Chapter 20

"I just got a new skill..." I said, still a little dazed.

"For real? What is it? What skill?"

"...that's what it says."

"Summon it again right now!"

At Yoo Sumi's urging, I called out the eagle I'd just tamed. Yellow magic power bloomed in my palm, and the eagle materialized in an instant.

Kuruk?

The eagle fixed its bright golden eyes on me and tilted its head. It was... honestly pretty cute.

Then it stretched forward and rubbed its head against my cheek.

"Ugh... ahaha! That tickles!"

The eagle flapped its wings and shot into the air, circling me playfully and darting around like it was trying to mess with me. It was like the affection meter had shot straight to MAX the second we met. Was this another elf thing?

Now that I thought about it, the skill description said it made them "join the elf's ecosystem." No common skill would ever be worded like that. Wait a minute...

"Do they usually tame this easily...?" Yoo Sumi asked from the side, her voice carrying that familiar easygoing drawl.

"I don't know the details, but I heard you have to feed them for a long time and train them before they'll even listen. Bird-type phantasmal beasts are supposed to be super picky, too."

"You really blow past common sense every single time, Jiyoon. And isn't the skill effect kind of weird? 'Join the elf's ecosystem'? What kind of skill even says that?"

Phantasmal beasts are magical creatures similar to monsters, only far more intelligent. They sometimes lend their power to humans they like. They're incredibly rare, with an almost mythical appearance. Some of them even possess powerful abilities.

Our eagle had elegant gold-and-white feathers mixed in with the brown, giving it a noble, high-class look at first glance.

I was about to say something when the eagle flew straight at my face and started playfully batting me with its wings.

"Ow, hey, stop! Wait a second!"

Still, it listened pretty well. The moment I told it to stop, it actually did. It landed on the ground and started waddling around.

When I glanced at Yoo Sumi and Kim Seohwa, both of them were giving me strange looks.

"What?"

"Is that new skill of yours a unique skill, by any chance?" Kim Seohwa asked, her voice carrying that slightly rough, affectionate edge.

"...Probably? It did say it adds them to the elf's ecosystem."

"This is insane. You got another unique skill after awakening?"

"Whoa."

I could accept that I'd been born with three unique skills the moment I awakened. But learning another rare unique skill after the fact? Just what the hell was I?

I'd used the phantasmal stone because I thought it would be cool to have a summoned beast to fight alongside me, and the thing had tamed the second our eyes met. On top of that, I'd gained a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unique skill that let me easily call it out, send it back, and even strengthen it. Where was this all heading?

Was I going to end up as some nature god leading an army of summoned beasts?

"...That's scary."

"Why? What's scary?"

"My own talent is scary..."

"Aww, you little brat. You're so talented it makes me jealous, annoyed, and completely charmed. I just wanna bite your cheeks."

"Uwaaaah!"

Yoo Sumi pulled me into a hug and rubbed her cheek against mine. The slightly excessive skinship got the eagle all excited too, and it started screeching loudly.

"Come here. Let me have a turn," Kim Seohwa said, latching on as well. She squished my cheeks and patted my head.

"Ugh... uhehe..."

Being touched from every direction was making my brain melt. In the end I received a full course of "you're so pretty" compliments, head pats, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠endless affection from both of them, leaving me on cloud nine.

They'd earned a ton of money thanks to me again this time, but more than that, it felt like they were genuinely happy for my success. I'd saved people earlier, performed well in a real crisis, and even gained both a summoned eagle and a unique skill. All those good things piled up until my mood hit an all-time high.

"Oh, and there's one more thing I need to thank you for, Jiyoon," Yoo Sumi said.

"I learned a skill earlier thanks to you. A first-grade one."

Common skills were ranked from first to fourth grade, with first-grade being the strongest. Think Meteor Strike for mages or Horizon Slash for swordsmen. That didn't mean fourth-grade skills were bad. The stronger the skill, the more mana it consumed and the longer the cooldown. Still, first-grade skills were the ultimate trump card that could raise your peak power dramatically when you needed it most. More than anything, they just looked incredibly cool, so every hunter dreamed of having at least one.

For reference, the Focus, Multishot, and Rapid Fire I'd learned were all fourth-grade.

But Yoo Sumi had learned a first-grade skill because of me. What did that even mean?

