By the time the two completed their contract and left Beastbond Trading House to return home, it was already dusk.
Aster Grant pushed open the door, and a familiar figure made him freeze on the spot.
"Sis?"
Chloe Grant turned her head at the sound, her chestnut ponytail drawing a beautiful arc in the air.
"Little Aster, you're back?" She waved with a smile, "Come, let's eat."
Ever since Chloe Grant was accepted into Aegis Academy, the siblings hadn't seen each other for six months.
At the dinner table.
"Sis, why did you come back so suddenly?"
"I took on a mission in Lythos and happened to pass by, so I came back to see you."
Her gaze landed on Lazuli, who was sitting upright, with a hint of curiosity in her eyes, "Is this your Beastbond?"
At that moment, the little girl straightened her back, placing her hands neatly on her knees.
Hearing Chloe Grant's question, she suddenly gave a standard ninety-degree bow, her forehead banging against the table.
"Hello, esteemed sister!"
Chloe Grant was startled at first, then burst into laughter at the cute gesture; "No need to be so formal, from now on, we're family."
Lazuli then lifted her head, her small face turning red, nodding repeatedly like a pecking chick.
The laughter gradually subsided, and Chloe Grant's expression became serious.
She put down her chopsticks and locked eyes with Aster Grant:
"Little Aster, you must seize the opportunity of tomorrow's Novice Trial Space."
"The military has isolated a safe area in the Alternate Space, where at most there are 5th Rank Demons, this is the best opportunity for newcomers."
"And the Novice Trial can only be entered once; it's the only buffer period the military provides."
Aster Grant nodded silently.
Once inside the real Alternate Space, even a Commander Level Beast Tamer might face peril.
This world's levels are divided into:
Awakening, Transcendent, Commander, Monarch... each major level is further divided into ten sub-ranks.
Now, he was just standing at the very bottom of the Awakening Level, so he needed to be extremely cautious.
Seizing all opportunities to grow quickly was his primary mission at the moment.
The meal ended hastily amid Chloe Grant's reminders.
With a mission to tend to, Chloe Grant didn't stay long; this time, she only took a few hours off to come back and see.
Seeing her brother was doing well put her mind at ease.
...
In no time, it was the next day.
The entrance to the Novice Trial Space was bustling with excitement.
Countless students gathered here, either seeking team-ups or looking for someone strong to rely on.
Although it's the Novice Trial Space, even a small mistake could cost one's life.
Therefore, for commoners, teaming up was the best choice.
"Looking for an output-type Beastbond; our team is four and missing one!"
"Is there any expert willing to take me along? I have a healing-type Beastbond, and I'm a sweet girl with a 36D; I promise to be obedient once in the Trial Space!"
"Whoa? A humanoid Beastbond... where did this expert come from? Quick... form a team!"
A humanoid Beastbond signified formidable combat power. Aster Grant entered with Lazuli, instantly drawing countless gazes.
But soon, the crowd understood the identity of this humanoid Beastbond.
"Isn't that Aster Grant? Didn't he sell his summoned humanoid Beastbond to The Cheneys? Where did the humanoid Beastbond beside him now come from?"
"I remember, this Beastbond was summoned at the altar last year; she's supposed to be useless!"
"Contracting a Beastbond that can't level up at all, does this mean he has completely given up?"
Now, no one dared to come ask to form a team; they all distanced themselves a bit from him.
A team with a useless Beastbond was just asking for trouble, wasn't it?
This made Aster Grant rather pleased instead.
The entrance to the Novice Trial was crowded with people, and someone like him, arriving late, couldn't even push through.
Now, it was fine; the crowd automatically parted, leaving the path ahead unimpeded.
Under the gaze of everyone, Aster Grant calmly walked to the entrance.
"He really is a weirdo..."
"Judging by his stance, is he planning to not team up and enter the Trial Space alone?"
"Isn't he just courting death?"
Aster Grant completely ignored others' whispers, just as he intended to register with Lazuli to enter the Trial Space.
Suddenly, a sarcastic voice chimed in from behind:
"Yo~ isn't this who I think it is?"
Mason Cheney walked over slowly, holding a Succubus, and deliberately rubbed his temples, pretending to be in thought.
"Who again... Aster... Aster what?"
The Succubus in his arms immediately caught on and chimed in coquettishly:
"Master, he's called Aster Grant~"
"Ah, right, right! Aster Grant!"
Mason Cheney exaggeratedly slapped his forehead, a contemptuous glint flashing in his eyes.
"Speaking of which, I really have to thank you; if it weren't for your 'generous offer,' how could I contract such an excellent Beastbond?" As he spoke, he pinched the Succubus's waist with force.
"Mmm... Master..."
The Succubus let out a coy moan, though she rolled her eyes secretly, she quickly replaced it with a flattering smile,
"Only by following a genius like you, can I truly realize my value."
The people around saw this and began to echo:
"How can a commoner compare to Young Master Cheney? An Epic Level Beastbond can definitely exert immense utility in Young Master Cheney's hands."
"Moreover, now that he's contracted a useless Beastbond, he stands even less chance against Young Master Cheney!"
"Yeah, like this trial, Young Master Cheney will undoubtedly blaze ahead, taking first place."
The Novice Trial Space, a special training ground on which the military spent a fortune, was much more than a simple leveling place.
All the Demonic Beasts placed inside were implanted with special markers; each time a trialist successfully killed one, corresponding points would automatically accumulate.
Outside the Trial Space, the military had set up a sophisticated monitoring system to track each trialist's point changes in real-time.
This system not only recorded final results but also assessed trialists' combat talent and growth potential through their rate of point acquisition.
The information collected would be entirely included in the system for final evaluation in the college entrance examination.
And Aster Grant, with a calm expression, watched Mason Cheney and his entourage's performance, even holding a faintly present smile at the corner of his mouth.
When a person's strength significantly exceeds that of others, they can face mockery with equanimity.
It's only the weak who would be angered by mere insults.
Evidently, Aster Grant, who had contracted a Legendary Level Beastbond, was no weakling.
However.
Beside him, the little girl shook with anger, gritting her silver teeth, her pink fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white, looking ready to charge forward and argue...
"Lazuli." Aster Grant quickly reached out to stop her.
"The most important thing now is the Novice Trial, don't let them affect your mindset."
Lazuli looked up into Aster Grant's eyes, calm as still water, the raging fire in her chest gradually subsided.
She took a deep breath and nodded heavily.
But in her heart, she swore silently that she would give her all in the coming events.
She must make these people understand that her master is the number one.
The real number one!
...
...