The summoning room was a spacious area, its floor covered with intricate magical circles glowing with a faint bluish light. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation.
Tesline and I lined up, watching the other students perform their summons.
"Well, this looks easy," I murmured, analyzing the process.
All it took was pricking a finger for a drop of blood, placing it on the magical circle, and reciting a chant. Nothing complicated.
One by one, the students completed their summons, obtaining all sorts of familiars: birds, foxes, spirit snakes… Some creatures were impressive, others somewhat disappointing.
Then came Darius's turn.
With his usual confidence, he extended his hand over the magical circle and let his drop of blood fall. As he recited the chant, the circle lit up with an intense glow, and two figures began to materialize.
First, a small black-furred wolf pup appeared before him, gazing up at him with attentive eyes. But before the light fully faded, something else began to take shape.
A large white sphere floated above the ground… An egg.
Silence filled the room.
"It's a dragon egg!" someone exclaimed.
Murmurs quickly spread through the crowd. Obtaining two summons was extremely rare, and on top of that, one of them might be a dragon.
Darius smirked arrogantly, basking in the attention.
"Not bad, huh?"
I rolled my eyes.
"He always has to turn everything into a spectacle..."
Annoying as he was, I couldn't deny it was impressive. A wolf and a dragon egg. Catching up to him in terms of power wouldn't be easy.
After a few more summons, it was Tesline's turn.
With a confident smile, she pricked her finger, let the drop of blood fall onto the circle, and recited the chant.
A spark of electricity crackled in the air.
Before her stood a small, agile creature with fluffy golden fur. Its long tail twitched with energy, and its eyes crackled with tiny sparks of lightning.
"It's a lightning spirit!" a student murmured.
"It took the form of a squirrel!"
The spirit leapt onto Tesline's shoulder, rubbing against her cheek.
"Ha! I knew I'd get something awesome!" she exclaimed, stroking her new companion.
I smirked slightly. It definitely suited her.
Finally, my turn arrived. I sighed and stepped toward the magical circle.
"Alright, let's see what I get."
I repeated the process like the others—pricking my finger, letting the drop of blood fall, and reciting the chant.
The circle shone brightly. For a moment, I thought I would get something incredible, but when the light faded, the only thing that appeared was an egg…
A small, grayish egg with faint golden streaks.
Silence.
"Huh?" was all I managed to say.
Some students exchanged glances, whispering.
"Just an egg?"
"Maybe it's something rare..."
"Or maybe something useless?"
I, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. I knew this would happen. At this point in the game, the original Rurik wouldn't even be at the academy anymore.
The real question was… What was inside this egg?
After class, we returned home with the egg I had summoned in my hands. I placed it on the table and slumped into a chair with a sigh.
"Well... now what do I do with you?"
Tesline sat across the table, leaning in with interest.
"Maybe we should build it a nest."
"For what?" I asked, frowning. "If it's about to hatch, that'd just be a waste of effort."
As if responding to my words, a small crack appeared on the eggshell.
Crack.
Tesline straightened up excitedly.
"Oh, it's hatching!"
The cracks quickly spread, and within seconds, the egg shattered into tiny pieces.
From inside emerged a tiny ball of gray feathers with a yellow tuft on its head. Its eyes, still a bit cloudy from being inside the shell, blinked several times before focusing on me.
It chirped energetically, shaking its tiny wings and opening its beak wide.
I stared at it silently for a few seconds before finally murmuring:
"It's... a cockatiel?"
Tesline smiled, reaching out a finger to pet its head.
"It's adorable!" she exclaimed with delight. "And, somehow, it looks like you."
I frowned.
"What do you mean, it looks like me?"
"It has the same hungry expression."
Ignoring her comment, I went to the kitchen to prepare some food.
I warmed up a porridge made from seeds and offered it with a spoon, bringing it slowly toward the bird. The moment it smelled the food, the chick lunged at the spoon, devouring it with impressive speed.
"Hey, slow down!"
But it didn't stop. It ate as if it hadn't had a meal in days.
Tesline laughed as she watched it gobble up the food.
"Maybe your familiar is a glutton. Like you."
I ignored her again.
What really concerned me was how fast it was growing. Its feathers thickened, and its body swelled slightly with every bite.
"This isn't normal..." I murmured.
I got up to get more food, leaving the spoon on the table. When I returned, the spoon was gone.
"Huh? Where's the spoon?"
Tesline blinked.
"I didn't take it."
