As Il Ji relished the moment in his inner space, he was brought back to reality by a series of consecutive slaps from his younger sister.
"ILLLLLL JIIIIIIIII! DON'T LEAAAAAAVE MEEEEEEEEE-EEEE-EE!!!!"
He quickly grabbed her arm before it could do further damage.
Seeing her smile, Yin Kai felt that something was wrong. She wasn't truly upset.
"Laila, why did you slap me?"
"It worked last time, so when I tried it this time, it worked again!"
Faced with her unassailable logic, Yin Kai palmed his face. It hurt a lot more than he thought it would.
"Laila," he started, recovering the use of his mouth, "Next time, please grab my hand. It works best. But if you slap me, I'll be carrying bruises for the next several days."
"Saw-rry Big Brother."
"Mmm. I have a surprise for you."
Her eyes lit up.
"Remember that chest in the master bedroom?"
Her mind went back to the sight of the slimy tongue reaching out. She shuddered.
"It's my new contract pet!"
"But… Big Brother, I thought you hadn't awakened yet..?"
He smiled. In this world, Beast Masters didn't awaken until they were sixteen years old. However, once they did, the whole of the world was open to them.
If they had strong enough beasts, who needed university? That being said, it was still a good idea. The only reason Il Ji hadn't gone was simple: without a beast, he was given an automatic fail on every college's entry requirements.
Those that did well in high school were offered stronger beasts, better colleges, and higher-paying jobs that would eventually set them apart from the rest of society.
"Well, Laila, it just so happens, that, if a beast egg or unformed beast spirit with a high-level bloodline is placed near an unawakened tamer, the tamer can form a contract with it. However, both the tamer's awakening and the beast's birth will be slowed to accommodate them."
"I don't know if you remember, Laila, but mom and dad used to use the treasure chest as our crib. I probably marked it with a contract by accident whenever I was little."
"Big brother… You finally have a beast. I'm sooo happy for you."
Accepting his sister's hug, Il Ji smiled once again. She was truly a light in his world. Even if said light hurt from time to time.
Maybe now that Il Ji was useful to society, though, could he find the legendary girlfriend?!?
Maybe.
Hugging his little sister, he picked her up and took her outside the escape room. "Want to meet my new beast?"
She looked at him and pursed her lips. "Sure." She said quietly. He knew she didn't want to see it again, but she did want to make him feel good about his new beast.
Accepting this, Il Ji carried her to his room. Albeit a little smaller than it was before, and measuring less than two-thirds of a meter at best, the Brown and Golden Chest was sitting lazily on the floor. Freeing a hand, Il Ji waved at it.
The chest showed its metal teeth and waved using its pink tongue.
"See? It's Friendly!" As Il Ji set his sister down, she timidly walked forward before putting her hand on top of the lid.
The chest wrapped its hot tongue around her hand, and then pulled the tongue back inside itself.
As Il Laila worked around the strange feeling, she rubbed the top of the chest before walking back to her brother.
His sister returned to him, Il Ji walked forward to greet his new beast. Placing his hand on the lid, he spoke. "I hereby name you Jackpot. Alongside you, I will strive to grow stronger and take you to the top of this world."
The lid opened and closed in affirmation.
Il Ji smiled. "Jackpot, why don't you find your way around the house. This is my room, the bathroom is to the left. On the far left is our living room. Laila's room is at the end, please stay out out of it. Down the stairs is our store."
"If you need anything, come find me. I would ask that you leave the other beasts and visitors alone, and fhat you refrain from licking… unless its food."
The lid clapped again in affirmation.
With a shake, the little chest began to shake back and forth as it carried itself out the door and down the stairs to explore.
Il Ji turned to his little sister. "Big brother, big brother," she shouted, "What's your talent?"
He smiled. "Rank C, Sacrifice. It allows me to give my beasts more skills than the average tamer by learning them myself and then transferring them."
"Whoooooahh. Sooo cool."
"Let's celebrate. What do you want for supper?"
"Pizza!!"
"Done. Give me a few minutes, and I'll come back with your favorite."
"Yaaaaaay! Big Brother is the best!"