Winter or summer, no matter the season, people never fail to complain. Just like the seasons, humans too are never perfect.
~Novo3~
"Mmm…" On the bed, Furina stirred from heavy sleep, slowly rubbing her eyes before opening them to stare at the roof tiles. She let out a long yawn. "Ooaaahh…"
Then she hopped up and opened the window, gazing outside. "It's morning already. A pity I can't continue my usual routine today."
Two and a half months had passed since she awakened her martial soul, and today Grandpa Oggy had finally hired soul masters to help her obtain her first soul ring. That meant her daily faith‑gathering had to be postponed.
You're asking why I couldn't just wait until I go to the academy? Well, Grandpa Oggy said academies are unreliable when it comes to finding good soul rings. Though he had no personal experience as a soul master, he knew that everyone in Nuoding Academy carried a white first soul ring.
He understood that a century‑old yellow soul ring was far stronger than a mere decade‑old white one. He didn't want his genius granddaughter left to an academy that might only hunt whatever was convenient, never considering the student's wishes.
Of course, not everyone thought the same way. Teachers at the academy might believe a white soul ring was still better than nothing, limited as they were by their own knowledge and perspective.
So Grandpa Oggy decided to take matters into his own hands,using his connections to gather basic knowledge, then hiring excellent and trustworthy people to help with soul ring hunting.
Knock knock.
"Little Furina, wake up! Freshen up and come for breakfast. The soul masters have already eaten and are preparing for today."
Furina yawned again, opened the door, and greeted him. "Good morning, Grandpa."
Grandpa Oggy smiled and turned around. "Good morning, little Furina. Come on, get ready and have breakfast. Then I'll introduce you to the soul masters who will help you obtain your first soul ring."
Furina nodded, strode toward the bathroom, and fifteen minutes later sat down to eat breakfast.
"My little Fufu finally awake."
Before she could even reach the breakfast table, a hand came down from above, bundling her tightly. Her vision went completely dark.
"My little Fufu, I'll miss you so much. Why did you have to grow up and leave your aunt's side?" The voice belonged to her aunt, the one who had adopted and raised her. She completely entrapped Furina in her arms, rubbing her cheek against Furina's head.
"Vumm muuww…" Furina struggled between two giant mountains and finally escaped the clutches. "Aunt, what are you doing? I'm not a kid anymore, I'm going to be a Soul Master starting today!"
Her aunt only giggled, placed Furina on her lap, and began feeding her despite her resistance.
--Half an hour later--
Grandpa Oggy and Furina finally reached the village square, where three women with luggage were chatting together. They soon noticed someone approaching.
The first to look up was a brown‑haired woman in a green robe. The others followed her gaze, and all three saw the familiar old man who had hired them, and beside him, a small figure holding her stomach with one hand, whose juct appearance stand out more than anyone else in the village.
Her sky‑blue loose t‑shirt with teardrop patterns, dark blue shorts, and jellyfish‑style silver hair tipped with ocean blue caught their eyes. A single ahoge stood proudly at the center of her hair.
But the most striking feature was her heterochromia: her right iris a light ocean blue with a dark teardrop‑shaped pupil, and her left iris a deep dark blue with a light teardrop‑shaped pupil.
"Ahhhh…" All three women were immediately enchanted by her appearance and quickly rushed toward Furina.
Furina saw the three approaching and wilted, taking a step back before they quickly surrounded her.
One of them, with short black hair and a mole under her right eye, spoke first. "What a cute little sister. What's your name? Can you tell this big sister?"
The others chimed in:
"How old are you, little sister?"
"How about you come with big sister, and big sister will raise you?"
Furina didn't dare reply. She knew that if she answered or showed nervousness, they would tighten their clutches around her, and that was the last thing she wanted after barely surviving her aunt.
Fortunately, Grandpa Oggy stepped in with a smile, saving Furina from her predicament.
"Okay, lord Soul Masters, please don't tease her. She just had breakfast and will throw up if you trouble her like this." Hearing this, the three quickly gave Furina space.
"Sorry, little sister, you're just too cute, we couldn't help it." The brown-haired girl apologized with an embarrassed expression. "Little sister, you must be the one we were hired to help hunt for a soul ring, isn't that right?"
"So you're our client? I heard you have innate full soul power," the girl with long black hair added curiously.
Furina straightened proudly puffing her cheek. "Yes, it is I who possesses innate full soul power."
"Ahh, so cute!"
[Faith point: 400]
[Faith point: 400]
[Faith point: 560]
"Huh?" Furina blinked, lost in thought.' so I was right, powerful Soul Masters give more faith compared to normal people.
Grandpa Oggy stepped forward again. "Let me introduce my granddaughter. Her name is Furina. Her martial soul is the Splendor of Tranquil Water, and she possesses innate full soul power."
He placed a hand on Furina's shoulder and introduced the three. "The lord Soul Master in the middle is Sophie, a level 53 Soul King."
He pointed to the brown-haired woman, then shifted toward the short-haired one with the mole, but she interrupted with a grin. "Hello, little sister. My name is Xiao Li, level 44 Soul Ancestor. My spirit is the Fierce Grizzly Bear both attack and defense type sytem."
"Here, little one, look at me." The woman with long black hair called out, and Furina looked at her curiously. "My name is Liu Yushui, level 42 attack-type Soul Ancestor. My spirit is the White Wind Tiger."
Not to be outdone, Sophie quickly added, "Little Furina, let me also introduce myself. My name is Sophie, level 53 Soul King, support system. My spirit is the Holy Annual Forb. If you get hurt or want a buff, I'm ready 24/7."
'Annual forb? Isn't that just a sunflower?' that was the first thought that came to mind, but Furina stayed silent to avoid an awkward situation.