System's POV

Chapter 564: Cranky’s First Friend [Part 1]

Cranky grew up in the Plains of the Valbarra Archipelago.

Every day was a struggle to survive.

He wasn't born fearless.

On the contrary, he was a very cautious, opportunistic monster, putting even Camazotz to shame.

But as the years passed, he realized that only the strong could survive in this world. So, with that in mind, he decided to become strong.

He had lost many times, but fortunately, the monsters he had chosen to fight were Herbivores.

Meaning, even if he lost to them, they wouldn't eat him, allowing him to live another day.

With every defeat, Cranky learned how to fight, and as the years went by, his rank steadily rose.

His first battle against an Apex Predator in the Plains ended in a draw. Both of them were targeting a bison, and it just so happened that they charged at it at the same time.

His first opponent had been a Wind Wolf, who was not only fast but also very cunning.

Cranky, who was an all-rounder, didn't really have a way to catch it. So he did what he thought might work, and that was to pretend that he was getting injured every time they clashed.

He made sure to take some blows that resulted in shallow injuries so that the enemy would lower their guard and feel confident that they had everything under control.

What they didn't know was that Cranky was only waiting for them to go for the kill, in which he would turn the tables against them.

His first battle ended in a draw.

In his second battle, he almost lost his life.

But Cranky learned.

He understood how to use his body for defense and offense. The Honey Badger even developed a very nasty killer move, which raised his chance of success.

This killer move was biting his opponent's "balls," making them feel a world of pain.

Of course, there were times when he fought female predators, but during those times, Cranky chose to go to the defensive and wait for an opportunity to strike.

Every time he cheated death, Cranky's confidence grew.

Every time he survived a battle, he learned new fighting techniques.

Many years later, he became a Rank 5 Overlord.

He was one of the strongest monsters in the Valbarra Plains, and very few were his match.

One day, while he was hunting, he saw a Hunting Party headed to the plains.

Riding on the wagon were two teenage boys—one chubby, one slim. He had interacted with humans before, and there were times when he also fought and killed them.

But these two human boys wouldn't fill his stomach.

Also, for some reason, he felt that he shouldn't attack the slim human boy because he felt like kin to him.

Because of this, he decided to eat the two Ogres who were lagging behind, sparing the young humans from death.

After that incident, Cranky traveled toward the Warsor Plains to fight against the Rank 5 Overlord, Golden-Eyed Hyena, who was the only monster that could threaten him.

He was confident that he could beat it even if it had its lackeys protecting it.

That was the second time he met Thirteen, and their meeting had been just as memorable as the first.

He was lying in wait for an ambush and sensed that his target was approaching him at great speeds.

Since he had developed a stealth ability that could erase his presence for a short period of time, Cranky waited for the right opportunity to strike.

Suddenly, Blacky went past him, carrying a Drow and the human boy, whom he had spared in the past.

The human boy was holding a bow and arrow, which in Cranky's opinion were not enough to deal any damage to the Golden-Eyed Hyena due to its size and strength.

But time seemed to have moved in slow motion as his gaze landed on the boy, who had a faint smile on his face as he passed through the small hill where Cranky was hiding.

The Honey Badger didn't make a move, and let them pass safely because they were not his targets.

When he believed that the perfect moment had come, he sprang out from his hiding place and lunged at the Golden-Eyed Hyena, who was then taken by complete surprise.

The Honey Badger was able to deal a serious injury with its first strike, but his opponent wasn't a pushover and managed to fend him off by force.

The Golden-Eyed Hyena immediately retreated, allowing its subordinates to deal with Cranky while it went to safety. ??????¥?.???

Feeling confident that he now had the upper hand, Cranky toyed with the Hyenas and killed them one by one.

But he never expected that his opponent would resort to eating its own kind in order to heal its injuries and evolve even further.

When the Golden-Eyed Hyena evolved and mutated to a Rank 6 Overlord, Diabolical Hyena, Cranky still felt that he stood a chance.

But he was wrong.

The two monsters fought like rabid wolves, tearing each other's flesh apart.

