Content Warning: This chapter contains 13+ themes, including exhibitionism and animal-like behavior. It's meant to flesh out character backstories and is not plot-critical. Feel free to skip. No explicit sexual content is described.
"Thanks so much, Big Sis Silica!"
"You're welcome!"
"Thanks, doggie!"
"She's called Shiro."
"Thanks, Shiro!"
"Woof!"
…
"Wow, Silica and Shiro, you fixed it already?! A-amazing!"
"Yup, all done!"
"Woof!!"
Pat, pat.
"You keep helping our village. Thank you so much!"
"No problem at all!"
…
"Silica, please accept my love…"
"Sorry, but I already have someone I love!"
…
She's a stunning silver-haired girl, 150 cm with a delicate frame, who transforms into a perfect, curvaceous 180 cm beauty when using her full power. No matter which version you meet, she's a silver-haired angel—kind, saintly, a tamer with a heart of gold, fiercely loyal in love, traveling with her majestic white-furred wolf companion.
But deep down…
Petro City, a massive starter hub, sits at the crossroads to low, low-mid, mid, mid-high, and high-risk zones. It's surrounded by beginner-to-low-risk dungeons galore. The area's rich with food, rivers, crops, and weak monsters that don't attack adventurers. Merchants flood the city, selling cheap fruits, fish, and food. Used low-tier armor from adventurers passing through is sold dirt-cheap, practically given away. The guild's overflowing with missions, too many to count.
In a pricey private room, earned through relentless, near-nonstop questing…
Silica, drenched in sweat, clings to Shiro (me) after completing a mission together. We collapse on the bed, exhausted, sweat-soaked, and reeking.
As Shiro's (my) body slowly shifts back from male to female…
[Status]
Owner: Silica
Tamed Name: Shiro
Monster: Red Eye White Wolf
Species: Wolf, LV.131
Grade: Rare Boss, Rank D
Gender: X (Currently Female)
HP: 140,000/140,000
MP: 27,000/27,000
[Status]
Why the dual genders? Well… Rare Bosses are usually one-of-a-kind, so the system probably set it up to self-reproduce or something.
Silica leans close, her sparkling blue eyes locking onto Shiro's crimson ones. Her smile and sultry gaze say it all as she strokes my soft white fur.
One look, and you'd think we're in sync.
"Hey, Shiro…"
"Hmm?"
"If I ran through the city center right now, letting everyone stare, it'd be so thrilling!"
"No!!! They'd call the guards to arrest you, Silica!!!!"
No, no, sorry! Scratch that "in sync" nonsense! She's way past help, Silica!
"Aw, come on, I was kidding! Geez, play along! I was in the moment! Or I'll use [Soul Bound] for real!"
"Stop it! Don't take my body for a tail-wagging romp through the city!"
"How'd you know I'd wag my tail? I'd just patrol to check for people in need! Your body's perfect for it! And you're a wolf—running naked in the city's no big deal!"
"I know because you've used [Soul Bound] to do that to me all the time! And no, even as a wolf, I don't want to prance around naked, shaking my butt for people to see!"
"But you're already a psycho who doesn't wear clothes!"
"I don't wear clothes because I don't need to! Don't twist it!"
Ugh, am I really a wolf arguing with a human about why wolves don't wear clothes?!
"That's exactly why I'm jealous! Just let me use your body for a quick city patrol! After 'questing together,' this is the perfect vibe!"
"No, Silica, nobody does that after 'questing together'! And I don't flash my bits at people just to be stared at!"
"[Soul Bound]! I'm taking Shiro's body!!!"
"Wait, I said no… Oh, crap, I'm back in Shiro's body! Off for a naked… I mean, a city patrol run!!!"
Before I could protest, Silica activated [Soul Bound], a power from her goddess that links our souls, stats, and abilities, amplifying both bodies. She can swap control between her body and Shiro's (mine), and the stronger our bond, the more powerful it gets.
This back-and-forth is complicated but not hard to grasp. Silica's got a condition—she loves people staring at her in her "birthday suit"… and she's really into animals. It's not because she wants to be me or anything. Shiro (me) talked to her after we bonded a while back. She opened up about coming from another world, getting bullied as a kid at school, which led to her severe condition. Later, since her illness kept her from people, she turned to her pets for comfort… Yeah, let's not dig too deep, or we'll get flagged!
"Silicaaa! Stop, ugh… she's gone!"
And so, Shiro in Silica's body couldn't stop Silica in Shiro's body. Off she went, racing around the city to let people ogle her "naked" wolf form… even if it's just a wolf body.
Silica's story is a bit different from others. Guess some people with issues get summoned too…
Whatever. Our meeting wasn't too complicated. Quick version: 345 days ago, I was thrilled to find and copy a Rare Boss, the Red Eye White Wolf, deep in the forest. Then, a naked sword-wielding girl strolled up and said, "Hah, hah… Hey, can you talk? Wanna make a contract with me?"
That was the first time I slipped (not my real form, mind you). A boss wolf that doesn't attack first froze, stunned by this wild woman, jaw dropped, snot dripping, screaming, "WHAAAAAT?!"
It got messy. I had to fib a bit, but we ended up forming a [Soul Bound] contract. Not sure if Silica's goddess got suspicious, but a year later, no issues. Maybe she just doesn't wanna look at Naked Silica. Lucky me, I guess. (Her goddess probably freaked out too—[Soul Bound] isn't supposed to be OP, and it definitely wasn't meant to bond with a boss, but here we are!)
So yeah… let's cut her some slack, folks.
"Wow, so cute! Shiro's wagging her tail all dancy~ Wanna be petted?"
"Woof, woof! Hah, hah!"
Ugh, she's still just outside the inn! Can't you go farther so I don't hear this?! Even as a wolf, I've got dignity, damn it! (Oh, I fibbed that after bonding with her, I "somehow" gained sentience. Gotta play it cool, hoping her goddess is dumb enough to buy it.)
But fine… at least this lets her vent her condition without her real body getting in trouble.
"Ahhh!"
Thud, bounce…
Okay, but Silica's body during [Soul Bound] is… pretty damn fine~ No, no! I'm a loyal wolf to my master! But… because of stuff like earlier, I kinda… love my master a bit too much. Damn it.
End of Chapter 32
Soul Bound