《I Can Contract Beauties》


 Chapter 1: The Transmigration

    <h4>Chapter 1: The Transmigration</h4>


    In a dpidated corner of one of the Red Family''s many servant quarters, a young man snapped open his eyes and abruptly sat up from his bed.


    His hazy eyes transformed into ones of rity as bits and pieces of unfamiliar information rushed through his brain in a rapid manner.


    A minute passed in the blink of an eye, and the eyes turned clear as hints of understanding and eptance shed through them.


    A grin appeared on his face as he muttered, ''You wouldn''t expect this, would you, my dear disciple? "


    "Reincarnation and transmigration have always been one of the many mysterious phenomena across the universe. Haha, I did not expect that I would experience this universal wonder myself." A boisterousugh soon resounded in every corner of the room.


    Hatred shed in his eyes as he recalled the betrayal he had experienced moments before his death.


    The grin of his beloved disciple, the Harem Emperor, and his harem surfaced in his mind when they took the glistening book that he painstakingly created through various trials and errors and thousands of years of umtion of knowledge.


    Theughter soon stopped as the young man¡ªMiguel¡ªbegan to examine himself.


    "That being said, this child is also quite pitiful in his own regard," hemented, recalling the information that he got the moment he transmigrated into this world.


    This Miguel was an orphan found in the forest by Sara, one of the servants in the Red Family.


    After reporting this to the Red Family that they were in, the Red Family originally wanted her to throw the infant away, as they believed that taking care of an infant that wasn''t part of their lineage had no worth. However, instead of throwing the infant away, Sara took responsibility and adopted the infant, Miguel, without hesitation. Since then, she has taken care of Miguel as if he were her own son.


    As Miguel grew, more and more people noticed his peculiar actions.


    He always acts like a child and will often stare at the distance andugh like a fool. It was as if he were someone who had a screw loose in the head and was always in a trance. A mentally ill person. Due to this, he was often bullied by the Red Family youngsters.


    Being a servant, Sara could onlyfort the fool, Miguel, with a heavy heart.


    Miguel also doesn''t fight back or even cry from the bullying. He would onlyugh the bully off as well as the beatings that he received, consolidating the moniker given to him by the others even more: The Fool.


    It was also for this reason that Sara would feel even more heartache for her child.


    From those memories, Sara would silently cry as she nursed the bruised Miguel every night.


    Of course, being a ''fool'', Miguel could not sympathize with the feelings of Sara and would onlyugh as Sara tended to his injuries.


    This process would repeat itself time and time again until yesterday.


    Yesterday, Miguel was suddenly struck with a severe fever.


    Sara believed that this was due to the umtion of injuries that he received from the bullies, but having received the memories of this world''s Miguel, the old and experienced Miguel from another world naturally knew of the real reason for his high fever.


    The fool Miguel was poisoned.


    And with that being said, the fool Miguel finally left the world earlier today, allowing the old Miguel to possess this body at the most opportune time.


    Miguel shook his head and stood up from the bed.


    Transmigration was such a marvelous thing. The potent poison that killed the fool was nowhere to be found as his body went back to its tip-top shape. No sign of being poisoned could be seen as Miguel took a look at the person in the mirror.


    It was a thin young man with a handsome appearance. He has jet ck hair, brows, eyes, and striking facial features. His nose was defined, and his cheek bones, which were almost chiseled to perfection, were outlined due to his sickly thin cheeks.


    Even the old Miguel from another world could not help but marvel at the appearance of the fool, Miguel. He was a handsome man himself from his previous life, but nowhere near as handsome as the person in front of him when he was still a mortal.


    With that being said, this same face was also what caused the trouble and bullying. Jealous of his handsome looks, the other servant children and even the young masters of the Red Family would look at him unfavorably, resorting to violence if their envy reached its peak.


    Miguel observed his current body and could only shake his head at how weak it was.


    Miguel was not worried, though.


    In his previous life, he had studied and umted a lot of knowledge.


    He created a lot of skills and powerful techniques that others would use as family heirlooms due to how profound they were.


    It was also because of this that he was betrayed by his beloved disciple, who called himself the Harem Emperor¡ªthe child he once adopted and raised since young. The child whom he taught martial arts and cultivation and the child whom he least expected would betray him.


    He recently uncovered a secret of the universe and made a cultivation technique with it as a foundation.


    Trusting his disciple a lot, he told him of this discovery and information regarding it.


    In the end, his disciple and his harem betrayed him for the cultivation method that he had just finished, catching him off guard.


    Miguel was a powerful cultivator himself. If not for the fact that he trusted his disciple a lot and the fact that he was ganged up by him and his hundreds of his harem members, it would still be a question who would fall at that time.


    Unfortunately, he still failed to defend in the end. He died and was fortunate enough to transmigrate to this world.


    A grin was on his face as he clenched his bony fist in front of the mirror.


    "My dear disciple, just wait for Daddy toe back, alright?" He muttered as he looked at himself in the mirror.


    As he said that, a bang was suddenly heard behind him.

 Chapter 2: Origin Energy

    <h4>Chapter 2: Origin Energy</h4>


    Miguel turned around calmly and saw a woman looking at him with wide eyes.


    She had ck, messy hair. She has mature beauty and a curvaceous body. She was wearing ragged clothes, and she was full of sweat as tears slowly formed at the corners of her eyes.


    She ran towards Miguel and held his hands right away upon arriving.


    "Miggy, are you alright now?" Her sweet and worried voice resounded in Miguel''s ears.


    She observed Miguel from head to toe and even put her palm over his forehead and neck as if searching to see if there was anything wrong with him.


    "I rushed to the main house for this medicine, but it looks like we don''t need it anymore," she stated with a deep sigh. Her voice carried with it a hint of relief.


    "Miggy,e back to bed first and recuperate properly. You just recovered from the fever. Wait for me here; I''ll serve some hot soup for you."


    Her words continued to flow out of her mouth. There was no time for Miguel to reply, or rather, she didn''t wait for his reply as she had never heard him converse with anyone else before.


    She led Miguel to the bed as she went out of the room to fetch the soup that she was talking about.


    Meanwhile, Miguel sat on the bed with a wondering expression.


    "Sara," he muttered under his breath as he observed her departing figure.


    She was the woman who has taken care of the fool Miguel since he was an infant. The woman who did not abandon him even after knowing his condition.


    "A good child and a good mother." Miguel nodded his head in approval of Sara''s character.


    The only two good things that the fool Miguel has. His handsome face and his mother, Sara.


    Now, he lost them both, and perhaps even after his death, he was still oblivious to what was happening around him. Miguel knew of this, as he has the memory of the fool Miguel.


    There was no thought process in the memory at all, and it seemed as if he was observing a recorded show rather than a memory inheritance or fusion. It did not affect him even the slightest; just a hint of sympathy arose within him.


    Miguel shook his head at how pitiful this child was.


    Anyway, since this was now his body, he decided to make full use of it.


    With his countless years of experience from his previous life, acting as a fool was not that hard. However, Miguel doesn''t n to do that. He needs to increase his strength as soon as possible, and acting like a fool would not do it.


    Fortunately, the secret and knowledge he recently uncovered were things that would be of great help to his current self. In fact, with the knowledge inside his head, no matter the world he was transmigrated to, he was confident in reaching the peak once more. This was even more so with the knowledge he recently uncovered before his death.


    ording to the memory of Miguel, this world has a different form of power systempared to the cultivation world that he was in.


    The people of this world don''t cultivate Qi, or Cultivation Energy, but instead, they rear and tame beasts and use them to fight.


    He doesn''t know the specifics yet, but he knows that in this world, the people could summon a mysterious book they called a grimoire and store the beasts they tamed in there.


    Although Miguel was curious about this power system, he was actually not eager to obtain or practice it. The best way was still to strengthen himself and not rely on others'' strength.


    Just like the Magus and the Mage Worlds, the Immortal Cultivation World that he was previously part of was a high-level world that had aplete and higher system of powers. Miguel had naturally visited those worlds and many others in his previous life. This was also one of the reasons why he epted his situation calmly and was not confused by the different power systems that this world has.


    Each has their own merits and demerits, but if he had a choice, Miguel would naturally choose to be a cultivator once more. Not only was he familiar with it, he also knew that cultivators were well-rounded creatures that strengthened both the soul and the body at the same time.


    Miguel sat on the bed as he pondered his next course of action.


    At this moment, he was still very weak. The person who poisoned him might return and try to kill him once more once they learn that their previous attempt resulted in a failure.


    The cultivation technique that hepleted right before the betrayal and his death surfaced in his mind as he nned to begin cultivating right away.


    The cultivation technique has not been named yet. Its functions only consist of the first part, as Miguel decided to stop once he realized that this cultivation technique would not be of use for his level at that time.


    It was because, in order to cultivate this technique, one must not possess any kind of energy introduced by the world inside their body yet. This means that one must not have cultivated or practiced any kind of power system yet. This was because this cultivation technique actually uses another form of energy more potent than the Spiritual Energy of the cultivators or the Mana Energy of the mages.


    ''My disciple, you betrayed me for an iplete cultivation technique that you could not and would not be able to use. You''ll only be able to use this technique if you haven''t cultivated yet. Will you shatter your cultivation for it? I know you won''t.''


    ''I wonder what kind of face you were making the moment you realized that it''s actually worthless. Haha, did you cry in your harem''sp again this time? '' Miguel mused inwardly as he thought of his foolish disciple.


    The energy that he was talking about was what he called the Origin Energy.


    This energy was what he discovered after countless trials and errors. Upon the discovery of this energy, he theorized that this might be the catalyst for him to break through to the next realm of cultivation.


    He and his disciple were stuck in the same realm for thousands of years. The reason for his betrayal was probably his eagerness to reach the next realm first.


    Unfortunately, this eagerness was also what caused him to lose his master and the opportunity to reach the next level. After all, he only reached his current realm with Miguel''s full help.


    Anyway, Miguel believed and confirmed that this Origin Energy was actually present everywhere and anywhere in the universe. He believed it was the origin of all energies, including the Spiritual Energy and the Mana Energy.


    He believed that Spiritual Energy and the other forms of energy used in different power systems were just broken forms of the Origin Energy.


    Origin Energy was the purest form of energy. Untainted and pure, it was even more holy than the Holy Energy of the Angel Race.


    As his thoughts wandered, Miguel began to circte and tried to sense the energy around him.


    In fact, his goal in trying to cultivate was actually to confirm something.


    If the theory and knowledge from his previous life were effective and he was able to sense the energy of this world using the cultivation technique he created, this means that he was still in the same universe as his previous life.


    If not, then he must have been transmigrated into another universe with a different set of rules andws that were notpatible with what he learned from his previous life. If that were the case, it would be unfortunate, as his advantage would be drastically reduced.


    Miguel''s brows contorted into a frown. He concentrated and meditated, trying to sense the energy present in this world.


    Seconds turned into minutes, with the energy nowhere to be found.


    ''Could it be that I am truly in a different universe or ne?'' He frowned and was about to continue his meditation when he heard amotion outside of his room.


    The sound of things being thrown and getting smashed to the ground resounded as a woman''s cry was heard over the door.


    Miguel opened his eyes and walked towards the door with a frown, nning to check what was going on outside.


    The moment he opened the door, a sight that made his blood boil in anger entered his vision.


    "STOP!!"

 Chapter 3: Awakening

    <h4>Chapter 3: Awakening</h4>


    "STOP!!"


    Miguel''s frantic shout echoed in the room. However, it was already toote.


    PAK!


    A resounding p echoed right after his shout.


    Sara fell weakly to the ground. A red handprint was present on her face. A look of resentment shed across her face as tears slowly fell from her eyes while she stared at the man in front of her.


    The man has a well-built body. His finger was pointing right in front of Sara''s face as he yelled, "Bitch, I told you to prepare dinner for me quickly. What do you mean you will make a soup first? Is soup a proper food for dinner?"


    As he said that, his gaze soon hovered over to Miguel.


    A hint of surprise surfaced on his face as he looked at Sara once again.


    A boisterousugh escaped his mouth as he bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Right! Right! Haha, I get it now! So, you nned to make soup for your foolish bastard son first?"


    "Is that it? Instead of taking care of your husband first, you nned to take care of your bastard son? Hmmp! What a whore!"


    He harrumphed and was about to p her once again when he suddenly felt shivers down his spine.


    His movements stopped in midair as he looked around him in confusion. The sudden shiver was something he had not experienced before. He was unable to understand it and was unable to tell what caused such a thing to happen.


    He looked over and saw Miguel staring at him with fierce eyes. He got startled, as this was the first time that the fool Miguel had looked at him that way.


    Confusion filled his eyes upon seeing him.


    Rage boiled up inside him, and he was already prepared to give the fool a beating like he would always do; however, as if recalling something, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.


    He looked at Miguel and then at Sara alternatively before he left with a cold harrumph, smashing the door in the process.


    Miguel stared at the departing figure with clear hostility in his eyes. If not for the fact that he was still very weak right now, he would have killed the guy right there and then without hesitation.


    However, Miguel acted with reason and held himself back. There was a time and opportunity for everything. He must stay patient for now.


    That man earlier was the husband of Sara, Jonas. ording to the memory he got, the two of them have been together for almost 20 years.


    However, from the memory, Miguel never saw a moment where the two of them would get along.


    Every time Jonas came home, he would always yell at Sara and me her for being a whore. This was because, up until now, Jonas still believed that Miguel was Sara''s real son from another man.


    Sara had already exined it countless times, but Jonas turned a deaf ear to her exnations and continued to me her for sins she didn''tmit. Every time he did so, Jonas would always beat her up, and if not her, then Jonas would transfer his rage towards the fool Miguel.


    ''Foolish! ''Miguelmented as he made his way to the crying Sara.


    A loving and good mother, but was med wrongly as a wife. This woman also had her own story to tell.


    She hadpletely given up exining everything to Jonas a long time ago.


    Miguel didn''t know why she was still holding on. He didn''t know how long she would hold on. In fact, Miguel wanted her to let go already. Their rtionship, which had already gone south long ago, has only provided a toxic situation for Sara. He knew that she didn''t deserve such treatment. Even more so for the man who hasn''t given herfort since the start of their rtionship.


    As he neared Sara, he noticed that thetter had already started to wipe the tears from her eyes. As if afraid that Miguel would see her current appearance, she smiled forcefully and said, "Miggy, good timing. The soup is almost ready;e sit at the table and I''ll serve you some."


    Not waiting for Miguel to reply, she walked towards the kitchen to prepare the soup she had made.


    "Are you alright?"


    Miguel''s voice rang in her ears.


    She stopped on her tracks, turned around, and looked at Miguel with her mouth wide open in awe.


    "Miggy... you can talk properly now?" Her voice started to crack as she walked to Miguel''s side in a hurry.


    This was the first time she heard him speak aplete sentence with the past having only been one or two words and then a foolishugh.


    This was also the first time that she heard him trying to talk to another person. Most of the time, when he spoke one or two words, they were always directed to nobody, and he would speak randomly most of the time.


    Sara did not even bother answering his question. She cared much more about Miguel''s ability to speak fluently than her current suffering.


    Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes once more. This time, it was no longer tears of pain but tears of joy.


    Miguel nodded his head, answering her question.


    Seeing that he even responded, Sara burst out into tears even more. No words could exin how happy she was at this moment. The previous resentment she felt towards her husband was wiped off like dirt.


    "Ohh Miggy..."


    She hugged him tightly as tears continued to burst out of her eyes.


    The joy in her heart could not be hidden; even the old and wizened Miguel could not help but hug her back, reciprocating her overflowing emotions.


    He was swept away by the emotion of this mother, who was thousands of years younger than him.


    Even so, Miguel did not hold back as he reciprocated her hug.


    Her worries and resentment were wiped away as the son she had raised since childhood finally hugged her back.


    Sometimes, all one needs was a hug to wipe away the pain and sorrows that one was feeling.


    Old and young, no matter the gender, emotions were ever-present for everyone.


    As the two were hugging each other tightly, an excruciating pain suddenly assaulted Miguel''s mind.


    ARGGHH!


    A grunt was released as he immediately held his aching head.


    "Miggy, are you alright?" Sara''s worried voice entered his ears.


    However, all of Miguel''s attention was already ced on the sudden pain in his head, and he has no time to answer her worries.


    The pain intensified, and right when it reacheditse peak, the pain disappeared as if it did not exist in the first ce.


    Miguel''s confusion did notst long as a burst of light shed in front of him and Sara.


    The next moment, a mysterious ck book floated in front of him and Sara elegantly.


    Seeing the book, Sara''s mouth opened widely as a hint of surprise and awe shed across her face.


    "This... this..."


    "Miggy, you awakened!"

 Chapter 4: The Grimoire

    <h4>Chapter 4: The Grimoire</h4>


    Sara''s sweet and excited voice rang in Miguel''s ears.


    At this moment, even Miguel himself was surprised at the event that had suddenly unfolded.


    A sh of understanding ran through his brain as he immediatelyprehended what exactly happened.


    The power system of this world involves grimoires and beasts, and it seemed that he awakened to be one of them.


    This was an unexpected surprise for Miguel.


    With how useless and brain-dead Miguel of this world was, he truly did not expect that he would awaken to be what they called summoners in this world.


    Memories and a basic understanding of the grimoire and how to use it shed inside his mind rapidly.


    From his minute understanding, the power system of this world seems vastly differentpared to the summoning worlds he visited in his previous life. This was the first time that he heard of summoners that could tame, store, and summon their contracted beasts through the grimoire that they awakened.


    The grimoire acted as the gateway for the summon and the summoner. It could initiate a contract signing for the beast, and if they agreed, they would be stored inside the grimoire that can be summoned anytime to fight for the summoner.


    The information provided was immediatelyprehended by Miguel in no time.


    He looked at the floating grimoire in front of him and observed it carefully.


    The grimoire did not look anything amazing. It was jet ck and didn''t have any kind of marking on its cover.


    With a thought, the grimoire opened itself in mid-air. The pages flipped on their own, and Miguel realized that this grimoire had ten pages in total. ording to what he knew, each page can contain a single beast, with nine avable pages for him to use for his beasts.


    He flipped back to the first page and saw his own information written on it.


    At the top was his own portrait. He looked even more handsome in the picturepared to the face he saw in the mirror earlier. Miguel observed carefully and could not help but notice a silhouette of a man hovering behind him in the portrait. Miguel felt stifled upon seeing this, but he calmed himself and proceeded to look at the next information below the portrait.


    Right below his portrait was his name and then his age, which showed that he was already 18 years old. Below it, his level was written, with it being nk for now.


    He still did not understand the clear power system of this world, so he ignored his nk level for now.


    His gaze hovered below it, and there he saw his Innate Skill that anyone would automatically receive the moment they awakened a grimoire. Other than a few people who have the same Innate Skill, most people''s Innate Skill were actually different. Of course, not all could awaken an Innate Skill.


    Miguel''s eyes constricted the moment he saw his Innate Skill. The image of the skill was the same as in his portrait above. However, instead of his face being prominent like in the above version, the silhouette behind it seemed to havee to life. Its eyes glowed in resplendent light to the point that Miguel''s face in the portrait was already covered by them. It seemed as if the silhouette wanted to overshadow the person in front of it, or perhaps it already did.


    Right below it were the description and the name of the Innate Skill.


    Innate Skill: The Boundless Sage of Knowledge


    Description/Effects: You have knowledge that surpasses that of everyone else gained from thousands of years of umtion; no one canpete with you in terms of knowledge and learning ethics. No one can see through you, but you can easily see through everyone else. With your vast knowledge, you can create any skill and technique that you want. Your Innate Skill could no longer be upgraded at the moment. Increase your intuition by arge margin.


    This was yet another surprise for Miguel. His emotions were in turmoil, but he epted everything and calmed them the next second.


    This was because the term ''Boundless Sage of Knowledge'' was his moniker from his previous life. Unlike his disciple, who gave himself the moniker ''Harem Emperor'', the moniker ''Boundless Sage of Knowledge'' was given to him by the masses from his previous life.


    This was a huge surprise, as he did not expect that he would hear this moniker again in this life.


    On the other hand, this also confirmed something for Miguel.


    From his understanding, Origin Energy had existed since the beginning of time. The world, or the''s, will absorb this Origin Energy and break it down into another form before sending it down for its inhabitants to use through various power systems.


    With that being said, Miguel theorized that the world or thes were actually conscious. It was they who urged their inhabitants to be stronger through the energy that they introduced.


    The Cultivation in the Immortal Cultivation World, the Spells in the Mage World, the Bloodlines in the Magus World, or the Grimoire Summoning of this world¡ªeach of them were power systems introduced by their own world to strengthen their inhabitants.


    And with his title from his previous life being mentioned by the world through his grimoire, Miguel had basically confirmed a lot of things.


