Apprentice Beast Master, Knight Tier Beast!

The afternoon sun cast long shadows as Hadrian and Deimos emerged from the bustling streets of Nightbourne City. The thrill of victory still thrummed through Hadrian, a melody counterpointed by the contented hooting of his loyal companion. Their duel at the Beast Taming Association had been a revelation. Unlike the polished matches he'd witnessed online, their battle had been messy, dynamic, and ultimately, theirs.

After the exhilaration of the match, Hadrian knows that his battle experience still needs refinement.

Although he won, Hadrian knows it is because of the advantages he carefully weighs. And his opponent is also a teenager that still needs growth and battle experience, unlike him that although he looks like also someone in his youth, he has a mind that already experienced the beating of life and mental fortitude that is not of his age.

Reaching their apartment, a modest dwelling bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, Hadrian felt a surge of anticipation. Deimos' performance had exceeded his expectations. The Mirage Owl's mastery of Flickering had been instrumental in dodging the Wind Breaker Leopard's relentless attacks, and the timely deployment of Resurgence, a skill Hadrian had taught it from the Skills Archive, had proven to be valuable. It was time to push Deimos further.

He settled himself onto a plush rug, Deimos perched expectantly on his shoulder. With a deep breath, he focused, picturing the shimmering gateway that represented the Skills Archive within his mind. The gateway pulsed with a soft blue light, beckoning him. As Hadrian reached out with his consciousness, a vast library materialized before him, brimming with countless skill icons.

His gaze settled on the familiar icons – Resurgence, Fleeting Phantoms, Flickering, Piercing Feather, and Moonlight Sheen. These were the cornerstones of Deimos's skillset, honed through countless practice sessions. Today, however, Hadrian wouldn't simply be teaching – he aimed to refine.

With a mental nudge, he pulled the icons forward, feeling a faint energy drain as the Archive prepared copies. Focusing on Resurgence, he pictured Deimos absorbing the restorative energy with even greater efficiency. The skill icon shimmered, a new layer of complexity weaving itself onto its surface. Hadrian transferred this enhanced version to Deimos, feeling a warmth spread through their connection.

He repeated the process for each skill, visualizing Deimos executing each maneuver with effortless precision, speed, and finesse. The Fleeting Phantoms morphed, promising illusions with sharper detail and increased duration. Flickering shimmered with an internal clock, guaranteeing pinpoint teleportation within a shorter activation window. Piercing Feather gained a subtle resonance, hinting at the potential to pierce through stronger defenses. And Moonlight Sheen, the borrowed moonlight empowered to a greater degree, promised a more potent healing and invigorating effect.

The training session was grueling. The energy drain from refining skills left Hadrian feeling pleasantly lightheaded, and Deimos, despite its ever-present energy reserve, showed signs of fatigue with a slight drooping of its wing. However, the payoff was evident. As Deimos practiced its skills, a newfound fluidity marked its movements. The Fleeting Phantoms projections were crisper, the Flickers near instantaneous, and the Piercing Feathers whistled through the air with an unnerving accuracy. Even the soft luminescence of Moonlight Sheen held a deeper, more potent glow.

Hadrian smiled, satisfied. His Tome of Beasts Taming, particularly the Skills Archive, was proving to be an unparalleled tool. Deimos, now with its skillset elevated to the Proficient level, was a force to be reckoned with.

And he was still at the Novice Tier! One has to know that most beast in the Novice Tier are struggling to raise their skill level to Competent level. What's more if it's to raise at the Proficient level. Skill Proficiency will be difficult to raise as the level of proficiency increase. Even at the Knight Tier, only few beast have skill at the Proficient level. And most of them is only one skill. But here at Deimos, skills at Proficient level seems like a wholesale at a market!

Only at the Elite Tier and above can you find beasts that has all its skills at the Proficient level.

Hadrian stretched, the pleasant ache in his muscles a welcome reminder of a productive training session. Deimos hooted softly, its wing feathers brushing against his cheek in a gesture of affection. Both of them were drained, but a satisfied hum vibrated beneath their fatigue. Deimos, with its newly refined skillset, had transcended the limitations of Novice Tier V and was practically begging to break through to Knight Tier I.

