Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

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Asher opened his mouth, trying to process it all.

'Huh…'

A bit over-the-top, but he could understand.

This sort of social hierarchy exists everywhere.

In fact, he was probably the odd one out for helping a honeybug without a second thought.

President Robb immediately picked up on Asher's thoughts. "Like you said, you did what felt right, but it was thanks to your help that we discovered honeybugs could evolve."

"To you, it may have been a small act. But to the world of Beast Masters, this is a major discovery."

"No matter how we continue researching this evolution, we can't overlook your contribution."

Iris added, "Based on the evolution requirements we know, reproducing this evolution shouldn't be too difficult. By the end of the month, we'll have results and publish a paper."

"I'll list you and Ivy as co-authors."

This time, both Asher and Ivy waved their hands in refusal.

'There is no need, really.'

Appearing on a research paper alongside Professor Iris… the pressure was huge.

The main issue was—

"I only did what was in my power. Being listed as a co-author is a bit much."

"Professor Iris, please, don't."

Compared to Asher's calmness, Ivy was on the verge of stammering with panic.

President Robb let out a hearty laugh, "Hahaha! Iris, you're scaring the kids. Co-authoring a paper with you would be too stressful for them."

Then he glanced at Asher.

"Alright then, tell me, have you contracted your first pet beast yet?"

Asher shook his head.

He hadn't.

And this was exactly why he'd been so conflicted lately.

"I've applied for two years but haven't made the cut yet. This year's results aren't out yet."

'Understood.'

President Robb hadn't looked into Asher's background before coming.

But he could guess easily enough.

A work-study job at the service center usually meant a challenging family background—likely an orphan or from a low-income household.

For people like him, contracting their first pet beast was best done by applying to the Alliance's breeding base.

Low cost, reliable strength.

It just required a bit of luck.

After all, the Alliance breeding bases could only provide a limited number of pet beasts each year.

Two years without getting in was nothing.

There were people who applied ten years straight without success.

Luck! It all came down to luck.

"In that case…" President Robb chuckled, "As one of the key individuals in this discovery and in assisting with the honeybug's evolution, you're now eligible to access six of NY City's seven breeding bases for pet beasts. The only one excluded is the high-tier base."

"You can choose one beast from any of these six bases as your pet beast. How does that sound?"

This reward wasn't randomly decided.

As the first person to discover honeybug evolution, Asher deserved recognition.

But it was complicated.

Asher's discovery was partially coincidental.

Further research and verification would be needed.

Who should take credit for the findings?

Ivy had gained the evolved Fairy Butterfly, which was already a lucky break.

Asher's contribution was undeniable, yet the scale of his credit was a tricky matter.

After much consideration, President Robb came up with what he believed to be the most fitting reward within his authority.

Upon hearing this, Asher's warm smile grew a bit more genuine.

'Wait?'

'Access to NY City's six extraordinary creature breeding bases?'

'And I can choose any one of them as my pet?'

'This reward is exactly what I needed.'

"I understand President. Success here did involve some luck," Asher replied with a smile.

He hadn't thought much about it at the time.

Partly, he'd been curious about the honeybug's evolution.

And partly, he'd wanted to test his talent skill's accuracy.

The fact that it led to solving his dilemma about his first contracted pet beast was an unexpected bonus.

As for the fame and influence Iris and President Robb would gain from announcing honeybug evolution… Asher wasn't as concerned as they might think.

If he wanted to, it wouldn't be difficult to recreate such a miracle, or as they though it.

"I accept, and thank you, President Robb and Professor Iris."

Asher smiled warmly.

President Robb: "…"

Just a tiny hint of guilt crept in.

It almost felt like he was tricking an innocent child.

But Iris, unfazed, simply waved a hand dismissively. "Since you've agreed, let's leave it at that. But…"

"You're starting your senior year soon, right? Have you decided on a major for university? If not, consider studying pet beast evolution and breeding. Who knows, you might even end up as my student." She adjusted her glasses thoughtfully.

Her words made Asher pause.

'Huh?'

'That actually sounds like a pretty good idea.'

"I'll give it some thought."

Asher replied seriously.

After all, his talent skill was well-suited for this field.

President Robb was stunned.

'Bluewind University?'

'As Professor Iris's student?'

Not just anyone could manage that.

'Are these two for real?'

One daring to offer, and the other daring to accept.

"One last thing." Iris raised a finger. "As the one who discovered an extraordinary creature's evolution path, you get the right to name the evolved creature. By rights, Ivy should be the one to name it, but she declined and passed the honor to you."

"So—"

Iris gestured to the Fairy Butterfly next to Ivy. "Give its new species a name. I'll use it in my paper."

Asher hesitated for a couple of seconds before finally agreeing.

"Fairy Butterfly."

"Alright, Fairy Butterfly it is. We'll be on our way."

With that, Iris and President Robb left.

Ivy didn't linger either. She thanked Asher once more before leaving the service center.

In an instant, the main hall returned to its usual silence.

Sitting back down with his familiar Pet Beast Breeding Manual in hand, Asher found himself unable to calm down.

'Is it really just a single day?'

'It felt like my life has fast-forwarded through an entire year.'

His talent skill's authenticity and potential had been verified.

The problem of finding a contracted pet beast, which had troubled him for half a month, was resolved.

And he'd even received guidance on his future major and grad school options.

' …What a day. What an incredibly full day.'

Feeling almost overwhelmed, Asher instinctively activated his Eye of Insight talent. And then…

A puzzled expression crept onto his face.

'Turns out…'

'This day can get even more fulfilling?'

Asher had complained more than once about how crude and underdeveloped his talent skill's display panel was.

But just now—

The moment he activated his talent, the panel underwent a complete transformation!

Not that it had become especially refined.

But it looked… smoother, more polished.

Almost as if he'd paid for an upgrade.

The UI design was noticeably improved.

Besides the visual enhancements, there were also some subtle changes in what his talent displayed.

The once linear logs had been organized into two main sections.

[Insight Logs]

This opened a list of previously viewed beasts along with dates and basic information.

[Pet Beast Codex]

Only one icon was currently lit.

"Fairy Butterfly"

He clicked on the single glowing icon, the dreamlike Fairy Butterfly, and a screen of both familiar and unfamiliar information appeared before him.

[Pet Beast: Fairy Butterfly]

[Attribute: Fairy]

[Type: Mid-Grade Extraordinary, Low Tier]

[Level: Maximum attainable – Tier 8]

[The evolved Fairy Butterfly is gentle in nature, highly obedient to Beast Masters, and produces a special honey with stamina-restoring and minor healing effects…]

[Fairy Butterfly's Gift: Heart of Protection (can teach acquired skills to contracted pet beasts)]

[Fairy Butterfly Recognition Level: 30]

Asher's eyes widened in disbelief.

'Wait, wait, wait—'

'What is going on?'

His talent skill… it seemed to have evolved into something incredible.

The Codex didn't just display the basic stats of a single Fairy Butterfly.

It showed the most detailed information about the entire species of extraordinary creatures known as Fairy Butterflies

This talent skill… was now far stronger than he'd ever imagined.

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