Chapter 4: Talent Skill Evolution
Even though Ron tried to convince himself, he couldn't quite believe it.
'A honeybug... evolving?'
Those two words together just sounded absurd.
Without saying a word, he walked into the small surveillance room and pulled up the footage.
Every moment from when Ivy entered the pet beast service center with her honeybug up until the treatment room was captured in HD by the security cameras.
The playback clearly showed that the pet beast in Ivy's arms was, without a doubt, a honeybug.
Ron replayed the footage three times before he finally accepted the shocking reality.
"Holy shit… so honeybugs really can evolve…"
Just as he was about to watch it a fourth time, Asher spoke up.
"Ron, if everything's in order, I'll head out. Miss Ivy is still waiting outside."
Ron nodded. "Ah, right. Go ahead then."
As Asher reached the door, Ron quickly called out, "By the way, remember to have Miss Ivy leave her contact information. The Alliance will definitely want to follow up on the Honeybug's evolution."
Asher had expected this.
As he stepped out of the room, he could hear Ron on the phone, likely making a report.
———
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Asher smiled apologetically as he walked back to the front desk where Ivy was waiting.
Ivy shook her head, the Fairy Butterfly perched lightly on her arm.
"It's fine. I should be thanking you for helping me save Nene." Ivy's eyes were filled with gratitude as she looked at him.
She couldn't imagine what would have happened if Nene hadn't survived…
Asher's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Just to confirm, the cost for using the pet beast life-support machine is sixteen thousand alliance coins, and the honey sac removal procedure costs five thousand, totaling twenty-one thousand alliance coins."
"As your first contracted pet beast, the Honeybug qualifies for a 70% reimbursement under national policy. And, since this is your first treatment visit, there's an additional 10% discount provided by the Alliance… so, the final cost comes to four thousand two hundred alliance coins."
Four thousand two hundred alliance coins wasn't a small amount, but compared to the original price of twenty-one thousand, it was quite a relief.
The benefits and support provided by the state and the Alliance for Beast Masters were indeed substantial.
After paying, Ivy still had a decent amount of money left, showing just how determined she had been to save Nene.
"Um…" After settling the bill, Ivy looked at Asher with a hesitant expression.
The whole matter of Nene's evolution…
She didn't quite know how to bring it up.
But Asher could see right through her thoughts. "Don't worry too much. Could you leave a contact number? The Alliance may want to reach out to you about Nene's evolution."
For a creature like the honeybug, which hadn't shown any signs of other forms for over twelve hundred years, suddenly evolving was bound to draw attention.
As Nene's Beast Master, Ivy would naturally receive a lot of interest as well.
"…Alright." Ivy thought about it briefly and agreed.
The Alliance's longstanding reputation reassured her enough to trust them.
———
After Ivy left, the front desk was quiet again, leaving Asher alone.
He picked up the Pet Beast Breeding Manual he hadn't finished reading, his eyes on the pages but his mind replaying the day's events.
Helping Nene evolve had validated his talent's authenticity.
But it also came with a bit of a complication.
The Alliance… would undoubtedly keep a close watch on this.
As the person who operated the machine and oversaw Nene's treatment, he wouldn't escape their scrutiny.
'Should I tell the truth, or make something up?'
'If I tell the truth, I'd have to explain how I knew exactly what to do to trigger Nene's evolution.'
'If I make something up, I can't risk trying the same thing a second time.'
Both options had their pros and cons.
Lost in thought, Asher activated his Eye of Insight.
The crude panel projected itself a little above the book's pages, not obstructing his view of the information.
From the security cameras, it would just look like he was reading.
[August xx: Fairy Butterfly]
[August xx: Honeybug]
[July xx: Honeybug]
Scrolling down, there was a long list of Honeybugs with different dates, interspersed with records of other pet beasts.
Asher clicked on the first entry, [August xx: Fairy Butterfly].
This was another feature of his talent.
In the absence of an beast, he could summon a record of every pet beast he'd observed before, complete with their basic details.
He couldn't shake the feeling that his talent's name didn't quite do it justice… but for now, he couldn't think of anything more fitting.
'It'd have to do for now.'
Opening the Fairy Butterfly entry, Asher finally managed to access the information below the slider using a bit of his mental energy.
[Fairy Butterfly's Gift: Heart of Protection (allows skills learned to be taught to contracted pet beasts)]
[Fairy Butterfly Recognition Level: 0]*
Asher clicked on the asterisk next to "Recognition Level."
[Recognition Level: When a pet beast reaches 5000 recognition points, you may perform a skill extraction. There is a chance to obtain the skill associated with the pet beast's recognition level, which can then be taught to your contracted pet beast.]
Asher's mouth dropped slightly. He started to think what could he avial out of it..
He was certain now.
Eye of Insight was a name far too simple for the sheer capabilities of this skill.
His fingers drummed on the book's pages.
His talent's potential was beyond anything he could have anticipated.
Since coming to this world and learning about the ranks and rules governing Beast Masters, he'd already outlined a plan for his future.
Having awakened his Beast Space, he could contract a pet beast at any time.
Once he did, he'd be promoted to a provisional Beast Master.
But he hadn't made that move yet.
The main reason was that finding the right initial contracted pet beast wasn't so easy.
Take the Honeybug, for example.
According to the Eye of Insight, it barely qualified as an beast.
It was only slightly more advanced than regular insects, with just a trace of stellar power that had altered its body and structure.
Beyond that were low-level beasts, mid-level beasts, and high-level beasts.
A pet beast's inherent rank was difficult to surpass.
Evolution could bring about a small upgrade, but a pet beast's strength could always be enhanced through training and nurturing.
From first-tier to ninth-tier.
Tiers one through three were for ordinary pet beasts, tiers four through six were for advanced pet beasts, and tier seven was for elite pet beasts.
Eighth tier—ace pet beasts.
Ninth tier—lord-level pet beasts.
These corresponded to the human Beast Master ranks from first to ninth tier.
Tiers one through three were junior Beast Masters, tiers four through six were intermediate Beast Masters, and tier seven were advanced Beast Masters.
Eighth tier—ace Beast Masters.
Ninth tier—Lord Beast Masters.
Above the ninth tier… lay the legendary god-level, which no pet beast or Beast Master had ever reached.
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