In this world, two gods have stood opposed for eons—one of darkness, the other of light. Their endless battle shaped the very fabric of existence.
But eventually, the god of darkness grew bored of their never-ending battle and decided to try something new.
He filled the world with demonic beasts, intending to wipe out humanity completely.
In response, the god of light bestowed humans with a gift: the ability to sense magic and tame magical beasts to fight back against the darkness.
That was something I knew from my new memories.
Back in my old world, I had seen one or two people trying to die by truck, hoping to reincarnate or transmigrate into another world. At the time, I thought they were idiots, trusting cliché stories and risking their lives for nothing.
But now… I think I was wrong.
Why? Because there is no scientific explanation for what I'm seeing right now, other than the fact that I've ended up in another world.
The sun hung high as I stood in line on the expansive field, heart pounding beneath the hood that shadowed my face. Soon, the teacher would call my name, and I would step forward to place my hand on the sacred crystal—the key to awakening the guardian beast bound to my soul since birth.
It had been about ten minutes since I regained my memories here. At first, I tried to run home and hide. After all, I wasn't some novel's main character.
But this world didn't allow people like me to disappear into the background.
Here, everyone is judged by their beast. No beast meant no future.
The only jobs left were things like cleaning monster remains after beast masters finished their battles and those jobs had a ninety percent death rate.
Yeah. Hard pass.
So I stayed.
"Jorge," the teacher called.
I didn't know him personally, just remembered name.
Zane—well, the body I'm in now—stood quietly on the sidelines, watching as a student of the school organizing this event.
He had no parents, no real friends. Honestly, I didn't mind. No need to pretend to be anyone but myself.
Jorge stepped onto the center of the field and placed his hand on the massive orange crystal—about the size of an elephant.
"Jorge, you can do this! I trust you!" a girl shouted from the crowd. Probably his girlfriend.
A bright light erupted from the crystal, and a snake materialized at Jorge's feet, nearly two meters long.
The crystal displayed:
Talent: Common
Beast Rank: D-Rank Beast — Snake
I crossed my arms, leaning against the sidelines, watching Jorge fumble under everyone's gaze.
"A D-Rank?" someone snickered from the back.
"Seriously? That's all you got?"
Laughter bubbled up from a group of students, their eyes filled with smug confidence. I rolled my eyes.
Typical. Of course they mocked him. Around here, everyone judged you by your beast. A D-Rank in front of a bunch of wannabe heroes? Instant loser label.
At best, he was only slightly better than a normal human.
I leaned forward, muttering under my breath, "I hope my rank is at least somewhere in the middle."
Jorge swallowed hard, trying to look confident. He waved his hands over the snake, attempting some form of command.
The snake flicked its tongue at him and then curled up, completely ignoring him.
The laughter grew louder.
"Pathetic," someone sneered.
I couldn't help but smirk. Not my problem—but watching this? Pure gold.
In this world, everyone has a talent, and that talent determines your beast-taming strength. Beasts are ranked from D-Rank all the way to SSS-Rank.
As Jorge revealed the worst possible outcome of this ceremony, the crowd's mockery intensified—even his "trusted" girlfriend joined in.
"We should break up," she said coldly.
"Wow…" someone whispered nearby. "Even his girlfriend hates him."
Jorge's face burned red. He tried to speak, but no sound came out.
She shook her head and stepped back, muttering, "Sorry."
But the drama didn't last. The teacher called names one by one, and the field quieted.
One by one, students stepped forward, touched the massive crystal, and awakened their beasts.
Lina – Talent: Common – Beast Rank: D-Rank Cat
Ronan – Talent: Common – Beast Rank: C-Rank Wolf
Marcel – Talent: Rare – Beast Rank: B-Rank Fire Griffin
Selina – Talent: Epic – Beast Rank: B-Rank Dire Tiger
Tobias – Talent: Unique – Beast Rank: B-Rank Shadow Drake
…And it went on.
This continued for about ten minutes, and I couldn't take my eyes off the scene.
Then something caught my attention: Theron Blackwood, the young master of the Blackwood family, was trying to humiliate Arlen right in the middle of the crowd.
How do I know their names? I have no idea.
The scene looked strangely familiar, like something out of the novels I used to read.
