What Leo didn't know, however, was that Miho's words were genuine.

Part of it came from the kindness Leo and Lily had shown her—but more than anything, it was because Lily had treated her like a sister.

Lily snapped her head toward Leo.

"Idiot!" she scolded sharply. "Don't scare her like that! She's just a kid!"

She immediately knelt down and reached for Miho, who was still trembling on the floor.

"What's with this loyalty nonsense, Miho?" Lily said gently, pulling her into an embrace.

"You're my little sister, alright? I'll always cherish you. Let's stay together and rely on each other."

Her cheerful smile broke something inside Miho. Tears welled up, her eyes turning red as she hugged Lily's waist tightly and sobbed quietly.

She finally had someone to call family.

Even her real family had sold her away for mere pennies.

Lily shot Leo an accusatory glare as she comforted Miho. Leo could only shrug helplessly before retreating into his room and flopping flat onto the bed. On Earth, 16-year-olds were way too annoying and arrogant for their own good; it simply slipped from Leo's mind that here things were different.

Just then, a system notification appeared.

<Soulmate 'Lily' has formed a soul connection with individual 'Miho'>

<Connection Type → Master–Servant>

<Increasing your soulmate bond with 'Lily' to gain access to 'Miho's' status plate>

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"This is a thing?" he muttered. "Well… that's good."

It ensured Miho wouldn't betray Lily. Leo was cautious by nature—no matter how meek someone appeared, he never trusted blindly. The notification eased his mind, removing Miho from his mental watchlist.

"But didn't she swear loyalty to me too?" he frowned. "Why only Lily?"

<Individual 'Miho' is more emotionally inclined toward individual 'Lily', resulting in the bond forming exclusively between them>

"Oh…" Leo murmured.

That explained it.

The remaining time passed peacefully as Leo and Lily focused on absorbing the power of the Elasian Blooms. Leo even absorbed the heartstones that he had obtained earlier and shared part of it with Lily as well. After everything had settled, their status interfaces updated accordingly.

Status (Leo):

Leo *Leonel Draven*

Level 25: 18994 / 54465

Soul Strength - Rare, *Mythical*

Talent - [Beastiary of Souls] *[Primordial Beast Taming]*

Vitality: 758 -> 800 [948 -> 990]

Strength: 758 -> 790 [948 -> 980]

Agility: 623 -> 630 [793 -> 820]

Stamina: 759 -> 800 [949 -> 990]

Intelligence: 1086 -> 1150 [1279 -> 1340]

Mana: 108600 -> 115000 [127900 -> 134000]

[Shyra] Obsidian Panther Cub (Pseudo 3-star) - Noble Bloodline (26%) - BloodBond 57%

[Niri] Dryad (Pseudo 3-star) - Royal Bloodline - BloodBond - 59%

[Nyxa] Eclipse Sun Wolf (Pseudo 3-star) - Royal Bloodline - ChainBond - 73%

[Howl] Cragviel Colossus (Low 3-star) - Mortal Bloodline (46%) - ChainBond - 99%

Status (Lily):

Soul Strength: Super Rare

Talent: [Spirit Caller]

Vitality: 40.1 -> 50 [140.1 -> 150]

Strength: 27.3 -> 40 [127.3 -> 140]

Agility: 28.4 -> 30 [128.4 -> 130]

Stamina: 28.9 -> 40 [128.9 -> 140]

Intelligence: 100 !239.7! -> 100 !250!

[200 !339.7! -> 200 !350!] - Base stat Limit for Pseudo 3-star reached!

Mana: 4000 !9588! -> 4000 !10000! [8000 !13588! -> 8000 !14000!]

Tamed Beast:

[Lunaria] Windbreath Hound (Pseudo 3-star) - Noble Bloodline - 56%

Cedar Treant (Pseudo 3-star) - Noble Bloodline - 4%

---

Leo stared at the floating interfaces for a while, his brows slowly knitting together.

"It seems… more petals are required to upgrade the soul now," he murmured quietly.

Even when Lily had only a single soul, it hadn't shown any signs of upgrading further. Naturally, that meant Leo's dual soul would be facing the same limitation. His gaze lingered on Lily's stat screen, particularly the glaring notification about her stat cap.

"I'll need to ask Professor Brant about ways to overcome these beast roadblocks," Leo muttered. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

With that decision made, he extinguished the glow of the magic lamp. The room fell into a gentle darkness, broken only by moonlight filtering through the window.

Leo pulled Lily closer. She instinctively snuggled against his chest in her sleep, her breathing soft and steady. He pressed a light kiss to her forehead and finally allowed himself to rest.

---

Today marked the departure for the academies—the day a new chapter of life would begin for everyone.

By morning, candidates had already gathered in their designated areas, the academy square bustling with subdued excitement and nervous anticipation.

Leo and Lily arrived together, Miho trailing just behind them.

Miho looked particularly uncomfortable. She was wearing a clean, modest dress that bordered on noble attire—a stark contrast to the rough maid uniforms she had worn her entire life. Every now and then, she nervously tugged at the hem of her skirt, checking if everything was still in place.

Leo noticed her unease and quietly told Lily to stay with her. He himself had business to attend to.

Professor Brant was inside the towering building before them.

As Leo approached the entrance, an instructor stepped forward, raising a hand to block his path.

"Candidates are not allowed—"

Leo's gaze sharpened.

The instructor felt his words choke in his throat as an inexplicable pressure bore down on him, freezing him in place. Before the situation could escalate, a calm voice echoed from within.

"Let him in."

It was Professor Brant.

The instructor stiffened and hurriedly stepped aside, muttering under his breath,

"What the hell… Is he really a candidate? That pressure—must be some high-grade artifact. Tch. Privileged bastard."

Leo ignored him and entered the building, walking straight toward the main hall.

"Good morning, Professor Brant," Leo greeted respectfully.

"Good morning, Leo," Brant replied with a knowing smile. "You wouldn't come looking for me without a reason. What is it?"

Leo appreciated that. Brant understood his nature—he disliked pointless pleasantries.

"Yes, Professor," Leo said seriously. "I've noticed that my beasts—and Lily's beasts as well—seem stuck at Pseudo 3-star. Except for my Colossus, none of them can break through, no matter how much beast meat or cores I feed them. Is there a specific reason for this?"

Brant listened carefully, then nodded.

"There is," he replied. "At certain star ranks, beasts encounter bottlenecks. To overcome them, they require more than raw energy."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"To break through the bottleneck of Pseudo 3-star, beasts must consume elemental crystals."

Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Certain ranks?" he asked. "Which ranks specifically—and what exactly are elemental crystals?"

Normally, such questions would earn a scoff. This was common knowledge in the central regions. But Brant knew Leo's background—a boy from the outskirts with limited access to structured knowledge.

"Very well," he said. "Let me explain from the beginning."

And with that, Brant began his explanation.

---

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