2025-03-20 06:32:04The dog said to Aiden that now that he had calmed down, what had that been? That girl had made him feel different. Reia wondered if perhaps opposites were attracted. If so, why hadn’t he felt the same way about Miss Adia?
Aiden responded, a bit flustered, that he didn’t know. He felt, as they say, butterflies in his stomach for Elena. But Adia was an older woman, or at least he thought so. Besides, he saw her as a friend who had helped them.
Reia continued, saying he was right and that they needed to finish the shopping Miss Adia had asked them to do before heading to the center. It was lucky he mentioned it because they were standing in front of the supermarket, which was already closed. A sign announced that they had moved a couple of blocks away. Without wasting time, they set off.
Meanwhile, Elena, who was near the counter, noticed some money left on it. She mentioned it to the shopkeeper, who replied that the young man had probably forgotten his change. She suggested they should return it, as she didn’t think he was far away. The man, seeing it was a slow day, gave her permission. “Take the bike from the back and return his change,” he said. “What a forgetful boy,” the owner added, shaking his head.
Elena took the red bicycle from the back of the store, a vintage bike with a front basket and a rear rack for carrying heavy items. She hopped on and began pedaling, thinking he had likely gone to the right.
Meanwhile, Aiden and Podbe arrive at the new supermarket, situated on a wide avenue. Upon entering, they saw it wasn’t a small shop but a large establishment with twelve aisles. However, before taking a step, the security guard at the entrance indicated that animals weren’t allowed, pointing to a sign with the prohibition. Aiden looked at Podbe and asked, “Now what do we do, boy? I can’t leave you out here alone.”
At that moment, Reia interjected, "It doesn’t matter if Podbe stays outside while you finish the shopping. If you need help, you can let me know. I can also hear what you’re saying thanks to the connection I have with the system, but not over a large area, so don’t wander too far, Aiden." The boy nodded, though he still worried about leaving the dog behind. After several glances back through the automatic doors, he heard Reia’s voice, slightly annoyed: “Hurry up, kid.” With that, he went inside completely, grabbing a cart to begin shopping.
Aiden checked the list and started walking through the aisles. In each one, an employee offered him free samples of various products. He liked some, others not so much. Finally, after passing through all twelve aisles, he completed the list Adia had given him. The place was somewhat crowded, and he had to wait in line behind fifteen people. Meanwhile, Elena kept pedaling until she reached the old supermarket. A hunch told her the boy might be at the new location.
For better or worse, the cashier was quick, and soon it was Aiden’s turn. When the cashier told him the total was fifty euros, Aiden reached into his pockets, but his expression changed instantly from joy to despair. The cashier scrutinized him, increasing his nervousness. Just then, Elena arrived at the supermarket, saw Podbe at the entrance, and called out, “Hello, little buddy, where’s your master?” She scratched him behind the ear and assumed he’d be inside. “Here, I’ll leave my bike with you; take care of it,” she muttered to herself, hoping she wasn’t too late.
She rushed inside and searched for the boy. When she spotted him at the checkout, she approached quickly. “Here,” she said to the cashier, saving Aiden just as he was about to be reported to security. The boy grabbed the package and the receipt, apologizing with a mix of shame and relief, as Elena pulled him by the hand toward the exit. Outside, she said, “This is all your change. You left it at the store. I thought you remembered, but in the end, you forgot.” Podbe gave Aiden a little nudge with his paw to snap him out of it. Once recovered, Aiden thanked her shyly and stammered his name: “I’m Aiden.” She smiled and replied, “Nice to meet you.”
Elena resumed the questions she had asked him at the pet store, like where he was from and other trivial details. Reia and Podbe told him to endure it and share a bit about himself; maybe they could see each other later. Aiden explained he was staying with Miss Adia and mentioned he had just arrived. “Ah, at the weird house,” she remarked. “Well, I don’t know if it’s weird, but I’m staying with Miss Adia,” Aiden replied. Elena admitted she didn’t know the owners of that house but added that she found it amusing and liked him. “What do you think about meeting up after my shift ends? I can show you around,” she proposed. Aiden, gaining a bit of courage, responded enthusiastically, “Of course!”
