[Aspengrove Village Pet Beast Service Center]
The scorching afternoon heat made it hard to stay awake.
"Is anyone here?"
"Please, save my Nene!"
The service center's worn-out doors were flung open, and a young girl in a light yellow dress burst in. Her sweet voice was now filled with panic and desperation.
"Please calm down a bit. Can you explain the situation clearly?"
The young man at the front desk, dressed in a light blue service uniform, spoke in a gentle tone.
Perhaps there was some magic in his voice because, in an instant, the anxious girl felt her heart steady considerably.
"... My Nene! My pet beast, Nene, used its Sacrifice Strike to protect me. Sob! Sob!"
Hearing this, Asher nodded.
He glanced at the fragile creature in the girl's arms—an insect-type pet beast named Nene. Pale pink in color and nearly fifty centimeters long, it was barely hanging on.
Asher then turned his gaze to the semi-transparent, simplistic interface beside Nene, visible only to him, like an old, cheaply-made game panel.
[Pet Beast: Nene]
[Species: Low Grade]
[Level: First-Tier Peak]
[Skills: Honey Production, Sacrifice Strike]
[Evolution Path: Fairy Butterfly]
[Eligible for Evolution]
[Due to protecting its Beast Master, Nene used Sacrifice Strike, resulting in the rupture of its honey sac. Nene has a strong will to survive. It can undergo surgery to remove the ruptured honey sac, which will allow it to evolve afterward.]
'A honeybee creature ready to evolve?'
Asher's eyes brightened as he looked at the dying Nene.
In the past half month, this was the first time he'd encountered a honeybee with evolutionary potential.
It wasn't his fault for being so shocked.
Just two weeks ago, twenty-two-year-old Asher Snow had been reborn into this parallel world in the body of his seventeen-year-old self.
Having been an orphan, Asher quickly accepted his new life without much fuss.
This was a world where extraordinary powers existed. Animals, plants, and even natural forces like thunder and rain had the potential to awaken supernatural abilities and become extraordinary beings.
With that, a few gifted humans could awaken the Beast Space within them, unlocking special powers and gaining the ability to tame these extraordinary creatures.
As a high school student who had awakened a Beast Space, seventeen-year-old Asher was one of the lucky few qualified to become a Beast Master.
Asher's inherent talent, Affinity Boost, came with his Beast Space. Anyone—beast or human—who made eye contact with him or heard his voice felt an instinctive sense of warmth and goodwill.
It wasn't much.
But it worked.
Since Asher had awakened his Beast Space and was qualified as a Beast Master, the government provided his school and living expenses through high school and university.
During summer and winter breaks, the Alliance arranged work-study jobs to cover his expenses, minimizing his chances of dropping out and wasting his talent.
Perhaps it was a skill that came with his soul because, after awakening Affinity Boost, Asher had discovered a second talent upon arriving at the Aspengrove Village Pet Beast Service Center.
Eye of Insight, or as he liked to call it.
Whenever he focused on an extraordinary creature, a semi-transparent, crude panel appeared beside it, visible only to him. The panel displayed basic information about the creature and its potential evolution paths.
At first, Asher hadn't realized the importance of his Eye of Insight. But after flipping through the Pet Beast Breeding Manual to pass time in the service center, he came to understand just how powerful this skill was.
'A honeybee?'
'In the market, it cost fifty yuan, and it can be easily found in the forest. Timid by nature, any raised voice from a Beast Master can trigger its suicide. Aside from the particularly sweet honey it produces, its only skill is Sacrifice Strike—a desperate move to protect its master at the cost of its own life. It is considered one of the weakest beasts.'
'But, it has an evolution path? Either it's rare or odd.'
In the 1,200 years since extraordinary creatures had appeared in this world, no one had ever discovered an evolution path for honeybees.
Asher had long wanted to capture one and experiment, but he hadn't found a single honeybee that met the evolution requirements.
Until today.
'Though this pet beast isn't mine... it is still worth a try.'
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
Asher shifted his gaze from Nene back to the girl holding her and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Miss…"
"I'm Ivy. Just call me Ivy."
"Alright, Ivy."
He paused, then spoke again.
"I understand the situation. Your pet Nene used Sacrifice Strike. You're hoping to save it, right?"
Lin Ivy nodded earnestly. "Yes, that's right."
"Are you sure about this?"
Asher held her gaze, his tone serious as he asked once more.
"Honeybees like Nene are common and naturally timid. The fact that your Nene survived this long is already remarkable."
"To treat her, we'd need to remove her honey sac. From that point on, Nene would be no different from a regular creature."
"Even if the surgery is successful, Nene might still become depressed and end her life. And the cost of the treatment will far exceed Nene's actual worth."
"Even knowing this, do you still want to go through with it?"
Though it was unlikely this particular Nene would suffer such effects, Asher still felt obliged to ask.
After all, using the treatment equipment wasn't cheap.
"My Nene won't give up on life!"
"Even so, I still want to save her. Nene is my first pet and a part of my family."
"And as for the money... I have my savings!"
Ivy's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She bit her lip, yet her voice remained firm and unwavering.
Asher didn't refuse her again.
He merely took a treatment form from the front desk, filled in the basic information, and handed it to Ivy.
"Once you sign, I can take Nene to the treatment room."
Ivy quickly scribbled her name on the form as if afraid he'd change his mind.
In less than five minutes, Asher walked around the desk and opened a nearby glass door.
Immediately, a wave of cool air swept over them.
The sudden chill made Ivy's exposed skin shiver slightly.
Unlike the worn front desk, which had only an old electric fan, the glass door felt like a gateway to another world.
White walls.
Clean, orderly hallways.
Three treatment rooms with closed doors.
From one of the rooms, faint voices could be heard.
Asher kept his gaze forward, heading to the last treatment room and opening the door.
One look inside left Ivy speechless in shock.
'So much equipment. Wow!'
'An energy restoration chamber, a physiological recorder, a life support machine... ', Among the various pieces of equipment, Ivy could only recognize a few familiar ones.
"Place Nene here."
Asher opened the transparent capsule of the life support machine, gesturing for Ivy to put Nene inside.
'Now...'