NOVEL FROG Chapter 25: What’s Hidden Inside the Mysterious Egg?
As soon as the players logged out, Victor returned to his office and settled in his chair as he mused over the day’s events. Not even a moment passed before Lizbeth burst out from his bedroom with a panic-stricken face and a loud voice.
“Master! I’ve something urgent to tell you about!”
“Oh?” Victor was amused by her sudden outburst; it must’ve been something incredibly pressing. “What is it? Did some magical beasts discover and attack us?” he joked. Obviously, if there were dangers encroaching on his academy, he would have sensed them immediately.
“No!” She shook her head vehemently. “It’s about the egg you entrusted me with — it’s on the verge of hatching, and the moment is nigh!”
Her words landed with unexpected weight, triggering a surge of excitement in Victor’s chest. “Really?” He immediately stood and hastily rushed toward the bedroom.
Within the confines of the room, a corner held the mysterious egg. Other than pulsating occasionally, it had remained mostly dormant, which was why Victor hadn’t paid much attention to it, unlike Lizbeth, who had been brooding over it like a hen. Still, he had underestimated the fairy’s exceptional ability at incubating an egg.
“There it is!” Lizbeth declared while pointing at the egg, her tone a mix of urgency and anticipation. She seemed to have grown an attachment to it, as if she regarded this egg as her own or something?
Victor gazed at the fist-sized egg. It had been bluish-white in color before, but now it had transformed into an entrancing golden glow. Bathed in the moonlight streaming through the window, the egg radiated an ethereal luminescence that captured his attention. For a moment, he stood there, captivated by the sight, a sense of wonder gripping him.
His curiosity finally reached its zenith, compelling him to voice the question that had been brewing within him. “How long has the egg been exhibiting these changes?”
Lizbeth's response was prompt in its urgency. “Just a few moments. The transformation was subtle at first, but the moment the moon ascended over the horizon, the radiance intensified, and the pulsations grew all the wilder.”
“Hrm…” Victor mulled over this information, his mind racing with possibilities.
Usually, in situations like this, shouldn’t people bite their fingers and drip blood to make a contract with whatever is inside? Such customs were woven into the tapestry of countless stories and myths — it wasn’t limited to novels in his past life. While he wasn’t entirely certain if they applied here, he decided to experiment, nonetheless.
With a thoughtful hum, he raised his thumb and bit down on it in a rather impulsive move. A few drops of his blood fell onto the surface of the egg. Ugh, that hurt more than I imagined… Despite the pain, his gaze was still focused on the egg.
Curiosity tinged Lizbeth’s voice as she inquired, “What are you doing?”
“Well, I’m thinking of making a contract with the being inside. Who knows, I may even own a mythological beast by the end of the day.”
“You’d be better off using your infused mana. Blood won’t serve any purpose unless you’re performing a specific magic ritual.” Lizbeth’s response held a hint of amusement as if her mischief had worked.
Surprise colored Victor’s expression as he looked at the fairy. “Eh, why didn’t you mention that earlier?”
“As usual, you didn’t ask,” she said, shrugging matter-of-factly.
Victor didn’t bother with the little details and realized he was indeed too hasty in his approach. Setting aside the notion of blood contracts, he initiated the process of channeling his infused mana by placing his hand atop the egg. The mana began to intertwine with the pulsating egg that slowly began to absorb it. It was a delicate dance, a silent exchange between his power and the enigma within.
However, the serene scene changed abruptly. In mere seconds, the egg’s demand for his mana escalated exponentially, its absorption akin to a vacuum operating at full throttle. The sudden intensification caught Victor off guard, his expression stiffening as the sheer velocity of mana depletion intensified rapidly with each passing second.
“Shoot! This thing is absorbing my mana way too fast!” He yanked his hand back from the egg as if pulled by an unseen force. Then, realization dawned upon him — a few seconds more, and he might have been drained to a lifeless husk. A third-stage Initiate Attunement acolyte like him!
Victor's dread-flecked words rang out as his heart raced from the narrow escape. “This… I might need an entire night to fill this egg with my mana...”
For some reason, Lizbeth giggled as she watched from the side. “Ha-ha! The egg that I, Lizbeth, have been nurturing won’t be simple, after all!”
“So what? I can try this as many times as it requires!” With a determined heart, Victor took out a pouch hidden under his robe and grabbed three cyan transparent crystals from within.
This would be the first time he used mana crystals other than for practicing a meditation technique. But left with no other choice, he repeated the process once his infused mana recovered. This time, he circulated the Myriad Elements Method to strengthen his infused mana before releasing it toward the egg.
The academy grounds naturally gathered mana and energy particles, so even if he didn’t do anything, the egg would still hatch sooner or later. What he was doing was only accelerating the process and creating a bond between himself and the creature residing within.
Crack!
Under Victor’s relentless effort and expectant gaze, the fist-sized egg began hatching as cracks shortly appeared along its surface. Swiftly, the top segment broke open. Curled within the egg’s confines was a diminutive, snowy, furry creature — a wolf pup. It blinked up at him with bright, curious eyes. So innocent yet so adorable…
“What the heck?” Victor’s eyes widened as he watched the white wolf pup emerge from its shell, his emotions a mix of delight and skepticism. “...A wolf pup? Well, I suppose that’s not too shabby for a contracted beast.”
