Chapter 62: 8 Evolution Paths

"Father wrote down everything he knew about beast taming?" Nox's eyes lit up as he excitedly flipped through the pages. He was seated on a bench inside Eve's manor.

After he was discharged, this was the place he had come to. After all, he still had training with Eve, estimated to take five years. Right now, he was just scratching the surface and still had much to learn.

Nox knew he was very strong for his age. With his skills, he strongly doubted there was anyone around his age who could fight him. But this was not enough; he wanted more! Until he could easily best those above him, he would not be content.

Though he wasn't angry about losing to the Level 100 Demon Goliath like he was with Hendrix, Nox vowed to improve so he could escape unscathed in future precarious situations.

Fortunately, his mother handed him a book filled with crucial information on beast taming.

"Initially, I didn't want to write this, but I don't want future Beast Tamers to go through what I did... if there are any," Nox read the introduction. "This book contains information on the proper ways to train and cultivate beasts and how to unlock all Eight evolutions/forms. My stupid system never mentioned this; I had to find it out myself."

Nox paused, thoughtful. "Eight evolution paths? I thought there was only the ultimate path."

To be sure, he glanced at Thirteen, who was sitting nearby.

Thirteen: "..."

The panda tilted his head, puzzled by Nox's stare. He subconsciously touched its face, thinking something was there, then looked back at its master with a bewildered expression.

[Umu?]

"No, there's nothing on your face," Nox said, gently stroking the panda's fur absent-mindedly. He had stared at the panda for almost a minute, hoping another evolution route would appear, but nothing happened, leaving Thirteen slightly confused.

"Could this analyze skill be buggy?" Nox wondered, then set the thought aside and resumed reading. Sёarch* The NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The first chapter was titled "Understanding Beast Behavior and Their Physiology." As he read, Nox absorbed more and more information.

"To tame and evolve beasts, one must understand their behavior and psychology. Beasts are driven by instinct, influenced by their environment and social hierarchy. It's crucial to grasp their instincts, communication methods (body language, vocalizations, etc.), and social structures."

Nox spent an hour reading the first chapter, noting his father's meticulous research. When he finished, he suddenly felt enlightened, as if he could understand all beasts like an open book if he came across them.

It was an eye-opener learning that there were two types of beasts in Eos: Normal Magical Beasts and rare Elemental Type Beasts. Elemental beasts had strong connections to specific elements (air, water, fire, nature, ice, lightning/electricity, shadow) and possessed powerful abilities related to their elements.

To identify elemental beasts, one should observe their appearance, which often features physical traits reflecting their elements, such as flaming horns, fins, or scales, etc.

"I have never come across these elemental beasts; that means they must be really rare... For some reason, this reminds me so much of Pokémon from Earth," Nox thought as he flipped over.

The book then discussed the taming space and its limitations. The taming space was tied to his level and beast slot, meaning the taming space increased slightly whenever his beast slot increased.

The taming space could only expand to fit his beast slots; though, if he tried to tame more than the slots, there would be a fracture in the space, which would result in severe soul damage.

Also, unlike the beast taming novels he read at home, he didn't need to meditate to increase his pace; he could do all that with a simple level up. Another crucial bit he found out was that he could improve the quality of his taming space to hasten the healing and nourishing of beasts whenever they were inside.

"Doing that would require me to meditate and channel my mana into the taming space..."

However, he put this thought aside and proceeded to read more of the book.

From a distance, Eve and the skeleton butler were watching Nox.

"It's been two hours now, and the pipsqueak has been reading that book you gave to Aina. Although he hates my tea for some reason, I love his discipline. If I may ask, why did you give it to her and not give it to the pipsqueak directly?" Skully asked, working his bony jaws.

"Then the kid starts wondering how I'm with his father's diary instead of his mother, his wife? Think, Skully," Eve sneered, walking away from the window. She didn't want Nox to learn about her history with his father, which is why she had Aina give him the book.

"Besides," Eve continued, running her hands over a mostly empty weapon rack, "he needs to learn as much as he can because he'll definitely need it when the time comes." Her thoughts flashed back to her conversation with Nathan the night after the assassination attempt.

"So what are you asking me to do, old man?" Eve had asked Nathan, who visited her the previous night.

"I know you're already doing a lot by training Nox, but you see..." Nathan coughed violently, causing Eve to narrow her eyes.

"Old man, you're very close to the grave."

"Ah, I know... You don't have to tell me. I've lived a fulfilled life, so I don't fear dying. What I care about is my family's safety," Nathan sighed, wiping his mouth with a cloth. "That's why I want you to intensify Nox's training. He's too naive.

Show him that this world is a place where the strong prey on the weak. I want him to become a man who can protect his family and everyone in this Barony."

"We don't know if Arthur is still alive, and my body feels like it's ready to rest. Before that, I want to see Nox become a man so I know I'll leave the Barony and everyone behind in capable hands."

"In other words, you want me to rid him of his childishness and turn him into someone like his father."

"Yes," Nathan nodded. If anyone knew about human nature, it was Nathan; after all, he had lived a long life. He wanted Nox to learn this while he was still young.

...

"Although his son hurt me, this old man has done a lot for me, so I've decided to help him," Eve said, looking outside.

Meanwhile, outside, Nox had reached the chapters discussing the evolution paths of beasts.