The first thing Onyx did upon sensing his Totem's emergence was scramble to make space. He hurriedly moved all the furniture in the room to the sides and told Hatchet—who was sleeping nearby—to wake up and clear out.
The two stood together on one side of the room. Onyx sucked in a deep breath, muttered, "Well, here goes," and finally called forth his Totem beast.
Immediately, a large portion of the room was taken up by a big patch of shimmering light—a testament to how much Tusk had grown. The light shimmered for a second before condensing and materializing into a new, bestial silhouette.
The process lasted only a couple of breaths before Tusk fully emerged, landing on the floor with a heavy THUD.
At first, Onyx and Hatchet were looking down—a subconscious habit they’d developed from always having to stare down at the little grub.
But this time, once the Totem had fully materialized, the two found themselves slowly lifting their gazes upward. They had to crane their necks all the way back before their eyes met Tusk’s.
At that moment, Onyx’s eyes widened, shining with sparks of excitement and amazement. At the same time Hatchet’s eyes widened with fear and worry.
What stood before them bore no resemblance to the little grub they knew.
The first thing one would notice seeing tusk's new form was his size and build. At the end of his larval stage, Tusk had been an extremely fat, plump chunky boy , almost the size of a stone mill.
Now, Tusk was nothing short of an absolute unit—almost as big as a shed. His fat, soft body had been shed for a stout, rippling physique encased in a black carapace that shone with a slick, metallic sheen. His body looked like an impenetrable suit of armor forged from cast iron.
Unlike a typical beetle, Tusk’s body wasn’t laid flat on the floor. Instead, he was semi-anthropomorphic, standing like a gorilla with his chest and head held high, supported by his new set of limbs.
Which were far more developed than his old stubby legs, all varying in shapes and sizes.
His frontmost limbs were the most developed—the longest and thickest, twice as wide as Onyx’s whole torso. At the end of these arms, Tusk had four one-jointed, claw-like fingers, each as wide as Onyx’s waist. Each pair of fingers was set opposite the other, giving Tusk a pincer-like grip and a gauntlet-like fist.
These front limbs were attached to the top sides of his shell, not the bottom of his thorax, giving him distinct shoulders and contributing to his mammal-like posture.
His hind legs, positioned at the lowest part of his thorax just before his abdomen, were shaped similarly to mammalian hind legs. Though shorter than his front limbs, they looked especially sturdy, built to support his great weight. Like the front limbs, they ended in claw-like toes.
The last set of limbs was located in the middle of his thorax, on his chest. They looked like smaller, less-developed versions of his front arms.
A casual observer might think them useless or redundant, given their size and positioning. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. From his extensive research on fighter beetles , Onyx knew these limbs functioned as dynamic counterweights, allowing this species to shift its center of gravity and adjust its balance , allowing them to move Thier stout bodies and even swing Thier bulky fists with surprising agility and precision.
Tusk’s abdomen was proportionally smaller than a typical insect’s. His underbelly looked as steely and forged as the rest of him, while the top was completely shielded by his elytra, which hid two semi-transparent, silver-colored wings beneath them.
Above his abdomen was his thorax, the top of which was peaked by a four-inch, forked spur.
Finally, Tusk’s head—twice the size of Onyx’s own—looked like an armored helmet. It housed the typical insect mouth parts, two antennae, two dark amber compound eyes, and most strikingly, a two-meter-long horn. The horn was thick at the base, tapering to a strangely axe-shaped end, with curved edges that looked filed down and sharpened.
Tusk seemed to like his new horn the most out his new body, eyeing it with bright interest and gently swaying his head to test its heft.
Onyx, however, found it strange. " Fighter Beetle horns were typically blunt forks, not sharp axes. Was this the result of something Tusk had used ? " he wondered. Oblivious to his totem's secret act of self care, and Tusk sure wasn’t telling him any time soon .
After a thorough physical exam, Onyx found no other peculiarities. And the end he decided to accept the strange horn. " It makes my totem look unique, I guess. "
After thoroughly inspecting Tusk and congratulating him with several affectionate head pats, Onyx moved to the part he was most eager for, Tusk’s new status. Activating his Omnichip, the new data appeared:
FIGHTER BEETLE [TOTEM]
TYPE: Corpus
GROWTH LEVEL: [ 37% ]
SOUL LOAD: ---
FLUX: 45
TRAITS: [GREATER PHYSIQUE]. [STALWART SHELL]
[INBORN FIGHTER]
---
[GREATER PHYSIQUE]: This beast's physical strength and vitality are far greater than most other beasts of the same level.
[STALWART SHELL]: This beast's shell is not only very tough and durable but is also devoid of any gaps in its defense.
