Chapter 2: The Owl's Whistle

A prompt tone sounded in Qin Yuan’s mind just in time.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Clearly, this game called “Soul Spirit Realm” was anything but normal.

Players didn’t just play through a screen; they truly immersed themselves in the game world, or perhaps, this world was an alternate reality that actually existed...

With a thought, Qin Yuan tried silently repeating the words “interface” based on the earlier voice prompt.

In the next moment, a luminous screen appeared before him.

[Player ID: Qin Yuan]

[Level: LV1 (Mage)]

[Abilities: Elemental Affinity, Language Comprehension, Eye of Revelation.]

[Initial Quest: Travel to a nearby village or town. Reward: 20 silver coins.]

Qin Yuan pondered his current situation carefully.

Clearly, he was unarmed, alone in a forest at night that might hold dangers. His only hope was that the novice’s gift pack would contain some self-defense items.

[Novice Gift Pack: Upon activation, you will receive some potentially useful items.]

“Hopefully something good...” Qin Yuan clicked to open it.

[Ding! You have obtained: Owl Whistle ×1, Life Potion ×5.]

[Owl Whistle (partially damaged)]

[Type: Special Item]

[Description: Crafted by soul spirits, blowing this whistle summons a spirit companion owl (Level 6).]

[...]

[Life Potion★: A potion made from magical herbs that slowly restores wounds when consumed.]

[...]

“Woo~~~”

Suddenly, a wolf’s howl echoed from afar, breaking Qin Yuan’s train of thought.

He swiftly turned toward the sound.

In the dark forest, his vision was limited and he couldn’t see far, but the howl seemed some distance away.

Yet this was not a good sign...

It meant wild beasts lived in these woods.

Alone and wandering in a forest full of wild animals, staying put was not a wise choice.

But rushing into action was risky too—just a freshly graduated, fragile university student with little survival experience. If he encountered a dangerous beast or monster, he couldn’t outrun or defeat it.

Feeling a weight in his heart, Qin Yuan hastened to retrieve the item he had just obtained—the Owl Whistle.

The whistle’s material was peculiar, seeming both metallic and wooden.

Intricate patterns intertwined, converging at the top into the shape of an owl.

A crack marred its edge.

According to the earlier prompt, he could summon a spirit companion owl of level six using this whistle.

If he gained its assistance, he could face crises with more confidence.

Qin Yuan raised the whistle to his lips and blew softly.

With a sharp whistle, a flash of light appeared.

A snow-white owl materialized out of thin air.

As soon as it appeared, it flapped its wings and perched on a nearby branch.

Then, with two large brown eyes, it surveyed the surroundings, quickly locking its gaze onto the human below.

The owl looked down on Qin Yuan with a condescending tone:

“Tsk tsk, you’re the new master of this whistle? You look so weak.”

It spoke a strange language Qin Yuan was certain he had never heard before.

Yet, inexplicably, he found he could understand it—and even speak back.

“Hello...” Qin Yuan forced a smile, preparing to respond.

“Though I don’t know how you got this whistle, I’ve decided I won’t let you wretched humans command me at will anymore.”

“So, I don’t know why you summoned me, but... why should I help you?”

The owl took a few steps, leaning against the branch, yawning in a very human-like way and waving its wing:

“No need to butter me up; I don’t like the roundabout ways you humans use.”

“Uh...” Qin Yuan stood there, feeling a headache coming on.

This was awkward...

It seemed this owl was not a mindless summoned creature blindly obeying commands, but one with considerable intelligence.

What’s more, it clearly wasn’t eager to help him.

Just when Qin Yuan felt at a loss...

“Eh?”

Suddenly, Qin Yuan noticed a line of small text appear beside the snow-white owl.

He stared at the mysterious words, thought for a moment, then slowly spoke:

“Though I don’t know what happened between your previous master and you, I’m not him, nor am I the kind to demand without giving. We can establish a new kind of partnership—mutual help and cooperation.”

“Cooperation?” The owl looked disdainfully at the human. “Human, do you realize the gap between us? If not for this whistle preventing me from harming you, I would have taken your life in an instant.”

“So, I don’t really believe you have anything that interests me.”

Qin Yuan met the owl’s gaze and spread his hands, speaking candidly:

“Indeed, I probably have nothing to interest you now, but I can make you a promise.”

“As long as you help me leave this forest, I can take you to taste all sorts of delicious foods—for example... yellow mushroom stew with sausage.”

“Yellow mushroom stew with sausage?” Hearing this familiar yet strange phrase, the owl paused.

It was in a special state, having slept inside the whistle for decades, many memories having been buried.

Suddenly, its eyes snapped wide open as long-forgotten memories awoke.

When it was still a fledgling owl, a human recluse living in the forest often cooked this dish for it.

Later, the owl’s intelligence awakened by chance, and it could freely enjoy all kinds of delicacies, which remained its greatest love.

It hadn’t tasted it for many years...

The flavor in its memory, after time’s aging and fermentation, was even richer than before.

The fresh taste of yellow mushrooms perfectly blended with the smoky flavor of sausage.

That exquisite delight... just thinking about it...

“Glug.”

It involuntarily swallowed.

Wait... no!

The owl suddenly snapped out of its sweet reminiscence.

“How does this human know my favorite food?”

“No, I am a dignified owl; I won’t be fooled by a weak human with a few words. That would be shameful.”

“Sounds good,” the owl snorted, feigning indifference. “But just that... is far from enough!”

Having said that, it involuntarily swallowed again.

It really worked! Qin Yuan caught every little gesture the owl made and felt a surge of hope, pressing on:

“Of course, that’s not all.”

