Ting.

[Skill [Mana Manipulation Lv.11] has levelled up to [Mana Manipulation Lv.12]. Your understanding of mana has increased.]

The creature opened its eyes and promptly, its body fell back, out of its control. The creature’s head hit the floor and a newfound wave of pain erupted in his head. ‘Uh.’

The Malfae did not dare move on the floor. It massaged its greyed eyes and wrinkled head, which felt like it was being split open on an axe. This pain, of course, was not the result of the fall. Rather, it was the result of merging its consciousness with its mana. As the creature continued to massage its wrinkled forehead, it felt its thin hair give up and fall. Its eyes fell on its hand and the strands of weak hair hanging from it.

It sighed. ‘…twelve days. Just 12 days remain…’

As the creature pondered its approaching death, its reverie was broken by a feminine voice. “Little monster.”

The Malfae frowned at the voice and activated its Skill, [Projection]. This was the first time the woman had spoken since her offer, which had been almost a week ago. During this time, its Skill [Moulting] had continued to Level under the [Monster Tamer]’s abuse to reach Level 11.

“You fear the Skill of the [Monster Tamer] path.” The woman said before she paused. She breathed deeply for a moment before she continued. “What if-”

The woman choked and paused. She breathed once more to steady herself and then she breathed again. “What if I could get rid of that Skill?”

‘Eh?’ The creature’s forehead furrowed and its eyes narrowed in confusion. It did not know that such a thing was even possible.

Confusion.

Curiosity.

“There exists a process in the mortal world.” The woman’s voice was soft as if a whisper. “It removes a Skill from one’s Status and creates a Scroll that can impart that Skill on anyone. This scroll is called an Inheritance Scroll.”

“My Skill,” the woman paused as she gulped before she breathed to settle herself, “I will create an Inheritance Scroll for it.”

The [Reincarnated] paused for a moment as it pondered over the woman’s proposal. This woman was treacherous. The creature knew this because she promised things that she could not deliver. She was conniving. The creature had noticed that in their very first meeting.

Thus, the creature made its decision.

No.

“What!” The previously soft voice became sharp as she squawked. “Why!”

Gain.

None.

Danger.

Death.

The woman’s eyebrow furrowed before she slowly said. “I will give you the Inheritance Scroll.”

The creature scoffed. Give it the Inheritance Scroll for a Skill that allowed monsters to coexist alongside mortals? A mortal concept that might not even work for an immortal like it? But even if it were to work, the Skill would be one on the [Monster Tamer] path. To the Malfae that hadn’t even been able to manage drones, the woman wanted to give a Skill that required it to work with actual sapient creatures?

No.

The wall separating them resounded with a thud as the woman slammed her fists on it. “Why!?”

Immortal.

Taming.

Use.

None.

With her voice was low and rough, almost akin to an animal’s growl, the woman asked with gritted teeth. “What do you want then?”

Gain.

None.

“Tell me then!” The woman slammed her fist on the wall again. “What do you want?”

The question paused the Malfae’s thoughts for a moment. What did it want from the woman? Anything and everything that the woman had offered had either been intangible or out of her capability to deliver or entirely useless. It could not think of anything that it wanted from the woman.

Want.

None.

Use.

None.

Worthless.

0.0

The Malfae stood on a wooden stand while being scrutinised by the majestic woman that was the [Monster Tamer]. The green-clad woman sat on a chair that was less a chair and more a throne, which somehow made perfect sense in the Malfae’s Skill meddled brain.

Besides the majestic woman stood her beautiful son. An exquisite boy who was a [Monster Handler], a Class that was the first step on the path of [Monster Tamer]. He stood with his cheeks puffed, arms crossed and his palms clenched into fists.

The majestic woman ignored the angry child as she took out a glass vial that seemed to contain nothing but clear water and placed it in front of the Malfae. “Here is your evolution.”

