"There's no need to use one?"
The girl clearly didn't understand what Feng Chen meant. Could he also be a Support-type Familiar, just like her?
"I simply don't want my companion to get hurt. As a Beast Tamer, I won't allow my companion to be injured."
"But Familiars aren't meant for fighting..."
Before the girl could finish, Feng Chen interrupted her, leaving her unable to refute him.
"A Familiar is a companion, not a weapon."
A companion, not a weapon—that was what a Familiar was.
They weren't lifeless entities. They had lives and thoughts of their own.
"Anyone who treats Familiars as weapons is the dregs of humanity."
"If you believe a Familiar is a tool for battle, then you'd better give her up as soon as possible and set her free."
Give her up...?
"I... I'll think about it. You... your name is Feng Chen, right?"
Players had an HP bar above their heads, with their player IDs written beside it.
"That's right. What is it?"
"Can I add you as a friend?"
Feng Chen hesitated. His original goal had been to level up while slacking off. As for the Strategy Group, he could simply coast along with them. He had never considered adding friends.
"Is that not okay?"
The girl's disappointed expression amused Feng Chen somewhat. He hadn't even said no, so why did she already look so disappointed?
"Did I say it wasn't okay? Here, I've already sent you a friend request. If there's nothing else, I'll continue leveling up. If you need anything, come find me in the Labyrinth Area. I'll be there anytime before dark."
Staying in the Labyrinth Area until dark, Feng Chen was certain she had already taken him for the type of person so addicted to games that he couldn't tear himself