《Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons》


 Chapter 1 - Beast Tamer Ren Patinder

    Today was their tenth birthday. Today, luck would decide their fate at this tender age... Their future hinged on this moment.Today, they would contract their beast.


    The Ceremony Master stood at the altar, his robust frame imposing in the temple''s light.


    His beast, evolved to Silver rank level 2, pulsed with a subtle argentine glow. The beast had matured after reaching the 5th rank, an achievement few could match and even fewer could surpass.


    He struck his staff against the floor, the sound echoing through the ancient halls.


    "The Ceremony of Ten Years begins now. The beasts will take the mana poisoning your young bodies and save you," he announced, his voice carrying the weight of tradition.


    "Remember, your beast''s rank determines your place in our society. Iron for the slaves, Bronze for the workers, Silver for the privileged."


    He didn''t mention the higher ranks. He didn''t need to.


    The 7th rank, Gold 1.


    Throughout the entire city, only five families possessed Gold-rank beasts, and the only living human with a Platinum creature was the king himself. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The only one with a beast of the 10th rank.


    ????


    A red egg rested on the altar.


    The boy who had placed it there positioned himself in the center of the circle.


    The egg cracked.


    It began to glow, and then¡­


    "A Crimson Salamander!" The Ceremony Master''s announcement pierced through the temple as Ron Blackfire''s red egg burst into flames. From the ashes emerged a scarlet creature, its scales gleaming like living embers.


    Whispers of amazement turned to cheers as the tiny salamander opened its mouth and spat a perfect sphere of fire that danced above Ron''s outstretched palm.


    An Iron-rank beast at its lowest... but with vast potential.


    Not only could it easily rise to Bronze rank, but with proper cultivation, it could even reach Silver.


    The kind of creature that opened doors, that with proper investment could transform a mere student into someone destined for comfort and privilege.


    Ron''s smile widened, already tasting his future among the elite. With his family''s proper cultivation techniques, his salamander would undoubtedly reach Silver rank, guaranteeing him a place among the upper-middle class.


    Even now, freshly hatched, it granted him great strength and the power to conjure fireballs at will.


    "Next!" the Ceremony Master announced.


    Ren''s heart stopped beating for an instant.


    It was his turn.


    The metallic taste of fear flooded Ren''s mouth as he stared at his gray egg on the stone altar.


    Around him, dozens of eggs glowed in other children''s hands with promises of better futures, deep blues, vibrant greens, intense reds. Most guaranteed at least a Bronze-rank beast at maturity, and the most expensive ones promised creatures with evolution potential up to Silver level 3.


    Only his was gray.


    The gray egg barely pulsed in Ren''s trembling hands. A pathetic heartbeat so weak he had to hold his breath to feel it.


    Today, this miserable egg, the cheapest available, would chart his destiny, decide his place in the world.


    All his parents had been able to get him, after selling their last sellable possessions, was this gray egg.


    Not white. Not black. Not even brown. Gray.


    The color of failure.


    Laughter and congratulations for Jin still echoed in the temple as Ren approached the altar. His gray egg looked even smaller now, following the magnificent display of the Crimson Salamander.


    Ren mentally reviewed the possibilities for the thousandth time, clinging to hope.


    There was a 5% chance of getting a marsh frog. It wouldn''t be as impressive as a fire salamander, but with the right cultivation technique, a frog could reach the highest Bronze rank, a "mature" level 2 marsh frog.


    But he knew it was asking too much; the probability was too low... He had resigned himself.


    Ren would get the common plant.


    Yet even the common plant with its 95% probability wouldn''t be the end of the world.


    An Iron-rank beast that, well cultivated, could reach the lowest Bronze rank, and by avoiding maturity with a secret technique, some people had even managed to take it to Bronze level 2.


    It wouldn''t be easy, he''d need to invest every coin earned to buy the secret cultivation technique, work twice as hard as others, but at least he could earn an honest living in the end.


    It would mean a decent life, the chance to repay his parents even a fraction of what they had sacrificed for him.


    But the egg had 3 options.


    People called it the failure''s egg not because it usually gave a mediocre and weak plant... They called it that because of those who had the misfortune of drawing the third option.


    First option: the plant of the mediocre poor people, 94.99% probability.


    Second option: the frog of the lucky poor people, 5% probability.


    And then there was that tiny, terrifying 0.01% possibility: a spore.


    The spore of the unlucky poor people.


    The weakest creature ever recorded, incapable of even maturing completely within the Iron rank.


    In other eggs, the lowest possibility, that 0.01%, that 1 in 10,000 chance was a magnificent creature with Silver or Gold potential.


    In this one, it was hell.


    Practically a death sentence in a world where power was everything.


    "Look at the failure''s egg!" Klein Goldcrest''s mocking voice cut through the air like a whip. "I bet it can''t even summon a decent frog!"


    All the children laughed.


    Ren kept his gaze fixed on his egg. He wouldn''t give them the satisfaction of seeing how worried he was.


    "Silence!" The Ceremony Master''s voice resonated beneath the ancient stone arches. "Remember, this is the most sacred moment of your lives. The instant you cease being mere children to become tamers."


    Ren closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pitying looks and barely contained laughter. His gray egg rested on the altar like fate''s mockery, its weak pulse barely perceptible under his trembling fingers.


    The Patinder''s son. The boy with the gray egg.


    The morning''s first sunbeam pierced through the temple''s stained glass, and his egg began to glow.


    Or at least, that''s what Ren wished he could say.


    His egg barely emitted a dim glow, so weak that several children had to squint to confirm it was really glowing at all.


    Please, he begged silently, anything but the spore.


    The egg cracked.


    It didn''t explode into flames like Ron''s. It didn''t open in petals of light like this morning''s blue egg, from which a water horse had emerged.


    It simply... cracked.


    A dry, pathetic sound, like a twig snapping.


    And from the crack emerged...


    A small cloud of gray spores.


    The laughter began before the creature finished materializing.


    A spore.


    The weakest beast ever recorded in the history of summonings. A being so insignificant it didn''t even qualify as a complete Iron-rank monster.


    "Silence!" ordered the Ceremony Master, but there was poorly disguised amusement in his voice. "Ren Patinder, extend your hand and receive your companion into your body for the first time... It will cure the excess mana in your body."


    The cloud of spores floated lazily toward Ren''s outstretched palm. It weighed nothing. Emitted no heat. There was no sign of the mystical bond that was supposed to form between beast and tamer.


    It just... floated there. Gray. Useless.


    "The 0.01%," someone murmured in the crowd. "He really got the 0.01 percent."


    Ren kept his head high as he descended from the altar. His parents had sold everything for this moment. They had worked double shifts.


    He wouldn''t give these brats the pleasure of seeing him cry.

 Chapter 2 - Taming Failure

    Ren kept his head high as he descended from the altar.His parents had sold everything for this moment. Had worked double shifts. He wouldn''t give these brats the pleasure of seeing him cry.


    The contract bond established itself with a flash so weak it barely illuminated his wrist.


    His beast now granted him a 10% increase in physical strength.


    That was all.


    For a scrawny boy like him, it meant maybe carrying one more small bucket of water, or lasting a few extra minutes in the field.


    Other children received the ability to manipulate elements, massive increases in speed or endurance, or even healing abilities.


    Every creature, from the most common to the rarest, granted power to its summoner. It was a fundamental law of the contract.


    Ron growled as crimson scales erupted along his arms, his nails hardening into reddish claws. His canines lengthened into sharp fangs, and a golden gleam appeared in his pupils.


    The Salamander hadn''t just granted him control over fire and a 40% increase to his strength, his entire body was adapting. His endurance, speed, and reflexes would increase by 20%, and with each evolution, these numbers would double.


    By the time the salamander reached Silver rank 2, Ron would have triple the strength of a normal human, a 200% increase, 100% in all attributes plus increased resistance and his fire powers.


    Even a simple plant, what Ren had hoped to get, would have provided a 20% increase to vitality as its primary effect, plus a 10% boost to all attributes that could reach 30% or 40% with proper cultivation.


    But the spore...


    "Pathetic," someone murmured in the crowd. "It''s the only known beast that grants no base power. Just that miserable 10% physical strength boost."


    Ren remained in place, bound by protocol to witness the rest of the ceremony. Each new summoning was another reminder of his failure.


    A wind eagle that enhanced its master''s reflexes. An earth bear that doubled physical resistance. A mystic fox that improved perception and senses.


    And then, the final summoner ascended to the altar.


    Luna Starweaver. Her blue hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall as she placed her black egg on the pedestal.


    One of the most expensive.


    The entire temple held its breath.


    The crack that appeared in the egg was like lightning in the night. From within emerged a shadow wolf, its eyes gleaming with ancestral power.


    The aura that enveloped Luna was almost blinding, multiplied speed, sharpened senses, and the gift of manipulating various types of elemental magic.


    Increases of 500% or 1000% weren''t impossible with that creature.


    "A beast with Gold potential!" The Ceremony Master''s voice trembled with excitement. "Extraordinary! Less than 1% probability even in a high-quality black egg."


    Ren watched as the wolf bowed before Luna, sealing a contract that would elevate her above almost everyone in the city.


    ????


    Throughout the temple, the changes manifested.


    Almost all children received them happily. It was the moment they''d waited for their entire lives.


    The weakness they''d felt in recent years due to mana poisoning transformed into a sensation of ecstasy and power.


    The eagle boy developed silver markings on his skin and his eyes grew sharper. The girl with the mystic fox saw her senses amplify while reddish marks appeared on her cheeks.


    Each transformation was unique, powerful, a symbol of their new status.


    Almost all, except Ren''s...


    His spore would be the symbol that his status was now the lowest.


    At least, he thought with bitter irony, it can''t get worse than this. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had no idea how wrong he was.


    Then, it was his turn to transform.


    The spore simply... dissolved. It melted into his skin without the slightest spectacle, and for a moment, nothing happened.


    Then, small luminescent mushrooms began to sprout from his scalp, like tiny glowing toadstools among his hair.


    The laughter was instantaneous.


    "Look! He''s rotting!"


    "Hey, Patinder! Are those mushrooms on your head or little peni¡­"


    "Silence!" The Ceremony Master tried to intervene, but the mockery continued.


    "Careful, it''s contagious!"


    "Don''t get too close or you''ll grow mushrooms too!"


    The Ceremony Master cleared his throat after failing to silence the kids, trying to maintain the moment''s dignity. "The spore... uh... can mature with proper time. It could reach up to fifty centimeters and grant a 20% increase in physical strength."


    More laughter. Everyone knew that getting a spore to mature was almost impossible.


    The cost in resources and time would be astronomical, all for a result that any common beast achieved from day one.


    Some children even pretended to sneeze and made faces of fear when passing near him, as if he could infect them.


    Each successful transformation around him only made his situation more pathetic. While others received claws, mystical marks, and changes that screamed power, he had gotten... "unpleasant decorations" for his hair.


    Luna was the last to transform.


    The contract with her shadow wolf covered her skin with delicate silver marks that seemed to dance with the light. Her eyes acquired a supernatural gleam, and her blue hair rippled as if submerged in water.


    The aura of power emanating from her was almost tangible, 100% speed plus 50% increase in all physical capabilities, plus the gift of elemental magic.


    The mushrooms on Ren''s head flickered weakly, as if even they were ashamed.


    "In one week," announced the Ceremony Master, "you will begin your formal education. The carriages will come to collect you for school as agreed in the contract, where you will remain until maturity, 8 years. Afterward, you will have a brief rest before beginning your military service."


    He paused.


    "Keep your beasts fused. It is a show of respect toward the sacred bond you have formed today."


    The ceremony ended.


    ????


    Ren waited until he was outside the temple.


    Away from the mocking glances, the whispers, the poorly disguised pity.


    Only then did he close his eyes and expel the spore from his body. The luminescent mushrooms disappeared from his hair, and the small gray mass returned to floating beside his shoulder.


    To hell with respect. To hell with traditions.


    Thirty years of his parents'' work, they sold their house, saved over 1 million crystals with a frugal life, all... to ruin it with his bad luck.


    The path home had never felt so long.


    Each step was a reminder of what he had failed to become, of hopes that had vanished with that pathetic gray glow.


    The spore floated silently beside him, barely visible in the evening light. His new companion. His symbol of failure.


    His destiny.

 Chapter 3 - Taming Sadness

    The path home had never felt so long.The cobblestone streets of the city center gradually gave way to dirt roads.


    Elegant buildings transformed into increasingly humble houses until he reached the outskirts, where his small cabin stood, tilted and worn by time.


    Correction, it wasn''t even theirs anymore¡­


    His poor parents now had to rent what had once been their property.


    He stopped at the door.


    The aroma escaping through the door''s cracks made Ren''s stomach growl traitorously. His parents were talented cooks; it was what had kept them afloat all these years.


    Despite their low rank.


    With their mature Iron-rank plants, the lowest possible, they''d been incredibly lucky to work in the city''s most modest kitchens... Sure, the owner was a great person for not discriminating against them, but their skill was undeniable.


    That was the real reason they were accepted there.


    The smell of sweet root stew, Ren''s favorite, mingled with freshly baked bread.


    He stood there, hand on the doorknob, the spore floating pathetically beside him.


    Through the window, he could see his mother moving through the kitchen with the grace of years of experience, while his father decorated the table with the only three candles they had left.


    They had prepared a celebration feast with the little they had.


    When he finally pushed the door open, the lump in his throat was so big he could barely breathe.


    "Ren!" His mother turned slightly before his father.


    They both looked at the small gray spore, and Ren could see the exact moment hope abandoned their eyes.


    Still, his mother wiped her hands on her apron and opened her arms. "My little tamer..."


    The tears Ren had held back for hours finally began to fall.


    "I''m sorry," he whispered as he entered, his voice breaking. "I''m so sorry. I''m sorry, I''m sorry..."


    "Oh, my child," his mother wrapped him in her arms. "It''s not your fault. It will never be your fault."


    "You spent everything... sold everything... and I..."


    His father approached, his steps heavy from a long day''s exhaustion in the kitchens. He knelt before Ren, placing his large hands on the boy''s small shoulders.


    "Son, look at me."


    Ren looked up, his vision blurry with tears.


    "Remember when I burned an entire batch of bread last year?"


    Ren nodded, confused.


    "And remember what we did?"


    "We... we cut it into cubes and turned it into croutons."


    "Exactly," his father smiled. "Sometimes life doesn''t give you what you expect. But that doesn''t mean you can''t make something good with what you have."


    "But I... the spore..."


    "It''s part of you now," his mother added. "And we love every part of you."


    "Hey," his father joined the embrace, his voice hoarse. "You''re our son. It doesn''t matter if you have a spore or a dragon..."


    But it did matter. Of course it mattered.


    ????


    The dining room was small but filled with love and the aroma of the outskirts'' finest cooking...


    But try as he might, he couldn''t enjoy it.


    His parents had prepared everything they could in their new situation: sweet root stew, freshly baked bread, they''d even managed to get some wild berries for dessert.


    The three candles illuminated the table with a warm glow, so different from the spore''s gray radiance.


    "Eat a little, darling," his mother served a generous plate. "You''ve had a long day."


    "I''m... I''m not hungry."


    "Just one bite," his father insisted. "Your mother spent hours cooking."


    But not even the aroma of his favorite dish could overcome the bitter taste of disappointment. Ren rose from the table, tears returning to his eyes.


    "I''m sorry," he whispered before running to his room, the spore following him like a gray shadow of guilt.


    "Ren!" his mother called. "At least take some bread!"


    But the only response was the sound of a door closing.


    In the dining room, the three candles continued burning, illuminating a table full of food prepared with love and hope. His parents exchanged glances, the weight of worry visible on their tired faces...


    The afternoon''s attempts bore no fruit either.


    "I''m not hungry," he shouted when his mother knocked on the door with a tray of food.


    In the darkness of his room, the boy observed the weak flickers of his pathetic companion.


    One week.


    In one week, he would have to face school, the mockery, the contempt.


    One week to accept that his life would be exactly what everyone expected from someone with the worst possible beast.


    A gray life.


    ????


    In the small dining room, the candles illuminated the exhausted faces of two people who had just watched their last hopes turn into gray spores, and the school contract lay on the table.


    It was mandatory... Once signed, he had to attend the School of Cultivation and Evolution for 8 years.


    There he would learn to strengthen his creature, develop its abilities, become a true tamer. In one of the best schools, if not the best.


    Or that was the idea, but...


    "Sixty years," the father murmured, both of them already 60 years old.


    Their mature Iron-rank plants barely glowed at their wrists and gave them hair composed of leaves and vines, the result of a life of limited cultivation.


    Their hands, weathered by decades working in kitchens, trembled. "We sold everything for this. Everything."


    His fingers moved over the document they had signed this morning.


    The one that had cost them over 1 million crystals. The one they''d worked their entire lives for.


    In their youth, they hadn''t had the resources to buy the secret techniques needed to evolve their beasts beyond the basic state.


    A simple 40% increase in vitality and 20% to all attributes was all they got from them, but being mature plants allowed them to pretend they were Bronze 1, barely enough "status" to keep their jobs in the third-rate kitchens on the city''s outer line.


    Luckily, the vitality bonus made them look and feel younger, like a couple in their 40s.


    Today, however, nothing in their life felt like "luck".


    "We sold everything for this," whispered the mother, tears falling on her worn apron. "Everything so he could have a real chance at a good school. So his plant could grow to Bronze, evolve, give him a better life than ours."


    The school was expensive for a reason.


    Eight years of intensive training, access to cultivation techniques, resources for evolution, connections, everything necessary to transform a common beast into something more.


    They had dreamed of something better for Ren. A rank that would let him walk the main streets without lowering his head.


    With a normal plant, Ren would have had the chance to reach Bronze rank 2, improve his vitality to 80% upon maturation and all his base increases to 40%, maybe even get a job in the city''s good kitchens learning from his parents.


    But with a spore...


    "He can''t back out now," the mother clutched the contract in her trembling hands, silent tears running down her cheeks. "The payment is made, and the laws are clear, every contract must be fulfilled and every child with a beast must complete their basic education since they passed that law last year."


    "If only I hadn''t gotten sick, we could have had enough... I was so close to buying the brown egg... But that cursed expensive medicine, I should have di¡­"


    "Don''t say that! It''s not your fault. Ren wouldn''t have wanted that," the mother admonished. "Besides, maybe choosing the best and most expensive school was too greedy on our part."


    "What have we done..." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 4 - Taming Hope

    They had dreamed of something better for Ren.But with a spore...


    "Eight years," the father sank into his chair. "Eight years watching others evolve their beasts while he... while our foolish investment takes away his hope for..."


    He didn''t need to finish the sentence. A spore couldn''t evolve its rank.


    There were no cultivation techniques to study, no improvement paths to explore, no secret techniques to buy.


    Many had already tried.


    Richer people with much more support.


    The only one who succeeded...


    Was labeled as the worst failure. A fortune spent for an almost useless gain, 20% strength.


    Since that day, the spore has been the symbol of failure.


    Ren would spend eight years learning things he could never apply, his surroundings a constant reminder of what he couldn''t achieve.


    Eight years of mockery, being the school''s laughingstock.


    Eight wasted years, because what could he learn about cultivation and evolution with a creature that couldn''t even evolve?


    Sadness led the father to reminisce about the past, a past that Ren had illuminated...


    "Remember that day?" he asked suddenly, his gaze lost in the candle flames.


    "When I couldn''t find the medicine demanded by the kingdom because it was depleted due to severe mana contamination from that year''s horde, and I had to go out searching for a mana poisoning cure and also found that plant you ate... We thought we had been blessed."


    She nodded, taking his hand.


    How could she forget?


    They had been trying to have a child since their twenties.


    Almost three decades of broken hopes, watching their friends form families while they remained alone.


    They had lived a frugal life, pooling their resources to form a happy family, interested only in one thing they couldn''t obtain no matter how much they accumulated.


    Almost a million, an incredible amount for citizens of their rank.


    They''d thought about using the money to "cure" their infertility but they were already so old... They had given up.


    But that trip to the outskirts...


    "The plant I found in the outskirts, mistaking it for that high-quality 100-year-old sweet root..." he continued. "When you ate it, I thought... I thought I had killed you. You were so pale, so cold..."


    "And a week later, I felt like I was twenty again," she smiled sadly. "And the following year we succeeded without trying..."


    "Our miracle."


    They fell silent, listening to the muffled sobs coming from Ren''s room.


    Their little miracle, the child who had given them so much life and happiness when they had almost lost hope, now faced a cruel destiny.


    "It''s as if the dragon gods were mocking us," she murmured. "They gave us a child when we were already too old, only to..."


    "To watch him suffer," he completed, squeezing her hand.


    The candles, almost spent, continued burning, their flames reflecting on the school contract on the table.


    In the adjacent room, their ten-year-old son cried silently, a small gray spore floating beside his pillow like a constant reminder of his fate.


    The feast they had prepared with so much love slowly cooled on the table, untouched, while two elderly parents wept for the cruel turn their life''s miracle had taken.


    ????


    Ren lay on his bed, tears drying on his cheeks while rage gradually replaced sadness.


    The spore floated nearby, its weak gray glow only serving to enrage him more.


    Go to school like this? It was a cruel joke.


    He could already see the next eight years unfolding before him like an endless nightmare. While other children would learn to evolve their beasts, to awaken new powers, he would sit there, with a creature that couldn''t even mature properly...


    Maybe it would be better to do what other unfortunate "rotting ones" did and...


    No!


    He couldn''t, he loved his parents and they loved him too much too.


    He needed to find something to distract himself.


    He turned to the small bookshelf beside his bed, where he kept his favorite book, worn from countless readings: "The Second Contract of the Wandering King."


    His fingers traced the worn cover, following the image of a legendary warrior who had achieved the impossible.


    According to the story, the hero had found a mystical medicine deep in the forest, something that had allowed him to form a second contract with a beast.


    It was just a tale, of course, in all recorded history, only the current king and a dozen legendary warriors had managed to obtain a second creature contracted.


    And none of them would reveal the way to achieve it to the masses.


    But Ren was still a child, still naive.


    Ren looked through his window toward the dark forest stretching beyond the outskirts. The medicine from the story... What if...?


    But the thought died as quickly as it arose.


    His father, with his mature Iron-rank plant, had returned half-dead the only time he ventured there.


    And he had real advantages: A great 40% extra vitality, an adult''s strength and speed increased by 20%, along with all his other attributes, a modest control over plants that allowed him to detect dangers and defend against some monsters, plus years of experience.


    And what did Ren have?


    A useless spore and a miserable 10% increase to his childish strength.


    He couldn''t even lift the heavier flour sacks in the kitchen, how did he expect to survive in a forest full of monsters? Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The spore flickered weakly, as if sensing his desperation.


    "Why you?" he whispered bitterly toward the creature. "With such low chances... why did it have to be you?"


    Silence was his only answer.


    In the dining room, he could hear his parents talking in low voices, their voices laden with worry. He couldn''t bear it anymore. He couldn''t be the cause of their pain, the pathetic end to all their hopes and sacrifices.


    But he couldn''t change anything either.


    Once the contract was formed, it was for life. The spore would be his companion until the day he died, a constant reminder of his failure.


    Unless...


    His eyes fixed again on the dark forest beyond his window.


    Even considering it was suicidal.


    The mana poisoning would kill him in less than 3 days with such a weak creature in his body.


    But as he thought about the school contract, about the years of torment awaiting him...


    What was worse? Dying while trying to change his destiny or living eight years as the school''s laughingstock?


    His parents... Maybe he could make them happy too.


    Ren opened his worn book once more, his fingers tracing the illustrations of the Dragons.


    It was believed that all creatures could become dragons by finding the right path of cultivation.


    According to the book, the Wandering King found much information alongside his medicine...


    It wasn''t just any medicine he wanted, it was in the heart of dragon territory, where mana flowed so densely it could be seen in the air.

 Chapter 5 - Taming the Decision

    Ren opened his worn book once more, his fingers tracing the illustrations of the Dragons.According to the book, the Wandering King had found lots of information alongside his medicine...


    It wasn''t just any medicine that Ren wanted, it was in the heart of dragon territory, where mana flowed so densely it could be seen in the air.


    The Wandering King had traveled for months, crossing the lands of each Dragon Lord.


    The Red Dragon, whose scales burned like the desert sun, ruled over all fire beasts and reptiles. Under his domain, even tiny lizards could breathe flames.


    The Blue Dragon reigned in the ocean depths with his majestic fins and gleaming horns, where every marine creature swore loyalty.


    The Green Dragon, covered by a thick layer of vegetation, was lord of the deep forests, where every beast and plant danced to his will.


    In the eternal skies, the White Dragon commanded all flying creatures, while the Black Dragon governed the beasts of night and shadow.


    The book showed a particularly detailed illustration of the Articulated Dragon, whose domains were filled with giant insects and creatures with exoskeletons.


    Each evolutionary line, each egg color, was represented by a dragon. Scholars denied the correlation between dragons and egg colors due to variations diverging from logical branches in egg outcomes.


    But that wasn''t relevant knowledge for the child.


    Ren paused at a page that had always intrigued him: the Dragon of Decay, lord of fungi, spores, and all creatures that fed on decomposition.


    Reigning above, feeding and creating all creatures of his evolutionary line.


    "At least dragons respect their subjects," he murmured bitterly, looking at his pathetic spore. "Unlike humans."


    But the dragons and their territories were far from the human city, and for good reason.


    Humans had chosen to settle in this area precisely because the mana was so scarce that great beasts found it repulsive. They had no interest in it.


    For humans...


    This was their only protection.


    Only the weakest creatures, expelled and rejected by the stronger ones, prowled near the city. In the plains.


    But it was very rare, they had to be injured, dying, to dare leave the forest.


    Without mana, hunger would catch them and they would die soon.


    The mana here, in human territory, wasn''t nearly sufficient.


    And yet they were deadly dangerous, maddened by the hunger that mana scarcity provoked in them. Like wild animals seeking their next meal, they attacked anything that moved.


    Ren shuddered remembering the stories his father told about the forest outskirts.


    How the beasts there had an empty, desperate look. How they ignored their own wounds, driven only by hunger and lack of mana. Even herbivorous creatures turned aggressive, attacking any source of mana they could find.


    But that was just the outskirts.


    In dragon territories...


    Mana would be Ren''s worst enemy, with a beast of this level, he could barely enter the first iron circle, with the lowest-ranked beasts. Fortunately, the ruin his father found was right at the beginning of the bronze ring... And he could enter through the middle of the iron ring.


    Something like that could be possible even for him, right?


    Sure, he wanted to go to dragon territory and find a miracle like obtaining two beasts.


    However, he would have to settle for medicine that could expel his spore from his body or something similar.


    Something like that could be close to the medicine that cured his mother.


    Dragon territory, or even the silver ring, were out of consideration. If he ventured too deep...


    The mana would consume you quickly and...


    Ren slammed the book shut, his heart pounding.


    Would he really go to that forest?


    Even thinking about it was madness. With his useless spore, mana might not be a problem, as he probably wouldn''t survive even his first encounter with a beast.


    But while listening to his parents'' muffled sobs through the wall...


    What other choice did he have?


    ????


    As night fell...


    Determination had awakened more than courage in Ren... his stomach growled.


    The aroma of sweet root stew still floated in the air, more tempting than ever as his hunger had returned now that he had a clear purpose.


    He slipped out of his room like a shadow, the spore floating silently behind him. The floorboards creaked treacherously under his feet, but years of sneaking out to steal midnight snacks had taught him where to step.


    In the kitchen, the feast his parents had prepared remained untouched. Ren wrapped large portions of bread with stew in clean cloths, also packing several wild berries.


