'I Reincarnated But Have No System? You Must Be Kidding Me!'-Chapter 31: Kardel And Rhiki

’Master... are you going to replace me?’The voice echoed in his mind, feathered with anxiety. Bigbird—his trusty companion, bonded soul beast, and snarky floating eyeball of wisdom—rarely sounded worried.

’Replace you?’ Auren blinked. ’It’s just a Punto. I’m keeping it because of the unique color and the ridiculously soft fur. It’s not like it’s a Holy Beast or anything.’

’But, master,’ Bigbird pressed, ’I don’t think that’s an ordinary Punto.’

Auren arched a brow. What makes you say that?

’Because it just appeared out of nowhere!’ Bigbird said, flustered. ’I’ve been scanning the perimeter nonstop. I can detect every living creature in a one-kilometer radius. Birds, beasts, bugs. Hidden or revealed—it doesn’t matter. But this thing? It just—poof!—popped into reality right in front of us!’

’So you’re telling me you couldn’t detect it at all despite being that close?’ he asked, brows furrowing.

’None. Zero. Nay’ Bigbird replied, sounding almost offended. ’It’s like it slipped past all my senses—’There was a rare, uneasy tremble in his voice.’Which should be impossible.’

Auren stared at the creature’s fur again, noting the way the soft green strands shimmered subtly in the sunlight—like dew-covered grass under moonlight.

’Maybe its green fur has something to do with it,’ he mused, narrowing his eyes. ’Could be a cloaking enchantment... or an anti-detection passive skill?’

Then a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

’If that’s true—then that’s so cool!’ he added, his excitement spiking. The idea of carrying around a stealth-mode, secret rare forest creature on his shoulder? That was like finding a cheat code in real life.

Bigbird, however, wasn’t as amused.

’Master, that’s not cool. That’s dangerous. Anything that can sneak past me like that isn’t just rare—it’s unnatural!’

Auren didn’t reply. He just gently scratched the punto behind the ears, watching as the tiny creature purred like a content kitten... Oblivious. Or pretending to be.

Either way, this was getting more interesting by the second.

Hovering above the creature’s head was the divine frame identifier.

[Species: Punto | Level: 3]

No extra title. No subclass. No warning tags. Just a simple level three.

But to Auren, it now read more like:[Mystery Box | Do Not Open | Oops, Too Late]

Totally harmless. Totally suspicious.

"Auren?" Jairah’s voice snapped him back. She tilted her head, brow raised. "Why are you suddenly so quiet?"

"Nothing," he replied, brushing off the moment with a shrug. The creature flicked its tail and resumed nibbling the mushroom, content as ever.

Auren stepped forward, his stride steady and composed—but inside, his thoughts buzzed like a hive of overclocked fireflies.

His lips curled into a faint smile. Not one born from victory or bravado, but from something he hadn’t felt in a long time: Wonder.

’This is my first Pokémon’, he thought, almost giddy. ’Finally. My fantasy dream is unfolding in real time. All those sleepless anime binges... all those mobile pet-taming games... They were training arcs for this very moment!’

He glanced up at the sky, half-expecting a glowing HUD to appear, or a celestial narrator to congratulate him.

’I wonder if it can evolve? Maybe it shoots rockets from its chest? Or transforms into a dragon with a dark-fire typing?’

His imagination spiraled, heart pounding with childish excitement.

And then—he couldn’t help himself.

With full dramatic flair and no regard for musical accuracy, Auren puffed up his chest and broke into song:

"I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was... Da-da-dan!"

The Punto twitched an ear at the sound, then resumed munching serenely—unbothered, unimpressed, and still devastatingly cute. A tiny mushroom flake clung to its nose like a sticker of approval.

Auren beamed with a wide smile.

He didn’t really know what kind of creature this was... but to Auren, it was already perfect.

A tiny, puffy green ball of stress relief. Soft. Calm. Adorably clueless.’Perfect for late-night study sessions,’ he thought. ’Or just... existing.’

He sighed contentedly, as if the universe had finally thrown him a bone.

Behind him, Jairah had stopped mid-step.

She turned slowly to look at him, eyebrows drawn, mouth slightly open—caught between confusion and mild horror. Her head tilted to the side, like someone trying to decipher a new dialect of insanity.

"...Are you okay?" she asked, genuinely concerned."Because that sounded like a curse in a lost language."

"I made it," Auren said proudly, of course with a big load of bullshit lies.

"Whatever," she huffed, a grin threatening to break her tough demeanor as she tossed her braid over her shoulder. "You and your weird human chants..."

He grinned. "That, my dear Jairah, was a sacred warrior song from my homeland. Passed down from ancient scrolls, possibly forbidden for you elven folks."

