[Brightwood City's Elite Beast Master Academy!]
"Students of Year Three, Class Two, please proceed to the Hall of Valor for the Beastmaster Talent Awakening Ceremony. Homeroom teachers, ensure order is maintained."
The announcement echoed through the school, instantly filling the classroom with nervous anticipation.
Soon, the students of Year Three, Class Two, lined up in an orderly manner outside the grand Hall of Valor. Zephyr stood calmly in the middle of the queue.
He was tall, standing at 180 centimeters, with an athletic build and strikingly handsome features that made him stand out among his peers.
"Is that Zephyr? The prodigy from Class Two?"
"Yeah, he's the school's top scorer every year. Not to mention, he's the captain of the basketball team. His skills are amazing!"
"I wonder what kind of beast talent he'll awaken? It's bound to be something incredible."
"With his record? The lowest he'll get is a B-grade. There's even a chance he could awaken an S-grade talent."
"He's got everything—brains, looks, and talent. How can someone be so perfect?"
Excited whispers spread among the students, but Zephyr remained indifferent. He silently held his place in line, ignoring the admiring glances and murmurs.
It had only been four days since Zephyr arrived in this world, yet he had quickly adapted to his new reality. The initial anxiety of transmigrating into someone else's life had faded, and he was now used to the envious stares his predecessor had earned through sheer brilliance.
In these four days, Zephyr had gained a decent understanding of the world he now inhabited.
This was a realm where beast taming reigned supreme, and life revolved around the partnership between humans and extraordinary creatures.
The history of this world mirrored Earth's until a catastrophic event several centuries ago—a mysterious rift called the Abyss had appeared out of nowhere, unleashing waves of mutations across the continent.
Animals and plants evolved into extraordinary beings with incredible powers. Some could level mountains, summon storms, or manipulate elements, resembling the mythical creatures of Earth's ancient legends.
Humans, however, were pushed off the top of the food chain, their survival threatened as their territories shrank. Amidst the chaos, a new class of warriors rose: the beastmasters. These individuals bonded with extraordinary creatures, using their strength to fight back the mutated threats and rebuild human civilization.
Beastmasters became the backbone of society, shaping the course of history. Their abilities determined their place in the world, and their talents were awakened through a special ceremony before the age of eighteen.
Zephyr's predecessor had been a shining star—an academic genius with unparalleled physical and mental prowess. Teachers, classmates, and even his family had placed sky-high expectations on him.
But despite his predecessor's accomplishments, Zephyr couldn't help feeling a knot of unease. The upcoming awakening ceremony would determine his future. Talent grades ranged from S, the pinnacle of excellence, to F, a complete failure. This single moment would dictate whether he could step onto the path of a beastmaster or remain an ordinary person for the rest of his life.
The ceremony began.
"Year Three, Class Two. First up, Ethan Morris."
Ethan stepped forward. He was an average student with decent athletic abilities. He placed his hand on the awakening device, waiting anxiously. Three long minutes passed, but the device remained silent.
A teacher approached, gently guiding Ethan away.
The result was clear—he had failed to awaken a beast talent. Without this gift, he would graduate early and live the rest of his life as an ordinary person.
The atmosphere grew heavy. The reality of the ceremony's harshness dawned on the students. For many, this was a cruel judgment of fate.
"Next, Lucas Green."
A moment later, the awakening device lit up, displaying a line of text:
"Talent: Flame Enhancement, Grade: D."
The crowd murmured.
"Flame Enhancement grants a boost to fire-type beasts and enhances their strength. Not bad."
Though D-grade wasn't remarkable, Lucas grinned arrogantly, soaking in the scattered applause. His blonde hair seemed to glow brighter with his newfound pride.
The disparity between successes and failures was evident as the ceremony progressed. For some, the path of greatness opened. For others, the door slammed shut.
Finally, it was Zephyr's turn.
"What do you think Zephyr will awaken?"
"It's gotta be at least a B-grade, right?"
"I'm betting on A-grade. Did you hear he mastered the second level of Spirit Refinement? That's unheard of for someone who hasn't even awakened a beast talent yet!"
Spirit Refinement was a meditation technique developed by generations of beastmasters. It enhanced mental strength, which was crucial for forming contracts with extraordinary creatures. Most students barely mastered the first level by the time of their awakening, yet Zephyr had already advanced to the second—a testament to his unparalleled talent.
Even Ms. Harper, his homeroom teacher, watched him with anticipation. In her years of teaching, she had only seen one other student as gifted as Zephyr—a graduate named Adrian Wolfe, who had awakened an A-grade water-based talent and gone on to achieve great success.
Taking a deep breath, Zephyr stepped forward.
Placing his hand on the awakening device, he waited as the room fell silent. Moments later, the device's lights flickered, and a line of text appeared on the screen.
###
Talent: Insight, Rating: F-level.
Insight: You can view the basic information of your beast.
The cold text appeared on the screen, as chilling as the winter wind, making Zephyr feel a coldness spread through him.
F-level was the lowest rank for beast mastery talent. People with F-level talent were considered at the bottom of the beast master class.
In history, no beast master with F-level talent had ever turned their fate around. They were always at the lowest level, forgotten by others.
Suddenly, an uproar broke out around him.
"The genius fell!"
"What a shame, the genius has fallen!"
"Life's fair too, to be honest, right? You gain something, but then you lose something too. He can't have it all."
"Wow, I can't believe it. The school's genius awakened F-level talent. This'll be in the headlines."
