I scrambled out of the shelter with my heart pounding against my chest.
Standing at the edge of my territory, just beyond the invisible barrier that imprisoned me, was not a monster but a girl. A human girl no older than fourteen or fifteen, dressed in tattered leather armor that had clearly seen better days. Dirt and dried blood stained her clothing, leaves clung to her dark, tangled hair, and a deep wound ran along her left arm. Judging by the way she staggered between the trees while desperately gasping for breath, she had been running for quite some time.
Unfortunately, she wasn't running alone.
Three massive wolves crashed through the forest behind her with frightening speed. These weren't ordinary wolves like the ones from Earth. Each stood nearly as tall as a horse, their black fur seeming to absorb the surrounding light while crimson eyes glowed like burning embers.
[Hellhounds. Initiate ★★★ each. She's being hunted.]
The girl stumbled over an exposed root and crashed to the ground before immediately scrambling back to her feet. Fear was written all over her face.
She was going to die.
The moment her desperate gaze met mine across the distance, memories of my previous life surfaced without warning. I remembered my children. My grandchildren. The countless years I had spent watching them grow and protecting them from whatever hardships life threw their way.
Perhaps she was somebody's daughter.
Perhaps somebody's granddaughter.
Whatever the case, I couldn't just stand here and watch a child get torn apart in front of me.
My conscience wouldn't allow it.
Stepping toward the barrier, I steadied my breathing. Unlike before, panic failed to gain a foothold in my heart. Whether I liked it or not, I was already adapting to this world. Besides, as a writer who had spent decades creating characters and imagining situations far worse than this one, I knew exactly what moments like these demanded.
Calmness.
Precision.
"Timber! Use your vines! Pull that girl inside!"
"Master orders... Timber obeys!"
[Loyalty: 64% → 67%]
Without hesitation, Timber extended several thick vines beyond the restriction zone. They wrapped around the startled girl before swiftly dragging her toward us.
The Hellhounds lunged at the exact spot where she had been moments earlier.
Finding nothing but empty air, all three beasts immediately turned toward us.
Their prey had been stolen.
Now they wanted compensation.
I clenched my fists and coated them with gravity. My stamina still hadn't fully recovered from digging the well, meaning I couldn't afford to waste energy.
"Napoleon, protect the girl! Timber, stall them however you can!"
"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO!"
[Napoleon has activated Rallying Cry!]
[All physical attributes increased by 25%]
[Fear Resistance +50%]
Napoleon immediately positioned himself in front of the girl while Timber launched a barrage of vines toward the approaching Hellhounds.
The beasts moved with astonishing agility.
Several vines were shredded apart by their razor-sharp teeth while others missed entirely.
Then one of them broke formation.
It leaped directly toward me.
I didn't retreat.
The moment the beast entered range, I increased the gravitational force concentrated around my fist and threw a punch.
-GRRRKKK!!
The impact exploded through my arm.
The Hellhound was launched backward like a cannonball, smashing through multiple trees before disappearing beyond the restriction zone.
I blinked.
"Holy cow..."
Even I hadn't expected that.
The principle itself was simple. Compress. Release. Concentrate weight into a single strike.
Still, seeing the result firsthand left me genuinely impressed.
"My Gravity Manipulation is actually ridiculous."
The remaining two Hellhounds seemed to arrive at the same conclusion.
Instead of charging blindly, they began circling cautiously.
Smart beasts.
Unfortunately for them, Napoleon wasn't interested in giving them time to think.
One of the Hellhounds suddenly dashed toward him.
"COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOO!"
The sheer force behind Napoleon's cry visibly disrupted the creature's momentum. It hesitated for a fraction of a second.
That fraction was enough.
A massive vine erupted from the ground and wrapped around its body like a constricting serpent.
At the same time, the third Hellhound continued weaving between Timber's attacks.
Fast.
Dangerously fast.
But its attention was entirely focused on avoiding the vines.
A fatal mistake.
The moment it committed to a dodge, I stepped into its blind spot and slammed a gravity-enhanced punch directly into its skull.
-BOOM!
The creature crumpled instantly.
By now, the restrained Hellhound was desperately attempting to free itself from Timber's grasp.
I approached calmly.
After witnessing what happened to its companions, the beast's earlier aggression had vanished entirely.
It almost looked nervous.
"Sorry, buddy."
My fist descended.
The final Hellhound died moments later.
For a brief moment, silence settled across the clearing.
Then the notifications arrived.
[Combat Complete!]
[3x Hellhounds (Initiate ★★★) defeated!]
[+150 System Points]
[+75 Experience Points]
[Congratulations! Host has ascended to Initiate ★★★!]
[Congratulations! Summoned Beast Napoleon has ascended to Initiate ★★★!]
[Side Quest: Food Security completed!]
[Reward: +30 SP]
[Reward: 1 Normal Summon Ticket]
[Achievement Unlocked: Pack Hunter]
[Special Reward Acquired: Teamwork Tactics Lv.1]
The notifications piled up so quickly that my vision almost blurred.
My body swayed.
Only now did I realize how much stamina I had burned.
I closed every window and collapsed onto the ground.
[Stamina: 8%]
"Damn..."
After resting for several minutes, I forced myself back to my feet and approached the girl.
A quick glance at my interface revealed my remaining System Points.
[SP: 257]
Without hesitation, I purchased a Low-Grade Health Potion and tossed it toward her.
[SP: 247]
The girl barely managed to catch the flask. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at it.
"You look shocked."
"H-How did you do that?" she stammered. "It just appeared out of nowhere!"
"It's a secret."
I shrugged.
"Drink it."
Despite her hesitation, she obeyed.
Moments later, the wounds covering her body vanished completely.
The girl's expression shifted from disbelief to outright astonishment.
"What is your name?"
"K-Kaira."
"K-Kaira? That's a strange name."
"It's just Kaira!"
I laughed.
"I'm messing with you."
The girl puffed her cheeks in annoyance while some of the earlier tension left her body.
Good.
She looked considerably less frightened now.
"Anyway, what were you doing alone in a forest like this?"
Kaira hesitated before answering.
"I was traveling with a caravan. We were attacked two days ago. Everyone scattered and... I don't really remember what happened afterward. I've just been running ever since."
A caravan surviving inside the Great Jura Forest wasn't a small matter.
That meant the group had possessed some genuinely powerful individuals.
Yet even they had fallen apart.
Interesting.
"Kaira, what's your rank?"
The question immediately made her uncomfortable.
After several seconds of silence, she glared at me.
"I'm grateful that you saved me, but isn't it rude to ask a lady about her rank and soul stars?"
"But you're a kid."
"So are you!"
I nodded.
Fair point.
For a moment, I had genuinely forgotten I was physically sixteen years old.
Before the conversation could continue, Timber suddenly extended a vine holding a bucket of water.
My eyes lit up immediately.
What a thoughtful guy.
I took a long drink before handing it to Kaira.
She drank from the opposite side.
"Good boy, Timber."
"Master happy... Timber happy!"
[Loyalty: 67% → 70%]
Seriously.
How had I ever considered killing this giant tree?
"Y-You're a Beast Tamer?" Kaira asked.
"Hmph. Naturally."
"That's so cool..."
Her eyes soon landed on Napoleon.
"But what's that creature? I've never seen anything like it."
I looked toward my majestic rooster.
"Maybe you haven't seen enough monsters."
"Lies. Something that cute would be famous."
Napoleon proudly puffed out his chest.
The shameless bird actually looked pleased.
Before I could respond, my stomach released a loud growl.
The embarrassment was immediate.
Kaira froze.
I froze.
Even Napoleon looked at me.
"..."
"..."
Without saying a word, Kaira reached into her bag and handed me several food balls.
I accepted them immediately.
Dignity could wait.
Survival came first.
The moment I bit into one, my eyes widened.
"This is amazing!"
"It's called Tchicho."
"What a strange name."
I took another bite.
"Still delicious."
For the next hour, we exchanged questions and stories while eating.
Eventually, Kaira went to rest.
The moment she was out of earshot, I turned toward ChatZero.
"What's her rank?"
[Analyzing...]
[Analysis Complete.]
[She's stronger than you.]
"No kidding."
I rolled my eyes.
"What rank?"
[Elite ★★★★★★.]
I nearly choked.
"...What?"
Elite Six Stars.
That was absurd.
Both lucky and unlucky indeed.
Lucky because she had been born powerful.
Unlucky because soul stars were permanent.
No matter how talented she became, she would eventually hit her ceiling.
Meanwhile...
I glanced at my own status.
Starless.
An anomaly.
A loophole.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Soon my attention shifted toward the pile of Hellhound corpses Timber had neatly gathered together.
The guy was unbelievably helpful.
"ChatZero, what are these worth?"
Immediately, the AI became enthusiastic.
[Now you're asking intelligent questions.]
[Hellhound pelts possess natural fire resistance.]
[Fangs sell for approximately 15 SP each.]
[The hearts are valuable alchemical materials worth 40 SP each.]
My eyes widened.
Three hearts alone meant one hundred twenty points.
Then came the fangs.
Then the pelts.
"We're about to become rich."
[Rich inside a fifty-meter prison. Congratulations.]
"Tsk. You underestimate me."
[I do not.]
"You do."
[I genuinely don't.]
I ignored him and completed the transaction.
-Whoosh!
The pelts, hearts, and fangs vanished instantly.
A notification appeared.
[Thank you for your kind exchange, dear Seller! We hope to conduct business with you again!] — Anonymous Merchant
For some reason, I felt scammed.
Still...
The numbers didn't lie.
[SP: 667]
A grin slowly spread across my face.
Now that was wealth.
And more importantly—
[Inhabitants: 4/6]
Only two more inhabitants remained before I could fulfill one of the requirements needed for territory expansion.
My gaze slowly shifted toward the newly acquired summon ticket.
Well.
There was no point letting it gather dust.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the summoning interface and pressed the button once more.
The gacha wheel spun rapidly before gradually slowing.
My eyes remained fixed on it.
Then, finally—
It landed on.....