1 Chapter 1 System
The world of genesis is filled with wonders which can't be explained by normal means however these wonders cover up the dark void that one can experience just by stepping outside. I am your average college student who got reincarnated in this world, when I first arrived here, I was excited as it was a fresh start for me however that quickly changed.
I was kidnapped and sent to a camp where only the strong can survive; all the participants that were in the camp was twenty or below and the overseers didn't care that kids were dying in the harsh environment all they cared about was if we were strong enough to survive. After three months of training the survivors were gathered to meet the overseers which was never a good thing, in fact the last two times we were summoned half of us were slaughtered.
This world is quite different from earth; one can describe it as a cultivation world combined with a Pokémon world, to cultivate one needs a soul pet and to acquire one a person has to defeat it in combat. It's not a glamourous battle like in cartoons and the soul pets won't just leave when they beat you, they will kill you without any hesitation.
The overseers are all trainers which all train what are called 'savage beetles' these creatures are insects that like to play with their prey, they target the limbs first before finishing their prey off by crushing their prey. The way these beetles hunt is either through the air or through the ground, male beetles go through the ground and drag their prey underground partly followed by the removal of their legs, while their mates which take to the skies take their preys arms.
"Congratulations on making it this far in training but now we are on the final stretch of training which calls for another culling of the weak, be warned though that in this culling our darling pets will be hunting on their own without any commands from us." (Head overseer)
*Sighs* (Other participants)
"As per tradition half of you will die and the other half will continue to grow stronger, let the culling begin!" (Head overseer)
The moment the overseer said that I moved out of the group and headed to the clumps of rocks at the back wall, unlike the other participants I have been studying everything I can about soul pets in my free time. Most would think going up against a savage beetle without its master's commands would be easy but they are wrong, most of the time when a savage beetle is tamed its natural instinct is suppressed so its full abilities are also weakened but once the savage beetles regain their instincts the true slaughter begins.
As I ran to the only safe place possible, I began to hear the slaughter begin behind me; the screams of pain and the cries that show that there was no hope left for them, it's cruel of me to forsake these children however I don't have the abilities to protect myself let alone others. Once I reached the rock pile, I shifted several rocks so they covered me, I stayed perfectly still watching those that ran in all directions getting picked off one by one. As I watched I heard a voice behind me one that brought chills down my spine.
"Smart boy; our little pets are practically perfect hunters but they are lazy, they would rather go after the prey that are running around with their heads cut off than a prey that has hidden itself within a pile of rocks." (Head overseer)
"…"
"I've been watching you boy for quite a while and I must say you haven't let me down; you make sure that you don't stand out in training but you also don't let yourself become the weakest link, then after training instead of relaxing you research the characteristics of soul pets that you might encounter in the future." (Head overseer)
"…"
"I'll make a deal with you; if you can prove yourself worthy within a month's time, I will personally hand you your freedom." (Overseer)
"Why…." (Me)
"So, you do speak; think of it as a whim of mine… oh it seems our little pets have finished." (Overseer)
As he said that everything went silent, I waited for a couple of seconds before removing the stones covering me only to see a beetle that was larger than an elephant staring at me from the sky, I could only hold my breath as I watched in horror at the beetle. This interaction lasted for more than a minute before it disappeared with a flash of light, fear an emotion that I have experienced constantly within this world but none quite like this. if it wasn't controlled by one of the overseers, I would have been killed without a doubt, I was about to be killed by a bug…. God, I need to get stronger and fast.
I walked towards the gathering yard where I was greeted by a blood-filled courtyard with scattered body parts littering the ground, the survivors weren't in any better shape. Most had wounds littering their bodies while a select few had lost limbs.
"Congratulations on surviving the culling; as per usual there will be medicine provided to those that are injured, you have just experienced the true nature of what you are about to face, tomorrow you will be allowed to leave camp to capture your own pet and then two weeks' time to train it. After these two weeks are over you will have a mock battle with each other then one of the overseers, be warned that out of the fifty of you only two of you will be able to survive." (Head overseer)
With that everyone dispersed; this was the life we lived, we could be killed on the whims of others and no one will miss us. This is the world that each of us lives in and there's no changing it until we have strength of our own, as I was walking back to my own hut, the hut itself wasn't anything more than a couple of wood thrown together. Inside the hut a bed, a dresser, and one nightstand; my bed was nothing more than hay with a bedsheet over it, my pillow was no different, in the middle of my bed was a book made out of animal hide with the word's bestiary sown on the cover.
I moved the book to my nightstand then laid down on the hay bed; my life has changed drastically since coming here and it will only keep changing, tomorrow will be my chance to gain some strength but what type of creature should I acquired and how will I even acquire it in the first place? I lived in the mountains most of my life in addition the training the overseers put me through has strengthened my body overall but that won't keep me alive. In addition to keeping me alive I need a pet that can be trained fast and has potential for the future.
