Courage rose from bed with a yawn, stretching the sleep from his limbs. After freshening up and grabbing a quick breakfast, he settled back onto his mattress with a steaming cup of coffee, scrolling through the bastion's official forums with his implant interface. This quiet ritual had become how he started each day in his new life—though reaching this point hadn't been easy.
Before entering the Blend, he used a significant portion of his inheritance to clear his college debts. The transaction had physically pained him—watching nearly a third of his funds vanish at once—but at least it freed him from that burden. Taking with him what little possessions mattered—his father's notebooks, some basic supplies, and of course his pet Tusk—he left the old world behind almost completely. The citadel held nothing for him now. He would return only if necessary or when his mandatory military service came due, though that remained years away.
His true initiation into the blend had been the three-month boot camp all new Blend residents endured—a brutal crash course in survival. They'd drilled everything into him: wilderness navigation, combat fundamentals, tracking techniques, and the core skills every Beast Catalyser needed. Those months remained etched in his memory as some of the most grueling of his life, the kind of experience that either broke you or hardened you. Now, sipping his coffee in the morning quiet, he took comfort in having survived it all. That part was behind him.
Finding nothing noteworthy on the forums, Courage switched his interface to check on his kabuto status:
Grand Fighting Kabuto (Level 1)
- Grade: High
- Growth: 7%
- Type: Vigor
- Traits: [None]
- Abilities: [All Out]
No significant changes yet—though this didn't reflect negligence. Courage had maintained a rigorous training regimen, but beast cultivation proved more arduous than he'd anticipated. Still, progress was coming.
With a mental command, he summoned his beast from his soul domain. A ring of light erupted in the air, depositing the massive beetle onto the floor with a thud. The creature emitted a low, resonant hum in greeting.
"Morning, buddy. Ready for today's session?"
Courage moved to his storage chest, retrieving yesterday's purchases: crimson ginger, growth potions, concentrated nectar, and the flurry Strike catalyst. These weren't ordinary supplies they were catalysts—in the world of Beast Catalysers, catalysts referred to any substance, item, or condition capable of inducing growth or change in a Beast.
The profession's core lay in strategically selecting and administering these catalysts, which fell into distinct categories according to Thier type, effect and the way they're used
Firstly the type :The type of catalyst used on a beast must align with the beast's inherent type or a closely related variant—since Courage's Totem Beast was a Vigor-type specializing in physical combat and vitality-derived power, he primarily relied on vigor-type catalysts like crimson ginger (which enhances raw strength and vitality) and growth potion (which stimulates physical development). This followed the standard Vigor cultivation approach: first amplifying base strength, then reinforcing the physique to properly contain that escalating power, as even tremendous force becomes useless if the body can't withstand its own might. The process was gradual—each catalyst application building upon the last like bricks in a fortress
As for the second category - effect - it classified catalysts based on what they give to the beast, which were three: Cultivation, Abilities, and Traits.
Cultivation-type catalysts like the crimson ginger and the growth potion were self-explanatory - they simply helped the beast increase its raw power.
Abilities and Traits catalysts on the other hand had the effect of granting an ability or a trait to a beast. An example of this is the flurry Strike catalyst Courage had, which if used would grant his Totem Beast the flurry Strike ability.
Finally, the last category - usage- separated catalysts according to how they're used. Like before, there is three types: resources , environmental, and habitual.
Resource-type catalysts were like all the stuff mentioned before - items that simply need to be consumed to grant their effects.
Environmental-type catalysts referred to any environment that could function as a catalyst for beasts.
Habitual-type catalysts involved growth and changes triggered by a beast's habits or specific actions - things like special diets, training regimens, or repeated behaviors during development. Out of the three, habitual types were the most complex.
Currently, all of Courage's catalysts fell into the resource category except for the concentrated nectar. This wasn't a catalyst by itself but part of one - Courage had put his beast on a nectar diet because, according to his father's notebooks, combining this diet with a specific training regimen would catalyze another vigor-type ability.
