Roman arrived home just before the sky had turned dark.
"Dinner is ready, son." Roman was greeted by a middle-aged man dressed in brown hemp clothes – typical for farmers in Branch Village. This man was Roman's father.
After his wife's passing, Roman's father, Carl, refused to wallow in self-pity. He knew he had a responsibility to his late wife and to his son. He needed to do his best for Roman. As a result, Carl continued to work hard in plowing the fields alongside his farm ox companion, Rock.
Rock, as if understanding Carl's worries and responsibilities, worked hard despite the passing of Roman's mother and her beast companion, which was Rock's mate. When the human perished, the beast who had formed a lifelong bond with him or her would follow suit. However, this was not always the case when the beast perished before the human. This was because despite death, humans could still form new bonds with other beasts, albeit with a lower level of familiarity and loyalty. No beast was as loyal as the first beast you contract.
Roman quickly sat himself at the table as his father finished the last bit of cooking.
"What are we having today, Dad?" Roman queried.
"We're having rabbit stew. It's your big day tomorrow! We have to fill you up, so I bought some wild beast meat from the butcher." Carl puffed his chest out as he responded.
"Dad…" Roman frowned. He knew they couldn't afford meat. Just one serving at the butchers was a month of Carl's income.
"I know this is expensive, but you don't worry yourself with these things just yet. Leave it to the grownups." Carl reassured Roman.
"Besides," Carl continued, "I had planned for this day for a long time and had some money stashed away."
Although he was doubtful, Roman nodded. Now was not the time for bickering. He had something else important to consult with his father about.
"Dad, I was wondering," Roman began. Carl raised his head from his portion of the stew.
"I'm planning to head to the mountains first thing tomorrow. What sort of beast should I be aiming for?"
"NO!" Carl rejected Roman's proposition.
"Absolutely not! You are not permitted into the mountains. You know well that the survival rate of Egg Hunt candidates are 20 percent. Just head into the forest or plains to try your luck. No need for recklessness. I thought your mother and I raised you better than that." Carl firmly stated, rising from his chair.
The mountain behind the village was notorious for vicious beasts like dire wolves and ice stags. Both species of beasts were silver ranked, but this made it all the more difficult to get ahold of their eggs. They were often hostile to humans and were sounded by either a pack or herd.
Although Carl wanted his son to do well, he believed that a plains gazelle which specialized in courier transport due to its wind-based affinity would already be a huge achievement for his son.
Two years ago, their neighbor's daughter, Grace, succeeded in attaining a gazelle egg and was eventually selected to attend the Tree Root Taming Academy which would permit her to travel the world as a trained courier upon graduation. It was less glamorous than a warrior in the military or an independent adventurer, but much better than anything else available in Branch Village.
Carl cared deeply for Roman and wanted a stable life for his son. Something a little more than the farming life that Branch Village offered, but not something as outrageously risky like a warrior. Besides, there was a strong possibility that Roman would be killed before he even got a shot at life. Carl refused this possibility and thought it best for his son to stick to the open plains and the more frequented Branch Village forest.
Even in the worst case scenario, if Roman returned home empty handed, Carl could visit the village livestock pen to adopt an ox egg on Roman's behalf. The village understood the difficulty of finding an egg in the wild and permitted its residents to adopt from the village pen.
Although adopting from the pen was free of charge, the village council of elders knew that this was necessary for protecting the lives of the young ones in the village. The village deeply cherished longevity and systematic hard work of its residents. In fact, the council often encouraged children to participate in the egg hunt within the safer perimeters of the forest and plains. They assured the children and their families that the children would be provided with a companion's egg from the pen if they couldn't attain an egg from the wild. This way, families would be less inclined to encourage their children to take risks beyond what they could handle.
Roman appreciated this principle but he could not accept the cycles of mediocrity that the village founded itself upon. He knew that the village would never have the opportunity for development if an insufficient number of villagers did not seize the chance at moving outward into the world.
A higher grade companion would lead to attention from the academies and thereby, attention from the Tree Barony as well. Eventually, the barony would increase the resources provided to the village to encourage such talents and growth.
For example, when Grace had the opportunity to study at Tree Root Taming Academy, the Baron allocated more funds to the upkeep of the village, raising the station of Branch Village in the Barony.
Roman was aiming to change the fate of not just his family, but the entire village.
But Roman completely understood his father's concerns and was warmed at the thought of them. He felt the warmth of his father deep to his bones and merely nodded in compliance.
Roman was, of course, going to go through with his original plans and was hoping for some advice from his father. He did not expect that his usually encouraging father would reject his idea of attempting the hunt in the mountains right away. However, Roman momentarily agreed with his father merely to appease his anxiety.
In actuality, Roman was confident in his chances. Roman was one of the more resilient children in the village as a result of the constant bullying and beating he received from his peers. He believed he could overcome the odds in the mountains out of sheer perseverance.
Seeing Roman agree, Carl quickly turned the conversation to general advice for taking on the plains and forest during the Egg Hunt.
After finishing the meal, Carl hurriedly ushered Roman to bed. Roman needed to get a full night's rest before the Egg Hunt.
Roman fell asleep not long after his head hit the pillow. But deep into the night, a familiar chime rose up again.
[Supreme Taming System Fully Initialized at 100%... Welcome host.]