The Beast Evolution System

“Ethan Vale, step forward.”

The moment those words rang across the awakening hall, hundreds of eyes turned toward the boy standing at the back of the line.

Ethan swallowed.

His palms were sweating.

Today was supposed to be the day his life changed.

For eighteen years, he had waited for this moment.

In this world, everyone received a Beast Talent when they turned eighteen.

Some awakened powerful talents.

Some awakened ordinary talents.

And some…

Awakened nothing worth mentioning.

Ethan clenched his fists.

He refused to believe he would be one of the unlucky ones.

He had spent his entire childhood dreaming about becoming a powerful Beast Master.

He wanted to explore the wilderness.

He wanted to hunt monsters.

He wanted to stand at the peak of humanity with a powerful beast beside him.

Most importantly, he wanted to escape the poor district where he had grown up.

“Ethan Vale!”

The instructor shouted again.

Ethan stepped forward.

The awakening crystal stood in the center of the platform.

It was almost as tall as him, glowing faintly with blue light.

“Place your hand on it,” the instructor ordered.

Ethan took a deep breath.

Then he placed his palm against the crystal.

For several seconds…

Nothing happened.

Whispers immediately spread through the hall.

“Is it not working?”

“Maybe his talent is too weak.”

“Or maybe he has no talent at all.”

Ethan gritted his teeth.

Then—

BOOM!

A violent burst of light erupted from the crystal.

Everyone fell silent.

Numbers slowly appeared above the crystal.

Talent Detected.

Beast Evolution Talent.

The instructor's eyes widened.

“Beast Evolution?”

Several students gasped.

Ethan's heart jumped.

Beast Evolution.

It sounded powerful.

Maybe… maybe he had actually awakened a rare talent.

But before Ethan could celebrate, the crystal displayed another line.

Talent Rank: F.

Silence.

Then the entire hall exploded with laughter.

“F-Rank?!”

“Hahaha! Beast Evolution Talent sounds impressive until you see the rank!”

“What's the point of evolving a weak beast?”

“Even an ordinary wolf can barely survive in the wilderness. What can an F-Rank talent do?”

Ethan stood frozen.

His excitement disappeared.

The instructor looked at the crystal for several seconds before shaking his head.

“F-Rank Beast Evolution Talent.”

He sighed.

“Unfortunately, this is considered one of the weakest talents.”

Ethan stared at the glowing words.

F-Rank.

The lowest possible rank.

His dreams collapsed in an instant.

An F-Rank talent meant that his future as a Beast Master would be extremely limited.

He probably wouldn't even be able to contract a powerful beast.

At best, he could evolve low-level beasts slightly.

And in a world where monsters became stronger every year…

Slightly stronger wasn't enough.

Ethan slowly removed his hand from the crystal.

The laughter continued.

“Move along.”

The instructor's voice was indifferent.

Ethan stepped down from the platform.

He kept his head lowered as he walked through the crowd.

Someone deliberately bumped his shoulder.

“Watch where you're going, F-Rank.”

More laughter followed.

Ethan didn't respond.

He simply walked out of the awakening hall.

Outside, the evening wind hit his face.

He stopped.

For a long moment, he stared at the massive city walls in the distance.

Beyond those walls was the wilderness.

A dangerous land filled with mutated beasts.

A place where countless Beast Masters had died.

Ethan had always dreamed of entering it.

Now…

He wasn't sure he would ever get the chance.

He lowered his head.

“Why me?”

His voice was barely a whisper.

Then suddenly—

Ding!

Ethan froze.

A strange mechanical voice echoed inside his head.

[Beast Evolution System activated.]

His eyes widened.

“What?”

He looked around.

Nobody was there.

[Host successfully awakened Beast Evolution Talent.]

[System binding complete.]

[Scanning host…]

Ethan's breathing became faster.

A translucent blue screen appeared before his eyes.

Only he could see it.

BEAST EVOLUTION SYSTEM

Host: Ethan Vale

Talent: Beast Evolution

Talent Rank: F

Evolution Energy: 0

Contracted Beasts: 0/1

System Functions: Locked

Ethan stared at the screen.

His hands began trembling.

The F-Rank talent that everyone had mocked…

Was it actually connected to this system?

Before he could process what was happening, another notification appeared.

[Beginner Quest Activated.]

Quest: Obtain Your First Beast.

Requirement: Contract with a beast within 24 hours.

Reward: Beginner Gift Pack

Failure Penalty: System functions will remain locked.

Ethan's eyes widened.

A beast.

He needed a beast.

Immediately.

