The roar of the crowd was a distant, fading thunder as Lin Ke was escorted from the arena floor. He wasn't led back to the chaotic waiting areas, but through quiet, secure corridors deep into the Guild's executive wing. The air here was different—cool, still, and humming with the quiet dignity of true power, a world away from the hot, humid Jamaican night he'd just left behind.
He was brought to that same luxurious private lounge. Magnus was waiting.
The old man was on his feet, a warm, genuine smile lighting up his face as he poured a cup of fragrant, steaming tea with his own hands. "I must confess, young man," Magnus began, his voice filled with a sincere, almost giddy admiration as he handed the cup to Lin Ke. "Even I did not see that coming. To turn the very ground into a weapon… that wasn't a tactic. That was a work of art."
"I was fortunate," Lin Ke said, his voice a little hoarse. The warmth of the cup seeped into his hands, which were still trembling slightly with leftover adrenaline. "My opponent was overconfident."
"Fortune favors the prepared mind," Magnus corrected him, his eyes sharp and bright. "And yours is one of the sharpest I have seen in a long, long time. Now. For what you have so brilliantly earned. The spoils of victory."
A Guild staffer stepped forward and placed a sleek, black case on the table. With a soft click, Magnus opened it. Inside, nestled in black velvet, lay the tangible rewards of his impossible journey.
"First," Magnus said, "the standard champion's prize. Five hundred thousand credits." Just as he spoke, Lin Ke's personal terminal vibrated. He glanced down. 500,000. The number just sat there. Half a million. A few weeks ago, that was an unimaginable, life-altering fortune. It was the first real, solid step toward funding his impossible dream. A wave of profound relief washed over him.
"Second," Magnus continued, picking up a newly minted ID card. It was heavy, forged from some obsidian-colored alloy, with his name and a gleaming silver 'C-Rank' insignia. "Your official Beast Tamer license. A provisional C-Rank. We don't normally grant these to fresh graduates, but I believe we can agree your case is… exceptional. This will grant you access to better missions, better resources. You are not a candidate anymore, Lin Ke. You are a professional."
Lin Ke took the card. It felt cool and substantial in his palm. This was his new identity. A tangible symbol of his journey from a welfare-district orphan to… this.
"And finally," Magnus said, his tone growing quiet, significant. He picked up the last item. It was a simple, elegant keycard made of a strange, dark material that seemed to have captured nebulae within it, tiny stars glittering in its depths. "My personal promise. This is a permanent, unrestricted access key to the Archive of Forgotten Species. The money will run out. Your rank will change. But knowledge… that is priceless. And for a mind like yours, I suspect it is the greatest treasure of all."
Lin Ke's heart hammered against his ribs. He took the keycard, its strange material cool against his skin. The money was a lifeline. The license was an opportunity. But this… this little card was the key to unlocking a god.
Just then, the staff member cleared his throat. "Sir, my apologies for the interruption, but the public networks are… active." He gestured to a large screen on the wall, which flickered to life, showing the homepage of Mo City's biggest Beast Tamer forum.
His name was everywhere.
A chaotic collage of flashing images and scrolling text filled the screen. A video thumbnail with the title, HOLY S*! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS! ROCK VOLE VS PANTHER!** already had millions of views. Next to it, a lengthy article: THE BIRTH OF A TACTICAL GOD: A DEEP DIVE INTO LIN KE'S MIND. A live poll flashed on the side: IS LIN KE'S ROCK VOLE THE STRONGEST F-RANK IN HISTORY? The "YES" vote was ticking upwards past 98%.
He was no longer an unknown. He was a headline. A meme. A legend in the making. Overnight, the quiet bookworm with the "trash" pet had become the most talked-about person in the entire city. The ridicule, the pity… it had all been incinerated, replaced by a firestorm of awe and speculation.
Lin Ke looked at the chaotic screen, then at the life-changing rewards in his hands. He looked at the C-Rank license, his new identity. He looked at the star-flecked key, the key to the universe.
And the calm, controlled facade he had maintained for so long finally broke. A small, genuine, and utterly triumphant smile spread across his face, a slow release of all the pressure, all the doubt, all the loneliness. The first stage of his grand, impossible plan was complete. He had won. But as he looked at his face plastered across the screen, a new, cold thought surfaced. He had the resources he needed, but he had just lost his most valuable tactical asset: his anonymity. The hunt for his mythical pet had just gotten infinitely more complicated.