A few days had passed since Onyx's meeting with Miss Gabby, during which a few things had happened.

  First, Onyx finally received his payment from Mister Rolf: a whopping 12,000 credits.

  Onyx was shocked. Previously, the two had agreed he would receive 4,000 credits post-harvest and sale. Mister Rolf explained that the harvest quality had surpassed his expectations, and thus so had the profit. Feeling grateful for Onyx's help in accomplishing this, the old man didn't want to short him, and increased his payment well beyond their previous agreement.

  Onyx was, of course, happy, but he couldn't help asking if it was really alright to give him that much. He didn't feel he had contributed that much.

  To which Mister Rolf stubbornly disagreed, insisting that Onyx had earned every bit of it. Mister Rolf wasn't the kind to cheat others of what was rightfully theirs. Besides, during their time together, their relationship had grown past employer and employee. Onyx was now Mister Rolf's people—almost his kin—and the old man didn't do anything if not take care of his own.

  Onyx was deeply moved and happily accepted the old man's generosity, reassured that he still had plenty of credits left even after the payout.

  On a final note, the old man informed Onyx that since he'd made a substantial profit and there was still time before the next planting season, he was going to take the opportunity to head back to Earth to visit his family. He wanted Onyx to help him tidy up the farm as a last favor before he left temporarily. He wanted to spend time with his actual family.

  Onyx understood and immediately agreed.

  Before the old man left, Onyx asked him about Hatchet. Though he had tamed him, the beast rightfully belonged to Mister Rolf. He asked if he would like his beast back before he left, or if he should release him.

  But the old man quickly disagreed, telling Onyx he could keep him for the time being. He trusted he would properly take care of him on his behalf.

  With that final entrustment, the old man left the station and headed back to Earth soon after.

  ---

  Now left with Hatchet under his care, Onyx used the next couple of days to purchase and use all the catalysts recommended by Miss Gabby, as he had planned. The total of the purchases reached as high as 1,500 credits, but thanks to his fat paycheck, Onyx could spend such an amount without fear.

  If it was before, Onyx would have been worried seeing The catalysts he was using on Tusk were giving little to no increase in Growth Level. But with the new insight he got from Miss Gabby, Onyx knew not to fret. He trusted what she had told him, and he was certain that even if the results didn't show now, their effects would be clear once Tusk fully matured.

  Other than that, Onyx decided to spend more time at the Beast Breeding Facility. He even offered to help around the place as he observed Miss Gabby's work. His reason not financial gain, but simply because he believed there was much he could learn from her, just as he had learned from Mister Rolf.

  And much he learned indeed.

  The most important lesson came one day when Miss Gabby suddenly asked him, "Tell me, Onyx, are you familiar with the concept of 'evolution'?"

  Onyx was taken aback by the out-of-nowhere question, but knowing the answer, he gave it anyway. "Evolution is a species' progression over a long period of time with the goal of better adapting to their environment and the challenges it presents, as well as improving their overall living conditions. It occurs mainly through natural selection, where the most fitting members of a species survive and pass on their advantageous traits while the least fitting do not." Onyx answered, quite proud of his knowledge.

  "Correct. You're quite smart, aren't you?" Miss Gabby said, clapping softly, making Onyx blush a little. Then she followed with, "Then can you tell me what evolution means in the context of Catalyst Beasts?"

  Onyx's pride and confidence were soon shaken as he now lacked an elegant answer.

  Seeing how stumped he was, Miss Gabby giggled and finally spared him the embarrassment, answering her own question. "To understand what evolution is for Catalyst Beasts, you must first know that beasts, like humans, also have—and are limited by—'potential.'"

  Onyx's ears perked up. He was a little wary hearing that accursed word.

  Miss Gabby continued. "Potential is reflected in beasts through their overall strengths and capabilities, but also through their Soul Load value—just as potential in humans is reflected through their Soul Capacity and Flux values. But more importantly, potential dictates how high a level a beast can reach. It varies from species to species, and even further from individual to individual within the same species. The moment a beast reaches the end of its potential is the moment its growth halts. Even using catalysts becomes useless then, because catalysts are fuel for growth, and they are meaningless if there is no more room to grow. That is why we can tell a beast has reached the end of its potential if its Growth Level becomes stagnant. This is also why one of the most important factors a Catalyser must consider when taming a beast is its potential. The greater the potential, the further a beast can reach before falling behind, giving you the most value for the resources invested."

  Onyx's mind was opened upon hearing this. It was a huge revelation. However, Miss Gabby wasn't done. After defining potential, she finally circled back to evolution.

  "However, fret not. Realizing their full potential isn't the end of the road for a beast. There is still a way for them to keep advancing forward, and that is—you guessed it—evolution. Beast evolution is very different from our regular definition. For beasts, evolution isn't a process that takes millennia, nor is it dependent on natural selection. Instead, it can be quite fast, if not instantaneous, as long as the necessary conditions are met. Through evolution, a beast can ascend to a higher state of being. The purpose is not only to get stronger but to increase their potential, giving them more room for growth and enabling them to climb to higher levels."

