Rylan stared at the notification, his breath catching in his throat. SSS-Rank Heroine?
The panel hovered expectantly, but Rylan’s eyes were glued to the figure in front of him. Smoke-like wisps coiled around her form, red embers flickering within like captive stars.
She knelt on both knees, thighs apart in a pose that was equal parts graceful and predatory, her black-and-red outfit clinging to her shape. The black mesh hugged every curve, red ribbons and metallic guards accentuating her lithe build. Thigh-high stockings gripped her legs down to her scarlet sandals. A long tail of ebony hair cascaded down her back to her hips. Fox ears twitched atop her head, sharp and alert, covered outside in black fur and inside with crimson. Her fluffy tail swayed behind her, playful and lively.
Her almond-shaped eyes snapped open, crimson irises glowing with an inner inferno. They locked onto Rylan immediately, unblinking, assessing. A sly smile curved her lips, revealing white teeth and sharp fangs that glinted like polished obsidian.
She placed a finger to her lips in a teasing manner, and spoke, her voice emerging sultry, playful, laced with ancient menace.
“Master~,” she purred. “You've summoned Akane Kitsune, the Crimson Flame Sovereign. What foolish whim of fate binds me to a mortal like you?”
Rylan scrambled back, nearly toppling off the tower's edge. His heart hammered against his ribs. “W-what? Master? I didn't—I just pressed draw! This is a mistake!”
Akane tilted her head, ears flicking as her tail swished lazily. Sparks trailed its tip, faint and harmless, fizzling out against the stone. She didn't move from her kneel, but her crimson eyes gleamed with amusement, sizing him up like a curiosity rather than prey.
Level 1, the panel said. Whatever SSS means, it hasn't turned her into a rampaging demon yet.
Rylan pressed against the worn parapet, breath ragged. He’d poked the system out of stubborn curiosity; pulling junk like pebbles made sense. But a person? A girl who looked like she'd stepped out from a hidden cultivation sect, calling him Master? This was certainly something beyond those merchant gacha games—real, breathing, talking.
Her words hung in the air, directed at him, pulling a response from his mouth without thought. If the system could summon things that could speak, maybe it listened too. He had heard that some magic interfaces in tales reacted to voice, after all.
No harm testing it now, with his pulse still racing.
“System—show her details!” he blurted out, half-expecting silence.
The panel rippled instantly, words shifting like water.
[Companion: Akane Kitsune]
[Rank: SSS]
[Level: 1 (Grows with system)]
[Race: Crimson Fox]
[Title: Crimson Flame Sovereign (+100% Fire Resistance, +100% Fire Damage)]
[Trait: Fox-Human Form Transformation]
[Abilities: Locked (Level up required)]
[Loyalty: Gacha Bound]
[Dismiss]
Rylan's eyes widened, it had worked: speech commands. He jabbed [Dismiss] to banish it, mind reeling. Stronger than him, probably, but not sky-splitting. Though, this title of hers is crazy. “You’re… not going to eat me?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Akane's fangs peeked in a sly grin as she rose smoothly to her feet, her lithe frame unfolding with grace. She stood around half a head shorter than his height; her toned curves were clearly built for speed and strikes, not raw power. The red ribbons on her arm guards swayed faintly as she took a single step closer, her heat washing over him like a banked forge; it felt warm and intense yet controlled. “Eat you? Don't tempt me, Master. I’m just Level 1 right now anyway,” she shrugged, her tail curling playfully behind her. "I can claw a drunk bandit, dodge a sloppy swing. Against a real cultivator? I’d fare only a little better than you.”
Rylan swallowed hard, forcing his eyes away from her hypnotic form. The camp below was still oblivious (thankfully, he thought), but up here, his life had been overturned. He needed to think. More importantly, he needed to find some way to hide her before someone else saw her.
As if on cue, a system window popped up in front of him:
[Would you like to store Akane Kitsune in the Companion Space?]
[Yes] [No]
He thought about it, but before choosing, he decided it was better to first question his new companion: “This transformation trait… can it help you remain hidden from others? They can't know about you.”
Akane's eyes narrowed playfully. “Hidden? Like a shameful secret? How dull. Very well.” With a wink, her form shimmered, shrinking into a small fox the size of a cat; she jumped, perching on his shoulder. Her fur was silken fire, warm against his neck, a single tail curling around his arm possessively. Better? Now, what next, Master? Her voice echoed in his mind.
“Wait, what?” Rylan’s head snapped to the fox, startled by the mental link. “Are you inside my mind!?”
Akane giggled in his mind.
She actually giggled.
It was a surprisingly bright sound for someone who had introduced herself as the Crimson Flame Sovereign only moments earlier.
Telepathy's part of the binding contract, she purred mentally, tail-tip flicking his ear. It also lets me hear your thoughts whenever you allow me to hear them. Go ahead, try it.
He paused for a moment: Like this? Hello?
Yes, exactly. You can do the same with the system, you know.
Huh. Really? System?
The blue system window popped open in front of him again:
[Name: Rylan Ash]
[Level 1: 7 Draws Available.]
[Draw]
[Inventory]
[Probability]
Rylan exhaled shakily as he stood up, planning to descend the watchtower stairs to find a less conspicuous spot, just in case things went south.
You should store these two items on the floor in the inventory. Who knows when they’ll be useful later? Akane’s voice made him halt. Again, just think about storing them and they’ll appear in your inventory. After all, you summoned them, so they can be retrieved into your inventory.
He did as she suggested, and when he thought of the inventory, it showed a new window:
[Inventory]
[1xLv.1 Pebble]
[1xLv.1 Old Map Fragment]
He only glanced at it for a few seconds, and then began his descent. The mini-fox's weight was negligible, but her presence buzzed in his mind. The system window followed him as he walked down the spiral staircase.
Do you happen to know anything about these draws? What happens if I don’t draw them? He questioned.
Nothing happens if you don’t draw, but you also will remain stuck at the same level. You need to draw all available charges, and then the system will upgrade to the next level.
That… sounds too easy?
Well, just keep drawing, and you’ll see why it’s not so simple.
He chose not to respond to the ominous hint, instead mentally pulling up the probability window. The panel flickered.
[Level 0–100 Drop Rates]
[F: 60% — Trash]
[E: 25% — Common]
[D: 10% — Ordinary]
[C: 3% — Fine]
[B: 1.5% — Rare]
[A: 0.4% — Elite]
[S: 0.09% — Legendary]
[SS: 0.0099% — Cataclysmic]
[SSS: 0.0001% — Apocalyptic]
[???: 0.0000% — ???]
Rylan froze mid-step, stared some, leaned closer, then stared harder some more, and finally blurted aloud: “That’s ridiculous.”
Akane tilted her head. What is?
Rylan pointed at the second from bottom. “You.”
She hopped lightly onto the half-rotten wood railing beside him, tiny paws landing without sound. Her red eyes scanned the numbers, and she grinned. Oh.
Her tail swished smugly. So, I’m rare.
Rylan’s eye twitched in response. “Rare?! Do you have any idea what 0.0001% means?”
Akane considered, “…very rare?”
Rylan groaned. The system had essentially handed him something that statistically should never have appeared. Putting aside the question marks, he had just hit the jackpot on the rarest pull possible. The odds were insane—one in a million, and he’d snagged it on draw three. The Goddess of Luck was either smiling or setting him up for failure.
"Fine. Seven more it is.” He continued down the stairs as Akane jumped back onto his shoulder.
