"Are you sure about this, Raiden? You know that once you sign this form, you will lose your final chance to become a professional Battle Master. Even Silver-level Battle Masters earn 50,000 Alliance Credits, much more than anything non-professional ones earn." A professional-looking woman asked.
She had half-frame glasses perched on her nose, with a crisp white shirt tucked into her pencil skirt, her long legs crossed and covered in dark stockings.
"I am sure, Miss Yuna. I want to opt out. I am not that smart anyway. Plus, Battle Masters have to go and fight on the frontlines. As you know, I have a cute little sister waiting for me at home. What will happen to her if she loses her precious big brother? Who will take care of her?" A cheerful youth replied. He had an average-looking face, with slightly curly black hair that came down to his shoulders, and he looked to be about 5'10 in height.
He had a light complexion and looked like any common passerby. If you threw a stone in the crowd, you would find about a dozen people who looked better than he did. The only redeeming quality he had that set him apart from others was his eyes.
He had deep violet eyes that seemed to pierce into someone's soul just with a single look.
Hearing his reply, Miss Yuna immediately put on a look of disdain on her face. He could practically feel her looking down on him and saying, 'You dare to boast wildly like this?'
"Raiden, you shouldn't lie like this. Who doesn't know your sister Sylvia is the brightest star of the whole Verdant Hollow Academy, while you are... average at best. Your reputation as a hooligan is quite well known. Aren't you the person who confessed to your Teacher before getting beaten up by her? It's a miracle if you don't add to the poor girl's troubles. You taking care of her? Please."
Raiden felt speechless. He didn't know how to defend himself. He had just crossed over into this dangerous world two weeks ago. He thought his life in his own world was miserable, but it was not as bad as the situation in this world's counterpart.
His parents died 6 months ago in a Frontier Mission, leaving behind two kids to fend for themselves. Worse still, instead of leaving behind money, they left unsettled debt. Poor hooligan Raiden, who just wanted to cruise through life, was forced to mature overnight.
He had to take on 3 different part-time jobs to keep the house running and take care of his little sister. She wanted to take on a job as well and help him share the burden. But he decisively refused. What a joke. What kind of big brother would he be if he let her work instead?
Now struggling between balancing three different jobs, raising his little sister, and trying to study, the dude was so stressed he stumbled down the stairs and died.
Raiden, who inherited the body, also got the memory and feelings of the original body owner. Along with it, a cute little sister and the soul-crushing debt.
....Raiden, Earth to Raiden? Are you still there?" Raiden snapped out of his trance to see Miss Yuna leaning over and waving a hand in front of his eyes, giving him a view of...ahem...something.
Cough. Cough.
"You know, I am more worried about poor Sylvia now. What will you do in the future? You are not dropping out of studies to become a bum, are you? Forcing the poor girl to care for you, too?" Miss Yuna asked after sitting back down, noticing she had his attention once again.
"No way!! What kind of person do you think I am? I am already working three jobs to keep the house running, you know." Raiden immediately defended himself. His reputation was already in shambles. He didn't want to make it worse.
"Really? Then tell me what you plan to do in the future. Since you have no guardians, I will consider myself one. I won't let you do anything that harms your future." There was genuine concern in her voice now.
Sylvia was her favourite student, and the boy in front of her was her last known living relative.
She wanted to make sure they made the best choices for their future. Otherwise, she, the reputed Platinum Trainer, wouldn't be wasting time on him.
Raiden felt speechless. He barely knew the lady. All he knew was that she was Sylvia's teacher, and now she was acting like a guardian out of nowhere.
But he knew she meant well, and he couldn't discard her because of his little sister.
"I plan to run a farm, Miss Yuna. Our parents bought a big farmland just a short distance away from the city. I plan to become a farmer and live a relaxed life, and earn enough money for Sylvia's tuition next year." He replied honestly.
This was the first major decision he had made since he came into the world. The world was dark and full of danger. He did not want to become a professional Battle Master. So he chose to inherit the farm. He did not want to die and leave little Sylvia alone in the world.
It had nothing to do with his fear for his life, or his lazy nature, nothing at all.
"...Sigh, so be it. You have average aptitude at best. Maybe this is the path for you to move forward. As for Sylvia's tuition, don't worry about it. How much can your little farm earn anyway? I'll pay for it all." Miss Yuna declared and insulted him at the same time in a voice that made one feel like beating her up due to sheer arrogance.
'Control Raiden, Control. Real men don't hit beautiful women, real men don't hit beautiful women. Damnit, I really feel like hitting her.'
Not noticing or maybe just ignoring his expression, she continued to speak.
"Anyways, I will approve you of your application. If you face any problems in the future, you can consider approaching me. I'll help you out."
With that, she opened the drawer and pulled out a stamp. In front of her was a letter, which read:
I, Raiden Ashford, would like to opt out of university admissions and drop out of further studies. I intend to pursue different interests. If I ever regret my decision, I am a dog!'
Bang!!
APPROVED!!!
...
After signing the school opt-out form, Raiden wasted no time leaving the place. It was still noon, so he quickly caught the nearest public transport and departed for his next location.
Looking outside the window, he still felt disoriented. This world was very different from the Earth he remembered, yet it felt so familiar. This world felt more like what Earth would be in the future, with added fantasy elements.
Everywhere he looked, he saw people walking along with beasts of various kinds. Some people were holding cute little kittens, while others had bird-like creatures perched on their shoulders.
One person was even more outrageous—he was sitting on the back of a giant gorilla that looked like 3 meters tall. The tall beast was standing in the middle of the road, blocking all vehicles. The man on top of it was wearing sunglasses and looked really smug, ignoring the growing protests of people complaining to him.
"Hey, you with the Armoured Kong, get down for me! Don't you know you are not allowed to carry Terrans bigger than 2 meters in public?!" A shout disrupted the market as two policemen arrived on the scene.
Looking at them, the man standing on top of the gorilla panicked.
"Oh shit!! Run away, Blackie!!"
The big gorilla also started panicking before roaring, and it started to transform. A black layer of scales started appearing on its whole body, giving it an armoured-like feel.
Just when it felt like the beast was about to attack the police, it took a big leap and ran away!
"You dare to resist arrest?! Go, boy, catch him for me!" The police officer roared in anger as his body started to glow in a golden hue.
A second later, a majestic lion appeared in front of him. Raiden recognised it from his memories immediately.
Standing taller than even the Armoured Kong, it had a flowing red-coloured mane, with a yellow body that had red and black-coloured stripes flowing through it.
The Terra Beast, which Raiden recognised as the Golden Nemean Blood Lion, opened its mouth and started gathering energy. The surroundings quickly started to boil up as it charged a big fire blast before firing it through a roar.
The blast charged at the fleeing beast faster than the eye could see, and a loud impact was heard.
Boom!!
The tall beast immediately fell down unconscious, its body looking burnt.
Before he could look at what happened next, his automated taxi already drove him away from the scene as soon as the road cleared, leaving him in suspense.
