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Chapter 3 - System Online

Griffin pulled his old laptop closer, the GRMA digital catalog glowing on the screen as he scrolled through information about the Beast Tamer Class.

The Beast Tamer Class wasn't just unpopular; it was a pariah. Forum posts and GRMA viability reports all used the same words: "lowest success rate," "highest resource drain," "statistical dead end." It was considered the single least favorable Class a Walker could awaken.

Frustrated, he navigated to the official classification system. The GRMA sorted all Classes into five Categories: Martial, Mage, Summoning, Spirit, and Support. His eyes scanned the list, stopping at the Summoning Category and his own, the Beast Tamer.

"Why is it here?" he wondered. It made no sense; shouldn't a Tamer be Support?

His fingers flew over the keyboard as he dug deeper; finally, he found a report that explained the GRMA's brutal logic: "Classification is based on combat role, not origin of ability." The report stated that if the primary source of a Walker's damage and defense comes from external units they control, they belong in the Summoning Category.

A Summoner summons or manifests creatures from Mana; a Beast Tamer commands living beasts. On the battlefield, the GRMA saw them as the same.

It was a cold, clinical perspective. Griffin learned that while a Summoner's creatures could vanish if their Mana is drained or the seal breaks, a Beast Tamer's companion is permanent. They shared a category, but their functions are worlds apart.

Theoretical distinctions didn't matter, though. The reality was a nightmare. Griffin's research revealed three concrete reasons the Beast Tamer Class is a curse.

Firstly, it's resource-consuming. Beasts require a constant influx of Mana-rich materials: monster cores, rare herbs, and monster meat. The cost was astronomical. A single F-rank monster core could cost a month's wages. Feeding one beast, let alone multiple, was a fast track to bankruptcy.

The second reason is the slow, almost snail-paced growth. A beast could take months to advance from F Rank to E Rank and years to reach D Rank. Most Beast Tamers die in low-level Rifts long before their beasts become strong enough to make a difference.

Finally, a Beast Tamer's combat stats are abysmally low. If their beast dies, they become totally defenseless. GRMA casualty reports showed that Beast Tamers had the highest mortality rate of any Class by a significant margin. Their beast's death was usually a death sentence for them too.

The Class was a vortex that sucked up money, time, and lives. It was no wonder that even the wealthiest individuals refused to invest in it, viewing the cost of evolving one beast as a financial black hole. The GRMA itself officially listed them as "liabilities" in team deployments.

Thinking of all of this, Griffin pressed a hand against his forehead; his heart was heavy with sadness. In every chart, every record, and every statistic, the Beast Tamer Class ranked dead last.

"Truly unlucky...really unlucky." Griffin felt a stiffening feeling in his heart.

"I need to think over my current situation. With my Class, my path to becoming a powerful Dimensional Walker is basically cut off unless I can afford high-grade materials, but that isn't possible with my current living conditions." Griffin's eyebrows furrowed as he pondered with a serious expression.

He racked his brains to come up with ways to make this work, but every thought concluded in a dead end.

He didn't expect to find himself in this situation. When he first woke up in this world, he was steeped in fear,constantly praying for the goddess of luck to shower him with her favor so that he could awaken his Class and gain the strength needed to protect himself.

Fortunately, his prayer came true, but it also came with a curse: the curse of awakening the Beast Tamer Class, which is essentially no different from being an ordinary person after all. Without massive resources, how the hell is he going to deal with this Class?

He is as broke as a church mouse, his bank account barely held any penny, and even if he came from a powerful background, he was certain they'd kick him out. After all, even the rich were doing everything they could to avoid this Class like it was a plague.

"Dammit." Griffin muttered,rubbing his face in exasperation; even the food tasted bitter in his mouth, practically making him lose his appetite. Shaking his head, he stood up and dumped the remnants into the sink.

"But I can't give up my life like this; I've come this far to throw in the towel. I at least need to try." He said, determination battling against the despair on his face. Deep down he knew he was staring at a dead end, but surrender wasn't his nature.

This world worship strength, and every soul in this world yearned to become a Dimensional Walker, chasing after wealth,status and riches beyond the wildest imagination. He refuses to let go of that dream, even if his Class felt utterly useless. He wouldn't back down.

With a spark of determination in his eyes, Griffin quickly washed the dishes and returned to the table, typing in "GRMA Official Network" into the search bar,before slamming the Enter key. The homepage loaded revealing scrolling alerts about Rift breaches, Walker deaths, high-ranking missions already snatched up.

He navigated to the forum section, where a grid of active topics filled the screen

Arguments, advice posts, rant threads from weary, bitter and broken Walkers filled the space.

He clicked "Ask A Question." His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment, and then he typed.

"How does a Beast Tamer evolve their beast successfully?"

He hit post. For three seconds, nothing happened. Then the replies began to drop in.

A message blinked.

[User: IronCleaver]: "Beast Tamer? Tough luck. No one evolves anything below D Rank."

Another message popped up.

[User: FluxMage]: "You don't. You bury your beast after your first Rift raid."

Griffin's jaw tightened when he saw the message.

[User: WolfTrack]:"You need catalysts worth more than a house. Can you afford that?"

[User: ArcMage7]:"You awakened the worst class. Respect yourself and switch careers."

[User: ShadowHound]:"Only rich people attempt Beast Tamer. Half of them go broke. You plan to starve?"

[User: HealPoint]: "Dude, you better give up; even janitors get more respect."

[User: VoidEye]: "Search 'Tamer Survival Rate.' You won't like the number."

Griffin swallowed hard, the pressure building up in his chest. He kept scrolling. The final comment landed like a punch.

[User: GreyShroud]:"Beast Tamer is a dead path. No one climbs with that class."

The room fell into dead silence as Griffin sat there, bitterness flickering in his eyes. The website reflected in his eyes; his jaw tightened, and his fist clenched into a tight fist.

Although he didn't want to admit it, the Beast Tamer class is dead weight; he can't achieve anything with it.

[ Ding ]

[ System Initializing....]

[ 10%.....]

[ 50%.....]

[ 70%...]

[ 100%....]

[ Ding: Beast Evolution System Online ]

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