[Congratulations, Master. Thisss one assumes you have been victorious.]

"Yup."

"What did you say, disciple? Nevermind. In traditional martial clans, this is where you would be promoted using whatever arbitrary title or system of measurement. Assuming you have succeeded, of course?"

"Yup."

"Alright. I never had enough students to segregate them based on talent, so I'm giving you the arbitrary ranking of a gray student. White, gray, black. That's the progression."

He tosses a gray gi over. I stand up and don the clothing, removing the hospital gown without caring about modesty.

[Broken Body Gi B

A gi handmade by a martial arts master. This article of clothing is almost invulnerable to damage, but it doesn't protect the user.

Might & Agility: +15

Vigor: +45

Item Skill: Beating Heart B

Beating Heart B:

Increase cardiovascular health. It lets the body heal at a faster rate. The wearer cannot die from mundane blood loss.

Natural Health Regeneration: +100%]

The old one was getting a bit grimy no matter how much I washed it, and now I get an upgrade. Nice! Master Giles tosses me an old worn, but rolled-up scroll. I grab it out of the air and look it over curiously.

[Scroll of Beastial Storage A

Grants the skill Beastial Storage A

Beastial Storage A

The user can store their tamed beasts within a pocket dimension within the user. The storage is not limited by size or weight but by the beasts' level and the tamer's spirit.

A tamer with 200 spirit can only store and send out two level 100 beasts. Or four level 50, etc.]

"This is for winning your bet against me, my disciple. I have fostered many students, but I have never personally transcribed this skill for them. It's a tedious process I won't go over, but I bring this up with sad news..."

"What is it, master Giles?"

"Usually, this is where I kick my students out of the nest, letting them fly or fall. But even if you fall, you'd survive it. Hehe."

"..."

"I never taught you much, but since that's attributed to you not needing taming help, I don't fault myself for that. Let's keep our relationship that way. I'll be here when you need advice or knowledge, and you'll help me with any "chores" that come up when you're in the neighborhood."

So nothing changed, but now I won't get any more freebies from master Giles.

I'm in the "beast" department of the local mega-hospital, in one of the rooms sponsored by master Giles. Thanks to my needle-resistant skin and "different" anatomy, traditional medical equipment won't work on me, but getting designated as a beast feels demeaning.

We leave without needing to sign out or talk to doctors. If we met one of them, my masters would have been informed by them that I was barely hanging on at this point. My regeneration and fortitude make me look fine, even though I'm definitely not.

I arrived at master Wang's estate with him, and that brought up a thought. I should get some estate in the city. The mansion resolves any shelter needs, but it feels weird technically being homeless. I'll need a building when I start my business idea.

Master Wang adhered to a strict sleep schedule and only went past his bedtime because I was in the hospital. Master Giles is the reason I even woke up there. He insisted that I should be checked in. Master Wang would've just left me on the ground until I woke up.

I look over the scroll given to me after master Wang leaves for his room.

To use a scroll, I should open it while injecting mana. A rank-A skill scroll alone is enough to have master Giles worth having as my master. This skill isn't designed to hold every beast I tame, but it is a hidden place to store or smuggle beasts.

I'm scared that using the slightest bit of mana will cause my organs to fall out. I'm currently on a thin line, with the concepts inside of me not at their full power thanks to my low level and the fact they haven't "woken" up yet.

I activate the scroll and immediately vomit black blood. With a flash of light, the words on the scroll lift off the parchment. The energy within the scroll forces itself into me while I wipe my mouth.

Congratulations User! You have gained [Beastial Storage]!]

[Beastial Storage] is being influenced by [Master's Magnificant Mansion]!]

Beastial Storage A

The user can store their tamed beasts within the pocket dimension within the user. The storage is not limited by size or weight but by the beasts' level and the tamer's spirit.

A tamer with 200 spirits can only store and send out two level 100 beasts. Or four level 50, etc.]

One word changed, but it's a significant one. It also introduces and answers some new questions.

"Don't mind the blood."

[What happened during the attunement process? Thisss one is curious.]

"I'll tell you in the mansion."

I handwave Khan, Rob, and Prometheus out of this realm and into "the" pocket dimension. I'm glad it doesn't take mana. I try to do it to Flash Gordon, but I feel stifled. Instead, Duchess, Flash Gordon, enters the mansion manually.

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Khan, Rob, and Prometheus wait for me in the yard. Rob seems confused, and the other two haven't had a change in expression. I "released" the three beasts I stored, and the stifled feeling vanished. They don't move from where they are standing.

I "store" Rob, Khan, and Prometheus again. They don't move. Hopefully, I can pull them from the mansion once I'm out. I pop out and "pull" Rob out with the skill. He appears right next to me and looks incredibly confused. I used the skill again and met back up with my beast inside the mansion.

I sit on the steps leading to the main entrance and recount what I went through. Starting with the relaxing sensations of the black ocean and the encounter with the figure. I retold what the creature said about all the energies I had an affinity to. As well as the last thoughts I had as he "crammed" me.

All the concepts are inside me, but I'd consider them dormant. I can feel them inciting each other, but it isn't as bad as before. Since there is little overlap among all of my energies, harmonizing them would be improbable to even attempt. I'd have to master each concept, something that geniuses and actual prodigies have issues with.

Maybe I can cheat again. I declared the energies mine and refused to die for them. If I can't master them in the philosophical sense, maybe literally doing it can work.

They will slowly "awaken" as I level and work to answer the issues I have given myself. Or they should. I'm in a situation that, to my knowledge, has never occurred before. I check my system notifications I haven't yet.

[Congratulations, User! You have attuned to seven energies at once!]

