PTUI! PWEH! "D*mn!" Daniel starts rubbing his tongue as he tastes the bitter dirt on the slipper. The two then raise their middle finger at him.
BOOM! BOOM! Suddenly, another couple of explosions rings in the ruin. The trio stops their shenanigans and looks at the direction of the explosion with solemn expressions.
"D*mn! Those explosions have been ringing throughout the day; I do not know why they have been wasting their time destroying this ruin," Bryan grumbles.
"It is not that they are deliberately destroying this ruin, but they are using explosives to lure their target and, at the same time, harm their competitors," Daniel speculated.
"As expected of a beast monster egg, no matter how low level they are, people would still fight with their lives on the line for them," Richard mumbles.
"This is only true for cities like ours; from what I heard, the well-off cities are able to purchase beast monster eggs so much easier compared to what our city is doing." Daniel helplessly sighs.
Their city is filled with corruption, as those with power prey upon the weak and suppress them in order to stop anyone from ever threatening their status.
"That is why I am saving up, so that I can bring my family out of this sh*thole." The eyes of his two friends widen; they then recall every instance where he would take some of their money, and he stated that it was for future use.
Bryan scratches his head.
"Thanks for always looking up for us."
"Hahaha, even such a shameless bastard like you actually feels shy," he teases.
The three of them had been together for as long as he can remember; their relationship is closer than that of most blood siblings.
"Too bad, our hunt is considered a failure, but do not worry, there is still the next day; there are still two months before high school starts." Hearing this, the two nod seriously.
Unlike in his former world, high school in this world consists of people ages seventeen to twenty; most of their classes involve fighting and hunting wild beasts and beast monsters.
Knowledge in this world is heavily guarded, mostly controlled by the higher-ups. That is why, even though technology exists, their city seems to be a backward society devoid of phones and computers.
"Which city are you going to go to?" Richard asks. He is determined to follow him; after all, he knows that with his Rank E skill, he will not go far if he tries to develop by himself.
"Seiyan City, I heard from rumours that the city lord there is much nicer compared to the majority of the city lords; either way, it is the only city that helps commoners like us." Hearing this, Richard decided to follow him there.
Meanwhile, Bryan asks.
"When do you think we would be able to go there?"
He automatically thought of following him there; he stated this in the past, but he is not good in the mind department, so he will follow him even if it is against death.
"I do not know." He sighs after saying this.
"In fact, the reason why I chose to follow your plan in the first place was because I am prepared to level; as long as we reach the upper level of Iron Rank, we can hunt into the forest and hopefully encounter a beast monster egg."
Hearing his last words, a look of longing appears on the faces of the two; they always dream of becoming a beastmaster.
'I wish my skill would be able to tell if the two can open their soul space.' He inwardly sighs as he focuses on their faces.
Name: Richard Huuse
Level: Iron Rank Level 3
Type: Null
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Skill: Speed Up (Rank E)
Potential: Shield Warrior, Beastmaster
Name: Bryan Davre
Level: Iron Rank Level 3
Type: Null
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Skill: Strength Up (Rank E)
Potential: Archer, Swordsman
His eyes widen; he cannot believe what he is currently seeing, but he can see the potential of his targets.
This was not present before; nonetheless, this change is something that he warmly welcomes; after all, such a thing is considered a cheat.
'Wait! Why is Richard able to become a beastmaster and Bryan cannot? ' This is something that he just cannot accept.
Then a line of text appeared in his eyes; it was another column in Bryan's status.
Insufficient soul strength.
'The f*ck!? Why is my skill able to understand me?' He scratches his head in confusion; he then remembers his status, and an expression of enlightenment appears on his face.
Skill: Identification? (Rank ???)
It seems that after being absorbed by the multicoloured orb inside his soul, his skill is no longer the same as before. There is also the fact that his body is rapidly changing, growing stronger as he obtains more vitality.
'How to strengthen the soul's strength? ' He asks but does not obtain any answer, causing him to sigh in disappointment.
"Hey Richard, what do you usually do during your free time?" Since he does not know how to increase the power of a soul, he decided to research it.
"Eating, training, reading books—oh right, I also follow your method to focus more; what is it called again? Yes! Meditation!" Hearing the last word, Daniel's eyes light up, just like Richard, his older sister, also meditates.
He actually created this skill in order to cope with his disadvantage (ADHD), but since both his sister and Richard are able to become Beastmasters even though they are not as healthy as the kids in the inner city, maybe this was the reason why.
He is not a hundred percent sure if this is the case, but if it is, then he can secure a future for his little sister. But first, he needs to make sure that this is the case.
"The two of you should know that I awakened a Rank B skill called Identification, right?" The two nodded. How can they forget this? They were shocked when they first heard the announcement, but fortunately for them, they have known him for the entirety of their lives; they are not as shocked as the rest.
After all, they witnessed multiple miracles after following him. They might treat him as their best friend, but deep inside, they treat him as their leader.
"Good, I used my skill on the both of you, and I have both good and bad news." Hearing this, the two become curious; this is the first time they encounter someone who used a skill above Rank D.
"But wait! Aren't you still at Iron Rank? How can you use your skill?" Hearing this, Bryan quickly realises this and also wants to learn how to use his skill at just Iron Rank.
"I do not know why, maybe because it is a Rank B skill that I was able to temporarily use in my current rank." Since they do not have any concrete data about skills above Rank D, he decided to make up information.
The two had a look of understanding; it seems that their ignorance regarding upper-ranking skills made it easier for them to believe him.
"The good news is that, Richard, you are eligible to become a Beastmaster!" Hearing this, Richard's eyes widen. They know that there is a chance for them to become Beastmasters as long as they follow him, but they are unconsciously afraid that they do not have any talent to become one even after obtaining a beast monster egg.
"What about me!? Can I also become a Beastmaster?" Excited by this, Bryan hurriedly asks, his face full of anticipation.
"That is the bad news; you do not have the talent to become one." The happy mood instantly dumps, and Richard, who was laughing, freezes as he quickly turns to his friend.
Bryan was now smiling in a daze, the shocking revelation still not fully registered in his brain. Daniel sighs. He knows that this might be the case; if he were told the same thing, he might not fare better.
"Do not give up hope! Richard is able to become a Beastmaster even though the two of you nearly have similar childhoods; do you know what the difference is between you two!? He meditates; I do not know if this is the case, but this might be your only chance to become one!" Seeing that his friend still has not recovered, he decided to give him some motivation to persevere.
Feeling the pain from his shoulder that was slapped hard by his friend, he snapped out of his daze and forcefully nodded. He knows his friend is right; he cannot give up just yet; he is still young; he will definitely become one; no matter how difficult it would be for him, he will not give up.
Heaving a sigh of relief inwardly, Daniel knows that his friend will definitely suffer in the future because of this revelation, but if he succeeds, then they will be able to obtain the ability to create more Beastmasters.