Several days later, Onyx was once again in Mister Rolf's plantation, once again plowing the fields. Assisting him and keeping him company was Tusk.

  The two had just finished plowing yet another plot of land. Onyx was wearing some working clothes Mister Rolf had lent him , simple overalls (which Onyx wore with the straps down), work boots already caked with a hardened layer of mud, and a straw hat to shield him from the sun perched on his head.

  Onyx stood in the field quietly, having just finished. He was taking a moment to rest and admire his work. His shirt was drenched in sweat, yet his body wasn't overly strained or tired. Onyx was getting used to this work with every passing day, his constitution naturally increasing thanks to the daily labor.

  Close at his heels was Tusk, his soft, chubby body covered in dirt and mud. Yet the little creature didn't seem to mind; it actually felt pretty natural and cozy for him to be like that.

  Tusk, who didn't display any noticeable physical changes, was actually also getting stronger. The difficulty and repetition of the labour was strengthening his core, just as it did for his master.

  Onyx had been quite surprised to notice a 1% increase in Tusk's Growth Level one day. It didn't take him long to figure out that it was the result of working in the fields. It was clear that the work they'd been doing for the last couple of days must have functioned as a Habitual Catalyst for Tusk.

  However, happy as he was to notice this, Onyx didn't let it distract from his initial goal. Even with this improvised Habitual Catalyst, Tusk's need for substance remained. He still needed to get his Totem beast some Material Catalysts if he wished to push his Growth Level further.

  He first needed to help Tusk accumulate enough to reach maturity before anything else; the trait's description specifically implied so. In other words, training Tusk right now was somewhat meaningless, because as everyone knows, you need mass to build muscles.

  And despite the fat appearance of his companion, tusk was still critically lacking in the necessary "mass".

  Some distance over yonder, Mister Rolf called out, he and his beast, Helda, having also finished their portion of work some time ago.

  "Everything done over there?" Mister Rolf called out.

  "Yes, sir!" Onyx replied with a hearty shout.

  "Good," Mister Rolf responded. "With that, we've finished preparing the fields for planting. I'll get the seeds later today, and tomorrow we'll start sowing. Young lad, you can rest until then; that'll be all."

  "If you say so, Mister Rolf. I'll be taking my leave, then." Onyx bid farewell to the old farmer, done with work for the day. After dropping his tools in the tool shed, he was off, heading back to the station.

  Mister Rolf's plantation was located on the periphery of Grey Wood Station, like many others, so it would take several minutes of walking to return. But Onyx didn't mind, using it as a chance for a leisurely walk. He did, however, unsummon Tusk back to his soul sea to let the little guy rest comfortably.

  Onyx walked leisurely for about twenty minutes before reaching the station's palisade. Heading to the gate and passing through the guards on duty, he was once again in the stone embrace of the station.

  Onyx kept moving, maintaining his leisurely pace. However, he didn't immediately head home. Instead, he took a detour, walking deeper into the station. After ten more minutes of navigating the twists and turns of the bustling streets in the station's interior, Onyx finally found himself at his destination ,the Market District.

  The district was a contained chaos of commerce. It was less a planned square and more a network of winding lanes crammed between two- and three-story stone buildings, their ground floors opened wide to form shops. Bright awnings of faded canvas stretched over each doorway, providing shade and splashes of color—deep blues, sun-bleached reds, earthy browns. The air was a dense tapestry of smells . the rich, loamy scent of earth and strange fertilizers, the tang of curing leather and animal musk, the sweet-spicy aroma of roasting nuts and dried herbs from food stalls.

  Stalls spilled onto the street, displaying everything from rugged work clothes and simple pottery to glinting tools and baskets of oddly shaped, luminous fruits. The crowd was a mix of Catalysers in practical gear, farmers from the periphery, traders in finer tunics, and station guards weaving through it all. The noise was a constant, lively hum of bartering, conversation, and the clatter of goods.

  Coming here, Onyx was naturally going to do some shopping, specifically for Catalysts for Tusk. It was prime time he did so.