    First, the consciousness of this world was aware of his previous identity. Second, he could basically confirm that he was still within the same universe that he had previously lived in. Last, his transmigration might not be a natural phenomenon but was instead instigated by someone else.


    ''Am I being used? Haha, interesting,'' the Boundless Sage of Knowledge Miguelmented with an unyielding grin under his breath.


    But knowing that he would not receive any answers about that for now, he decided to ignore it and decided to focus on the present situation.


    Flipping through the next page, a frown appeared on Miguel''s face.


    ording to the information given to him by the grimoire, the second page should have contained his first beast. An Innate Beast that was eternally connected to the summoner. A beast that would not die as long as the owner did not.


    Unlike an Innate Skill, every Grimoire owner should have their own Innate Beast. However, for some reason, his second page was actually nk, like the other pages that followed behind it.


    Miguel frowned but was not worried too much about it. He could just contract a beast on his own, and he was confident that it would not lose too muchpared to the Innate Beasts of others. The description in his Innate Skill was not a lie.


    "Miggy, you''re amazing." Sara''s excitement still had not died down. Her eyes shone in awe as she saw the pages flipping on their own in mid-air.


    She sighed in relief as he held Miguel''s arm. "Tomorrow, let''s go to the main house and report to the branch head. They will help you teach the ways of being a summoner. I''m only a servant and don''t know much. I hope that Miggy can shine and be a powerful summoner someday."


    "Of course," Miguel nodded his head confidently upon Sara''s future dream for him.


    "Right, Miggy, can you show me what kind of Innate Skill and Innate Beast you have? I heard that these would affect one''s achievement in the future," she said with a hint of anticipation on her face.


    Miguel paused for a moment before he showed Sara the first page. A smile appeared on his face as he heard her next words.


    "Miggy, it''s alright if you don''t have an Innate Skill. As long as your Innate Beast is strong, you can still be someone great in the future."


    However, her exmation was heard at the next moment.


    "What!? You don''t have an Innate Beast as well?"

 Chapter 5: Sara’s Worries

    <h4>Chapter 5: Sara''s Worries</h4>


    A look of bewilderment and worry surfaced on Sara''s face. As a servant, she naturally heard some information regarding summoners.


    She knew that their Innate Skill and Innate Beast would determine their future achievements and how strong they would be in the future.


    And for Miguel to have nothing between the two, could this mean that her son has no future as a Summoner at all?


    She began to overthink, and worry surfaced on her face. She looked at Miguel and stated with a sweet voice, "Miggy, it''s alright to be a normal person. Let''s just forget about you being a summoner, okay?"


    "I''m afraid that you''ll be in danger if you still be a summoner without an Innate Skill and Innate Beast. I''m already happy and proud that you''ve returned to normal."


    Hearing her worried voice, a smile could only escape from Miguel''s lips.


    "Don''t worry about it, mom. I know what to do; just support me in the back, alright?" Miguel reassured her with a smile.


    Ever since he was young, Sara would always tell the fool Miguel his real origin and how he was not her son. However, she would also express that, if possible, she wanted to hear Miguel call her ''mom'' or ''mother'' one day.


    Hearing it personally now, tears welled up in her eyes once more.


    "Okay, I believe you, Miggy," she said, wiping away the tears that were dwelling in her eyes.


    She patted her ragged clothes and told Miguel to sit and wait for the soup that she would serve.


    Miguelplied as he looked at her back with a smile.


    ''How emotional. Perhaps this is what a real mother is,'' hemented under his breath as he began to close the grimoire.


    And as for the reason why Sara was not able to see that he has an Innate Skill, this was because he decided to hide it from her view.


    His Innate Skill''s ability allowed him to hide any information in his Grimoire. His Innate Skill''s description was very confidential and contained his secrets. No one shall see it other than himself.


    With a thought, the grimoire book disappeared from his line of sight. This was an ability that all grimoire summoners would be able to utilize. They can summon and unsummon their Grimoire book at will, as long as they have the Grimoire Summoning Energy for it.


    Regarding the Grimoire Summoning Energ, Miguel was actually a little bit worried about it. It was because the cultivation technique that he created from his previous life has a strict requirement. One must not have an ounce of ''world-introduced'' energy inside them before they can cultivate it.


    And for him to be able to summon the Grimoire, this only meant that he now has Grimoire Summoning Energy on him, right?


    He nned to confirm thister. For now, he will concentrate on eating first.


    After a while, Sara finally served a bowl full of hot soup in front of him.


    It had been a while since Miguel had tasted mortal food, and he looked forward to it as he began to scoop a spoonful of the soup from the bowl.


    ''Well, it''s not the best, but it will do,'' hemented deep inside as the soup traveled down his throat.


    After he finished a bowl, Sara offered more, but Miguel declined it.


    "Rest early, Miggy; I''ll apany you to the main house tomorrow," she said with a smile as she began walking back to the small kitchen a few steps away.


    Seeing that, Miguel got curious about what she was doing.


    "I''m preparing food for Jonas," she replied without looking back.


    "Why?"


    "What do you mean, why? Of course it''s because he will be hungry when hees hometer," she replied.


    "Why are you still enduring his treatment towards you? With the treatment he''s been giving you, isn''t it better to just leave him for good?" Miguel asked curiously.


    Sara paused for a moment before shaking her head.


    "We made a vow back then," she replied simply.


    "Do you love him?" he asked.


    Sara paused before turning around. She came in front of Miguel, held his hand, and said with a smile, "My Miggy has truly grown up; you even know about ''love'' now."


    She sighed and continued, "In truth, I don''t know. Perhaps I still love him; perhaps I don''t. It''s veryplicated."


    "Jonas was originally not like this to me. He only became this way after he learned that I have been taking care of a newborn child after he returned from a long journey. He believed that you are my child from a different man, and he has been rough with his treatment towards me since then."


    "I could not me him, though. His reaction is very normal."


    ''No, it''s not,'' Miguel thought.


    At first, it might have been. However, his treatment towards Sara only worsened after she exined and provided evidence that Miguel was an infant she found in the forest.


    "Well, I have already gotten used to the treatment. I stopped caring a long time ago. However, despite that, I still can''t bear to leave him behind. Don''t worry about me, alright? Miggy, you''re still young, so you won''t understand this for now. Just go to your room and rest well for tomorrow, alright?" she said with a reassuring smile as she ruffled Miguel''s hair.


    "I see," Miguel replied simply.


    ''It must be her guilt that stopped her from leaving that terrible man,'' he thought as he walked back towards his small room.


    If that was the case, then she should not be affected too much by what he was about to do next.


    Miguel closed the door to his room as he sat at the top of his bed. He has no ns on sleeping yet, as he had to confirm something first.


    He closed his eyes and began to meditate. The cultivation technique he created shed inside his mind as he began to sense the energy in his surroundings, just like he did earlier.


    However, there was a different reaction this time.


    He was not able to sense this world''s energy earlier, but now Miguel found it almost in an instant the moment he entered a deep meditation.


    What surprised him, though, was that instead of the energy being present around him, the unique energy he sensed was actually inside of him.


    No, to be more precise, it was inside the grimoire that was mysteriously floating inside his body.

 Chapter 6: Laws Of The World

    <h4>Chapter 6: Laws Of The World</h4>


    With his eyes closed, Miguel was in deep meditation.


    This was a method that cultivators always used when cultivating, gathering Spiritual Energy and circting it in various acupoints that will eventually be stored inside the Dantian after some process.


    Miguel had already taken such action countless times. Entering deep meditation to sense the unique energy was already as easy as breathing for him.


    The moment he entered the deep meditative state, Miguel instantly sensed the unique energy of this world.


    In cultivation, one would be able to sense the unique energy in the surroundings¡ªthe Spiritual energy¡ªbefore they absorb and refine it.


    However, unlike in the cultivation world, the unique energy that Miguel sensed was actually inside the grimoire that was inside his body.


    The grimoire was floating mysteriously inside his body. ording to the information provided by the grimoire, it was now in a dormant state. The grimoire was situated around his chest. A bluish energy circted around the grimoire. Miguel thought that this should be the unique energy of this world, the Grimoire Summoning Energy.


    Thinking of the strict requirements of the cultivation technique he created and the Grimoire Summoning Energy that was already inside him, Miguel began to be worried.


    ''Am I truly not destined to cultivate the very own cultivation technique that I created? Previously, it was because I already had high cultivation. Now, I don''t have a cultivation, yet I still somehow awakened and allowed this Grimoire Summoning Energy to enter my body.''


    Miguel was speechless at the thought of being unable to cultivate his own technique.


    This technique was originally created in order for him to have a chance at breaking through to the next level of his previous life. However, not only was it technically the cause of his death, he could not even use it now in this second life.


    What a waste!


    As Miguel observed the grimoire and the swirling bluish energy, he suddenly saw something unexpected.


    ''Wait, that''s not right. This Grimoire Summoning Energy is only revolving around the Grimoire, and it has not technically entered my body yet,'' he eximed as he immediately started practicing the cultivation technique once again.


    However, he was soon met with another problem.


    He realized that he still could not cultivate at all. It was not because his previous idea was wrong. He could tell that he would seed this time; unfortunately, the cultivation technique was created on the idea of the unique energy being absorbed by the user.


    At this moment, the bluish Grimoire Summoning Energy was technically inside him; however, he realized that he could not control it.


    ''It feels like something is blocking me from controlling it...'' he thought.


    The cultivation technique he created was very profound and powerful. He had actually taken into consideration the different unique energies present in different worlds to create it.


    The idea was to refine any kind of unique energy present in each world and transform it back into the more powerful Origin Energy.


    Hence, it was very surprising for him that he could not control this bluish energy at all.


    ''Is it because of thews of this world? '' He thought.


    ording to the information provided by the grimoire when he awakened, the people of this world could grow stronger through winning battles.


    They could gain experience points if they won a battle against their enemies, and if the experience points reached a certain amount, the grimoire would then provide the necessary energy needed to strengthen the user or their contracted beast.


    It was a very straightforward way to get stronger.


    Thinking of that, Miguel began to worry about not being able to see any technique that could control the Grimoire Summoning Energy of this world.


    He could use them as references in order to improve the cultivation technique he created so that he would be able to control the grimoire summoning energy through it as well.


    In truth, with enough time, he should still be able to improve the cultivation technique and amodate the Grimoire Summoning Energy. However, if he has techniques from this world that he could refer to, improvising the profound cultivation technique would be much easier, and he would be able to finish it faster.


    ''I hope there is something like that in the main house tomorrow. Or else, I could only create my own technique first before integrating it with that nameless cultivation technique I created.''


    ''I just hoped that it wouldn''t be toote then.'' Miguel guessed that the day he leveled up through battles, it would also be the day that he would lose the qualification to cultivate that technique again. Leveling up means that his body would already be invaded by the energy that would then be provided by the grimoire for his promotion.


    He could also opt out of battling first. However, in this world and in the worlds he visited in his previous life, conflict and battles have always been present.


    Even the hypocritical Angel Race, which always advocated peace and order, also had some conflicts and fights of their own.


    In this world where one can grow stronger through battles, he would surely not be able to avoid it for long.


    Knowing that he would not be able to achieve anything tonight, Miguel finally decided to go to sleep and rest. Tomorrow, he would go to the main house of the Red Family with Sara, and he would see if he could get a cultivation technique of this world from there.


    His mind wandered as he drifted to sleep a few minutes after he closed his eyes.


    And in the blink of an eye, it was already morning.


    Miguel woke up and immediately went outside after some stretching.


    It has been a long time since thest time that Miguel slept, as he doesn''t need to with his cultivation level from his previous life.


    Waking up from a nice sleep was indeed a good feeling. Even he could not help but feel nostalgic about it.


    In the room right in front of his room, he saw Sara cooking in the mini kitchen. She turned around and wished Miguel a good morning with a smile on her face.


    Miguel was about to greet her back when he noticed a ck line under her neck. He frowned and made his way toward her.


    His blood boiled in rage once more as he softly lifted her neck with his finger. "Which bastard did this to you?"

 Chapter 7: Peach Village

    <h4>Chapter 7: Peach Vige</h4>


    "Which bastard did this to you!?"


    Miguel''s booming voice startled Sara. She could feel his rage in his voice. She realized that Miguel had truly grown up and changed for the better. He now has emotion as well, just like any normal human does.


    She felt warmth inside her heart, knowing that the child she raised was showing her concern. This was the first time in ages that she felt that she was being cared for.


    When was thest time? Right, it was when her now-husband left for a long trip.


    Tears started to well on her eyes, and she was about to say that Miguel doesn''t have to worry about it when Miguel beat her to it.


    "You know what? You don''t have to say anything," he said with a t tone.


    He knew that Sara would just deny it to keep him from getting worried. As for the reason for the bruise on her neck, Miguel was a hundred percent sure that it was Jonas who did it.


    His rage towards Jonas just increased even more.


    Sara smiled and told him to sit at the table so that they could have their breakfast.


    While eating, Sara mentioned that they would go straight to the main house today to report his grimoire awakening. She said that those who awakened a grimoire would be valued by the Red Family, even if they came from a servant lineage. After all, not all people could sessfully awaken a grimoire, so every grimoire user was very valuable to the family, no matter their previous status.


    The ce they were in right now was the servant quarters of the third branch of the Red Family, led by the third cousin of the main branch''s family head. They were in a small vige called Peach Vige.


    The main house of this branch was on the other side of the vige. It would take at least an hour of moderate walking and thirty minutes at most if they rode a horse carriage just to get there.


    Sara being drenched in sweat after rushing there to fetch medicine for him was not without reason.


    After they were done eating, the two of them immediately went to the main house. As Sara was only a servant and her wage was only enough for their daily needs, the two of them just decided to walk there.


    Miguel was not bothered by this, as he went along with Sara.


    On the way there, Sara reminded him to behave in front of the branch family head. Sara said that the branch family head was a powerful summoner, and if he wanted help contracting a beast, then the family head would be his best option to get help from.


    Gaining the family head''s support would also allow him to not be bullied by the others. Knowing that he doesn''t have an Innate Beast and an Innate Skill, Sara was worried that he would be bullied by the others because of it.


    In the entire Peach Vige, there were a total of fifteen Grimoire Summoners, including the branch family head. Of the fifteen of them, seven were from the younger generation, like Miguel; four were old summoners, like the branch head; and the other three were summoners tasked with guarding the vige from attacks from wild beasts or any threats. They were not part of the Red Family but were hired from outside, just like the servants like Sara. Of course, the summoner''s sry or wage was much higher than that of the servants.


    Jonas was actually one of the three guardians in Peach Vige; however, he had never given Sara an ounce of money after his return 18 years ago.


    Perhaps this was also the reason why Sara was reluctant to part with him; aside from the guilt that she was feeling, he was a protector of the vige, and if they parted ways, Sara must have been worried about her and Miguel''s safety if Jonas got petty towards it.


    After more than two hours of walking and some rest, Miguel finally saw the main house of the Third branch.


    The main house was not as grand as he initially thought.


    It was made with wooden materials and was big enough to be called a small manor. It was gated with a thick wooden fence, and its front gate was guarded by two people wearing full sets of armor and holding a spear.


    Miguel took a nce at these two guards and noticed their firm stance while standing. From that alone, he already guessed that the two of them should be trained properly.


    This made him wonder if there were other power systems present in this world aside from the grimoires.


    Having two or more power systems in one world was actually not impossible. There were times that people were reluctant to ept that they were not gifted or talented enough to practice the main power system of the world; hence, they would seek their own way of going stronger.


    Strengthening the body through hard-core training and strict discipline was an example of such a case.


    The two guards were already familiar with Sara. They greeted her politely and then asked about Miguel.


    "This is my adopted son. He awakened a grimoire yesterday, and I''m here to report it to the branch head," she stated. There was an unconcealed pride in her voice as she said that to the guards.


    The two guards'' eyes lit up once they heard her report. Someone who awakened a grimoire would surely be someone great in the future. They could not help but cast a gaze of envy towards Miguel as they reminisced about their past when they waited for a grimoire to awaken when they were at the age of 18.


    In the end, the two of them bowed respectfully to the two of them even more before they allowed them to enter the small manor. They also jokingly said that Miguel should not forget about them when he bes powerful in the future.


    Miguel nodded perfunctorily towards them as he stepped inside, following right behind Sara.


    The moment his right foot stepped into thend right behind the gate, his vision suddenly constricted as texts of unknown origin shed in front of his eyes.


    [Suitable ce detected!]


    [Beauty Sign-In System Activated!]


    [Do you want to Sign-in at Red Family Manor and receive a reward? ]

 Chapter 8: The Beauty Sign-In System

    <h4>Chapter 8: The Beauty Sign-In System</h4>


    The unfamiliar situation startled Miguel so much that he paused his steps.


    He had lived for thousands of years during his previous life, but he had never heard of something like this. For a moment, he even suspected that he was being attacked by an illusion.


    ''A Beauty Sign-In System? What is that?''


    The irony. He was someone whom even the grimoire described as very knowledgeable. It stated that no one canpare to him in terms of knowledge. Yet here he was, just a dayter, wondering what kind of thing this so-called Beauty Sign-in System was.


    Of course, he was not disheartened by this small incident. He was not someone who was omniscient and knew everything. After all, he was just a mere cultivator who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years.


    Miguel also thought that this was another power system in this world; however, he soon realized that it wasn''t the case.


    The next moment, knowledge he never knew before was constantly transmitted into his mind. It was only a small amount of knowledge, but it caused a stir in the Boundless Sage of Knowledge''s brain.


    ''I can sign in at a specific location and receive a beauty as a reward? The tier of the rewards differs depending on the location that I signed in at? What kind of sorcery is this? ''


    He had never heard of something like a System in his previous life. He was apprehensive, as he did not know how this worked.


    He had always believed in the rule of equivalent exchange.


    He believed that his transmigration was not without reason. There must be someone or something using him for unknown goals. This was the price he had to pay for his second chance at life.


    The Beauty Sign-In System... What price must he pay to be able to use this ridiculous power?


    "Are you alright, Miggy?" Sara''s sweet voice woke Miguel from his stupor.


    "I''m fine. Let''s go."


    Since he could not obtain an answer for now, he should just ignore it like he did with the transmigration issue. The time will eventuallye for him to know the answers and the payment.


    For now, he should make full use of this Beauty Sign-In System, right?


    The familiar grin appeared on his face once more as he whispered, ''Sign in then.''


    Miguel followed behind Sara as they walked forward once more. Miguel acted as if nothing was happening, but something big was actually happening inside him right now.


    Meanwhile, one of the guards saw the grin that Miguel had made earlier, and the sight of it could not help but make him have cold shoulders.


    "That kid is definitely not someone good," he said as Miguel and Sara''s figure gradually disappeared from their view.


    As Miguel and Sara walked, Miguel was also receiving the reward for his first sign-in.


    He looked forward to it, as the information directly transmitted to his brain bragged that he could even receive an Empress as a reward if the location was right.


    The text in front of his eyes shed and changed into new ones.


    [You have Signed-in in front of the Red Family Manor. Received the Holy Daughter of the Red Family, Fiery Empress-Aaliyah Red! ]


    The line of words did not bother Miguel, as he continued to walk as if nothing in particr was happening.


    He was calm as a figure of a woman dressed in red aristocratic robes appeared inside his mind. The woman was stunningly beautiful. Her red hair was tied in a ponytail, her eyes were closed, and her hands were sped together right below her chest. She exuded a demeanor befitting that of an empress: elegant, refined, and full of overbearing authority.


    ''What a beautifuldy,'' even Miguel, who had seen a fair share of beauties from his previous life, could not help but be stunned by this empress'' beauty.


    Even the most beautiful member of his disciple''s harem failed inparison to her beauty alone. One must know that those women had already undergone a lot of changes after reaching a higher level of cultivation. They had already refined and cleansed their bodies thousands of times. Undergoing that process, even the most ugly woman could be as pretty as a fairy, not to mention the countless beauty pills that they could consume to transform or maintain their beauty.


    Even then, this Fiery Empress was still a league of her own.


    ''Beauty Sign-In System... true to its name, indeed.''


    At the same time, Miguel suddenly noticed a peculiarity in the grimoire situated in his inner world.


    The inner world was where the grimoire was usually stored. It was situated around his chest, just like everyone who has a grimoire.


    At this time, the ck grimoire rotated excitedly inside his inner world. The bluish Grimoire Summoning Energy around it pulsated as the Grimoire flipped to the first nk page on its own.


    At the same time, certain information was transmitted into Miguel''s mind.


    Miguel knew of this situation.


    When a suitable beast was around, or if the summoner expressed a desire to contract a particr beast, the grimoire would pulsate and initiate a contract with the said beast.


    If the contract signing was sessful, the beast would be branded and would then be stored inside the grimoire. Their information would also appear on one of the nk pages inside the grimoire. If the contract failed, the Grimoire would lose some Grimoire Summoning Energy that would automatically restore after some time.