    His father always said berries helped keep the mind clear when fatigue struck.


    From the tool cabinet, he took his father''s smallest kitchen knife, the one used for delicate work, and a worn canteen. Rope and his father''s most precious map. He hesitated a moment before also taking the flint for starting fires.


    It wasn''t much, but it would have to be enough.


    A noise in the hallway made his heart stop. Footsteps.


    He snuck back to his room and got into his bed just as the door opened.


    "Ren?" His mother''s soft voice. "Darling..."


    Ren dove under the covers, grateful for the darkness hiding the packed bag under his bed. The spore settled on his pillow, its weak gray glow perfectly matching the moment.


    "I''m so sorry, my love," whispered his mother, sitting on the edge of the bed.


    Her hand, rough from years of work but always gentle, stroked his hair. "If we could have gotten you a better egg..."


    "It''s not your fault, Mom, or Dad''s," replied Ren, and for the first time in hours, he wasn''t faking the emotion in his voice. "It... it was just bad luck."


    "Would you like some stew? It''s still warm..."


    "Tomorrow," promised Ren, hating the lie but knowing it was necessary for his mission. "Thank you for cooking it."


    She leaned down, kissed his forehead, and the familiar aroma of spices and love almost broke his resolve. Almost. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I love you, little one."


    "I love you too, Mom."


    The door closed softly.


    Ren waited, counting his heartbeats, until the footsteps retreated and the house fell silent.


    With movements practiced during his afternoon escapes with friends, he tied the rope. His bedroom window overlooked the back garden, a drop of barely two meters. The spore watched silently as he secured the rope to his bedpost.


    "If you''re going to follow me on this journey," he whispered to his companion while shouldering his backpack, "you''d better at least not get in my way."


    The night was clear, illuminated by nearly a dozen moons. From his window, he could see the dark forest beyond the city limits. Somewhere out there lay his only hope for a different future.


    He took the rope in his trembling hands.


    I''m sorry, Mom. I''m sorry, Dad.


    And he began his descent.

 Chapter 6 - Taming the First Journey

    Ren landed softly in the back garden, where his parents'' mature Iron-rank plants maintained an herb and food garden.Though it wasn''t theirs anymore, they could still use it to pay part of the house rent and cover some basic food for the family.


    Beyond the garden''s wooden fence, just a few meters away, the terrain began to descend. The view of enormous plains lay almost completely hidden by darkness...


    There were no walls to climb, no guards to evade, their house was one of the last structures before the "civilized" world dissolved into no man''s land.


    Only some plantations dared exceed the common cultivation zone, those with enough for guards.


    But with this house so close to the external zone of the abyss, nobody wanted to invest in lands that could be invaded by hordes of cursed monsters if the army ever faltered.


    Being in the front line was frightening.


    But Ren didn''t understand why they were so cowardly, in his 10 years of life, and according to his parents in another 30, the hordes had never overcome the army.


    These empty plains were perfect for cultivation in his opinion. Not that it affected him anymore...


    He pulled out his father''s worn map, tracing with his fingers the lines and annotations he knew by heart.


    How many times had he heard the story: his father, desperate to find medicine for mana poisoning, unable to get it in the market due to that year''s shortage.


    He had been forced to venture into monster domain like many others. Many didn''t return that year, and his father almost suffered the same sad fate.


    The mandatory mission that had nearly cost him his life.


    "And just when I thought it was my end," his father always said at this part, "I found it. A hidden entrance, as if the earth itself had cracked open to save me.


    I thought I had fallen into a night excavator''s hole...


    But it was an ancient tunnel, probably from the era before mana''s expansion."


    The map showed the path with obsessive detail, every mark, every turn, every landmark carefully noted.


    His father never knew why he''d been so meticulous in documenting a route he swore never to take again, but Ren suspected part of him always knew it would be needed someday.


    An hour later, Ren finally stood at the forest''s edge.


    He''d been lucky not to encounter any exiled and hungry creatures.


    It seemed the day''s bad luck had finally run out... Ren glanced at his spore.


    The spore floated beside him while its faint glow contrasted with the dark forest. Here, at the boundary, it was strangely peaceful.


    Healthy monsters never ventured so close to the mana-void zone, only the hordes did that, and on specific dates, following underground routes that humans had learned to predict and attack to contain and keep them from leaving the abyss.


    Here there weren''t those kinds of problems.


    "In theory," whispered Ren, more to give himself courage than to inform his silent companion, "we should be safe until we reach the deep iron forest. Monsters, even Iron-rank ones, hate this zone almost as much as dragons do."


    Ren repeated to convince himself.


    He unfolded the map one last time, memorizing the first stage. If his father had found that underground tunnel, if it really existed... it would be his best chance.


    The monsters wouldn''t detect him there, and he could advance much deeper into dangerous territory before having to face the real dangers.


    He turned to look back toward his faraway house one last time.


    They were probably still awake, worried about him, planning how to make his life more bearable in the coming years.


    "I''m sorry," he murmured. "But I can''t accept that future. Not without trying to change it at least once."


    And with that, he took his first step toward the forest. The spore floated behind him, its weak gray glow barely visible under the light of the twelve moons.


    The journey that could change his life had just begun.


    ????


    Three kilometers had never seemed so long.


    Ren kept to the exact boundary where the earth was still poor enough in mana to keep most beasts away.


    But not the Moon Toads.


    The glowing trees betrayed the change in mana density. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His father had specifically warned him about these creatures. No larger than a rabbit, these blue-skinned, translucent amphibians were almost invisible under moonlight, except for their eyes.


    Three bioluminescent eyes that glowed with a hypnotic radiance, capable of paralyzing their prey with just a direct look. They weren''t particularly strong, barely immature Iron-rank beasts, but their hunting method was terrifying.


    They moved in small groups, surrounding their paralyzed prey before beginning to secrete an acid that...


    Ren shook his head. He didn''t want to remember that part of his father''s stories.


    Or worse still, the Night Excavators.


    Slow but enormous beasts, the size of a cow, that dug complex burrows under the mana-poor earth. Mature Iron rank beasts.


    Their long arms ending in massive claws could split a man in half, and though they were lazy and generally solitary, their territories were full of natural traps, hidden holes that led directly to their jaws.


    Both creatures depended on traps to complement the poor mana in their environment.


    The spore floated calmly beside him while Ren tested each step carefully. The ground here was treacherous, a network of Excavator tunnels could collapse under his weight at any moment.


    The huge dead tree had to be close.


    His father had drawn it in detail on the map, an ancient oak, twisted like a claw emerging from the earth, marking the entrance to the secret tunnel. If he could reach it...


    A bluish flash caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Had that been...?


    No. He mustn''t look directly. If they were Moon Toads, a direct look would be his end.


    Another blue flash, closer this time.


    Ren kept his eyes fixed on the ground, his heart hammering against his chest. Moon Toads always hunted in groups of three to five.


    If he''d seen one...


    A soft melodious croak came from his left. Then another from the right. They were surrounding him.


    "Don''t look at their eyes, don''t look at their eyes," he murmured to himself, repeating the words his father had etched into his memory. Moon Toads were slow, clumsy even.


    If he could keep his composure and keep moving...


    The ground creaked beneath his foot.


    Ren froze.


    That hadn''t been the sound of an amphibian. That had been the unmistakable groan of earth giving way over a Night Excavator''s tunnel.


    He was trapped between two deadly threats. If he retreated, the toads would catch him. If he advanced, he would fall into an Excavator''s den. And he couldn''t stay still, the toads were already...


    A blue flash appeared right in front of him. So close he could see the details of its translucent skin, the pulse of internal organs glowing with bioluminescence.


    Ren closed his eyes instinctively, but it was too late. For a fraction of a second, he had seen the toad''s three hypnotic eyes.


    His muscles began to go numb.


    The melodious croaking intensified, now coming from all directions. He could hear the soft padding of their feet approaching, the wet sound of their skin secreting acid...

 Chapter 7 - Taming Danger

    Ren closed his eyes instinctively, but it was too late.For a fraction of a second, he had seen the toad''s three hypnotic eyes.


    His muscles began to go numb.


    The melodious croaking intensified, now coming from all directions. He could hear the soft padding of their feet approaching, the wet sound of their skin secreting acid...


    The paralysis was spreading through his limbs when the spore, without warning, fused with his body.


    Ren wanted to scream in frustration, ''Now''s not the time to be stubborn, a miserable strength increase won''t help me here!''


    The weak glow of the mushrooms in his hair would only serve to attract more predators, making him a more visible target in the night.


    The Moon Toads were getting closer.


    He could hear the rhythmic padding of their feet, the wet sound of their skin secreting acid. The acrid smell already reached his nose, like rotting fruit and hot metal.


    But something was strange.


    The toad in front of him, the one that had paralyzed him, tilted its head.


    Its three eyes blinked in an erratic sequence, breaking the hypnotic pattern. The melodious croaking turned to discordant, confused notes.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with bioluminescence similar to the toads'', creating patterns that mimicked the glow of their internal organs. It was as if his head had become a distorted version of his predators.


    The leader toad jumped forward, its three eyes now fixed on the glowing mushrooms. The confusion broke its concentration, and with it, the paralyzing spell.


    Ren felt control of his body return just as the ground beneath the toad began to give way.


    Everything happened in an instant.


    The toad, disoriented by the luminescent mushrooms, didn''t notice it had landed on the edge of an Excavator tunnel. The earth crumbled beneath its weight with an ominous crunch. Its bright eyes widened in surprise as it fell, its melodious croak transforming into a shriek of panic.


    A deep roar rose from the tunnel''s darkness, followed by the unmistakable sound of jaws snapping shut.


    The other Moon Toads froze, their bioluminescent patterns becoming erratic with fear. The acid smell intensified, an involuntary defensive reaction.


    Ren didn''t stop to think.


    His legs, newly freed from paralysis, moved by instinct.


    A jump to the right, away from the formerly invisible tunnel edge he could now see thanks to the freshly collapsed earth.


    "The tunnels!" he gasped as he ran. "They form a pattern!"


    Night Excavators were methodical, territorial. Their tunnels always followed the same design, a main entrance with traps in a semicircle around it. If the toad had fallen into one...


    Another crunch to his left confirmed his theory. Two of the remaining toads, in their rush to chase him, had jumped directly onto another weak section.


    The earth opened beneath them like a hungry mouth.


    More roars from the depths. More abruptly interrupted shrieks.


    The last Moon Toad, perhaps wiser than its companions, disappeared into the night with a terrified croak.


    ????


    Ren stopped, panting, his heart threatening to burst.


    The mushrooms in his hair still pulsed weakly, but now they seemed more like a reminder of his luck than a curse.


    "You," he whispered to his spore, still fused with it, "are still the weakest beast that exists. But... thanks. I guess."


    A distant crunch reminded him this was no time to celebrate. Somewhere beneath his feet, a Night Excavator had just enjoyed an unexpected dinner of Moon Toads.


    And he didn''t want to be dessert.


    The dead tree. He had to find the dead tree before¡­


    A deep roar made the earth tremble beneath his feet.


    It was just an excavator, he reassured himself, they wouldn''t come out...


    But the noise attracted something else.


    A new sound froze Ren''s blood, a metallic hiss, like blades dragging against stone.


    The underground roars quieted, as if trying to go unnoticed.


    The new sound came from the deep forest, toward the bronze ring, where darkness was densest.


    Ren hid behind a tree.


    A Mirror Mantis emerged between the trees, its body covered in reflective plates that fragmented the moonlight.


    It was huge, horse-sized, but something was wrong with it.


    Its plates, which should form a perfect pattern, were cracked and misaligned. Deep scars furrowed its exoskeleton, and one of its main scythes was broken near the tip.


    Ren''s heart stopped.


    There shouldn''t be a creature like this within 20 kilometers.


    Mirror Mantises were creatures of the deep forest, Bronze-rank beasts that would normally never approach a zone so poor in mana.


    Their bodies were designed to absorb and reflect the dense magical energy of their territory, using their reflective plates to disorient prey with light and mana illusions.


    This one had been expelled from its territory, probably after losing a territorial battle. The wounds had weakened it so much it couldn''t even maintain its natural habitat.


    And a wounded beast, hungry, forced to hunt in poor lands...


    Was a thousand times more dangerous than any local predator.


    The Mantis turned its triangular head toward him. Its eye facets, normally a kaleidoscope of iridescent colors, were dull with hunger.


    The plates on its body tried to reflect the moonlight, but the pattern was erratic, sickly. Instead of the usual hypnotic illusions, it produced only desperate flashes.


    "Don''t look at me, don''t look at me," Ren silently pleaded, remembering the basic lessons about beasts that every child learned. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Mirror Mantises usually hunted by creating illusory duplicates of their prey, confusing them until they stumbled over their own reflections. But this one, in its famished state...


    A stray flash created a small reflection beside the tree and illuminated Ren.


    The creature moved.


    Despite its wounds, its speed was terrifying. The scythes, even the broken one, cut the air with a deadly whistle. No games, no illusions. Just pure, desperate hunger.


    Ren ran.


    The dead tree had to be close.


    His father had mentioned that the twisted roots pointed north, that the bark marked by ancient lightning formed an arrow-like pattern...


    Behind him, the metallic hiss drew closer.


    The Mantis couldn''t maintain that speed for long in a zone so poor in mana, but it didn''t need to.


    It only needed to catch him once.


    A scythe plunged into the ground beside him, so close he felt the displaced air cut his cheek. The Mantis''s broken plates tinkled like broken bells, its breathing a tortured hiss of hunger and desperation.


    And then Ren saw it, the dead tree, its twisted silhouette cut against the night sky.


    But the Mirror Mantis was getting closer, and the sound of its broken plates was like a promise of death.

 Chapter 8 - Taming the Tunnels

    Ren saw it, the dead tree, its twisted silhouette cut against the night sky.The Mirror Mantis was getting closer, and the sound of its broken plates was like a promise of death.


    The dead tree was less than fifty meters away when the ground gave way beneath Ren''s feet.


    Hope had got him distracted.


    For one terrible moment, Ren floated in darkness, his stomach lurching as gravity claimed its prey.


    His father''s kitchen knife flew from his belt. In an act of pure instinct, Ren grabbed it. The blade plunged into the tunnel wall, slowing his fall with strength he didn''t know he had.


    Earth and stones rained around him, striking his face, getting in his eyes.


    Above, the Mirror Mantis stopped at the hole''s edge. Its broken plates created a sickly kaleidoscope of fragmented moons.


    The creature tilted its triangular head, calculating, hungry.


    "No, no, no..." Ren kicked at the wall, searching for a foothold. The knife was slipping.


    The earth gave way and Ren fell.


    The Mantis jumped.


    Its scythes gleamed in the darkness as it fell, the metal of its broken exoskeleton singing a death song. Ren saw his life flash before his eyes, ten short years that would end in darkness, far from his parents, without even the chance to¡­


    A deafening roar shook the tunnel.


    The image of the excavator catching him made him drive the knife back in, and in his desperation, he saw a small tunnel beside him.


    The parallel tunnel was narrow, barely wide enough for Ren to crawl through. Without thinking, Ren pushed himself toward the tunnel. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But the mantis caught up.


    However, just before it could grab Ren as he entered the tunnel¡­


    The wall beneath the mantis opened, revealing the monstrous head of a Night Excavator.


    The beast had been hibernating, storing what little mana was available, when the collapse had awakened it.


    And now it was hungry.


    The Mirror Mantis twisted in the air, its scythes finding excavator flesh instead of its original prey. The Excavator roared in pain, its massive claws emerging from the earth to catch its attacker.


    Ren was paralyzed with terror.


    Less than two meters away, two nightmare beasts fought in a deadly dance of metal and earth. The Mantis''s broken plates created chaotic flashes in the darkness while the Excavator tried to drag its prey into the depths.


    To his right, almost invisible in the darkness, Ren distinguished an opening. An older tunnel, its walls smoothed by the passage of time.


    He had no choice. The winner would be decided soon.


    He crawled into the tunnel while behind him the battle reached its climax.


    The Mantis''s metallic shriek mixed with the Excavator''s roar. There was a horrible crunch, and then...


    Silence.


    Ren crawled away from the edge, his breathing so loud in his ears he feared the winning beast might hear him.


    ''I''m alive,'' he thought, incredulous.


    The mushrooms in his hair provided the only light in the tunnel''s absolute darkness, their weak glow barely sufficient to see his own trembling hands.


    ????


    "Please let the Excavator have won, please let the Excavator have won," Ren muttered while crawling as fast as he could.


    Night Excavators were territorial and slow, if it won the battle, it would take its time devouring its prey before considering pursuing him.


    But if the Mantis won...


    A victorious shriek made his blood freeze. It wasn''t the deep roar he''d hoped to hear.


    "No, no, no..."


    The mushrooms in his hair barely illuminated the path when a fork appeared before him. The left tunnel was irregular, clearly the work of some beast. But the right one...


    Ren stopped, panting.


    The walls were too smooth, too perfect. Exactly as his father had described in his stories:


    "As if someone had melted the stone itself, son. A tunnel of the ancients, from when humans lived here and shaped rock with magic."


    Behind him, the wet sound of flesh being torn made him nauseous. The Mantis was feeding. But one meal was all it needed to recover strength and continue hunting.


    Ren entered the ancient tunnel.


    Now in a much more spacious place... The mushrooms in his hair revealed marks on the walls, symbols he couldn''t understand but that were definitely not natural. This had to be the path his father had found.


    The tunnel seemed to stretch eternally into darkness.


    Ren had maintained a quick pace for what felt like hours, driven by fear and adrenaline, but now his legs trembled from the effort and his breathing was heavy.


    He stopped, leaning against the smooth wall of the ancient tunnel.


    Remembering what his father said about berries helping recover energy and maintaining a clear mind, he ate some of the ones he''d brought.


    He thought about lighting a torch with the flint, but he''d forgotten to collect wood and his mushrooms provided enough light...


    With a clearer mind, he began to analyze his situation.


    According to his father''s map, he should have found the exit by now. Had he taken a wrong turn? Chosen the wrong tunnel?


    The mushrooms in his hair provided light in the absolute darkness, but their glow was barely enough to see a few meters ahead. Though they were better than a torch.


    They had saved him too...


    Ren had been cursing them since he''d invoked them, but now...


    "At least you''re good for something," he murmured to the spore, still fused with him. "Even if just as a lamp."


    He let himself drop to the ground, his legs grateful for the rest. The water from his canteen was lukewarm, but had never tasted better.


    While catching his breath, he studied the mysterious symbols on the walls. Some seemed to respond weakly to his mushrooms'' light, as if they recognized something in their faint glow.


    "I suppose I should thank you for the thing with the toads too," he continued, surprising himself by talking to the world''s weakest creature. "Though it was pure luck. You probably didn''t even know what you were¡­"


    A distant echo interrupted his words. The unmistakable sound of metal against stone, followed by that blood-freezing hungry hiss.


    The Mantis had finished feeding.


    And this time there would be no more Excavators to distract it.


    This time he would be alone.


    And now it was coming for him.


    "No, no, no..." Ren jumped up when the metallic hiss resonated in the distance, but closer. The mushrooms in his hair now pulsed with a strange yellowish glow, but he barely had time to wonder why.


    The tunnel stretched before him like a black throat. There were no side exits, no places to hide.

 Chapter 9 - Taming the Mantis

    "No, no, no..." Ren jumped up when the metallic hiss echoed closer.The mushrooms in his hair now pulsed with a strange yellowish glow, but he barely had time to wonder why.


    The tunnel stretched before him like a black throat. No side exits, no places to hide.


    Just smooth, ancient stone, and those mysterious symbols that seemed to glow faintly under his mushrooms'' yellow light.


    "Come on, come on," Ren urged himself.


    The metallic hiss drew closer. He could hear the scythes scraping against the tunnel walls, the sickly tinkling of broken plates.


    Another hiss, closer.


    The Mantis moved faster now, the Excavator''s flesh providing it with new energy. The jingling of its damaged exoskeleton was like a death bell approaching in the darkness.


    Ren ran.


    His feet struck the ancient floor as he plunged deeper into the tunnel. The air grew colder, denser. His breathing echoed in his ears, mixing with the ever-closer sound of scythes against stone.


    Scriiitch. Scriiitch. Scriiitch.


    The Mantis didn''t even need to run. Its steady, relentless pace was enough. Sooner or later, the tunnel would end. Sooner or later, he''d run out of places to flee.


    A flash of its scythes illuminated the tunnel behind him.


    The beast was close enough now that the mushrooms'' light revealed the sickly gleam of its eye facets, the irregular pattern of its broken plates.


    It didn''t matter that it was injured.


    It didn''t matter that it had been expelled from its territory. It was still a Bronze-rank creature, and he... he was just a child with the world''s weakest beast. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The tunnel began to narrow. Or maybe his eyes were playing tricks in the darkness. The yellow light from the mushrooms cast strange shadows on the walls, making the ancient symbols seem to dance.


    Scriiitch. Scriiitch. SCRIIITCH.


    Closer. Ever closer.


    Ren stumbled, his knee striking stone. Pain exploded in his leg, but terror kept him moving. He rose and kept running, limping, crawling forward.


    The Mantis hissed, the sound now so close he could feel the vibration in his bones. Its broken plates created a nightmare spectacle on the tunnel walls, reflecting the mushrooms'' yellow light in fractal, demented patterns.


    And then, the tunnel ended.


    A smooth, solid wall rose before him, covered in ancient symbols that seemed to mock his fate.


    No way out.


    The metallic hiss stopped.


    In the silence that followed, Ren could hear the scythes scraping against stone as the Mantis approached slowly, savoring the moment.


    It no longer needed to run. No longer needed to hurry.


    Its prey was cornered, it only had to...


    The mushrooms'' yellow light intensified, as if responding to Ren''s terror. The symbols on the wall began to glow with the same sickly hue, peeling off the walls in small clouds, creating patterns that reminded him of...


    Spores?


    The Mirror Mantis stopped.


    Its eye facets reflected the yellow light, creating a kaleidoscope of death on the tunnel walls. It raised its scythes, preparing for the final blow.


    But something was wrong. The beast tilted its triangular head, confused. Its broken plates tinkled with a new rhythm, more erratic, more... frightened?


    The air grew dense, heavy with a smell Ren had never experienced before.


    It was like damp earth and rusted metal, like rotting leaves and something older, deeper.


    The symbols on the wall, which he''d thought were marks of the ancients, began to move.


    No, not move.


    They were detaching.


    "They''re not symbols," whispered Ren, the horror of realization hitting him like an icy fist. "They''re spores. Dormant spores."


    The Mantis took a step back, its metallic hiss transforming into something close to panic.


    Its plates now reflected thousands of points of yellow light detaching from the walls, ceiling, floor, spores that had been waiting for centuries, awakening to the resonance of the mushrooms in Ren''s hair.


    The entire tunnel was alive.


    And it was hungry.


    The ancient spores swirled in the air like a golden storm, enveloping the Mantis first. The beast shrieked, a sound Ren never imagined such a fearsome creature could make.


    Its broken plates, reflecting light imperfectly, created a horror show as the spores found every crack, every fissure in its exoskeleton.


    Ren pressed himself against the back inclined wall, his heart beating so hard he thought it would burst.


    The Mantis writhed, its scythes cutting the air uselessly while the golden cloud consumed it. Its metallic shriek faded, transforming into a wet, terrible sound.


    And then, silence.


    Where the powerful Bronze beast had stood, now lay only a mound of broken plates covered in yellowish mold that pulsed with ancient life.


    The spores turned toward Ren.


    The golden cloud swirled like a wave of ancient hunger.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed frantically, but this time there was no confusion, there was no salvation.


    The ancestral spores weren''t normal predators, they were vestiges of a forgotten age, and everything living was their prey.


    The first contact was like frozen fire on his skin.


    Yellowish fungi sprouted from his arms, legs, neck, each pulsing with a sickly rhythm that drained his energy. The pain was indescribable, as if every pore in his body was being devoured from within.


    "No... please..." he gasped, falling to his knees.


    But then he saw it, where the spores had detached from the ceiling, a ray of light filtered through like a promise of salvation.


    An exit, barely large enough for a child to pass through.


    Ren stood up, his legs trembling with effort. The invasive fungi kept spreading across his body, but something was different.


    Where the Mantis had succumbed in seconds, he remained conscious. His own spore, the "world''s weakest beast," pulsed with its light, as if it were... fighting.


    Every effort was agony.


    He pushed himself upward, his fingers finding the hole''s edge just as his knees threatened to give way. The light blinded him momentarily as he crawled out of the tunnel.


    It wasn''t the outside.

 Chapter 10 - Taming Fate

    Where the Mantis had succumbed in seconds, Ren remained conscious.His own spore, the "world''s weakest beast," pulsed with light, as if it were... fighting.


    Every effort was agony.


    He pushed himself upward, his fingers finding the hole''s edge just as his knees threatened to give way. The light blinded him momentarily as he crawled out of the tunnel.


    It wasn''t the outside.


    He emerged into a small natural cave, its walls covered in bioluminescent crystals that bathed everything in an ethereal, spectral blue light.


    But he could barely appreciate the chamber''s beauty, the ancestral fungi continued spreading, consuming his vital energy.


    "Please..." he whispered, his vision blurring. "I don''t want to die here..."


    His spore fought valiantly, its own mushrooms creating barriers against the yellow infection, but it was losing the battle. Ren could feel his consciousness fading, his body growing colder by the second.


    That''s when he saw it.


    In the cave''s center, bathed in crystal light, grew a plant that seemed like... it reminded him of the one on his father''s stories.


    "The plant..." he mumbled, crawling toward it as the yellow fungi continued their spread. "The one that helped Mother..."


    His fingers brushed the luminous stem just as darkness began claiming the edges of his vision.


    With trembling hands, Ren pulled the glowing plant free. The yellow fungi still expanded across his body, but something in his mind, something deeper than conscious thought, told him this was important.


    This plant was...


    Though he didn''t fully understand.


    His father had found one like it, almost 12 years ago, in another tunnel. The "miracle medicine" that had allowed his mother to conceive.


    But this one was different, where his father''s plant had been firm and robust, this one was delicate and ethereal.


    This was the "female", his father had found the "male".


    With the ancestral fungi consuming his last strength, Ren brought the plant to his lips. The taste was like liquid light, like remembering a dream.


    And then he felt it, a deep resonance with something already existing in his body, dormant genes inherited from his mother, the echo of the other half of the medicine that had made his existence possible.


    The two halves of an ancient medicine, separated by years and tunnels, finally reunited in his blood.


    The effect was instantaneous.


    Pure white light emanated from his skin, so intense that the yellow fungi recoiled, withering and falling like ash.


    His spore, that supposedly useless creature, began pulsing with a new rhythm, perfectly synchronized with the energy now flowing through his veins.


    To any observer, the spore would have appeared exactly the same, small, apparently weak. But Ren could feel that something had fundamentally changed within.


    As if it had evolved into a completely new variant, one that no one had ever seen before.


    What Ren didn''t know, what he couldn''t know, was that he had just completed an ancient recipe, a medicine that required three specific ingredients: the male plant, the female plant, and something unique, a host born with the first half of the formula.


    He himself was the missing key.


    The mushrooms in his hair returned to their usual color, giving the impression that nothing had changed. But in the depths of his being, a dormant power had just awakened.


    A power that would change everything.


    ????


    Hunger awakened him first, a ravenous void that made his hands tremble as he pulled the bread with stew from his backpack.


    He ate desperately, savoring each bite as if it were the first food he''d ever tasted.


    The mushrooms in his hair shone with a stronger light than before, illuminating the cave crystals with dancing shadows. Ren noticed, but he''d survived too many horrors that night to worry about such a small change.


