Like, seriously with this creature? I mean, it kinda looks cute and all but how the fuck am I supposed to forget one important thing about this ghost-like flame monster? The fact that this thing almost killed me!
Tsk, the... uh, the wisp looked at me- wait, is it even looki- you know what, forget it. The wisp looked at me with its "head" or "body" tilted to the side, appearing to be confused.
We stared down at each other for a short while before the wisp's whole fire, water, slime, smoke thingy of a body shook like the flames on a birthday candle against a strong gush of wind. Its glow even became brighter as it did this.
Of course, like the jumpy kawaii freak that I was, this surprised me. The wisp then flew to me and circled my whole worm body. It even appeared to be jumping for joy. This thing circled me a few times before coming up to my face and rubbing itself on my cheeks.
Woah, this thing feels a bit cold. It felt like cool air on my face since, as expected, its body had the consistency of a slime creature you see in video games.
Moving my arms, I pushed it away from my face. The wisp looked at my stick-like arms with its white dot eyes, obviously in confusion. As I pushed it away, the wisp looked back at me again and did something I never expected.
Earlier, I was able to push its body off of me. But right now, it suddenly became slightly transparent before it floated right through my arm like a ghost and came back to my face, once again rubbing on it.
Huh?
"Inspect..."
*Ding!*
[Lumina Wisp]: [A cheerful, loyal, and expressive creature that's made of pure condensed light magic. It communicates through fluctuations of light through its glowing body and also with body language. Capable of manipulating its body structure from a tangible liquid-like state to an intangible smoke-like state. Feeds on mana and can cast illusions, heal, and materialize light shields. This creature is immune to physical harm but can be hurt through spells. If it ever happens so, it will retreat to its hidden core once more.]
Okay, that's too much. If only it could be reduced to fewer and simpler words-
*Ding!*
[Lumina Wisp]: [A radiant, loyal creature composed of condensed light magic. Communicates through light fluctuations and body language. Can shift from tangible to intangible forms. Feeds on mana and can cast illusions, heal, and create light shields. Immune to physical harm, vulnerable to magic spells. Retreats to its hidden core if harmed.]
Hehe, I'm starting to like this system.
"Hm... Light magic... heal... illusions— I'll happily keep it please." I immediately said once I finished reading it's description. Who said that I was angry at it earlier? Of course I wasn't! It was just a phase. I got through it!
Not only is it honestly quite cute, but it's also pretty useful. It can heal me, shield me, and also cast illusions! What a package!
*Ding!*
[Would the user like to name their companion, the Lumina Wisp?]
[Name:_______]
Hmm... what shall I name you? Wispy? Lumina? Luc- wait... I think I got it. I once searched online about the Latin terms of English words. There was this word which stuck to me. Hmmmm, what was it again?
"Luz— no. Lok— damn not even close... OH YEAH!"
Quickly, I thought the name of what I wish to call this wisp. To which the system replied,
[Are you sure with the name: "Lux" for your new companion?]
"Yes!" I said as I stared at the creature who was now in front of me, probably wondering what or who the hell its owner was talking to. Well, it doesn't matter, you're stuck with your (possibly) mentally ill owner now!
[Congratulations! You successfully named your companion, "Lux", the Lumina Wisp! Now the user can check Lux's status. To open, just shout, say, or think "Companion Status".]
Even Lux now has a status? Does that mean this little thing can level up?
"Companion Status," I whispered. As expected a status window popped up, revealing Lux's skills, level, and a lot more.
[Name]: [Lux]
[Level]: [1/20]
[Sex]: [Male]
[Title]: [N/A]
[EXP]: [0/50]
[Race]: [Lumina Wisp]
[Monster Species]: [Luminisphera Luminae]
[Stage]: [Infant]
[HP]: [5/5]
[MP]: [401/500]
[STR]: [5]
[VIT]: [10]
[DEX]: [5]
[AGI]: [20]
[INT]: [10]
[WIS]: [50]
[LUC]: [--/--]
[Skills]: [Light Magic: Lv1], [Illusion Casting: Lv1], [Light Shield: Lv1] [Tangibility Shifting: Lv1]
It's really cool I have to admit. Even this little thing has some stats that are higher than mine.
Wait, stop, pause, cut, whatever. Why the hell is Lux's luck broken too? Don't tell me it's a fucking trend—
*Ding!*
[Now that the user and Lux are connected, one of their core stat is in sync with each other! To avoid imbalance in each other's stats, in this case, it's both the user's and Lux's luck that is in sync.]
