"Welcome to the Beast Taming Association. I take it the two of you have already been briefed on what to do once you're here?"
"I was. He wasn't," Delilah said.
The receptionist smiled.
"In that case, you're here to test the limits of your beasts. This ensures your competency level is adequate enough to be placed in teams with other people. After all, the last thing we want is for you kids to die out there."
She turned toward Claude.
"You're Dormant Grade, so things are a little different. Unless...?"
Since she spotted Victoria, Claude decided to just bring her out. She was still a little sleepy, but once she plopped down on the receptionist's desk, she began flapping her wings joyfully.
[(づ￣ ³￣)づ]
"This is...?"
"It's a Transcendent Grade Gold Spewing Lizard. It's got a mutation or something, so it kind of looks like a dragon," Claude said.
"Wow... A Transcendent Grade? I'll have to confirm it, but if you're telling the truth, then you'll be bumped up significantly."
By bumped up, she basically meant she planned to spread his name to the higher-ups. It was a rare opportunity for Dormant Grade hunters to appear, and even rarer for them to actually awaken something.
The higher-ups were a little superstitious, so they'd likely place this woman in a higher position, believing she was some kind of talent magnet.
Holding back a chuckle, Claude nodded.
"Works fine with me."
Then he turned to Delilah.
"Meet up later?"
"Sure~ Unmute your phone. I'll form a party with you later."
"Really? Don't you want to be surrounded by some Saint Grade high and mighty professionals?"
She scoffed.
"I'm not in the mood to meet new people. I'd rather stick with someone I know. That's fine, right, receptionist girl?"
The receptionist's brows twitched.
"It's fine if he truly has a Transcendent Grade beast. The higher-ups might place more burden on you, though. They might start assigning more people to your party without your consent."
That was the harsh reality of cultivating prodigies like Delilah. Claude, on the other hand, was not sure what he was going to do. He had never expected to basically get the diamond spoon from the start.
Still, they went through a few more formalities. After a couple of minutes, the hallway expanded and Delilah was led elsewhere. A little later, the receptionist came back and signaled for Claude to follow her as well.
He placed Victoria back inside his backpack and followed the receptionist down the hallway, which seemed a little longer than usual. Eventually, they arrived at their destination, and Claude spotted a familiar jade rock in the center of the room.
It was normally used to summon beasts. For those who already had a beast, however, the same jade rock could be used to inspect the beast's stats. With that in mind, the receptionist guided him through the process, which included emptying his backpack, his pockets, and everything else.
Foul play was possible. In the rifts where beasts and other monsters came from, there were artifacts. Some could hide a person's mana, while others could artificially enhance it. He was rich enough to buy some, except there was one issue.
To buy an artifact, he needed a decent reputation inside the Beast Taming Association. They were the only ones who supplied such artifacts. If he bought something off the black market, he would get into more trouble than he cared to imagine.
As for getting one from a rift, it was far too rare. Not impossible, though.
Humming to himself, he placed his hand on the jade rock and went through the same process again. This time, he did not lose consciousness. Instead, he felt a familiar warm energy travel from within his body into the jade rock.
Victoria lit up. For a brief moment, the light was slightly brighter than it should have been. It quickly faded, replaced by a dim glow that made the receptionist's smile widen.
"It's really a Transcendent Grade beast! I logged the result into the system. My name's Frederica, and if you ever need anything, feel free to come visit me!"
"Ah. I'll keep that in mind, Frederica," Claude replied, a bead of sweat running down his forehead. "Now what?"
She nodded repeatedly.
"Now we're going to beast ability assessment. Normally, I'd let a professional handle this, but I'm sure they're too preoccupied with that girl you came with. A Saint Grade beast is really rare, and..."
He filtered out her praise. It was obvious she was a chatterbox. Victoria seemed to think the same.
[(;へ:)]
[Please silence her.]
Just bear with it. It's not every day you'll meet someone like this. Speaking of, do you want a cracker?
[( -_-)]
[I'll take it.]
Claude tossed a cracker into the air. With perfect agility, Victoria ran up to the top of his head and took a leap of faith, catching the cracker before falling back down in front of him. Claude sighed and caught her, then placed her inside the backpack.
"Awh... Your beast is so cute. Does she also spit gold?"
"I'm rich, so I haven't tried it yet."
"O-Oh. Sorry."
Eventually, they arrived in front of another door. When they entered, a more advanced facility greeted them. There was a chair in the center of the room, one for Claude and one for Victoria. A bunch of needles hung above the chairs. If that was not enough, Claude also saw plenty of painkillers on the side.