    As he chewed the last piece of bread, the reality of what he''d done began to hit him.


    He''d been seconds from death, multiple times.


    If the Moon Toads had caught him... if the Excavator had found him... if the Mantis¡­ if the spores¡­


    His parents. What would have become of them if he...?


    "I should go back," he murmured, guilt weighing heavier than exhaustion. "This was madness. I..."


    Return.


    The voice was so soft at first he thought it was his own mind. But there was something different about it, something ancient and wise that resonated deep within his being.


    And then it began.


    As if someone had opened a floodgate in his mind, knowledge began to flow. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He saw his spore, not as the weak creature everyone despised, but as something with infinite potential. He understood, with crystal clarity, every step necessary for its cultivation:


    The exact way to feed it different types of fungi. The precise cultivation to strengthen the bond. The correct sequence of evolutions. The bifurcations in its path to power.


    But it didn''t stop there.


    The Mirror Mantis, he saw how its plates formed, how it channeled light and mana, the weak points in its exoskeleton where cracks always began. Its life cycle¡­


    The Night Excavators, the way they built their tunnels, the patterns they followed, how they conserved energy during times of scarcity¡­


    The Moon Toads, the mechanism behind their hypnotic eyes, the exact composition of their acid, the mating rituals that determined their hunting patterns¡­


    The ecology and biology of the creatures he''d encountered became clear to him now.


    It was as if he could see the invisible threads connecting all creatures, understand their most intimate natures, their strengths, their weaknesses, their secrets.


    "What... what is this?" he whispered, overwhelmed by the avalanche of information.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly, and for the first time since obtaining his spore, Ren felt he could see the path before him.


    Not just his own.


    All creatures'' paths.

 Chapter 11 - Taming the Way Home

    The information in his mind was clear but limited, like a map showing only the beginning of a much longer journey.Ren could see the first steps of his spore''s cultivation with perfect clarity: the specific types of fungi needed, the exact conditions for growth, the strengthening rituals.


    There was something he could take from the tunnel for the final step of his cultivation.


    But the other parts needed for its cultivation?


    None of that was anywhere near here.


    "The first fungi I need..." he murmured, processing the information, "grow in the swamp zones north of the rival city. Not in this forest."


    The revelation hit him with both frustration and relief.


    However, something else gleamed at the edges of this new knowledge, a promise.


    When his spore reached Bronze rank, a possibility would open that made his heart beat faster: a second contract.


    A second beast.


    The rest was nebulous, like looking through murky water.


    But the certainty was there, each evolution of his spore would not only strengthen it but also expand his understanding of beasts and their paths.


    "I have to go back," he said aloud, this time with determination rather than fear or regret. "I have to get a lot of stuff and start cultivating from the beginning."


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly, as if nodding.


    It was time to return home.


    His parents would be worried sick if he arrived too late, and now... now he had a real plan. Not a desperate search, but a clear path.


    Although first, he''d have to find a way out of this cave.


    ????


    The mana density in this cave was insane; Ren would be poisoned if he didn''t get out soon.


    How there could be so much mana in a place in the Bronze ring was a mystery to him, even with his expanded knowledge.


    He wanted to take some of the enormous mana crystals from the cave, but none were loose, it was a great joint formation, as if it were someone''s work from the past rather than something natural. Since it was impossible to break the incredibly hard formations, perhaps he could return to try another time.


    A mana crystal became much more resistant the larger it grew; he''d need something really powerful to extract it. Much more than a pick, even the Bronze-rank mantis probably couldn''t have broken it.


    Decided to retreat...


    Ren observed the tunnel through which he''d arrived.


    The ancestral spores were still there, dancing in the darkness with their sickly golden glow.


    But now he saw them differently, understood their nature with astonishing clarity.


    "They''re not aggressive by nature," he murmured, processing the knowledge flowing in his mind. "They attack because they''re hungry after centuries of hibernation, but their true method is..."


    He stopped, an idea forming.


    The ancestral spores, like all fungi, followed basic behavioral patterns. They sought nutrients, yes, but more importantly: they responded to specific chemical signals.


    Ren took some mud.


    "And if I combine this with..."


    A yellowish mold formed where the ancestral spores fell, as if analyzing its composition...


    Ren closed his eyes, concentrating.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed, releasing gray spores that mixed with his sweat. It was disgusting, but now he understood the purpose of the information pulsing in his head: the spores from his own beast contained chemical markers that identified him as "part of the colony."


    He smeared the mixture on his exposed skin full of spores.


    "The ancestral spores should recognize me as another fungal colony now," he murmured. "And should keep them at sufficient distance to..."


    Ren knelt beside the Mirror Mantis''s remains. Under the broken plates and yellowish mold, he could see what he was looking for, the crystalline core, a structure of the beasts that acted as their power center.


    It was the size of his fist.


    "Beast cores," he whispered, the knowledge unfolding in his mind, "are like concentrated eggs. They contain all the creature''s genetic information, its mana patterns, its essence... And there''s a way to revive them."


    He took some of the mantis''s plates, those he could carry in his backpack, and the golden fungus from the ancestral spores that had formed while consuming the mantis.


    He stepped toward the tunnel. The golden spores swirled around him but didn''t attack. To them, he was now just another fungal organism of the same species, not prey.


    "It works," he whispered, amazed by his own knowledge. "It really works."


    While carefully advancing through the tunnel, Ren couldn''t help but smile. A few hours ago, he''d been convinced his spore was useless.


    Now, that same "weakest monster" had given him the knowledge to survive where a Bronze-rank beast had perished.


    And the core in his hands... anyone else would see it as a mere trophy. But Ren could see its true value: an option to obtain the Mirror Mantis.


    A creature that, someday, he might need.


    ????


    The ancestral spores tunnel ended up being the easiest stretch of the return journey.


    Ren emerged covered in mud and a mixture of gray and some stray golden spores, but alive and with a valuable treasure in his backpack.


    He first cleaned the excess mud and golden spores carefully.


    Now, facing the return path, everything looked different. Where before there was terror and uncertainty, now there was understanding.


    The Night Excavator tunnels weren''t a random maze as he''d thought. "They always dig in spirals," he murmured to himself, recognizing the patterns in the ceiling. "And they mark their active territories with deeper scratches on the eastern walls."


    Thanks to this, he could avoid zones where other excavators might be active while looking for a less steep trap to exit through.


    Emerging into the Moon Toads'' zone, he stopped to listen. The melodious croaking came from the distance, but now he understood its meaning.


    "Three ascending tones, they''re hunting. Four descending tones would be mating," he whispered. "And they always leave one toad watching escape routes while the others chase prey."


    He waited patiently until the croaking pattern changed, indicating the toads had moved away following some nocturnal prey''s trail.


    Only then did he move, keeping to areas where the ground was more compacted.


    "Moon Toads hate hard, dry earth," the knowledge flowed naturally now. "Their feet are designed for soft terrain where they can bury themselves quickly. On firm ground, their bodies lose moisture."


    Even the natural trap zones were obvious now.


    The Excavators always left small signs: stones arranged in certain ways, patterns in soil erosion. To untrained eyes they seemed like coincidences, but to Ren now they were like warning signs glowing in the night.


    The mushrooms in his hair, still shining with that more intense yellowish tone than before, lit his path as he advanced with renewed confidence. They showed the pattern of the frogs'' eyes; Ren was no longer worried about being betrayed by their light, now they even served as camouflage.


    Every step was calculated, every decision informed by knowledge that just hours ago he didn''t even know existed.


    "It''s as if I''d been blind my whole life," he thought while skillfully avoiding a zone that showed clear signs of Toad activity.


    "And now I can finally see."


    The night that had begun as a desperate struggle to survive had become a practical lesson about the true nature of beasts. And his supposed "curse," the weakest spore, turned out to be the key to understanding all these secrets.


    The magical forest''s end finally appeared before him, the last ''magical trees'' glowing (from frog urine) against the night sky.


    Ren stopped a moment, unconsciously touching the Mantis core in his pack. He had set out seeking a second beast, a miracle to change his destiny.


    What he''d found was something far more valuable: understanding.


    sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 12 - Taming Gratitude

    The edge of the common forest was near.Ren could see in the distance, about 5 kilometers away, the first houses of the outskirts, small lights flickering in the darkness like fallen stars.


    Soon he would have to face the consequences of his actions.


    He paused for a moment, adjusting the backpack where he kept his obtained treasures.


    How would he explain all this?


    The scratches, the mud, the golden fungus, the plates, the core? Perhaps he could slip in through his window and...


    A movement in the darkness made him freeze.


    For a moment he thought they were frogs expelled from their territory. Dangerous, as so hungry and lacking mana they would act differently than normal.


    But...


    Two silhouettes moved near the forest''s edge, one carrying a dim lamp. Even at this distance, he recognized the way they moved, not monsters, but his parents.


    His father led the way, hoe in one hand and his mature plant ready for combat. His mother followed close behind, her own vines subtly spreading across the ground, prepared for defense.


    Of course, it would have obviously revealed his path and pointed the exact way he''d gone¡­


    The map.


    As soon as they realised Ren wasn''t in his room...


    His father would have noticed the map''s absence immediately. How many times had he seen Ren studying it, asking details about that desperate adventure in search of medicine?


    It was obvious where a child who had just received the weakest spore would look for hope.


    Ren watched them move in the darkness.


    Despite their basic beasts, they moved with the coordination that only years of working together could give. He had seen them like this before, in the kitchen, working in perfect synchronization.


    But now...


    His new knowledge let him see more of it. How his father''s plant extended in specific ways to detect movement, how his mother''s vines created precise defensive patterns with the surrounding roots.


    Even with only mature Iron-rank beasts, they had developed effective techniques.


    The mushrooms in his hair glowed more intensely. He was tired, covered in mud and gray spores, but alive. And now he would have to face what was coming.


    He had no choice¡­


    He took a step toward the light.


    Just one...


    The yellowish glow of the mushrooms in his hair betrayed him.


    "There!" his father whispered. "A frog so close to the prairie could have attacked Ren!"


    The vines moved with surprising speed, and Ren felt the familiar grip of his mother''s plants wrapping around him. For a moment, he considered explaining how mature Iron-rank vines had a growth pattern that...


    "REN!"


    His mother''s cry cut through his thoughts. The vines loosened instantly.


    Ren prepared for the worst. He now knew the biology of dozens of beasts, understood the most complex behavioral patterns, but had no idea how to handle what was coming.


    The punishment would be severe, he knew. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He had stolen his father''s precious map, had run away in the middle of the night, had...


    His mother reached him first, practically knocking him over with the force of her embrace. His father arrived a second later, enveloping them both in his arms.


    They were...


    Crying?


    "My child," his mother sobbed, squeezing him so tight he could barely breathe. "My little one..."


    "We thought..." his father couldn''t finish the sentence, his voice breaking.


    Ren stood rigid, waiting.


    At any moment the shouting would begin, the scolding, the punishment he deserved for being so reckless. He knew he deserved it. He had acted without thinking, had...


    "I''m so sorry," his mother whispered through tears.


    "If we had chosen to get you a better egg instead of a better school, even if you couldn''t cultivate it properly..."


    "We shouldn''t have risked your future like this," his father added, his voice trembling. "We shouldn''t have believed you would get the same plants as us with such certainty. When I got sick we should have..."


    Ren blinked, confused. Were they blaming themselves?


    "But I..." he tried to explain, "I was the one who ran away. Who stole the map. Who..."


    His father hugged him tighter.


    "We drove you to this. With our expectations, with our..."


    "No!" Ren pulled back enough to look at them. "You sold everything for me, even the house. Worked so hard to get me a place in the best school, to get me an egg, any egg, and I..."


    Tears began falling down his cheeks, mixing with the mud and remaining gray spores.


    "I just wanted..." his voice broke, "wanted you to be proud..."


    "We always have been," his mother whispered, gently cleaning his dirty face. "Always."


    There was no shouting that night.


    No punishments or severe scolding.


    Just three people embracing under the light of the twelve moons, crying together while the mushrooms in Ren''s hair glowed softly, like fallen stars.


    And for the first time since the invocation ceremony, Ren understood something that no knowledge about beasts could have taught him: his parents'' love was stronger than any disappointment, deeper than any failure.


    It was unconditional.


    ????


    The walk back across the prairies was silent, interrupted only by his mother''s small, contained sobs as she held his hand.


    As if afraid he might disappear if she let go.


    At home, the feast they had prepared to celebrate his invocation was still on the table, now cold.


    His mother immediately began reheating it.


    "It''s not necessary," Ren began, but she was already in the kitchen.


    "You must be hungry," she insisted, wiping away tears while she worked. "You''ve been outside in the night so long..."


    To his own surprise, when the aroma of reheated stew filled the room, his stomach growled fiercely.


    He ate as if he hadn''t tasted food in days, each bite awakening a deeper hunger. His body seemed to cry out for energy, as if the transformation had awakened a voracious appetite.


    "I''m so sorry, son," his father broke the silence, his voice breaking. "If we weren''t so poor, if we had worked harder, if we could have gotten you a better egg..."


    "We shouldn''t have pressured you so much with our own worry," his mother added, serving another plate of stew that Ren immediately attacked. "You must have felt so..."


    "If something had happened to you," his father interrupted, "we... couldn''t... the sorrow would have..."


    "Don''t pressure him with emotional blackmail!" his mother scolded his father. "Can''t you see he''s suffered enough? Being alone in the forest so long, hiding from frogs in the mud..."


    She approached Ren, stroking his dirty hair tenderly. "Would you like a hot bath, darling?"


    "Forgive me," his father covered his face with his hands. "I''m useless. I couldn''t even get you a decent beast. But I promise... I''ll go to the forest myself. I''ll find a miracle medicine, something to replace that spore or to give you a second beast like in the legends. Anything for you, son. Don''t misunderstand me, I love you even if you only have that fungus, but for you I..."


    "No!"


    The vehemence in Ren''s voice surprised everyone, even himself. He stood from the table, fresh tears in his eyes.


    "Please, don''t say that. Don''t apologize. I... I was foolish." His voice trembled but was full of conviction. "This fungus... your gift... is the best gift in the world. I was stupid not to see it before."

 Chapter 13 - Taming Knowledge

    "No!"The vehemence in Ren''s voice surprised everyone, even himself. He stood from the table, fresh tears in his eyes.


    "Please, don''t say that. Don''t apologize. I... I was foolish." His voice trembled but was full of conviction. "That egg. This fungus... your gift... is the best gift in the world. I was stupid not to see it before."


    He bowed deeply to his parents, tears falling to the floor.


    "Forgive me for not thanking you properly. For all your sacrifices, for everything you''ve done for me. I... I will triumph at school and make you proud. I promise."


    The mushrooms in his hair glowed softly, as if nodding to his words.


    "We already are," his mother whispered, lifting him up and embracing him. "We always have been."


    His father joined the embrace, and for a moment, under the light of the nine moons filtering through the window, the small family remained united, stronger than ever.


    Ren smiled through his tears. He had much to tell them, much to explain. But for now, this was enough.


    He was home.


    ????


    In the bathtub, while hot water washed away the mud and spores from his skin, Ren reflected on his new knowledge.


    The mushrooms in his hair glowed softly, reflecting in the water like tiny stars.


    His parents'' plants... Now he could clearly see what had happened. The knowledge flowed in his mind like a perfectly detailed manual:


    Basic Plant Development:


    1 - Iron Rank: Provide 100 correct development points to rise in rank


    2 - If 1000 points accumulate without specific direction: premature maturation


    3 - Result: Weak Seedling Intermediate Maturation (only path available in Iron rank)


    His parents hadn''t had a choice.


    Without knowledge of evolution routes, without resources to buy proper cultivation techniques in their youth, their plants had accumulated development points randomly until reaching the limit.


    Once they reached 1000 points, maturation was inevitable.


    Unrealized Potential Paths:


    Bronze Rank.


    Bronze 1: Common Seedling


    Bronze 2: Strong Seedling


    Silver Rank.


    Silver 1: Weak Plant


    Silver 2: Common Plant


    Silver 3: Strong Plant


    The water cooled while Ren reviewed this information.


    It was fascinating and tragic at once. His parents had worked so hard, but without the correct knowledge, without understanding the evolution paths...


    Ren straightened in the bathtub.


    There were no paths left, but...


    There was an option.


    The knowledge unfolded in his mind, clear and precise:


    Thousand Days Method - True Plant Maturation


    The "mature plants" everyone knew were actually an intermediate state, a cocoon waiting to bloom.


    The true final result required:


    1 - 1000 specific development points


    2 - One point per day, without exception


    3 - A three-part ritual that must be performed with absolute precision


    The method was deceptively simple:


    1 - At dawn, the plant must absorb the energy of a common mana crystal drop (can find some on the surface after rains) until it completely dissolves. But it must be processed.This energy must mix with a drop of vital essence.


    2 - During midday, the crystal needs exactly 24 minutes of direct sunlight, not a minute more not a minute less.


    3 - At sunset, finally, the mixture must be "sealed" with golden pollen from Night Flowers, common plants that bloom in 10-day cycles.


    "It''s like daily medicine," Ren thought enthusiastically. "And the components are common enough to never run out."


    The key wasn''t in the components, but in precision and consistency. One failed day and the process had to restart from zero.


    Most people who had tried any cultivation with a new method would abandon it after a few months, convinced it wasn''t working.


    Additionally, at the end they had to seal all the accumulated power in the process with an expensive rune.


    In this case his parents would need a Vitality Rune for the last day.


    "Now I understand why nobody discovers this," murmured Ren. "Everyone knows effective cultivation methods last 150 days maximum. Some extend to six months, but..."


    The five-month perception was also a misinterpretation. In reality, all methods were only 100 days long, but people wasted time at the beginning trying to find the correct rhythm and getting the mana energy levels wrong.


    Not that he didn''t get why they used less mana every day than the most efficient amount¡­ Mana poisoning was scary.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly while he processed this information.


    It was strange to know so much, every beast¡­ sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Yet even if he could clearly see the evolution paths and cultivation methods up to Silver rank, beyond that... nothing.


    Everything related to Gold-rank beasts or higher was an absolute mystery.


    "Perhaps," he thought, "when my own spore evolves..."


    But that was a problem for another time. Now he had to find a way to convince his parents to try something that everyone "knew" was impossible.


    A thousand days. A daily mission. Three magical elements.


    No margin for error.


    And the result... A "truly mature" Iron plant could reach the strength of a Bronze 2 plant. It wouldn''t be as versatile as a plant that had naturally evolved to that rank, but its base power would be the same.


    Their extra vitality would rise from 40% to 100% and they would live longer too.


    He just needed to convince them to try it.


    For a thousand days.


    "It''s like cooking," he murmured, finding an analogy his parents would understand. "You can have the best ingredients, but without the correct recipe..."


    He sank deeper into the water, watching how the mushrooms in his reflection subtly changed color. There had to be a way to show them he wasn''t making up stories.


    To show them he really understood things no ten-year-old should know.


    But first, he needed to better understand his own powers. Information about other beasts flowed naturally in his mind, but there were limits. Nebulous frontiers where knowledge faded into uncertainty.


    "One step at a time," he whispered, remembering how his father always said that same thing when preparing a particularly complex dish.


    Water dripped from the mushrooms in his hair when he finally left the bath. In the foggy old mirror, his reflection stared back: a small, scrawny boy with red hair and green eyes, luminescent mushrooms in his hair.


    Nobody would believe that this child could be special.


    He would have to prove it.


    ????


    Ren awoke with the first light, the mushrooms in his hair glowing faintly.


    In 6 days he would leave for school for eight long years, but before leaving, he needed to make sure his parents began the ritual.


    He found them in the kitchen, preparing for another day of work. Their faces still showed marks from the previous night''s crying.


    "Mom, Dad," he called their attention, holding dozens of mana crystals he had found over the years in the garden. "Before I go to school, could you promise me something?"

 Chapter 14 - Taming the Thousand Days Method

    Ren awoke with the first light of dawn, the mushrooms in his hair glowing with a faint radiance.He had dreamed of evolution routes and paths of power, but among all that knowledge, one simple idea had crystallized.


    His parents were cooks.


    He dressed quickly and went down to the kitchen. As expected, his parents were already there, preparing the day''s bread.


    "Dad?" he called softly. "Can I ask you something about cooking?"


    His father turned, surprised.


    Ren had never shown much interest in the technical details of cooking, and though he always helped, he didn''t do it to learn.


    "When you make bread," Ren continued, "why do you let the dough rest for exactly twelve hours?"


    "Well," his father smiled, always happy to share his knowledge with his son, "that''s the time natural yeast needs to..." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And if someone told you that you only need two hours?"


    His father frowned. "It wouldn''t work the same. Fermentation needs..."


    "How do you know?"


    "Because I''ve tried it. All bakers have tried it. We look for shortcuts at first, but with time you learn that some processes simply need their time."


    Ren smiled. "And if someone told you you''re wasting your time? That twelve hours is too much, that nobody waits that long..."


    "Then," his father crossed his arms, "I''d show them two loaves: one with two hours of rest and one with twelve. The proof is in the result."


    "Even if everyone says you''re crazy for waiting so long?"


    A spark of understanding appeared in his father''s eyes.


    "This isn''t about bread, is it?"


    "Mom, Dad," Ren called their attention, holding hundreds of small mana crystals he had collected over the years. "Before I go to school, could you promise me something?"


    Mana crystals this small weren''t very valuable, you needed about 5 to buy a decent loaf of bread. But Ren was offering them around 500 (About 50 dollars before you feel the need to ask), a rather significant amount for a child.


    His parents exchanged glances.


    The kind of glances adults share when a child is about to say something that will break their hearts.


    "I found... I found a way to make your plants stronger," Ren continued, trying to sound confident despite the lump in his throat. "It''s a ritual that takes a thousand days, but..."


    "I promise," Ren said firmly, "that if you trust me and follow exactly what I tell you for a thousand days, your plants will reach the power of a Bronze rank 2 beast."


    "Son..." his father began skeptically.


    "Like bread Dad. The proof will be in the result."


    "Oh, darling," his mother knelt before him, her eyes moistening again.


    "I know it sounds impossible," Ren continued quickly. "But you only need to absorb this each day. With these mana crystals, and..."


    He understood what they were thinking, their little son, desperately trying to convince himself and them that everything would be alright, that his weak fungus and their mature plants didn''t mean a future of misery.


    "Please," he whispered. "Just... just promise me you''ll try it. For a thousand days."


    His father wiped tears with the back of his hand. "Son..."


    "Even if you don''t believe me. Even if you think it''s foolish. Just... just do it. Please."


    His parents looked at each other again, this time with a mixture of pain and love so deep that Ren felt his heart breaking.


    "Of course we''ll do it," his mother hugged him, her voice trembling. "Every day, without fail."


    "A thousand days," his father nodded, joining the embrace. "We promise."


    His father looked at one mana crystal, then at his plant.


    "What do we need to do?"


    Ren knew they were just playing along. That they thought this was his way of coping with the trauma of having the weakest beast, of having to leave for school where he would be mocked for years.


    But they had promised to try. They never had broken a promise with him.


    And for now, that was enough.


    ????


    The last six days had passed in a blur of detailed instructions and practices on how to process the crystal.


    His parents followed each step with a dedication that broke Ren''s heart, not because they believed it would work, but because they couldn''t bear to see the hope in their son''s eyes fade.


    Now Ren had 2 years to get them 2 vitality runes, he would have to pay about 20,000 crystals or find a way to¡­


    He would see how to achieve it; if the school was as they said, maybe it wouldn''t be so difficult... or maybe it would.


    Now, while packing his last belongings, Ren mentally reviewed the requirements for his own spore''s evolution.


    The components were significantly more demanding than the mana crystals and pollen his parents needed.


    Fortunately, the Imperial Academy of Cultivation and Evolution wasn''t just any school. It was one of the city''s three most prestigious institutions, if not the most prestigious, with extensive laboratories, thousands of specialized cultivation techniques, and, according to rumors, even ancient ruins on its grounds.


    "Do you have everything ready?" his mother asked from the door, holding a food package she had prepared for his journey.


    Ren nodded, unconsciously touching the Mantis core that was next to the plates and golden fungus in his bag.


    They hadn''t believed how he obtained these things, though they pretended to¡­ how could they believe something like that?


    The mushrooms in his hair glowed softly as he hugged his parents one last time.


    In a year, when he returned, their plants would have completed almost a third of the ritual. And in less than 3 years, though they didn''t believe it possible now, they would reach a power that would change their lives.


    He couldn''t wait to return for the second time and give them their runes as a gift.


    "Remember, don''t miss a single day," were his last words before boarding the carriage that would carry the new students.


    As the wheels began to turn, Ren took a deep breath.


    The coming years would be difficult; being the child with the weakest beast at one of the most prestigious academies wouldn''t be easy.


    But he had a plan. He had knowledge that no one else possessed. And most importantly, he had something to prove.


    The carriage moved away from the outskirts, heading toward the heart of the city, where the Imperial Academy''s spires rose like spears against the morning sky.


    It was time for the boy with the "useless" fungus to begin his true path to power.

 Chapter 15 - Taming Mockery

    As the carriage pulled away, Ren couldn''t help worrying about his parents.Though they wouldn''t tell him, Ren''s new knowledge had shown him subtle details in their bodies and invocations that were beginning to show signs of mana poisoning.


    His father particularly, that''s why he had fallen ill.


    Living in the outskirts for so many years...


    That poor house didn''t have a great location, but its land wasn''t small at all; they had sold it for about 500,000 crystals.


    The house they''d sold to pay for his education they would now have to rent, and with their mature Iron rank plants, they would barely earn enough in the kitchens to keep themselves fed.


    At sixty years old, they were already close to normal life expectancy. Only the base vitality their plants granted them guaranteed an additional thirty years, a precious gift, but not enough in Ren''s eyes.


    "If they complete the ritual," he murmured, "if their plants reach Bronze 2 power..."


    They wouldn''t just gain more strength and better job opportunities. The increased vitality would give them several additional decades of life. It would cure his father.


    Ren would see his parents only once a year, if he managed to gather money for the trip. About 100 crystals should be easy to get, or so he thought.


    What wouldn''t be easy would be getting the runes and materials necessary for his own evolution.


    But it didn''t matter, Ren wanted to excel in school and make them proud, maybe even become wealthy and buy them a house in the city. He knew his parents deserved it more than anyone.


    But everything in its time. He would have 2 years to achieve his first goal. 8 years for the second.


    Eight visits total before graduating. Eight opportunities to verify their progress with the ritual, to ensure they followed each step correctly.


    In the best case, by the third visit already...


    The carriage crossed through city streets, taking him further and further from the outskirts where his parents would begin another day of hard work, always believing they were following a meaningless ritual just to make their son happy.


    Ren''s fingers unconsciously traced the Mantis core in his bag, knowledge about his own spore flowing through his mind.


    But before he could contract it, he would need to turn it into an egg and evolve his fungus to Bronze rank.


    To evolve, he would need:


    1 - First, absorb the essence of death. Charge a Bronze-rank crystal with the moss that grows on discarded bodies of Bronze beasts.


    2 - Then, mix it with venomous spores from Bronze-rank fungi.


    3 - Finally, seal the process with the mold that forms on some magical runes when they absorb too much mana.


    He had to absorb those expensive processed crystals for 100 days before consuming the final piece.


    The piece for the final day was the golden fungus in his backpack.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly, as if responding to his thoughts about cultivation.


    "I''ll show them," whispered Ren, his mushrooms glowing with determination. "I''ll show them that their faith in me, even if pretended, wasn''t in vain."


    ????


    The carriage stopped to pick up more students in the commercial district.


