After their successful raid against the Frenzy Needle Wasps, Onyx knew it best not to test his luck against the same beasts again. With their nest damaged, the wasps are sure to be more vigilant and aggressive from now on .

  So, Onyx shifted his sights to a new target: the Rocktooth Boars.

  He spent half a day tracking the location of the boar herds and another half observing them, memorizing their behavior patterns.

  Hunting them presented issues at first. The boars had an acute sense of smell, making it hard to get the jump on them. And despite their large builds, they were quite fast. This eliminated most ambush possibilities. Luckily, however, those boars were quite aggressive and would charge straight at you the moment they saw you.

  This allowed Onyx the strategy of following an isolated boar and challenging it when it had no support.

  Their first attempt didn’t go well—it was their first encounter with the species—but they learned the beasts had two primary abilities: one that allowed them to create a mud armor on their body, and another to charge with explosive force.

  On their second attempt, they applied what they learned, ending with victory. Tusk blocked the boar’s explosive charge, then immobilized the beast, allowing Onyx to finish it off with a stab to the spine.

  After that victory, this became their go-to strategy.

  They managed to hunt three boars over several days. Then came the fourth attempt, where they met one particular boar.

  It started with Onyx stalking a single boar into some mud pits where the beasts liked to frolic. Onyx noticed this one seemed a cut above the rest—bigger stature, sharper-looking tusks, rippling muscles under its black hide.

  A prime target, Onyx thought.

  Once he was sure the boar was isolated, he made his move. He first jumped into a clearing to startle the beast before Tusk, who was close behind, lunged out to attack.

  Tusk delivered a powerful haymaker to the boar’s head, sending it skidding several paces through the mud.

  Onyx was sure the attack had rattled the boar’s skull. But he would be proven sorely mistaken when the boar quickly recovered, snorting in fury before letting loose a blood-curdling scream. Anyone else would have been shaken by the threatening roar, but not Onyx—the [Fighting Spirit] empowerment emboldened him, keeping his spirit steady even under the beast’s pressure.

  The boar dropped to its belly and rolled sideways in the mud. It looked like it was playing, but the moment it got back to its feet, the mud clinging to its back hardened into a dense layer of armor.

  Onyx had faced this ability before. He knew they had to break through the armor before they could damage the boar. Tusk didn’t waste time, closing the distance before the boar could act and delivering another powerful strike to its body.

  This time, however, his fist recoiled off the beast’s armored side, leaving cracks in the mud plating but not breaking through. Tusk tried to follow with another punch, but the boar burst forward with surprising strength, shoving Tusk back and regaining its footing.

  The boar then used its two-meter-long tusks to slash at Tusk, even trying to gore him. Tusk raised his thick arms in defense.

  Yet, despite not inflicting serious damage, the boar’s attack still left deep scratches in Tusk’s shell—a sight that began to worry Onyx.

  After clashing for a moment, Tusk landed another heavy blow, but once more, it was resisted.

  The two beasts backed away from each other, rebalancing.

  Then the boar’s figure tensed, its posture shifting. Here it comes, Onyx thought, recognizing the signs. The boar was about to use its charge ability.

  The boar gave another loud squeal before shooting forward with explosive force. One flaw of the boar’s charge ability was that it could only move in a straight line, unable to change direction mid-charge. That meant one could dodge it with well-timed movements.

  But Tusk wasn’t going anywhere. Instead, he lifted his arms and strengthened his stance, intending to face the charge head-on. He had blocked the boars’ charge attacks before, and by doing so, they had claimed many victories.

  However, the moment the charging boar collided with him, Tusk was slammed heavily and was actually thrown aside!

  At that moment, Onyx winced in sudden pain. Because of the unique nature of a Totem—how intertwined they were with their master’s being—when a Totem was significantly damaged, their master would feel a backlash of pain as well.

  Onyx couldn’t believe it at first. This was the first time it had ever happened, which meant this boar had actually managed to hurt Tusk.

  He looked up at his companion. Even though Tusk’s shell remained intact, it seemed the slamming force of the charge was enough to damage his internal organs.

  This boar isn’t simple, Onyx remarked, gritting his teeth.