However, their progress was halted by an invisible wall. Hadrian, despite his own best efforts, was limited by his beast-taming space. Currently, it remained at the Beginner level – a translucent bubble that housed Deimos comfortably, but wouldn't accommodate the growth needed for Knight Tier Ascended Rank.

A glint of determination hardened Hadrian's eyes. He wouldn't let this obstacle stymie them. He possessed another, rarer talent – the power to manipulate the flow of space-time. It was a power he still grasped tentatively, fearing its immense potential for both good and catastrophic consequences. However, this was a calculated gamble.

Taking a deep breath, Hadrian focused on the swirling vortex of energy that represented his space-time manipulation ability within his mind. It pulsed with a chaotic energy, a tempest waiting to be unleashed. He visualized the translucent bubble of his beast-taming space, picturing it not as a barrier but as a canvas. With a surge of willpower, he channeled the space-time energy, weaving it into the very fabric of the bubble.

The room pulsed with a strange energy as the translucent bubble shimmered and distorted. Deimos hooted in alarm, its luminous eyes wide with concern. Hadrian gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead as he poured every ounce of concentration into maintaining control. The space-time energy, at first chaotic, gradually yielded to his will, intertwining with the existing structure of the bubble.

For a terrifying moment, the bubble flickered, threatening to collapse. Just as quickly, a blinding white light erupted, engulfing the room and momentarily silencing Deimos. When the light subsided, Hadrian blinked, his vision adjusting to the sudden change. The bubble that once housed Deimos was gone. In its place shimmered a sphere, pulsating with a soft white luminescence. It was larger, reflecting the growth potential it now held.

A wave of relief washed over Hadrian. He had done it. He had used his space-time power to accelerate the growth of his beast-taming space, propelling it from Beginner to Apprentice level. A triumphant smile spread across his face. Now, nothing stood between him and Deimos's ascendance into another realm.

Hadrian stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh as he surveyed the pulsating white sphere that now housed Deimos. His gamble had paid off, his space-time manipulation ability successfully accelerating his beast-taming space to the Apprentice level.

This breakthrough meant Deimos could finally ascend from Novice Tier to Knight Tier, a significant leap in power. But the success of his breakthrough left him curious. What other changes had occurred within him?

He closed his eyes, focusing inwards. The familiar presence of his three talents – Extrasensory Perception, Tome of Beast Taming, and Space-Time Power – swirled within his consciousness. Starting with Extrasensory Perception, the most common of the three, he felt a… dullness. It was a sense he'd grown accustomed to, a heightened awareness of his surroundings. But compared to his other talents, it felt… lacking.

A thought flickered across his mind. Perhaps the commonness of Extrasensory Perception was exactly the point. Maybe it served as a foundation, a blank slate upon which other abilities could be built. With a mental nudge, he delved deeper, still examining the change within his talent.

However, to his surprise, the familiar sense of touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing that formed the core of Extrasensory Perception pulsed with a new energy. Interwoven with it was a faint echo, a tremor of… danger?

Hadrian's eyes snapped open with a jolt of surprise! The addition of a danger sense – a premonition of impending harm – was a welcome upgrade. It felt like a natural extension of his Extrasensory Perception, a sixth sense tingling with awareness. This, combined with the immense potential of his space-time manipulation, made him a formidable force.

Next, he turned his attention to the Tome of Beast Taming. He already knew about the Skills Archive, its ability to record and imprint beast skills. However, the change is still somewhat significant which is another increased page for recording skills. With this, he can better customize skills for Deimos and he won't have to worry for occupying too much space for the Skills Archive.

However, this wasn't what Hadrian looked forward to the most. It was the new function of the Tome of Beasts Taming! With a mental command, he focused on the Tome, wanting to know its next function.

