Plans

Theo felt something weird in his body, like something had just entered it after the rat's death.

'Is this how it feels to gain experience points?' he thought with curiosity.

The Iron Mantis didn't seem to care much. It started grooming its forelegs again. It was so full there was no instinct or need to eat the rat for now.

Theo quickly opened his status and found that he had gained experience points, although the amount was far less than he had imagined.

'So this is why tamers don't go around defeating beasts with lower grades or levels. The penalty this time wasn't much, but the point still stands.'

If an ordinary-grade beast defeated another ordinary-grade beast of the same level, the experience points gained would be normal.

But if a rare-grade beast defeated an ordinary-grade beast with no level difference, it would face a 50% deduction to the base experience, which was not worth it by any means.

This was something the artifact did on its own and it was believed that was done to give everything a chance.

Theo understood this clearly and felt that killing these rats was both worth it and not worth it at the same time.

'I can help the mantis reach Level 2 while getting myself to Level 1 with these rats… It will become inefficient after that, I can't go for the forest just yet.'

Theo finalized his plan, but a problem still persisted. While his family might be understanding about him gaining a unique affinity, it didn't mean the same would apply if they found out he had tamed a pesky insect as his first beast.

'Let's defeat all the rats I have for now. Then I'll think about something else.'

For the next few minutes, the mantis fought head-on against one rat after another. Its stomach might have already been full, but its aggression and will to fight still persisted.

Theo tried giving small commands to the Iron Mantis. Some it understood, while others it outright ignored. The only commands it reliably followed were climbing onto his hand when asked and using the skill Metallic Strike.

However, to use Metallic Strike efficiently, Theo knew the Iron Mantis had to create some distance to gain extra momentum and strength.

The total experience gained after the death of the remaining two rats was 6.48 EXP for the mantis and 4.13 EXP for Theo.

Apparently, 15 EXP was needed for Theo to become a Level 1 individual, and he was now very close to leveling up.

'I need to order more rats or some other creatures from Clara.'

"Theo, come out of that wretched room already," he suddenly heard a voice from outside and couldn't help but feel surprised.

"Mother?" He questioned, quickly placing the lid on the Iron Mantis's box before heading outside.

When he stepped out, he saw his mother dressed in luxurious clothing, the kind she wore for Baron meetings.

"It's good to see you well, Mother," Theo said, walking closer with a smile.

The Baroness, who had been frowning upon seeing Theo in the terrarium room, hugged him after noticing his smile.

"It's good that you're taking some time off and playing with your insects. I hear you've been worrying a lot since the ceremony, Theo," the Baroness spoke with concern, placing a hand on Theo's face.

Theo glanced directly at Clara, who quickly averted her gaze.

"There's nothing wrong, Mother. I'm just looking for some beasts that are compatible with me, that's all," he said, making Clara want to speak up but stopping herself.

The Baroness shook her head with a sigh. "As I said before, don't worry about it. Your father has decided to bring all kinds of beasts into the barony for you to examine. Everything will be clear after that." She crouched down, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Always remember, your family will stand by you no matter what happens. We know what it's like to be different, and we embrace that. Got it?" She looked at him with seriousness.

'Am I really thinking the wrong way?' Theo wondered. There were times when he wanted to tell his parents everything, seeing how understanding they were.

But something inside stopped him from doing so. He smiled and placed his hand over his mother's.

"Don't worry, Mother. I'm not scared or panicked as long as my family is with me." He reassured. 

"Just as I expected from my dear son. I have to go now. Eat properly, okay?"

Theo bid farewell to his mother with a sigh. His gaze shifted to Clara, who seemed intent on avoiding eye contact.

Theo kept staring until Clara finally met his gaze and muttered in a sheepish voice, "D-Do you need something, Young Master?"

"Clara, you are my attendant, right?"

"… Yes."

"Then why did you bring my mother here and tell her I was concerned when I didn't tell you to do so?" Theo asked with a sweet smile.

"Young Master… you have trouble sharing your problems with me, so I thought they were matters only the royalty could understand. That's why I called her…" Clara said, lowering her head.

The situation couldn't be any stranger, a girl no older than 18 was scared to speak properly in front of an 8-year-old.

"Do you think I'm that shallow?" Theo asked with a plain expression, making Clara break into goosebumps.

"My apologies!" Clara bowed even lower, making Theo frown even more.

"Clara, I want to make things clear right now. I don't hide anything from you. If I do, it means I don't want to tell ANYONE about it. If you give me some time, I will obviously tell you, but…" His eyes sharpened. "If you keep calling people on me, things might get troublesome. I don't even know anymore if I can trust you with anything."

Clara's face turned pale, and that was when Theo realized he had been too harsh. She always had good intentions for him, but this time, she had gone too far by calling his mother. In Theo's eyes, that wasn't right.

"But if you can promise me that you won't do something like this again, then it's all good."

"I-I won't do something like this again, Young Master!" Seeing the opportunity, Clara shouted with an apologetic expression.

"Good… Now, get me more of those rats urgently, please."