The Bonding Process

When Rey first saw his conjured Beast, he couldn't help but have a single thought.

'Why?'

Why did it have to be a cat?

Could it be due to some influence from Alicia? Perhaps he had some affinity for them that he didn't recognize.

Either way, it was totally unexpected seeing the creature sitting at the center of the circle.

It had jet black fur, with purple eyes, and a pretty long tail that curled around it.

It stared at Rey with a calm look, it's eyes glowing with a strange power he could not decipher.

'Is it using a Skill?'

It was at this point that Rey decided to use his Appraisal Skill on the creature.

Thankfully… it worked!

[STATUS WINDOW]

- Name: (Currently Nameless)

- Race: Bakeneko (Beast)

- Class: Absolute Summon (S-Tier)

- Level: 1 (00.00% EXP)

- Life Force: 1,000

- Mana Level: 1,500

- Combat Ability: 2,500

- Stat Points: 0

- Skills (Exclusive): [Shapeshift]

- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Dark Magic]. [Magic Supremacy]. [Possession]. [Compulsion]. [Illusion]. [Undead Summon]

- Alignment: Chaotic Evil

[Additional Information]

An Absolute Beast whose true form remains unknown, but takes the form of a cat. It is a great trickster with malevolent desires. It is a wicked entity.

[End Of Information]

The first thing this confirmed to Rey was that he could use his S-Tier Absolute Appraisal Skill on those with an S-Tier Class.

So the reason he couldn't use it on Adonis had to be some other reason.

'Most likely a resistance to Appraisal…'

Once that thought settled and Rey actually read through the Status Window of the creature before him… he trembled.

'W-what is… this?!'

This Beast was just in Level 1, yet its stats were already higher than the Dragon Commander that he had faced back then.

'The Skills in its arsenal are also insane!'

However, the most jarring thing that shook Rey to his core was the Beast's Alignment.

'Chaotic… Evil.'

That was the worst kind of Alignment imaginable.

It practically meant that the creature before him had no redeeming qualities and simply desired to do evil and wreak havoc.

A true force of nature that desired destruction.

'How could I have summoned something like this?!'

As Rey had this thought, he saw the cat move from its initial position.

The creature stepped forward a little.

Then, it touched the barrier caused by its Magic Circle.

Space around it distorted, and the more it pressed it's darkened claw on the barrier, the more distorted it seemed.

In the end, it couldn't break free.

'This is a Magic Circle made by an SS-Tier Skill. No S-Tier Summon should be able to break through.' Rey thought silently.

If the cat had broken through it, then he would have lost all confidence in his plan to control it.

'This isn't the time to silently observe, though. It's time to begin the Bonding Proce—'

"Greetings, my summoner." The feline suddenly spoke, causing Rey's thoughts to experience pause.

'E-eh? Is it talking to me?'

How was that even possible? According to Alicia, she couldn't communicate with Snow until they experienced the Bonding Process and she became her Master.

Even then, they didn't communicate in basic language, but rather it was simply a feeling within her that told her everything her Familiar was feeling.

And the same applied vice versa.

'Yet it's speaking to me normally. This thing is definitely not normal…'

On one hand, Rey desired to have the creature as his subordinate. However, he also feared it in a sense.

Still unsure of what to do or say, he didn't offer the cat a response and simply waited for it to say something else.

"Don't be so cold, mister. You summoned me here, didn't you? The least you can do is say something."

Rey remained silent.

And then—

~VWUUUUUSSSSHHH!~

The cat suddenly transformed into a massive torrent of blackness, its misty body confined within the barrier that surrounded him.

It snarled as its feral eyes and sharpened teeth were on display despite the smoke-like form it had taken.

"ANSWER ME, YOU IMBECILE!"

As the creature roared and its contained power swelled, Rey could only smile to himself.

"So you've finally revealed your true nature. Well… it's too late."

Rey felt like a priest or some kind of exorcist, standing before a Demon of unimaginable power and evil.

He stretched forth his hand as the cat growled and roared in its disgust and rage.

"[Absolute Mental Control Bonding]."

As Rey whispered this, his crimson eyes began to resonate with the creature's purple eyes.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME, YOU BASTARD? YOU WANT TO CONTROL ME? ME?!"

It snarled, trying to attack Rey, but it couldn't get past the barrier that surrounded it.

Rey felt like the creature would rip him to shreds if given just a single second of leeway.

It had a look of hate and disdain.

"I AM A SERVANT OF NO ONE! I AM DARKNESS INCARNATE! WHO ARE YOU TO THINK YOU CAN CAGE CHAOS ITSELF?!"

Rey smiled as he listened to the creature's tantrums.

"If you are darkness, then I am the one who tames that darkness." Rey stepped forward, drawing closer to the barrier.

"I will be your Master. And you will submit to me."

He stretched forth his hand and touched the barrier, causing more distortions to appear all over its surface area.

"ME? SUBMIT? WHY WOULD I EVER?!"

A single smirk formed on Rey's face, hidden behind his mask, as he stared at the helpless creature.

Only one answer could be given.

"It is my will."

"YOU IMBECILE! YOU COWARD! BASTARD! PERVERT! RELEASE ME AND LET US HAVE A PROPER MATCH! COME ON! YOU FOOOOOOOOLLLL!!!"

The tantrums went on and on, but Rey's crimson energy spread all over the thick darkness until it closely receded and returned to its form as a cat.

The cat writhed and shot its paw into the air, as if fighting an invisible foe.

Alas, it was too late for the Absolute Beast.

Soon, the cat sat still, its entire being now overrun by the combined power that subdued its will.

[Bonding Successful]

[Congratulations! You have acquired a Familiar, and a secure 'Bond' has been established between the two of you.]

[Please Name Your Familiar]

Rey grinned steadily as he looked at the silent creature.

Its purple eyes were now crimson and it looked so docile that one wouldn't think it had been causing such a ruckus before.

"I'll call you Ater."

Rey had read somewhere that it meant darkness, and it fit the cat well.

So, why not?

[Your Familiar will be named 'Ater']

[You and 'Ater' have become linked by your Bond, so you can completely understand each other]

[End Of Process]

Rey could feel a great chunk of Mana escape his body as he completed the Bond, but it wasn't enough to make him collapse.

'The amount of energy it takes must be quite a lot… especially for something of this caliber.' He mused.

Regardless, Rey was glad that it was finally over.

The Magic Barrier that surrounded the cat vanished, and Rey stood before it like an imposing pillar of greater darkness.

"Speak."

As soon as it heard this, Ater—the Absolute Beast—hung its head low and uttered words of reverence.

"I greet you, my new master. I, Ater, will do my utmost to serve you… and I shall personally wreak carnage and utmost chaos upon your enemies."

'So intense…' Rey thought awkwardly.

Since the System had confirmed Ater's loyalty, and he could also sense the sincerity of his Familiar within him, Rey knew there was no need to doubt it.

There was just one thing left to do.

"Show me your true form."