I Was a Loner, but My Class Got Summoned to Another World…
Chapter 381 - 381: Grooming Time

After finishing the cleanup and getting everyone back to normal, Logan decided to retreat for the day. There was no way they could continue in their current state, especially since Serana and her minions needed to be monitored for the next few hours.

Within a few hours, they returned to camp. The sun was high—around noon—and everyone was starving after the morning's battle. They ate in silence, most of them too tired to speak.

Logan remained vigilant, watching over Serana and keeping an eye on the new dragon, Drakhel. The sight of the creature stirred a different memory: the dragon egg. He was reminded that it needed to be brought to the peak of the mountain. Whether they'd reach the summit within the next few days was doubtful with how many monsters roamed the area. So for now, he left the egg in camp, nestled near a cluster of mana crystals to absorb as much ambient energy as possible.

Yet something about the egg had changed.

It pulsed softly, rhythmically, every few seconds.

Today, Silvia was the one tending to it. She'd stayed behind with Stormwing to guard the camp.

"So, what do you think?" Logan asked, walking up beside her. "Do you think it'll hatch soon? Or is it just reacting to the island's mana?"

Silvia didn't look up from the book in her lap. "I think it's just reacting to the island. I haven't heard any chirping yet, so I doubt it's close. Either way, someone should keep an eye on it—just in case."

"Sounds about right." Logan gently tapped her shoulder. "You can take it easy for now. I'll watch it for the next few hours."

"It doesn't really matter." Silvia flipped a page. "I was planning to read anyway, so staying here won't bother me. Why don't you go spend time with your creatures instead? They've been getting restless. It's been months since you've actually taken care of them properly."

"Ha… guess I've been neglecting them," Logan muttered with a half-smile. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, only for Silvia to immediately push him back after that.

"I'd love the attention too," she said with a small, shy frown. "Just… not right now. Too many people are watching. Later, alright?"

"Fine, fine… I won't forget." Logan chuckled as he rose to his feet and went back to change into old rags. For the first time in what felt like forever, he was going to personally groom and care for his beasts.

He grabbed a broom and a bucket of soap.

It was bath time.

All of his larger creatures were getting a full, good scrub—except for Scorch. That fire lizard and water were never a good mix. Scorch would need just a wipe, water and that large fire lizard was never a good mix. He did, however, drink it though; there was a lot of failed logic in that.

Logan began with Wyver.

Of all his creatures, Wyver was one of the most difficult to groom. Water froze the moment it touched his skin, turning every attempt at washing into a challenge of endurance and technique. So today, Logan skipped the water entirely.

Instead, he focused on brushing.

With steady hands, he scrubbed away dirt and frost buildup that had gathered between the dragon's thick scales. Wyver's hide was incredibly resilient, nearly impenetrable—but the junctions between scales still needed maintenance. Left unattended, even a creature as powerful as Wyver could suffer irritation or slowed mobility.

Normally, Logan would've ignored the minor grime. Dragons weren't going to die from dirty scales.

But Logan was not going to have any of that today.

Today, Wyver was going to shine.

An hour passed while Logan put his terminal to his side and played some song by Alma, whose voice was angelic to hear; she was his own pop idol.

Logan worked methodically, even weaving in strands of healing magic to mend small cracks and stress points along the dragon's various scales and spikes. When he finally stepped back, Wyver unfurled his massive wings, stretching with pride as he inspected himself.

Logan crossed his arms, breathing heavily. "Alright, how about it? Anywhere else that needs fixing?"

[Feel perfect. No more problems with my scales. I feel… clear. Thank you, Master.] Wyver's deep voice echoed through the Empathic Link as he took to the skies, his wings slicing the air, even causing some of the darkness mana to disperse.

Logan watched him fly, a small smile tugging at his lips.

It was worth it. Though now that Wyver was gone, he could finally shiver in peace—the chill from all that close contact with frost-touched scales had seeped into his bones.

"Damn… I should've started with someone warmer," he muttered under his breath.

Next on Logan's list was his evolved thunderbird—Stormwing.

This one was going to be a strange one to wash. Unlike Wyver, Stormwing required a completely different tactic. Water was unnecessary and even problematic. Instead, Logan would rely on his control of the wind.

He reached out through the Empathic Link, calling the bird to him.

Stormwing was nearby, but not close—he had distanced himself because of the frigid air left behind by Wyver's presence.

The massive Stormborn Simurgh didn't land right away. He stretched his wings lazily in the sky, circling overhead. Each pass stirred the air, blowing away the lingering cold mist, and in a way… helping Logan thaw out.

[Now get down here. The cold air's gone,] Logan sent through the link.

Stormwing let out one more sharp cry before reluctantly descending. As he lowered himself, the air around him intensified—wind whipping across the camp and scattering dust and debris. Static arced faintly around his feathers, enough to make Logan's hair stand on end.

Prepared for it, Logan activated a shield spell to ground the excess charge. His long black hair, streaked with white and green, settled beneath a tied bandana.

