"Next! Place your hand on the jade rock, and a beast will answer your call!"
The instructor's voice resounded throughout the open auditorium, making the already nervous students even more anxious.
Claude was no different.
After all, the grade of the beast the students received today would determine their status.
It had been this way for nearly five centuries, ever since a simple experiment went wrong.
An experiment in spatial travel that spiraled out of control and spewed millions of rifts across the world.
Beasts poured out of those rifts and went on to claim the lives of billions.
It was called the Great Calamity.
The wars against the beasts had ended, though. Although new enemies occasionally appeared, the only thing Claude and the others needed to worry about right now was the grade of the beast they were about to contract.
His friends chattered behind him. Even the girl Claude had a crush on, and planned to ask out on a date, stood cheerfully beside him, sending glances his way.
His confidence remained steady, but it wasn't looking good for the others. One after another, students stepped up, placed their hands on the jade rock, and made all sorts of beasts pop out of thin air.
"Avery Lacrosse, Awakened Grade Water Lizard. Not too bad."
"Sasha Belle, Awakened Grade Tarantula. Please don't go anywhere near me with that beast."
Next up was some ordinary kid. He had always sat in the back of the class and never even tried to make friends.
As he placed his hand on the jade rock, the ground began to shake. A giant, car-sized, three-headed dog appeared out of thin air.
"Oh? Kevin Tyrell... Saint Grade Chaos Cerberus."
"A Saint Grade!? Did I hear that correctly? He just got a Saint Grade!"
"T-The recruiters will be all over him! How lucky!"
The instructor gulped and glanced at Kevin.
"W-We'll need to do a comprehensive level and ability check for your beast after this, so don't leave, okay?"
A faint smile appeared on Kevin's face, masking his true intentions as he nodded.
"Yes, ma'am."
A Saint Grade beast...
It was far above the Awakened-Grade beasts the others had gotten. If Kevin joined the Beast Taming Association, he could rise to the top of this world, maybe even have a shot at entering the top 100 rankers list.
Claude could not help but feel jealous. Kevin would get to meet powerful beast tamers and even be taught by some of them. It had always been Claude's dream to meet the number one ranker, and now someone else was about to live it.
But it was fine.
He was up next, after all.
Claude rose from his seat and nervously approached the jade rock. The students stared at him. Even though they were just as nervous, their whispers crept into his mind.
Just then, the instructor stepped forward and slapped him across the face, causing all the nervousness he had felt to abruptly vanish.
"Wide awake, sunshine?"
"Yeah. I'll be asking the school to pay for the bruise, though," Claude replied. Then he finally placed his hand on the jade rock.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then he felt as though his senses were assaulted by a strange energy he had never experienced before.
He had read enough articles to know this energy was mana. Since he could feel it, that meant his body and soul were now laid bare for the beasts to examine.
The process was usually long for the one going through it. In reality, only a few seconds passed.
Though... a minute went by, then two. No beast reached out to him.
Ten minutes. Thirty. One hour.
What was happening?
He had read that it usually took only ten minutes for beasts to choose someone. At most, twenty.
Did that mean no one wanted him? Would he become someone who failed to contract a beast and be cast aside by society?
Just as his worries began to overwhelm him, a miracle happened.
[Ding!]
Ah?
[You have been chosen by the Divine Beast of Light.]
[Commencing merging process...]
[The process has finished.]
[Name: Claude J. Leonel]
[Age: 18]
[Race: Awakened Human]
[Level: 1 | 0%]
▷Stats
[Strength: 6] [Agility: 10] [Constitution: 10] [Mana: ∞]
▷Beast Information
[Name: Divine Beast of Light]
[Age: 883,935]
[Grade: Supreme]
[Race: Seraphim of Life]
[Level: 1 | 0%]
★
[Satisfaction: 4%] [Happiness: 1%] [Hunger: 100%] [Sleepiness: 100%]
[Ding!]
[Your beast is temporarily entering slumber!]
[Slumber duration: 8 hours.]
[Grade temporarily reduced!]
[Supreme —> Dormant]
"..."
A Supreme Grade beast?
Claude had only heard of those existing during the early days of the war. They had been the most powerful beasts, and it was surprising that humanity had managed to defeat them with nothing but pure mana awakenings.
Nowadays, though, being a Pure Mana Awakener would make someone an outcast. That was why Claude felt both thankful and excited that he had obtained such an overpowered beast.
As the seconds ticked by, his vision gradually returned. He glanced around the auditorium, but for some reason, he could not see his beast anywhere.
"Claude J. Leonel, Dormant Grade... Pure Mana Awakener." The instructor's cold voice echoed.
A chill ran down Claude's spine. He clearly had a beast.
"Instructor? I have a beast. I—"
"Enough," she interrupted. This was not the first time she had encountered someone incapable of forming a contract. Every time, they made a scene, insisting they were just as capable as the others.
"If the day comes when you somehow manage to form a contract with a beast, return for a re-evaluation. For now, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave this facility. Head to the Beast Taming Association for your first mission."
Before Claude could even voice a complaint about the unfairness, a hawk emerged behind the instructor. It flapped its wings, swooped in front of Claude, lowered its beak, and effortlessly picked him up before tossing him outside the auditorium.
As the hawk slammed the door shut in his face, Claude caught a glimpse of his 'friends' staring at him through the narrow gap. They all wore disappointed expressions, while his best friend looked at him mockingly.
Yet the final blow came from the girl Claude had planned to confess to after forming his contract.
Sierra.
She stared at him with a look of disgust, one she had never shown in all the years they had known each other. Yet it felt natural, almost as if this had always been the real Sierra.
Even though it stung and a pit formed in his chest, he did not feel anger.
He felt relieved.
He had always been surrounded by fake friends when he was younger. That was because he came from a wealthy family. After his parents' death, Claude inherited their fortune along with all the jealousy and problems that came with it.
Now, he felt free.
Turning away, Claude left the campus and called a taxi. The wait was annoyingly long, and with traffic ahead, he knew that by the time he reached the Beast Taming Association, it would already be nightfall.
Claude clicked his tongue. After canceling the taxi, he broke into a jog instead. The streets were filled with vendors and gentle beasts. He even stopped by the usual coffee shop and patted the small lion outside that served as the store's mascot.
Before long, he arrived at his apartment on the highest floor of the most expensive hotel in the city of Alvera.
Just as he was about to step into the shower, a strange interface appeared in front of him.
[(｡•́︵•̀｡)]
A female voice followed.
[I'm sorry. I accidentally fell asleep.]
"...Don't be. Are you my contracted beast?" Claude asked, glancing around.
"Where are you?"
[(¬‿¬)]
[Look behind you.]
He immediately turned around, and to his genuine surprise, a small golden dragon stood on his marble kitchen counter. It shivered slightly, but its pale blue eyes held a certain determination and... smugness.
[You should be honored to be chosen by someone such as myself.]
[(ง •̀_•́)ง]
"Um..."
Claude was not sure whether he was hallucinating or if this was real.
It was real... right?
"Are you actually a Supreme Grade beast?"
[That's right.]
"...And you actually contracted with me?"
[(￣～￣;)]
[Isn't it obvious by now?]
The cute golden dragon flapped its wings and attempted a leap of faith toward the black sofa Claude was sitting on. It hovered for a second before plummeting straight toward the floor. Fortunately, it crashed into the pillow Claude tossed beneath it just in time.
It wriggled around on the pillow for a few moments, then rolled onto its back, exposing its belly before huffing out a small cloud of smoke.
[(づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ]
[Human, can you cook?]