So In summary, Courage's current catalysts classified as such:
- Crimson ginger & growth potion: Vigor/Cultivation/Resource
- flurry Strike catalyst: Vigor/Ability/Resource
- Nectar diet + training: Vigor/Ability/Habitual
And finally, the last thing to note about catalysts is that not any and every beast can use any or every catalyst, even if they're of the same aspect type. This is because of certain biological limitations and differences between creatures. For example, a catalyst that grants a beast the ability to shoot projectiles from it's eyes would obviously be useless for a creature with no eyes to begin with. Each Beast unique physiology determines which catalysts it can effectively utilize, no matter how well-matched they might be in type or classification. This was why Courage carefully studied his totem beast's anatomy and growth patterns before selecting any catalysts - what worked for another vigor-type might not work for his specific specimen.
Courage first fed his Totem Beast the crimson ginger, feeling through their bond its invigorating effects as his kabuto muscles tightened and organs flooded with vitality. After consuming a third of the dose, he sensed resistance - the beast's body had reached its current maximum capacity, feeling bloated with excess energy. Immediately, Courage administered a growth potion, watching as the bloating faded while the kabuto carapace expanded with audible creaks, gaining both size and a brighter luster. Through their connection, he felt its internal organs strengthening too, though this refinement came at a cost: the process consumed portions of accumulated strength to fuel the physical growth. This encapsulated Vigor cultivation's core cycle - first amassing raw power until hitting limits, then refining the body's capacity to accumulate even more, creating an escalating rhythm of accumulation and refinement that would continue pushing his kabuto potential higher with each properly timed session.
After consuming all the crimson ginger and growth potions, the kabuto had visibly grown—now closer to a Tibetan mastiff in size compared to its original medium-dog proportions when first awakened. Its carapace gleamed thicker, muscles rippled with denser fibers, and even its horn had developed sharper serrations. This was Vigor cultivation in its purest form: raw power refined into permanent growth.
Courage then produced the flurry Strike catalyst—an uncanny strawberry-like fruit, snow-white with a single black spot at its base and a teal stem. He turned it in his palm once before offering it to kabuto. Unlike the immediate reactions from previous catalysts, this time the Kabuto shuddered upon ingestion, curling into itself as faint cracks of yellow energy sparked across its exoskeleton.
Courage didn't panic. He recognized this signs: **ability assimilation**. Where cultivation catalysts enhanced the body directly, ability catalysts required integration into the beast's very essence—a process that couldn't be rushed. The sparks weren't distress; they were kabuto's system rewriting its combat instincts to accommodate this new ability.
He settled cross-legged beside his trembling companion. However long it took, he'd wait.
After an a hour the assimilation process was complete then inspecting with his implant courage evaluated today progress
Grand Fighting Kabuto (Level 1)
- Grade: High
- Growth: 12%
- Type: Vigor
- Traits: [None]
- Abilities: [All Out] [flurry strike]
Abilities descriptions :
-[all out]: what ever this beast does it always brings out 100%
-[flurry strike]: the beast overload it's nervous and motor systems momentarily allowing it to detect and automatically attack critical point in it's opponents ( the number of attacks possible always varies depending on the number of critical points detected)
So all in all, he got a new ability and a 5% increase to his beast's overall growth—a decent pace if kept up. However, that wasn't the end of today's session. Courage let his beast rest for a while inside his soul domain while he dressed up, left his place, and made his way through the Stacks into the Plato.
This time, he headed to a district that held a giant stadium-like structure. Entering that building, he was welcomed with a long and wide corridor with several doors placed all over it. Countless people moved within this large corridor—some entering and leaving through the various doors, some talking to the reception, and others chatting with each other.
After walking to the reception, a receptionist welcomed him and inquired about his business.
"Welcome to the arena. How may I help you today?"
"Yes, hello. I'd like to rent a private holo room for one hour, please."
The receptionist replied with a simple "Understood," paused to check available rooms, then responded:
"Alright, Room 24 is available. I've locked it for you for one hour."
"Thanks," said Courage after paying the fee, then made his way to his assigned room.
