As soon as he opened the door and entered, Kim froze in shock. The egg was not on the table where he had left it.
The egg was already cracked.
It wasn't completely broken, but wide fissures ran across its smooth surface, as if something inside was trying to break free. The cracks glowed with a faint golden light. The egg was in the first stages of the hatching process.
"Ah, my dear egg," he whispered.
Kim rushed toward it, his shining eyes fixed on the cracked egg. He carefully lifted it from the table, before sitting down on the bed and placing the egg on his thighs, joyfully waiting for it to fully hatch.
Inside, Kim began to think calmly, using the knowledge he had acquired from the novel: "This is the egg from which 'Liam' got an Eighth-Rank Spirit, named Hera. Hera is a Great White Dragon. Therefore, I should get an Eighth-Rank Spirit..."
A flash of excitement surged through Kim's heart. An Eighth-Rank Spirit was something even the strongest mages in this world could not easily dream of. It was a massive leap in power—even Liam, who obtained it, had his life completely changed. But now, Liam can act like a certain type of person with Helen, and Kim can get an Eighth-Rank Spirit.
However, for a brief moment, several thoughts crossed Kim's mind. "What if Hera doesn't hatch? What if my transmigration has altered the course of events, resulting in another animal... perhaps a much weaker spirit?"
Kim shook his head firmly to dispel this ominous thought. "Don't be ridiculous. The basic elements remain constant. It must be Hera." Kim tried his best to avoid dwelling on these foolish thoughts, lest they become reality.
Kim refocused on the egg. The cracks deepened and widened slowly before the bright white surface began to peel away, revealing something glittering inside.
With every passing second, the vibration intensified. A small piece of the eggshell began to detach and fall onto the bed, revealing a brilliant, pure white that Kim had never seen before.
Kim watched the scene in absolute silence, holding his breath in anticipation. The being inside began to push harder. The end was imminent.
The moment the eggshell began to burst from the center... a powerful golden glow erupted, filling the entire room. Kim instinctively closed his eyes for a moment due to the intensity of the light.
When the glow subsided, Kim opened his eyes with speed and passion.
He did not find a majestic white dragon filling the room, nor even a terrifying creature of the Eighth Rank. Instead, the remaining fragments of the shell fell away, revealing...
A small ball of fur.
It was small, about the size of a palm, covered in pristine white fur. It resembled a soft doll, with large, bright sapphire-blue eyes, and small, upright ears. It was incredibly cute, in a way that utterly failed to match the tremendous power Kim had expected.
Kim couldn't contain himself. The signs of shock and analysis faded, replaced by a strange emotion of tenderness.
"Ah..." Kim muttered, tilting his head slightly.
He cautiously extended his index finger and gently patted the soft fur of the tiny creature. The moment his finger touched the fur, the ball of fur emitted a gentle sound like a soft "fyuu...", then began to rub its small head slowly against his finger.
And at that exact moment, while Kim was petting the creature, a transparent, glowing window suddenly appeared before him in the air.
This was the first time the System had appeared.
SystemNotification!
Congratulations! You have obtained an Evolving Pet Beast:Rank: 1 (Weakest) Suggested Name: Baby (Can be changed later)
Kim froze. Rank 1. The absolute weakest rank. It was a genuine shock.
But before Kim could feel utterly disappointed, another window appeared, containing the creature's details.
Spirit/PetDetailsAttributeValueStrength1Agility1Intellect1Health (HP)100
Kim wasn't too surprised by the low stats. Once he realized it was a Rank 1 creature, it was only natural for it to be extremely weak. The egg Liam got in the novel was Rank 8, and he had gotten the weakest possible animal.
"Rank 1... Is this fate making a mockery of me?" Kim thought with slight displeasure.
But as Kim gazed at the System window, he noticed something strange next to the word "Evolving."
There was a small, glowing option that looked like a button.
Kim whispered, questioning: "Evolving?"
As soon as Kim thought those words, another notification appeared from the System, clarifying the phrase.
SystemNotification!
Yes, the pet beast you have obtained possesses the ability to Evolve to higher ranks and powers upon fulfilling specific requirements (Requirements currently Unknown).
Kim's eyes widened in amazement as he read the message.
"What? An Evolving Pet Beast?"
Kim knew the novel well. He had never seen, heard, or read about any pet beast in the story that possessed the "Evolving" trait. Spirits were either strong or weak, and their rank was fixed and unchanging. This was a huge and unprecedented leap outside the basic knowledge of the novel.
Kim looked at the cute ball of fur that was still innocently rubbing its head against his finger, then returned his gaze to the glowing System window.
"Damn it... even though it's evolving, I don't even know what the necessary requirements are to evolve it, and maybe I won't know my whole life," Kim sighed in frustration before continuing to pet the pet.
Kim continued to pet the pet with his finger. The little ball of fur responded happily, emitting soft, comforting "fyuu..." sounds, like a kitten. This spontaneous interaction soothed Kim's tension.
While Kim was petting it, he suddenly felt a slight tremor.
A faint golden light began to emanate from the ball of fur.
It wasn't a strong glow like the moment of hatching, but a delicate, barely visible light that covered the creature for a few seconds. Kim felt a slight sting of energy flowing from the small creature to him, then the light disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Kim was puzzled by this sudden glow. He looked at the pet, which had returned to its calm state, as if it had done nothing just now, but it began to lick his petting finger.
"What was that?" Kim wondered.
The glow was definitely linked to some mechanism in the System. Kim decided to check immediately.
Kim focused on the glowing window that had appeared earlier, and whispered sharply and focusedly: "System. Show me the Spirit details."
The System window appeared before him again, before Liam's expression completely changed.