The Strange Cat from Fuuto

With a "click," the bookshelf box flipped over, revealing the passageway inside.

"Come in, you're the first person to see my collection!"

Serena, who was leading the way, led Miku, who was constantly looking around, through the passage and into a dark room hidden behind the bookshelves.

"Snapped!"

After the lights in the dark room were turned on, Miku's eyes widened slightly.

There was no other reason than that one wall in the dark room was covered with all kinds of rings, roughly counting at least dozens.

Each ring has its own base, and there is a detailed description below the base.

In addition, Serena had filled another wall with all sorts of antiques, and dark-colored, differently shaped magic gems were placed on the third wall of the dark room.

On the fourth wall are strange and wonderful magical artifacts, some of which are completely damaged, while others remain sealed.

But none of these things were as eye-catching as the item placed in the center of the dark room.

In the center of the dark room was a specially made stone platform, on which sat a soft cushion sewn with silk, and on the cushion was a fist-sized, crystal-clear magic gem.

"How about it? My collection isn't bad, is it?"

With a rare hint of smugness on her face, Serena slightly puffed out her meager chest. Miku paced back and forth in the warehouse, but his attention was entirely focused on the magic gems and magic rings.

How did you manage to gather all this stuff?

"I haven't been staying at home all these decades. I occasionally travel around the world. Many of the things here are things I acquired through trade, but some I brought back from my travels around the world!"

Miku didn't listen to Serena at all; his attention was entirely focused on the magic gems in front of him. "These magic gems should be useless by now!"

"That's right, I've absorbed all the magic power from these magic gems. What's left are just the outer shells. I left the ones I thought were still presentable here!"

"Oh!" Miku, who had become nothing more than a pile of decorations after learning about the magic gems, immediately lost all interest, while the dazzling array of magic rings truly dazzled his eyes.

"Could you sell me a few of these magic rings?" Miku, who was squatting on the ground, turned to Serena and said, "I'll pay with magic!"

"Sure, after all, I don't have the raw materials to make magic gems for you right now. The reason I called you in here isn't that I didn't want you to use them!" Serena readily agreed to this. Knowing that she was a big consumer of magic power, she brought Miku in tonight to promote her magic gems and exchange Miku's magic power to maintain her own condition.

Once her magic is depleted, she will age rapidly, transforming from a youthful, innocent girl into a middle-aged woman with sagging skin within seconds.

There might even be a "spare tire" around the stomach!

"Alright, I'll pick a few later, but I'm more curious about this magic gem!"

Miku, circling the central stone platform, was very curious as to why Serena didn't use this magic gem as a magic power replenishment.

"This part..."

Serena, looking somewhat dejected, shook her head, indicating that she didn't want to say more.

"If you don't want to say anything more, then forget it!"

Miku, having chosen several rings, gestured for Serena to help him take them off, especially one that caught his eye.

After the two left, the lights in the dark room were turned off.

But suddenly a light shone brightly, illuminating the surroundings!

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Game with Medusa!

Late at night, in Torii-Bando Ward, at Serena's residence.

In the deep darkness of the night, Miku's eyes were half-open, and several magic rings were reflected in his pupils, which had shrunk to a thin line.

Serena had already gone to sleep, and Iggy was sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep. Miku was the only one still awake in the entire house.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I didn't expect Serena to have this kind of stock in her possession!"

Miku's eyes gleamed as he fiddled with the rings around him.

"I've already taken down the Grimlin who caused this trouble. If things had continued as they were, the mage would have gathered all four elements and obtained the power of the Infinite Dragon, and he would have also gathered the other mages the White Mage needed to act as human sacrifices."

"And by then, I'll probably be targeted too, so I might as well add a little bit of fun to the game beforehand!"

Miku, his claws hooked around a ring, revealed a savage smile. "Perfect timing, I've also acquired a related item!"

At this moment, hazy moonlight streamed in through the window.

The moonlight shone on Miku, and the shadow behind him looked like a demon god.

"Then let's set off!"

Miku silently slipped out of the living room and stood in the flower field. The violet field he had once burned down was now flourishing even more thanks to the amplification from the jungle ring.

"Dirve On!"