Maybe this Arlen kid really was the main character, and if that were true, he'd probably awaken a divine talent and an SSS-rank beast too.
The teacher finally called Theron's name, stopping him from insulting Arlen further. He strode up to the podium.
The moment he stepped forward, the crowd erupted in praise.
"Is that… Young Master Theron?" someone whispered.
"Wow… Young Master Theron is really handsome," another added.
"There's no way he won't awaken at least an A-rank beast," someone else said.
I muttered under my breath, "Alright… let's see if all that hype actually means anything."
Theron placed his hand on the massive crystal. The bright light erupted around him, blinding in its intensity.
And then… the crystal displayed his talent.
Talent: Legendary
Beast Rank: S-Rank Beast – Lightning Phoenix
A collective gasp went through the students. That beast wasn't just powerful—it was majestic, practically screaming superiority.
I couldn't help but smirk. "Well… look at all this stares."
Theron straightened, his expression calm, almost bored. Handsome, talented, S-Rank beast… yeah, he was living up to the hype.
But I think the 'handsome' part is kind of exaggerated… or maybe people here just have different tastes in beauty.
I shook my head slightly. "Great… and here I am, watching all this, enjoying myself while my turn hasn't even come yet."
At the watching grounds, the principal of Crimson Fang School stood with a proud expression, praising Andren Blackwood, Theron's father.
"What a remarkable young man you've raised," the principal said, bowing slightly.
"Your son's talent and demeanor reflect the legacy of the Blackwood family perfectly."
The students and spectators murmured among themselves.
Whispers spread quickly through the crowd:
"Theron Blackwood really is top-tier."
"No wonder he's so arrogant…"
"Can anyone even compare to him?"
Theron stood tall near the crystal, his S-Rank Lightning Phoenix coiling majestically at his shoulder, glowing with static energy.
He looked every bit the "perfect young master" everyone at the watching grounds adored.
And the crowd continued.
"Is anyone going to stand a chance against him?"
"Even his Phoenix is showing off…"
"It hurts my eyes, but I can't stop staring."
Then it was time. Arlen's name was called. The boy stepped forward, shoulders straight, and… he was smiling.
Everyone noticed his smile and began whispering among themselves:
"Is he… smiling?"
"Does he think he can awaken a higher talent than Young Master Theron?"
"Is he mocking the young master?"
Theron, who was descending to the ground, crossed paths with Arlen and said something.
Probably showing off his beast. Honestly? I didn't care.
My main goal for this ceremony was simple: get a B- or A-rank beast. That would let me live comfortably and with respect.
Anything higher, and the military might recruit me to the front lines, where the main battle with the demonic monsters was unfolding.
But a B-rank? I could be a proud guard of this city, safely far from the war zone.
Arlen stepped up to the crystal and touched it. Light shot up into the sky, massive and blinding.
Everyone closed their eyes, including me. When the light faded, there were two figures instead of one.
One was Arlen. The other… a girl with golden hair, standing near him, contrasting with Arlen's black hair.
The crystal slowly began to display information about Arlen:
Talent: Divine
Beast Rank: SSS – Valkyrie
I leaned back, smirking under my hood. "Well, would you look at that. The orphan actually stole the spotlight. Guess my theory about him being some 'main character' wasn't wrong."
And everybody started arguing among themselves again.
"W‑woah…" someone whispered from the sidelines.
"That… that's a humanoid beast?!"
"Did you see that form?!"
"Even Young Master Theron can't compete with that!"
At the watching grounds, the principal of Crimson Fang School nearly choked when he saw the rank.
"What… SSS-Rank Beast? In my school?!" he muttered under his breath, his face pale.
He straightened, clearing his throat, but inside… oh, inside he was already imagining it.
Hah! If this kid keeps growing like this… SSS-Rank Valkyrie, divine talent… I could send him straight to the military!
Maybe even recommend him for front-line command! The fame, the prestige… Crimson Fang would finally be recognized nationwide!
He stood up and shouted, calming everyone. Every student stopped what they were doing and looked at their principal.
Principal Victor smiled at his own words and said, "We should continue; there are still students left." He glanced at Arlen and added, "You've become the pride of our school. Come to my office after this," he said, then sat back down.
The teacher near the crystal said, "Zane… you're next."
My name echoed through the field.