"Did I… did I just see a Celestial Rabbit one-shot a goblin?" asked Inspector Rodrick, staring at the corpse while three rabbits surrounded it —two still alert and tense, while the black one, the killer, sat calmly like it was no big deal.
But it should've been a big deal.
"I passed! I passed the test!" shouted Erika, overjoyed as she ran over to the goblin's body. She had been nervous after summoning three Celestial Rabbits —she'd hoped for at least a one-star Celestial Sparrow.
But this? This was a pleasant surprise.
Without hesitation, she scooped up the black rabbit into her arms, hugging it tight with pride in her eyes.
Rodrick ignored her excitement.A pass was a pass —even with Celestial Rabbits as summons.
Still, anomalies did exist…And it seemed this rabbit was one of them.
"Congratulations, Miss Erika. You are now officially a Class-F Hunter, Summoner-type. Someone from reception will call you later to issue your hunter ID," Rodrick said, then gestured toward the corpse. "You may keep the goblin's core as proof of your qualification. But you'll need to extract it yourself —or have your summons do it for you."
"Ehh…"Erika looked at the disgusting goblin corpse with a grimace.A simple Grade-F monster core would sell for 100 credits —and it was her first one earned through her own efforts.
With a sigh, she glanced at the two smaller rabbits walking alongside her, then gently set Jack down on the ground.
"Gross…" she muttered as she pulled out the military knife from her belt. "I think I'm gonna throw up."
Reluctantly, she carved out the dull gray core from the goblin's chest. Rodrick handed her a bottle of water, which she used to clean both herself and the blade before storing it again.
"Well, I'm off. Got other places to be," Rodrick said, stretching his back. "Lucky me—you were the only one scheduled for testing today. Sometimes I have to stand out here all day."
With that, he walked away, leaving Erika with her rabbits…and one very unusual black one.
Erika held the magic core up to the sunlight, admiring her very first nucleus.Meanwhile, the two other rabbits were playing —or trying to.
They kept approaching the black rabbit, occasionally licking him or circling him.Instinctively, they recognized his higher rank and wanted to show submission.
But Jack dodged them effortlessly, hopping or twisting away with fluid motion.They took it as part of the game and kept chasing him.
Erika watched her summoned beasts with a small smile—until something caught her eye.
A new window appeared before her.
Celestial Rabbit – Female – Level 1Celestial Rabbit – Female – Level 2Jack – Celestial Rabbit – Male – Level 3
She stared at the window.Then back at the pile of rabbits—where Jack now lay squished in the middle.
"I… I have a named beast," she muttered, frozen in place by the sheer absurdity of the situation.
"So that's why you killed that goblin. You have a name… The Celestial Realm already recognizes you."
She nodded to herself, finally feeling like it all made sense.
With care, she scooped Jack into her arms again, holding him against her chest.
He immediately felt uncomfortable in that position —and thanks to their bond, so did she.
"Oh—sorry," she whispered and loosened her grip, giving him room to move.
Jack didn't hesitate.
He climbed up to her shoulder, away from her oversized chest.Even as an animal, his human past made the whole situation deeply awkward.
The two female rabbits on the ground looked up at Jack with sadness in their eyes.He was far from them now —up on Erika's shoulder— and he ignored their longing gazes without a second thought.
Erika walked toward the main building, entering the reception hall where a waiting area buzzed with life.There were all kinds of people —hunters waiting for their teams or meetings, others requesting contracts from the Celestial Sky Guild, and even some preparing to take the hunter exam.
Despite being followed by two rabbits, Erika didn't draw much attention.
Some people walked past with a Bengal tiger as their summoned companion, and the higher-ranking hunters were accompanied by fantasy beasts that looked straight out of a storybook.
When Erika finally took a seat, the two female rabbits wasted no time.They climbed onto her lap and started trying to reach Jack.
"Well, someone's popular," Erika said playfully, gently holding back the wiggling rabbits.They quickly gave in, melting under her affectionate petting.
Meanwhile, Jack was observing everything with a mix of wariness and curiosity.What really caught his eye was the television mounted on the wall, currently broadcasting the news.
But what shocked him… was the date.
X104, July.
It had been more than a hundred years since Year 0 —the year the Awakened first appeared.
Jack didn't know how he was supposed to feel.That tiny hope —the one where maybe, just maybe, he could reconnect with someone from his past— died the moment he saw the date.
His family… long gone.Maybe distant descendants still existed —nieces, nephews, grandchildren of siblings— but anyone close to him? They were either dead… or soon to be.
Oh well. Life moves on.
