As Ethan watched Brutus settle down, another unfamiliar mechanical voice echoed through his mind.
[Ding! Beast Companion successfully bonded.]
[Beastmaster System activated!]
[The host receives rewards for every beast companion successfully bonded.]
[First-time activation detected. Issuing beginner rewards.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the talents: "Nature’s Affinity" and "Dragon God’s Blessing."]
[Nature’s Affinity — Neutral creatures instinctively regard the host as friendly and are far less likely to attack.]
[Dragon God’s Blessing — Bestowed by the Dragon God. Allows the host to communicate freely with living creatures and view the growth potential of bonded beast companions.]
[Successfully bonded Tier 2 Beast Companion: Saber-Toothed Tiger.]
[Reward: +10 Endurance, +10 Strength.]
[Note: Each beast companion grants its reward only once. Rewards cannot be farmed repeatedly. The host suffers no penalties if a beast companion dies or becomes incapacitated.]
[Beastmaster Aura activated.]
[Beastmaster Aura — The host may view the status of any bonded beast at any time. Beast loyalty gradually increases over time, up to a maximum of 100%.]
[Once loyalty reaches 100%, the beast’s overall attributes slowly improve and may undergo beneficial evolution.]
[Host: Ethan Carter]
[Beast Companions: 1]
[Attributes]
Endurance: 118
Strength: 119
Intelligence: 98
Agility: 109
Specialty: Marksmanship (S-Rank)
Listening to the endless stream of notifications, Ethan stood frozen.
A third system...?
Compared to the Leader System, the Beastmaster System focused much more heavily on enhancing his own physical abilities.
With another boost to Strength and Endurance, he was confident he could kill a Blood-Eyed Black Wolf barehanded if he had to.
After calming himself, Ethan looked toward the enormous tiger.
Its status window immediately appeared.
[Brutus — Saber-Toothed Tiger (Tier 2)]
[Loyalty: 100%]
[Potential: S-Rank]
[Innate Talent — Beast King: Intimidates creatures weaker than itself, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness or even immobilizing them entirely.]
[Recommended Growth Path: Prioritize Strength to maximize overwhelming offensive power.]
Seeing Brutus’s S-Rank potential and Tier 2 classification, Ethan couldn’t help smiling.
With Brutus accompanying them, future expeditions would become much safer.
Against anything below Tier 2, the tiger should be able to handle the fight effortlessly.
"Brutus," Ethan said, "find a corner and curl up."
"The cabin’s bigger now, but you’re still taking up a lot of space."
The tiger nodded obediently.
It let out a series of soft growls.
Instead of hearing meaningless animal noises...
Ethan understood every word.
"Yes, Master."
"So that’s what ’communicate freely with living creatures’ means."
Just then Natasha walked over.
"Commander, with Brutus helping us, exploring should become much easier."
"Definitely."
Ethan smiled before asking,
"You’re not afraid of him?"
"Huh?"
Natasha looked puzzled.
"We’re all on the same team. Why would I be afraid?"
As if to prove her point, Brutus affectionately rubbed his enormous head against her shoulder.
Watching the interaction, Ethan finally relaxed.
He’d been worried Natasha and Brutus might not get along.
Apparently, he’d worried for nothing.
Thinking about it, both of them had come from the Daily Check-In System.
In a sense...
They really were family.
After playing with Brutus for a while, Natasha curled up beside him to sleep.
The tiger’s body temperature was noticeably warmer than a human’s.
On a freezing desert night, sleeping beside a giant saber-toothed tiger was surprisingly comfortable.
For a brief moment...
Even the luxurious wolf pelt suddenly seemed much less impressive.
After laughing to himself, Ethan carried the newly acquired Automatic Furnace to a spot beside the window.
The furnace resembled a miniature industrial smelter.
It stood nearly ten feet tall and was roughly six feet in diameter.
Operating it was simple.
Load raw materials into the intake.
Add fuel.
Wait.
Finished metal would eventually emerge from the output slot.
Ethan dumped in the scrap metal they’d collected before adding several bundles of firewood as fuel.
Once the wood ignited, the furnace immediately roared to life.
Exhaust smoke was automatically vented outside through an attached pipe, eliminating any danger of carbon monoxide inside the cabin.
A short while later...
The furnace produced a single iron ingot.
Fortunately, it had already been cooled.
Otherwise, dropping a red-hot ingot onto a wooden floor would’ve burned the entire shelter down.
[Basic Iron Ingot ×1 — Essential material for crafting basic tools, weapons, armor, and equipment.]
Although he’d only smelted a single ingot, Ethan quickly figured out how the furnace worked.
Higher-grade metals required combining lower-grade ingots with additional materials.
Simple firewood wouldn’t generate enough heat for those recipes.
Even so...
Higher-quality metals meant higher-quality equipment.
As long as he gathered enough resources, he could eventually outfit himself, Natasha, and Brutus from head to toe.
Especially Brutus.
The image of a saber-toothed tiger charging into battle wearing lightweight, nearly indestructible armor brought a grin to Ethan’s face.
Early the next morning, Ethan, Natasha, and Brutus enjoyed breakfast before setting out for the abandoned city once again.
Walking across the desert, Ethan laughed.
"I didn’t expect Brutus to eat so much."
"He goes through nearly forty pounds of meat every meal."
"Sorry, Master."
"I’ll eat less next time."
Ethan chuckled.
"It’s fine."
"Once we reach the city, there’ll be plenty of monsters for you to hunt."
"But kill them first and bring the bodies back to me."
"The System gets far more materials by processing intact corpses."
"Oh—and don’t get carried away."
"There may be monsters in there stronger than you."
"Understood, Master."
Brutus answered respectfully without the slightest hint of arrogance.
"Oh, right."
Ethan took out the Blood-Eyed Black Wolf Core.
"Can you eat this?"
Brutus immediately nodded.
"Yes."
"It’s a Tier 1 monster core."
"It contains about as much energy as a meal."
"It’ll also increase my strength a little."
"Then go ahead."
"Lunch might have to wait today."
"Thank you, Master."
Ethan tossed the crystal into the air.
Brutus caught it effortlessly with his massive jaws.
The monster core was nearly as hard as solid stone.
Yet between Brutus’s teeth, it crunched like candy.
Crunch. Crunch.
After swallowing it, the tiger said,
"If I eat another dozen or so Tier 1 cores like this..."
"I should gain another level."
"You mean evolve?"
Brutus shook his head.
"No."
"Just a normal level increase."
"My combat strength will improve slightly."
"I’ll probably need around ten levels before I can evolve to the next tier."
"Or..."
"A single Tier 3 monster core."
"I see."
"I’ll keep an eye on the Marketplace."
"Maybe someone will eventually sell one."
Apparently sensing Brutus’s overwhelming presence, the roads were eerily quiet this time.
Not a single monster wandered the streets.
Even the giant black scorpion perched atop the abandoned car looked noticeably more cautious than before.
It no longer lounged confidently in the open.
Ignoring it, Ethan led Natasha and Brutus into a completely new building to continue their exploration.
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