"Grant…" Jax called out in a low voice, shifting his gaze from his new found master to the two giant magical beasts beside him—Skyforge Lion and Golden Armored Eagle.
Grant followed his line of sight and asked calmly, "So, how do you intend to keep your beasts? Surely, you don't expect them to follow you everywhere... or are you planning to abandon them here?"
Jax suddenly froze.
It was only now that he suddenly realized that he couldn't just walk around with two gigantic, terrifying beasts trailing him. They'd cause chaos wherever he went.
"System," Jax asked inwardly, "do I have a way to solve this?"
A calm voice echoed in his mind:
> "Yes. As the Beast Monarch, you possess a unique sub-dimensional space known as the Beast Domain. This space is as vast as a continent. Every tamed beast receives its own region within the domain—adapted to its elemental nature and preferences. The Monarch can summon or return them at will."
Jax's eyes lit up in joy.
> Not only can I tame beasts… I even have a private realm to house them?!
Grant unaware of the Beast Monarch Domain said, 'Once we return, I'll have a magical store space created for your beasts to live in.'"
"Master," Jax turned to Grant, unable to hide his smile. "Thank you, but… I don't need a magic space made for them. I already have one."
Grant raised an eyebrow. "You… already have a space?"
Jax nodded. "It's called the Beast Monarch's Domain. A personal realm where all my tamed beasts can live in peace."
For a rare moment, Grant was speechless.
> This kid… he thought, not only can he tame beasts, but he also comes with his own fully functional housing realm for them? Unfair… utterly unfair.
Jax then looked at his two beasts. With a single thought, a glowing magic circle appeared beneath their feet.
In the next moment, both the Skyforge Lion and the Golden Armored Eagle vanished in flashes of light—teleported into the Beast Domain.
Grant blinked, watching everything happen without Jax even lifting a finger.
> …What monstrous talent is this?
As the glow faded, Jax turned back Grant to with a relaxed expression.
Grant finally said after a long silence, "what are your limitations?"
"Huh? Limitations?" Jax echoed, confused.
Grant nodded seriously. "A power like yours… it can't be limitless. There must be restrictions."
Jax turned inward again. "System… is what he said true. Are there any limitations to my talent?"
> "Yes. The host cannot tame any beast that is more than five major levels higher than his current stage. In addition, the host can only tame up to 100 beasts during the Awakening Stage. Further limits will unlock upon cultivation breakthroughs."
Jax relayed this to Grant , who listened silently before nodding.
"Reasonable restrictions. That means we'll need to be smart about which beasts you tame. I'll help you gather a useful selection."
And with that he turned to walk deeper into the Dark Night Forest.
Jax quickly followed, but as they moved, he suddenly raised his voice:
"Ah, Master! I want to tame the Lightfire Bird!"
Grant froze mid-step. Slowly, he turned around with dark lines on his forehead.
"…You want to tame that?"
Jax tilted his head. "Yeah, why?"
Grant sighed heavily. "That bird is a low-level creature. Barely above a spirit wisp. It has no real attack or defense abilities. It just… floats around changing form and splitting into copies. It's flashy, but useless."
Jax scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I know it's weak, but… I'm not taming it for myself."
"Oh?" Grant's expression shifted.
"I want to give it to Maya—my sister. She saw a picture of it once at the library and loved it. It would make a great gift."
He paused and smiled softly.
"Besides… if I tame it, I'll gain its unique skills too, won't I?"
Grant stared at Jax's innocent face and couldn't help but chuckle.
> This kid really…
"Fine," he said with a small smile. "Do whatever you like."
Jax beamed with joy and hurried forward.
They delved deeper into the forest, where rays of filtered light pierced through the tall canopy. Birds chirped in the distance, and magic beasts howled faintly in the shadows.
Jax kept looking around in wonder—until Grant suddenly stopped.
Caught off guard, Jax bumped into his back and fell on his butt.
"Ah! Why'd you stop all of a sudden?"
Grant glanced over his shoulder, amused. "You should watch where you're going."
Jax muttered something under his breath and stood up, brushing dirt off his clothes.
Grant pointed ahead. "There."
Floating gently in the air was a small, radiant orb of light, no larger than a melon. It shimmered like the sun, constantly shifting—one moment a bird, the next a sword, then a fish, then back into a glowing sphere.
"That's the Lightfire Bird," Grant said. "Go on. Tame it."
Without waiting another second, Jax rushed forward. He bit his finger, and as blood welled up, he drew the half-moon symbol onto the floating light.
In response, a blood-red magic circle burst to life beneath his feet. The light orb froze, then pulsed—and slowly, its shape stabilized into a bird entirely made of glowing feathers and light.
It let out a soft chirp and began flying joyful circles around Jax, changing form every few seconds like a child showing off its tricks.
Then the system interface appeared in front of Jax.
---
[ New Beast Tamed ]
Name: Lightfire Bird
[Elementary Affinities Inherited]: Light manipulation.
---
Jax grinned.
> Maya's gonna love this.
Grant watched from the distance, with his arms crossed and a slight smile tugging at his lips.