NOVEL NEXT B1: Chapter 26 - "Skill Tutorial Begins."
When Jeremiah next opened his eyes, he wasn't staring into two blazing stars in an abyssal deep.
He was staring up at a single, brilliant sun, high in a sky brushed with drifting clouds.
With a groan, he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the harsh light.
"Good morning, sunshine," came a gravelly voice.
Jeremiah turned toward the sound and squinted at the smug fairy lounging in the grass beside him.
Mero grinned. "Seein' as yer not a vegetable, I'm guessin' things didn't go sideways. How'd it go?"
Sitting up with a grunt, Jeremiah cradled his pounding head. Yet he could tell it wasn't a physical pain. Rather, it somehow felt… deeper.
"Good? I think?" he muttered, voice thick with uncertainty. Whatever that experience had been — vision, dream, spirit quest — it already felt like mist slipping through his fingers. Still, some things had etched themselves into him so deeply, he doubted he'd ever forget them.
The twin, star-like eyes.
The winding path through his own past.
And two simple words that were both a command and a request.
Jeremiah's eyes flew open.
"Billy!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet. His gaze swept across the clearing until it landed on the familiar bowl resting in the grass where he'd left it.
Inside, Billy lay draped across his little plastic castle, tentacles limp, his stillness enough to send a jolt of panic stabbing through Jeremiah's chest. He lunged forward, but Mero's voice cut in.
"He's fine! Just wrung out. Like I said, Billy's still young. That little shared vision of yours took a chunk outta both of you." Mero smirked. "Try not to take the kid on too many interdimensional bonding trips, alright? Least not till he's grown some."
Jeremiah knelt and gently picked up the bowl. The motion sent Billy's limbs drifting in the water, and after a few seconds, the tiny kraken stirred. He didn't wake, but the soft twitch of movement eased the pressure from Jeremiah's lungs. His shoulders sagged in relief.
Mero floated up beside him, wings humming, and perched on the bowl's rim.
"Well then," the fairy said, grinning. "Guess congratulations are in order."
As if on cue, Jeremiah's System copy flickered into view.
"Congratulations, User, on bonding with your first Beast!" it announced in a chipper tone, offering a round of polite applause. A glowing screen appeared in the air before Jeremiah.
——————✴——————
MISSION COMPLETE!
Stand by for mission evaluation!
...
Evaluation complete!
——————✴——————
The screen vanished, replaced instantly by another.
——————✴——————
Tutorial Mission #1 - Bond with a Beast. [1/1] (Complete)
Rank - G
Description - What is a Menagerie without guests? Bond with your first Beast to unlock the next mission.
Reward - Bond Status, 10x Quantum Marks.
Failure - N/A
—❇—
— MISSION EVALUATION —
Time: 00:05:23 [Five minutes, twenty-three seconds]
Bonded Beast: Polaris Kraken [Mythical, 8 Stars]
Final Mission Score: S [5x reward]
System Notes: "Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater!"
—❇—
— REWARDS —
Bond State - Unlocked!
Bond Status - Unlocked!
Quantum Marks x50
——————✴——————
Jeremiah blinked.
Then he chuckled.
And then, unexpectedly, he laughed — deep and full, until his sides hurt and his eyes stung.
When the fit passed, he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye, still grinning.
To anyone else, that snarky little System note might have seemed strange or out of place among the usual sterile prompts. Maybe even childish.
But to Jeremiah, it felt so unmistakably… Sarah.
He could picture her face now — red with frustration, brow furrowed in mock indignation, lips drawn tight in a stubborn pout whenever he'd pulled a fast one on her. Moments like that had been rare, but he'd never let her live them down when they happened.
Not long ago — hell, less than an hour ago — the memory might've torn him apart. But now, after everything with Mero, with Billy, and that star-lit entity, the memory didn't feel quite as… raw as it should have.
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The ache in his chest wasn't gone. He still missed Sarah with every piece of himself. Yet he could feel something had changed in some way.
Jeremiah didn't think he could face Sarah's image quite yet. But he could feel he had taken a step forward, after far too long.
It was like Mero had said. Just one more memory, laid down to pave the road.
The screen blinked out of existence, and a new icon materialized on Jeremiah's HUD.
It was the familiar outline of a smiling slime — clearly inspired by a certain classic monster-catching game — surrounded by three smaller symbols arranged in a triangle: a drop of water, a heart, and a chicken leg.
Interesting.
Curious to see what exactly he'd unlocked, he focused on the icon and mentally selected it.
A new screen shimmered into view.
——————✴——————
—♛————♛—
These bonds we form from love and care,
Our burdens we each other's bear,
Together, we our fights we'll share,
United to break stagnation's snare.
—♛————♛—
〖BEAST BOARD〗
——————
《ACTIVE BONDS》
[Attunements] - 0/3
——————
[Contracts] - 1/1
—✦—
Billy Bridge (Polaris Kraken)
[Status]
Bond State: Active {Primary} – Sleeping – Exhausted – Content [✚]
Bond Level: [Tier I] – ☆
Bond Points: 12/50
Beast Skills – <0/1>: N/A [✚]
——————
[Pacts] - 0/0
——————
《AUXILIARY BONDS》
N/A
—✦—
——————✴——————
Jeremiah frowned as he read over the screen, absorbing each line.
'Bond State' was straightforward, and the bond level mirrored what he'd seen during the contract process, though the exact implications were still a mystery. One detail, however, concerned him.
"I'm only allowed one contract?"
If every contract was as emotionally and mentally taxing as the one with Billy, he could understand the limit. But something told him this wasn't standard. Surely not every bond would come with a face-to-face chat with a cosmic star-being.
"Partially correct," his System copy responded. "The User may form as many bonds as they wish. However, the number of active bonds is restricted by the User's Distinction."
