NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 18 : Piou
As Sora sprinted through the wilderness, his mind kept circling back to the mana threads he had been experimenting with. He was sure they were meant for binding, but something was missing.
'Maybe they couldn't be used on inanimate objects?' He thought to himself
Curious, he decided to test his theory on a living creature. It didn't take long before he spotted a small green bird flitting around nearby. Tiny, weak, barely worth noticing. It hovered in the air, its delicate wings fluttering rapidly. Was it an animal or a beast?
Squinting, Sora activated his inspect skill, the name hovering over the bird: Piou. It was level 1.
A chuckle escaped his lips. Pulling out a pair of glasses he had bought in Cordoba, Sora smirked. The glasses had one green lens, reminiscent of an old anime he once watched. They allowed him to inspect monsters and display their power levels.
As expected, the Piou was incredibly weak. Possibly the weakest creature on Earth. But that made it perfect for his experiment.
"Come over here" he said to the little bird, reaching his hand out.
Sora focused, pulling mana from the air. Slowly, he extracted the binding power he had learned through his work as a [Human Resource Assistant]. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he carefully manipulated the threads, guiding them toward the bird.
The Piou froze, its wide, terrified eyes staring up at him. So scared it defecated right there on the ground, unsure whether this giant human would eat it or not. Despite its weakness, the bird, like all evolved monsters, had a basic level of intelligence since the Earth's upgrade. It wasn't very smart, but it was smart enough to know it was in trouble.
As the mana thread touched the bird, something magnificent happened. From Sora's perspective, the mana swirled with purpose, forming into a glowing square of light above them. The swirling energy morphed and changed, taking the shape of a contract.
Sora blinked, surprised as a notification appeared before him, prompting him to define the terms of the contract. Would he offer the bird a job, or did he want to be employed by it?
[Would you like to offer a Job Contract to the opposing party or ask for employment?]
On the Piou's side, the same thing occurred. Despite its low intelligence, the bird understood the words perfectly, thanks to the magic of the contract. It hesitated, unsure of what was happening. It knew, instinctively, that with humans and beasts, there were only a few options: kill, be killed, or flee. This, however, was an entirely new possibility—an offer of employment.
The bird, completely confused, opted for the "be employed" option.
Sora, for his part, chose the employer option. The terms appeared before him.
[Salary: Food.
Limit: Will perform any task asked.]
A balance appeared, showing the terms:
[Balance: The bird will take all your XP until it reaches your level. It will also take a portion of your prestige power and revive with you. Since it is infinitely weaker than you, this doesn't affect your innate skill. The bird will become your familiar.]
[Do you accept these terms, or do you want to add conditions and restrictions?]
Sora's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't expected to end up with a familiar. A familiar was a rare bond between player and beast, granting both parties shared abilities and growth.
Without thinking too much, Sora accepted the contract. After all, he could always release the bird once he was done testing his new power.
The moment he confirmed the contract, the magic sealed it with an intense flare. The mana threads between him and the bird burst into life. From Sora's perspective, with his [Mana Eyes], he saw the true beauty of the binding. Mana swirled in intricate, delicate patterns, locking them together in a way that was beyond ordinary sight. The thread that connected them pulsed with raw energy, and in that moment, Sora caught a glimpse of something deeper.
He focused his gaze, sharpening his concentration. The mana thread wasn't just a line of energy—it held something more. It held emotion. As he inserted more of his own mana into the thread, he began to feel the essence of what bound him and the bird. It was as if the thread was a bridge for their emotions and intentions.
On the bird's side, the mana carried a mixture of hope, hunger, and awe. It was incredibly innocent, fragile, and weak, its dreams of survival constantly at risk. It looked up at him as though he were a god—an ultimate protector, a figure of power and safety in a dangerous world. The Piou had spent its short life being hunted, scared, and starving. Now, for the first time, it felt safe. It was eager for food, craving sustenance, and hoping to live without fear of death.
