" I too don't know much about it, since it is only some rumors I have heard. From what I know, sometimes, a beast can receive the favor of the world and be gifted with immense potential and wisdom. With the favor of the world, it can accomplish many miracles, reach incredible heights and break free from its mortal shackles. The more powerful blessed are even granted a name at birth.” Celia answered with a fiery light in her eyes.

“And what is a spirit? ” Leo asked calmly.

"Spirits are the child of the world. They are a kind of beings that are born from the world itself. They can be born from the elements or from the mana itself. If two spirits give birth, the child will also be a spirit. At birth, a spirit is a simple mass of energy, and the form it will take in the future will depend on its surroundings, the element that birthed him, and its grade. However, it is rare for spirits to be born in the mortal world, most of the time they will appear and stay in the spirit realm. Just like the blessed, spirits also possess high wisdom and potential, but it depends on the grade of the spirit. That's all… Ah... High-level spirits often have weird personalities and tendencies influenced by the element from which they are born, which make them difficult to deal with." Celia answered dutifully.

"Oh, it seems that you know much more about the spirit." Leo asked. 

"It is because it is possible to make contracts with spirit. Unlike the Blessed which are more of a myth, it is easier to know about spirit." Celia said

"Oh, is it that easy to become a spirit contractor?" Leo asked curiously.

"Hum, it is usually easy to contact low-level spirits. However, when it comes to high-level ones, they are very picky and it is difficult to make a contract with them." Celia said after thinking for a minute.

" Hum, I see, thank you for the information. So, you believe I am a blessed or a spirit because I can communicate with you and I have a name. Still, I could just be a beast with a good bloodline. I mean, a baby dragon can talk, right?" 

"Hum, but you look like a shadow cat to me." Celia said as she sized him up.

"And maybe I am a mutated shadow cat." 

"Well, maybe. I am not sure if you are blessed or a spirit. But you are special. Your wisdom isn't something that a mere beast would have. Also, something is telling me that there is more to you than what meets the eyes. Anyway, we are still strangers and I had no intention of peering into your secret too much. Sorry, if our behavior bothered you." Celia said as she bowed a little, allowing Leo to glance at her magnificent cleavage once again. Leo was liking her character and her cleavage more and more.

"Mewhaha, come on lady, you don't need to say too much. Me too, I don't know what I am." Leo chuckled lightly as he looked at the bowing Celia and the silent Maria.

"Hum." Celia nodded as she smiled brightly toward Leo.

"About your problem, I think I can help you a little. I like you very much and I have a beef with those orcs so I would not mind exterminating them for you. However, I do expect a payment and once I am done with the orcs don't expect me to keep babysitting you." Leo said, his face stretching in a chilling grin as he planned for his orc extermination. 

"Thank you. Thank you so much. That much is already more than enough." Celia earnestly thanked him when she heard his words. As for Maria, she ran towards him and started stroking her face against his while purring.

"Twitch...Yeah, I know that I am the best. Now back off." Leo grumbled as he pushed Maria's head away.  

"If we are done I would like to be alone for some time. Thanks." Leo said, dismissing the two sisters.

"But it's my room." Maria complained when Leo asked them to leave the room.

"Okay, you can look for us if you need anything. We won't be far." Celia said as she dragged Maria out of the room.

[Ding… You have received a mission.]

“Sigh, and here we go again. I haven’t even reviewed the rewards of the previous mission. “ Leo muttered.

“Ha-ha. It’s certainly hard to be a cat with a system in another world.”

Looking around at the now empty room, Leo couldn’t help but sigh as he thought about all he has learned in such a short time.

“Luxia, are you there?” Leo said, calling out to Luxia.

[Yes, Leo, what do you want.]

“ Hum, I guess you have heard the discussion I just had. Can you confirm everything Celia told me?”

[Yes, all she said was indeed true, even if there was some missing fragment of information. ]

“I could guess it, it seems that Celia didn’t know that much about the outside world. What kind of information are you talking about?”

[I would like to remind you that the knowledge books I have received from you also have limited information. All I know besides what she already told you is about the other continents of this world and this world power system. But if what you want is about this continent, I don’t know that much apart from its name and the general situation.]