    Ren sank into his seat, conscious of the glowing mushrooms in his hair. Before, he would have expelled his spore to hopefully avoid mockery, but now...


    The idea of losing that constant flow of knowledge, of returning to ignorance about beasts and their secrets, was unbearable.


    A group of three children boarded, their fused beasts already granting them cool visible changes: metallic claws, tiger markings, gleaming scales. They stopped when they saw him.


    "Oh, look who''s here," smiled the tallest, a boy with feline features thanks to his tiger beast. "The rotting boy."


    "Are those... glowing mushrooms on your head?" The group''s only girl wrinkled her nose. "Can''t you at least hide them? It''s disgusting."


    "Leave him," laughed the third, his green scales gleaming. "He probably can''t even control his beast properly. Isn''t that right, rotting-boy? Your spore is so weak it has to cling to your head to move."


    Laughter filled the carriage.


    Ren clenched his fists, knowledge flowing through his mind: the first boy''s spirit tiger would reach its limit at Bronze 1 rank, unable to evolve further due to a flaw in its core cultivation.


    Deriving his Spirit Tiger into a "mature" Earthly Tiger. Instead of reaching Greater Spectral Tiger at Silver 3.


    The girl''s beast, a Lesser Fire Eagle, had a defect in its mana absorption pattern that would limit its fire control and growth at Bronze 2.


    Deriving her Lesser Fire Eagle into a "mature" Red Eagle. Instead of reaching Greater Sun Eagle at Silver 3.


    And the third boy''s scales...


    But that knowledge was useless now.


    It only made it more painful, seeing the defects and limitations in their beast cultivation methods but being unable to say anything without seeming crazy. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "At least my mushrooms glow," he finally said, his voice firmer than expected. "Your spirit tiger has a cultivation defect that makes its fur opaque."


    Silence fell in the carriage. The tiger boy looked at him with both surprise and fury.


    "What did you say?"


    "Nothing," Ren turned back to the window. "Just that maybe you should worry more about your own beast than my mushrooms."


    "What do you know about cultivation, rotting-boy?" he growled, his feline features intensifying with anger. "Your pathetic spore doesn''t even have true development, doesn''t even qualify as a beast."


    Knowledge burned in Ren''s mind, tempting him to reveal more, to explain exactly how the tiger''s cultivation would affect its future evolution and show him how foolish he was. But he bit his tongue.


    "I''m just saying what I see," he murmured.


    "What you see?" The boy grabbed him by the shirt collar. "I''ll show you what I see, a weakling with mushrooms on his head who needs to be taught his place."


    His companions laughed, forming a circle around them. The carriage had suddenly become smaller, more suffocating.


    "Look, he''s even trembling," mocked the eagle girl. "Isn''t he adorable?"


    Ren wasn''t trembling from fear. He was trembling from frustration. He could see their beasts'' flaws so clearly: the irregular mana pattern in the eagle''s feathers, the instability in the other boy''s green scales.


    Useless knowledge when you''re about to be beaten.

 Chapter 16 - Taming Fists

    "Look, he''s even trembling," mocked the eagle girl. "Isn''t he adorable?"Ren wasn''t trembling from fear.


    He was trembling from frustration. He could see their beasts'' flaws so clearly: the irregular mana pattern in the eagle''s feathers, the instability in the other boy''s green scales.


    Useless knowledge when you''re about to be beaten.


    But maybe there was something useful in there after all.


    Knowledge flowed through Ren''s mind as the tiger boy maintained his grip: a spirit tiger at Iron rank granted 30% strength and 10% in all other attributes. At Silver 3 those numbers would multiply, 180% strength, 60% in the rest.


    The gap between beasts widened dramatically with each rank.


    But now, at Iron, the difference wasn''t so overwhelming.


    Ren himself, though thin after his latest growth spurt, had a healthy constitution thanks to good nutrition. He wasn''t from a rich family, but his parents always put him first and were cooks.


    His 10% increase in physical strength wasn''t insignificant when it came to moving his light body with ease.


    "What do you know about beasts, Rotting Boy?" the tiger boy raised his fist, his feline features accentuated by rage. "Your fungus isn''t even a real beast!"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed. A spirit tiger''s attack pattern always started the same way, a direct punch to the face.


    Ren could even understand the boy''s body positioning before the attack. So he pushed up against the hand holding his shirt.


    When the other hand cut through the air trying to punch where his head had been an instant before, Ren couldn''t help but smile.


    "Is that all?" he mocked, his heart pounding hard.


    The boy with green scales, who had been watching silently, narrowed his eyes. "It was just luck Jin. He''s just trying to provoke you."


    "Can''t even manage to hit the weakest one with your ''superior'' beast? Maybe mushrooms aren''t so pathetic after all."


    A tense silence fell over the group. It wasn''t just Jin who felt insulted now, everyone who had belittled Ren for his spore looked at him with growing fury.


    Was the rotting boy suggesting their beasts weren''t better than the miserable spore?


    "Shut up!" Jin finally roared, his wounded pride transforming into rage. "I''ll show you what a spirit tiger can do!"


    Ren moved by pure reflex, recognizing the pattern once again, his lighter body responding with agility that surprised even himself.


    "That''s enough!" The boy with green scales, who until then had only watched, activated his quick movement ability and put his foot behind Ren. Ren stumbled, losing his precarious balance.


    Ren noticed the attack patterns again.


    But knowledge only helped if you had time to use it.


    This time, there was no time to react. The fist connected with devastating force, Jin''s extra 30% translated into a pure impact.


    "Who''s pathetic now?" Jin growled, but his words sounded more like those of a hurt child than a real threat.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed weakly. All that knowledge, and still...


    The fist rose again. This time Jin was going to use his tiger''s real ability. That could seriously hurt Ren.


    "You''re going to learn to keep your mouth shut, Fungus..."


    The carriage door burst open, flooding the interior with bright light.


    The carriage had stopped and the driver opened the door for them to get out.


    "What''s going on here?"


    Jin''s fist stopped centimeters from Ren''s face.


    The driver warned them that fighting would cost them points if the teachers saw, but he didn''t do more than that.


    Though it was enough to prevent the worst. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    The group descended and the driver left, but before Ren could get away they surrounded him again.


    With nowhere to escape, the tiger boy grabbed his shirt and dragged him toward a hidden side of the building.


    "Now then, Rotting Boy," he smiled, his fangs gleaming. "No one''s going to interrupt us while we teach you something about respecting your superiors."


    His companions formed a circle, blocking any escape route. The mushrooms in Ren''s hair flickered nervously.


    He would have to use his knowledge to try to get out of this, maybe a good hit could help him escape, this Jin kid didn''t have a defensive beast so a punch would hurt him.


    The problem was the lizard boy.


    "Look how his little mushrooms are trembling again," mocked the eagle girl. "Are they as scared as he is?"


    Ren wasn''t trembling from fear still. He was trembling from excitement... Could he prove he wasn''t so far below them?


    The fist rose again.


    "I''m going to teach you why you shouldn''t stick your rotting nose in¡­"


    "Three against one?"


    The voice cut through the air like an ice knife. Luna Starweaver emerged from the shadows, her wolf materializing beside her like a nightmare made real. Her blue hair rippled with its own energy, and her blue eyes...


    The tiger boy dropped Ren as if he was too hot to touch.


    "We were just teaching the Rotting Boy some manners," he muttered, backing away.


    "Manners?" Luna arched an eyebrow. "Three beasts with Silver potential against the weakest of all. How... pathetic."


    "He started it," protested the eagle girl. "He said things about our beasts..."


    "And that makes you feel threatened?" Luna''s voice was soft but sharp. "A Silver-rank beast threatened by the weakest of all? That makes you sound more pathetic than him."


    The tiger boy straightened, trying to recover some dignity. "It''s not fair that you¡­"


    "That I what?" Luna took a step forward. "That I use my advantage against you? Like you were doing a moment ago? Would you feel good if I did?"


    The silence that followed made the hierarchy clear.


    "Get out of here," Luna ordered. "All of you."

 Chapter 17 - Taming the Entrance Ceremony

    "Get out," Luna ordered. "All of you." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality."This isn''t over, rotting-boy," Jin growled. "We''ll see you later."


    While the bullies fled from Luna, Ren gently touched the mushrooms in his hair. The knowledge they provided was worth every taunt, every threat.


    Though that didn''t make things easier.


    As the others hurried to obey, Luna looked at Ren for a moment. There was no sympathy in her gaze, only a kind of calculating curiosity.


    Or so Ren thought, still...


    "Thank you," Ren said when the others had left. "For helping me."


    Luna looked at him as if he were a particularly annoying equation she needed to solve.


    "I didn''t do it for you," her voice was cold, practical. "I did it because I dislike those who abuse their power. Three Silver beasts against the weakest of all..." she shook her head. "It''s pathetic."


    Her shadow wolf watched her with its bright eyes, tilting its head as she continued:


    "You''d do well to stay away from trouble. And frankly, you should consider keeping your spore separate from your body. Those mushrooms on your head only make you a more visible target."


    "I won''t," Ren''s response was immediate, firm. "My spore isn''t weak. And I''m going to prove it."


    Luna raised an eyebrow, studied him for a moment...


    "Interesting," she murmured, more to herself than to him.


    She remembered this boy from invocation day, how could she forget the only one with a gray egg among so many bright colors, almost all children of rich and powerful families.


    Luna hadn''t understood why someone who could only buy that type of egg was at this school. The terrible result was even more unexpected.


    He had been so visibly depressed that day, so defeated...


    But now there was something different about him.


    Not just the luminescent mushrooms in his hair, but something in his posture, in his eyes. He looked more... bright. And she didn''t mean the mushrooms on his head.


    "Delusion or courage?" she murmured, more to herself than to him. "Very interesting."


    She turned to leave, but paused for a moment.


    "We''ll see if that confidence of yours lasts at least the first year," she said over her shoulder, her wolf vanishing into the shadows along with her. "Though I doubt it."


    Ren watched her disappear before he could ask what was so ''interesting'', the mushrooms in his hair pulsing softly¡­ But he didn''t need her to believe in him.


    He didn''t need anyone to believe.


    Not yet.


    ????


    The Imperial Academy rose before him, its towers casting long shadows over the city.


    The Imperial Academy''s Great Hall was impressive. Marble columns veined with mana lines rose toward a vaulted ceiling where carved beasts seemed to move in the shadows.


    The new students gathered in orderly rows, their fused beasts creating a spectacle of colors and transformations.


    Except for Ren, of course. The mushrooms in his hair stood out like a ''gray'' stain amid so much ''brilliance''.


    Though he was the one who glowed... literally.


    "Welcome," the Director''s voice resonated through the hall.


    He was a tall, thin man, with a fused Gold beast, a royal phoenix whose golden feathers intertwined with his white hair. "To the most prestigious institution of beast cultivation and evolution."


    Ren watched fascinated. His new knowledge allowed him to see some of the phoenix''s mana patterns, the complexity of its evolution, though everything related to Gold-rank beast cultivation remained nebulous in his mind.


    "Over the next eight years, you will learn not only to strengthen your beasts, but to understand the very nature of the bond between tamer and creature. Some of you will reach Silver rank. A few, very few, might go beyond."


    His gaze paused briefly on Luna, whose shadow wolf had Gold potential. Then, almost imperceptibly, on Ren.


    "However," he continued, "rank isn''t everything. History is full of tamers who achieved the impossible with seemingly weak beasts. Everything depends on your dedication, your understanding, and above all, your willingness to see beyond the obvious."


    The whispers began immediately. Everyone knew it was a diplomatic lie, a way to console those who, like Ren, had bad luck in their invocation.


    Of course, to Ren the irony of the message sounded different.


    "The professors will assign your dormitories and schedules. Classes begin tomorrow at first light."


    The Director paused.


    "One last thing: at the Imperial Academy, we value individual progress, but also contribution to society. We don''t reward direct abuse based on beast rank, social levels depend on each other, so you''ll lose points for misbehavior but gain points for contributing. Everyone has potential... Don''t waste it."


    This time, his gaze clearly stopped on the group that had beaten and threatened Ren in the carriage. The tiger boy shifted uncomfortably.


    As the students began to disperse, Ren noticed something curious.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with a different rhythm near certain areas of the hall, as if responding to a powerful stimulus beneath the floor.


    Knowledge flowed through his mind: perhaps the Academy had indeed been built on ancient ruins. Ruins where...


    He might find the runes he needed without buying them if he was lucky.


    "All first-year students, this way!" A professor''s voice interrupted his thoughts. "It''s time to assign dormitories!"


    Ren followed the crowd, but his mind was already working. The Academy held more secrets than it appeared.


    And he had eight years to discover them.

 Chapter 18 - Taming the Gray Wing

    "Room 15 Gray Wing," announced the professor, a trace of pity in her voice as she handed Ren the key.The name was a cruel euphemism.


    It wasn''t really gray, it was where they sent students with "limited potential," though even there, Ren was a special case.


    He was truly the bearer of a failed gray egg. They hadn''t had one in decades. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The dormitory was spacious but austere, designed for four students.


    His roommates were already there: Min, a thin boy with a water snake; Taro, more robust, with a digger beetle; and Liu, tall and quiet, with a night bat.


    All Iron-rank beasts, yes, but at least they had evolution potential up to Bronze.


    Or that''s what everyone believed, but Ren could see their cultivation routes up to Silver 3 like all other beasts.


    "The mushroom boy," Min smiled when Ren entered. There was no malice in his voice, just a kind of resigned camaraderie. "I guess it makes sense they put us together."


    Ren dropped his bag on the last available bed, aware of the curious glances toward the mushrooms in his hair and the bruise on his eye.


    "Your spore... does it do anything besides glow?" asked Taro.


    Ren hesitated. After the incident in the carriage, he didn''t want to draw more attention to himself. "It gives a 10% increase to my strength," he said simply. "And it has something good... I don''t need lamps."


    More pitying looks.


    An uncomfortable silence followed his words. The others exchanged glances, the kind you give someone who won''t accept a painful truth.


    "Hey," Min tried to sound cheerful, "it''s not so bad. Liu''s bat has good perception," Taro added. "Not everything is about pure power."


    "You''re right, it''s not so bad," Liu said from his corner. "I''m a second-year student but I failed 2 units, that''s why I''m still in this dormitory. My first year here taught me that initial rank isn''t everything. My bat seemed useless at first, but with the right training..."


    While Liu shared advice about life in the Gray Wing, Ren observed his companions.


    He could clearly see how Min''s snake needed freshwater instead of saltwater in its crystals to develop its true potential, how Taro''s beetle needed to be fed processed crystals during a specific moon phase to advance along the correct path and not mature.


    Perhaps, he thought, when they knew each other better, when they trusted each other... he could share some of his knowledge.


    At least enough to help them.


    While unpacking, the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with that strange rhythm again. There was something under the Gray Wing, something ancient. Maybe being in the "worst" dormitory wasn''t so bad after all.


    Especially if what he sensed was correct, and the ancient ruins extended right beneath their feet.


    ????


    "Liu," Ren approached the second-year student after the others began organizing their things.


    "Where can I get discarded monster parts? You know, cores, beast remains, materials, Bronze crystals, and..."


    Liu stopped organizing his trunk and looked at Ren with both pity and amusement.


    "Straight to the point, huh?" he sighed. "Look, a few years ago, the Academy distributed resources equitably. Every student received what they needed to try evolving their beast, regardless of potential rank, to search for possible hidden cultivation paths."


    He sat on his bed, his night bat fluttering restlessly above his head.


    "But everything changed. Now it works on a merit system. You have to prove you''re worth investing in." Liu grimaced. "Basic support is miserable, barely enough for decent beasts to reach Bronze rank with great effort¡­ one measly crystal daily."


    "But I need those materials," Ren insisted. "Especially venomous fungi, Bronze parts, and runes with¡­"


    "Runes?" Liu let out a dry laugh. "Those are extremely expensive. They only give them to elite beasts, ones with real potential, and only for passing from Silver to Gold... The rest have to earn them with results." He looked at the mushrooms in Ren''s hair. "No offense, but nobody''s going to waste resources like that on a spore."


    "Why not?"


    "Because experiments with fungi always fail. Always. The school keeps records of every attempt. The best result was a mature fungus that gave a 20% strength increase, and it cost more resources than evolving three normal beasts to Silver."


    Ren clenched his fists. If Liu knew what he knew now, if he could explain the true evolution paths...


    "But there are other ways to get resources," Liu murmured.


    "There''s the teaching unit system," he continued. "If you manage to pass all five units this semester, they''ll promote you from Iron to Bronze 1. Instead of one crystal daily, you''d receive ten."


    "Ten times more?" Ren''s eyes widened.


    "At Silver 1 it would be a hundred," Liu gave a dry laugh. "But that''s not until fourth semester, and only if you pass the first three without failing any units." He looked at the mushrooms in Ren''s hair. "Though honestly, I doubt you''ll achieve much in the battle unit. And cultivation..." he shook his head.


    "What happens if I fail?"


    "Every three failed units you lose a point. If you lose three points..." Liu made a cutting gesture with his hand. "Goodbye to all support. The most you can do is try to pass three units and avoid getting expelled from the system."


    Ren nodded slowly, processing the information. The system was brutal but the rewards...


    "Listen," Liu leaned forward. "I''m telling you this because I like you and honestly feel a bit sorry for you. Don''t get your hopes up. Focus on surviving the eight years. Learn what you can. But don''t expect miracles."


    "If I were you," Liu lowered his voice, "I''d focus on recovering part of what tuition cost. The fees are high, but with enough work in the gathering zones you could get them to double your resources and recover at least a fifth part in the next 8 years."


    "Double? How does that work?" Ren asked.

 Chapter 19 - Taming the Gray Wing - Part 2

    "If I were you," Liu lowered his voice, "I''d focus on recovering part of what our tuition cost. The fees are high, but with enough work in the gathering zones you could get them to double your resources and recover at least a fifth part in the next 8 years.""Double? How does that work?" Ren asked.


    "Tomorrow they''ll come to check our belongings."


    Ren visibly tensed.


    "Relax," Liu smiled at his reaction. "It''s not what you think. They''ll just register the value of the stuff you brought with you."


    "Why?"


    "For what you just asked about. The Academy doubles the value of everything you get on your own in designated zones," Liu explained. "It''s through a government subsidy system."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair glowed with renewed interest.


    "Everything I get?"


    "Everything you obtain with your own hands, yes. Things from your parents or inherited wealth don''t count. Only what you gather or process here yourself. It''s like a performance scholarship, the better collector you are, the more support you receive. The King has always incentivized people who go out to gather stuff."


    "So if I find valuable materials..."


    "The Academy matches their value," Liu confirmed. "That''s why they record what you bring at the start, to know what you obtained afterward on your own."


    Liu lay back on his bed, his bat fluttering restlessly.


    "But like I said, don''t get your hopes up with that creature," he murmured.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed softly, as if responding to his growing determination.


    "What if you''re wrong?" he asked. "What if there''s more to spores than everyone believes?"


    Liu looked at him for a long moment.


    "Then," he said finally, "you''ll have to find a way to prove it. But I warn you, the Academy doesn''t waste resources on empty hopes and promises."


    ''They aren''t empty promises,'' thought Ren. ''I just need a chance to prove it.''


    And as that thought took shape, the mushrooms in his hair pulsed again, reminding him of the secret that lay beneath their feet.


    Perhaps there was a way to achieve both things: obtain the materials he needed and secure his place in the Academy.


    ???? sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Did you hear that?" Min flopped onto his bed, his water snake materializing like a blue ribbon around his neck. "They double what we find and... A hundred crystals daily at Silver! With that I could..."


    "Don''t get your hopes up," Taro muttered. "First you have to get there."


    "Oh, come on," Min smiled, turning toward Taro who was quietly organizing his things. "Don''t tell me you haven''t dreamed about it? Imagine what you could do with your beetle in the mines!"


    Taro just mumbled something inaudible and continued meticulously arranging his tools.


    "Min has a point," Ren intervened, noticing how Taro''s shoulders tensed whenever someone mentioned his beast. "Even beasts that everyone thinks are weak could..."


    "Exactly!" Min sat up suddenly, his snake undulating with enthusiasm. "My water snake is Iron-rank, but I can study a ton and break the mold like the director said. The point is we all have a chance, right?"


    He got up and walked to Taro, putting an arm around his shoulders.


    "Even Mr. Silent here! His digger beetle will be the sensation when it evolves, right Taro?"


    Taro blushed slightly, but a small smile appeared on his lips.


    "If it evolves," he murmured, but there was a touch of hope in his voice.


    "Of course it will!" Min turned to Ren. "And your spore... well, at least it glows pretty."


    "Min," Liu sighed from his bed, "stop bothering everyone and finish unpacking. Tomorrow''s the belongings check and your area looks like a disaster zone."


    "It''s an organized disaster!" Min protested, but started tidying anyway, his snake helping move things with its tail.


    Taro returned to his silent organizing, but Ren noticed his movements were more relaxed now. Min''s enthusiasm seemed to have that effect on people.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair glowed softly as he watched his roommates. Maybe the Gray Wing was perfect for him after all.


    ????


    That night, while his roommates slept, Ren reviewed his options in the darkness, the mushrooms in his hair providing a faint glow, dimmed to avoid disturbing his companions.


    Getting materials on his own would be difficult.


    Even knowing exactly what he needed, if they were as expensive as Liu said, obtaining them without Academy support could take years.


    "And meanwhile," he murmured to himself, "my parents will continue with the ritual day after day... Get their runes first and then..."


    No, he needed to be more efficient.


    The Academy had a merit system, and though everyone expected him to fail, that could play to his advantage. Nobody expected anything from a spore, so any progress, however small, would draw attention.


    If he could demonstrate even a fraction of his spore''s potential, if he could win even moderate Academy support with the systems Liu mentioned...


    "Limited resources are better than no resources," he whispered, remembering how his father always said that in the kitchen, even leftovers could become a feast if you knew how to use them.


    He would have to do both: meet the Academy''s expectations to gain some support, while searching on his own for the rest of what he needed and doubling it.


    It would be slower than having full access to resources, but faster than trying to do everything alone.


    The mushrooms pulsed softly, and Ren felt again that strange resonance with something under the dormitory.


    "One step at a time," he reminded himself. "First, prove this student is worth at least the support."


    Tomorrow will be the first classes. His first chance to show that the "Rotting Boy" might not be as useless as everyone thought.


    He closed his eyes, but his mind kept working, plotting plans, calculating possibilities. Eight years was a long time... if you knew exactly what to do with each day.

 Chapter 20 - Taming the First Class

    The classroom was circular, with seats arranged in ascending levels.Ren found himself in the same group as the tiger boy Jin and his friends, who shot threatening glances at him from a distance.


    Fortunately Taro, one of his roommates, was also there, though he had arrived late and sat on the other side of the classroom as there was no other place.


    Luna was there too, her shadow wolf barely visible as an ethereal silhouette beside her.


    "In this first semester," announced Professor Wei, a robust man with a Silver rank 2 manticore manifesting in silver patterns across his skin, "student groups are random. Afterward, you''ll be reorganized according to your performance, so pay attention if you don''t want to lose your place... I''ll begin the class."


    Ren observed the patterns on the professor''s skin. The manticore had been cultivated primarily with random daylight, there were details suggesting other unused techniques.


    Wei began drawing a diagram on the board.


    "The basic principles of cultivation have been studied for hundreds of years," Professor Wei began. "Every successful method follows three fundamental phases and has a proven maximum duration."


    He drew three circles on the board.


    "First, mana absorption. The beast must receive energy appropriate to its nature. Second, processing, how that energy is transformed in the crystal so the mana is suitable. And finally, fixation, how that power is stabilized and made permanent."


    Wei made a significant pause.


    "Something crucial you must understand: no effective cultivation method lasts more than six months. This is a fact proven through countless studies. The most common methods last 150 days, and although some charlatans propose longer processes, the evidence is clear, after six months, any cultivation attempt becomes inefficient or downright useless."


    Ren shifted uneasily in his seat. He knew why this perception was also wrong, all methods without exception were 100 days, but...


    "Luna Starweaver," Wei pointed. "Could you explain how these phases apply in practice?"


    "In practice," Luna stood, her shadow wolf manifesting in her like a dark silhouette with its own life, "first we must obtain the appropriate mana crystals. These are processed, in the case of shadow beasts like mine, under moonlight. Then they''re sealed with specific techniques before the beast can absorb them."


    "Correct," Wei nodded. "The type of crystal, the processing method, in your case moonlight, and the sealing determine the final effectiveness when the beast absorbs it and lead it to the correct path of its potential."


    "Excuse me, professor," Ren couldn''t contain himself. "But that''s not entirely accurate. About crystal processing..."


    Silence fell like a slab. Even the tiger boy seemed to forget his hostility, too surprised by the ''Rotting Boy''s'' audacity.


    "Oh?" Wei turned slowly and looked at him with evident annoyance. "The student with the spore has something to contribute about cultivation?"


    Contained laughter.


    "Mana crystals must be processed differently than broad cases like ''moonlight'', they need to be more specific. For example, Luna''s wolf crystals shouldn''t just be at night, but on a night with 7 moons. Another example would be your manticore, which could have benefited from crystals processed under the first light of dawn, it would have reached Silver 3 instead of..."


    "Enough," Wei cut him off. "I see we have another ''expert'' who thinks he knows more than generations of research. Young man, I studied for thirty years before cultivating this manticore. We reached Silver rank 2 following methods proven by generations. To suggest that..."


    Wei straightened, his golden patterns glowing with irritation.


    "Five points less for the student... what''s your name?"


    "Ren Patinder, sir."


    More laughter, now open.


    "Not that it matters much," Wei smiled maliciously. "I doubt a spore will obtain many resources from the Academy anyway."


    "But..."


    "Enough," Wei cut him off again. "I understand some students try to compensate for their... limitations with extravagant theories. But in this class, we''ll stick to proven methods..."


    "The texts have been proven by generations," Wei frowned. "To suggest they''re wrong based on... what exactly? Readings in a story?"


    Laughter filled the classroom. The tiger boy and his friends practically glowed with satisfaction.


    Luna, however, watched the scene with intense interest.


    Ren clenched his fists under his desk. Not only had he lost points he didn''t even have yet, he could lose the opportunity to gain the support he so desperately needed.


    Reaching 100 points in this class by the end of the semester would now be a bit more difficult.


    I need a way to prove I''m right, he thought while the mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly. Something irrefutable. Something not even Professor Wei can deny.


    The answer had to be somewhere. And he had to find it before his opportunity to obtain resources vanished completely.


    Ren sank in his seat. He hadn''t expected wrong knowledge to be so deeply rooted. How could he prove he was right when everything they knew contradicted the truth?


    "Let''s continue," Wei returned to the board. "As I was saying, basic cultivation follows simple rules..."


    This was going to be harder than Ren thought. S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The rest of the class was torture. Every time Wei asked a question, he deliberately ignored Ren''s raised hand. When he finally did call on him, it was only to say:


    "See, this is how you answer, with established facts, not absurd theories."


    ????


    "As we can see in historical records," Wei continued, pointing to Taro, "the digger beetle is a classic example of a beast with mediocre natural limits. None has surpassed Bronze rank in the more than 500 years we have of species documentation."


    Ren saw how Taro''s shoulders slumped. His roommate had a ton of books, he seemed to have been studying cultivation methods at home, hoping to find some exception.


    He had thought about telling him what he knew but decided to wait until he knew him better. However, now...


    Ren straightened in his seat. This was his opportunity.

 Chapter 21 - Taming the Bet

    Ren straightened in his seat. This was his opportunity.His classmate''s beetle was perfect, a beast common enough that everyone knew its supposed limit, but with hidden potential that could manifest quickly with the correct method. If he could demonstrate visible results in a few months...