From Sora's side, the mana carried unrivaled curiosity and ambition. He wanted to understand, to learn, to grow stronger. His thirst for knowledge intertwined with the Piou's dreams of survival. They weren't equals in strength, but in this moment, their feelings blended together. There was a strange exchange of understanding, a bond deeper than just a contract of words.
Sora's eyes widened as he realized the potential. 'Mana can carry emotions, thoughts, and even dreams?'
He stared at the Piou, wondering if the bird had changed at all. Physically, it seemed the same—still tiny, still weak. But looking at it through his Mana Eyes, Sora could see the thread connecting them, a constant flow of energy.
A tiny trickle of mana came from the Piou, but in contrast, a massive flow surged from him into the bird.
Frowning, Sora investigated the thread. It held the full power of the contract they had signed. As he tried to tug at it, he realized it was indestructible. He attempted to release the bird, only to be met with a notification:
[Follow the contract, or face punishment!]
Sora slapped his forehead in frustration.
'What did i just do?! Damn ! I should've added conditions and restrictions. Now I'm responsible for this tiny bird!'
Since they were now bound together, the Piou would siphon off all his experience points until it leveled up. Sora sighed deeply. How long will it take to power-level this useless thing?
His thoughts were interrupted by a piercing screech from the bird. As he had started jogging, the Piou took damage from the air pressure. Sora quickly scooped it up, shielding it with his clothes to protect it from the wind.
"Useless," he muttered under his breath as he resumed his run, the tiny bird now tucked securely in his coat.
As Sora ran, the weight of his newfound responsibility settled in. He wasn't just on a journey for himself anymore. Now, he had a familiar to take care of—and a lot of leveling up to do.
After reaching the level 30-39 zone, Sora came to a halt. He knew he could easily hunt in higher-level areas, but with the tiny Piou clinging to life, he didn't dare risk it. As fragile as his new familiar was, Sora didn't want the bird to die in one of his reckless battles. He had to hold back, for now.
He figured the best thing to do was power-level the little bird and see how quickly it would grow. Drawing out one of his monster radars, he activated it, ignoring the low-level creatures around him and setting his sights on a group of level 38 panther-like beasts. These beasts would give a decent amount of experience, hopefully enough to see the bird level up.
The battle was short, Sora slicing through the beasts with ease, his mana-infused strikes cutting them down as if they were made of paper. After the last beast fell, a notification blinked into view.
[XP Transferred to Familiar]
Sora raised an eyebrow. Curious, he checked the bird's status and was stunned. The little Piou had shot up to level 30 in just that one fight. It was almost absurd. Too fast. Way too fast.
"There's no way..." Sora muttered, staring at the bird.
He realized that the Piou's potential was laughably low, so low that even a sliver of experience would force it to skyrocket through the levels. It probably required a hundred or even a thousand times less XP than normal creatures. But there was a problem—combat power wasn't just about levels. Even though the Piou had reached level 30, its actual ability to fight was probably nonexistent. It could only rely on level suppression to damage weaker beasts, and even then, it might not be able to beat anything stronger than a level 15 or 20 monster.
"Just my luck," Sora sighed, recalling how some players had tamed weak creatures because it was easier, only to discover their limitations later. He always knew taming weak beasts was a bad idea, but he had hoped—naively—that his contract would be different. Most players could release their familiars whenever they wanted, but his contract was binding. No easy out. No optimization.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath.
Still, there was a silver lining. He wouldn't waste much time grinding XP for the Piou since it leveled up so quickly. If anything, he could just feed the bird, keep it around, and let it live a peaceful life. It wasn't like he needed any help in battle, anyway. The bird was at least cute, so why not keep it for company?
Anyone who knew Sora well enough would see right through his reasoning. Deep down, he was fuming. A wasted opportunity, one that could've been so much more if he had thought things through.
Sora shook his head, dismissing the frustration for now. He killed a few more beasts, and once the Piou's level matched his own, he began regaining XP for himself. With his goal set, Sora resumed his journey, sprinting east toward Barcelona.
The clock was ticking. Dodging high-level zones was slowing him down, and there wasn't any more time to waste in the wilderness. He needed to reach the city as soon as possible, and from there, his next move awaited.