Chapter 10
Jun is up next. His blessing was distinct from the others. While the light shining into them was white, he received a dazzling sky-blue light. We were all concerned as we watched it enter his body.
"Was that normal?" Joseph questioned when the transaction was completed, and Elvina nodded.
"That means his familiar will be different from the others," she reassured them.
"Should I be worried?" Jun inquired, his expression tense.
"Don't be concerned; call him out, and you'll see what kind of creature you've got."
Jun took the whistle, blew on it, and a baby dragon appeared behind him. Elvina was correct; what entered Jun's body was indeed something else, something special. It was a cute baby dragon.
We weren't expecting that, and I wasn't anticipating a baby dragon to be part of the lottery. But, then again, this is a game. A world with magic and monsters is undoubtedly commonplace for a mythical creature to inhabit.
"What are you going to name it?" Yuto inquired, excited.
"Your name is Huo," said Jun, and a light ball of blessing glowed the dragon.
"What does that mean?" asked Sujin.
"Huo means fire in Chinese, and because dragons breathe fire, I thought it was the perfect name for my little one," Jun remarked.
Name: HUO
Gender: MALE
Creature: Mythical
Breed: BABY DRAGON
Power:
(1) Fly
(2) Fire
Weakness: —
Master: ZHANG JUN
Jun expected his partner's power to be simple when he checked it. Even though his partner could only fly and attack with fire, he thought it was cool. It's also a dragon. You don't see that in the earth realm, do you?
Jiwoo comes next. He blows the whistle to free his familiar after doing what everyone else has done, and out comes a small chimpanzee.
"Oh! We've got the same familiar!" Jaeseong exclaimed, surprised.
"Same creature, different breed," Elvina corrected. "Please name your familiar?"
Jiwoo wasn't very good at naming animals, but he thought long and hard until he came up with his greatest name yet.
"How about Z?" he proposed.
"But what if your familiar is female?" Jun wondered.
"It doesn't matter; I've already decided; she or he is Z," Jiwoo stated, and a ball of light blessed his monkey.
Name: Z
Gender: FEMALE
Creature: MONKEY
Breed: CHIMPANZEE
Power:
(1) Stealth 100%
(2) Speed
(3) Intuition
Weakness: —
Master: JEON JIWOO
Jiho is up next, and he received a cute adult panda! Its fur-covered body looked so inviting to lay down on; it felt like the ideal pillow to relax on as I nap.
"So, what are you going to name her?" questioned Seongho.
"Hmm...how about Ark. Like Arkane’s, Ark?"
"Awww, that's sweet!" I exclaimed.
"Eyy, don't make this all sentimental, bro. You can name it anything other than Arkane," Jaeseong replied.
"No, I like the name; your name is Ark!" And the panda was baptized by a ball of light.
As they were chatting, Jiho was busy checking the panda's power. She only possesses great strength, but it is enough for him to use her in battle.
Name: ARK
Gender: FEMALE
Creature: BEARS
Breed: GIANT PANDA
Power:
(1) Incredible Strength
Weakness: —
Master: LEE JIHO
Next is Yuto, and the moment he got his light, he blew the whistle and took his partner out in excitement. His partner kawed as it flew around before landing on Yuto's arm.
"You've got an eagle!" I exclaimed in awe.
It was my first time seeing one in person, and it looked so handsome. Normally, I'd see them on TV, but now that I'm confronted with one, they're much larger than I expected.
"I thought yours and my familiar would be the same, but I guess not," Heric expressed astonishment.
"Sujin and I both have the same power, but we have different familiars," Seungjae reasoned.
"But it is still possible for hunters with the same ability to have the same familiar; it's rare but not impossible," Elvina explained.
"What are you going to name it?" Joseph inquired.
Yuto tried to think of something while softly petting his companion. He knew very little about eagles, but he did know that they had extraordinary vision and speed, as well as a strong grip.
If he were to name the bird, he wanted it to be related to his given power. Then it hit him: birds are typically used to covertly spy on people, and he felt it would be the ideal job for his familiar.
"Your name is Spy," he said, and his partner glowed.
