[NOTICE]
[Your familiar has learned a new [Mastery]!
Your [Shadow Doppelganger] has learned [Dagger Mastery].]
Phew... It has taken about a few in-game hours, but it seems like it was all worth it. I would have given him a few more high-level monsters to speed up the process. But knowing how this game works, I would rather rely on care than the heartless training most players might have used since the first day of the expansion release. That and I already don't want to pressure the young [Familiar] with what he had right now.
[I-I did it, Windy! I got another [Horned Rabbit]!] Soma cheered with a smile while holding a dagger, which kinda creeps me out a bit. [Your dagger really helps. Thank you!]
Creepiness aside, at least he's happy with the progress we made. "It's not only your dagger that helped you. If you hadn't followed my lessons carefully and taken better care of yourself, you would have gotten hurt. Training to be strong is good and all, but try to relax every once in a while. Your body will thank you for it."
[R-Really? Is that why you kept telling me to stop hunting for a few minutes to eat?]
I nod. "Yeah. I may be your master, but I'm neither cruel nor power-hungry. And don't say you're only a monster. You're more than that. Besides, you remind me of my younger brother and I have a feeling you two will get along once you meet each other."
[I-Is your brother nice like you?]
"Knowing him, I know he will. Just don't get all hung up once you meet him. Be yourself and get to know him little by little. You will thank me later for it."
I can see a small smile forming on Soma's face. [If you say so. I can't wait to meet your brother soon.]
Well, we're gonna meet each other in a few hours once we get our [Familiars], so it won't be long.
[FAMILIAR CHECK]
[Soma is grateful for your kind words.]
[Your bond with your [Shadow Doppelganger] has gone up significantly.]
I'm glad to see Soma happy. It's only been a while, but I'm starting to see him as my second younger brother. Then again, I have a feeling Kazu might become a bit jealous once he realizes this.
PING!
[You have an incoming whisper voice chat from <Arthur>.]
Huh. I didn't expect him to call at this time. I guess this means it's something urgent outside of his Dahlia daydreams.
<<I hope you have a good reason for calling me at this hour, Arthur.>>
<<Yeah, sorry about your [Familiar] training, Wind. But have you seen the crowds here in <Initio> lately?>>
I raise my eyebrow at the sudden question. <<No? Besides, we were there a few hours ago when we logged in. What about it?>>
<<Well, it looks like the [Familiar] craze has spread throughout the <Peritus> lands in a matter of a few offline hours! I saw battles between them from left and right and they're even offered some food exclusively for [Familiars]. Can't you believe that?! It's like the Poke-craze all over again!>>
Wow, I can't believe it either. Considering how I almost became the only player not to have a [Familiar], it would be more awkward if I came back without learning of my soulstone from the [Hidden Quest]. But hang on... If what Arthur was saying is true, what would happen if everyone saw Soma? Since he came from the soulstone of a big boss from the [Test of Courage], there's a chance he might be one of the rarest [Familiars] in the game so far. It would be a privacy disaster for both of us just like the [World Notice] incident!
<<Uh... <Volo> to Wind...>>
I quickly shake my head once I hear Arthur's voice. <<Sorry about that. But thanks for the warning. You really helped me dodge a bullet back there.>>
<<Dodge a bullet? Okay, who are you and what happened to the real Wind?>>
<<Real funny, Arthur. But I have a good reason to panic after your warning. Is Razul there with you?>>
<<Yeah. He just logged in at the same time as me. Why?>>
<<Can you guys meet me outside of the <Tested Wilds>? That's where Kazu is right now and I'm planning to meet him after my [Familiar] training.>>
<<Uh... Okay? We'll do that after getting our [Familiars]. We'll PM you once we're there.>>
Good. Which means extra time to figure out how the hell am I going to hide Soma from the public eye.
<<Good. I'll chat with you guys soon.>>
I sigh once I drop the call. Damn... It's one problem after another...
[Windy? Why are you staring at nothing?]
Oh right... I almost forgot he's still here. I'm glad he remained silent during the call or there'd be no way I could explain to Arthur that I got a rare [Familiar] from a gacha soulstone.