A flash of light appeared on Miku's back, and the driver appeared on Miku's back, the ring on its tail sweeping across the middle of the driver.

"Wild Start!"

A wild red magic circle passed through Miku's body, and after transforming, he switched back to jungle mode without saying a word.

"Jungle Start!"

After the dazzling and gorgeous transformation illusion, several roots sprouted from Miku's feet. Miku, who let himself be entangled by the roots, was pulled into the ground and disappeared into the flower field.

Moonlight spilled over the violet field, and a gentle evening breeze caused the vibrant violets to sway slightly, adding to the hazy atmosphere of the night.

........

Hundreds of meters underground, in a narrow space supported by unknown plant roots, a woman with long, flowing hair had her eyes closed. Her body was completely wrapped in roots, and she could not move at all.

Every now and then, dark purple magic is drawn from her body and transported through her roots to other roots to maintain the seal.

"Scratching..."

In the narrow space, the damp ground was broken open by several thick tree roots, from which a wooden cocoon slowly emerged.

"Crackling..."

The roots peeled off the cocoon one by one like blooming flowers, revealing one of them.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Miku chuckled softly as his feet touched the damp earth. Medusa's eyelids trembled slightly before revealing a pair of clear eyes, but those eyes were filled with overwhelming hatred.

"very good!"

Medusa gritted her teeth and spoke with a stubborn refusal to accept defeat on her face, "Why did you come here to see me? To mock me?"

"Or are you just satisfying your lewd tastes?"

"You have such a sharp tongue!"

Miku strolled up to Medusa and reached out to brush his hand across her lips. Medusa turned her head away in disgust, her eyes filled with raging fury.

"Don't be so smug. One day I will leave this place, turn you to stone, and finally smash you to pieces with my own hands!"

"Oh dear, I'm so scared!"

Feigning fear, Miku suddenly pinched Medusa's cheek and said coldly, "Are you waiting for your sage?"

Medusa's eyes widened slightly, then her pupils contracted. "How did you know about the Sage's existence?"

"It's simple, after all, that guy locked me up for half a year!"

"what?"

Don't you believe me?

Miku, having released his grip, took two steps back, turned his back, and slowly said, "Then let me ask you a few questions first!"

"Humph!"

Medusa, who didn't want to pay attention to Miku, snorted coldly. Miku, unconcerned, continued, "The first question is about the birth of the Phantom."

"I think you know more about this than I do, can you tell me?"

Miku turned around, his hands behind his back, and looked at Medusa with a leisurely air.

Medusa gave him a cold look, turned her head away, and didn't want to say anything.

"Then let me explain. The creation of the Phantom involved three steps!"

"The first requirement is a human with magical aptitude, which is the [door] you've been searching for."

The second point is to instill despair in them, causing a significant change in the magic of the [Door], and condensing it into a magical aggregate.

The third and most crucial point is that the Phantom completely devoured everything in the "Door" and came into the world!

Miku, who held up three fingers, shrugged when Medusa didn't answer. "Then let's take a look at the key points of a magician's birth!"

"What's amazing is that there are three steps!"

Miku covered his mouth with both hands, feigning surprise: "The first two points are the same as the steps in the creation of the Phantom, but the third point is different!"

"That is because [The Door] suppressed and controlled the Phantom within its body through its own power, thus qualifying [The Door] to become a magician!"

What good is all this to me?

Medusa finally spoke, coldly laughing, "What are you trying to say by telling me all this?"

"I'm saying all this just to prepare you mentally!"

"After all, the real issue is yet to come!"

After saying that, Miku deactivated his transformation and revealed his true form: a round-headed cat with blue fur and gold spots!

"this...."

Medusa, stunned speechless by the scene before her, stared blankly at the cat on the ground with a mocking expression.

"How is this possible? A beast is actually a magician? This is impossible!"

"That guy was also surprised when he first saw me, but it happened anyway, didn't it?"

Miku tilted its head and flicked its tail. "You're quite surprised, aren't you? The being that defeated you and sealed you here was a cat, not even a human!"

Medusa, whose emotions were in turmoil, paused for a moment before letting out a low laugh.

"Hehehe..."

"Hahahahaha..."