The subterranean auction chamber of the Fossil Market hummed with the quiet, tension-laced energy of desperate gamblers, wealthy collectors, and shadowy mercenaries.
Dim crimson luminescent stones suspended in iron cages threw flickering shadows across the damp stone walls. In the center of the pit, atop a raised marble pedestal, stood Master Gideon. The old relic merchant adjusted his brass monocle, his gloved fingers resting lightly on a glass display case containing a dark, teardrop-shaped stone the size of a iron cannonball.
Its surface was covered in calcified ridges, petrified moss, and faded veins that faintly glinted under the dim light like tarnished copper.
"Item forty-seven," Gideon’s dry, raspy voice echoed through the chamber, amplified by a simple sound-horn mounted on the podium. "A petrified egg relic recovered from the deepest strata of the Whispering Woods sinkhole. Preliminary mana-scans reveal zero active life signature and a completely calcified shell. For all intents and purposes, it is an inert piece of ancient stone."
A murmur of dissatisfaction rippled through the cloaked onlookers.
"Another decorative paperweight?" a scarred mercenary scoffed from the back row. "We came here for active mana-cores and dark-tier weapons, Gideon, not dead rocks!"
"Patience, gentlemen," Gideon replied smoothly, tapping the glass. "While inert, the petrification density suggests an age exceeding ten thousand years—pre-dating the current System records. For scholars, sculptors, or collectors of ancient curiosities, the starting bid is set at five gold sovereigns."
Silence descended upon the room. Five gold sovereigns was a steep price for a useless piece of rock, even for wealthy collectors.
Behind his dark linen cowl, Kaelen Ashford stood near the back pillar, his heart hammering against his ribs.
On his shoulder, Nox sat motionless beneath his hood, its golden eyes fixed upon the petrified egg. The black kitten-like creature let out a tiny, soft purr that vibrated directly against Kaelen’s neck. At the same time, a cold, luminous prompt erupted across Kaelen’s vision, illuminating the darkness behind his eyelids.
[ANCIENT ARCHIVE RESONANCE DETECTED] [UNLOCKING SUB-INTERFACE: THE ANCIENT BESTIARY] [SCANNING TARGET: PETRIFIED DORMANT CORE]
Kaelen’s breath hitched. Before his eyes, the familiar pale-blue System window dissolved, replaced by a deep crimson and gold interface that resembled a grand, ancient tome bound in iron and dragon hide. Intricate runic engravings lined the borders, pulsing with a rhythm that matched Nox’s heartbeat.
[ANCIENT BESTIARY - INDEX RECONSTRUCTION]
[TARGET SPECIES: PRIMAL EMERALD BEHEMOTH] [STATUS: EXTINCT (ERA I - THE AGE OF VERDANCE)] [ORIGINAL TIER: CALAMITY-GRADE] [ORIGINAL COMBAT RATING: 2,400+] [CURRENT STATE: DORMANT PETRIFIED EGG CORE] [BLOODLINE INTEGRITY: 14% (RESTOREABLE VIA EXTINCTION POINTS)]
[SPECIES SUMMARY: A COLOSSAL PRIMAL BEAST THAT ONCE ROAMED ANCIENT OLD-GROWTH FORESTS. POSSESSED THE ABILITY TO ABSORB EARTHEN MANA AND REGENERATE VITALITY INSTANTLY. ERASED FROM THE SYSTEM DURING THE FIRST PURGE.]
Calamity-Grade... a Combat Rating of over two thousand four hundred! Kaelen’s mind raced as he read the glowing golden text.
In the current kingdom of Solis, a Gold-Grade monster with a Combat Rating of 300 to 500 was considered a national asset. A beast with a Combat Rating exceeding two thousand was a legendary calamity—a creature capable of destroying entire cities single-handedly.
And here it was, sitting on a wooden pedestal, labeled as an inert paperweight by ignorant merchants who relied solely on the System’s crippled scanning apparatus.
"Five gold sovereigns," Gideon called out again, scanning the silent crowd. "Going once... If there are no bids, we shall move to the next item."
"Five gold," Kaelen’s voice rasped out from beneath his heavy hood, deep and steady.
Dozens of heads turned toward the back of the chamber. Several mercenaries eyed Kaelen’s worn clothes with contempt and amusement.
"Some fool actually wants a dead rock," someone muttered.
Gideon’s monocle gleamed as he looked toward Kaelen. "Bid received. Five gold sovereigns from the gentleman in the black cloak. Do I hear six?"
Silence reigned. No one else was willing to throw away five gold sovereigns on dead stone.
"Going twice... Sold to the gentleman in the back for five gold sovereigns!" Gideon struck his brass gavel against the wood with a sharp CLANG. "Please present your payment at the side counter upon conclusion."
