“Do you know the difference between magical beasts and monsters?” James asked, leaning into Peter’s ear. They were crouched under a small bush in a clearing, watching a group of five horned rabbits.
Noelle and Paul stayed further back. Someone had to carry the pheasants, and they couldn’t risk bringing them too close…these creatures had sharp noses.
Peter observed the nearest rabbit from afar.
It crouched low; its sturdy frame unmoving except for the slow twitch of its nose. Thick, powerful legs rested beneath its weight; their coiled strength hidden beneath dense fur. A single horn jutted forward, parting the grass as it nibbled, its ears flicking at the slightest shift in the wind.
“When normal animals evolve into new species that can assimilate and use mana, they become magical beasts. Monsters, on the other hand, are distinct from magical beasts in one key way—they possess sapience. The most common examples include goblins, orcs, ogres, and harpies,” Peter whispered in response, keeping his voice in check.
They had been searching for a single-horned rabbit for Peter to hunt, but instead, they had stumbled upon a group. Lady luck was shining on them. David was quick to suggest that they could take them on together.
After some discussion, he and Peter agreed to face them as a team. Sasha and James would accompany them, standing by in case they needed help.
They wouldn’t intervene unless Peter and David were at risk of serious injury, as anything less would defeat the purpose of the exercise.
“Let me warn you. Don’t be fooled by their appearance. These creatures are highly aggressive, and their horns can seriously injure you if you’re not careful,” James said, holding Peter back.
Peter gave a serious nod in response. Each rabbit had a seven-inch horn protruding from its forehead. Combined with their ability to run at speeds of 40 km/h without effort, they were a genuine threat despite lacking any other magical abilities.
“Let him take the lead. You’re primarily here to support him today,” James instructed David. “Don’t let him get surrounded. I’m counting on you to keep him safe until we close the gap.”
“Always protect your vitals,” Sasha added from the side.
They advanced cautiously, with David staying a step behind Peter, his axe in hand. The group was out in the open, making a surprise attack impossible.
The rabbits noticed them almost immediately, their bodies tensing as they turned to face the approaching figures. A normal rabbit would have bolted, but these were no ordinary creatures. Their aggression flared the moment they saw two small, two-legged beings approaching.
Without hesitation, they charged.
One of the rabbits came straight for Peter, while the others spread out, circling to attack from multiple angles. They were fast, alarmingly so, their powerful legs propelling them forward with ease. Some even leapt nearly a meter into the air, closing the distance in mere moments.
Peter’s skills flared to life, mana reinforcing his body as Mana Sense granted him a complete view of the battlefield. His sword pulsed with power; its edge sharpened by the mana coursing through it.
He waited, poised, as the rabbits closed in.
“Cover my left,” he called to David. Without hesitation, David moved into position, guarding Peter’s flank. Peter couldn’t defend from all sides alone, but there was no shame in relying on his allies.
The first rabbit reached him in mere moments, launching itself forward in an attempt to skewer his chest. Peter smiled, silently thanking it for making itself such an easy target.
A quick sidestep and two steps back took him out of its path, its horn missing him by inches. But he didn’t let it land unscathed. His sword sliced through its side mid-leap, mana-infused steel cutting through flesh like a hot knife through butter.
A deep wound split its body from spine to stomach, leaving no chance for survival. Not enough health points for the beast to recover from such a gruesome injury.
On Peter’s side, David timed his axe swing perfectly, striking both beasts attacking from the left. The sharp edge of his battle axe buried itself in one’s face, killing it instantly, while the shaft slammed into the other, sending it stumbling back from the sheer force of the blow.
Peter left him to deal with the remaining rabbit on his flank and turned his focus to the two approaching from the right.
They hesitated now. Losing two of their own so quickly had made them wary. This was his chance to strike before they either fled or regrouped.
He had no movement skill, but even basic mana reinforcement made him faster than normal. Still, he couldn’t match them in raw speed…only Sasha could rival their agility.
But speed meant nothing when hesitation kept them rooted in place.
Peter swung his sword at the nearest target the moment it entered his range, but it reacted quickly, leaping back to evade the strike. Before he could follow up, the other rabbit lunged at him, its horn aimed straight for his leg.
He couldn’t dodge in time. The sharp tip pierced through his clothing, stabbing into his skin. But it didn’t sink far. His defensive skills kicked in immediately.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Spirit of Fortitude dulled the pain with Pain Resistance and halted the bleeding with Bleeding Resistance, while Eternal Ward fought against the force, preventing the horn from driving any deeper.
Peter’s health continued to drop, the embedded horn preventing Undying Vitality from closing the wound.
Gritting his teeth, he rotated his sword, angling the tip toward the ground directly above the rabbit. Then, with full force, he drove it downward.
The creature panicked, struggling to escape, but it couldn’t dislodge its horn in time. It managed to shift slightly, causing Peter’s strike to miss its brain…instead, the blade plunged into its belly.
Peter grunted as it let out a sharp squeal of pain. Gripping the hilt tightly, he twisted the blade and sliced outward, tearing open its midsection. Its internal organs spilt onto the ground. Hot blood coated the very grass that it was recently feeding on.
The rabbit thrashed violently, its health draining rapidly. Though its body tried to heal, the damage was too severe. Within moments, it collapsed, dead before it could recover.
