Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

Zaroth had already answered questions like this in the past, so he didn't need a lot of time to think.

"My purpose is to kill those who have wronged me and to live for my desires."

[Nightclaw Panther desires dominance over the arena]

[Its killer must pay]

He couldn't help but smile as he heard what the beast desired.

'It wants more than just revenge, it wants much more. If it is 'Dominance,' then it would probably mean that it wants to dominate everything,' Zaroth thought. It was like the panther and him were fated to find each other—they had very similar goals, after all.

"Join me and your desire would be fulfilled," he spoke firmly, without any hesitation.

He was sincere, even if some beast masters were taught not to give in to their beast's desires. He had already done it once when it came to Silverfang, and the result was extraordinary. The wolf had evolved a whole rank, making him much stronger and deadlier.

So it was a no-brainer that Zaroth would try to fulfill his beast's desires, as doing so would make them much stronger.

[Nightclaw Panther is moved by your determination]

[Nightclaw Panther responds to your call]

[Nightclaw Panther forms a pact with you]

[You have formed a contract with Nightclaw Panther]

[Dominance]

Zaroth's eyes narrowed as they began to emit a green light, and his mouth twisted into a menacing smile.

The body of the panther trembled, and a second later, it moved.

Thankfully, it seemed that before the beast had been sold to Zaroth, the people running the place had used some kind of magic to fix the damage done to the panther's head, which had been crushed by the minotaur.

"Oh, this is one scary cat," Zaroth muttered as his gaze met the golden eyes of the panther.

In response, the beast tilted its head as it began to study the face of its master.

Then, without hesitation, it brought its face closer and licked Zaroth's face.

"God! What is with you beasts and licking me all over?!" he cried in frustration.

'Hey! I have never licked you!' Luna retorted in his mind.

Zaroth grimaced in turn, "yes, sadly you haven't…" he muttered in frustration.

Ignoring Luna's laughter that echoed in his head, he returned his attention to the panther.

"I will have to name you…"

He, of course, wasn't planning to name every beast he tamed. For example, the pack of wolves he had tamed in the forest had been left without names.

It was clear that, in the future, he would tame many more beasts, and naming each one wouldn't be feasible. Therefore, he decided that only beasts with desires he could fulfill—ones that would make them stronger—would truly deserve a name. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

So since the wolves didn't have any kind of desires, he had decided to leave them without names.

It was a good decision, as his mind often juggled multiple thoughts at once, and remembering the names of so many beasts would have only added an unnecessary burden.

Using his right hand to pat the panther on the head, he sighed, as there wasn't anything that came to mind. So, seeing that the naming would be left for later, Zaroth desummoned the beast.

In that moment, the door opened as the man who had sold him the beast returned.

"Sir, I am sorry to intrude, but this room will be needed, so if you—" the man stopped mid-sentence as his eyes widened when he saw that the panther was nowhere to be found.

"Um, sir, where is the beast?" the man asked, clearly confused.

Zaroth was grateful that he had desummoned the panther just before the man had entered, not allowing the secret that he was able to tame dead beasts to get out.

He approached the clearly confused man and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," he answered as he made his way out of the room, leaving the man who had opened his mouth a little in awe.

*****

While he could have spent more time in that place, he wasn't in the mood for watching beasts fight to the death. Besides, it was important not to forget that, as always, he had lectures today.

Of course, if he didn't feel like going, he simply could have skipped a day. But today was a special day, as he was pretty sure that Elysia was going to announce the results of the tests.

He wasn't sure why she had waited so long to return them, as she could have graded them in a matter of minutes. Maybe she had to wait for a specific day to announce them? Or maybe it was because she was just that busy?

"No matter," he muttered as he shook off his head.

Thankfully, exiting the bank had been pretty straightforward, he just used the same way he came there. The only thing he had to do was return the mask.

Glancing at the time, he realized it was still too early to head to the academy, so it would be wiser to go home and take a quick rest.

Once he did, he immediately summoned the panther as he sat on his bed and began to ponder how he should name the beast.

"…its kind is Nightclaw Panther, its fur is black, has golden eyes…" he muttered as he scratched the back of his head.

It turned out that coming up with names was much harder than he thought.

'Summon me,' Luna's voice echoed in his head, so with a sigh, he did as she requested.

Once her body materialized, she shifted her gaze to the panther.

In the next instant, she was beside the beast, one hand resting on its head while the other scratched gently under its chin.

"Oh, it's so cute!" She said with a smile.

The panther seemed shocked for a moment, but then it moved its ears back as it began to make purring sounds.

"Look! Isn't this the cutest cat?!" Luna asked, not shifting her gaze from the beast.

Zaroth's eyes widened for a moment, 'Cat? She is calling this panther, a beast that is considered a deadly assassin, a cat?'

A second later, he realized that it must appear that way to her, as she was a dragon, so no matter if it was a cat or a panther, it was all the same thing in her eyes.

Zaroth sighed. "Yes, the cat is cute, but how should we name it?"

Luna's eyes seemed to brighten even more as she heard his question.

"Can I name it?"

Raising an eyebrow, Zaroth scratched his chin. A moment later, he decided to leave it to Luna, as he trusted her enough.

She smiled widely as she suggested, "Then how about Nightshade? Isn't it perfect?"

The panther wasn't able to react, as it was still too busy purring due to Luna's petting, but considering that the beast didn't try to protest, it probably meant that it liked the name.

Zaroth smiled slightly. It was a simple yet pleasant-sounding name, easy to remember. In that moment, he was glad that Luna had a good sense for naming, unlike him.

"Well, Nightshade, welcome to the family."