She's a B-Rank…
Amina looked at the middle screen with Claudia's Beastmaster ranking information.
''Laugh of Malice? What is that?''
''You don't know? It's a powerful Beast attribute for Crocuta War beasts.''
''How powerful?''
''I read the Beast attribute can cause death.''
''Really? No wonder her Beastmaster rank is B+. She has the potential to become A-Rank.''
''I didn't expect the Beastology department to have someone like her.''
''What's her name again?''
Students reacted to Claudia's high Beastmaster rank and formidable Beast attribute, like they had done to some top-ranking students from other departments. Amina noticed the proud tilt of Claudia's head and high shoulders on her way back. Perhaps her gaze might have been a bit intense that Claudia's eyes met hers, and a haughty smirk flashed on her lips.
As always, Amina took her gaze away, ignoring the latter's taunts, and watched as another student's name was called upon. She waited for another ten minutes before her own name was finally called up to the control center.
''Amina Blackthorne.''
The moment her name was announced, Amina's body stung with countless gazes as the entire attention now shifted on her.
''That Beastless Young miss?''
''How is she here?''
''I heard her Beastryl level is 0%?''
''Perhaps the rumors were wrong?''
''But Instructor Noctalis said she was on a special admission.''
Despite the scrutinizing glances and hushed murmurs around her, Amina calmly rose from her seat and made her way out of the back row.
Ignoring the curious glance from the staff-in-charge of students' names, she strode forward to the control center.
''It's pleasure to meet again, Young miss Blackthorne.'' Miss Sterne politely greeted Amina with a sense of familiarity as she neared the control center.
''Hello, Miss Sterne.'' Amina nodded slightly as she recalled some memories of Miss Sterne from the villainess's memories.
Miss Sterne was among the staffs, who had done the villainess's Beastryl Assessment at the Beast Association Center after she had been found. That was the moment when her handicap had been brought to light and the beginning of the rumors across the Empire.
''Place your hand here, Young miss Blackthorne.'' A staff instructed and Amina raised her hand to the transparent panel anchored to the ground like a podium and glowing with neon blue light before her.
Her fingers touched the smooth and cool surface, yet it felt as though electric currents were passing underneath them.
''Energy output stable.'' announced a staff operating controls from Amina's left side.
''Assessment sequence initiating.'' announced another from the right side.
Amina waited until the same nearby staff told her to remove her hand from the panel a moment later, and then she looked up at the three screens.
Name: Amina Blackthorne
Age: 16 years
Beast: Nil
Beast class: Nil
Beastmaster rank: Nil
Beastryl level: 0.1%
Beast attribute: Nil
''...''
''...''
''....P-Pfft!''
Someone laughed from the spectating students after a moment of silence.
''0.1%?''
''What kind of Beastryl level is that?''
''Is that F-Rank or not?''
''And I thought something amazing was going to happen.''
''Pfftt...well something did happen.''
''Does she even have the right to be called a Beastmaster?''
''At least there's a difference from zero percent.''
''She should be called Beastrylless rather than Beastless.''
''Hahaha…''
''You guys should stop laughing. The Instructors…''
''They aren't doing anything.''
Amina heard the laughter from behind. She also felt the strange gazes from the staffs, but unlike the students, there were not vocal about their thoughts.
Unexpectedly, there was someone acting different from them.
''Someone should go warn the students not to interrupt the Beastryl Assessment.''
It was Miss Sterne with a frown on her face. This was something Amina did not expect. After all, the Instructors had turned blind eyes, and acted as if students were not mocking her.
''It's fine, Miss Sterne.'' Amina said, stopping the staff member from approaching the students.
''Your actions won't change anything.'' She added calmly.
The Counsellor had already warned her that she would suffer greatly for her lack of Beast. The academy also wouldn't intervene every time a student mocked or harassed her. if anything, that would make the students dislike her more.
The same goes for Miss Sterne. If she sends her warning to the students, majority wouldn't be pleased. So what 's the point of giving them warnings?
''...''
…So she's aware.