The sudden scene reminded Raiden he was not in the same world as before, as this one was much more dangerous, with random people on the road possessing Terrans that could kill him in a second.
Now all he wished was that this automated taxi could drive even faster so he could reach his destination sooner.
Fifteen minutes later, he finally arrived at his destination and got out of the cab slowly.
Looking at the majestic building in front of him, he fell silent for a moment.
The building looked like it was made in the 16th century, giving it an old look. Made up of black rocks and built like a castle, the entire structure stood 30 stories tall, evoking a sense of suppression in anyone looking at it from the outside. It had large arched windows that stretched all the way from the top, glittering like crystal under the sunlight, giving it a mystical feel.
A big sign made up entirely of Gold hung on the building, reading:
CONTINENTAL ALLIANCE OF BATTLE MASTERS!!
Taking the final deep breath, Raiden advanced boldly towards the building as if he were marching towards his death.
Ignoring the weird looks the guards and people were giving him, he entered the building only to find the inside completely different from what he was expecting.
Unlike the imposing exterior, the inside of the castle looked like a modern high-tech hub, with a constant stream of people shuffling in and out of the building and various massive open-platform elevators carrying people upwards.
"What the—? Who designed this building?? Is he alright in the head?" Raiden muttered to himself.
"While our President's taste in aesthetics is a bit... peculiar, you can't talk like that about him, you know. He is the President after all, the strongest in the city." A silky smooth voice sounded from behind him, making Raiden jump in fear.
He turned around and saw a mature beauty standing there, with an amused smile on her face. She wore a one-piece dress and had wavy red hair and a really mature figure.
One thing that stood out about her, though, was her height. Standing over 6'4" in height and wearing high heels, she looked every bit like a dommy mommy.
Raiden was stunned by her beauty, forgetting to react for several seconds, earning another chuckle from her.
"Ara Ara~ See something you like, boy?" The woman spoke in a teasing voice.
This snapped him out of his stupor. He knew he had to act fast to save his dignity.
"Of course, it's just you, beautiful big sister. I was just so mesmerised that I forgot myself. I have never seen someone so beautiful, so forgive me. To make up for it, how about I treat you to dinner instead?" He asked shamelessly. As for dignity, what is that? Can you eat it?
Another silver bell-like laugh echoed from the woman's mouth after hearing his words.
"How interesting~ You are too young for me, boy. Try again once you grow up a little, maybe I'll give you a chance then. We'll meet again if fate wills it~" Without waiting for a reply, the woman walked away, the sound of her heels echoing in the room.
After a while, Raiden shook his head and slapped his face with both hands to regain focus, ignoring the lingering scent that was left in her wake.
"Focus, Raiden, Focus. Women will only slow down your speed of drawing your sword. You are here to register as a Battle Master and buy your first Terra Beast. Stay focused on that."
He confidently walked towards a desk that was manned by a cute girl wearing round glasses.
"Excuse me, miss, I just turned 16 today, and I want to register officially as a Battle Master!"
"Certainly, that will be 5,000 Credits."
"...What?!"
...
"Certainly, that will be 5,000 Credits."
"...What?!"
Raiden's voice came out louder than intended, earning numerous stares from nearby people.
Feeling the attention, he quickly moved closer to the desk and lowered his voice.
"Beautiful big sister, wasn't registering for Battle Master free? Since when did it cost money? And so much?"
The girl smiled, her dimples showing. She had short brown hair tied in a small ponytail and spoke with the patient tone of someone who explained this daily. Nobody disliked hearing compliments, after all.
"That is old news, little brother. Nowadays, to separate the casual people and focus resources more effectively on cultivating a new generation, the Alliance introduced a fee for registration. You can still buy and raise a Terra Beast normally, but if you want to bond with it and grow stronger together, you need to pay the fees and get that manual. The choice is entirely yours."
Hearing her words, Raiden fell silent. He opened his phone to check his bank balance.
6,342 Credits.
This was all the savings he had left. A normal family of four could easily survive on 500 Credits a month. Of course, that was if your family didn't have any Terra Beasts. If you did, the costs to keep them grew exponentially.
After thinking for a while, Raiden gritted his teeth and came to a decision
"Register, I'd like to register! Damnit, I don't believe that I can't earn my money back after running my farm. Please register my details, big sister." Raiden spoke with pain in his voice.
Hearing it, the girl in glasses chuckled, clearly amused by his behaviour.
"Alright, let's process the payment first. Place your phone on the scanner."
Raiden's hand trembled slightly as he placed his phone on the payment terminal.
Beep.
Transaction Successful. Remaining Balance: 1,342 Credits.
He felt his heart sink as the notification appeared. That was it. Most of his money, gone. If this farming plan didn't work out...
"Little brother? You okay? You look a bit pale." The receptionist's voice snapped him back to reality.
"I-I'm fine. Just... give me a moment, please." He tried to laugh it off, but it came out hollow.
She gave him a sympathetic look before continuing professionally. "Alright, stand still for a second. Scanning your face to pull up the data...perfect...alright. Raiden Ashford, 16 years old, below average grades and university dropout..."
Raiden winced internally. Did she have to announce that so loudly?
"...no offences found...alright, and you're done. Congratulations, Raiden, you are now an official Battle Master and can bond with your Terran. Do you want me to explain to you how it works?" The girl asked with a smile on her face.
Raiden nodded immediately. "Yes, please. I know you can bond with your Terran, but how does it work exactly?"
"Don't worry, your big sister here will explain everything to you clearly." She patted her chest with confidence before beginning the explanation.
"You do know that there are two kinds of people who raise Terra Beasts or Terrans, right? One is a normal person who can buy and raise as many Terra Beasts as they want, be it for companionship or work. The other ones are Battle Masters. Unlike other people, Battle Masters can actually form a deep bond with their Terra Beasts by blood, thus evolving together."
"This bond acts as a symbiotic relationship, letting Terra Beasts evolve faster and granting superhuman capabilities to their human partners. The stronger the bloodline and level of Terra Beast, the stronger the feedback they provide to their human partners."
"As you know, Battle Masters can bond with 7 Terra Beasts at max, one at each level, from Bronze to Nuclear. You know the tiers in between, right?" She paused to drink some water before looking at Raiden, who had a blank look on his face.
"...You do know the levels, right? That's like, basic knowledge. That's the first thing you're taught in school!" The girl spoke in a dumbfounded voice.
"I know!! Of course I know! It's just that it is very important information for my future, so I want to cross-check it with a professional like you." Raiden spoke in a shameless tone. He knew his knowledge was half-baked, and acting shamelessly was the only way to learn the correct knowledge.
"...Alright, I believe you." She didn't sound convincing. "As I was saying, Battle Masters are divided into seven different tiers, from weakest to strongest:
Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond → Mythical → Nuclear
"Got it?"
Raiden nodded before asking a question in a hesitant voice.
