First Level Skill

Yoichi looked at the dagger in his hands and began to reflect. "I probably should have waited and faced a tamer within my reach first... but this guy is a fucking loudmouth and, I don't know why, but I can't stand it! My plan can work... right, Kenji?" Yoichi pondered, merely moving his eyes to his Oracle, which, as if it had listened to his thoughts, turned its eyes back and made him realize it was ready to fight.

"Screek! Screek!"

"Er... even if you look like someone who's never fought before, can you tell your name to the audience watching us? It's disrespectful not to show up to them," Kato repeated, who didn't look away from the crowd for a moment.

"My name is Yoichi, hello everyone!" he exclaimed smilingly, raising his hand and greeting the people in front of him without showing any embarrassment.

Among the many eyes that looked at him, the most attentive were undoubtedly those of Enatsu, who on the contrary was tremendously embarrassed.

"Hey, you! But who the fuck is your friend? I've never seen him around here! Is he really a tamer?" one man inquired, approaching the young merchant from behind.

"Um... let's say yes. I just met him, I don't know how good he is in fighting!" Enatsu answered in a flickering voice, touching his nape.

"How do you plan to defeat a Kuwatako with a Nekage? The Kuwatako is much rarer, and Kato's is definitely on a higher level" another man suddenly asked, popped out of nowhere.

"I... I don't know what came to his mind, okay? Let's just watch the fight!" Enatsu replied once again, caught in a sudden nervousness, not being used to receiving so many questions one after the other.

In front of him, the two challengers faced each other, and the fight was about to begin officially. On the one hand, one of the young promises of a famous Goldhaven guild. On the other, Yoichi, a young tamer who had lost his memory.

Some other people walking out the gates of Ambershire, which was particularly crowded that day, joined the audience, trying to figure out what was going on, smelling defiance.

Without any warning, a stocky, fat man with a funny straw hat on his head, walked towards Yoichi and Kato, with his hands behind his back.

Yoichi stood still staring at him with Kenji, not understanding what that little man was doing in the area intended for the clash between two tamers, until he, after a few steps forward, exclaimed, "ladies and gentlemen! After winning his first fight, the daredevil Kato is about to face a mysterious challenger named Yoichi! Show your support for these two tamers, who today will compete in front of the golden gates of Ambershire!"

"Yeeah!"

"Whohooo! C'mon guys!"

"We want to see a real fight!"

After officially introducing the two opponents, the funny little man turned again towards the two challengers and, retreating slowly, yelled, "let the fight begin!"

"Ah! Bring it on, brat!" Kato muttered, beginning to swirl his nunchaku and looking at Yoichi defiantly, while his Kuwatako remained suspended in the air behind his shoulders.

"Well, Kenji! It's time to use your skill, what do you say? Show me what you're capable of, buddy! Let's teach this poser a lesson!" Yoichi affirmed, leaving his bag on the ground and sticking the dagger in his belt, stretching both arms forward and closing his eyes.

"I only need to think about the exact point that I want to strengthen with scales... my hands! Kenji, enhance my hands! Come on, little guy! You can do it!" Yoichi wondered intensely, under the perplexed gaze of people, who had never seen a tamer behave so strangely.

"Screeeeek!"

After a few seconds of waiting, a burning-like thrill started from the bottom of Yoichi's back, ran over his shoulders and arms, extending to the tip of his fingers.

As if by magic, small, sturdy black scales identical to those of his Nekage appeared one after the other on both his hands, gradually covering their entire surface on the back and palm.

"Wohooo! It's working!" Yoichi gasped, laughing, unable to hold back his amazement, with his gaze fixed on his hands.

"Screek! SCREEK!" the Nekage repeated, growling with arrogance and increasing the speed of the process.

Almost instantaneously, the black scales that had covered both of Yoichi's hands, strengthening them up to his wrists, continued to grow beyond, enveloping all his arms and stopping a few millimetres after his biceps, almost reaching the shoulders.

"Whooo!" the crowd cheered in unison, gawking at that memorable scene.

"Hey, hey! What the fuck happened?! What's that upgrade?! Nekages of that level are not capable of doing such a thing!" the man with a moustache next to Enatsu gulped.

"How did he do it? What kind of Nekage is that, where did he find it?!" the other viewer asked, turning again to the merchant, who did not answer either of the question, merely witnessing his friend doing something unbelievable.

Without saying a word, Enatsu stepped forward, making room and gasped, "What the fuck...".

"My arms... I feel them as solid as two rocks! It's a great feeling, and it doesn't hurt!" Yoichi thought, looking at his pet and knowing it could hear his thoughts.

After Kenji's upgrade, the size of Yoichi's fingers, forearms, and rest of his arms increased a lot, almost doubling.

"Hey!" Kato shouted in a defiant tone, angry that he was no longer in the spotlight. "Your Nekage has something weird, brat. That upgrade is too strong to come from it. How did you do that?"

"Uh? What's the matter... what, are you afraid?" Yoichi chuckled, earning a round of applause for encouragement from the crowd, who did not expect that sudden power-up.

"Afraid? Afraif of you? Tsst! I can defeat you with my hands tied behind my shoulders! You don't know who I am! Don't you dare provoke me! Aargh!" Kato shouted tenaciously, unable to stand still and snapping towards his opponent, leaving his Kuwatako behind.