"Zane… you're next."
I pushed myself off the sidelines and stepped forward, moving toward the crystal stone through the gap between the students.
When I finally reached the place where I would obtain my guardian beast, I looked at the teacher.
He didn't even glance at me. Instead, he said indifferently, "Just touch the crystal and you'll awaken your beast. But don't set your expectations too high, you've already seen how many students failed today."
I nodded.
The truth was, I wasn't hoping for anything extraordinary. I just wanted an A-rank or a B-rank beast—enough to avoid falling to the bottom of society.
I touched the crystal.
Brilliant light erupted across the field once again, much like Arlen's awakening.
Everyone turned to look at me, eyes wide, suddenly expecting something divine.
Principal Victor stood up immediately, staring at Zane, now surrounded by blinding light.
He leaned toward his assistant and spoke urgently.
"Get me everything you can on this student. Now."
The representatives from other schools, who had been watching the ceremony from beginning to end, fell silent for the third time that day.
The first time had been when Theron summoned his S-rank Lightning Phoenix and successfully formed a contract.
Something that hadn't happened in Rainfall City for three years.
The second time was when a seemingly ordinary student awakened a Divine talent and an SSS-rank Valkyrie as his guardian beast.
They had nearly choked on the spot. Never before had an SSS-rank beast appeared in their country for ten years, let alone from this city.
And now…
Another student stood on the stage, surrounded by the same brilliant light as the one who had summoned the Valkyrie.
They didn't know what to think.
They had come here fully prepared to mock Principal Victor again, just like in past years, because his school had never produced geniuses of this caliber.
But before they could even open their mouths…
They were humbled into silence.
The principal glanced through Zane's files and said nothing for a long moment.
"…Nothing remarkable," he muttered. "No lineage. No wealth."
He shut the folder and sat back down.
"Should I start recruiting more orphans from next year?" he murmured quietly.
The brilliant light slowly faded.
Zane stood alone on the field.
There was nothing beside him.
Murmurs immediately spread through the crowd.
"Did he fail?"
"I knew it… there wouldn't be another genius from our school."
"For a moment, I thought he'd get a humanoid beast too."
The crystal stone flickered, then displayed its verdict.
Talent: Common
Laughter broke out.
"Hah… of course."
"Another common talent."
"So that light was just for show."
"Just step down already."
Even the teacher looked disappointed.
But then the crystal pulsed again.
Another line appeared beneath the first.
Beast Rank: SSS-Rank — Cyborg Wife
The laughter died instantly.
The air shifted.
A figure formed beside Zane, slowly taking shape.
A girl appeared beside him, long black hair flowing down her back, eyes glowing bloody red.
Her figure was slender and perfect. Her arms and legs were made of sleek black metal while the rest of her body was human.
No one spoke.
Everyone stared.
"W-what just happened…?" someone whispered.
"That's… not how it's supposed to work."
"Wasn't he meant to get a D-rank?"
A moment later, a quiet voice broke the silence.
"…But can he even control something like that?"
Everyone looked at the cyborg girl like she was prey.
Zane had common talent for beast taming, and the guardian beast next to him was SSS-rank—the hardest beast to tame.
Surely, he could not control this, right?
If someone actually managed to control this thing, their future would be brighter than anyone else in the world.
Most interested in this SSS-rank beast?
Theron, who already had an S-rank Lightning Phoenix.
"Haa ha ha… heavens are favoring me," he muttered under his breath.
"First I got an S-rank beast, I thought I was the best in this city. Then that trash Arlen awakens SSS-rank Valkyrie and steals the spotlight. Even my father is staring at him. But now… this common trash talent got this and he can't even tame his beast. Hah! Finally, I can get revenge on Arlen for that humiliation. Hah ah ah."
He grinned, eyes glinting. "Let's go make an offer to this trash."
I looked at the cyborg beside me. Cute… even if half mechanical.
Wait, no, no, no—stop. Beast. Not human. Stop thinking impure thoughts.
Back to business. I said I wanted to be middle… didn't mean it like this.
I went through ranks in my head:
Talent:
Common — now my rank
Rare
Unique
Epic — I wanted to be here
Legendary — Theron
Mythic
Divine — Arlen
Beast Rank:
D
C
B
A — I wanted it to be here
S — Lightning Phoenix
SS
SSS — Cyborg Wife (Valkyrie) — but she got there instead.