"Umm...why is the final tier called Nuclear, when other tiers are named after metals?"
"Because any attacks done by beasts at that level are no less destructive than a Nuclear bomb. Are you sure you graduated from school? This is like basic stuff." The girl said in a strange voice, which somehow made Raiden feel like she was looking down on him secretly.
"I knew that! I was just... testing your knowledge! Yeah, that's it." Even Raiden didn't sound convincing to himself.
The girl, seeing the embarrassment on his face, didn't call him out. Instead, she took out a custom bronze metal card and put it in the console in front of her.
Less than 5 seconds later, the card came out with his information on it.
"Here you go. It will act as your identity as well as proof of your Battle Master status. All you need to do is bind it to yourself using your blood, and you will naturally learn how to bind a Terra Beast to yourself." She explained patiently.
Raiden took the card and started to feel excited. No matter what he said, he was just a teenager and also harboured fantasies of taming a dragon and riding it in the sky, making everyone who looked at him jealous.
"By the way, little brother, do you have a Terra Beast egg prepared? If not, you can buy one here, quality guaranteed." She patted her chest again, as if to emphasise her confidence.
Raiden's face immediately turned into one of pain. He originally had a budget of 5,000 Credits to buy the first beast that would help him in farming, as well as earn some money.
But now only left with 1,342 Credits. Excluding the food expense for the beast, as well as the household expense, he only had 600 Credits to work with.
Gritting his teeth, he made a decision.
"Buy, of course I'm buying it! Show me what you've got!!" He spoke with determination.
The girl said nothing. She simply pulled out a tablet from beneath the counter and handed it to him with a knowing smile.
He immediately started looking at the entries inside of it.
[Azure Phoenix: 100 Million Credits]
[Armoured Kong: 30,000 Credits]
[Black Tortoise (Has Diluted Bloodline of Divine Black Tortoise): 10 Million Credits]
[Garuda: 80 Million Credits]
[Shadow Panther: 300,000 Credits]
Looking at the list of absurd prices and even more outrageous beasts, he felt the weight of his poverty even more realistically.
Silently clicking on the filter option, he chose to sort it by 'Price Low to High'.
The list updated automatically.
[Green Caterpillar, Lumy: 950 Credits]
Looking at the cheapest option on the list, Raiden deeply felt the malice of this capitalistic world.
...
"Hey, beautiful big sister? Do you offer any discounts? Subsidies? Loan of any sort? I am running a little short on funds. Can you please help me, please?" Raiden put on his best impression of a cute puppy, hoping to melt the receptionist's heart. He only ended up looking weird instead.
"Well, we don't really do any discounts here, ya know. All of the eggs we sell here at the Alliance are the ones that are best of the best. So the price is always higher, but the quality is guaranteed. Tell you what, we do give out loans, let me check and see how much you are eligible for."
The girl started typing away on her keyboard quickly, pulling up information. After looking at it for one minute, the girl paused, stunned by what she read on the screen.
"Well, how is it? Am I eligible for something? Anything?" Raiden asked in a eager voice.
"....It indicates that you already have a 100 Million Credits Loan that you need to pay off. You can't take any more loans until you settle that debt. Tell me honestly, are you trying to fool your big sister? If you have taken such a big loan, why are you lacking in money?" She questioned with a suspicious face.
Looking at her, Raiden knew it was time to act. Acting exaggeratedly, he clutched his chest in pain and squeezed his eyes with all his might to produce two drops of tears. Ignoring the looks from nearby people, he started speaking dramatically.
"To tell you the truth, sister, life has been very cruel to me. I originally had a very happy family, and I was enjoying my life in bliss. But maybe the Gods were envious of my happiness. My parents were Gold-level Battle Masters, and they bought a farm for their retirement."
"But before they could pay it off, they left this world, saddling me with the debt. In the last 6 months, I have been working 3-4 part-time jobs to support myself and my cute little helpless sister. I am not able to sleep at night, thinking about that massive debt. Due to tight financials, I even had to drop out of education and find ways to earn money so I could send my little sister to a university."
"I spent all the money I had, and now I am counting on the Terra Beast to help me earn some money. And now, I can't even afford one. I have...no other choice left. I will purchase two bottles of poison and give one to my sister before taking one myself, hoping to die a honourable death! This world holds no place for us!!"
Hearing his words, the girl behind the counter grew frightened.
"Brother, cute little brother, don't be so hasty! This big sister here will support you!" She stood up from her chair before pulling Raiden into a hug across the counter, burying his face in her chest, effectively cutting off all supply of oxygen, causing him to struggle.
The girl, who thought he was feeling too emotional, continued to hold him there in an iron grip. After a moment, when she felt that his body stopped moving around so much, she let him go, giving him a chance to breathe again.
Gasps.
While Raiden was taking in so many big breaths, the girl spoke again in a sincere tone. "Don't worry so much about everything, brother. You have become a Battle Master now, and you will definitely have a better life in the future. This big sister here will support you!!" After thinking for a moment, she sat down again and pulled up an old diary and pen from a drawer. She wrote something on it before tearing out the piece of paper and folding it carefully.
"Give me your phone." She demanded.
Looking at her serious atmosphere, Raiden silently handed his phone to her.
The girl, who was in thought for a moment, hesitated for a second before making a decision and tapped her phone on his.
Ka-Ching~
"Here, take this paper and go to Merchant Avenue, 48th street, Shop No. 123. You will find Old Man Tobias there. Give him the note I have written, and tell him Aria sent you. Aria Stormwind. He will help you pick a good first Terran that will help you earn money. As for the money, consider it an investment in your future. You can pay me back once you have made it big." The girl said, patting her chest again, indicating her support.
Hearing her words, Raiden felt moved and ashamed at the same time. He told his sob story to earn some sympathy and maybe a discount from her. He never expected her to introduce a place to buy Terran as well as give money to him, a total stranger.
He looked at his phone and was shocked at the amount of money she had transferred: 10,000 Credits.
"Sister Aria, I don't need so much money. Please take it back. It's more than enough that you introduced me to a place. Please take the money back." He spoke in a heartfelt voice.
Hearing his words, a smile came onto Aria's face. To be honest, she regretted her impulsive decision to give him so much money. It was equal to a whole month of her salary. She felt like maybe she fell for a scam or something. But now, hearing his words, her worries were eased.
"Don't worry so much! Your sister is not lacking such little money. I don't take back gifts anyway." She spoke with the airs of a true tycoon.
"But it is too much money, I really don't need it."
"No, you do!"
"No, I don't!!"
"No, you do!!"
"No, I really don't!!!"
"No, you really, really do!!!"
After doing this back and forth for a while, both of them felt a little tired, Raiden specifically. He had never met anyone who wanted to give money to strangers like this.
"Fine, alright, I take it. I promise to pay back 10x money once I earn my first batch of gold. Thank you. Really." With that, Raiden took a deep bow towards her.
Aria, on the other hand wore an expression of triumph.
