Sunny walked through the plaza toward the academy district. His mind worked through the plan.
Then he stopped.
Wait.
The Void Wing. His Beast. It was dark-type. Shadow element. The exact type the soldiers were looking for.
If he showed up to the academy with a shadow Beast, every teacher would report him immediately. He'd be caught before he even registered.
"Damn it."
He needed a different Beast. Something normal. Something that wouldn't raise suspicion.
But he'd already used two of his three slots. The Void Wing occupied one. He had two empty slots available. He could tame two more Beasts. Fuse them. Create something new. Something that didn't scream "assassin."
But where would he find Beasts inside the city? The answer was obvious.
The Beast Market.
Every major city had one. A place where merchants sold captured Beasts to aspiring Tamers. Weak creatures. Common types. Nothing special. Perfect for his needs.
Sunny changed direction. Toward the market district. He'd passed it on the way in. Large open area. Cages everywhere. Sounds of monsters crying out.
When he arrived, the market was busy. Merchants shouted their prices. Customers browsed. Beasts of all types sat in cages. Birds. Rats. Snakes. Slimes. All weak. All Bronze Rank.
Sunny walked through slowly.
A merchant approached. "You looking for your first Beast, kid? I got some great deals. This Fire Newt here, only level four, just fifty silver coins—"
"Just browsing."
The merchant shrugged and moved to another customer. Sunny kept walking. His eyes scanned the cages. He needed two Beasts. Both weak. Both common. Both cheap enough that no one would care.
A cage in the corner. Two creatures inside.
One was a small lizard. Green scales. Lazy eyes. It sat on a rock, barely moving.
[FOREST LIZARD DETECTED]
[LEVEL: 2]
[DANGER: MINIMAL]
The other was a bird. Gray feathers. Hooked beak. It perched on a branch, preening itself.
[IRON BEAK DETECTED]
[LEVEL: 3]
[DANGER: MINIMAL]
Both weak. Both common. Both perfect. Sunny looked around. The merchant who owned this stall was busy haggling with another customer. His back turned. No one was watching.
Sunny approached the cage. His hand moved to the lock. Simple mechanism. Easy to pick.
He'd done worse in his past life. The lock clicked. Opened.
He reached inside. Grabbed the lizard first. It barely struggled. He forced his mana into it. Quick.
[DING!]
[FOREST LIZARD TAMED]
[BEAST ADDED TO SYSTEM]
[SLOTS AVAILABLE: 2/3]
The lizard dissolved into green mist and formed a mark on his ankle. Hidden under his pants. Next, the bird. It squawked once. He grabbed it. Tamed it.
[DING!]
[IRON BEAK TAMED]
[BEAST ADDED TO SYSTEM]
[SLOTS AVAILABLE: 3/3]
The bird dissolved into gray mist. Another mark on his other ankle.
Sunny closed the cage. Locked it. Walked away.
The entire process took twenty seconds.
Behind him, the merchant was still haggling. No one noticed. No one cared.
Sunny found an empty alley three streets away. Made sure no one was watching.
"System. Fuse the Forest Lizard and Iron Beak."
[DING!]
[FUSION INITIATED]
[FOREST LIZARD + IRON BEAK]
[CALCULATING...]
Both marks glowed. Green and gray light poured from his ankles. The two Beasts materialized in front of him. They floated into the air. Started to merge.
The process was quick. The lizard's body stretched. The bird's wings attached. Feathers mixed with scales. A beak formed on the lizard's face.
[DING!]
[FUSION COMPLETE!]
[NEW BEAST CREATED: SKY GECKO]
[LEVEL: 4]
[RARITY: COMMON]
[ABILITIES INHERITED:]
[- CAMOUFLAGE (FROM FOREST LIZARD)]
[- FLIGHT (FROM IRON BEAK)]
[- WIND CUTTER (NEW FUSION ABILITY)]
The Sky Gecko appeared. It looked like a winged lizard. Green scales. Gray feathered wings. Small. About the size of a cat. Its eyes blinked lazily.
