Aiden Nightshade stirred in his sleep. A deep, suffocating darkness surrounded him. A hollow, haunting wind blew through the trees.
He shifted in his sleep, seeking the comfort of his mattress, but something was off. The surface below him wasn't comfortable, even a bit. It was an uneven surface, pressing against his front, as he was laid on his stomach. The scent of the earth filled his nostrils.
His eyes snapped open.
"Where the fuck am I?" He muttered under his breath.
His heart pounded against his chest, fueled by confusion. He stood up sheepishly. Brushing off the dirt from his clothes, he looked around, trying make sense of his condition.
'The encounter with the Cat Woman earlier has been locked deep in his subconsciousness. He had no recollection of it happening, even about Sarena.'
Suddenly a sharp pain shoot through his head. He clutched his head, as it was unbearable, but faded as soon as it came.
"The fuck..." He muttered.
His mind reached for memories-something-anything, but nothing he could think of could make sense as to why he was at the middle on eerie forest. He could only remember sleeping in his comfortable mattress after an hectic day. But nothing after that, who he was.
Suddenly, he remembered his name.
"I am Aiden, Aiden Nightshade. Why do I remember this?" He muttered under his breath, confusion binding his brain.
Suddenly, something flickered before him.
A glowing panel materialized in the air, its radiant blue light cutting through the darkness. Its surface was sleek and futuristic, lined with intricate symbols pulsating softly as if alive. A cold, synthetic female voice resonated from it.
---
[WELCOME TO THE ULTIMATE BOND SYSTEM]
---
Aiden blinked in surprise, "The fuck is this?"
He looked around. There was no one, only him and the hovering panel. He reached out his hand to touch it, but his passed through it as if made of mist.
The system continued, unbothered with his confusion.
---
[AIDEN NIGHTSHADE! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN TO A BEAST TAMER]
---
"Beast Tamer?" He muttered, felling as if he heard it somewhere before.
*The hell was this? Some kind of dream? A hallucination?* He couldn't help but ponder this questions in his mind.
The synthetic female voice continued.
---
[YOUR MISSION: TAME MAGIC BEAST]
*NOTE: TAMED BEAST WILL TRASNFORM INTO HUMANOID WOMAN.
---
Aiden blinked in utter surprise.
"...What? Humanoid? Woman? What is this? Some kind of harem system." He smirked, ignoring the urge to laugh.
His mind was a swirling mess. But instead of feeling confused, he felt excitement, as if he always wanted something like this, something exciting. He wanted this.
"I get this feeling I always wanted something like." He muttered, a smirk playing on his lips.
Suddenly, something else showed up on the screen.
---
[STATUS]
[NAME: AIDEN NIGHTSHADE]
[JOB: BEAST TAMER]
[TITLE: ?]
[LEVEL: 1]
[HP: 100/100]
[MP: 50/50]
[STRENGTH: 60/60]
[INTELLIGENCE: 65/65]
[SKILL: COMBO]
[COMBO: Allow fusion of two skill into a new and more powerful ability.]
[SPECIAL SKILL: TRANSMUTATION]
[TRANSMUTATION: Converts a tamed beast into its humanoid form.]
[CURRENT ABILITIES:
{INFERNO'S FURY: A raging fireball with explosive impact.}
{STORMSURGE: A powerful wind attack that destabilizes enemies.}]
[COMBO AVAILABLE:
{INFERNO'S FURY + STORMSURGE → IGNIS}
[IGNIS: A devastating fusion of fire and wind that can vaporize enemies within a 10-metere radius.]
---
Aiden's lips parted slightly as he read through the information. This was insane, especially the skills. He felt a strange fix of excitement stirring up inside him.
[This is mindfuck... So what do I do now?" Aiden asked the system in sheer excitement.
---
[MISSION: TAME YOUR FISRT BEAST]
[REWARD: ({LEVEL: 1→2},{STROAGE},{STATS WILL INCREASE}]
---
"Great! I can not only tame them but turn them into people." He muttered to him self in sheer excitement.
This was absurd. But Aiden didn't cared at all. He felt as if he belonged here. He could barely recall his previous life, but he know it was dull, a monotonous routine with no excitement. Here, however, he felt a thrill. He wanted this.
"This... feels right."
A sudden realization struck him. He haven't yet checked what he looked like. His body felt stronger, lighter, filled with raw strength.
He frowned, before raising his hand before his face, turning them over. His fingers were long and dexterous. His arms were lined with lean muscles. His breathing was steady, controlled. His body felt tuned for combat.
He clinched his fist, feeling their strength.
"I should probably get a good look at myself,"
Lifting his gaze to the floating panel, he asked, "Do you have mirror or something?". His voice, deeper and smoother then he remembered.
The system responded instantly. Shining like rippling water before transforming into a shining mirror, illuminating the area around him.
The man starring at him was... him.
He suddenly remembered what he looked like, and it was him, but he looked handsome. His hair, wild and tamed, was pure white. It was short, yet stylish, with long locks, framing his face.
His eyes, possibly crimson, stared back at him, were sharp yet warm. His skin was smooth and fair, without any imperfections. The faintest hint of sharp cheek bone and definite jawline, added to his allure.
Damn. I look good. At least, I am not ugly.
His smirk widened. "Alright, I can work with this."
The panel flickered before turning back to its original form.
"Now... how do I find my first beast?" He thought aloud, shifting his focus to his mission.
Suddenly, a bone chilling howl raw with pain, filled with desperate struggle, reached his ears. It wasn't just a beast's cry, it was pleading for survival.
---
[MISSION: SAVE THE BEAST AND TURN HER INTO YOUR TAMED BEAST]
[REWARD: ({LEVEL: 1→2},{STROAGE},{STATS WILL INCREASE}]
---
"Fine by me."
---
Deep inside the forest...
A circle of monstrous black wolves, their body pulsing with dark purple flame, glowing menacingly. Body covered covered with black fur, and their sharp fang and claws, ready to tear up its pray. Their eyes, burning crimson.
But in the center of this bloody wolfs, stood a female wolf, battered and bloodied, yet standing tall despite the odds.
Her fur, unlike the others. Jet black, adorned with streaks of glowing violet. Her piercing blue eyes burned with defiance. Though her breath ragged, she stood tall, struggling to protect herself.
She was different, she didn't belonged in the pact. And they had enough and were closing in on her.
One of the large wolves snarled and lunged, its claw extended to rip through her flesh.
She braced herself, but knew she wouldn't able to move in time.
Her vision blurred, legs were too weak. She closed her eyes, waiting for her death.
But the attack never came.
Instead-
BOOM!
An explosion erupted from the side, consuming the wolf in flame.
A sharp voice echoed.
"Inferno's Fury!"
The wolves turned in unison, there crimson eyes looking at the source.
Aiden stood at the edge. His hands still raised, bits of residual flame dissipating from his palm. His crimson eyes gleamed in excitement.
"I was looing for fight. Guess I found one."
The horde growled in unison. There rage shifting toward the new threat.
Aiden rolled his shoulders, loosing up.
"Alright then... let's dance."
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END OF CHAPTER : 3 : THE ULTIMATE BONDING SYSTEM : 1
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