Name: SPY
Gender: MALE
Creature: BIRD
Breed: BALD EAGLE
Power:
(1) Fly
(2) Vision
(3) Intuition
Weakness: FIRE
Master: XU YUTONG
Elvina instructed Jeongmin and me to perform the blessings together for the next and final hunt-mates. We were initially suspicious and had our interest piqued with numerous questions, but we didn't want this to continue on for too long.
We drank the Holy Waterfall, which tasted pleasantly refreshing, like drinking cold water left in the refrigerator overnight. Then we kneel and bow our heads to receive our blessing.
Two separate light balls descended. Our heads were still bowed, and we couldn't see what was going on above us.
We were all expecting the light to enter our bodies, yet both of our lights stood above us.
"Are you Yumi?" echoed a woman's voice.
"And you must be Jeongmin." echoed a man's voice.
It surprised me to hear two distinct, unfamiliar voices. They sounded quite wonderful, as if they were speaking through a microphone and their voices were reverberating across the room.
When we raised our heads to see who had called our names, we noticed two majestic-looking fairies fluttering above our heads. It was our first time seeing one in person, and we were all stunned by their beauty.
"You're our familiars?" I questioned, to which the woman fairy nodded.
"I'm your familiar, Master Yumi."
"And I'm your familiar, Master Jeongmin."
"Please name us, master, and we will be by your side forever."
Jeongmin and I exchanged glances before deciding on a name for them. Now that it was my turn to do so, it made me feel a little pressured.
To name someone this beautiful was harder than I expected; nevertheless, I tried my best.
The fairy in front of me was dressed in blue except for her skin. Her hair was ocean blue, and she wore it in long pigtails. She wore a steel blue outfit and had midnight blue eyes and light blue wings.
I was entranced by her beauty when I returned my gaze to her. Her very existence was like staring at a work of art. And suddenly, I found the perfect name to give her.
"Art, your name is Art," I said, and my fairy glowed as it was being baptized.
"My name is Art, and I am one with the wind and nature; whoever takes my master's name will be punished by yours truly."
Name: ART
Gender: FEMALE
Creature: MYTHICAL
Breed: NATURE FAIRY
Power:
(1) Wind
(2) Nature
Weakness: —
Master: MIZUKASA YUMI
"And what's my name, young master?" inquired the man.
Jeongmin pondered it, returning his gaze to the fairy above him. While Art was covered in blue, his fairy was covered in purple and white.
With his dark purple hair and shoes, eggplant purple shirt, tie, wings, gloves, and pearl white jacket and slacks. He looked like a prince.
"Moon," he said, "your name is Moon, like the moon beautifully shining at night," and Moon was baptized.
"The name is Moon; I am one with the music that hypnotizes along the moonlight. Those who shall take the name of my master will be punished by yours truly."
Name: MOON
Gender: MALE
Creature: MYTHICAL
Breed: DARK FAIRY
Power:
(1) Hypnotize
(2) Weakness: —
Master: AHN JEONGMIN
The receiving of the familiar had finally come to an end. Everyone was pleased with the outcome of the magnificent ceremony.
We gathered around Elvina for the final reminder after everyone had been blessed with a familiar.
"Congratulations, my dear hunters, on such a blessing! Remember, these familiars are what the Hunter Gods have chosen for you; in other words, these are your soulmates, therefore never hurt them, or you will be punished by the Gods themselves."
As we listened, we realized how significant and unique our partners are to us. Even if the outcome isn't to your liking, you can't disagree with it because that creature came from within you.
Elvina explained that our familiar is still us, but as a creature entrusted to us by the Gods to raise and care for.
We flew back to the Poffice Guild after our business in the Holy Land to record our familiar in our Travelers Card.
The excitement of finally having a partner is palpable; we can't wait to combat and get to know our familiar even more.
When we were leaving the Holy Land, these youngsters couldn't stop raving about the experience of having a partner in the game.
Knowing that they came in to be blessed with a familiar led me to believe that they would return to play for more.
To be honest, I'm not sure whether I should be frightened or enthusiastic about it. Nonetheless, I'm delighted they decided to join in.