Just Die a Little?!

C-Come again?! K-Kill?! The Bear froze… 

It did, but Gray sure didn't. This bet? It was time to crush it! He eagerly jumped on the bear's back, "TO FREEEEEDOOOOMMM!" 

The bear started walking shakily at first, but gained confidence with every step, until they were full-blown in a running spree, even the damn trees quaking on their passage! 

But a certain asshole still wasn't impressed… 

"Pfft— What are you trying to do? Momentum's useless." 

Even as the Bear rushed on all four, the guy easily followed behind them like a crazed shadow. Yet, none of that mattered! The two kept going until… 

— CRASH! CRASH! —

With one last hurrah, they left the prison. 

The effect was instantaneous. Gray saw it directly. 

A glowing white-ish chain the color of death. It appeared right on the bear's heart, the latter crying in agony as it crumbled as fast as an influencer at boot camp. 

"Roooooaaaaaarrrrr!" 

The chain went all the way back to the pond!

"Hehe, I can't wait. Remember, First Year Mana only!" 

Gray wholeheartedly ignored the comments, petting his furry friend. He could feel its pain even as it tried its best to hold it in. It didn't want the bastard to have the satisfaction! 

"Teddy. You trust me, right? Here's what we'll do…" 

The more Gray shared, the wider the bear's eyes got. This plan was so freaking crazy that the shock outweighed the pain at that moment! H-He couldn't be serious, right?!

He was. The weird Human 100% was. 

"I'd do things differently. But this Soul Chain's too much even for me…" Gray sighed profoundly. The source of the magic wasn't something he could tackle just yet. 

That's why he had to improvise instead.

And this improvisation sure was one hell of an ask! 

"Just let it go. Let everything go. Focus on my voice. Living's overrated anyway…" 

At this moment, the entire forest seemed to quiet with his voice. Gray was akin to a dark guru encouraging… suicide?! That's when the resisting bear's expression changed. 

Resolve. Courage. Hope. And finally, peace. 

Along with this, the bear fucking died… 

Its soul escaped its body and… 

— WOOSH! GRAB! — 

That's when it happened! 

The Soul Chain? It instantly reached for the bear's soul, pulling on it just like a claw machine! It was collecting its reward! Even in death, the Bear would have no rest. It belonged to the forest! 

"Hahahaha! Seems like you failed in the end! Guess that means I w—"

But Gray had been ready! Just as the Soul Chain yanked the Bear's Soul… he struck! Grabbing a soul before the Master of Heaven's Souls?! BIG FUCKING MISTAKE! 

[Ding! Obtained Rampaging Bear Soul!]

As it quietly floated inside his Soul Pen, a certain Soul Chain went crazy! The Soul it was guarding?! It was GONE! It wasn't just gone; it wasn't in this world anymore! 

Left without purpose, it started imploding on itself! 

The Pond's Magic Source? Disappearing! 

The Soul Chain? Entirely crumbling! 

Seeing this, a nearby mage stared, his eyes bulging. MADMAN! This guy was a freaking madman! Free the bear?! He hadn't just freed it but also slaughtered it in the process?!

"D-Didn't you say the goal was getting a pet?! What did you even do that for?!" 

What would he bloody do? Stuff it and just put it in his living room?! At this moment, the man suddenly saw his deserved win melting like snow under the sun. Except Gray wasn't done… 

"Don't you fucking die on me, now!"

The body was still warm! Without hesitating, he grabbed the Bear's Soul and chucked it back into its body! Except, there was nothing?! The poor thing was utterly lifeless. 

W-Was it already too late once a soul left its body?!

What if bringing it to the Library Realm had screwed it up?

What if, for all his planning, Gray had just killed the poor thing?! 

"Pfft— Did you seriously think that would work? You won, but at what cost? Hehe, at least you can make a nice bear rug now, idiot!"

A bear rug?! That was it! 

"Fight, you bastard! You REALLY don't want to be a bear rug! I'll put my smelly feet all over you, drop food all over, forget to wash you, and—!" 

But as if that wasn't enough, he even got down next to it and started performing CPR! Breathe, PUSH! Breathe, PUSH! Gray had seemingly turned mad… or had he?! 

"C-cough! C-Cough! Roooooarrrrr…" 

It was a pained roar, but one nonetheless. 

As it opened its eyes, a certain Bear couldn't stop shaking. It had only been for an instant, but it had seen it, seen it all. This weird human was SCARY! 

An entire freaking world.

A Soul Pen full of damned souls. 

A Library so tall it overshadowed Heaven. 

And yet, he now had such a silly smile on his face, his body drenched in bear saliva. He also looked so glad, tears streaming out of his eyes. The Bear suddenly felt warm.

W-Was this… family?! It had been so long... 

"Hehe, welcome back! Look left for a fun sight!" Gray pointed at a certain mage.

"I-IMPOSSIBLE! Even the Duke himself wouldn't be able to—"

The insurmountable bad guy that had caused the bear endless misery was now shaking like a leaf. The aura of invincibility and all the sadistic playfulness? It was totally gone! 

The Prison he had spent so much effort building? Crushed! The worst was that even now, he wasn't even sure how it had freaking happened! This should have been impossible, and yet?! 

"Pfft— Impossible? Do I look like the Duke? I'm obviously far more suave! You know, if you want, I can show you how I did it. All you have to do is die a little bit. C'mon, it'll be fun~!"

This bastard, he wasn't just gloating about his victory. He was downright offering to kill him! But just as he couldn't seem to take it, the man finally remembered something as he chuckled. 

"Hehe. Enjoy your triumph while it lasts. Soon that Candidate of yours will be dead. Bear, no bear, it won't change a goddamn thing!"

With those ominous words, he disappeared like a ghost. Left alone, the duo shared a meaningful look. 

"….."

"….."

"….."

"Roarrrrrr…." (This is bad!) 

"Hehe, what a sore loser, am I right!" 

The Bear stared in shock. Why wasn't its new master worried in the least?! But little did it know that stirring trouble was its master's greatest strength, right after his handsomeness!

"Hehe, with this, you're officially my Disciple! Now, no time to rest. We got LOTS of work to do!" Gray happily cackled as he glanced at his new s̶l̶a̶v̶e̶ friend. 

Earth Magic? Perfect to create a foundation! 

Sharp eviscerating claws? Perfect to chop some wood!

Large, powerful back? Perfect to carry building materials! 

"Hehe. It's time to create an empire! See those trees? I want them DOWN!" 

The Bear couldn't help but tremble. Its new master was ruthless! Even after they had won, he would still take it out on the man's Hunting Grounds! Talk about a man of commitment! 

— CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! — 

As they started razing the forest, Gray couldn't help but glance at the horizon, wondering how his disciples were doing.

Had they succeeded in their missions? They weren't causing trouble, right? 

Naw, he had given them very detailed instructions. 

Surely everything would be fine….