Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

Stuffed to the brim, Little Raven lay limp in Asher's palm, playing dead.

'Too full.'

Its round little belly felt uncomfortable.

It gave him a plaintive look with those soulful beady eyes, imploring him.

It kept staring at him.

Finally, Asher sighed and started rubbing its little belly, which made Little Raven close its eyes and settle into its very own belly massage.

Asher let out a sigh.

'Pecked one minute, pampering this little trouble the next… what did I do to deserve this?'

'Oh, right.'

'I am the one that brought it to myself.'

Asher didn't complain. He just accepted his role as a dutiful bird caretaker.

As he continued massaging Little Raven, the gentle sunlight of the late morning bathed them both, and Little Raven actually dozed off.

Asher carefully placed it on the small cushion he'd prepared especially for it.

As he was about to release his hand, his phone suddenly buzzed.

Little Raven startled awake, flipping onto its back.

Hurriedly, Asher grabbed his phone and, with lightning speed honed over two lifetimes of singlehood, switched it to silent mode.

After rubbing Little Raven's belly a bit more, he soothed it back to sleep.

Only when he was sure it was settled did Asher cautiously withdraw his hand and check the notification.

And just one glance at it made him raise an eyebrow.

'Hmm?'

'A message from the class group chat?'

'And they tagged everyone in it?'

'Only the class teacher have permission to do that.'

In the few minutes it took Asher to put his phone on silent, the class chat had already exploded to 99+ messages.

Scrolling up a bit, he quickly found the reason.

[Mr. Arthur(Class Teacher): Attention, everyone. This year's applications for the Beasts Breeding Center have been announced. Check if you got a spot. Those who didn't, make sure you contract a beast soon so it doesn't disrupt your studies in senior year.]

Messages immediately started pouring in.

[Application? What application? It's a joke. Rolling eyes.jpg]

[Pass? Yeah, right. Ever since I started high school, I've applied every year and still haven't gotten in. Long given up hope on that.]

[I feel this on a spiritual level. Applying to get into the Alliance's breeding centers? It's a scam, I'm telling you.]

Most of the responses were complaints.

And for good reason.

It was all too common.

Being one of the top high schools in NY City, the city's 11th High School had a dedicated Beast Master class for the awakened.

For regular people, the ratio of those who awakened as Beast Masters was about 20:1, with most awakening between ages fourteen and eighteen. After that, the odds dropped significantly.

Between being a top school and the specialized class, Asher's class had only twenty-nine students.

Most of them came from modest backgrounds.

Which explained why Asher had said before that June's Little Fire Fox would easily dominate among their classmates.

In this case, the best choice for most of them was to secure a spot with the Alliance's breeding center.

But from the complaints in the group, it was clear…

The chances?

Very slim.

Almost none.

Year after year, applications failed to go through.

Asher could guess that if he hadn't had special help this year, he'd probably be in the same boat.

A chance at being one in a million? Not for a free-to-play player like him.

[Uh… I think I actually got in?]

A little further down, a message appeared.

Ah.

Asher understood why the chat had hit 99+ messages in under five minutes.

Turns out, they really had a one-in-a-million lucky star in their midst.

No different than hitting the lottery, really.

The group exploded.

[WHAT? No way. I always thought this was just a cash grab and no one ever actually got in. Someone in our class got it? I don't believe it until I see it.]

[Screenshot.jpg]

Asher opened the image out of pure curiosity.

He just wanted to know what proof of such insane luck looked like.

The screenshot was ordinary, blurring out the application number and other sensitive details, though the name was left intact.

[Congratulations, Lucas. You've been granted purchasing privileges at the NY City Jade Blossom Breeding Center. With this application number, you can visit the center to purchase a Jade Blossom Beast anytime before August 31st.]

Asher raised an eyebrow.

'Hmm?'

'The Jade Blossom Breeding Center?'

The one place he hadn't visited.

He was kind of curious about that base, but he'd been in such a rush to get Little Raven that he'd missed his chance to tour the last one.

Not that he regretted it—just a hint of curiosity remained.

The Jade Blossom was a low-tier, mid-level beast creature—not particularly strong, but there must have been some unique advantage to it if the Alliance was breeding them.

The Alliance didn't do charity.

[Waaaah... Why is the gap between people so big? Class rep, can I rub a little luck off you?]

[Let me get in on that luck too. How come I don't have that kind of good fortune? Missed out on the Alliance's breeding centers, can't afford private ones… am I seriously going to have to catch a wild one?]

[Catch? Catch what? A Honeybug or a Sparrowling? If you must pick, I'd go with a Sparrowling; at least it's a low-tier, low-level beast, right? Just be careful not to get a hole pecked in your hand.]

[I was joking, obviously. Honestly, though, contracting a first beast is crucial. No matter what, I wouldn't pick a Honeybug or Sparrowling—might as well give up on my future as a Beast Master altogether. I think I'll get a loan for a low-tier, mid-level one. If it's under 500,000, my family should be able to manage it.]

[Same here. My family's thinking along those lines too. Didn't the government and the Alliance team up a few years back to offer student loans? As long as the family's stable and you've got a good track record, it's not too hard to get a low-tier, high-level transcendent beast loan. Anything higher, though… Forget it. Out of our league.]

[Hey, how many of us are applying for Alliance loans? Want to go as a group? There might be group discounts or extra grants. Strength in numbers, right?]

As soon as that idea was mentioned, it gained traction fast.

Excluding Lucas, who'd gotten into the Alliance's breeding center, plus the four classmates from wealthier families and two who'd already contracted Honeybugs and Sparrowlings in their first year, everyone else—twenty-one classmates in total, minus Asher—signed up for the group application.

After tallying up the numbers, they quickly realized that someone was missing.

[@Asher Join us for the Alliance loan application. You might not qualify for a huge loan, but with your grades, you've got a shot at a low-tier, mid-level beast. With some luck, maybe even a low-tier, high-level one.]

Their teacher, Mr. Arthur, who knew Asher's situation well, chimed in with a message too.

[Asher, don't stress too much about loans. Working for the Alliance to pay it off isn't shameful. Once you're an official Beast Master, you'll pay it back eventually. Don't throw away a bright future because of a little short-term hardship.]

The teacher and his classmates were all genuinely looking out for him.

Reading through the messages, Asher felt a warmth spread through him.

At least he could tell—'these classmates are decent people.'

Inviting him to join the loan application came from a good place.

If it weren't for his fortunate special help…

'Well, alright, I still wouldn't have gone.'

He'd rather take care of a Honeybug, raise it well, and evolve it into a Fairy Butterfly. That didn't sound bad at all.

[Asher: Thanks, Class teacher, and thanks, everyone, for your concern. But I've already contracted a pet, so I won't be joining you on this.]

After a moment's thought, Asher sent another message.

[Asher: I managed to pull some strings. Word is, Professor Iris from Bluewind University is about to publish a new paper. If you're not in a rush, maybe hold off and see if it'll help you. Can't say too much for now, though.]

Once the news about the Honeybug evolving into a Fairy Butterfly got out, Asher figured more students in similar situations might start considering it.

He didn't know for sure, but he had a feeling.

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