    He would have more than enough time to achieve it within the semester.


    "Of course," he murmured to himself, "first I''d have to convince the owner to try it."


    And that was the real challenge. Who would trust the boy with the useless spore? Who would risk their beast''s cultivation following the "Rotting Boy''s" advice?


    Still... Did he have another choice?


    "That''s not true," Ren stood up. "The digger beetle can reach Silver rank 3 like any other beast."


    Laughter erupted.


    Wei looked at him as if he were a particularly annoying fly.


    "First he questions established methods, and now he contradicts historical records. Another five points less, Mr. Patinder."


    "The records you mention about beetle cultivation," Ren continued, ignoring the laughter, "only have one error: the timing of processing. If we process the crystals following the correct specific method..."


    "More theories about strange specific timings? The exceptions to such ridiculous theories have never been successfully replicated," Wei smiled disdainfully. "According to your... expert opinion, what would happen if we follow the documented method but change only that detail?"


    "The beetle won''t evolve into a Greater Excavator at Bronze as your texts say. It will become a Living Tunnel instead."


    Silence fell in the classroom. Taro looked at Ren with hope and confusion.


    "A very specific prediction," Wei leaned forward. "What if we put it to the test? If you''re so sure, let''s make a real bet: if you''re right, I''ll give you one Bronze-rank material, whatever you want regardless of cost, and 100 points from my teaching unit in my 2 classes. To give you even more time for your ''wonderful'' demonstration, don''t even bother coming anymore..."


    "...Since you''re sooo knowledgeable, you won''t need my advice in class. You''ll thus be able to pass the other classes more ''easily'' and obtain Bronze 1 support instead of Iron, assuming you pass the exams of all 5 units of course, BUT. If you''re wrong..." he smiled maliciously, "if you don''t demonstrate the exact beetle species you predicted, I get your full tuition and you lose all school support."


    "Professor," Taro intervened, "my beetle..."


    "It''s your decision, of course," Wei continued. "But I warn you: following Mr. Patinder''s theories, if they stray too far from the common method, only guarantees your beast will end up at mature Iron rank. Are you willing to risk your progress for the fantasies of someone who can''t even evolve his own spore?"


    Ren looked at Taro, seeing the conflict in his eyes. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was a lot to ask, risking his beast''s future on the word of a roommate he barely knew.


    "Don''t worry Taro, we''ll follow exactly the documented method, changing only one specific moment of processing, it will be at night as the professor''s literature says."


    Taro thought for a moment and then nodded¡­


    There was no turning back now.


    "I accept the bet," Ren said firmly. "If the beetle evolves into anything other than a Living Tunnel, you win."


    Wei studied Ren for a moment, as if evaluating whether the boy was really as foolish as he seemed.


    "Deal."


    ????


    As they left the classroom, the tiger boy''s group''s laughter echoed through the hallway.


    "Hey, Rotting Boy!" one of them shouted. "Are you practicing begging already? You''ll need it when you lose your tuition!"


    Taro waited until they were gone before turning to Ren.


    "Hey," he said quietly, "I know you were trying to help, but... I think this joke went too far. You should talk to Professor Wei and apologize. Maybe if you explain you were just..."


    "It wasn''t a joke," Ren interrupted, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing softly. "I can help you have a better life, Taro. Your beetle has real potential."


    "Look, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but my mother got me the books as soon as I invoked this thing..." Taro shook his head. "The records are clear. In 500 years, no digger beetle has surpassed Bronze rank. And now, because of me, you could lose everything..."


    "We''re only going to change one thing," Ren insisted. "The rest will be exactly like the documented method. There''s not as much risk for me as you think. I have an ace up my sleeve. There''s no risk for you. Just play along, okay?"


    Taro hesitated.


    He had already bought 100 crystals and hadn''t yet mixed them with the night essence, waiting to gather the 150 he would need for the complete method.


    "Though I''m lucky it''s not a full 180-day method, it''s still expensive," he muttered, more to himself than to Ren. "And getting 150 crystals is already quite expensive... those extra 50 crystals will be hard to get within the school."


    "The 100 you have will be more than enough," Ren smiled. "We just need to wait for a specific night that''s coming in a few days."


    Taro looked at Ren for a long moment. The mushrooms in his hair glowed with a steady light, as if reflecting the certainty in his words.


    "You know what?" Taro finally smiled. "I hadn''t started the mixture with the night essence anyway. I was waiting to have all the crystals to do it at once."


    He shrugged.


    "I guess I won''t lose anything by trying. If you''re wrong, I''ll still have time to get the other 50 crystals. After using 100 for 100 days, I''m sure I''ll have the rest ready just in case."


    "You won''t need them," Ren smiled. "I promise."


    As they walked to their next class, Ren couldn''t help but notice how the mushrooms in his hair pulsed more strongly near certain walls. The ruins beneath the Academy were calling, but that would have to wait.


    First, he had to prove that the "Rotting Boy" knew exactly what he was talking about.

 Chapter 22 - Taming Battle

    "You won''t need them," Ren smiled. "I promise.""With the 100 crystals you have it will be more than enough if we overcharge them. The error in the extra 50 days is in the reduced amount of mana in the night crystal, the beetle adapts to the error late, 50 days late..."


    "...Though I understand why they don''t use larger crystals, mana poisoning is scary, but I hope you''ll let me slightly increase the amount," Ren smiled.


    "We just need to wait for a specific night that''s coming in a few days so they don''t absorb the wrong moons'' light and the evolution doesn''t stray from the correct path."


    Taro looked at Ren for a long moment. The mushrooms in his hair glowed with a steady light, as if reflecting the certainty in his words.


    Could he believe this child with such terrible luck? Actually, his logic told him no. But subconsciously, Ren''s overwhelming confidence gave him tiny hopes.


    "You know what?" Taro finally smiled. "I hadn''t started the mixture with the night essence anyway. I was waiting to have all the crystals to do it at once, so..."


    He shrugged.


    "I guess I lose nothing by doing it your way, 500-year of records won''t change to give my beetle another option if the professor was so sure there wasn''t... And if you''re wrong about the amount when overcharging the crystal, the school will give me the potion for poisoning once¡­ at least that support is universal."


    "I''m telling you, you won''t need any of that," Ren repeated and laughed at Taro''s worried monologue.


    "Yes, yes... But if you''re wrong, nothing will happen to me anyway, that''s why I''m calm, and I''d still have time to collect the other 50 crystals to finish the common method, though we''ll have to dig... They''ll only give us one Iron-rank crystal daily and it''s not an earth attribute... Though after using 100 for 100 days, I''m sure I''ll already have another 50 just in case."


    "Hahaha, you talk and worry too much..."


    As they walked to their next class, Ren noticed something.


    "By the way, why didn''t you collect rain crystals? They''re cheaper but you could have exchanged them; I had 500 before coming... I even got 15 in the last few weeks thanks to the rains."


    "In the city?" Taro laughed without humor. "It''s almost impossible to find them here. Besides, my beetle needs earth crystals, which are much more expensive. Plant users are lucky, they can use that basic and super cheap crystal in their first rank."


    Ren nodded, thoughtful. He would also need earth crystals for his evolution, though of a higher rank than Taro''s...


    As they walked toward combat class, Ren and Taro met Min in the hallway.


    "Did you hear?" Min smiled, his water snake undulating around his neck. "Professor Yang has a Stone Behemoth. A Behemoth! There are only three in the whole city."


    Ren, Min, and Taro had reached the end of the hallway, to the next class.


    ????


    The combat classroom was different from the others...


    A circular amphitheater with an arena in the center, surrounded by ascending stands. The walls were marked with scars from past battles.


    "Silence!" Professor Yang''s voice thundered in the amphitheater. He was a tall, muscular man, with scars that spoke of years of real experience.


    The stone Behemoth in Professor Yang''s skin gleamed under the amphitheater lights. The rocky lines covering his muscles made him look carved from living granite, a perfect manifestation for a combat instructor.


    "Welcome to the real reason the government has you in school!" Professor Yang smiled.


    "Though before we begin with the important stuff," Yang approached the board, "I see in your faces that no one has explained how this school really works. Typical of old Wei."


    "Since... my colleague was probably too busy with theories to explain the basics to you, let me simplify your five teaching units."


    He drew five circles on the board.


    "The Academy divides its teaching into five units. Each is worth one point, and you need at least three to maintain your support here. Losing three points, three times in a row, means you''re a failure not worth cultivating."


    He pointed to the first circle.


    "First, basic knowledge: history, economics, and life. Three boring but necessary subjects, without them you wouldn''t even know how to pay your taxes." Several students laughed. "Passing all three counts as one unit."


    Several students were taking notes frantically.


    He pointed to the second section.


    "Then there''s Professor Wei''s theoretical classes: cultivation and crystal processing. Another unit. Yes, they''re important," he rolled his eyes, "but theory alone won''t keep you alive."


    His tone suggested he considered this barely more useful than the basic classes.


    "The third unit is exterior gathering, where you''ll learn something useful. They''ll teach you to survive while searching for cultivation materials. Two weeks every two months, we''ll go to designated zones. You''ll learn to identify materials, detect monsters, and most importantly... when to fight and when to flee."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair glowed with interest as Yang continued:


    "Fourth unit: practical crystals. Not endless theories, but real identification and gathering in the caves. Also a respectable unit. You''ll learn to distinguish qualities, purity, and most importantly... not to poison yourselves too often by exposing yourself too much to concentrated mana."


    He straightened.


    "And finally... Combat. My specialty is battle against monsters."


    A young woman entered the classroom, her light step contrasting with Yang''s imposing presence.


    "My assistant, Professor Lin, is expert in combat against other tamers."


    His eyes swept the class.


    "And do you know why this is the most important unit? Because no matter how much theory you memorize, how many crystals you identify or how many materials you collect... if you can''t defend yourself, all that knowledge will die with you."


    The rock in his skin crackled, as if emphasizing his words.


    "Outside, monsters won''t wait for you to process your crystals correctly. And in the rival city... Some ''humans'' can be just as dangerous."


    Ren sank a bit in his seat. With only a 10% increase in strength, this unit would be a brutal unit.


    "This class," his voice was rough as the stone covering him, "will determine your baseline."


    He walked to the center of the arena.


    "The final exam is simple: you''ll have to eliminate a real monster. Not one of those weak ones that prowl near the city, but a genuine beast from the outer zones."


    Murmurs filled the amphitheater.


    "That''s why I need to know where you stand. Professor Lin and I will design a specific training program for each of you, based on your performance today."


    Professor Lin began unrolling a scroll. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We''ll pair you according to your beasts and attributes. The goal is to show your current capabilities."


    Yang nodded.


    "Some of you have strength increases, others speed. Some have beasts with special abilities. But now, before cultivating them is when your individualities as people can matter more than your beasts. We want to see how you use them, how you think in combat..."


    "Ah, and one more thing," Yang smiled. "In my class, theory is learned through bruises."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed nervously. His 10% increase in strength seemed insignificant compared to his classmates'' beasts. Even in the early stages.


    "First pair," Lin read from the scroll, "Jin and..."


    The tiger boy straightened, his eyes fixed on Ren, waiting for his opportunity.

 Chapter 23 - Taming Battle - 2

    "First pair," Lin read from the scroll, "Jin and..."The tiger boy straightened, his eyes fixed on Ren, waiting for his opportunity like a predator spotting wounded prey.


    "...Taro."


    Ren could see the disappointment flash across Jin''s face. The tiger boy had been hoping for a different prey.


    However, as he watched both students descend to the arena, the mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed softly, revealing the patterns of both beasts with startling clarity. Knowledge flowed through his mind like a crystal-clear stream.


    The spirit tiger versus the digger beetle, it would be an interesting combination for Ren to study. Each beast''s strengths and weaknesses became apparent to him, like reading an intricate map of their capabilities.


    ''The digger beetle has a natural ability,'' Ren thought, the information unfolding in his mind. ''Earth Shield, a mana layer that reinforces the exoskeleton using earth energy. And the tiger... its spirit claws follow a pattern of five strikes before needing to recharge energy.''


    The knowledge felt both foreign and familiar, like remembering something he''d always known but never realized.


    "Enter the circle," Yang ordered, his voice echoing in the amphitheater. "Show us what you can do."


    Taro descended nervously into the arena, his digger beetle fusing with him and manifesting as a brown exoskeleton that covered his skin like living armor.


    Jin followed with a predatory smile, tiger markings becoming more pronounced on his face, his movements fluid and confident.


    "Begin."


    Jin attacked immediately, his movements flowing like water. Taro instinctively activated his Earth Shield, his exoskeleton glowing with a deep brown hue. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jin''s fists, enhanced by the spirit tiger''s 30% strength bonus, hammered against Taro''s exoskeleton. The impacts resonated through the amphitheater like war drums, but barely left marks on the beetle''s defense.


    "Not bad," Jin smiled, backing away with predatory grace. "But how about this?"


    His eyes blazed with golden light as the spirit tiger manifested its fangs, covering Jin''s fists with ethereal energy that seemed to bend the very air around them.


    "Spiritual Fang," Ren murmured, recognizing the tiger''s basic technique, seeing the intricate patterns of mana that made it possible.


    The next blow partially penetrated Taro''s defenses, drawing a cry of pain that echoed in the arena. The spiritual energy had found a weakness in the physical armor, exploiting it with cruel efficiency.


    "What''s wrong, cockroach? Only know how to hide?"


    The exoskeleton had held, but the spirit energy had penetrated like water through stone. Each new blow seemed to find another crack in the seemingly impervious defense.


    "Counter-attack!" Yang shouted from the sidelines, his voice carrying an annoyed tone. "The best defense is worthless if you never strike back!"


    But Taro only retreated, protecting himself with his arms in an increasingly desperate defense. Each new ''Spiritual Fang'' found a different weak point in his armor, like a predator testing its prey''s defenses.


    ''The problem isn''t the defense,'' Ren observed, seeing the pattern with perfect clarity. ''It''s that Taro isn''t using the shield''s rebound to counter-attack. Each time he absorbs a blow, he could...''


    After the fifth spirit strike, Jin had to pull back momentarily to recharge. It was just an instant, but Ren saw the opportunity Taro was missing, a perfect moment for a counterattack that never came.


    The fight continued with the same pattern until the Earth Shield finally gave way before a last Spiritual Fang, cracking like ancient pottery under too much pressure.


    "Pathetic," Jin taunted between blows, his confidence growing with each successful strike. "Is this the level of the rotting boy''s friends? I guess trash attracts trash."


    The fight ended shortly after, with Taro on the ground and Jin barely winded, his tiger markings still glowing with unused power.


    "Enough," Yang declared, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.


    "Jin, good attack rhythm, though you need to manage your spirit energy better. Taro, your Earth Shield is solid, but you wasted every counter-attack opportunity. Perfect defense is useless if you don''t learn to turn it into offense. In a real fight, passivity will kill you."


    "A win is a win," Jin smiled as he climbed the stands, satisfaction radiating from every movement.


    As he passed by Ren, he added in a low voice, "Tell your friend to find better company next time. Though I guess cockroaches understand each other, but... practicing with a rotting boy will only make him weaker."


    Ren clenched his fists, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing softly. He could see clearly now the spirit tiger''s attack patterns, its limitations, its weak points... But that knowledge would have to wait for a different time to be used.


    The matches continued, each pair showcasing different styles and abilities. Min used his water snake with surprising creativity, though he lost to a boy with an earth bear.


    "Ren," Lin finally called, though she winced at the pairing she read.


    Ren stood up, acutely aware of every eye in the amphitheater turning to him.


    "Against Kai."


    The boy with green scales smiled predatorily, his scales gleaming under the lights as he stood. It was the same one who had tripped him earlier, his confidence evident in every movement.


    "The Rotting Boy against Kai?" Jin laughed from his seat, voice dripping with mockery. "What a waste. I could have crushed him faster."


    "On the contrary," interrupted Cass, the eagle girl, her eyes sharp with interest. "Kai''s stone scales are perfect for this. I want to see how the rotting one handles an opponent practically immune to his level of strength."


    Ren swallowed hard. The stone scales granted natural protection, his blows, even with the 10% increase, would barely be mosquito bites against such defense.


    As he descended toward the arena, the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with knowledge: the scales had a specific pattern, zones where the protection was weaker, but even so...


    "Scared, Rotting Boy?" Kai flexed his arms covered in green scales, each one catching the light like polished jade. "You should be."


    This wouldn''t be a normal fight, it would be a demonstration of just how useless the weakest beast really was against a proper defense.


    Or at least, that''s what everyone expected to see. Whispers about the unfairness and how easy it would be for Kai began to circulate through the stands.


    "It''s not fair!" someone complained through laughter. "It won''t even be fun to watch!"


    "What did you expect?" someone murmured. "With that pathetic 10% increase..."


    "His mushrooms could glow brighter," suggested another, prompting more laughter.


    "The pairings were random," Lin announced firmly. "So I don''t want to hear anyone complaining about favoritism."


    Professor Yang nodded, the stone lines in his skin gleaming. "Though with some," his gaze lingered on Ren, "it doesn''t really matter who they fight."


    The laughter was immediate and cruel.


    "Finish him quickly, Kai!" Jin shouted from the stands. "So we can move on to the real fights!"


    Yang watched with bored indifference. It was obvious he considered this a waste of time, what could the weakest beast do against stone scales? And he knew a lot about stone defense.


    Lin, on the other hand... seemed a bit more interested.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed as he analyzed Kai''s scales, seeking any pattern, any weakness he could exploit.


    "Begin!" Yang ordered.

 Chapter 24 - Taming Battle - Part 3

    "Begin!" Yang ordered.Kai launched forward, confident.


    Why wouldn''t he be?


    His stone lizard''s scales not only increased his resistance and protected him, but his beast also enhanced his other attributes, including strength by 20%.


    Ren dodged the first blow, but not through skill.


    Despite Kai being faster, knowledge showed him how the scales limited certain movements. Kai couldn''t raise his right arm beyond a certain angle without exposing a weak point between his ribs.


    "Stop running, Rotting Boy!"


    "The scales on your right arm," Ren spoke while backing away, "doesn''t it bother you how they limit your movement?"


    Kai stopped for a fraction of a second, surprised. That moment of doubt cost him, his next blow was slower, more self-conscious.


    "Shut up!"


    "It''s because of the growth pattern," Ren continued, dodging another blow. "Scales from other beasts follow the natural muscle line, but in your case..."


    "I said shut up!"


    Kai attacked with more force, but now his movements were less fluid. The doubt had been planted, he was thinking about his own scales, about the small rigidities he had always ignored.


    The mushrooms glowed more intensely. The knowledge showed more: how the green scales indicated a minor deviation in cultivation, how this affected their distribution...


    "Your scales should be almost blue," Ren dodged another blow. "The green means they absorb too much earth mana. That''s why they''re denser on your right side."


    "You know nothing!" Kai roared, but his voice betrayed uncertainty.


    In the stands, silence had replaced laughter. Even Yang was watching more intently.


    "Excess earth mana makes the scales grow irregularly," Ren continued while moving. "It''s subtle, but your right side is heavier. That''s why you always turn left when you attack."


    The next time Kai attacked, everyone could see it, the slight imbalance in his turn, the way he unconsciously compensated for the extra weight on his right side.


    "SHUT UP!"


    Rage made Kai commit the mistake Ren was waiting for. He lunged forward with all his might, turning left as he always did.


    Ren didn''t dodge this time.


    At the last moment, when Kai was fully committed to his attack, Ren stepped forward.


    His hands found Kai''s arm at the exact angle where the scales couldn''t protect the joint. A precise pull, using Kai''s own weight...


    The scaled boy fell heavily to the ground.


    "Impossible!" Jin rose from his seat. "How could the Rotting Boy..."


    The whispers and laughter that had accompanied the fight''s beginning had transformed into tense silence.


    No one expected the mushroom boy to even touch Kai, much less throw him down.


    Humiliation was reflected in the faces of those who moments before had been mocking him, especially in Jin''s group.


    Kai rose slowly, his green scales gleaming with a threatening glow. The amusement had vanished from his face, replaced by cold fury. One thing was playing with the Rotting Boy, but being thrown down by him in front of the whole class...


    The atmosphere in the amphitheater had changed. It was no longer a comic spectacle, now there was real tension.


    Even Professor Yang had leaned forward in his seat, his expression of boredom replaced by genuine interest. Lin and Luna showing even more interest.


    The way Kai clenched his fists, how the scales on his neck bristled... everyone could see the game was over. The Rotting Boy had made the mistake of humiliating him, and now he would pay for it.


    "Damn you...!" Kai stood up, his scales glowing more intensely. "Speed Mode!"


    The scales on his legs changed pattern, channeling more mana. Suddenly, Kai was 50% faster.


    The next minute was a nightmare for Ren.


    Kai''s first blow was brutal.


    Ren could barely raise his arms to block, and even then the impact made him stumble back several steps.


    "Is that all?" Kai smiled, advancing. "The great beast expert can''t even stay standing?"


    Trying to dodge the next blow was useless, Kai was now much faster. The scales on his legs gleamed as he moved, and this time the impact connected directly with Ren''s stomach.


    The air left his lungs. The mushrooms in his hair flickered erratically as he fell to his knees.


    "Get up, Rotting Boy!" Jin shouted from the stands. "The fun''s just starting!"


    Ren stood up slowly, knowledge flowing through the pain.


    Another blow caught him, this time in the shoulder. Kai was relentless.


    Each impact resonated in his bones, each blow finding a new point of pain.


    "Stop the fight!" Taro shouted. "He''ll kill him!"


    But the mushrooms in Ren''s hair glowed more intensely with each blow. The knowledge flowed faster now: speed mode diverted mana to the legs, leaving other points exposed...


    Yang stepped forward. "This is enough..."


    "Wait," Lin stopped him, her eyes fixed on Ren.


    "Your scales..." Ren spat a bit of blood and saliva, "are absorbing... the wrong type of mana."


    "Learn to shut up, damn it!"


    "That''s why... that''s why speed mode destabilizes you." S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kai stopped for an instant, his green scales glowing erratically.


    "The scales should be blue," Ren continued, barely staying on his feet. "The faster you move..."


    "PLEASE SHUT UP OR¡­!"


    Kai lunged forward with all his enhanced speed, his scales gleaming like a green star.


    "Ren!" Taro shouted.


    But again... Ren didn''t dodge.


    At the last second, Ren stepped to the left. His fist, guided by precise knowledge, found the exact point where the mana lines crossed incorrectly.


    It wasn''t a powerful blow, the 10% increase barely made him stronger than a normal child.


    But it didn''t need to be.


    Kai''s scales, overcharged with the wrong mana and strained to the maximum by speed mode, resonated with the impact. The energy pattern, already unstable, collapsed.


    All the green scales went dark at once.


    Kai fell to the ground, gasping. His scales, now matte and lusterless, looked like mere patches on his skin.


    The silence in the amphitheater was absolute.


    "Impossible..." Yang stepped forward. "Stone scales with a simple..."


    "Speed mode," Ren staggered, barely conscious, "forces too much mana through the wrong pattern. One hit in the precise point and..."


    He couldn''t finish. His knees gave way and the world went black.


    The last thing he heard was Professor Yang''s voice:


    "Take Patinder to the infirmary."

 Chapter 25 - Taming Lin

    Ren woke up in the infirmary.The pain in his body reminded him of each of Kai''s blows, the mushrooms in his hair glowed erratically.


    "Finally awake."


    Professor Lin was sitting beside his bed, a mischievous smile on her lips as she sipped tea.


    "You know? It''s the first time I''ve seen someone win a fight while looking so adorably pathetic," she laughed, her eyes sparkling with amusement.


    "Your form is terrible, darling. Your endurance..." she clicked her tongue, "well, let''s say any novice with any other beast would have more stamina, and your technique..." she shook her head.


    "Practically nonexistent."


    Ren tried to sit up, every muscle protesting.


    "Ah, ah," Lin gently pushed him back to the bed. "Boys who let themselves be used as training dummies need to rest a bit while listening."


    "I didn''t let..."


    "No?" she arched an eyebrow, amused. "Oh, sorry. I suppose your face and body heroically stopped all those blows on purpose."


    Despite the pain, Ren couldn''t help blushing.


    "But..." Lin leaned forward, her smile becoming softer, "your combat reading was fascinating. The way you analyzed Kai''s scales, how you found the weak point in his mana pattern... That was extraordinary."


    "Why are you here, professor?"


    "Can''t I visit my new favorite student?"


    "Your... what?"


    "I want to train you personally."


    Ren blinked, sure he had heard wrong.


    "Train me? But..." he looked at the mushrooms in his hair reflected in the window. "I have the weakest beast. Even if I improve my technique, my limit is..."


    "And?" Lin smiled, but there was something bitter in her expression. "Let me show you something."


    Lin rolled up her sleeve with a theatrical flourish. "Look at this."


    On her arm, white and red feathers gleamed under the light. A swift crane manifested in her skin, its wings forming elegant patterns that ran up to her shoulder.


    "A swift crane," Ren observed, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with knowledge. "But the feather pattern..."


    Lin traced the feathers with a finger.


    "Most cranes can reach Silver easily. They''re creatures naturally gifted for cultivation, with a clear path to higher ranks."


    She sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes lost in the feather patterns.


    "Mine was especially promising thanks to my family''s resources. The professors said it had potential for Silver 2, maybe even..."


    "Well¡­ Pretty impressive, right? Or it was, until this fool," she pointed to herself, "ruined her cultivation through impatience."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed as he analyzed. The pattern clearly showed where the cultivation had deviated.


    "Now it''s permanently at Bronze 1 having reached maturity," Lin continued, pinching Ren''s cheek. "So let''s say I have a weakness for special cases."


    "Why me?" S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Because..." she leaned in so close their noses almost touched, "I saw a little genius today. Sure, a genius who desperately needs physical training, but..." she winked, "that can be fixed."


    Ren saw a flash of pity in her eyes, though she hid it well behind her playful attitude. And she was right, even a mature beast, ruined at Bronze 1, was infinitely superior to his spore.


    At least in others'' perception, since he knew the truth... However, Ren could certainly use some extra training...


    "So, what do you say?" Lin ruffled his hair, making the mushrooms glow. "Will you let this ruined assistant professor train the weakest student?"


    The mushrooms glowed as Ren considered her offer. The knowledge showed him that Lin''s swift crane could have been extraordinary... and that it wasn''t completely lost yet.


    "I accept," he said finally. "But..."


    "But?" Lin tilted her head, curious.


    "Someday," Ren looked at the feathers on her arm, "I''d like to talk to you about your crane''s cultivation."


    Lin blinked, surprised, before letting out a crystalline laugh.


    "How daring!" she pinched both his cheeks this time. "The little expert wants to fix my cultivation? One thing at a time, darling. First," her smile turned mischievous, "let''s see if you can last more than two minutes in a real fight."


    The teacher stood up.


    "Well, enough rest," Lin pulled a small green pill from her pocket. "Take this, it will help with the pain and speed up your recovery."


    Ren swallowed the pill, feeling a pleasant warmth spread through his body. The pain didn''t disappear completely, but it became more manageable.


    "Now, to class," Lin helped him up. "You have practical Economics after battle class, and you can''t afford to miss it. With your... special condition, you need to excel in all theoretical units if you want to maintain your support."


    Ren nodded, understanding where the advice came from. Lin believed that with his spore, he would need every point he could get.


    "I''ll see you after classes," Lin smiled as she gently pushed him toward the door. "And this time try not to provoke anyone who might break your bones before you heal, okay?"


