There was no grand welcoming as the Stolen Constellation's combat group returned to the town. The guards just checked their ID's, glanced over their bags for a brief moment to ensure no contraband was being brought inside the city, not that they would find anything since the more valuable stuff the kids had from the dungeon was hidden within their spatial storage rings that did not look like ones, with only the cheapest of stuff visible in their backpacks they always had on them upon exiting the town. It would seem way too suspicions had they left without them and arrived just as light- especially so after days of absence from the town.

  "You think he will like it?" asked Mika as the group walked towards their mansion, the entire group no doubt thinking, drooling almost, at the thought of spending the next few hours within hot bath. As though reading everyone's minds, or expressing her own, Izumi just groaned.

  "Bath first, everything else after."

  "Amen!/ Fuck yes!" came similar groans from the group around, though Izumi did grace Mika with an answer nevertheless.

  "Of course he will like it. If only for the fact that it's a gift from us- his dear 'children' returning from their first real adventure."

  That did earn a laugh from Carla, despite their mental exhaustion.

  "There are eyes on us." Chiyo spoke in a hushed tone, though loud enough that the party heard it.

  "If anyone tries to stand between me, my well deserved bath and snack stash, I am going to skin them alive. While boiling their blood with a curse or two." Emi almost hissed, a demon unseen awakening within her. The poor sweet tooth had run out of snacks during the third day, becoming an absolute menace for any monster group that came at them past that. She even earned a title- Demon of sweets- because of her actions.

  Demon of sweets- Never stand between a sweet tooth and their snacks, lest you awake the monster within. When in their snack withdrawal, their magic becomes more potent, amplifying all magical effects by 5%.

  Powerfull? Decently so, especially when the effects of similar nature started to stack up, but just about as useless as a nuke in the hands of a non bugged civilisation Gandhi. What kind of a sweet tooth would willingly push themselves to the hell that was the absence of their favourite snack anywhere near them? Jea, Emi would never willingly submit herself to such torture and everyone who had seen her in that state would almost swear that the girl would hound Jack for another spatial ring just so she could load it to the brim with nothing but emergency snacks so a similar situation would never occur.

  Thus, with a strong desire, bordering on the call of a divinity, the group advanced with slightly raised pace towards their home, with Kaede and Kenji almost chanting 'bath' as they did so. The eyes on them never left though up until the very moment they crossed the gates leading inside their property. The group was almost flying at that point, their backpacks falling off their backs the second their crossed the doors as they all shot towards the baths. At this point, it was each for themselves, with a saviour call coming from the stairs that led towards the bedrooms.

  "The other two bathing pools are restored and in working order, so have at it. All three are already prepared and waiting for you. Enjoy." Jack spoke with a smile on his face, almost getting tackled by Emi as she lunged at him, clearly having sensed the small bag of snacks in his hand.

  "I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you." she muttered as she hugged him and reached out for the snack bag.

  "I know. Go soak and relax in the meanwhile. A proper dinner will be awaiting you all once you are done." he added as he handed over the snack bag and shooed her off to bathe.

  With Emi serving as the mouthpiece of the party, the rest also quickly advanced towards the baths, a bit too conscientious about their disheveled and rather smelly states. Only the Sweets demon cared not for it, like a junkie being offered a fix for apparently free, thus her lunging and smothering Jack with her ever growing affection for the apparent father figure they had come to have in this world. Jack, having gone through worse times than whatever little extra odor the kids- Emi included- had, stood there like a champ wholly unaffected by it and allowed the young girl get it out of her system. Time period which, admittedly, did not last long, as less than a minute later she also skipped away towards the baths, happily humming with the snack bag in hand, the slightest blush of embarrassment finally having found its way towards her cheeks.

  With a quiet smile on his lips, Jack left it all as it was, no snide remark or teasing comment this time. He was quite proud, if anyone asked, about the way kids had handled their first proper time away from him for an extended period of time, as well as how well they had taken on the dungeon they had found themselves in. Sure, they kept in touch with him every day, as well as they took each and every advice he gave to heart, but it was as much their achievement as they were willing to believe themselves. It was they themselves who did the work, and no matter how many books one reads on a subject after which they then proceed to achieve something great in the same field, it does not diminish their value. At the end of the day, without their input, the task would not be achieved.

  While waiting for the kids to finish their bath, he returned to kitchen area where the rest of the guild was already working, bringing the celebratory meal closer and closer to its completed state. With the same, light smile on his face as earlier, Jack found his own place among the remaining symphony of the kitchen, adding his own little touches here and there, his eyes and hands working in unison, bringing a whole new harmony to the whirlpool of taste that was created all around him.

