Raising A Few Wives in a Beast Apocalypse

Back on Muku's side. A few days earlier...

"Okay. That's just anticlimactic."

The statement reverbed in the room after Muku spoke. His eyes were focused on the last remaining dog.

Instead of the angry beast waiting for its revenge he was expecting. He was met by a beast close to death's door. The dog had moved further into the room as it tried to get up.

However, it was failing miserably. It seemed that while the axe didn't manage to kill it. It still managed to do significant damage to the killer dog's brain. Which messed with its motor skills among other things.

The killer dog's eyes were out of focus. It tried to get up, but its back legs seemed to be unresponsive. The front legs also seemed to buckle from time to time. The killer dog was pretty much rendered useless by one axe to the head.

There was no recovery from that. Even if Muku left it like that. It would die on its own. However, he wasn't so heartless. Not to mention that he needed the physical improvement it provided for his coming battles.

With that thought in mind, Muku readied his axe and slowly made his way towards the dog. He was being cautious since he had just faked a serious injury to gain an advantage a while back. So, who knows if the killer dog noticed him and copied him?

It was highly unlikely, but not impossible. It's not like he'd lose anything from being cautious anyway.

Fortunately for him, the dog wasn't faking an injury. He soon got in place at swiftly put it out of its misery.

His physical capabilities were improved again. He was getting closer and closer to the strength of the dogs. He felt a little proud of his accomplishments so far. Especially the fact that he did it all without mana.

"Good job son! I knew you could do it! Now you only have seven more rooms and the surrounding area to go!" Mrs C's happy voice sounded.

Muku smiled at her praise. However, his expression soon turned dark when she reminded him of all the work that still had to be done. It had taken pretty much everything in him to deal with four beasts. So what if there was a physical enhancement after every kill. The damn dogs wouldn't just lay down and die after all!

"You know mother... You have a special way of showing your love. You always go out of your way to crush my happiness" Muku replied while sarcastically calling her mother.

"Hehe, I don't know what you mean. In fact, I'm such a good mother I was going to tell you how many beasts are on the next floor. However, you don't seem to want me to say anything. So, I'll keep my words to myself. Good luck, son!" Mrs C replied in a jovial mood, as always.

She seemed even more happy than before actually. Which was probably because Muku called her mother. Of course, she conveniently ignored the obvious sarcasm. A win is a win, after all.

"Sigh... Please, Mother, can you spare a little bit of your vast knowledge for this prodigal son of yours" Muku, who knew the importance of such information, didn't mind sucking up to her.

It would help him come up with a game plan. Unlike when he pretty much had to wing it with the first four killer dogs. Though it was their strength which caught him off guard.

"Well, if you put it that way. I guess I can spare you a little bit of my information. And you better use that glib tongue of yours for a good cause. I want many daughters-in-law and even more grandkids okay? Anyway, the next floor has a few more beasts than the current one. Which I'm sure you've already guessed. The increase isn't by that much though. It's just eleven more," Mrs C, who didn't mind some brown nosing from her son, told him what he wanted to know.

Of course, she wouldn't be herself if she didn't add some unwanted comments in there. Which Muku tried to ignore. However, he couldn't help but wonder if she already knew about his situation back home with the girls... Who was he kidding, she probably did.

Well, fortunately, she wasn't against him having many wives, right? Wait! What does her opinion have to do with anything?!

Anyway, he didn't linger on that subject for too long as her next words struck him like thunder...

"Is my math wrong or is four plus eleven more equal to fifteen?" Muku rhetorically asked whilst stuck in disbelief.

"Your math is definitely correct. There's going to be fifteen on the next floor. Don't worry too much. They all have the same strength as the ones you dealt with. I'm sure you can do it!" Mrs C replied.

Though she knew the question was rhetorical, she still replied to it. She just couldn't stop herself. Muku's expression looked away too comical. She just had to add a little salt to the wound.

Hearing her confrontation. Muku slumped down to the floor. All his strength left his body.

He was expecting eight beasts at most! Even that would have been a hard fight. But fifteen!? That's almost twice as much as his expectations!

Can't she ever play by the book?! Well, whatever, he was certain of one thing now. His new mother definitely had some sadistic tendencies. She enjoyed seeing him suffer!

.....

In room zero...

Mrs C could be seen sitting on a luxurious chair with little Raya in her arms.

In front of her was a huge holographic screen. Muku's distraught expression was shown on the screen in 8K Ultra HD! The lady was clearly up-to-date with technological advancements!

A smile was plastered on her face as she looked on. Little Raya's uncontrollable laughter reverbed throughout the room. She was clearly enjoying Muku's misery. She laughed so hard tears were coming out of her eyes.

"Aren't you a little too happy little one? Especially for someone who's about to face your own trials?" Mrs C's voice suddenly rang in Raya's ears.

The moment Raya heard her words. Her laughter instantly seized. She felt a cold chill go down her spine as she hesitantly looked back at Mrs C. She hoped that she heard wrong.

"I'm sorry, I think I heard you incorrectly... Or not, b...but my physical capabilities are already at their limits, especially after that magical fruit's effects" Raya hopes to play it off by saying that she heard wrong.

Then she would casually say she had something to take care of and escape. She wanted no part in Muku's suffering at all!

However, a slight smile with narrowed eyes from Mrs C made her instantly give up on that idea. She chose to use reason instead.

"Oh, Honey, there is no such thing as limits. That's just something people use as an excuse to give up" Mrs C replied with a slight smile on her face.

Before Raya could say anything she had long disappeared from Mrs C's hands. She found herself in her old form. A horned serpent in a familiar forest.

While she was certain that it was just a replica. She couldn't help but shrink back a little. She didn't have any fond memories of the forest.

Her path had been a tough one since birth. Being the only one with a Monarch's bloodline among her many siblings. Which, of course, got her ostracised soon after breaking out of her eggshell.

While their kind don't stick together like humans or high-level beasts do. They would co-operate in hunts earlier on until they grew up a bit. However, she didn't get that chance just because she had little horns the others didn't have.

It was a rather tough life she had back then. Fortunately, it was at the furthest outskirts of the beast forest. So, she was able to survive on her own.

However, she didn't want to experience that again. It had traumatized her a bit. She was extremely happy when she managed to slip into the human world back then...

Yet, there she was, being forced to experience the situation again.

"Don't overthink it little one. Your situation is the same as Muku. There's only you and beasts you can face in that forest. So, unlike before, you don't have to be too cautious. Take this chance to face your fears and overcome your trauma. Don't you think it's absurd for a dragon to have a fear of deep forests? Especially when your "new home" is also turning into a forest?" Just when Raya was about to drown in her fears. Mrs C's calming voice sounded.

Raya instantly collected herself. Mrs C's words seemed to have lit a fire in her. She was ready to fight. Ready to hunt.

Unlike before when she lived in the beast forest. She wouldn't avoid the deeper parts anymore! It was time to face her fears! She made her way into the deep forest.

The monster which ruled Muku's city in the first part of the apocalypse was awakened...

....

Back in room zero...

"That's right little one. Face your fears. You have a great destiny ahead of you after all... To think you managed to figure out the reason for the trials so quickly. You truly deserve your destiny," Mrs C spoke to herself.

The screen in front of her had been split in two. Half showed Raya who was making her way into the forest.

The other half showed Muku who had recovered from the bleak news. He was already making his way down the stairs.

Mrs C smiled happily as looked on. A mother's joy was evident on her face. As for why she was so invested in her casually acquired son, only she knew...