    Miguel wondered why the grimoire was acting this way. There was no beast around that he could initiate a contract with.


    However, his question was soon answered at the next moment.


    The Fiery Empress inside his mind opened her eyes at this moment. Her lifeless, red eyes shone brightly. The contract was initiated and epted by the Fiery Empress in an instant. An ethereal mark was then ced between her eyebrows, adding anotheryer to her already otherworldly charm.


    An elegant red and white half mask was condensed as the Fiery Empress took it and wore it to herself, covering the upper part of her face along with the ethereal mark.


    The next moment, the Fiery Empress transformed into a stream of light. The grimoire shed, and at the next moment, the first nk page was now full of new information.


    Just as Miguel was about to read and inspect it, Sara''s sweet voice suddenly rang in his ears.


    "Miggy, greet the branch head with me!"

 Chapter 9: Grimoire Grades

    <h4>Chapter 9: Grimoire Grades</h4>


    In front of him and Sara was a man in histe forties or early fifties. He was buff and had a broad shoulder full of strength. He has red hair, amon hair color for those who belonged to the Red Family''s descendants.


    His name was Marcel, the third brother of the current Red Family''s n head. He was also the one who managed the whole Peach Vige, acting as a vige lord of some sort for it.


    He was sitting leisurely on a wooden chair. He doesn''t look condescending, but Miguel could feel that he was very strong¡ªfar stronger than his current self.


    "Is he the one who awakened a grimoire?" Marcel stated with a in voice as he looked at Sara and then at Miguel.


    Sara had already told the branch headst night about Miguel''s awakening. She actually did not go to sleep like Miguel did after they were done eatingst night. Instead, she went here and reported the matter to the branch head, so that he wouldn''t be surprised if she suddenly brought Miguel over the next day. It was also during her way home that she stumbled upon a drunk Jonas, the reason for the bruise on her neck that she had now covered with a scarf.


    Sara nodded her head proudly as she softly pushed Miguel forward. Miguel did not resist, as he took a step forward himself before bowing to the branch head.


    The branch head, Marcel, nodded his head before saying, "May I see your grimoire?"


    Miguel nodded his head, and at the next moment, a ck grimoire instantly floated in front of him.


    At that instant, there was a change in Marcel''s expression. Surprised and astonished shed on his face as he looked at the jet-ck grimoire that looked more like a ck square rock than a book.


    However, it was not the color of the grimoire that he was surprised about. Instead, it was how Miguel managed to summon the grimoire almost instantly.


    ''Instant summoning? '' He thought as his sitting posture straightened up.


    Instant summoning was not umon. What was umon was a newly awakened Grimoire user capable of doing an instant summoning.


    Usually, a new user would close their eyes to make a mental connection with the grimoire. Once the mental connection was established, the user would then order the grimoire toe out of the inner world.


    The more one performs this act, the more experienced they will be; hence, an act of instant summoning would be achieved.


    For a newly awakened user to perform such an act, even Marcel could not help but be astonished.


    ''Is this kid actually a genius?'' He could not help but wonder as he looked at Miguel seriously.


    Of course, he also knew of Miguel''s reputation in Peach Vige. He knew that he was a fool who was in a daze all day long. However, looking at him now, he seemed to be normal in Marcel''s eyes.


    Finally, Marcel looked at the jet-ck grimoire.


    "What grade is your grimoire?" He could not help but ask.


    As far as he knew, a newly awakened user usually only awakened a Bronze Grade grimoire, which was dark metallic bronze in color. This Bronze Grade grimoire would gain experience through battles and can rank up to Silver and then Gold Grade. The higher the grade, the higher the level of the beast they can contract and summon. Of course, there were other benefits aside from that too.


    Miguel also knew the basics of the grimoire grades from the information provided by the grimoire itself.


    However, his jet-ck grimoire was not included on the list of grades from Bronze, Silver and then to Gold. There might be more grades above it, but it was not included in the information given as it was considered advanced knowledge. He also wondered if the grimoire itself was influenced by his previous identity.


    "I don''t know," Miguel answered honestly.


    Marcel nodded his head and did not press on that matter. The grade of a grimoire would determine one''s strength and rank. However, since he didn''t know about a jet-ck grimoire, he also didn''t believe that Miguel would know about it.


    "I heard that you don''t have any Innate Skill or Innate Beast?" Marcel asked.


    Miguel nodded his head as he stared carefully at Marcel, wanting to see his reaction.


    After living for too long in his previous life, Miguel has already grown ustomed to never-ending conflicts and troubles. If one was not strong enough, one should also be prepared to be suppressed by the strong.


    At this moment, he still didn''t know how important and rare a grimoire summoner was. Depending on Marcel''s reaction, he would determine his next course of action.


    "This is the first time that I have heard of something like this. Usually, only the Innate Skills are missing if one isn''t talented enough. This is the first time that I heard that someone did not awaken with an Innate beast," Marcel said, deep in thought.


    If he had not seen Miguel summoning his grimoire instantly earlier, he would have also believed that he indeed had no talent. However, someone who could summon their grimoire instantly should be talented.


    "Well, don''t worry about it too much. Even without an Innate Beast, you can still make a contract with another beast and treat it as your Innate Beast. Perhaps this might be an opportunity for you. After all, one could not choose their Innate Beast; even if it''s weak, they could only nurture it reluctantly."


    Innate Beasts were different from normally contracted beasts.


    Innate Beasts meant that they would not die unless the owner died. They were also absolutely loyal and would not betray their owner no matter what happened, unlike normally contracted beasts.


    "As for you, since you don''t have an Innate Beast, this means that you can focus your attention on the first beast you will contract instead. Regarding that, don''t get hasty and choose well."


    Marcel thought for a moment before he continued, "Since you are technically part of my third branch now, how about I''ll help you contract your first beast?"


    The moment he said that, Marcel did not wait for Miguel to answer before he waved his hands as a silver-colored grimoire floated in front of him.


    Not only that, the silver grimoire glowed, and at the next moment, a small creature also materialized in front of Marcel.

 Chapter 10: The Genius Miguel

    <h4>Chapter 10: The Genius Miguel</h4>


    The silver grimoire attracted Miguel''s attention. It was more vibrant and metallicpared to his jet-ck grimoire, which looked more like a ck stone in the shape of a book.


    Miguel then shifted his gaze to the creature that Marcel had summoned.


    The creature was not big. It was a ck and red tortoise, the size of an ordinary dog.


    "This beast is called a Volcanic Tortoise. It is known for its tremendous vitality and healing ability. This tortoise has already evolved once and has been nurtured by me to be a Bronze Grade beast from Normal Grade. It just recently evolved, so it''s still at Level 1 Bronze Grade, but with its strong vitality, I think it''s very suitable to be your first contracted beast. What do you think?"


    Just like grimoires, beasts were also graded depending on their strength or rarity. Most beasts start at Normal Grade, then move on to Bronze, Silver and then Gold Grade. Their strength would also be further categorized into levels, with level 1 being the lowest and level 10 being the highest.


    Miguel nodded his head and agreed to his arrangement. Although this was not his first contracted ''beast'' but second, as the Fiery Empress has already settled herself on his first nk page.


    Although he doesn''t know the details yet, Miguel was positive that she was a lot strongerpared to this Volcanic Tortoise. Anyway, the Fiery Empress was another secret that he must hide for now, so the existence of the Volcanic Tortoise was a good excuse for him.


    "Okay, try to contract this Volcanic Tortoise now. It has already been tamed by me before, so it shouldn''t be that hard to make it agree to the contract," Marcel stated as he dispelled his own contract with the Volcanic Tortoise. A pained expression appeared on his face for a brief moment before he nodded his head to Miguel, indicating that he may start.


    Miguel nodded his head and finally indicated his intention to the grimoire.


    Just like when one wants to summon their grimoire, one must also state their intention to the grimoire andmand it to initiate a contract with the beast.


    Unlike with the Fiery Empress'' case, where the Grimoire itself initiated the contract out of its own volition, this time Miguel''s intention was transmitted clearly to it.


    The jet-ck grimoire pulsated as a dark glow was emitted from it. The pages opened on their own as theynded and settled on the second nk page.


    Below the Volcanic Tortoise, a hexagram-like symbol appeared as the Volcanic Tortoise was engulfed by it.


    The contract signing was initiated, and without a moment of dy, the Volcanic Tortoise epted the contract as it shed into a stream of light and traveled towards the jet-ck grimoire.


    The grimoire closed with a bang, and the light died down as it floated in the air peacefully.


    A new beast was contracted just like that.


    Marcel has his eyes wide, like saucers, as he witnesses the dubious scene in a daze.


    ''Was contract signing this easy these days? ''


    Even he himself took five tries before he sessfully made a contract with the Volcanic Tortoise. And one must know that the Volcanic Tortoise was just a Normal Grade beast back then when he first obtained it. And back then, his grimoire had already even be Silver Grade.


    The difficulty of contracting a beast has a lot of factors to consider. The grade and level of the beast, the beast''s personality, its willingness to get contracted, the grade of the grimoire, and then the user''s strength and talent as a beast tamer or summoner were just some of the factors to consider when ites to the difficulty of contracting a beast.


    Most of the beast usually starts at Normal Grade. Newly awakened users who have a Bronze Grade grimoire would usually be able to contract a gentle Level 1 Normal Grade beast after ten or more tries if they have average talent.


    At this moment, Miguel still did not know the significance of his actions. However, Marcel, who already possessed a Silver Grade Grimoire was gobsmacked as he stared at Miguel intently.


    ''Genius! This kid is definitely a genius! '' He eximed internally as he stared at Miguel as if he were a treasure.


    If he was only a little suspicious before of his talent from his instant summoning, now Marcel without a doubt believes that Miguel was definitely a genius.


    He also guessed that the jet-ck grimoire should be of a higher grade than a Bronze one. After all, a Bronze Grade grimoire should not be able to contract a Bronze Grade beast in one try, and easily at that.


    Sacrificing and giving the Volcanic Tortoise to him at this stage was definitely a good decision and a worthy investment. The Volcanic Tortoise was, after all, a beast that has the potential to reach the peak of Silver Grade.


    "Train and treat it well." Marcel tried his hardest to calm his emotions.


    This kid has a limitless future ahead of him. As long as he didn''t die young, he was sure that he would even surpass him in the future. Roping him in as early as possible was a good option.


    The only problem with Miguel was that he doesn''t have an Innate Beast. However, a talented summoner without an Innate Beast was still a few times better than an average summoner with an Innate Beast.


    The heavens were fair. Perhaps jealous of his summoning talent, it restricted Miguel and did not allow him to own an Innate Beast or Innate Skill.


    "Right, my daughter will return in the next two days. She will bring you and the other newly awakened to the main branch to study and train. There, you''ll be learning a lot on how to summon and train your contracted beast properly. Of course, you can alsoe to me if you have some questions or some needs; I''ll try to help as best as I can. After all, you are already part of the Red Family, so it''s only natural that I take care of you during this stage," Marcel stated with a straight face.


    Miguel nodded his head softly, indicating that he understood. He then turned to look at Sara, who was still awestruck by the series of events that happened in front of her, and said, "Mom, can you leave us alone for a few moments? I have something to discuss with the branch head."


    Sara paused for a moment before she nodded her head.


    "Alright. Behave in front of the branch head, alright?" she said in a strict tone as she bowed her head to Marcel before living.


    After her figure disappeared from their view, Miguel finally turned to look at Marcel, who was also confused about his actions.


    It was true that he said that he shoulde if he has questions, but the questions should not pop up this early, right?


    Miguel did not allow him to wait for long, as he said what was on his mind the next moment.


    "Alright. Let''s stop pretending and cut straight to the chase. You value my talent and want to secure my loyalty this early, right? I don''t have any problems with that. But aside from the Volcanic Tortoise that only has some meager Silver Grade potential, what other benefits can you offer me?"


    Hearing his straightforward words, Marcel''s eyes narrowed into a dangerous slit as he stared warily at Miguel.


    His silver grimoire shed, and a massive creature was summoned in front of him immediately after.


    He stood up from his seat and bellowed towards Miguel, "Who are you?!"

 Chapter 11: ’Transaction’

    <h4>Chapter 11: ''Transaction''</h4>


    Miguel stared at the summoned creature curiously. It was a tortoise muchrger than the Volcanic Tortoise earlier.


    Its body has a mixture of red and ck colors, and its shell shone in dangerous light as the tortoise that was over two meters in height red fiercely at Miguel.


    However, Miguel was calm and collected, as he did not believe that Marcel wouldy a finger on him.


    He had been observing Marcel earlier. Marcel gives off the vibe that he was a strong individual who was just toozy to act and would always like to pretend that they care. He had met countless individuals who bore the same personality as Marcel from his previous life. He knew exactly what to do to deal with this kind of individual. Coupled with Marcel''s earlier response and fake enthusiasm when he summoned his grimoire and made a contract with the tortoise, a n was immediately formed inside Miguel''s head.


    Miguel knew for a fact that he was still pretty ignorant of thews andmon knowledge of this world, with the only basic information he knew being the ones given by the grimoire when he awakened it yesterday.


    Marcel, who owned a Silver Grade grimoire and was experienced in the ways of being a summoner, would surely know a lot of basic information.


    He saw his brief expression of astonishment earlier when he summoned his grimoire for the first time. Miguel guessed that he should have done something incredible without him knowing.


    Being direct to Marcel was not without reason and basis.


    As for Marcel''s actions in summoning the huge creature in front of him, Miguel was naturally not afraid, even if it attacked.


    The reason for his confidence was the contracted being on the previously first nk page of his grimoire.


    It was a full image of a woman dressed in red robes. Her expression was aloof behind the half-mask that covered the upper part of her face. Her hand was sped calmly below her stomach, seemingly waiting for Miguel to summon her to the real world.


    [Name: Aaliyah Red


    Title: Fiery Empress, Holy Daughter of the Red n


    Grade: Gold


    Level: Level 1


    Type: Fire Elemental


    Description: The most talented daughter of the Red n. Conferred the title of Holy Daughter and waster dubbed the Fiery Empress due to her fiery feats on the battlefield. If she had not met her demise early from an internal conspiracy, who knows what kind of level she would have achieved at that time?


    ]


    And for some unknown reason, below her description was the word [Innate Beast], which was not supposed to happen as Miguel knew for a fact that she was a recently contracted being like the Volcanic Tortoise.


    At this moment, Marcel also seemed to realize that he had overreacted.


    Miguel''s direct words pulled him out of his casual attitude; his instinct to defend was triggered, causing him to overreact.


    However, upon recalling that he was just facing a kid, Marcel calmed his emotions as he sat back on the chair.


    However, the way he looked at Miguel had already changed.


    His fool reputation in the vige? Bah, Marcel would be a fool if he believed it after hearing what he said earlier. He was more self-aware than a kid his age.


    Marcel knew now that this kid was just pretending to be a fool. A wolf in sheep''s clothing


    Marcel chuckled to himself before he said, "I like your confidence. Indeed, you are right. I indeed value the talent that you have. However, don''t get toocent. Currently, you are as weak as an ant in my eyes. No matter how talented you are, that would only reflect if you were alive to take advantage of it."


    "Alright, since my mind is already set, you can state your conditions, but don''t get too overboard," he added with a straight face as he unsummoned his tortoise.


    Hearing that, a smile could not help but surface on Miguel''s face.


    "Well, first thing''s first. I want you to protect my mother while I''m not here."


    Marcel nodded his head. "That''s a given."


    In fact, even if Miguel did not state such a request, Marcel would still guarantee her safety. After all, she was the only direct rtive of Miguel; if something happened to her, the genius Miguel would surely be affected. At the same time, she could also act as a binding point for Miguel and his family.


    "Second, I want information¡ªa lot of information regarding summoners and summons. If you have some secret techniques and treasures that can help me boost my strength, you can also give them to me. After all, you don''t want your investment to copse even before it could rise, right?"


    "Hmpp! What do you think of this, a daylight robbery? But you''re right this time again. I''ll see if I have some useless treasure that might be of help to you. As for the secret techniques, I can only give you the most basic ones."


    "That will do. Lastly, you won''t mind if one of the vige guardians disappears, right?" Miguel stated calmly, as if what he said was not something serious.


    Hearing that, Marcel looked at Miguel sternly. He thought for a bit before nodding his head. "It won''t matter. I''ll just request another vige guardian from the main branch. They are just hired mercenaries anyway."


    "However, I won''t help you with that. It''s your personal vendetta and has nothing to do with me. Of course, I prefer it if you do it after you gain enough strength; after all, even though the guardians are still at Apprentice Rank and only have a Bronze Grade Grimoire, they still have already experienced their fair share of battles. Thest thing I want to see is your cold corpse just right after we talk about investment and what not," he added.


    Miguel smiled upon hearing that. "Of course. I''m not foolish enough to forfeit my life because of baseless arrogance."


    "That''s reassuring to hear. Anyways, here''s the 100 Gold Coins that anyone can receive the moment they awaken their grimoire in the Red Family."


    Marcel took out a brown pouch and threw it towards Miguel.


    Miguel caught it in mid-air and roughly estimated its weight to be around 1 kilogram. This was one of the benefits of being able to awaken your grimoire. The family would protect and nurture you to be strong; in exchange, you would also have to fight and protect it from its enemies.


    "As for the techniques, I can only give you two. In truth, you can receive something like this in the main branch, but I can give them to you in advance so that you can familiarize yourself with them."


    Two books of varying thickness were then thrown towards Miguel.


    "One of them is the technique to be able to utilize your grimoire''s energy more efficiently. It also includes the method to absorb Grimoire Summoning Energy in the air to be stored inside your grimoire. The other one is a training method for fire element beasts. You can use it to train your Volcanic Tortoise. By the way, I don''t know how you know of its potential, but it is indeed a beast that can reach the Silver Grade if nurtured properly. Don''t look down on the Silver Grade beast. They are also called Elite Beasts for a reason after all," Marcel stated.


    Miguel stared at the two books in his hands. He did not care too much about the training method. What he cared about was the first book that involved the utilization of this world''s unique energy.


    This was what he needed the most to modify his cultivation technique.


    Excitement and anticipation rose in Miguel''s heart as he looked forward to being able to cultivate again. He could not wait to go home and start modifying his technique.


    However, he calmed his emotions as he listened to the basic information that Marcel had already started to discuss.


    Like a student, Miguel listened attentively to Marcel.


    As his understanding of this world grew, he became more fascinated by its wonders.


    He looked forward to the day that he stood at the top of power in this world. And he was confident in achieving it. It was only a matter of time.


    "That''s about it. You can naturally learn much more along the way, so don''t get too hasty. After all, we have a saying that the more you know, the more dangerous it will be. Anyways, you can return here this afternoon to im your weapon."


    Miguel nodded his head. He was satisfied with the ''transaction'' today and would surely return the weaponter.


    However, he was about to turn around and leave when a bang was heard at the entrance of the room.


    Even before the door could fully open from the ''bang'', an arrogant voice had already resounded in Miguel and Marcel''s ears.


    "Branch head, I heard that that fool has awakened!?"

 Chapter 12: Asserting Dominance, Marked

    <h4>Chapter 12: Asserting Dominance, Marked</h4>


    The arrogant voice rang in Miguel and Marcel''s ears.


    Miguel felt that it was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.


    He and Marcel turned to look at the source of the voice.


    The door opened with a bang as a muscr youth wearing a tight-fitting outfit entered their view.


    Looking at the youth, a sigh could only escape Miguel''s mouth.


    He finally knew why the voice felt familiar.


    ''Turns out that it''s him.''


    The number one bully in Peach Vige, Gasper.


    Gasper has also turned 18 years old this year. He was one of the seven newly awakened youths in the vige. He awakened a few months ago and was over the moon about it, bragging and broadcasting his ''aplishment'' to the whole vige.


    Unlike Miguel, Gasper was a direct descendant of the Red Family. He was the direct nephew of Marcel and was respected by the other youths because of it.


    Gasper has already formed his circle of bullies in Peach Vige, with the fool Miguel being one of the victims of their childish actions.


    Being the branch leader''s nephew, who dares to get on his way?


    "Gasper, have some manners and knock before you enter." Marcel''s strict voice was heard as Gasper turned a deaf ear to his scoldings.


    "So, it''s really true. You have truly awakened. What a lucky fool!" Gasper remarked coldly upon seeing Miguel.


    Miguel shook his head inwardly after hearing his remarks. He obviously knew his reason for being here.


    Gasper must have been afraid of Miguel overtaking him now that he had awakened a grimoire. Hence, it was obvious that he was here to assert dominance while it was still early.


    And Miguel was proven right as, the next second, Gasper closed his eyes and summoned his grimoire after dozens of seconds.


    His grimoire was dark bronze in color and was vastly different from Miguel and Marcel''s grimoire.


