Chapter 111…
The moment the last blood-soaked corrupted yinglong finally breathed its last, a familiar yet distinctly different sensation seeped into my body.
Level 100 achieved.
The first major milestone every player dreams of.
But before the notification even registered, I felt something else first — a change in my body.
A new energy swirled through me, completely different from the lingering heat of the Extinction Body.
Like a new door had finally opened.
“At last…!”
I had experienced this moment once before, prior to regression.
But now, the meaning hit completely differently.
Thinking about the enemies I would face from here on… I couldn’t help but realize how crucial this single step was.
Ding!
[The Tamer’s 2nd Advancement is now available!]
[Choose a Class.]
Beast Guardian
Beast Dominator
Beast Incarnate
I looked through the options one by one.
‘Beast Guardian is the safe path, focused on affinity… Beast Dominator forces obedience through strength — high risk, high return.’
Both were popular choices.
They were proven routes that reduced the extreme difficulty of taming monsters during 1st advancement.
So around 80% of Tamers choose No.1, and 20% choose No.2.
‘And with that logic… No.3 is naturally 0%.’
[Beast Incarnate]
The path shunned by every Tamer.
Why? Simple.
‘It does absolutely nothing to help with taming.’
Beast Incarnate focuses not on taming beasts, but on using them.
Taming?
More like: “You should’ve graduated from that back in 1st advancement, idiot.”
So unlike regular Tamers…
‘You have to fight on the frontline yourself.’
But most people pick Tamer because they don’t want to fight directly.
They want to sit back, relax, and let their monsters do the work.
Maybe that’s why…
‘Players who chose Beast Incarnate were treated like dirt even by other Tamers.’
Looked down on.
Mocked.
“What kind of Tamer fights with their own sweat?”
But the sweetness of easy gameplay only lasted so long.
Once you climbed high enough, regret always hit.
Because up in the top tiers…
‘They realized— painfully — that a Tamer isn’t a “coach” commanding players… but the “captain” running with them.’
In my previous life, thanks to my rebellious temperament, I chose the third option.
“At first, I regretted it so much I wanted to tear my hair out…”
But that hardship shaped who I am now.
My encyclopedic knowledge of beasts — where else would it have come from?
‘Since I didn’t get any boosts to taming from 2nd advancement, I had to fill the gap with pure knowledge.’
Of course, now with my talent [Lord of Beasts (Ex)], taming a monster is just click— done.
Anyway, the 2nd advancement that suited me best was obvious.
Beast Incarnate.
With both talent and knowledge on my side, taming was nothing but a trivial task.
‘And considering the enemies I’ll face from now on…’
Goberr Merlin’s second disciple — the so-called “proxy.”
And eventually, the man himself.
Enemies I could never beat by sticking to standard builds.
I needed a path no one else had walked.
[3. You have chosen ‘Beast Incarnate.’]
A blazing light engulfed my entire body.
Hot, as if I had swallowed the sun.
My muscles, my bones — everything felt like it was being reconstructed.
‘Hah, experiencing this for the second time makes it feel even newer…?’
I had gone through 2nd advancement once before, but this time it was different.
Back then, I didn’t understand this power — I just accepted it with awe.
But now, I could feel every unpleasant, bone-deep sensation of my body being reforged.
It felt like being reborn… no, like willingly choosing a fate I had once experienced.
Ding!
[You have advanced from ‘Tamer’ to ‘Beast Incarnate’!]
[2nd Advancement skills unlocked.]
[…]
[… Detecting incomplete advancement skill.]
‘Finally…!’
The Pandora’s Box I had forcibly opened during my fight with Sible.
Now, I finally had the qualifications to use the treasure inside.
[Skill ‘Beast Resonance Lv.9 (B–)’ is evolving.]
[Converting accumulated skill experience.]
Ding!
[You have learned the 2nd Advancement Skill: Incarnation (A+) Lv.3!]
[Incarnation]
Grade: A+
Level: 3
Info: Synchronize with a tamed beast to directly share abilities, senses, and/or physical traits.
Effects scale with:
· Taming skill rank
· Beast’s loyalty
· User’s mana stat
Includes:
· Beast Resonance
· Embodiment
[Beast Resonance]
Share abilities and senses through synchronization.
[Embodiment]
Manifest part of a beast’s physical traits onto your body.
Up until now, I only had half of the real skill.
The complete name was Incarnation.
Also called Avatar.
In mythology, an avatar is a divine embodiment — a fragment of a god.
Here, that “divine presence” referred to beasts.
Why? I had no idea.
Maybe I’d ask the creator of this system someday.
And strangely… something told me that meeting wasn’t far off.
Just as I drifted into thought, another alert popped up.
Ding!
[You have learned the 2nd Advancement Skill: Beast Brand (A) Lv.1!]
[Beast Brand]
Grade: A
Level: 1
Info: Imprint the power of a bonded beast onto the user’s body in the form of a brand.
Effect is random.
Once imprinted, the brand can never be removed.
(But if loyalty drops, the beast’s will attempts to dominate the user.)
‘Nice. I finally have everything.’
The signature skills of 1st advancement Tamers were Taming and Nest.
Everything revolved around those two.
The 2nd advancement of Beast Incarnate was similar.
Just two skills — Incarnation and Beast Brand —
but their versatility surpassed nearly every other class.
Of course, their value changed depending on what beasts you had and how well you controlled them.
But that was true for every class.
For me, it was no concern.
‘…Damn! Using abilities gained through Resonance with a body enhanced by Embodiment?’
Just imagining it made my heart race.
The effects would multiply exponentially.
Imagine it:
Using the Raging Charge with the leg power of the Red Spear’s Roar.
Replacing my eyes with the wolf brothers’ “Moon Eye” and “Sun Eye,” unleashing frost and flame.
Warriors and wizards wouldn’t stand a chance.
As the light faded, I noticed guild members staring at me.
All wide-eyed.
“What? Hyung… you weren’t even 2nd-advanced yet?”
“But you were that strong…?”
“Then how strong will you be now…?”
Nam Woojin and Jegal Sang muttered in disbelief.
Others were just as shocked.
Finding out that my previous power was all 1st advancement…
‘If they’re already shocked, what will they do later?’
Satisfied, I focused on the new strength coursing through me.
Somewhere deep inside my body —
the source of the power that would let me fully wield the beasts’ abilities.
“…”
Ju Geonryul approached with a complicated expression.
He looked shaken.
He hesitated, then finally asked:
“…You have a secret too, don’t you? Like me.”
He must have noticed something when he saw me using Extinction Body.
The form was different, but the essence was the same talent.
“It’s nothing too big. I’ll tell you after we clear the gate. This isn’t the right time.”
“…All right. Let’s do that.”
It was the moment we acknowledged that we both carried secrets.
But we also knew now wasn’t the time to dig into them.
The priority was clearing the Red Gate.
And—
‘Goberr Merlin’s proxy… that bastard.’
We had to crush his plan.