[All conditions met, activating]
[Welcome to the tamer system]
[Name: Bishop LV1
Rank: 1
Credits: 500
Skills: None]
[As a new member you are given a beginner pack]
*Beginner pack*
- Inspect feature unlocked
-500 credits
- skill token]
'What the hell, have I finally gone insane?'
[User has no such ailments]
'So, I'm not going crazy and I can interact with the system with my thoughts?'
[Yes, on both statements]
'Then explain to me what the system can do, what my status means, and what did I gain from the beginner pack.'
[The tamer system is designed to help make you a trainer that is beyond normal understanding]
[LV: measure of growth, linked to tamed companions
Rank: authority in the system, increases every 10 levels
Credits: Currency that can either be used in the system shop or other venders
Skills: Abilities one has]
[Name: Inspection
Details: a feature that allows one to see information about a target]
[Name: Skill Token
Details: a token that allows you to learn a random Skill]
'System activate the skill token.'
[Name: Heal LV 1
Description: heals 10% of the target's wounds]
'Well least I won't die right off the bat, system is there any weapons in the shop I can afford?'
[Yes, please be specific]
'Ranged weapons, preferably silent weapons.'
[Name: Crude Bow
Description: a crudely made bow that comes with fifty arrows, thanks to it's crude design you loss accuracy but gain power, Costs: 100 credits]
[Name: Well-Made Bow
Description: a bow made by a skilled craftsman, this bow has balanced accuracy and power, comes with fifty arrows, Cost: 150 Credits]
[Name: Recurve bow
Description: a modern bow made through artificial means, has superior accuracy and power, comes with fifty arrows, Costs: 200 credits]
[Name: Magic Silenced pistol
Description: a magically created silenced pistol that generates 1 bullet every hour, comes with 13 bullets, Cost: 400 credits]
'Wait the system sells modern weapons as well?'
[Yes; the system sells everything and anything as long as you fulfill the right conditions, be aware though that the finished product is more expensive than the knowledge to make the said item]
'Alright, I'll take the pistol.'
[Thank you for your patronage]
As the message disappeared I found that a black handgun appeared before me; the handgun itself was about two pounds, the clip had seventeen bullets and there was one in the chamber so I have eighteen bullets at the moment and I can produce one every hour, in addition to the semi-unlimited ammo it also has a built in silencer so I'll attract less attention. After looking over the gun for a few more minutes I finally decided to throw it into the system inventory, I'd rather it be hidden from sight since it would let me get a drop on my enemies.
The night flew by quickly with all the preparations I had to do before the excursion tomorrow but in the end one can only prepare for the things you know of. On this island it is filled with creatures that haven't been recorded within the bestiary, one thing remained obvious though, 90% of the creatures on this island is poisonous. Using the merit points I saved up until now with the quartermaster I exchanged all of them for antidotes. Looking at the other participants I found that most of them bought weapons and armor instead of antidotes which would be a fatal error on their part but there were some that actually bought antidotes in the group, sadly though they also bought monster bait which would lure any and all monsters in the surrounding area to them the moment they unsealed the bait.
The overseers gathered everyone at the front gate as soon as the sun was up and then used their beetles to force us out of the encampment. Taking this chance, I immediately separated from the group and headed deeper within the forest; on my way I could hear the roars of beasts followed by the cried of the children, shaking my head at this I blocked out the sound of their dying cries as I focused on the creatures around me. Most of the creatures around me were insects were an absolute no go for me; even on earth I hated bugs, now on genesis these bugs were the size of humans with a taste for humans. The further I got from the encampment the more variety I found when it came to creature types, I even found groundhogs which so happened to spit acid at me the moment I was spotted.
As I made my way deeper, I used the healing skill I acquired constantly causing it to level up rapidly, within an hour of searching the skill was already at level five. At this moment I was using a nearby tree to rest and recover my stamina, my healing skill heals wounds however my stamina remains the same as before I activated the skill. I watched from above as predators and prey fought against each other but one predator caught my eye, the creature was in the shape of a wolf however its skin was that of smooth wood. When it was attacked the wolf didn't use its claws or fangs instead vines appeared out of the ground restraining the attacker before crushing it. as I stared at this creature the system responded in kind.
