Spirit Beast Transformation
Yeon Haneul decided to accept Yeon Bada as her younger sister.
It was something that had not been included in our original plans, but my friends and I welcomed her decision.
“Hello! Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Yeon Bada.”
As though she had never been hostile toward us.
A few days after her confrontation with Yeon Haneul, Yeon Bada had recovered enough to attend the drinking party and introduced herself in a friendly manner.
Unlike Yeon Haneul, she was cheerful and sociable enough to blend into our group in no time.
She especially hit it off with Go Eunbi and Nam Yuri.
‘How strange…. How can Haneul and Bada be so different?’
I later heard from Yeon Bada that—
She had no choice but to change her personality in order to survive on her own.
As a result, she had become more capable of taking care of herself and more wary of people, while paradoxically becoming more personable as well….
“That’s also why I dabbled in the espionage branch in addition to the magic branch. I needed information, and espionage techniques were useful for living in secret without letting you find out who I was. I suppose none of that matters anymore, though…. If I’d known things would turn out like this, I should have come looking for you sooner.”
“...”
Yeon Bada explained it casually.
But after hearing her circumstances, we could only imagine that her life must have been full of hardships.
That was why we felt drawn to her.
Even more so, Yeon Haneul and I.
Over the past three years, we had been unable to do anything for Yeon Bada, so the two of us tried to take especially good care of her.
But then….
‘What is going on here?’
I was bewildered.
At first, Yeon Haneul and Yeon Bada had seemed to be enjoying a warm reunion with me between them. But the more alcohol they drank, the more they began to engage in a battle of wills.
“Gyeonu, I’ve missed you so much. I’m so happy to see you again like this. You’ve become even more manly over the past three years…. Wow, your arms are so firm, too. And your thighs….”
“Bada? Gyeonu’s uncomfortable. Could you take your hands off him?”
“Hm? Gyeonu is my childhood friend, though. What’s wrong with touching my childhood friend? Sister, don’t get jealous over something like this. Besides, it’s been three years since I last touched him. As my older sister, you should be generous enough to accept it. Got it?”
“There are some things that should not be accepted. He’s my man now. So could you stop coming on to Gyeonu? And don’t try to take advantage of the fact that he feels sorry for you, either. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? Take your hands off him. And move away. Whose thigh do you think you’re rubbing right now? Do you think I’d allow that? Don’t rub his chest, either. You’re making Gyeonu uncomfortable. Are you showing off how big they are?”
“Even if Gyeonu is your boyfriend, isn’t it a little obsessive to think he needs your permission? If you keep that up, you might get dumped, Sister. After all… there’s an excellent replacement now. Me.”
“You… do you want to die?”
“Sniff! Gyeonu, you heard her too, right? She says she’s going to kill me! I’m so scared…. Comfort me…. Physically, if possible.”
“Haha….”
Yeon Bada clung tightly to my arm, while Yeon Haneul gripped my hand firmly.
Caught between the two of them, I was in an exceedingly awkward position.
Even so, it was impossible for me to take Yeon Haneul’s side and treat Yeon Bada harshly….
‘She really is pretty, just like Haneul. How could I do that to her….’
If Yeon Bada had still been our enemy, perhaps it would have been different.
But now that I knew her circumstances, I could not easily draw a line between us.
Apparently….
She seemed to have noticed that as well.
With her red eyes curving into crescents, she suddenly spoke to me.
“Gyeonu, what do you think of me?”
“Huh?”
“What do you think of me? Even after three years, am I still pretty?”
“...Bada, I’m sorry, but now I have Haneul….”
“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m asking because I’m curious objectively. What do you think? Am I pretty?”
“...”
“Yeah, I thought so. Thank you. Then, Gyeonu, you know… sometimes, instead of white Haneul, you could go with black Haneul….”
“Yeon Bada, I believe I told you to stop coming on to him.”
“Sister, are you interrupting me because you lack confidence as a woman? Because you think you might lose to me?”
“What?”
“Well, I did learn bedroom arts, so I’ll probably be much better than you. I haven’t had any practical experience yet, though. Gyeonu, since we’re on the subject, could you help me with my studies? What I mean is….”
“Yeon Bada! Are you seriously going to keep this up!?”