[INBORN FIGHTER]: This beast has a strong fighting instinct, making him naturally proficient in simple combat.
---
ABILITIES: [CORE STRENGTH] [MARTIAL SKILL]
---
[CORE STRENGTH]: This beast channels its entire core strength, accomplishing a significant physical enhancement. The degree of enhancement is proportional to its core strength.
[MARTIAL SKILL]: This beast can display all kinds of physical strength-based abilities as long as it possesses the necessary knowledge and physical capability.
---
EMPOWERMENT: [FIGHTING SPIRIT]
---
[FIGHTING SPIRIT]: The wielder possesses a powerful spirit, hard to shake or break, granting resistance against mental attacks and negative effects.
---
SPECIAL MOVES: None
Studying the status, Onyx was more than happy. His first words were, “Thank you, Miss Gabby.” Unlike [Inborn Fighter], the [Greater Physique] and [Stalwart Shell] traits weren’t standard for the species post-metamorphosis. They were clearly the result of her guidance.
Tusk had developed only one new ability, which might have been a bummer—except Onyx knew of this [Martial Skill]. He remembered hearing that it was a great ability for a Corpus-type beast to have.
Last was the new Empowerment. Typically, Fighter Beetles possessed an empowerment that granted a physical strength boost. Tusk’s [Fighting Spirit] however was a rare variant. It was ironic in way Onyx had always relied more on the strength of his spirit than his body. If this was his beast reflecting that, then it would be most poetic. As for the effects of the empowerment he couldn’t sense them yet, but they would become clear soon enough .
Brimming with pride and anticipation, Onyx wanted nothing more than to head out and test his practically new beast’s mettle. But first, he had to make a quick visit to someone .
---
A short while later, Onyx, Tusk, and Hatchet were at Miss Gabby’s place. Onyx wanted to show her the results of tusk's metamorphosis and thank her for her help in it .
“A mighty fine specimen,” Miss Gabby remarked, studying Tusk with great interest. “Forget the peak of Level 2. From what I’m seeing, your Totem should be more than capable of rising well into Level 3.”
She congratulated them both—Tusk with another one of those blue pellet treats , And onyx with a firm handshake and a kind smile.
“Now that your Totem is mature,” she asked, “what do you plan on doing?”
“What else?” Onyx replied with a smirk. “Finally begin exploring the realm and testing our metal against it.” He lifted a fist in determination.
“But of course you do,” Miss Gabby said with a giggle.
Though Onyx could make a living safely within the station, exploring the wilderness remained the more lucrative path. Besides He was still a young man brimming with the flames of youth, yearning for new experiences and challenges. He wanted to see what Yggdrasil had to offer before his best years are behind him.
Miss Gabby understood that, but out of care for the young man, she felt the need to remind him of the dangers of the realm's wilderness and that there's was no shame in living a quiet life.
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Onyx appreciated her concern but stayed adamant on his choice. This had always been his plan— and the path he must take to become a great Beast Catalyser.
Seeing his resolve, she wished him the best of luck, reminded him to stay safe, and instructed him to keep visiting from Time to time, so she could be sure of his well-being and observe Tusk’s development.
After promising he would and bidding farewell, Onyx was off. first detouring back home to grab a couple of things.
“Finally time to put this thing to use,” he muttered, procuring a certain item. Soon after, he had changed from his usual clothes into a new suit of armor.
The armor was velvet red on the torso and leggings, with patches of silvery steel scales embroidered on the chest, arms, and legs. The sleeves and cuffs were made from a dark brown elastic material. Velvet red fur decorated the collar, and a black raccoon-skin hunter’s hat with extra face flaps completed the set.
“Good thing I saved the leather from those slain beasts,” Onyx remarked while looking at himself.
The armor was commissioned from the hides of the Velvet Squirrels, Armoured Raccoons, and even the Abominable Sap Slugs he had slain defending the fields. It had been finished just before Tusk emerged. In honor of the beasts that made it, Onyx decided to name it “First of Prey.”
Sadly, Onyx lacked the fashion sense to realize that he looked like a mountain bandit wearing that thing. Anyone else would have marched back to the crafter demanding to know what they were smoking when they made this armour.
Questionable fashion aside, Onyx also procured a short alloy-steel sword and a small round shield—standard market gear. He wasn’t sure about his choice of weapon yet, but he didn’t want to venture out completely defenseless so he adopted this sword and shield until he figured out what he wants.
Finally, he grabbed a leather bag containing other necessities like a waterskin, a rope, a small knife, a flint and steel, and some medical supplies.
With all his gear, they were finally off.