  But however strong it was, Onyx wasn’t resigned to defeat just yet.

  The boar, at the end of its charge, skidded in the mud before rolling over and getting back to its feet—all while its mud armor regenerated.

  “Damn it. Not only is this boar especially strong, but experienced as well.”

  The boar snorted before charging again. Onyx quickly tried to rally his companion. Tusk couldn’t dodge but managed to react just in time, delivering a Cleave with his horn that deflected the direction of the charge and lightly wounded the boar in the process.

  Once back on his feet, Tusk was ordered to restrain the boar, putting a stop to its charges. But even with Tusk’s entire weight thrown against it, the beast didn’t relent. It resisted, pushing forward even under restraint.

  Deep grooves were dug by Tusk’s feet as he resisted the charge with all his might. Seeing his beast at a disadvantage, Onyx quickly ordered Tusk to use [Core Strength]. Only then was he able to match the boar’s force, bringing it to a halt.

  The two beasts were then locked in place, wrestling against each other. However, it was clear Tusk wasn’t going to last forever. Not wasting time, Onyx jumped into action, attacking the boar while it was restrained.

  The boar’s mud armor was still largely intact, so Onyx couldn’t go for its spine. That left only one option: its eyes.

  Onyx ran as fast as he could, then lifted his sword with both arms and brought it down with all his might.

  His body shuddered from the impact. Yet, he was shocked to see his own blade break in two, blocked by nothing more than the beast’s hardened eyelid.

  Onyx could only curse. Strong, experienced, and tough?

  The boar reached the height of its anger after Onyx’s pestering attack. It immediately burst forth with strength once more, tossing Onyx several paces away and breaking Tusk’s hold.

  Onyx crashed into the ground violently, feeling great pain from the fall and the fresh damage his beast had just received.

  Both man and Totem struggled in the mud while the boar retreated backward, its eyes burning with vengeful glee at seeing its aggressors in agony. It was preparing another charge to finish them.

  Tusk, sensing this, tried to rally himself to defend them both. But Onyx quickly stopped him.

  He looked at his companion, then at the boar, his face solemn. “We’ll accept this defeat today. Let it end at this.”

  The boar wasn’t having any of that and tensed to charge once more—before suddenly, Tusk’s elytra split open, revealing his wings.

  The beast’s silver wings began to vibrate, and soon he was hovering off the ground with a deafening, helicopter-like buzzing. Tusk rose higher, and as he lifted off, Onyx grabbed onto his Totem’s hind legs, hanging on as they became airborne.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Onyx had decided to escape by air because he was certain they wouldn’t be able to outrun the boar on the ground, not with its charge ability.

  The boar could only squeal in anger, watching them get away.

  And that was the end of that encounter.

  After retreating back to the station, the two limped their way to Miss Gabby’s place.

  Onyx hated having to let her see him battered and beaten, but sadly, he was certain some of the ribs in his back were broken, and he was going to need help applying medicine for that.

  After some medical attention and some scolding from Miss Gabby, Onyx was resting after tending to his own and his Totem's injuries.

  Tusk lay down in front of Miss Gabby's hut, while Onyx sat on the porch beside him. Onyx was gazing down, deep in thought.

  "Hey, don't tell me you're upset over one loss," said Miss Gabby, coming out holding a cup of tea for him.

  Onyx replied nonchalantly, "I ain't upset, just... contemplating."

  "Contemplating what?" Miss Gabby asked.

  "How we lost, why we lost, but most importantly, why was that boar especially strong?"

  This is what puzzled Onyx the most. They had taken down Rocktooth Boars before and were familiar with their abilities, so why was this last boar an outlier?

  "Isn't it obvious?" Miss Gabby said, answering his question. "Its growth level must have been much higher than the ones you fought."

  Onyx sighed hearing that. In hindsight, it was his fault for failing to recognize that the boar's more developed form wouldn't just be a bigger score, but a bigger threat as well.

  He understood his mistake and replied to Miss Gabby, "Yeah, you're right. But cut me some slack, it's not like I can see the growth level of other beasts."

  "Do you want to?" suddenly said Miss Gabby, catching Onyx by surprise.