Frowning, I checked the floor, thinking it might have fallen. That's when I noticed movement.
From the slightly open door, a thin, dark snake slithered silently toward the table.
Its eyes locked onto the chick. Before I could react, it sprang forward, mouth wide open, ready to devour my familiar.
"Watch out!" Tesline shouted.
But before I could move—
The chick suddenly grew. Its body tripled in size in an instant. Then, without hesitation, it caught the snake in its beak… and swallowed it whole in one bite.
Absolute silence.
Tesline and I stood frozen, staring at the scene with our mouths open.
The bird chewed a couple of times, then dug into its beak and spat something onto the table.
My spoon.
Tesline covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
"Rurik… what was that?"
The chick shrank back to its original size, ruffled its feathers proudly as if it had just accomplished something incredible, and then flew directly to my shoulder.
It settled there with total confidence, as if it had always belonged.
I simply sighed, running a hand over my face.
"You know what? I'm not even going to question it… I guess this thing is my pet now."
Tesline finally burst into laughter, giving the bird a little tap on the head.
"Welcome to the family, little carnivorous bird."
After what happened with the snake, Tesline and I took a moment to process the situation.
My bird remained perched on my shoulder, calmly preening its feathers as if it hadn't just swallowed a damn snake whole.
Tesline sighed and leaned on the table.
"Well… now that you officially have a familiar, the next step is giving it a name."
I turned to look at her.
"Why the rush?"
"Because the professor said so this morning," she reminded me with an amused expression. "Once we name our familiars, it'll be easier to summon them, even from far away."
I stared at her for a few seconds before shrugging.
"Alright, that makes sense."
Tesline clapped her hands eagerly.
"Then let's start thinking of names!"
We spent a good while throwing out suggestions.
For her lightning squirrel, Tesline proposed several names like Volt, Spark, Stormy, and even Ray-Ray (which we immediately discarded). Finally, after much deliberation, she settled on Zephyr.
"Sounds cool, right?" Tesline said, grinning in satisfaction as the lightning squirrel jumped excitedly on her arm. "I think it likes it."
Now it was my turn.
I crossed my arms and observed my bird, which ruffled its feathers and looked at me with curious eyes.
"Let's see… I could call you Feathers."
The bird tilted its head.
"Or Glutton."
No reaction.
"How about Devourer?"
Tesline burst out laughing.
"Come on, Rurik, be serious."
I sighed and studied my familiar again. It was larger than a normal cockatoo, and its beak looked sturdier. Its yellow crest would rise occasionally, as if sensing potential threats.
"How about Aegis?"
The bird immediately lifted its head, flapping its wings with energy.
Tesline whistled, impressed.
"A solid name."
Aegis perched on my arm, spreading its wings as if approving my choice.
*・・*・・*・・*・・*・・*
The sun was setting as we walked through the cobbled streets of the town. Aegis perched on my shoulder, moving its head from side to side as if analyzing everything it saw. Tesline walked beside me, with Zephyr wrapped around her arm like a living bracelet.
"Are you sure you don't want to try carrying it on your shoulder?" I asked, pointing at her lightning spirit.
Tesline shook her head.
"I don't want to end up with singed hair."
"Good decision."
Our destination was the guild. After naming our familiars, the next thing on our list was to take on a mission.
"Why the rush?" I asked as we walked.
"Because in a few days, the class reassessment will take place, where we'll have to compete against other students from the same year to be placed in classes according to our strength."
"Oh, right," I said, recalling that she had mentioned something about it before. "And how do you know that?"
"The professor said it this morning," she replied casually.
I frowned and stroked my chin.
"Ah, of course… I got distracted checking out more functions on the bracelet."
Tesline looked at me curiously.
"What were you looking for?"
I smirked mischievously.
"I wanted to see if any of the channels had something similar to Jackass."
She tilted her head.
"Jackass? What's that?"
"Adult men doing stupid things and putting their physical integrity at risk in unnecessary ways," I explained enthusiastically. "And it's really fun."
Tesline looked at me with a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"But… isn't that what we do every day?"
"Yeah, but in the show, they take it to the next level." I raised a finger to emphasize my point. "They do things like blowing up a house with themselves inside, riding runaway mine carts, or provoking bulls until they get gored."
Tesline opened her mouth, then closed it, thinking it over.
"That sounds incredibly stupid… and dangerous."
"Exactly."
A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.
"That sounds awesome! I'd love to see it."
I grinned. I knew she'd like the idea.