  With each dish his hands improved, yet another smile and a bit greater understanding regarding the art of taste formed on the faces of his guild members, expanding their own knowledge about the art in the process, as well as ensuring that yet another dish in their personal little banquet will leave unique and long lasting pleasant memories within the minds of those that consume it. What was being made here was no mere congratulatory dinner to mark the first successful dungeon clear of their guild. It would be a veritable feast with dishes that would mark this day in the history of their guild as one of importance and joy. Eventually, the spectacle within the kitchen had to come to an end, Jack's head tilting upward just a little bit as he stopped whatever he was doing.

  "It's time." he hummed, quickly finishing up the dish he was working on and turning his attention towards the farming squad. "All right team, time to set up the tables. The kids are coming down."he quickly gave the order and joined the rest of them in moving the dishes from kitchen to the now neatly decorated dining room and laying out the feast that was prepared. A minute or so later, the heroes of the hour descended, nice and clean and with pleased and relaxed expressions on their faces. The things a nice, hot and an hour or so long bath could do to calm and wash away the hardships and fatigue of a long and hard work week. A sheer bliss had settled on their faces, replaced by a smile and a drool as the first whiff of the just prepared feast hit their noses. Even Emi, slightly calmed thanks to her snacks could do nothing but gulp loudly, her own sweet demon awakening with force as she locked her eyes on a tray with particularly inviting sweet pastries, as though calling out her name and taunting the girl to come over.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "What are you waiting for?" Jack asked as he noticed how stuck the group seemed to be, almost as if stuck on a task too difficult to decide. His words did finally bring them out of their stupor, with Izumi and Carla taking the lead, approaching the table and taking their usual seats. With them leading the way, the rest quickly followed, finding their own seats and getting into their usual groove- smiling, laughing and having otherwise good time, dragging in the rest of the guild members as they regaled different moments from their time in the dungeon. Even Kate and Mika joined in, opening to their guild members more and more.

  Jack calmly sat in his own chair, his chin resting against his right knuckle,as he remained quiet and soaked in the light and all around happy atmosphere of the moment. Silence was nice, very much to his liking, yes, but there was simply something extra to moments like these, where unfiltered joy and camaraderie overflowed, creating a unique setting that could not be replicated by any other way. It was such a hard feat to achieve in the divine realm, as there was always some sort of a trickery or nasty plot going on, be it in order to curry more favour from him, or another similar advantage, or just his attention alone. There were plenty who thought that he, as a god of destruction, was quite gullible and easily played as they desired. They were all wrong of course, many of whom realized their folly far too late. There were no such plots here though, with everyone present doing their best to benefit the group in what way they could. Ahhh, good times indeed.

  --------------------

  "So? What's the occasion?" Jack asked the group of kids gathered before him as they surrounded him in his own room. Their small party had ended some hours ago, with the farmer squad remaining there and still messing around with the kids while Jack himself retired. He had filled his 'feels good meter' for the time being and was more than ready to get back to working on a new item only to be interrupted by a knock on his door. Sure, he had full knowledge of everyone within the mansion, but he had deemed it not necessary to track his own guild members, allowing them free and unsupervised movement all around. They had earned that much. Anyone not marked as one however was instantly locked on and tracked as though a predatory bird was flying high above, waiting for the right moment to strike.

  "We found something interesting in the dungeon." Started Izumi, who was apparently chosen as the spokesperson this time "and collectively decided that it would be quite appropriate gift to you for all that you have and will continue to do for us. And don't start that 'I am only doing it so I can coast easily as you all grow stronger and stronger' bullshit. It's clear that you could do just fine without us. And that just makes it all the more important that, whatever reason you might have had to pick us up and help us survive and grow, we show just how much we appreciate it. That and we think it would probably show the most amount of potential bonded to you anyhows." she added the last sentence a bit quieter, though still clear enough that Jack could hear. Then, she stretched out her hand, clasped together as an item materialized in her hands.

  Jack could have argued of course. He could have plenty of rebuttals for why he was already receiving plenty from them as it was. Experience he earned as they grinded. Attribute points for dungeons they conquered. Matter that they farmed, both for his experiments and their own needs. Pick one, or combine all three, but he could not deny their reasoning and desire to min-max the benefit of the item being presented to him. And were they min- maxing right now, even if they themselves had no idea just to what level were they doing so. He also could see another reason why they might have chosen to present it to him.

  A guardian. That was what they had acquired. More precisely, what was held up in Izumi's hands was a chimeric egg that would hatch once a bond was established with someone.