“Great, let’s meet at five o’clock in the afternoon at the pet store; does that work for you?” she asked. Aiden nodded. Elena took her bike and said goodbye: “See you later, then.”
On the way back, Aiden thought to himself, “And now, what do I do?” Reia, teasingly, replied that they could hear him from a kilometer away without him even speaking. Podbe suggested they should return to Adia’s “weird house,” referencing what Elena had said. “I don’t know why she said that; we should investigate a bit, don’t you think?” Reia commented, Ever practical. “For now, we need to go back with the groceries.”
Aiden carried four heavy bags and handed one to Podbe to carry in his mouth. At that moment, a notification indicated they had completed the quest. Reia, astonished, said, “I see. I think Podbe, since he couldn’t enter the supermarket, couldn’t complete the quest until you gave him one of the bags. How interesting; I’ll keep investigating these details.” Eighty-five experience points. Then another notification appeared: “Deliver the purchased items to Adia to receive your reward of five experience points.” Podbe commented, “This system sometimes does strange things, but I like the easy stuff.”
The boy and the dog returned home and delivered the groceries. The two dragons analyzed them as before and opened the door. Adia greeted Aiden and asked how their shopping trip had gone. Then she added, “I forgot to ask if you speak Italian.” Aiden replied that he spoke a little but had managed to thank a girl who also spoke his language. Adia noticed something different in his gaze and teased him: “Are you in love or something, little Don Juan?” Aiden blushed and quickly denied it. Adia insisted, “Surely someone has already asked you out, or you’ve asked her out.” Aiden admitted she had invited him. Adia, laughing, remarked, “I knew it! You have a date. And it’s your first one, too. Lucky you, I can’t even catch a cold.”
Adia told him he needed to get ready. “Leave the things in the kitchen, and we’ll see what magic I can work on you—maybe a new hairstyle.” She looked at him mischievously, making Aiden nervous and unable to utter a word.
Meanwhile, Reia said to Podbe, “We gained five more points; now we have ninety experience points. We’re close to reaching one hundred and leveling up to level four.”
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Agent's Dog System 14.Is This the First Time?
Aiden’s shouts echoed through the house, startled by the intensity of Adia’s gaze. She glanced at the kitchen clock; it was three in the afternoon. “We don’t have much time to buy a suit, but at least we can fix your hair,” she said. Without giving him time to react, she grabbed the boy, lifted him as if he were a feather, and rushed upstairs with him. Podbe followed alongside, wagging his tail curiously. They entered Adia’s room, which was as spacious as Aiden’s but painted a light green that gave it a fresh and cozy feel. She sat him down in front of the mirror and observed his hair, messy and unkempt. Noticing something strange near the back of his head, close to his neck, she gently pulled on a tube that blended with his skin. To her surprise, the object turned out to be a sort of artificial hair extension.Adia looked at him curiously. “Why were you hiding the rest of your hair? It’s clever, but unnecessary.” Aiden lowered his gaze and replied shyly, “At the orphanage, they would
Agent's Dog System 15.From Love To Hate
"Now that you're level four, you've earned a point. Where do you want to place it?" Reia asked Podbe. She suggested putting it into vitality, as the system menu had changed and now displayed the skill tree for unlocking abilities. "Remember, you weren’t very fast or resilient against those bunnies," she added. "Alright, go ahead and assign it," she instructed. After doing so, she informed him that a new ability called Hardness had been activated. "Hardness?" Podbe asked, intrigued. "Yes," Reia replied. "It’s an ability that helps you protect yourself from any kind of damage, whether it’s a blow, bullets, or fire. But since it’s level one, it only allows you to protect yourself for five minutes and consumes twenty mana points." "I see," said the dog, a little annoyed that it only lasted a short time. "Now, to reach level five, you’ll need one hundred fifty experience points," Reia explained.While they were discussing the intricacies of the system, Elena and Aiden were finishing their
Agent's Dog System 16.Something Smells Bad
