[If a chasm is a rock, a bat is also a rat. Taming of the bat is possible.]
[Do you want to tame it?]
[Yes / No]
In Yushin forgot he was trying to stop the injured man's bleeding and his mouth fell open.
'A bat is a rat? They're completely different species. Does this even make sense? Is the system crazy?'
He blinked a few times, bewildered, but the system window still blocked his view.
[Yes / No]
In Yushin was an Awakened, an F-class Taming Awakener.
Taming is a highly valued ability because it allows an Awakener to tame the magical beasts that appear in gates as familiars. However, In Yushin was an F-class. His ability wasn't for magical beasts, but for rodents—and only rodents—among all animals.
Unless a rat showed up as a mob in a dungeon, his ability was completely useless.
'Is there a type of rat I don't know about that's called a bat? Like a white rat?'
Just in case, he glanced around, but he couldn't see a bat, or even a rat's tail. In the first place, rats wouldn't appear in a city bank, not a sewer or an outdoor area.
'It must be an error, right?'
He tried to ignore it, but the system window taking up his entire field of vision was annoying. A short while later, the police arrived and secured the scene. The unconscious security guard and bank teller were safely taken to an ambulance.
[Yes / No]
"…"
He couldn't live the rest of his life with this window floating in front of him. He'd already encountered bank robbers; nothing could be worse than that. And if it really was a bat, it would be better than a regular mouse. At the very least, it would probably live longer.
Amid the commotion of the crime scene cleanup, In Yushin touched 'Yes'.
A familiar sensation pierced the top of his head—the feeling of a bridge forming between two souls. Next to the hamster tattoo on his inner wrist, a new bat tattoo appeared. Taming was complete.
[The taming of the bat is complete. Do you want to use the auto-generated name?]
'Yes.'
[The bat's name is 'Henri Raymond Charles Françoise VII.']
In Yushin looked around. Even though the system said the taming was successful, there was still no bat to be seen.
Is it really a system error? He decided to call out, just in case.
"Seven-year-old."
There was no small creature scurrying in response to its master's call, nor a sleek body flapping its wings.
What In Yushin was met with instead was the sight of Hyun Kyu-ha's clear, amber eyes suddenly staring right at him. The man's bored gaze narrowed, as if he was about to say something.
'Wow, his eyes are really beautiful.'
It was a very fine color, as if melted jewels had been poured into them. It was such a rare color, often called "Wolf's Eye," that it could have looked alien, but it suited him perfectly. Maybe it was because of his light hair and pale skin, giving him an overall delicate pigment.
'I think it just suits him because he's handsome. What color would his eyes be on that face? He'd probably still look handsome even if he didn't have eyeballs at all.'
His eye color, which was impossible for a native Korean, was one of the reasons people speculated that Hyun Kyu-ha was of mixed race. Their eyes met, and In Yushin, unable to ignore him, bowed his head in a greeting. He was also incredibly grateful that the man had saved him from the bank robbers. If not for him, he would have been a hostage and suffered a terrible ordeal.
Hyun Kyu-ha simply rubbed the back of his neck without answering and turned away.
For him, this day was likely just another ordinary day, nothing to fuss over. But In Yushin, from behind, bowed his head once more to the man who had changed a day that was almost destined to be a nightmare for many people, including himself.
"Seven-year-old."
He called out while looking under a sofa, thinking the creature might be hiding, but still saw nothing.
Just then, he felt a presence behind him. Thinking he had disturbed the police, In Yushin turned around and his eyes widened. A face so handsome it felt unreal, with perfect symmetry, was right in front of him.
"Did you call me?"
"Oh—oh, no."
His vision was filled with the man's handsome face, and he was so flustered that he stuttered.
"That's strange… It felt like someone was calling me."
Hyun Kyu-ha tilted his head, then walked over to the detective standing on the other side. Only after his back was gone did In Yushin finally let out a sigh of relief.
It was more harmful to his heart than encountering a celebrity. He never knew a person could be so perfectly handsome.
'Hyun Kyu-ha Hunter really has it all.'
Even in a world without the great catastrophe and gates, what would this man be unable to do with that face and that ability? He was simply a person from a different world than himself, an F-class Awakener at best.
He felt his cheeks flush as he touched his earlobe, where the echo of the man's voice still lingered.
'I don't think Seunggi would believe me even if I told him Hyun Kyu-ha Hunter saved me and talked to me.'
More than that, In Yushin himself found it hard to believe it was real.
Anyway, where is the Seven-year-old?
In the end, he didn't find the Seven-year-old even after the investigation was over and he returned home. In Yushin stumbled into his rooftop room and saw the cage with its door wide open.
"Six-year-old."
A hamster scurried out from behind a clothes hanger.
"Did you take care of the house?"
Without fear, he gently scooped the hamster into his palm and poured a glass of water from the fridge. His palm felt warm and cozy.
'Handling the Six-year-old is so healing.'
So many things had happened in a single day. He felt that fatigue melt away in the hamster's warmth.
[Name: Henri Raymond Charles Françoise VI]
[Current Status: Joy. Stable.]
Because they were in contact, the Six-year-old's status window also opened automatically. The little guy seemed happy that his owner had come home. Like a hamster, all of its stats were F-class.
'Come to think of it, I haven't checked the Seven-year-old's status window.'
Since it's a bat, maybe its stats are a little higher than a hamster's. Without much thought, In Yushin called up the Seven-year-old's status window and immediately spat out the water he was drinking.
"P-fuh!"
His stats—stamina, strength, agility, and so on—were all S-class. His mana was even an EX-class, which was immeasurable. He thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked again, but it was still the same.
In short, a single flap of this bat's wings could be enough to kill him, a regular person.
'…No, a bat, right? That's not a stat an animal has!'
An ominous feeling sent shivers down his spine.
So, the bat was a system-generated fake, and in reality, it wasn't a beast but a... a… a…
"C-calm down. In Yushin."
If it's a special animal that is as strong as a magical beast, it could be S-class, right? There must be some geniuses even among animals.
In Yushin tried to rationalize and read the status window carefully. Then he despaired.
[Hidden Trait]
Vampire Traits
…Occasionally, there were Awakeners with the traits of non-human races.
Vampires could transform into fog or bats. An Awakener with a hidden trait called a vampire was unlucky enough to have the ability to tame rodents...
"Ahhh! No! How is a bat a rodent?!"
He suddenly shouted, startling the Six-year-old. In Yushin was also surprised and quickly put the hamster back in its cage, along with some of its favorite lettuce.