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly as Ren headed to his next class. The lingering pain reminded him that, despite his victory, he still had a long way to go.


    ????


    Ren arrived limping to the economics classroom. Professor Mei was already in the middle of her explanation.


    "...that''s why understanding crystal economy cycles is crucial," she was saying while drawing graphs on the board. "The value fluctuates according to the season. Rain crystals, for example, are cheaper during the wet season..."


    Taro waved to him from his seat, pointing to an empty space beside him.


    "Smart merchants," Mei continued, "buy when prices are low and store. But they must consider storage costs and degradation risk..."


    "Mr. Patinder," Mei stopped, her voice sharp. "Is punctuality not important for...?"


    "Professor," Luna interrupted from her seat, her voice cold and precise...

 Chapter 26 - Taming Crystals

    "Mr. Patinder," Mei stopped, her voice sharp. "Is punctuality not important for¡­?""Professor," Luna interrupted from her seat, her voice cold and precise... "Professor Yang sent him to the infirmary. There should be a note I left on your desk... please continue the class."


    Mei checked her desk, finding a paper she had ignored.


    "Ah." Her expression didn''t change. "Take your seat, Mr. Patinder. As I was saying, smart merchants buy when prices are low and store. But they must consider storage costs and degradation risk..."


    Ren slipped in beside Taro, ignoring the whispers around him.


    As Ren sat down, he noticed his companion had taken detailed notes from the first part of the class.


    "A well-stored iron crystal," Mei continued, "can increase its value by up to 30% if sold at the right time..."


    Most still saw him as the Rotting Boy... They thought it had been luck, a single quasi victory wouldn''t change their perception.


    He would have to win many times more before anything really changed.


    But Luna had defended him again, even if perhaps indirectly.


    ????


    After economics, came crystal gathering class.


    "Welcome to the Crystallography Laboratory," Professor Song placed several samples on the main table. "Before taking you to the mines, you must learn to identify what you''re looking for."


    He lifted a crystal the size of a fingernail.


    "Iron-rank crystals, like this one, are the most common. Each student with basic support will receive one daily."


    "Notice the opaque glow, the irregular structure. Perfect for Iron-rank beasts, but..." he pulled out another crystal, 10 times larger and brighter, "compared to a Bronze one, the difference is obvious."


    The students leaned forward, fascinated.


    "Bronze-rank ones are rarer and more expensive. Each is worth ten Iron ones. After six months of steady progress, you''ll be able to receive one of these daily... If you pass your exams, of course."


    Luna, in the front row, watched with interest as the professor lifted a crystal the size of a strawberry.


    "Silver crystals are worth a hundred Iron ones. And Gold ones..." he held one the size of a fist, "a thousand... Though I doubt many of you will need them."


    His gaze lingered on Luna, whose shadow wolf had Gold potential.


    While the professor continued explaining each type''s properties, Ren calculated mentally. The crystals he would need for his evolution were Bronze rank... ten times more expensive than what Taro would use.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly. Somehow, he would have to find a way to get them.


    "Truly motivated students wonder how to obtain higher-rank crystals," the professor smiled at the eager looks. "There are three paths to prove you deserve the next level of support in my semester exams."


    He drew three paths.


    "The first and most direct: evolve your beast to the next rank. Though," his smile became knowing, "most prefer to study more before risking their cultivation so few take this route."


    Several students nodded. A mistake in evolution could ruin their lives.


    "The second path is presenting a thesis detailing your evolution method. You must demonstrate deep understanding and a viable plan." He pointed to the second branch of the projection. "It''s the most popular option."


    Ren noticed how many of his classmates relaxed. It was the safest path.


    "And the third..." the professor made a dramatic pause, "prove you can get the support by yourself."


    Murmurs filled the classroom.


    "If you can obtain crystals and synthesis materials on your own, without buying them with your family''s money of course, they can be from within the school or... acquiring them in practical classes, the Academy will match your collected amount."


    His eyes gleamed.


    "That''s why we''re an expensive school. But that''s also why you can recover much of your investment if you demonstrate capability."


    His expression turned serious.


    "Of course, venturing to get materials has its risks. The Academy isn''t responsible for your safety if you choose this path. That''s why most prefer the thesis."


    "Though, regardless of the path you choose, you must pass the theoretical exams of all your classes to advance. Knowledge is the foundation of all successful cultivation."


    "Now," Song smiled, "who wants to see where we find these treasures?"


    The students straightened with renewed interest.


    "They''re safe areas, of course," he smiled, "specifically designed for students to practice gathering without excessive risks. Though... that doesn''t mean it''s easy."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed. If there were official practice caves, that meant the Academy had a whole network of tunnels under its buildings. Perhaps the ruins he sensed...


    "Don''t forget to bring your book on crystal types," the professor interrupted his thoughts. "You''ll need them to identify valuable deposits." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As students began to leave, Ren couldn''t help but smile. The practice caves would be perfect cover for exploring deeper, where the real secrets waited.


    ????


    "Welcome to the East Cave," Professor Song led them toward a reinforced entrance. "One of our four practice zones, and conveniently, the closest to the Gray Wing."


    Ren and Taro exchanged a significant look. The proximity wasn''t coincidence, poorer students tended to spend more time in the mines.


    The practice mines were well-lit tunnels, nothing like the natural caves outside. Groups of older students worked on the walls, carefully extracting crystals.


    The tunnel descended in a gentle spiral, with depth markers every 25 meters.


    Song pointed at the walls, "these are safe practice areas. But remember, even here, a mistake can be costly."


    "You must learn to identify veins. We don''t want you confusing a solid deposit with a liquid one and getting poisoned by mana gases."


    "Also, mana density increases exponentially with depth," explained Song, stopping beside a 50-meter mark.


    "The first levels are completely safe, the mana is barely more concentrated than on the surface. But observe this..."


    He pulled out a detector crystal, a simple instrument that glowed in the presence of mana. At this depth, its light was dim but constant.


    "Every 50 meters, the concentration doubles," he continued as they descended. "At 100 meters, where our regular patrols end, the density is 4 times higher than on the surface. And the monsters..."


    As if on cue, a distant roar resonated from the depths.


    Several students tensed.

 Chapter 27 - Taming The Academys Depths

    "Every 50 meters, the concentration doubles," Song continued as they descended. "At 100 meters, where our regular patrols end, the density is 4 times higher than here on the surface. And the monsters..."As if on cue, a distant roar resonated from the depths.


    Several students tensed.


    "Beasts are attracted to crystal deposits," Song smiled at their reaction. "The deeper you go, the stronger the mana density... and the more dangerous the visitors it attracts... And remember these aren''t normal monsters, they''re the abyssals from the hordes the army fights."


    Several students tensed again.


    "But don''t worry," Song smiled, "we maintain rotating guards down to 150 meters to eliminate any displaced monsters. The mana-hungry beasts in this zone are more pathetic than dangerous really."


    "If you want to understand how it''s similar to the outer forests... though concentration increases more rapidly down here. At 100 meters, the density barely equals that of the iron ring outside, relatively safe. Though at 200..." he made a significant pause, "well, let''s say there''s a reason only specialized teams venture that deep."


    They stopped in a small cavern, where crystal veins glowed faintly in the walls.


    Ren examined the veins. Knowledge flowed: these iron crystals were just the beginning. The ones he needed, the bronze ones, formed lower down, where mana was denser.


    Song continued, answering another student''s question about monsters while demonstrating basic extraction techniques.


    "The monsters in the depths are in many ways similar to those outside¡ªwhen they lack mana they become hungry and aggressive. The difference is that here they have nowhere to run. There''s only one way out when hunger drives them mad."


    Another roar, deeper than the previous one, emphasized his words.


    But Ren barely listened. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed ever stronger, as if detecting something in the depths. If the practice caves connected to the ancient ruins...


    "However," Song smiled while storing his pick, "not everyone fears them, some particularly... motivated students sometimes form teams and risk going beyond the safe zone. I don''t recommend it, but if someone is foolish enough to try..." he looked meaningfully at the Gray Wing students, "at least do it in groups."


    Ren observed Taro working on a nearby vein. His digger beetle, even unevolved, had a natural advantage in tunnels. If he could help him reach his true potential...


    He needed those bronze crystals for his own evolution too. But more than that, he needed an ally.


    Song distributed basic mining equipment: small picks, simple detectors, containment bags.


    "Professor," a student raised her hand, "is it true we can keep what we find?"


    "Absolutely," Song nodded. "Any material you obtain by your own means in these mines counts. But remember: only what you extract yourselves, and only in designated areas."


    "Though I doubt many of you will need to search so... deep. Besides, after the first year, these caves barely provide useful materials..."


    His comment was clearly directed at wealthy students, who didn''t need to risk themselves for a few extra crystals.


    "Next week," Song concluded as they returned to the surface, "we''ll begin real excavations. Study your notes on crystallization patterns."


    Ren calculated. The ruins must be beyond 200 meters, where guards didn''t patrol. It would be dangerous, but with the right knowledge...


    He just had to find a way to reach them without being detected.


    ????


    Professor Song led them back to the building and set them free.


    Having finished crystal gathering class, Ren and his companions found themselves in a flow of students heading in different directions.


    "No more classes?" Ren asked, confused.


    "Liu!" Taro called to their roommate, who was coming down from an upper floor. "Where''s everyone going?"


    Liu joined them, his night bat barely visible as a shadow on his shoulder. "Ah, right. You''re new. The day ends early."


    "Early?" Min raised an eyebrow.


    "The academy has a particular system," Liu began guiding them through the hallways. "After basic classes, students are expected to be... proactive."


    He stopped before some enormous doors. The library doors.


    The academy library was impressive, shelves rising several stories, sections clearly marked for each beast type.


    "Classes end early," Liu explained while guiding Ren, Taro and Min through the corridors. "They give students time to familiarize themselves with the library and gathering zones..."


    "...You can study cultivation techniques specific to your beasts," Liu continued as they entered. "Or you can go to the gathering zones to start collecting materials. The decision is yours."


    "Most rich family students will go straight to the library," he pointed toward a group already occupying the best tables. "They have resources to buy materials, so they focus on theory."


    "And us?" Min asked.


    "We," Liu smiled knowingly, "usually divide our time. Some hours in the library, some gathering. We can''t afford to ignore any opportunity."


    Ren observed the shelves dedicated to fungi and spores. They were considerably smaller than other sections. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The library is organized by ranks," Liu explained. "Basic techniques below, advanced above. Though," he looked at the mushrooms in Ren''s hair, "I suppose in your case..."


    "I''ll only need the basic section, yes," Ren completed the phrase, though the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with deeper knowledge.


    "For today I recommend an hour here," Liu consulted a wall clock. "Then we can eat and finally check the gathering zones. Though the first days are the worst, more competition for easy veins."


    Min was already examining books about water snakes. Taro hesitated between the insect section and the terrestrial beasts one.


    "The academy expects us to be independent," Liu continued while searching for a book for his bat. "Classes are important, but what you do with your free time..." he smiled, "that''s what really determines your success here."

 Chapter 28 - Taming the Training

    "The academy expects us to be independent," Liu continued while searching for a book for his bat. "Classes are important, but what you do with your free time..." he smiled, "that''s what really determines your success here."Ren nodded, understanding. It was a system designed to reward initiative and personal effort.


    Though the real knowledge was already in his head and surely wouldn''t be in any book, at least he could accompany his roommates and learn how others had tried to cultivate creatures like his.


    ????


    After a while of studying, the boys went to eat.


    The iron dining hall occupied much of the first floor.


    It wasn''t an unpleasant place, clean floors, well-maintained wooden tables, wide windows, but compared to the other dining halls visible from there...


    "It''s part of the incentive system," Liu explained when he joined them at the table. "From here you can see the bronze dining hall, and from there you can see the silver one."


    Ren observed his plate: white rice, boiled vegetables, and a small portion of meat. The food was... adequate. The ingredients seemed of good quality, but the preparation was deliberately simple.


    "They could make it taste better," Liu pointed with his chopsticks toward the other dining sections. "But then, what motivation would you have to rise in rank?"


    "At least it''s nutritious," Ren sighed while eating. As a cook''s son, he could notice the lack of spices and the slightly overcooked point.


    "Hey, it''s better than having to make and pay for it ourselves... Though I do miss the taste of salt."


    "Little pupil!"


    The cheerful voice made several heads turn. Professor Lin advanced between tables, attracting looks wherever she passed. It wasn''t common to see teachers in the iron dining hall, especially one so attractive.


    "Oh..." Liu dropped his chopsticks. "This is interesting."


    "What is?" asked Ren as Lin approached.


    "Master Lin never comes here," Liu lowered his voice. "She''s... well, she''s something of a legend in the academy."


    "A legend?" Min leaned in, interested.


    "Her beast got stuck at Bronze 1, a shame, but her combat technique is incredible. They say she can defeat even masters with Silver beasts in controlled duels. That''s why she keeps her position here despite..."


    "Despite what?" asked Taro.


    "Politics in the academy are complicated," Liu observed as Lin approached. "Normally, a master with a beast of such low rank would be..."


    Lin stopped at their table, Liu stopped talking.


    "Oh no," she murmured seeing Ren''s half-empty plate.


    "No, no, no. You need to eat more than that." She sat beside them, ignoring the surprised whispers. "How do you expect to develop muscles with that miserable portion of meat? No, no, no. You need at least triple."


    "Professor..." Ren blushed when she started filling his plate with more food.


    Students at nearby tables watched the scene in amazement. Some had even stopped mid-bite.


    "The food here is..." Ren began.


    "Simple? Bland? Graceless?" Lin smiled. "Of course it is. But," she pinched his cheek while serving him more, "you need the energy for my training."


    Nearby students watched open-mouthed. Professor Lin, sitting with the Gray Wing students? Personally serving food to the mushroom boy?


    "Um..." Taro looked nervously around. "Shouldn''t we go to the mine after this? To get crystals for cultivation..."


    "Oh, he''ll have time for that," Lin smiled while watching Ren eat every bite. "After I''m done with him."


    "Professor," Liu bowed respectfully, "it''s an honor..." he blushed.


    "Master Lin gives the best combat advice in the academy," Liu explained, glancing at the others. "Though normally she only helps older students who''ve proven their worth."


    "Oh, but this little one proved something today," Lin ruffled Ren''s hair, making the mushrooms glow. "You don''t see someone use pure knowledge to defeat a technically superior opponent every day."


    The whispers intensified. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Though first," she pushed another plate toward Ren, "we need to work on your physical endurance. I can''t have a student who faints after one fight."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed nervously as she kept filling his plate. For some reason, her playful smile scared him more than all of Kai''s blows.


    "Professor," Min asked, fascinated by the whole situation, "is it true you once defeated a Silver beast master?"


    "Oh, that old story..." Lin sighed theatrically. "Just luck. And the poor man was distracted by... well, that doesn''t matter. What matters," her smile turned predatory as she looked at Ren, "is that our little expert needs to learn that knowledge without technique is like a knife without an edge."


    "But first," she pushed a third plate toward Ren, "eat. Everything. You''re going to need the energy for what''s coming."


    Lin''s smile promised a training hell, but for some reason, Ren couldn''t help smiling too. For the first time since arriving at the academy, he felt he''d found someone who truly saw his potential.


    ????


    "Is this the training field?" Ren observed the secluded area behind the Gray Wing while holding his enormous belly. It was a simple but functional space, with packed earth ground and some basic equipment.


    "The main fields are more impressive," Lin smiled while stretching. "But here we''ll have privacy. First things first, we need to build a solid foundation."


    "Aren''t we going to practice combat techniques?"


    "With those noodle arms?" Lin shook her head. "Your spore gives you 10% more strength, right? But 10% of almost nothing is still almost nothing."


    She approached a pile of logs. "Most students depend too much on their beasts. A spirit tiger can give 30% more strength, but if the base body is weak..."


    "Like me," Ren lowered his gaze.


    "Like you now," Lin corrected. "But that''s going to change. You''re going to train until that 10% really means something better than another 30%... Vomiting is forbidden."


    The next minutes were a succession of basic exercises: push-ups, squats, running. Nothing spectacular, nothing magical. Just the fundamental work needed to build a stronger body and prevent food from escaping his stomach.


    "Technique will come later," Lin explained while correcting his posture. "First you need the strength to execute it properly."


    By the time they finished, Ren could barely stand. The mushrooms in his hair glowed faintly, as if they too were exhausted.


    "Same place, tomorrow after classes," Lin threw him a towel. "And Ren..."


    "Yes?"


    "This is just the beginning."

 Chapter 29 - Taming Recovery

    Ren barely managed to drag himself back to the Gray Wing. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.Each step to the room was torture, and when he finally reached his bedroom, he only had strength to collapse on his bed.


    ????


    He didn''t know how long he slept until the door noise woke him. The pain in every muscle reminded him of Lin''s brutal training.


    "It was better than expected!" Min''s voice came from the hallway. "Thanks for showing us the best spots, Liu."


    "The deposits near the surface are the easiest to identify," replied Liu as they entered. "The trick is recognizing the crystallization pattern in the rock. With time you''ll learn to distinguish promising veins from depleted ones."


    "Oh, you''re awake," Taro noticed Ren. "How was training?"


    "Can''t move anything without it hurting," Ren tried to sit up and immediately regretted it.


    "Just basic exercises. Though they didn''t feel so basic after the first hour."


    "How did it go in the mines?" he asked, trying to divert attention from his pitiful state.


    "Liu taught us the basics," Min dumped his bag on his desk. "I got ten iron crystals! They''re not very big, but for the first day..."


    "Twelve," Taro smiled, showing his own collection. "Though they''re quite small."


    Liu displayed his findings more calmly: fifteen iron crystals and one bronze. "Experience helps identify the best veins."


    "Though don''t get too excited," Liu began organizing his findings. "Crystals are just the beginning. For a complete cultivation you need processing materials and sealants, for example..."


    He listed components, each more expensive than the last.


    "To process your snake''s crystals," he pointed to Min, "you''ll need maybe marine coral extract and moon algae. For the final sealing, probably mermaid scales."


    He turned to Taro. "And your beetle will require metal powder or mana-rich earth from the depths for processing. For sealing, you might need pulverized magical obsidian crystals."


    He began listing other possible components and their costs. "For processing you''ll need those specific materials according to your beast. And the final sealing..." he shook his head, "that''s usually even more expensive."


    "Actually," Ren sat up with difficulty, "processing can be simpler than you think."


    "Oh really?" Liu arched an eyebrow, his tone between amused and skeptical.


    "Min''s snake is a freshwater one, not a sea one, it will only need night water lily extract, not marine coral or moon algae. And Taro''s crystals..." he looked at his companion, "only need to be processed under the correct moons'' light. It''s just the final sealing that will be more complicated."


    "Only moonlight?" Liu gave a short laugh. "The records are quite clear about processing requirements. Centuries of research..."


    "The records also said the beetle couldn''t pass Bronze," muttered Taro, remembering the morning class.


    Liu shook his head with both amusement and pity. "I understand you want to help, but processing isn''t something you can simplify like that. Each component has its function."


    "My beetle does respond better at night," Taro intervened thoughtfully. "Even the books mention its nocturnal nature..."


    "A beast''s nature is one thing," Liu sighed, "and crystal processing is quite another. But I suppose," he looked at the mushrooms in Ren''s hair, "that after what the guys told me about your demonstration today and being trained by Professor Lin, you''re entitled to some peculiar theories."


    Ren held back a smile. The real challenge wouldn''t be processing, the correct moonlight was free, after all. The real problem would be getting the sealant for the final evolution in a hundred days.


    "As I see things," Liu began storing his crystals, "it will be an interesting semester. Though I suggest focusing on proven methods before experimenting with... alternative theories."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed softly. He didn''t expect them to believe him immediately, especially Liu who had spent a year studying traditional methods.


    But when Taro''s beetle evolved correctly...


    Taro looked at his crystals thoughtfully. After seeing Ren defeat Kai using knowledge no one else seemed to have, maybe alternative methods were worth considering.


    "By the way," Min changed topics while storing his crystals, "what other exercises did Master Lin make you do?"


    Ren groaned, the mere memory making his muscles protest. "I''d rather not talk about that."


    ????


    The next morning...


    Ren stopped in front of the crystal processing classroom.


    Wei taught two classes, and although the professor had been clear about the bet, he wasn''t sure if he meant both classes...


    When he entered the kid''s laughter started immediately.


    "Look who came!" Jin smiled from his seat. "Didn''t the expert have anything better to do?"


    Wei stopped his explanation about processing methods, raising an eyebrow at seeing Ren.


    "Ah, Mr. Patinder," Wei smiled with false cordiality. "I didn''t expect to see you here. Shouldn''t you be busy preparing your... demonstration?" his voice dripped with amusement.


    "I... thought I should attend to make sure anyway."


    "Nonsense," Wei waved a hand dismissively.


    "The bet included both classes, right?" asked Ren, ignoring the giggles.


    "Of course. As I said yesterday, you have much to do helping Mr. Taro with his beast and preparing for your other classes." Wei smiled with false kindness.


    "Don''t worry about attendance, you''ll have it perfect if you win the bet. And if you lose..." his smile turned sharp, "well, attendance will be the least of your problems. So you can go awa¡­" he stopped, correcting himself with exaggerated courtesy, "retire quietly to work on it."


    Ren nodded slowly and left the classroom.


    The laughter increased as he left. He could hear someone comment "Did he really think he could come?" before the door closed.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while he considered his options. Free time before battle class.


    The library wouldn''t be much help, at least not in beast topics, most texts just repeated the same limited information.


    And though Mei''s economics class was fascinating, for now he had all the basic concepts clear so the library was excluded for today.


    ''I could take advantage to collect some crystals,'' he thought while heading toward the practice mines. ''If I start now, before other students finish their classes...''


    "Oh! But look who we have here!"


    Ren froze mid-step. That cheerful voice...

 Chapter 30 - Taming Foundations

    ''I could take advantage to collect some crystals,'' Ren thought while heading toward the practice mines. ''If I start now, before other students finish their classes...''"Oh! But look who we have here!"


    Ren froze mid-step. That cheerful voice...


    "My favorite student!" Lin appeared from nowhere, practically materializing in front of him. "What are you doing wandering the halls at this hour? Shouldn''t you be in class?"


    "Professor Wei gave me permission to..."


    "Free time!" Lin''s eyes sparkled with a joy that made Ren instinctively step back. "What a coincidence! I have this hour free too."


    "Actually, I was going to the mines to..."


    "Exercise?" Lin grabbed his arm. "How dedicated! I was just thinking you needed more work on your core endurance."


    "No, I meant to collect cryst¡­"


    "Excellent idea!" Lin began dragging him in the opposite direction from the mines. "We''ll collect muscles! Though," she pinched his arm, "first we need to find them. Where did you hide them, little one?"


    "Professor, I really need to get some materials..."


    "Oh, you also need to get some endurance. And look! We have all morning to work on it."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with what seemed like resignation while Lin dragged him toward the training field, humming cheerfully.


    "You know?" Lin smiled while opening the field door. "I think today we''ll focus on leg exercises. Since you seem so eager to go to the mines, I''ll help you prepare for all that walking!"


    Ren sighed. Apparently, the universe had other plans for his free morning. Very painful plans.


    ????


    "Come on, one last set!" Lin smiled while Ren struggled to complete another series of exercises.


    Every muscle protested from the previous day''s training. The push-ups that were already difficult had become almost impossible.


    "Can''t... can''t..." Ren panted, his arms shaking.


    "Oh?" Lin crouched beside him. "Does the little expert give up so easily? After beating a boy with stone scales?"


    "That was... different..."


    "True. That was luck and knowledge," she pinched his cheek. "This is hard work. Which would you prefer backing you up next time?"


    "All of them!"


    Ren tried another push-up, but his arms gave way. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly, as if they too were exhausted.


    Lin watched him struggle a moment longer before sighing theatrically. "Alright, alright. I suppose I''ve been a bit cruel." She pulled another green pill from her pocket. "Here. This will help with recovery."


    "More magic pills?"


    "Nothing magical, just my basic fatigue medicine." She winked. "Can''t have my student dying on his second day, right?"


    As the pill''s effect spread through his body, Lin helped him complete the last exercises. The pain didn''t disappear completely, but at least now he could move without wanting to scream.


    "Just in time," Lin heard the bell. "Time for battle class." S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Can''t I take a break?"


    "After I gave you a pill?" She dragged him toward the main field. "Besides, today is special, core training for everyone."


    ????


    The main field was already full when they arrived.


    Yang watched as students organized themselves in rows.


    "After yesterday''s evaluations," he announced, "it''s clear most need basic strength work. Powerful beasts are useless without a solid foundation."


    The exercises that followed were similar to those Lin had made him do, but Ren was already exhausted before starting.


    "Look at the rotting boy!" someone whispered when Ren stumbled during an exercise. "Already tired?"


    "What did you expect?" another answered between laughs. "With that pathetic spore..."


    "Less talk, more movement!" Lin passed between the rows, correcting postures.


    When she reached Ren, she murmured: "Don''t mind them. They''re only doing the exercise once."


    Ren nodded, understanding. While others started fresh, he had two training sessions under his belt. It wasn''t that he couldn''t do it, he was working triple.


    "Patinder," Yang called when Ren failed another exercise. "Was yesterday''s victory luck after all?"


    More laughter. But Ren noticed something in Yang''s voice, it wasn''t mockery, it was a test.


    "No, professor," he stood up, legs shaking. "I''m just working harder than the rest."


    "Harder?" Jin sneered from his row. "Is that what you call being pathetic?"


    "Continue," Yang ordered, silencing everyone, but Ren caught a slight smile on his face.


    As class progressed, Ren kept pace through pure determination. Lin was right, if he wanted to compete at his best, he needed to work harder than everyone else.


    His spore gave him knowledge, but the body to use it... that he would have to earn.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed stronger, as if approving his resolution. The laughter and mockery continued, but now they felt distant, irrelevant.


    It didn''t matter what they said. They only saw the present; he was building his future, one aching muscle at a time.


    ????


    "Wasn''t so bad," Lin smiled as students left the training field. "You just need to build more endurance."


    Ren, still panting, looked at her incredulously.


    "Oh, and about mornings..." Lin began collecting training equipment. "Since a certain professor gave you free time, we''ll continue with the routine. But," she raised a finger at Ren''s horrified expression, "you can dedicate afternoons to collecting crystals."


    "Really?"


    "Of course. We''ll have night training but it''ll be lighter, just to maintain the improvement pace." Her playful smile returned. "And I always have more recovery pills."


    Ren didn''t know whether to feel relieved or worried.


    Though the promise of another pill at day''s end was tempting...


    ????


    Mei''s history class proved surprisingly basic.


    While the professor explained the formation of the first cities and their relationship with low mana concentration zones, Ren found he already knew most of the material.


    His old father had liked to tell him all sorts of things...


    "The first cities were established in areas where mana was low enough to keep powerful beasts away," Mei explained. "That''s why our city is where it is, the mana here isn''t enough to maintain even Iron-rank beasts without cultivation."


    ''And that''s why the ruins under the academy are so interesting,'' thought Ren while his mushrooms pulsed. A place with dense mana under a naturally mana-poor zone...


    ????


    Finally came the crystals gathering class.


    Song handed out their mining equipment: small but sturdy picks, basic mana detectors, and special bags for crystals.


    "Ren!" Min called him as they headed to the caves. "Liu taught us some tricks yesterday. Want us to show you?"

 Chapter 31 - Taming Mining Lessons

    Finally came the crystals gathering class.Song handed out their mining equipment: small but sturdy picks, basic mana detectors, and special bags for crystals.


    "Ren!" Min called him as they headed to the caves. "Liu taught us some tricks yesterday. Want us to show you?"