  "I beg your pardon?" asked Onyx, confused.

  "Well..." Miss Gabby then told Onyx something quite interesting.

  ---

  Several days later, by the time Onyx's ribs healed, the boar herds had moved on from the region.

  This prompted Onyx to pursue his final opportunity: the Earth Essence Truffles. As expected, they were able to easily excavate the truffles thanks to Tusk's strength and his natural ability to dig. Thier harvest was bound to be great, if it were not for the fact that they weren't alone.

  In the excavation site, Onyx had a run-in with another Beast Catalyser and his beast, also hunting for truffle. This Catalyser's beast was a massive mole-like creature with a drill-like horn protruding from where its snout should be. Needless to say, this beast was also able to excavate truffles with ease and efficiency.

  Onyx and that Catalyser were both trying to capitalize on the Earth Essence Truffles, which naturally led to competition. It started mildly at first but gradually got more and more aggressive. Earth Essence Truffles were a Terra-type resource, and that Catalyser's beast was clearly also a Terra-type, making them of greater value to that Catalyser—unlike Onyx, who was only going to sell them for profit.

  This caused that Catalyser to act aggressively, trying to hog most truffles for himself. Much to Onyx's anger at his behaviour, he maintained his composure so as not to escalate their competition into a fight. He voiced his opinion loud and clear to the opposing Catalyser, and after some back and forth, both had agreed to split the excavation grounds evenly and not to interfere with one another.

  This method allowed Onyx and Tusk to work in peace. Even though their gains weren't as great as they had hoped, they still turned a profit.

  ---

  And with that final excursion, Onyx stopped venturing into the wilds for a couple of days, instead deciding to stay within the station and work on himself and Tusk.

  Recalling the last few events, Onyx had several points to address—especially towards himself.

  But first, his Totem. Onyx spent a large portion of their newly accumulated funds and procured Tusk several new catalysts to push his growth level further. The most important of which was a catalyst for a new ability called [Kinetic Shift]. This ability allows a beast to shift and redistribute the kinetic energy in their bodies.

  This ability wasn't anything glamorous, but it complimented Tusk's skill set pretty well. It took a week of training, but by the end of it, Tusk was now able to flexibly move around the force in his body. With dynamic use, Tusk is able to increase his agility, shift force to his limbs to strengthen his stance, or to his arms to strengthen his attacks.

  This ability complimented [Core Strength] a lot. With [Core Strength], Tusk receives a physical boost distributed equally across his entire body, but with [Kinetic Shift], he could focus that boost in any specific area whenever needed.

  Tusk's growth level had also risen to 45% once all the catalysts were used up.

  However, it would be Onyx who experienced the greatest development this time. The last few events had given him many new experiences, experiences that led him to want a lot of things from himself.

  He first of all wanted to personally contribute more to combat than just giving commands. So he decided to change his fighting style. Recognizing how redundant it was for him to be a melee fighter whilst having Tusk, and how weak he was to harm beasts by himself, he dropped the sword and shield and instead adopted a long bow for long range instead.

  Onyx realized that without being able to contribute much at close quarters, he would only be a liability to Tusk . So he figured his beast could perform better if he removed himself from the equation. Also, him switching to long range could cover up for Tusk's lack of long-range abilities.

  To aid him in his new role, Onyx had acquired a new Transcendent Art called "Hawk Eye." It was an art with a simple effect, which is to increase the user's range of vision as well as accuracy.

  Onyx heard that this was a good art for snipers, so he bought it. However, after learning it, he would still be shocked by its effect. Using it, Onyx could see things clearly half a kilometre away. This was a tremendous distance compared to the average practitioner, once again showcasing his talent for sensory arts.

  This great result made Onyx think that maybe he was always meant to be a sniper. But regardless, Onyx still had to practice extensively with the bow so the skill of his hands would match his eyes.

  "Hawk Eye" wouldn't be the only sensory art Onyx had procured, however.

  Other than wanting to excel in his new role, Onyx also wanted the ability to gauge the strength of his enemies. Knowing how to pick his fights was sure to be a skill that would guard his life.

