Now, after the old man mentioned it, she felt it was something she should seriously think about again.
After all, Ash was already in her last year of high school.
In about six months, she'd be eligible to take the Beast Master Department Practical Exam.
Missing out on the Beast Master Department Practical Exam simply because she didn't have a contracted Spirit Beast would be a shame.
"I'm not sure how much you know about the Beast Master Department Practical Exam..." The old man paused when he noticed Ash didn't respond. "But let me tell you this—if you want to change your current situation, to change your fate, joining the Beast Master Department Practical Exam is your only chance right now."
"Don't dismiss what I'm saying," the old man added after a moment. "Regardless of whether you've planned for your future or not, no other path compares to the opportunity presented by the upcoming Beast Master Department Practical Exam."
"Why?"
This time, Ash didn't stay silent.
Instead, she looked at the old man with confusion.
She knew that the Beast Master Department Practical Exam was a specialized test in Montis's universities for training professional Beast Master, but the old man's words seemed overly dramatic.
Was it really true that only those who passed the Beast Master Department Practical Exam had a way out to change their fate?
Even the college entrance exams on Earth weren't as decisive in determining someone's fate!
Ash opened her mouth, ready to argue, but the old man cut her off before she could speak.
"That's right, whether or not you get into the Beast Master Department won't decide your fate."
"But that applies to others, not you."
The old man fixed his gaze on Ash and, without warning, asked, "Tell me, do you think you have any other way to compete with those whose starting line is already the finish line of your life?"
"You know the answer, don't you?"
"This world isn't fair."
The old man's words rendered Ash speechless.
It was true.
Some people are born at others' finish lines, while others must run endlessly just to catch up.
Such is the disparity of the world.
Did Ash not understand this?
No, no one understood this better than she did—a person who had lived through two lifetimes.
But still…
"I don't have a choice…!"
Birth wasn't something she could control.
"So what if I contract a Spirit Beast and take the Beast Master Department Practical Exam? What's going to change?"
Was she supposed to believe that an ordinary, unremarkable Spirit Beast could somehow defeat the rare and powerful Spirit Beasts that others spent fortunes to acquire?
"I'm just an ordinary person living at the bottom of society…"
Just surviving took everything she had.
"What else can I use to compete with them…"
Ash slumped, her spirit deflated like a punctured balloon.
She wanted to be like the protagonists of those novels, boldly declaring, "I'll carve my own destiny!"
But life had beaten her down enough to know better.