Chapter 51: A Warm Welcome

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: A Warm Welcome

"We surrender!"

"Take it!"

"Just let us leave!"

One after another, they hurriedly handed over everything they had.

Defensive relics.

Protective treasures.

Even storage bags.

Those with unconscious companions simply offered their belongings as well.

"Please!"

"Those are my brothers’ things!"

"We’ll give everything!"

"We just want to leave alive!"

Compared to the first group, this haul wasn’t as shocking.

Still, nobody dared hide anything.

Freya sat proudly nearby, her tails swaying happily.

She wasn’t too interested in the treasures.

But once she found the snacks...

Her eyes immediately lit up.

"Kyu!"

The Wind Sovereign Roc floating beside her chirped excitedly.

Apparently, she had learned quickly.

Whenever Freya pointed at something, the little Roc would flap her tiny wings and follow along obediently.

And every now and then, the two of them would glare fiercely at the Elemental Users.

"Kyu!"

Chirp!

The poor people nearly burst into tears.

"We’re leaving!"

"We’re already leaving!"

"Please stop glaring at us!"

Soon, the miserable group supported their injured companions and carried the unconscious ones away.

Their preparations had failed.

Their treasures were gone.

And their hearts had suffered even more.

Only after the last person disappeared did Damon finally walk out completely.

Looking at the two little troublemakers standing among piles of loot, he couldn’t help laughing.

"I think I’ve accidentally raised a pair of bandits."

Freya proudly puffed out her chest.

"Kyu!"

The little Roc copied her and chirped confidently.

Damon covered his face.

"Ah..."

"This terrible hobby really spread."

Still...

He couldn’t deny it.

He was happy.

Never in his dreams had he imagined his first exploration would bring him this much wealth.

And the moment Freya got close to him.

Whoosh!

She leaped straight into his arms.

Her favorite place.

"Kyu!"

She buried herself into his chest and rubbed her head against him.

Damon laughed.

"Alright, alright."

"I’m sorry."

"I know."

"You had to hold back."

He carefully stroked her silver fur.

"You did great."

"You were amazing."

"And you’re so strong now."

Freya happily narrowed her eyes.

Her tails wagged nonstop.

Soon, Damon rewarded her with snacks.

Immediately, she forgot all about seeking attention.

"Kyu!"

Crunch.

Crunch.

She happily focused on eating.

Only then did Damon notice the little Roc hovering nearby.

Unlike Freya, she didn’t rush forward.

Instead, she floated quietly.

Looking.

Waiting.

Almost unsure.

The little Roc tilted her head.

Chirp?

Damon smiled.

"So you’re shy, huh?"

But she still hesitated.

Fortunately, Freya raised her head from her snacks.

"Kyu!"

She waved a tail excitedly.

Almost saying...

Come over!

The little Roc blinked.

Then slowly flew closer.

Damon’s eyes brightened.

"Good girl."

He carefully held her in both hands.

She was soft.

Light.

And surprisingly warm.

As he gently stroked her feathers, the little Roc finally relaxed.

Chirp!

She happily rubbed her head against his palm.

Damon smiled.

"You deserve praise too."

"You protected your senior sister."

"And you were really brave."

The little Roc puffed out her tiny chest proudly.

Chirp!

"As expected of my spirit."

He took out a Wind Fruit from their earlier heist.

The little Roc immediately accepted it.

Unlike Freya, she ate slowly and gracefully.

But the happiness in her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

After finishing, she suddenly paused.

And stared at Damon.

Damon looked back.

Then he smiled.

Because they were thinking the same thing.

"An official contract."

The little Roc chirped excitedly.

Freya immediately stopped eating.

Even the snacks became unimportant.

"Kyu!"

She ran over and sat nearby.

Her tails wagged rapidly.

Almost cheering them on.

Damon laughed.

"You too?"

Freya nodded repeatedly.

"Kyu!"

Good luck!

Taking a deep breath, Damon sat down.

Truthfully...

He was nervous.

He didn’t know whether it would work.

After all, Freya was already connected to him.

Could his second core really support another spirit?

There was only one way to find out.

He made a small cut on his finger.

Blood slowly emerged.

The little Roc closed her eyes.

A gentle green symbol appeared naturally before her.

Seeing that familiar sight, Damon smiled.

Just like before.

He pressed his blood onto the symbol.

Buzz...

At that instant—

The connection formed.

His eyes widened.

The same feeling. Exactly the same.

Wind Aether surged through his body.

His second core trembled.

And then...

It expanded.

His white core vibrated.

His Aether veins strengthened.

Fresh energy spread throughout his entire body.

"Haa..."

Damon exhaled deeply.

His smile grew wider.

"It worked."

"It really worked."

He could feel it.

He was standing right before the Adept Rank.

The feedback this time was enormous.

And before him...

The little Roc chirped happily.

Her connection to Damon had deepened completely.

The joy in her eyes was obvious.

And Damon had already thought about this long ago.

Looking at her small form.

Looking at her gentle personality.

The name simply felt right.

He smiled warmly.

"From now on..."

"We’ll call you Slyphie."

The little Roc blinked.

"Slyphie."

"It suits you."

Chirp!

Her eyes immediately sparkled.

She loved it.

Seeing her reaction, Damon laughed.

"Looks like that’s settled."

Meanwhile, Freya tilted her head.

"Kyu?"

"Syl..."

"Kyu!"

"Syl!"

She tried to imitate his pronunciation.

Damon burst out laughing.

"Hahaha!"

"No, no."

"Slyphie."

"Kyu!"

"Syl!"

The little Roc chirped happily.

Freya cheered proudly.

And before long, the two spirits began playing together again.

One fluffy.

One feathery.

Their happy voices filled the treasure chamber.

While watching them, Damon quietly lay down with his hands behind his head.

A smile rested on his face.

When he first entered Tempest Hollow, he had only hoped to survive.

But somehow...

His lonely journey had become lively.

And honestly... He liked it this way.

Very much.

With the contract finally complete, Damon let out a satisfied breath.

"Done."

The most important thing had been settled.

Meanwhile, Freya and Sylphie were already busy on their own.

The two spirits gathered around the pile of snacks and fruits Damon had left behind.

Freya happily munched away while Sylphie copied her, nibbling gracefully on a Wind Fruit.

Watching them play together made Damon smile.