Can Monsters Keep Humans as Pets?

Tang Ruan is the final boss of a world of the paranormal. His greatest dream is to raise a soft, sweet-smelling human pet.

After all, he heard that lonely monsters die of sadness, while monsters with pets can live happily!

He soon spotted a pitiful little thing in the lobby's livestream. The other was filthy from head to toe, with only a pair of emerald-green eyes that glinted with ferocity.

Wow, adorable. I'm keeping him!

Tang Ruan went to great lengths to scavenge items from human players in the dungeons, then showered his little darling with gifts through the livestream until he became the top donor. He even took time to offer a few pointers, determined to make sure his pet felt the warmth of being cared for.

When the monster next door bullied his pet, Tang Ruan believed in the simple truth that might makes right. He'd show the other monster what it meant to have a nameplate hanging over its grave!

When his human pet was bullied by his fellow humans, Tang Ruan used a backdoor to drag the bullies into a dungeon and let them experience the final boss's oppressive presence!

His pet looked pitifully at him, wanting to see what he really looked like: ...

Huh!?

What if he scared his pet?

Tang Ruan hesitated. On his good friend's advice, he decided to raise his pet online and swore never to meet him in person.

Qi Bai'e was a newbie in a paranormal infinite-flow game. Right after entering his first dungeon, he trusted the wrong person and was betrayed, nearly dying as a result.

He begged the lofty viewers in the livestream for help, but all he got was mockery and abuse. They hoped he'd die in a more entertaining way...

When he could barely breathe, he thought: If anyone saves me, I'll be their dog. I'll fight through every obstacle for them, and never betray them, in this life or the next.

And then, he really did receive an item.

It was only a simple healing potion, but it let him escape death. Through the tear tracks blurring his vision, he saw the sole name on the donation leaderboard:

[A Monster]

From then on, that name became his faith, his one and only god.

Sadly, his god did not love all people. He only sent gifts, never asking for anything in return.

But Qi Bai'e went mad grinding dungeons to grow stronger, striving to become the most useful blade in his god's hand.

He hoped to catch his eye, enter his heart, and become his...

That was the sole wish of a believer.

But he was rejected.

-

Later, the paranormal world gained a butcher known as the "Madman," while the final bosses' after-dinner conversations acquired a new topic: a human player who was a legendary dungeon-wrecking force.

Then one day, this mad player stormed into Tang Ruan's dungeon, kicked open the door, and stared at him with bloodshot eyes, speaking in an almost feverish voice:

"Will you take me in?"

"I can cook and do laundry, mop the floors and take care of the plants..."

Tang Ruan, who had been raising a human pet online just last night: ?

Good grief, why did his pet come looking for him on his own!

Wouldn't he be scared to death?

[Bonus Scenes:

Day One of Raising a Pet: Tang Ruan robs dungeon players to help his poor little darling.

Day Two of Raising a Pet: Tang Ruan learns to be a burglar and sneaks off to pet his sleeping darling.

Day Three of Raising a Pet: Tang Ruan gets a pet-raising guide and prepares to put it into practice.

Day Ninety-Nine of Raising a Pet: Tang Ruan's pet shows up at his home, looking up at him with wide eyes and begging to be taken in.

Day One Hundred and Eleven of Raising a Pet: They end up in bed together.

Later, Tang Ruan's dungeon becomes famous throughout the paranormal world. Rumor has it that the scariest madman is in charge there, along with a canary monster.

Tang Ruan: ?

Nonsense, that's obviously the pet he raised!]

Theme: A ray of light in the depths of despair.