New Status Update
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Anima Dei : Jack Montgomery
Age: 220 years
Beast: Oxy
Beast Power: Cell manipulation
Negative Effect of Beast: Consumes the master's body cells
Beast Requirement: Takes the master's life essence
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After all the students had completed the ritual of divine contract, they were allowed to return to their dorms to rest.
As Helix helped push Jack forward, the other students started to gather around.
"Is it true? Is he really a Holy Warrior?" someone asked.
"Yeah, is he?" another replied.
Helix, a little smug, nodded. "He is. Jack told me himself."
Gasps followed.
"No way… A real Holy Warrior? They're legendary!"
Everyone's eyes locked on Jack.
But Agnar scoffed, "Are you all stupid? Being a Holy Warrior doesn't mean he's powerful. Most of them were forced into it! He could've just been a coward dragged into battle. If he was really that great, why did it take him this long to become a chosen pupil?"
Helix stepped up, clearly offended. "Take that back! Even if they were forced, they still fought bravely—and they won!"
"Or maybe he just hid while others died," Agnar sneered. "If he was that strong, he would've died in the great war alongside the real warriors."
"Because he's strong, that's how he survived!" Helix shouted.
"Strong? Please. I could crush him—I'm far more powerful."
"ARE YOU THE STRONGEST HERE?"A loud shout came from someone within the crowd.
Everyone turned around to see a boy with a face covered in scars glaring at Agnar with intense fury.
"Is that... Astrex?" someone whispered. "What does he want now? He already caused a commotion this morning, trying to pick a fight with a guard… oh great, looks like we'll be stuck training with a troublemaker."
"I'll be the strongest," Astrex growled. "Fight me."
Agnar smirked. "You and that scared little beast of yours? Please."
The students laughed as they saw Astrex's beast hiding again.
"I don't need my beast to beat you, HELLBURN!" Astrex snapped.
"Hellburn?" Jack muttered.
Jack's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I remember! the Hellburn family. Decades ago, one of them—third generation—was investigated for bribing officials just to bond with a strong beast.
"That's just a rumor!" Agnar screamed, his voice tense.
Ignoring him, Jack continued, "Then he was thrown in prison… bribed the guards... and vanished. It's a very strange case, indeed."
All eyes turned to Agnar. His face flushed deep red.
Jack added calmly, "Wasn't that your grandfather? You look like him. Did you bribe your way into becoming a chosen pupil too, kids?"
"Shut up, old man!" Agnar snapped.
Before the tension exploded, a loud voice cut in.
"Enough!" a staff member screamed. "Everyone to your dorms. Training starts tomorrow—get some rest!"
The crowd dispersed and returned to their respective dorms.
***
The next morning , the new Anima Dei stepped into their first day of official training At dawn, both students and their bonded beasts gathered in the grand courtyard of the Divine Academy.
Today marks the beginning of their training—a crucible to determine whether they are worthy to stand among the members of Ordo Militum Dei, the supreme protectors of the great nation of Orhyntal.
A supervisor marched onto the field, his voice resonating with authority, "Good morning, new Anima Dei. Today marks the beginning of your training. Throughout this period, you will also be addressed as students.The training for today would be commanded by the Captain of Unit Ten. Line up neatly, the Captain will arrive shortly."
As they formed the line, the students began whispering among themselves. "The Captain of Unit Ten? Isn't he known as the symbol of sacrifice?" One student asked.
"But why is he called that?"
one student whispered to his friend beside him.
"Don't you know? He traded his entire body as part of the contract with his beast," his friend replied in a hushed tone. "His eyes, tongue, and his ears no longer resemble a human."
The student looked stunned. "Seriously? That's terrifying…"
Another leaned in with a grim chuckle. "Yeah, but… is it really more terrifying than our new friend Jack?"
"Ah, you're right. What could possibly be worse than Jack's body…"
"Yeah…"
"Totally…"
The students kept whispering among themselves.
Suddenly, the supervisor's voice rang out again, sharply cutting through their whispers. "Silence! The captain will enter the field any moment now!"
Moments later, the Captain of Unit Ten appeared, clad in full armor. And just as the whispers had foretold, there was something deeply unnatural about his appearance.
Mechanical insects appeared to have replaced most of his bodily functions. In his eye sockets, tiny metallic bugs writhed and moved, as if constantly scanning every motion around him. His ears had been substituted with vibrating insect-like machines, And his mouth could no longer fully close, you could see a piece of metal reflecting light from inside his mouth. His arms had been replaced by mechanical creatures.
Body modifications with Creatures or machines have actually become commonplace in this country.
People undergo these changes to deepen their worship of the gods.
However, most only choose one modifications—because it takes decades for the body to fully adapt to even a single one.
Without proper adaptation, pain and discomfort are inevitable.
And the more modifications a person has, the closer they come to losing their humanity.