"Alright, I will wait for that day! You don't need to be in a hurry. Go do what you have to do. First visit Old Man Tobias."
"Alright, I am leaving. But before I go, can I have your contact details?" Raiden asked.
"Sure, here you go." She tapped her phone against his, sharing her contact details.
Satisfied, Raiden turned around and started walking towards the exit.
Before leaving, though, he paused for a moment before turning around and asking a question loudly.
"By the way, Sister Aria, since you are older than me, and you are giving me money to support myself, are you considered my 'Sugar Mommy' now?"
Aria felt crimson when she heard his words, and felt the eyes of everyone in the guild turn to her.
"You ungrateful brat, are you asking for a beating?! Wait there!!"
Laughing, Raiden fled the place, feeling a little more happier now.
His next objective?
Getting His First Partner.
...
Raiden looked at the rundown shop in front of him, before looking at all the other dazzling shops surrounding it, before looking at the rundown shop once again.
"Merchant Avenue, 48th Street, Shop No. 123. The address is correct. I am sure Sister Aria won't harm me. No harm in taking a look."
With that, he walked inside the shop, whose sign read "Verdant Mystery Beasts."
Inside, he was greeted with a boisterous atmosphere. There were people everywhere, crowding around and arguing with each other. The scene felt really lively and didn't match how the shop looked from the outside. Perhaps this was the Verdant Hollow style, a contrasting exterior and interior. This shop was like this; the Alliance building was the same.
"Greetings, sir, how may I help you? Are you looking to try your luck at our Mystery Egg Gambling?" A cute attendant approached him, speaking with a smile on her face.
"Mystery Egg Gambling?" He questioned.
"Ah, you must be a first-timer. We sell Terran eggs here, but with a special perk. For a modest fee, you can take part in Mystery Egg Gambling and buy an egg of a mysterious Terra Beast. People in the past have actually won a Mythical Black Dragon Egg from it!!"
Raiden felt speechless. So it was a gambling place. As for the Black Dragon Egg, that was definitely a hoax.
"Hello, umm, no. I'm not here to gamble. I was introduced by someone. I was told to meet someone called Old Man Tobias?" Raiden spoke in a reserved voice.
"Oh, so you are an esteemed guest of Master Tobias. Please follow me." While maintaining a professional smile, she started walking deeper inside the shop.
After a while, they reached the deepest section of the shop, which was separated by a big wall and a door.
Knock, Knock.
"Come in!"
The girl opened the sliding door before walking inside with Raiden, who was struck speechless by the view inside. He thought Old Man Tobias would be a dignified elder.
Instead, he found six elders sitting around a table playing cards against each other, while drinking beer.
One elder, who was wearing a suit, turned around and asked, "What is it?"
"Master Tobias, this gentleman was looking for you. He was introduced by someone."
"Huh? Who are you, brat? Can't you see I am busy with important work? Who introduced you to me?" Tobias asked with an irritated voice, feeling frustrated that his precious game had been interrupted.
Raiden suppressed the rising anger in his chest and proceeded to give him the letter Aria had written.
"Hello, Grandpa. Aria gave this letter to me, Aria Stormwind. She said you will understand what I want after reading it."
The old man took the letter before reading it casually.
Sigh
"That little girl, she doesn't visit me herself, but sends a smelly brat instead. Alright, you are dismissed. As for you, brat, follow me." The old man waved his hand at the girl, who bowed before leaving the room, and started walking without waiting for a reply.
"Hurry back, Tobi, or there won't be any sake left by the time you come back!" One of the old men yelled as Raiden hurried to keep up with Tobi, who just waved his hand at them.
After walking for a minute, they entered a spacious room. Inside, there were rows upon rows, all filled up with eggs of different shapes and sizes. There were at least a thousand eggs, all of them different from each other.
Old Man Tobias didn't pause for a second and kept walking inside before coming to a stop in front of a shelf that held 6 eggs.
"Aria explained your situation to me a little bit. You need money, right? Pick any one egg from here. Depending on how well you raise it, you can earn up to 100k a month or more with its help. Now hurry up."
Raiden felt he was struck with an immense blow. The favour Aria had given to him felt even heavier now. After resolving to pay her back, he started to study all the different eggs.
The first one was purple and black in colour, with a soft shell. The second, on the other hand, had a hard, scale-like texture and was golden in colour.
He started studying all six different eggs, looking for any signs that deemed one better than the others.
On the other hand, Tobias started to feel impatient. "What are you dilly-dallying for? Are you a woman? Hurry up and pick one already!"
Hearing his words, Raiden didn't waste much more time. He put his hand on top of an egg. It had a cloud-like pattern and texture, with violet-colored thunder strikes in it.
"This one, I choose this one."
The old man said nothing, just snapped his fingers before an egg incubator-like device appeared in his hands. He directly picked up the egg before storing it inside and gave it to Raiden.
"Alright, we are done here. Let's go back." The old man started walking back the way they came.
"Umm...how about the payment? Where do I pay?" Raiden asked in a hesitant voice.
Tobias just sneered at his question. "Payment? Can you even afford it? Even the cheapest one costs 50,000 Credits, with the most expensive one costing up to a Million Credits. Can you even afford to pay for it?"
Raiden felt speechless.
"Don't worry about money. I am not lacking this little bit of pocket change. Consider it a favour to my granddaughter's friend. Just ask her to visit her old grandpa as soon as possible. I don't care about smelly her parents' opinions, I just miss her."
Hearing Tobias's words, he understood.
Turns out Aria was this old man's granddaughter. No wonder he gave this egg away for free. She was secretly a wealthy family daughter. She had the potential to be his sugar mommy after all.
They walked back in silence before he reached the wall that separated this section.
"Thank you, Grandfather Tobias. I will not forget this favour. And I will make sure that Aria visits you soon."
Hearing his words, a pleased smile came onto the old man's face for the first time as he started caressing his goatee.
"By the way, I had a question. Can you tell me how much the egg I picked is worth?" Raiden questioned curiously.
Hearing his question, an amused smile came onto the old man's face as he answered in a strange voice.
"You are really lucky, you brat. Out of all the eggs that were worth up to a million credits, you ended up picking the cheapest one!"
Looking at the face of a youngster who was full of despair and unwillingness, Tobias felt even more joyful as he broke into laughter and shut the door on his face.
...
After exiting the private taxi he booked for his ride home, Raiden entered his duplex home in a hurry, placing the precious egg on the table.
He walked into the kitchen, took a knife from it, and walked back to the table and sat in front of it.
Looking at the beautiful egg that was resting on a cushion in front of him, it hurt. It hurt him so much that he felt like he lost a million credits just by picking the wrong egg.
"It is what it is, no point in thinking about it. From now on, it will be my precious partner. Now I just need to drop my blood on the bronze card and learn how to bond with it."
He took the card out of his pocket and placed it in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the knife in domineering fashion.
