Chapter 12: The Primal Realm
The transition was like being pulled through a meat grinder of pure energy. When Leo's boots finally hit solid ground, he wasn't met with the sterile metal of a portal terminal. Instead, he plunged knee-deep into violet-colored ferns that smelled of ozone and honey.
"Leo... tell me we're still in the same dimension," Jud groaned, picking himself up. Beside him, his Titan-Crag Toad let out a low, vibrating croak of warning.
Leo didn't answer. He was staring at the sky. There were three moons—one pale white, one emerald green, and one jagged shard of obsidian. The trees here were massive, their trunks glowing with internal bioluminescence, and the air was so thick with mana it felt like breathing warm soup.
[DING!]
[Welcome to the Primal Realm: Sector Zero.]
[Atmospheric Mana Density: 400% Higher than Earth.]
[System Update: 'Wild Taming' Active. You may now contract beasts beyond your Soul-Capacity using the 'Breeder's Domain'.]
"This is it," Leo whispered. "The source of the portals."
The First Predator
The Eye of Truth suddenly flared with a crimson strobe.
[WARNING: Ambush Detected!]
[Target: Razor-Vine Panther (Silver-Rank Elite)]
[Level: 28]
[Specialty: Camouflage & Bleed Damage]
A blur of green and black lunged from the canopy. It wasn't a beast of flesh and fur, but a feline shape woven from sentient, thorny vines. Its "claws" were serrated leaves that hummed with a high-frequency vibration.
"Grim, Static Field!"
The Primordial Storm-Turtle reacted instantly. He didn't move his heavy body; instead, he released a pulse of electricity that turned the surrounding air into a magnetic swamp. The Panther slowed down mid-air, its vine-limbs twitching as the electricity interfered with its plant-based nervous system.
"Jud, pin it!"
"You got it! Crag-Slam!"
The Titan-Crag Toad leaped into the air, its belly turning into solid granite. It landed squarely on the Panther, the 5-ton impact shattering the ground. The vine-beast let out a screech like a dying cello.
The New Path: Wild Taming
Normally, an Evolver would kill the beast for its core. But Leo saw something else through his Eye of Truth.
[Target Analysis: Razor-Vine Panther]
[Condition: Starving / Infested with 'Blight-Parasites']
[Potential: If cured, can evolve into 'World-Tree Sentinel' (Gold-Rank).]
"Wait, Jud! Don't kill it!" Leo shouted, rushing forward.
"Are you crazy? It just tried to eat us!"
Leo ignored him and knelt by the pinned beast. He placed his hand on the Panther's head. Using Sovereign's Mirror, he didn't copy a skill—he projected the peaceful aura of the Breeder's Domain.
"You're not a monster," Leo whispered. "You're just sick."
He channeled a drop of the Spirit Spring water from his mind-space into his palm. The glowing liquid soaked into the Panther's vines. Instantly, black, oily worms (the Blight-Parasites) shriveled and fell off.
The Panther's hostile red eyes faded into a soft, glowing amber. It stopped struggling and let out a purr that sounded like rustling leaves.
[DING!]
[First Wild Taming Successful!]
[Species: Razor-Vine Panther (Cleansed)]
[New Feature: 'The Sanctuary' – The Panther has been sent to your Domain to recover.]
The Reward of Mercy
As the Panther vanished into the golden light of the Domain, the ground where it had been pinned began to glow. A small, wooden chest surfaced from the roots—a Primal Resource Cache.
Leo opened it. Inside were three glowing seeds and a tattered map made of monster hide.
[Item Obtained: 3x 'World-Tree Saplings']
[Item Obtained: Map to the 'Ruined Laboratory of the First Breeder']
"Leo..." Jud said, looking at the empty space where the predator had been. "You just... you just turned a Silver-rank killer into a pet in thirty seconds. If the Academy saw that, they'd rewrite every textbook in existence."
"The textbooks were written by soldiers, Jud," Leo said, standing up and looking toward the horizon where a distant, floating mountain hovered. "I'm writing a different kind of book."
The Discovery
Leo looked at the map. It pointed toward the floating mountain. According to the Pet Encyclopedia, that was the Aerie of Chronos, a place where time flowed differently—and where the first humans who crossed the barrier 1,000 years ago supposedly left their research.
"If we can find that lab," Leo said, his eyes burning with excitement, "I can build the first Breeder's Guild right here, in the heart of the enemy's territory."
Suddenly, a massive shadow eclipsed the three moons. A roar that sounded like a tectonic plate snapping echoed through the sky. A dragon—larger than any Leo had seen in videos—soared overhead, its scales shimmering with the same violet energy as Grim's shell.
[Target: ?????]
[Rank: ??? (Beyond System Assessment)]
Leo smiled, a touch of wit returning to his voice. "Well, Jud. Looks like we're going to need a bigger turtle."