Chapter 143: First Beast

Nustra Region, Central Government Control, Hibiscus City.

"Did you know, I managed to overpower a beast earlier when I was forming a contract? Would you believe what kind of beast it was?"

An enthusiastic voice echoed from a young man, clearly around sixteen years old judging by his sharp, youthful facial features.

Adorned in a generic tunic paired with simple khaki trousers, the young man named Filmos sat inside a small local pub that served soft soda drinks, speaking with overflowing excitement.

The other young man sitting across from him was Jake Vin. He was a sixteen-year-old tamer who already possessed a powerful B-Rank beast. Jake smirked with genuine interest, giving his undivided attention to his close friend who had just returned from his awakening ceremony.

"Hmm... tell me more," Jake leaned in, swirling his glass. "What kind of beast was it? Did you commission a hunter team to get it for you?"

Filmos hesitated before replying, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"You know... that’s not something I can afford to do," Filmos admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But hell, I chose from the Contribution Agency’s selection of free beasts!"

Jake’s eyes immediately widened in total shock.

"What? Don’t tell me you just tried to contract a rejected beast? No wonder! Of course you would overpower one, regardless of the type or rank of that creature!"

Noticing how visibly agitated his friend was becoming, Filmos quickly raised both of his hands to calm Jake down.

"Calm down! Of course I’m going to be a little proud," Filmos protested. "It wasn’t just a random free beast or some useless reject like you’re claiming. It was at least..."

He paused, trying to find the right word that seemed to get twisted on his tongue.

"Average! You know, a C-Rank?"

"Damn it," Jake sighed, heavily shaking his head.

Filmos had obviously fallen straight into the classic trap that most naive beginner tamers faced.

Fortunately for Jake, he came from a very wealthy family, so he had never been forced to experience such desperation. But he genuinely feared for his friend, who lacked the financial means to even commission a professional hunter to catch a decent beast for him.

"Aren’t you happy for me?" Filmos asked, his smile faltering as he slumped back. "I almost overpowered a Defense-Type Orc Beast."

"An Orc Beast? Come on!" Jake scoffed. "It’s not an average C-Rank like you mentioned! Those are thrown-out beasts, or creatures that were literally about to be released back into the wild. No offense, but you were obviously going to overpower them during contracting. There’s a very specific reason why they were offered for free!"

Filmos’s face instantly turned pale.

"Are you sure...?" Filmos muttered, his confidence draining completely. "I genuinely thought I was lucky, or maybe even a natural genius..."

Jake stared at him intently. "Please tell me you didn’t actually contract that beast?"

Filmos didn’t reply immediately. An uncomfortable, heavy tension settled between the two of them as Filmos stared down at his soda glass.

After a few long seconds, Filmos slowly shook his head.

Jake let out a massive, audible sigh of relief, dropping his shoulders.

"Thank goodness. Forget about that trash creature. I’ll help you get a real beast!"

"No! No!" Filmos abruptly pulled himself upright in a panic, his hands waving frantically.

This was the exact trait he disliked about Jake. Filmos couldn’t stand the thought of feeling guilty over his friend financially aiding him. He deeply disliked relying on charity.

"You’re still worried that it’s going to cost too much to commission a capture, right?" Jake pressed on.

"Who wouldn’t be?" Filmos showed clear frustration, biting his lip tightly. "If only my parents had done their absolute best to support me, I wouldn’t be facing any of these problems right now. Besides, it seems like I just have a naturally weak affinity. That’s probably the real reason why I was so foolishly proud that I almost overpowered an ordinary Orc Beast..."

Jake let out another soft sigh.

"Don’t worry. What I have in mind won’t cost much at all. It was deeply unfortunate that I didn’t discover this method to get a beast earlier, but I already have my bonded partner. I like him. I don’t need a second beast anyway—not like I could contract two at once even if I tried."

Filmos’s expression gradually shifted into intense suspicion. His instincts warned him that whatever Jake was talking about didn’t sound safe. He could feel a subtle trap hidden beneath his friend’s words.

"There’s a clear reason why you only just discovered this method..." Filmos murmured, leaning forward. "This isn’t entirely legal, is it?"

Jake chuckled softly, shaking his head with a touch of sarcastic amusement.

Filmos’s suspicion reached an absolute high, but his logic was entirely sound. He didn’t want to get involved in shifty black-market dealings.

"You know that I’ve already failed my awakening ceremony once," Filmos said, his voice dropping low. "Failing once is fine—it’s just a delayed opportunity. But if I fail a second time, I might end up being the absolute worst tamer of all time. I might literally become the first person in recorded history to completely fail to contract a beast or awaken a Beast Taming Talent!"

For some strange reason, Jake couldn’t hold back a light chuckle. But then, in a faint physical reaction, his eyes enlarged slightly as if a sudden realization had just struck his mind.

Thoroughly confused, Filmos inquired, "Why are you acting like that all of a sudden?"

"It’s because what I am about to tell you... you won’t even believe it," Jake whispered back, his tone turning dead serious.

Filmos’s brows furrowed tightly. "What is it?"

"I am going to buy a beast for you," Jake declared firmly. "You have to come with me to Suran City."

Filmos instantly sat up straight, leaning closer across the table to lower their voices even further.

"Hey! Don’t just casually mention that city out loud!"

Recalling what Suran City actually represented in recent history, Filmos was deeply hesitant to even speak the name. He looked around nervously to check if anyone in the pub had overheard them. Seeing that none of the patrons were paying attention and were all busy with their own drinks, he faced back toward Jake.

"What do you even mean? Buying a beast? Is something like that even possible without a standard contract?"

Jake scoffed with a grin. "Yup. And it is strictly available in Suran City. You don’t even need to fully awaken a high-level Beast Taming Talent. Well, technically, you must have a basic soul foundation, but if what you told me is true—that you almost overpowered an Orc Beast in a soul-bonding contract—then there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. The seller’s beasts are practically guaranteed to land you a successful contract the moment you buy them!"

Now, without even realizing it, Filmos was becoming deeply intrigued by what Jake was describing. Was purchasing a fully compliant beast truly possible, completely separate from paying a mercenary tamer to capture a wild one for you?

And just like that, the two young men spent the very next day traveling toward Suran City using a severed public transportation route.

The primary transit line to Suran City had been officially cut off by authorities due to political tensions. Hibiscus City was currently not on good terms with Suran City, stemming from severe business and political struggles involving the former ruling pillar of the region.

Despite the fact that the legendary Lee Family had officially fallen, dangerous remnants still lurked quietly among the shadows, silently attempting to rebuild the grand empire that had once stood tall above all others.