I Became A Starter Beast

'People who use others' goodwill for their benefit are the scum of the society.' 

Aster narrowed his eyes as he looked at Clark's back, who was filling out some kind of form on the reception desk.

Only someone who hadn't experienced the harshness of the outside world or was simply a fool would be caught by his tricks.

'He may look like a harmless boy, but he's one of those dirty adults.' Aster thought when he remembered how he found that this scammer was older than him.

Clark turned around and looked at him, he offered him the pen shouting, “Aster you need to sign here too!”

Aster immediately fixed his gaze and put on a friendly smile avoiding Clark's notice.

“Okay.” 

Aster took the pen from him and put his signature on the provided space in the paper.

They both then paid the fee with their total bet, which the winner would get later, and Clark noticed that Aster's hands were shaking as he pushed his money to the receptionist.

He's grinning inside, but on the outside, he looks worried for the young man who looks like he's reluctant to part with his money, “We can cancel if you want.”

“No, it's fine.” Aster closed his eyes and took his hands away from the desk.

“Alright,” is what Clark said, but in his thoughts, he's already celebrating.

“And done. You two can now go to the Stage Hall, your arena number is 13.”  the receptionist handed them a card with a perfectly practiced smile on his lips.

“Thank you.”

The two then walked away from the reception table, blending in with the crowds who were heading towards the same hall as them.

They exchanged a good number of banters on the way like a good friend, anyone would think so when they saw them with their wide smiles and pure waves of laughter, but inside they have their tainted motives against one another.

Their good time however was interrupted just before they entered the Stage Hall when Aster stopped from walking.

”You go first Clark, I need to take a piss.” he said while pointing to the men's restroom sign with his thumb.

“Alright, don't take too much time okay!” Clark teased.

“Of course!”

Aster pushed the boy-man's back forward while laughing, however, once Clark and his partner's figure vanished among the people it ceased.

He then went inside the restroom and started washing his hands in the faucet. 

Twy jumped out of his shoulder landed on the lavatory and started looking at his small figure in the mirror.

'I look cute, but—' the kitten's eyes moved towards Aster's reflection, '—you're a really good actor.' 

Aster guessed his thoughts from Twy's emotions. “It's not worth praise, it's only because he's overconfident that I can trick him like that.” 

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and started drying his hands, adding, “In the end, he's just a third-rate scammer.”

'Yeah, and you're a second-rate?'

“Anyway, let's plan how to win that 10k.” Aster gazed at Twy's reflection, meeting the latter's eyes, before mentioning, “Frankly, you wouldn't win against that dog of his.”

'What!? Are you looking down on me?' 

The kitten slapped the tiled sink with his fluffy paw, he looked at his partner with a narrowed gaze.

“Of course I'm not looking down on you, it's just that the dog you saw is hiding its strength.” Aster turned around, leaned back his butt against the edge of the sink, and cross his arms.

“It must be some kind of artifact or technique, but that dog's not starless. It's a diluted breed of Inferno Hound, a Blaze Retriever—that dog is currently a Common 2-star Beast.”

'2 Star!' Twy's tail puffed in a perked-up state when he heard that.

He's been training hard for the past week, especially in his breathing exercises. 

He was able to sync his breath with the technique's rhythm, his progress is good and he's currently on the step where he's using his muscles as vessels to store some mana in them.

However, according to Aster, it would still take him at least three months before he could form his first star—that is if he didn't use any help.

Twy could win a bitter win against a 1-Star Beast, but against a 2-Star Beast that is a tall order.

“But, we can win against them.” Aster suddenly proclaimed it and widened the kitten's eyes.

'How?' 

Twy then saw Aster's lips curled into a confident smile.

“They don't know much about our true strength.”

The kitten nodded, they could finish the simulation before in 2 minutes maximum, but both of them held back their strength.

“We can use that to our advantage, and—” Twy then saw the smile on Aster's lips slowly turn sinister.

“It's a normal battle, not an Alpha one. It means we're fighting as a team, not solo.” Aster stated, his gaze turned serious as he continued,

“One couldn't win against two.”

•••

“10 minutes have passed. What took you so long?” Clark asked with some hint of irritation in his voice.

Aster scratched the back of his head and said apologetically. “Sorry, I got lost cause,  there's too much crowd.”

“Sigh, hurry up and prepare the ref's been waiting for a long time.” 

Aster followed where Clark was pointing and saw a man in a black and white uniform glaring in their direction.

He slightly bowed towards him before turning around and picking a dulled sword in the rack full of weapons.

When Clark saw that his eyes widened and he immediately probed. “I thought you fight with barehanded?”

“Yes I do,” Aster glanced at him with a good-natured smile before asking, “Bringing weapons in a battle isn't forbidden isn't it?”

“No...”

“Then, I'll bring two.” Aster picked up a round shield from the rack before he made a mischievous smile at Clark. 

”Who knows these guys might catch you off guard.”

”Hahaha, you could be right.” 
Clark laughed as he picked his own weapon from the weapons rack, a bow, and a quiver.

Twy noticed how the boy-man's hands held his weapon tightly, he shook his tiny head as he thought,

'Man, what an easy catch.'

•••

Once the two finished their preparations they went up to the rectangular stage together with their own beasts companion, facing each other from a distance.

Their appearance on the stage garnered the attention of a few people watching in the stands near their arena.

“Hey, isn't that Clark?” a man in a red baseball cap nudged the young man next to him.

“Don't disturb me while I'm treating your beast!” a young man with no defining feature complained.

The man in a red cap stepped back and quickly apologized. “Sorry, I'm just telling you that you might get another customer soon.”

The young man tied the last knot of the bandage in the brown rabbit's foot, before giving the beast back to the man.

“Here you go. Don't let him strain his foot, and in a week or two he'll be back in shape.”

The man caressed the injured rabbit's fur as he looked at it with eyes full of love. He then turned his eyes back to the young man.

“Thank you, Johnson.”

”There's no need for that, you already paid me.”

Johnson then turned his head towards the arena 13 and his eyes couldn't help but widen.

“A-Aster!?”

“You know him?” the red-cap man asked curiously after he noticed Johnson's shock.

“Yeah, he's my classmate in high school.”

The man shook his head when he heard that, he then turned his head towards the arena where Aster was, and his eyes were filled with pity.

“It looks like you're friend is about to get duped by that bastard Clark.”

Johnson panicked when he heard that. He was about to run and jump over the bleachers, but he was too late.

The referee just lowered his raised hand signaling the start of battle.

“Start!”