Acting like he was about to sacrifice himself, he made the teeniest, tiniest cut possible on his finger, acting as carefully as possible.
"Damnit, that really hurt!!" He looked at the drop of blood on his finger and swiped it on the card.
Instantly, countless pieces of information surged into his mind, giving him a headache.
After a while, he came back to normal again, looking at the information in his mind.
It consisted of two things. One was a chant called 'Basic Meditation Mantra', and the other was 'Foundation Physical Exercises'.
According to the information in his mind, he needed to practice the Meditation Mantra for 15 minutes and generate a wisp of mental energy before dropping another drop of blood mixed with his mental energy to bond with the Terra Beast.
As for Foundation Physical Exercises, it was a set of exercises that rapidly strengthened his body when paired with the Mantra.
'No wonder the Battle Master card was so expensive. It came with hacks to become superhuman.'
After removing all distracting thoughts from his mind, Raiden sat cross-legged on the ground, with both of his hands resting on his knees as he started following the Mantra to meditate.
At first, he found it hard to concentrate and remove all thoughts from his mind. But after trying for a while, he was successfully able to enter the zone and found himself lost in the meditation, forgetting about time and place.
After what felt like forever, he felt a wisp of white-colored energy being successfully generated in his mind. It felt cool and refreshing, like a gentle breeze flowing through his thoughts, making him feel clearer-headed and more alert.
"Yes, finally!!! Now I can finally form a bond."
Wasting no time, he quickly picked up the knife again and carefully made another small cut, wincing in the process.
He tried to merge the energy with his blood on his fingers. But he soon faced another problem.
Even after using the Mantra, the white-colored energy refused to move. By the time he managed to drive it to his fingers from his brain, the blood had already dried up, with the wound closing. As soon as he stopped circulating the Mantra, the energy ran back up to the brain once again.
"Damnit, what kind of bullshit is this?! No matter, I know how to move it now, won't make the same mistake again!" He picked up the knife again, making another tiny cut on his thumb this time, before immediately circulating the Meditation technique once again.
Once again, by the time he brought the energy to his fingers, the blood had dried up once again, sealing the wound.
"Damnit!! I refuse to believe such a small thing can hold me back from forming a bond today!!!" Raiden started trying once again.
Once. Twice. Thrice.
He tried to do it again and again like a man possessed.
By the time of his 69th try, he looked like a mental patient.
Both his hands were full of small nicks and cuts, his eyes bloodshot red. His stomach growled from hunger, but he ignored it.
Ignoring the growing pain in his hands and ever-increasing headache, he picked up the knife once again and made a cut on his hand. Unlike the first few times, the cut was much larger than before, with blood flowing freely from it.
Acting on instinct, Raiden circulated the Mantra once again, far faster than before. The energy, which seemed very reluctant before, now flowed freely through his body, reaching his hand and merging with his blood before he even realised it.
For a moment, he didn't realise what happened and reached for the knife again instinctively, trying to make another cut to start the process once again.
A second later, he realised what happened and broke out in cheer.
"HELL YES!!! FUCKING FINALLY!!! YOUR DADDY DID IT!!!!!"
Wasting no more time, he slapped his blood-soaked hand on the egg, coating it red.
A second later, he felt a subtle connection develop between him and the egg, and he heard faint beast cries in his mind.
A second later, the egg started glowing white with a thunderous white flash, making Raiden go blind.
Five seconds later, three things happened simultaneously.
{Ding! Congratulations Host. You have successfully activated the...} A voice started ringing in his head.
"Big Brother?! What are you doing?!" A loud, panicked shout came from the doorway.
Woolie~!!
A cry erupted from within the white light.
Facing the exhaustion, severe blood loss, and sensory overload, Raiden fainted.
...
Lic, lic, lic
Raiden frowned as he felt a wet sensation on his cheeks in his sleep and turned around in the bed.
"Woo?"
A few seconds later, he felt something heavy just cross on top of him, before he felt a wet sensation on his face again.
Irritated, he tried to smack whatever on his face away. Instead of his face, though, he ended up hitting something soft and fluffy.
"Wool!"
Whatever he hit with his hand clearly felt angry, as he felt someone or something hit his nose hard, making him jolt up in pain.
"Oww!! Son of a—" He paused midway during a curse, as he looked at the culprit, only to find a ball of fluff standing there.
He found himself looking at a cute little sheep the size of his forearm. It had a fluffy white woollen coat and small horns poking out of its head with violet coloured eyes that were shining like stars while looking at him.
Overall, it looked like a cute little fluffy marshmallow.
(Image)
Looking at Raiden, who was awake, its eyes lit up like stars in the night sky and tackled him directly with so much force that Raiden found himself airborne before he could register what happened and how he got on the floor.
"Woolie~" ╰(°▽°)╯
"What the-" Raiden wanted to curse, but stopped midway as he was stunned by what appeared in front of him once more when he tried to push Woolie away.
{Woolie, The Thunder Sheep}
{Rank: Bronze}
Description: Woolie, The Thunder Sheep, is a variant of Woolie, The Farm Sheep. It uses its fleece to protect itself from danger, and it likes to shed its fleece once a week. It starts to feel uncomfortable if it doesn't. This one contains the bloodline of Fenrir, The God-Killer.
{Potential: E Tier (B Tier Upon Maturity)}
{Current Moves: Tackle, Nuzzle, Cotton Guard, Discharge}
{Enhance His Potential? Yes/No}
Looking at the floating screen in front of him, Raiden started to feel disoriented.
What happened? Where was he? Who was he? What is he? What is this floating screen in front of him?
Just then, all his memories came rushing back to him at once.
Terra Beasts... Bonding ritual... Egg hatching... Hearing a voice in his head... Passing out.
"Goddamn, so much stuff happened all at once." He looked down on his lap to find Woolie looking up at him with its bright eyes.
"So you are my partner, huh?" Woolie nodded its head cutely, as excitement started to fill up Raiden's heart. He, an otherworld traveller, finally had a Terra Beast of his own. On top of that, he had a cheat code. Or golden finger. Or whatever people call it nowadays.
At this point, Raiden started daydreaming once again, standing on top of a Dragon's head, with various girls surrounding him and cheering him on.
"Hehehehe, don't worry, ladies. There is enough of me for all of you..."
Woolie, looking at its daydreaming human partner, blinked.
'It seems my human is a little bit on the dumb side. But no worries, I, Woolie, will take care of him.'
Just then, hearing the commotion inside the room, someone opened the door and barged in directly.
"Raiden?! You are finally awake! Thank the gods. Do you know how worried I was?! When I saw you lying unconscious in your own blood, I thought you were conducting some sort of satanic ritual and almost called the cops on you. Don't scare me like that again."
Another blur of silver tackled him as he found himself on the ground once again.
A girl, almost the same height as him, was lying on top of him, her body trembling, indicating her mood wasn't as calm as her words indicated.
Her long and lustrous silver hair fell in all directions, shining under the light.
