I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

The eagle responded with a small chirp before taking flight again, her wings beating powerfully. Tilbo slowly turned around and began descending the hill, disappearing among the bushes with his usual calmness.

Rourke jumped out of the tunic pocket, climbed down Lukas’s leg with extreme ease, and landed on the grass. He stopped for only a moment, his eyes scanning the new environment. Then, he ran toward some exposed roots nearby, disappearing among them while sniffing everything around him with great curiosity.

Within a few seconds, Lukas was alone. Or almost. He could still feel the calm presence of his companions scattered throughout the surroundings, a subtle connection that extended beyond his senses.

He climbed onto the large rock, his feet finding the rough surface. He slowly sat down, feeling the weight of his body settle. He crossed his legs, the familiar position he had assumed so many times during nights of meditation. He rested his hands on his knees, palms facing upward.

He closed his eyes, plunging into the inner darkness.

He inhaled deeply, feeling the cool air invade his lungs. He exhaled slowly, releasing the tension. Another breath, deeper. One more.

The sounds of the forest slowly began to lose their importance, their edges becoming blurred. The distant singing of birds, the wind passing through the leaves, the buzzing of insects. Everything remained there, but seemed increasingly distant, as if it were being heard through a thin curtain.

His attention sank inward, toward the silent space where his consciousness resided. The Lunar Source pulsed calmly within his chest, stable and constant. The five main channels remained completely stable, mana naturally circulating through his body without any difficulty.

It was a pleasant, harmonious sensation, as if his entire being were in perfect balance.

But Lukas was not searching for mana at that moment. He was searching for something else, a more subtle presence. The ability had awakened from the moment he touched the Awakening Crystal, a fundamental part of his being. Affinity with Beings.

For the first few minutes, nothing happened. Only silence, the stillness of the forest, the rhythm of his own breathing.

Then, as had happened so many times before, a familiar sensation emerged in the depths of his consciousness. It was like touching an invisible door, feeling its presence even without seeing it.

As soon as he found it, Lukas gently pushed it, without haste, without force.

Instantly, a silver light spread across the darkness of his mind, like the moon emerging from behind the clouds. Small points of light appeared before him, slowly rotating, forming delicate lines that began connecting to one another in complex patterns.

Little by little, those lines drew a kind of translucent panel, its edges glowing with a soft light. The letters appeared one after another, clear, and organized, as if they had always been there, waiting to be read.

[Current Affinity]

The names appeared just below, each accompanied by its percentage and ability.

Tilbo: 99% (Enhanced Strength)

Prata: 97% (Silver Threads)

Astra: 99% (Eagle’s Vision)

Finally, the last name appeared slowly, as if the ability itself recognized its importance, its uniqueness.

Rourke: 95%

Beside it, there were only two words. Two words that made Lukas’s heart stop for a moment.

(Rat King)

Lukas remained completely motionless, his breath caught. His gaze fixed on that name, the letters seeming to glow with an intensity of their own. Rat... King.

His heart beat a little faster, the beats echoing in his ears. His expression became serious, a wrinkle of concentration appearing on his forehead.

That name was not unfamiliar to him. Quite the opposite, he had heard it countless times, in different contexts, from different people.

The conversations between Clavor and Count Hark, were whispered during moments of concern. The reports of the knights who had been present on the day of the battle, their voices filled with admiration and fear. The comments of the guards, repeating stories that circulated throughout the region.

They all spoke of the same creature, the same monster. The Rank A monster. The one responsible for the enormous horde of giant rats that had threatened the entire region. The creature that had nearly endangered the balance of the entire forest. The Rat King.

Lukas slowly furrowed his brow, the gears of his mind turning rapidly.

”How is this possible...?”

His voice did not come out, it was merely a thought. Even so, it seemed to echo throughout his entire consciousness, filling the emptiness with his doubt.

Rourke... the small rat who was probably sniffing roots near the hill now, his snout moving with curiosity. He was docile, more docile than any animal Lukas had ever known.

Curious, always exploring, always discovering. He liked to sleep curled up beside him, his small body warming Lukas’s arm. He ate fruit using his tiny front paws, holding the pieces with a delicacy that seemed almost human.

He ran away frightened whenever he heard some unfamiliar noise, seeking refuge in his pocket.

There was absolutely nothing about him that resembled the gigantic monster described by the others, the monster he himself had seen, the monster that had nearly destroyed the forest.

Not even the slightest trace of aggression, of violence, of that dark energy that Lukas had seen for himself during the forest war, when the horde advanced like a nightmare tide.

And yet, there it was. Written before his eyes, undeniable and indisputable. Rat King.

Lukas remained silent for several seconds, his mind spinning in search of answers. The more he thought, the more questions arose, and no answer seemed sufficient to explain that mystery.

...

Lukas remained motionless atop the large rock, his eyes closed, while the silver panel continued floating before his consciousness. His gaze remained fixed on the two words beside Rourke’s name, as if he could decipher their meaning through sheer force of will.

Rat King.

The more he looked at them, the more memories of the battle against the horde returned, vivid and clear as if they had happened yesterday.

The forest overrun by thousands of monstrous rodents, their eyes glowing with an evil red light.

The screams of the knights, the sound of their spears against teeth and claws. The suffocating smell of corrupted mana spreading through the air like poison.