"Sorry about that. I just realized about you coming with me to a town called <Initio>."
[A-A town?]
Huh... I guess most newly-born [Familiars] are more akin to babies than children than I thought.
"Well, a town is a small settlement with a lot of people living in houses and inns..."
Suddenly, Soma quickly clings onto my leg and sinks into my shadow in tears.
[FAMILIAR CHECK]
[Soma shrieked into your shadow in fear.]
You don't need to tell me the obvious, notifications!
But it kinda makes sense. Soma isn't much of a social monster, not much different from Kazuki in the past. I guess combined with his status as a rare [Familiar], it would be easier for me to hide him. And his sudden reaction has given me an idea.
"Hey, hey! Calm down, Soma. I'm trying to say that I want to hide you from the public. I'm not going to force you to meet everyone there. In fact, I'm planning the opposite."
Looks like it's enough for him to come out from my shadow. [O-Opposite?]
I nod as I recall that I have to avoid certain words to not confuse any NPC since it might apply the same with [Familiars]. "You may not know about this, but in <Initio>, many people might see your species as rare and I don't want either of us to get unwanted attention because of it. I want to make sure we have to avoid it so we can retain our privacy and keep this a secret from everyone but our friends. Besides, you seemed to be afraid the moment I said "a lot of people"."
[...I don't like to be with many people around me.]
Yep... From how he tried to slink back into my shadow, I can see he's a mix of my past self and Kazuki, all right.
"Again, I won't force you out of my shadow and you don't have to do the same for my sake. Meeting people takes courage and it will take a while for you to gain it for yourself. Don't rush yourself and take one step at a time. I know you will make friends in no time."
I wait for Soma to respond. I've had to use Mom's words to encourage him. But I don't know if it has the same effect as it did on me and Kazu. Having a [Familiar] with no quirks that would undermine his growth might be good and all. But after recalling the conversation regarding [Gaia Live], I can see Soma is no mere [Familiar] from his shyness alone. Then, my thoughts suddenly break when I see him coming out from my shadow and tackling me in a hug.
[Thank you, Windy. You are the nicest brother I ever had!]
Well, you were born a few hours ago, so I doubt I can consider myself the "nicest brother".
[FAMILIAR CHECK]
[Soma felt relieved from hearing your kind words.]
[Because you recognized his natural abilities, [Dark Mastery] has been unlocked for your [Familiar].]
Huh? "Unlocked", not "gained"? So there are natural [Masteries] that [Familiars] already have from the start. Depending on your bond, you can unlock them early if you recognize their species' abilities. Well, whatever the mechanics behind this [Familiar] gameplay, they don't affect me. As long as Soma is happy, then I'm happy, too.
-----
Another hour has passed and we leave the plains once the training is done for today. Thanks to Soma's [Shadow Doppelganger] abilities, he's currently inside my shadow as I head over to the <Tested Wilds>. Hopefully, with him out of the public eye literally, I can pass by other players without a worry of being outed as the master of a rare [Familiar]. This time, I take the time to search around the chat window beforehand to see if there's any [World Notice] related to our contract. Thankfully, it seems like only [Hidden Quests] related to a worldwide event in [Isekai] were the only ones it could report at the moment. So I'm safe for now.
Speaking of which, Kazu hasn't called me during Soma's training at all. Was he also busy with his own [Familiar]? I wouldn't be surprised if he also ended up unlucky with his pull otherwise. Yeah, it's not like we're gonna run into the same situation at the same time.
"Yo, Wind! We're over here!"
I sigh as soon as I hear a familiar voice from afar. I turn to see Razul and Arthur waiting at the entrance as promised.
"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late for the rendezvous," I apologize while catching my breath. "I almost lost track of time from training."
"At least you're lucky to farm some EXP. We just got our [Familiars] while you're going off on your own adventures." Arthur then backs away and a wolf with red fur that seems to be made of flames approaches me. "<Flame>, meet Wind. Wind, meet my new partner, Flame."
The wolf seems to be growling as soon as it sees me. From its glowing golden yellow eyes glaring at me like daggers, I have a feeling it doesn't like me very much.