  Onyx had discussed the terms of his compensation with Mister Rolf previously, and as a farmer, Mister Rolf could only properly pay Onyx after harvest, as that's when the money comes in—a reality Onyx understood. However, that didn't matter much now. With his financial balance secured for the future, he could finally start spending his saved-up cash without immediate worry.

  Onyx made his way deeper into the Market District, noting and sighting the many shops and stalls around him as he walked. After looking around for a bit, he spotted one particular shop. "Ah, there it is," he said.

  Before coming here, Onyx had made sure to ask Mister Rolf about the Market District, specifically about the best places to buy Catalysts and other provisions. Mister Rolf had recommended a few places , this shop before him being one of them.

  Onyx didn't waste much time before heading inside.

  The shop's interior was a definite notch higher than most others in the district, but that was to be expected for a place dealing in Catalysts. The air was cooler, cleaner, and lightly scented with something herbal and crisp. The stone walls were lined with dark, polished wood shelves and glass-fronted cabinets. Instead of goods piled haphazardly, items were displayed with care ,vials of iridescent powders resting on velvet, crystalline shards in neat rows, preserved organs of strange beasts floating in amber liquid, and bundles of rare herbs sealed in transparent cases. A soft, ambient glow came from polished brass lamps. It spoke of value, knowledge, and a clientele that understood the precise, expensive nature of power.

  Onyx approached the counter at the back of the shop. Behind it, a young woman, seemingly not much older than him, greeted him with a professional smile.

  "Greetings, dear customer. Welcome to our shop."

  "Yes, hello," Onyx simply replied.

  "Does my customer have anything specific in mind, or would he like to browse our stock?"

  "No need. Just get me the items on this list," Onyx said before activating his Omnichip. The receptionist immediately did the same, her eyes glazing slightly as she connected with Onyx and received a transmitted message containing a short, specific list of desired items.

  The young receptionist browsed through the list for but a moment before saying, "Yes, sir. I will have your items prepared right away. Please wait a moment." And so, Onyx was left waiting as the receptionist retreated through a sturdy door behind the counter to prepare his purchases.

  Onyx didn't need to browse. The Catalysts he'd decided to get for his beast were already premeditated. In making his decision, Onyx had drawn on his academy education—which naturally covered choosing Catalysts as standard curriculum—and the extensive personal research he'd conducted on the Fighter Beetle species, something every Catalyser was expected to do for their Totem beast. And to top it all off, he'd even asked Mister Rolf, a senior with many years under his belt, for a second opinion. With all those factors combined, there was no way Onyx was choosing the wrong Catalysts.

  After a few minutes, the receptionist returned bearing several items.

  "There you go, sir. Three bottles of concentrated nectar for 210 credits, one kilogram of vigorous ginger for 50 credits, ten kilograms of Earth Womb soil for 150 credits. That would be 410 credits in total," the receptionist said, summing up his expense.

  "Understood," Onyx replied before activating his Omnichip again. A soft chime and a notification that read "410 credits transferred from your balance" confirmed a successful transaction.

  Once the payment was done, the receptionist nodded before wrapping Onyx's purchases for him. She secured the bottles and bundles neatly within a sturdy, woven carrying basket, making them convenient to transport.

  Once done, the receptionist handed Onyx his supplies and asked, "Anything else?"

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  To which Onyx replied, "No, that will be all," before taking his stuff and leaving the store.

  Onyx's fear of spending his savings was justified. In just one transaction, he had spent almost half of his wealth, a stark reminder of just how financially demanding raising a beast truly was. But it was okay. The provisions he'd acquired were meant to last a while—long enough until his first paycheck came in—so he didn't need to worry about immediate destitution.

  Onyx bought a few more, less important things from the market before heading back home. Once in his humble abode, he unpacked, washed up, and rested for a bit.

  An hour later, Onyx was sitting on his bed, reviewing Tusk's status . It was, as expected, mostly unchanged save for that single, previously mentioned 1% increase in Growth Level.

  Once he was done with his review, he immediately jumped to action. "Alright, let's do this."

  He first summoned Tusk back from his soul sea. The fat grub emerged from a shimmer in the air and landed with a soft thud on the floorboards. Tusk gave a familiar chitter in greeting, which Onyx replied to with a couple of affectionate headpats.