The problem was…

He had no money.

Powerful beasts were incredibly expensive.

Even low-level beasts could cost more money than his family earned in months.

Ethan stared toward the wilderness.

Then he remembered something.

There was an abandoned beast shelter near the eastern district.

Most of the beasts there were injured, sick, or considered useless.

They were practically free.

Ethan turned around.

He started running.

For the first time since his awakening, excitement returned to his eyes.

Maybe…

Just maybe…

His F-Rank talent wasn't useless after all.

---

The abandoned beast shelter smelled terrible.

Ethan covered his nose as he stepped inside.

Rows of cages filled the dark building.

Inside them were injured beasts.

Some were missing limbs.

Some had scars covering their bodies.

Others were too weak to even stand.

The caretaker looked at Ethan.

“You're from the awakening ceremony?”

“Yes.”

“Looking for a beast?”

Ethan nodded.

The old man chuckled.

“Don't expect much. Nobody sends good beasts here.”

Ethan walked between the cages.

He examined each one.

A wounded cat.

A one-eyed fox.

A small lizard with a broken tail.

None of them triggered a reaction from the system.

Then Ethan heard it.

A faint growl.

He turned.

At the very end of the shelter was a small cage hidden in the shadows.

Inside was a wolf.

Or what was left of one.

Its fur was covered in blood.

One of its front legs was badly injured.

Its ribs were visible beneath its dirty gray fur.

It looked half-dead.

The caretaker noticed Ethan staring.

“That one?”

He shook his head.

“Forget it.”

“Why?”

“It's been here for three weeks. Refuses food. Refuses treatment.”

The old man sighed.

“The doctor says it won't survive another few days.”

Ethan approached the cage.

The wolf slowly raised its head.

Their eyes met.

For some reason…

Ethan felt something.

Not fear.

Not disgust.

Something else.

Recognition.

He crouched beside the cage.

“What's your name?”

The wolf didn't answer, obviously.

But its eyes remained fixed on him.

Ethan smiled faintly.

“I don't have anyone either.”

The wolf's ears moved.

Ethan reached through the bars.

The wolf growled.

But it didn't bite.

His fingers touched its bloody fur.

At that exact moment—

Ding!

[Suitable Beast detected.]

Ethan's eyes widened.

A screen appeared.

Species: Gray Wolf

Name: None

Bloodline: Ordinary

Potential: Extremely Low

Current Condition: Critical

Evolution Possibility: Unknown

Ethan stared.

Then another line appeared.

[This beast possesses an unidentified evolutionary factor.]

His heartbeat stopped.

Unidentified evolutionary factor?

What did that mean?

The system continued.

[Would you like to contract this beast?]

Ethan looked at the dying wolf.

Everyone else saw a worthless animal.

A beast that wouldn't survive another few days.

But the system had noticed something.

Ethan smiled.

“Yes.”

[Contract initiated.]

A strange golden mark appeared on the wolf's forehead.

The wolf suddenly raised its head.

Its eyes changed.

For a moment, a faint golden light flashed through them.

Then the system sounded again.

[Contract successful.]

[Congratulations, Host.]

[You have obtained your first beast.]

[Beast Name: Ash.]

Ethan stared at the wolf.

“Ash…”

The wolf slowly lowered its head against his hand.

Then—

Ding!

[Beginner Quest Complete.]

[Reward: Beginner Gift Pack.]

[Would you like to open it?]

Ethan's smile widened.

“Yes.”

The system screen suddenly changed.

Three rewards appeared before him.

[Reward 1: 100 Evolution Energy]

[Reward 2: Beast Recovery Potion]

[Reward 3: Random Beast Skill]

Ethan's breathing became heavy.

This was it.

His journey had finally begun.

The world might have called him useless.

His talent might have been ranked F.

Everyone might have laughed at him.

But nobody knew what he knew.

He had a system.

And he had a beast.

Ethan looked at Ash.

The dying wolf slowly opened its eyes.

“Let's show them,” Ethan whispered.

“We're not useless.”

Ding!

[Main System unlocked.]

[Evolution function available.]

[Evolution Energy required: 100.]

Ethan's expression changed.

He looked at the number.

Exactly 100 Evolution Energy.

Exactly what the beginner reward had given him.

His eyes slowly widened.

“Don't tell me…”

A new notification appeared.

[Ash meets the minimum requirements for evolution.]

Ethan's heart pounded.

[Would you like to begin evolution?]

For the first time that day…

Ethan laughed.

“Yes.”

The moment he confirmed—

The entire shelter shook.

And the dying wolf began to evolve.