Chapter 10: Weapon and Pet Chapter 10: Weapon and Pet Leo checked his assets. 5 Silver and 3 Bronze Coins. Good, I can definitely afford some decent gears. At least that was what he thought before he stepped into the shop. The shop banner read proudly, ’Hilt’s Smithy’. And from what it seemed, the shop had a good reputation by looking at the influx and outflux of customers. But when he looked at the prices, his eyes widened. 1 silver for a freaking sword! That too of white quality?! Equipments, artifacts and treasures were divided into colour ranks. White - ★ Green - ★★ Blue - ★★★ Purple - ★★★★ Yellow - ★★★★★ Orange - ★★★★★★ Red - ★★★★★★★ Gold - ★★★★★★★★ Black Gold - ★★★★★★★★★ Black - ★★★★★★★★★★ White for lowest and Black for highest. They were further divided into minor levels: Low, Intermediate, Advanced and Peak. (Low, Mid, High and Peak). Each colour represented its corresponding stars. Above white quality, tools were infused with more amount of mana, which made it so that only people with soul rank could use them. People with no soul rank could only use white quality weapons but even with that, they couldn’t use them to their full potential. Then he read the sign. Fixed Price... He kept the sword back in its place ceremoniously as if handling a treasure and looked for something cheaper. When he walked out of the shop, he was holding a Knife with serrated edge. It had a sturdy wooden handle that seemed to fit perfectly in his hand. 40 Bronze... He kept repeating the same thought again and again until he was looking at the sky with a blank expression as if thinking about his life choices. The knife was of white quality, anything of higher quality started minimum at 10 silver coins. Should I just use Lily’s kitchen knife? It only costs around 50 copper... He looked at the knife in his hand again. Its gleaming blade sparking something in him No. a weapon is an extension of oneself, it needs to be a proper thing. And I should be thankful that I got something that I am familiar from my previous life. He made a few professional empty slashes in front of him. Hmmm.. the power behind it seems lacking, is it due to this weak body? Well, I should manage. He spotted a tavern in front of him and felt that suddenly he was hungry. Then it reminded him of his beast. He closed his eyes and tried to sense it. It seems that it was resting in his summoning space. He tried calling it and to his surprise, violet streaks of light appeared in front of him, and the cub materialised. Well that was easy. It looked the same as previously, weakened and undernourished. He could even see slight bumps of its ribs over its flesh. Leo bent over and went to pick it up, the cub tried to back away but stumbled, he got hold of it on its nape, then proceeded to bring it in front of his face. Leo observed carefully, he could see the light behind its eye that was ready to fight back if it was in danger. "Take a chill dude, I am not going to eat you," He said as he kept it properly on his left hand with the support of his chest, giving it a proper place to sit. The cub reacted to the word eat, but relaxed when Leo gently stroked behind its ears with his fingers. [Chain Bond (40% -> 45%)] "The affection percentage increased only by stroking its ear? Was it being mistreated previously? Well, now that you are with me, you don’t need to worry anything little one, I am not a bad guy. And there is even more lovely lady waiting to be introduced." "Wait. Is it a boy or a girl? System doesn’t mention anything..." He thought for a while, finding nothing in particular. "Ahh! Name." He exclaimed as he suddenly recalled the black name space. "Looks like I need to give a gender neutral name. Lets see... a black obsidian colour fur... shadow..., tenacious eyes which refuse to yield... hmmm... An elusive shadow with piercing sight..." Then it clicked to him. "Shyra." He said confidently as if proud of himself. "Yes, from now on you will be Shyra... Do you like that?" Leo looked at the cub, which was staring at him with its wide violet eyes, as if observing him. When it heard Leo saying Shyra, it nodded furiously, clearly liking the name. Beast - Obsidian Panther Cub Name - Shyra [Chain Bond (45% -> 70%)] "Wha—The favorability increased this much! Only by a name? Looks like I need to be careful when I name my future beasts... " he chuckled nervously... It was his weak part; he was not good at naming things. It was only luck that it seemed to like the name. "Looks like I will need Lily’s help in the future, hehe." He chuckled softly. Unknown to Leo, Beast getting a name was a major and life-turning event for them. It influenced their path of growth in a subtle way and was a huge factor in deciding their gender! Beasts didn’t have any fixed gender at the time of their birth, but they acquire it as they grow. Which is influenced by environmental factors and their behavioural patterns. Leo had already entered the tavern and ordered cooked fish for Shyra, he knew cats liked fish, and he ordered some steak for himself. He can finally afford some good food. When the food arrived, Shyra was practically drolling over it but didn’t ate. Leo saw it and just gave a warm smile. "Eat it, everything is for you, and we can order more if you want." He insisted as he pushed the plate closer. Shyra didn’t wait for anything else as it started devouring the fish as if it was not fed for days. Leo proceded to order two more plates which was also emtied by Shyra. [Chain Bond (70% -> 75% -> 79% -> 82%)] This is good, its favorability is increasing, it’s already above 80%. Favorability percentage is an important factor for a Beast Master, especially when the beast bond is still in the rank of Chain bond. In a chain bond, if the favorability drops below 40%, the beast has chances to disobey some orders; when it drops below 30%, it will do its own thing; when it’s below 20%, it may even harm its master or run away. Though it was only possible when the Beast was stronger than the Beast Master, or else it may just follow orders due to fear, even if favorability was low. Making it was fairly common in higher ranks or when the beast had been tamed in a weakened state. Conversely, if it’s above 60%, the beast trusts you; above 70%, it will follow orders without question. Above 80%, it will like being around you and actively protect you from danger. And finally, when above 90%, it might be able to understand your thoughts even without speaking out loud. Technically, increasing favorability in the chain bond is difficult, but for Leo, it was easier as he had a gift from a Beast God.