Chapter 6: Trials and Companions: Jared’s Journey

Jared realized that his attack skills were lacking, so he decided to open the skill book that allows him to choose a skill from his profession's repertoire of common rank. From among his list, he chose: [Primal Fury]: Primal Fury harnesses the combined ferocity and elemental powers of Jared's contracted animal spirits, allowing him to unleash a devastating attack on his enemies. This skill enables Jared to momentarily merge attributes from multiple animal forms, channeling their strengths into a single, powerful strike.

He then activated Summon Ally: Phoenix Spirit. He used Primal Fury to merge with the phoenix spirit while he was in eagle form, then told Savon to activate Cuteness Aura, which pacifies the crystal golems, making them less likely to attack. With that skill activated, Jared struck at the golems using his eagle form's quick strikes, while spewing fireballs from the phoenix spirit's repertoire of skills.

Due to the active skill of Savon, the baby panda, Jared easily took down the crystal golems and triumphantly picked up the Starlight Opal. It glowed warmly in his hand, its light pulsating gently as if beating with a heart of its own. He deactivated the skills and drank some mana potion to regain his mana. He checked his status to see that after defeating five level five crystal golems, he had leveled up twice, while the baby panda gained three levels.

He then checked to see what loot the level 5 crystal golems dropped:

Crystalline Fragments:

Description: Small shimmering crystals broken off from the golem's body. These can be used in various crafting recipes, particularly for creating or enhancing magical jewelry, or embedding into weapons to grant them elemental properties.

Golem Core:

Description: The central power source of a crystal golem, often glowing with residual magic. This rare component is highly sought after by alchemists and enchanters for creating powerful artifacts and magical equipment.

Enchanted Dust:

Description: A fine, glittering dust that falls from the golem's body, useful for spellcasters. It can be used to increase the potency of spells or potions, or as a component in the creation of protective wards and enchantments.

Crystalized Essence:

Description: A dense, magically infused crystal that contains the essence of the earth element. It can be used to summon minor earth elementals or to imbue items with earth-related properties, such as increased durability or resistance to physical attacks.

Golem's Heartstone:

Description: A rare drop, this large, perfectly formed crystal pulses with a steady light. It's highly valuable and can be sold for a substantial amount of gold, or used in high-level crafting to create artifacts of significant power.

Rune of Solidity:

Description: A magical rune occasionally found within the remnants of the golem. When applied to armor, it significantly increases the wearer's defense against physical attacks, reflecting the golem's own sturdiness.

Returning to the baby dragon, Jared presented the opal. The dragon, in awe of the glowing stone, breathed a small flame onto it, which didn't burn the opal but instead made it shine even brighter. The dragon chirped joyfully, circling Jared in a playful dance of flames and shadows.

Jared activated the Pact of the Wild skill, and the dragon steadied itself and formed an equal contract with Jared.

A ding was sounded from the system, and Jared checked his rewards: Dragon's Trust and Adventurer's Glow: This glowing charm, formed from the opal, enhances Jared's visibility in dark places and can dazzle enemies temporarily in combat.

For the Berry Bounty quest, requested by the baby bear, the arrow led him to a berry grove where he gathered the blueberries. With his Gentle Forager's Badge, he harvested plenty of berries and promised to come back for more. These berries were placed in his system storage space since he did not have a basket. Upon returning and giving the berries to the bear, he heard a ding from the system, indicating the conclusion of the quest. However, before checking what additional rewards he received, he used his Pact of the Wild skill and made an equal contract with the baby bear.

The additional reward he got was the skill: Bear's Endurance: Grants Jared a temporary boost in health and stamina.

He then followed the arrow to the Haunted Caves, where the baby wolf's quest, Moonlit Howl, would take place. Upon arrival, Jared navigated the dark with the item —Adventurer's Glow —received from the baby dragon's quest. He followed the winding paths of the Haunted Caves and solved simple light reflection puzzles using mirrors found within the caves to unlock the chamber where the moonstone is kept.

He then brought it back to the baby wolf, formed a contract with it, and collected his additional reward: Pack Leader's Whistle— Allows Jared to summon spectral wolves for a short duration during battles.