A surge of information flooded his mind. The Tome of Beast Taming possessed another function – a Bestiary Guide! This function, previously hidden, pulsed with an emerald light. It held the incredible ability to scan for beasts within a ten-kilometer radius, providing detailed information about each one. Racial name, type, rank, attributes, and skills – a comprehensive bestiary at his fingertips.

Perfect for exploring space-time rifts, he thought, a thrill coursing through him. Imagine encountering a fantastical creature from another dimension and having instant access to its strengths and weaknesses. The possibilities were endless.

Space-time rifts, he knew, were tears in the fabric of reality, portals that opened to fractured dimensions and alternate realities. Unstable and unpredictable, they teemed with fantastical creatures, some benign, others ferocious. The Bestiary Guide, he realized, would be his compass in these chaotic realms, allowing him to assess threats and opportunities before venturing forth.

Although, Hadrian won't be mindlessly seeking trouble in space-time rifts in the future, sooner or later he will venture forth onto those space-time rifts. After all, his dream of himself here is to be a combatant beast tamer combined with the dream of his past self in the Earth which is to become a Zoologist and explore every extraordinary creatures, he can't sit still.

Eager to test his new ability, Hadrian focused on the Bestiary Guide, activating it within the confines of his apartment.

A wave of information flooded his mind. Details about the local fauna flickered to life – a family of Wind Sparrows flitting through a nearby park and a Ghost Cat prowling an alley of dark-attribute and uncommon-race type beast. The range seemed limited, currently around 10 kilometers. But the potential was staggering.

"Let's see something a little more interesting," he murmured to Deimos, who hooted in agreement. He pictured the city's famed moonlight, a luminous energy that bathed Nightbourne in an ethereal glow. Focusing on the light attribute, a new entry materialized in the Bestiary Guide.

A serpentine creature native to the moonlit canals of Nightbourne. Its scales shimmer with bioluminescent light, allowing it to navigate the city's darkened waterways with ease. While not inherently aggressive, its bite carries a potent electrical charge.

[Beast: Luminous Snake

Race Type: Uncommon

Attribute: Water/Light

Rank: Novice Tier IV

Skills: Spray Water (Basic), Luminescent Scales (Intermediate)]

After a moments of what felt like light years, Hadrian let out a satisfied hum. The upgrade of his talent after breakthrough really surprised him. What's more if he achieved even greater realms.

That was still far away, but for now, Deimos has to breakthrough first. From Novice Tier V to Knight Tier I. With that on mind, Hadrian glance at Deimos perched on his shoulder and caress it's feathers.

"The time for your ascension has come, Deimos." Hadrian spoke encouragingly.

Deimos hooted softly in acknowledgement and gracefully hopped onto the smooth surface.

The air around Deimos shimmered faintly as it settled into a meditative pose. Unlike the dramatic displays Hadrian had witnessed during online beast ascension, Deimos' breakthrough was a quiet affair. No blinding light erupted, no surge of energy crackled in the air. Instead, a slow, steady thrumming emanated from the owl's body, a subtle hum that resonated with the very essence of growth.

Hadrian watched, captivated, as Deimos absorbed the ambient mana from the room, its body visibly growing a fraction taller. Its already impressive wingspan expanded slightly, the bronze and white feathers gleaming with a newfound luster. The transformation was subtle, yet undeniable.

After a period of focused meditation, the thrumming subsided, and Deimos hooted triumphantly, its luminous eyes blazing with newfound power. It stretched its wings, the tips brushing the ceiling with a soft whisper. Its power emerging beyond the ranks of Knight Tier I.

Hadrian can't help the jolt of surprise in his eyes! After all, Deimos didn't just broke through to Knight Tier I. His rank even climbed to Knight Tier III! Perhaps it's because of condensation of foundation that Hadrian have done to Deimos when he keeps teaching skills to Deimos. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

An uncontrollable smile emerged from Hadrian's lips. "You did it Deimos. You're a Knight Tier III beast now."

Deimos hooted again, this time a joyful sound that echoed through the apartment. It hopped closer to Hadrian, nuzzling his hand with its beak in a gesture of shared accomplishment.