Jeremiah nodded slowly. "I see… so what's the difference between an active and inactive bond?"
"Primarily, active bonds maintain a more intimate resonance with the User. Bond effects are amplified while active. The User may only access beast skills from currently active beasts. Additionally, auxiliary bonds accumulate bond points at one-tenth the rate of an active bond."
Jeremiah's eyes narrowed in thought. It was a lot to digest, but one thing hooked his attention immediately.
Beast skills.
His gaze sharpened, anticipation flickering behind his eyes.
"Tell me about beast skills," he blurted.
"The User will learn more about beast skills in the Skills Tutorial," his copy replied with maddening cheer.
Jeremiah's eye twitched. "Of course…"
Before he could fire back a sarcastic retort, the copy continued, voice unfazed.
"Would you like to activate the Skills Tutorial?"
Jeremiah exhaled a laugh, half-exasperated, half-relieved. "Yes," he said.
"Warning: The User has not yet completed the Beast Bonds Tutorial. Tutorials may be revisited at any time, but certain System features may remain locked until their completion. Would you like to continue?"
Jeremiah hesitated. He didn't like the idea of leaving a tutorial half-finished, especially when dealing with something as unpredictable as the System. Still, it was good to know he could circle back later.
In the end, the choice came down to priorities. The current mission was timed. If he failed, none of this would matter. If he had any hope of getting Amani's focus back in time, he needed power now.
"Yes, continue."
"Understood. Booting Skills Tutorial. Please stand by."
The copy froze for a second, then flickered.
In the blink between moments, it changed.
It was still him… technically. But now it was wearing the ugliest, most aggressively pastel baby-blue tracksuit Jeremiah had ever laid eyes on.
"Good morning!" the copy chirped, voice painfully enthusiastic. "Welcome to the Skills Tutorial! Here, you'll learn the basics about skills, how to obtain them, and how to use them. Excited?"
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. If he didn't know better, he'd say the copy had gotten a personality update.
Weird.
Jeremiah turned to glance at Mero, but the fairy simply shrugged with an unbothered expression.
The young man sighed and refocused on his copy.
"Tell me about beast skills."
The copy grinned. "Certainly! Beast skills are System-generated abilities derived from your beast bonds. In short, they allow the User to 'borrow' some form of their bonded beast's power, whether physical or supernatural."
Jeremiah's eyes widened slightly. That… sounded promising.
"Of course," the copy continued, "the strength, nature, and number of beast skills available to you depend on several factors; your beast's rarity, its personal strength, and your current Bond Level."
Jeremiah deflated, his gaze drifting toward Billy, who still floating peacefully in his bowl.
There was no question about rarity — 'Mythical' couldn't be a low bar — but strength? The System said Billy had a Supernatural score of 5, but what did that mean? How did it translate to beast skills? It wasn't like Jeremiah had ever seen the tiny kraken performing any feats of astounding magic before.
…Well. Aside from that cosmic bonding event that nearly fried his soul.
Only one way to find out.
"How do I get a beast skill?"
"Beast skills can be purchased using quantum marks through the Beast Skill Store."
Quantum marks. Right. He remembered that from the mission rewards screen.
With a thought, Jeremiah summoned his status window.
——————✴——————
〖Jeremiah Bridge〗
Distinction: ☆
System Authority: Probationary [Tutorial]
User Grade: G - 9
Mental - (G): 4
Physical - (G): 5
Supernatural - (G): 0
User Skills: [2/5] [✚]
User Equipment: N/A
Quantum Marks: 50
Active Bonds:
Attunements - [0/3]
Contracts - [1/1]
— Billy Bridge (Polaris Kraken) - Beast Skills: [0/1] [✚]
Pacts - [0/0]
——————✴——————
There were definitely some updates. The 'Active Bonds' section was now populated, and a new line had appeared under his skills.
"What are quantum marks?" he asked.
"Quantum marks are the System's primary currency. They represent quantifiable units of 'potential' and can be exchanged for a variety of services and items."
Jeremiah waited a beat. Nothing else came.
"…Really?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced at Mero.
The fairy raised his hands. "Hey, I warned ya. The System's still figuring things out too. It'll get better at picking up on your meaning with time. For now, just keep askin' it questions and we'll tackle the bumps as they come."
Not ideal… but fair enough.
Jeremiah looked back at his copy. "How do I get more quantum marks?"
"There are three primary methods," the copy replied without pause. "First: through mission and achievement rewards."
That one was obvious. He'd gotten his current stash that way after all.
"Second: through your bond. Raising your bonded beast — feeding, training, providing enrichment — will increase its potential. The System will then extract a small portion of that excess as quantum marks."
Jeremiah frowned. "That sounds… shady."
"All living beings generate and shed potential as a byproduct of their actions. By caring for your bond and creating conditions that allow it to grow beyond what it could alone, the System is simply harvesting the surplus."
"Huh…" Jeremiah muttered. "Still sounds like magical capitalism."
"And the third method?"
"Through your shop. A percentage of trades and sales made through your shop can be converted into quantum marks."
Jeremiah blinked. "Wait… is that why the System wants me to open one?"
"Please direct all questions regarding your shop to the Shop Tutorial."
Mero chuckled. "Told ya skipping ahead would bite ya."
"Right…" Jeremiah sighed and rolled his eyes.
So far, no obvious way to grind for marks on demand. Hopefully, the fifty he had would be enough to get started.
"How do I open the Beast Skill Store?" he asked.
"The Beast Skill Store can be accessed via your Beast Board or Status Menu. Simply select the icon next to the 'Beast Skills' line."
Jeremiah glanced down at his status screen. Sure enough, next to Billy's entry was a softly glowing [✚].
With only a little hesitation, he tapped it.