Qin Yuan smiled: “I’ll try to get you anything you like, such as fresh goose mushroom soup, grilled matsutake skewers, snowfish jelly...”

“You only need to keep me safe. If we encounter an enemy you can’t handle, I won’t force you.”

Qin Yuan painted a promising picture, throwing out one sweetened offer after another.

“Fresh goose mushroom soup! Grilled matsutake skewers! Snowfish jelly...” Each dish’s name widened the owl’s eyes.

Every one was a favorite of its past.

The owl hesitated on the branch for a few seconds, its desire for food winning out.

“Ahem... Human, are you really serious about these?”

“Absolutely,” Qin Yuan thumped his chest loudly.

Though tempted, the owl still feigned reluctance:

“I wasn’t going to help a weak human like you, but since you have this whistle and your attitude is sincere, I, Grail, will grudgingly accept your proposal.”

“But I hope you keep your promises. If I catch you lying, hmph...”

As it spoke, the owl flapped its wings, flying down from the branch to perch directly opposite Qin Yuan.

“Of course...” Qin Yuan nodded rapidly.

Better to lay the groundwork first and get things done later.

Why could he recite so many dishes that struck the owl’s heart?

Because moments ago, inexplicably, he had seen a line of text on the owl:

[...]

[This owl’s sole passion is gourmet food. Its favorite dish is yellow mushroom stew with sausage, followed by fresh goose mushroom soup, grilled matsutake skewers...]

[These dishes can likely be found in nearby villages or towns.]

[...]

Though unclear on details, Qin Yuan had no other choice but to try.

Unexpectedly, it worked.

Now, recalling this, he had some guesses.

When he first opened the status panel, he had seen this information under the character tab:

[Player ID: Qin Yuan]

[Level: 1 (Mage)]

[Abilities: Elemental Affinity, Language Comprehension, Eye of Revelation.]

At the time, his attention was on the novice pack, so he only skimmed it. Now thinking carefully, his ability to understand the language of this world likely came from the Language Comprehension skill.

As for these mysterious lines of text, perhaps they were related to the Eye of Revelation skill.

This was the most reasonable explanation Qin Yuan could come up with.

Why he possessed these abilities was something he had no time to ponder.

In short, he needed to escape this dangerous situation first, and worry about everything else later.

Only then did Qin Yuan get a close look at the owl.

Its head was covered with brown feathers, its body pure white, and its sharp, lively eyes were wide open.

Also, it had a habit of tilting its head when thinking.

Not to mention, it was quite adorable...

“Hello, may I ask what I should call you?”

Qin Yuan smiled and asked.

The owl looked up and said:

“When I was just an ordinary owl, I lived in a human village for a time. They liked to call me—Feather.”

“Alright,” Qin Yuan nodded and continued, “Feather, please fly up and help me scout the best way out of this forest.”

“Hmph.”

Feather flapped its wings and shot up into the sky. After circling once, it swiftly descended.

“That way...” it stretched out a wing, pointing southeast. “There’s a human village there.”

“A village?” Qin Yuan’s eyes lit up. “Then let’s head in that direction.”

Feather flew several meters ahead, guiding the way as man and owl moved toward the forest’s edge.

Along the way, Qin Yuan examined his own information.

His clothes had changed to coarse fabric, but from other details, it was still clearly his original body.

The owl hadn’t questioned this, and the system’s earlier prompt to head toward human settlements probably meant his appearance wouldn’t stand out too much.

As long as he was cautious and didn’t reveal he wasn’t from this world, he’d be fine.

The moonlit forest was silent.

Through the faint light, Qin Yuan struggled to discern the path ahead.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, he asked:

“By the way, Feather, what abilities or skills do you have?”

This white-feathered owl was level six—much higher than him—and though he didn’t know the exact scale, it was certainly his strongest ally. He needed to understand it better.

Hearing this, Feather raised its head proudly.

“Listen up, weak human. I originally had several abilities, but this cursed whistle’s damage has limited me to only two now. The first is Wind Blade, which shoots a sharp blade of wind. The second is Eagle Eye, which lets me see further and enhances observation.”

“I see...” Qin Yuan turned his head toward Feather, eyes full of expectation. “Could you demonstrate?”

“Hmph, I don’t mind showing you.”

“Watch closely, human!”

Feather looked a bit proud. It arced gracefully into the air, then swiftly swung its right wing.

A swift white wind blade shot out, spinning rapidly through the night sky.

Its speed was blinding, leaving a blur as it flew straight toward a tree.

Like slicing tofu, the razor-sharp wind blade instantly cut through the trunk.

The branches above lost support and crashed to the ground, accompanied by rustling leaves and flying dust.

“!!!” Qin Yuan stared at the clean cut, as if made by a machine, utterly amazed.

So this was the world of magic...

“How’s that?” Feather raised an eyebrow.

“Impressive...” Qin Yuan said sincerely.

Feather twitched its beak, about to respond, when its expression suddenly changed:

“Watch out!”

At the same time, the system prompt sounded.

[Alert: You have encountered a Black-striped Magic Wolf (LV2).]

Within sight, a wolf-like beast with dark grey-black fur slowly emerged from the shadows, its eerie green eyes locked onto Qin Yuan.

Its body was entirely black, blending into the night, larger than an ordinary wild wolf by a noticeable margin. Its eyes glowed red, chilling in the darkness.

Furthermore, another line of text appeared in Qin Yuan’s vision.

[...]

[Black-striped Magic Wolf (LV2): A commonly solitary creature in the wild. Prefers human flesh and blood. Grants experience points when killed.]

[...]