The Malfae’s eyes lingered at the majestic woman for a moment before its gaze fell on the vial and it frowned. The glass vial spanned the length of a mortal finger. The same length that was the height of the Malfae. The [Survivor] hesitated as it stepped towards the elixir but before it could reach the glass vial, a massive talon, almost the size of the Malfae, swept down from above and carried the elixir away.

The creature’s head swirled in the direction of the thief and it found the culprit to be none other than the strange and unreal eagle, Garuda. The [Hive Monarch] sighed and shifted his gaze towards the woman before activating its Skill, [Projection].

“This is why one must always deal with intelligent monsters.” The green-clad majestic woman addressed her beautiful son. “It knew not to go after the vial.”

The tone was patronising and it would have grated at the Malfae had the Malfae been a mortal. But as Malfae was Immortal, it cared not for it. Instead, it projected its intentions at the woman.

Necessity.

What.

“Nothing that should be new to you.” The woman answered nonchalantly. “All I require is for you to become my son’s tamed monster. Such a simple request, isn’t it?”

The Malfae sighed internally but did not deny the woman’s statement. As it was not a mortal, it could not become suicidal.

“It would not be a problem,” the woman’s voice was low as she loomed over the tiny creature, “…would it?”

Agreement.

“Intelligence is such a precious gift.” The woman tilted back into her throne and made herself comfortable once again. “I wish the gods were more generous with it.”

She turned to her son then, “Go on. Use your Skill.”

The beautiful child glared at the woman for a moment before it did as it was told.

Ting.

[Mortal Suryaakaruna Pashupati has initiated a Tamed Creature contract. The mortal has offered resources and growth in exchange for obedience and strength. Do you wish to enter into the contract and become mortal Suryaakaruna Pashupati’s Tamed Immortal?] [Yes] [No]

With its heart racing, the creature gave the majestic woman one last look and accepted.

Ting.

[You have been made the Tamed Immortal of the Mortal Suryaakaruna Pashupati. As long as the Equalised Level of the Mortal is more than your Equalised Level, you must obey the Mortal’s orders.]

Ting.

[Equalised Level of the Mortal is less than your Equalised Level. Obedience cannot be enforced.]

‘As if.’ The creature scoffed internally as it stole a glance at the majestic woman. However, at that moment, the creature felt something settle on itself. It was restrictive but not in a way that made its movement difficult. It was heavy but not in a way that it affected the [Hive Monarch] any. Of course, it wasn’t the creature’s body that had been affected, but its Essence.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” The woman said before she turned to her son. “Go on then. Go play with your first monster.”

It was as if his mother’s sentence had been the straw that broke the camel’s back and the child erupted. He threw his hands up in the air and shouted. “No! I do not like it! I wanted a pretty monster! Not this ugly thing! It is ugly! It is wrinkly! It is old! You promised to make it pretty! But it is not pretty! It is still ugly!”

The majestic woman eyed her son with a cool gaze as she waited for the boy’s rant to end. And then she called out to the child just once. “Surya.”

The boy matched the woman’s gaze for a moment, with his cheeks puffed up and nose flared, but then the fight left him and he sagged.

“I want a pretty monster!” He whined. “You promised you’d make it pretty.”

“If I promised something,” The woman eyed the boy. “Then it will be fulfilled.”

The child’s eyes widened and his mood flipped as he smiled brightly. “Hurry then! Hurry! What are we waiting for? Make it pretty!”

The woman nodded but still kept an eye on the boy before she turned to the Malfae. “The elixir will be delivered to you in a bowl. Make sure to drink it slowly over the course of the next few days. Absorb it properly. And don’t you dare waste even a single drop. Do you understand?”

The creature nodded hastily and the woman called out. “Take it back to its cell.”

0.0

As the echo of the retreating footsteps slowly disappeared, the creature glanced at the bowl that was big enough for the creature to bath in. And with the presence of clear water-like fluid within, it was not hard to mistake it for so.

