Thump... thump... thump...
The sound of a slow but powerful heartbeat echoed in Ryu's ears. His consciousness returned gradually, like ripples spreading across water's surface after a stone had been thrown into it.
His eyes blinked several times, trying to adjust to the sunlight filtering through the green foliage above him.
The scent of damp earth and fresh grass filled his nostrils—so different from the putrid smell of circus animal pens that he last remembered.
"Ugh..." Ryu groaned softly as he tried to sit up. His body felt stiff, as if he had just awakened from an incredibly long sleep.
Yet strangely, he felt refreshed. More refreshed than he had felt in years.
As he sat up and observed his surroundings, the sight before him left him stunned.
He was beneath a massive tree with a trunk so enormous that it would take dozens of people to wrap their arms around it.
In the distance, mountains with mist-shrouded peaks towered high, and what amazed him most—there was something floating in the sky.
Not clouds. Not aircraft. Rather... an island? Floating landmasses with waterfalls cascading down like giant curtains.
"This... this really is a different world," he murmured while struggling to stand.
It was then that memories from before his death began flooding back like a torrential wave. The miserable circus.
Mario's drunkenness. Clara's rampage. The blinding truck headlights. And most importantly...
That system.
As if triggered by his memories, a blue-green glowing panel suddenly appeared before him—not silent like during the soul transfer, but in the form of text he had to read himself.
[BEAST MAIDEN TRAINING SYSTEM - ONLINE]
[Welcome back, Master Ryuunosuke Ryu!]
[Reincarnation process has been successfully completed. You are now in the World of Beastoria—a realm where magic, monsters, and Beast Maidens coexist in fragile harmony.]
Ryu rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't hallucinating. The panel was still there, becoming even clearer.
[CURRENT HOST STATUS:]
[Name: Ryuunosuke Ryu]
[Level: 00]
[Body: Prime Condition]
[Ability: Beast Maiden Training]
[Bonded Beast Maidens: 0/5]
"Beast Maiden... bonded?" Ryu muttered while touching the panel, which turned out to be solid despite being translucent.
The panel changed, displaying new information:
[BASIC SYSTEM EXPLANATION]
[The Beast Maiden Training System allows you to:]
[Identify Beast Maidens - Ability to see their statistics, potential, and psychological condition]
[Train with Maximum Efficiency - Each training session provides results 500% more effective]
[Form Beast Bonds - Spiritual connections that enhance both parties' strength]
[Access Beast Arsenal - Special weapons and equipment to support training]
[IMPORTANT: You can have a maximum of 5 Beast Maidens as permanent partners. Choose wisely - these bonds are permanent and will affect your destiny in this world.]
Ryu read carefully, his feelings a mixture of wonder and anxiety. Five Beast Maidens... that meant he only had five chances to build his best team.
"What is this... why does it feel like I'm inside a game?" Ryu held his chin.
"If I remember correctly, I used to play some games about catching monsters and keeping them as pets..."
"Chest Monster. Chemon, I think it was called...? Where you release a chest to unleash monsters you've caught for battles..."
"But you don't have to battle them since you can still raise them with love and care."
Ryu talked to himself while staring at the screen with a confused expression, still processing everything around him.
"Wait," he said while sliding the panel.
"Beast Arsenal?"
[BEAST ARSENAL - UNLOCKED]
[Your Starter Weapon:]
[Whip of Dominion - A mystical whip that can extend up to 50 meters and has special abilities to provide "shock training" that maximizes Beast Maiden learning without harming them.]
[Special Abilities:]
[Training Acceleration (increases learning speed 3x)]
[Beast Calm (soothes rampaging Beast Maidens)]
[Combat Support (provides buffs to Beast Maidens during battle)]
Suddenly, a whip with a black leather-wrapped handle and golden gleaming cord appeared in his right hand.
As Ryu gripped it, he felt a warm energy flow throughout his entire body.
"Incredible..." he whispered. The whip felt like an extension of his own hand.
