Chapter 17: The' Feedback Advancement
The walk back from the Beast Creator Association was a blur of neon lights and hushed whispers. Roman didn't stop to acknowledge the sudden, suffocating respect from his classmates or the scouts lingering in the shadows of the city's hover-terminals. He moved with a singular focus, his internal map leading him away from the gleaming silver domes of the central district and back toward the rusted, overcrowded outskirts of the sector orphanage.
By the time he reached his cramped, private cubicle—a small space he had earned through sheer intimidation and utility—the twin moons of Terra were rising, casting a cold, artificial glow over the sprawling megacity. Roman bolted the door, the sound of distant starships breaking the atmosphere humming in the background. He sat on his thin, worn mattress, crossing his legs. He didn't need a clan's meditation hall; the Azure Dragon Stone within him was his sanctuary.
At the BCA, the sheer mechanical stress of conducting three simultaneous 5-Star Evolutions had drained his physical stamina, but it had also acted as a dam for his power. Now, in the silence of the slums, that dam was about to burst.
"Zuzu," Roman whispered.
The Tri-Elemental Horned Snake slithered from his shoulders, her iridescent scales humming with a low-frequency power that vibrated the metal frame of his bed. She coiled herself around him, her obsidian horn glowing with a faint, rhythmic violet light that pulsed in sync with the star-traffic above.
As she settled, the connection between Tamer and Beast—the Soul-Chain—began to throb. This was the Evolutionary Feedback, the moment where the beast's advancement poured back into the master, rewriting their biology to match the new tier of power.
The feedback hit Roman like a physical blow. It wasn't just energy; it was a flood of raw, elemental data from the Star Realm. He felt the cold, unyielding stability of the Wood element anchoring his bones, followed by the fluid, adaptable grace of Water rushing through his veins. Then came the Lightning.
It didn't just tickle his skin; it scorched his pathways. Because Zuzu had achieved a 5-star evolution—a rarity even on the core planets of the Federation—the feedback was purer and more concentrated than anything a standard Rank 1 Tamer could survive. Roman's spine arched, white-hot sparks dancing across his knuckles as his soul-core expanded.
[ Warning: Host Soul-Core undergoing interstellar-grade expansion. ]
[ System Analysis: Integrating Tri-Elemental Feedback... ]
[ Rank Advancement: 10%... 45%... 88%... ]
With a sound like a muffled thunderclap echoing through the orphanage's thin walls, the barrier shattered. The murky, restricted pool of his Rank 1 flux energy expanded into a vast, shimmering lake. His muscles tightened, his density increasing until he felt as though his very cells were being reinforced by the same cosmic alloys used in starship hulls.
[ Status Updated: Rank 2 Tamer (Initial Stage) ]
Roman let out a long, steaming breath. He felt lighter, yet more substantial. He could "see" the flux-currents in the orphanage's wiring—not as blurry shapes, but as distinct mathematical vectors.
Reaching into his spatial storage, Roman summoned his Contract Book. The heavy volume materialized in his lap, its cover inscribed with ancient runes that seemed to writhe as if acknowledging the vastness of the galaxy.
As he flipped through the pages, he felt a new weight to the parchment. Reaching a major rank advancement wasn't just a numerical increase; it was a structural upgrade to his soul. He stopped as the book resisted his fingers, then gave way to reveal a crisp, glowing white page that had previously been sealed by a layer of impenetrable flux-smoke.
"The second page," Roman murmured, his fingers tracing the blank space.
This was the reward for his advancement—a second contract slot. In the wider Intergalactic Federation, most Tamers had to wait years of mental conditioning to handle a second beast, but Roman's Overlord Soul made the transition as natural as drawing breath. The page sat waiting, a void hungry for a cosmic partner that could match the sovereign status of his Horned Snake.
As Roman closed the book, the Truth-Seeking Bracelet on his wrist grew warm, its violet pulse syncing with his breakthrough. A series of holographic windows bloomed in his mind's eye, detailing the shifts in his inherent abilities.
