Reborn With the God-Tier Spirit Beast System

Chapter 5: The Lowest-Ranked Spirit Beast

The first thing Zhao Ming heard after leaving the academy was laughter. It followed him through the streets like a curse."That's him."The fool who sold an S-Class Spirit Beast."I heard he was offered a position in the royal court and threw it away." "What a waste..." The whispers spread from merchant to merchant until nearly everyone in the capital seemed to know his face. Some pitied him. Most mocked him. None of them knew he had just escaped the greatest mistake of his previous life. Zhao Ming ignored every voice.

The heavy pouch of Spirit Coins hanging from his waist swayed with each step, reminding him of the transaction that had already begun to reshape fate. Han Tianyu believed he had purchased the greatest treasure in the kingdom. In truth, he had bought the seed of his own destruction. "Soon you'll learn that power without loyalty is nothing more than a beautiful disaster." A faint golden screen flickered before Zhao Ming's eyes.

God-Tier Spirit Beast SystemCurrent Synchronization: 10%Primary Objective: Find the destined companion. Reward: Hidden. The screen vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. A small smile crossed Zhao Ming's face. "So you remember her too." He changed direction, leaving the bustling market district behind. The paved streets gradually disappeared. Elegant shops gave way to ageing buildings.

The cheerful atmosphere of the capital slowly faded until even the sunlight seemed dimmer. Very few people visited this part of the city. Here, unwanted things were bought and sold. Broken weapons. Damaged artifacts. Failed alchemical experiments. And... Spirit Beasts no one wanted. A crooked wooden sign creaked in the wind.

The smell hit him immediately. Dust. Old straw. Medicine. Fear. Rows of iron cages stretched through the enormous warehouse, each containing a Spirit Beast that had failed to meet someone's expectations. A one-eyed Flame Wolf lay curled in silence. A Frost Sparrow with a shattered wing refused to eat. An Earth Boar bore scars left by cruel masters. Their eyes no longer held hope. They had learned that being unwanted hurt more than any wound.

An elderly merchant looked up from behind a worn counter. "You must be lost." His gaze landed on Zhao Ming's academy uniform before drifting toward the heavy coin pouch at his waist. "Students don't come here. "They go to the Royal Beast Pavilion. "They buy dragons. "They buy phoenixes."  "They don't buy..." He sighed. "...these. "I'm looking for someone," Zhao Ming replied.

The old man chuckled. "They're all someone's disappointment." Zhao Ming slowly walked past the cages. Every beast watched him with guarded eyes. Some growled. Some shrank away. Others simply stared without emotion. The system activated again. Golden words appeared above each cage. Forest Wolf Rank: D Loyalty: 12% Potential: Limited Rock Turtle Rank: C Loyalty: 4% Potential: Average Storm Falcon Rank: B Loyalty: 31% Potential: High Zhao Ming's eyes widened.

"So this is one of the system's abilities..." "It can reveal what no one else can see." Not strength. Not appearance. Loyalty. The one quality the world ignored. He continued deeper into the warehouse. The cages became smaller. The conditions became worse. Here, the beasts were considered utterly worthless. Creatures nobody even bothered to examine anymore.

Then... He stopped. Hidden in the darkest corner of the warehouse sat the smallest cage of them all. Inside, a young girl hugged her knees. Tiny black wings wrapped around her trembling body. Silver hair covered most of her face. Two little crimson horns peeked through her bangs. She looked up as Zhao Ming approached. Her scarlet eyes immediately filled with panic. She lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry..." Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. "I wasn't trying to look at you."

The elderly merchant sighed. "Don't waste your time with that one." "She's an F-Class Succubus." "Can't fight." "Can't intimidate enemies." "She's too timid to even use illusion magic properly." "No one's been willing to contract her." "She'll probably be released into the wilderness next week." The words struck Zhao Ming harder than they should have. Released.

He remembered what happened after that. She hadn't survived. His hands slowly clenched. "In my last life..."I never knew." The little succubus shrank farther into the corner. "I understand..." She forced a weak smile despite the tears gathering in her eyes. "You don't have to pretend."I'm only F-Class. "I know nobody wants me." Those words shattered something inside Zhao Ming. He remembered another battlefield. Another smile.

Another apology spoken through bloodstained lips. "Master... I finally protected you..." Without another thought, he walked to the cage. Then, to everyone's surprise... He knelt. The merchant blinked. Several nearby customers stopped walking. Even Lilith froze. She looked around, convinced he must be kneeling for someone else. Instead, Zhao Ming looked directly into her frightened eyes. There was no pity in his expression. No hesitation.

Only quiet certainty."I know."His voice was gentle."I know you're F-Class."Lilith's shoulders trembled. Then Zhao Ming smiled."You're the one I came for."Her eyes widened."W-What...? "I came here because of you. "For... me?" No one had ever spoken those words to her. Not once. The walls she had built around her lonely heart cracked in an instant. Tears overflowed before she could stop them. She covered her face, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"You... "You really. "Choose me?" Zhao Ming nodded."Not because you're strong. "Not because of your rank. "But because I trust you." Lilith cried even harder. She didn't understand why. She only knew that, for the first time in her life... Someone had looked at her as though she mattered. The old merchant watched in stunned silence. He had sold Spirit Beasts for nearly forty years.

He had seen buyers chase power, beauty, and prestige. Never... Not once... Had he seen someone choose an F-Class Succubus over every other Spirit Beast? As Zhao Ming reached toward the cage, the air around them suddenly grew warm. A familiar golden glow gathered around his fingertips. The God-Tier Spirit Beast System awakened once more. Compatible Companion Confirmed. True Soul Resonance Detected. Would you like to establish the Divine Spirit Contract? Before Zhao Ming could answer, brilliant golden light erupted from the cage, swallowing both him and Lilith. The contract had begun.