"There, there. Your big brother is okay now. Don't worry. I am not going anywhere. Sorry for scaring you like that." Raiden rubbed her head as he consoled her.
"Idiot, who is worried about you?!" The girl muttered angrily at his words, but didn't let him go, still clinging to his body.
But Raiden was too dumbfounded to reply to her at this moment, busy gawking at the screen in front of him instead.
{Sylvia Ashford}
{Rank: Unawakened}
{Potential: B Tier}
{Bloodline: The Ashen Bloodline (Unawakened)}
{Enhance Her Potential? Yes/No}
Raiden felt utterly confused now. What was his system? Could it enhance human potential? Or was Sylvia, his little sister, secretly a Terra Beast?? Also, what was this Ashen Bloodline??
"Woo!! Woo!!" ╰ (°ロ°) ╯
Woolie, on the other hand, felt angry. It suddenly found itself squeezed between two humans, struggling to free itself. Seeing neither of them trying to free him, he let out an angry cry before discharging a violet bolt of electricity.
ZAAAAPPP!!
"Ouch!!"
"Fuck!!"
Two different sounds rang out at the same time as both Sylvia and Raiden jumped away from each other, freeing little Woolie in the process, who looked very pleased by the outcome.
Feeling the pain, little Sylvia felt angry.
"Also, I need to ask you, what is this Terra Beast doing in our home? Did you kidnap him from somewhere? Do you know it's a Woolie? They cost like 100,000 Credits each!! When I tried to separate it from you, it refused to leave your side and kept zapping me."
Sylvia asked in a wronged tone. Too much had occurred in a little amount of time, and she didn't have time to process it all. She was only 15 years old who just lost her parents 6 months ago.
Finding an unfamiliar beast in their home while her only family lay unconscious in a pool of blood, it left her feeling frightened.
Looking at her frightened appearance, Raiden felt his heart soften. The system could wait. His little sister took priority.
"It's okay, Sylvia. Don't worry so much. Your big brother is here. As for this Terra Beast, it's mine. Your brother is a registered Battle Master now." Raiden deliberately put on a smug face to distract her.
"Haa?! You? A Battle Master?? When did this happen?? Also, how can you afford it?? Aren't we under soul-crushing debt?" She questioned in a sceptical voice.
"Ahem. Let me tell you, it's because your big brother is handsome that a girl found me and gave it to me for free, and told me how much—hey, hey, hey, where are you going?" Raiden said as he saw Sylvia leave the room.
"I am going to pack our belongings and get out of here fast, before cops show up to arrest you for stealing."
Hearing this, Raiden was stuck speechless.
...
After explaining for a long time, Raiden finally convinced his sister that his Woolie was not stolen but an authentic one that he purchased legally after borrowing the money.
After successfully placating her, he got started on the other tasks.
The first thing he did was cook food for both of them. As prodigious as Sylvia was, she had one weak point. That was cooking.
It was like her and the kitchen were mortal enemies. Anytime she tried to cook something, as simple as instant noodles, she ended up setting the kitchen on fire.
Raiden wondered how someone could be so bad at cooking until he witnessed her trying to cook food. Watching her hold the knife like it was a murder weapon, he asked her to promise him not to enter the kitchen by herself in any circumstances.
As for Woolie, Raiden found out from his sister that while he could eat normal food, he wouldn't feel as full and would need a special type of food to keep his energy up. The higher the intensity of training, the better the quality of food required.
With a bleeding heart, he ordered an online delivery of basic energy blocks as well as baby milk for Woolie, which cost a total of 1,001 Credits!!
No wonder not every family owned a Terra Beast. It was too damn expensive. This incident pulled Raiden back from daydreaming to reality. What reaching the apex, he needed to earn money first. If not for the money Aria gave him, he wouldn't even be able to afford food for Woolie.
After finishing dinner, both siblings settled down on the couch in the dining room to watch some television together. His little sister is still looking a little clingy, maybe still feeling scared after the incident.
Ten minutes in the movie, and Sylvia ended up falling asleep, drooling on his shoulder while Woolie was watching the fight between two Terra Beasts on TV excitedly.
Looking at the hot-blooded action on television, Woolie wanted to get into a fight himself.
'My human is too weak. I must be strong like them and protect him. I will start training hard and become the strongest in the world.' (˵ •̀ ᴗ •́ ˵ )✧
Raiden, unaware of his dangerous thoughts, adjusted the angle of Sylvia on his shoulder so she could sleep more comfortably before finally starting to take a good look at his cheat code.
"Hey system, open up!" Raiden called out softly.
.....
"System, show yourself!"
.....
"Open Sesame!! Aabra Kadabra!! Khulja Simsim!! Damn System, show me the status!!"
The last sentence seemed to do the trick, as the familiar blue screen appeared in front of his face once again.
{Ding!! Welcome to Perfect Evolution System!!}
{Name: Raiden Ashford}
{Rank: Bronze}
{Potential: F Tier}
{Bloodline: None}
{Techniques: Basic Meditation Mantra (Upgradable), Foundation Physical Exercises (Upgradable)}
Looking at his potential, Raiden didn't know what to say. What kinda bullshit was this? He, basically a protagonist in this world with a cheatcode, had the potential of F Tier?!
'There must be a glitch or something in the system, that's it. There is no way someone like me has F Tier Potential.' Consoling himself, he started looking through the system and its functions.
After looking through the system for a while, he came to a conclusion.
The system can help him raise the potential of any living thing he touches, except himself. He can also enhance two basic exercises, even though they were non-living things.
As for how much he can enhance the talent of anyone, he didn't know about it yet. But, guessing from the name of ' Perfect Evolution System', the ceiling should be pretty high.
"Alright, here goes nothing. Enhance." A soft white glow escaped his hands as he laid it on top of Woolie's head, who was busy watching a fight on the TV.
"Woolie?"
A feeling of unprecedented relaxation enveloped Woolie's body as he closed his eyes in comfort.
ヾ(≧▽≦*)o
{Ding! Woolie Potential is Being Updated: E → D (1/2)}
Meanwhile, a feeling of weakness hit Raiden suddenly, leaving him drained both physically and mentally.
Looking at the screen in front of him, he realised it was not as easy to upgrade potential as he thought.
First thing, it seemed to drain his physical and mental energy to enhance the potential of any living thing.
It looked like he needed to start practising the Meditation Technique and Physical Training starting tomorrow.
'What kind of unfair world is this? Other MCs arrive in the new world and get stronger while lying down. Meanwhile, I, your father, need to work hard???'
He tried to upgrade his own potential using the cheat, but it didn't work at all.
"What bullshit system? Why can't I upgrade my own potential? Why does it seem like I got the short end of the stick?" Raiden grumbled.
After resting for a while, he felt himself regaining his strength and tried to enhance Woolie's potential again.
"Enhance!!"
{Ding! The host has a daily limit of enhancement for Woolie. Please try again tomorrow.}
Looking at the screen in front of him, Raiden felt speechless.