"Perfect."
Sunny returned it to his mark. Now he had two Beasts. The Void Wing hidden away. The Sky Gecko for show. No one would suspect anything.
He headed toward the academy.
The Tamer Academy stood on the northern edge of the city. Massive stone building. Three stories tall. Training grounds surrounded it. He could see students practicing with their Beasts in the distance.
A crowd had gathered at the main entrance. Other applicants. All sixteen years old. All nervous. All hoping to pass the entrance exam.
Sunny joined the crowd. Kept his head down. Blended in.
A woman stood at the entrance. Clipboard in hand. She was checking names. Verifying identities.
"Next!"
Sunny stepped forward.
"Name?"
"Kai Storm."
She checked her list. Frowned. "You're not registered."
"I lost my papers. Beast attack on the road. But I'm sixteen. I have a Beast. I'm qualified."
The woman sighed. "Fine. We'll verify later. What's your Tamer Rank?"
"Bronze."
"Beast level?"
"Four."
She wrote it down. "Go wait with the others. The exam starts in ten minutes."
Sunny nodded and moved to the crowd. Around him, other applicants chatted nervously. Showing off their Beasts. Comparing levels.
"My Beast is level six! A Fire Wolf!"
"I got a level five Stone Turtle. Super defensive!"
"Level seven Wind Hawk here. I'm definitely getting in."
Sunny ignored them. Their Beasts were weak. Their bragging meaningless. Then the doors opened.
A man walked out. Tall. Muscular. Wearing the academy's blue uniform. But it wasn't the man that drew everyone's attention. It was what floated behind him.
A whale.
Not a normal whale. This thing was massive. Twenty meters long. Blue scales that shimmered like crystal. It floated in the air as if swimming through water. Its eyes glowed with intelligence. Power radiated from it in waves.
[AZURE LEVIATHAN DETECTED!]
[LEVEL: 63]
[DANGER: EXTREME]
[WARNING: THIS BEAST CAN KILL YOU WITH A THOUGHT]
The crowd went silent. Every applicant stared. Mouths open. Eyes wide. Level sixty-three. Gold Rank verging on Platinum. This was a real Tamer. Real power.
The man stepped forward. His voice carried across the training ground. Deep. Authoritative.
"I am Instructor Vance. I will be overseeing your entrance exam today." He gestured to the floating whale. "This is my partner, Azure. She's here to ensure no one cheats. And to remind you what true power looks like."
The whale let out a low rumble. The sound vibrated through everyone's chests. Several applicants stepped back. Some looked ready to run.
Sunny stayed still. His expression calm. But inside, his mind raced.
Level sixty-three. That was the gap between them. The difference between a student and a master. In his past life, he'd fought enemies at level fifty. Strong. Dangerous. But manageable.
This? This was different. This whale could destroy the entire crowd without effort. And Instructor Vance controlled it perfectly.
Instructor Vance continued. "The entrance exam is simple. You will fight a Beast one-on-one. If you defeat it, you pass. If you fail, you leave. If you try to cheat, Azure will eat you."
The whale's mouth opened slightly. Rows of teeth. Each one the size of a sword. Several applicants turned pale.
"The Beasts you'll face are level five. All Bronze Rank. Fair fights." Vance smiled. It wasn't friendly.
"Of course, if your Beast is level three or lower, you'll face a level three opponent. We're not monsters."
Murmurs ran through the crowd. Level five Beasts. Most applicants had level four or five Beasts themselves. Fair fights indeed.
But fair meant some would fail. Fair meant only the strong would pass.
Sunny's Sky Gecko was level four. He'd face a level four or five opponent. Easy. Too easy. He could win without even trying.
But that wasn't the real test. The real test was blending in. Not standing out. Not drawing attention. He needed to pass. But barely. Like a normal student. Nothing special.
"Line up!" Vance shouted. "We'll go alphabetically. When your name is called, step into the arena."
Everyone moved. Forming a line. Sunny stood somewhere in the middle.
Above them, the Azure Leviathan floated.