"You learned a first-grade skill? Because of me?"

"Yep. Seohwa, you saw it too, right? When I used Wave-like Ice Sword."

"I saw it. But you said that was thanks to Jiyoon?"

"Didn't you feel it every time you received her buff? It's not just raw power. It feels like your entire level of mastery jumps up several stages. Like you can suddenly do things that should be impossible."

"Now that you mention it..."

According to Yoo Sumi, while she was under my buff it felt like she'd skipped over a decade of training and her very realm of understanding had risen. That was how she'd managed to learn a high-difficulty skill she'd only known in theory before.

"Whoa. That was because of me?"

"That's what I'm saying. Wave-like Ice Sword is seriously overpowered. It summons hundreds of ice blades that handle both offense and defense. If I practice a little more, I'll be able to hit B+ rank in no time!"

"Really?"

"For real. Sis has been relying on your help for so many things, Jiyoon. I can't even repay you with just a couple of meals."

"Ehehe..."

"Hey, Jiyoon..." Kim Seohwa spoke up softly from the side. "Could you... give me that buff too sometime? I want to try meditating properly while it's active."

"Pay the private lesson fee, Kim Seohwa."

"Fine. I'll pay the lesson fee. You're the only one who can let me experience the next realm, after all."

"Ah... you don't have to pay anything. I'll just keep helping you."

We made plans to set aside some time later so I could give her a personal buff lesson. Then...

When I looked to the left, the eagle was staring at us with wide, round eyes.

"I want to test what this eagle can actually do."

"Maybe it can even hunt for us."

I held out my right arm, and the eagle flew over with a flap of its wings and perched on it. I probably needed to give it a name first. I'd have to call it by name when giving orders, after all.

"Hmm... How about Hawk? Since it's an eagle, Hawk sounds cool, right?"

The eagle blinked its large eyes twice. It seemed to like it.

"All right! From now on, your name is Hawk!"

"...Hawk is for falcons, though. Eagles are eagles."

"Quiet, Kim Seohwa."

They'd tried to whisper it to each other, but with my sharp hearing I caught every word. Oh well. I'd already given it the name, so changing it now would be awkward.

"A-anyway. Let's go, Hawk! Show us what you can do!"

With a long cry of Kiiiruuuk—, Hawk shot high into the sky.

"Can you still give it orders when it's flying that high?"

"If the bond is strong enough, you can just send mental commands. Want to try, Jiyoon?"

"Yeah!"

I had a feeling it would work. There really was some kind of connection between me and Hawk. Focusing on that link, I thought...

Come down lower, Hawk!

Immediately, Hawk swooped down smoothly and began flying just above my head.

"Oh! Ohhh! Good job!!"

"Wow. It listens so well. Even if you only used it for scouting, it'd be worth a lot."

"Exactly. The summoner I know is always complaining ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that their beast never listens."

My ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nose, cheeks, and shoulders all rose with pride. Why was I so ridiculously talented? I'd tamed Hawk with nothing but charisma.

We decided to test Hawk's combat ability right away. Every summoner or tamer dreamed of having their beasts fight in their place. A completely hands-free, auto-battle where my summons did all the work. That dream was about to come true for me too.

We sent Hawk high into the air and quickly found a Mountain Bear—one of those classic sandbag monsters. Hiding in the grass, I gave Hawk a mental command.

Hawk, attack that thing!

Honestly, I hadn't expected much at that point. It had only been summoned for less than an hour, so I figured even at its strongest it would still be weaker than a person. If it could at least peck at the eyes with its beak or talons, I'd be happy.

But then—

Shuuuuuuu—!

A terrifying sound of rushing wind tore through the sky. A brown blur slammed straight into the bear's head with a thunderous crack.

Thud.

The Mountain Bear collapsed on the spot, falling into a deep, permanent sleep.

"...Is it dead?"

"Looks like it."

"For real? It died in one hit?"

I came out of the grass and poked the bear a few times. There was a huge hole drilled right through the center of its skull.

Hawk landed lightly beside me. With a dignified stride, it walked over and pushed its head forward as if asking to be praised.

"Huuu...!!"

Hawk, you...!!!

"You're seriously the best!!"

I scooped Hawk up in my arms and started jumping around with pure joy. Who could've known such an amazing creature would come to me? I really was the luckiest person alive.