[Alright, relax. I know I haven't spent as much time with you lately, so let's change that. We've got an hour or two—just you and me.] Logan began channeling his mana slowly, formulating the method in his mind.

Stormwing's feathers naturally repelled water, necessary for a creature that could summon rain mid-flight. But this coating acted like a waxy film, which also made him a dust magnet. Traditional cleaning wouldn't work.

That's where Logan's wind affinity came in.

He began forming compressed circular currents around his palms—Wind Form: Cyclonic Brush, a move he made himself. Wherever he touched, the swirling air acted like a gentle yet powerful vacuum, dislodging dirt and grime embedded deep between Stormwing's feathers. The gunk spiraled away into the sky, carried off harmlessly.

It was mana-intensive, sure—but Logan could now manipulate wind naturally. At most, he'd spend around 200 mana for the entire cleanup.

[Ha… it tickles…] Stormwing said, his deep mental tone colored with surprise. He wasn't used to this—his feathers fluffed involuntarily under the breeze.

"Hold still. This is just the start," Logan muttered, moving carefully from tail feathers to the upper back.

Occasional sparks formed from feather friction, crackling outward. But Logan was ready—he kept an electric mana crystal in one hand, absorbing any stray discharge and preventing buildup.

[Clean… and fluffy. Can I go back to flying now?] Stormwing asked after nearly an hour had passed.

Logan ruffled the last few feathers atop the bird's crest before floating gently back down using a gentle current of wind that helped him stay airborne.

"Almost. One more burst. Try to hold still—this one's going to be strong."

With a final thing to do, Logan conjured a concentrated stream of compressed air, blasting across Stormwing's entire body. The powerful wind scattered the last traces of dirt hidden between feathers.

Stormwing, surprisingly cooperative, turned and tilted his wings to help until it was done.

"Perfect. You're good to go," Logan nodded. "Just make sure not to get wet. I blew away most of the oil coating on your wings. You'll have trouble repelling water for a few hours."

Stormwing took off with a contented screech, soaring high above.

Logan, on the other hand, flexed his fingers and sighed.

"Alright… now just one more to go."

He looked toward the far side of the camp, where Scorch waited.

"And of course it had to be the fire lizard…"

Logan called him over.

The massive Tyrannosaurus rex—Scorch—was resting nearby, still recovering from his earlier battle wounds. Most of the damage had already faded thanks to Lisa's attentive healing, so Logan didn't need to mend anything like he had with Wyver.

But cleaning him? That was still on the schedule.

From his inventory, Logan pulled out a specially prepared rag, crafted from the hide of a rare creature resistant to extreme heat. It came from a flame-touched sheep species native to the Red Iron Republic. Logan had gone so far as to tame a few just to harvest their wool for this exact purpose.

[Now get over here, you big baby. Even with that size, you're still a baby in my mind—you six-month-old rex,] Logan teased through the Empathic Link as he approached.

He gently patted Scorch's thick-scaled neck, rubbing the spot he knew the dinosaur liked most. A low rumble of approval vibrated from the beast's chest.

That's where he started scrubbing—right at the base of the neck.

Logan took his time.

Scorch wasn't just any beast. He was one of his favorites. Not a dragon, no—but even Wyver, Drakhel, or Cindra would think twice before facing him head-on. And that was without his armor. The custom battle set being crafted for Scorch was still in development and being improved by the day. Logan had poured a hefty chunk of gold into getting it done right.

"You alright after the battle, Scorch?" Logan asked as he moved toward the rex's flank. "You burned through a good chunk of mana fighting that fake god. That wasn't just a fight—that was something only you and I could've pulled off."

[Too easy. No one can win when we are a team,] Scorch said proudly, letting out a thunderous growl that shook the nearby trees.

Logan grinned. "Damn right. We had that vampire cornered from the start. Even a so-called god struggled against us, and we haven't even reached peak evolution yet. I can't wait to see your next form."

He finished with a final pass over the dino's snout, patting it gently.

"All clean and ready for the next fight," Logan said with a nod. "Now go eat. We need you strong for tomorrow."

Scorch let out another satisfied rumble before lumbering off—half a massive creature clenched between his jaws, the spoils of an earlier hunt Logan had stored in his storage ring.

Logan exhaled deeply.

His muscles ached, and his fingers felt like they'd been run through a meat grinder. Scrubbing three giants in a row wasn't something he'd recommend to anyone, not even other tamers.

He turned to head back toward camp when Lisa appeared beside him, her eyes warm as she slipped her hand around his arm.

"Done cleaning all your creatures?" she asked with a smile.

"Not quite," Logan admitted, chuckling. "But I think I've done enough for today. After dealing with those three giants, I need a real break. I can't even imagine what it'll be like with Gaia… I don't think I'll be able to finish that one alone in a day, now it is time for my own bath..."

They walked together toward the lodge.

It should have been near sunset by now—but here on the island, cloaked in perpetual darkness, there was no way to tell. Only their terminals gave any clue about the time.

"How about it, care to join me?" Logan said with a wink as he led the way.