Zachary took out the Soul Ruby Fruit and studied it. It was bright red and had a glossy surface. It reflected light from the fire, making it seem like the fruit contained a tiny inner flame that hid its hidden powers.

He looked from the fruit to Onkie. He had already decided to give this fruit to her. She had been with him the longest. She also wasn’t weak. She had toughness and a strong fighting spirit. She was just lacking a strong offensive ability right now.

“Onkie.” He called.

“On?” Onkie, who had been sniffing the ground for more food, looked up.

“Here!” He held out his palm and offered the Soul Ruby Fruit.

“Onk, onk!”

She nearly swallowed his whole hand in her rush to get at the fruit. Zachary laughed at the saliva covering his fingers and rubbed her head.

Onkie ate the Soul Ruby Fruit and then became still. It only took a few breaths for him to feel waves of Eternum emanate from her body. It was as if a bonfire was burning bright within her.

Suddenly, the amount of Eternum that Onkie released rose sharply. It also changed in quality, becoming more far profound. The novice rank and the adept rank marked a transformation of one’s soul power. Creatures in the novice rank could only control Eternum within their bodies and appendages. Those in the adept rank could expel Eternum to affect the outside world.

The ground beneath Onkie trembled. Her body sank into the dirt as if it had turned to liquid. It was a good sign. She has a natural alignment with the earth element. Perhaps this was the sign of a new ability.

Time passed quickly and Onkie’s aura continued to rise. Zachary could sense through their soul bond that everything was going smoothly. Onkie wasn’t in any discomfort. Instead, there was nothing but happiness.

Through their bond, he also gained soul energy as a feedback effect. The benefits weren’t that great because he was already at the Two Paths Adept Rank. If he was still at the novice rank, then he would also have a chance to break through alongside his summon. That was the main reason why the Soul Ruby Fruit was so precious.

But there wouldn’t be another two-for-one deal like with Wander. That was a special effect of eternal summoning, because Wander bonded with him through his life path. Onkie’s bond was through a soul orb, it was impermanent. The soul energy she provided through feedback thus flowed through his two adept rank soul paths without resistance, without affecting other paths.

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It was deep into the night when Onkie finally broke through. Eternum surged, filling the small hut with the color of earth. A flash of warm light swept over her body, which had sunk halfway into the ground. Then it was over, just like that.

“Onkie, how do you feel?” Zachary asked.

Onkie had reached the One Path Adept Rank but her body hadn’t gotten any bigger. He wasn’t too worried but he was still curious.

Onkie snorted softly, “Onk… what happened?”

Zachary was delighted. He could understand her now. Within his soul, her voice was high-pitched and a little childish, completely unlike her physical image as a furry pig. He found it very cute.

“Onkie, can you hear me? You broke through. You’re now at the adept rank.” He said softly.

“On... Onnn…” Onkie shook her head and got up, unburying herself from the ground.

She looked around and then cried out, “I have tusks now? Cool!”

Indeed, she had a pair of short white tusks that poked out of the bottom of the drooping fur in front of her head. They were about the length of a human hand and curved upward to a sharp point.

“Haha, very cool!” Zachary replied in agreement.

Now that he could understand her, he felt an even greater sense of familiarity. Her voice matched her personality very well. It was like meeting an old friend after a long time apart.

He grabbed a bundle of corn and squatted next to her. He fed her an ear of corn and patted her head as she munched happily.

“Yum… mmm…” She quickly finished and looked up at him, “More… want more!”

He chuckled. He fed her another piece and continued to stroke her fur. It was much thicker than before, providing even greater protection. He could also feel the strength hidden in her body beneath all that fur. Although she didn’t get bigger, her strength had definitely increased by severalfold.

“Wan, wan. I want some corn too!” Wander barked as he wandered over.

Helpless, Zachary also gave him the last ear of corn. Wander snatched it quickly and started to munch happily.

“Hey, that was mine!” Onkie complained. “It was supposed to be mine!”

Wander swallowed and laughed, “Don’t worry, Onkie. Zachary has more corn. He only brought over one small bag. He is being stingy as usual. You just broke through. You should ask for more as a reward.”

“Oh… okay! Zacky, I want more corn!”

“Wait, what? Wander, you can understand Onkie now?” Zachary asked.

“Yeah?” Wander replied, “Is that strange?”

“…” Zachary threw up his hands, “Normally, understanding is limited to the summoner and their summon. It shouldn’t translate to other summons. I can understand you and I understand Onkie. But you two shouldn’t be able to understand each other… Is this another bonus of eternal summoning?”

Wander laughed, “What? Are you regretting? Too bad, no takebacks! You’re stuck with me forever, haha!”

“More, Zacky, more!” Onkie interrupted them, whining and bumping her head against his knees.

Zachary laughed, “No, not regretting it at all.”

Still chuckling, he got up to get more corn for his hungry summons.