Unfortunately, Jackass didn't exist in this world, so for now, we'd have to settle for guild missions.
When we arrived at the guild, we found Aldwyn behind the counter, organizing papers.
"Well, well, look who we have here," he said in his rough voice. "What can I do for you?"
"We want a mission," Tesline said, leaning her elbows on the counter.
Aldwyn raised an eyebrow at us.
"Again? You just got back from the dungeon yesterday."
"Yeah, but the class reassessment at the academy is coming up soon," I explained. "And we want to be prepared."
Aldwyn nodded.
"I see. Let me check what I've got available."
He sifted through some documents and then pulled out three scrolls.
"Alright, here are some options that might interest you."
He took the first scroll and laid it out on the counter.
"This mission is simple. A group of goblins has been lurking near the fields of a nearby village. It's not urgent, but the villagers want someone to scare them off before they become a problem."
Tesline wrinkled her nose.
"Goblins again…."
"What's wrong with that?" I asked.
"They're annoying. And they don't give good rewards."
Aldwyn shrugged.
"Let's move on to the second mission, then."
He pulled out another scroll and showed it to us.
"This one's a hunting mission. There's an enraged bear in the forest that has been attacking caravans. It's a bit riskier, but the pay is better."
My eyes lit up with interest.
"I like the sound of that."
Tesline nodded.
"I'd take that over goblins any day."
Aldwyn nodded and took out the third scroll.
"And this last mission is… more unusual."
We leaned in to read the description.
"A noble lost his pet in the forest and wants someone to retrieve it," Tesline read aloud. "It pays well, but… wait, what kind of pet is it?"
Aldwyn glanced at the document and sighed.
"A boar."
Tesline and I exchanged glances.
"A noble has a boar as a pet?" I asked, trying not to laugh.
"I don't judge people's tastes," Aldwyn replied. "Are you interested?"
We took a moment to consider our options. Finally, Tesline slammed her hand on the counter decisively.
"We'll take the bear mission."
"Good choice," Aldwyn said, handing us the scroll. "But be careful. It's not a normal animal. They say it's larger than usual and covered in scars."
"Are you sure this is a mission for our rank?"
"I think so."
"That's not a very reassuring answer."
With the mission in hand, we bid Aldwyn farewell and left the guild. The sun was still shining brightly, and the day promised to be interesting.
"Do you think it'll be difficult?" Tesline asked as we walked.
"Depends on how big the bear is," I replied. "But I'm confident we can handle it."
Tesline grinned.
"If things get too bad, we can always strategize."
I laughed.
*・・*・・*・・*・・*・・*
The forest was completely silent, broken only by the crunch of our footsteps on the dry leaves and the occasional song of a bird in the distance. Aegis was perched on my shoulder, observing everything with its sharp eyes, while Zephyr coiled around Tesline's arm, occasionally vibrating with small flashes of electricity.
We advanced carefully, following the marks the merchants had given us. The bear had been attacking caravans in this part of the forest, and if the markings on the tree trunks were any indication, it wasn't far.
"It's strange…" I whispered. "It's supposed to be just a bear, but the marks on the trees are too big."
"Maybe it's bigger than we imagined," Tesline said with a confident smile. "But as long as it's not another giant crab, I'm not worried."
It didn't take long to find the beast.
A few meters ahead, in a clearing, an enormous dark-furred bear covered in scars was devouring the carcass of a deer. Its claws were the size of daggers, and its snout was covered in fresh blood. It was even larger than I had imagined, easily twice the size of a normal bear.
Tesline took a step forward, but I extended an arm to stop her.
"Wait."
I looked around, searching for something that could help us. Attacking a bear of that size head-on would be madness.
My eyes scanned the landscape until I noticed something in the distance. A group of small green creatures was moving through the nearby bushes. Goblins.
I remembered the mission we had ignored at the guild and smiled. A group of goblins and a massive bear in the same forest… This could work in our favor.
"I have a plan," I whispered, turning to Tesline.
I explained my idea, and a sly smile appeared on her face.
"I like the way you think."
We prepared to put it into action. Our goal was simple: make the bear and the goblins fight each other.
I moved toward the goblins, advancing carefully until I was close enough. Then, I picked up a rock from the ground and threw it hard at one of them.
The projectile hit a goblin in the head, who let out a cry of pain and looked around angrily.
"Hey, experience bag!" I shouted. "You look like a cross between a toad and an avocado!"