    "Crystals near the surface usually form specific patterns," explained Taro as they descended. "Liu says you have to look for lines that cross at 60-degree angles."


    "He also taught us to distinguish between mature and premature crystals," added Min, pointing to a vein in the wall. "See how the color is more intense in the center? That means it''s ready for extraction."


    Ren watched, fascinated.


    The knowledge flowing through his mushrooms confirmed what they were saying, but added details: how the crystals'' arrangement indicated their purity, how mana lines converged at specific points...


    "And most importantly," Taro lowered his voice, "he showed us how to avoid unstable zones. Some tunnels look safe but..."


    A distant cracking sound emphasized his words.


    "Liu says accidents are common among overeager novices," Min shuddered. "That''s why it''s better to work in groups, at least at first."


    Ren wasn''t too worried about that. With the right knowledge, even these surface veins could be more productive than they appeared.


    "Shall we start here?" he suggested, pointing to a spot where mana lines subtly intersected. His companions couldn''t see them, but they trusted his judgment after recent events.


    As they began working, Ren couldn''t help but smile. Between Lin''s brutal training and gathering with his companions, maybe this new rhythm of life wouldn''t be so bad.


    Though his muscles immediately protested when lifting the pick, reminding him that the "light" night training was still to come...


    ????


    A while later, the boys gained confidence to disperse and dig in deeper places...


    At fifty meters below the entrance, Ren examined the tunnel wall attentively. Despite it being his first day mining, his movements were surprisingly precise.


    "Another one?" Min watched in disbelief as Ren extracted a good-sized crystal. "That''s the fifth in half an hour."


    "Are you sure you hadn''t mined before?" Taro set down his pick, frustrated. "We were supposed to have the advantage from the extra time yesterday with Liu."


    "It''s just observation," Ren pointed to a pattern in the rock. "See how the lines cross here? Where energy converges like this, there are usually crystals behind."


    "How do you know all that?" Min narrowed his eyes. "I can''t see anything you''re talking about... It''s cheating to have so much knowledge."


    "You know pretty strange things... Like knowing Kai''s scale defects," added Taro, though he smiled saying it.


    Footsteps interrupted them.


    Klein Goldcrest passed nearby, his golden lion manifesting in brilliant fur covering his arms.


    As always, he was heading toward where Luna worked.


    Luna was in the deepest section of the allowed zone, her shadow wolf making the darkest veins glow with a spectral radiance. Unlike most who worked in groups, she mined alone, each movement precise and elegant even in this mundane task.


    "It''s almost unfair," Min murmured as they watched her work. "Her wolf can detect mana concentrations we can''t even see."


    "It''s more than that," Ren observed, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing while analyzing her technique. "Look how she strikes at specific angles. She doesn''t waste a single movement."


    "Luna!" Klein''s voice echoed in the tunnel. The Goldcrest family heir approached.


    "Luna!" his voice resonated in the tunnel again. "I found an exceptional vein over here, if you want we could..."


    "I''m busy," Luna''s sharp response echoed from the darkness.


    "How pathetic," Jin''s voice came from another tunnel above Ren''s. "The Goldcrest heir begging for attention again?"


    Klein turned, furious. "Shut up, I don''t want to talk to someone with a mediocre beast like yours." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Why don''t you come up here and we''ll discuss it, maned kitten?"


    "Enough," Luna''s cold voice cut the tension. "Some of us are trying to work."


    Both retreated, exchanging murderous glances.


    "As I was saying," Ren continued once they''d gone, "there are patterns in how mana forms. Crystals are usually found where..."


    "Look out!"


    A small avalanche of rocks fell near them. Jin smiled from the upper level.


    "Oops, how clumsy of me," his smile turned cruel. "But the Rotting Boy should know all about things falling to the bottom, right?"


    "Is there a problem?" Min stepped forward, his water snake materializing.


    "Not for now," Jin shrugged. "Just make sure to look up while you work. You never know when there might be another... accident."


    When Jin left, Taro picked up his pick with trembling hands. "Maybe we should find another section."


    "No," Ren studied the wall. "This vein is too good to abandon. Besides," he smiled slightly, "it would be a shame to give that idiot the satisfaction, don''t you think?"


    Min and Taro exchanged glances before smiling too. Jin could threaten all he wanted, but they needed those crystals.


    Besides, the professor wouldn''t let them get into too much trouble...


    "Did I hear cave-ins, is anyone hurt?" Professor Song''s voice cut through the air. Jin smiled innocently and walked away.


    When Jin disappeared through the upper tunnel, Ren went back to examining the vein they were working.


    "There''s something else that worries me," he began while extracting another crystal. "Have you noticed how some tunnels up there had fewer crystals than yesterday?"


    "Now that you mention it," Taro observed the upper walls, "the areas where Liu taught us yesterday are almost empty."


    "Mana takes time to regenerate veins," explained Ren. "That''s why most focus on intensive mining at the start of the year. By the time crystals form again after the holidays, most will move on to focus on other classes soon."


    "How long do we have?" asked Min.


    "A month, maybe two before it becomes significantly harder to find good crystals." Ren stored another crystal in his bag. "That''s why we need to take advantage of every moment now."

 Chapter 32 - Taming Momentum

    "How long do we have?" asked Min."A month, maybe two before it becomes significantly harder to find good crystals." Ren stored another crystal in his bag, feeling the weight of time pressing down on them. "That''s why we need to take advantage of every moment now."


    "Well, I can take my time," Min shrugged, his water snake coiling lazily around his shoulders. "I prefer to study more before trying to evolve my snake."


    "But Taro needs the crystals soon," Ren reminded him, thinking of their upcoming demonstration. "And it''s not just cultivation crystals, we need enough to buy processing and sealing materials. You''ll need them too, and it''ll be good to have crystals saved up."


    "At least it will be cheaper for me with your method," Taro smiled, his digger beetle creating faint patterns on his skin. "Hope you are right too¡­ After all, you have a bet to win."


    Ren nodded, though his thoughts went much further. A hundred bronze crystals... equivalent to a thousand of these small ones if exchanged at school.


    And that was just the beginning.


    The Bronze-rank beast parts he''d need for his own evolution would be even more expensive.


    Not to mention the poisonous fungi of the same rank... The numbers were staggering when he really thought about them.


    "Ren?" Min waved a hand in front of his face, his snake mimicking the motion. "We lost you for a moment."


    "Just thinking," Ren refocused on the vein. "We should organize better. Work in shifts, take advantage of every free hour."


    "Don''t you think you''re being a bit..."


    "It''s not just about the bet," Ren interrupted, his voice carrying the weight of knowledge he couldn''t fully share. "Sealing materials are expensive, and once these veins are depleted, getting enough crystals to buy them will be much harder."


    Taro looked worried, his beetle''s markings darkening with his mood. "How many will we need?"


    "For the final sealing..." Ren made mental calculations, remembering the precise requirements. "Probably equivalent to 10,000 iron rank mine crystals, just for the basic materials."


    Min whistled, his snake curling tighter around his neck. "And that''s just for Taro''s beetle. What about your evolution? Are you thinking of cultivating that expensive fungus they say isn''t worth it?"


    Ren pretended to concentrate on mining to avoid the question. That variation they created with strength runes was terrible, but...


    How could he explain that he needed ten times what Taro needed but for something else?


    Better to keep that worry to himself for now.


    "Let''s focus on one thing at a time," he said finally, watching the mana patterns swirl in the rock. "For now, we need to take advantage while the veins are still rich."


    "We should explore deeper tomorrow," he suggested, pointing to another promising pattern that shimmered just at the edge of visibility. "Where fewer students dare to go."


    "Liu warned us about going too far down," Min looked nervous, his snake''s scales rippling uneasily. "He said tunnels can become unstable and there are... things moving in the darkness."


    "Just a little deeper," Ren insisted, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with reassurance. "Besides, we''ll be together."


    His companions nodded and returned to work. The rhythmic sound of picks against rock filled the tunnel while each considered the challenge ahead of them.


    To evolve a beast, you needed three things: crystals, processing materials, and sealing materials. And getting them all before the veins were depleted...


    ''One step at a time,'' thought Ren while extracting another crystal, watching the mana flow through the stone. ''First help Taro, then...''


    His gaze drifted toward the deeper tunnels, where mana was denser. There, where few dared to go, perhaps he''d find what he needed for his own evolution. But for now, every small crystal counted. Time was running, and the veins wouldn''t wait for anyone. Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    "Sixteen crystals today!" Min proudly dumped his bag on the desk, the crystals catching the light like trapped stars.


    "Eighteen," Taro smiled, showing his collection arranged in neat rows.


    "Three bronze and nineteen iron," Ren added his to the pile, each crystal carefully extracted from the precise spots where mana lines converged. "Not bad for beginners, eh, Liu?"


    Liu observed the crystals with genuine surprise, his night bat fluttering closer to inspect them. "Not bad at all... though I don''t understand how you found so many bronze crystals."


    Later, after night training with Lin, Ren barely managed to drag himself to bed. Every muscle ached with the day''s efforts, but it was a satisfying kind of pain.


    "You know," Liu spoke from his desk, his bat casting shadows in the lamplight, "I admire you. With such a terrible beast, most would have given up by now. But you keep pushing... Even harder than the rest."


    Ren smiled in the darkness.


    If Liu only knew that his spore wasn''t as terrible as everyone thought...


    ????


    The days began to blend into a routine, each one building on the last.


    The mornings Wei left free became torture sessions with Lin, each exercise pushing Ren''s limits further than he thought possible.


    Battle classes with Yang were another kind of pain, but Ren could feel his body gradually strengthening, the 10% boost from his spore becoming more meaningful as his base strength increased.


    Professor Mei alternated between history, economics, and "Life," a surprisingly useful class about everything from paying taxes, making fire, and etiquette, to negotiating with merchants.


    Crystal class became more technical, but the real learning came afterward, in the deep parts of the mines where the mana patterns told stories few could read.


    Liu began joining them after classes, apparently intrigued by their success in finding good deposits. His experience added another layer to their mining expeditions, though he still couldn''t quite believe some of Ren''s "theories."


    Nights ended with more training with Lin, though now Ren could stay standing a bit longer before collapsing, each day bringing small but noticeable improvements.


    Thus passed almost a month.


    The routine was exhausting but productive, his muscles strengthened, his crystal collection grew, and slowly but surely, the respect of his companions grew with it.


    But tomorrow... tomorrow was different.


    As he prepared for sleep, Ren mentally reviewed the necessary steps. Tomorrow they would process Taro''s crystals. The lunar phase would be perfect, and everything they''d worked for during this month would be put to the test.


    He just needed to bring the processed Bronze-rank crystal he''d gotten from the school''s exchange shop and make the most of the time window.


    Tomorrow would truly begin his demonstration that the knowledge he possessed was real.


    "Nervous about tomorrow?" asked Taro from his bed.


    "No," Ren smiled in the darkness, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing softly with certainty. "Everything will go exactly as it should."


    Liu snorted from his corner, but said nothing. Soon he would see that some "crazy theories" held more truth than he believed.

 Chapter 33 - Taming Progress

    "Are you finished already?" Lin watched in surprise as Ren completed the last series of morning exercises without his usual gasping.The training field was empty except for them, as it had been every morning for the past month.


    But something was different today.


    "It seems the pills have helped more than I expected," Lin murmured, studying her student with professional interest. "His recovery is... remarkable."


    It was true. The exercises that once left him on the verge of collapse were now, though still challenging, manageable.


    A month of constant training and recovery pills had transformed his endurance.


    "Well," Lin smiled, an expression Ren had learned to fear. "I suppose it''s time to move to the next level."


    "Next level?"


    "We can finally begin with some real technique," Lin positioned herself in front of him. "Until now we''ve just been building your physical foundation. But now that you can move without looking like a newborn kitten..."


    She moved into a stance Ren didn''t recognize.


    "Technique is more than just strength," she explained. "It''s understanding how to use your body efficiently. Watch."


    Her movement was so fluid that Ren could barely follow it.


    In an instant, she was in front of him; in the next, she had twisted in a way that seemed to defy gravity and appeared behind him.


    "Your spore only gives you 10% more strength," she continued. "But with proper training and technique, you can make that 10% worth much more."


    For the next hour, Lin guided him through basic movements. How to position his feet, how to distribute weight, how to use an opponent''s momentum.


    "Most students depend too much on their beasts," she explained while correcting his posture. "They think a 30% or 50% increase in strength makes them invincible. But technique..."


    She moved again, this time more slowly so Ren could observe.


    "Technique can overcome brute force. It''s what''s kept me as a teacher here, even with my crane stuck in Bronze."


    Ren tried to replicate the movement, stumbling in the process.


    "I don''t expect you to master it today," Lin laughed while helping him up. "But at least now you have the endurance to practice without hurting yourself so easily."


    As they continued practicing, Ren noticed that the movements, though somewhat complex, weren''t as exhausting as he''d expected. A month ago, simply maintaining the stance would have left him drained.


    ''The pills have really worked wonders, though I suppose his determination has helped too. Not everyone gets up every time they fall for a whole month.''


    Ren smiled, grateful for his teacher''s support.


    His knowledge had shown him that the pills used somewhat expensive Bronze-level materials that helped with muscle regeneration and energy.


    As thanks, he would help improve her "mature" beast further, show that "weak" beasts weren''t weak, that the records were mostly wrong... And soon, with Taro''s evolution, he would have the first real proof of that.


    "Enough for today," Lin finally announced.


    "Tomorrow we''ll start working seriously on these techniques. Now that your body can keep up, we''ll see how fast your mind can learn."


    As he headed to his next class, Ren reflected on how much had changed in a month. His muscles no longer protested with every movement, his endurance had improved significantly, and now, finally, he would begin learning real techniques.


    Maybe Lin was right, tomorrow everything would begin in earnest... But it was just the beginning. With the processing of Taro''s crystals that night, soon he would have much more to work with.


    ????


    Battle class proceeded normally, still exercising for everyone, as did Professor Mei''s class, which was history today.


    Finally, in crystal class...


    "As you can see," Professor Song pointed at the tunnel walls, "productive veins are becoming increasingly scarce."


    He wasn''t exaggerating.


    Where a month ago crystals glittered everywhere, now only dull marks remained in the rock. The few deposits that remained active were smaller and more scattered.


    "Therefore," Song continued, "we''ll soon change the focus of the class. There''s no point bringing you here when the veins need time to regenerate."


    Min raised his hand. "How long does complete regeneration take?"


    "That," Song smiled, "is exactly the kind of question we''ll be studying. We''ll move to theory of other crystal types and begin extra preparation for exterior gathering classes coming mid-next month."


    Several students, especially those from wealthier families, looked relieved. For them, mining expeditions had been more of a nuisance than a necessity.


    "However," Song added, "those who wish to continue practical gathering can keep using the mines. You just need to report your findings, we''ll use that data for regeneration time studies like every year."


    After class, while most headed to the library, Ren and his companions remained in the tunnels. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Did you notice there are fewer guards?" Taro whispered while they worked on a minor vein.


    It was true. The guards who previously patrolled every level now concentrated mainly at the entrances and deeper zones.


    "Normal," Liu joined them, arriving from his own class. "With fewer students in the mines, they don''t need as much supervision. Most prefer studying theory to picking at rock for crumbs."


    Ren looked around. The only ones left were students like them, those who needed every crystal they could find, from less wealthy families.


    There was no sign of Klein or his group, and even Jin seemed to have lost interest in harassing them in the tunnels.


    "It''s better this way," Min extracted a small crystal. "More space to work."


    "And less competition for the remaining veins," added Taro.


    "Though we''ll soon have to consider deeper zones," murmured Ren, studying the mana patterns. "The upper levels are almost depleted."


    Liu frowned. "Guards still watch those areas."


    "But with less personnel," Ren pointed out. "And the patrols are more predictable now."


    "Are you suggesting...?" Taro began.

 Chapter 34 - Taming the Perfect Night

    "Though we''ll soon have to consider deeper zones," murmured Ren, studying the mana patterns. "The upper levels are almost depleted."Liu frowned. "Guards still watch those areas."


    "But with less personnel," Ren pointed out. "And the patrols are more predictable now."


    "Are you suggesting...?" Taro began.


    "I''m just saying we should keep our options open," Ren continued working on the vein. "Especially considering what we''re doing tonight."


    The processing of Taro''s crystals.


    The lunar phase would be perfect, and they would need sealing materials afterward...


    "At least now we''ll have more freedom to move," Min observed the almost deserted tunnel. "With everyone concentrated in the library..."


    "Rich students can afford to buy their materials with what their parents send," Liu shook his head. "Those like us have to dig to buy ours. But don''t forget that studying is important to pass the exams to the next rank... look at me, instead of coming to study it seems I came to dig."


    The reduction in guards and students could be an advantage, especially when they needed to explore deeper to obtain extra materials.


    But for now, they had to focus on tonight.


    Ren smiled to himself.


    The veins might be depleting, but there were still things to obtain.


    ????


    "It''s almost time," Ren whispered as he rose from his bed.


    Last training of the day with Lin had been brutal as always, but this night was too important to rest.


    It was the moment he had been waiting for.


    "We''ll accompany you," Taro was already ready, holding his crystal bag.


    "It''s not necessary, you should sleep, I can do it alone..."


    "Don''t even try," Liu also stood up. "You''ve been bragging about your special method for a month. I won''t miss the chance to see if you really know what you''re talking about."


    Min stirred in his bed. "I also..." a yawn interrupted his protest. "I also want..."


    Seconds later, his snores filled the room.


    "That one can''t stay awake past 10, like a small child," Liu murmured as they silently left the dormitory.


    The night air was cool as they headed toward the academy outskirts.


    Ren guided them to a clearing where trees didn''t obstruct the sky view.


    "Here," he decided after studying the area. "The moonlight will reach without interference."


    The sky shone with just over half its moons visible. Ren knew he needed exactly eight, the configuration would change soon, some would hide in minutes while others would emerge on the horizon.


    "Help me with this," he spread a long board on the ground.


    He began methodically examining Taro''s crystals. Each piece was studied carefully before being placed or discarded.


    "This one''s too small," he murmured, replacing one. "This other has an irregular surface... we need the best quality possible." sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Does it really matter that much?" asked Taro while watching Ren reorganize the crystals with others he''d obtained from the mines.


    "It must be big enough to reduce from 150 to 100 days," Ren continued his selection until he had exactly one hundred crystals arranged in ten perfect rows.


    He covered the crystals with a black cloth, protecting them from premature light.


    Then he took out something that made Liu lean forward with interest, a bronze crystal, flat and curved.


    "Is that...?"


    "A neutral crystal lens, cost me 500 crystals despite just being a bronze crystal carved and processed with cheap materials," confirmed Ren while testing it, adjusting until he managed to concentrate the moonlight into a bright point.


    Satisfied with the test, he began studying the sky intently.


    "How long...?" Liu began.


    "As long as necessary," Ren interrupted without taking his eyes from the sky. "The configuration must be exact."


    Minutes passed.


    Liu began showing signs of impatience, but Taro watched his friend''s concentration with fascination.


    Finally, something changed in Ren''s expression.


    "It''s time," he murmured, removing the black cloth. The hundred crystals glowed faintly under the night light as he positioned the lens.


    The next hours would prove if a month of preparation had been worth it.


    ????


    The concentrated moonlight formed a bright, intense point.


    He took the first crystal and exposed it to the light beam. The crystal began to glow with an intensity that made Liu tense.


    "Stop!" Liu stepped forward alarmed. "Do you see the glow? It''s processing too much mana!"


    Ren was already storing the glowing crystal in the black bag and taking the next one.


    "Ren, this is dangerous," Liu continued while Ren repeated the process with more crystals. "Mana poisoning is no joke. Medicine is expensive, and if Taro has to go to the infirmary three days in a row, professors will start asking questions."


    "Maybe even two consecutive days would be suspicious," he insisted. "Do you have any idea how much mana they''re absorbing?"


    "They''re exactly at the right limit," Ren didn''t stop his work, keeping a mental count of exposure time. "And I need to concentrate. This specific lunar configuration will only last thirty minutes before the next moon hides."


    "Is that why you bought the lens?" Taro watched the process, fascinated.


    "If we don''t concentrate the light, we''d have to wait two more months to get the equivalent of thirty-six minutes of exposure per crystal... we wouldn''t have time to start your cultivation and finish before the end of the semester, so..."


    Liu opened his mouth to protest again, but Taro calmed him with a gesture.


    "I have over 600 crystals saved thanks to this month in the mines," he reasoned. "Most I found following Ren''s directions. If something goes wrong, we simply discard the method on the second day and I lose only 100 crystals."


    Ren continued working methodically.


    The first crystals received exactly thirty-six seconds of exposure, but he gradually reduced the time.


    "The resonance is already established in the moon group," he explained without stopping work. "The next ones need less time because they''ve been exposed to these same moons'' light while waiting, though not concentrated."


    His movements were precise, each crystal placed exactly at the lens''s focal point. The last ones barely needed six or seven seconds of exposure.


    "How do you know it''s enough?" asked Liu, watching the crystals glow with an intensity that still seemed dangerous to him.


    "Because..." Ren paused for a moment, considering how much and how to explain. "The absorption patterns are clear when you know what to look for."


    Finally, the last crystal went into the bag.


    Ren began collecting the equipment quickly, aware they''d already spent too much time outside the dormitory.


    "That''s all," he announced, securing the bag. "Let''s return before someone notices our absence."


    As they returned through the academy''s dark grounds, Liu couldn''t stop looking at the bag with evident concern. For him, each crystal there was a time bomb, overcharged with mana and ready to wreak havoc in Taro''s system.


    Taro, for his part, showed more curiosity than concern.


    After seeing Ren defeat Kai and find the best veins in the mines for a month, he was willing to trust his strange knowledge once more.


    The first day of the hundred that would determine the success or failure of Ren''s method had begun. And with it, the first real proof that his knowledge about beasts was more than just crazy theories.

 Chapter 35 - Taming the First Crystal

    Dawn was barely breaking, the first hints of light creeping through the dormitory windows, when Ren carefully extracted a small package from his bag.The early morning silence was broken only by his roommates'' soft breathing and the distant calls of morning birds.


    While his companions slept peacefully, unaware of what was to come, he measured out a precise amount of black powder, deep earth that he had been discreetly collecting at the limit of the permitted zone.


    The powder seemed to absorb even the weak pre-dawn light, appearing more like a void than a substance.


    It was a rare and difficult material to find, earth that had managed to absorb mana without transferring it to nearby crystal deposits.


    At the depths they were allowed to reach, it was truly challenging to locate, but Ren''s knowledge had made the task considerably easier, showing him exactly where to look and how to identify the genuine article among similar-looking but useless samples.


    The deep earth was the perfect sealing agent for Taro''s beetle, though this detail appeared in none of the books his friend had so diligently studied.


    Ren could recall seeing Taro poring over tome after tome in the library, searching for information that had been right in front of him but misinterpreted by generations of scholars.


    Liu had mentioned deep earth as a necessary component for some earth beasts, but he had incorrectly associated it with processing rather than sealing. It seemed to have been pure luck and coincidence that he''d mentioned it at all...


    He could have perhaps used Liu''s argument to make it easier for Taro to accept, but he knew Taro read several books about his beast. Therefore...


    To avoid further discussions and potential interference, Ren had decided to keep this step secret.


    The fewer questions asked about his methods at this stage, the better.


    Under the protection of his sheets, he worked with surgical precision. Each grain of the black powder was measured exactly, his movements careful and deliberate.


    The crystal they had processed with moonlight the previous night reacted immediately upon contact with the black powder, its glow gradually shifting until it acquired an earthy brown tone.


    The transformation was fascinating to watch, the crystal''s inner light seemed to pulse and swirl as it absorbed the powder''s properties, like watching soil dissolve into clear water but in reverse.


    This was the kind of subtle interaction that the books missed entirely, focusing instead on dramatic reactions and flashy transformations.


    When Taro began to stir, showing the first signs of waking, Ren had already completed the crystal''s preparation. The timing was perfect, any longer and the sealing might have been too strong, any shorter and it might not have taken properly.


    "Good morning," he smiled, holding the finished crystal. "Your first crystal is ready."


    "Ah, yes... yes, of course," Taro mumbled, still half-asleep.


    "Here," Ren extended the glowing crystal to a barely-awake Taro, who accepted it with sleep-heavy hands.


    Still drowsy and trusting, Taro took the crystal without examining its brown glow too closely. After all, he had decided to put his faith in his friend. With a yawn, he activated the absorption process.


    For a moment, nothing happened. The room remained still, the early morning light casting long shadows across the floor.


    Then, the mana began to flow.


    Taro''s eyes flew wide open as the first wave of power coursed through him. It was more intense than he had expected, far more potent than the practice crystals he had used before.


    The sensation was like plunging into icy water, shocking, overwhelming, yet somehow invigorating.


    Another wave hit, stronger than the first.


    And another.


    And another.


    Each pulse of power seemed to build on the last, creating a cascading effect that made Taro''s entire body hum with energy. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "This is..." Taro gasped as the power continued to surge. "It''s too much..."


    Liu leaped from his bed the moment he saw Taro''s veins begin to glow with an unmistakable blue radiance, the telltale sign of mana poisoning.


    The blue lines traced patterns under his skin like rivers of light.


    "What have you done?!" Liu lunged toward Ren, panic evident in his voice. "I told you they were overcharged! Look at his veins!"


    The blue lines were spreading rapidly across Taro''s arms, who now struggled for breath. The mana flowed uncontrolled through his system, far too much for his body to process normally. Each pulse made the glow brighter, more intense.


    "We need to get him to the infirmary," Liu was already searching frantically for his shoes. "Mana poisoning medicine is expensive, but if he doesn''t get it soon..."


    "Wait," Ren maintained his composure, though his eyes never left Taro. His calm seemed almost unnatural in the face of such danger.


    "Wait?! He''s having massive poisoning because of you!"


    Min had also awakened to the commotion and watched the scene with growing concern, his water snake coiling anxiously around his arm.


    "Just..." Ren raised a hand, "wait one more moment."


    Taro''s veins now shone with increasing intensity, his breathing had become erratic, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Every sign pointed to a severe case of mana poisoning.


    "Easy," Ren gripped Taro''s shoulders firmly. "Breathe with me. Slowly."


    "The mana..." Taro panted, the blue lines pulsing brilliantly beneath his skin.


    "It''s a lot, I know," Ren''s voice remained calm, controlled. "But your beetle can handle it. You just need to guide it correctly."


    Liu watched from the door, torn between running for help and the strange certainty in Ren''s demeanor.


    "Feel the flow," Ren continued. "Notice how it''s pooling in your chest? You need to move it. Make it circulate to your arms first."


    Taro nodded weakly, focusing on the sensation. Slowly, the blue lines in his arms began to fade as he directed the energy.


    "Good. Now, let some flow toward your back. Your beetle is an earth creature, the mana should feel more natural flowing downward."


    Min held his breath as he watched the blue lines shift and gradually weaken, following Taro''s control.


    "Temporary mana excess isn''t bad if you know how to control it," Ren explained while guiding Taro. "Your beast is designed for this, it just needs you to help distribute it properly."


    Gradually, Taro''s breathing normalized.


    The blue lines almost completely vanished, leaving only a faint glow under his skin that looked more healthy than dangerous.


    "How do you feel?" Ren asked after several minutes.


    "It''s... different," Taro flexed his fingers, surprised. "I feel stronger, more connected to my beetle. Is this normal?"


    "It''s how it should be," Ren smiled, finally releasing his shoulders. "Traditional crystals have less mana to avoid poisoning. But your beetle can handle more to shorten the period by much, as long as you guide it correctly."


