"Cristopher, don't get too ahead of yourself," Thirteen said in a serious tone. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. Sure, higher-ranking Monsters are strong, but are you able to kill them?"
"… No, Young Master," Cristopher replied. "I'm sorry. I just became too ambitious."
"It's fine to be ambitious, but you must understand that a dead genius is no longer a genius," Thirteen stated. "You don't have to hurry. You will eventually acquire stronger Monsters as you progress through the Human Rankings. Now, let's continue."
Cristopher nodded and listened seriously to what his Young Master was about to say.
"The good thing about Brute Tamers is that the first Brute Monster Avatar that they obtain is special," Thirteen explained. "It will always have the ability to Evolve. This is why Brutus has the skill Evolver. In simple terms, as long as you spend time nurturing him, he will become one of your strongest supporters as you grow stronger."
Cristopher felt happy inside because Brutus was his very first Avatar. Of course, he knew that people discarded their Avatars the moment they surpassed their Ranks as well as when they were no longer useful to them.
He didn't want this to happen, so he was truly happy when he saw that Brutus had the ability to evolve. This meant that he would accompany Cristopher for a long time.
"Now, the downside of being a Brute Tamer, like I said earlier, is that you won't be able to gain any Avatars aside from Brute Monsters," Thirteen said. "Any Avatars that you buy or trade for will not listen to your orders, so don't bother getting them.
"The second downside of being a Brute Tamer is that you have to share your resources with your first Brute Monster. Just like now. You are giving Brutus all the Monster Cores we obtain to our kills instead of using them to strengthen yourself.
"Of course, you can choose not to do this and just focus on making yourself stronger. You just need to look for Higher Ranking Brute Monsters to serve as your bodyguard for the time being."
With good planning, Cristopher didn't need to strengthen Brutus and could just focus on strengthening himself.
Although it was dangerous, he could just hunt Higher Ranking Brutes in the world of Solterra, allowing him to not waste additional resources on the first Brute Monster that he had acquired.
"Young Master, I want to keep Brutus with me," Cristopher replied.
"You can do whatever you want, Cristopher." Thirteen stated. "Your life, your choices."
The chubby boy then nodded after hearing Thirteen's words.
"Now, since you are now aware of your Hidden Class, we can exploit it to the fullest." Thirteen smirked. "Originally, I planned to go to the East to enter the City of Barbarians, but now, we have a few more options available to us."
Thirteen put down four stones in front of him, which made Cristopher wonder what the younger boy was doing.
"The West is the territory of the Trolls," Thirteen explained. "The South belongs to the Ogres, the North belongs to the Orcs, and the East is where the Barbarians are. I have a proposal to make to maximize your potential and to ensure that we will have a higher chance of surviving our First Wandering."
Cristopher's ears perked up when he heard the phrase "maximize your potential''. He could already understand what the young boy was going to say because his hand was pointing at the North, where the Orcs were located.
Just like Thirteen had explained earlier, Orcs were also Brute Type monsters.
It was as if the Houdini Desert was specially catered to make Cristopher one of the Powerhouses of the next generation.
Originally, Thirteen only planned to make Cristopher his temporary subordinate. But now that his suspicions were confirmed, he threw away any intention he had of letting him return to Terrance's side.
Let Cristopher go back to Terence and become his subordinate again?
What a joke!
He knew that Terence would be angry about his subordinate being poached away from him.
But if he had a problem, talk to Arthur Leventis! See if he will choose you over me!
Thirteen was determined to make Cristopher part of his Inner Circle. Since the chubby boy only joined the Leventis Family to help pay the medical fees of his mother, Thirteen would gladly shoulder it.
In fact, he would even cure the illness of Cristopher's mother free of charge.
So what if Terence got angry with him?
In Arthur's eyes, Thirteen's value was higher than the current Young Masters of the Leventis Family.
If Thirteen wanted something from the Leventis Family, Arthur would have no choice but to take him seriously or risk getting on his bad side.
And Arthur knew that he couldn't get on Thirteen's bad side!
"Cristopher, I asked you to become my temporary subordinate, but now I changed my mind," Thirteen stated. "I want you to serve me as your true Master. You don't have to worry about Terence because, I promise you, even if he doesn't agree, the Patriarch of the Leventis Family, Arthur Leventis, will order you to become my subordinate with just a word from me.
"Of course, the reason why I am doing this is because of your potential. I will not lie to you that this is the main reason as to why I changed my mind from only keeping you as my temporary subordinate to being a permanent one. Of course, I will not force you.
"If you wish to refuse my offer, you are free to do so. However, hear what I have to say. You will reach greater heights being with me than you will if you return to Terence's side. I can also promise to cure the illness of your mother. This is not just lip service. I will do it as soon as I return to Pangea. You have my word."
"Young Master, will you really cure my mother?" Cristopher asked with a serious expression on my face.
"Yes," Thirteen replied. "I will swear it on my name."
Cristopher didn't have to think twice and accepted Thirteen's invitation to become his true subordinate and not just a temporary one.
He had been observing the younger boy since the two of them had met, and something inside him was screaming at him that this was a chance of a lifetime.
If he refused this opportunity, Thirteen would never ask him to become his subordinate again.
"I will become your subordinate, Young Master," Cristopher said in a solemn tone. "I look forward to working with you from this day onward."
"Likewise, Cristopher," Thirteen said as he extended his hand for a handshake.
Now that they had formalized their Master and subordinate relationship, Thirteen started to create a new plan.
A plan that would make their lives much easier despite the dangers that were always around them in the Houdini Desert.
