The Analyst Building they arrived at was directly connected to the academy's main structure. As soon as they entered, their attention was drawn to a massive crystal positioned at the centre of the hall. It emitted a steady green glow, with countless thick wires jutting out from its surface like roots burrowing into the air. Surrounding the crystal were two compartments formed by enormous magic circles etched into the floor, intricate runes faintly pulsing with energy. Each compartment was large enough to comfortably fit 5 Shyras. The building itself was cavernous, its ceiling rising nearly twenty meters overhead.

When Leo and his group stepped inside, they were immediately presented with the pricing for beast analysis, listed clearly near the entrance.

2-star beasts – 10,000 AC

3-star beasts – 50,000 AC

4-star beasts – 500,000 AC

5-star beasts – 5 Million AC

"So high!" Leo exclaimed, his brows shooting up. Lily and Miho exchanged looks before nodding in agreement.

Just then, a grumpy voice echoed from around a corner where a monitor-like object was stationed.

"The cost isn't to feed us," the voice snapped. "You see that huge crystal in the middle?"

A young man stepped into view. He wore wrinkled lab clothes, his hair ruffled as if he hadn't bothered combing it in days. Dark circles hung heavily under his eyes, making him look far older than he probably was.

"That's not just any crystal," he continued, pointing irritably. "It's a special crystal—more precisely, the core of a dungeon. What you're paying for are the mana crystals needed to feed that dungeon core so we can analyze you or your beast."

He paused briefly, then added with a dry snort.

"Well, 5% of that does go into our pockets. But no, it's not like we're overpaid or anything. That dungeon core is worse than a fucking succubus demon. It sucks out so much mental energy and vitality from us analysts that most of our expenses go into restoring ourselves afterward."

Leo and the others stared at the man blankly as he continued rambling about his misery. It was clear that he'd been pestered one too many times by people complaining about the cost, and venting had become second nature to him.

Even so, Leo could tell that the man was genuinely weak. His aura was thin, unstable. So, instead of reacting defensively, Leo spoke calmly.

"I understand you, man. Everyone has their own problems."

The analyst froze.

He slowly turned toward Leo, staring at him as if he were gazing upon a saint descended from the heavens. Even the guard stationed outside the room turned his head, his expression openly shocked. Normally, people would immediately start cursing about the absurd prices for analyzing a single beast. Yet here was Leo—not only not complaining, but actually empathizing with the analyst who bore the brunt of those curses daily.

Then the analyst's eyes dropped to Leo and the others' badges.

Freshers.

His shoulders slumped instantly.

"You're only freshers…" he muttered. "Look at the prices again… then you can curse me however you want."

He turned back to his screen, his mood visibly deflated.

"We saw the prices," Leo replied evenly. "And we're here to analyze our beasts."

The man glanced up again. His name badge read Qaran.

"Are you telling me," Qaran asked slowly, "that you gathered that much credits in such a short amount of time?"

Leo simply nodded.

"Hmph. I don't believe you," Qaran scoffed. "Show me your beast... or yourself and I'll decide the payment myself. Let's see if you can actually afford it."

Leo just smiled faintly and shook his head. With a casual wave of his hand, he summoned Shyra.

The space rippled and Shyra's massive 9-meter-tall form materialized in the hall.

Qaran was left completely speechless. His head tilted sharply as he stared at her, mouth slightly open. He snapped out of it and rushed to his monitor, grabbing a gun-like scanner. A red light shot out, scanning Shyra up and down in a crisscross pattern. When he checked the rank displayed on the small screen at the back of the device, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"P-pseudo-3-star! Damn!"

The guard, who had earlier worn a faintly mocking expression upon hearing they were freshers, paled instantly at Shyra's presence and snapped back to his post, standing straighter than ever. He quickly locked the door for privacy since it was confirmed Leo could get his beast analysed.

Qaran turned to Leo, his earlier arrogance gone. He bowed apologetically.

"I'm sorry for underestimating you. I never thought a fresher could be this capable."

Leo blinked in surprise. This was the second sophomore today who hadn't berated him. His opinion of the academy rose steadily—especially compared to the first incident that had dropped the bar well below zero.

Qaran quickly generated an invoice through the system and sent it to Leo's phone. The amount displayed was 15,000 AC.

"Isn't it 50,000 AC?" Leo asked.

"That's for a Peak 3-star," Qaran replied. "Your beast is pseudo—just slightly above Peak 2-star."

Leo nodded and completed the payment.

Almost immediately, a massive pile of mana crystals materialized inside one of the magic-circle compartments. Shyra was guided into the other circle, her paws padding softly against the etched floor.

Qaran donned a headset threaded with thin wires that connected back to the monitor. When the process began, both compartments glowed with a mystical light. Energy was drawn from the mana crystals, and a translucent sphere formed around Shyra's body. She tensed and growled softly in panic, but Leo calmed her.

Moments later, the dungeon core at the centre flared with a brilliant green light. The wires pulsed as some unseen energy flowed into Qaran's headset. His body trembled briefly, his face paling as if a huge amount of energy was being drained from him.

Finally, he tore off the headset and stared at the monitor in disbelief.

"What in the world—!" Qaran began to curse, then stopped and stared again.

"Physical… shadow… mist… poison… fire… and what the hell is this?" His voice cracked. "Even space?! What the fuck!"

His fingers flew across the controls.

"Obsidian Panther Cub… a beast specialized in assassination. Normally physical type with shadow skills," he muttered rapidly. "Then how the hell does it have so many skill variants?"

He reread the report carefully.

"Some variants include poison and mist if the beast is crossbred…" He slowly looked up at Shyra with disbelief. Shyra, sensing the attention, lifted her head proudly, as if flaunting her superiority.

Qaran flipped through the pages again. Then his eyes locked onto a single word, and his breath caught.

"N-noble Beast!"

Qaran went completely stiff as he read that Obsidian panthers reach this size in pseudo 3-star only when they are noble or royal.

He glanced at Leo cautiously, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Shit… is he some young master from a major family? I shouldn't have been so disrespectful…"

His gaze shifted to the girls standing behind Leo.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. "Should've realised. Only some young master could walk around with such beautiful ladies despite having such mediocre looks…"

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