“Hey, Kanon! Let’s try going all the way to the southern plains today!”

It was Neel, the loud and brawny one, grinning with excitement.

“Isn’t that… a bit too far? We’ll get in trouble,” Dill muttered, the cautious one of our trio.

But I simply ran a hand over Rabbichu’s soft ears and gave my answer.

“…We’ll be fine. Today’s our own special training expedition.”

“Kyu!”

Rabbichu was all fired up. He’d ditched the fancy cape and ribbon and was now in full battle mode.
In his little pouch were some dried fruits swiped from the village kitchen, a water flask, and—carefully wrapped—the Star Fragment of Awakening.

Our destination was a small hill covered in weeds, south of the village.

In-game terms, this was “late tutorial zone.” You’d see slimes, beetle-types, and the occasional mandragora.
Danger level? Maybe a C-minus.

It was our first real adventure, and the three of us were buzzing with nervous energy.

“O-oh man… This really feels like a real quest!”

“Neel, keep your voice down! What if we attract monsters?”

“Isn’t that kind of the point? I want to fight something.”

The moment I said that, Rabbichu’s ears twitched.

“Kyu…!”

A low growl—and the bushes rustled.

Here we go!

—Grasshorn Lv3 ×2

Mid-sized insect-type monsters. They charge straight at you and pack more of a punch than you’d expect for early-game enemies.

“Neel, fall back! Dill, move to the side!”

I snapped into formation mode. Rabbichu was already ready to fight, his small body glowing faintly.

Activated skill:

Wing Burst.

Rabbichu launched himself forward. His wing-like ears shimmered as he struck the first Grasshorn in the chest with a flurry of rapid blows.

“KyuUUU!!”

CRACK!

A single clean hit—downed instantly.

But the second one was still coming. Neel shrieked.

“Kanon, that one’s going for us—it looks bad!”

“It’s fine. We’re using this.”

I pulled the Star Fragment from our pack and looked straight at Rabbichu.

“Let’s go, partner. Time to show ‘em what you’ve really got.”

The shard lit up in my hand.

Rabbichu’s body glowed gold.

—Awakening Level 1: Slight boost to all parameters. Unlocks temporary access to the special skill Echo Strike.

“…Kyu!”

The second Grasshorn lunged.

And in that moment—Rabbichu vanished.

No, not vanished. He was just too fast to see.

“Echo Strike!”

A flash of impact slammed into the Grasshorn.

Then, one second later, the same blow struck again, tracing the same path.

A sound like the air itself was torn apart.
The grass swirled in the aftermath.

The Grasshorn… was no longer recognizable.

On the way back—

“Kanon, that was amazing… Rabbichu was just…”

“I was kinda scared for a second… but that was seriously cool!”

Both Neel and Dill were wide-eyed, glowing with admiration.

But I… was thinking.

—The Star Fragment of Awakening has limited uses.

And if we draw out too much power… There might be consequences.

Still, for today—for the sake of protecting my friends—I have no regrets.

“Kyu♪”

Rabbichu tugged lightly on my finger.

“…Yeah. Let’s keep getting stronger—together.”

And just like that, our little expedition team began leaving its first footprints on the world.