    His bronze grimoire glowed for a few seconds before a creature was summoned in front of him.


    It was a wolf that had its fur coated with a zing fire.


    "Trash, take out your grimoire and fight with me!" Gasper bellowed as he tried to initiate a fight.


    Humans, Beast and Grimoire have the same process of advancing their strength or level. Aside from some special circumstances, they must participate in a battle and umte ''experience'' through it.


    The experience gained would vary depending on the ''evaluation'' that will happen in every battle. This evaluation was always strict and thorough. People who tried to stage a battle to obtain ''experience'' would even be punished by it.


    Sometimes, practice matches would also earn experience points, but only if a user made an outstanding performance would they gain experience.


    As for the wolf that Gasper has summoned, Miguel determines that it has already leveled up.


    ording to Marcel, the beast''s levels werepletely independent of their grades.


    The grades were a categorization that depends on the beast''s life levels or value. Of course, having a higher life value also meant that they were strongerpared to beasts of the same level.


    Normal Grade that was the mostmon; Bronze Grade that was rtively rare; Silver Grade that was considered an Elite beast; and then the Gold Grades that were considered as King Beasts.


    As for the level, it determined the beast''s strength. The higher their level, the greater the difference in power between them.


    Marcel stated that a Level 4 Normal Grade beast could definitely overpower a Level 1 Silver Grade beast in a battle.


    Staring at the wolf, Miguel knew that it had at least Level 2 strength already. After all, he recalled from his memories a few weeks ago that Gasper broadcasted to the whole vige that his beast had leveled up.


    A Level 2 Normal Grade Fire Wolf versus his newly acquired Level 1 Bronze Grade Volcanic Tortoise.


    Their powers and raw strength should be simr, so it was only a matter of who had a better summoner to determine the winner.


    However, although he was itching for a fight, Miguel knew how to hold himself back.


    Being able to cultivate that technique was still more important than a momentary fight. What if he won and was ''evaluated'' as excellent, making him level up on the spot? Won''t he lose his qualification to cultivate that technique if that truly happens?


    Miguel ignored Gasper''s provocative words as he turned to look at Marcel, who clearly had a dark expression on his face.


    "I''ll go on my way now. I''ll returnter for what you''ve promised." Miguel smiled and bowed slightly to Marcel before walking towards the door, ignoring Gasperpletely as if he were a mere decoration in the room.


    Of course, Gasper''s rage went to the roof after seeing that Miguel tried to ignore him.


    "Fire Wolf, attack with Fire w!" he ordered with rage in his voice.


    The Fire Wolf''s eyes glowed before it dashed and ran towards Miguel. It lunged in mid-air as its front w started to re up, just like its fur.


    A smile surfaced on Gasper''s face; Miguel''s demise was already in his sight.


    ''Hmpp! me yourself for ignoring me! Haha, truly a fool. He did not even notice that an attack was alreadying his way! ''


    However, contrary to Gasper''s thought, Miguel had actually felt the dangerous attack behind him. However, he did not bother turning or dodging the attack, as he continued to walk forward without care.


    "ENOUGH!"


    Just then, a loud bellow rang in Miguel and Gasper''s ears.


    Affected by the shout, the Fire Wolf''s attack halted in mid-air as it dropped to the ground, covering its ears with its paws.


    "Are you thinking of me as a decoration? How dare you ignore me! Have I beenx towards you these days that you dare to ignore my words? Huh? Gasper!?"


    Marcel stared at Gasper with ring eyes. This nephew of his has truly gone overboard this time. He even dared to attack his ''investment'' right before his eyes.


    This kid was definitely asking for a beating.


    "Keep your puppy away and face the wall while kneeling to reflect on your actions. Do you hear me?"


    Miguel smirked and did not bother looking back to witness what was happening on his back.


    He was not interested in what was going to happen next.


    However, Gasper''s actions in wanting to kill him were not something that could easily be forgotten.


    Gasper, who was being punished by his uncle, has already been secretly marked by Miguel right at this moment.


    ''You''re going to be the second one, then! ''


    At this moment, Gasper was still oblivious to the fact that his days were already numbered.

 Chapter 13: A Mere Drop

    <h4>Chapter 13: A Mere Drop</h4>


    Miguel did not linger around in the Red Family Manor anymore. After bidding farewell to Sara, who was already starting to work, he immediately returned to the servant''s quarters.


    He still has an important thing to do: modify the technique that he has been dying to cultivate since his previous life.


    Arriving at his room, Miguel made sure to close the doors as he sat on the rough bed.


    He took out the two techniques that Marcel had given him and began to study their technicalities.


    He began by examining the training technique for fire-attributed beasts.


    The zing Expanse that the Red Family was based on was a ce full of fire-attributed beasts. Most of the people who lived on the zing Expanse would also usually awaken a fire-attributed Innate Beast.


    The training technique Marcel had given him contained his own notes and experience while training his Innate Beast and contracted beasts.


    Miguel took a nce at its content before he decided to set it aside for now.


    He took the second book that Marcel had handed him and began to examine it carefully.


    With his experience from his previous life, it did not take long for Miguel to fully understand the controlling technique.


    Unlike the techniques he studied and cultivated in his previous life, the technique that Marcel had given him was different.


    Instead of being able to absorb the energy into one''s body, the technique instead wanted one to guide the energy towards the grimoire inside their inner world.


    The technique also stated that when one infuses their will and makes an order to the grimoire, the grimoire would consume its own energy reserve to fulfill the order, like a summoning or even during a contract process.


    The grimoire would automatically restore its energy reserve, but it takes a long time. The technique ys a vital role in this matter as it allows the user to replenish the energy that the grimoire used during an action.


    Using the technique, one would also know how to utilize the grimoire energy perfectly, not allowing the grimoire to waste even an ounce of it.


    After understanding its intricacies and technicalities, Miguel did not waste any more time and began to modify the cultivation technique he created before to suit this current world, which he learned from Marcel as the Wild Beast World.


    Previously, it took him a total of five years to create this cultivation technique, which he based on his discovery of Origin Energy. As this was only a modification, it did not take long for Miguel to finish modifying the cultivation technique.


    A smile appeared on his face as the fruits of hisbor could now be seen before his eyes.


    Not wasting any more time, Miguel celebrated his sess by cultivating the technique right away.


    What Miguel did not know, though, was that the moment he finished modifying the technique, the whole Wild Beast World seemingly trembled as countless experts turned their heads in the same direction at the same time.


    Various reactions appeared on their faces as their hearts trembled along with the world.


    "This feeling... is the world about to wee a change again?"


    "The same premonition a hundred years ago... Is this a good omen or a bad one?"


    "Sigh! Another one?"


    Although the experts sensed that the world was about to change again, none of them were able to tell if the trembling of the world was caused by a future disaster, the current disaster, or the solution to the current one.


    Meanwhile, Miguel, who was unaware of what was happening, was trying his best to practice the cultivation technique.


    He began by absorbing the Grimoire Summoning Energy present in the air before storing it inside the Grimoire present in his inner world.


    Miguel repeated this action over and over again. The grimoire beamed with thick bluish energy as its reserve that was used to contract the Fiery Empress was fully replenished once more and even exceeded its previous reserve by arge margin.


    Miguel''s talent as a cultivator was one of the best from his previous life. Coupled with his love to study, cultivate, and grow even stronger, he became unrivaled and sat at the top of the food chain in his previous life.


    If his energy-gathering array were not tampered with by his disciple, let alone killing him, even injuring him would be a hard task even if he had the help of his thousands of harem members.


    Miguel did know why, but he seemed to have returned to his previous life.


    The feeling of being able to manipte the energy around you was such a surreal feeling.


    It seems that the cultivation talent of the fool Miguel was not something to scoff at either. Although it was not as monstrous as his talent from his previous life, the talent of the fool Miguel''s body was still a few leagues abovepared to his disciple''s talent.


    With him deep in meditation, Miguel did not realize that a few hours had already passed since he began cultivating. This kind of thing was actually very normal when it came to cultivation, so even if Miguel knew, he would not mind it a bit.


    As the Grimoire Summoning Energy filled the Grimoire slowly, Miguel soon sensed that the Grimoire was already filled to the brim and was already at its limit.


    The bluish energy around it became five times thicker than before.


    Miguel practiced the technique once more, but the Grimoire Summoning Energy that he gathered was not absorbed by the Grimoire like the previous time but instead dissipated back into the air.


    Knowing that, Miguel knew that it was already time for the second phase.


    It was now time to refine the Origin Energy!


    Eager for the results, Miguel began right away.


    Deep in meditation, his consciousness entered his inner world as he began to control the bluish energy that surrounded the grimoire.


    He allowed the energy to ''leak'' out of the grimoire as he controlled the leaked Grimoire Summoning Energy to circte unpredictably inside his inner world.


    It was like a bluish dragon or a snake roaming around his inner world, even circling around the grimoire''s edges from time to time.


    The process was repeated a few times until a few hours passed once again.


    The sun had already set as the surroundings began to dim.


    At this moment, Miguel was still focused on his task.


    And finally, after a few hours of the refining process, a smile suddenly appeared on Miguel''s face as he looked at the glistening rainbow-colored drop of energy situated right above the grimoire.


    ''Origin Energy... It truly existed. Haha, I was indeed right!


    Although this was only a small drop, one should not underestimate it, as it was actually transformed from all the bluish Grimoire Summoning Energy that filled the Grimoire earlier.


    Right now, the jet-ck grimoire looked even more ordinary, as there was no longer an ounce of bluish energy around its edges. Meaning, its energy reserve along with the newly absorbed Grimoire Summoning Energy was extracted out to form this drop of Origin Energy.


    Staring at the condensed Origin Energy, Miguel could not help butugh to himself as he began the third step right away.


    The third step¡ªabsorbing the refined Origin Energy to strengthen one''s body and prowess¡ªwas immediately initiated.


    The newly formed small drop of Origin Energy broke down and began to disperse to all parts of Miguel''s body.


    Pain and difort appeared on his face as he felt that the Origin Energy was rampaging all throughout his body.


    Miguel gritted his teeth to endure the pain as an hour-long torture began.


    An hourter, Miguel opened his eyes and looked down at his current body, surprise shing through his eyes as he saw the changes that it had experienced.

 Chapter 14: Formidable Origin Energy

    <h4>Chapter 14: Formidable Origin Energy</h4>


    Miguel looked at his body in excitement.


    The drop of Origin Energy he painstakingly refined was now gone after it was consumed in the third process.


    His body was directly strengthened by the Origin Energy by arge margin.


    Around him were ck-colored liquids that smelled awful. These ck liquids were impurities that were extracted out of his body when he was on the third step of the technique.


    This thing was verymon in his previous life.


    When a cultivator reaches a certain realm, practices a particr body cultivation technique, or consumes a unique treasure or medicine, they usually experience this thing called deep cleansing.


    Impurities that were saved up throughout the years would be extracted out of their body, thus making them more sensitive to world energy and transforming their body into something that was very clean of dirt and impurities.


    Aside from the benefits of being able to sense world energy much easier, a person who experienced deep cleansing would also notice that they would be less prone to natural illness and would be more pretty or handsome.


    Usually, this would only ur at a high cultivation level from his previous life.


    Miguel was quite surprised that he was able to experience a deep cleansing this early in his life.


    The Origin Energy was indeed a formidable type of energy. Even just one drop of it allowed him to experience a deep cleansing directly.


    Of course, this was a surprise that he dly received.


    He stood up from the bed and looked at his reflection in the mirror.


    He looked even fairer than before. He also noticed that his previously sickly thin body now has some muscle in it. It was only a miniscule volume whatsoever, but this was still better than his previously weak body.


    He flexed his arm and clenched his fist. He noticed that he had grown strongerpared to a few hours ago as well. He still did not know how he would fare against humans in this world, but Miguel estimated that he should be able to face a Level 1 or Level 2 Normal Grade beast with his current strength.


    "Origin Energy is indeed the source of all energies. One drop and it was able to transform my body into this. Not only that, I can even tell that this body was now more suited to cultivate that technique now that it was directly transformed by the Origin Energy itself."


    A smirk appeared on his handsome face. The thought of leaving behind a useless cultivation technique for his traitorous disciple made him smile.


    "With this technique, this Wild Beast World, and the mysterious Beauty Sign-In System as the foundation, I will surely return to be a supreme once again. My dear disciple, just wait patiently on your high pedestal, alright? Daddy will surely return one day to im the debt that you owe me!"


    Being able to refine the Origin Energy, Miguel has already stepped onto a path that was unheard of before. He didn''t know where this path would lead, but he was sure of one thing. This path would surely pass by his realm back then and even go beyond it.


    His current potential was very terrifying with the Origin Energy and the Beauty Sign-In System.


    After a while, Miguel finally started to change his clothes and clean up the mess he created with the gooey substance that was the impurities extracted from his body.


    After cleaning the mess, Miguel took note of the time and judged that there was still enough time for him to do something before Sara returned from her work¡ªkill Jonas to eliminate this walking threat while it was still early.


    He did not waste any more time, as he donned a dark outfit that would easily blend into the dark.


    After scanning his surroundings and making sure he was not being observed, Miguel immediately dashed to the south of Peach Vige.


    There were three guardians that protected Peach Vige aside from the branch head.


    Each of them was positioned on the four cardinal directions, with the branch head and the manor being situated at the north.


    While conversing with Marcel earlier, he learned that Jonas patrolled the southern side of the vige. It was much closer to the servant quarters where Jonas'' ''family'' lived.


    Jonas was a walking threat to Miguel.


    It was he who poisoned the food the other day, causing the fool Miguel to have a high fever, resulting in his death, which led him to awaken in his body.


    In truth, that was the first time that Jonas acted to kill him. Usually, he would just beat the fool Miguel up to vent his frustration if Sara was not around.


    And with Jonas'' strength, there was no reason for him to kill him covertly through food poisoning at all.


    He did not know the reason why he acted that way, but Miguel was a hundred percent sure that he would definitely do it again. Especially with that look he gave him yesterday before he left.


    Hence, Miguel decided to eliminate him while it was still early, and since Jonas was still unaware of his recent changes, it was now the perfect chance for him to do it.


    At first, he was actually not confident in eliminating Jonas this early. However, after learning some information from Marcel, his confidence grew, and with the recent change he experienced with the System and the Origin Energy, his confidence in eliminating Jonas became even more perfect.


    Since Jonas'' outpost was not that far from the servant quarters, it did not take long for Miguel to arrive at the ce.


    Miguel looked at the small outpost and realized that Jonas'' was not there. He guessed that he might have gone to make ast patrol for the day before going home.


    Knowing that, Miguel immediately searched for a suitable ce to hide and wait.


    He did not wait long, as a few minutester, he saw Jonas'' figure inching towards him.


    Miguel summoned the jet-ck grimoire instantly, and at the next moment, a red figure also materialized beside him.


    Oblivious to the mantis stalking from the bush, Jonas'' continued walking without a care in the world.


    However, at the next moment, his expression changed as a zing ball of fire sped towards him at extreme speed.

 Chapter 15: The Facade

    <h4>Chapter 15: The Facade</h4>


    Just like how humans could learn and be blessed with Innate Skills, beasts or summons also have their own set of skills that they can use in a battle.


    Depending on their grade, level, and the rewards given by the grimoire, a beast would possess more than one skill. Their effectiveness and prowess depend on their level as well. Most beasts or summons'' skills were usually the same as their own level.


    The Fiery Empress was a Level 1 Gold Grade Summon. She has a total of six skills, each of which was more terrifying than thest. Of course, the more powerful the skill was, the more energy the summon would also consume to cast or use it.


    Being a Fire Elemental beast, Fiery Empress, Aaliyah''s skills were always apanied by an incinerating fire produced by her Innate Skill, [Incinerate].


    [Innate Skill: Incinerate (Level 1)


    Description/Effects: Naturally gifted to fire-attributed skills, you have mastered the hottest fire, Incinerate. Anything thates into contact with a skill infused with Incinerate will be incinerated instantly.]


    The [Fireball] that was as big as a basketball sped towards the unprepared Jonas'' at extreme speed.


    Upon sensing the oing threat, Jonas'' expression turned dark as he immediately summoned his grimoire in an instant.


    A bronze ball of shield materialized around him at the next moment as the zing fireball came into contact with it.


    When a grimoire user fights, they can choose to erect a shield around their body to protect it from harm while the summons duke it out to decide who will be the winner.


    The shield''s strength, duration, and defensive capability depend on the rank of the grimoire user.


    It was said that even the weakest shield could even withstand an all-out attack from a Level 5 Beast.


    Boom!


    A resounding explosion soon ensued as the newly erected shield broke apart like fragile ss uponing into contact with the zing fireball.


    Jonas'' body was also blown away by the sudden explosion.


    He did not expect that the shield he erected, which was also called the Grimoire Absolute Shield, would be shattered just like that by one attack. They were called absolute shields for a reason, after all. They were unbreakable if attacked by the same grade and level and would only disappear when the ten-minute limit was up.


    Right at that moment, Jonas knew that he was facing an expert countless times stronger than him.


    His body crashed into a wall as he coughed out a mouthful of blood.


    He red at where the zing ball of fire came from. Nervousness was apparent on his face as he shouted in a hurry, "Please spare me if I have ever offended you, senior!"


    At this moment, the thought of fighting back never crossed Jonas'' mind. His heart was already in turmoil the moment the absolute shield was broken like fragile ss. The only thing on his mind right now were thoughts on how to stay alive.


    He stood up from the ground as he saw a figure d in a red, zing dress emerge from the bushes. His bronze grimoire floated around him; however, the thought of summoning his creature to fight back never crossed his mind, as he knew that it would just be pointless.


    At first nce, Jonas knew that she was just a summoned beast. His gaze hovered over her for a second before it shifted to the next person that emerged right next to her.


    Jonas was also curious who this expert was who attacked him for no reason. As far as he knew, Marcel was the only Elite Rank in Peach Vige. He, the other guardians, and the newly awakened kids were all at Apprentice Rank.


    This was also the reason why he epted the mission to return to this vige eighteen years ago.


    However, the moment Jonas'' eyesnded on the person next to the red-robed summon, his eyes immediately widened in surprise and confusion.


    "Y-you! How can it be you?"


    Jonas'' hands were trembling as he stared at Miguel with visible confusion in his eyes.


    The fool Miguel, whom he had always beaten up to vent his frustration, had seemingly appeared in front of him with a powerful summon by his side.


    "How can it not be me?" Miguel replied with a smirk on his face. He walked towards Jonas as the Fiery Empress floated by his side.


    Hearing that Miguel had responded, Jonas was even more dumbfounded.


    "Y-you! Don''te near me!" Jonas shouted in fear as he kept on retreating backwards. His legs were trembling hard in fear. The bronze grimoire was floating beside him, as though waiting for Jonas to use it.


    The Jonas, who seemed strong and brave who always beat up Sara and Miguel was nowhere to be found.


    It was now reced by a coward. No, to be more precise, this should be his real personality, and the brave and strong part was just a facade to hide his true colors.


    Strong and bully to the weak, but weak and limp when facing the strong.


    The Gold Grade Fiery Empress that easily broke the shield became the greatest deterrent and demon in Jonas'' mind.


    Even Miguel himself could not believe what he was seeing right now.


    He shook his head and thought, ''Since you are actually such a coward, the next thing should be easier now.''


    Jonas was now backed into a corner. Miguel arrived and squatted right in front of him.


    "Let''s go straight to the point. If you want to live, answer my question truthfully; do you understand?" Miguel stated with a straight face.


    Jonas gulped a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood as he nodded his head fearfully in front of Miguel and the Fiery Empress.


    Miguel actually nned to torture Jonas if he was unwilling to answer his questions. However, it seems that there was no need for that now that he was being cooperative.


    "First things first, why did you try to kill me with poison the other day?"


    This was what puzzled Miguel the most, so he asked this question right away.


    Jonas looked at the Fiery Empress, and upon seeing her y with a ball of fire on her two hands, he no longer hesitated as he hastily answered, "B-b-branch leader. I-i-it''s b-because of the branch leader''s daughter!"


    "Huh!?"

 Chapter 16: Truths

    <h4>Chapter 16: Truths</h4>


    When an absolute something bes different from one''s expectations or logical reason, one bes confused, hesitates, and won''t be able to react for a short period of time.


    Oh, just how easy logic could fail in times of desperation.


    Jonas, who had always seen Miguel as a burden and a useless fool, was shaken when he saw Miguel talking normally and was even being apanied by a powerful summon.


    Facing Miguel''s question, Jonas answered with a cracking voice.


    "B-branch leader... it''s because of the branch leader''s daughter!"


    Hearing that, a frown appeared on Miguel''s face.


    Through his Innate Skill, which he can easily see through others, he was able to tell that Jonas'' words were not a lie; however, at the same time, Miguel also sensed that it was not entirely the whole truth.