  Luckily, however, Onyx knew just the art to pick to do so, and it was all thanks to Miss Gabby.

  Previously, she had informed him of a certain Transcendent Art that could do what he wants, called "Mystic Seer." Miss Gabby personally cultivated this Transcendent Art and thus could vouch for its effect.

  Mystic Seer was a bit of a controversial art, with many debates about its true usage and usefulness. The art can allow its user to peer into the essence of the world and thus be able to perceive and comprehend the true nature of it—or at least that was how the art is described.

  The first time Onyx used this art, the experience felt nothing short of surreal . When he opened his eyes, it was like he was looking at the world in a new light. Everything felt different but somehow the same; familiar sights felt as if they were brand new, as if he was seeing them for the first time.

  Using Mystic Seer, Onyx perceived things that shouldn't be able to be perceived with just vision. It was like he was "feeling" with his eyes.

  Onyx couldn't handle the esoteric experience and had to stop after a while . "Miss Gabby said that it feels weird, but I didn't expect it to be this weird," remarked Onyx, still dazed.

  After shaking his head and clearing his mind, Onyx tried again, this time focusing his vision on Tusk and Hatchet.

  When a living creature falls under the gaze of Mystic Seer, the observer would perceive an aura-like filament covering their being. After much contemplation, the practitioners of Mystic Seer were able to deduce the meaning of this strange aura.

  A creature's aura is like a metaphysical representation of their being. Strange and ethereal as it might be, it was undeniably connected to them. By learning how to observe and recognize auras, one could deduce a lot of information about a creature. One such information is their growth level.

  Following the given instructions from Miss Gabby, as well as the information that came with the art, Onyx first observed the auras of Tusk and Hatchet before he began to compare the two.

  Tusk's aura was bigger than Hatchet's. However, Hatchet's aura looked slightly denser than Tusk's. Onyx understood what this meant.

  How dense a beast's aura refers to how high its growth level is, but how large the size of the aura refers to how strong the beast is overall.

  Hatchet had a slightly higher growth level than Tusk, but Tusk was the stronger of the two, so the results added up.

  Onyx was already amazed by the effect of this art, but he would be treated to another display by this art, courtesy of his talent that always seemed to push the effect of sensory arts a notch above what's usual.

  Other than size and density, Onyx could also perceive another aspect about his beasts' auras: their colour. Tusk had a deep orange-coloured aura, and Hatchet had a light silver-coloured one.

  Onyx looked at the colour of these auras with awe before recalling the information related to the art, through which he understood: the colour of a creature's aura can be a display of said creature's affinities—or in other words, their Type.

  A gradient of orange for Corpus-type, and a gradient of metallic colours for Metal-type.

  Unlike the previous two characteristics, Onyx found this colour indicator a little redundant. There were many ways to tell a beast's Type, ranging from just beforehand knowledge to simple observation of a species.

  "Well, could be useful if I ever run into an unknown beast," Onyx muttered. However, he knew the colour indicator still had another detail he could test.

  Approaching Hatchet, Onyx procured a bottle filled with a foul substance. The moment the beast caught a whiff of the foul thing, he immediately recoiled in disgust. More interestingly, however, was that his aura also shifted suddenly, shimmering with a wave of pale green, as if it was a representation of Hatchet's sickened disgust.

  "Interesting," said Onyx upon seeing that. He quickly concluded, "So the base colour is an expression of Type, but any variation or dilution to it is an expression of the current status of the beast."

  Once done with his testing, Onyx spent some time to get the hang of using this art. He eventually learned how to gauge a beast's approximate growth level and strength by studying his beasts' auras and measuring the difference between them to create a standard he could refer to.

  ---

  Onyx spent several days in seclusion within the station, hardening his new foundation, before he was out into the wilds once more.

  In the middle of a clearing within the Grey Wood Forest, a hulking bear-like creature with bright brown fur and with markings like that of cracked rock was wandering around, patrolling his territory.

  Suddenly, the bear's ears perked up and his snout began twitching, sniffing the air. He then turned his head in a certain direction, sensing something approaching him.

  Before the bear could register what it was, a whistle of air resounded, followed by a pained roar.

