Peihai High School.
School gate.
It was the end of the school day.
A group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys strolled out together, chatting idly.
"Next month is the big test. Decided on which academy you're aiming for?"
"There's only one academy in this town. What choice do we have?"
"Heh, maybe he dreams of going to the Beastmaster Academy in Ningjiang City."
"Yeah, right! He doesn't even have a trainee Beastmaster certificate. Can't even qualify to apply."
"Tch, as if you're any better! None of you can make it either!"
"Leon, what about you?"
The boy snapped back to reality when called. He shook his head. "Haven't thought about it yet."
The others chuckled knowingly, leaving it at that.
They all knew each other's situation—none of them had any real talent. Becoming a Beastmaster was out of the question.
Most likely, they'd end up at some regular school, graduate, find a quiet job, and live out uneventful lives.
Birds of a feather flock together, after all. That’s why they hung out in the first place.
Soon, they reached the crossroads and went their separate ways. After waving goodbye, Leon Summers turned back, a hint of bitterness flashing across his face.
It had been over half a month since he ended up in this world, and he still felt out of place.
One moment, he was just sleeping; the next, he woke up to find his soul had crossed into a strange world. And not just any world, but as a high school student about to face the college entrance exams.
The absurdity of it all made it hard to accept.
For a while, he caught himself wondering if this was all just a bizarre dream.
Unfortunately, reality made it painfully clear—it wasn’t. He really had crossed over.
"Read all those transmigration novels, never thought it’d actually happen to me one day," Leon muttered with a bitter laugh as he started toward home.
He wasn’t the type to wallow in self-pity. Crossing worlds wasn’t something you could call up a complaint line for, and there was no undoing what was done. Since it had already happened, there was no use wasting time on the why. He had to face it, adapt to his new identity and the bizarre world he was now part of.
Over these past few days, he’d managed to sort through the memories of the body's previous owner. Enough, at least, to get a rough understanding of this place.
Simply put, it was a world where extraordinary powers existed.
It had all started hundreds of years ago, during the Great Cataclysm. Countless monstrous beasts poured out from dimensional rifts, slaughtering humans without mercy and plunging the world into chaos.Humanity rose to fight back, learning to tame ferocious beasts and wield them in battle through brutal wars.
Thus, the Beastmaster profession emerged, dominating the world stage.
Over time, countless powerful Beastmasters surfaced, turning the tide against the beasts' relentless assaults.
Eventually, humans seized the upper hand in this conflict.
Today, humanity has built a resplendent civilization of Beastmasters, controlling the richest territories on this planet.
As a result, in this era of Beastmasters, these individuals naturally became symbols of status and class.
Simply put, becoming a Beastmaster means stepping into the ranks of society's elite.
It's every young person's dream to achieve that glory.
Leon Summers was no exception.
Mastering extraordinary power had been his unattainable dream in his former life. Here, it wasn’t just about the thrill—it was survival. Being a Beastmaster was the fastest, most certain path to forging a good life.
Only the strong control their destinies—a truth unshaken across any world.
"Too bad this goal of mine might just be out of reach," Leon thought bitterly.
In this world, every young person who turned eighteen could form a bond with their first beast companion.
The initial strength of the bonded beast mainly depended on two key factors:
One was soul strength. The stronger the soul, the higher the level of beasts one could bond with, naturally granting more choices.
The second factor? Money.
Beasts didn’t come cheap. Even the weakest Tier 1, Phase 1 beast was priced in the tens of thousands. If it had any growth potential at all, the price could shoot up to hundreds of thousands effortlessly. For most normal families, affording one was a pipe dream.
When it came to Leon Summers’ former self? Luck wasn’t on his side.
His parents had passed away in an accident three years ago. Though they left behind a decent inheritance, after covering years of living expenses and what he’d need to survive in the future, there wasn't much left. He could only scrape together enough to afford the cheapest beast available.
And then there was his soul strength—an abysmal 0.8. That was below the 0.9 average of high school seniors aiming to be Beastmasters. It was a cruel truth: he was far from qualified.
But giving up wasn’t an option, not for him. Stubborn as he was, he insisted on forming a contract. The result? He settled for a puffball of a beast—his little Snowball.
With a quick summon, Leon waved his hand, calling it forth.
A soft glow flickered in the air, and in an instant, a pure white, basketball-sized Snowball appeared, floating just over a meter above the ground. Its clear blue eyes—round and innocent—locked onto Leon without blinking, as though waiting for him to speak. Tiny frame.
Innocent, pure eyes.
An appearance so adorable it could melt hearts, especially those of women.
But for a pet beast? Looks are just an extra. What truly counts is fighting power and growth potential.
Based on the Beastmaster Association’s classification, Snowball was the lowest of the low—an F-grade pet beast.
No evolution forms, its starting form was already its peak.
Even fully nurtured, its level cap was just Tier 1, Stage 2.
It had only one awakened skill—"Cold Breath."
As the name suggests, it simply exhaled a puff of cold air.
The effect? Like the chill when you open an icebox and cold air hits you in the face.
To call it a "skill" felt like an insult to the word.
In terms of combat ability and potential, Snowball was without a doubt the bottom of the barrel, its weakness almost laughable.
No wonder it was called a showpiece pet beast.
"Half a month till the exams. Thinking I could get into a Beastmaster Academy with this thing? Pure delusion."
Leon Summers rubbed his temples, frustration gnawing at him.
Crossing worlds was one thing. But starting in hell mode with a pet like this?
It felt like the universe was out to make a joke of him. Was he destined to live an unremarkable life, just blending into the background for the rest of his days?
No, he couldn't accept that!
Just then, an emotionless, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[System charging complete. Activating...]
[System activation in progress...]
[Activation successful. Achievement System now online.]
Leon Summers froze, then quickly snapped out of his daze.
"This... this is my golden ticket!?"
He was ecstatic. So, all this time, the system hadn't shown up because it was still charging?
But now, finally, he had one of his own!
Taking a deep breath to steady his racing heart, Leon barely managed to compose himself. Just as he was about to ask something, a semi-transparent screen materialized in front of him.
[Leon Summers]
[Physique: 1.0 / Soul: 0.8]
[Level: None]
[Soul Power: 80/80]
[Soul Arts: None]
[Contracted Beast: Little Snowball]
[Achievement Points: None]
[Note: The stats for an ordinary adult male's physique and soul attributes are 1 each.]