The first Contract Beast
When Rishi patted the baby tiger's head to show his affection, it 'chuffed' (a tiger's purr) in delight, making it appear even cuter and more adorable to Rishi.
Rishi then served raw meat to the baby tiger and joined it while eating roasted meat.
The baby tiger ate as if it were a cat; after a while, it finished its portion and then looked at Rishi as if asking for more.
Rishi patted its head once more before serving it more raw meat. Then he ate his dinner slowly, taking his time to enjoy his delicious meal.
He then sat on the corner after finishing his meal, watching the small tiger slowly devour its portion of meat.
After finishing his meal, the baby tiger approached Rishi and sat next to him. Rishi embraced it once more before gently rubbing its head to comfort him.
He then took out his 'Book of Contracts,' opened it to the second page, and read the text written there.
[0/1 Contract Beasts]
Below it, a new option appeared.
[Make a contract]
a.) Servant Contract: Contract a magical beast forcibly. (The contract beast cannot defy your orders.)
b.) Partner Contract: On equal terms, contract a magical beast with its permission. (If you mistreat the contracted beast, it may abandon you.)
Rishi looked down at the baby tiger licking his hand in his embrace. He was unsure what type of contract he should use.
He closed his eyes to clear his mind and began to consider which path to take.
He remembered his grandfather's words, "Rishi, you'll be ten years old soon, and after you pass the beginner's trial, you'll have to choose your path."
"You just have to remember that, you have to listen to your heart and decide whether you want a friend or a slave."
Thoughts appeared in his head about the Beast Tamers who forced Beasts to make a contract with them and later treated them as slaves. He had seen his father who always treated his Constact beast as his companions.
Everyone in his clan was similar; they raised their Beast from a young age and contracted them after awakening.
He had no friends from childhood; he always wanted to make his Beast companions his friends. The Idea of treating them as slaves never came to his mind; he viewed them also like any other being.
Rishi paused for a moment before deciding to go with his gut and select option b). From the moment he saw it, he decided to make the baby tiger his partner; he never imagined the baby tiger as his slave. He then expressed his gratitude to his grandfather for guiding him.
When Rishi chose option b), he saw a golden page emerge from the book and begin moving towards the baby tiger before coming to a halt in front of him. The baby tiger saw the golden page and was perplexed until a golden chain appeared in its head and explained the entire situation to it.
The baby tiger paused for a moment, making Rishi nervous, before placing its paw on the page. Rishi breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Baby Tiger accept his contract.
When the baby tiger's paw touched the golden page, it shone with a golden brilliance that blinded both Rishi and the tiger cub. The gold page then reappeared and joined the book again, illuminating the book with a golden hue.
Rishi suddenly became aware of his ability to sense the baby tiger's emotions and felt a little closer to it.
He returned to the page and noticed a picture of a baby tiger on top, as well as two new options.
[Contract Beasts 1/1]
[Heal]
[Nurture]
[Tiger's picture]
[Golden Tiger King (infant)]
Age: 2 months
LEVEL: 1 Exp (90/100)
STRENGTH: 20
AGILITY: 20
STAMINA: 20
HP: 20
MP: 20
SKILLS
PASSIVE: 2
Sharp Claws (Level 2): It increases the toughness and sharpness of the claws.
Beast Sense (Level 1): It increases all the natural senses by 2 times.
ACTIVE: 1
Tiger Claw (Level 1): uses 5 mana per use to double the amount of damage dealt by claw attacks to the target for 1 second.
Rishi had just begun to understand the new options when he heard Gaia's voice.
[Congratulations Tamer, for contracting your first magic beast. You will now be able to choose one skill of your pet from two random options, every time you make a contract with a new beast]
[Your charm has increased by ten points as a result of using a partner contract]
[Select one of your contract beast's two skills:
a) Beast Sense (Level 1): This skill improves all natural senses.
b) Tiger Claw (Level 1): spend 5 mana per use to double the amount of damage dealt to the target by claw attacks for 1 second.]
Rishi chose option a) Beast Sense, and as soon as he did, he felt his natural senses increase by 2 times compared to before. He was smiling when he heard Gaia again.
[Best wishes, Beast Tamer for your journey]
The baby tiger then rubbed its head around Rishi's feet, indicating its affection. He picked it up and cuddled it to show his love towards it. He then brought the baby tiger in front of him, kissed it on the forehead, and said.
"I will call you Sheru from now on" the baby tiger 'chuffed' to show that he liked his name.
Then after some time Rishi said to baby tiger "Sheru I am sending you to contract space to heal your wounds."
Sheru looked unwilling, as he wanted to be with Rishi all the time. Rishi turned to face Sheru and said, "It is just for today. We will be together after tonight"
Then Rishi summoned Sheru back and chose the heal option.
"What happened to me and why am I suddenly acting....strange? Is it a side effect of the partner contract?" He pondered with a perplexed look on his face.