  An arrow had flown in from nowhere and embedded itself into one of the bear's hind legs. The beast roared furiously, as if demanding to know who dares attack it. But when it turned its head around, its attacker was nowhere to be seen.

  The bear couldn't spare the time to keep searching before Tusk emerged into the clearing, charging towards it.

  The bear decided to vent its anger against Tusk, taking a battle stance and launching a deafening roar.

  Tusk was undeterred, hurtling towards the bear like a tank. Once within range, he launched a Cleave, slashing at the bear.

  The bear managed to block with its arms, but not without sustaining some wounds. Tusk's body was now bent sideways, wide open for a counter-attack. However, before the bear could strike...

  [Core Strength]. [Kinetic Shift]!

  Tusk brought forth a surge of strength and then converted it to his torso before channelling it to his right arm. As a result, Tusk's figure shifted rapidly, delivering a powerful fist faster than the bear could react.

  The large bear was left with its mouth agape from the sheer force of the punch landing on his stomach. He was hurled backwards several paces, barely managing to stay standing.

  Tusk shook his right arm as if relaxing it. Delivering such heavy strikes strained him as well.

  ---

  On top of a large tree almost half a kilometre away, Onyx perched on a thick branch, watching everything transpire. The distant sight appeared crystal clear and detailed to him thanks to "Hawk Eye." It was thanks to this art that Onyx was able to stalk this bear and even attack without it even noticing him.

  And thanks to "Mystic Seer," Onyx was able to gauge the strength and growth level of the beast to be around 42%—on par with Tusk.

  However, using Mystic Seer along with Hawk Eye at this moment, Onyx started noticing the aura of the bear begin to flare up.

  "Oh oh, it's about to use an ability," Onyx remarked , after observing the aura's fluctuations a bit more. He moved to action.

  He reached backwards to a quiver on his back and from it pulled out a large steel arrow. Taking the arrow, he nocked it on the string of a two-metre-long alloy bow. Onyx took aim, then sucked a breath of air before beginning to pull the string.

  The muscles of Onyx's arms rippled with strength as he began straining to pull the string. The bow Onyx wielded wasn't the average hunting bow; instead, it was more of a war bow forged completely out of alloy steel. This type of bow could bring forth greater destructive power—the reason Onyx chose it. But of course, in return, the bow was much heavier and harder to wield, requiring significant strength just to pull the string.

  Luckily, however, Onyx wasn't lacking in strength. The daily labour at Mister Rolf's farm had tempered his body, especially his endurance, and his arms and shoulders in particular were well developed thanks to breaking rock-hard earth and lugging boulders all day.

  Onyx pulled a mighty pull, bringing the string all the way backwards and bending the steel arc of the bow.

  As he lined his shot, his figure trembled form the strain of maintaining the great compressed force begging to be unleashed that was his shot.

  Gazing into the distance with hawk-like eyes, he focused on his target for a couple of seconds before freeing his grip on the arrow.

  The string released with a whiplash and thundering snap. Even the entire tree Onyx was perched on seemed to shake from the recoil.

  The large steel arrow, now free, roared through the air as it flew towards its target.

  ---

  Back in the battlefield, the bear, still standing, began sucking in air, inflating its chest.

  Its Flux surged, concentrating around its throat. It then opened its mouth wide as if yawning; within it, a visible shockwave was building up.

  The bear was about to launch this shockwave in a mighty roar to attack its enemy, but before it could do so, a large steel arrow flew in out of nowhere once more, this time hitting the bear square in its throat.

  With its throat damaged, the bear's mighty roar died down. The power build-up of its ability collapsed. The poor beast couldn't even cry out in pain.

  "Time to put it out of its misery," Onyx ordered.

  Tusk pulled both his fists backwards in a battle stance, then lunged at the bear for the final attack.

  He activated [Core Strength] and [Kinetic Shift] once more, but instead of channelling his strength into another heavy blow, Tusk rapidly alternated his channelled strength between both arms, resulting in a rapid barrage of fists.

  The beast tried his best to weather the attack but after that violent pummelling, the bear collapsed on the ground, slain and defeated.