My first companion

'I will help you become stronger. However, you have to become my companion!' (Usagi)

One can't survive alone in the world. It is important to have strong teammates to help you. And this pup is perfect for that role.

'Companion? What is that? Is it tasty?' (Ember)

It might be because the level of Soul Share is low or because she doesn't genuinely know many words, but it seems that I will have to teach her what a companion is.

'Companions help each other when needed. They eat together, sleep together, and share both the happy things and sad things they come across.' (Usagi)

She was silent for a few moments. I can feel that she understood my words this time.

'Ok ... I will be Master's companion!' (Ember)

Eh? Master? I am sure I said my name before.

'My name is Usagi though ... ' (Usagi)

Hearing the word "master" makes me remember the sad things the elite goblin went through.

'Master is Master! My parents said that someday I might find someone who would help me! And I would call him Master!' (Ember)

She was wiggling her tail very fast ... Well, it can't be helped. I don't like my current name that much anyway ...

'I understand ... I know that is late, but let's start hunting!' (Usagi)

<You have shared a part of your strength with the host!>

<The host's level has been adjusted to that of the user!>

<The host has acquired temporarily a part of the user's skills!>

Power flowed through Ember's body and some unknown power within her made her body shine in bright orange color.

<Thanks to the influence of the user, the potential hidden in the host has awakened!>

<The host has evolved into a 'Dark Fire Wolf'!>

<The host has acquired the magic attribute 'Fire'!>

<The host has acquired the magic attribute 'Darkness'!>

<The host has acquired the passive skill 'Fast Casting Lv. 1'!>

<The host has acquired the passive skill 'Chantless Casting Lv. 1'!>

'Huh? ... Huh? ... What the hell?!' (Usagi)

Is my influence that great? This didn't happen with Mary though ...

Did this occur because I used Soul Share? That's the most reasonable answer, but still ... this is too much!

Even I can't use magic yet!

. . .

Eventually, the light that covered Ember disappeared and I told her to go see herself on the surface of the creek. Her pack was looking at her with both curiosity and wariness.

Once we arrived, I could see that her appearance didn't actually change. She looked exactly the same as before.

Although, the presence she exuded drastically grown. She now felt stronger and looked more imposing somehow.

I checked her status and saw that only a few things changed.

≪Ember (Usagi)≫

Race: Monster (Spirit)

Species: Dark Fire Wolf (Wandering Soul)

Gender: Female (None)

Age: 1 (0)

Level: 25 [15] (25)

Magic Attributes: Fire, Darkness (None)

. . .

≪Passive skills≫

Chantless Casting Lv. 1, Fast Casting Lv. 1 ... [ ... ]

≪Magic≫

Fire Magic Lv. 1, Dark Magic Lv. 1

[None]

Her skills were mostly the same, but a new description and category appeared.

As if mocking me, a "none" appeared in both that told me I literally couldn't use any magic ...

I appraised both types of magic to know what they truly mean.

≪Fire Magic (Lv. 1). You are able to harness the power of fire. Burn trees, wooden buildings, and other weak living beings at will.

Currently learned spells: Fireball.≫

≪Dark Magic (Lv. 1). You are able to harness the power of the darkness. No one will see you easily in the shadows.

Currently learned spells: Shadow Camouflage.≫

Their descriptions made them sound really weak ... they probably are though.

Only one spell was available for each type right now, but that's not too bad.

The Fire Lizard I found before could spit flames like a small fire thrower. I wonder if Ember will be able to do that in the future ...

I also appraised her new skills.

≪Chantless Casting (Lv. 1). As a monster who interacts with nature, you don't need to use chants to cast your magic.≫

≪Fast Casting (Lv. 1). You are able to cast magic faster.≫

I see. So human mages apparently need to chant to use magic. That sounds troublesome ...

Her race also changed. I don't understand completely the differences between a beast and a monster yet ...

Finally, our levels seemed to be equal.

I was lost in my thoughts when a voice interrupted me. It was Ember.

' ... is this because of Master?' (Ember)

Her voice contained both sadness and surprise. However, I knew the reason behind those emotions.

'That's right! Your parents didn't lie to you!' (Usagi)

I would be grinning right now if I had a face.

'I see ... ' (Ember)

After a few moments, a new emotion surged in her mind. I felt overwhelmed by it.

'Thank you, Master!' (Ember)

It was happiness.

. . .

Time passed, but none of the members of the pack came close to her. Some went hunting as wolves are primarily nocturnal, while the other pups slept like us.

The evolution process made Ember exhausted so we had to delay our plans until morning.

Eventually, the sun rose and we finally started our own hunting!

'Let's go, Ember!' (Usagi)

'Yes, Master!' (Ember)

Our first prey was a lonely Horned Rabbit. Seeing it made me remember the time I spent as one. It wasn't long ago, maybe just a week and a half I think.

I am not sure because I didn't ask how many days passed after Ember's pack killed the elite goblin.

