Chương 7: Foxy Business

Mmm, soft, fluffy, warm. I gently nuzzle against the wonderful sensation. Oh my, is it wonderful!

"Yip!" My eyes open instantly as awareness floods back into me. I definitely didn't fall asleep with anything so soft, warm or fluffy around. So… what is currently in my hands? Glancing down, I am met with a pair of light blue eyes. Attached to said eyes is a small head, about the size of my palm. Behind said head I can see a small body, some sort of fox? A large and extremely fluffy tail is wagging into the air. It has snowy white fur that is truly beautiful.

It seems to shimmer ever so slightly, some sort of magic?

"Yip!" The fox says and then nuzzles my face. Now, when you wake up with a very fluffy and cuddly fox in your arms, what do you do? Option A is to cuddle it until the end of time. While option B is to stand up and immediately back away from it. I pick option B. Now hear me out on this, I am in a new world where just about everything so far has tried to kill me. Plus, just because something is super adorable, doesn't mean it doesn't drink blood or something crazy. As I back away, I identify it.

[Spirit Fox - Lvl 0] Wait, it's level 0? Also it is a spirit? I glance closer at the fox and surely enough, it does have a sort of glow around it. It definitely does not feel normal, perhaps it really is a spirit.

"Yip!" The fox says and tilts its head. It hasn't moved from where it fell, and is simply staring at me. Taking in the surroundings, I notice the fire is still burning. Which means the camp is still in effect. Thus, the fox can't be a monster, right? Thus, it is completely reasonable for me to step forward, bend down and start to cuddle it. Right? Well, I hope so, cause I am already doing that.

"Yip Yip!" It says when I scratch its chin.

"So uh, can you understand me?" The fox tilts its head, "Yip?"

"Hmm, I am going to take that as a maybe. Do you have a name?" The fox nuzzles my hand.

"Yip!" I think it is trying to tell me to name it. I sigh and sit back down next to the fire. Gently petting the fox, I ponder what I should name it. Naming things is a big responsibility after all, one I am all too familiar with. A name is not just something to be called. It is the very essence of a being, at least that is my philosophy. Given how magical this new world is, I wouldn't be surprised if names have some special connotation too.

After all, my class mentioned something about bonding spirits or something. Giving a name does seem like a pretty good way to form a bond…

"How about Luma?" I ask the little fox. Suddenly, the fox jumps up from my lap and starts to hop around.

"Yip! Yip!" It seems to be happy with the name. So, I guess Luma it is. Luma settles down a bit and then walks over to me. Suddenly, I feel a strong pulse of energy form in front of Luma's head. I watch in awe as some sort of magical circle appears, floating in the air.

"Yip Yip!" Luma says and then stares right into my eyes. Does Luma want me to touch it? At this point, I think I am already doomed if Luma is evil. So, I reach out and touch the magical circle. My brain blanks as a surge of energy rushes into my mind. It doesn't hurt per say, but it definitely feels strange. A system message appears in my vision, though this one feels different than normal. [Form Spirit Contract with Greater Spirit, Luma (Spirit Fox - Lvl 0)?] [Notice: This action is permanent until the death of the summoner, at which point all contracted spirits will be released.] Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Well, I guess this must be where the whole 'Spirit Mage' thing comes in. I am not quite sure what a spirit contract entails, but the system does provide me some sort of insight. It seems that a summoner – otherwise called spirit mages – can contract spirits to serve under them.

They will grow with the mage, gain abilities and whatnot. Seems pretty simple, though I can imagine it is not that simple. After all, the sheer amount of power I can feel radiating off Luma and that magic circle is astounding. But, this definitely seems like it was intended to happen, and I am a Spirit Mage, whether I like it or not. I accept the bond with a simple mental acknowledgement. Instantly, it is as if the energy settles within me. But not within my body, but my very spirit.

I can feel a faint tether connecting Luma to me now. My body feels stronger somehow, can spirit contracts improve me in some way? A message appears. Or rather, many of them. Spirit Contract Completed. New Spirit Bond Established with Luma.