  After that, Onyx walked to a nearby counter and retrieved a glass bottle filled with a thick, golden, syrup-like liquid. "Hey, buddy. I got you something good," he said before popping the bottle open. The moment the seal broke, a sweet, floral, and slightly tangy aroma filled the small room.

  Tusk, upon catching a whiff of it, immediately got excited. His soft body squirmed eagerly toward Onyx, his small mandibles opening and closing frantically, his dark bead-eyes shining with unmistakable desire.

  Seeing this, Onyx couldn't help but chuckle, but he understood where his beast was coming from. Until now, Onyx had been feeding Tusk mostly synthetic beast food—cheap, generic stuff with very little nutritional value, meant only to stave off hunger without providing any real benefit. Now, finally presented with something proper, it was only natural that Tusk would react this way.

  Onyx didn't make his companion wait long. He procured a large, shallow bowl and carefully poured a generous portion of the golden liquid into it. The moment the bowl was within reach, Tusk began greedily and happily consuming the nectar.

  This Catalyst Tusk is consuming was created by extracting pollen from an energy-rich type of exotic flower, processing it into a liquid via an alchemical method, and then concentrating it repeatedly until it became this potent, golden syrup. It was a powerful nutritional supplement for beasts; a single spoonful could fulfill a grown human's nutritional needs for a month. It was only natural that among all the things Onyx had bought, this Catalyst was the most expensive.

  "Well, you pay for quality," Onyx thought. Even though there were many other, cheaper options he could have picked from, he’d decided not to skimp on his beast. The concentrated nectar would help Tusk accumulate the most Amount of substance in the least amount of time. He knew the more he invested in Tusk now, the more it would pay off later down the line.

  Before long, Tusk finished his bowl of nectar. He lifted his head and gave a satisfied, deep chitter. Onyx could even sense the warm glow of contentment and fulfillment Tusk was feeling through their mental connection. This made Onyx smile; he was happy his beast was happy.

  Tusk then eyed Onyx with glowing eyes still full of desire, as if asking if he had any more sweet treats to give.

  Onyx didn't disappoint him. He soon brought out another catalyst , a brightly colored, fragrant ginger root with a vibrant, almost luminous orange skin.

  This catalyst, named vigorous Ginger, had the ability to increase a creature's vitality. It was widely used by Catalysers to improve their beasts' health and physical resilience, and could also be used as an ingredient in many medicines. However, when using this catalyst, one had to be careful. It had to be introduced in small doses. A large dose could cause an overabundance of vitality—more than a beast could handle—which could lead to dangerous complications.

  Knowing this, Onyx didn't give Tusk the entire root. Instead, he broke off a quarter of it and offered the small piece to his eager beast.

  Once Tusk finished munching on the ginger, his body soon began to tremble. Through their connection, Onyx could feel it too , a sudden surge of wild energy and vitality that Tusk’s larval body struggled to contain. It was a strange, bloated, buzzing sensation.

  "This ginger is some strong stuff," Onyx remarked, grateful he'd been cautious.

  In a normal situation, Onyx would have sent Tusk back to his soul sea to let him fully digest and integrate the benefits of the catalysts and stabilize his foundation. That was the reasonable thing to do. However, Onyx had a better alternative.

  He scooped up his trembling Totem and carried him to one corner of the room, where a large, shallow basin waited.

  This basin was one of the other things Onyx had bought at the market. But what mattered wasn't the basin itself but what was stored inside it.

  Within the basin was the third and final catalyst Onyx had purchased , The Earth Womb Soil. This special, dark, loamy substrate was known to have a nurturing effect on all living beings that dwelled within it. It had been observed many times that beasts who lived in or raised their young in dens built from this type of soil developed better during infancy. Onyx had bought it specifically to help Tusk develop more optimally and to better synergize the effects of the other two catalysts.

  Onyx lowered Tusk through the mouth of the basin into the rich soil. The moment Tusk touched it, the grub instinctively began to burrow, wriggling deep until he was completely nestled within the earthy embrace.