It hurt, but it wasn't something he could change.And honestly… he hadn't had anyone truly close for a long time.Most had died long before he did.
He had seen too much death as a child —too much to stay soft.Surviving inside a dimensional gate as a kid had its consequences.Emotional detachment was one of them.
"Erika Yeager! …Eri—""Here!!" Erika leapt from her seat and rushed to the reception desk, eyes sparkling.
Today was the day.She was officially receiving her ID as an F-rank Hunter —a dream born the moment she awakened as a Summoner.
"Here you go," the receptionist said with a polite smile. "This is a stand for your first core."
It was a small silver base engraved with today's date and the guild's logo.Erika's hands trembled as she took it.
"Thank you so much!!" she beamed.
With her ID and the goblin core in hand, she didn't wait another second —she ran out of the guild, practically glowing with excitement.
Jack had to hold on tight as Erika sprinted, while the two female rabbits rushed to keep up.
"TAXI!!" she shouted, waving her arm like a maniac. A car pulled over almost instantly.
During the ride, Erika couldn't stop taking photos.After giving the driver her destination, she focused entirely on her new profile —thanks to her license, she had just created an official account on HunX, the hunters-only network used to share information, trade materials, post alerts, form dive parties, or even build a name as an influencer...
…if you were good-looking or entertaining enough.
At some point, Jack got ambushed again —trapped between the two affectionate rabbits who wouldn't stop grooming him. There wasn't much room to run, and he didn't want to cause a scene.
Erika, of course, snapped pictures of her summons and immediately uploaded them.
Celestial Rabbits were known worldwide as "pet summons" —adorable, affectionate, and utterly useless for combat.Cute mascots, basically.
But now Erika was a registered hunter… with three Celestial Rabbits as her main summons.That made waves.
The internet reacted fast.
Erika giggled quietly, her legs bouncing with restless energy.She couldn't stop smiling as she watched her follower count explode in real-time.
She already had a decent fanbase from her cosplay content —and let's be honest, her amazing physique— but now? As a newly registered F-rank Hunter?
It was another kind of boom entirely.
Her numbers skyrocketed from 120k followers to 489k in record time, and they kept climbing after she posted a photo of her goblin core on the silver stand, her freshly issued Hunter ID, and her three adorable summons posing in the background.
The comment box was a mess.
@NovaShot:You passed the exam with RABBITS?!@MirageMage:No way those are real summons. You borrowed someone's ID, right?@SweetLancer:Okay but like... I want one. WHERE do you get Celestial Rabbits??@GridSlash:This is fake. There's no way three bunnies beat a goblin.@ThighQueen101:Okay but can we talk about her arms?? 🔥
Dozens of comments flooded in every second —some amazed, some jealous, some accusing her of cheating.A few were just there to thirst.
Erika scrolled through them while trying not to squeal.
"Please let us be there already…" Jack thought, still being smothered in affection by the two female rabbits.They seemed thrilled that he had finally stopped trying to escape their attention.
Thankfully, it didn't take long.The taxi arrived at the residential district of the city, and the group got out.Erika, beaming, lifted Jack into her arms again and hurried toward her family's apartment.
The door opened, and a small boy peeked out, his face lighting up as he ran to greet her.
"You're back, Eri!! Did you pass?! Are these your summons? …Wait, you didn't pass?"His eyes welled up with tears as soon as he noticed the rabbits, his excitement fading.
"Aww, sweetheart... It must've been hard, summoning Celestial Rabbits," sighed Erika's mother, stepping into the doorway.She immediately recognized the creatures and assumed the worst.
Erika's father also emerged from his small study. He gave her a gentle smile, but remained silent —unsure what to say.
"TADAAH!!"
Erika couldn't hold it in any longer. She held up her goblin core and freshly printed Hunter ID.
The boy's eyes went wide with shock.Her mother almost stumbled back in surprise.And her father? He ran over and lifted her into the air, laughing.
"THAT'S MY GIRL!!"
Jack had to leap out of her arms to avoid getting crushed in the celebration.The two female rabbits followed his lead, scampering into the apartment.
Once inside, they immediately began sniffing around.With no scent of other animals in the house, they relaxed and started rubbing their chins on the furniture, claiming the space.
Meanwhile, Jack watched the emotional reunion unfold.
He quickly noticed signs of the family's situation —a worn military knife had been Erika's only weapon, and she hadn't worn any proper armor. Just athletic clothes.
Now, it all made sense.
Old furniture.A box-style TV from another era.Limited space, shared rooms, and humble surroundings.
They didn't have much.But they had each other.