Hm. Is that so? Well, I don't really see anything that'll affect my new baby in a bad way here, so let's leave it at that! Now, Lux! How about we finally go hunting?
*Ding!*
[Wow! Congratulations again! The user has done a feat never seen before! A monster, having another monster as their pet/companion. With the help of the user's [Passive Skill]: [Beginner's Luck] the success rate revival of the Lumina Wisp's core, which is only 14%, turned into 100%!]
[The user's title: [The First] is now in effect. The user has received +500 EXP!]
[The user has leveled up!]
[Name]: [Elaira Webb]
[Level]: [2/10]
[Title]: [The First]
[EXP]: [0/800]
[Race]: [Lunar Firefly]
[Monster Species]: [Lampyridaetra Medica]
[Stage]: [Larva]
[HP]: [15/15]
[MP]: [93/315]
[STR]: [15]
[VIT]: [15]
[DEX]: [15]
[AGI]: [15]
[INT]: [45]
[WIS]: [45]
[LUC]: [--/--]
[Skills]: [Prey Detection: Lv1], [Strong Bite: Lv1], [Poison Injection: Lv1], [Light Magic: Lv1, [Inspect: Lv1], [Mana Detection: Lv1], [Mana Absorption: Lv3], [Companion Telepathy: Lv1]
[Skill Points: 10] [Stat Points: 10]
Damn.
Why, it seems that my luck is kind of broken tonight (it probably actually is), hm? Leveling up, on my first night as a larvae, and adopting a ghost fire orb? Now isn't that something!
My stats also went up a few points too! Shit, I feel stronger already. Is this how people feel after experiencing trauma and realizing they can brag about it and turn it into an excuse for literally everything? It's so empowering and concerning at the same time.
And whoa, I like this whole title and passive skill thing. It sure does complement one another. It's like women with their eating disorders or Americans with their racism.
Yeah, I think that's enough offensive jokes for tonight. Because right now, we are to go hunting!
"Let's do this, Lux!" I exclaimed at the glow-in-the-dark slime beside me.
Soon enough, we head out. Turning behind me, I stared at the burning carriage once more. Whoever was in that carriage, I hope they're fine and they survived.
Unless they're politicians.
Woah! I thought that was enough joking (I wasn't joking) around!
Crawling, albeit slowly, I opened the prey detection skill. Lux followed me closely as I crawled and looked around me for potential threats. This forest is still dangerous.
Soon enough, after crawling for minutes with my guard up, I arrived to where the red dot was supposed to be.
Looking in front of me, I saw what seemed to be a dead log. I crawled carefully on top of it, hoping that whatever this thing that I'm supposed to be hunting at least should look a bit appetizing.
Reaching the top of the log, I looked around, and as I moved my head so did the arrow on the blue dot. Moving my head to the red dot where the blue arrow was pointing, I soon found my prey in front of me.
Under the moonlit sky, and the soft sounds of the forest night, I found myself wanting to kill myself when I found out which prey I'm supposed to eat to satisfy my hunger.
"...Inspect."
*Ding!*
[Common Forest Slug]: [A slug species mostly found in the forest. Has a cute face and a soft slimy body. But if threatened, it will constrict itself up, making its skin as hard as stone and secrete slime out of its pores.]
And just as the system worded it out, a slug who's about the same size as me, probably even larger, is currently resting. Its glistening slime-covered body moved up and down, appearing to be breathing.
You know? I trust the system. But "cute"? No. I don't see it.
The more I looked at its pathetic state, the more I felt the urge to choke on my own vomit.
That's what I always think at the back of my mind whenever I see my father's side of the family.
Looking beside me, I found Lux staring at me, waiting for me to do whatever I'm supposed to do.
"You wanna eat it?" I asked the REAL cutie in the room. Lux just tilted his body, appearing confused by my question. "Who am I kidding, you eat mana."
Turning my head again at the gigantic slug, I closed my eyes and breathed heavy.
It's fine! Everything is fine! Surely it's an easy prey. It's a fucking slug— eurgh!
I felt myself gag as I imagined myself eating this thing.
Is this payback for my absurd luck earlier?! Am I suffering the aftereffects of my passive? Does it even have that? Or is it karma for the mean things I said earlier?
Either way, this is making me feel sick to my stomach.
I looked at Lux once more and back at the sleeping slug.
Fuck this. You motherfuckers wanna challenge me? Well you picked the wrong person because I am Elaira Webb and I have one talent that I'm proud about. And that's how unnecessarily reckless I can act without giving a single lick of fuck.