There was a daily limit, too??
After taking a few deep breaths, Raiden took a look around the room to find something to use his cheat on, before his eyes fell on his sister, who drooling in her sleep, dreaming about who knows what.
He still remembered looking at her status screen yesterday. It was pretty normal except for one thing.
Just to confirm if he saw it correctly, he put a hand on her head and caressed it, while speaking softly.
"System, show me Sylvia's status."
{Sylvia Ashford}
{Rank: Unawakened}
{Potential: B Tier}
{Bloodline: The Ashen Bloodline (Unawakened)}
{Enhance Her Potential? Yes/No}
He tried clicking on The Ashen Bloodline part, and to his surprise, it expanded.
{The Ashen Bloodline: Originated from the First Lord of Ashen Lands, The Ashen Bloodline is the most Primordial Bloodline in this world. It holds the power unravel the very fabric of reality itself.}
Reading the description, Raiden's face went white. As uneducated as he was about this world, even he knew the basic facts about it.
This world, which was actually 5x times larger than the Earth, was covered in dense flora and fauna of various kinds, with wildlife ruling over it.
Humanity actually only controlled about 20% of the surface of this planet, with the rest of it being unclaimed lands.
Those wild lands, which were ruled by forces stronger than anything humanity could ever beat, were called The Ashen Lands!!!
Realising his little sister Sylvia actually had such absurd origins, a complicated look appeared in his eyes.
Who was Sylvia? Should he really upgrade her potential? What if he awakened her bloodline? What if he attracted the attention of someone they can't beat? What if she turned against humanity one day?
"Hmm....Raiden...no...don't leave me....I don't want to be a-alone again."
He turned around to see little tears coming down her face distressed face, as if she was experiencing some kind of nightmare.
Looking at her distressed face, Raiden felt stunned for a moment before feeling angry at himself.
"Fuck it. With the system in my hands, who is afraid of who!! Just a few years, and I'll be invincible. I want to see who dares to touch my sister then!! Damnit, System, enhance her potential for me!!"
"Woolie!!" Woolie, who had been relaxing since his upgrade, felt some kind of change in his master resolve. As if resonating with him, his cries echoed throughout the room, his eyes shining brightly.
{Ding! Sylvia Potential is Being Updated: B → A (1/15)}
As Raiden laid a hand on her head, Sylvia felt a feeling of warmth throughout her body, making her feel safe and driving away her nightmare.
Raiden, now tired after doing two potential upgrades, drifted off on the spot.
Just like that, two siblings rested there, relying on each other, forgotten by the rest of the world.
...
The first thing Sylvia felt after waking up was comfort. She didn't have such comfortable sleep in the past few months.
The second thing Sylvia noticed was her sleeping position. She found herself lying on top of Raiden's chest, with a damp patch where her face was resting.
Feeling embarrassed, she quickly got up and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, trying to check for any other signs of drool left on her face.
"Humph. That stupid Raiden, stupid big brother. Why didn't he take me to bed and let me sleep in such an uncomfortable place!" Looking at his sleeping face, she started to feel even more embarrassed and left to get ready.
"Woo?" Woolie, who felt the movement, also woke up from the other side of the couch, and before slowly walking towards Sylvia and rubbing his face on her legs. He learnt who was the true boss in this house yesterday after Raiden bowed down to this little girl and catered to her every wish.
As long as he stayed with this girl, he would live like a king. As for Raiden, who was that?
Most people tend to like cute things, girls even more so, and Sylvia was no exception. Looking at Woolie, acting cute in the morning, her heart melted as she picked up the little ball for fluff.
"Aww, little cutie. Are you feeling hungry? Come with me, I'll cook something for you. Who knows when that lazy-ass will wake up? If you keep waiting for him, you'll end up dying of hunger first."
Hearing there would be food, young and innocent Woolie started following her happily, unaware of the dangers hidden in the society.
(〃＾▽＾〃) o
Boom!!
A loud explosion rang out in the house, jolting Raiden awake, who instantly jumped to his feet, looking around everywhere.
"Huh, what is it?? What happened?? Terrorist attacks??"
Now feeling fully awake, he tried to follow the source of the explosion, thinking that maybe someone found out the truth about Sylvia and had come to kidnap her.
Picking up a broom on the way for self-protection, he slowly made his way towards the kitchen, where the explosion came from, inching forward slowly.
When he finally reached the site of the explosion sound, Raiden was stuck speechless by what he saw.
The whole kitchen was a mess. There were stains of food everywhere on all the walls, and a half-destroyed pressure cooker was sitting discarded on the floor.
In the middle of it all stood Woolie, half his fleece now black in colour, with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
Woolie: Who am I? What am I? Where am I?
Just as he was looking around, Raiden also spotted Sylvia, who was emerging from behind the wall of the kitchen, looking guilty.
"... Sylvia, what did you do?" After trying to find words to say, he couldn't find any and just ended up asking her straight.
Looking at him, Sylvia came running straight towards him and held his hand, and started wheedling around, trying to act cute.
"Big brother, my precious big brother, I love you so, so much. Please don't be mad, okay? Little Silvi is very sorry. If you stop being mad, then I'll... I'll do all the chores for a whole month!!"
"Cut the crap and tell me what happened! How did the kitchen end up like this?!" Raiden didn't buy it. He knew all her tricks.
"Well... I was just, ya know, umm, I was trying to, yes, breakfast! I was trying to make breakfast for you and surprise you when you wake up with it!! Yes, yes!!" She spoke with a nervous voice.
"Oh yeah? Did you make it? Where is that breakfast now?" He asked with an impassive face.
"Umm, well, it's... there" Sylvia said, pointing to the kitchen wall, was still plastered with food, that was slowly sliding down on it.
Raiden started laughing out of sheer anger after looking at the mess. "Good, very good, very, very, very good. It seems your wings have grown recently, huh?" He reached with both hands and started pinching her cheeks.
"I told you not to go into the kitchen, didn't I? It seems you don't even take your big brother seriously anymore, huh?"
"I am sowray, big brothar~" Sylvia, knowing that the fault was hers, didn't try to break free and obediently said sorry with her in the clutches of the devil.
"Sigh, forget it. Now it's your responsibility, so clean it all up." I'll go order something for both of us."
"Huh? Clean it up? All alone?? I—"
"Hmm?!" Sylvia's sentence was cut off midway by a glare from Raiden, and she reluctantly went and picked up a broom before starting to clean the kitchen.
"Woolie, woo, woo~" Hearing the sound, Raiden looked down only to find Woolie looking at him with a pitiful expression on its face. It had come here only to find good food, only to end up burnt instead.
Looking at the shape Woolie was in, Raiden started to feel bad for it.
"You are hungry, right? Wait here, I'll be right back." Ignoring Sylvia, who was giving him spiteful looks while cleaning, he directly walked to the fridge and opened it up before pulling out a carton of milk that was labelled as 'Milkos Formula'.