[Gain the Title: [Heptad Attuner]!]

[Heptad Attuner

The user attuned to seven clashing energies during their attunement process.]

No rank and no benefits. I remember master Wang's warning about gaining a title instead of a trait, so I checked if I got both...

I have a trait called [Attunements] with a drop-down. I "click" on it.

[Attunements:

Taboo (Dormant). Madness (Dormant). Pain (Dormant). Life (Dormant). Death (Dormant). Undead (Dormant) Rock (Dormant).]

Ughhhhh. I start leaking more blackened blood as my body feels like it's coming apart at the seams.

Fortunately, the feeling fades before anything dramatic happens. I wave to my concerned beasts before checking any initial changes these new attunements brought. Taboo looked like a book. I have a book.

I call out my [Lexicon]. It hasn't changed mechanically. The stats in my system window hasn't been altered, but here it is. A completely different book. It usually looks like whatever book I'm manifesting, but I couldn't call out an empty [Lexicon].

The book has chains on it, loose and without locks. More like decorations or proof that whatever was being restricted was no longer held back. The edges are encased with black metal, bolted onto the tome's cover. The most abundant color of said cover is a deep red, but many other colors make an appearance.

Anything on the visible light spectrum is plastered on this book in a design that would make even the most hardcore hallucinogenic abuser blush. Mostly a deep red.

I open it, and it's empty. Coolio. Maybe it's too soon. Maybe, I can eat another forbidden fruit. Maybe, I expected a turnout right away even though I was explicitly told it would take a while.

"What do you think, guys?"

"..a.."

[Did the rock say something?]

"Flash Gordon has been speaking to me since I was ten."

[...nevermind thisss one then.]

Any traits, skills, or titles related to taboo, madness, pain, life, death, undead, or rock haven't changed, at least not in a way I can tell. I feel silly for spending all my unused points on the stat attunement. Since the ritual, it feels like I'm back at a zero. Everything feels muted, as sounds and sensations feel like they are coming from farther away than they really are.

I feel bloated and achy. My teeth hurt, and my eyes burn.

"You're right, Flash Gordon. Rest is important. We'll pick this back up tomorrow."

~

[Field Scholar C]

[Torturer C]

[Pugilist C]

[Unique Master+ C]

[Life Bringer A]

[Distinguished Master B]

[Tortured Master B]

[Master of Madness A]

Waiting out my class advancements to get better options worked. Ignoring the ones I had before, they are all B or A. The last class, even though It's a rank-A class, gives me a bad feeling. I don't think I've mastered madness, and that class could be a trap. My instincts say no, even though I greed for the better letter.

It gives me a headache.

[Life Bringer] is the same as my title, but losing my taming class is non-negotiable. I'm already tortured enough, so I might as well go for the fancy-sounding class.

[Advancement Requirements.

Have three tamed beasts be nobility, have dominion, or "rule" over something. (2/3)

Have adequate leadership skill. (F/C)

Unique Servitude to rank A (Not Completed)

Have at least six "Master" skills. (Completed)

Be nobility. (Completed)]

I guess I'm a noble according to the system. I look at the burning clump of ooze nestled in my hand. This little guy is the key to two of three of my requirements. Flash Gordon and Khan could also check off the first requirement, but Prometheus has more room to grow.

I'm assuming that [Unique Servitude] skill will rank up once Prometheus evolves at level one hundred-

A burning sensation in my eyes cut off any other thought. It feels like insects are eating out my eyes. I have to physically restrain myself from ripping my eyes out of my head. My knees buckle, and my head slams against the wall as I head for the floor.

No matter how hard I slam my palms against the side of my head, the pain doesn't stop. I give in and use a bit of mana to heal the pain, but that opens the floodgates.

[Attunements:

Taboo (Stirring). Madness (Stirring). Pain (Stirring). Life (Stirring). Death (Stirring). Undead (Stirring). Rock (Stirring).]

The rapid-fire feelings are deafening. All of the concepts have their own agenda and interact with each other differently. Rather than a daycare, it feels like I'm a bucket filled with venomous insects trying to kill each other.

It isn't as bad as my time in that "dream" state, but I can't move my mana in this state.

"Shut up... You're being too loud."

The sensations calm down enough to allow me to stand, but they won't listen to me like before I woke up. My beasts must have heard the commotion since they finally arrived. It could have been seconds or minutes. Time flies when you're in pain.

Rob walks me over to a big chair like I'm his grandfather as Duchess looks on with worry. Flash Gordon is waiting for me by the chair. I didn't leave him there. I don't know what to do.

[Why don't we take you down to the hospital.]

"I don't like hospitals."

[...]

I meditate for a moment before realizing this is the chair I was in when tripping balls.

I reach between the cushion and the chair and pull out a baggy with eleven leaves. [Sage of the Diviners]. The last time I used this, I had my [Broken Liver] active, and it fucked me up. Really badly.

Maybe taking half the dosage from last time and not utilizing [Broken Liver] can help me "have an epiphany" like it's supposed to. I'm breaking a promise to myself, but fuck it. I don't know how psychedelic tea is supposed to solve this problem, but I might as well.

If not, it gives me a lifetime to think of solutions.

I brew the tea and chug it before it has a chance to cool down.

~

I didn't pass out like last time, but I started drifting out of my chair. I look down and see my body meditating below me. I try to float away while in this out-of-body experience, but I get dragged down into my body. Many hands ripped into my "flesh" to pull me back to Iona.

I struggle, but it's all for naught. Most of my ethereal self was crammed back into my body. I managed to rip myself free at the last second, but another hand grabbed me from the top of the head and yanked me in.