Snapping my gaze at the slug, I closed my eyes, opened my mouth, and bit without hesitation.
As quickly as I did that, the whole thing woke up and squirmed like it's having a seizure. With my mouth still biting onto it, I was dragged with the way it moved.
"Mnggggh!!!" Opening my eyes, I screamed with my mouth full. I could not let go because I was scared of it throwing me off of the log. It could hurt!
Scratch all those statements earlier! I give up! This is disgusting! Fuck this! I don't wanna do this but I can't let go!
On the sidelines though, I could see Lux panicking too. He was hovering above us frantically with his body dimming and glowing really fast like Christmas lights.
And I only saw that as bad news. We could be seen so easily with how he's cosplaying as a lighthouse right now.
"Mhgkk!!!" I screamed even harder. It's supposed to sound like I was screaming Lux's name but I was still in the process of becoming a rag doll.
After a few minutes of violently squirming, the slug started to shrink rapidly.
Shit! It's constricting its skin just like in the description! To be honest, I was more horrified about the fact that it'll secrete slime and make it go into my mouth than it crushing my jaws.
Panicking, I closed my eyes harder and quickly shouted in my head, "Strong Bite!". Just like magic, my jaws moved on their own and snapped shut.
I was expecting it to just result in me making my grip in it becoming harder, but with how I could feel it, I bit pretty deep into the slug's flesh.
Seeing its open wound just above my closed jaw, I acted quickly and screamed inside my head, "Poison Injection!". In an instant, the sides of my cheeks started to heat up, and with that, a system notification popped up.
*Ding!*
[How much mana does the user wish to spend on the poison?]
[MP]: [103/315]
"50!" I basically shouted. With a pop, the heat I felt travelled to my jaws. At both ends of it, I could feel a hot liquid spurt out, emitting a sizzling sound.
What the fuck? Does this mean that my jaws are hollow? I'm more like a snake than a firefly larvae right now!
With its flesh burning and melting at the contact of the poison, the slug squirmed more violently. With the flesh I was biting onto immediately melting, I was thrown off.
"Woah!!!" I yelled. Roughly thrown away, my sides scraped the hard wood.
*Ding!*
[-3 HP!]
Shit!
Thankfully, still on the log, I slid and bounced not too far away and quickly regained my composure.
Dashing to me, Lux's body blared like ambulance lights in front of my face. He checked my whole body with panic before I assured him I was fine.
"I'm okay, Lux. Don't worry— Ow!" I yelped when I felt a slight pang of pain on my side. Turning my head to see what happened, I found a scrape on my white folds of skin. I guess my exoskeleton's durability is slightly off.
Seeing my scraped side, Lux's whole body glowed brightly. He looked like a tiny sun right now if not for his blue dots for eyes which got bigger when he saw my wound. He seemed to be in shock. Cute.
Before I could even react, Lux darted to where the wound was and floated there for a quarter of a second. As quickly as he got there, the area around my wound started to light up. Slowly, I could feel the pain drift away until it was quickly gone.
*Ding!*
[+1 HP...+1 HP... +1 HP!]
Woah... is this the power of light magic? It feels really nice. It's like applying cold ointment on your bad sunburn.
With my health back to its original value, I found only healed up skin on where the wound once was.
Nice! Lux is now proving useful aside from being the visual of this duo.
With my wounds healed up, Lux floated away from it and went straight to my face. His whole body was still blaring as he moved in different angles. Right now, he appeared more angry than worried.
"That was dangerous, I know. I'm sorry, I should've been more careful." I told him which made his glow calm down a bit. He was still mad, I feel it, but not as much as a few seconds earlier.
Damn, I kinda see my best friend Haley in him. Such a worrywart. More like a mom than a best friend to be honest. Haaah... I kinda miss her now.
Well! Let's not stand idly by and look for my food even though I think I could never eat it!
Politely asking Lux to guide me where the slug was because I have no idea which part of the log I was right now, he slowly flew ahead. Following him closely, we soon arrived at the scene.
In front of us, we saw what appeared to be a dead brown slug with a huge chunk of its side completely melted. A small streak of smoke could even be seen coming off of its huge body.
Woah... I killed that? Wow, you could say that I'm a pretty good hunter! I mean, it's just me! A kawaii anime worm lady. I'm such a main character even though I didn't ask for it! Hmph!
Making me snap out of my unnecessary delusions was Lux examining the carcass. He probably has no idea why I killed this poor creature.
Hmph! Well he's soon about to find out! Because right now, we're going to have a feast where I'm gonna take a bite and throw up all over the floor!