Chapter 2: The "Trash" Choice
The Heart Royal Academy of Evolution was not just a school; it was a sprawling fortress of glass and reinforced steel. As the premier institution for the children of the elite, its hallways were lined with the preserved spirits of legendary beasts and statues of the heroes from the Century War.
Leo walked through the gates, his best friend Jud Gus scurrying to keep up. Jud was the polar opposite of Leo—short, stout, and constantly nervous, though his family held a monopoly on the city's high-grade spirit stones.
"Leo, man, that light yesterday... the whole city saw it!" Jud whispered, looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "People are saying you awakened an S-Rank Elemental talent like your dad. Is it true? Are we going to see some 'Storm Sovereign Junior' action today?"
Leo adjusted his collar, his eyes flickering with a faint, translucent gold light that Jud couldn't see.
[Target: Jud Gus] [Potential: B-Rank] [Status: Excessive Anxiety / Low Mana Density] [Recommendation: Contract a 'Calm-Type' Beast to stabilize Mana flow.]
"Not exactly, Jud," Leo said, his voice calm. "I'm enrolling in the Breeder Branch."
Jud nearly tripped over his own feet. "The Breeder Branch? Leo, that's... that's a support class! Your brother is a Paladin! Your dad can level a mountain! Why would you want to spend your life mixing monster kibble and brushing fur?"
"Because," Leo said, looking at a distant enclosure where a majestic Griffon was being groomed, "nobody knows what those beasts are actually capable of. They're all hitting a ceiling because their masters are blind."
The first day of the Academy was the Contracting Ceremony. The school provided a variety of Bronze-tier beasts for the students to choose from. Most noble kids brought their own "Heritage Eggs"—rare, high-potential creatures passed down through families.
Leo, despite his family's wealth, had refused a Heritage Egg. He wanted to test the Eye of Truth.
The instructor, a scarred veteran named Master Thorne, gestured to the rows of cages. "Choose wisely. This first bond dictates your mana circuit for the next five years. Most of you will go for the Fire-Wolves or the Iron-Boars. They are reliable. They are strong."
Leo walked past the snarling Fire-Wolves. His internal HUD flashed:
Fire-Wolf: Potenital: D-Rank. Evolution Limit: Level 20. Status: Aggressive/Common.
He walked past the elegant Frost-Birds.
Frost-Bird: Potential: C-Rank. Evolution Limit: Level 25. Status: Fragile/Common.
Then, he stopped at the very back of the hall. In a small, rusted cage sat a creature that looked like a soggy, grey ball of moss with two oversized, blinking black eyes. It was a Sludge-Snail.
The students around him started to snicker.
"Look at that," sneered Marcus, a rival from a lesser noble house. "The great Leo Heart is looking at a Sludge-Snail. It's a waste of a contract slot. They have zero combat power, they move an inch an hour, and they literally can't evolve past a wet rock."
Leo ignored him. He focused his vision.
[Target: Grey Sludge-Snail (Mutated)] [Hidden Bloodline: Primeval Earth-Devourer (0.01% Awakened)] [Current Potential: F-Rank] [True Potential: SSS-Rank (Divine)] [Condition for First Evolution: Feed 10g of 'Earth-Marrow' and a drop of 'Heart-Family Lightning Blood'.]
Leo's heart hammered against his ribs. The Pet Encyclopedia in his mind flipped its pages at light speed, confirming the legend: The Earth-Devourer was a mythical beast from before the Barrier, capable of swallowing entire Portals.
"I choose this one," Leo said, his voice echoing in the silent hall.
Master Thorne walked over, his brow furrowed. "Heart, stop joking. Your father would have my head if I let you contract a pest. This thing is used for cleaning the floors of the stables."
"I'm not joking, Master Thorne," Leo replied, reaching out to touch the slimy surface of the snail.
The snail shivered, its stalk-eyes looking up at Leo with a strange, ancient intelligence. Leo felt a connection—a lonely soul recognized by another.
"Leo, don't!" Jud hissed from the sidelines.
But it was too late. Leo bit his finger, drawing a single drop of blood—blood that carried the faint, crackling essence of his father's lightning—and pressed it onto the snail's shell.
[DING!] [Contract Successful!] [First Growth Goal Set: Evolution to 'Thunder-Shell Behemoth' (Juvenile Stage).]
A massive shockwave of grey and gold energy erupted from the small cage, blowing back the nearby tables and sending Marcus tumbling to the floor. The "useless" snail began to glow with a dull, metallic luster, and the slime beneath it turned into hardened, vibrating crystals.
Leo stood in the center of the chaos, a calm smile on his face. He looked at the shocked faces of his peers and then down at his new partner.
"Don't worry," he whispered to the snail. "We're going to rewrite the books together."