SSS Class Awakening: I Can Forge My Beast Soul Avatars
Chapter 9: Rare Skill: Creator

Chapter 9: Rare Skill: Creator

Placing his chin on his hand, Atlas couldn’t help but reminisce about his journey to the academy. The view, the stunning beauty of the plateau, and, most importantly, the glowing interface of the system.

Ever since the awakening ceremony, when the screen first manifested before his eyes, Atlas had been intensely curious to know how it functioned. But sadly, he had been kept busy by unforeseen circumstances.

"So class, I’ll be brief about the topic for today, as we have practicals in the next hour," Mr. Crosswell said, his booming voice echoing through the classroom.

"I will summarize the main topics — mostly for the benefit of our new student, so he can pick up a thing or two. If you have any questions, please save them for after the lecture, or better yet, jot them down so you don’t forget."

"Yes, sir!" the students responded with collective enthusiasm.

From their demeanor, it was clear they cherished Mr. Crosswell quite a bit, following his words with obedient respect. It was definitely not what Atlas had expected to see.

He had anticipated rebels, kids who abused their teachers, or arrogant show-offs, but this bunch was different — way too different.

’I wonder why. It almost doesn’t feel right,’ Atlas thought, scanning the room.

His eyes briefly met those of Seraphine, who sat just a short distance away from him. She quickly turned back to the front, and he did the same, wanting to avoid attracting any unwanted trouble.

"Now, listen carefully as I explain these details," Mr. Crosswell said, scanning the rows to ensure everyone was attentive.

He cleared his throat and began.

"Beast taming, in basic terms, means earning a wild animal’s trust so it chooses to follow and work with you, instead of running away or trying to bite your head off," he explained.

"In layman’s terms, you study the beast and learn what it needs — food, safety, respect — and then build a bond with it through care, training, and time. Once that bond forms, the animal listens to you not because you forced it, but because it genuinely sees you as its pack leader or partner."

’So that’s what standard beast taming is about,’ Atlas mused, listening intently even as his system screen flickered at the edge of his vision.

’A buddy, a best friend who fights for you because they want to, not because they have to. But I highly doubt every beast tamer in this world actually follows that concept...’

"Now, what is Soul Essence, and how does it relate to beast taming?" Mr. Crosswell paced down the aisle, gesturing with his dusty book.

"Soul Essence is essentially your inner life energy. Think of it as a mix of your vitality, willpower, and identity all rolled into one. It’s not just physical stamina — it is the core part of you. Your drive, your emotions, your spirit."

He paused, glancing at the pages to keep his place before continuing.

"When you use Soul Essence, you are spending a literal piece of yourself to perform a feat, like powering magic or maintaining a summon. That is why it feels far more draining than just being physically tired — because you are running on a bit of your own soul."

’Wow, Soul Essence...’ Atlas’s eyes widened. "Like a life energy?" he mistakenly blurted out, his voice cutting through the quiet classroom.

The entire class turned to look at him. Even Mr. Crosswell paused, a warm, encouraging smile breaking through his scruffy beard.

"Exactly, Atlas. I’m glad you’re catching on so quickly," the teacher praised.

"It is indeed like a fundamental life energy. It’s what keeps us alive, and a total depletion of it will kill you. It acts as the central energy core of all living organisms, rotating like a sphere at a singular point in our souls — hence the name, Soul Essence."

Embarrassed by the sudden attention, Atlas quickly looked away, resting his eyes on his desk.

’I shouldn’t make a habit of drawing attention to myself, but this is actually fascinating.’ He tilted his head, a sudden realization hitting him.

’Wait... so that spinning, dull brown sphere I saw in the void during my awakening... was that my Soul Essence?’

He wanted to ask, but remembering the teacher’s rule about saving questions for the end, he kept his mouth shut.

"Now, how do Soul Essence and beast taming interlink?" Mr. Crosswell asked, returning to the front of the classroom. "For starters, I assume you are all familiar with the term ’aspects’?"

"Yes!" the class chorused.

"Good. And I suppose you know there are various aspects of beast taming — such as demon taming, beast summoning, druidry, and so on?"

"Yes, sir," they responded in unison.

"Exactly. Beast taming isn’t just about finding a stray creature in the wild. There is a vast variety of paths, and that is where Soul Essence comes into play," Mr. Crosswell explained.

"While standard taming relies on food and physical training, Soul Essence takes the connection a step deeper. It lets you link your own life energy directly to the beast."

He leaned against his desk, his expression turning serious.