---
An hour later, Onyx was making his way through the forested wilderness near Grey Wood Station, flanked by Tusk and Hatchet.
He first wanted to test Tusk’s abilities before anything else. Using his tracking skills and the Sensory Pillar, he detected a small group of five Velvet Squirrels on a tree.
“Alright, take position,” Onyx ordered. Tusk moved to the front while Hatchet stayed close. “Now, advance.”
Tusk lumbered forward, making his presence known. The squirrels tensed, hissing from their perch. When Tusk didn’t back down, they retreated into a crevice in the trunk and reemerged with their cheeks puffed, stuffed with something.
“So, velvet squirrels store ammo where they live. Smart,” Onyx remarked. But he wasn’t going to let them act first. “Attack!”
Tusk charged the tree. Seeing that The squirrels unleashed a machine-gun barrage of acorn-like projectiles in retaliation. This attack was more intense than anything Onyx had faced before, but it did nothing to deter Tusk. The projectiles simply pinged off his shell with loud dings.
Tusk galloped a few paces, cranked one massive fist back, and delivered a devastating blow to the trunk.
CRACK-BOOM!
The trunk exploded into splinters, sending the tree crashing down. The squirrels screamed as they tumbled. One was crushed; four remained, sprawled and dazed.
They tried to recover, ready to unleash a furious counterattack, but Tusk didn’t give them the chance. He followed up immediately, delivering a crushing fist to one squirrel’s skull—killing it instantly.
The others panicked, pelting him with another futile barrage. Tusk charged, killed another with a blow to its side, then grabbed the corpse and hurled it at the next squirrel. The distraction gave him enough time to close in. With a powerful, sweeping swing of his axe-like horn, he beheaded the last one.
In less than two minutes, the battle was over.
Onyx stood some distance away, mouth agape, stunned by the brutal, one-sided display. “Too strong. Too domineering.” The most damning part of it was that this was all Tusk. After the first attack on the tree, Onyx had been too stunned to give commands, yet Tusk had carried on alone, relying on sheer strength and instinct alone.
In this fight, the only thing Onyx confirmed was the potency of Tusk’s traits: the dominating strength of [Greater Physique], the impregnable defense of [Stalwart Shell], and the natural combat instinct of [Inborn Fighter].
With Hatchet, Onyx had to use every tool at his disposal and provide constant guidance and strategy to claim victory. Yet Tusk had won a similar fight relying solely on himself.
In terms of battle strength, even with a higher Growth Level, Hatchet was leagues behind.
Once the battle was over, Tusk lumbered back to Onyx with a very satisfied look—happy with his first victory. Onyx gulped, then patted his companion’s head. Tusk chittered contentedly.
Nearby, Hatchet stood in silence, legs slightly shaking. He was regretting a lot of things at that moment.
---
After that brutal first fight, Onyx decided to continue testing Tusk’s abilities on inanimate targets.
First was [Core Strength]. Finding a large boulder, Onyx instructed Tusk to strike it while activating the ability.
The effect of the ability was simple , I can allow Tusk to channel more of his body’s latent power. As he activated it, his frame seemed to bulk up with visible power. When he struck, the result was devastating—the boulder shattered into countless fragments. The force was several times greater than his normal strike. Thanks to [greater physique] tusk was already very strong but layer [core strength] on top of it , and the force of his attacks becomes nothing short of devastating, one thing onyx had to keep note of however was the ability's continuous drainage of flux and stamina while active.
Next up was [Martial Skill]. This ability was more complicated. The description stated that with it Tusk could perform any physical strength-based ability if he had the right knowledge and physical capability to do so .
Onyx knew this ability could be foundational for Corpus-type beasts.
See corpus type beast can be devided into two groups, one how relaid on weaponized physiology as Thier abilities and those who relaid on things derived from Thier physiology as Thier abilities.
Unlike beasts with weaponized physiology, those relying on pure physical strength often lacked variety. However they compensated by having single skills with immense utility, [martial skill] being one such ability, one that was uniquely known becoming more powerful the more other abilities a beast learned.
But before onyx can run wild with it the first step was off course was understanding how to use it.
“The hardest step is the always first,” Onyx muttered. “Maybe we can try copying another ability? But which one?”
Onyx suddenly remembered Tusk’s final horn-sweep against the squirrels. And how it looked similar to Hatchet’s [Cleave].
“Wait. Why don’t we try that?”
He then had Hatchet use [Cleave] repeatedly in front of them. Through their connection and the Sensory Pillar, Onyx took detailed notes on how Hatchet used Flux to strengthen specific muscles to execute the attack.
He then projected the same images and information to Tusk through their mental bond, ensuring his Totem understood the ability's mechanism.