[Name: Wolfbane
Gender: Female
Rank: 1
Potential: Great
Skills: Enhanced Senses LV 3, Night vision, Vine Control LV 1]
I immediately set my sights on this wolf so I continued to follow it from above, the branches from the trees in the forest linked together and with how I was being fed as of late the limbs could support my weight. As I continued on the wolf got attacked several times while ignoring the defenseless creatures as if they had no worth to it. the arrogance the wolf showed quickly disappeared as it found a worthy opponent in the shape of a 9ft bear that was could use flames in its attacks, the wolf tried to defend itself with the vines but the flames on the bear burnt through these vines almost instantly. The wolf then resorted to using its teeth and claws which wounded the bear considerably with how agile the wolf was, however when the wolf went in for the kill the bear immediately swung hitting the wolf with a full forced swing. The wolf hit a nearby tree causing it to welp in pain, on its side were four large claw marks that caused dark blood to flow to the ground, the wolf tried to get up however in the end the wound it received was too much for it.
The bear approached gleefully looking at its new meal; deciding it was time to act I immediately pulled my gun out of my inventory, with a quick motion I lined up the barrel followed by a 'ping' sound. The bullet traveled too fast to see it however the bear roared in pain as a new wound appeared on its shoulder. The bear looked around trying to find the culprit but in the end, it didn't see anything but it didn't remain still for vary long as it charged forward into the brush as if sensing something, this was quickly followed by the scream of another kid who was close by.
This time I didn't leave the kid to his fate, I adjusted myself to see where the bear went followed by lining up the shot again. With another 'ping' a new wound appeared on the bears side causing it to fall to the ground, the kid it was chasing just kept running ignoring the fact that the bear was no longer after him. Climbing down from my perch I walked up to the bear which was now bleeding out, this bear was a good partner for a lot of people however I'm not partial to a lumbering partner. Using another bullet, I put the bear out of its misery, even if I had to change my mindset in this world, I still won't let another creature suffer for my own enjoyment.
Walking back to the clearing where the wolf was laying, the wolf stared at me as I approached baring its teeth as if trying to threaten me. I stopped about five feet from it causing it to look at me with curiosity, when I was watching the wolf from before I noticed that it only uses its vines on creatures that pass the five feet mark. I stared at the dark wood like skin and found it quite eye catching even with blood covering it, the wolf's eyes were a light blue just like a husky's but it had a slight glow to them as well.
'System can this wolf understand me?'
[The system was created to help the User become a monster breeder, how could you become a breeder if monsters couldn't understand you?]
'I was just asking'
[…]
"I know your in pain right now, by the looks of it you will bleed out in the next ten minutes; I can save you however I need you to form a contract with me." (Me)
Grrr!
The look in the wolf's eyes was like it just got offended; this proud creature most likely never fought another on equal terms before, now that it has and lost it probably feels conflicted on living or just dying here. If the wolf rejects me, I won't lose any sleep over it as I needed a partner with a strong will to live, the overseers will be putting us against their beetles and I don't plan on becoming anything's dinner anytime soon.
[Wolfbane has been contracted]
[Please give it a name to finalize the contract]
I felt a slight pull within my consciousness as the wolf looked at me; I could see the desire to live within its eyes, these are the eyes that I have been searching for. Out of all of the creatures that I came across in this forest most of them was content with their lives and would probably just give up in this situation. This wolf has always been stronger than those around it but now that it was dying it wanted to live and grow stronger than before. letting a small smirk to appear on my face I moved closer to the wolf but this time it didn't growl at me and vines didn't shoot out of the ground, I put my hand on the wolf's side just above its wound. I could feel the coolness of its skin as well as how hard it was, this wolf was literally made out of wood, the dark coloration on it outlined a pattern just like something in a wood floor. If you ignored the color of its eyes it would be an amazing hunter at night, in addition to its vines which can appear out of anywhere it was the perfect hunter.
"Shade, your new name will be Shade." (Me)
[You have official registered 'Shade' as your partner]
[Evolution paths have been unlocked]
[Training menu has been unlocked]
[Codex has been unlocked]
[Wolfbane Registered within the codex]
[Name: Wolfbane
Type: Wood
Details: a solitary creature born of nature, this magnificent creature hunts alone in the night using its vines to kill anything that approaches it, no other information has been found on this creature]
'I couldn't find a Wolfbane in the bestiary but even the system doesn't understand it, how rare can this creature be?'
[Only three have ever been recorded however they were classified as a variant the timber wolf]
I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse; given how rare it is I can't predict what will happen when the overseers see it, I have already signed a contract with it however there are ways around it. worst case scenario is me getting killed and Shade being thrown in a cage for experimentation, still if people think it's a variant of a timber wolf then its better this way though I might get looked down upon because of it. Timber wolves were one of the weakest of all wolf type creatures however they have an uncanny ability to change the pigment of their skin to blend into the environment when hunting.
The features that were unlocked would have to wait as I finished healing shade, I heard a ding indicated that I leveled 'heal' again. Once Shade was fully healed, she stood up from beside the tree; once she was standing up her head was level with my chest which was quite impressive as I was six foot, once she recovered her balance, she stared at me for a moment before she knelt down. When a trainer tames a monster, a mental bridge develops between them, this bridge isn't telepathy per say, instead you could only get a general feeling from it. when I asked if she wanted me to climb on I felt an accepting response so I moved to her side putting my leg over and sat down, I could feel the coolness of her skin even now but that wasn't a problem, instead it was the fact that I had nothing to grab onto.