  Chimera guardian egg(unique)- An egg of a chimeric monster that needs to be bonded for it to hatch. Once bonded, the creature will hatch and forever be loyal to its bonded companion- master really. The rarity, form, potential and nature depends on that of its bonded master. with the former three based on the class rarity of the bonded, while personality of the chimeric creature would be one that meshes well with the nature of its master.

  Begin Bonding? Yes/No.

  "Haaah. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, haaa." Jack laughed as he read the description, realizing just how ridiculous that thing would be in his hands, at the same time thanking both Kenji and Kaede for their potential and the bounties it had brought. "Wow. Just wow." he spoke once his laugher came to somewhat of a halt. "Haah." He exhaled as he carefully took the egg, stashing it temporarily in his own spatial storage ring."Come here you all. Daddy's gotta give you all a hug." He laughed as he pulled Izumi in with one hand, while receiving an eager Emi with the other. The former semi-emo girl had shed much of her gloom and now looked much more like a typical young lady, all too eager to hug her new 'dad' and expressing her appreciation for his presence.

  "Thanks. Truly." He spoke as he hugged the two, beckoning the rest forwards as well once he released the two young ladies. Next came Kenji, though the young man seemed to opt for a handshake instead of a hug. Jack respected the young man, though he still ruffled his hair in a friendly manner, earning a slight grin from the youngster. Then came Kaede, hugging Jack as well, just like the girls before her, followed by a calm Chiyo and grinning Fumiko. The tomboy, despite her grin did not speak anything, basking in the hug as thought she had achieved some sort of a victory. Jack could give her it this time. It was important to show how much the gesture was appreciated, and what better way than a reaffirming hug with nothing but warmth in it. He was the dad for her, not Daddy mind you, so platonic love was expected.

  The last to come in for a hug were Mika and Kate. Both a bit nervous, yet quite eager as well. Normally, Jack would be worried for them, initiating such close contact, what with their past experiences and all, but he was a special entity for them, serving as more than just an older person to guide and protect them. He was the face of their salvation. An ideal of sorts taken form. They flanked him from both sides and locked him in a tight embrace, like two wings closing around the body of a bird.

  "So warm." Mika murmured as she nuzzled as close as she could, earning a humm of agreement from Kate.

  Jack just stood there, his hands gently stroking their hair. This hug lasted longer than the ones before, though none here would blame the two for it. What was no doubt a scary thought otherwise, but a desire deep, deep within them still existing, could be somewhat satisfied with Jack's presence. Eventually they did let go however, joining the rest of the group still waiting patiently just behind them. No doubt they all wanted to see what would come out of the egg once it was bonded. Jack, chuckled as he saw their expectant gazes, not complied nonetheless.

  "Once again, thank you for the gift. I suppose it is only fair I open it here and see what's inside, no?" he withdrew the egg once again, the description reappearing once again as well as the prompt for bonding. This time however, Jack mentally willed the 'yes' option, initializing the process.

  It took a few minutes, during which the snow white egg with golden patterns lightly glowed, but soon enough it was done. And once the binding was complete, accompanied by a system message a faint sound of cracking could be heard, as the tiny being inside had seemingly already acquired its form and was quite eager to break through the shell and greet the wider world. Slowly, the cracking sounds became bit by bit louder, as though the small creature was fighting against multiple layers that kept it away from the dangerous, yet beautiful and adventure filled world.

  With bated breaths, everyone watched and waited, their eyes locked on the snow white egg in Jack's hands. Finally though, a few extra long minutes later, with one final and much louder breaking noise, visible cracks formed on the outer shell of the egg, followed by another rather loud crack and splitting of the eggs upper part. Then, like some sort of a superhero, the small creatures head burst through the shell.

  "Well, damn." Jack chuckled as he gazed at the sight before his very eyes, his sight locked on the small, incredibly beautiful little lead poking out through the eggshell.

  Jack Raja(?)

  Age- 27

  Species- human(?)

  Level- 23

  Class- Twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(EX)

  Stats unassigned: +12

  Attributes:

  Strength- 24 (14+7+3)

  Vitality- 23 (12+8+3)

  Dexterity- 21 (15+6)

  Intelligence-7

  Spirit- Spirit- 25 (20+5)

  Skills- Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX), Choice of the creator(EX), Eyes of procurer(EX), Matter storage(EX), Arukain language(C), Spark of inspiration(EX).

  Spells- none.

  Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter, The brilliant rookie, The insane Solo. Monster debugger.The actor. Executioner. Survivor. Pioneer, Record breaker.The new champion supreme.

  Gear: amulet +2 vit: weapon- Gundao+3 str. Rings- spatial storage,