  Onyx was amazed.

  After that explanation, Miss Gabby concluded with a little trivia. "Humans first discovered the concept of beast evolution by observing some wild species. It seemed to be a natural instinct for beasts to want to achieve a higher state of being, with some having evolution methods encrypted into their instincts. Needless to say, once humans discovered the concept, they immediately jumped into researching it. Being able to evolve your tamed beast was something any Catalyser would want—but even more so needed. The relationship between a Totem beast and their Catalyser means that your Totem's ceiling is, in turn, yours as well. So, evolution is a mandatory step for any Catalyser who wants to keep climbing to higher levels."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  By the end of her speech, Onyx wore an expression of amazement and awe. He felt the need to ask what evolution was like and how it worked.

  "Well," Miss Gabby began, "evolution is similar to cultivating a beast but much more sophisticated. If regular progression is a steady accumulation of small improvements within a beast's existing frame, then evolution is a collective change—altering and expanding the frame itself. This happens by fulfilling specific conditions that trigger that change. Different beasts have different conditions, and some even have different sets of conditions that lead to different results. Basically, increasing a beast's Growth Level is like following the most optimum path on a trail. Evolving them is like solving a puzzle whose pieces you collect along that trail."

  She continued, "Also, be informed that compared to developing nurturing methods, evolution methods are much harder to develop. Most beast species discovered today do not have evolution methods developed for them unless they have a naturally instinctive one. This makes it so that if you discover even a single new evolution method, you've contributed to humanity's overall development—and for you, that would mean fame, money, prestige, and..." Miss Gabby dozed off a little while saying that last part , her face an expression of happy reminiscence, clearly lost in the fantasy of the accomplishment.

  After her explanation, Onyx was left deep in thought. "Evolution," he muttered. Breaking your previous limitations and becoming something greater. His eyes seemed to glow as he pondered the idea. He couldn't explain why, but something about it was deeply attractive.

  He turned to Miss Gabby again and asked if she knew the scope of potential for the Fighter Beetle species. He wanted to confirm this first.

  "On average, a Fighter Beetle can reach the peak of Level 2, but it is possible for some to reach Level 3," Miss Gabby replied.

  Onyx thought for a moment, noting the information. He then asked if she knew anything about how to evolve them.

  This time, however, his question was met with a firm response. "Hold your horses now, young man. Don't get ahead of yourself. Evolution is still a faraway goal for you to think about. You need to get there first. Besides, you are still a greenhorn. Someone like you shouldn't even dabble in such matters until you've accumulated enough knowledge and experience."

  She said stopping him in his tracks. Though disappointed, Onyx knew Miss Gabby was the expert here so she'd know better . He gave a disheartened sigh and didn't press further.

  Seeing the disappointed look on his face, Miss Gabby's heart softened. She didn't like killing a young man's excitement. To comfort him, she said, "Listen, look at it this way. You might not be able to attempt anything related to real evolution now, but you still have your Totem's metamorphosis to complete. Think of it as a minor evolution and focus on that for now. You'll have a chance to attempt a real evolution in the future, I promise."

  Hearing that, Onyx gave a small smile, his spirit lifting. "Yeah, you're right. I will."

  And he did. Day and night, he tended to his beast when he wasn't helping at the breeding station.

  Until finally, after so long and so much, a transformation occurred. One night, while Onyx slept, Tusk—sensing the time had come—began his metamorphosis.

  It was the next morning when Onyx was met with the slightly disturbing sight of his companion's old larval skin tossed on the ground like a fleshy sack. And beside it lay Tusk himself, now in his pupa form.

  Onyx couldn't believe his eyes at first. But after quickly checking his beast's status and seeing the name change from "Fighter Beetle Larva" to "Fighter Beetle Pupa," all doubt was erased. It was real, and it was happening. Tusk was finally going to reach maturity.

  Onyx trembled with excitement. Then, like a child finding a gift, he ran to his companion, checking the new form, laughing aloud with hardly contained happiness. He even invited Hatchet to join him.

  There before them lay Tusk's temporary new form—an amber-colored statue the size of a dining table. Still in its early stages, the details were hard to distinguish, but some new physical features were present: the beginnings of new limbs, a thorax, an abdomen, an elytra, and finally, two spurs—one on the thorax and one on the head, the latter destined to develop into a horn.

  Onyx rubbed his hand gently over Tusk's shell, feeling the smooth, hard amber. Tusk emanated a sense of comfort and happiness, moving his abdomen slowly, clearly enjoying the touch. Hatchet, too, tried to be gentle, tapping Tusk softly with his beak. His taps, however, seemed to annoy more than please.

  Seeing this, a sly light shone in Hatchet's eyes. He proceeded to tap on Tusk's shell continually, irritating him even more. This was Hatchet's revenge for being used as a ride that time before. The beast continued annoying Tusk with glee until Onyx said, "Enough," and sent Tusk back to his soul sea. He was starting to feel the anger building in Tusk and feared Hatchet's actions would soon come back to bite him.

