[You have acquired the Ability: Intangibility]

A triumphant grin spread across Jayden’s face; the Molecular Phasing was finally his. All he had to do now was integrate the beast gene to complete his seasonal quest.

But he knew better than to attempt the integration out here.

He needed a conducive, safe area in case the process knocked him out as always. Passing out in a forest was meaningfully different from passing out in his bedroom, and he preferred not to find out how many things in the tree line would decide an unconscious hunter was a convenient resource.

He stood up, leaving the woods behind, and headed straight home.

When he reached the safety of his bedroom, he locked the door, sat on the edge of his bed, and initiated the integration of the Ghost-Lynx beast gene, slotting it into his final open space.

The system chimed instantly.

[Alert! Host will now be rendered unconscious to ensure effective integration]

Just as he expected, the integration process would always knock him out.

He lay gently on the bed as his eyes began to close. Then the darkness enveloped him, and he lost consciousness.

........

When Jayden finally opened his eyes, the room was bathed in the dim shadows of early evening. He rubbed his face, feeling a new, humming energy beneath his skin. Hovering directly above him were several glowing System notifications.

He read the first message.

[Integration Complete]

Jayden exhaled. He had integrated the D-Rank Ghost-Lynx successfully. But the next window made his breath catch.

[Seasonal Quest Complete: Integrate Three Beast Genes]

[Rewards: New Ability Unlock]

[You have received the Ability: Beast Taming]

Jayden was stunned. He sat up slowly. He remembered Luna mentioning in passing that he might eventually be able to tame beasts, but he hadn’t realized it would manifest as a concrete System ability this soon.

Eagerly, he opened the ability details to read the conditions and what it entailed.

——————

Beast Taming

*Type: Control / Dominance

*Classification: Sub-ability of Beast Dominion

*Description: Beast Taming allows the host to impose dominance over beasts, forcing a powerful instinctual loyalty through demonstrated superiority.

*Taming Requirements:

1. Dominance Establishment: Host must prove superiority to the beast, either through combat, intimidation, or demonstration of power. The creature must submit and acknowledge you as the stronger being.

2. Will Breaking or Will Bending: Depending on your approach, you must either break the creature’s resistance entirely or bend its will to align with yours. The former works on lesser ranked creatures and turns them into obedient but less capable servants; While the latter is required for particularly powerful or intelligent beasts and it maintains their spirit and will, directing them toward your purposes.

3. Sustained Dominance: Higher-ranked beasts are more difficult to tame and may require ongoing demonstrations of authority to maintain the taming bond even after initial success.

Note: Willpower contests with stronger or more intelligent beasts can cause extreme physical and mental strain. Prolonged contests can be fatal.

*Taming Effects:

-Tamed beasts are absolutely loyal and will follow Host’s commands without question

-They can serve as guards, mounts, or combat companions

-Tamed Beasts retain their personalities but are suppressed by instinct

*Note:

-Tamed beasts do not grant host any EXP for killing. (They must be added to the pack first. See more info in Beast Pack Integration)

-No emotional or mental connection

-Loyalty is instinct-driven, not mutual

——————

Jayden read the text twice. He was exhilarated. This was exactly what he had been looking for. With this, he could turn the deadliest monsters in the wild into his own loyal servants. He immediately scrolled down to read the remaining information the System had provided.

[Beast Taming and Pack Integration:

Unlike sentient beings who join a pack through admiration and respect, beasts and monsters must first be tamed before they can be integrated into the Subpack. The taming process varies depending on the creature’s intelligence, power level, and natural disposition.

*Benefits of Tamed Beasts Joining the Pack:

-Loyalty and obedience become stronger

-Tamed beasts contribute to the pack’s overall strength and the host’s personal power growth

-Experience points from their kills are shared with the host at the base rate of 100%

-Tamed beasts can be commanded telepathically once the option is available at Pack Level 60]

Jayden’s eyes widened. He sat frozen on the bed. Reading this, he realized he had almost forgotten he had a Pack system now. It was a unit he needed to maintain and manage.

He let out a heavy sigh. With everything going on—hunting down Black Cobra every night and the looming pressure of the Global Tournament—he simply didn’t have the time to oversee and manage a Pack properly.

But as he stared at the words "100% base rate", a brilliant idea sparked in his mind.

Since he was too busy acting as a vigilante against the syndicate, he didn’t have the time to hunt and grind EXP manually. But... if he tamed beasts and integrated them into his Pack, he wouldn’t have to.

The beasts naturally lived in the forest. They could hunt continuously, twenty-four hours a day, killing other beasts and funneling 100% of that experience directly back to him.

It was perfect.

He could build an autonomous farming engine.

A wide grin spread across his face; the thought of passively skyrocketing his power level was incredibly exciting. He wanted to rush back to the woods right now and start subjugating a small army.

But he caught a glimpse of the time on his desktop monitor.

Tomorrow was Saturday. The day he was scheduled to hit the Neon Serpent. The day he was going to take out Duke.

The taming would have to wait. He couldn’t afford any distractions. He needed to do deeper research on the Pioneer, memorize the club’s layout, and develop a flawless tactical plan to defeat him. He also needed to figure out how to weave his new Molecular Phasing into his combat style.

He stood up, putting the excitement of Beast Taming to the side, and sat down at his desktop. He opened the encrypted file Fred had sent him on Duke and began reviewing the Pioneer’s known capabilities.

As he scrolled through the data, he heard Harleen’s voice carrying up from downstairs.

"Dinner! Everyone come down!" she called out to them.

Jayden heard the muffled voices of Jessica and Tasha replying as they headed toward the kitchen.

Jayden didn’t move. He didn’t even say a word in response. His eyes were already locked on the screen, his mind entirely consumed by the hunt. Dinner would wait or it wouldn’t, but either way his eyes stayed on the screen.

He had a lot of work to do before morning.