The river carried him, but this time he did not drift.
He swam with his fins trembling, tail flicking harder than ever before. The image of Mari burning in his bowl, clutching him until the end, burned deeper than dragon fire.
He had lost her. Forever.
And in that moment, something inside him changed.
"I need to be stronger," he thought, teeth grinding. "Stronger than I am now. Strong enough to kill dragons. Strong enough so no one else dies like Mari did."
—
[System online. Listening.]
"Tell me," he demanded. "How do I get stronger? There must be a way."
[Directive: Survive. Adapt. Repeat.]
"That's not an answer! Don't give me that vague garbage. I want revenge. I want power. How?"
[Host is weakest existence. Level -100. Skills: Bounce, Bite. Growth is possible, but gradual.]
"Gradual?!" He lashed his tail against the current. "Mari doesn't have time for gradual. She's gone! The Dark Fire Dragon is still out there. I can't wait years—I need power now!"
He screamed the same demand day after day. Every revival, every long swim through silence, he hurled the same questions. How? Why? When?
The System, unbothered, gave him the same calm lines.
Until finally, one day, the voice shifted.
[Fastest growth path detected.]
His fins froze. "Say it again."
[To grow quickly, Host must form a bond with a Human Tamer. Through shared will, training, and combat, Host may evolve abilities at accelerated rates.]
He blinked, stunned. Then sputtered mentally, "A tamer? You're saying I need a human to train me?!"
[Correct.]
He almost laughed. Almost cried. "Who the hell would want me?! I'm a koi fish! A weak, useless fish that only knows how to bounce around and nibble at worms! What kind of tamer would waste their time?"
[That is not System's concern. Requirement remains: Find a Tamer. Form bond. Train.]
He thrashed in frustration, bubbles swirling from his mouth. "This is insane. Even Mari… she kept me as a pet, not a partner. I can't ask someone else to risk their life with me."
[Correction. Mari was more than a pet owner. Mari's bond with Host unlocked a new ability.]
His fins stilled. "What do you mean?"
[Skill unlocked: Sense]
The words pulsed bright in his mind.
[Skill: Sense]
Type: Passive
Description: Detects the will and emotions of nearby beings.
Range: Extremely limited due to current weakness.
Effect: Allows Host to perceive intent and emotional state.
"Sense…" he whispered.
[Yes. This skill was born the moment Mari died protecting you. Host inherited the residue of her will. From now on, you may glimpse the will of others.]
He drifted in silence, the ache in his chest rising again. "So… Mari gave me this?"
[Affirmative.]
The world blurred in his vision, though he had no human eyes to cry with anymore.
"Then I'll use it," he vowed. "Even if it's weak, even if it barely works. I'll use it for her."
—
That night, as he floated near the shallows, he felt it. A flicker. A pulse that wasn't the river, wasn't the moon. It was intent.
Children laughing on the bank, tossing pebbles. He sensed their joy like sunlight brushing the edge of his mind.
Then, farther away, an old fisherman. His will was heavy, weary, edged with hunger. The koi felt it like the drag of a net on his heart.
The range was tiny, fragile. But real.
Sense.
It was proof.
Proof Mari hadn't left him empty.
—
But one question gnawed at him, sharper than hunger.
"System," he said finally, "how did I kill the White Dragon?"
[Clarify.]
"The first time I woke here. The White Dragon attacked me. I bounced into the sky, fell like a meteor, and killed it. How? Why? I was just a fish."
There was a pause.
Then:
[Miracle.]
The word rang cold.
[Probability of such event: 0.0000001%. Conditions cannot be replicated.]
He froze. "What do you mean… miracle?"
[It was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Random chance converging with Host's Bounce. Do not expect repetition.]
His fins sagged. "So it wasn't strength… it was luck."
[Correct. Do not think too much about it.]
He wanted to scream. That moment—the one thing he had clung to, the one proof he wasn't completely worthless—was just a cosmic joke.
Bounce, Bite, Sense. That was all he had.
And yet, deep down, he refused to let go.
Even if it was luck that felled the White Dragon, he would forge strength with his own fins. For Mari. For the village. For every life taken by dragons.
—
The river whispered around him, calm and endless.
[Directive updated: Seek Human Tamer. Form bond. Train. Survive.]
He flicked his tail, determination burning brighter than despair.
"Fine. If a Tamer is what I need, I'll find one. Even if I have to flop at their feet until they notice me. I'll bounce, I'll bite, I'll sense. I'll do whatever it takes."
The koi turned downstream, swimming harder than ever before.
And somewhere in the deep, faint but clear, the echo of Mari's laughter swam with him.