  After a few minutes of being cradled in that soil, Onyx could feel the wild, buzzing energy in Tusk begin to subside. In its place, a steady, grounding feeling of gentle empowerment took hold. Onyx took this as a good sign—the soil was working.

  And with that, Onyx was done with his first nurturing session for Tusk. Now finished, he lay back on his bed. "We should see results once Tusk is done digesting his gains," he remarked, knowing these catalysts would take some time to take full effect.

  Done with work for the day and having already tended to his beast, Onyx didn't really have anything else to do. It was actually pretty awkward. He didn't like sitting idle, and he didn't feel the need to simply rest or sleep. He had to do something.

  He lay in bed awkwardly for a couple of minutes, his eyes roaming the ceiling, his toes tapping restlessly against the sheets. Unable to handle the deafening silence and the stagnant stillness of his room, he rose again.

  "Well, since I have nothing else to do, might as well give that a try," he said.

  He straightened his back and crossed his legs, settling into a meditative posture on his bed—a common preparatory technique taught at the academy, designed to clear the mind and balance one's psyche.

  Once his mind had reached a calm, flowing state, he took a deep breath and thought, Alright, let's do this. Then, he fell into complete, focused silence.

  To an outside observer, nothing seemed to be happening. But within Onyx's being, a mystical change was occurring.

  The ambient Flux energy lying dormant within his body began to stir and resonate. It started slowly, a faint internal hum, but steadily the energy began to move in a complex, practiced pattern. It first retracted and compressed into his core before it permeated outward, spreading through his body in a controlled wave. As it flowed, the Flux washed over every organ, every vein, every bone, every tendon, and every nerve.

  By the time the wave of energy reached the outermost edges of his body, it had weakened, like a gentle tide reaching the shore. What remained then retreated, flowing back along the same channels into his core, gathering and compressing once more before erupting outward again, repeating the cycle.

  With each cycle, Onyx first felt a subtle, building warmth in his core as his Flux gathered there. When it erupted, that warmth spread into every nook and cranny of his being, as if every cell was being energized and strengthened. But that wasn't the only sensation. As the wave of Flux reached its end and began retreating, the pervasive warmth was replaced by a refreshing, cleansing coolness that followed the energy back to its source.

  This strange, rhythmic alternation between energizing warmth and refreshing coolness was jarring at first, but Onyx didn't hate it. In fact, despite its strangeness, it felt… nice.

  So, what was Onyx actually doing? He was simply practicing one of his two Transcendent Arts he knew, the Basic Energy Circulation Art.

  Transcendent Arts are the result of humanity's primary adaptation to Yggdrasil. Before they figured out how to tame Catalyst Beasts, Flux was humanity's only tool in the outer realms. This mysterious energy, generated by all living things within Yggdrasil, was discovered by the first explorers. Its most important quality was that it could be used as fuel for supernatural abilities—if harnessed correctly.

  The early humans realized this and naturally sought to capitalize on it. After years of trial and error, the first generation of Transcendent Arts was developed.

  This breakthrough was a godsend. Only after achieving it did humanity begin to make real progress in exploring the outer realms. Without their technology, Transcendent Arts became the first stone to tip the scales in their favor.

  These arts allowed humans to display supernatural abilities akin to those of beasts, but the mechanism was different. Where Beasts simply used their Flux as fuel for abilities encrypted into their very biology. Humans, however, had to master circulating their Flux in complex, specific patterns to produce an effect, with different patterns creating different effects.

  Transcendent Arts were humanity's main weapon until the art that allowed for beast taming was developed, and then that discipline took the spotlight. But that didn't render Transcendent Arts obsolete. No , To this day, they are still being practiced, refined, and developed.

  Another reason humanity never abandoned them is that they are Thier primary path to grow stronger. Unlike beasts, who rely on Catalysts, humans increase their Growth Levels by practicing Transcendent Arts. It's been proven that the energy circulation caused by practicing these arts refines and strengthens the human body, directly contributing to one's growth.

