CHAPTER~31 THE DAY WHERE BONDS ARE CHOSEN (2)
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
Luck Quest – 2
Objective 1: Obtain a Mid-Level or higher familiar
Time Limit: 24:00:00
Objective 2: Successfully tame the familiar
Time Limit: 7 days
Failure Condition: Undefined
Note: This is a Luck Quest.
Your naturally terrible luck will not interfere.
You may rest in peace.
…I pretended I didn’t hear the last part.
The portal shimmered before me, its surface rippling like unstable water. I stepped forward without hesitation.
The moment I crossed the threshold—
White.
Blinding, absolute white swallowed everything. No sound. No sense of direction. My body felt weightless, like it had been torn out of reality for a fraction of a second.
Then—
BOOM.
The world slammed back into place.
My feet hit the ground hard, knees bending on instinct as damp soil sprayed beneath my boots. The impact knocked the air out of my lungs, and I sucked in a sharp breath—
Cold.
The air was colder here. Thicker. Heavy with moisture and mana.
I was in a forest.
Not the kind people walked through.
A deep forest.
Towering trees rose in every direction, their trunks twisted and ancient. The canopy above was so dense that sunlight barely filtered through, casting the ground in dim, uneven shadows.
The forest wasn’t silent.
Somewhere nearby, a bird cried out-sharp and broken, like a warning rather than a song. The sound echoed between the trees, then vanished abruptly.
I straightened slowly, senses tightening.
No voices.
No footsteps.
No signs of other students.
Just me.
And the feeling—
That something was watching.
Not hunting.
Not attacking.
Observing.
The restricted forest had accepted my arrival.
Now it was deciding what to do with me.
I began walking.
No direction.
No map.
Just instinct.
I remembered something I’d once read if you’re lost in a forest,
Follow the sound of water. Rivers meant life. Familiar paths. Less chance of dying horribly.
So I slowed my breathing and listened.
Leaves rustled somewhere far away. Branches creaked. The forest breathed around me, old and patient.
Then—
Hhhe.
A sound.
Not in front of me.
Behind me.
My body froze before my mind could react. Every instinct screamed at once, muscles locking, spine going rigid.
That breath wasn’t distant. It wasn’t echoing.
It was close.
Too close.
I swallowed slowly and turned my head inch by inch.
And met its eyes.
A massive black gorilla stood less than three meters away.
Its fur was dark enough to swallow light, thick and matted like it had never known fire or steel.
Its arms hung low, knuckles brushing the ground, muscles coiled and dense built not for intimidation, but for ending things.
Its eyes—
Red.
Not glowing. Not burning.
Just… red. Flat. Empty.
They didn’t look at my body.
They looked through me.
Like it wasn’t judging whether I was prey— but whether I was worth noticing or not
The air felt heavier. My lungs refused to work properly.
The gorilla tilted its head slightly, nostrils flaring as it inhaled again.
Hhhe.
I raised my hand slowly, because doing nothing felt worse.
“…Hello,” I said, my voice calm purely out of spite for my fear.
A pause.
Then, because my mouth had never learned the concept of self-preservation—
“Hello, Mister Gorilla-san.”
The forest went very, very quiet.
***
The portal behind him shimmered once… and closed.
Theo finally looked around.
Trees filled his vision in every direction—
thick trunks, tangled roots, a ceiling of leaves that blocked most of the light. A deep forest. Old. Unforgiving.
He didn’t panic.
Theo already had experience with hunting. With being alone. Panic wasted energy, and energy was life.
He listened.
Water..
A faint but steady sound carried through the trees. A river. That meant a place to drink, to clean wounds, and to set up a temporary camp for the night.
Without hesitation, Theo moved toward it, footsteps light, breathing controlled.
When he reached the riverbank it was quiet
Then a sound shattered it.
“Fuuuuck!”
“Oooh my goood!”
Theo turned.
Louis came sprinting out of the trees, face twisted in pure terror, glancing back every few steps like death itself was chasing him.
Because it was.
A massive black gorilla burst out behind him, muscles rippling beneath its dark fur, red eyes glowing with unfiltered hostility.
Theo assessed the situation in a single glance.
Louis was already chosen.
So Theo did the right thing.
He looked away.
Kneeling near the river, he calmly began gathering sticks and branches, sorting them by size and usefulness like this was just another peaceful afternoon.
A proper camp wouldn’t build itself.
Behind him, Louis screamed something that might have been a prayer or an apology to his ancestors.
Theo selected a sturdy branch.
Good for a fire.
Another scream passed by, significantly closer.
Theo didn’t look up.
***
“Huh—huh—huh…”
I barely made it.
"That—
That fucking gorilla."
My lungs burned as I bent forward, hands on my knees, listening hard for crashing footsteps behind me.
Nothing.
Good.
Very good.
“Okay,” I muttered, forcing myself upright. “Step one: don’t die before dark.”
I looked around the forest. Tall trees. Thick branches. Plenty of places for nightmares to hide.