Once ready, Onyx ordered Tusk to apply what he’d learned using [Martial Skill].
Tusk stood still for a moment, his frame coiling. Then he arched forward and swung his horn in a wide, swift arc—delivering a powerful cleave.
It worked. Since [Cleave] was a simple, strength-based ability, Tusk could replicate it perfectly.
Onyx was ecstatic. Used correctly, this ability could let Tusk use techniques without needing to catalyze them as separate skills.
He tried to replicate [Chicken Feet] next, but this attempt failed. Tusk understood the framework, but the ability required lightness and speed incompatible with his bulky build. He physically couldn’t perform it, even with [Martial Skill].
Onyx now understood the limitation: As long as Tusk knows how to do it and has the physical capacity, he can do it.
Emboldened by this discovery, Onyx spent the rest of the day familiarizing himself with Tusk’s toolkit. At the same time, he was making plans for the future.
Two weeks later, Onyx found himself inside a modest tavern within Grey Wood Station. In the last period of time, he had made great progress in training with Tusk and had acquired an adequate understanding of how his Totem’s abilities functioned.
However, that had only taken him a couple of days to accomplish. The rest of the time, Onyx had spent trying to make a living by exploring the realm, like he wanted.
Soon, however, he ran into a problem: he could only find small game.
It wasn’t that Onyx lacked strength or ability—on the opposite, he lacked knowledge.
Turns out hunting in the wilds needed more than just strength. A great deal of reconnaissance and scouting was required to locate prime hunting spots and points of interest. Without such intelligence, even with his tracking skills, Onyx could only find small woodland creatures hovering near the station.
Hunting nothing but squirrels and raccoons for a while made Onyx truly aware of how blank his knowledge about this realm truly was. He also realized that without information, he'd never find the opportunities needed to push himself or his beasts forward.
So, as of late, Onyx had been dedicating himself to a single task: intelligence gathering and networking.
Of course, premium intelligence outlets within the station were blocked for someone like him , which meant he had to rely on the old reliable word of mouth.
Onyx had never been one for going out for drinks, but he started to frequent large places of gathering like this tavern, as it was a prime fishing spot for information.
At first, Onyx tried to be sociable and approach people, but his bad communication skills—courtesy of his upbringing—combined with his rugged appearance—courtesy of his armor—made most people avoid him.
So in the end, Onyx settled for just hanging around the tavern alone and eavesdropping , stealing bits of information from other people’s conversations. He even became good at it, being able to filter noise and home in on the smallest bits of useful gossip.
Much to his own shame about doing something like that, this method had proven effective so. Onyx had learned a lot about the local Catalyser scene within the station, the geography of the region, some news about different events, and many other things he had missed out on while working at Mister Rolf’s farm.
After collecting a heap of information, Onyx filtered it down to three pieces of new that sounded like potential opportunities .
The first piece of news was about a hive of Frenzy Needle Wasps that had been discovered some distance east of the station. Frenzy Needle Wasps were a dangerous species of Poison-type beasts known to produce a special type of wax that could be pretty valuable. Many had tried to raid that nest for their wax, but all had fallen victim to the wasps’ great numbers and paralyzing stings. Only a beast with high defensive capability could have a shot at raiding the nest.
The second piece of news was that a spot brimming with Earth-Fragrance Truffles had been discovered in some area of the forest. However, this natural resource remained largely untapped because great strength and the ability to excavate was needed to harvest the truffles from underneath the ancient roots they grew underneath the ancient roots they grew under.
And finally, rumors had it that herds of Rocktooth Board had been spotted migrating through the region, promising wealth for whomever could hunt such uncommon prey.
With that information on hand, Onyx now had three clear targets he could pursue, each promising both great benefits if successful as well as new tests to gauge their limits.
After a much contemplation and preparation, Onyx launched his first hunt, targeting the Frenzy Needle Wasp nest first .
---
The Frenzy Needle Wasp nest was built on the crown of a giant tree. The entire nest was the size of a house, with many hole-like entrances from which yellow, dark copper-colored wasps the size of footballs came in and out. Many such wasps patrolled the air around the nest, sure to quickly swarm any threat that neared their it.
Onyx and Tusk stood on the periphery of the nest, just beyond the wasps’ detection.
After scouting the area for a bit, Onyx began his assault, ordering Tusk to charge at the nest while he stayed a safe distance away.
Tusk lumbered toward the massive tree, alerting the nearby wasps. No sooner did he start climbing the tree than the wasps launched a counter-offensive, swarming Tusk and bringing a hail of stings and bites upon him with frenzied intensity. Yet the wasps’ assault served only to slow him down, not stop him. Slowly but surely, he kept advancing toward the hive.
