Chapter 466: Second Order Beastmaster Skill [Bonus 2/5]

[Beastmaster]

[Order: First]

[Rank: Rare]

[Level: 15] [Evolve]

[Details: You are able to form contracts with beasts and store them in your beast taming space, a pocket dimension that provides comfort and sustenance. You are only able to contract one beast at a time. Inside the beast taming space, your contracted beast receives continuous nourishment, steadily recovering health, mana, and stamina. Successful contraction depends on power differential and the potential of the beast in question. +175% Success Rate.]

One beast at a time. That was the main limitation behind his Beastmaster skill. And, Mirage already occupied that slot.

But the skill was still at the First Order. If Moon evolved it to Second Order, the contract limit might increase. And even if it didn’t, the beast taming space itself would expand and improve.

Moon had held off from evolving this skill previously due to the time constraint, and dire need of saving lives for survival.

So, just based on the fact that there was a potential chance that the evolution would allow the egg to be stored inside alongside Mirage, that was enough for Moon to proceed with spending some of his lives.

Moon looked at the evolution cost.

[Level 15 → 16: 1,024 Lives]

[Level 16 → 17: 2,048 Lives]

[Level 17 → 18: 4,096 Lives]

[Level 18 → 19: 8,192 Lives]

[Level 19 → 20: 16,384 Lives]

[Total Consumption: 32,736 Lives]

Rare skills were almost half the price of epic skills, which made Beastmaster much more affordable.

A drop in the bucket compared to what he had now.

Moon confirmed without hesitation.

[Your First Order Skill Beastmaster has evolved to Second Order!]

[Beastmaster]

[Order: Second]

[Rank: Rare]

[Level: MAX]

[Details: You are able to form contracts with beasts and store them in your beast taming space, providing comfort and recovery through your ambient mana. You are able to contract two beasts. +200% Success Rate. +50% Rejuvenation Rate.]

Moon’s eyes brightened as he read through the second line of the skill’s description.

The evolution had done exactly what he needed, providing him with a second slot, independent of Mirage’s, ready to be filled. On top of that, the success rate and rejuvenation bonuses had both improved, meaning the beast taming space would provide better sustenance and faster recovery for any creature stored inside it.

"I couldn’t have asked for a better evolution. This is perfect."

Moon’s gaze landed on the turtle egg beside him. The golden sheen from the fish blood still lingered on its shell, and the heartbeat inside was filled with vitality.

"I might have made things more difficult for myself..." Moon thought with a wry smile, shaking his head.

He reached out and placed his hand on the egg’s surface gently.

Forming a contract with a Supreme-Rank creature wasn’t going to be simple. Moon understood that well. Even as an unhatched egg, the turtle carried the bloodline of a Supreme beast. That bloodline came with more than just physical potential.

It came with hereditary pride.

Instinctual pride that ran deeper than conscious thought. The kind that made Supreme creatures resist domination on principle, regardless of the power gap between them and the one attempting the contract. They would rather die than bow to something they deemed beneath them.

Moon was far stronger than the unhatched turtle. That wasn’t the issue. The issue was whether the creature inside the egg would accept the contract willingly, or fight it with every fiber of its being.

A forced contract on a beast this rare, Moon had yet to know its consequences, and he certainly didn’t want to damage its potential in any way. He would rather continue trying until the egg accepted him, Moon didn’t want a servant.

He wanted a partner.

He kept his hand on the egg and closed his eyes.

"Let’s see if you’ll have me, little one."

Moon’s mana flowed through his hands and into the egg. Gently. Softly. Like a blanket wrapping around the shell, providing warmth during a cold night with a chilling breeze.

He wasn’t forcing anything. He let the mana caress the egg the way a mother would hold her child, with patience and warmth, with promise that no harm would come close to it.

His eyes closed. The room around him faded. The sounds of the house, his own breathing, all of it dissolved until the only thing that existed was the connection between his palm and the small life inside the shell.

Time passed, seconds turning into minutes.

Yet, nothing happened.

Moon opened his eyes and let out a slow breath.

"It’s not accepting the contract." He murmured, studying the egg’s surface. The heartbeat inside hadn’t changed. It hadn’t quickened with rejection or hostility. It simply continued at the same rhythm it had always maintained.

"But it’s not denying it either."

That was the interesting part. A beast that wanted to reject a contract would push back. Moon would have felt resistance, and aggression, from the creature defending its independence. The turtle egg gave him none of that.

It was simply... uncertain.

"Maybe it’s the first time it’s felt something like this." Moon said quietly. An unhatched creature, still growing inside its shell, experiencing the touch of a contract for the first time. It had no frame of reference. No way to understand what was being offered.

It wasn’t saying no. It just didn’t know how to say yes.

Moon waited a few more minutes, letting the residual portion of his mana linger around the egg. Then he placed both hands on the shell again and tried once more.

He changed nothing.

Supplying it with his mana gently and patiently. He wanted the sensation to feel familiar. He wanted the little turtle to recognize it, grow comfortable with it, learn that this particular touch meant safety rather than threat.

The egg pulsed beneath his palms.

Moon kept his eyes closed and waited.

Once again, the try had failed once more. Moon did not force it, gently placing egg back in the container, and hitting his bed.

"I will let it rest for a few hours. I can also grab some sleep in the meantime."