I was much stronger now and my companion was hungry, so I didn't feel guilty when I made it our target.

≪Horned Rabbit Lv. 52 (Beast, 1-year-old)≫

They are pretty good at escaping from predators so I made Ember wait until it got closer enough to Ambush it.

'Now! Bite him!' (Usagi)

'Ok!' (Ember)

The horned rabbit got scared and instantly tried to flee, but Ember was faster.

<You have used 'Bite Lv. 2'!>

<You have killed a 'Horned Rabbit'!>

<You have leveled up! (Lv. 25 -> Lv. 27)>

<'Ember' has leveled up! (Lv. 15 -> Lv. 19)>

Success! It was easier than we thought. Perhaps an ambush was not necessary in the end ...

As Ember was still small, she was satisfied with the size of her meal. She ate it raw like a proper wolf.

I wanted to make her at least roast it using Fire Magic, but it was useless. She couldn't control it properly yet.

Good thing we tried it on a rock ... The forest trees of this world are kind of resistant to magic, but we may still have started a fire ...

I'm already missing the food prepared by Mary's butler ...

We then spent a lot of time practicing the use of both types of magic. Ember was becoming increasingly better at controlling them.

Her fireballs were originally basketball-sized but she now could make them smaller and weaker at will.

Unexpectedly, the color of her fire wasn't dark or dark red like her species' name specified, but a mixture of orange and red.

She also managed to use dark magic to camouflage somewhat in the shade of a tree. It seems to be more useful at night though.

When combined with my Stealth skill, it should be pretty awesome.

<The host has acquired the passive skill 'Mana Flow Control Lv. 1'!>

<The host has acquired the passive skill 'Magic Consumption Reduction Lv. 1'!>

Her hours of effort paid off and these messages were proof of it. Like last time, I appraised her new skills.

≪Mana Flow Control (Lv. 1). You have become an expert in controlling mana. You can finely adjust the strength and shape of your spells at will.≫

≪Magic Consumption Reduction (Lv. 1). You have become accustomed to the use of magic and have discovered unnecessary intermediate steps. The mana required to cast magic has been reduced.≫

The description seemed a bit exaggerated this time. However, they are very useful skills.

We got exhausted again and decided to nap until the night or at least that was the plan ...

After a few hours, Danger Sense told me that something was wrong. The sensation did not come from nearby wolves but from another source.

I quickly woke up Ember and told her to be alert.

Suddenly, humans appeared from the nearby bushes. Some were armed with iron swords and others had wooden bows.

Some wolves woke up too late and were pierced by arrows. Most did not die and were briefly incapacitated, only one unfortunate adult wolf that now had a small hole in its head.

'Huh.' (Usagi)

Swordsmen and archers. They didn't look tough like bandits, so they must be adventurers. I could see four of them.

≪??? (Male Human, 25 years old, Swordman, Lv. 30) ≫

≪??? (Male Human, 28 years old, Archer, Lv. 23) ≫

≪??? (Female Human, 22 years old, Archer, Lv. 27) ≫

≪??? (Male Human, 30 years old, Swordman, Lv. 26) ≫

I felt that they were weaker than Teo and Olivia, so they must be below C rank. Even then, their numbers weren't a joke.

'You hate humans, right Ember?' (Usagi)

Growl! 'Yes, Master! I hate them!' (Ember)

She was ready to spring at them, but I hold her back. One must think rationally in any situation ... not that I always do.

'Don't go directly to them. They will kill you before you know it.' (Usagi)

As we separated from the main group, we had time to hide and use camouflage. Dark magic surrounded us and we almost became one with the shadows produced by the setting sun.

We hear the humans speak after their surprise attack.

"Man, that was easy!" (Arrogant Adventurer A)

"Don't relax just yet, there are still plenty of them." (Cautious Adventurer B)

Those were the voices of the youngest and oldest males respectively. Both were swordsmen.

The female archer was the one who killed one member of the pack. She seems to be quite skilled for her age, but not as much as Olivia.

The wolf pack was preparing its fangs and claws to fight. However, their strength will not be enough to win against these people.

So I told Ember to signal the other wolves to escape and that we would take care of these guys.

Her evolution made her incredibly strong, so this should be easy.

'Also, leave this fight to me, Ember.' (Usagi)

'What are you going to do, Master?' (Ember)

I haven't had a proper battle since the moment I killed those goblins in the nameless village, but I didn't want to let Ember go on a rampage against these adventurers.

Obviously, it was because there was a cute young woman in their midst.

'You will know soon. Just relax.' (Usagi)

She didn't say anything more, so I took that as consent.

<You have used 'Assimilation Lv. 1'!>

<The skill 'Soul Share' has been deactivated as it conflicts with 'Assimilation'!>

<You have become one with a willing host!>

<The skill 'Assimilation' has leveled up! (Lv. 1 -> Lv. 2)>

The barrier between our souls disappeared and her consciousness entered a half-asleep state. The sensations I felt through her were now more vivid.