Peter sighed in relief as the wound on his leg finally closed, now that the horn was out. During the whole ordeal, he had lost four health points, but Undying Vitality was already replenishing them.
Mana Sense informed him that David had finished off the last rabbit on his side and was now making his way toward him.
Not wanting to let the final rabbit escape, Peter quickly closed the distance, catching it mid-turn as it tried to flee. A well-aimed slash separated its head cleanly from its body.
He took a deep breath, adrenaline still coursing through his veins in the battle’s aftermath. The others approached now that the fight was over, inspecting the scattered carcasses.
“That was one brutal way to hunt,” Sasha remarked, nudging a dead rabbit with her shoe. She had a disappointed look in her eyes. Mutilated bodies were useless. They needed to be discarded.
Peter opened his mouth to retort, but instead, bile rose in his throat. He lurched forward, emptying his breakfast onto the ground.
“Oh my,” Sasha exclaimed, quickly stepping forward to rub his back.
“Not much into killing, huh?” she remarked, steadying him as his legs wobbled beneath him. Peter’s stomach churned. He felt awful.
“Let’s collect the horns and mana stones first,” James told David, who shot Peter a concerned look. “He’ll be fine in a bit.”
They left, leaving Peter in Sasha’s care. She was surprisingly gentle as she helped him recover, at least until he felt better. Then, just as quickly, she reverted to her usual goofy self.
…
Some months later...
Peter raised his left hand to shield his eyes from the direct sunlight, biting into the watermelon slice in his right hand.
A burst of sweetness filled his mouth, his eyes narrowing in delight as his legs swung lazily in the air. He sat on the outside balcony in the backyard, savouring the warm summer afternoon.
For the past few months, he had been making weekly trips into the forest. The results of those efforts would finally reveal themselves in three days, just in time for his tenth birthday and the completion of his personal summoning skill.
He had decided on it long ago, unsure of which magic path to follow for now. His current build was heavily close-combat oriented, leaving him with no way to attack from a distance.
A summoning skill would grant him some measure of long-range capability, depending on the type of summon.
From what he had gathered in the Skill Library, summoning magic was a complex branch of magic. Unlike taming, which formed bonds with creatures that already existed in their world, summoning was a sub-branch of contract and dimensional magic.
A tamer bonded with living beings from this plane, while summoning involved forging contracts with entities from other realms. These contracted beings could range from elemental spirits to sapient or non-sapient creatures, even devils.
Thus, it was entirely possible to summon a being beyond one’s ability to form a contract with, resulting in certain death.
The Skill Library detailed various kinds of summoning magic. The most common type allowed a person to summon a being they were already familiar with. This was the safest method, as there was no risk of summoning an unintended entity.
The second type relied on a catalyst to summon a specific kind of being. For example, using a phoenix feather as a catalyst could summon a phoenix. However, the summoned creature’s strength was unpredictable, and one might end up calling forth a being far too powerful to control.
The third type allowed a person to send a call into various planes, setting conditions such as the being’s willingness to form a bond and a friendly disposition. However, the nature of the summoned being remained unpredictable. One could end up with a mighty fire elemental or a harmless electric mouse, both varying wildly in strength.
There were other forms of summoning as well, often requiring special rituals or sacrifices. And summoning was only half the process because the contract itself differed greatly. Some contracts forged a master-servant relationship, others formed friendly pacts, and some even demanded a portion of the summoner’s soul as payment.
Despite its risks, Summoning Magic was an incredibly powerful tool when used correctly. It provided a gateway to spirit magic, loyal companions upon contracting, and numerous other benefits.
The summoning skill Peter was developing was so heavily modified that it was practically a new skill altogether. It combined elements from all known summoning methods into a single process.
First, upon activation, the skill would send invitations across various planes of existence through the System. Any being that answered the call would have its status ID recorded in a HashMap. Each ID would then be evaluated against an extensive set of security conditions, borrowed from the highest-level summoning skills in the library, to ensure no malicious entity could respond.
Only those meeting all conditions would remain. Next, the HashMap would be sorted by power level, eliminating any being strong enough to overpower him during the contract process. Finally, the remaining candidates would be filtered through another set of criteria, ensuring they aligned with Peter’s specific desires and requirements for a summon.
The most desirable candidate, in terms of potential and power level, would then be selected.
Typically, Summoning Magic involved calling upon a being, allowing it passage to their plane, and then forming a contract. However, in Peter’s skill, everything up to this point was merely the selection process. Once the final candidate was chosen, the System would send a highly secure contract ensuring his safety, among other conditions, which the being would need to accept.
If the being rejected the contract, the next candidate on the list would receive the offer. All communication would take place through the System—a highly secure and untraceable mode of interaction.
Only after a being accepted the contract would the System enforce its terms, ensuring compliance before summoning the entity to him. Typically, powerful beings acted as intermediaries during contract formation to ensure safe and fair negotiations. However, for Peter’s skill, he had decided to use the System itself as the intermediary, guaranteeing maximum security and enforcement.
He expected to acquire the skill before becoming eligible for class selection, having already completed the necessary tests. Now, all that remained was the System’s approval, which he expected to receive by tomorrow.
If only I could create a skill that allowed me to level up just by walking, but the System was highly strict about what it considered a valid skill, he grumbled while taking another bite.