  After checking a few things, Onyx went to Miss Gabby and informed her of the situation. She happily congratulated him and said that it was only a matter of time now.

  And so, they waited.

  Within his soul sea, Tusk dwelled. With each passing day, his form developed slightly more. His features became more defined, and the color of his pupa darkened bit by bit—a ticking clock counting down to his emergence.

  Onyx tried to be patient, but his excitement was too great. Every day felt agonizingly long. Wanting to distract himself and channel his surging energy, he visited the Market District one day.

  Returning home, he hadn't procured much—except for a curious, diamond-shaped crystal keenly similar to his Omnichip.

  This was a Neuro-Scroll, another piece of technology adapted for the outer realms. Its function was data storage and transfer. Neuro-Scrolls could store vast amounts of complex data and imprint them directly into the user's mind, allowing one to acquire and comprehend knowledge on any subject instantaneously without wasting time on study.

  A fun fact: despite their utility, overreliance on neuro scrolls could hinder brain development. So for educational reasons, their use is prohibited before the age of twenty, making this Onyx's first time using one.

  Following the instructions, Onyx brought the Neuro-Scroll to the back of his right ear, pressing it against his Omnichip. He then gave a mental command to begin the neural transfer. Omnichips and Neuro-Scrolls were designed to complement each other—one working as external storage, the other as a port connecting the user's brain to the scroll. This intelligent design allowed even an average person to perform something as complex as a neural transfer.

  A few seconds after activation, the transfer commenced. Onyx's mind froze, stunned for a second as a sudden flood of information and vivid images poured in. In less than a minute, it was complete.

  Onyx was left dazed, dozens of new thoughts filling his mind. Remembering the instructions, he first calmed himself and cleared his thoughts. After resting, he delved into his mind again, tackling the new knowledge with focus.

  It started slowly, but little by little, the thoughts became clearer and more organized. Before long, Onyx was recalling the new knowledge as if he had studied it for years.

  The knowledge was a blueprint, a guide, an introduction to something called The Five Pillars—a Transcendent Art.

  This was what Onyx had procured from the market, a purchase for 1000 credits. Motivated by his Totem's incoming transformation, he was inspired to improve himself as well. He chose to buy and learn this art to increase his Growth Level and strengthen himself.

  The Five Pillars was a simple yet well-rounded art, named as such because it's covers the five aspects of all supernatural abilities.

  Be it man's or beast's, all abilities could be divided into five main aspects: Offense, Defense, Mobility, Sensory, and Utility (the last encompassing healing, buffs, and debuffs). The five cornerstones of power—the Five Pillars.

  The art, once practiced to mastery, granted a 5% increase to Growth Level and five distinct abilities, one for each aspect:

  · The ability to strengthen muscles for Offense.

  · The ability to harden skin and bone for Defense.

  · The ability to increase speed and agility for Mobility.

  · The ability to sense external Flux for Sensory.

  · The ability to slow bleeding and resist poisons for Utility.

  Despite its great coverage, each ability's effect was rather modest. The art was more of an introductory one , designed to familiarize the user with all five aspects before they move on to something more advanced. Onyx figured it would make a good starting point.

  For the next few days, Onyx dedicated himself to practicing the art as he waited. He practiced diligently until he was familiar with each Pillar. He could crack a stone with a punch using Offense, withstand a similar strike with Defense, move with the speed and agility of a top athlete using Mobility, slow bleeding and resist mild toxins with Utility, and sense the Flux in other beings and the world within a 15-meter radius using Sensory.

  Using his detailed knowledge about the art , Onyx could measure his progress. In doing so, he noticed something while practicing the Pillar of Sensation: his mastery speed was greater than with the other four. More than that, its effective range was 15 meters from the start. The art's specifications stated the average initial range was 10 meters.

  Onyx was flabbergasted by this. After mulling it over, he wondered with cautious skepticism if this could be the result of some kind of talent.

  Talent, as abstract as it was, was an observable quality. Some individuals were seemingly more adept at certain fields like writing, singing, or dancing. When such proficiency was obvious, most attributed it to natural talent. Transcendent Arts were no exception.

  And that was the case with Onyx.

  He smirked upon realizing this. It was nice to know he might be a cut above in something. However, he didn't let the knowledge distract him or get to his head. " If I'm a step ahead, then I'd better keep pace to stay ahead " he thought.

  He continued practicing even more diligently. By the time he achieved full mastery of the art, his Growth Level had reached 11%. As he pondered what to do next... it happened.

  From the depths of his soul sea, Tusk's pupa—now resembling an intricate statue of obsidian—suddenly began to crack. With every crack that emerged, a burst of will surged forward. In his mind, Onyx

  could feel it , Powerful. Proud. Determined. It asked-NO, It demanded to be uncaged.

  The world had better be primed and ready, for Tusk now was.