'Ding' New trait gained, {Spirit Summoner}'Ding' New trait gained, {Spirit Contract: Luma}'Ding' New title awarded, {Spirit Contractor}'Ding' New title awarded, {Great Spirit Contractor}'Ding' Luma has advanced to level 1. Stat points distributed.

'Ding' Spirit Mage has advanced to level 2. Stat points distributed.

'Ding' Spirit Mage has advanced to level 3. Stat points distributed.

'Ding' Spirit Mage has advanced to level 4. Stat points distributed.

'Ding' Spirit Mage has advanced to level 5. Stat points distributed.

'Ding' New skill unlocked, [Form Spirit Contract (Common)]'Ding' Spirit Mage has advanced to level 6. Stat points distributed.

'Ding' General skill earned, [Meditate (Common)] A jolt of pain surges through my mind as literal tons of information rush in all at once. I can feel my body set on fire as all the stats are applied. The world disappears, all I can feel is my body and the energy currently coursing through it. Yet, my brain is oddly calm and clear. It is as if the pain is happening to my body, but not to my actual self. That feeling quickly passes as I am hit with it all.

My body convulses on the ground in a not very healthy fashion. I am no expert on such things, but I don't think it's very healthy to gain so many levels, skills and titles all at once. Not to mention whatever the spirit contract itself is. Minutes, or perhaps hours pass. I can feel my body and mind slowly start to settle. As if restoring some balance that was out of order. In fact, something tells me that is exactly what happens. I think it would be best if I investigate this further at a later date.

For now, I have other things to deal with. The pain fades and my body starts to respond to me again. I feel different. Stronger, faster, and even smarter. When I sit up, my body moves with far more ease than it ever has. Must be all the stats I got from those levels. I do not just feel stronger, I am quite literally so. On some sort of weird magical level, I have gained power. Information is still swirling around in my brain. Knowledge of spirits, skills, techniques.

Even some strange memories are there, Luma's perhaps? At the urging of the system, I use one of my new skills, Meditate. The instant I activate it, my focus narrows even further. The world around me seems to fall away and all that remains is my body, my mind and myself. Naturally, the first thing I do is start looking at what sort of things I have gained. Firstly, I'll start with the Meditate skill I just used. [Meditate (Common)] You have grown used to your mind by sharpening it to a suitable level.

This almost ubiquitous skill is a representation of that. At any point, you can sink into a meditative trance, enhancing focus as well as minorly improving resource replenishment rate. Additionally, while active, Meditate makes it far easier to learn and understand new concepts. Woah, that seems really useful. Imagine how helpful that would've been when I was studying in my youth. Just the existence of this skill, and how widespread it seems to be, implies that I will have a lot of learning to do going forward.

Next up is that Form Spirit Contract skill. [Form Spirit Contract (Common)] This skill allows one to initiate a spirit contract with spirits. The user can offer the contract to any being of equal or lesser standing. Though, the greater the power differential the larger the risk. Spirit contracts must be mutually consented to. Any attempts to influence, coerce, manipulate or otherwise cause a contract to unwillingly form will not work. Spirit contracts are a sacred form of power sharing.

The two bonded entities will both be improved, at the cost of being permanently linked. Naturally, in any contract, there is one entity that is marked as the 'summoner.' While summoners do have more control over the bond, do not mistake this for superiority. Such bonds are always equal in nature, and cannot be abused in any way. Okay, so I have entered into a sacred contract with a random spirit fox that I just met.

Also, since Luma initiated the contract in the first place, I can presume she has a 'higher standing' than me. Which makes sense, after all, I am brand new to this world. Also it mentions something about her being a 'great spirit', which I feel is different from normal. Also, I now know that Luma is in fact, a she. Good to know I suppose. I still have a lot of stuff to look at. But my mind seems to be struggling a bit.

So, I take a moment to focus and truly comprehend all of the knowledge and try to gain control of it. Perhaps I shouldn't have just agreed to this without knowing anything about spirits, let alone contracts… Oh well, too late now I suppose. After all, it would appear I happen to be a spirit summoner now, whether I know what that means or not. Mentally, I sigh. Goddess, just what sort of world are you running here?