The goblins turned toward me, their wrinkled faces twisted in fury. They grabbed their crude knives and spears and began chasing me through the trees.
Meanwhile, Tesline had her own task.
She picked up a branch from the ground and snapped it in two, making noise on purpose. The bear lifted its head and saw her.
Tesline grinned and cracked her knuckles.
"Come here, teddy."
The beast roared and charged at her with surprising speed. Tesline spun on her heels and started running in the opposite direction.
Both of us had attracted the attention of our prey.
The meeting point was close. Tesline and I ran through the forest in opposite directions, closing in on the same spot from different angles.
"Now!" I shouted.
At the exact moment we crossed paths, Tesline grabbed me with one hand and threw me forward with great force.
I flew between the trees, rolling on the grass as the goblins and the bear entered the clearing at the same time.
The bear roared upon seeing the goblins, and the goblins shrieked in terror. Both sides froze for a moment, shocked by the sudden appearance of the other.
And then, the frost trap activated.
The ground beneath them glowed with a bluish light, and immediately, a layer of ice spread, trapping both the bear and the goblins.
Tesline grinned and sprinted away. Our plan had worked.
The bear roared furiously and shattered the ice holding it in place, but the goblins were already panicking.
One of them threw its spear at the bear, but it barely did any damage. The massive animal charged at them, forcing them to defend themselves.
From a distance, I raised my hand and cast my spell.
"Freeze!"
A layer of frost covered the bear again, slowing its movements.
The battle began. The bear and the goblins clashed, weakening each other little by little.
We waited for the right moment. When the bear was covered in wounds and the goblins were on the verge of defeat, Tesline and I sprang into action.
I extended my hand and summoned my armor.
The dark metal appeared before me, moving with precision as I climbed in and controlled it.
My armor grabbed its club and charged at the goblins.
One of them tried to stab it, but the armor simply crushed it with a downward blow.
Another tried to run, but a side swing sent it flying against a tree.
Tesline, on the other hand, focused on the bear.
"Alright, big guy… Let's see how tough you really are."
She closed her eyes for a moment and began channeling mana into her fist.
A golden aura enveloped her arm.
The bear roared and charged at her, but Tesline didn't move.
She waited for the perfect moment, then stomped on the ground, launching herself forward at astonishing speed.
Her fist struck the bear's head directly.
The impact echoed through the forest like thunder. The bear's skull caved in, and its body was sent flying backward, landing lifeless on the grass.
Tesline shook her hand and smiled.
"That was fun."
I looked at my armor, which had finished off the last goblin.
We had successfully completed the mission.
Aegis flew to my shoulder and screeched excitedly. Zephyr slithered along Tesline's arm, emitting small electric sparks.
With the sun beginning to set behind the dense forest, Tesline and I took a moment to catch our breath. The fight had been intense, but the plan had gone well. The bear and the goblins were reduced to corpses scattered across the clearing, and now, we just had to make sure we got our reward.
"Alright, how do we do this?" I asked, while my armor hovered beside me, ready for any task.
Tesline approached the massive fallen bear and nudged it with the tip of her boot. The corpse was too big to carry whole.
"Normally, the guild accepts claws or fangs as proof of a hunt," she said. "But with this bear, its pelt might sell well too."
"Then we take everything we can carry," I said, pulling out my axe.
We started gathering evidence.
Tesline handled the bear. Using her brute strength, she easily tore out its claws and fangs, tossing them into a cloth bag. I, on the other hand, used my axe to cut off its ears and some tufts of its thick fur, just in case they wanted extra proof. The fur was thick and durable—definitely worth something on the market.
Then we turned to the goblins. Their bodies were small and thin, and they reeked horribly.
"Just cutting off their ears should be enough, right?" I asked, holding my axe over the first one.
"Yeah, but…" Tesline grimaced in disgust. "I'd rather not touch them too much."
Aegis, my cockatoo, flew over to one of the goblins and pecked curiously at its head.
"No, don't eat that," I said, pulling him away.
But it was too late he had already devoured an entire goblin. I had to stop him before he ate the rest.
Carefully, we used our weapons to cut off the goblins' ears without touching them too much. We tossed them into another cloth bag and tied it tightly.
When we finished, we had gathered enough evidence to confirm the mission.
We set off toward the guild. The way back was peaceful, though with the adrenaline of battle still in our veins, exhaustion started creeping in.
Aegis nestled on my shoulder, rubbing its head against my hair, while Zephyr rested on Tesline's neck.