The creature dipped its head to take a sip but at that moment its neighbour disturbed it once again. The woman’s voice was soft and hushed. It was barely a whisper. “Little monster.”

The creatures wrinkled features twisted into a scowl and it debated ignoring her for a moment. However, as starting two conversations in a single day was a record even for a chatterbox like her, the creature activated its Skill, [Projection].

What.

“I-” The woman’s whisper died before it could complete itself and the woman paused as if she did not know what to say. Or perhaps, she didn’t know how to say, what she wanted to say.

“What if I-” The woman’s soft voice trembled as she whispered. But then trembling overtook her voice and the whisper died once again. The creature’s face meanwhile twisted in a scowl. It did not have time for the woman’s mind games. It had been, quite literally, about to take a sip of its salvation.

Annoyance.

Aggravation.

Irritation.

What!

The sound of a rather loud breath reached the creature’s ears as the woman did not reply for a moment. It was almost as if the woman was trying to centre herself, to prepare herself for what she had to do next.

“The benefit. I will give one.” The woman’s whisper continued to tremble as if her will threatened to collapse at any moment. The creature, however, was not tempted. It didn’t even bother to hear her offer as it dismissed the woman. Its salvation, after all, was right before its eyes.

No.

“Listen!” The woman’s voice raised for just a moment. But in her voice, if there had been a mortal present to witness, the mortal would have heard her desperation and her terror. “Listen. Please...”

Unfortunately for her, her audience was not a mortal but an immortal. The creature ignored her and moved back towards the bowl that as large as its body

“A-another Inheritance Scroll!” The woman seemed to panic as she received no reply. “Y-your choice! Any Skill!”

The creature paused at the thought of receiving a Skill that it wanted rather than one that would be useless to it. It frowned for a moment, before finally turning to face the wall that separated the two of them.

Skills.

What?

The woman remained quiet for a few moments and the creature frowned and projected its thoughts again.

Annoyance.

Skills.

What?

“I-I have [Anatomy Vision]. It lets you see the internal structures. Internal structures of a body.” The woman whispered with her trembling voice. “A-another is [Sustain]. I-it stops spread. Damage from spreading.”

The creature scowled. Healing Skills? It had no use of those. It had [Moulting] and that Skill could even heal destroyed limbs. What need did it have of any other healing Skills?

Worthless.

“Wait! Wait!” The woman called out in panic as her words came out faster and faster. Gone was her stuttering. Gone was her trembling voice. “One more. I have one more. [Spirit Ghost]. It manifests one of the Ghosts. One of the Great Ghosts! It is not a healing Skill. It can attack! It can do damage!”

The creature focused not on the change in the woman’s voice. Perhaps it didn’t even notice the change. Instead, its brows furrowed as it pondered upon the Skill offered by its neighbour.

Danger?

“Yes. Yes, it can do great damage.” The chambermaid whispered quickly.

The creature closed its eyes and pondered. ‘Even though I use [Malfae Shield] to attack, it is a defence Skill, not an offence Skill.’

Its mind whirled as it thought. If it could get a proper attack Skill, then it didn’t mind working with the woman. It could use the Skill at an opportune time and deal with the beautiful boy itself. Meanwhile, the woman remained quiet as the silence continued to stretch. Finally, the creature projected.

Agreement.

Skills.

Now.

The woman didn’t respond for a moment but then, a soft azure light glowed from her cell and bled into the corridor. A moment passed and the light reappeared before fading once again.

The woman’s hand passed through the bars of her cell, quite unlike the Malfae, whose hand had decidedly been unable to accomplish the same goal. The hand of the woman, bloodied and bruised as it was, carried two scrolls that she threw into the creature’s cell.

The creature’s eyes narrowed.

Pass.

Bars.

How?

“Huh?” The woman’s voice was confused for a moment. “You are a monster. While I am only treated as one.”