"Instead of just ’befriend and train,’ you are tethering a piece of your soul to theirs. This bond allows the beast to understand your thoughts faster, follow you with absolute loyalty, and fight alongside you as if it were an extension of your own body. The trade-off, however, is the personal cost. If you push the beast too hard, or if the beast gets hurt, you will feel the backlash because your essences are tied."

’That goes incredibly deep,’ Atlas thought, dumbfounded by the weight of the information. ’So, in a literal sense, you become one with the beast in both mind and soul.’

"To summarize the rewards and limitations before we wrap up," Mr. Crosswell continued, "the reward of a Soul Essence bond is a connection so profound that the beast can feel your emotions, coordinate flawlessly in battle, and will never betray you. The cost is severe fatigue. If the bond is violently severed or the beast dies, the soul shock can permanently damage your own essence."

He tapped the cover of his book.

"Furthermore, you can’t just soul-bond with any creature. The beast must be compatible with your soul’s frequency, and you must possess enough Soul Essence to maintain the active tether. Trying to manage too many bonds, or attempting to link with a beast that is far too strong, will drain you to the point of collapse. It’s like trying to carry a weight your body simply can’t support."

By this point in the lecture, Atlas’s head was spinning with insights.

While Mr. Crosswell moved on to the final details of the lesson, Atlas decided now was the perfect time to consult the one entity that could explain his unique situation: the System.

Focusing his mind, he willed his status screen to expand.

[Profile Status]

* NAME: Atlas

* AGE: 16

* TITLE: None

* ORIGIN: Orphanage

* CLASS: BeastMaster

* ASPECT: Beast Summoner

* Hidden Aspect: Beast Forger

* RANK: Dormant

* SOUL FORGE STATUS: Active

* RARE SKILL: Creator]

He stared at the highly unusual skill at the bottom of the list. ’What exactly does that mean?’

Almost in response to his thoughts, a small tab labeled "description" flickered beneath the skill. He mentally tapped on it, and the interface smoothly transitioned to display the details.

[Rare Skill: Creator]

* Description: Instead of taming existing beasts, you can forge entirely new ones from raw soul essence and materials. The stronger your understanding of a beast and its anatomical structure, the closer the forged result will be to perfection.]

’Forge new beasts?!’ Atlas stared at the words, utterly dumbfounded.

He had the power to literally create his own beasts? How was that even possible?

In this world, beast summoning meant calling a living creature from a different location or pocket dimension into your presence. But his skill bypassed that entirely. Why did he have to build them first? Why couldn’t he just summon pre-existing ones like a normal summoner?

’So I literally have to build my own army from scratch. Honestly... that is incredibly cool,’ he thought, a silent, awkward grin spreading across his face as he stared at the glowing blue text.

Eager to learn more, he willed the system to expand further, revealing a comprehensive breakdown of his current parameters.

[AWAKENING SYSTEM v1.0]

USER: Atlas

[GENERAL]

* Rank: Dormant [0/1000 EXP]

* Combat Rating: F-

* Description: A master with no beasts. Currently defenseless.

[ABILITIES]

* Rare Skill: Creator

* Effect: Allows the user to forge new beasts from raw soul essence and compatible materials. Structural comprehension directly influences the quality of the final creation.

* Soul Forge Status: Active

* Soul Forge: A private workshop anchored within your soul. Used to craft, evolve, and modify forged beasts. Requires Soul Essence and physical materials.

[FORGE STATS]

* Forge Slots: 0/3

* Beasts Forged: 0/3

* Soul Essence: 0

* Tutorial Materials: 5x [U.S.C]

* Universal Soul Card [U.S.C]: A versatile, metamorphic material that can mimic the properties of any required component for your very first forging process.

[QUESTS]

* Main Quest: Forge Your First Beast [0/1]

* Tutorial Active: The system will guide and assist with material gathering and the initial forging process. Subsequent creations will rely entirely on the user’s personal knowledge of anatomy, materials, and Soul Essence allocation.

* Side Quests: None

[SYSTEM ADVICE]

* Warning: Dormant rank confirmed. Physical attributes are strictly limited to average human standards.

* Tutorial Requirements: Select your first beast blueprint to begin forge. Soul Essence cost: 100.

* Recommendation: Enter the Soul Forge to initiate the tutorial.]

Atlas let out a slow, quiet breath. The piece of plastic in his pocket — the auxiliary student card that labeled him as a "dormant-rank, bottom-tier Beastmaster" — suddenly felt a whole lot lighter.

He didn’t need to hunt down rare, dangerous monsters in the wild, nor did he need to beg nobles for beast eggs. Everything he needed to climb out of the dirt was locked right inside his own soul.

He no longer needed to search the world for powerful beasts, because he would build them himself.

But before any of that...

He first had to enter the Soul Forge.