“Or do you want to join us, Sister? The three of us could enjoy ourselves happily together. Gyeonu could belong to both of us….”
“Gyeonu is mine!”
“Sister, between sisters, there’s no such thing as yours and mine. Shouldn’t we share the good things?”
“Stop spouting ridiculous sophistry. Gyeonu is off-limits.”
“Sister, you’re oppressing Gyeonu again…. I should ask him directly for permission. What do you say, Gyeonu? Want to have fun with the two of us? You don’t need to feel guilty. I’m Yeon Haneul too, after all. You’d just be having fun with Sister and her duplicate.”
“...”
Yeon Bada’s lips touched my ear.
She whispered in a ticklish voice.
I was already thoroughly drunk and could not bring myself to refuse outright.
Even though I felt sorry toward Yeon Haneul….
I was tempted.
‘Haneul and Bada… No, white Haneul and black Haneul….’
This was bad.
I had to keep my head straight.
I tightly shut my mouth.
Fortunately, Yeon Haneul hurried to scold Yeon Bada before the conversation could progress any further.
‘I’ll have to be careful from now on. I mustn’t let myself get swept up in Bada’s pace….’
Meanwhile, Hong Yena, who had joined the drinking party late, deeply apologized to Yeon Bada.
She also expressed her intention to provide her with support equal to that given to Yeon Haneul.
Yeon Bada did not refuse.
Having reconciled with Hong Yena, she was now able to receive proper support instead of the benefits that had previously been insufficient.
And the opportunities did not end there….
“Thank you for working so hard for me, Gyeonu! You really are the only one for me! I really like you!”
“Yeon Bada! I told you not to do that!?”
“Haha…. You two, stop fighting….”
Thanks to So Hyeyul making special arrangements for her—
Yeon Bada decided to transfer to Geumgang Academy starting the next semester.
As an aside—
The incident she had caused at the academy was settled as the work of a monster.
People were told that a monster with the ability to transform had appeared on campus….
No one suspected a thing.
* * *
Not long after that—
Kang Hanbyeol made a commotion in the group chat.
[Kang Hanbyeol]: The egg is moving right now! I think it’s about to hatch!
The Egg of Bonds had shown signs of revival.
After hearing the news, my friends and I went to Kang Hanbyeol’s dorm room to witness the spirit beast that would be born from the egg.
“You’re here? The egg just cracked! A few pieces have fallen off, too.”
With a somewhat excited expression—
Kang Hanbyeol showed us around the room.
There was a huge table in the living room.
We sat around it and stared at the Egg of Bonds.
“...”
On top of the table, inside the nest Shin Seora had made for it—
The Egg of Bonds was rolling around.
It looked as though a spirit beast could hatch from it at any moment.
At last—
Crack!
The crack running across the egg’s surface began to split open in earnest.
Fragments dropped off with a clatter.
The spirit beast was about to emerge.
All of us watched the moment of its birth with shining eyes.
And finally—
Caw! Caw?
“Whoa….”
A white crow with golden eyes, a golden beak, and golden feet was born, radiating an aura of divine mystery.
We marveled at it sincerely.
Caw! Caw-caw!
Meanwhile, the white crow looked around at us, turning around and around in place as if everything was new to it.
Then it flew straight toward Kang Hanbyeol.
It seemed to recognize its master.
Kang Hanbyeol gently spread both arms, offering the crow a perch to land on.
‘It was born safely.’
Kang Hanbyeol’s spirit beast, which also appeared in the game.
Its name was….
I spoke to Kang Hanbyeol to hear the name directly from him.
“You’ll be together from now on. Why don’t you give it a name?”
“A name? Hmm… What would be good…?”
With the white crow perched on his head, Kang Hanbyeol pondered for a moment.
Then, as though he had thought of something, he spoke decisively.
“It’s white, so White. Yeah, I think that’s good. What do you think? You like it too, right?”
The white crow let out a series of caws, seemingly pleased with the name White.
My friends and I also voiced our approval.
And so—
“Let’s get along from now on, White.”
Caw! Caw!
Amid our congratulations—
Kang Hanbyeol and White formed their contract.
‘Jealous…. Is there a spirit beast somewhere that would suit me?’