The creature noticed not the bitterness and the sorrow in the woman’s answer as it merely nodded in understanding and turned to the scrolls. It frowned for a moment and projected.

Use.

How?

“Open the scroll.” The woman answered in a quiet voice. “Then place your palm on it.”

The creature did as it was told and as the Malfae placed its hand on the unfurled blank cloth, it received a notification.

Ting.

[Do you wish to activate the Skill Inheritance Scroll [Spirit Ghost]?] [Yes] [No]

The creature didn’t have to think about it as it thought back its answer. ‘Yes.’

Ting.

[Skill [Spirit Ghost Lv.1] granted.]

Ting.

[Requirement [Skill Level limit: 30] not met. Access to Skill [Spirit Ghost] has been blocked. Raise your Skill Level limit to 30 to gain access to this Skill.]

‘What?’ The creature’s face was slack as it reread the notification before it quickly summoned its Status to check and sure enough, the Skill had been listed in grey, while all the rest of the information had been listed in white.

The creature hurriedly used the other Scroll, to receive much the same result.

Ting.

[Skill [Thought Alignment Lv.1] granted.]

Ting.

[Requirement [Skill Level limit: 30] not met. Access to Skill [Thought Alignment] has been blocked. Raise your Skill Level limit to 30 to gain access to this Skill.]

The creature’s face twisted in a scowl and its head swirled to glare at the wall that separated the two neighbours.

Worthless!

Useless!

Trash!

The creature screeched at the wall as it projected. Its nose was puffed wide, its massive ears were straight and alert while its lips were pulled back to reveal a set of sharp teeth.

“What! What happened!” The woman’s voice was rushed. She did not want anything unknown happening at this crucial time. Unfortunately for her, things had not been going her way for a long time now.

Skills.

Use.

Not.

Blocked!

“Blocked?” The woman voice was strange. It was as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was saying. “Your Skill Level Limit is not over 25?”

No!

“Then why did you choose the Tier 2 Skills?!” The woman’s screeched back as she felt herself edging the border of insanity.

Tch.

Useless.

Worthless.

“No! No, no. Listen to me.” The woman hurriedly spoke as the creature’s derision brought her reality crashing down on the chambermaid. “You can still use this Skill! You can! You just have to evolve a few times. That is all. It's simple! Yes, it is.”

The Malfae scoffed.

Worthless.

“You must have already evolved 3-4 times by now! Even if your Skill Level Limit is not above 25 yet, it would be soon with the elixir that the [Monster Tamer] gave you!” The woman spoke even faster. “It will at least give you 3-4 evolutions more. You can make use of those Skills then!”

The creature’s scowl faded a bit as it pondered over her reasoning. The Malfae was currently a Tier 2 creature with the Skill Level Limit of Level 15. And if it needed a Skill Level Limit of 30, it needed to be at least Tier 5.

Which, all things considered, was not that far off with the elixir that it now had access too.

Worth.

Unknown.

Silence.

Time.

Want.

“Yes, yes. Think about it. It is not worthless. It cannot be worthless.” The woman’s voice was low but her speech was fast. It was almost as if she was talking to herself. “The sum of my life cannot be worthless. It cannot be worthless…”

The creature dismissed the woman with a scowl and instead, turned to face the bowl that was as large as a tub. It lowered its head above the bowl and, finally, took a sip. The creature nearly spat it out then and there. It was only the threat of the Majestic woman that stopped the creature from doing so.

The Malfae stepped back and eyed the clear liquid. It did not know what it had expected from the liquid, but seawater had definitely not been it.

The creature even considered for a moment that the majestic woman had fooled it with plain seawater but soon discarded the idea. The woman did not need such deception. She held all the power over it, after all. The creature eyes the seawater for a moment before it lowered its head and took another gulp. It grimaced.

-X-

Within a desolate desert, inside a dilapidated shop, on a simple chair, a youth seemingly slept.

-X-