Just 7 of these were worth 700 Credits, which made his heart hurt when he still thought about it.
He poured it out in a bowl before presenting it to Woolie, whose eyes lit up after seeing it, and he started drinking happily.
'Alright, time to test if my cheat really works.'
He laid his hand on top of Woolie, who was still busy drinking milk, before silently chanting, 'Enhance'.
{Ding! Woolie Potential is Being Updated: E → D (2/2)}
{Woolie, The Thunder Sheep}
{Rank: Bronze}
Description: Woolie, The Thunder Sheep, is a variant of Woolie, The Farm Sheep. It uses its fleece to protect itself from danger, and it likes to shed its fleece once a week. It starts to feel uncomfortable if it doesn't. This one contains the bloodline of Fenrir, The God-Killer.
{Potential: D Tier (B Tier Upon Maturity)}
{Current Moves: Tackle, Nuzzle, Cotton Guard, Discharge}
Another feeling of weakness hit Raiden as he started looking at Woolie, who appeared the same as before, after giving off a soft, warm glow during his upgrade.
After looking really closely at him, he noticed his fur looked shinier and brighter. Other than that, there was virtually no change.
"That's it? Is this a scam??" Raiden felt speechless.
What Raiden didn't notice was Woolie's wool had gained a subtle electric shimmer, or that his eyes glowed in more vibrant violet, with small electricity flashing inside.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
A strong knocking sound was heard from the front door as both Raiden and Sylvia fell silent. They didn't have anyone who knew them or visited their house.
After looking at each other for a while, Raiden stepped forward and opened the door, only to find a person wearing a formal suit and sunglasses standing there, looking directly at him.
"Mr Raiden Ashford? I am from the Central Government Office of Verdant Hollow. We need to have a talk."
...
Looking at the government agent in front of him, Raiden fell silent and tried to remember if he committed some kind of crime or something recently.
The government agent, seeing he was being misunderstood again, said in a resigned voice, "Don't worry, it's a good thing for you. It's related to the inheritance your parents left behind for you. May I come in?"
Hearing this, Raiden's face lit up as he hurriedly ushered the guy inside.
"Come in, please come in. Consider it your own home, actually. What will you have? Tea? Coffee? Cold drinks?"
This was the first time the agent had seen someone changing their colours this fast, and he wasn't used to it.
A second later, he got back to his senses and sat down on the sofa, with Raiden pulling a chair and sitting in front of him. Sylvia, who arrived silently sometime between their conversation, also pulled a chair and sat together with Raiden, after handing the guy a glass of water.
After thanking them politely, the agent drank the glass of water and looked at the kids in front of him and felt bad for a second about the news he had to give them, but a job was a job.
"Well, so what did our smelly parents leave us? Is it money?? Please tell me it's money."
Sylvia, who was sitting beside her brother, started to feel ashamed as she covered her face with her hands before silently moving her chair a little bit farther from this guy.
"Ahem, I am here to discuss that. According to the laws, you turned 16 yesterday, correct? That makes you an adult and therefore eligible to inherit all the things they left behind."
Pulling up a small projector-like device, he put it on the table before continuing to talk as the device came to life and showed them a floating 3D hologram of the document.
"As you can see, they left behind two significant assets. One of them is this trust fund under the name of 'Our Precious Sylvi~' that is worth 10 Million Credits and-"
Cough. Cough.
"How much?!" Raiden asked in a shocked voice.
Sylvia felt similarly shocked. Having lived through poverty in the past six months and watching Raiden work so many jobs to support them left her feeling heartbroken and more determined to excel in life.
Now it all felt like a joke. If they had so much money, why wasn't it given to them before?!
"10 Million Credits. It was left under the name of Sylvia Ashford."
"Cash it. I want to cash this immediately!" It was Sylvia who spoke this time, slamming the table, feeling more spirited than ever before.
"Unfortunately, you cannot access these funds. At least not before you are an adult, that is, 16 years old."
Hearing this, both Raiden and Sylvia felt speechless.
What kind of bullshit was this?!
It was like sitting on top of a gold mountain, but not being able to touch any of it.
"Wait, you just said they left behind two significant assets. What about the other one? Is it another trust fund, in my name?!" Raiden asked immediately.
Just thinking about inheriting so much money left Raiden feeling much better about them.
"Ahem. Ahem. Well, they did leave a trust fund under the name of 'Good Luck Raiden~', but it's not the... significant asset I wanted to talk to you about." The agent coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Well? How much is it? I know it will be less than what Sylvia has. She was their favourite after all. Don't worry, just tell me directly. I can take it."
Raiden said, feeling unconcerned. Any money was better than no money after all. Even 10% of what Sylvia's fund will make their lives infinitely better.
"Well, it's just...50,000 Credits." The man said, feeling embarrassed.
"Pfft—Hahahaha. Gold. This is literal gold. Tell me honestly, big brother, are you adopted or something? Hahahaha." Sylvia broke into a laughing fit after hearing the amount as black lines covered Raiden's forehead.
He honestly started to wonder if he was adopted, too. If he wasn't, why was there such a big difference between the treatment of the two siblings? He wanted to sue them.
"I got it. Can you please transfer the money directly to my bank account? As for the second asset, let me guess. Is it the farm?" Raiden spoke expressionlessly.
Hearing Raiden's words, Sylvia also slowly stopped laughing and sat up straight. She also knew about the farm and the soul-crushing debt of 100 Million Credits.
"That is correct. Located around half an hour away from the city, your parents bought a massive farmhouse that is 1,000 sq. kilometres."
The man said, pulling some images of the farm and showing them to the siblings, who weren't surprised by it. They already knew about the farm after all. And debt with it, too.
"Unfortunately, it comes with a catch. As you probably already know, your parents took a loan to buy this place, a loan of 300 Million Credits. They already paid back 200 Million Credits, and 100 Million Credits of the amount is still pending to be paid back."
Switching the device to flat tabletop mode, the man continued to speak as he showed them two different documents.
"Now, you have two different future paths before you. Number one is that you sell us the property. With the market valuation of around 700 Million to about a Billion Credits, you will earn more than enough money to pay off the debt and live your life comfortably."
Seeing no change in their expression, the man continued to speak.
"Option number two, you will be able to inherit the farm, with everything inside it included. Along with it, you will also inherit the debt your parents left behind. Since you just inherited it, the government has intervened on your behalf and gained a 6-month grace period during which you don't have to pay back anything to the bank."
"And for the next year after that, you only have to pay the interest that occurs monthly. It is only after 1.5 years that you need to start paying back the principal amount. If you are unable to repay the amount within the given time, your land will be seized and sold to pay it off. So, what will you choose, Mr Raiden Ashford?"
A silence fell over the room, as none of the people spoke for a minute, and two siblings thought long and hard about their future.
"Inherit. I will take over
'This Damned Inheritance.'"
Raiden finally broke the silence, his voice filled with conviction and stubbornness.
