CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER : 39 : FLUFFYNUGGET UNLEASHED – WAVE 3 WIPED!

The moment was almost too peaceful.

Aiden leaned against the broken archway, one arm still loosely draped around Lysandra, her cheek resting just above his heart. The scent of strawberries and lingering glitter hung in the air like a strange, sweet fog. Ivy was humming in the distance, happily sketching Fluffynugget in a flower crown made of imaginary petals. Luna stood a few paces ahead, gazing off toward the dungeon depths, her wolf ears twitching.

Aiden’s system blinked silently in the corner of his vision—then pulsed.

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SYSTEM NOTICE: WAVE 3 – BEGINNING IN 10 SECONDS

Monster Composition:

● 9 Green (Weak)

● 5 Yellow (Equal)

● 1 Red (Stronger)

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Objective: Survive or neutralize all threats.

Rewards: Experience + Bond Points + Bonus for Efficiency

[BEGINNING IN: 9... 8... 7...]

---

Aiden’s jaw tightened slightly.

"Wave three’s starting," he muttered.

Lysandra lifted her head. "Again?"

He nodded, gently nudging her to stand. "Stay close to Ivy."

"I’m not hiding this time," she protested. "I have magic—"

"No," Aiden said firmly. "Not against them. They are mine and Luna’s."

Luna, as if summoned by name, turned toward him with a sharp grin. Her ears perked high, eyes gleaming. Her hands flexed at her sides—and then her body began to shift.

Her black hair flared around her. Her canines extended into sharp fangs. A long, thick tail whipped behind her as her nails lengthened into razor claws. The wolf ears on her head twitched with heightened awareness.

Luna’s hybrid form emerged in a matter of heartbeats—elegant, savage, and beautiful.

Aiden took a moment to admire her.

"I’m ready, Master," she said, voice laced with excitement and anticipation.

He drew his daggers with a smooth motion.

The countdown struck zero.

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WAVE 3: INITIATED

Deploying enemies...

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A low rumble filled the plaza. The remaining arches and broken stone trembled. Cracks formed in the distance as the ground split and hissed with mist. From the shadows ahead, monsters began to emerge.

The first were twisted humanoid shapes—green-skinned goblin mutants, larger and bulkier than the ones from above ground. Nine of them crawled out, drooling and snarling. Their color-coded bars glowed green above their heads—visible only to Aiden.

Behind them came five taller beasts—hyena-like bipeds with gnarled limbs and curved claws. Their bars glowed yellow.

And finally, lumbering out last, came a single armored creature with four arms, molten eyes, and a throbbing red crystal embedded in its chest. Its bar shimmered an angry crimson.

"Red-level. Lovely," Aiden muttered.

Luna crouched low beside him, tail lashing. "Do I take the left side, Master?"

"Yeah. I’ll split the center and right. Prioritize speed over style."

Luna grinned, her claws digging into the ground. "As you wish~"

Then they both surged forward.

Aiden vanished into a blur of motion—his daggers slashing in twin arcs as he ducked beneath the first mutant’s swing, slicing cleanly through its kneecap and spinning to stab upward beneath its chin. The monster collapsed in a heap of blood and ash.

Another lunged at him from the side—but Luna intercepted it, tackling the goblin mutant to the ground with a savage snarl and tearing out its throat with a clean swipe of her claws.

Within seconds, the two of them were fully engaged in a whirlwind of movement.

And then—

"MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~!!!"

A sonic blast of sparkles burst from behind them.

Aiden paused mid-spin, dagger held at the ready.

Lysandra screamed, pointing toward the far left edge of the battlefield. "WHAT IS HE—?!"

Fluffynugget was flying.

No.

Rocketing.

His fluffy body blurred as he spiraled through the air like a comet of glitter, his squeals echoing like a divine war cry. Ivy stood in awe, hands clasped to her chest.

"He’s... HE’S GOING FOR THEM ALL!" she cried.

Aiden’s eyes widened as he twisted back toward the enemies.

The first green mutant didn’t even get to scream. Fluffynugget slammed into its face like a missile, detonating in an explosion of pink energy and shimmering light. When the sparks cleared, nothing remained but dust and a glitter outline of its former shape.

Then he bounced.

Midair.

Spun.

And dove again.

Another mutant down. And another.

BOOM.

BOOM.

BOOM.