Holo rooms were chambers installed with interactive holographic projection systems that could recreate creatures and environments. These rooms were typically used by Beast Catalysers to test their beasts' new abilities and practice using them against other beasts without real danger.
As the door automatically shut behind Courage, he found himself in a pristine white room. Tapping behind his ear, he connected to the room's control terminal, gaining access to the projection system. He spent several minutes selecting projection sequences and adjusting settings to fit his needs. When finished, the system generated a motionless, bear-like beast replica—frozen like a picture.
Courage then summoned his Kabuto from his soul domain. The beetle showed no surprise at the strange surroundings, clearly having done this before. At Courage's command, it took a ready stance. With another signal, the simulation began—the holographic bear roared to life, its appearance so realistic it seemed tangible. It swung its paws aggressively yet remained rooted in place.
"Flurry Strike!" Courage commanded.
The Kabuto lunged, unleashing its new ability—a rapid series of attacks with limbs and horn.
"One... two... three," Courage counted aloud as three critical strikes landed. He recorded this data on a notepad, then ordered his beast to repeat the attacks, meticulously noting each result.
After a while, Courage ordered his beast to stop as he halted the simulation and began reviewing the results he'd collected. After reading through all of them, he confirmed the inconsistency of Flurry Strike. This was because he'd programmed the bear simulation to have a fixed number of critical points, yet throughout the series of attacks, the ability would sometimes hit most of them and other times only a few - with no way to control the odds.
Of course, Courage didn't actually need to run these tests to confirm this. He already knew the ability's nature from its description, and had even understood this before purchasing the catalyst. Yet he still conducted these redundant trials to establish a point of comparison. You see, his purpose here today wasn't just to test Flurry Strike - no, it was also to confirm a theory about his Kabuto's mysterious first ability: [All Out].
Ever since awakening his beast, Courage had been working to uncover the secrets of this enigmatic ability. Through his research and experimentation, he'd discovered that when activated, [All Out] gave his beast a considerable strength boost. Most people would stop there, concluding it simply allows a beast to access 100% of its physical power. But not Courage. He understood that a high-grade beast would possess at least one high-grade ability. Combined with the ability's vague description, he was certain it couldn't be that simple.
Reactivating the simulation, Courage ordered his Kabuto to repeat the attacks—but this time using [All Out] alongside Flurry Strike. The beetle heeded his command, first unleashing that familiar burst of strength, then following up with a flurry of strikes noticeably more powerful than before.
Yet raw power wasn't what made Courage's breath hitch.
As he recorded each result, a pattern emerged. When the final numbers stacked against the earlier data, his hands stilled. The graph didn't lie: every critical point hit. Every time.
He changed the simulation settings—different beast, different weak points—and ran it again. And again. And again.
By the fifth trial, there was no room left for doubt.
Courage chuckled into his palm, the sound muffled but triumphant. The evidence glared back at him:
- Without [All Out]: Random critical hits (2-5/6)
- With [All Out]: 6/6 critical hits every. Single. Time.
It was clear now That vague description—"brings out 100%"—had never meant raw strength alone. But also potential, that extending to abilities as well
Courage froze, fingers tightening around his notes as the staggering truth settled in—[All Out] wasn't just a strength booster, but a flaw eraser , guaranteeing perfect execution of any ability by forcing 100% efficiency. The relief of this discovery burned through him; he'd almost missed it entirely. Now his entire development plan shifted—why chase rare traits and abilities like others when he could transform mediocre ones into top-tier weapons? Flurry Strike proved it: an inconsistent technique turned lethal when every strike *always* hit weak points. This changed everything. He could forge a new path—taking overlooked abilities others dismissed and refining them to perfection at half the cost of conventional methods. Already, his mind raced with possibilities: chance-based skills becoming reliable, variable damage peaking consistently, defensive moves timing perfectly. But as his mind flickered with new development plans, a warning flashed—kabuto carapace pulsed with unnatural heat, a stark reminder that even if his beast potential is almost without limits,it itself had ones.