The panel changed again, this time displaying a simple map with a blinking red dot.
[FIRST QUEST - TUTORIAL]
["Find Your First Beast Maiden"]
[Around this location, there is a Beast Maiden who needs help. Save her and make her your first partner.]
[Distance: 800 meters northeast]
[Difficulty Level: F (Beginner)]
[Reward: Beast Bond with first partner + 500 EXP]
[Tips: Beast Maidens often distrust humans due to past trauma. Show your sincerity, not your strength.]
Ryu closed the panel with a hand gesture, but the location information remained visible like a small compass in the corner of his vision.
"Isn't there a more detailed status about myself or something?"
[INFORMATION:]
[Since your reincarnation directly possessed someone's body without family, all their previous status has been automatically replaced.]
[The system has already given you a prime physical condition and a whip that can be used for self-defense. Magic shouldn't be a concern once you have a Beast Maiden.]
[Not everyone has a system because they are only blessed with Mana, which is naturally the energy source for magic they can use.]
[That's what makes the world of Beastoria rich in all aspects since everyone has their own expertise.]
"I..."
[Level 00 means Infinity. You don't need to do leveling or anything like that, just focus on your Beast Maidens.]
[Alright, stop asking so many questions! You should enjoy this second chance by looking at beautiful Beast Maidens!]
[Yes, you can have sex with them]
Ryu wore an annoyed expression when he realized his system could read his thoughts without him having to speak them directly.
"What the hell was that last piece of information!? There's no way I'd do that with animals or monsters, you're so messed up!" Ryu shouted.
Ryu now understood that he had truly been blessed with luck for the first time in this new world.
He stood upright and stretched his body, which felt more energized than before. The air in this world felt different—fresher, full of something he couldn't explain. Perhaps... magic?
"Alright," he said while slinging the Whip of Dominion at his waist.
"If this is my second chance, then I won't waste it."
He began walking northeast, following the system's compass guidance. Each step felt light, as if gravity in this world was slightly different.
In the distance, he could hear strange sounds—roars unlike earthly animals, bird songs with tones almost like melodies.
"First Beast Maiden..." he murmured while continuing to walk.
"I wonder what she'll be like..."
What he didn't know was that not far from his location, a girl with dragon-wolf horns and tail was trapped in a temple belonging to a sect that ensnared mystical Beast Maidens, her body covered in wounds and her eyes filled with deep fear.
And in just a few minutes, a meeting that would change both their fates was about to occur.
...
...
Ryu walked through the forest with careful steps, his eyes constantly observing his surroundings. The trees in this world were much larger and lusher than any he had ever seen, with foliage that shimmered silver when touched by sunlight.
"My body feels strange," he muttered while stretching both arms.
"Lighter? But also stronger."
Curiosity began to tickle him. In the old world, his body was indeed quite muscular from years of training circus animals and doing heavy physical work.
But now, there was something different—the energy flowing through his muscles felt more concentrated.
He stopped in front of a tree with a trunk as thick as an adult's waist.
"Maybe I can try..." he whispered while clenching his right fist.
THUD!
His punch hit the tree trunk with a thunderous sound. What happened next made Ryu's eyes widen—the tree trunk cracked until it was nearly severed, and his own body was thrown backward at incredible speed.
"UWAAAAH!" he screamed while flying through the air for dozens of meters before finally landing with a roll on the mossy ground.
Ryu sat with a completely shocked expression, staring at his own hand which was still trembling.
"W-what is this...?" he muttered.
"My strength... this isn't normal!"
He got up and approached the nearly fallen tree again. Deep cracks split its trunk, oozing golden sap that dripped slowly.
"The system said my body was prime, but this..." Ryu shook his head.
"This already surpasses normal humans!"
A rumbling sound suddenly came from the northeast direction—exactly toward his destination. Followed by screams that sounded desperate.
"That must be the Beast Maiden the system mentioned!" he said while immediately running toward the sound.
But before he could run far, something leaped out from the bushes in front of him.
