Chapter 44: Soldier Rank

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Soldier Rank

Eric called up his interface, the cool azure radiance of the display bathing the silent slate walls of the cultivation suite in a pale, steady glow.

│ STATUS PANEL

│

│ Name: Eric

│ Race: Human

│ Cultivation Stage: Soldier

│ Level: 1 (0%)

│ Talent: Appraisal (Rank D), Skill Comprehension (Rank C)

│ Skills:

│ - Shadow Steps (Rank D) [Mastery: Minor]

│ - Advanced Swordsmanship (Rank D) [Mastery: Entry]

│ Contracted Beast: 1/2

"Finally... Soldier Rank," Eric whispered, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face.

A single month remained before the regional Beast Taming Academy registration window swung open. Under ordinary circumstances, with four unbroken weeks of training ahead of him, he could have comfortably targeted Level 2 or even Level 3.

Yet, as he circulated his spiritual energy to inspect the newly condensed reservoir, the mechanical limitations of his early foundation were already laying their traps.

The foundational breathing art distributed to low-tier awakeners by the municipal government was engineered solely for mortals. It was designed to handle ethereal, gaseous mist. Trying to channel and refine dense, heavy, liquid Soldier mana with a bottom-tier manual was like attempting to fill a massive cistern through an eyedropper. The circulation rate was agonizingly slow, and the drag against his widened meridians bled kinetic momentum.

*I’ll need an upgraded cultivation manual suited for Soldier Rank sooner rather than later,* Eric noted, rubbing his chin as he analyzed the internal drag. *A Soldier-grade technique will let me cycle this liquid pool at five times the speed.*

Then, his eyes drifted down to the bottom line of the glowing interface.

`Contracted Beast: 1/2`

"A second soul slot."

Breaching the biological divide of the Mortal realm hadn’t just fortified his physical skeleton; it had expanded his spiritual sea, carving out an entirely new tether point capable of sustaining a second contracted beast.

"What kind of partner should I look for next?" Eric mused aloud, turning the strategic puzzle over in his mind.

Coal was an extraordinary aerial vanguard—blindingly fast, lethal in ambush, and blessed with the terrifying crowd-control of shadow clones. However, their duo still lacked direct frontline durability, heavy damage mitigation, and wide-area ground control. If Eric faced an opponent capable of locking Coal out of the sky or pinning Eric down in close quarters, they had no bulwark to absorb the shock.

"A defensive vanguard? Or maybe a wide-range elemental caster?" He shook his head with a thoughtful smile, pushing the thought aside for the moment. "There’s no rush to just fill the slot blindly. With the Myriad Beast Encyclopedia in my hands, raw starting potential doesn’t dictate a beast’s final ceiling, every creature holds latent paths to supremacy if cultivated correctly. What matters most is finding a partner whose elemental nature, combat habits, and evolution tree build flawless synergy with Coal and me."

Catching a sharp, rancid whiff of the black, oily discharge clinging to his forearms, Eric grimaced, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Ugh, first order of business: scrub this filth off."

He stripped out of his sweat-soaked clothing, stepped into the adjoining wash stall, and cranked the cold water valve all the way open. The freezing cascade beat against his chest, scouring away the thick slurry of purged bodily impurities until his skin gleamed pale, clear, and unblemished. Beneath the surface, his muscles sat dense and tight, coiled like tempered spring steel.

After checking out of the Riverdale Cultivation Center and returning his keycard, Eric stepped into the cool evening air.

The entire breakthrough process, from the first violent compression of the mist to the final stabilization of the liquid pool, had consumed three full days of uninterrupted concentration.

When he arrived back on Elm Street, twilight had already draped the neighborhood in soft shades of indigo and amber. As he walked up the freshly painted porch steps, a faint shimmer of emerald caught his eye along the banister.

Curled lazily atop the wide cedar rail, soaking in the evening breeze, was Jade.

Eric focused his gaze, quietly triggering his diagnostic ability.

*Appraisal.*

│ Race: Leafjade Cat

│ Rank: E

│ Stage: Mortal

│ Level: 8

The high-grade Gorgefiend cores were already working their magic. The feline’s pale jade fur was noticeably denser, and its long, sinuous tail flicked with sharp, predatory vigor.

Eric reached out, scratching the cat right behind the ears with two fingers.

"Good job, Jade," Eric said softly as the feline leaned into his touch, its chest vibrating with a deep, rumbling purr. "Keep eating those cores and getting stronger. When I pack my bags for the academy next month, the safety of Emily and the kids falls square on your shoulders."

"Prrrr..." Jade kneaded its claws against the painted wood, blinking its bright emerald eyes in calm contentment.

Pushing through the heavy front door, the rich aroma of vegetable beef stew and freshly baked cornbread washed over him. Emily was standing by the stove wiping down the counter with a clean rag, her posture noticeably straighter and her movements far more fluid than before.

Eric ran a quick diagnostic over her profile.

*Appraisal.*

│ Race: Human

│ Talent: Rank F

│ Stage: Mortal

│ Level: 6

The cultivation feedback surging across the bond from Jade’s explosive advancement had worked wonders on Emily’s health. The chronic dark circles beneath her eyes had vanished, the fatigue lines on her brow were gone, and her pale complexion had been replaced by a vibrant, healthy color.

"Congratulations on reaching Level 6, Sister Emily," Eric said with a warm grin as he kicked off his boots by the mat.

Emily spun around, startled, before an embarrassed, flustered chuckle escaped her lips. She wiped her hands on her apron.

"Ah, Eric! You noticed already? Thank you. But never mind me, you’ve been locked inside that training room for three entire days. Did it go smoothly? Did you..."

Eric held up his hand, his mouth curling into a broad, effortless smile as he flashed a sharp two-fingered victory sign.

"Complete success. Not a single hitch. I’m an official Soldier-rank tamer now."

Emily gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as her eyes turned luminous with relief and joy.

"That’s incredible! Oh, congratulations, Eric! I knew you could do it! I knew it!"

The evening passed in a whirlwind of shared warmth. Over hearty bowls of stew, they talked about the finished roof repairs, the children’s school supplies, and the uncanny lightness Emily felt now that her mana pathways were expanding. Seeing her smile so freely made every drop of blood Eric had spilled in the rifts worth it.

Late that night, Eric returned to the quiet sanctuary of the attic.

With a soft pulse of his spiritual sea, he opened the soul gate.

*FLASH.*

Coal manifested in a gentle whirl of smoky shadow, his broad wings sweeping once before he settled silently onto the corner of the heavy wooden desk. His obsidian plumage caught the pale silver moonlight spilling through the window, his iron beak reflecting a cold, metallic gleam. His Level 1 Soldier pressure was suppressed, disciplined, and calm.

Eric sat down on the edge of his mattress, resting his forearms against his knees as he studied his partner.

"What do you say, Coal? Should we dive headfirst into a Tier 2 rift first thing tomorrow, or take our time?"

*Caw, caw.*

Coal let out two quiet, deliberate clicks from his throat, tilting his sleek head to the side with an analytical gleam in his pitch-black eyes.

"Yeah, you’re right," Eric chuckled softly, nodding in complete agreement. "My mana pool just settled, and we both need to get our instincts completely calibrated to these new physical outputs before we step into an actual Soldier-tier meat grinder. Reckless awakeners end up in coffins."

Eric leaned back against the headboard, his eyes reflecting the stars beyond the pane.

"We spend the next three days consolidating our realms, running sparring drills in the backyard, and locking down our coordination. Once this power is second nature... we take on Tier 2 for real."