Information appeared before his eyes.
***
[Name]: Mysterious Egg
[Species]: Abyssal Dragon
[Grade]: Forbidden
[Attributes]: Darkness, Abyss, Destruction
[Description]: Once a pure-blooded royal dragon, this creature's fate was altered when it fell into the abyss—a bottomless void where the laws of nature twist into chaos. Corrupted by the abyss' malevolent energy, it slowly evolved into an entirely new species that embodies extreme destruction and despair.
[Name]: Mysterious Egg 2
[Species]: Infernal Sun Lion
[Grade]: Forbidden
[Attributes]: Fire, Light
[Description]: A descendant of the legendary Hundred Suns Sovereign, this creature was born in the universe's most extreme flames. Bathed in infernal heat from birth, its flaming origin rivals the sun itself. At maturity, its flames surpass even the Phoenix's nirvanic fire, making it untouchable by lesser flames.
[Name]: Mysterious Egg 3
[Species]: Sky Devouring Crocodile
[Grade]: Forbidden
[Attributes]: Water, Space, Earth
[Description]: From a realm where massive predators rule, the Sky Devouring Crocodile is the apex devourer, feared across countless worlds. With an insatiable hunger, it can bite through anything, swallowing entire skies and worlds with ease. Its existence represents the a never ending hunger and gluttony that dwells in the universe.
***
"All of these are… forbidden beasts!?"
Victor's pupils dilated. Although he expected the reward to be good, he didn't think it would be at this level!
Magical beasts were classified into six grades of rarity: Common, Rare, Sky, Earth, Heaven, and Forbidden.
For most beast-tamers, forbidden-grade beasts were nothing more than a myth, a title reserved for only the most godlike creatures in existence.
Heaven-grade was the official highest grade of rarity one can tame, anything above it were mere fantasies or can't be tamed at all.
… But it seems the official highest grade will be replaced at this moment.
Victor was speechless before recovering quickly.
Right now, he had three of possibly the rarest beasts in the world right in front of him.
But he can only pick one.
He read through each of the eggs information carefully and fell into a dilemma.
'… Each of them are good, insanely good.'
Picking just one made his heart ache, as if he's abandoning the other two. He looked at Mirage with regret.
"… Can't I have them all?"
[No, only one. The Ancient Gate is absolute.]
Mirage shook his head emotionlessly, ignoring Victor's regretful gaze. He continued.
[Even if you can have them all, you can only tame and raise one of them with your current strength, don't be foolish.]
Hearing that, Victor suddenly realized a crucial fact. Beasts weren't items, they were living beings that needed to trained and nourished to properly develop.
Forget about three beasts, he probably didn't even have enough resources for one forbidden-grade beast.
Moreover, he only had one core awakened and it was a low Jade-quality core, it can't even carry a heaven-grade beast, much less a forbidden-grade beast.
He suddenly realized his foolishness.
'… It seems like even if I have one of them right now, I can't even tame them with my current talent.'
Victor thought while looking at the eggs. He suddenly lost all the excitement he had.
For the current him, these were things he can just hold and admire at from time to time.
What was the point then?
[When I said you can't raise more than one, I'm not talking about your resources or talent…]
Mirage reminded, sensing a misunderstanding. That made Victor's heart skip a beat.
[Rather, it's impossible to have more than one Forbidden-grade beast in a single core.]
"Explain. Now."
Victor narrowed his eyes. Mirage obliged.
[Forbidden-grade beasts are unique and domineering in nature, they won't tolerate another forbidden-grade beast living in their turf. It's like how two rulers cannot coexist in the same kingdom.]
Mirage added.
[However, for beasts lower than forbidden-grade… it's fine as long as their attributes are not conflicting. But forbidden-grade beasts would just fight and kill each other no matter the circumstances.]
"I see… "
Victor nodded. In other words, his current strength was not enough… he had to be atleast Three Cores cultivation realm to tame all three.
However, he was still puzzled about something. He was about to ask, but Mirage got ahead of him to explain.
[Moreover, there's no need to worry about the resources and talent. The Ancient Gate would naturally provide those for you, in exchange of a special condition.]
Mirage saw Victor's eyes widen and smiled.
[When I said that there's something good waiting for you, I didn't mean just these eggs… one of the Ancient Gate's core functions was just unlocked a while ago.]
Core functions!
[That function is called Realm Grounds. This will help you increase your talent and nourish your beasts. Try visiting them once in a while to understand what I mean.]
Victor didn't show any reaction just yet. Although he was tempted by the rewards, his attention was on elsewhere.
"Condition?"
[That's right.]
Mirage replied calmly.
[You need to provide a special type of energy called 'World Origin' to the Ancient Gate. Don't worry about where to locate them, I can help you sense them…]
"No, tell me what are its characteristics. Or better yet, tell me the method of sensing it."
Victor immediately rejected Mirage's proposal. Part of their contract is him not allowing Mirage to see anything or manifest in reality without his permission.
[Alright…]
Mirage sighed, rubbing his paws to his head. It was unfortunate, but his master was too untrusting…
[I'll tell you them later. It's best you pick one of the eggs first.]
"What do you recommend?"
Victor nodded and asked. Since he had a hard time choosing, then he might as well ask the old wolf for advice.
[If we're talking about potential, the Abyssal Dragon is at first place, but it's the hardest one to raise. In terms of strength, the Infernal Sun Lion has the slight edge against the others but training it is a hassle. While the Sky Devouring Crocodile is the safest and best option, it's weaker in potential and strength.]
"Go on."
Victor nodded, listening carefully. This was something that he can't get with the Ancient Eye: wisdom and experience.
[But in reality, you can pick any of them and they'll still be good. Pick the one that's most compatible with your cultivation manual.]
Mirage explained.
"The one most compatible…"
Victor pondered for a moment. Something that Professor Anastasia didn't mention, some higher level cultivation manuals gave awakened cores extra attributes.
The [Ancient God of Shadowing Skies] gave his core darkness and shadow attributes, making it extremely compatible with magical beasts of the same attribute.
For example, a beast with a shadow attribute would be boosted in potential, strength, and training speed when placed in his core.
"It's decided then, you're the one I'm picking."
"Abyssal Dragon."