Jace walked out of the arena tunnels the roar of the crowd now cheering instead of jeering fading behind him. He didn't care about the fame. He cared about the notification blinking on his wrist comp.
Balance: 10,500 Credits.
He was rich! Well rich for a student who had been surviving on cafeteria scraps for three years.
He unsummoned Tank back into his Soul Space. The beetle was exhausted the burst of evolution and the combat had drained its stamina and consequently Jace's own. He felt the familiar ache of fatigue but the adrenaline kept him moving.
"System" Jace thought as he walked toward the city transit station. "Report."
[Host Victory Achieved]
↳ Combat Experience Gained
↳ Beast 'Tank' Bond increased.
[System Warning]
↳ Host Soul Capacity at limit.
↳ Awakened Realm Level 2 usually supports only one D-Rank beast.
↳ 'Tank' is nearing C-Rank power. Mental strain imminent.
Jace frowned. That was the hard rule of this world. Your Soul Space was like a container.
A Level 2 Awakener had a small cup a C Rank beast was a gallon of water. If you overfilled it your mind would crack! Most Tamers couldn't contract a second beast until they reached Awakened Realm Level 5 or higher.
[System Update Available]
↳ Feature Unlocked: Dominion - Beast Legion Command.
Jace paused in the middle of the sidewalk forcing a pedestrian to swerve around him.
"Dominion?"
[Dominion]
↳ The 10,000x System modifies the Host's Soul Space structure.
↳ The Host is no longer bound by standard capacity limits.
↳ The Host acts as a Commander not just a container.
↳ Current Legion Capacity: 2 Beasts.
↳ Note: Second Beast Slot available immediately!
Jace's heart hammered against his ribs. This was game breaking! If he could control two beasts at Awakened Level 2 he could fight like a squad not a duelist. He could overwhelm opponents with numbers and synergy.
He needed a second beast. And he knew exactly where to get one!
Northwood City had the official Beast Center where shiny sanctioned eggs were sold for exorbitant prices. But for those who knew where to look there was the Underground Market a labyrinth of tunnels beneath the old industrial district where smugglers poachers and desperate Tamers traded.
An hour later Jace was walking through the dim damp corridors of the Underground Market. Stalls were set up in alcoves selling everything from illegal stimulants to monster parts.
He pulled his hood up. He didn't want to be recognized as the Academy Hero down here.
Jace moved past cages containing snarling wolves and hissing lizards. He ignored them.
He didn't want a standard beast. The System's 10,000x evolution meant he could turn trash into treasure so he was looking for something... overlooked.
He stopped at a stall near the back. It was run by a one eyed old man who looked like he had lost his eye to the very wares he sold. The table was covered in dud eggs eggs that had failed to hatch or had been deemed dead by scanners.
"Looking for scraps kid?" the old man grunted. "Everything on the table is 500 credits. No refunds. If it doesn't hatch make an omelet."
Jace scanned the table. To the naked eye they were just rocks. Gray lifeless cold.
"System" Jace commanded. "Scan."
[Scanning target...]
↳ Target 1: Dead.
↳ Target 2: Dead.
↳ Target 3: Fossilized Lizard embryo. Dead.
Jace sighed. Maybe his luck had run out. He was about to turn away when his eyes landed on a small black egg tucked away in a box of rubbish under the table. It looked like a lump of coal. It was cracked and a faint sulfurous smell came from it.
[Target 4: Analyzing...]
↳ Result: Dormant. Life signs: 0.01%.
↳ Bloodline Detected: Ancient Shadow Sovereign (Diluted).
↳ Potential: S-Rank (If restored).
Jace froze. Ancient Bloodline? S Rank potential? Those were legends! Beasts that dominated entire regions!
"That one" Jace said pointing to the box on the floor. "How much?"
The old man laughed. "That? That's not even an egg kid. That's a charcoal briquette I found in a burnt out nest in the Ashlands. Been sitting there for two years."
"I like the shape" Jace lied smoothly. "How much?"
"Give me 200 credits and it's yours. I need the space."
Jace paid the man his hand trembling slightly as he picked up the dead egg. It was cold freezing cold. It felt like holding a piece of solid void.
[System Alert]
↳ Host requires massive thermal energy to jumpstart the heart.
↳ Fire-attribute crystals recommended.
Jace looked at his remaining credits. He had plenty.
"I need Fire Crystals" Jace told the old man.
"High grade. A lot of them."
The old man's single eye widened. "High grade fire crystals? For a rock? You got money to burn kid?"
"Something like that" Jace said.
He spent 8,000 credits on a box of volatile Fire Essence Crystals. It was a fortune almost everything he had won from Kaelen.
But if the System was right he wasn't just buying a beast. He was buying a king!
Jace hurried out of the market the black egg wrapped in his jacket pulsing faintly against his chest. He needed to get to a safe place.
He needed to witness the birth of his Legion!