The entire arena remained silent.
Smoke slowly rose from the massive crater where the Academy Puppet had once stood.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The instructors stared at the destroyed battlefield with expressions of complete disbelief.
Finally, one of the teachers swallowed hard.
"...Did..."
"...Did the puppet just explode?"
Another instructor slowly nodded.
"It wasn't damaged."
"It wasn't defeated."
"It was completely annihilated."
Lucas Sterling stood frozen.
His proud Flame Wolf whimpered and hid behind him, refusing to look at Nova.
Kai scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I... wasn't expecting that."
Nova lowered her fluffy ears.
"Master..."
"I really held back."
Kai sighed.
"I know."
Principal Evelyn jumped into the arena.
She examined the remains of the puppet before looking at Nova.
"What exactly is your beast?"
Kai smiled apologetically.
"I'm afraid I don't know."
That wasn't entirely a lie.
Even the System had classified Nova as a species beyond Divine.
Principal Evelyn nodded thoughtfully.
"I see..."
Although she didn't fully believe him, she chose not to press further.
Everyone had secrets.
As long as Kai remained loyal to the kingdom, his past didn't matter.
She turned toward the gathered students.
"The Entrance Assessment is over."
"The class placements are as follows."
A large magical screen appeared in the sky.
Thousands of names rapidly scrolled past.
Most students entered the Bronze and Silver Classes.
Sophia was placed in the Gold Class.
Lucas entered the Platinum Class.
He smiled proudly—
Until another name appeared above his.
Diamond Class
Kai Anderson
The crowd exploded.
"What?!"
"The Diamond Class only has one student?"
"I've never heard of that happening!"
Lucas clenched his fists.
"So..."
"I'm beneath him?"
His pride couldn't accept it.
Principal Evelyn continued.
"The Diamond Class has special privileges."
"Private instructors."
"Unlimited access to the academy library."
"Priority access to cultivation resources."
"And..."
She smiled at Kai.
"A private training ground."
Every student looked at Kai with envy.
Lucas glared at him with undisguised hatred.
Later that afternoon...
Kai followed Principal Evelyn through the academy.
The further they walked, the quieter the surroundings became.
Eventually, they stopped before a massive black gate.
"This place..."
Kai looked around.
"...is empty."
Evelyn nodded.
"Because no one has qualified to use it in nearly fifty years."
She placed her hand on the gate.
Ancient runes glowed.
The gate slowly opened.
Beyond it lay an enormous valley surrounded by waterfalls and mountains.
Spiritual energy filled the air.
Rare flowers bloomed everywhere.
Powerful beasts roamed peacefully in the distance.
Nova immediately jumped from Kai's shoulder.
"So much energy!"
She began happily running through the grass.
The surrounding beasts looked at her.
Then...
Every single one lowered its head.
Kai noticed immediately.
"They're bowing."
The System answered.
[Passive Effect Activated.]
Beast Origin Sovereign
All beasts naturally recognize Host and contracted beasts as beings of supreme status.
Kai smiled.
"So that's why."
Principal Evelyn noticed it as well.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Interesting..."
Normally, wild beasts were extremely territorial.
Yet these powerful creatures welcomed Nova without fear.
She decided to keep observing.
"Kai."
"This valley belongs to you now."
"Train here whenever you wish."
Before leaving, she handed him a silver badge.
"This gives you unrestricted access throughout the academy."
Kai accepted it respectfully.
"Thank you, Principal."
After she disappeared, Nova ran back carrying several colorful fruits.
"Master!"
"These taste amazing!"
Kai laughed.
"You've already started eating?"
"They were growing everywhere!"
She happily offered him one.
The moment Kai took a bite—
A warm current spread through his body.
[Spirit Fruit Consumed.]
Strength +2
Agility +2
Spirit +5
Kai blinked.
"So these fruits actually increase stats."
Nova nodded.
"They're yummy too."
Just then—
DING!
Main Quest Updated
Become the strongest Beast Tamer.
Current Progress:
✓ Enroll in Royal Beast Academy
Next Objective:
Reach Level 10
Reward:
10,000 System Points
Random Legendary Skill
Kai nodded.
"Looks like we have work to do."
Suddenly, another notification appeared.
Hidden Quest
The Forgotten Cave
A mysterious cave has appeared beneath the Diamond Valley.
Investigate it.
Danger Level: Unknown
Kai looked toward the distant mountain.
A faint cave entrance had appeared behind one of the waterfalls.
"Let's check it out."
Nova climbed onto his shoulder.
"I'm ready!"
The two walked through the peaceful valley.
As they approached the waterfall, Kai activated Eye of Truth.
The world changed.
Countless hidden runes appeared on the cliff walls.
Illusions disappeared.
The ordinary cave entrance transformed into an enormous ancient stone gate.
Golden letters covered its surface.
Kai slowly read them aloud.
"'The inheritance of the First Beast Sovereign...'"
Nova tilted her head.
"Master?"
"Who's the First Beast Sovereign?"
Kai shook his head.
"I've never heard of them."
The System answered instead.
[Historical Database Accessed.]
First Beast Sovereign
Status: Erased from history.
Reason: Unknown.
Kai frowned.
"Erased?"
"How does someone erase an entire person from history?"
The stone gate suddenly trembled.
A deep voice echoed from within.
"Those bearing the Origin Bloodline..."
"...may enter."
The enormous gate slowly opened by itself.
A cold wind rushed out from the darkness.
Kai looked at Nova.
"Ready?"
She smiled confidently.
"As long as we're together."
The two stepped inside.
The gate closed behind them with a thunderous boom.
Torches along the walls ignited one after another.
The cave revealed a long stone corridor covered in ancient murals.
Kai examined the nearest one.
It depicted a young man standing beside countless mythical beasts.
Dragons.
Phoenixes.
Titans.
Spirits.
Even creatures Kai had never seen before.
All of them knelt before him.
At the top of the mural was a single sentence.
"When darkness consumes creation, the All Encompassing One shall return."
Kai's heart skipped a beat.
"The..."
"...All Encompassing One?"
Nova looked equally surprised.
"Master..."
"That's the name of your system."
Before Kai could respond—
A pair of crimson eyes slowly opened at the end of the corridor.
A massive growl echoed through the cave.
The ground began to shake.
The System issued an urgent warning.
[Emergency!]
Guardian Beast has awakened.
Survive.
A gigantic silhouette stepped out of the darkness, its golden eyes fixed on Kai and Nova.