, dazed.

Another sphere formed.

Luffy zipped around the battlefield, launching energy balls like missiles, each one striking with pinpoint precision.

[CRITICAL HIT! -187 HP]

[CRITICAL HIT! -223 HP]

Chunks of armor shattered. Green blood sprayed. The Goblin King roared in fury, swinging wildly, but Luffy dodged every strike with speed that defied logic.

“LUFFY!!” Naomi cried out. “ he’s transformed!”

Vanni stared. “That’s no ordinary dog. That’s…”

“A Guardian,” Lyssa whispered. “A real one.”

She raised her staff.

“Mana Blind: Heavenly light!”

An explosion of light like a flash bang hit the goblin King’s face, slowing him. He thrashed violently, in anger.

The Regeneration candy was doing its job. My wounds closed.

Vision cleared.

Strength returned.

I sat up, eyes locked on Luffy.

My dog—no, my partner—was giving everything to protect me.

His blue eyes flicked toward me once. Just once. As if to say: Your turn.

Something inside me ignited.

My short sword glowed.

[SOULBOUND CONNECTION: ACTIVE]

[Focused Slash – Overdrive]

[Strength x5 | Dexterity x5]

“Get away from my team!” I screamed, charging forward.

My sword burned white-hot.

The Goblin King swung his cleaver—

But I slid under it, sparks flying.

With a war cry, I leapt forward and drove my blade straight into his heart.

A blast of white energy erupted from the wound, sending a shockwave across the battlefield.

The Goblin King stumbled.

Dropped his weapon.

And fell.

[GOBLIN KING DEFEATED – 3,000 EXP GAINED]

Silence.

Then—

DING!

[REN – LEVEL UP! – Level 15 Achieved!]

[New Title Unlocked: “Soulbound Guardian”]

[Stat Growth Increased. Limit Unlocked.]

[LUFFY – LEVEL UP! – Level 15 Achieved!]

[New Trait Unlocked: Foo Dog Form – Stage 1]

I fell to my knees, panting.

Naomi grabbed me in a hug, practically crushing me.

“You IDIOT,” she sobbed. “You almost died again!”

Luffy barked, tail wagging, then promptly collapsed in my lap, tongue out.

Lyssa approached, brushing hair out of her eyes. “…You did well.”

She paused.

Then slapped me.

SLAP!

“THAT’S for getting hurt again.”

And then…

She knelt beside me.

And gently placed her hand over mine.

“Thank you.”

We gathered around and collected any Guild cards that belonged to the deceased adventurers this way we could report it to the guild and maybe bring some type of comfort to the loved ones waiting for that.

“Ren maybe you should rest” lyssa said

“Lyssa I’m okay Luffy is resting this is the least I can do now, look at all these adventures they were brutally killed by this beast, I pray their souls find some kind of peace now”

“This world can be harsh and cruel Ren, don’t forget all the dark forces that still realm in this world you were originally summoned as a hero for that purpose even though you decided to leave them behind after how they treated us”

I just sat there in silence thinking about what just happened before it was interrupted by Naomi.

“Guys I’ve set up a camp fire near by after today we should get some rest especially you Ren, Vanni is already back there cooking us some dinner”

“Maybe if I can get some cuddles Naomi I’ll be able to rest”

“Maybe Ren you’ve earned it”

“I won’t allow it” lyssa said shattering my dream again

Later that night, as we rested beside the campfire—

Vanni pulled out a sealed wooden box.

“This,” he said, “was meant to be a gift when we reached the village…”

He opened it.

Inside: glowing relics. Enchanted accessories. A golden collar of divine origin for Luffy.

“You’ve earned this early.”

And as he placed it in our hands—

I knew this journey was about to get even crazier.

But this time…

We’d be ready.