He had heard the tests looked gruesome, but still...?
[(￢_￢;)]
[That's just for show, right?]
Nope...
[...]
[(｡•́︵•̀｡)]
"Don't worry, it's not as bad as it looks. Those needles won't go inside you. They're made from nanotechnology. The moment they touch your skin, they'll painlessly assimilate with your blood vessels and check your stats and your beast's skills."
At Frederica's words, Claude raised a brow.
"Aren't we going to do some simulation battle training?"
"Hmm? No. That's only for Awakened Grade and Ascended Grade applicants. They need to prove themselves. As for you, just think of this as a formality. Sit down now, and I'll get the two of you hooked up."
Claude nodded and approached the chairs. Victoria hopped down and sat on the smaller one while he took the normal chair.
Before Frederica could start her weird voodoo, he decided to get one thing out of the way.
Cancel mana sharing. I don't want them seeing that I have infinite mana. Also, I'm guessing you have a way to hide skills, so hide every really high-ranked skill. Keep a few Transcendent skills, one or two Ascended, and maybe five Awakened should do.
[(⌐■_■)]
[Leave it to me.]
Frederica walked up to him, grabbed one of the needles from the ceiling, and pressed it against his skin. The moment she did, he felt a strange sensation, as if someone had applied anesthetic before lightly biting him.
He had never felt something like this before. Since he was a little afraid of needles, he did not look down and simply waited for it to finish.
Except there was one issue.
"Um... Sir?"
Claude turned at the concern in Frederica's voice. His eyes widened when he saw the nanotech literally rejecting Victoria's little dragon body. It squirmed before dying out completely.
He gulped, but before he could offer an excuse, Frederica coughed.
"It seems these needles are a little outdated. I'll try another one."
She turned around to look for a fresher needle. In the meantime, Claude glared at Victoria, who merely shrugged.
Then he saw a layer of her skin peel off, almost like a lizard shedding. Just as the receptionist turned back around, the shed skin vanished. It happened so fast that Claude barely reacted. This time, when the needle touched Victoria, it assimilated effortlessly.
Frederica moved to the hologram displaying two bars of information, one for Claude and one for Victoria.
"Alright, let's see... Claude, you don't have the most impressive stats. It also looks like you haven't bonded with your beast yet, so you didn't gain any specialized skills."
She glanced at him.
"Once you go back home, try to learn more about your beast. The stronger your bond, the more you benefit from it. At the same time, the stronger your bond, the more strength the beast can output."
He already knew that.
If a human was Awakened Grade and had a Saint Grade beast, they would not be able to use one hundred percent of its strength. It might even perform one or two Grades below its actual level. Since the contract was fifty-fifty, there were limitations that lifted as the tamer grew stronger.
It was different when the roles were reversed. If an Awakened tamer obtained an Awakened Grade beast and grew stronger, the beast would proportionally grow alongside the tamer.
Victoria should have been affected by something similar. Yet she still had access to all her skills. The only thing missing was her level. Her strength remained intact, so he did not need to worry.
"Your beast looks solid. Not many attack skills, though. It's mostly defense, leaning toward support. Oh? Oh! Oh my god... Your beast has a healing skill!"
Frederica's finger trembled as she looked at Claude.
"A-Actual healing beasts are so rare! We usually only get beasts that can shield someone or clear a curse. Healing is so..."
Her cheeks turned red as she realized how much composure she had lost. She was supposed to be a professional. Yet here she was, losing her mind.
Claude had already expected this. Victoria hated when he tried playing the underdog. As a Supreme Grade beast, she knew better than anyone what humans lacked and what they valued.
"I've updated your profile! If you don't mind, I'll take you to the main plaza right away. Your friend should be finished too, so you two can form a party and pick a mission. Don't worry, I'll guide you so you get the best and easiest missions."
Frederica removed the needles and marched out of the room, too excited to remember she was supposed to escort him instead of rushing ahead.
Claude gathered his things and placed Victoria back inside. The three of them navigated through a maze of hallways before arriving at an open space.
It felt like standing in the middle of a shopping center. Except instead of stores, hundreds of facilities lined the walls, reminding him of a summer market. Each facility had its own purpose.
Some enhanced beasts. Others crafted weapons. Some trained humans. It was exactly what the name implied, the Beast Taming Association.
At the very center stood the most important landmark, a hundred-meter-wide hologram filled with missions and names. It resembled a yellow pages directory, only far more advanced.
Yet just as his excitement peaked, he glanced down at who was standing beneath the hologram.
His blood immediately ran cold.