Beast Taming: Start With A Dragon Legion

Chapter 5: The Suitability Test Begins

Knox woke to a voice inside his head.

‘Hungry.’

He jerked upright, his heart pounding, and looked around the empty dorm room. Early morning light filtered through the window, grey and cold.

The voice came again.

‘Knox... I'm hungry.’

Knox's breath stopped.

He looked down at Ignis, who was still curled beside him on the bed. The creature's ember-orange eyes were open, staring directly at him.

"Did you just—" Knox started.

‘The…. bond,’ Ignis said, his voice clearer now but still halting. ‘I can hear your thoughts. Your words. I learned them from your mind.’

Knox stared at the creature in shock.

Ignis tilted his head. ‘I just hatched. Everything is new. But your mind is loud.’

"You can hear everything I think?" Knox asked quietly.

‘Not everything. Only when you think loud or feel strong emotions.’

Knox ran a hand through his hair and took a slow breath. The bond allowed communication. That made sense, but hearing another voice in his head was still unsettling.

"How long have you been awake?" Knox asked.

‘I don't sleep the way you do, Ignis said. I felt you were sad. Alone.’

Knox's chest tightened slightly, but he pushed the feeling down.

"I'm fine," Knox muttered.

Ignis made a soft sound that felt like disagreement through the bond.

Knox shook his head and stood. His body ached from sleeping against the wall, and his muscles felt stiff. He walked to the window and looked out at the academy grounds.

"Ignis," Knox said quietly. "The system showed your attribute as Gravity. Do you know what that means?"

‘There's something inside me, Ignis said slowly. Something heavy. But it's …sleeping. I don't know how to wake it.’

Knox's mind raced. Gravity was not just weight. It was the force that pulled worlds together, bent space, controlled movement. If Ignis could manipulate gravity, even a fraction of it, the power would be terrifying.

But right now, neither of them knew how to use it.

Knox turned away from the window and froze.

Words appeared in the air before him, glowing faintly.

[Daily Keeper Trial: Foundation]

Time Limit: 12 Hours

Objective 1: Complete 50 push-ups

Objective 2: Complete 50 sit-ups

Objective 3: Complete 50 squats

Objective 4: Run 2 kilometers

Reward:

Strength +1

Stamina +1

Dragon Points +3

Knox stared at the notification.

A training quest. The rewards were real. But there was no penalty listed.

Knox's jaw tightened. Every system story he had read on Earth taught him one thing: when the penalty was not shown, it meant the system was hiding something worse.

Refusing was not an option.

"I have to do this," Knox said to Ignis. "Stay here."

‘Be careful,’ Ignis said, worry pulsing through the bond.

Knox dropped to the floor and started the push-ups. The first twenty were manageable. By thirty, his arms were shaking. At forty, his chest burned and sweat dripped onto the floor. His body was weak, and every movement felt like it was tearing his muscles apart.

But thoughts of being weak and what he had to prove to everyone who shit on him pushed him further.

Knox finished the push-ups and collapsed onto the floor, gasping.

[Objective 1 Complete: 50 push-ups]

He forced himself up and started the sit-ups. His stomach cramped after fifteen. By thirty, his core was on fire. He finished barely holding himself together.

[Objective 2 Complete: 50 sit-ups]

The squats came next. His legs burned with each rep, and by forty, his knees were shaking. He finished the last ten barely standing.

[Objective 3 Complete: 50 squats]

Knox leaned against the wall, breathing hard. His entire body screamed at him to stop.

One more.

The run.

Knox stepped into the hallway and started running. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the empty common dorm building. Students were mostly still with their families, so the hallways were empty. He ran down the stairs, through the corridors, up and down the floors until the distance tracker in his mind hit two kilometers.

His legs trembled. Nausea rose in his throat. But he kept moving until the notification appeared.

[Objective 4 Complete: Run 2 kilometers]

[Daily Keeper Trial: Foundation COMPLETE]

[Rewards Granted]

Strength +1

Stamina +1

Dragon Points +3

Knox stopped and collapsed against the wall, gasping for air. His whole body shook and sweat poured off him.

But something changed.

His breathing steadied faster than it should have. The burning in his muscles faded slightly. His body still ached, but when he stood, his movements felt smoother and his steps felt less heavy.

The system reward was real.

Knox walked back to the dorm room, exhausted but functional.

He cleaned himself up quickly and got dressed. As he pulled on his academy uniform, he thought about the Dragon Vault and where Ignis had come from.

"Ignis," Knox said. "You came from the Vault, right? When I bonded with you, I saw the fortress."

‘No,’ Ignis said. ‘I came from the Other Side. The place humans call the Other Side. I saw the Vault for the first time when you did.’

Knox frowned. That did not make sense. If Ignis came from the Other Side like every other summoned beast, then why did the awakening connect him to the Dragon Vault? Why did the system choose him as Keeper?

He had no answers.

And no time to investigate.

Knox checked his reflection in the mirror and straightened his uniform. Today was the suitability test. If he failed, the academy would send him home regardless of the Dragon Vault's power.

He looked at Ignis. "Ready?"

‘Ready,’ Ignis confirmed.

Knox opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

The academy testing ground was massive. A wide stone courtyard stretched out before Knox, surrounded by tall stone walls and observation platforms. Hundreds of candidates filled the space, most of them clustered in groups, talking nervously or making last-minute preparations.

Ignis hopped onto Knox's shoulder, his small body settling around the back of Knox's neck. His weight was barely noticeable, but his warmth was comforting.

Knox walked through the crowd alone.

Whispers spread as Knox passed.

"That's the Aston failure."

"I heard he got disowned."

"He spent last night in the common dorms."

"Look at that grey lizard. It's even smaller than I thought."

Knox ignored them and found a spot near the back of the courtyard. He leaned against the wall and waited.

Across the courtyard, Noah stood among the noble candidates. His Frost Wyvern was not summoned yet, but everyone treated him like he had already passed. Instructors nodded to him respectfully. Other nobles greeted him with polite smiles.

Knox looked away.

A voice called out from the crowd.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the discarded noble."

Knox turned.

A tall candidate with slicked-back hair and an arrogant smirk stepped forward. He wore expensive academy robes with a family crest Knox did not recognize, but his eyes gleamed with malice.

"I heard you got kicked out of the noble dorms," the candidate said loudly, making sure others could hear. "Sleeping in common housing now, are you? With a dull lizard and no sponsor? How pathetic."

Several candidates turned to watch.

Want me to bite him? Ignis asked through the bond, irritation flickering across their connection.

Knox stayed calm.

"Are you done?" Knox asked quietly.

The candidate's smirk widened. "Done? I'm just getting started. A failed noble is an easy—"

"I don't care," Knox said, cutting him off. "Move along."

The candidate's face flushed red, but before he could respond, the entire courtyard went silent.

The Instructor in charge had arrived.