His words were only uttered to try to appease himself. If he were being honest with himself, he felt slightly disappointed. The three mana crystals had been reduced to dust in the process — a loss he wasn’t entirely willing to dismiss…
“No, wait! There’s no way this pup will be ordinary!” For it to be able to absorb his whole mana reserve, it would be by no means “normal.”
Observing the silvery wolf pup as it contentedly devoured the remains of its eggshell, Victor noted its gradual growth. While its appearance held an endearing charm, there was an undercurrent of subtle energy emanating from it — likely mana. Additionally, a distinct moon mark adorned its forehead, an intriguing detail that begged further exploration.
“I believe it’s a Celestial Moonhowler — a descendant, as the legends suggest, of a mythical wolf that once consumed the moon itself,” Lizbeth piped up. “Though, of course, take my words with a grain of salt, Master.”
“A Celestial Moonhowler, huh…” Victor murmured as he studied the wolf pup in his hands. The small moon mark on the pup's forehead must have been a visual cue that connected it to its heritage.
Victor then lifted the pup, which somehow already weighed around two kilograms, and declared with a tone filled with resolve, “Celestial Moonhowler or not, you shall not remain ordinary. I will nurture you to become the epitome of strength — not just within this forest but across the entire world! As for your name, it will be ‘Lumen Fenrir.’ Fenrir, after the mythological wolf, and Lumen, a name that embodies the grace and the might you shall possess.”
The wolf pup responded with a spirited “Woof!” as if approving the name Victor bestowed upon him. This made Victor content, and an arc formed in his mouth. Huh, a fairy and a wolf… What an unconventional yet intriguing combination.
“Master, for your information, she’s now been officially registered in the Academy Inhabitant List. You can find her status and information there. Oh, and it’s a female.”
“Huh, a female?” Victor's eyebrows twitched at the revelation. Thankfully, the name seemed to fit both male and female identities, saving him from a potential conundrum.
Casting that thought away, Victor activated his black mark and went straight for Lumen’s status screen.
Lumen Fenrir
HP: 100%
MP: 12/12
Species: Celestial Moonhowler
Power Rank: None
Elemental Affinity: Lux (91%) | Cosmo (77%) | Anemo (64%)
Status: Healthy
Strength: (3)
Agility: (4)
Vitality: (3)
Magical Power: (3)
Infused Mana (total): (12)
Wow! It has a large affinity for the Lux element. I suppose that has something to do with its moonlight synergy. But the Cosmo element, though, Victor contemplated this deeply. It’s only a pup, but magical beasts grow faster than normal animals; I can’t compare them. I’ll just wait until it can conjure magic to see its true potential.
After wrapping Lumen with a blanket, Victor returned his attention to the Discord server. The conversations were alive with discussions about the enigmatic and swift delivery of the gaming capsules. He wasn’t bothered to give them further clarifications because the first five players could address the inquiries just as effectively. His attention then turned to the roster of the next batch of players scheduled to join the game tomorrow.
When he was giving a lesson to the players, Lizbeth had used his account to identify a candidate with culinary skills among the new arrivals. While not exactly a chef or butcher, their expertise in catering would undoubtedly prove helpful in handling meat disassembly. Additionally, another player with proper chef skills was expected to join on the subsequent day. He couldn’t include this player in tomorrow’s batch because the incubation process had already begun.
Victor had also updated the registration forms to gather more specific information, ensuring future batches were better equipped for the academy's needs. Players would be required to resubmit their information, but since it automatically filled in their previous answers they wouldn’t have to redo the whole thing. He was not afraid of them using their alt accounts in an attempt to get two qualifications, as the System was able to detect such things. Unless they switched bodies, the gaming capsules and helmets would recognize one person only. Even now, Victor was confused about how those capsules were able to perform all these bizarre functions.
“With the increase in the number of players, there will be more mouths to feed,” Victor mumbled to himself. Hunting in the forest provided a straightforward solution to this issue for the time being, but he was keenly aware that postponing the resolution would only exacerbate the situation. In addition to the concern over sustenance, the matter of adequate tools for the expanding player base also weighed on his mind.
Contemplating the options before him, he pondered whether a return trip to the village was warranted. Or alternatively, he could assign missions related to tool-making — an approach that would simultaneously involve the players in the academy’s operations.
“Whatever, I will think about this tomorrow.” Turning off the holographic screen, Victor sat on his bed, ready to begin practicing his meditation technique. Yesterday, he slept on the floor, so he wanted to have a good night’s rest tonight.
As he considered his current rate of advancement, he realized that switching to the Myriad Elements Method had raised the enhancement of his mana aptitude by about 1 percent. This rate implied that it would take approximately two and a half months to attain the rank of an official Magus. Yet, he recognized that achieving Elemental Adept status wouldn’t be as straightforward. All in all, he considered this pace insufficient.
Eager to expedite his progress, Victor reached for his mana crystals. Having utilized three so far, only twenty remained within his pouch. However, he found out that while channeling his infused mana into the mysterious egg, his progression had increased by 3 percent. It was highly likely that circulating the Myriad Elements Method while doing so had affected himself and Lumen in a great way.