"Hehe... Nice to meet you, Flame..." I decided to shift my eyes away from the wolf for a blue-green hawk perched on Razul's shoulder. "And who's the mighty hawk, Raz?"
"<Zoro>. I named him after my pet bird in real life." Razul gingerly scratches under his hawk's beak, much to its delight. "There is no way I can replace him. But he's here to carry on his memories."
I'm glad to hear. Zoro was Damon's pet bird before he passed away during our first year in high school. I remember how whenever we visited his home, Zac and I took turns feeding and playing with Zoro. Zac got the brunt of his pecks and I have a feeling this Zoro might do the same if he doesn't keep his mouth shut.
"What about you, Wind? What kind of [Familiar] did you get from the free gacha?"
"Gacha" is a bit too much of a term, Zac...
I looked down at my shadow and noticed it furiously shaking his head. I get that Soma is shy, but he's acting more like a hikikomori than a shy kid. "Let's just say in terms of personality, he's an introverted monster."
"Introvert?" Arthur repeats with his eyebrow raised.
"And where is your [Familiar] right now?"
I don't want to give him more stress than I expected. But I silently answered Razul's question by slowly pointing down at my shadow. All that's left is to have Arthur and Razul see it moving by itself and let the latter's judgment determine who Soma is.
"Whoa... You ain't kidding about being introverted."
"Yeah. Most of the time, Flame always bites my butt whenever I try flirting with a girl." As soon as Arthur says that, his [Familiar] did just that. "Oh, come on! What did I do now?!"
I don't need to verbally tell him why he's acting like a douchebag. Zac means well, but he needs to clean up his Casanova act if he wants to get a proper girlfriend.
"I honestly want to meet your [Familiar]. But at the same time, I don't want him to be scared of other players because of Arthur's recklessness."
"Hey!"
"That's why I'm here to give him time to get used to his new surroundings. I've already gotten used to his introverted personality thanks to my experience with Kazu. So it might take a while until he's ready to meet you guys." I'm not the type to force Soma into situations unless he wishes to go willingly. I feel like the first step out of his shyness is to meet Kazu in person.
"Well, that's annoying," Arthur grumbles. "But I understand what you're trying to say. If you're hearing this, Wind's [Familiar], I'm sorry for trespassing your boundaries."
"You should also apologize for being a compulsive flirter."
"What did you say, Raz?!"
I groan as I watch them starting another argument again. Thank god the only thing good about them is their empathy with other people and their current circumstances.
BOOM!!!
I scream as I hear some kind of an explosion. It seemed like it came from inside the <Tested Wilds>. Don't tell me Kazu somehow uses [Magecrafting] with his [Familiar] without his tomes?!
"Hey, isn't your brother supposed to be in the wilds?" Arthur points out the obvious, but I had no time to start snarking back.
"Let's check it out."
We quickly rush inside the forest to find Kazu. Since I still have Soma in my shadow, he can follow me without leaving it as I discovered a few minutes ago. So I may need his help when the time comes.
Of course, that time may come soon. When we find my little brother after a few minutes of running through the woods, I gasp to see a large red dragon roaring at him and a little blue dragon in his arms.
"D-Dude, is that..." Razul stutters.
"A BFD!!!" Arthur finishes. "A BIG-FAT DRAGON!!!"
And it's in this very forest where Kazu is fighting for his life. I would have screamed his name if it wasn't for me almost peeing my virtual pants at the size of that thing! It isn't until he sees me from behind that he flashes an awkward grin at us.
"Uh... I can explain, guys..."
-----
Wind's Masteries
[Archery] Level 23
[Woodcrafting] Level 10
[Swordsmanship] Level 24
[Cooking] Level 9
[Wind] Level 17
[Physical Enhancement] Level 18
[Hunting] Level 17
[Blacksmithing] Level 18
[Dagger] Level 8
[Dual-Wielding] Level 1
-----
Since Camp NaNoWriMo is around the corner, the releases may be slower than usual due to a low buffer and focus on the project ahead. I'll let you know of any updates for next month.
Thanks again to Christine Luu for being an awesome Sign Creator on Patreon!