I Became A Starter Beast

'Why are we in the park?' Twy confusedly looked at Aster.

The two of them were currently resting on top of the verdant grass, bathing in the warm sunlight and refreshing wind of the park.

Aster, who sensed Twy's complex emotion, met his gaze and answered, “We're going to start your cultivation today; we can't do that inside the house.”

'Can't we do that tomorrow? I'm still sleepy.' Twy's tail was comfortably tucked between his legs as he yawned, and his eyes threatened to close while doing so.

“Sit properly; I'll pass to you the first part of the cultivation technique: Singularis Felis.”

Twenty-four hours have yet to pass since they met, but Twy already found one of Aster's characteristics after he saw him practice with his sword and shield after dinner.

''So diligent.' he complained, but his body complied earnestly; the ends of his tail were twitching back and forth.

“Concentrate.” Aster solemnly said this before he pushed his fingers on Twy's forehead while also touching his own. He then used a technique that sends information to other parties with mana as its medium.

The stream of knowledge forced Twy to close his eyes as it streamed into his brain. The content sounds fascinating and interesting; it made him forget Aster, his surroundings, and even himself—he's diving deep into its contents like a whale after it surfaced.

Twy started comprehending the information and started engraving each and every word into some corner of his feline brain.

'The proper breathing... best way to concentrate... muscle mana storage... best time... night... day... life...

Yin is the darkness; Yang is the light.

'Yin-Yang Breathing!'

Twy's eyes snapped open, and he then turned his golden eyes towards Aster. They're filled with emotions of shock, happiness, gratitude, and more, bombarding the exhausted young man.

“Didn't I promise that I would make you stronger than your limit? This is just the first step, but also the fundamental of cultivation—without it, you couldn't gather mana into your body.” Aster said pride was evident in his tone.

Twy nodded his tiny head. Now that he has received a breathing technique from him, he understands how important it is.

Breathing Techniques are essentially the keys to a gate called cultivation. Without it, one could only remain normal and mundane.

It is what the beings of this world thread as their path to greatness and strength, which is ever more important in this current era.

“That breathing technique is tailor-made for you.” Aster's voice was tinged with envy when he said that. “It allows you to use two contrasting energies devastatingly and efficiently.”

After hearing that, even though Twy is still ignorant in many ways of this world, he knew that the technique he was given was top-notch!

However, what confuses the furball is that if this technique is so amazing, why wouldn't he use it?

'It's clear that he yearned for something like that, so why?

'The middle and last part seem a little impossible, but the first one isn't.'

“What are you feeling confused about?” Aster tilted his head and wondered if he had missed some details in their knowledge transfer.

Twy sighed in defeat when he saw that, but then his eyes glimmered when he found a way to convey his thoughts through actions.

Twy first pointed his right paw towards him, then pointed it to his furry temple after. He repeated this action while sending waves of curious emotion to Aster.

”Are you asking why I'm not using the breathing technique I gave you?”

Twy repeatedly nodded while also raising his right paw.

Aster weakly laughed in response. “Although beasts' way of breathing was a great inspiration for the creation of human breathing techniques, and some humans are fond of doing something exotic like that, it doesn't mean that all of them can be mimicked.”

The young man paused, put both hands on the grassy ground, and leaned back before he continued. “Yours particular is bad to both humans and beasts. My insides flipping upside down would be less of a worry if I really tried to practice it.” 

Aster turned his eyes toward the blue sky. He added, “It's because the mana in the air is not really yours, even if it has already entered your body.”

Aster raised one of his hands, pointing one of his fingers towards the sky and swirling it slowly. “It is tainted with elements, and only once you purify it can you really make it yours.”

He then lowered it, and now his finger was pointed towards Twy.

“But your body doesn't need that; it's skipped the part, probably due to your innate talent. Just like the technique said, 'both light and darkness, you will wield.'”

Aster put down his hand and wryly smiled at the kitten.

“Don't feel bad about me. True, my current martial technique might be bad, but I can change that once my plan succeeds.”

He stopped leaning back and instead faced Twy, covering the kitten with his shadow, and with a confident smile, he proclaimed.

“But for that to happen, you need to get stronger!”

•••

'When I was his age, I was not this mature.' 

I took a little peek and saw Aster, his eyes closed and rhythmically breathing in and out, while peacefully sitting on the ground.

“Focus!”

'Oops, he noticed.'

I immediately snapped my eyes shut, like I do when my mother checks my room to see if I am still awake at midnight.

'Sometimes this connection can be a disadvantage too.'

Anyway, it's best to focus back on the task, which is to get used to the Yin-Yang breathing that he gave me.

I took a deep breath and then exhaled, following the pattern set by the technique.

I have to be aware of how I breathe, the seconds that pass,  my body's position, and where the mana would go—all of that made it harder for me to sync in and made the breathing pattern partially instinctual.

I kept repeating it, but also failing each time to gather a strand of mana, which is painful—the weird sound I made every time I coughed was mildly irritating.

If not for Aster's high expectations of me, I would probably stop hours ago and relax under the gentle caress of the sun instead.

“Oh right, I forgot to mention that after this, I'll teach you basic math—”

'What the? Why would a cat need math?'

My concentration was almost broken when I heard that—anyone with barely passing grades in math all through his school years would.

“—and next week, Monday, you'll fight in the Battle Stadium.” I heard Aster add, finally breaking my focus. 

'W-What!?' My eyes snapped open, and I saw him looking at me with a serious face.

'Damn it, I could still handle some studying, but a fight? And in a week's time?

'Are you joking!?'

Aster's impassive face didn't even twitch or squirm. I slapped the ground with my cute little paws.

'Fuck, that's too soon! I hadn't even prepared myself physically and mentally!

At least give me another week! My modern morality is not ready to be broken this fast!'

•••