“In other words, your knowledge pertains to all the world, some kind of general overview of how things are, and Celia only talked about the Wildlands. Ah but, that’s not only ‘some information.' It looks like I will have to content myself with what I learn from Celia, for the time being. What I want to know now is related to my evolution and how it works?”

[The evolution function is a simple one. It'll allow you to evolve into a different and stronger beast each time you are about to advance to the next rank. We have already talked about bloodline together and you know that a better bloodline means better prospects. While in your case your bloodline may not hinder your path, as you just need to level up, it’ll still affect your overall power. Thus you can not go on without a good one and the evolution system is precisely a way for you to get a better bloodline at each rank advancement. ]

[At each advancement, you’ll receive different evolution options. And those options will be determined by your current status, meaning your present species, stats assignment, skills set, element affinity, title, and achievements. Once you have chosen an evolution path, there’s a possibility that you will need to complete a specific task or have to gather certain items, and when all the evolution conditions are cleared, the evolution process can start at any time you wish. In other cases, there won’t be any conditions since you will have already cleared them, or there are just not any.]

“ Oh, so it’s not a freebie. Hehe, you are always so precise in your lecture, but there is something I’d like to ask. Can I advance rank without having evolved? ”

[No, the system name is more than evident. It’s the Ultimate beast evolution system. Unless you advance without the help of the system you won’t ever be able to advance in rank if you don’t evolve. If you don’t understand it, let me remind you that a beast evolution is an infrequent and dangerous event. Only one in a million of beasts can find an opportunity to and even then, they are not assured of success. So I don’t know why you would want to ever let go of such an opportunity.]

[Lastly, by evolving through the system, you will not lose the skills granted to you by your previous bloodline. If your new and last bloodlines are part of the same path, your current skills will be replaced by their evolved form. Also, you will be able to switch freely between your different forms. So, even if one of the skills required a special physical characteristic you can still use it.]

[Also now that we are at it let me remind you to be cautious with your first evolution choice. It’ll heavily influence your future since you’ll leave the blank state you are currently in.]

Frowning at Luxia's last words, Leo couldn’t help asking what it was about. Still, Luxia didn’t answer him. She said that her warning was enough, and she was already overstepping her boundary.  

“Argh, it sucks but I understand.” Opening the evolution tab Leo started looking through the various choices laid in front of him. There were numerous evolutionary paths for him to choose from. After taking his time to look through each of them, he was only interested in a few of them. 

[-Atlas Lion 

-Toxic swamp Tiger

-Shadow Cheetah

-Reaper cat

-Elemental cat]

[Atlas Lion: A now extinct race of big cat. They were beasts with a natural affinity with earth granting them a sturdy body with incredible vitality and defense and the high offensive power inherent of Lion.

This path grants a boost to the Constitution and Strength stats 

+30% stamina and health recovery, +30% physical defense.

You'll receive the following skills: Dominating presence, Earth shattering stomp, Intermediate health regeneration.

Bonus title: Pack Leader

Evolution conditions: CONS: 40, STR: 35, Earth affinity; 10 D rank beast core

Evolution potential: High]

[Toxic Swamp Tiger: An unconventional and deadly tiger that not only has a powerful body but also managed to add poison to its list of weapons. It is considered the apex predator in swamp areas.

This path grants a boost to the STR and INT stats.  

+30% mana recovery, +20% Poison damage, +15% Physical damage resistance, -20% Fire resistance.

You receive the following skills: Swamp Hunter, Poison bite, Toxic Claws.

Bonus title: Poison eater

Evolution conditions: INT: 50, STR: 30, Poison affinity; Soak in poison for half a day.

Evolution potential: High]

[Shadow Cheetah: Master of stealth and speed, the shadow Cheetah is a deadly shadow dweller that never misses its prey.

This path grants a boost to the AGI and STR stats and all concealment skills. 

+30% mana recovery, +20% Movement speed, -20% Light resistance. 

You receive the following skills: Shadow stealth, Conceal, Fatal Strike.

Evolution conditions: STR: 25, AGI: 45, Kill 15 beasts with 3 attacks or less.

Evolution potential: Intermediate]

[Reaper Cat: The direct evolved form of a Shadow Cat. They are efficient hunters proficient in sneak attacks and quick fights.