She gave him a look. "That language makes no sense, and you sing like a dying goose. I’d rather cut my tongue than sing like you."

"Art is not meant to be understood by the masses," Auren said with mock grandeur, lifting the punto in the air like a fuzzy trophy. The little creature wiggled slightly, utterly unbothered as the two talked as if they were just in the middle of the park and not in a dangerous forest.

Jairah rolled her eyes but couldn’t hold back a soft laugh. For all his strange antics, Auren had a way of making even the deadliest of hunts feel lighter.

"Let’s keep moving," she said more seriously, kneeling to examine faint impressions on the dirt. The forest dimmed around them as the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows between the roots and ferns. "I’m not going home without a Night Stalker fang. If I show up empty-handed, my mom’s going to skin me alive and feed me to the Boarhounds

She tapped a claw-like mark on the bark of a tree. "One passed through here... and looks fresh."

Auren’s grin faded slightly. "Finally time huh."

Jairah glanced at him. "Scared?"

"Relax," Auren said, his swagger returning. "Me and Little Bonbon here will lend our professional services."

The Punto squeaked and waved its paw, still chewing the tiny remaining mushroom like a palm-sized green vacuum.

"See? He’s excited to work too! Here’s more."

He fed the creature another mushroom chunk, which it accepted with a delighted squeak and a sparkle in its eyes that made Jairah’s mouth twitch in amusement.

"Bonbon?" she asked. "You already gave it a name?"

"Of course," Auren said, tapping its forehead lightly. "Look at him. He’s got bonbon energy."

"Does it mean something? Like a special meaning?"

"Nope. Just popped into my head."

They continued forward, still laughing and exchanging idle talk—completely unaware that death was closing in from behind the trees.

In the distance, branches parted with unnatural precision.

A magical deer tore through the undergrowth, hooves silent despite its speed. Its sleek, forest-toned body shimmered with enchantments. Glowing runes flowed across its flanks, pulsing with each stride. From its head, massive antlers glowed like molten gold, casting eerie shapes on the trees.

Atop it rode Kardel, the assassin-mage of the Everdark. His hood billowed behind him, staff in one hand, eyes aglow with active Observation. The blue crystal on his staff throbbed with restrained power, ready to unleash elemental fury in the blink of an eye.

"I’ve found them," he reported, voice crisp as he peered through the forest. "The human and the Velkadar girl. I could strike now, but it would expose my location. The Observer and that Lantaw tracking him would report it. So I need your help."

Beside him, moving without a single sound, was Rhiki.

He didn’t ride. He ran.

Barefoot and faster than the wind.

His body moved like smoke between the trees, never once faltering despite the speed of the galloping beast beside him. Two shadowy daggers shimmered at his back, and his long white hair streamed behind him like silk under moonlight. His grayish-blue elven features were sharp and quiet, like a wolf with centuries of blood on its fangs.

"Let me deal with the Observer and the Lantaw," Rhiki said coolly. "When I’m done, I’ll give you the signal. No one will trace this back to us."

"But if you fail," he added with a grin full of malice, "then my dagger will do the job. And that human’s head? It’ll look perfect hanging from my belt."

Kardel hesitated. "What about the Velkadar girl with him?"

"She won’t even see my shadow. Those elves who work with humans and accept them are tumors in our sacred land. It’s only a matter of time before I get rid of that one."

And then—he vanished.

Rhiki’s figure flickered like a candle flame, then shimmered out completely.

He activated [Ghostveil], the assassin’s signature skill—rendering himself invisible to sight, sound, and most magical detection. He was a phantom now, gliding through the world between footsteps.

Kardel urged his steed onward as Rhiki disappeared into the gloom.

Back in the clearing, Bonbon paused mid-nibble.

It slowly lifted its tiny head.

Its sparkly eyes narrowed, just slightly. In the stillness of that moment, something ancient stirred—something far older than the forest around it.

No one noticed, but the air surrounding Bonbon shimmered faintly—like a veil had briefly lifted, revealing a hidden layer of reality before gently slipping back into place.

Bonbon turned toward the direction of the approaching killers.Its delicate whiskers twitched.

And in those wide, glassy eyes...A faint, mysterious light began to glow.Not threatening, not violent—just charging, as if some dormant power was slowly awakening.

Meanwhile, a loud panic echoed in Auren’s mind:

"Danger! Danger! TURN AROUND NOW! RUN!"

Bigbird’s voice screamed, raw with fear and laced with a kind of dread Auren had never heard before.

This wasn’t just a shout of warning. It was desperation.

’Bigbird knows who it is,’ Auren realized, his spine turning cold.

’He knows—and we don’t stand a chance.’

They can try to run away, but it’s already too late.

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