The Psychopathic Beast Emperor

Bahamut was still shaken from the day’s events, from the ambush to Exildra’s confusing outburst. He couldn’t wrap his head around it. He was grateful that he wasn’t going to face expulsion thanks to whatever mysterious backer he had, but he needed a reason. The questions were becoming too much, and he had just started learning about the world. He couldn’t even read and write yet, and the system wasn’t one of those systems in the light novels he read that gave the host some overpowered skills that made them do stuff easily. His system was like a silent sentinel watching him, and only intervening at a very crucial moment, or it just gave him some information, and that was it.

It broke all common sense of systems. He had long realized that, with or without the system, his progress would be more or less the same. Even if not the same, it would be very close.

He had read the information from the system earlier and realized that there had been massive changes; thankfully, they weren’t anything bad. At least, not yet. For starters, his titles now had a Titled badge to them, meaning that they’d reached their max, or that’s what it should have been, since that’s how his skills worked. But after reading their details, he found out that they were very different from the skills. The Titled badge meant that those titles had been acknowledged by the world itself, and when the time was right, he could unlock the full potential and possibly power of these titles.

In simpler terms, those titles were more or less abilities he had, but with exalted appearances. He was now very close to breaking through, and could have broken through if not for something holding him back... Something Exildra had spoken of earlier.

Lily.

The fox-girl. He liked her; that was why he couldn’t bring himself to do anything irreversible to her. It might sound absurd and too abrupt, sudden, but that was the truth. Bahamut had been many things in his past life, but there was one thing he always fantasized about... a harem.

He had thought he would be chasing women to build a harem, but they were literally throwing themselves at her. He didn’t want to hurt Exildra since she had shown him love first, and...

"I don’t even have a reason. I’m a scumbag. I’m stupid. And I’m a monster. What else do I need justification for?" Bahamut muttered, passing his hand through his long, messy hair with a sigh.

"I should cut this too... sometime."

Ren, who slept beside him, just smirked and closed his eyes to sleep.

...

Bahamut and the others stared wide-eyed at the items Elder Sivia and Elder Iset were presenting to them. Their rewards for the two missions they went on. The rewards were extravagant to say the least.

Even Sel, Rakia, and Apollonia, who had seen far more than the others, couldn’t completely hide the flicker of surprise in their eyes. Elder Silvia stepped forward first, her calm gaze sweeping across them before settling on Sel.

"Sel."

With a light wave of her hand, a long, narrow case materialized in front of him, floating midair. It opened slowly with a soft click.

Inside lay a weapon... A spear, but not just any spear. Its shaft was a deep silver-blue, etched with flowing patterns that resembled currents of water and wind. The spearhead itself shimmered like liquid crystal, constantly shifting, as if it couldn’t decide between solid and fluid.

"This is the Tidepiercer Spear," Elder Silvia said. "A Tier 2 semi-sentient weapon forged with dual affinity, wind and water. It will respond to your intent and amplify your flow-based combat style."

Sel didn’t speak immediately. He simply reached out and held it.

The moment his fingers wrapped around the shaft...

HUM!

The spear resonated. A faint breeze spiraled around him, and a ripple of invisible pressure spread outward. Sel’s eyes widened slightly.

"It fits," he muttered.

Elder Iset nodded faintly. "It chose you the moment it appeared."

"Apollonia."

A golden ring floated toward her. At first glance, it looked simple... but it wasn’t.

The moment it got closer, intricate wing-like engravings revealed themselves, layered upon each other like feathers. At its center sat a tiny, radiant gem that pulsed like a heartbeat.

"The Solar Aegis Ring," Elder Iset said. "It enhances aerial mobility and grants a temporary defensive barrier that scales with your momentum," Apollonia smirked slightly as she slipped it onto her finger.

"Useful," she said simply, but the faint flare of her wings behind her betrayed her excitement.

"Rakia."

A folded cloak appeared next. It was dark, deep violet with streaks of gold that shimmered like lightning frozen in fabric.

"The Veil of Silent Descent," Elder Silvia said. "It suppresses presence, reduces damage from high-impact movement, and enhances assassination efficiency."

Rakia ran her fingers across it, her expression softening slightly.