“A tent?” I scoffed immediately. “Yeah, great idea. Just zip myself into a fabric coffin and wait for Gorilla-san to come say good night.”
No. Absolutely not.
If that thing came back, I needed height. Distance. An unfair advantage.
“So… tree house it is,” I decided, nodding like this was a completely reasonable plan and not something I’d come up with five minutes after nearly being turned into paste.
I started gathering sturdy branches, testing their weight, snapping the weak ones aside
Good enough.
I climbed up, secured the last branch, then pulled out the pinpointer—a one-time magical artifact,
something like a compass that reacted to compatible mana signatures.
The needle twitched.
So this was it.
I took a slow breath.
Its time for main event
I activated the pinpointer and stepped deeper into the forest—
to search for my familiar.
Three hours.
Three exhausting hours—and I still hadn’t seen a single familiar.
“Ahhh… this is killing me,” I muttered, wiping sweat from my forehead.
I stopped and closed my eyes.
Sense.
Every drop of mana I had flowed into it. The world sharpened—sounds stretched thin, the forest’s heartbeat pressing against my awareness.
Nothing...
Still nothing—
…Wait.
There.
A ripple. Very Faint, but unmistakable.
My breath slowed as I turned toward it, moving carefully, placing each step with deliberate control. No snapped branches. No rustling leaves.
I pushed aside a curtain of vines and froze.
It sat atop a moss-covered rock, tail flicking lazily.
It looked at me.
“Meaw….”
A cat.
Majestic.
Elegant.
I stared.
After everything…
Was this destiny—or was the forest mocking me?
…Should I just roast this cat for dinner?
The cat’s ears flattened.
“Meawwwwww!”
…Yeah. Definitely heard that.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
Familiar Detected!
Name: Unknown
Species: Pharoin
Classification: Feline-Type Magical Beast
Rank: high level
Mana Affinity: Water–Shadow (Hybrid)
A volatile fusion of violent water and concealment-based mana.
Temperament: Unclear
Status: Observing Host.
There are five levels of familiar
Familiar Levels
1. Pet
Non-combat familiars. Utility or emotional support. Minimal mana.
2. Low level
Weak combat capability. Common magical beasts.
Common → Uncommon rarity.
3. Medium level
Proper combat familiars. Tactical intelligence.
rarity starts here.
4. High level
Powerful beings with strong autonomy.
Epic rarity.
5. Mystical level
Near-legendary existences. Often unique.
Legendary / Mythic rarity.
"What."
"This was a High-Level familiar."
That was when it finally hit me.
This world… didn’t have cats.
The creature in front of me only looked like one.
I raised my hands slowly, palms open, every movement deliberate.
“Easy… easy…”
“Meawww.”
The sound wasn’t cute.
It was a warning.
A clear, unmistakable warning consider your next move carefully.
My mind raced.
Then I remembered.
“…Right.”
I reached into my bag and pulled out the emergency biscuit I’d packed without thinking much of it. I crouched and gently placed it on the ground between us, then backed away half a step.
Thirty seconds passed.
It didn’t react.
Forty.
Still nothing.
Then it leaned forward.
Sniffed.
Licked.
Paused.
Then—slowly—it began to eat.
I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
I knew cats.
Carefully, I extended my hand and brushed its back once.
No reaction.
Good.
I did it again.
Still nothing.
So I increased the speed slightly.
It didn’t attack.
Didn’t bite.
Didn’t claw.
Instead, its tail flicked once—slow, deliberate.
A warning.
Or permission.
I smiled faintly.
“Yeah… I thought so.”
High-Level familiar or not—
Some instincts were universal.
I swallowed and took a small risk.
“If you come with me,” I said quietly, keeping my voice low, “I might be able to catch a fish for you.”
The moment the word fish left my mouth—
Its tail froze.
Then it flicked.
Once.
Twice.
Slow.
Deliberate.
It lifted its head,mana rippling faintly around its paws
Its eyes locked onto mine.
“Meaw.”
This time, it wasn’t a warning.
It was interest.
Only then did I notice its eyes properly.
They weren’t the same.
One eye was a deep, clear blue calm and reflective, like still water under moonlight.
The other was pitch black, swallowing light entirely, its surface faintly rippling like a shadow cast on moving water.
Its fur was snow-white, clean enough to look unreal in the depths of the forest.
Near its ears, faint patches of warm brown broke the perfection, as if someone had brushed sunlight into its coat by mistake.
“Meaw."
The sound was low. Not hostile. Not friendly either
An invitation.
Louis swallowed and moved slowly, every instinct screaming at him not to rush this. He lowered himself to one knee and raised his hand, inch by inch, palm open.
Its mismatched eyes followed his hand all the way.
Closer.
Closer.
When his fingers brushed its fur, it was warm—unexpectedly so. Soft, but dense, like touching a living mana core wrapped in silk.
It didn’t attack.
Didn’t retreat.
Louis exhaled and carefully slid his other hand beneath it, lifting with deliberate slowness.
