Ever since I was born, I've known something wasn't right with me.
I never cried about it, but deep down… I always felt like a burden.
Born to a Fae mother and a human father I never met—disappeared on an adventuring quest before I was even born—I was different from everyone in Uruste Village. I inherit my mother's grace, but didn't inherit my father's strength. I was just... me.
So when I returned from Mavela City with my Class and Rank, I expected disappointment.
> "I'm a Tamer," I said quietly. "Rank E…"
But my mother, Amanda Meledric, didn't scold me. She didn't cry. She hugged me tight, her crimson-red hair brushing against my cheek, and smiled like I was the greatest thing in the world.
> "You've taken your father's first step," she said softly.
I didn't understand what made being a Tamer so special. My stats were all zero. I couldn't even cast [Tame] properly. I tried it on rabbits, slimes, even a Wind Lizard once—nothing worked. Just failed spells and embarrassing silence.
To make things worse, Ion Kalculos, my childhood friend—well, more like rival—had awakened as a Rank A Swordsman. His family were minor nobles in the village. Mine? Commoner blood. We didn't get along. Never really did.
While he was training with knights, I was fumbling with spell scrolls and feeding wild animals berries.
One day, while returning from the woods—another failed attempt at taming anything—I saw a man talking to my mother. He was tall, wore a traveler's cloak, and had a presence that felt... heavy, like an old sword hung in the air. As he walked past me, he patted my head.
> "You must be Ares," he said, smiling gently.
"Your father would be proud of you."
I blinked. I didn't know what to say.
My mother called me inside a moment later. In her arms was a large egg, faintly glowing.
> "Take care of it," she told me. "Tamers bond through effort—and patience. Monster first appearance is an egg..... after that they evolved and bred like we always do now even in the dungeon but this one, it chose you."
I didn't know what to feel—maybe nervous, maybe excited. But I held the egg close that night and made a promise.
> "I'll raise you to max level with me… and become the strongest Tamer in the world..... Heh probably."
A week passed.
While flipping through my mother's old grimoire—she used to be a Pyromancer—I heard a crack. Then another. I turned just in time to see the egg burst open, and a small jet black-furred wolf pup tumbled out.
She looked up at me with glowing red eyes and a curious bark.
> "Aisha," I said without thinking. That was her name.
I cast [Tame].
And for the first time ever... it worked.
From that day on, I trained with Aisha in the Monster Forest, guided by my mother and my ever-sassy aunt, Testia. The wolf pup evolved into a Hell Howler, then into a terrifying Blood Howler.
Now, eight years later—I'm Level 400.
And Aisha? Level 310.
But despite all that…
> My stats are still zero.
Even now, I don't fully understand why. Strength, Agility, Magic, Vitality… all zero. But my level keeps climbing, and I've never stopped pushing forward.
Today, I turned eighteen. Old enough to register for an Adventurer License.
So I returned to Mavela City and went into Mavela Guild, filled out the forms, and stood proudly at the counter. The receptionist a green eyed Elf woman with snow-white hair and an ageless aura.
> "Hmm... Can you wait here for a moment please?" she said.
She went back to ask the GuildMaster and then came back
> "Sorry.... The GuildMaster declined your registration for an adventurer." she said.
"But I thought I can just get an adventurer license here?" I replied.
She felt my aura. Then, with a smile, she gave me a wooden card with my name on it.
> "Name's Aula Hermistia," she said. "Go on chase your own dream."
She felt something will happened to me or perhaps Aisha. Even if the only quests available to me were herb-gathering errands, I didn't care. I'd take every one of them.
Because I'm Ares Meledric, the boy with zero stats and a dream no one believes in—
> To reach Max Level 500… no matter what it takes.