    "Exin it clearly! Also, don''t lie. My Innate Skill allows me to tell whether someone is lying or not," Miguel stated calmly.


    Upon hearing that, Jonas gulped a mouthful of saliva as Miguel became even more terrifying in his eyes.


    Sometimes, a small action can cause a great reaction. The burden on Jonas'' mind was heavy. As his life depended on it, he started exining everything to Miguel carefully.


    Miguel could easily tell that he was telling the truth. No lies could escape his eyes as he looked at Jonas coldly.


    After a few minutes, Jonas'' mouth became dry after speaking for too long.


    Miguel shook his head and stood up from the ground. He waved his hand, and the Fiery Empress immediately executed one of her skills.


    Seeing the action, horror shed across Jonas'' eyes as the aura of death loomed over him.


    "No! You promise to let me live if I tell the truth! You bastard! What are you trying to do!?"


    As the fear of death consumed Jonas'' mind, his tone of voice also changed into a forceful one as he questioned Miguel''s actions.


    However, Miguel merely shook his head as the Fiery Empress finally executed her skill, [Incinerating Beam].


    [Skill: Incinerating Beam (Level 1)


    Description/Effects:You can release a continuous beam of incinerating fire over a short distance. ]


    The beam of fire was released from her slender hands and aimed straight into Jonas'' head. Without the shield to protect him, Jonas'' head was incinerated the moment it came into contact with the beam.


    The Fiery Empress did not stop there as she moved her aim downwards, incinerating Jonas'' whole body. It was akin to a direct cremation; only ashes were left in the area where Jonas'' sat earlier.


    The Fiery Empress has total control over her fire. Only Jonas'' body was cremated, while the tree behind it was left untouched except for the smash it received earlier.


    Her skills were indeed powerful and oppressive. The only downside was that she was already near exhaustion after using the beam continuously.


    "A person like you who has a weak will... you did not even realize the fault in my words earlier. I never said I would let you live, fool!" Migeul shook his head with a smile.


    All he said was, ''If you want to live, answer truthfully! ''


    Jonas indeed wanted to live, hence why he answered truthfully. In the end, it was still Miguel who would decide whether he lived or not.


    Of course, even if Miguel said that he would let him live if he answered truthfully, he would still kill him right after obtaining information.


    Miguel was not a saint or a good person to begin with.


    As someone who stood as a supreme cultivator from his previous life, he had long forgotten how many lives he took and corpses he stepped on to stand at the pinnacle.


    A liar?


    Only those who remained alive can decide what was the truth and what was the lie.


    For Miguel, this was just a small episode that would be taken care of sooner orter, with or without the arrival of the Fiery Empress.


    And besides, conflicts and dangers were endless, so it was better to get rid of them while they were still young, before they piled up to be a huge problem in the future.


    ording to the information he gained from Jonas, Miguel learned that the branch leader''s daughter was indeed the main reason for Jonas wanting to take his life.


    ording to Jonas, the daughter of the branch leader was attracted to Miguel''s celestial-like appearance from a young age.


    Due to this reason, she would reject her suitors and would often brag that she did not like them because they were not as handsome as Miguel.


    A few weeks ago, someone finally erupted and decided to seek Miguel and kill him to shut the daughter''s mouth.


    As a mercenary, Jonas epted themission secretly the other day and took action immediately.


    As for the reason why he used poison to kill him, Jonas'' reason was actually simple yet in line with his real personality.


    He was just afraid that the branch leader would find out about it and kill him for it.


    Using poison and making it as if he died out of fever would clear him out of the branch leader''s sight.


    Aside from that matter, Miguel also asked about his return eighteen years ago and his real purpose for returning.


    What he heard made Miguel realize that this world was not as simple as a summoning and beast-taming world as he initially thought.


    When Miguel asked about the corresponding information, Jonas'' head would always throb in pain. His words would be disoriented, and the only clear words Miguel could make out of him were that Jonas had returned here to search for something.


    As for what it was and who ordered Jonas to return here, there was no information about it for now.


    Miguel clicked his tongue in curiosity as he thought of the real mastermind behind Jonas'' return.


    "It''s a pity I can''t use the high-level soul search for now; otherwise, I would have already gotten every piece of information I want from this idiot," Miguelmented to himself.


    He was genuinely curious about the identity of the person who brainwashed or controlled Jonas.


    And as for the person who ordered him to kill him due to being rejected by the woman he loved, just like Jonas'', that kid was just a small problem that would be resolved in no time.


    Now that this hidden threat, Jonas'', was officially resolved, it was finally time to settle another matter¡ªthe jet-ck grimoire that has been pulsating quite hard since earlier.

 Chapter 17: The Grimoire’s Desire

    <h4>Chapter 17: The Grimoire''s Desire</h4>


    The grimoires were a kind of treasure provided by the world to its selected inhabitants for them to be stronger through it.


    When a grimoire user was killed, the grimoire would also disappear, as though it were retrieved or returned to where it originally came from. The contracted beasts and the Innate Beast inside would disappear along with the grimoire.


    However, after killing Jonas, Miguel realized that his bronze grimoire had actually dropped to the ground.


    His own jet-ck grimoire was also trembling and pulsating beside him. It was letting out a visible desire to consume the bronze grimoire on the ground.


    Miguel tilted his head in thought.


    Marcel, and even the information provided by the grimoire before did not include this situation.


    However, the desire shown by his grimoire was very apparent and intense. Miguel did not hesitate for long, as he allowed the grimoire to hover towards the dropped bronze grimoire.


    Even though he could not understand the situation, the jet-ck grimoire itself was not a normal grimoire since it could even contract a Gold Grade summon like the Fiery Empress.


    ording to Marcel, it has already been a publicly known fact that only Gold Grade Grimoires or very talented Silver Grade Grimoire users can sessfully contract with Gold Grade Beasts or summon them.


    Not only due to its grade restriction, forcefully contracting a Gold Grade Beast with a lower-grade grimoire also has a high possibility of the beast breaking the contract and betraying its master. A betrayal and forceful contract withdrawal would usually result in mild to severe bacsh that can cause concussion to the user, or worse, they could even die from it if the bacsh was too strong.


    The jet-ck grimoire hovered above the bronze grimoire. With a thought, Miguel allowed it to descend even further, touching the bronze grimoire below it.


    The moment it touched the bronze grimoire, the jet-ck grimoire let out an eerie glow.


    Miguel observed curiously as the bronze grimoire slowly dematerialized as the eerie glow of the jet-ck grimoire continued to grow more intense.


    The eerie glow reached an intense peak at the one-minute mark.


    The next moment, the bronze grimoirepletely disappeared as the jet-ck grimoire floated back in front of Miguel.


    It rotated in front of him, letting out joyous ''intentions'' that Miguel could feel.


    Miguel already had some suspicions, but it was only at this moment that he could confirm that his grimoire was definitely alive, or at least more intelligentpared to other grimoires.


    Miguel observed it carefully. He noticed some changes to itpared to earlier.


    Unlike earlier, he could now see bronze lines adorning the edges of the jet-ck grimoire. These lines were very thin and were only visible if observed closely.


    Miguel still doesn''t know what effects these bronze lines brought to the grimoire, but he could definitely tell that the grimoire was happy to obtain it.


    Miguel did not linger in the area for long. After making sure that he left no traces aside from the burnt body, he unsummoned the Fiery Empress and decided to return to the servant quarters to wait for Sara.


    With Jonas gone and Marcel''s protection, Sara should be able to live without worries after he leaves the vige.


    Miguel should be able to leave in peace as well, knowing that his mother was safe and sound here.


    Arriving at the servant''s quarters, Miguel did not wait for long as Sara finally returned in a jovial mood.


    The thought of having a summoner son made her proud and made her the envy of the other servants. She was all smiles all day long, as the servants who usually don''t talk to her actually approached her earlier upon knowing that his son had awakened a grimoire.


    Due to that, she had been happy all day long. She could no longer recall when thest time she felt this way was.


    As a celebration, she even bought meat earlier so that she could cook a delicious meal for Miguel tonight.


    The moment she arrived, she immediately saw Miguel waiting for her at the door.


    She smiled even more joyfully. Having someone wait for you at home was definitely a good feeling to have.


    She also began to tell Miguel what she had experienced earlier. The change of treatment she received from the other servants and their change of attitude towards her


    Miguel listened with a smile as Sara shared her experience for today. At least her happiness today was genuine, unlike yesterday, which was mixed with some pain and restraint.


    "Right, Miggy, the branch leader asked why you did not return for the treasure that he promised," Sara suddenly said as she began to prepare their food.


    "Oh, right, I forgot about it. I also slept after returning, so it slipped my mind," Miguel answered without hesitation.


    However, the truth was that he actually did not forget about it. It was just that most of his time was consumed in cultivating, and the moment he seeded and finished his cultivation session, he immediately went to get rid of Jonas.


    Getting rid of Jonas as early as possible was something that he must do. Every night, the vige guardians would return to the main house to report to Marcel. If he waited until tomorrow, there was a chance that Jonas would learn that he had awakened and would be vignt towards him.


    "I see. Make sure to get that treasure, alright? You should not waste the kindness he is showing you. Do you understand?" Sara reminded him in a serious manner.


    She was worried that Miguel would be arrogant after awakening his grimoire.


    The branch leader was very kind to him; she was afraid that Miguel would be ungrateful, so she especially reminded him about it.


    Miguel nodded his head and said, "I''ll go there tomorrow."


    After that, Miguel and Sara ate a hearty meal together. Although it was not delicious in Miguel''s opinion, food made with passion was still better than a delicious meal made without emotion.


    Miguel also handed her half of the gold coins that Marcel had rewarded to him earlier. She would be able to make great use of it and Miguel was also confident in earning more if he ever needs it.


    After eating, Miguel returned to his room and summoned the Fiery Empress once more.

 Chapter 18: Absolute Rule

    <h4>Chapter 18: Absolute Rule</h4>


    Inside the small room, the Fiery Empress, wearing the mask, stood calmly in front of Miguel.


    Miguel has long been curious about this beauty that was rewarded by the System.


    He circled around her and observed her carefully.


    She was as tall as him, standing around 1.80 meters in height.


    She was wearing a gorgeous red dress that entuated the curve on her waist. Her long, slender white legs were visible through the thigh-high peekaboo slit on the right side of the dress. She was wearing a pair of red-ck strappy sandals that highlighted her long, slender legs even more.


    Her origins were not a mystery and were provided by the description in the grimoire. ording to it, the Fiery Empress'' Aaliyah was a talented woman in the Red n who fell and died early due to an inside conspiracy and conflict in her n.


    However, what Miguel could not understand was how the system managed to somehow revive her even though she died long ago. Although technically she was in a different ''form'', being revived through space and time was still a mystical thing, just like the case of his transmigration.


    Even after reaching the peak of studying and cultivating the Heavenly Dao, even Miguel from his previous life still had not fully grasped this kind of universal wonder.


    Reincarnation, transmigrating through space and time, reincarnation, and being revived were just some of the many wonders in the universe that many would not be able to fully understand.


    Was it because he was still weak?


    No. Miguel had definitely reached the peak of cultivation prowess in his previous life. He had also seen a fair share of people who cultivated time, space, and other mysterious elements such as life and death.


    The Necromancer''s that can revive the dead, and the Angels that can revive those who died in a short period of time. Both of these two powers have their own weaknesses and shorings.


    However, the case for Aaliyah was clearly different. It seemed like a perfect revival. It was not as simple as the revivals he had seen in his previous life.


    He had reached a ceiling in strength that could not be surmounted by just talent and hard work alone. This ceiling was all around the universe. He felt that, in order for him to break through, he must first escape the shackle of the universe.


    He felt it at that time.


    He needs a catalyst to break through to the highest level. Hence, the idea of creating a new form of more powerful energy was born inside him.


    There werews concerning such broad topics as life and death in his previous life. He had also dabbled in it and was even considered an expert on the field.


    However, understanding the topic doesn''t mean that he would be able to apply and use it. When he tried to revive someone before, all he created was the corpse of that someone. The soul has long been lost through space and time. This was also the reason why the Angels and the other Holy Race could only revive those who had died not too long ago.


    Rule and Order.


    Miguel believed that the universe existed along with rule and order, or the so-calledws and authorities.


    The life and death of an individual was a rule that any cultivator, strong or weak, should not meddle. They can study and understand it, but they won''t be able to make full use of it.


    This was an Absolute Rule.


    He felt that only the Heavenly Dao, or whatever it was controlling the rule and order of the universe, had authority over these kinds of things.


    ''This system... Just how powerful is it, and just how high is its authority in these kinds of rules? ''


    Miguel shook his head with a smile as he discarded his useless thoughts.


    He focused on observing Aaliyah.


    Miguel stood in front of her unmoving figure, staring right into her bright red eyes.


    Aaliyah stood unmoving, as though not bothered by his gaze. She remained standing, staring in front as though in a daze.


    Miguel lifted his hands towards her face, tracing her smooth chin and cheek.


    His hands lifted the mask away, revealing Aaliyah''s stunning face in the process.


    This was the first time that Miguel had seen Aaliyah''s face in real life.


    "How beautiful!" he praised softly as he caressed her cheek.


    The ethereal mark on her forehead glowed for a moment before it returned to normal.


    Aaliyah still seemed unbothered and allowed him to do as he pleased.


    Contrary to her fiery powers, her expression was actually cold and detached. Underneath her cold expression, Miguel knew there was a seething hatred and rage that needed to be quenched.


    Miguel smiled as he put her mask back on, covering the upper part of her face, only revealing her lower cheek and chin as well as her red, supple lips.


    He extended his hands towards hers and said, "Please take care of me from now on."


    Even his jet-ck grimoire has its own emotion. Miguel did not believe that she didn''t have her own.


    She was his Innate Beast and would basically not betray him.


    However, he knew that it was still better to appease than to neglect her.


    He had already experienced a lot of betrayal in his previous life, some of them so unlikely that he felt devastated upon knowing.


    Thetest betrayal took a toll on him.


    The Harem Emperor was someone he had raised since he was young. He created a special dual-cultivating technique for him, as his talent was not enough to stand beside him.


    The Harem Emperor was the person he thought wouldn''t betray him. However, it still happened in the end.


    Of course, as usual, Miguel won''t be caught up with things like betrayal anymore. He will have his revenge, of course.


    He could understand Aaliyah''s emotions. She was also betrayed by the internal conflict and conspiracy in her n and wanted to take revenge.


    Both of them, who experienced betrayal and were unwilling to fully trust another person anymore, were now bound together by an Absolute Rule of the grimoire.


    An Innate Beast could not betray its master. It will follow the master through thick and thin, joy and pain, until death do them apart.


    This was an Absolute Rule.


    Aaliyah looked down and looked at Miguel''s extended hand.


    She could feel the sincerity behind his actions and words.


    Her unmoving hand slowly lifted up, meeting Miguel''s hands in mid-air.


    The moment her hand came into contact with his, she raised her head once more and stared straight into Miguel''s eyes.


    "Thank you!" Her lips moved as a soothing voice was heard by Miguel.


    The ethereal mark on her forehead glowed in resplendent light but was blocked by the mask.


    Only simple words escaped her mouth, but tears started to well in her eyes at the next moment, threatening to fall at any time.


    However, before it could fall and be seen by Miguel, Aaliyah transformed into a streak of light as she traveled back to the grimoire in haste.


    Through simple but sincere actions, the feelings were conveyed as the Innate Beast and the Master connected through their emotions.


    Miguel shook his head and unsummoned the grimoire back to his inner world.

 Chapter 19: The Weapon

    <h4>Chapter 19: The Weapon</h4>


    Early in the morning, Miguel took a carriage towards the manor to meet with Marcel and im the weapon he promised.


    Along the way, Sara was talkative and joyful, as always. The gold coins handed out by Miguel were a huge surprise for her. She could not help but feel proud of Miguel''s generosity toward her.


    Miguel merely listened and smiled at her from time to time.


    Due to the fool''s memory, Miguel was already used to her talking a lot. She would always do so every time she was attending to Miguel''s wounds, after all.


    After an hour, they finally arrived at the manor.


    The same two guards greeted them respectfully, especially after seeing Miguel beside her.


    Grimoire summoners were well-respected people in the Wild Beast World. Only the fated and the most talented can awaken to be grimoire users.


    Not only were they rare, but they were also more powerful and impactfulpared to others.


    They bowed deeply and allowed them to enter the manor without hassle.


    A whileter, Miguel and Sara stood once more in the same room.


    Unlike before, Marcel was not alone in the room.


    He was surrounded by a bunch of people, old and young.


    They were elders and important members of this particr branch of the Red Family. Some of them were Marcel''s direct rtives, and along with Marcel, they manage the Peach Vige with their respective roles.


    Knowing that they might have something important to discuss, Sara left the room respectfully.


    After her figure disappeared, Marcel nodded his head to Miguel and gestured for him toe in front of him. The gazes of the ''elders'' around him focused on him, pressuring him as he walked forward. Miguel was not pressured, though, as he was not afraid of them. With Aaliyah around, it would even be a question of who would win between him and Marcel.


    Of course, Aaliyah was a secret and a Trump card he was unwilling to show for now.


    The only threat in this room was Marcel himself, whom he had already befriended in advance.


    Including Marcel, there were a total of seven people in the room. Two were females, while the rest were males. Although he doesn''t know their exact identity, Miguel knows that they have an important status in the Peach Vige.


    He doesn''t know why they were here, and he was not interested in inquiring about it. He would leave the vige anyway.


    Miguel stood in front of Marcel, waiting for him to take out the weapon that he promised.


    In truth, Grimoire Summoners actually don''t need to hold a weapon when they were in a fight.


    When they were in a battle, they can choose to cast a shield around them to protect themselves from harm while their summons battle with the enemy.


    The summons were lethal weapons themselves, so there was no need for the summoner to act; they could just wait inside the shield and wait for the battle to finish.


    There was a reason why Grimoire Summoners werebeled as the ''Chosen Ones'' in the Wild Beast World. The shield was a protective mechanism that allowed them to be safe even when they were in a fight.


    Of course, there was a downside to this kind of thing.


    Even though the shield was extremely strong and those in the above level could not break it in one full attack, if attacked repeatedly, it would actually break.


    Those who knew better and were out for blood would definitely go for the summoner. After all, when the Summoner dies, it was equivalent to killing all the summons as well. The shield also has a time limit, so it was not an all-be-all strategy that the summoners can always rely on.


    Hence, they would use weapons and even armor as self-defense to address the problem of the shield being gone.


    The next moment, Marcel waved his hands in front of him. His Silver Grade Grimoire was revealed as it glowed for a moment before two objects materialized in front of Miguel.


    ording to the information Marcel talked about yesterday, when the grimoire advanced to Silver Grade, they would all gain the ability to store inanimate objects and act as space storage of some sort.


    The space inside differs ording to the strength of the grimoire user as well as the grade of the grimoire.


    Miguel looked at the two objects that materialized in front of him.


    One was a longsword that was still on a white sheath. The other one was a small dagger simrly sheathed but on a dark-colored sheath that was obviously made from an animal horn.


    As it was only for self-protection, Miguel would obviously choose the dagger that was very easy to use and easy to maneuver. While attacking, it could also be a lethal weapon as it was small and can be stabbed at the opponent in quick session.


    Of course, he doesn''t think that he will use this dagger for too long anyway.


    However, just as he was about to pick the dagger, an annoyed voice suddenly entered his ears.


    "Really? Marcel? I have been telling you to give these weapons to my son, but you were always unwilling. And now, you actually wanted to give them to this kid who apparently just awakened over a day ago?"


    Miguel turned to look at the person who just spoke.


    The voice came from one of the two women in the room.


    She has an enormous figure that was double the size of the other woman. She has huge lips and arge mole right below her right nostril.


    Upon a closer look, Miguel shook his head as he found her face a little familiar. It did not take long for him topare the simrities to those of Gasper. With that in mind, he immediately guessed who''s mom this pig was.


    "Don''t you know the talent of your nephew? He just awakened two months ago and already has Innate Beast cultivated into Level 2. Compared to this trashy fool, isn''t it better to give these treasures to my son, your nephew, so that he could protect himself properly? Hmm?"


    Hearing that, Miguel did not react and merely looked at Marcel. He was waiting for what kind of action he would take. He was Marcel''s ''investment'' after all.


    Being called a fool and trash was not something that he liked. He was never a good person to begin with. He considered himself to be petty.


    Jonas, who called him the ''foolish bastard son'' two days ago, was now free of pain and has already fully transformed into a new race called ashes.


    Gasper, the bully who called him a lucky fool yesterday, was the second on his list. He was just waiting for the exact opportunity to kill that brat.


    As for his mom, if Marcel did not handle this properly, then Miguel has no problem adding a third person to his list today.


    "Enough!"


    Fortunately, Marcel did not let the woman talk for long.


