Pseudo Dragons?

Horado kept walking towards a random direction as the beasts that were unlucky enough to have made their territories where Horado is planning to go could only sigh and avoid his gaze and didn't even make a threatening sound in fact they were hanging their heads low to the ground to the point that they were practically scrubbing them on it.

"Anyone who wants to be my food?" Horado jokingly asked but the animals who heard it started to tremble in fear then desperately tried to scrape up some of their remaining food and present them.

"Huh?" Horado was confused as to what the beasts were doing yet he isn't cruel enough to bully the weaker beasts just because he can so he shook his head and continued walking.

The beasts of course were confused as to why the bipedal beast didn't even take something from their food piles, perhaps it did not like them? was the thought that floated inside the beasts mind yet they doubted it as if it was true then they would have been killed just like what the zombie cat did to them in the past so it wasn't a surprise that they were wary.

Time passed and many beasts still did the same thing, the sheer distance that Horado had traveled is already equivalent to a small city yet the city he was on is still continuing far into the horizon yet still even now there are no signs of human settlements although the beasts are now willingly attacking him which earned him tons of food while the beasts which used to be ruled by the zombie cat could only sneer in contempt at the barbaric beasts of their neighbor which angered their new king, even though said king doesn't understand what he had just done so he doesn't really rule over them.

[Master we have been walking for three days and nights now if you don't sleep you won't be able to fight well against anyone who wants to kill the two of you] The AI advised but Horado only looked around and can only see towering buildings after towering buildings which was quite annoying even though it was pretty interesting for him.

"No can do the faster we confirm a settlement the less taxing it would be on my mind" Horado said as he himself hates the idea of cooperating with humans who got used to killing.

[Master... think about it this way if you die then Aisha-279 would most likely be used as a plaything and experience a life worse than death, do you really want her to suffer like that?] The AI said which snapped Horado wide awake and went straight to a mall and sat on a couch in the furniture section.

"What's wrong with me? Did I just really forget Aisha?" Horado couldn't believe himself.

[Don't worry Master, If you forget again then I will just remind you] The AI said while Horado was on the brink of sleeping.

'It seems that I am still at the very least a living being...' This was Horado's last thought as his consciousness drifted into the abyss.

[Your pushing yourself too hard, Master] The AI muttered in a low volume as it started to watch the surroundings for potential enemies.

After an hour of rest Horado was already in top shape which made him be thankful once again about how he is no longer human in this life since being able to rest for only a short while yet still be in top shape is extremely useful for the current era which made him unconciously smile.

[Master Aisha-279's brain activity shows that she is currently happy] The AI reported in a monotone manner but if someone can see inside its own processing area then they would see electric arcs seemingly jumping around with joy.

"Let's continue since our food supply ain't gonna last if I don't kill some more" Horado said as he picked up Aisha's culture vat then go straight into the supermarket section.

[Master there are at least ten beasts whose sizes are comparable to that boar pig you had defeated earlier] The AI warned but knew that those boar pigs are not a threat to Horado

"Weird, they don't seem to be hostile even though I already invaded their territory..." Horado became cautious yet he still didn't brandish his improvised spear as it might alarm the beasts, anyone will become hostile if they are pointed at with a sharp item.

["Woah!"] Both Horado and the AI couldn't help but feel awe at the sight since the supermarket which is supposed to house food looks entirely like a cave with glowing crystals seemingly being powered.

"Can you analyze those? Those crystals seems to be powered not reflecting light" Horado couldn't help but ask his AI companion.

[It is unclear however I am intrigued by its prospects as well] The AI honestly said however they can't just harvest some of those crystals without any permission.

"How about trading some food for those crystals?" Horado asked but he would still make the trade even if the AI didn't agree.

[Is Master sure? I for one suggest that Master just annihilate those beasts, Master has enough power and experience to kill them] The AI honestly said.

"I know I can but I can't just kill peaceful beings just to take something from them" Horado said with a smile.

[Master really is weird] The AI couldn't help but say since as far as it could remember humans are creatures who always get whatever they want through sheer force be it by violence, power, authority, or power. In Horado's memory it remembered that it saw plenty of instances of that happening between humans and animals then humans to humans as males seek out females however those females almost always seem to seek Horado out for protection even though he doesn't have power, authority, or money yet he has still dares to protect whoever asks him for it which is always quite the spectacle to watch as those males back off whenever he appears.

The question he was having now is why Horado didn't have a intimate relationship with a female even though he is well respected by the males, that should have been a massive factor in getting females as it shows that he is the dominant male.

"Why do I get the feeling that you are thinking about something weird?" Horado couldn't help but ask.

[It's nothing really Master, it's just that I find that you are incredibly pathetic for not getting a female even though you are clearly the most dominant male] The AI honestly said which shot through Horado's sore spots of the past. It was an incredibly low blow even for the AI.

"Ugh... I'm just going to give them the meat of that zombie cat, can you eject it?" Horado felt as if his entire status suddenly dropped down to one.

The AI wanted to tease Horado more but felt danger coming from inside of it so it refrained from doing so and just followed what Horado asked of it.

The beasts who noticed the sudden smell of an appetizing meal shot out from under the ground and appeared before Horado wondering whether the being in front of them would eat the meat.

Horado was in awe of the beasts as he didn't expect them to look so similar to a pangolin and a hedgehog along with a strange mix of a bat as he could see a thin membrane under their shell with half drill like claws that if put together looks like a complete drill. Horado could practically see the beasts before him either curl up into a ball then fly/glide or become something along the lines of a pseudo dragon or a armored flying squirrel then dive down while spinning making complex tunnels.

Horado nudged the corpse of the Zombie Cat closer to the pseudo dragon's before him then he gestured at the crystals then to himself, surprisingly the pseudo dragons understood and took a large crystal that is at least two times the size of the Zombie Cat and nudge it towards Horado then bowed so Horado copied this. The pseudo dragon's dragged the corpse back underground so Horado could study the crystal further.

[I didn't expect that Master could seriously carry out a trade with beasts] The AI was incredibly surprised by this, heck even Horado was since he seriously didn't expect it to work however unknown to them for those pseudo dragons they were actually gaining more that 100x profit from the corpse of the zombie cat not to mention the remnant energy that came from Horado could help them evolve thus they swore to help him whenever he needed them. The crystals they use as food isn't even worth mentioning to the remnant energy from Horado.

"This crystals look as if they are quartz yet strangely they can generate their own power" Horado could tell that much with just a glance.

[You are correct Master] The AI was honestly surprised.

"With closer inspection you could say that this crystals are more akin to plants evident by how those creatures dug them up which is by digging under them and although extremely faint I can see roots under them" Horado said once he took a closer inspection.

[Master is once again right]

"The real question is how they generate their own power, it's not like there is light here nor does it seem like this crystals take it from underground using the roots" Horado was perplexed by this so he decided to touch it but it started to emit a bright glow as if it was absorbing something beneficial to it.

Horado quickly took his hand off of the crystal which caused it to dim yet the part he had touched had already changed to also emit heat.

[Master please don't ever do that again] The AI begged as it's batteries were almost overloaded.

"It's not like I knew that it would act that way" Horado said as he stored the crystal by inching the culture vat closer then leaving the place yet unknown to them a spore with the new properties that Horado accidentally fused to the crystal had taken root thus making the pseudo dragons food source to become much better and also accelerating their growth. In the future will they become dragonic mammals or something else entirely?