The Mech Lord

Leo stood there with an amazed look in his eyes. The sight in front of him was really something he had never seen before.

There were thousands of eggs hanging from the ceiling on a platform all around while little Arora Beasts of different types were playing all around below. This place was designed like a forest to make the little one to feel at ease. And, this replication could really make someone doubt their eyes.

"Woro!!"

A growl sounded around as a tortoise-like creature came running towards the Old farmer.

"How are you doing, little guy?" The Old farmer smiled while patting the beast. "This is Wild Torc. As you can see they are pretty docile in nature. This is a perfect choice if you want a house pet."

Leo sure wasn't here for a house pet though. If he was going to select one, he might as well look for something strong.

"Kaa!!!"

Max looked above and saw a black shadow flying around. It looked like a Raven to him. And, unlike the other beast, it was not a little one but a full grown adult. It's sharp beaks and claws definitely look strong enough to rip a person's head.

"Don't worry, it's the guardian of the nursery. It won't do anything to you unless you do something." The Old farmer smiled at Max.

'What's wrong with this place? Isn't the security level a bit too frightening?' Leo felt sweat forming on his forehead.

[I bet there is more than what meets the eyes. After all, in Gloria the value of Arora beast is definitely not low-nya.] Aiden informed him.

There were planets where Arora Beast's were hunted to extinction, some planets where they were treated as delicacies. It was true that Gloria was not the only place who had Beast Tamers, but when compared to the tradition of keeping Beast as a pet, most places definitely paled in comparison.

Gloria was the only place where every person had a pet beast. That was something not easily seen. After all, it was not easy to form a bond with a high level beast. While low level one were useless.

This was where changed took place, even if a common person in Gloria wanted a pet, they would go for a low level Arora beast instead of a normal animal which was not normal at other places.

"Have a look around, see if anything catches your eyes.."

Leo looked at the old man and nodded. He then quietly took a step ahead, and began to look around for a bit.

There were indeed different kinds of Arora Beast out there. Some were four legged while some two. Most of them were under a year of age, and hence looked cute. But, when he tried to see what their adult form looked like on the net, it honestly gave him a scare.

Some could grow as tall as a hill. And, the cutest one could become as terrifying as a ugly looking monsters.

'They are cute but it doesn't look like an easy task to handle them…' Leo frowned as he looked at the little beast rubbing themselves against his legs. To be honest, he didn't hate them. But, the thought of raising them definitely didn't seem to be an easy task.

[If it was that easy, won't the whole world follow Gloria's example? It is definitely not easy, you need to put a lot of attention to it. That is the reason it is a part of the tradition to make a person grow into a responsible individual-nya]

'Well, let's look around a bit seriously..' Leo muttered and scanned around trying to find a good pick.

He looked at the guy who was following him around for a while. It was a puppy with snow white fur.

Leo took out the booklet that the old man had passed him onto through his smart link. There was every information in it that he wanted to know. But, still to confirm it, Leo decided to scan the beasts.

Name: [Snow Wolf]

Lv 1: [Awake]

Cyan Rank Skill: [Blizzard]

Race: [Arora Beast]

Comprehensive Body Assessment: [F-]

'They have already been awakened since birth..' Leo sighed.

[That's the reason they are called an Arora Beast. Are you really being jealous of them-nya?]

'It's not like you can understand my feelings of not being awakened at all.' Leo sighed remembering the past.

[Ok, I get it. Now continue to do what we are here for-nya.]

Leo nodded and then shifted his gaze towards a three tailed fox taking a nap in the distance.

Name: [Three-Tailed Fire Fox]

Lv 1: [Awake]

Green Rank Skill: [Torch]

Race: [Arora Beast]

Comprehensive Body Assessment: [F-]

He shook his head and proceeded ahead, but didn't find any beast exceeding Green Rank.

After a while, he walked back towards the Old farmer who was surrounded by an army of a little beast as he distributed the food to them.

"You are back?" The old man smiled as he looked at Leo. "It seems you didn't find any partner."

He could tell from Leo's expression.

"Are there no beast's above Green Rank?" Leo asked as he looked at him. Even the eggs above were only in Yellow, Cyan and Green in color.

"What's your Skill rank?" The old man asked with a smile.

"Yellow," Leo forced a smile on his face. It seemed a bit wrong somehow. He himself was a Yellow ranker, and yet he was looking down on Yellow rank beasts. But, he knew that he didn't have that liberty. If something could help him to increase his strength with a guarantee then he had to take it now.

"Hmmn…if you want a beast, it is better if you do not go three ranks above your own or it might turn dangerous. After all, unlike normal people, you aren't going to be keeping it as a house pet, right?"

Leo nodded.

He planned to use it when the time came. That's the reason he wanted a stronger beast.

"Normally, it is tough for the owner below the ranks of a beast to bring out its full potential. In such cases, it might frustrate the Beast and bring out an aggressive behavior from it when put into fights. There has been not less than a few thousands cases in Gloria each year. And, a lot owner die after losing control of their own beast."

It definitely was Leo's first time hearing that.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Leo asked inwardly.

[I had no idea about it too-nya.] Aiden wasn't fully aware of it as well. It was possible that his parents hadn't told him about it thinking that it would make him feel bad and further lessen his own value in his eyes.

And, even his peers were all getting their beasts around this time so it was not discussed in the class as well. Only less than 10% of his classmates from his year had their own pet beast as of now. After all, most people would take their time in selection. Some would wait until they found the one they were looking for, while there were a few who would wait for their family to acquire a High rank pet beast for them.

Hence it took time. But, it definitely would play a major role ahead. After all, the third years were engaged their Beast during duels as well. But, that was still nowhere to be seen among the first and second years.

'What to do now?' Leo muttered with a frown.

[Well what's there to think about? We are going to break through all kinds of restrictions. If that happens, we will raise our rank as well. There should be no problem in taking a high rank beast, right-nya?]

"Actually, I have received instructions from your father not to allow you anything above Green Rank." The Old man suddenly informed.

[How can he do that-nya?] Aiden wasn't happy.

"He said that you wanted to break through your own limits. If that was the case, he wanted you to do the same with the partner you choose."

"You can't blame him for that. He has the right to be worried about your safety. And, if you are that confident of overcoming your own limitations. Then ranks shouldn't matter in the first place.." The old man further added with a smile.

'He is right, but..' Leo lamented. If they could have taken a shortcut. Then it would have been nice. But, it was not like he couldn't understand Edgar's point. He was trying to ensure Aiden's safety and at the same time encourage him as well.

Go and find a way for your own breakthrough and do the same for your partner. That was probably his intention.

'Let's look around for a bit more..' Leo muttered, and then turned around to go on one more look out.

He tried looking around, but nothing was working. The Beast's surroundings were the same, and he didn't find anyone who he could deem to be useful.

'Should I just pick this little guy?' Leo was wondering as he looked at the snow wolf which was still following behind.

But, suddenly, he remembered something. He had clearly forgotten to ask for Arthur's opinion.

'Is there any beast around which suits me, Arthur?' Leo asked.

[Scanning…]

[A match has been found...]