"No way!"
"Am I seeing things right? Nine professional light groups? Nine?!"
"Hold up… let me count again. One, two, three… Yep, still nine!"
"Wait, does that mean Ethan's talent is stronger than Lily Winters'?"
"This is insane. I've never heard of this. In the entire history of Blue Star, no one's ever had nine options!"
"We'd be lucky to get just one profession, but this guy? He gets nine?!"
"I'm tired. Let's just give up. This is peak talent. We can't even compete."
The audience was buzzing. Even the instructors and supervisors were whispering among themselves. No one could hide their shock.
Ethan had just become the center of attention.
Even Lily Winters, who had previously walked off stage after selecting her own elite path, was pulled back by the overwhelming radiance from Ethan's job transfer circle.
She glanced up briefly, her eyes showing a hint of surprise. But soon, she calmly turned back to her sword, practicing gentle swings as she reviewed the new abilities she had just acquired.
Mr. Cole—still standing on the stage—was stunned.
How could this kid have such monstrous talent?
And worse… he seems to be looking at me with hostility…
Mr. Cole frowned. Wait, is this because I mocked the principal earlier? Is this some kind of payback glare?
Ethan wasn't just strong—he was clearly annoyed.
Mr. Cole swallowed.
I'm just an A-rank professional… if Ethan really holds a grudge, and he's an SS-rank or higher… I might be in trouble.
It was widely known that the difference between A and SS-level talent was huge—and not just in terms of rarity.
Each talent tier affected a person's attribute growth during level-ups. For example:
Talent Tier Attribute Points per Level
E 1
D 2
C 3
B 4
A 5
S 10
SS 20
SSS 40
A-rank talents gained 5 points per level.
SS-rank talents gained 20.
That's four times the growth!
And this was just for the first advancement. With each future breakthrough, the difference would become even more ridiculous.
At that moment, Mr. Cole could only think of one thing:
How angry is this Ethan kid at me, exactly?
If it's just mild dislike, maybe I'll be forgotten by next semester… but if he's really holding a grudge…
But then he glanced at Ethan again—who was currently scratching his head, looking overwhelmed.
Mr. Cole snorted.
"Heh. Maybe I'm overthinking this. He doesn't look dangerous—he looks confused."
Have I been cooped up doing paperwork for too long? Losing my edge? Afraid of a student?
He shook his head, laughing at himself.
Even if Ethan is an SS-level monster, so what? Blue Star has a population in the tens of billions. Every year, the Dragon Kingdom produces at least 80 SS-level talents.
How many of them truly rise to the top? Very few.
Most fall in early raids or die fighting against alien invaders.
Maybe this Ethan won't even survive his first dungeon.
Chuckling, Mr. Cole looked away—just in time to see Ethan make his choice.
He picked the smallest light group.
"…Huh?"
Mr. Cole blinked. Of all the nine options… he picked the smallest one?
Then came the announcement:
"Ethan has chosen the class: Beast Master. Talent: S-Rank."
A brief silence followed.
S-rank? Beast Master?
The murmurs started again.
Mr. Cole almost burst out laughing. An S-rank? Not even SS?
So much for all that tension!
The difference in attributes between A-rank and S-rank was just double, and with how long it takes to advance in rank, Ethan wouldn't surpass him for years.
And by then, I'll already be promoted, Mr. Cole thought smugly, sneaking another glance toward Lily Winters.
If anyone could help his career, it was her, not this Beast Master.
Then, without holding back, Mr. Cole turned to the principal of No. 3 Middle School—his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Your school's really something. First Charles chooses to be a blacksmith—gives up on combat. Now Ethan has nine SS-rank choices and picks an S-rank Beast Master instead?"
"Do you teach your students to run away from danger? What are you training them for—farming?"
"You could've had two SS-rank elites, but your own education system wasted one. And now you want more resource shares? Ridiculous."
The words cut deep.
Normally, the principal would've responded with calm wisdom—but this time, he stayed silent.
Because deep down… it stung.
The word "Beast Master" had struck a personal chord.
The principal himself had once been a proud Beast Master.
Back in his prime, he had soared across battlefields with his summoned beasts, commanding armies and inspiring legends.
But that was a long time ago.
Now, he was just a tired old man running a local school.
He remembered the many times he had shared stories with a young Ethan—bragging about his glorious past. At first, Ethan had listened wide-eyed. Later, it had become routine background noise.
Did he… choose this class for me? the principal wondered.
Did he give up those other professions just because of what I meant to him?
His heart ached.
Just then, a strong voice cut through the tension.
"Hey. What I choose has nothing to do with you."
It was Ethan.
He had been in a good mood a moment ago, proud of his new power. But then he heard Mr. Cole's insults.
The principal might be calm, but Ethan wasn't.
And when Mr. Cole saw the boy speak up, he narrowed his eyes.
"You dare talk back?" Mr. Cole growled, raising his enchanted gold staff, preparing to give Ethan a lesson in humility.
But before he could act—a pulse of terrifying energy surged beside him.
It came from the principal, whose smiling face vanished in an instant.
His aura was sharp, ancient, and incredibly powerful, like a sealed dragon awakening just for a second.
Then—just as quickly—it disappeared.
Mr. Cole froze.
The principal returned to his calm self, smiling once more.
"Ethan is still young. Please forgive him. I'll talk to him later."
He turned to Ethan with a soft but firm look in his eyes.
Seeing that, Ethan nodded and walked off stage without saying another word. He didn't want the principal to bow any further for his sake.
But as he stepped down, he made a silent note:
He would never forget Mr. Cole's ridicule.
---
Back in the seating area, Ethan finally opened his job window.
> Class: Beast Master
Talent: S-Rank – Beastmaster's Heart
> "Increases bond with summoned creatures. Summons level up 60% faster.
Attribute Bonus: +100% to all stats. Summoned beasts gain +100% to all four core attributes."
Not bad, he thought. Not top-tier… but still strong.
But that wasn't what made him happy.
As he scrolled further down the interface, two hidden lines of text appeared:
> "Special Reward: SSS-Level Talent Gift Package unlocked."
"Grants one random SSS-Talent every 10 levels."
Ethan grinned.
This wasn't an ordinary Beast Master.
He had made the best possible choice.
---
End of Chapter 4