I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
* * *
Unfortunately for Yeon Haneul—
The top-ranking student for the first semester of sophomore year was Min Arin.
The final exams had made a significant difference.
As a result—
―You saw that, right? You saw it, didn’t you? I said, did you see it! Get on your knees! This is the difference between you and me! Don’t ever look down on Min Arin of the Magic Min Clan again! Ah, that feels so good!
After nursing her grudge all this time—
Min Arin had finally defeated Yeon Haneul and expressed her delight with her entire body.
She held her nose high, strutted while wiggling her hips, repeatedly twitched the corners of her mouth, and let out frivolous bursts of laughter….
The gloomy look she had worn after the midterms had vanished completely.
She must have been extraordinarily happy.
It was the first time I had ever seen her so delighted.
After all, she had been burning with competitiveness because she wanted to beat Yeon Haneul, so her feelings were not difficult to understand.
Even so, my friends and I could only shake our heads.
Yeon Haneul, on the other hand, was displeased.
―Don’t get too excited. You only won because you got lucky this time…. Who knows what will happen next? What if I take it back from you again?
―Oh, really!? Wow, how terrifying. But you don’t need to worry. I’ll be the top student again next time, too! You’ll probably be second place again. Juuuust, like, laaast, tiiime.
―You’re getting awfully full of yourself just because you beat me once….
―Yes, Yeon Haneul, everything you said is absolutely right! But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m the top student! Ahahaha!
―….
―So? How does it feel to have someone do to you what you did to me? This is why people need to put themselves in each other’s shoes!
―You… just you wait….
Not only had Yeon Haneul lost to Min Arin, she had also been mocked for it.
As a result—
Yeon Haneul was on edge.
My friends and I had no choice but to watch our words, afraid of upsetting her.
As her boyfriend, I had to soothe her and cheer her up, so I was especially cautious.
‘She really did have a rough time…. For Haneul, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do.’
Thanks to that, Yeon Haneul regained her spirits.
I should continue to spoil her and make her feel satisfied.
But in truth, Yeon Haneul losing the top spot to Min Arin this time had been….
‘A result that was more or less expected.’
Along with Shield, she had also been involved in student council activities.
Compared to Min Arin, Yeon Haneul had been dealing with a much busier schedule.
Of course, she had used her Gift to respond appropriately….
But the period after the midterms had been the problem.
After she began dating me, she had grown negligent about her studies.
‘According to Haneul, when she’s dating me, she wants to focus entirely on me. Without using her Gift. On top of that, she was troubled by Bada right before the final exams….’
It couldn’t be helped.
If Yeon Haneul had managed to date me and still take first place, wouldn’t everyone have resented her even more?
Still, I decided to keep my thoughts to myself.
‘What does what I think matter? What Haneul thinks is more important….’
I was unconditionally on Yeon Haneul’s side.
The saying that everything depended on Haneul seemed to be absolutely true.
Yeon Haneul was the truth. Of course.
* * *
Before we knew it, the first semester had come to an end.
To celebrate the start of vacation, my friends and I went to the warp gate terminal.
Returning home was not our purpose.
We had come to see Nam Yuri off.
“Then I’ll go ahead first! Eunbi-kabi, Gyeonu-gyeonu, Haneul-haneul, I’ll see you all later!”
Wearing a straw hat she had bought at a shop inside the terminal—
Nam Yuri stood with her back to the activated warp gate and cheerfully said goodbye.
We waved back at her.
“Okay, we’ll follow soon. So trust us and wait for us.”
“Okay, okay! Of course! I’ll wait!”
Before enjoying our summer vacation—
There was something we had to take care of first.
We had to save Nam Yuri, whose heart had been mortgaged to the Yeonseong Nam Clan.
Paradoxically, that meant sending her back to her family.
We were reluctant to do so, but there was no other way.
“We have to meet again, okay!”
“Don’t plant any weird flags.”
Nam Yuri passed through the warp gate.
We stayed there until she disappeared.
After some time had passed—
“Let’s go, too.”
On an evening when the summer heat had begun to subside and the sun was starting to set—
We crossed the warp gate and headed for the main house of the Yeonseong Nam Clan.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss