Silver Lake City
Silver Lake City is a settlement located within the Human Empire. This city is very popular among Awakeners because of the Green Forest that lies beside it.
Awakeners from all over the Human Empire travel to this city to explore the Green Forest, as it is a natural habitat for powerful monster beasts. They come here to hunt these creatures for their valuable materials.
Materials obtained from these monster beasts are used to make weapons, tools, and armor. These items play a very important role in an Awakener's life. Because of this, monster beast materials are extremely valuable, and many Awakeners come here to hunt them for money.
Inside Silver Lake City, a beautiful young lady in a light adventurer outfit was walking along the stone road that led to the outer ring of the city. Her name was Aris, a Tier 1 — Novice who had awakened her power not long ago.
She came to Silver Lake City with some friends to hunt Common Beasts for training. She felt bored staying in an inn, so she went out for a walk to see the city and get rid of her boredom.
While walking, her glowing orange eyes spotted an unusual store. The store had a good-looking exterior that gave it a luxurious aura. A wooden signboard hung above the store, with the words — Mystic Pet Store.
A flicker of curiosity flashed through Aris's eyes. The outer ring of the city did not have anything worth watching, so after some thought, she decided to visit the store and find out what it sold.
She started walking toward the store, and after reaching the door, she opened it and entered. After entering, she began looking around. The store had a good amount of space inside.
The walls of the store were made of wood, but the texture of the wooden walls gave it a rich and cultured look. Inside the store, there was only a counter; there was no other furniture.
After looking around and seeing that there was nothing in the store, Aris felt disappointed. However, her glowing orange eyes spotted a young man sleeping on a chair on the other side of the counter.
She guessed that he was the owner of the store. She decided to go to him and ask what he sold in this empty store. So, she walked toward the counter.
Zzz… Zzz…
Seeing the store owner sleeping like a pig, Aris started to wake him up.
"Hello!! Hello!!"
The young man slowly stirred, rubbing his eyes as he lifted his head from the counter. His messy black hair stuck out in all directions, and his half-open eyes looked dull and sleepy.
"Mm… what is it…?" he muttered lazily.
Aris crossed her arms and looked at him with slight annoyance.
"Are you the owner of this store?"
The young man yawned and stretched his arms.
"Yeah… that's me. Welcome to the Mystic Pet Store."
Aris glanced around the empty shop again and frowned.
"Then… what do you sell here? There's nothing inside."
The young man smiled faintly and said,
"The store may look empty, but that's because my goods aren't kept on shelves."
Aris raised an eyebrow. "Then where are they?"
The young man stood up from his chair and stretched again before snapping his fingers lightly.
"Here."
As his voice fell, a faint ripple appeared in the air beside the counter, and a small blue glowing hologram formed. Soon, many tiny creatures slowly emerged. At the front was a small lion cub, glowing with red-colored mana that looked like fire flickering over its head and tail.
Beside the small but cute lion cub, text appeared, showing its name — Flame Cub.
Aris's eyes widened in shock.
"A… a monster beast?"
The young man shook his head with a lazy smile.
"You misunderstood. That's not a monster beast. It's a Mystic Beast."
Aris stared at the glowing cub in disbelief. The tiny creature looked harmless, even cute, yet the red mana around it pulsed with clear power.
"A… Mystic Beast?" she repeated softly.
The young man leaned against the counter and nodded.
"They're different from monster beasts. Mystic Beasts can form contracts with Awakeners and grow alongside them. They're very strong and extremely loyal to their masters."
As Aris calmly listened to the store owner's words, a mix of disbelief and excitement passed through her mind.
"Grow alongside them…?" Aris murmured, her gaze still fixed on the Flame Cub in the hologram. However, she did not like that Mystic Beast very much.
Seeing the look on Aris's face, the young man understood that she wanted to see other Mystic Beasts. He raised his hand toward the hologram and said,
"We have more Mystic Beasts in our store. You can view them as you like."
Like in a video game, the young man used his hand to switch through one Mystic Beast after another so Aris could see them.
Aris stood on the other side of the counter, watching the Mystic Beasts one by one. Every Mystic Beast was cute, so she didn't know which one to choose.
But suddenly, she noticed an extremely cute Mystic Beast. It was a fluffy puppy that gave off a calm but icy aura. Its fur was snow white, creating the illusion that it was made of snow and ice.
When she saw the Mystic Beast's charming eyes, Aris fell in love with it.
"I want to buy that one. How much is it?"
The young man looked toward the hologram where the fluffy puppy was displayed. Beside it, text appeared, showing its name — Snow Pup.
"This one?"
"Yes, I want to buy it."
The young store owner adjusted his voice and said,
"This Mystic Beast's name is Snow Pup, an ice-type Mystic Beast. Snow Pup is a Grade One Mystic Beast, so its price will be 1 Crystal."
"What… 1 Crystal!!"
Aris was shocked by the price. One Crystal was a very high amount of money for a Tier 1 Novice like her, but her father had given her 3 Crystals before coming to Silver Lake City. However, that money was meant for buying a weapon.
Seeing that Aris hesitated, the store owner brought out his trump card.
"Don't be fooled by its cute and innocent look. It has the strength to fight a Tier 3 Fierce Beast."
Hearing the store owner's words, Aris felt stunned. She thought that if what the store owner said was true, then this cute beast being able to fight a Tier 3 Fierce Beast would be worth it. She made up her mind.
"I want to buy this Mystic Beast."
Aris said while looking at Snow Pup's cute face.
***
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