Riku opened his eyes to a sky tinted in soft gold.
He was still half-asleep, lying on a hill near the academy courtyard, staring at drifting clouds shaped like beasts. The bells were ringing for morning assembly — today was the World Blessing Ritual, after all — but he wasn't in a rush.
Instead, he let his mind wander.
"Back then… I thought life was set. Go to college. Get a decent job. Play some games on weekends. Maybe travel a little if I got lucky."
Riku remembered the warm glow of a screen in a dark room. A controller in hand. His phone vibrating beside him from some mobile beast RPG — daily login rewards, limited-time evolution tickets, and events with titles like "Celestial Dragon Raider."
He liked those games. Not for the flashy beasts or gacha rolls — but for the idea of building bonds, growing stronger alongside something that trusted you. Games where choices mattered, and not everything was about brute strength.
"I never thought I'd actually be in a world like those games."
It happened without warning.
One moment, he was skipping through another tutorial in a beast taming app called "Tamer Origins: Riftwalker." He had lazily tapped "Accept All Permissions" just to get to the start screen.
The next moment, he was gone.
No flash of light. No truck. No dramatic death.
Just… gone.
Now here he was — in Beastralis, a world where beast tamers shaped civilization, where even the lowest-ranked beast could level a house. A place where cities floated, ancient spirits whispered in trees, and kids awakened contract spaces instead of getting college acceptance letters.
It had been a year since he arrived.
And somehow, he blended in. Took a family name. Got placed into a reputable academy. Studied quietly. Made no waves.
Riku didn't want to be special.
He just wanted to live — and survive.
But fate always had other plans.
The school's courtyard was filled with students in dark-blue uniforms, forming lines as the teachers called names. At the center stood the Soul Mirror, a massive crystalline sphere connected to runes spiraling into the earth.
One by one, students walked up to the altar, placed their palm on the mirror, and awakened their Talent — the innate skill that would guide their future as tamers.
Some got elemental boosts. Others gained tracking instincts or minor control abilities. Most were flashy, obvious.
Then it was Riku's turn.
He walked forward slowly, eyes calm. Whispers followed him.
"That's the quiet kid. Didn't even bother showing up to beast dueling class last month."
"Heard his parents aren't even high-tier tamers. Probably get some Common junk skill."
Riku didn't look at them. He placed his hand on the crystal.
It pulsed once.
Then again.
[Talent Unlocked: Ancestral Blessing]
Rank: Hidden – Common (Masked)
Public Effect: Increases evolution chance by 25% during Tier breakthroughs.
True Effect: Bestowed by forgotten beast bloodlines. Each beast that reaches a new Tier may awaken an ancestral trait or bloodline fragment. Strength grows through legacy, not force.
Silence.
The mirror dimmed.
The teachers recorded it, marked "Common-type" on the form, and moved on.
Nobody clapped. Nobody stared.
Except one girl who raised an eyebrow. "That's an odd one. Blessing?"
Riku didn't answer.
He just looked at the glowing message on his Tamer Watch, which only he could see.
[Note: This talent aligns with your karmic behavior in previous world. Continue acting as yourself, and the truth will reveal itself.]
Riku sighed lightly.
"Figures. Even in another world, I get the weird skills."
But he didn't feel bad.
He didn't need loud power. Didn't need fanfare.
He just needed time.
Time to grow.
Time to build.
Because when the world stops watching… that's when the real beasts awaken.