Next up is Stealthy Play, the baby fox's quest. Jared played a game of hide and seek with the baby fox, using tall grass and occasional tree hollows to conceal his movements. He remained out of sight as the curious fox sniffed around, using wind direction and natural cover to his advantage. To outsmart the baby fox, Jared activated his eagle form and kept in the air until the timer went off.

He then landed on the ground before the baby fox and formed a contract with it. He checked his quest log to find out what the additional reward was: Skill: Fox's Cunning: Increases Jared's stealth ability and gives a bonus to disarming traps and opening locks.

He then tackled the baby dolphin quest—Coral Rescue. He followed the arrow to the Crystal Lagoon, where he dove into the shimmering waters with an equipped coral grafting kit given by the baby dolphin. He used it to clean the coral fragments with a soft brush and attached them carefully to the damaged reef using a safe organic adhesive.

He then returned to the baby dolphin, formed a contract, and then checked his quest log for information on the additional reward: Passive Skill: Echo of the Depths— Provides sonar-like senses that reveal the topography of underwater environments and detect creatures even in murky waters.

He then followed the arrow to the ocean that led to Shipwreck Cove. He explored the remains and deciphered the faded scripts of old sea scrolls scattered among the wreckage. He assembled the fragments of the Ancient Whale Song by matching lyrical symbols carved into the scrolls.

He then selected the baby kraken quest —Treasure Guardian —and followed the arrow that took him deeper into the ocean. Jared helped defend the sunken treasure by setting up clever decoys and traps around Devil's Trench. He used mirrors collected from the baby wolf's quest to distract and mislead the greedy divers attempting to reach the treasure.

He then returned after fulfilling both the baby dolphin and baby kraken's quests. He gained two new companion pets along with two additional rewards:

[Skill: Call of the Leviathan—Can summon a temporary shield of water around Jared, absorbing damage and knocking back enemies] 

[Item: Tentacle Amulet—Summons a spectral tentacle to fight alongside Jared or manipulate objects/environment.]

The next quest was the baby phoenix's Flame's Rebirth. Jared followed the arrow to the location where he could collect herbs and incense from the sacred groves. He prepared the ceremonial pyre by arranging the materials in a specific pattern that enhanced their mystical properties. He then lit the pyre under the watchful gave of the baby phoenix.

He then gained a baby phoenix as his companion pet and received an additional reward: Item: Ashes of Renewal—When Jared is fatally injured, these ashes allow him to resurrect once per game day.

Next up was the baby unicorn quest—The Mystical Meadow. Jared followed the arrow, and upon arrival, he started to construct a natural filtration system using enchanted stones and plants to purify the waters of the Enchanted Spring. He carefully placed the stones at the spring's source and planted the purifying flora along the water's path.

After returning, he gained the baby unicorn as another contracted companion pet and received his additional reward: Item: Horn of Purification—Can be used to dispel magical effects or curses in an area around Jared.

Afterwards, he activated the baby Pegasus quest and followed the arrow into the air where the Sky Weavers lived. They are a mystical group of cloud creatures, and Jared obtained cloud threads from them. He then wove these into a lightweight harness, testing its durability and comport by adjusting it to fit the baby Pegasus. Seeing that everything was perfect, the baby Pegasus accepted Jared's request to form a contract with him and gave him an additional reward: Item: Wind Feather Cloak—Grants the ability to glide from high places, reducing fall damage and allowing slow descent.

The second to last quest Jared had to complete is the baby turtle's quest —Beach Protector. Jared, along with his companion pets, cleaned up the beach together using their unique gifts and talents. The baby turtle, happy with Jared's efforts, signed a contract with him and gave him an additional reward: Skill: Shell Guard— Provides an extra layer of armor that reduces physical damage taken by Jared.

The final quest was from the baby griffin—Hunter's bond. They tracked the shadow rats by following their eerie luminescent tracks under the moonlight. Together, they used a combination of stealth and speed to corner and safely relocate the invasive creatures using non-lethal traps.

After the task was completed, Jared gain a baby griffin as him companion pet and received an additional reward: Passive Skill: Eyes of the Griffin—Enhances Jared's perception, allowing him to see hidden traps, secret doors, and detect enemies at a greater distance.

Jared was so glad to finish all the quests that, after checking his reward, he promptly signed out of the game, missing the game prompt that showed up on his screen: "Congratulations, Maslow's Law, for being the first the complete a unique profession quest."