***
At Tamer HQ
"Sir, take a look at this. Someone's registered with a new artifact," said one of the workers at Tamer HQ.
"What kind of artifact?" asked another worker, intrigued.
"It's a bracelet, but when removed, it immediately returns to its owner," the worker explained, showing a video of Seth registering as a tamer.
"An artifact that bonds with its owner, huh? Interesting," said a deep voice. Suddenly, a man appeared between the two workers. Both immediately stood and saluted.
"Sir, Chief of the Hunter Team! What brings you here at this hour?" one of the workers asked.
"I overheard something intriguing as I was heading out, so I decided to check it out myself," the man replied. Then, pointing to the screen, he continued, "Give me all the information you have on the man in this video—and anything connected to him."
"Yes, sir. We'll get on it right away!" the workers replied in unison.
The man turned and left the room, his expression shadowed by curiosity and a hint of ambition. As he walked out of the tamer headquarters, he thought to himself, "Fascinating... an artifact that can return to its owner. Hehe, this could be very useful."
As soon as he disappeared from sight, one of the workers let out a sigh of relief. "That man... he scared the life out of me. The Chief of the Monster Hunter Team is always so intense."
"You're not wrong," replied the other worker. "Just seeing him sends shivers down my spine."
"Maybe it's because he's spent too much time on the frontlines, surrounded by blood and danger," the first worker suggested. "Either way, we'd better follow his orders."
Meanwhile, at Tamer HQ
"Sir, take a look at this. Someone's registered with a new artifact," said one of the workers at Tamer HQ.
"What kind of artifact?" asked another worker, intrigued.
"It's a bracelet, but when removed, it immediately returns to its owner," the worker explained, showing a video of Seth registering as a tamer.
"An artifact that bonds with its owner, huh? Interesting," said a deep voice. Suddenly, a man appeared between the two workers. Both immediately stood and saluted.
"Sir, Chief of the Hunter Team! What brings you here at this hour?" one of the workers asked.
"I overheard something intriguing as I was heading out, so I decided to check it out myself," the man replied. Then, pointing to the screen, he continued, "Give me all the information you have on the man in this video—and anything connected to him."
"Yes, sir. We'll get on it right away!" the workers replied in unison.
The man turned and left the room, his expression shadowed by curiosity and a hint of ambition. As he walked out of the tamer headquarters, he thought to himself, "Fascinating... an artifact that can return to its owner. Hehe, this could be very useful."
As soon as he disappeared from sight, one of the workers let out a sigh of relief. "That man... he scared the life out of me. The Chief of the Monster Hunter Team is always so intense."
"You're not wrong," replied the other worker. "Just seeing him sends shivers down my spine."
"Maybe it's because he's spent too much time on the frontlines, surrounded by blood and danger," the first worker suggested. "Either way, we'd better follow his orders."
Elsewhere, in the Headquarters of the Three Great Guilds
Each guild leader watched the same recording of Seth registering his artifact. A smirk spread across their faces as they all uttered the same word in unison:
"Interesting."
***
Seth and Lyra finished their shopping and headed toward Lyra's home.
"Wow, monster meat for feeding monsters is surprisingly cheap," Seth remarked to Lyra as they walked.
"Umm… actually, 20 AP is expensive, Seth," Lyra said awkwardly.
"What? Really? For this much?" Seth asked, holding up the bag of supplies he'd purchased.
"Well, for something you can hunt and gather outside the fortress yourself, it's considered pricey," Lyra replied.
"I see... ah, dang it! I should've waited for you to buy Cerbyss and Raynar's food together," Seth said, sighing at his impulsiveness.
Lyra smiled gently. "It's fine. Next time, we'll shop together. Anyway, this is my home. We've arrived. You can rent a room for your monsters over there at that counter."
"Alright, just give me a moment. I'll handle it," Seth said, hurrying over to rent a space. He made sure to leave some chunks of meat for Raynar and Cerbyss to eat, then returned to Lyra.
"All set," Seth said, smiling.
"Great! Let's head up to my place," Lyra said as she led Seth into the building. They climbed a few flights of stairs and reached Lyra's room.
Knock, knock.
"I'm home," Lyra called out.
The sound of quick, eager footsteps echoed from inside. A moment later, the door flew open, and a young boy jumped into Lyra's arms, hugging her tightly.
"Welcome back, Sis! Why were you gone so long? Did something happen?" the boy asked, concern in his voice.
"No, Dean, everything's fine. The line at Tamer HQ was just ridiculously long today," Lyra replied with a reassuring smile.
As the boy released her from his hug, he noticed Seth standing awkwardly behind her. Seth gave a shy wave and said, "Hi."
Dean's eyes widened as he turned to Lyra and asked with childlike innocence, "Sis, are you getting married?"
Both Seth and Lyra froze, their faces turning red in unison. "N-No! Of course not!" Lyra stammered. "We're just friends. He helped me during my exploration today, so I offered him a temporary place to stay since he doesn't have anywhere else to go."