Each impact was accompanied by a magical sound effect that shouldn’t exist in a dungeon: "KAWAII!" "SNUUUUGGLE SMITE~!"

Aiden stood dumbfounded, frozen in the middle of a monster battlefield as the puffball eliminated six enemies in under ten seconds.

"Luna," he called flatly.

"Yes, Master?"

"...I think we’ve been replaced."

Luna was too stunned to answer. Her hybrid form crouched low in awe as Fluffynugget zoomed by again, ramming into a yellow-level hyena monster and sending it pinwheeling into a wall.

The Red-class monster let out a bellowing roar.

Fluffynugget turned midair.

Its eyes narrowed.

And then...

He yawned.

A soft, squeaky, adorable yawn that echoed louder than any battlecry.

Then he dove.

Lysandra screamed. "NO WAY!!"

The Red-class raised its four arms to block.

It didn’t matter.

Fluffynugget hit it dead in the chest, right at the crystal.

There was a moment of perfect silence.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOF!

A pastel mushroom cloud erupted, raining down glitter, rainbows, and what may or may not have been sparkly marshmallow bits.

When the dust cleared, the red monster was gone.

Just gone.

Not even bones.

Fluffynugget landed with a soft pomf, rolled once, and yawned again.

---

SYSTEM NOTICE: ALL HOSTILES NEUTRALIZED

Wave 3: Complete

Kill Count:

Fluffynugget: 15

Aiden: 1

Luna: 1

Bonus XP Awarded: +1000

Bond Points (Luna): +3

Bond Points (Ivy): +2

Note: Fluffynugget has entered Recovery Mode.

---

Aiden just... stared.

Lysandra blinked. "What... what just happened?"

"I think our puffball went Supernova," he replied weakly.

Luna, finally regaining motion, bolted toward Fluffynugget. "YOU DID SO GOOD, BABY!!"

She scooped him up into her arms, hugging him to her chest in pure joy.

Fluffynugget let out a pleased purr.

Then, without warning, he slipped from her hands—nosed down her side—and latched lovingly onto her tail, snuggling it like a blanket. His body curled around the base and he began vibrating softly.

"Tail snuggle mode activated," Aiden muttered.

Luna cooed. "Oh my precious little killer fluff~ You love Mama’s tail that much?"

He purred louder.

Ivy threw herself into a seated clap-dance. "HE IS OUR TRUE HERO!!"

Lysandra stumbled next to Aiden, dazed. "We didn’t even get to fight. I got worked up for nothing."

Aiden shrugged. "At least we survived."

"You call that survival? We got spectated by a sugar-puff with a death beam."

"I’d argue we got outclassed."

"You’re supposed to be the Beast Tamer, not the mascot’s bodyguard!"

He chuckled. "Hey. A win’s a win."

Lysandra folded her arms and pouted. "I didn’t even get to block anything."

"You want me to summon a fake enemy for you to block?"

"...Maybe."

Aiden gave her a sideways glance. "Are you jealous of Fluffynugget?"

"No!" she snapped.

"Uh-huh."

"I’m not!"

"Jealousy looks adorable on you."

She flushed red. "Shut up!"

Luna walked over, still cradling Fluffynugget—who was now entirely wrapped around her tail like a sleepy scarf.

"I think he’s bonded to me forever," she beamed.

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "You good with that?"

She nuzzled the puff. "I will mother this tiny death demon with all my heart."

Ivy gasped. "Can I teach him to bite ankles on command?!"

"Only if it’s cute."

"Yaaay~!"

Aiden sighed and dropped onto a nearby slab of rubble, his daggers still loosely in hand.

Lysandra sat beside him a moment later, arms crossed, grumbling under her breath.

"So much for glory."

"You were glorious in your fear," Aiden teased.

She smacked his shoulder lightly, still blushing. "You’re lucky I like you."

He grinned. "You just admitted it."

"I did NOT!"

"You totally did."

Lysandra groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Why is flirting with you always a battlefield?"

"Because you’re a princess and I’m an idiot with knives."

"And a death-puff."

"Yeah. That too."

The dungeon finally fell into a rare silence.

Until Ivy piped up from behind them.

"...When’s Wave Four?"

Aiden didn’t even want to check.

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END OF Chapter : 39 : FLUFFYNUGGET UNLEASHED – WAVE 3 WIPED!

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