But since the Diabolical Hyena was one rank above him and also a mutated monster, it overwhelmed the Honey Badger despite having a serious injury when it was sneak attacked.

Cranky knew that whatever advantage it had was now gone, so it decided to retreat and recover its injuries.

A few weeks passed as Cranky hid in the cave he had made, where he hid from his enemies and recovered from his injuries.

But for some reason, it seems that he was fated to meet the human boy for the third time.

Cranky, who didn't really have a lot of patience and would often attack first, held back his claws from killing the human boy and listened to his proposal.

"Let's kill the Diabolical Hyena together. What do you think, Cranky? Sounds good?"

The Honey Badger didn't know why the boy was referring to him as Cranky. But since he didn't understand what it meant, he thought that maybe the name meant someone "strong."

Thus, he allowed the weak human boy to call him Cranky and pondered whether to accept his proposal or not.

For some reason, the Honey Badger thought that the proposal wasn't a bad deal for him.

So he accepted and worked together with the teenage boy, whom he felt a connection with.

Originally, Cranky thought that his rematch with the Rank 6 Overlord would be a difficult one.

However, the teenage boy had brought a lot of Champions with him, who easily dealt with the Diabolical Hyena's subordinates and supported him in fighting his opponent.

The battle ended faster than the Honey Badger had anticipated, and because of this, he claimed his prize and ate the Diabolical Hyena's core.

And that was when Cranky evolved into a mutated monster, gaining the Diabolical Hyena's aggressiveness, which awakened his dormant ability.

But even though the Honey Badger had become fearless, it understood that it didn't stand a chance against the Majin Prince, Arundel the Destroyer.

However, the teenage boy blackmailed him and told Cranky that if he didn't help kill the Majin Prince, the Majin Prince would hunt him down and roast him before eating him.

Cranky, who was now the strongest monster in the Warsor Plains, felt fearful, so he decided to work together with Thirteen for a second time.

It was better to fight together than fight alone, and through great effort and cunning, he was able to land the killing blow at the Majin Prince, ending its life.

When the battle ended, Cranky thought that he would return to being a lone vagabond once more.

But after the battle, the survivors built a monument to honor the Heroes who fought in the battle.

Thirteen and his Monster Army were immortalized in the place where Arundel had died, and since then, Cranky always took a nap on Thirteen's statue. The teenage boy might not be around, but it made him feel less lonely when he was with Thirteen's statue.

Although he didn't want to admit it, the weak human boy had managed to worm a spot in his heart.

He was the only person who talked to Cranky without fear, and whenever they talked, Thirteen always looked straight into the Honey Badger's eyes as if he was talking to an old friend whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

And now, even though he was in a Berserk State and fighting against the Ancient Eight-Headed Serpent, his body moved on his own when he saw four of the serpent's eight heads, looking toward their left side.

Cranky, who was being constricted and bitten by the other four heads, glanced in the direction where the Serpent Heads were looking.

There, he saw the weak human boy riding on Blacky, rushing in their direction with a bow and arrow in his hand.

"Let go of Cranky!" Thirteen shouted as he unleashed four arrows at the same time.

These arrows were the same arrows Thirteen had gifted to Rianna and Mildred, which were supposed to be their Trump Cards.

The four arrows, which took flight, suddenly increased their sizes, resembling the reinforced bolt that served as the ammunition of the Grand Ballista.

These arrows were crafted from the Dragon Scale of the Dragon of Destruction, which he had asked his father to use as crafting material.

They were one of Thirteen's Trump Cards, and he used them to help free Cranky from the Eight-Headed Serpent's hold.

The four railguns exploded at the point of impact, hitting the four heads that were binding Cranky down.

However, instead of screaming in pain, the four surviving heads of the Serpent all opened their jaws and unleashed a breath attack, aimed at the teenage boy who had just come within their strike range.

Cranky screeched as his body moved on his own, blocking the Breath Attack of the Majin King who was hell-bent on killing the teenage boy who kept on getting in his way.