This path grants a boost to the AGI and STR stats and all concealment skills. 

+30% mana recovery, +25% attack speed, -30% Light resistance. 

You receive the following skills: Conceal, Shadow veil, Instant strike.

Bonus Title: Stalker

Evolution conditions: AGI: 50, Instantly kill 30 E rank beasts.

Evolution potential: High]

[Elemental Cat: A special and now extinct half-spirit species rumored to be the pets of the Elemental Goddess. Thanks to their spirit blood, they have a good affinity with the four basic elements and most can use more than one element. Their mastery of multiple elements grants them a high level of versatility and impressive attack power. 

This path grants a boost to the INT and SPI stats, and the mastery of the four basic elements. 

+50% mana recovery, +30% elemental damage, -15% Physical damage resistance, +35% elemental damage resistance

You receive the following skills: Elemental armament, Basic elemental manipulation, Elemental strengthening

Bonus Title: Child of Element.

Evolution conditions: INT: 50, SPI: 35, LUK: 5, Three elemental affinities,  5 rank D beast core

Evolution potential: High]

Looking through those descriptions he couldn't help but ask himself what evolution was the best to choose. Each one of those beasts he could evolve in has its obvious strength and weakness, making it impossible for him to just choose one without carefully considering each of them. After asking some question, like the meaning of the stats boost and the various percentage bonus, to Luxia, Leo was able to get a better understanding of each evolution choice 

The Atlas Lion was a beast that offered a good level of survivability thanks to its impressive defensive power and high attack. But it has an obvious weakness and it is its lack of mobility. It is the kind of beast that is good at taking a beating, and when it hits you it is game over, but it'll have a hard time landing that one hit. If it ever meets a beast focused on speed it would have a high time dealing with it. And frankly, he wasn’t masochistic enough to take the road of the meat shield. However, it was the best choice if he wanted to preserve his life.

The Toxic Swamp Tiger was one of his top choices. It has an impressive attack power thanks to its mastery over poison that was added to its naturally strong body. At the same time, it didn't have an edge when it came to speed or physical defense, plus its weakness to fire is a troublesome thing. Imagine how diminished he'd be if he had to face a fire user or fight in a hot environment. Having such an obvious weakness was never a good thing. Lastly, it was a beast whose abilities are more powerful when it is in the swamp, and he was far from being in a swamp right now.  

Continuing with the Shadow Cheetah and Reaper Cat they both are the kind of beast that specialize in assassinations. One hit, one kill. Clean and efficient. They have a low level of stamina but compensate for it with an impressive speed, attack power, and high-level concealment skills allowing them to easily take their target by surprise and kill them in a quick breath or instantly. They both have a high level of shadow mastery giving them their concealment ability. But they still have an obvious weakness and that is if they ever miss the first strike they could be put in a disadvantageous position. Well, that is the way Leo fought since coming into this world but he wasn't sure how far it could bring him. While it worked well for him till now, he knew that he didn't have the experience needed to be a good assassin. Assassination was not just about hiding and having a good speed. While he could learn, he didn't have the time as right now he needed a strength he could use to the fullest. And the weakness to light was not the best too. However, it was a good choice, since as long as he could avoid head-on confrontation, he would always have the advantage.

Lastly the Elemental Cat, a beast that has a good affinity with the four basic elements and could potentially use all of them. They also have an impressive skill set,  growth potential, and impressive firepower. Plus their multiple elemental mastery gives them the ability to develop countless fighting styles suitable for various situations. The elemental cat's only weakness is the lack of focus on its physical capabilities. While it compensates for its weak physic with its impressive magic capacity, it is still true that in the beast world, those with a strong body tend to last longer.

Looking at the five choices once again Leo couldn't help but sigh. They all have a domain of focus and obvious weakness. Their weakness didn't worry him too much as he knew that with the system's help he could cover them. But it would be better if he didn't have too much weakness to correct. He couldn't help but regret not being able to read their skills descriptions as he would have a better understanding of them but he didn't have a choice and will have to make do with it.  

'The tank, the melee fighter, the assassin, or the mage?' Leo pondered silently. Once he made his choice there is no going back.