Kaelen let out a quiet, steady breath. He reached into his belt pouch, feeling the heavy clink of the thirty gold sovereigns he had just earned from selling the Dread-Gorgon fangs to Master Gideon earlier. Five gold was a small price to pay for the dormant seed of a Calamity-Grade extinct beast.
Twenty minutes later, after settling the transaction in a private curtained alcove, Kaelen walked out of the back door of the Black Anchor Tavern into the cool, damp night air of the Iron Docks. Inside his heavy canvas sack, wrapped carefully in straw and wool, rested the five-pound petrified egg of the Primal Emerald Behemoth.
Instead of lingering in the alleys, Kaelen moved quickly, weaving through the dark, quiet streets until he reached the familiar creaking stairs of his attic room above Old Bram’s smithy.
He bolted the heavy wooden door behind him, jammed a chair beneath the handle, and drew the thick leather curtains across the narrow window.
Only then did he set the heavy canvas bag onto his small wooden table.
"Alright, Nox," Kaelen whispered, pulling his hood back. "Let's take a look."
Nox leaped down from his shoulder, landing soundlessly on the tabletop. The small black creature trotted over to the bag, sniffing the straw with intense curiosity.
Kaelen carefully unwrapped the petrified egg, placing the dark, calcified stone in the center of the worn wood. Under the dim tallow candle flame, the egg looked ordinary—heavy, cold, and dead.
Kaelen focused his intent, summoning the newly unlocked interface.
"Open Ancient Bestiary," he commanded softly.
Instantly, the translucent interface expanded, bathing the small attic room in a warm, amber glow.
[ANCIENT BESTIARY SYSTEM INITIALIZED] [REGISTERED TAMER: KAELEN ASHFORD] [CLASS: ERASED BEAST TAMER] [INDEXED EXTINCT SPECIES: 3 / 10,000+]
Kaelen swiped his hand through the air, watching as three distinct entries materialized within the floating book-like interface:
[SPECIES 001: VOID-STALKER (ACTIVE COMPANION)]
BLOODLINE TIER: PRIMAL DRAGON-HUNTER
CURRENT STAGE: HATCHLING / DORMANT (REPAIR STAGE 0.5)
TRUE COMBAT RATING: 380 (PUBLIC DISPLAY: 1)
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
UNLOCKED SKILLS: Silent Tread, Void-Claw, Shadow Sense, Agility Boost I, Void Absorption, Void-Step I, Primal Aura I, Void Shroud I.
EVOLUTION STATUS: READY FOR FIRST EVOLUTIONARY TRANSFORMATION.
[SPECIES 002: PRIMAL SPIKE-DRAKE (INDEXED)]
BLOODLINE TIER: ANCIENT APEX
STATUS: FOSSILIZED GENETIC MEMORY STORED
POTENTIAL RECONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENT: 1,200 EP + PRIMAL EARTH CORE.
[SPECIES 003: PRIMAL DREAD-GORGEN (INDEXED)]
BLOODLINE TIER: GOLD-GRADE ANCIENT GUARDIAN
STATUS: FOSSILIZED GENETIC MEMORY STORED
POTENTIAL RECONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENT: 2,500 EP + DREAD MANA ESSENCE.
[SPECIES 004: PRIMAL EMERALD BEHEMOTH (IN POSSESSION)]
BLOODLINE TIER: CALAMITY-GRADE ANCIENT SOVEREIGN
STATUS: DORMANT PETRIFIED CORE
REVIVAL REQUIREMENT: 1,500 EP + NATURE VITALITY RESONANCE.
Kaelen stared at the screen, his mind expanding with every line of information.
Unlike the Kingdom's standard System—which merely categorized monsters into static tiers like Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum—the Ancient Bestiary was an entire evolutionary repository. It did not treat monsters as mere tools or pets; it tracked their ancestral lineage, their extinct evolutionary branches, and the precise requirements needed to restore their original primal glory.
So I don't just summon extinct beasts, Kaelen realized, his eyes shining with awe. I can store their genetic blueprints, hatch their dormant fossilized eggs, and rebuild extinct species that were wiped from existence thousands of years ago.
He looked closer at the entry for Species 004—the Primal Emerald Behemoth.
[NOTICE: DORMANT EGG REQUIRES 1,500 EXTINCTION POINTS TO INITIATE VITALITY AWAKENING.] [CURRENT EXTINCTION POINTS (EP): 1,100]
"Eleven hundred EP," Kaelen murmured, calculating his remaining balance after his previous upgrades and the fossil box absorption. "I need four hundred more EP before I can awaken the Behemoth's egg."
Nox let out a soft mew, tapping its paw against the calcified surface of the egg. A faint thread of dark purple mist flowed from Nox’s claws into the porous stone.