Flustered, Lyra quickly nudged her brother aside and ushered Seth into the apartment. Seth followed, smiling awkwardly, feeling both amused and a little overwhelmed by the warm unexpected welcome.
Inside the room, Seth noticed Lyra's younger sister lying on a bed. Lyra introduced him to her siblings, and they both greeted Seth warmly.
"Thank you for taking care of our sister," they said in unison.
Seth, a bit embarrassed, scratched his head and replied, "Haha, it's no big deal. Explorers need to look out for each other."
Lyra's sister, speaking in a wise tone despite her young age, looked at Seth and said, "Not all explorers are like you, though. Most of them give my sister strange looks when they meet her."
Seth's brows furrowed. "Really? Well, I guess it's not surprising, your sister's so beautiful that she's bound to catch anyone's attention."
Lyra blushed at Seth's unexpected compliment, while her sister nodded solemnly. "You're right. Please take care of her from now on."
With a firm nod, Seth answered, "Of course! We've already formed an exploration team, and today, we fought off a pack of wolves."
Excited, Lyra's siblings leaned closer. "Please tell us about it, Seth!"
"Absolutely! This will be the most thrilling story you've ever heard," Seth said enthusiastically, sitting down with them.
As Seth began recounting the wolf battle in vivid detail, Lyra smiled warmly at the scene. "Alright, I'll prepare dinner for us," she said, leaving the room.
"Okay!" the three of them replied in unison, before diving back into Seth's tale. Lyra's siblings listened with awe, their eyes wide with wonder as Seth described every action-packed moment.
After a while, Lyra called them to dinner. Seth eagerly dug into the food Lyra had prepared, eating with gusto. Seeing his enthusiasm, Lyra's siblings laughed.
"Ah, that hit the spot," Seth sighed contentedly after finishing his meal.
Dean, Lyra's younger brother, grinned and asked, "Isn't my sister's cooking amazing, Seth?"
Seth nodded vigorously. "Absolutely! It's incredible, you two are so lucky to have Lyra cooking for you every day."
Dean beamed proudly at Seth's praise, while Lyra shyly gathered some bedding and handed it to Seth.
"Sorry, this is all I can offer you," she said apologetically.
Seth took the sleeping bag and shook his head. "This is more than enough. Thank you, Lyra."
"Alright, go take a bath before bed," Lyra said, gesturing toward the bathroom.
A little while later, after everyone had prepared for the night, the lights dimmed, and Lyra's siblings called out, "Goodnight, Brother Seth!"
"Goodnight, you two," Seth replied warmly, then turned to Lyra and added, "Goodnight, Lyra."
"Goodnight, Seth," Lyra said softly, a small smile on her lips.
Before sleep, Seth reflected on Lyra and her family's situation as he quietly observed his surroundings.
"I never expected Lyra to live in a place like this," Seth thought, taking in the cracked walls and sparse furniture in the small room they shared. "The building looks fine from the outside, but inside, it's falling apart. The stairs are fragile, the lights are dim, and the space is barely enough for the three of them. My first goal should be to get them into a better home. That's what I need to focus on."
Then, remembering something, Seth glanced at the artifact on his arm. "Right, I got a message from the artifact when I defeated the Abyss Howler earlier. I ignored it in the heat of the moment, but I wonder if it's still there."
He is looking at the artifact on his arm and, said "Notification screen," in his head. In an instant, the holographic interface appeared before him.
Seth stared at the glowing messages on his artifact's interface, impressed by how easily he could access them with a simple mental command. The information was clear, and he quickly focused on the interface.
[Cerbyss Level-Up] [Cerbyss unlocked new skill]
Name: Cerbyss (Abyss Howler)
Bond Level: 2
Level: 10
Race: Abyssal
Rank: Rare
Skills:
Paralyzing Howl: Unleashes a bloodthirsty howl that causes temporary paralysis to enemies within range.
Cooldown: 30 Seconds
Range: 20 Meters
Ethereal Shape: Transforms into a ghostly form. While in this form, Cerbyss can pass through physical defenses and obstacles. The ethereal form dissipates when Cerbyss lands a hit.
Cooldown: 15 Seconds
Shadowed Camouflage: Skill locked. Monster level and bond level insufficient.
Abyssal Hunger: Skill locked. Monster level and bond level insufficient.
Seth's eyes widened in surprise as he read through the skills, particularly Cerbyss' Ethereal Shape, which seemed incredibly powerful. The ability to pass through physical barriers was a game-changer, especially for a creature with Cerbyss' speed and strength. However, the two locked skills Shadowed Camouflage and Abyssal Hunger piqued his curiosity.
Seth pondered for a moment, thinking about how to raise Cerbyss' bond and level to unlock those abilities. He also felt a surge of pride knowing that Cerbyss was becoming stronger, but he also realized that the bond between them had only reached level 2. He would need to deepen his connection with Cerbyss to unlock even more potential.
"Seems like there's a long way to go," Seth muttered, "but it's good to know we're on the right track." He made a mental note to train harder with Cerbyss and Raynar thinking about how he could maximize their growth.