Chapter 188: The Mystery Key And Maren’s New Mission!

"WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?!" Cael yelled, his mouth dripping with rich, reddish broth from the ramen.

"It’s ramen," Neve muttered, folding his arms tightly across his chest and looking away.

Just a few minutes ago, he had been nearly bursting with excitement to devour every single strand in that bowl. But after taking barely three slurps, his stomach had done a violent turn. His appetite instantly vanished, replaced by a sudden, wave of nausea. His pregnancy taste buds had betrayed him again. The burning craving was completely gone, leaving him disgusted by the very smell that had made him cry earlier.

Not wanting such expensive food to go soggy or get thrown away, he had shoved the steaming bowl into Cael’s hands to finish.

Cael had accepted the bowl with extreme caution, his brow heavily furrowed. He even tilted his head, peering into the broth as if expecting a sea monster to snap out at him.

"What kind of container is this?" Cael asked, running a calloused thumb along the smooth plastic rim. He had never felt a material so lightweight yet sturdy.

"Just eat it, will you?" Neve huffed, waving his hand impatiently for him to hurry up.

Cael picked up the thin wooden chopsticks, trying his best to mimic the way Neve had held them moments before. But his thick, clawed fingers were far too clumsy for the delicate utensils. The more he tried to pincer the slick noodles, the more his frustration grew. His grip slipped, the wood clicked uselessly together, and the noodles kept splashing right back into the broth.

With a growl of annoyance, he abandoned the sticks entirely. He plunged his bare hand straight into the bowl, grabbing a handful of dripping noodles and shoving them straight into his mouth.

He didn’t even care how hot it was. The second the rich, savory broth and springy noodles hit his tongue, Cael’s eyes snapped wide open in shock. His jaw dropped, a piece of green onion stuck to his lip.

He stared down at the remaining bowl like he had just witnessed magic.

Without another second of hesitation, he used his claws like a spade, scooping up every last noodle, slurping them down his throat with enthusiasm, and tipping the entire plastic bowl up to gulp down every drop of broth in one go.

It was fiery and spicy, far stronger than anything cooked in the wild, but he squeezed his eyes shut and breathed heavily through his nose, his mouth slightly open and his tongue hanging out to cool the burn.

"What is this thing?" Cael breathed out, blinking rapidly at the licked-clean plastic. "How did you make this out of thin air?"

He was completely entranced, looking at Neve with a mix of awe and deep suspicion. Was it beast-god magic? Some secret spatial ability Neve had kept hidden?

"It’s complicated," Neve said evasively, plucking the empty bowl from Cael’s grease-stained hands. The plastic was durable and still in good shape—it would be a waste to throw it out. With a subtle flick of his mind, he stashed the bowl away into his system inventory.

He looked back up at Cael, who was staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes, clearly praying for a second serving.

"It was ridiculously expensive," Neve warned flatly. "So don’t get your hopes up. There’s no way I’m getting another one till further notice."

"Oh," Cael said, his ears drooping slightly as his disappointment bled through. Then his eyes brightened. "I have some crystals stored at my home. When we get back there, I’ll give them all to you so you can buy five more bowls."

Neve felt a sudden, violent urge to stab Cael in the thigh with one of the wooden chopsticks, but he forced himself to take a deep, calming breath. He couldn’t really blame him; Cael had no idea how the system worked or what Bond Points were. The guy was just trying to be sweet and supportive in his own primitive way.

"That’s literally impossible," Neve sighed. Before Cael could overwhelm him with more useless offers, Neve quickly changed the subject. "How’s the competition going outside? I assume Varek is acting as the judge since he’s stepped down from taking the crown. But is there anyone else?"

"Varek and Skarr," Cael answered simply, wiping his mouth with the back of his arm.

"Oh." Neve rubbed his chin, a thought sparking in his mind as he digested the news.

"Can you tell Skarr to meet me later?" Neve asked. "Not right now—I need to rest. Maybe once the competition wraps up. He might have a way to get us all home without us having to trek through that miserable desert on foot." He was counting heavily on the spatial teleportation ability Skarr had inherited from Zyreth’s body.

"Sure, I’ll let him know," Cael agreed easily. He turned and walked toward the sunny cave entrance, glancing back once. "I’ll go find him now and deliver your message."

As soon as Cael’s tall shadow vanished from the doorway, Neve carefully lowered himself onto his side on the soft furs. He adjusted his posture slowly, cradling his slightly rounded belly until he found a comfortable position.

