Awakened Talent: 10,000 Exp Converter!

The Next Day.

Vincent stretched as he stepped outside the mansion, inhaling a deep breath of fresh air.

His mind remained preoccupied with returning to the Origin World. Since he hadn't been able to enter, he figured it would take a full twenty-four hours before he could access it again.

As he made his way toward the man-made pond, something unusual caught his attention.

A black figure lay motionless beside the water.

His brows furrowed.

How the hell did someone get inside my villa… when I just set up a protective array yesterday?

His gaze darkened.

Don't tell me… that damn array was defective?!

The thought crossed his mind for a brief moment before he dismissed it. It was impossible for the Illusion Shatterguard Array to be defective—it came from the Tower of Illusions, after all.

There had to be a reason for this, and the black figure before him might have the answers.

As he approached, he soon realized that the figure had a humanoid shape. However, its head belonged to a dog—a Manchester Terrier, to be precise.

Its body, however, was crafted from pure ebony metal, emanating a dark aura that made it blend into the shadows.

Vincent frowned deeply.

At first glance, he thought it might be a demi-human like Vash. But considering its body was entirely made of metal, he wasn't certain what kind of creature it was.

Curious, he activated Heaven Eyes, hoping to uncover its identity.

The next second, Vincent's expression flickered with shock as information flooded his vision.

At that moment, the dog-headed creature abruptly snapped its eyes open, revealing a pair of bone-chilling, copper-misty irises.

The instant it spotted Vincent, it sprang to its feet and retreated, glaring at him cautiously.

Seeing its reaction, Vincent remained unfazed and spoke in a calm, steady voice. "How did you get here?"

The creature didn't respond, merely maintaining its guarded stance as it stared at him warily.

Since it refused to answer, he changed his approach. "Who are you?"

He hadn't expected a reply, yet, surprisingly, it responded. "I have no name."

Its voice was cautious—young, almost childlike.

Vincent gave a small nod. "What are you?"

The dog-headed creature hesitated. It turned to the side as if searching for an answer before shifting its gaze back to him.

"I… I don't know."

It still sounded wary, but its confusion was evident.

Vincent remained impassive. He hadn't received a solid response, but that didn't deter him.

"Then… how did you get here?"

The creature shifted uncomfortably, its head swiveling left and right, seemingly trying to recall something.

After a moment, it looked at him again and spoke in that same youthful voice. "I was running from something… I don't remember what. Before I lost consciousness, I smelled something delicious… and then I ended up here."

As it finished, its expression changed from caution to guilt—like a child caught stealing food from the kitchen.

Vincent remained silent for a moment, watching it closely. The creature, too, fell quiet, simply staring at him.

His gaze then flicked toward the basement—the very place he had set up the protective array.

With a quick scan of his Mental Energy, he immediately noticed something—the array's reserve energy had been completely drained. It was as if something had sucked it dry.

A thought clicked into place in his mind.

Without hesitation, he flicked his wrist, summoning a common-grade sword into his hand.

The creature's eyes instinctively snapped to the weapon. Although it tried to hide its reaction, Vincent didn't miss the subtle shift in its gaze.

Without a word, he casually tossed the sword into the air. "Fetch."

The moment the weapon left his grip, the dog-headed creature vanished, moving in a blur. In an instant, it reappeared twenty meters away—now with the sword clamped between its metallic jaws.

SNAP!

With a single bite, the sword shattered in half. A quick gulp, and the remnants of the weapon disappeared down the creature's throat.

"…Just like a dog," Vincent muttered, watching with intrigue. He hadn't expected it to consume an entire armament so effortlessly.

And this wasn't some ordinary weapon—it was an armament capable of evolving.

Yet, rather than looking satisfied, the creature's expectant gaze lingered on him. It was waiting—hoping—for him to throw another 'bone.'

Vincent smirked.

Retrieving another common-grade armament, this time a spear, he held it up.

The dog-headed creature's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

However, Vincent didn't throw it—at least, not yet. Instead, he asked, "Do you want this?"

The creature hesitated, glancing between him and the spear before nodding. "Yes…"

Vincent remained unimpressed. "And what can you offer me in return?"

The dog-headed creature blinked, confusion flickering across its metallic face.

Vincent continued, "You don't expect me to just hand this over for free, do you? You've already eaten my things. I even gave you a sword just now. So tell me… what can you offer me in exchange?"

The creature fell silent, clearly uncertain. Its youthful voice and hesitance made it seem more like a lost child than a dangerous entity.

It glanced at the spear, then back at Vincent, deliberating.

Vincent, sensing its indecision, smirked and pulled out another common-grade armament—an axe.

He raised both weapons slightly. "Think carefully. If I like your answer, I might give you both of these." His smirk deepened. "And keep this in mind… I have plenty more where these came from."

His voice was calm, yet laced with underlying amusement.

The dog-headed creature stared at him, clearly weighing its choices. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

Vincent merely watched, waiting for its response.

After a moment of consideration, the dog-headed creature responded with a question, "I-I have nothing to give you… You tell me what you want in exchange."

Vincent flashed a subtle smile before frowning, acting as though he was contemplating deeply. He then replied, "Before that, tell me about your abilities."

The dog-headed creature hesitated for a moment before responding, "I can run fast… I can hide in the shadows… and I can also eat stuff, a lot of it!"