The students were shocked to see the captain's body up close. Jack's body had indeed looked horrifying, but it only stirred pity—sympathy for the pain he'd endured. But the captain's body evoked a different kind of fear. Every mechanical insect attached to him trembled and pulsed with life, exuding a sense of dread that felt unnatural—like a living nightmare that would haunt their sleep and stir a strange, gnawing unease deep within.
The students stood in stunned silence, gazing in awe at the figure before them—a living testament to the immense sacrifices required to gain power from a beast. Captain of unit ten, with his body adorned with insect-like mechanisms, became a symbol of the price one must pay to attain extraordinary strength. Each part of his human body had been traded for greater abilities, abilities that had earned him the position of Captain of unit ten.
"Attention, all New Anima!" The supervisor shouted, "It is my honor to introduce the commander of Unit Ten, of the Ordo Militum Dei — the one who will lead this year's initiation trials. I present to you, Captain Chrysop Mandibrax!"
The captain kept walking forward—step after step—until he nearly bumped into the student standing at the front of the line. He continued moving closer, almost brushing against the student's body. The student flinched and muttered in panic, "H-he's way too close, isn't he?"the student stammered, feeling uncomfortable.
One of the supervisors standing beside the captain leaned in slightly and whispered in the student's ear, "Please understand, the captain's eyes aren't exactly suitable for… everyday use."
"Oh… o-ohhh, I see," the student murmured awkwardly. Feeling uncomfortable, he tried to shuffle slightly to the side.
"Ahem… today…"
A high-pitched, mechanical voice—like a piercing screech—came from the captain's mouth.
The students stiffened, caught off guard by the sound,
A beat later, a few of them trembled—tried to suppress their laughter.
"H-he's joking, right? What was that voice?" one student whispered, barely holding back a snort.
"Not only that… there's a weird delay between when his mouth moves and when the sound comes out… pfft…pfft..."
He looks really terrifying, which only made the high-pitched, screech funnier.
Pfft… pfft… a few students snorted, barely holding back their laughter as they whispered among themselves.
"Keep it down while your captain is speaking,"one of the supervisors whispered sharply—but even his voice was trembling, clearly on the edge of laughing himself.
Even after working with the captain for years, it was obvious he still wasn't completely used to that bizarre artificial voice.
"Y-yes, sir…" the students murmured, still barely holding it in.
Meanwhile, Captain Chrysop continued speaking with his screechy, mechanical voice.
"Today marks the beginning of your training, where you will learn the fundamental skills required after forging a contract with a beast."
Upon completing the training, you will be inducted into the Ordo Militum Dei—an elite corps of Anima Dei tasked with safeguarding humanity from Monstrous' onslaughts.
He paused briefly before continuing, "Your first lesson: mastering the activation and operation of the Interface system."
"This system will act as your lifeline—from essential information about you and your beast, to direct mission updates from the Divine Government. Every task, every directive, will be delivered straight through it.
It was implanted into your contract scroll the moment you formed a bond with your beast. Just as your beast now resides within you, the system too has fused with your being. But remember—this system runs on your beast's energy. It will remain dormant unless you're in sync with your companion.
"So, your first lesson begins now..."
The captain's voice buzzed, sharp and metallic.
"Sense it. Reach inward. Focus your mind—
And awaken the system."
The new students transformed their beasts into radiant spheres of energy, then absorbed the glowing essence into their bodies, one after another.
The captain then retrieved the Supervisor's Tab, a device linked to the Divine Government Application—a specialized platform that allowed him to monitor which students had successfully activated their Interface Systems. Calmly, he scrolled through the screen, observing each participant's progress.
The students, in turn, began to focus. They closed their eyes, trying to sense the presence of the system within them. Slowly, they attempted to unlock and activate the Interface System as the captain had explained.
Meanwhile, Helix approached Jack, intending to re-explain the captain's words. He was certain the old man hadn't caught a single word earlier.
"Oldman…" Helix began, but he was cut off mid-sentence by Jack's calm muttering—something that completely took him by surprise.
"Ah, it seems it's time for me to activate my Interface System," Jack said calmly.
"Oh…" Helix froze in surprise.
Did the old man hear the captain clearly?
Wait… maybe the captain's high-frequency mechanical voice is tuned to match the frequency of the old man's hearing implant, yeah..!! that's it. Helix realized.
"Well, this makes things easier," Helix thought,
"Huh... At least I won't have to explain everything all over again."
As the moments passed, more and more of the students began to sense a shift. One by one, they managed to activate their Interface Systems—Jack included.
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Beast: Oxy
Level 1
Primary Ability: Cell Manipulation
Divine Energy: 5%
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Contract Status
In Sync
Violation:-
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Anima Dei: Jack Montgomery
Active Divine Energy: 0%
Physical divine enhancement: -
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Skill
-
New skill
-
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Divine Energy Scanner
Environmental Energy: 2%
One Human Source Detected: Energy Level 5: 70%
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Map:
Current Location:
-Divine Academy
+Capital
*Orynthal Nation
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Divine Government
Mission: —
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