If I add my bottom talent and my beast's top rank, divide by two… yeah, that's middle.
Perfect. Got what I wanted. Yeah, I got what I wanted, so… let's enjoy this cyborg wife—no, I mean beast… no, no, not enjoy, use it to protect myself, right, this is correct.
Then a voice from behind: "Hey, you trash."
I turned my head.
Theron. Young master of some family I already forgot.
Obvious what he wants. I'm common trash in their eyes, but my beast? Divine gift.
"What?" I said flatly.
Theron's face twisted. "What did you just say—"
Then he remembered his goal, forced a smile. "No, you're lucky… very lucky."
I cut him off mid-sentence. "So?"
This bastard… I'll get him later. Calm down, Theron.
He breathed, got serious. "Okay, let's not waste time. You got lucky. SSS-rank guardian beast, but common talent. You can't tame her, so… sell her to me."
The moment Theron spoke, the crowd went silent… then buzzed.
"Wow… he's quick," someone whispered.
"Seriously… who even says that out loud?"
"Ha! He's trying to snatch the beast before anyone else even reacts."
"No, I don't want to ". I said flatly to his face again.
In this country, Valdoria, if my memory is correct, beast masters have one week to try to tame the beast they summon.
Nobody can interfere. If the beast master can't tame it in one week, they can sell it or give it away.
If they still try to tame it, the government intervenes with high-rank summons (above A-rank) and gives it to the highest-talented geniuses.
So he could do nothing to me for a week. If I could not tame this, I could sell it for a high price and live my life happily.
Arlen, who was watching nearby, looked at the cyborg wife standing still and thought: system…
A semi-transparent attributes panel appeared before his eyes.
[Cyborg Wife (Not Named)]
[Status: Uncontracted]
[Level: 1 (Exp: 0/1000)]
[Type: Humanoid Beast / Mechanical Hybrid]
[Rank: SSS]
[Element: Energy / Plasma ]
[Gender: Female]
[Height: 1.6 m]
[Weight: 75 kg (mostly mechanical limbs)]
Control Difficulty: ★★★★★ (Extreme)
─────────────────────────────
STATS (Level 1):
Strength: 90
Intelligence: 100
Agility: 90
Endurance: 90
Energy (Mana?): 300
─────────────────────────────
SKILLS & ABILITIES:
Ranged Assault — Fires built-in projectile attacks from mechanical limbs.
Adaptive Protection — Automatic defensive maneuvers and energy shields.
Guardian Instinct — Prioritizes master's safety; can act autonomously.
Ultra Attack — Concentrated energy blast from mechanical hands, consuming 90% of total energy; capable of obliterating medium to long-range targets, similar to a plasma cannon.
The system… it was something he awakened along with Valkyrie.
A cheat code nobody else in this world had.
The moment he touched that stone, his life at the bottom of the school ended. Nobody could order him around anymore.
And in ten years… in the whole country, he would be a genius so unmatched that there wouldn't be anyone to share this greatness with.
And this… common trash was in the way. He had to do something.
Why doesn't he take this beast? With two SSS ranks… he could become the god of beast masters.
Then he looked at his own guardian beast, the Valkyra.
[Valkyra: Veyra]
[Status: Contracted]
[Level: 1 (Exp: 0/1000)]
[Type: Humanoid Beast / Winged Valkyrie]
[Rank: SSS]
[Element: Light / Celestial]
[Gender: Female]
[Height: 1.75 m]
[Weight: 65 kg]
Control Difficulty: ★★★★★ (Extreme)
─────────────────────────────
STATS (Level 1):
Strength: 95
Intelligence: 75
Agility: 105
Endurance: 100
Mana: 280
─────────────────────────────
SKILLS & ABILITIES:
Celestial Slash — High-speed slashes infused with light energy.
Radiant Wings — Flight at extreme speeds and aerial attacks.
Guardian Aura — Passive shield boosting defense and resistance of master and nearby allies.
Divine Judgment — Fires a concentrated beam of celestial energy from wings, consuming 80% of total energy.
Arlen looked at the SSS-rank beasts' status and thought. Both of them were SSS-rank. If he compared them, both of them had four skills.
But in his mind, his Valkyra was stronger in combat, while the Cyborg Wife's intelligence was far superior.
"Can someone… even tame this?" he muttered under his breath.
Ha. No one here could tame this beast… eventually, it would be his.
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