"This is crazy. This will break some kind of record."
The students around him were talking, some regretful, some mocking, some sympathetic, others just happy to see the fall of a so-called genius.
Zephyr could feel all the eyes on him, the weight of their gazes. He realized just how full of emotions human eyes could be.
His face alternated between red and blue, his fists clenched tightly.
Life really worked like this—one moment, you feel on top of the world, and the next, you're at the bottom.
"Stay calm, don't let this get to you," Ms. Harper, his homeroom teacher, said as she patted him on the back.
Zephyr nodded stiffly, then walked back to his seat, under the teacher's sympathetic and regretful eyes.
Time passed as the awakening ceremony continued, with some students cheering, others sighing in disappointment.
Soon enough, all the students from the third grade, class 2 had completed their tests.
Led by Ms. Harper, they returned to the classroom.
Zephyr sat quietly at his desk, his expression distant and flat.
It felt like the universe was playing a joke on him. First, no "golden finger" when he traveled through time, and now this—the most useless beast mastery talent, one that was hardly even considered a talent.
"Insight"—what kind of talent was that? It felt like nothing more than a filler.
The era of beast masters had advanced so much that most basic information about beasts could be easily obtained through a smart detection bracelet. For a price, anyone could know everything there was to know about any beast in their possession.
And now, Zephyr's "Insight" talent was nothing more than a glorified version of that bracelet.
It wasn't a true talent at all.
The other students in the class were chatting about the awakening ceremony, with most of the conversation focused on Zephyr. The fall of a "genius" was a juicy topic that couldn't be ignored. Their eyes often wandered to him, whether on purpose or not.
Zephyr knew exactly what they were thinking.
By the end of the day, the entire school would know about his F-level talent. A genius who awakened the most useless of talents—what an irony.
"Hey, genius, what talent did you get?"
"F-level, insight. Just like my smart detection bracelet."
"Wow, truly a genius... you're amazing."
Chris swaggered up to Zephyr's desk, sat on it, and started mocking him.
His group of friends gathered around, joining in on the mocking.
Chris was one of the worst students in class. He came from a wealthy family, and with that came power in the classroom. Zephyr couldn't stand Chris's arrogance, and they'd clashed a few times.
But because Zephyr was known as a genius, Chris never dared to act out too much. Everyone had said Zephyr could become a great beast master, and once he did, he'd rise above everyone. Chris, though arrogant, knew better than to mess with someone with that much potential.
But now the situation had shifted. The so-called genius had fallen, and what could F-level talent do? Chris himself was at D-level, so even without his family's money and power, he was now in a much better position than Zephyr.
Zephyr frowned and glared at Chris, his voice cold. "Get lost."
Chris chuckled and flicked his messy, yellow hair, then picked his nose, wiping the dirt on Zephyr's face as a deliberate insult. He made sure everyone in the class saw it. No one in Class 2 of Grade 3 should be more arrogant than him, in his mind.
Zephyr grabbed Chris's wrist and twisted it harshly.
"Ow! It hurts!" Chris cried out, twisting his body.
Zephyr had been training for years and was the captain of the basketball team, so he was naturally strong.
Taking care of a punk like Chris, who relied only on his family's money, was no challenge at all.
"Why are you all standing there? Do something!" Chris yelled to his friends, urging them to jump in.
Zephyr tightened his grip and shot a cold glare at Chris's friends.
They all hesitated, clearly intimidated. After all, Zephyr had built a solid reputation as a genius who excelled in all areas—morality, intelligence, and physical prowess—and the weight of that reputation still hung over him.
"W-Wait! I'm sorry, okay? Let go of me!" Chris whimpered, tears filling his eyes.
"Get out of here," Zephyr said, finally releasing Chris's wrist. Chris stumbled off the desk, crashing onto the floor.
Chris looked at the red handprints left on his wrist, took a few steps back, and cursed, "Damn it... just wait! Once I get my beast, I'll make you pay. Ouch!"
"You losers!" Chris raged at his friends, walking out while still grumbling.
The entire classroom was dead silent after the incident. No one dared to speak up about Zephyr anymore.
"Alright, everyone, prepare yourselves. We're heading to the breeding base this afternoon," Ms. Harper announced as she walked back into the room.
The students who had awakened their talents cheered.
According to the school's procedure, once a student's beast mastery talent was awakened, they could go to the training base to choose a beast, sign a contract with it, and officially become an apprentice beast master.
The higher the level of a beast mastery talent, the greater the chance of securing a high-level beast. Low-level talents, on the other hand, were more likely to fail in contracting a strong beast.
The school allowed each student three chances to make a contract. If all three attempts failed, they would no longer be able to choose a beast.
There were other ways to obtain beasts. One was by buying them from various beast training bases, but beasts were expensive, and there was no guarantee of success.
The other way was to capture wild beasts from the wild—this method involved weakening the beasts and signing a contract with them. However, it was dangerous, and many novices lost more than they gained in the process.
Beast Training Base.
The students from Class 2 of Grade 3 who had awakened their talents lined up outside, waiting to enter the base.
Zephyr glanced around absentmindedly. Suddenly, his Insight talent triggered without warning.
[Name: Asparagus fern]
[Attribute: Wood]
[Level: Black Iron Level 1]
[Qualification: Black Iron]
[Skills: None]
[Weakness: Fire]
[Evolutionary Path: 2]
[Introduction: Ornamental plant, not aggressive]
"This... this is not Insight!" Zephyr almost cried out in disbelief.
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