He let out a long, exhausted sigh. It was deeply infuriating that his stomach had ruined his long-awaited ramen moment. Worse still was the realization of how the system worked: if he wanted to buy more food, he had to physically initiate intimate moments with his mates to farm Bond Points. The whole setup was starting to feel less like a neat cheat code and more like an embarrassing form of punishment.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the market interface, letting the glowing blue light wash over his face. He began idly scrolling through the vast catalogs, his mouth watering all over again at the colorful imagery. There were bags of crunchy salted chips, sweet chocolates, fiery spicy snacks, fresh tropical fruits, vegetables, and tender cuts of marbled meat. Anything a craving heart could desire.

And yet, his Bond Point balance sat at a painful zero. He gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"Maybe I should have shoved Cael onto the floor and kissed him again before he left..." Neve grumbled to himself, his finger flicking aggressively down the floating screen.

He paused when he saw tub after tub of rich ice cream—vanilla, dark chocolate, strawberry swirl. Neve groaned aloud, speeding up his scrolling to escape the torture. He wanted to see if the system market was strictly limited to food or if there were other categories unlocked.

As he scrolled past the grocery sections, odd modern items began popping up. There were basic home appliances like toaster ovens and electric kettles—completely useless in a world without a single power outlet. Then came rows of modern clothes, heavy iron padlocks, and metal keys.

Neve raised a brow when his eyes caught the absurd prices attached to the keys. Plain metal keys to basic padlocks were listed at fifty Bond Points each.

Then his gaze locked onto one specific key sitting at the very bottom of the page.

It cost a whopping 1,000 Bond Points.

Neve scoffed, about to scroll right past what was obviously a system scam, but curiosity got the better of him. He tapped the item to open its detailed description.

The moment the text expanded, his eyes widened in total shock.

[Item Name: The Gateway Key to Earth]

[Description: A legendary key that opens the dimensional gateway between the Beast World and Earth. This key is the only way to return to your original world and your original body. Warning: One Key can only be used once per person. Use wisely. Key does not appear in the Beast World until purchased. Door location will be revealed upon purchase.]

Neve’s breath hitched in his throat. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, staring intently at the glowing words, blinking hard to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him.

It wasn’t a joke. It was a real, tangible way to go home. A way back to Earth, back to his old life, his old apartment, and his normal human body.

’Where is the door, though?’ he wondered, his mind racing. There certainly wasn’t a dimensional portal sitting out in the middle of the outcast territory. It would probably spawn somewhere specific the moment the key was bought.

He stared at the description for a long time, the initial spike of shock slowly settling into a heavy, complicated knot in his chest.

Did he even want to go back?

Before, it would have been an instant yes. But now? Things were vastly different. He had unborn cubs growing inside him. He had mates who were utterly devoted to him. He was right in the middle of helping build a safe haven for their tribe. Going back to Earth meant walking away from all of it—abandoning his children, leaving Cael and the others behind forever.

With a quiet, troubled sigh, Neve saved the key’s location to his favorites tab. He closed the detailed window and went back to mindlessly scrolling through the endless market pages until the soothing quiet of the cave caught up with him, his heavy eyelids fluttered shut, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

.

.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the churning ocean waves in the territory of the Shark Clan...

Maren floated in the cool, blue depths of an underwater cavern. A soft chime echoed directly in his mind as a luminous system panel manifested in front of him.

[Main Mission 2: Heal Mother — COMPLETED!]

Maren let out a small stream of bubbles as he smiled softly. But before he could fully relax, the screen flashed a vibrant amber color, transitioning to the next prompt.

[New Mission Unlocked!]

[Mission Directive: Gather the earthlings and return to Earth.]

[Task 1 — Earthlings Found: 0/3]

[Task 2 — Find The Key]

[Task 3 — ???]

(Note: Complete Task 1 and Task 2 to unlock Task 3.)

Maren stared at the transparent screen, his webbed fingers twitching slightly as he absorbed the information.

So his hunch had been right. There were three other humans from Earth stranded in this brutal beast world alongside him. He had already met Neve and confirmed his suspicions—they had recognized each other. But that meant there were still two others scattered somewhere out there across this massive, primitive land.

He had to track down the remaining two earthlings. And then, somehow, he had to locate this legendary key that could breach the boundaries between dimensions and carry them all back to where they belonged.

"This is going to be a whole lot of work," Maren muttered to himself as he rubbed his temples and stared at the daunting task ahead.