The wind passing through my fur, the grass I was stepping on, and the smell of blood flowing from the dead wolf.

I could feel her memories and mannerisms flowing through me.

During the time that I have been with her, I have never taken control of her body until now. After all, I didn't want to scare her and make her hate me.

<The user needs to imitate the host's actions!>

<The higher the sync rate, the less likely the host is to wake up.>

'My name is Ember. I am a Dark Fire Wolf.' (Ember?)

<Your consciousness has begun to adjust to that of the host!>

<The time before the host's abilities are assimilated has been reduced!>

My pack members started escaping and the human archers prepared to fire their next round of arrows.

Before they could shoot, I charged straight at them.

<You have used 'Charge Lv. 3'!>

"Leader! One odd wolf is coming over here!" (Cute Adventurer C)

"Don't worry, Leader! Leave it to me!" (Boastful Adventurer D)

'Their leader seems to be the oldest one.' (Ember?)

The other archer shot a single arrow aimed at me, but I easily evaded. On the other hand, the female archer waited until I got closer before shooting.

'This is dangerous!' (Ember?)

I succeeded in burning her arrow volley with fire magic. That was close! It almost pierced my head.

So she has the ability to shoot multiple arrows? No wonder so many of us were injured with only two archers on their side.

"It's a monster! Leader, let's retreat!" (Cute Adventurer C)

"Wait! If that wolf is a monster, it should have a magic core inside it! We are gonna be rich!" (Not so Cautious Adventurer B)

"Is that right, Leader? Let's do it! It's just a wolf!" (Arrogant Adventurer A)

Magic core? "I" certainly might have one.

According to Mary's memories, non-humanoid monsters and other similar beings tend to have a strange type of crystal inside them.

It is normally located around their hearts, but its position varies depending on the race and species.

A part of their power is contained there and, if removed, they would become weaker and, in the worst case, die.

Obviously, people typically kill the monster before taking their magic core, like in this situation.

'Heh. I won't let them kill me so easily!' (Ember?)

I cast a fireball in their direction and most of them evaded, the male archer wasn't so lucky.

"Aaaaaaaah! I am burning!" (Dying Adventurer D)

<You have killed a 'Male Human'!>

<You have leveled up! (Lv. 27 -> Lv. 36)>

<'Ember' has leveled up! (Lv. 19 -> Lv. 35)>

I closed in the female archer. She defended with her bow, but my intention was to destroy it in the first place. The force behind my attack pushed her all the way to the nearest tree and she collapsed.

'Hehe. All according to the plan.' (Ember?)

<The user's actions are abnormal compared to the host's normal actions!>

<The connection with the host is destabilizing!>

'I'm going to kill her! Of course! "I" hate humans with all my being! Seriously!' (Ember?)

Ok, let's finish this! The other "me" is already suspecting that there are things I haven't told her.

I evaded the slashing and piercing attacks made by the swordsmen. Then, I went behind their leader and bit his neck.

<You have used 'Bite Lv. 2'!>

<You have killed a 'Male Human'!>

<You have leveled up! (Lv. 36 -> Lv. 41)>

<'Ember' has leveled up! (Lv. 35 -> Lv. 47)>

"Leader! Noo!" (Not so Arrogant Adventurer A)

The youngest male saw me as if I was his greatest enemy. Although I reasonably was.

Slash! (Not so Arrogant Adventurer A)

He almost cut my side with his next attack. I couldn't let him damage "my" beautiful black fur though.

It would be a shame if he did, so I took some distance from them. Totally not intentional.

Then, I ran in the opposite direction from where they were.

<The passive skill 'Increased Movement Speed Lv. 1' has been acquired through 'Assimilation'!>

After knowing they weren't following me, I looked back.

One died from burns while the other from excessive bleeding.

I left the younger ones alive on purpose. The remaining swordsman was the strongest of them, while I didn't want to kill the pretty woman.

The two of them should be able to go back where they came from.

According to "my" memories, the closest human settlement from here is quite far away.

This means that they are presumably part of the guards of a merchant caravan or something similar. They should have come hunting for that reason too.

Merchants are not so keen on sharing their wares, so adventurers must get their own food.

Mary was smarter than I thought ... She is very perceptive and knows more than she lets others know. The knowledge I gained from reading novels in my past life also helped.

<The passive skill 'Increased Intelligence Lv. 1' has been acquired through 'Assimilation'!>

Returning to the present, I could feel that "I" absolutely wanted to kill these humans, but I hold back those emotions and went to find my pack.

<The user's actions are abnormal compared to the host's normal actions!>

<The connection with the host is destabilizing!>

After a few minutes of constantly running, I eventually found "my" pack.

<The connection with the host has been forcefully cut!>

<The host's consciousness is beginning to awaken!>

<The skill 'Soul Share' has been automatically reactivated!>

I knew the time for explanations had come. Ember had to know who I truly am.

The moon was shining brightly in the sky.