Finally, they arrived at Adia’s house. They repeated the same procedure: being scanned by the dragons and other security measures. Once inside, they noticed that all the lights were off. They closed the door carefully, but someone startled them from behind. It was Adia who scolded them for arriving so late. Then, laughing softly, she said:“Of course, if I were your mother, you’d already be grounded, young man.”After their souls returned to their bodies—so to speak—Adia asked the boy how his first date had gone. Aiden replied that everything had been wonderful until an incident occurred, and the girl had to leave. Adia, who normally wasn’t nosy and didn’t care much about details, simply remarked that it was fine for a first date and that there would be another chance.“Tomorrow is another day,” she said calmly.Aiden first denied that it had been a date, somewhat flustered, but then added:“Yes, you’re right, tomorrow is another day.”She told them:“Well, go to sleep.”The boy and t
Agent's Dog System 17.Find the Path
"Something smells fishy," Maria had said. Billy, a bit nervous, replied, "It’s not me—I took a bath today." She covered his mouth with her hand and whispered for him to lower his voice. Luckily for them, the driver, Rino, had turned up the music loud. Maria whispered to him that she wasn’t referring to that; rather, she found it strange that those individuals had suddenly appeared at the orphanage door. Not even the police, busy as they were, took the time to investigate on behalf of an orphan. "I think there’s something suspicious going on," Maria said. "Good thing we got in the van—let’s see where they’re headed and what they plan to do with Aiden."The car continued its journey. Meanwhile, Lidia checked that the phones were charged, which would allow them to call Marie if needed, but she decided against it and chose to go in person without Rino noticing—he was humming along to the songs he had put on.Simultaneously, while they were heading toward the site of the train derailment,
Agent's Dog System 18.Deception (1)
“What’s down that path?” asked Ezequiel, also known as Agent B.Brea, or Agent C-Two, consulted the map before responding:“If you follow that path, you’ll reach Arnoldstein.”Agent B paused thoughtfully. Then, turning to Lidia, he asked:“What was the boy’s name?”“Aiden, sir,” she replied with the formality of a soldier addressing her general.“Well, kid, you don’t have to be so formal with me like you do with bossy Marie,” said Ezequiel with a mischievous smile.Marie approached him and let out a sound of disapproval, glaring at him with a fury that didn’t require psychic interpretation to understand. Ezequiel brushed off her reaction and suggested to Lidia and Rino that they accompany them since they were already there, but not without first asking them to send him an image of the boy.“We should send the image to headquarters; it might help shorten the search,” Marie proposed.“It’s not necessary,” Ezequiel countered. “I doubt the kid has left the country.”“Alright, let’s head d
Agent's Dog System 19.Deception (2)
Once Adia finished styling Aiden’s hair, she thought it would be a good idea for him to wear a tuxedo, but Aiden commented that it would be too much and that the flowers would suffice. Aiden stepped out dressed in his black jeans, navy-blue jacket, black sweater, and blue polo shirt, as it was starting to get chilly outside—though not as cold as European winters. Podbe accompanied him, but not before hearing Adia say, “Go with the boy and keep an eye on him.” Inside the dog, Reia responded, “Affirmative.” The canine and the boy set off for their second outing—more than a formal date, it was their second meeting with Elena, the girl he had only met the day before but for whom he already felt an intense, overflowing teenage love.Meanwhile, Elena was finishing her workday as usual. Though she was typically kind, that day she seemed distant with customers and the public, as if she had lost her usual spark. The shop owner noticed something was wrong and, concerned, assigned her to organiz
Agent's Dog System 20.In the Wolf’s Mouth
“No, Aiden!” Reia, the artificial intelligence inside Podbe’s mind, cried out desperately. “Something is wrong; the place, the girl’s behavior—everything is off. What do we do now? I’ve lost the connection with him. I need to wake Podbe up; maybe if I use one of the electric shocks, he’ll come in,” she thought.“Get up, Podbe!” she pleaded repeatedly, but the dog didn’t move. Apparently, whatever Elena had given him the food was so strong it could have knocked out an elephant, Reia reflected.Exhausted by the lack of response, she began to meditate, hoping Podbe would wake up so they could go after Aiden. She looked at the girl lying unconscious in front of Podbe and started blaming her for everything that had happened.“That’s why I’m an intelligence: I anticipate events. If Aiden hadn’t met you, we wouldn’t be in this situation,” she muttered to herself, continuing to talk and calculate possible solutions. “You’ll hear me when you wake up, lazy dog,” she shouted at Podbe, though sti
