While Leo was going through Niri's new system panel, he found that he couldn't copy a few things.

>Host has a limited number of copy slots left; please proceed wisely.

Leo immediately recalled that the number of skills and talents he could copy was directly related to his soul rank. And with two souls of Mythical(7) and Super Rare(4), his total number of slots was 11.

Of those, he had already used 4 to copy Niri's pre-existing skills.

Damn... didn't know I would be hit by this limitation, Leo thought.

After a quick check, he realised that both physique and talent copies took 5 slots each. Combined with the two newly gained skills, he needed a total of 12 slots.

But he had only 7.

In other words, he would need to choose between the physique and the talent.

But... Leo frowned.

Talent: [Primordial Matriarch] - 10 Stars

Effect 1:

The talent holder is recognised as the First Mother of a Primordial Lineage. Any creature personally birthed, summoned, created, nurtured, or evolved by the talent holder becomes part of this lineage. Members possess greatly enhanced intelligence, loyalty, growth potential, and have a significantly higher chance of awakening superior bloodlines, talents, physiques, and skills during evolution.

Effect 2:

The talent holder may bestow fragments of their bloodline, talents, physiques, or acquired skills upon members of the Primordial Lineage. These inheritances naturally adapt to the recipient, often mutating into variants better suited to their race while retaining their original essence.

Effect 3:

Whenever a member of the Primordial Lineage evolves or awakens a new bloodline, talent, physique, or skill, the lineage permanently retains that evolutionary possibility. Future members have an increased chance of inheriting or reproducing those traits, allowing the entire lineage to continuously strengthen with each generation.

Effect 4:

The talent holder forms an eternal soul connection with every member of the Primordial Lineage. Whenever a lineage member improves their bloodline, awakens a new talent, physique, or skill, or evolves into a higher lifeform, a portion of that growth is reflected back to the Matriarch. This continuously strengthens the talent holder's body, soul, bloodline, and comprehension, allowing her to grow alongside her lineage without diminishing the strength of its members.

Though the talent description sounded very strong, it was a long-term benefit. Not to mention, the name itself had 'Matriarch' in it.

In other words, it was specifically tailored for females.

Even the description mentioned things like personally birthed individuals, which Leo was simply incapable of as a male.

With a quick question to the system, he received a positive response.

>The talent will transform to suit the Host upon being copied.

I cannot help but think Lily will be much more suited for it... Leo thought.

Though he wasn't proud of it, Leo had to admit he wasn't great at taking care of people other than his beasts and Lily. He wasn't even very focused on Lily's spirits themselves, except for the few times he enhanced their bloodlines.

Lily, on the other hand, not only helped take care of his own beasts—which was much needed considering their child-like mental state—but also involved herself to a wide range of individuals.

It was apparent from the fact that the territory members—except the men—were much more comfortable around her than Leo, even when she had that hidden side to her personality.

Heck, even Niri was much more involved with the territory members than he was.

Well, no use fretting over it now since my soulmate bond with Lily hasn't progressed much... I cannot bestow Niri's talent upon her yet, Leo thought, setting the idea aside for now.

The other most important reason he felt like this talent was more suited for Lily was her ability to summon a beast's spirit from beastcores. If combined with this talent, they would remain loyal without even being tamed. In other words, an ever-increasing fighting force in the territory without relying upon flimsy threads like trust between two individuals.

And he didn't know whether Niri's talent share would work on both him and Lily together or only on him or Lily.

Unlike extracted and stored talents, Niri's talent was more like feedback that he would receive while remaining connected to her. So, in order to bestow the talent upon Lily, he would need to establish a deeper connection with both of them.

So, even if strong, he set the idea aside and proceeded to copy the [Sacred Physique]. Unlike Lily, he hadn't mastered the wind element enough for free manoeuvring in the air; he had only been using wind to throw himself around. Not to mention, being able to change direction mid-air without relying on wind would surely catch his enemies by surprise.

As for the skills, this time Leo weighed his options instead of copying them without reservation.

[Forest Incarnation] seems good, but [Sylvan Court] gives me more manpower, Leo thought before attempting to copy the skill.

But—

>Skill—'Sylvan Court'—is a talent-based skill and requires the Host to possess a suitable related talent in order to make effective use of it.

Leo narrowed his eyes before simply copying the other skill.

After that, he focused on the very last notification.

"Howl..."

Though Howl was growing in size, his strength had started to lag behind. And if this continued, Howl would eventually die under his own weight.

He needed to think of something quickly.

But that would have to wait until after the compulsory mission.

The clock had already struck 12 PM, and within 6 hours, Leo and Lily needed to be present in Aurelius Hall to be sent on their mission.

Before that, however, he needed to get some confirmation.

"Lily... are you sure you want to go there as my slave?" he asked.

Lily, who seemed to be packing a few things into a poor-looking bag, turned around and smiled slyly.

"Hehe, yes. Don't worry, I will follow every command, my dear Master."

Leo grimaced. She had been addressing him like this every time they found a private moment together. She didn't even spare him during their 'nightly exercises.' She was completely immersed in the role.

Lily then brought out a silver metal collar. It looked far better than those ugly iron ones, though it still wasn't the best like those of elves or Lizardmen.

"This collar would suit a wandering adventurer's slave perfectly."

Leo shook his head in defeat. There was no use trying to convince her otherwise now, so he shifted to more important matters.

"Don't you think that looks a bit too expensive for a wandering adventurer to afford? Even having a slave as beautiful as you is already pushing the limits."

Lily smiled at his praise.

"Don't worry. You are 50 years old and have worked 30 gruelling years to save every penny just to finally afford me for 50 Gold Coins, so you could have your desired partner—someone who can cook good food while travelling, clean your clothes, praise you for every little thing you do, be clingy, use a little magic and finally..." She seemed a little shy to say the last part aloud, but her excitement got the better of her.

"Get good rest at night while your lovely slave does all the work for you." She giggled before continuing to pack the necessities.

"You can surely afford a slightly better-looking collar for 5 Silvers..."

Leo shook his head helplessly.

This was the backstory they had planned together.

Leo himself was a wandering adventurer. He had prepared a sword, a cloak, and a travel bag. He even had a makeup kit ready to make his face look tired, older, and marked with the scars a wandering adventurer might carry.