    "Do not question what I do. Remember, you are only here, and I only respect you because you are my brother''s wife. If you continue to bber your mouth and continue to question my actions, then I''ll be damn sure that this will reach my brother. Do you understand?"


    "As for my nephew''s weapon, you don''t have to worry about it; his father has already prepared something for him."


    "Now, Miguel, choose the one you desire from these two. Both are graded weapons, so you will definitely not be disappointed no matter what you choose," Marcel stated.


    Graded weapons just basically mean that they were made from wild beasts that were Bronze Grade or above.


    Although he had not handled the woman seamlessly, he was indeed able to get her to shut up.


    Miguel merely smiled as he picked up the dagger without hesitation.


    This was only Miguel''s agenda for being here, so he prepared to leave so that he could cultivate Origin Energy once more.


    However, a human''s greed knows no bounds.


    The moment he picked the dagger, a foreboding feeling suddenly engulfed his mind, and at the next moment, a crashing force smashed into his shoulders.


    Boom!


    Miguel''s figure flew back at breakneck speed as the woman''s voice trailed behind him.


    "Haha, did you see that? He could not even defend my attack; look how useless he is. Giving a graded weapon to this kind of untalented trash is not a wise thing to do. Marcel, even if you are the branch leader, you should still not waste the family''s resources on this kind of trash, or else I will be the one to report your actions to the main branch!"

 Chapter 20: Taking Chances

    <h4>Chapter 20: Taking Chances</h4>


    The situation was so sudden that none of the people present were able to react.


    Marcel, who was on her right side, had his eyes wide open in disbelief as he saw the sudden scene unfold before his eyes.


    "Carlota! You dare?" His thundering voice resounded in the room as a massive tortoise materialized in front of him.


    The ck-and-red tortoise let out a howl as a red ball of magma formed at the tip of its snout. It did not take long before the tortoise released the magma toward the creature that Carlota had summoned to attack Miguel.


    Boom!


    Unable to defend itself, the creature that looked like a huge wolf was sent flying, its fur charred as itnded a few meters away from the hall, whimpering in pain.


    As the massive explosion ensued, all the people in the room finally reacted, and each summoned their own grimoire one by one and put up their absolute shield. All of them possessed a bronze-grade grimoire, with the exception of Marcel, who already has a Silver Grade Grimoire.


    "Hmmp!" A harrumph escaped Carlota''s mouth. Her wolf was severely injured from the tortoise''s simple attack alone. It was apparent that the tortoise''s level was a lot higherpared to the wolf she summoned.


    With that kind of injury, though, it would take at least a week for it topletely heal inside the grimoire. This was another function of the grimoire. It can help the Beast''s energy and injuries recover faster when they stay inside of it.


    Carlota looked at Marcel with visible hatred on her face.


    Of course, she already knew that her husband had already prepared something for Gasper. However, what he prepared was just graded armor, not a graded weapon. Hence, she took her chance to see if she could get a weapon for Gasper.


    However, from Marcel''s actions, she realized that he was hellbent on supporting the kid.


    She wondered if this foolish kid was actually Marcel''s illegitimate child.


    As for her actions in suddenly attacking Miguel, she doesn''t need to exin anything at all.


    After all, why would an elder exin something to their servants?


    At this moment, Miguel finally stood up from the floor.


    It took him a while to recover, as the attack of the wolf was very sudden and powerful.


    Fortunately, his body had already been strengthened yesterday from the cleansing of the Origin Energy. Its durability has increased by arge margin; otherwise, he was afraid that he might have been torn apart by that wolf by now.


    It was at least a level 3 beast.


    As he stood up, a chilling glint formed at the corner of his eyes as he looked at Carlota ''calmly''.


    Rage boiled inside of him, but his rationality kept him from summoning Aaliyah to counterattack.


    He knew that there was a time and ce for every act of revenge.


    Marcel looked at Miguel deeply and knew that the situation had be moreplicated.


    The reason for today''s meeting with the others was due to the disappearance of Jonas. The two guardians investigated his outpost and saw traces of battle, yet Jonas was nowhere to be found.


    However, the two other guardians believed that he was already dead; otherwise, he would have reported back by now.


    The others did not know, but Marcel already had an inkling as to who the culprit was. It also made him realize that Miguel was truly not as simple as he seemed to be. He also realized how petty and ruthless he was; he even killed his ''own'' father right after he awakened.


    What was more fearsome about this was the fact that apparently Miguel had only awakened for two days and the fact that he even requested ''permission'' from Marcel before hand before he killed him.


    ''This kid is definitely a fearsome genius! '' Was what all Marcel could think about earlier until Miguel arrived in the room to im his weapon.


    ''Bitch! '' He cursed in annoyance inside him as he looked at the fat pig on his left. He truly despised his brother''s life choices.


    "Miguel, settle down. I''ll handle this. Aspensation, I''ll also give this longsword to you as well," Marcel stated, trying to calm Miguel.


    Miguel looked at him and merely smiled. But it was this mere smile that made Marcel''s hair stand on end.


    "Don''t worry, I am calm," he said as he began walking towards Marcel. He took the longsword together with the dagger and bowed towards him and then to the ''elders'' before saying calmly, "Thank you for your generosity. I''ll be on my way now."


    After saying that, Miguel did not wait for their response, as he immediately walked towards the door.


    As his figure disappeared from the room, a mixture of reactions was let out by the crowd.


    Marcel released a long sigh as he leaned back on his chair, seemingly exhausted.


    Carlota has her lips curled upwards; she believed that Miguel left hurriedly because he was scared sh*tless because of what he just experienced. It also made her happy that Miguel was holding two valuable weapons, as they would be easy for her to take if she wanted to.


    A n was formted inside her mind, unaware of the danger that it would bring her and Gasper.


    The other summoners looked at Miguel''s departing figure in disbelief.


    The other woman looked at the door and muttered, ''What a strong body!''


    Marcel looked at Carlota and shook his head. "Alright, let''s continue with the previous issue. Since the two of you confirmed that Jonas is truly dead, we can only request for another mercenary to be the third guardian of Peach Vige. As forpensation regarding Jonas'' death, they will be handed to his known family, which is Miguel and Sara."


    ...


    Meanwhile, back at the servant quarters, Miguel sat at the top of his bed in a lotus position as he calmed his raging mind.


    He looked over at what happened and finally realized that he was very careless and arrogant, as he only thought of this vige as a backward one after gaining information from Marcel.


    However, even if it was a backward vige, he should still not underestimate it, as he was still very weak right now.


    It was only his third day in this world, and he must not act rashly. He also seemed to have be overly confident and reliant on having Aaliyah as his summon.


    However, as the cultivators would always say, having your own strength was still countless times better than having a borrowed one.


    He must hurry on cultivating the Origin Energy to increase his own strength.


    The power system of this world and itspatibility with the Sign-In System were powerful, butpared to the Origin Energy that he discovered during his peak, he felt that they were nothing.


    As his emotions calmed down, he finally entered the cultivation trance.


    The Grimoire Summoning Energy in the air was slowly stored in the Grimoire inside his inner world. Like the previous instance, it took him almost three hours topletely fill the grimoire of the bluish energy.


    Knowing that the Grimoire was already at its limit, Miguel did not waste any more time as he finally began to refine the Grimoire Summoning Energy into a drop of Origin Energy.


    The bluish energy leaked out of the grimoire as it swirled mysteriously inside Miguel''s inner world. Almost four hourster, Miguel finally drained all the energy in the grimoire as a drop of rainbow-colored Origin Energy floated right at the top of the grimoire.


    Miguel did not waste a single moment, as he immediately began absorbing the drop of Origin Energy into his body.


    His brows contorted in pain as he endured for a full hour before the pain dissipated.


    A drop of Origin Energy was absorbed, and his body was strengthened once again.

 Chapter 21: Ranks

    <h4>Chapter 21: Ranks</h4>


    Miguel stood up from the bed and looked at his changes in the mirror.


    Unlike yesterday, the changes in his body were not that exaggerated. He noticed that the volume of his muscles had increased; he looked a little buff as his physique was slowly getting toned like a sculpture.


    With his current body, Miguel was now even more confident of defeating Carlota''s wolf with his bare body alone.


    He marveled at how magical the Origin Energy was.


    Its effects were at least one hundred times stronger than Spiritual Energy or Qi, that cultivators use to cultivate.


    Miguel summoned his grimoire and looked at his current status profile.


    The grimoire can gauge a person''s strength and quantify it for easy scaling.


    The jet-ck grimoire, which was now adorned with bronze lines, floated in front of him. He flipped to the front page and saw his information on it.


    [Name: Miguel


    Age: 18 Years Old


    Level: (Undefined) (Novice Martial Artist (Advance))


    Summoner Rank: Apprentice (Beginner)


    Innate Skill: Boundless Sage of Knowledge


    Skills:


    Techniques: (Unnamed Scripture (Unknown Grade)) ]


    The previous nk space after the ''level'' was now filled with something.


    The second phrase was another power system in this world, ording to Marcel.


    Those who were not fortunate enough to awaken a grimoire would be able to train in internal martial arts and progress their strength through repetitive and disciplined training. Their realms were named from weakest to strongest, being Novice, Warrior, Adept, and then Master Martial Artist.


    Each realm was further divided into three sub-levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and then Advance.


    ording to Marcel, their strength can be directlypared to that of Normal Grade Beasts, where a Beginner Novice Martial Artist was equivalent to a Level 1 Normal Grade Beast, Intermediate was equivalent to Level 2, and then Advance was equivalent to a Level 3 Normal Grade Beast.


    Miguel thought for a moment and guessed that the ''undefined'' part must be referring to his current realm ording to his current cultivation technique, which he has not yet named.


    The Summoner Rank, on the other hand, was just what its name implies. It''s the rank of grimoire summoners, and each rank determines their strength in summoning.


    The rank of a summoner also determines how many Beast they can summon per day and how long each summon couldst before they will be forcefully summoned back to the grimoire.


    Even Miguel was not an exemption to this rule. As he was only a Beginner Apprentice Summoner, he could only summon one kind of beast per day, and it would reset every midnight. If he summoned the Volcanic Tortoise, it means that he could only summon the Volcanic Tortoise for the entire day.


    ording to Marcel, only when one reaches the next rank of the Summoner Rank would this rule change.


    Like the Martial Artist Rank, the Summoner''s Rank was also further divided into Beginner, Intermediate, and then Advance.


    The rank after Apprentice Summoner was Elite Summoner, Master Summoner, and then Grandmaster Summoner. Marcel said that those at the Grandmaster Rank were the real powerhouse, and most of them were in control ofrge organizations or even an empire.


    Marcel was at the Advance Elite Rank while the others in the vige were just at the Apprentice Rank with some of them being at the Advance Apprentice Rank like Carlota.


    A Beginner Apprentice with a Bronze Grade grimoire could only summon their beast for a total of ten minutes. However, the time will increase after they advance to the Intermediate and Advance Apprentice Rank.


    The increase in time depends on the reward given by the will of the world through the grimoire.


    Miguel doesn''t have any skills for now, but his Innate Skill allowed him to create any skill and any technique that he wanted, so it was only a matter of time before this nk space would be filled.


    Needless to say, the Unnamed Scripture should be the technique he created from his previous life, which he still hasn''t named yet.


    Miguel also did not want to rush naming this either. A technique''s name was as important as its content. If the name was not ideal and was not different from the technique''s intention, it might backfire, and the technique would be useless.


    Of course, naming it the right way would also result in a positive transformation.


    Miguel closed the grimoire and unsummoned it back to his inner world.


    He cleaned the filth on his bed properly and estimated that there was still a lot of time before Sara would return.


    Cultivating was a magical thing, even more so because he was cultivating the Origin Energy. Miguel noticed that when he was cultivating, he would not feel any hunger even with this mortal body, unlike in his previous life.


    After cleaning, Miguel sat back at the top of his bed as he contemted what name he should give to this powerful technique.


    His mind began to wander as memories of his past life shed through his mind.


    His experience, the joyous moments, betrayals, parting, and many other memories were yed inside his mind.


    He entered a trance, this time not because he wanted to cultivate but rather because he wanted to search for a suitable name for the technique he painstakingly created. This was how important the name of a technique was.


    His emotion surged as every memory assimted properly into his brain; even the fool''s memory was included in it. Tears dropped at the corners of his eyes when he reached the memory of him being betrayed by his beloved disciple. However, it soon turned into rage as his eyes snapped open with a glint.


    He found it.


    A very suitable name for his cultivation technique.


    This technique involved his conviction to breakthrough to the ceiling of his universe.


    His conviction to return to his previous strength and enact his vengeance.


    A name that not only properly described the intention of the technique but also properly described his utmost desire.


    "From now on, I shall name you,"


    "Return of Origin!"


    BOOM!


    The world trembled once more.


    This time, not only the strong experts but even the weakest humans and beasts could feel the tremor and changes in the world.


    At the same time, his grimoire was automatically summoned from his inner world.


    As if celebrating, it spun widely in front of him as it flipped through the first page excitedly, as if a kid was trying to show something to its parent.


    Miguel looked at the contents on the first page and smiled at the noticeable changes.

 Chapter 22: New Skill

    <h4>Chapter 22: New Skill</h4>


    [Name: Miguel


    Age: 18 Years Old


    Level: (Cleansing (Second Stage)) (Novice Martial Artist (Advance))


    Summoner Rank: Apprentice (Beginner)


    Innate Skill: Boundless Sage of Knowledge


    Skills:


    Techniques: Return Of Origin (Unknown Grade)]


    Miguel looked at the name of the technique with satisfaction. This was truly a befitting name for the technique. Subsequently, the stage he was at was also named the Cleansing Realm.


    In this Cleansing Realm, he must gather the worldly energy, refine it into an Origin Energy and use it to cleanse his body of impurities. He had already cleansed his body twice, and from his estimate, he should be able to do it seven more times before he could achieve the perfect body to house Origin Energy, and thus break through to the next realm of the Return Of Origin technique.


    With his current pace of being able to refine one drop of Origin Energy per day, it would not take long for him to break through to the next realm.


    Miguel has a good gauge of his current strength. Compared to the Cultivation Realms, his body should be as strong as a Late Stage Qi Refiner Realm right now.


    In this world''s martial artist power system, he was at the Advance Novice Martial Artist, which was also equivalent to a Level 3 Normal Grade Beast.


    Of course, this was in terms of physical strength; the real strength of a being would not be quantified or measured easily as each being was unique and had their own means to battle.


    For example, a Level 2 Normal Grade Beast might even be able to defeat a Level 3 Normal Grade Beast as long as he was crafty enough. Being smart and crafty was also part of one''s strength.


    Miguel kept his grimoire back to his inner world as it automatically started absorbing the energy in the air to replenish its reserve that had been depleted.


    Not longter, Sara also arrived; her shoulder was dropped, and her mood was heavy, as if she were affected by something.


    Seeing her like that, Miguel immediately realized what had caused her to be like that.


    "Are you alright?" Nevertheless, he still decided to ask.


    Sara let out a deep sigh and sat on the chair sluggishly. "Jonas is dead," she said solemnly.


    As it turns out, Jonas'' disappearance was already known to the whole vige by now. The branch head, along with the other two guardians, also announced that he was killed by a beast.


    Miguel went and sat beside her. He rubbed her shoulders and stated, "Isn''t this better? All he did was abuse and take advantage of your kindness. It''s better now that he''s dead, if he truly is, right?"


    Sara sighed. Her mood wasplicated. She did not know how to feel. Should she be happy or sad that her abusive husband is now dead?


    She knew that it was better this way, but she could still not celebrate his passing. She was kind, even to hisst breath. She had never mistreated Jonas, even when he kept on beating and treating her badly.


    Miguel saw through herplicated emotions.


    To be honest, even with all his experience from his previous life, he still could not make up some words to console her.


    In the end, he could only hug her tightly.


    In response, tears slowly fell at the corner of Sara''s eyes as she began to recount how she met Jonas and how good he was to her until he came back eighteen years ago. It was as if his entire person had changed when he came home.


    Miguel just listened to her realize her pent-up emotions.


    This was a very loving mother and wife.


    He doesn''t want to see her cry. Thest thing he wanted was to see her cry. However, he knew that this was for the better.


    Jonas must absolutely be killed.


    Miguel knew for a fact that Jonas had been bewitched when he came back here eighteen years ago. Perhaps it was no longer the real Jonas that Sara loved, but a Jonas secretly bewitched to search for a certain treasure hidden in this small Peach Vige.


    Miguel knew that he was not lying at that time due to his Innate Skill.


    As for the treasure, even Miguel himself was a little curious about it. However, that was all there was to it and nothing more.


    Anyway, knowing that Sara was not in the proper mood to cook, Miguel decided to take over this time and cook for the both of them.


    Of all the things, though, his cooking skills were the one thing that he was never fond of or proud of.


    Sara''s cooking doesn''t taste good, but it was still countless times betterpared to his cooking. That was also the reason why, when he wanted to eat during his previous life, he would just tell the Harem Emperor to cook for him.


    Anyway, the two of them passed the tribtion of his cooking. He apanied Sara to bed, and only when she slept did he leave her room.


    Inside his room, Miguel did not sleep immediately.


    Instead, he closed his eyes and fell into deep meditation.


    It was now time to test his Innate Skill and create a new skill through it.


    Creating a new skill was easy for Miguel. The moment he gained the Innate Skill, the method to use it was also included in the information that was provided to him.


    Just like how he created the Return Of Origin technique and assimted it to his grimoire, Miguel also closed his eyes as he began to draw the skill inside his mind.


    For Miguel, who has a lot of knowledge and all kinds of strange techniques from hisst life, this was a god-given opportunity. It''s only drawback, though, was the fact that he could only create one skill per day.


    A few minutester, a new skill appeared on his status page.


    [Skill: (Shadow Steps (Level 1))


    Description/Effects: A footwork technique that allows the user to be nimble and quick. Their steps would be light and would not produce any sound. Short-distance teleportation can also be achieved by stepping into the shadows. ]


    In his previous life, space and time skills were the most difficult toprehend and use. Those in the higher realm would be able to utilize it freely, but those who just started cultivation should not be able to use it due to its strict and high requirements.


    In his previous life, the Shadow Steps were actually associated with a cultivation technique.


    If one wanted to use it, not only would they need to cultivate andprehend it, they would also need to follow aplicated step-by-step process before it could be properly executed by the user. One small mistake, and it would fail to be used.


    However, in this world, Miguel would be able to use them freely as long as he has the energy to spare; the energy here, of course, was referring to the energy inside a grimoire. And unlike his previous life, he doesn''t need to execute theplicated step-by-step process in order to cast the skill. Here, as long as he willed it, the skill would be used instantly.


    Miguel did not waste any time and immediately executed the skill, Shadow Steps.


    He took a step forward, and as though he slid on his bed, his figure actually appeared right in front of the door instantly.


    A grin appeared on his face as he donned a ck cloth and went outside of the servant quarters.


    He looked above and noticed the bright, brilliant moon. It was the perfect time for a bloody and unexpected vengeance.


    The surroundings were dark, aside from the asional lights inside the other servant quarters.


    Miguel''s figure disappeared and phased into a tree''s shadow a few meters away.


    He traveled through the shadows and arrived at the vige''s most prosperous area in just 30 minutes.


    He sensed the grimoire''s energy reserve and realized that it was almost empty. He hid behind a huge tree and sat there to help the grimoire absorb the surrounding energy first. Without energy, he would not be able to summon any creature or the absolute shield.


    Thirty minutester, Miguel opened his eyes and thought that the energy he gathered inside the grimoire should be enough.


    He no longer wasted any more time and phased through from shadows to shadows.


    Not longter, he finally arrived at Carlota and Gasper''s house.


    A devilish grin appeared on his face; however, just as he was about to enter the residence, a figure suddenly appeared and blocked his path.


    "As expected, you truly came!"

 Chapter 23: Caught Red-Handed

    <h4>Chapter 23: Caught Red-Handed</h4>


    Miguel stopped in his tracks as he looked at the man in front of him.


    ''Marcel...'' he muttered under his breath as he prepared to summon the grimoire and Aaliyah in case a fight broke out.


    Carlota and Gasper were essentially Marcel''s family. He must have already known that he was the one who killed Jonas, and considering what happened earlier, Miguel kind of realized why he was here.


    However, contrary to his expectations, Marcel did not attack.


    Instead, he sighed and stated, "Miguel, just let them off the hook this time. In exchange, I''ll make sure that your mom will live peacefully in the vige. Just treat this as me owing you a favor as well."


    If it were before, Marcel would surely not be talking like this. Although he valued Miguel''s potential, Gasper was his nephew after all.


    When he guessed that Miguel was the one who killed Jonas, Marcel also spected that Miguel was definitely hiding his abilities. For him to be able to kill Jonas even though he just recently awakened, this just means that he actually has an Innate Skill and maybe an Innate Beast and a powerful one at that.


