SSS Rank: Strongest Beast Master

The morning sun, clean and golden, streamed through the window of Jonah's new room. It was a light he'd never seen in Cinderfall, a light that didn't have to fight its way through layers of smoke. But Jonah wasn't looking out the window. His attention was fixed on the glass door to his patio - his Vivarium.

His private, all-you-can-eat buffet of Essences.

He had spent most of the night with his eyes closed, simply observing his new creation. Rook was resting quietly inside the Beast Space, a perfect, stone-feathered statue. But Jonah knew he couldn't just admire his handwork. The clock was ticking. The Academy would start its evaluations soon, and he needed more than one trick up his sleeve.

He slid the glass door open and stepped inside.

The air in the Vivarium was warm and humid, thick with the smell of damp earth, sweet nectar, and life. He could see the Moss-Shelled Turtles crawling slowly over the rocks, every step calm and steady. He could still hear the soft, musical chirps of the Singing Crickets in the bushes. But his eyes were locked on something else.

Glimmermoths. They were beautiful creatures, their wings like stained glass, trailing a faint, sparkling dust as they flew. The Druid's note had called them harmless. To Jonah, they were a resource.

His first attempt to catch one was a total disaster. He lunged with both hands outstretched, and ended up with a face full of sparkly dust and nothing else. The moth danced away, oblivious. He blinked, a little dizzy. Okay, so they weren't completely harmless.

He gave it another shot, this time trying to sneak up on one. A moth had landed on a big leaf, and he moved in slowly, carefully. His fingers were just about to close around it—when it zoomed off, and he was left holding a ripped leaf.

He wasn't a hunter. He was a scavenger from a mining town. This was embarrassing.

Frustrated, he stopped trying to be clever. He spotted one near the glass wall of the Vivarium. This time, he didn't try to be sneaky. He just slammed his hand flat against the glass, trapping the moth between his palm and the pane. It wasn't graceful, but it worked. The moth's wings beat wildly against his hand.

For a moment, he hesitated. In Cinderfall, you did what you had to do to survive. Killing the Ant soldiers had been self-defense. This felt different. Colder. But it was still about survival. His survival here, in this new world.

He slowly closed his hand. There was a light crunch, sharp and final.

He felt the now-familiar sensation, a faint trace of energy pulling away from his hand and settling deep within him. It was a cool, airy feeling, completely different from the gritty, heavy essence of the Ant soldiers. He pulled the new energy into his mental workshop. A single, tiny mote of glowing, silvery light appeared, drifting near the three dull brown ones.

The mental text was immediate and clear.

`[Glimmermoths Essence x1 Acquired (Air, Illusion)]`

Success. He now had two different blueprints in his collection. The possibilities began to bubble in his mind. What would happen if he combined the toughness of the Ant with the illusion of the Moth? A creature that could create diversions while being tough enough to withstand a hit?

But before he started mixing and matching, he needed to understand his first creation better. He needed to see what Rook could do in the real world.

He stepped back into his room, sliding the door shut. He closed his eyes and focused on the Beast Space. He found Rook, still perched silently, and gave a mental command. Come out.

There was no big flash or cloud of smoke. The air in front of him started to shimmer, like heat rising off a road. The light pulled together, taking shape and in less than a second, Rook was standing right there on his floor.

It was real. It was solid. It tilted its little stone head and looked up at him with intelligent, curious black eyes. Jonah could feel its curiosity as if it were his own.

The telepathic link was flawless.

Jump, Jonah thought, focusing on his desk.

Without a sound, Rook leaped into the air. Its jump was powerful, covering the distance easily. It landed on the wooden desk with a soft thud.

Jonah's eyes landed on the textbook they'd given him on the train, A First-Year's Guide to Basic Elite Classes. A mischievous idea popped into his head.

Rook, peck the book.

Rook hopped over. It leaned down and, with a quick, sharp jab, struck the cover with its beak.

THWACK!

The sound was way louder than he expected. Rook's beak left a small but solid dent in the thick cover. Jonah blinked, impressed. That wasn't just a peck, it was more like a hammer hit.

He reached out and gently picked Rook up. The creature was light, but it felt dense, solid. It fit perfectly in the palm of his hand, its stony feathers cool to the touch. He ran his thumb over the feathers on its back. They were incredibly stiff, layered over each other like tiny plates of slate armor.

This was the `Fortified Feathers (Passive)` skill in action. The toughness of the Ant soldier wasn't just a concept; it had been literally woven into the DNA of the Gale-Strider egg, changing its very nature.

The thought hit Jonah so hard, he had to sit down on the edge of his bed.

He wasn't just making monsters. He was an engineer. He could choose traits – durability from one creature, speed from another, a special ability from a third – and combine them. He could design them for a purpose. He could create a scout with hardened feathers, or a tiny assassin with a paralyzing sting.

He looked down at the stony little bird in his hand. Rook was his first step. A proof of concept.