"Hold up!" Aiden's jaw tightened. This old man is about to spin off into another tangent again.Just spit it out, old-timer. Don't make me chase circles. "Master Geuder, if there's something on your mind, just be straight with me." Darius rubbed his palms together like he was warming up before a heist. His eyes blazed with a kind of excitement Aiden didn't usually see outside infomercial salesmen who thought they had found a jackpot. He uttered, "It's nothing shady. I'm dying to see what kind of beast walks out of an Abyss-tier advancement trial alive. If I know what you've bonded with, I can map out the cleanest route for your next class tier." "No issue there." Aiden snapped his fingers. A pulse of light flashed, and Gray materialized beside him. Darius froze. His voice cracked. "Holy—holy hell. Is that... a divine beast? A dragon hatchling?" "Yeah," Aiden confirmed before motioning for Gray to come over. The little brat lifted his chin and pretended not to hear him, grooming his scales like a cat that believed it owned the house. Darius staggered. "Holy hell. Holy mother of—" He clutched his chest as if his heart needed a reset. His wrinkled face flushed as he had sprinted eight blocks uphill. To Aiden, the old guy looked like someone about to throw himself into oncoming traffic for the insurance payout, and the thought made him inch a little closer just in case CPR became necessary. "A divine beast. This... this is every Beastmaster's fever dream." Darius drifted around the room with his hands locked behind his back. His expression shifted between reverence and the kind of joy people got when they struck the Powerball jackpot. "Divine" or "dragon" on their own already ruled the Beastmaster scene. Either one hit the rankings like a heavyweight champ everyone wanted, but nobody could land. Darius had spent decades traveling across states, fighting monsters, rescuing rookies, and pulling his weight everywhere he went. A seasoned veteran like him rarely even glimpsed a dragon-type beast.True divine beasts? Folks treated those like bedtime myths. Yet here one was—breathing, flicking his tail, and acting like Aiden's living room was beneath him. Keeping calm was practically impossible. "Master Geuder? You doing alright?" Aiden asked. The old man looked one emotional shove away from a padded room. Aiden couldn't help feeling uneasy. The only person in the entire Leafport who had a clue about hidden Beastmaster classes stood right here in front of him. Losing him now would crush his one shot at earning the path of Beastcaller he wanted. "I'm good. Just... give me a second." After a few seconds of pacing, inhaling deeply, and pressing his palms to his temples, Darius finally straightened up, his voice becoming steadier. "Nighthale, listen carefully. You might not qualify for Beastcaller today." Aiden blinked. "Why not?" "Beastcaller had enough strength for most beasts, even Monarch-level ones if the user worked hard enough." Darius' eyes drifted to Gray again. He took another slow breath. "It topped out fast once it touched Mythical Beasts. It simply could not keep up." Aiden squinted. "Master Geuder, so you're telling me Beastcaller isn't good enough for Gray?" "That's exactly what I'm telling you." Darius lifted a shoulder in helpless acceptance. He once viewed Beastcaller as his proudest achievement, a title seasoned Beastmasters chased relentlessly. Realizing it fell short in front of a Mythical Beast stung him deep. His expression worked through that pain before settling into reluctant clarity. "Then, what class do you think works?" Aiden pressed. He felt tension spike. His instincts screamed that this was another door opening—something deeper than Beastcaller, possibly a class line almost nobody had ever touched. Darius replied, "To be honest, I can't tell you yet. True Mythical Beasts rarely appeared in official records across this land. Folks talk about them like star sightings—maybe real, maybe not." He stroked his beard as if working through dusty memories. "Still, there is someone who might know. An old friend of mine. He works as the Royal Chief Beastmaster. He's handled creatures nobody else would dare approach. He might understand what direction suits someone who handles a Mythical Beast." A white envelope materialized in his hand as if conjured from nowhere. "This recommendation lets you meet him. Ask if there's any possibility." A notification chimed in Aiden's mind. Ding!Hidden class quest triggered: Dragon's Whisper. Objective: Travel to the Crownspire City to locate the Royal Chief Beastmaster. Ha! Called it. A hidden class quest popped up. Aiden stepped out of the Ascension Hall, caught between frustration and excitement. All his running around today led nowhere in terms of official class advancement. However, the payoff was impossible to ignore. Hidden class questlines like this one did not appear every day. In his past life, Beastcaller ranked among the strongest lineages a Beastmaster could reach. Yet even that looked small next to what a Mythical Beast deserved. If this "Dragon's Whisper" quest upgrades me past Beastcaller, what kind of power am I walking into?The thought thrilled him. The journey might stretch out longer, though Aiden hardly cared. Gray's stats alone let him stomp any dungeon within a hundred miles. A class advancement would make him even more ridiculous, though there was no pressure to chase it immediately. Gray was already too overpowering. Any other player who advanced today still couldn't stand next to him. Aiden rolled his shoulders, feeling confidence surge. He turned toward the Lord's Castle and started walking.