Agent's Dog System 21.Hidden Legacy
One of the people present in the room, a little frightened, asked the doctor why he was treating the boy that way. The doctor responded with a cold smile: “It’s good that you ask. I’m doing it to activate the hidden power lying within him.”He began explaining while pressing additional buttons. A blue liquid started dripping onto Aiden, sliding slowly over his skin like oil.“You see,” the doctor continued in a calm but firm voice, “this boy appears to be the son of one of our previous experiments. Blood tests and preliminary analysis confirm it. We had to halt those experiments because we were being investigated. A reporter stuck her nose where it didn’t belong, but we managed to resolve the issue,” he added coldly, without a trace of remorse in his tone.The project was called Project Nebula. Its purpose was to combine humans with phenomena beyond our comprehension in order to prepare for potential external threats, granting subjects unique abilities. However, there were setbacks:
Latest Chapter
55.A Beam of Hope
Urion's weapon was almost visible over Aiden's neck when suddenly something pushed the portal guardian. It was Sir Larot, who threw himself at him with all his might. The viewers and those present felt relieved not to witness another death. Some wrote, "Well, whoever you are, that dark knight sure puts up a fight," and some more asked, "How much longer can he fight against that thing?" Additionally, others said, "Poor puppy," referring to Podbe. Opinions online were mixed.Sir Larot had to save the boy for two reasons: one, because they needed him to create the new Metalux, and second, because he had to finish off Urion as he had promised Adia.Melisa was trying to cover all the details of the story while moving from side to side, filming Larot and Urion's fight. She observed the scene of the little boy and his lifeless dog on the ground.Larot began to activate the special abilities of his suit. "I had no other choice." "I needed to finish off this monster," he told himself as his ha
54.Televised Terror (2)
The sheriff turned on the device and saw the boy on television.Jeff, "It can't be." Darn boy, what are you doing on TV, and worse, in Italy? And "What is that thing holding you?" Jeff said to himself. "How can a boy be in another country?" "How is that possible?" he said to Tecro.Back at the orphanage, Elsa asked the other sisters to bring water to revive the mother superior while she tried to wake her in the chair where she was seated."Mother Superior, are you all right?" Ana asked.The mother came in and responded that she was, but it hurt her deeply to see Aiden in that condition."They can't kill that boy." "He's a bit distracted and wild, but a good boy," she said to herself while drinking the water, and the other sisters fanned her with sheets of paper."Look, Mother, the broadcast is still on," Elsa indicated, and everyone watched the screen.The other children were attentive to the commotion because all the other sisters were running to the mother superior's office. Some ch
53.Televised Terror (1)
Good afternoon, my name is Melisa Crig, your well-known evening news reporter. This time I am living with a piece of extremely important news that the public needs to witness. I am at the scene where one of the branches of the Radar Company used to be located. By showing the camera that Creg took off his shoulder, you can see the names of the company. She indicated to Creg to zoom in on the location. She continued narrating: "Here is the building where this company operated, split in half." Apparently, a major experiment went wrong. She motioned to Greg to show the humanoid creature."It appears to be a kind of humanoid figure, half insect, half lion," from what we can observe. "It has a child in its torso with some sort of tentacles," she narrated while thinking, "Rita Ribs wasn't crazy after all." Maybe the things she said were real, and I can see they are. "What she mentioned about children being mistreated and used for experiments and animals was all true," she questioned
52.Mystery, Camera & Action!
