Itsuki blinked as his surroundings came into focus. The sterile white walls of his cramped apartment were gone, replaced by a dense forest alive with the hum of crickets and the rustle of leaves. His body felt lighter, freer, but his mind raced with confusion.
"Where… am I?" he muttered, staring down at himself. His usual office attire was gone, replaced by a simple tunic and leather boots. On his hip hung a small pouch and a whistle. A glowing panel hovered in front of him, bearing the words:
Welcome, Beast Tamer! Your adventure begins now.
"Beast Tamer?" Itsuki frowned, reaching out to touch the glowing text. As he did, another panel appeared, displaying a list of stats.
Itsuki Kagero
• Age: 19
• Class: Beast Tamer
• Level: 1
• Skills: Animal Empathy (Passive), Beast Call (Active), Beast Bond (Passive)
"Animal empathy? That's it? Seriously?" Itsuki groaned, brushing a hand through his messy black hair. He wasn't much of a gamer, but even he knew this was the weakest class possible. No sword skills, no magic, and apparently no hope.
Before he could dwell on his misfortune, a high-pitched voice broke through his thoughts.
"Hey! You gonna just stand there gawking all day, or what?"
Itsuki jumped, spinning around. A tiny squirrel, barely the size of his hand, sat perched on a tree stump, staring at him with unnervingly intelligent eyes. Its fur shimmered faintly, catching the dappled sunlight.
"Wait, did you… just talk?" Itsuki asked, pointing at the squirrel.
"Of course I did! Name's Pip, and I'm your starter companion," the squirrel said, puffing out its chest. "Lucky you, huh?"
"Starter… companion?" Itsuki repeated, his voice flat. He'd read enough fantasy novels to guess what was happening, but he wasn't ready to accept a rodent as his first ally.
"Don't look so disappointed!" Pip said, twitching his tail indignantly. "I may be small, but I'm full of potential. And I have excellent taste in snacks, by the way."
Itsuki pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, fine. So what do we do now? Do I just… call beasts? Train them? How does this even work?"
Pip rolled his eyes. "You're the Beast Tamer. You're supposed to figure that out! Start with the whistle."
Reluctantly, Itsuki pulled the whistle from his pouch and blew it. The sound was soft but carried a strange, resonant quality that made the air around him shimmer.
And then, the ground shook.
From the shadows, a massive figure emerged—a wolf, at least three times the size of a horse, with fur black as midnight and eyes that glowed like molten gold. It stopped just a few feet away, its hot breath steaming in the cool air.
"Uh, Pip?" Itsuki whispered, his hands trembling. "Is this normal?"
"Normal? No. Impressive? Absolutely," Pip said, hopping onto a branch for safety. "Looks like you're not a total flop after all."
The wolf lowered its head, growling softly. Itsuki froze, waiting for it to pounce. Instead, the massive beast bowed, its golden eyes locking with his.
Congratulations! You have tamed the Nightmare Wolf.
Itsuki stared at the glowing panel in disbelief. He couldn't decide whether to feel relieved or terrified.
"Huh? What do I do with this wolf?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly.
Pip grinned. "You ride it, obviously. Now let's get moving. If we spend anymore time here the actual monsters will awaken and gubble our bones! You don't know how many rank 5 squirrels have died in their hands"
"…"
Itsuki groaned, gripping the wolf's fur as he climbed onto its back. This was going to be a long ride.
The Nightmare Wolf moved gracefully through the dense forest, its enormous paws barely making a sound against the undergrowth. Itsuki clung tightly to its dark fur, still trying to process the absurdity of his situation.
"I can't believe this is happening," he muttered, staring at the glowing stats panel hovering in his peripheral vision.
"You'll get used to it," Pip chirped from Itsuki's shoulder. "I mean, you did sign up for this—kind of."
"Sign up?" Itsuki scoffed. "I didn't sign up for anything. I was working late, spilled coffee on my laptop, and then—"
The words caught in his throat. A sharp, searing pain suddenly split through his head like a lightning bolt. He clutched his temples, gasping as flashes of unfamiliar memories assaulted his mind.
A child, no older than five, crouched in a massive library, clutching a whistle with trembling hands. "You're useless," a cold voice sneered above him. A man in ornate robes towered over the boy, his expression carved from stone. "A Beast Tamer? In this family? You're a disgrace to our name."
Another memory followed: the boy, now a teenager, standing in the shadows while his siblings displayed their incredible powers. One conjured flames with a flick of their wrist, while another bent metal with a single glance. The boy's" Beast Call" failed spectacularly, earning cruel laughter from the audience.
Then, the final moment, a betrayal. His family's faces were cold and unfeeling as a deadly blow struck him, sealing his fate. His own blood soaked the ground as his vision faded.
The pain in Itsuki's head receded, leaving his chest heavy and his heart racing. He could feel it now—the lingering emotions of the boy who'd lived this life before him. Despair. Anger. A desperate, burning need to prove himself.
"That was… him," Itsuki murmured, staring at his hands. They weren't truly his—they belonged to the boy whose body he now inhabited.
"What's with the existential crisis?" Pip asked, tilting his head.
Itsuki's jaw clenched. "The boy who owned this body before me—he died because his family saw him as weak. They… they killed him."
Pip blinked, his usual sass gone. "Yikes. That's rough, buddy. But this is Arcadia, the strong bully the weak. That's how it is, that's how it will always be."
Itsuki looked up, his dark eyes gleaming with determination. "He died because no one believed in what he could do. But I'll change that. I'll show everyone just how powerful a Beast Tamer can be. I'll make them regret everything they did to him."
Pip raised an eyebrow. "Big talk for a guy who just tamed his first beast five minutes ago. But hey, I like the attitude."
The Nightmare Wolf growled softly, as if in agreement. Itsuki patted its side, a small smile tugging at his lips. "This isn't just my journey anymore. It's his, too. And I won't stop until we've set things right."