[ System Note: Ability Suppression Adjusted. ]
[ Rank 2 Threshold Reached. Unlocking Overlord Soul: Third Tier. ]
Roman focused on the data. Until now, he had relied on two primary gifts from his Overlord Soul, but their true nature was finally being explained as his suppression lifted.
1. True Sight (The Passive Anchor):
This was the ability that had allowed Roman to function in a world of darkness. It wasn't "vision" in the biological sense. True Sight bypassed the physical eyes entirely, allowing Roman to perceive the "Flux Blueprint" of the universe. He could see mana signatures, the structural weaknesses in starship plating, and the lies in a person's muscle tension. It was the sight of a god looking at the scaffolding of reality.
2. Soul-Linkage Chain (The Dominance):
This was the invisible thread that bound Zuzu to him. Unlike the fragile, flickering bonds of common Tamers on Terra, Roman's Soul-Linkage was an unbreakable tether of authority. It allowed for near-instantaneous command transmission and ensured his beast would never succumb to the mental interference of high-tier alien species or "Beast-Suppression" fields.
[ New Ability Unlocked: SOUL COPY ]
Roman's breath hitched. He read the description carefully. Soul Copy allowed him to temporarily "duplicate" a specific trait or ability from one of his contracted beasts—or even an opponent's beast if the resonance was high enough—and "bestow" it onto another beast or himself.
"I can bestow copied abilities?" Roman whispered.
This meant he could "copy" the defensive shell of a future beast and temporarily grant it to Zuzu, turning his lightning snake into an impenetrable fortress. It was a tactical game-changer that shattered the traditional limits of beast roles in intergalactic combat.
The Lightning Embodiment
Finally, Roman turned his attention to his second hidden talent: The Lightning Flash.
Previously, this had only given him a passive affinity, making his lightning-based attacks faster. But with the Rank 2 advancement and the 5-star feedback, the ability had mutated into Lightning Embodiment.
He held out his right hand. He didn't just feel the static; he commanded it. With a sharp crack, a jagged arc of violet electricity erupted from his palm, coiling around his fingers like a living whip.
"I can manifest it out of my body now," he noted, watching the sparks illuminate the small cubicle.
He wasn't just a Tamer who stood in the back anymore. He was becoming a conduit for the storm itself. In a Rank 1 state, his body couldn't handle the raw voltage, but his new Rank 2 physique acted as a perfect conductor.
Roman stood up, the lightning at his fingertips fading. Zuzu looked up at him, her amber eyes reflecting the power of her master.
"We're ready," Roman said.
He looked toward the window, sensing the distant, frantic energy of the megacity as it prepared for the National Exams. Brent Miller was likely practicing in his family's private training hall. Silas was probably plotting. The Federation was preparing its cameras to broadcast the results to the orbiting starships.
They were looking for local talent, but they were about to be blinded by a cosmic anomaly.
Roman walked over to his small desk and picked up his textbooks. He had achieved the physical breakthrough, but he wouldn't neglect the Phase One Cultural Exam. He would spend the remaining hours of the night memorizing every nuance of Flux Energy Theory and Intergalactic Beast Anatomy.
He would enter that exam hall not just as the strongest student, but as the most knowledgeable. He would leave no room for doubt.
As he opened his book, the violet light of the Truth-Seeking Bracelet bathed the pages, and the silent orphanage cubicle filled with the sound of a young man preparing to rewrite the laws of the universe.
The Rank 10 Cosmic Emperor was a long way off, but tonight, on a backwater planet called Terra, the foundation was finally, irreversibly set.
[ Character Status Sheet ]
Name: Roman Dawson
Rank: 2 Tamer (Initial)
Location: Sector 4 Orphanage, Terra
Beasts: * Zuzu (Tri-Elemental Horned Snake - Rank 2)
Abilities: * Overlord Soul: True Sight, Soul-Linkage Chain, Soul Copy (New)
Lightning Embodiment: External Manifestation (Upgraded)
Resources: 10 Million Credits, Apprentice Creator Badge.