Instantly, the calcified surface of the egg flickered with a dull emerald pulse, as if answering Nox’s touch. A prompt appeared:
[PASSIVE RESONANCE DETECTED] [VOID ABSORPTION STABILIZING PETRIFIED BEHEMOTH CORE] [EGG VITALITY DECAY HALTED PERMANENTLY] [BONUS: NOX HAS GAINED +50 EP FROM ANCESTRAL INTERACTION]
[CURRENT EXTINCTION POINTS: 1,150 EP]
Kaelen smiled gently, reaching out to pat Nox’s small head. "Good job, buddy. At this rate, it won't take long before we hatch our second companion."
Nox purred loudly, rubbing its cheek against Kaelen’s knuckles before turning its glowing golden eyes toward the interface. The black creature patted the screen with its paw, specifically highlighting the flashing text under its own entry:
[SPECIES 001: VOID-STALKER - EVOLUTION STATUS: READY FOR FIRST EVOLUTIONARY TRANSFORMATION.]
Kaelen’s expression became serious as he tapped the glowing prompt.
"Let's see what your first evolution looks like, Nox."
The Bestiary screen shifted, expanding into a magnificent three-dimensional projection of Nox's silhouette. Surrounding the dark silhouette were three distinct branching evolutionary paths, glowing with vibrant ethereal colors:
[VOI-STALKER: FIRST EVOLUTIONARY BRANCHES]
[PATH A: SHADOW-CLAW NIGHT-HUNTER]
TYPE: SPEED & STEALTH SPECIALIZATION
DESCRIPTION: Focuses on extreme agility, absolute sound suppression, and spatial tearing claws. Designed for solitary assassination and quick, lethal strikes.
EVOLUTION COST: 1,000 EP
EXPECTED TRUE CR: 550+
[PATH B: ABYSSAL SHADOW-DRAKE]
TYPE: DRAGON-HUNTER HYBRID
DESCRIPTION: Awakens dormant dragon-slaying traits within the Void-Stalker lineage. Grows dark scaled armor along the spine, gains dark flame breath, and increases physical resistance tenfold.
EVOLUTION COST: 1,500 EP
EXPECTED TRUE CR: 750+
[PATH C: ANCESTRAL PRIMAL VOID-STALKER (RESTRICTED)]
TYPE: TRUE BLOODLINE RESTORATION
DESCRIPTION: Reconstructs the uncorrupted, original form of the ancient Void-Stalker as it existed during the First Era. Unlocks spatial manipulation, true dragon-suppression aura, and the ability to merge completely with shadows.
EVOLUTION COST: 2,000 EP
EXPECTED TRUE CR: 1,200+
Kaelen’s heart pounded against his ribs as he read through the three evolutionary branches.
Path A was the easiest and cheapest, turning Nox into a supreme assassin. Path B added dragon scales and fire, giving it raw destructive power.
But Path C... Path C was the true ancestral restoration—the form that had made the Architects of the System fear this species so much that they had erased it from history entirely.
Path C requires two thousand Extinction Points, Kaelen thought, his gaze hardening with unshakeable resolve. And I currently have eleven hundred and fifty.
He looked down at Nox. The small black creature was staring intently at Path C, its golden eyes burning with an unmistakable fire—an ancient pride that refused to settle for second best or a diluted lineage.
"You want Path C too, don't you?" Kaelen asked softly.
Nox let out a low, confident growl, its tiny claws extending and digging slightly into the wooden table.
Kaelen chuckled, a surge of dark determination filling his chest. "Then Path C it is. We won't settle for half-baked evolutions. We're going to restore your true ancestral bloodline."
To reach two thousand EP, Kaelen needed eight hundred and fifty more Extinction Points. And to awaken the Emerald Behemoth egg, he needed another three hundred and fifty after that.
That meant he needed to hunt deeper inside the Whispering Woods—or venture into the dangerous subterranean ruins beneath Oakhaven where ancient fossils and forgotten mana-cores still lay hidden.
Kaelen closed the Bestiary interface, wrapping the Emerald Behemoth egg back into its padded cloth and securing it safely inside a hidden compartment beneath his floorboards.
He walked over to his narrow window and looked out at the sprawling city of Oakhaven.
High up on the cliffs, the lights of the High Precinct blazed like stars. Tomorrow, the Royal Summoner Guild would hold its annual regional ranking trials for new graduates. Valerius Vance and his Gold-Grade Crimson Flame Drake would undoubtedly take center stage, hailed as the future heroes of the kingdom.
Down in the dark, filthy alleys of the Iron Docks, Kaelen Ashford buckled his hunting knife to his belt, his eyes reflecting the cold starlight.
Let the nobles celebrate their false dragons.
The boy without a beast now held the Ancient Bestiary of the world's forgotten sovereigns—and his first true hunting grounds were waiting in the shadows.