The moment she felt I was on she immediately charged forward towards the outskirts of the forest; wind blew past me as I tried to keep myself from falling off even with how slick Shades skin was, once in a while I would give Shade a reminder on where to go. in a matter of minutes, we arrived at the encampment which made me feel dejected as I took hours getting to Shade, the gates were open with two overseers standing guard with their beetles. As soon as the beetles saw Shade, they immediately dug underground which caused the overseers to stare at me with inquisitiveness, one should know that the beetles that the overseers raise are known to fear almost nothing. Shade who watched this scene huffed then walked past the overseers, when we got into the encampment, I found that fifteen others were waiting sadly though they all got common grade monsters which could be found at the very edge of the forest.
One of the kids even had a gas viper; it was a poison type viper that produced a paralytic gas, the viper was about arm's length but it was the width of your thumb. The viper had no fangs to speak of but its gas countered this because after a while it would develop a corrosive effect, the kid looked proud of himself up until he saw Shade and me approaching. The moment the kids saw Shade their faces became ashen while their partners scurried out of sight, ignoring these creatures entirely Shade and I moved to a corner and sat down waiting for what happens next. As time went by and the sun started to set more kids showed up, by the time all of the overseers gathered only twenty-five kids gathered and each one of them had their own unique pets though none of them matched Shade. The only kid who might have a chance had a green rhino which was twice as big as him, this rhino so happened to have the ability to shoot thorns from its body that would poison its target. The problem with the rhino is that the thorns replace armor plating that usually protects it, this was even more prevalent under it, sighing at this sight I just sat leaning against Shade who was practically blending in though you could still see her eyes as plain as day.
The overseers lit torches around the courtyard but that still wasn't enough to reveal Shade; when the courtyard was lit the head overseer walked on stage, his black robes fluttering as he walked, his silver hair remained still as his piercing green eyes swept over us. When he looked at me, I could see a smirk trying to form on his face however this smirk didn't bring me joy instead it was chilling.
"Welcome back saplings; today you have taken your first steps towards being worth something, now train like your life is depending on it because it is. Your resident overseer will check your progress every Friday so make sure your present, beyond that you are free to do whatever you want." (Head Overseer)
With these words the assembly dispersed; most of the kids had hopeless expressions on their faces but their partners followed behind them all the same, loyalty was needed with a contract and when you form a contract this loyalty will forever remain even with their dying breaths. I was about to get up and head to my cabin when Shade growled and vines shot out of the ground causing an unexpected yelp followed by the hissing of a beetle. When I turned, I saw the head overseer moving away from the vines while his beetle defended him, putting my hand on Shades head causing her to retract her vines.
"I'll be damned boy you actually did it; I will give you your freedom after the final test, I have to know though what is that beauty your leaning against." (Head Overseer)
"Wolfbane." (Me)
"Never heard of it." (Head Overseer)
"Most people haven't." (Me)
"Don't be like that, I've treated you quiet nicely these last couple of months, can't you show this old man a little compassion?" (Head Overseer)
"You kidnapped me!" (Me)
"Minor details." (Head Overseer)
In light of his appearance he had a very out going personality which made things even worse for me. When he acted like this I didn't know how to act around him, if I wasn't in a death camp and I met him out on the street I would probably get along with him pretty well. Looking at the beetle standing in front of him I noticed that unlike the other beetles that had a green carapace this one had a blood red one.
[Name: Bloodletting Beatle
Rank: 3
Details: the evolved variant of the savage beetle, this beetles' claws are not meant for clean cuts, instead they are jagged and will instead damage the surrounding areas causing their prey to bleed excessively, once its target is weak it will move in for the 'mercy' kill]
"What do you think, isn't he a beauty, I raised him myself." (Head Overseer)
"You people and your bugs, I can't decide which is worse, the beetles that trap you underground or yours which bleeds its target to death." (Me)
"Hey now you might hurt its feelings, besides what it does is a art." (Head Overseer)
As he said these words he finally moved away from Shade and me allowing me to relax a little bit; after a while I finally decided it was time to head to bed, patting Shade I got up and walked to my cabin with Shade following close behind me. Once inside Shade immediately claimed most of the bed for herself but I didn't mind as her cool skin felt wonderful to me, I've always been partial to cold temperatures and the cold wood feel that she gives off is a perfect pillow for me. Settling in for the night I turned my attention to the features that I unlocked when I tamed Shade, these features were crucial for my future and so I needed to learn everything I can about them.
