The plan was simple: I'd race the Centaur on my skateboard and use Kumiho's ability to transform Pororo into a Centaur. At first, Pororo hesitated, terrified of the idea of being taken by the centaur as her husband in the spirit realm if we lost. But he couldn't deny the genius of the plan. Eventually, I convinced him. He just had to be alluring and interesting long enough for me to complete the six laps before the centaur noticed our trickery.
When the night of the race arrived, the Centaur appeared, ready and eager. I summoned the Will O' The Wisp to change the environment, ensuring no one in the streets of New York would see us. The wisp created a mystical racing track using an incantation and the power of the book.
I held the book aloft and chanted, "Book Open! By moon's light and shadows deep, Awaken beasts from ancient sleep." The page turned to Will O' The Wisp, and a bright light appeared, summoning the captured beast to lend me its strength and follow my commands.
Everything was set I transformed Pororo back to his original form to act as the race track master, he hoisted the red flag as the signal to start.
There were six laps to complete, and whoever finished first would win. As expected, the centaur had me eating dust from the start. By the time it completed its fourth lap, I had only finished two. I was gasping for air, pushing my skateboard as fast as I could, wearing all my safety gear and using every ounce of strength I had.
When the Centaur started its fifth lap, I used the Eldritch Bestiary to summon the Kumiho. I held the book aloft and chanted again, "Book Open! By moon's light and shadows deep, Awaken beasts from ancient sleep." The page turned to Kumiho, and a bright light appeared, summoning the captured beast to lend me its strength and follow my commands.
I commanded Kumiho to transform Pororo into a handsome centaur. It worked! The real centaur stopped in its tracks, completely captivated by the transformed Pororo.
While the centaur was busy flirting with Pororo, I raced through the laps hurriedly. I had to give Pororo credit; he did his best to look attractive, though I could see he was almost in tears, dreading the idea of becoming the centaur's partner for life in the spirit realm.
On my fourth lap, I was exhausted and drained, almost on the verge of collapse. That's when Kumiho's power wavered. Pororo had failed to inform me, like the genius he is, that the power of the beasts I summon depends on my spiritual energy. When my body is exhausted, my spiritual energy declines as well, and Pororo transformed back into his original form.
The centaur, realizing it had been tricked, was furious. Its nostrils flared, and it kicked the ground with its hooves. It wasted no time getting back on the race track, speeding faster than ever.
When we both reached the sixth and final lap, and I felt like all hope was gone, the book hovered in front of me, and I heard it say, "Inventory activated. Congratulations on a two-streak beast capture. A sacred tool has been added to your inventory: the Wing of Hermes. Special ability: Flight and speed boost."
I wasted no time. "Sacred tool, activate! Wings of Hermes, fuse with my skateboard!"
A bright light appeared, and two pairs of small wings flapped towards my skateboard. As soon as they fused with it, my skateboard took off at lightning speed. Even the centaur, basking in the glory of an anticipated victory, was shocked when I zoomed past her. I was screaming like crazy as I adjusted to my new blinding speed.
But the centaur wasn't one to give up easily. She was on full speed mode, and we raced towards the last and final lap. I won only by a small margin, but a win is a win.
The only problem was I didn't know how to stop! I kept racing through the laps at a dizzying speed.
"Pororo, how do I stop this thing?" I yelled.
"You have to deactivate the sacred tool!" he shouted back.
"Sacred tool, deactivate!" I commanded, and I finally came to a halt, though not before feeling like the world was spinning around me. I lay flat on the ground, gasping for air.
Once I rested enough, I stood up and knocked Pororo's head. He was laughing hysterically at my condition.
"Hey! What's that about!" His forehead creased.
"I should've let the centaur win the race and have you taken by the beast to the spirit realm," I said angrily.
The centaur, accepting her defeat, stood by indefiantly. With a wave of the staff and the power of the sealing spell, I recited the incantation to seal the centaur back into the book: "By moon's light and shadows deep, return to your eternal keep." As she was sealed, a description of the beast and its abilities appeared in the book along with her drawing.
Centaur:
Mythical beast with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse, known for their incredible strength and speed. They combine human intelligence with the raw power and agility of a horse, making them formidable and versatile beings.
Type: Earth
Threat Level: Goblin
Difficulty Level to Catch: Easy
Skill: Centaurs are speedster beasts who loves racing. They have incredible vitality, stamina, and a sucker punch kick when threatened.
Weakness: Water Type Beasts/Abilities
The book's inventory spoke again, "Congratulations, three-streak beast capture. A sacred tool, Vitality Liquid, is available in your inventory at your disposal. It boosts your stamina and replenishes your strength when used."
The book also explained that sacred tools can only be used once and take 24 hours to recharge. Pororo urged me to use the Vitality Liquid to regain my strength, which I did.
"Sacred tool, activate! Vitality Liquid."
A small bottle, glowing with a pink liquid, appeared in front of me. It was tasteless, but true to the book's promise, it re-energized me. I felt as if I'd had a full night's sleep, and all my bruises and body pains were gone. We had successfully captured and sealed the third mystical beast.
Just as we were about to head home, Pororo sensed a very powerful presence. He couldn't tell if it was a beast or a shadow, but whatever it was, it must have been extremely powerful. I felt the hairs on my nape stand up, and my skin tingled as the atmosphere suddenly became heavy and foreboding.
Something far more powerful was watching us. And whatever it was, it wasn't going to be as easy to deal with as the beasts we had encountered so far.