"I like this one," she murmured.

"Exildra."

A small, elegant box floated toward her.

When it opened, a delicate silver pendant lay inside, holding a teardrop-shaped crystal that glowed faintly with a soft, warm light.

"The Heart of Verdant Rebirth," Elder Iset explained. "It enhances natural recovery, stabilizes foreign energies within the body, and... supports regeneration."

Exildra instinctively touched her eyepatch. Her expression softened.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she took it.

For a brief moment, her gaze flickered toward Bahamut.

"Ren."

Everyone turned. Elder Silvia raised a brow slightly before flicking her finger.

A scroll.

It floated toward Ren, who sat lazily on Sel’s shoulder. The scroll pulsed faintly, as if it had a heartbeat.

"This is not an item," she said. "It is a Beast Technique."

Ren’s ears twitched.

"Beast Technique?" he repeated, suddenly interested.

"The Devouring Chaos Art: First Manifestation," Elder Silvia continued. "It will allow you to shape your Chaos Element into tangible constructs and consume external energy to reinforce your core."

Ren’s red-black eyes gleamed.

"Oh... I like that." The scroll dissolved into light and entered his body instantly.

For a second, nothing happened. Then his markings pulsed. A low, distorted aura flickered around him before settling.

"Heh," Ren smirked. "This is gonna be fun."

"Bahamut."

Silence fell. Even the air felt heavier. Elder Silvia didn’t summon anything immediately this time. Instead, she looked at him... deeply.

Two items appeared. The first was a black gauntlet, sleek and segmented, with faint beast-like engravings that seemed to move when not directly looked at. It radiated a strange, oppressive aura.

"The Beast’s Grasp," she said. "It enhances your control over multiple beast traits and reduces rejection when combining them."

Bahamut’s eyes sharpened slightly. That alone... was priceless. The second item appeared. It was a small vial. Inside it was a swirling, multicolored liquid, red, blue, azure, brown, white, and black... constantly shifting, never settling.

Even looking at it felt... wrong.

"The Mythic Chimera Core Seed," Elder Iset said quietly.

Everyone froze.

"That..." Rakia whispered.

"Is your reward for completing the impossible," Elder Silvia continued. "When you reach Tier 2, this will replace your natural core formation."

Bahamut didn’t move and didn’t speak. His gaze was locked onto the vial.

"What does it do?" he finally asked.

Elder Silvia’s expression remained calm.

"It will not give you power."

"It will define what you are." There was silence after this statement. Even Ren didn’t joke.

Bahamut slowly reached out and took it. The moment it touched his skin, a faint pulse echoed through his body, as if something had just acknowledged him.

His grip tightened slightly.

"Tch," he exhaled, a faint grin forming.

"Guess I can’t die now."

Sel snorted.

"You were planning to?"

"Not anymore," Bahamut replied casually.

Exildra just shook her head with a soft smile.

But deep inside, they all understood. These rewards weren’t just rewards. They were preparations.

Elder Silvia then looked at Bahamut and spoke.

"You heard what the Chief Elder said yesterday. You need a weapon that will help you keep yourself in check and also hide some things... So, did you decide?"

Bahamut sighed and looked to Sel.

"Can you help me? The Chief Elder suggested a heavy but sharp sword-type weapon. What do you also suggest?"

Sel pondered for a while and said with a smile.

"A greatsword, but with an extra heaviness and more length, will be perfect for you."

Hearing that, Bahamut’s expression twisted into horror while Elder Silvia nodded in acknowledgment.

"It is perfect, truly."

"What?"

"Think about it. You will look cool holding a weapon bigger than you. You are already strong, so carrying such a weapon will be a piece of cake," Sel said with an enthusiasm none of them, except Rakia, had seen before.

Bahamut wanted to scream that he was wearing suppressors, but he couldn’t. There was no evidence that he wore them. Even the chief elder and the pharaoh failed to detect them. He could only accept his fate... or not.

"Exi..."

"You need it, Bahamut. If you get tired, we can help you, but I doubt," Exildra said with a beautiful smile, but all Bahamut saw was the smile of the devil.

’What did I do?!’

Bahamut was officially doomed.