Ryu would never regret his actions if he was the only one affected. In fact, he was used to only having himself to worry about now, so he often acted in this way. But, he wouldn't forgive himself if he harmed those he cared for.
Since he had taken Nemesis as his partner, it should have been his responsibility to look after him, but he failed. Ryu swore to make up for that.
'Still, you should be excited, the abilities of this Bloodied Steed aren't so simple as mere cultivation speed. Its most potent ability is already right in front of you: its size.'
Ryu blinked before frowning. "Its size?"
Before Ailsa even said anything more, Ryu's eyes widened.
A beast on the verge of entering the Fifth Order was innately large. This wasn't something they could help. Even Little Rock already had a wingspan of ten meters, so why was it that Nemesis was only one size larger than a normal horse? Logically, it should already be at least five meters tall even if it was stunted.
"This…"
Ailsa smiled. 'Beasts are both blessed and cursed with powerful bodies. In truth, they reach their optimal size after completing their Mortal Realm cultivation. This is the Connecting Heaven Realm equivalent, or the Sixth Order.
'Unfortunately, at no consent of their own, beasts uncontrollably grow larger and larger as they become more and more powerful. The strength of their bodies becomes too much to keep in a compact form, so even Ancestral Beasts become several kilometers long in size once they reach higher realms of cultivation.
'Have you ever wondered why human experts can battle beasts so much larger than them? Logically speaking, if a Fifth Order Beast standing at over ten meters tall meets a Divine Vessel Realm expert at barely two meters tall, if their strengths were properly scaled, the beast would win ten out of ten times.
'However, though beasts are acknowledged to be more powerful than humans, things don't always scale like this. The reason is that the strength of beasts is dissipated as their bodies grow instead of that strength scaling up.
'Knowing this, I'm sure you understand why Nemesis is so valuable, right?'
Ryu's heart palpitated. If the strength of a beast meant to be ten meters tall was compressed into just under three meters, wouldn't that make the beast three times more powerful than normal?
And what if Nemesis continued to improve and entered a stage where he should be dozens of meters tall? Hundreds of meters tall? Several kilometers tall?!
If the benefits continued to stack, it would be enough to make any beast tamer green with envy…
'Humans and humanoid species have four central pillars of talent. Spiritual Foundation Grade, Bloodline Grade, Skeletal Grade, and Meridian Grade. However, beasts only have two. Bloodline Grade, and Bloodline Talent Grade!
'Little Rock has yet to awaken any Bloodline Talents, but Nemesis has awakened two.
'The first is of the Ancestral Grade, the Adept Body Bloodline Talent. This allows it to control its body as it pleases, thus allowing it to maintain what it believes is its most optimal size. This is most definitely a mutated Bloodline Talent because it shouldn't originally appear in the Bloodied Steed Lineage despite their… noble ancestors.
'However, that is only one aspect of the talent, greater aspects will make themselves clear very soon.
'The second talent is only of the Black Grade and is an original talent of the Bloodied Steed Lineage, but in combination with the first talent, it will give not only you, but all of your beasts a massive boost in strength!
'This talent is known as the Bloodied Lineage Bloodline Talent. Because of the history of the Bloodied Steed, they often have trouble reproducing despite their low species ranking. In order to not die out, they gained the ability to transfer their bloodline to lesser creatures and raise them up to greater heights. This also allowed young Bloodied Steeds to quickly grow their power by relying on their parents.'
"You mean….?"
'That's right. Normally this Bloodline Talent is lackluster. After all, the Bloodied Steed only has a Middle Black Grade Bloodline, while even Little Rock has a wisp of Lightning Roc blood that raises its bloodline to the Peak Earth Grade. So, normally who would care about it being able to share its talent?
'But now…'
Ryu's eyes lit up with excitement. He wasn't one to lose control of his emotions, but this matter truly opened an inconceivably large door to him. If things were like this, he would be able to directly ignore the Necromancer path, why bother when Nemesis was such a boon for him?
All he had to do was adventure and rely on Ailsa's sharp eyes to find talented beasts for him to take under his wing. With a few decades of growth, his power would become inconceivable.
'This is where the Bloodied Steed got their name. They have a habit of sharing their blood… coupled with their crimson appearance, and the namesake is only natural.'
"Does Big Sis think I should abandon the Necromancer path and focus on the Beast Tamer path then? I shouldn't split my attention, no?."
Ailsa was shocked at Ryu's words before she giggled happily. She knew Ryu was in a good mood, even calling her Big Sis without any reluctance. But in the end, she controlled herself and shook her head firmly.
'No. If anything, you should pursue the Necromancer path with a fiercer ambition. Enter their ranks and prove yourself as best you can… Do everything you can do to find the Legacy of a Summoning Necromancer or gain the acknowledgement of one.'
Ryu raised his brows, unable to understand Ailsa's fervent attitude.
'Remember I mentioned the history of the Bloodied Steed? Their Lineage is even deeper than I alluded to… You know well that Summoning Necromancers make contracts with creatures of the Nether Realm, however you don't know quite yet that these creatures have grades amongst themselves though they are all outstandingly powerful.
'The stronger a Summoning Necromancer, the greater creatures they can summon and command…
'The Adept Body Bloodline Talent isn't as simple as it sounds. Bloodline Talents have two major categories… Blessed Talents and Sin Talents. This Ancestral Grade Bloodline is a Sin Talent of the highest order! The Heavens do not like its existence and will do everything it can to eradicate it.
'When Nemesis must face his future tribulations, because of his weak Bloodline Grade, he will most definitely fall. The only way to ensure his survival is by raising its Bloodline Grade and strength.
'The reason I say that you must become a Summoning Necromancer is because the best way to raise Nemesis' talent is by using his Ancestor Lineage as sacrifices. Nemesis must continuously absorb their Spiritual Roots to raise his own grade!'
"Nemesis' Ancestor Lineage?..."
Ailsa nodded heavily. 'The Bloodied Steed is the far weaker branch descendant of a creature known as the Wrath Knight. It is one of the Summonings a Necromancer can perform.
'I don't know how it happened, but Nemesis awakened a Sin Talent that should have only been available to the most talented of Wrath Knights with the purest bloodlines. Even they who only have Heaven Grade and above Bloodline Grades often die after being born with this talent, let alone Little Nemesis who is still of the Black Grade.
'I alone can raise Nemesis' talents by a margin, but it will only be a small measure that won't work infinitely. This, in the end, is the best solution.
'Entering the Nether World with your own strength will take too long. Nemesis may die long before you are capable of that. But, if you become a Summoning Necromancer and learn how to summon these creatures here, you won't have to enter the Nether Realm and can thus summon weaker Wrath Knights to slowly increase Nemesis' strength.'
Coming to this understanding, Ryu nodded, a firm resolve in his eyes. A part of him preferred having something to push him to his limits…
Ailsa smiled. 'It isn't all depressing, though. After I purge Nemesis of his poison, his strength will increase by a large margin. And, once this is complete, entering the Fifth Order will only take a few moments. By then, he should learn the second talent of the Bloodied Steed… Bloodied Lineage Reversal.'
Seeing that Ailsa wanted to tease him without explaining what this Talent could do, Ryu didn't mind her anymore and spent a silent three days with his Cultus Faerie, his Lightning Hawk, and his Bloodied Steed…
Nemesis already had two Sin Talents, and would soon awaken a third. This might be a headache for anyone else, but Ryu was quite excited. This would be a challenge, but it was also a chance to grow.
It was then, on the third day, a familiar voice came from the front of his guest courtyard.
"It's time."