“It worked. The wasps’ attacks can’t penetrate Tusk’s shell,” Onyx remarked, his prediction of the situation being correct. Tusk’s carapace was too tough for the wasps to penetrate, but more importantly than that, thanks to [Stalwart Shell], there were also no gaps or weak points the wasps could exploit—a fact that contributed greatly to this success.
Many other Catalysers had tried to use tanky beasts to resist the attack of the wasps and raid the nest. However, all had failed because their beasts didn’t have the capless defense Tusk had. Even if they had an overall stronger defense than him, a single exposed weak point was all it would take for the wasps to paralyze you. And thanks to their great numbers, the odds of finding such weak points were high—but not against [Stalwart Shell].
The wasps angrily stung and bit into Tusk, but to no avail. The black beast was already upon the entrance of the nest. Once there, following some commands from Onyx, Tusk shook some wasps off his body, strengthened his grip on the tree trunk, and then used [Martial Skill] to deliver a powerful Cleave upon the nest.
A long fissure was formed by his attack, sending the already enraged wasps into a frenzy at seeing their home get damaged. But Tusk wasn’t done yet. He readjusted his position and stance before delivering another Cleave from a different angle.
Onyx had instructed Tusk to use Cleave to carve a block from the wasps’ nest and take the whole thing—some precious wasps’ wax was sure to be stuck to it as well.
Everything was going fine.
Onyx, who was hiding in some bushes nearby, was watching Tusk’s progress intently—until one moment, his eyes suddenly widened.
He didn’t think—only instinctively lifted his round shield to his head. Just half a second after he did, a stinger stabbed against the shield.
Onyx managed to block what was aimed directly at his head, but was slammed and pushed back by the impact, dropping to his knees in the process. He even nearly dislocated his arm blocking that attack.
Just a second before the strike, Onyx had been able to sense something enter the range of his senses—which at this time was around 30 meters. The moment that thing entered his field of detection, he clearly sensed it making a beeline straight toward him at incredible speed. Had Onyx wasted time pondering what it was, he wouldn’t have been able to defend himself.
Kneeling on one knee and holding his shield with both arms, resisting whatever was pushing against it, Onyx lifted his gaze to be met with none other than a Frenzy Needle Wasp as his attacker.
“Curses, I was discovered.”
This was obviously bad news for Onyx. He had planned on just having Tusk plunder a block of the wax before they both retreated away from the wasps’ territory. It was supposed to be a simple in-and-out operation. However, him getting involved complicated things.
The wasp was angrily buzzing at Onyx while trying to pull its stinger, which was embedded into Onyx’s shield. Noticing this, Onyx jumped to act before the beast freed itself.
He unsheathed his short sword and hacked directly at the wasp in one swift motion. The blade connected into the wasp’s neck—however, it then bounced back from the collision’s impact, sending a rattling shock through Onyx’s arms.
“The wasp’s shell is too tough. I’m not strong enough to damage it,” he grimaced. However, not giving up, Onyx did something he didn’t want to do: he called forth Hatchet.
The beast quickly materialized from a shimmer of light. Hatchet had already received his commands while in the soul sea, so the moment he emerged, he immediately launched a Cleave toward the still-stuck wasp—his attack being strong enough to damage it.
The wasp was struck to the ground, damaged but not dead. Hatchet had to follow up with two more attacks to get the job done. Once the threat had been neutralized, Onyx immediately shifted his focus back to Tusk.
Onyx wasn’t skilled enough to be able to command multiple beasts at the same time, so to control Hatchet, he had to shift his control away from Tusk, leaving the beetle to act on his own.
Luckily, nothing bad had happened while Onyx was distracted. Tusk had managed to carve the block of wax as commanded and was waiting for further instructions.
Onyx sighed in relief seeing this. However, lifting his head up, he noticed more wasps flying overhead. Now, with his presence detected—further amplified by Hatchet’s appearance—some of the wasps were beginning to shift their focus onto the new intruders.
This spelled trouble for Onyx. He and Hatchet couldn’t tank the wasps’ stings like Tusk, and should they be swarmed, they’d be dead meat.
Onyx realized this instantly and immediately broke into a quick escape—but not before instructing Tusk to grab the block of wax and catch up with them.
He was sure his beast should be able to retreat unscathed.
After a fast, dodgy run through the woods, Onyx was in the clear. And after traveling a great distance from their nest without being able to harm Tusk, the last of the wasps finally relented, allowing Tusk to get away.
They had a harvest of a single block of wax. Onyx later managed to sell it for 3,000 credits. With no injuries sustained, this raid could be classified as a success.