  And so, turning back to Onyx , the art he was practicing was the most foundational one—the Basic Energy Circulation Art. As its name implies, it is the most fundamental and rudimentary art. Its primary use is to allow a practitioner to circulate their Flux through their body, refining and strengthening it in the process. It also serves as the essential foundation that complements every other art learned later on.

  Onyx kept practicing his art for about three hours, caught in a trance-like state of focus, until his Flux reserves ran dry. That was when he stopped. Despite how strengthening and energizing the Flux circulation felt in the moment, Onyx couldn't help but feel a strange, deep-seated tiredness once finished—this was the effect of prolonged cultivation and Flux deficiency.

  He yawned and stretched his body, joints popping. He was spent, but before he went to rest, he wanted to see the results of his first dedicated practice session. He activated his Omnichip and called up his status.

  A single, stark change revealed itself , a 2% increase in his Growth Level.

  Onyx sighed. Even though his practice had been successful and bore results, he could deduce from that 2% increase and the time it had taken him to accomplish it—that his progress was very slow compared to the average person.

  And the reason for that was no mystery to him either , as it all traced back to potential.

  Potential affected cultivation because, as established before, the initial amount of Flux a person is born with is determined by their potential. The more Flux a person had, the longer and more intensely they could practice, and thus the more efficient and effective their practice would be. His shallow reserves of 9 Flux was like trying to fill a bucket with a thimble.

  "Potential… the bane of my existence," Onyx coldly remarked. It was obvious he was upset. His potential getting in his way yet again. What was even more upsetting was that he couldn't do anything about it. It was an immutable, foundational flaw.

  After savoring the bitter taste of that truth for a couple of minutes, Onyx forced the feeling aside. He straightened his back, took a deep breath, and steeled his resolve.

  "Potential can go suck an egg," he muttered to the quiet room, his voice firming with each word. "Even if it takes me a hundred years, if I say I'm going to rise in this world… then I'm going to rise in this world. "

  After his bold declaration to the world, Onyx slumped into his bed, letting sleep wash away both his tiredness and his lingering bitterness.

  The next morning, Onyx felt completely rejuvenated, his Flux reserves having naturally recovered as he slept. But he wasn't the only one who had woken up feeling better.

  Checking on Tusk, still nestled contentedly in the Earth Womb Soil, Onyx noted his companion had slightly—but noticeably—grown in size since yesterday. The grub's soft body was a little fuller, a little more substantial. It was the first visible sign that Tusk was finally starting to accumulate the substance he needed. Tusk also looked livelier, his dark eyes brighter, and through their bond, Onyx could sense a subtle, new hum of steadier strength. All good signs.

  Onyx activated his Omnichip once more, pulling up Tusk's status screen.

  LEVEL 1: [ 6% ]

  A net increase of 5% from before.

  "Good. Very good," Onyx remarked, a genuine smile touching his lips for the first time that morning. "A five percent increase in a single session is pretty decent."

  He sighed, a sigh of relief and quiet satisfaction. He thought to himself that at least his beast is doing better than him. For now, that was enough. Tusk's progress was tangible proof that his investment and effort were paying off. It was a small, solid step forward on the long, slow path they were walking together.

  Once the check ups were over with , onyx had breakfast then changed out of his sleepwear, putting on the now-familiar loaned work clothes. After securing his straw hat on his head, he walked over to the basin.

  Tusk was still burrowed contentedly in the Earth Womb Soil. Onyx reached in, his fingers brushing the cool, rich earth before finding the soft, warm carapace of his Totem. He gave Tusk a gentle mental nudge through their bond. " Alright buddy , Time to go. "

  The grub wriggled in response, a sleepy, compliant chitter echoing in Onyx’s mind. But he wasn't having any sass today , With a focused thought, Onyx summoned him back. The soil shifted as Tusk’s form dissolved into a shimmer of light, retreating into the sanctuary of Onyx’s soul sea, carrying the nurturing energy of the soil with him.

  Onyx took one last look around his sparse room before heading out .Today he was going to start sowing the fields with mister rolf , but what they were going to plant exactly he didn't know, mister rolf only called it " the plantation's specialty." Without a clear explanation onyx's intrigue and courisity rose even more.

  He was looking forward to seeing what this speciality coul be.