High in the sky, a helicopter was seen passing through the area. In its path, it spotted a distant red light that could be seen from the mountains and was rising up to the sky.“Quickly, head that way,” one of the people inside the machine indicated.It was a team of civilians who liked to wander the area searching for strange or paranormal things. The team was composed of Kile Rosas, a professor from a respectable university who sought answers to mysterious phenomena. He was about sixty years old, with little hair and wore large, bottle-like glasses. His assistant, Philip, was a young university student who supported him in all his crazy adventures with the camera. He was on an unpaid scholarship and only needed the professor's recommendations, though he was intrigued by these paranormal activities. Additionally, there was their faithful pilot, Michele, a young woman who enjoyed piloting all types of vehicles and aircraft. Of course, she didn’t do it for free, as she needed money to c
51.Zero Life
The leaders turned from their positions to see the creature approaching the supreme leader, Zeus. A unified "No!" echoed from both sides of what was left of the building. Some closed their eyes, thinking it was the end of their lord's plans with the boy's death. However, they then saw that the creature had released him for no apparent reason and moved a bit forward, screaming so loudly that they heard it from where they were. At that moment, they saw the hound striking Urion from behind."Firehead!" Podbe thought to himself, barking loudly, appearing somewhat battered from the previous battle. But how is it possible that they are alive? How did they manage to escape from there? Urion wondered as he saw his tentacle fall to the ground, releasing Aiden.Moments earlier, the floor above was collapsing on Podbe and company. "Quick, everyone, form up behind me!" she instructed. Quickly, she looked in all directions as if searching for something, and once she found what she was looking for,
50.Storm of Destruction
Urion continued flying at full speed through the large opening he had created in the floors of the inverted pyramid, that is, the underground, to reach the surface. He destroys more and more structures, firing rays while holding Aiden trapped with one of his tentacles.The boy tried to break free, but it was useless; he screamed and struggled with desperation. He even managed to bite the tentacle, causing it to loosen slightly, but soon it tightened again and squeezed him with greater force. Before he lost consciousness, the guardian mentally told him: "It is still too early for you to die. You will not perish from a fall; you will have the privilege of being finished off by a guardian. You are valuable to that person, but dangerous to us." Aiden took his last breath, wondering who "we" were and if there were more of them, before passing out from the pressure of the tentacle.Meanwhile, the robots from Zeus's company, upon hearing the order given by the lead robot from t
49.The Guardian's Transformation
The cocoon began to open slowly, revealing a strange and fascinating creature. First, horns resembling antennae emerged, attached to what appeared to be its head, followed by arms similar to those of a human. Finally, the rest of the body slid out of the cocoon with an almost hypnotic grace. Once the red light enveloping the cocoon had completely faded, the creature was fully exposed to everyone.It had a humanoid shape, but its head was adorned with two pincers that could initially be mistaken for antennae. Its face resembled that of a human, except for the nose, which had been replaced by a structure akin to that of an insect. Instead of a nose, it had bright red eyes with blue irises that seemed to burn like embers. Its body was covered with lion-like skin, and its hands had four long, slender fingers. Its feet ended in hooves, though they gave the impression of wearing shoes due to their natural design. On its back, a protective shell housed small insect-like wings, still motionle
48.A New Menace
Adia watched as the mysterious figure finished off the monster that had once taken so much effort for them to defeat in the past. In truth, they hadn’t managed to defeat it back then; they had only succeeded in sending it back through the portal. But who is he? He doesn’t seem human. Maybe he’s a monster too, Adia thought, her mind clouded by gaps in her memory. Her gaze slid over the dark armor that completely covered the stranger. Perhaps he hides his face because he knows no one could bear to look at it."Podbe, are you okay? I’ve got you, buddy," said Aiden as he carefully picked Podbe up from the ground. The dog mumbled Aiden's name, his voice weak but filled with determination. "That hit hurt," Podbe said through the link, looking up at Aiden with golden eyes that gleamed with a mix of pain and pride. "What are you doing here? Weren’t you trying to open that portal?" asked the dog. To which Aiden replied, "That doesn’t matter anymore. The guy destroyed the monster instantly."Bo
47.Stolen Soul
In the cave where Agent I-Five entered and from which he has yet to emerge, we encounter Xen, an artificial intelligence housed within a robot whose design resembles a metallic skeleton wrapped in armored plates. On a cold, rusted table, unable to move, lay the agent, with a helmet connected to a machine that looked like an old computer, as large as if it were an industrial server from another era. The air was thick with static electricity, and the constant hum of fans echoed off the damp walls of the cave."I still haven't found anything valuable; I'd better keep investigating," said Xen coldly as he observed the bound agent, his mechanical eyes glowing with a reddish gleam. "And I enjoy inflicting pain on others," he added with a frivolous laugh that resonated like scraping metal.As he continued to dig through the memories in the agent's brain, a shrill alarm shattered the silence. On the central computer screen, an alert appeared: the mutated creatures, known as the moles, had bee