On the side, Miss Sterne was surprised to hear Amina's words. She hadn't expected the Young miss to be speak so openly and act mature about her situation.
As a senior staff at the Beast Association Center, she had witnessed the immense pressure that low ranking official Beastmasters suffered under the authority of high ranking official Beastmasters. Even she had some experiences before her employment.
The situation of the Young miss Blackthorne was not even a fraction of what many low ranking official Beastmasters, particularly Beastmasters of War beast, had endured from the higher ones.
Perhaps it was because the Young miss Blackthorne was still a child about enter the cruel and unforgiving world of official Beastmasters and Beasts, that Miss Sterne felt the compelled to provide a little relief, particularly after what she had witnessed during the Young miss's first Beastryl Assessment.
She could never forget how indifferent the Young miss looked amid the disappointment of the chairman, board of directors and even top staffs of Beast Association Center.
As the daughter of the powerful Lumos Guildmaster, it was expected that his child would be just as powerful or even more powerful. Even the imperial family had sent someone to inquire about her Beastryl Assessment.
''There is a difference compared to the last Beastryl Assessment, Young miss Blackthorne.'' Miss Sterne spoke up in a serious tone. ''I believe no one on this continent is born without a Beast.''
Her words weren't consolation but the truth. The Young miss's Beastryl level had been a zero percent last time. For any increase to appear meant the Young miss still had a chance of becoming a Beastmaster.
Perhaps something must have happened to her at the orphanage that had caused her Beastryl level to be non-existent.
I can't believe I'm even showing sympathy to a child. Miss Sterne couldn't help but find her words laughable.
She had witnessed the death of low ranking official Beastmasters by high ranking ones, and had never felt some sort of sympathy towards their deaths. But here she was, showing some consolation to a student she had met once.
My breakups didn't even bother me this much.
Sure, the Young miss Blackthorne's backstory was pitiable that anyone could sympathize with her. But pity and sympathy were not found in the cruel world of Beasts and Beastmasters.
Only the strong ruled above others, and the Weak suffered for simply being weak. Even Common beasts had its own strong-to-weak hierarchy.
''Thank you, Miss Sterne.'' Amina thanked, not understanding why Miss Sterne was treating her this way. After all, the villainess's Beastryl Assessment was the first time they met each other.
But she's right.
Amina turned around, lost in thoughts.
In Animyth, Beastryl was the breath of the world itself. Without it, humans and Beasts would never have connected with each other to become one. Beastryl was the bridge between them, and the amount of Beastryl determined the rank and class of Beastmasters and Beasts.
That was why Amina found her Beastryl level odd. The villainess's Beastryl level had once been measured to be a zero percent, and now, there was an increase.
Amina Blackthorne was Beastless, meaning she possessed no Beastryl to bridge her with a Beast.
Amina could only deduce two possible reasons for the unexpected change. The first one was that she herself, a foreigner in Animyth, was the cause. Yet this reasoning made no sense since there was no such thing as Beastryl in her previous life. Why would there be an increase when she came from a world with no such thing as Beasts, Beastmasters or Beastryl?
The second possibility was that the villainess might have never been truly Beastless. Perhaps her body was hiding its true potential to become a Beastmaster, and now slowly beginning to manifest. If it truly was, then why was it manifesting now?
Still, Amina could neither feel nor tell if this body was hiding its true potential. The novel would have been helpful at confusing times like this, but the villainess had disappeared early in the story after breaking her engagement with the Crown Prince. The story was also told from the female lead's point of view.
As Amina was lost in her thoughts, looking calm and unperturbed as though she wasn't facing humiliation from her low Beastmaster ranking information, most students sneered that she was putting up a front and probably crying on the inside. Anyone would have felt that away
There were also others impressed by her unbothered composure, and they were not from the students.
''She somehow reminds me of you, Virelia.''
''You mean her father, Elder Soren.''
''Well yes, she does remind me of her father, but she also reminds me of your younger days when many had underestimated you as an S-Rank Beastmaster, Virelia.''
Just as students were observing the strong and weak ones among themselves, the Instructors were also doing the same.