    When he saw Miguel materializing out of the shadows earlier, he became even more firm in his spection. At that moment, he was no longer sure whether he could neutralize Miguel or even stop him from killing Carlota and Gasper.


    With that in mind, he did not dare to risk it andpletely fall out with Miguel. Hence, he decided to use his mother as leverage. Like he thoughtst time, as long as his mother was in the vige, Miguel would not be able to betray the Red Family just like that.


    Meanwhile, hearing his words, Miguel simply turned around as he left some words: "Only this time. Also, you better keep your words. Else, not only you, if something happens to my mother, I''ll make sure that the Red Family won''t be able to live in peace."


    His figure disappeared among the shadows as Marcel looked at him with a twitching mouth. Cold sweats broke down his back as he heard the threat behind his words.


    Although Marcel thought that his words were truly arrogant, he could not help but think that they would probablye true if he did not take care of Sara.


    In the end, Marcel could only sigh in defeat as he took ast nce at the house of Carlota and Gasper before he made his way back to the manor.


    ''Oh brother.. I hope your son and your wife won''t do anything reckless.''


    However, what he did not know was that inside the house, a reckless n had already been decided.


    ...


    Miguel rushed back to the servant quarters after he was caught red-handed by Marcel.


    He did not expect Marcel to intercept him there, so he could only postpone his ns about killing No. 2 and No. 3.


    With his Innate Skill and his experience from his previous life, Miguel also easily saw through Marcel''s intention.


    This made him realize that Sara could not be left in this vige for long.


    The more powerful he got in the future, the more threatened Marcel would be towards him. As a result, he might take drastic measures and use Sara directly to threaten him, or worse, use Sara to control his actions.


    The words he left were also not without basis. He left them in order to intimidate and scare Marcel a little. That way, for the time being, Sara would feel very safe in Peach Vige while he was away.


    Miguel returned to his room after checking on Sara.


    In his room, Miguel calmed his mind and decided to sleep.


    At his current stage, he still cannot neglect a proper rest. His body was still in the puberty stage, and it was still developing.


    Cultivating was also a tiring and boring task, and in his current strength and realm, he still needed enough rest and sleep.


    The next morning, Miguel woke up very early.


    It has been a while since hest practiced martial arts. He was afraid that he had already be rusted, so he especially woke up early to stretch his muscles and do some basic martial arts moves.


    He recalled his experience from his previous life and practiced some basic movements.


    Two hourster, his body was already full of sweat, yet he was still invigorated. This was due to the fact that he was already at the Second Stage of the Cleansing Realm of the Return of Origin Technique. His body has already been slowly refined, and strength and endurance were beaming from his muscles.


    After Sara left for work, Miguel also did not waste any more time as he began to cultivate for the day.


    With his previous experience, it did not take long for him to refine a drop of Origin Energy inside his inner world. Perhaps it was due to his body having been adapted to the Origin Energy and this world''s energy that it only took him half the time to refine a drop of Origin Energypared to before.


    Like thest time, he used it to refine his body once more.


    However, contrary to his expectations, Miguel did not break through to the third stage of the Cleansing Realm.


    He thought for a moment and guessed that he might need more drops of Origin Energy this time in order for him to reach the next stage of the Cleansing Realm. After all, his body has already been cleansed twice, each time with a single drop of Origin Energy, and each time he would break through.


    However, as his body has already adapted to one drop of Origin Energy, he guessed that he might need a little more this time to stimte his body and strengthen it using Origin Energy.


    With that in mind, Miguel no longer wasted any more time and cultivated once more.


    However, he soon met with a problem.


    As he tried to sense the Grimoire Summoning Energy usually present in the air, he realized that there weren''t any.

 Chapter 24: Sucked Dry

    <h4>Chapter 24: Sucked Dry</h4>


    Miguel frowned at this realization. However, he soon realized what the problem was.


    Although a world''s energy would always be present in the air, this doesn''t mean that there was an endless supply of it.


    In his previous world, the Qi would usually converge and gather at the center of a continent. It was there where the Qi was the thickest; hence, cultivators of great strength would usually flock to such an area so that they could have a steady supply of Qi while cultivating. Sects, cities, kingdoms, or even empires in such areas were also usually more prosperouspared to those at the edge of a continent.


    Of course, there were also some special cases, such as naturally formed cultivation caves or ces that were set up with an energy gathering array to gather all the surrounding Qi to a specific location.


    He guessed that it should be the same case in this Wild Beast World.


    The Peach Vige that he was in was only a small part at the edge of zing Expanse, which was a territory of Romero Kingdom.


    At the center of the zing Expanse was where the main branch was located. The Peach Vige was just a small vige in the southern part of the zing Expanse.


    Miguel guessed that in the entire zing Expanse, the main branch''s location should be where the Grimoire Summoning Energy was the thickest. Miguel even dared to guess that there might also be some sort of energy-gathering array set up in there.


    Miguel must have already sucked dry the surrounding energy in the vige, especially near the servant quarters, during the past days that he had cultivated the Origin Energy.


    Miguel estimated and guessed that the energy in this area might be able to gather again by tomorrow.


    As for creating an energy-gathering array here, Miguel thought that it would be pointless. He would soon leave this vige toward the main branch anyway. And creating an energy-gathering array was not that simple either.


    Apart from the problem of gathering materials, Miguel was not even sure if the materials needed to create an array that he knew before would still be the same in this world.


    He stood up from his seat and went out of his room.


    Sara had already gone to work earlier, after they were done having breakfast. Miguel did not bother apanying her to the manor, as he knew that she would be safe.


    Miguel even spected that a change might happenter today due to his interaction with Marcel yesterday.


    He gazed outside and saw that it was only around noon.


    As he had nothing to do, he decided to stroll around for the time being. At the same time, he would also like to search for a spot that might have some lingering Grimoire Summoning Energy for him to cultivate.


    He took the dagger and tied it horizontally to his waist, while the long sword was ced behind his back, sheathed inside its long scabbard. His figure soon went out of the servant quarters as he strolled towards Jonas'' outpost.


    Miguel noticed that the burn marks caused by the battle between Aaliyah and Jonas were still there.


    It seems that whoever investigated here did not bother cleaning up the scene.


    Miguel ignored the burnt marks as he walked towards where Jonas came from the other day.


    The major task of being a guardian of a vige was to report or kill any wild beast that might threaten the vige. Guardians were usually mercenaries hired byrge families to protect their vige, but some may havee from the family directly.


    There were a lot of Wild Beasts in this Wild Beast World.


    They were dangerous creatures, and most of the time, they would attack a human in sight. This was especially true for low-grade beasts who don''t have high intelligence.


    Grimoire users would be able to gain rewards through their grimoire if they defeated such beasts.


    Warriors or Martial Artists on the other hand, can use the beast''s body, which was full of nutrients, to nourish their own bodies as well.


    Or they could sell the beasts for some gold coins; dead or alive will be epted, depending on the situation.


    Although Peach Vige may look peaceful and devoid of wild beasts, this was actually only because the guardians would always neutralize any beast they found in the wild before they could even reach the vige.


    The Peach Vige was just at the edge of the zing Expanse, so the beasts here were usually just low-leveled and low-grade ones; hence, guardians with the strength of Jonas were the most suited to be guardians in these kinds of ces.


    The reason why Miguel left the burnt marks and burnt body of Jonas before was so that the others would think that he was attacked by wild beasts. Of course, he knew that Marcel would be able to link it to him after what he said, but this show was obviously not targeted at him but for the other people in the vige.


    Miguel strolled leisurely for almost thirty minutes before he decided to stop. He was already quite far from the vige, but no Wild Beast was still in sight. He wanted to find and fight one to test his current strength.


    It seems that Jonas has done a good job patrolling this area, as he realized that there were no beasts around here.


    He must have always patrolled the area while searching for that treasure.


    Miguel rested for a bit before he continued moving forward.


    He was alert and finally found a wild beast after another thirty minutes of walking. Miguel estimated that he was already more than 4 kilometers away from the vige.


    The beast was a small and fiery hare. It has long ears that dropped to the ground while a zing fire circled around its neck as if it were a lion''s mane.


    It doesn''t look intimidating at all, but Miguel knew not to underestimate it.


    Every beast in this world has its own skill. Some may even possess an Innate Skill that can greatly aid them during a battle, like Aaliyah.


    He was not aware of what grade or level this fiery hare was, so he summoned his grimoire and prepared to cast the absolute shield if anything went awry. A Bronze Grade Grimoire''s absolute shield can withstand a full strike from a Level 5 Normal Grade Beast.


    Wanting to test his own strength against this fiery hare, Miguel did not waste any more time and dashed towards it with pure speed.


    With a body at the Second Stage of the Cleansing Realm, or an equivalent to an Advance Novice Martial Artist, his figure burst like a cheetah towards the unassuming hare.

 Chapter 25: Experience Points

    <h4>Chapter 25: Experience Points</h4>


    The grimoire floated behind him as his figure dashed towards the hare.


    The hare was busy eating grass and was not aware of Miguel dashing towards it.


    It was only when Miguel was already five meters away from it that its fur and ear finally stood on end in alert. It''s fiery mane zed even more threateningly as it turned its red eyes towards Miguel.


    Unfortunately, five meters was already a very short distance for Martial Artists of the same level as Miguel.


    He arrived in front of the rabbit in a jiffy and kicked it as hard as he could at the area on its hind leg where no fire was present.


    With his strength, the fiery hare was kicked like a weightless ball and smashed towards a tree with a resounding sound.


    It dropped to the ground, unmoving. It''s fiery mane died down, and that''s when Miguel realized that it was already dead.


    At the same time, his grimoire floated in front of him and automatically flipped onto the first page.


    There, Miguel saw new information that he had never experienced before.


    [Defeated Level 1 Normal Grade Fire Maned Hare with Outstanding Performance: User is rewarded with 11 Experience Points.]


    [Defeated Level 1 Normal Grade Fire Maned Hare with Outstanding Performance: Grimoire is awarded with 4 Experience Points.]


    This new batch of information was mentioned by Marcel and the grimoire before.


    This was the world''s will, evaluating his performance and rewarding him with experience points based on it.


    ording to Marcel, a user''s rank, a grimoire''s grade, and a beast rank will upgrade once the experience points awarded by the world''s will reach or surpass a certain amount.


    ording to Marcel, a Beginner Apprentice Summoner would rank up to Intermediate Apprentice once their experience points crossed around a hundred points. As for the exact amount, only the world''s will will know.


    As for the grimoire''s experience cap at Bronze Grade, no one really knows. ording to Marcel, it took him almost 30 years before his Bronze Grade grimoire was upgraded to a Silver Grade. He said that it might depend on one''s talent, as there were others who were able to rank their grimoire up even though they were younger than him by a few years. He stated that ranking up a grimoire was the most difficult to achieve.


    Hence, those who were able to and those who awakened with higher-grade grimoires were revered by many.


    As for the reason why he was not awarded with experience points when Aaliyah killed Jonas, it should be because her level and grade were too highpared to Jonas. The level difference was so huge that even thetter''s absolute shield was not able to do anything to Aaliyah''s fire.


    It could not be called a battle at all and was more like bullying; hence, it must be the reason why the World''s Will did not evaluate it.


    Though losing a fight will not result in the deduction of experience points, the World''s Will values fairness the most and won''t allow cheating. When it deemed someone as staging a fight or someone was purposely losing to let another person win some experience points, the World''s Will would be able to detect it and even punish the perpetrators greatly.


    Miguel closed the grimoire and returned it to his Inner World. He picked up the Fire Mane Hare and continued moving forward.


    The hare was so weak that it died with one kick from him.


    Aside from that, Miguel had still not found a suitable ce to cultivate as well. But he was not in a hurry searching for one either, as he would leave the vige soon anyway. It was just an alternative, and if he doesn''t find any, then so be it.


    It did not take long before Miguel found another Wild Beast. He was already very far from the vige, and he reckoned that Jonas must not have patrolled this area often.


    The beast this time was another type of fire beast. Fire-type were the mostmon beasts here in zing Expanse, after all.


    This was a huge yak that was over a meter and a half in height. Its underbelly and lower chest were on fire. Its upper body was charred ck; whether it was due to the fire beneath it, no one knows.


    The moment Miguel spotted the yak, the yak also spotted him in return. Its massive head turned to look at him as its massive body also rotated towards him.


    Seeing that it was very alert, Miguel knew for a fact that this yak was definitely stronger than the one earlier. He did not dare underestimate it, so he immediately summoned his grimoire and prepared to cast the absolute shield at any given time.


    The absolute shield was like a cheat given to grimoire summoners. With it, they could guarantee their own safety while theymanded their beast to fight.


    However, it was not without weakness either. Upon activation, the absolute shield would stay in the same ce until the time was up. If the user decided to leave on their own, the shield would automatically break, and the user would not be able to summon it again on the same day.


    At the same time, when a summoned beast was defeated in battle, the absolute shield would also weaken and would break if all avable beasts were defeated. Aside from that, when the shield was broken forcefully or by defeat, it would also cause some damage to the owner''s mind, just like when their summoned beasts were defeated or killed in battle.


    Although it was like a cheat code, this was also some kind of weakness for the grimoire summoners.


    The yak snorted at Miguel in the distance. Its nose red up and let out oozing smoke as its front hoof scratched the ground in rage.


    Without wasting any more time, the yak charged towards Miguel, leaving fire behind in its wake.


    One of its skills was probably activated as it charged towards Miguel ferociously.


    Seeing that, Miguel did not panic and calmly dashed towards the yak as well. The next moment, his figure suddenly vanished as he stepped into the shadow of one of the trees.


    The yak was startled and immediately skidded when it realized that the target was no longer in its sight. Its nose red up in anger as it searched for its puny opponent.


    On the other hand, Miguel has already materialized at the back of the yak. The skill, Shadow Steps, was indeed very useful. It could confuse and catch the enemy off-guard. This was just one of the reasons why Miguel decided to learn this skill first.


    Of course, the main reason was to move stealthily and do things that others would not be able to perceive.


    The yak still did not realize that Miguel was already behind it.


    Miguel did not allow it to do so, and he immediately delivered a punch to its hind leg.


    His punch looked ordinary and looked as if it were just a normal hook punch. However, if an expert Martial Artist were to see this scene, they would surely be amazed at how fluid his movements were.


    His waist was half-turned, and both of his feet were nted firmly in the ground.


    The punch looked ordinary, but it contained all the strength he currently possessed.


    With his perfect memory from his previous life, Miguel was able to utilize such a skillful punch without needing the body''s muscle memory.


    Boom!


    Miguel''s fistnded on the yak''s hind legs. The leg of the yak rippled as its massive body was lifted three feet above the ground before it was thrown four meters away. Its bodynded on the ground with a loud thud as it let out a painful scream. The fire on its underbelly and chest dimmed for a few seconds before it erupted with even more ferocity as it stood up from the ground with shivering legs. It looked at Miguel with even more rage as it retreated and prepared to charge at him once again.


    Meanwhile, Miguel shook his right hand with a slight frown on his face. Although his move may look perfect, Miguel knew that it was far from perfect. In fact, it looked rigid in his eyes, to the point that he almost doubted himself.


    ''It looks like I really need to train from step 1 once again and let this body get used to my movements,'' he muttered to himself as he looked at the yak that was only shaking its leg from his full-forced attack.


    Although its hind leg was probably numb right now, Miguel knew for a fact that it did not cause that much damage to the yak.


    Realizing that the opponent was tougher than he initially thought, Miguel did not panic, and an excited smile even surfaced on his face.


    Swoosh!


    Two figures, one massive and one small, dashed towards each other at the same time.


    Their bodies met in the middle, as a fierce battle between arge yak and a small human ensued.

 Chapter 26: Defeating The Yak

    <h4>Chapter 26: Defeating The Yak</h4>


    The battlested for a few more minutes than Miguel initially expected.


    The yak was proven to be so tough and strong that his all-out punches could make a part of its body go numb. Its attack also grew ferocious the longer the battle ensued. The Shadow Steps were used at maximum capacity as Miguel was afraid that he would be gravely injured if he received even just one charge attack from the yak.


    At thest moment before its death, the yak even erupted with fire all over its body. Miguel was caught off-guard; fortunately, he was able to dodge in time by using Shadow Steps to a tree''s shadow a few meters away from the yak, allowing him topletely evade the yak''s desperate move.


    If it was not enough, Miguel was even prepared to cast the absolute right there and then to prevent himself from getting harmed by the yak''s fire eruption.


    A radius of six meters was burned to crisp around the yak''s body after its eruption of fire. If Miguel had not used Shadow Steps in time, he was afraid that he would have be a burnt corpse right now.


    Miguel took the longsword and the dagger that he had thrown to the side when the battle went up in intensity earlier. He was afraid that they might get in his way during a battle, so he threw them aside for the duration of the battle.


    However, he could not deny that there were several instances where he almost decided to use the graded weapons to deal with the tough yak, as its'' defense was quite strong.


    Fortunately, he persevered and was able to deal a massive blow to the yak''s head, making it desperate and casting the fire eruption as ast struggle to survive.


    After its fire eruption, though, the yak immediately sprawled to the ground in exhaustion. Perhaps that was the drawback of using such a powerful skill. After that, Miguel only punched its head a single time before it finally died.


    By persevering through the use of his physical powers, Miguel was able to perceive his current strength clearly. The areas where he currentlycked were being amended as the battle was raging on. The degree of his control over his current body reached a new level, allowing him to use movements more efficiently and concisely than before.


    Miguel approached the body of the massive yak again as he looked at the new entries that had just appeared on his grimoire.


    [Defeated Level 3 Normal Grade, Old Fire Yak with a Perfect Performance: User is rewarded with 67 Experience Points.]


    [Defeated Level 3 Normal Grade, Old Fire Yak with a Perfect Performance: Grimoire is awarded with 22 Experience Points.]


    The experience points he received from this battle were a lot betterpared to what he received from the Fire Maned Hare earlier.


    It was because, aside from the fact that the Old Fire Yak was at a higher level than him in regards to his Summoner Rank, he was even evaluated with a Perfect Performance, allowing his experience gain to be multiplied even more.


    One must note that the difference in power between levels would scale by arge margin. This was also the reason why even a beast with a higher grade but a lower level would still be defeated if they fought a low-grade but high-level beast.


    So, fighting someone who was a level higher was extremely difficult and dangerous.


    Nevertheless, if they seed, the rewards gained will also be astronomical, the higher the difference in level. Depending on the evaluation, the reward would scale even more.


    ording to Marcel and the grimoire, the total experience points gained would be shared by the summon, the summoner, and the grimoire, with the grimoire receiving the least amount of experiencepared to the other two.


    This was also one of the main reasons why grimoires were rtively hard to upgrade in grade.


    However, since his summon was all inside the grimoire, the experience points gained were only shared between him and the grimoire.


    Aside from the two new entries above, there was also an extra piece of entry at the bottom, which surprised Miguel.


    [Due to your performance in the battle against the Old Fire Yak, you are rewarded with [Shadow Steps] Level +1.]


    The reward mechanism of the World''s Will wasplicated. No one has figured it out, and they may seem random at times, ording to Marcel.


    Aside from experience points, the user would also sometimes be rewarded with a new beast, a new skill, an upgrade to existing skills, new beast skills or abilities, beast evolutions, a Beast Grade upgrade, or even an extra grimoire page, and so on.


    He did not expect that he would receive an upgrade to the Shadow Steps this soon.


    He checked its description and noticed the changes the extra level brought. From short-distance teleportation to mid-distance using shadows.


    Previously, he could only teleport to the shadows around ten meters away from him. Now, he should be able to use it at double the distancepared to before.


    Miguel was satisfied with this award.


    Aside from the fact that it was draining the grimoire''s energy too much, the Shadow Steps were indeed a good skill to have.


    If not for it, his battle with the Yak that was a level higher than him would surely be even more difficult.


    Miguel closed his grimoire and let it return to his Inner World. He then carried the yak and the hare that he had set aside earlier as he began to return to the vige.


    Although he did not find a new cultivation spot, Miguel did not think too much about it and decided to return.


    The sun was gradually setting as well, and if he walked slowly, he should be able to arrive at the servant quarters before it got dark.


    With his current strength, Miguel barely struggled to lift the Yak, which weighed over 400 kilograms. The strength of a 2nd Stage Cleansing or a Beginner Novice Martial Artist was indeed not something to scoff at.


    With the yak ced over his shoulder and the hare hanging around his neck, Miguel arrived at the servant quarters and saw someone he did not expect to be there.

 Chapter 27: Erika Red

    <h4>Chapter 27: Erika Red</h4>


    Unexpectedly, Sara was already home. Beside her was someone Miguel did not expect to see right now.


    It was Marcel.


    Beside him was a beautiful girl with dark-red hair. She has a gentle look on her face as her eyes lit up when it met Miguel''s eyes.


