Chapter 7: The Registration and the Roadmap

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: The Registration and the Roadmap

"Alright kid, since the bonding protocol went through without a hitch, hand over your Awakening badge," the Association official said, waking a glowing holographic terminal mounted to the counter. "I need to log your bond into the municipal registry."

Eric fished the bronze-plated token from his pocket and slid it across the glass surface.

"Keep this on you at all times," the official cautioned, passing the metal crest beneath a humming optical scanner. "The identity crest issued by the Beast Taming Association is your sole legal verification of awakening and imperial citizenship. Lose it in the wild or let it get stolen, and you’ll spend weeks stuck in bureaucratic limbo before you can even claim bounty bounties or pass city security."

While the console whirred through verification cycles, Eric lifted his left hand and gently scratched Coal beneath the chin. The young Bonepecker Crow leaned into the touch, closing its dark eyes and letting out a soft, rhythmic trill from its bone-white beak.

*BEEP.*

"Here’s your updated credential," the official said, sliding the token back across the counter.

The dull bronze surface now carried a finely etched runic crest alongside a faint numeral indicating his baseline tamer tier.

"I’ve recorded your initial companion details. Whenever you advance a major cultivation stage, or if you manage to open additional beast slots in your soul sea down the road, report to a local Association branch to update your ranking."

The official closed the terminal and leaned back against his chair, his tone returning to dry routine.

"One final thing: an automated transmission has been dispatched to your imperial ID datalink. Your complimentary Low-tier Mortal Grade Cultivation Manual is attached to that message, along with the standard field-survival handbook for rookie Tamers. Study them thoroughly before doing anything suicidal in the wild. You’re dismissed."

"Thank you for your time, sir," Eric said, taking the badge and slipping it into his inner jacket pocket.

Stepping out of the sanctuary outpost and passing through the security perimeter, Eric decided against recalling Coal into his Beast Taming Space. While resting inside the spiritual domain accelerated a beast’s stamina recovery and mana circulation, keeping Coal perched openly on his shoulder allowed them to deepen their fresh psychic tether through real-world sensory alignment.

*Caw! Caw!*

Coal shifted his grip, flapping his matte-black wings once and nudging the curve of his bone-plated beak against Eric’s collar.

"What’s the matter, buddy? Appetite kicking in already?" Eric chuckled, reaching up to smooth down a ruffled feather along the bird’s wing. "Fair enough. You held up your end of the deal; let’s get you some proper sustenance."

Eric navigated the bustling market street flanking the transit hub. Unlike the high-end alchemical boutiques in Riverdale’s inner core, the perimeter stalls catered to low-tier hunters, mercenaries, and manual laborers. The air was thick with the scent of roasted grain, dried monster meat, and pungent herbal tinctures.

Using the small stash of copper and silver coins he had scraped together from odd repair jobs around the lower district, Eric stopped at a feed merchant. He bought a sealed canvas pouch of dried insect protein, a bag of crushed mineral grains rich in calcium, and a small glass vial of low-grade dark-essence fluid formulated for avian scavengers. It wasn’t luxury feed, but it was nutrient-dense and ideal for strengthening bone density and wing stamina.

Instead of rushing straight back to Sunshine Home, Eric took a quiet detour into an overgrown municipal park a few blocks from the residential ward.

He found a weathered timber bench sheltered beneath the broad boughs of an iron-oak tree, well away from the foot traffic. He opened the feed pouch, pouring a small mound of protein strips onto his palm, and watched as Coal pecked at the meal with rapid, precise motions.

*Time to take stock of the entire board.*

Eric leaned back against the bench, letting out a steady breath as he focused inward. With a single thought, he called up both the native world interface and his system panel side by side.

│ STATUS PANEL

│

│ Name: Eric

│ Race: Human

│ Cultivation Stage: Mortal

│ Level: 0 (0%)

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

│ Skills: None

│ Contracted Beast: 1/1

│ CONTRACTED BEAST STATUS

│

│ Name: Coal

│ Race: Bonepecker Crow

│ Cultivation Stage: Mortal

│ Level: 3 (34%)

│ Rank: D

│ Skills: Flight (Rank E), Scratch (Rank F)

│ SYSTEM INTERFACE

│

│ 1. [System Inventory: 3 Cubic Metres]

│ 2. [Myriad Beast Encyclopedia]

│ 3. [Dynamic Quest Engine: 0 Active]

Looking over the glowing parameters, Eric felt the tension in his chest settle into cold, pragmatic focus.

A 3-cubic-metre soul-bound subspace was an enormous asset. It meant he had an undetectable, time-locked compartment to hoard monster materials, emergency rations, and contraband weapons without carrying a bulky pack or purchasing an extortionately priced spatial ring.

Meanwhile, Coal was already sitting at Level 3 Mortal Stage. The bird wasn’t a fragile newborn; its frame was lean, agile, and physically developed enough for basic scout work and aerial harassment.

*This gives me an actual fighting chance,* Eric calculated silently. *The thirty-day countdown is already running. My immediate objective is simple: get back to the orphanage, digest the Low-tier Mortal Manual, and break through Level 0 so I can start absorbing spiritual feedback from Coal’s cultivation.*

He closed the translucent panels, brushing the loose feed dust from his knuckles.

"Let’s go home, Coal," Eric said softly, rising from the bench. "Everyone’s waiting to meet you."

Coal snapped his wings wide, letting out a sharp, resonant *caw* that cut cleanly through the park’s quiet air, his dark eyes gleaming with absolute trust.