The Summoner's Assistant

The first reward she received. She opened the lid of the nearly circular jar and peered inside, then pulled out something long and dangling. The moment she saw it, she froze, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly as she stared at me, unable to form words.

'Let's see—the options should be the same, right?'

I too placed my hand on the brilliantly silver necklace and checked its information.

Two lines of options, far too plain for an artifact, floated into my mind. Not every artifact boasted overwhelming performance, but this necklace was modest even by those standards. While high-ranking hunters would find it endlessly disappointing, for rookies like us it was something worth bowing down to. Moreover, artifacts that increased mana recovery rate weren't common, so if put on the market it would surely fetch at least five billion won.

"Aaaah... What on earth is this..."

Yeonhee's hands trembled as she held the necklace, unsure what to do. Worried she would waste another stretch of time like this, I took the necklace from her hands and carefully draped it around her neck from behind.

—!!

'With nothing but bones, even putting on this simple loop isn't easy.'

Fortunately the ring was large enough; otherwise an embarrassing scene would have unfolded. Once the necklace was on Yeonhee, its length—which had previously reached down past her chest to her waist—adjusted perfectly to rest along her collarbone line. This was a phenomenon caused by artifacts resizing themselves to fit the user's body. The subtly glowing silver chain, reminiscent of mithril, and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠small but clearly luminous green gemstone made her appearance even more dazzling.

"Uuuuuh— Th-this, this is..."

Seeing her face flush from red to a deep crimson, it seemed wearing the artifact left her extremely flustered.

'Well, she could just wear it around and enjoy the feeling, but...'

If she walked around openly displaying it, hunters would swarm her and she would be killed within a day. I placed my hand on the necklace and quietly closed my mind's eye. Yeonhee seemed to notice I was about to do something and waited quietly.

'The hidden function of the skill [Stealth]—Concealment.'

This was something like an easter egg I had discovered after much effort trying to utilize even the abilities I possessed in my previous life. When applied to an object, it made the item difficult for others to perceive, as if it were simply air—present yet nonexistent.

"Ah... This... You made it invisible to people?"

"Clack clack!"

When I nodded vigorously and made the sound, Yeonhee's eyes widened once more as she carefully touched the necklace.

"Th-this would sell for an enormous amount..."

'Indeed, immediately selling it and repaying the debt to Jo Giman would be one option. But if we did that, then probably...'

With high probability, Jo Giman would retaliate. 'In the end, the choice is yours.'

"Th-thank you, Ilwol... I really don't understand any of this, but..."

—Hug—

'Mmph—'

She pulled me into a tight embrace, sniffling for a moment, then whispered into my ear.

"My treasure... For the rest of my life, I'll..."

—Grind grind—

'I get that you're happy, but my bones are starting to feel the strain.'

"Clack clack!!"

"Ah! Sorry. Hehe—"

After we separated, characters I felt like I had seen somewhere before suddenly began arranging themselves in my mind. They soon transformed into Korean.

'Whoa... What is this...'

I was dumbfounded by the unexpected reward.

[Composure]

But soon my mind cleared and I began considering which of the three rewards would be best.

'One and two are good because I can choose the ability I want to raise, while three, like when I was enhanced into a skeleton soldier last time, can raise stats as well—so if the randomly selected ability is good, it might be better than one or two.'

Trait: Composure, Protection, Thievery, 98 Lives, Adhesion

Skill: Strike, Stealth, Dagger Throw, Acid Spray, Basic Transformation, Reckless Charge

I pondered while looking at the abilities I currently possessed.

'If I choose 98 Lives, will I gain one more life? Hmm—if that's the case, it's truly an amazing reward.'

In truth, choosing option three would randomly increase three stats by one each, but once growth had progressed to a certain point, three stats wouldn't make a meaningful difference.

'I don't know how often rewards like this will appear, so relying on luck feels off. Ha... This is difficult.'

However, the time for deliberation was short, and in the end I chose option one.

'It would be best to raise the most unique ability. And wouldn't it be better to slightly increase the probability of stealing traits from monsters we don't encounter often?'

Seeing the theft probability of Thievery rise by exactly 1%, I nodded and soon cast aside any lingering attachment, turning to look at Yeonhee. She stuck out her tongue slightly and scratched her head, then clapped her hands together as if remembering something. After glancing around, she began chanting a spell.

'She intends to summon a spirit.'

Naturally, with her mana inflated, she would want to test it in actual combat at least once. Soon a flower bud bloomed, and from within it a plump, light-brown babbler bird leaped out and greeted her.

(Ooh! Master! Thank you so much for summoning this unworthy one again.)

—Buzz buzz—

Even while hovering in place and nodding its head, it was incredibly adorable. But 'Ran' continued in a serious voice.

(However, you are wearing something I did not see last time. Truly, your beauty is so dazzling that I can hardly look at you directly.)

'That thing's social skills are maxed out...'

More surprising was that it had immediately seen through my Concealment ability. I felt a bit embarrassed as well. It was as if I had used my immature skill on Yeonhee.

"Kyaa— Ran's so cute. Want to come into my arms?"

(K-khm— H-how could I possibly—)

Contrary to its words, the creature had already darted into Yeonhee's embrace and was even rubbing its head against her chest.

'That little bastard... Is it really a spirit?'

I felt annoyed for no reason, but it was more important to stay alert to the Big Bore pack gathering around us again. Moreover—

Agility: 46(+5)

Whether because I had entered the range of Ran's passive trait, my agility had risen by 5 and my body felt much lighter, leaving me somewhat satisfied.

"Ran? I'd like to see your ability. Will you help?"

(Heeung... O-of course. I sense a group emitting a foul aura nearby.)

Seeming quite pleased to be in Yeonhee's arms, the creature—with its belly sagging heavily—struggled to take flight before suddenly landing on my shoulder.

[Why are you coming to me?]

I naturally spoke to Ran, and it responded immediately. Recalling how I communicated with Wangwang, I had tried speaking to it, and sure enough, communication was possible.

(Let's fight together! [Acceleration] requires contact with the target to activate, so you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't need to worry about me.)

[Wouldn't it be better to use it on Yeonhee?]

(H-how dare you speak my master's name so casually!! You scoundrel! Your education is still lacking!)

"What? Ilwol called me by my name?"

[Huh... This ended up like I'm translating for them.]

(Master! Set your worries aside. This 'Ran' shall properly correct this skeleton's manners.)

"Kyaa—! So Ilwol really was thinking!"

(Uh, um...)

Ran wore a complicated expression while watching Yeonhee, who seemed to be hearing its words in a subtly twisted way. Seeing the sulky bird's face, my mood improved, and I poked its body lightly as I spoke.

[Not me—protect your master. I'm fine.]

(This skeleton, she is your master as well. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any case, this is my first time using [Acceleration] on another race, so you must be the test subject first.)

[...... Damn it, was that the reason? You're a total newbie at this?]

(Wh-what! Me, 'Ran,' who graduated from the Spirit Academy with top honors and was even selected as the most beloved summon that summoners from every dimension wish to call upon—calling me a newbie? You really—)

[Shut up, they're coming. Two Big Bores... and their young too. They're almost ready to leave their parents, so they're quite large.]

"Puhuhut— You two can have your lovers' quarrel later. First, let's get into position, everyone."

(Th-that is not it... Understood, Master! I shall demonstrate my ability.)

The babbler bird climbed atop my head, spread its ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠short wings wide, and began flapping them. Then a refreshing breeze arose around my body and enveloped me.