GRAAAWWWRRRR!
A bear-sized monster with jet-black fur and glowing red eyes blocked his path.
Its rows of sharp teeth gleamed, while its claws dug into the ground viciously.
"Shadow Beast!" Ryu immediately recognized the creature from the information panel that automatically appeared before him.
[SHADOW BEAST - LEVEL 15]
[STRENGTH: B | SPEED: C | DEFENSE: B]
[WEAKNESS: Light Magic, Consecutive Attacks]
[STATUS: Aggressive - Protecting Territory]
The Shadow Beast immediately attacked, its sharp claws slashing toward Ryu's head.
But reflexes honed from years of training animals made Ryu instantly dodge while pulling the Whip of Dominion from his waist.
CRACK!
The golden whip flew through the air with a sharp sound. Ryu immediately felt the difference—this whip was not only lighter but also seemed to have a life of its own, following every movement of his hand perfectly.
"In that case..." Ryu muttered while swinging his whip in a circular motion.
SNAP! CRACK!
The tip of the whip hit the Shadow Beast's side with perfect accuracy. The monster howled in pain while being thrown several meters, its fur where the whip struck emitting thin smoke.
"Let's see if I can use this for combat...?"
"Training Acceleration!" Ryu called out while activating his whip's ability.
Suddenly, the Shadow Beast's movements became slower—not because the monster was weakening, but because Ryu's time perception had increased drastically.
He could see every movement of the monster clearly, as if watching a video in slow motion.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Three consecutive whip attacks hit the monster with surgical precision. The Shadow Beast tried to get up, but the Beast Calm ability from the whip gradually calmed its aggression.
The monster finally retreated several steps, its glowing red eyes now looking confused and no longer threatening.
"Go," Ryu said in a firm but not cruel tone.
"I don't want to hurt you more than this."
The Shadow Beast stared at him for a moment, then ran away into the forest with its tail between its legs.
Ryu took a deep breath while slinging his whip back.
"Incredible..." he whispered.
"This whip really is like an extension of my body. And that Training Acceleration ability... like bullet time in action movies."
Screams from the northeast were heard again, this time clearer and full of panic.
"No time to marvel at my own strength," he said while running again.
"Someone needs help!"
This time Ryu ran at full speed, and he was surprised to find that he could run as fast as an Olympic athlete without feeling tired at all.
The trees around him passed by quickly, and he could even jump over large roots or blocking stones with ease.
"This body... really is prime," he muttered while continuing to run.
"Not only strong, but also fast and enduring."
When he leaped over a small ravine nearly five meters wide—something impossible for normal humans—Ryu finally truly realized that he was no longer an ordinary human.
"The system wasn't joking when it said it gave me a prime body," he said while landing smoothly on the other side of the ravine.
"This is already in the superhuman category!"
The small compass in the corner of his eye showed that he was getting closer to his destination.
Strange sounds began to be heard—like discordant ritual chanting, mixed with the sound of clashing metal and desperate screams.
And when Ryu finally reached a small hill overlooking the valley below, the sight he saw made his blood boil.
In the middle of the valley stood an ancient temple surrounded by black-hooded worshippers.
In their midst, bound to a stone altar, was an enormous dragon that made Ryu stare in shock.
His first Beast Maiden.
"That's a Beast Maiden...? Turns out it's just an ordinary dragon with a large body and golden skin..."
Ryu saw them preparing to do something very bad to her.
[The Anti-Beast Maiden Sect is a sect that wants to eliminate all Beast Maidens in the world of Beastoria. They perform that ritual to gain power from the Beast Maiden when they succeed in killing her.]
[Although there are some Beast Maidens who already have Trainers, they will still kill them when the Trainer doesn't pay proper attention to their Beast Maiden.]
"I see... A heretical sect..." Ryu growled while clenching his fists.
"They dare to torture Beast Maidens!"
The whip at his waist vibrated on its own, as if sensing its master's anger.
It was time for his first rescue action in this new world.