    Miguel knew who this girl was.


    The most beautiful and precious girl of Peach Vige. The genius of Peach Vige. The girl who awakened with a powerful Innate Skill and a powerful Bronze Grade Innate Beast two years ago.


    She was Marcel''s only daughter, Erika Red.


    Aside from what he heard in the vige from the fool Miguel''s memory, he also became even more aware of this girl''s existence after hisst interaction with Jonas.


    Jonas was hired by someone to kill him. And the motive was that, apparently, this Erika had taken a liking to him and it was found out by the brat who had taken a liking to Erika who then issued a secret order to kill the fool Miguel.


    BAM!


    The heavy Old Fire Yak was dropped to the ground with a loud bang.


    A mixed reaction was seen among the three people in front of him.


    Sara who was in awe and worried, Marcel who was secretly shocked and then Erika who was pleasantly surprised.


    "Are you the one who killed this Level 3 Old Age Yak?" Marcel said, breaking the silence.


    Miguel nodded his head before saying, "Yes, but it was already badly injured when I found it and it was already on itsst breath."


    Marcel stared at him before he nodded in understanding, "I see. This must be the beast that killed Guardian Jonas. It seems that they fought a fierce battle before Jonas was ultimately killed. I, as the branch head, thank you on behalf of Jonas for avenging him and for maintaining the safety of my humble vige."


    Miguel smiled when he heard those words. He was happy that he did not have to exin too much as Marcel clearly saw through his intentions by saying that it was already badly injured when he found it.


    Meanwhile, what he did not know was that Marcel was actually greatly shocked by the strength he possessed.


    He already knew that Miguel was already powerful but he did not expect him to be able to deal with a Level 3 Normal Grade Beast already.


    After all, even though Jonas was an Intermediate Apprentice Summoner, Miguel could have killed him through an ambush.


    And besides, Summoners were naturally weak and always relied on their summons to fight. It could be said that even an Elite Rank Summoner like him would not be able to contend with a Level 3 Normal Grade Beast in a head-on fight. He would only be able to defeat it with his summons who was on equal level, or of a greater level than the enemy.


    Miguel did not know but Marcel knew for a fact that an Old Fire Yak was even more troublesome to deal withpared to an ordinary Fire Yak. The Old Fire Yak after all was an evolution of the smaller Fire Yak of simr level and grade.


    He hissed at the thought of Miguel being able to deal with a Level 3 Beast already. It seems that his decision from yesterday was the correct choice.


    Other than that, he also recalled how he easily carried this massive yak over here. He could not help but specte on what kind Innate Skill he truly possessed.


    As for thinking that he might be a Martial Artist? This thought never crossed Marcel''s mind at all.


    Training one''s summon was already taxing enough, how much more if one were both a Martial Artist and a Grimoire Summoner at the same time?


    It was not that no one had ever tried before, however, Marcel knew that they give up mid way as being a Martial Artist requires discipline and countless years of training before they can breakthrough even one stage or level.


    This was also one the reasons why Grimoire Summoners were revered by many. They can literally grow stronger just by using their grimoire to a battle with the help of their contracted beast.


    On the other hand, Sara was also relieved and seemed to have a weight lifted off her shoulders upon hearing Marcel''s words. The guilt she felt towards the death of Jonas was swept away upon knowing that her son had avenged Jonas.


    What she did not know was that it was Miguel himself who killed Jonas. Of course, there were things that were better left unsaid.


    Only two people knew of this information and both of them doesn''t have an intention of revealing this to a third one.


    "Miggy, are you alright? Are you hurt somewhere?" Sara''s concerned voice rang after a moment of silence.


    She walked towards Miguel and began checking his body thoroughly.


    All she knew was that Miguel just fought an intense battle with the beast who killed Jonas. She was extremely worried about his well-being.


    Miguel smiled at her regr behavior.


    "Don''t worry about it. This beast was already on itsst breath when I found it so I only needed to deal the finishing blow to kill so I was not injured or harmed in the slightest."


    Sara finally heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing his assurance. She then jolted as if she remembered something and said, "Right, the Branch Head is here to inform you of something important. By the way, this is Miss Erika, his daughter."


    Miguel nodded his head indicating that he knew. He then turned to look at Sara and said with a lightugh, "Right, mom, can you please call our neighbors and let them help you prepare this yak and hare? Let''s celebrate with a feast tonight, shall we?"


    Upon hearing that, Sara was instantly delighted. She had also be some sort of little celebrity in theirmunity of servantstely due to Miguel''s grimoire awakening.


    With this feast that they were about to do, her ''status'' and poprity would surely rocket even more. Not to mention that this feast was obtained by Miguel. She could not even be more proud of it and she could use this opportunity to boast Miguel''s ability to the others.


    The phrase that says ''the happiness and sadness of a parent always stems fromparing their child to the neighbor''s child'' was indeed true.


    On the other hand, upon hearing his words, Marcel and Erika both had their eyes widen in surprise, especially Marcel.


    "Wait, are you sure about this? Maybe you didn''t know yet, but the meat of Level 3 Old Fire Yak can actually be sold for 2 Gold Coin per kilo in the city. Its meat is very valuable, especially to Martial Artists as Beast meats, especially the high level ones that are very rich in nutrients that can help them strengthen their body."

 Chapter 28: Planned Feast

    <h4>Chapter 28: nned Feast</h4>


    Erika nodded her head, agreeing to Marcel''s words.


    "Also, not only that. If someone is in need of materials that can be found in this Yak''s body, you can even sell it for an even higher price." She added.


    Hearing that, Sara also began to hesitate. She did not know that this Yak cost that much as normal meat in the market would only cost around 5 Silver Coins per kilo. One must note that a single Gold Coin was equivalent to 1,000 Silver Coins. Her monthly wage being a lowly servant in the red manor was only 200 Silver Coins per month, barely enough to live paycheck to paycheck in this remote vige.


    One kilo of normal animal meat would almost cost her entire day of work so she would only prepare them on special asions.


    Hence, when she received the 50 Gold Coins that Miguel handed to her, she was extremely happy. However, he did not n to buyvish things for herself, instead, she nned to go to the market during her day off and buy Miguel some brand new clothes and other necessities that he might need on his trip to the main branch.


    When she received the 100 Gold Coinspensation pay from Jonas'' death, she became even more confident on being able to buy Miguel the clothes he deserves.


    She calcted in her mind and her face lost color when she realized how many Gold Coins this massive Yak would fetch Miguel if he sold it at the market.


    It was good to brag about Miguel''s achievement, but if it was this pricey, she was no longer willing to.


    She turned to look at Miguel and said, "Miggy, don''t waste such valuable money. You can use it to buy some things in the main branch. Don''t worry about us too much, alright?"


    Miguel thought for a moment before he let out a smile, "Don''t worry about it mom. I don''t need this much money now anyways and besides, we should treat our guests with the utmost hospitality, right?"


    In truth, Miguel actually did not expect it for the yak''s meat to be that high. However, earning money was not the main reason why he brought the yak back.


    His real reason was really to treat all their neighbors into a feast before he leaves the vige.


    For one thing, he knew that it would make Sara happy. Second, he wanted to create a neighborhood around Sara where they would see her as someone important. A neighborhood of servants that would be willing to protect her in times of need, just because Sara and her son ''treated'' them to a sumptuous meal before he left the vige.


    As they say, the poor people can be the most loyal dogs if treated well.


    This was all for Sara''s sake. No amount of Gold Coins he would not be willing to spend just to ensure her safety. Besides, it was just some mere Gold Coins. Knowing that Beast''s meat had such a high price, he was not worried on where to obtain some funds in the future at all.


    A loving mother, and at the same time a mistreated wife.


    She reminds him of his motherly figure from hisst life.


    Miguel sighed in mncholy as he patted her shoulder, "Go mom. It''s gettingte. The earlier we cook them, the earlier we can have the sumptuous feast for everyone."


    Seeing that Miguel was already fixed on his decision, Sara no longer opposed it and just decided to follow his wishes.


    "Oh right, just help perfunctorily alright? I don''t want you tiring yourself because of it," Miguel suddenly added out of the blue.


    This was a sumptuous meal that should be remembered by everyone else. He doesn''t want to ruin it with Sara''s... well, mediocre cooking.


    Thinking that Miguel was only worried about her well-being, Sara smiled reassuringly before she went to inform the neighboring servants.


    After her figure disappeared from his view, Miguel finally turned to look at the two sudden guests.


    Marcel stepped out of his stupor as he finally revealed why he was here, "Honestly, I only brought my daughter as she did not believe that you had truly awakened a grimoire and to inform you that she arrived and she would be the one bringing you guys to zing City, to the main branch."


    "However, since you nned to treat us to a high ss meat, then we shall not decline your offer, right?" He added with a smile.


    Even for him, a Level 3 Normal Grade meat was still something very valuable. Although he could afford to buy it, he would only do so during an important asion. After all, for summoners, strengthening their body was not important. Instead, they should focus on training their chant to summon the grimoire more quickly, or train their beasts so that they could use attacks and follow orders more efficiently during a battle.


    "Right, I''ll leave the two of you to talk. I''ll go over to help. Level 3 meats are quite tough to cut, they might not be able to cut them with normal knives." Marcel stated before he left without waiting for Miguel and Erika to respond.


    After his figure disappeared, Miguel turned his head and caught Erika staring right into his face.


    Caught in the act, Erika could only gently move her gaze away as she said, "I did not expect for you to truly recover from your condition and you even awakened a grimoire at the same time."


    The condition she mentioned was of course, him being a ''fool'' before. Long before she awakened, she had already noticed Miguel''s peculiarity. He was very handsome yet he acted like he was always in a daze and didn''t talk with others. He would evenugh on his own from time to time.


    She was attracted to how handsome he was yet she kept a distance from him due to the condition. It was not that she did not try approaching him either, it was just that she was ignored ruthlessly like the others.


    In the end, she could only gaze at him from afar, admire his looks as she came of age, awakened a grimoire and finally moved to zing City two years ago.


    When she saw the mission of bringing this year''s Peach Vige grimoire awakeners, she immediately epted the mission as she thought it was convenient as she wanted to return home anyways. Part of the reason was that she missed her father, and the other was, she wanted to see Miguel''s handsome face once again.


    When she heard her father mention that Miguel had awakened, she was reluctant to believe it, yet expectant to its truthfulness at the same time. When she saw Miguel conversing to his mother earlier, Erika was ted and overjoyed.


    Her gaze was fixed on his handsome face before she was caught in the act by Miguel himself.


    Miguel smiled and answered, "I did not expect this to happen either."


    "Oh, right, do you happen to know someone named Domen?" He suddenly asked.

 Chapter 29: Questions And Feast

    <h4>Chapter 29: Questions And Feast</h4>


    Hearing the question, Erika thought for a moment before a certain face popped-up on her mind. A visible frown surfaced on her face before she said, "Domen? I only know of one person named Domen. He''s a distant cousin of mine from the main branch lineage. A very annoying one."


    "How do you know him?" She added after a slight pause.


    Miguel shook his head, "Nothing. I just heard of him from someone. Right, how''s his strength?"


    "Well, to be honest I truly do not know. All I know is that he is considered as the number one genius of all the Red Familybined. His Innate Skill is very useful in battle as he can augment his summon''s level during a battle. Right, at the age of 21, he''s already an Elite Summoner and can summon two Summons at the same time. He recently advanced his grimoire to Silver Grade as well. "


    Miguel listened attentively to the information that Erika was giving him.


    Domen was the person who secretly hired Jonas to kill the fool Miguel silently.


    Miguel did not expect that the other party was actually considered a genius. And based on his rank and grimoire grade, it could be said that he was already on par with Marcel.


    ''Interesting. The main branch of the Red Family seems ferocious enough,'' he thought to himself in amusement.


    Speaking of the Red Family, Aaliyah was also a part of it. Miguel did not know the full details yet but she seemed to be an important figure in the history of the Red Family.


    "Oh right, are you familiar with the name Aaliyah Red?" He asked.


    Erika thought for a moment before shaking her head. "I don''t know of anyone named Aaliyah."


    "Who is she?" She added, a hint of curiosity present in her voice.


    She felt great that she could finally talk with Miguel in a normal way. However, what she did not like was that Miguel was only asking for names of people, and thest name might even be a girl''s name.


    Miguel shrugged his shoulders and said with a chuckle, "No one. I just made it up."


    "You can joke, huh." Erika responded with a smile.


    "Right. I know that you just recently awakened so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. You might not know it but I''m actually on top of my ss, hehe." She added.


    "Okay, sure. When do we leave again for zing City again?"


    "In three days at most. You must prepare a lot of luggage as it will take us around five days to arrive there if the journey is smooth. Don''t worry though, the path is very safe and no Beast would pop up in random."


    Miguel nodded his head and asked a few more questions that he was not able to ask Marcel. Most of them were justmon knowledge questions and he did not raise extremely hard questions.


    Erika was very kind and answered most of his questions without fail. She would also ask some questions and Miguel was able to answer all of them fluently, such as how he felt after ''waking up'' from being a fool.


    As they were chatting, time passed in the blink of an eye.


    Unknowingly, the yak was already cooked by the neighbors with the supervision of Marcel. They did not make it too fancy and just grilled the fresh meat of the yak intorge pieces. Of course, not all of them were cooked as the over 500 kilograms of meat was too much for everyone to eat. Some were processed and would be given to Sara. In the end, Marcel offered to buy the remaining meat at market price, earning Miguel over 500 Gold Coins in one go.


    He handed all of it to Sara, but thetter declined and stated that she already has a lot of Gold Coins and that there was no need for her to have so many.


    Miguel did not insist and instead, decided to hand the other servants 2 Gold Coins each after some deliberation.


    One must note that even a single Gold Coin would already be equivalent to 4 to 5 months of work for the servant.


    They felt extremely grateful for Miguel''s generosity and some of them even thanked him with tears flowing down their eyes like rivers.


    Miguel smiled to them kindly and told them that he would be away in a few days and that he wanted them to look out for his mom, in which, the servants responded positively. Some of them even joked that they would protect Sara with their life on the line.


    After they settled down, Marcel went up in front of them and gave a little speech of encouragement. He also told them the origin of the yak, how Miguel willingly shared it to them even after knowing its true value and how the yak would be of great help for mortals to stay much healthier due to it being rich in nutrients multiple times betterpared to normal animal meats.


    As for the hare, it was handed to Sara as well. She could preserve it and cook it whenever she wanted.


    The feast began right after Marcel''s speech. Everyone enjoyed the meal, even Miguel could tell how much vor the meat of the yak containedpared to normal animal meat.


    It was alreadyte in the night when the feast was finished.


    Miguel saw Erika and Marcel off and came back to the servant quarters a whileter with Sara sleeping peacefully on her bed.


    Miguel smiled in satisfaction as he went to bed as well.


    Early in the morning, Miguel did not waste any time and was practicing his martial arts move in front of their servant house.


    The neighbors greeted him joyfully as he finally returned inside his room after Sara left to work.


    Miguel cultivated inside and was able to refine one drop of Origin Energy after almost three hours. He used it to strengthen his body once more but like thest time, it still was not enough for him to break through to the next stage. Miguel believed that he was close to breaking through though.


    After he finished cultivating, Miguel set off towards the red manor.


    He and Erika had something to do today. He arrives at the manor with Erika already waiting in front with a gentle smile on her face.

 Chapter 30: A Head Start?

    <h4>Chapter 30: A Head Start?</h4>


    In a huge clearing right behind the red manor, Miguel and Erika were facing each other a dozen meters apart. Marcel was also standing a few meters away, here to supervise their spar, afraid that something would happen.


    Yesterday, the two of them decided that they would spar today.


    For Erika, she simply wants to spend some time with Miguel and get to know him better.


    But for Miguel, this was a rare opportunity for him to determine how people, especially summoners in this world, fight.


    His battle with Jonas was like a war veteran beating up a defenseless child. His battle against the Hare and the Yak could not be counted as well as they don''t know how to summon and even know how to properly use their own skills.


    Erika was supposed to be some kind of genius. She was at the top of her ss in Red Family''s own school.


    Miguel expected that she knew a lot of tricks that he would not be able to think of now.


    As always, Erika still had a gentle smile on her face as she looked at Miguel with anticipation. She already heard some words from her father that Miguel doesn''t have an Innate Beast and Innate Skill, hence the reason why he gave him the tortoise as his first contracted beast.


    Erika naturally knew of the history of that tortoise. She saw how her father struggled to contract it and how her father cared for it due to its supposed to be Silver Grade potential. She even heard that it has already be a Bronze Grade beast, meaning, its potential was indeed true and it was slowly being realized. Paired with apetent summoner like her father, she thought that it was only a matter of time before the Volcanic Tortoise reached its peak Grade.


    "In a real battle, the time consumed in summoning the grimoire and the beast is very crucial. A summoner might still be summoning their grimoire when a martial artist, a beast, or even a talented grimoire summoner has already started their attack. In school, the first thing they will teach you is how to master the summoning technique and shorten the duration of your incantation as short as possible."


    "With enough practice, one could even summon their grimoire without needing to chant. However, this is extremely hard to master and hence, those who can do so are either already old and experienced, or a genius, there was no in-between. Of course, there are magical items that can shorten the summoning time of a grimoire as well."


    Erika exined patiently to Miguel. She has already awakened for two years and has already experienced and learned her fair share of battles and knowledge in school. She felt the need to exin some things to Miguel beforehand, afraid that he would get bullied in school for being ''ignorant''.


    "I''ll give you a head start, you can summon your grimoire ahead of me." She stated with confidence..


    However, what she did not know was that Miguel had already learned of this from Marcel. He smiled and nodded at her before he waved his hands in mid-air, summoning the jet-ck grimoire instantaneously, without the need of an incantation.


    Seeing that, Erika''s eyes went wide in surprise. She felt heat coursing through her face, she felt embarrassed about what she said earlier. She turned to red angrily at her father, as if asking why he didn''t tell her this. However, what she saw just made her dumbfounded.


    Marcel was actually looking the other way while whistling, as if he was not aware of what just happened. He even blew the dirt on his fingernails, acting dumb in front of his daughter.


    ''Right, I forgot to tell her that Miguel is not someone noob at all.'' Marcel thought to himself in shame.


    Knowing Miguel''s attitude, he was focused on not revealing Miguel''s real strength to Erika when he told her about him, so he also kind of forgot to mention about him being able to summon his grimoire instantly.


    "You can summon your grimoire now," Miguel stated with a smile on his face.


    With her face still flushed red in shame, Erika nodded her head as she closed her eyes and began to chant the summoning incantation.


    The summoning incantation would be provided by the grimoire itself the moment it got awakened by a user. For Miguel, this was easy and he would only need to ''tell'' the grimoire to get out, but for others, this was a process that required focus and attention. One mistake and it might make them unable to summon their grimoire, and worse, they might even get bacsh from it.


    More than a minuteter, a bronze grimoire finally appeared before Erika. Her cheek was still red in embarrassment. She even dared to give Miguel a heads up when she was clearly slower than him in terms of summoning a grimoire.


    Her bronze grimoire was differentpared to Gasper. ording to Marcel, this was actually normal. Each grimoire was unique and had their own unique markings depending on their user.


    Now that she had already summoned her grimoire, Erika did not waste any more time as she summoned the beast that she would use to battle against Miguel''s tortoise.


    A sh of red ignited as a huge ck-red sparrow pped its wing in front of her. It circled around her for a few times before itnded on the ground in front of her. The sparrow was huge and had red-ck feathers with white markings underneath it. In terms of size, its wingspan alone was already almost three meters wide.


    "This is my new summon, a Level 1 Bronze Grade Red Sparrow."


    Miguel nodded his head and summoned the tortoise as well. Of course, he would not use Aaliyah in such a low-leveled spar like this. Though, he was sure that he could also defeat this sparrow on his own if he wanted to.


    The next moment, the Volcanic Tortoise also appeared in front of Miguel. Its eyes were watery as it turned to look at Miguel. This was the first time that it was summoned since it got contracted by Miguel, it felt aggrieved and it felt neglected by its new summoner.


    Normally, when a summoner contracted a new beast, they would be eager to summon them immediately so that they could train them and get familiar with the newly acquired summon.


    Miguel felt its emotion and could only smile wryly in response. He did not think of the need to summon it before as every day, an Apprentice Rank summoner could only summon one kind of beast per day.


    Aaliyah was his trump card and had to delegate the summoning spot for her these past days due to the threat of Jonas and for his own personal safety as well.


    Only now did he have the chance to summon the tortoise as he knew that he now had a basic self protection with the Shadow Steps paired with the absolute shield.


    Miguel could only apologize in his heart. But of course, this doesn''t mean that he would summon it everyday from now on.


    "Right, how much training have you and your tortoise done? How many skills can youmand it to do now?"


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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!