Luke stared at the shelf full of beast eggs. In this world, anyone can tame a beast as long as they can get it to accept them. They didn’t need a special class for that. Of course, having a beast tamer class provides a lot more skills and advantages.
Beast tamers could form contracts, share senses with their companions, and use skills to strengthen them in battle. Some could even help their beasts evolve. Others could borrow skills from their beasts. The synergy made them a lot stronger than others could hope to be.
Everyone else had to rely on patience, food, and the hope that whatever they were raising wouldn’t eventually decide to eat them. One needed to have sufficient strength and power to handle a tamed beast. Otherwise, it was simply a suicide plan.
That was also why eggs were so valuable. Raising a beast from the moment it hatched was much easier than convincing a fully grown monster to follow orders.
Luke moved closer to the shelf. This was anyway on his agenda for the day. Even if the EXP potion didn’t work, he figured he could still get himself a beast companion. Something sturdy. Something loyal. Something that could carry him away when a giant fucking bird dropped out of the sky.
He just did not think that the alchemy shop would sell beast eggs. His gaze passed over the eggs, lingering on a black one streaked with red.
"What’s in that one?"
"Young master Ashford, unfortunately, I cannot give you an answer, even if I want to. I have no idea what’s inside any of these eggs. They are all masked. Some of them were retrieved under mysterious conditions. They could possess rare bloodlines, unusual abilities, or even belong to species we’ve never encountered before."
"Or they could be ordinary beasts," the woman added from behind the counter.
The shopkeeper’s smile twitched. "Naturally, that is also possible."
Luke looked at the eggs again. "Can’t you inspect them?"
"You can confirm that an egg is alive, but the shell interferes with identifying what’s inside. We call those masked eggs. You won’t know what you’ve purchased until it hatches."
"And you sell them anyway?"
"Some customers enjoy taking a chance. A hunter once bought a masked egg for fifty credits and hatched a Silverhorn Stag."
"How many people bought one and got something worthless?" Luke chuckled. How could he not know what this scam was?
He had fallen for so many scams in his past life. Back then, he had wasted money trying to pull rare characters from games. Here, he could waste money trying to hatch one.
The shopkeeper gave an awkward laugh. "A healthy beast always has some value, young master."
"That wasn’t my question."
"Well, we don’t keep records of every hatching."
Of course. Somehow, the story of the Silverhorn Stag had survived perfectly. Luke turned back to the black egg.
Red streaks curled around its shell, making it look considerably more impressive than the plain brown one beside it. He could practically hear the game music announcing a legendary reward. He focused on it.
[Masked Beast Egg]
[Life signs detected.]
[Species: Unknown.]
Luke clicked his tongue. No convenient hidden information. Apparently, he would have to gamble like everyone else. "How much?"
"A thousand credits for that one."
"And the brown one?"
"One hundred."
Luke looked at him. "You don’t know what’s inside either of them."
"The black one has a much more unusual appearance."
"So I’m paying extra because it looks expensive?"
The woman behind the counter coughed into her hand. The shopkeeper ignored her. "You’re welcome to choose another."
Luke crouched to examine the lower shelf. Most of those eggs were smaller, with fewer markings. Their prices were lower too. He checked several. Every inspection returned the same useless description.
Still, he found himself considering them. He had a luck attribute. If there was any situation where that should help, surely it was choosing a mystery egg.
Then again, he had no idea how much his three points, no four points actually did. He got one more point this morning. Perhaps they would help him choose a healthy beast. Perhaps they would help him find the only egg in the shop containing twins, doubling his food expenses. He wasn’t about to spend all his money finding out.
Just as he was considering things, a group of people walked over. Coincidentally, a few of his classmates were among them.
"Oh, would you look at this? Its our young master Ashford! Who knew we would be able to run into our dear friend here!" Pathan Sharma stood near the entrance, grinning at him. Two other classmates followed his gaze.
Luke immediately regretted spending so long looking at the eggs. He could have been back in his room by now, drinking his overpriced potion in peace. Instead, he had to deal with this annoying guy.
Luke remembered this one very well from his memories. His father was a recently famous awakener who managed to heroically save many in a beast outbreak in the city.
The rescue had earned the man interviews, sponsorships, and a lucrative guild contract. His face had appeared on news feeds for weeks.
Pathan had apparently decided that his father’s achievements were hereditary. Before that, he had been considerably more polite to Luke. But when Luke failed his awakening twice, a lot of things changed.
"Pathan," Luke said. The guy walked closer, glancing over the shelf before looking at Emma.
"Shopping for a pet? Good idea. You can’t fight, but perhaps you can find something willing to fight for you."
Luke shrugged. "That’s generally what people buy combat beasts for."
One of the classmates snorted before quickly looking away. Pathan’s smile disappeared. "I’m only saying you should be careful. Even a tamed beast needs a capable owner. You wouldn’t want it biting the hand that feeds it."
His gaze then fell on Emma. "Still following him around? I heard the Ashfords threw him out. Who’s paying your wages now? A beautiful woman like you shouldn’t have to suffer like this. How about you follow me from today onwards. I can take good care of you."
Emma did not even hesitate. She answered instantly. "No, thank you."
Pathan smiled as though she had merely misunderstood the offer.
"You don’t have to answer so quickly. Whatever he’s paying you, I can double it."
"I already answered."
Luke glanced at her and chuckled. Apparently, she could refuse someone. He just needed to figure out how to convince her she could do it with him too.
Pathan gave a short laugh. "Loyal, aren’t you? Does she know you can’t afford to keep her anymore, Ashford?"
"You heard her."
"I’m talking to you."
"And I’m wondering which part of ’no’ you need help with."
The shopkeeper shifted beside the counter.
"Young masters, perhaps—"
"Relax. We’re old classmates." Pathan looked around at his companions. "There’s nothing wrong with offering a friend’s servant a better position."
"Correction. She is my body guard now."
Pathan looked at Emma again. Then he laughed.
"Your bodyguard? What’s she going to do? Seduce the monsters? Ba ha ha ha!"
Emma’s face reddened. Her hand curled into a fist, but before she could speak, Luke stepped beside her. "How about we stop this nonsense right here? Don’t you have anything to say?" He turned to the shopkeeper.
Luke could already see where this was headed. This was probably his title at play, planning something nasty for the day. This time, he decided to get ahead of it and resolve the conflict.
The shopkeeper glanced between them. "Young master Sharma, please. Young master Ashford is here to make a purchase."
"So am I," Pathan replied. "Are you telling me to leave?"
"No, of course not. I’m simply asking—"
"Then show me your wares. He was looking at these eggs, wasn’t he? You know what I will buy all of them! I am a level 5 awakener! I have plenty of credits to throw around. Hmph."
"All of them?" the shopkeeper asked with a big smile.
"That’s what I said."
The man’s hesitation vanished. He hurried behind the counter and began adding up the prices.
Luke stepped aside to give him room. He hadn’t bought an egg yet. He hadn’t even settled on one. If Pathan wanted to spend a small fortune preventing him from making a hundred-credit purchase, that was his business.
"Incubation equipment as well, young master?" the shopkeeper asked.
"Whatever they need."
"Excuse me, sir. But my young master has already placed a hold on that one. You cannot sell that." Emma suddenly spoke out, pointing to the black egg with red streaks.
Pathan was about to retort instantly when one of his buddied pulled him and whispered something in his ears.
Luke couldn’t hear what was said, but he saw Pathan’s expression change. The irritation faded, replaced by a slow grin.
"Of course," Pathan said. "If Ashford reserved it first, he should have it."