    Liu had approached again, his expression split between amazement and skepticism. "How did you know it would work?"


    "Because I know beasts better than the books suggest," Ren replied simply. "And this is only the first day."


    Taro stood up, experimenting with his new sensation of power. Not only had he survived the apparent poisoning, he felt better than ever.


    The first crystal had worked exactly as Ren had planned.


    Ninety-nine more, and the beetle''s evolution would be undeniable.

 Chapter 36 - Taming Taros Day

    As Ren headed to his morning training with Lin, Taro entered Wei''s classroom with some apprehension.During the last month, the professor''s behavior had been... peculiar.


    It wasn''t just that he ignored Ren''s absence, he seemed to revel in it.


    As Taro took his usual seat, he noticed how the professor practically glowed with satisfaction at his friend''s absence.


    Each class had become a parade of indirect jabs and examples where Ren served as the perfect antagonist.


    "As you can see in this diagram," Wei pointed to a cultivation pattern illustration, "this is how mana flows naturally in a well-cultivated beast. With this analyzed information as an argument, we can see how proven methods are superior to the unfounded theories of certain... disruptive elements."


    It was the third reference in the first ten minutes of class. Taro had begun keeping a mental count, the current record was twelve "examples" in a single session.


    "Observe the difference between correct cultivation and one..." Wei projected two images, "contaminated by baseless ideas."


    The constant jokes about fungi, idea-rotters, and infectious theories had become daily bread.


    What bothered Taro most wasn''t just the lack of professionalism, but how Wei used his position to influence class opinion. With countless comparisons to try to make his teachings sound more convincing.


    "Today we''ll do something different," Wei announced, finishing his diagram. "I want you to form pairs to study cultivation methodologies for beasts different from your own. Sometimes, an external perspective can spark inspiration."


    He made a theatrical pause before adding:


    His smile turned malicious. "Though remember to keep your minds open but not so much that they rot. Like those theorists who end up..." he made a dramatic pause, "with mushrooms in their brains."


    The class burst into laughter. Wei had carefully cultivated this atmosphere where mocking Ren was the norm.


    Taro gripped his pencil tightly. For a respected professor, Wei was behaving more like a child with a personal vendetta.


    Taro observed the classroom dejectedly.


    He had never been particularly sociable in this class, preferring to keep to himself.


    Now, as a known friend of the "Rotting Boy," the possibilities of finding a partner were even more limited.


    His gaze briefly met Jin''s group by accident.


    The tiger boy, surrounded by his usual cronies, gave him a look of disgust so exaggerated it would have been comical in other circumstances.


    A soft touch on his shoulder startled Taro.


    "Can I be your partner?"


    Taro turned to find Luna standing beside his desk.


    Her expression was as unreadable as ever, but there was something in her gaze suggesting this wasn''t a random choice.


    "With me?" the question came out higher-pitched than intended.


    Luna, the most promising student in class, wanted to pair with the Rotting Boy''s friend?


    ????


    "Luna, why don''t you work with me?" Klein didn''t bother to hide his intentions as she passed near his seat. "My golden lion would be a much more interesting study subject than a simple beetle."


    Luna didn''t even dignify him with a look while sitting beside Taro.


    Klein''s golden lion manifested in his arms, the marks glowing with irritation, but she kept her attention on the study materials she was beginning to take out.


    "So..." Taro began nervously, still bewildered at having the class''s most promising student as his partner.


    "The digger beetle," Luna was direct, her voice barely a whisper while pretending to review a diagram. "Have you already started with the method Ren mentioned?"


    The tension in Taro''s shoulders loosened a bit.


    Talking to a girl was something difficult for him but... This was a topic he could discuss comfortably.


    "Last night we processed the first crystals," he explained while they pretended to work on the assigned exercise. "Ren used a method with concentrated moonlight..."


    "And did it work?" Luna''s eyes showed a flash of genuine interest.


    "This morning I absorbed the first crystal. It was... intense."


    While supposedly analyzing their beasts'' cultivation components, Luna maintained a steady flow of precise questions: How exactly did they concentrate the light? Which moons did they use? How much exposure time?


    Suddenly, she stopped mid-analysis, her eyes fixed on Taro with an intensity that made him shift uncomfortably.


    "There''s something different about you," she murmured, her shadow wolf subtly manifesting in her eyes.


    "Different?"


    "Your mana," Luna narrowed her eyes, studying him. "The flow patterns... they move differently in your body. My wolf can see it clearly. It''s as if..."


    "Ah," Taro smiled slightly, understanding. "During cultivation this morning. The first crystal was processed differently, as Ren said it should be. At first I thought it was mana poisoning, but..." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Interesting," Luna cut him off softly.


    Though she asked no more questions, Taro could feel her gaze studying him periodically, as if monitoring the changes in his mana flow.


    ????


    They continued with the assigned exercise.


    Taro, after much analysis, only managed to identify one correct component for shadow wolf cultivation, the specific need for night crystals to maintain its affinity with shadows.


    Luna, for her part, identified two elements for the beetle: the critical importance of moonlight in processing and, surprisingly, the need for deep earth.


    "The second is incorrect," Taro pointed out, clearly remembering Ren''s explanations about purely lunar processing. "The method only requires specific moonlight."


    Luna looked at him with a curious expression, almost confused, but didn''t argue. Her eyes, still influenced by her shadow wolf, narrowed.


    When the exercise ended, she rose with the same silent grace with which she had arrived.


    Without saying another word, she returned to her seat, leaving Taro wondering if what had just happened was real.


    Klein tried to get her attention again when she passed, but Luna ignored him as completely as the first time.

 Chapter 37 - Tamers Team

    In battle class... Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality."Gather round!" Professor Yang''s voice resonated across the training field, echoing off the stone walls with commanding authority. "Today we''ll increase the intensity."


    Ren and Min joined Taro, all of them panting from the initial exercises that were notably more demanding than the day before.


    Though Ren appeared remarkably fresher than them, his month of extra training with Lin showing in his improved stamina and form.


    "Each tamer has different aptitudes in their styles," Yang walked through the student ranks, his stone Behemoth''s markings gleaming in the morning light. "Master Lin and I have decided it''s time to adapt the training according to your natural strengths for the beginning of the second month..."


    "But before you ask," he smiled at seeing the confused faces, his expression knowing, "we will decide which category you fit best in."


    Lin began moving among the students with practiced grace, pointing to different areas of the field. Her crane''s feathers shimmered as she moved.


    "Attackers, with Professor Yang," she indicated, her voice carrying clear across the field. "Speedsters, with me. Defensive types, to the east area. Range mages, to the west."


    The field became a flurry of movement as students began shifting to their assigned areas, some looking pleased with their categorization, others less so.


    While the professors assigned groups, Taro edged closer to Ren.


    "Hey, about Wei''s class..."


    ????


    "Luna asked you about the method?" Ren didn''t even seem surprised, as if he had expected this development.


    "Was it wrong that I told her about...?"


    "No problem," Ren shrugged. "You can talk openly about it. It''s not like it''s a secret. Besides, Luna helped me once and..."


    "Patinder!" Lin called out. "To the attackers'' group!"


    "Strength?" several students laughed, their voices thick with mockery.


    "The Rotting Boy? I''m a speed type and I have more strength augment than him."


    More laughter rippled through the crowd.


    "His strength is better than you think," Lin winked, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "A month of training works wonders."


    Taro was assigned to the defensive group, his beetle''s natural affinity for protection making him an obvious choice, while Min joined the range mages with his water snake.


    The class continued with specific exercises for each group.


    Ren discovered that, indeed, his month of training with Lin had prepared him well for the strength exercises. Each movement felt more natural, more powerful than before.


    By the end of the session, Yang gathered all students again, his Behemoth''s presence commanding attention.


    "As you know, the final exam will include eliminating a real monster," his voice turned serious, resonating with experience. "But that''s only half the test."


    Students exchanged confused looks, whispers spreading through the crowd.


    "A tamer must know more than just hunting beasts," he continued, his eyes scanning the gathered students. "Battles against other tamers from the enemy kingdom are equally important, if not more so."


    Lin stepped forward. "That''s why we''ll begin team practices next month. You have this month to form groups of three."


    "Can we choose anyone?" someone asked from the crowd.


    "As long as they''re maximum separated by 1 cultivation level at the time of exam," Lin confirmed, her eyes scanning the gathering.


    Looks began flying across the field as students mentally catalogued potential teammates.


    Jin was already gathering his followers, their beasts manifesting partially in excitement, while Klein seemed to gravitate toward Luna, who studied the distant mountains with pointed indifference.


    Ren, Taro, and Min exchanged glances. They didn''t need words to know they would team up together, even if it meant facing technically stronger groups.


    Their month of working together in the mines had already forged a natural understanding between them.


    "One warning," Yang''s voice cut through the murmurs. "Choose based on compatibility and strategy, not raw power. I''ve seen teams of ''weak'' beasts defeat supposedly superior groups just by having better coordination."


    His gaze briefly rested on Ren and his friends before continuing.


    "Remember, you have a month to practice together and choose. Use that time wisely."


    As the students dispersed, Ren couldn''t help but smile. An attacker, a defender, and a range mage... maybe they weren''t the strongest team, but they could definitely be a balanced one.


    ????


    "Hygiene isn''t just about appearance," Professor Mei drew diagrams on the board. "The same principles we use to keep our bodies clean apply to food preservation."


    Ren observed with genuine interest. As a cook''s son, he found the connections between body care and preservation techniques fascinating.


    "For example," Mei pointed to an illustration, "just as sweat can create an environment conducive to infections on our skin, incorrect moisture can ruin perfectly good food."


    The class continued with practical examples that Ren meticulously noted down. Many concepts reminded him of techniques he''d seen his parents use, though now he better understood the science behind them.


    When they reached crystal class, Professor Song made an announcement that caught everyone''s attention.


    "Today we''ll begin with gathering theory," he explained. "Though those who prefer to continue with practice can head to the mines."


    "What do you prefer to do?" Ren asked his friends.


    Min and Taro exchanged doubtful looks.


    "Gathering theory sounds important," Min began.


    "But we also need more crystals," added Taro.


    "You can stay for today," Ren suggested. "I''ll go to the mines."


    "Alone?" Taro seemed worried for a moment, but then remembered something. "Though now that I think about it, in a month you haven''t had a single accident down there."


    "It''s true," Min nodded. "You haven''t even stepped on a trap by accident, and some are well hidden."


    "Knowledge has its advantages," Ren smiled. "I''ll be fine."


    From a few rows back, Jin observed the conversation with malicious interest. He leaned toward his group, whispering something that made them smile.


    "Are you sure you''ll be fine?" Taro insisted.


    "Perfectly," Ren was already packing his things. "You learn the theory. We can compare notes later."


    As Ren left, Jin and his two cronies also stood up.


    "Professor," Jin smiled innocently. "We also prefer practice today."


    Song watched them with some suspicion but nodded. "Just remember to report your findings."


    Min and Taro watched Ren leave, followed at a distance by Jin and his group. They exchanged a worried look, but reminded themselves that so far, Ren had proven to know the mines better than anyone.


    "He''ll be fine," Taro murmured, though it wasn''t clear if he was trying to convince Min or himself. "After all, he''s the expert, right?"


    Jin''s group''s suppressed laughter didn''t help calm their worries.

 Chapter 38 - Taming the Trap

    The Academy''s corridors were left behind him as Ren ran toward the mines.A month of Lin''s brutal training had transformed his once scrawny frame, his pursuers could barely keep pace now, their heavy breathing betraying their exhaustion.


    "He''s getting away!" Jin''s breathless voice resonated in the distance. "Don''t let that rotting boy reach the mines first!"


    Ren smiled as he descended swiftly down the path toward the caves, each step sure despite the growing darkness.


    The mushrooms in his hair glowed softly, not just providing light but revealing intricate mana patterns in the walls that only he could see, a roadmap of power written in light and shadow.


    Though these fools pursued him and wanted to ruin his day, he couldn''t afford to miss even a single day of gathering.


    The sixty-some Bronze-rank crystals he''d accumulated over the month, while impressive for a beginner, fell far short of his needs. The thirty days of relentless mining had yielded decent results, but nowhere near enough.


    After spending 500 iron crystals on the lens to process Taro''s crystals, only 200 remained in his reserves. He urgently needed to replenish his stocks.


    The exchange rates weren''t helping either, trading his remaining iron crystals for Bronze ones would also be wasteful with the school''s exchange tax raising the cost from 10 to 13, yielding a mere 15 Bronze crystals from his 200.


    Not worth it¡­ Especially considering the other costly materials his evolution would require.


    And that wasn''t all, the deep earth needed for Taro''s sealing and the large crystals grew increasingly scarce in the permitted levels.


    The past month had stripped the easily accessible areas bare, leaving only remnants where rich veins once flowed. Second and third-year students had already claimed the prime safe locations, forcing newcomers to work harder for lesser rewards.


    ????


    The sound of clumsy footsteps and labored breathing faded as Ren delved deeper into the tunnels.


    ''Perfect,'' he thought while navigating the dark tunnels with precision, the mushrooms in his hair barely glowing now, adapting instinctively to his need for stealth.


    ''They''ll follow exactly where I need them to go.''


    He paused at an intersection, studying mana patterns invisible to normal eyes. The official mining zone''s deepest point at 100 meters loomed ahead, but the real treasures lay beyond.


    Untouched veins of Bronze crystals gleamed faintly in the depths, visible only to his specialized sight.


    Distant footsteps echoed through the tunnel, Jin and his group weren''t exactly masters of stealth, their heavy steps and whispered curses giving away their position.


    "Over here!" one of Jin''s followers shouted, voice bouncing off the stone walls. "I saw his stupid mushrooms glowing!"


    Ren continued deeper into the tunnel, each step precise and soundless. The mushrooms in his hair dimmed further, becoming barely visible specks of light.


    His knowledge showed him exactly where to step, which patches of ground to avoid, which walls could bear weight and which might crumble at a touch.


    ''They''re still following,'' he confirmed, briefly increasing his light to draw them on, listening to their unsubtle pursuit echoing through the tunnels.


    Ren stopped near the 100-meter mark.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed more slowly now, struggling to process the dense mana saturating the air.


    A guard hummed distractedly beside the access to the next level, clearly bored with his assignment.


    ''Guards never let Iron-rank beast students pass below 100 meters without authorization,'' he reflected, hearing his pursuers'' echoes growing closer. ''But if I can get Jin''s shouts to distract him, I could make it down to 150...''


    Knowledge flowed through his mind as he calculated risks.


    Incorrect Maturation: 31/1000.


    At this depth, his spore accumulated 1 point of incorrect maturation per day, in 30 days of ventures here, he''d accumulated 31, and deeper levels would add 2 points instead of 1.


    Just 4 hours of work today would bring him to 33. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But with only 33 points accumulated out of 1000, he still had room to maneuver.


    ''Should hold out about 4 hours before mana poisoning becomes an issue at 150 meters,'' he continued analyzing. ''Lesser worms are easy to avoid if you know their patterns. Time will be the real limitation.''


    Jin''s group''s footsteps grew louder, their confidence building as they thought they had him cornered.


    "Don''t let him escape!" Jin''s voice thundered through the tunnels. "This time the Rotting Boy has nowhere to hide!"


    A smile played across his face as he positioned himself near a specific intersection.


    They were exactly where he needed them.


    "There''s light ahead!" Kai called out, his scales glinting in the dim light. "I saw those stupid mushrooms glow!"


    Jin and his group were about to learn that following the "Rotting Boy" into the depths might not have been their wisest decision.


    "I can barely see anything down here," Cass complained, her eagle eyes straining to adapt to the darkness.


    "Shut up," Jin hissed, his tiger patterns casting faint shadows. "I think I see him ahead."


    Ren moved with precision across the uneven terrain, each step calculated to lead them toward the natural trap he''d discovered days ago. The lesser worms'' abandoned nests created perfect cavities, invisible to inexperienced eyes but clearly marked in the mana patterns only he could see.


    ''Just need them to fall in there,'' he thought as he approached the exact point. ''Their shouts will distract the guard long enough. There are rich Bronze crystal veins at 150 meters, and more importantly, uncontaminated deep earth.''


    "Over here!" Jin''s voice echoed through the tunnel. "I saw him turn this corner!"


    The group of bullies turned sharply, their footsteps resonating against the stone. The mushrooms in Ren''s hair barely emitted a faint glow as he hid in a wall crevice, watching.


    "Where is he?" Jin growled, his tiger markings glowing in the darkness. "He couldn''t just disappear like that!"


    "Maybe we should..." Cass began, but her voice cut off abruptly.


    "There he is!" Jin''s voice thundered through the tunnel. "We''ve got you, you''ll learn to respect real beasts, Rotting Boy! You can''t go anywhere now!"


    "Oh, there are many places to go," Ren stepped back, carefully calculating his position. "You just have to know where to step."


    Ren feigned surprise at seeing his pursuers running toward him.


    "Don''t let him escape!" Jin ran at the front, his tiger markings glowing with anticipation.


    ''Just a little more...''


    The ground beneath their feet gave way with an ominous crack. For a moment, time seemed to freeze as the reality of their situation registered on their faces.

 Chapter 39 - Taming the Depths

    Ren feigned surprise at seeing his pursuers running toward him."Don''t let him escape!" Jin ran at the front. His beast''s manifestation glowed brighter in the dense mana, betraying his excitement at cornering his prey.


    ''Just a little more...''


    The ground beneath their feet gave way with an ominous crack.


    For a moment, time seemed to freeze, Jin''s confident grin transformed into wide-eyed realization, his followers'' faces reflecting dawning horror as the floor crumbled beneath them.


    "AHHH!" Panicked screams echoed through the tunnels as the group plummeted into the hidden cavity.


    The cacophony of falling rocks and bodies hitting packed earth created a symphony of chaos that would surely draw attention.


    "Help!" Jin''s voice had lost all trace of its former arrogance, replaced by raw fear. "Someone!"


    The panic-stricken cries quickly attracted the guard.


    Ren had already melted into the shadows of a small side tunnel, his movements silent and precise.


    "What''s happening over there?" The guard''s voice approached rapidly, boots crunching on loose stone. "Keep calm!"


    ''Perfect,'' Ren thought, moving silently toward the adjacent wall near the entrance to the depths, a passage he''d been preparing for days.


    The crack, disguised as a simple extraction tunnel, was actually his escape route, carefully weakened over multiple visits.


    "We''re trapped!" Kai shouted, his voice cracking with genuine fear. "The floor collapsed!"


    "Stay calm!" The guard was already assessing the situation. "Don''t move, I''ll get you out of there."


    Ren pressed against the weakened section of the wall.


    The abandoned lesser worm tunnel needed just one more push. With a crackle barely audible under the bullies'' shouts, the rock gave way.


    ''Just enough,'' he observed while sliding through the narrow passage. His thin body barely fit through the opening, a benefit of still being a relatively slim child.


    "Watch the edge!" The guard''s voice faded as Ren descended on the other side. "I''m throwing down a rope!"


    The shouts and chaos continued above, providing perfect cover. Ren moved quickly but precisely along the now clear path.


    ''Now I''ll have a few hours of peace to search for what I need below.''


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed more slowly with each meter he descended, the dense mana making their work more difficult.


    ''Time is running,'' he reminded himself as he ventured deeper.


    "My ankle!" Jin''s distant voice resonated with feigned pain. "I think it''s broken!"


    "Calm down, boy!" The guard''s voice grew more distant. "These upper tunnels were abandoned, they all once belonged to displaced hungry beasts that have already died, so don''t panic... Take the rope!"


    Ren smiled as he descended. Jin would probably stretch the drama as long as possible, which gave him more time. The real race against the clock was with mana poisoning.


    Bronze crystal veins gleamed temptingly in the walls, but it was better to start from the deepest ones, he could already sense the rich deposits of crystals and deep earth waiting.


    Four hours before the poisoning became dangerous.


    It was time to make every minute count.


    ????


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed as he studied the patterns on the tunnel walls. The marks left by lesser worms formed an intricate map for those who knew how to read it.


    ''This isn''t normal,'' he thought as his fingers traced the lines of mana residue that glowed faintly. ''Too many recent marks, too many overlapping patterns.''


    The abandoned tunnels intersected more frequently than his knowledge told him was normal.


    Where he would typically find two or three intersections, now he saw five or six. The lesser worms were expanding their territory, digging new routes with unusual frequency.


    ''Why are they so active?'' Ren stopped to examine a particularly fresh mark. The mushrooms in his hair revealed the still-vibrant mana trail. ''This is less than a day old.''


    Knowledge flowed through his mind as he analyzed the patterns. Lesser worms only proliferated like this when significant changes occurred in mana currents.


    Something was altering the natural flows below.


    A side tunnel caught his attention.


    It was narrow, barely wide enough for a small person to pass through crouched, and the darkness seemed denser there. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed stronger, detecting something.


    ''Perfect,'' he smiled upon examining the wall.


    A bronze crystal vein, richer than normal, intertwined with veins of uncontaminated dark earth. It was an oddly convenient combination, almost unnatural.


    Ren extracted his tools with extreme care. Each strike would need to be precise, controlled. The slightest echo could attract unwanted attention.


    The mushrooms pulsed in warning, a lesser worm had passed through a nearby tunnel recently. Its senses would still be alert to any vibration. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Patience,'' he reminded himself while positioning his pick. ''One strong blow in the wrong place and I''ll have company very soon.''


    The first impact was barely louder than a whisper against the rock. Ren worked methodically, each movement calculated to minimize noise.


    The vein was surprisingly generous, bronze crystals practically jumping into his hands once he found the correct pressure points.


    Two hours of methodical work had filled Ren''s bag with a satisfactory amount of crystals and deep earth.


    ''If Taro knew I was using worm excrement to seal his crystals...'' An amused smile crossed his face as he stored another portion of the dark substance.


    ''Better he keeps thinking we only use moonlight and not "special earth from the depths".''


    The mushrooms pulsed more slowly, the dense mana making it increasingly difficult to process the environment. But knowledge kept flowing, showing him exactly where to strike, what angles to use, how to extract and store the dark earth without contaminating it.


    ''It''s almost too perfect,'' he thought while storing another crystal.


    The richness of the deposit, the presence of pure dark earth, the unusual proliferation of tunnels... Everything suggested something had changed in the depths.


    A distant sound made him pause. A worm''s dragging? Or just the natural echo of the caves?


    Another echo, closer this time.


    The sound of something dragging made his hands stop. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed more slowly, adapting to better detect nearby movements.


    ''This vein is too rich to be so untouched,'' he reflected while remaining motionless. Knowledge flowed, showing him clues others would overlook.


    ''The marks on the walls, the crystallized mana patterns... This was not a lesser worm''s but a common worm''s last gift when they expelled it from its territory.''


    The dragging drew closer.


    Ren held his breath, his body completely still.


    A lesser worm emerged from a side tunnel, its pale body glowing faintly with absorbed mana.

 Chapter 40 - Taming the Escape Plan

    Ren held his breath, his body completely still, pressed against the cool stone wall. Each heartbeat seemed unnaturally loud in the oppressive silence of the deep tunnels.A lesser worm emerged from a side tunnel, its pale body glowing faintly with absorbed mana. The creature''s rugged skin revealed intricate patterns of mana circulation, a beautiful display of natural energy processing.


    ''Must have been about two months ago,'' his mental analysis continued while observing the worm. ''The common worm probably died or returned to the depths. But its last defecation left this zone separated.''


    The knowledge flowing through his mind painted a clear picture of the tunnel''s recent history.


    The lesser worm advanced near the deposit, its movements fluid and purposeful. Its olfactory sensors quivered, drawn by the rich mana concentration in the vein.


    Ren watched, fascinated, as the blind creature approached the area where he had been working. Each movement revealed more about its nature, its hunting patterns, its sensory capabilities.


    ''Mana attracts them,'' he thought while the worm tentatively tested the earth near the deposit. ''But the residue...'' His knowledge showed him exactly what would happen next, like reading a script written in mana patterns.


    Just as expected, the worm recoiled almost immediately.


    Its sensors writhed in what appeared to be disgust before the creature rapidly retreated through another tunnel, its body contracting in visible revulsion.


    ''Common worm excrement must taste terrible to them,'' Ren''s smile widened. ''It''s like a natural repellent. The mana in the vein attracts them, but one taste of these residues...''


    The elegant simplicity of nature''s defense mechanisms never ceased to amaze him.


    Ren waited several moments more before resuming his work, each second measured carefully against the growing pressure of mana poisoning in his system.


    ''That''s why this vein has retained so much mana,'' his mind connected the pieces while extracting another crystal.


    ''Lesser worms detect it because of its mana richness, but the common worm''s residues keep them away.''


    Each new discovery reinforced his understanding of the mines'' ecosystem.


    His fingers traced the crystallization lines on the wall. The mana had concentrated uniquely here, preserved by the peculiar nature of the deposit. The patterns told a story of power trapped and refined over recent months.


    ''Nobody else would come looking in such a cramped hole, and lesser worms won''t eat what''s basically a pile of worm feces unless by accident,'' he thought while packing another portion.


    The irony of finding treasure again in what others would avoid brought a slight smile to his face.


    The mushrooms pulsed again, detecting another movement in the distance, but farther away this time.


    Ren continued his work, each movement precise and silent.


    He had found a unique treasure here, and he wasn''t going to waste it. The density of the mana, the quality of the crystals, the perfect preservation of the deep earth, it was a miraculous combination of circumstances at this ''low'' depth.


    ''Just hope Taro never asks why his special crystal has that particular color,'' he smiled while sealing his bag.


    The knowledge had shown him many secrets of the depths, and this was one of the most useful, however unpleasant it might seem.


    ????


    Ren leaned against the tunnel wall, his legs trembling slightly from the effort of the last hours.


    The bag at his waist weighed pleasantly, the result of a productive but risky expedition.


    The bronze crystals clinked softly against the iron ones, while the black earth remained stored in its own bag... 2 bags.


    ''Almost 40 bronze crystals,'' he counted mentally while the mushrooms in his hair pulsed ever more slowly. ''Plus the 50-some iron ones that surrounded them in the vein. And enough black earth for several complete sealings. Could get more, but...''


    A slight dizziness made him lean against the wall again.


    The dense mana was beginning to affect his system after more than three hours of exposure. The mushroom''s processing capacity severely reduced.


    ''Time to start heading out,'' he straightened with effort. ''40 minutes before the mana poisoning becomes serious.''


    Ren took out his canteen and took a long drink. The water helped mitigate the effects, but it was only a temporary solution. He needed to get out soon.


    Following the mana residue patterns on the walls, Ren moved methodically toward the upper zone, each scratch, each crystallized mana residue telling a story.


    His eyes scanned each intersection, looking for something specific. After several minutes of searching, he found what he needed.


    ''There.''


    A relatively gentle slope rose in one of the side tunnels. The marks on the walls showed the characteristic traces of a lesser worm that had abandoned the area long ago.


    The tunnel seemed to end abruptly several meters up.


    ''Perfect.'' A smile formed on his face while examining the formation. ''Time to build my exit.''


    Ren took out some tools and began working in the abandoned tunnel. Each movement was precise despite the growing dizziness. There was no time for errors, only thirty minutes to execute his exit plan and his alibi depended on doing this correctly.


    ''The guards are meticulous with exit records,'' he thought while beginning to work in the abandoned tunnel.


    ''They''ll need a convincing explanation for this amount of crystals. Something that doesn''t raise suspicions about forbidden levels.''


    Especially if he wanted to collect his doubled month-end reward.


    ''Twenty-five minutes,'' he estimated while feeling another wave of dizziness. ''Need to finish this and start ascending in the next ten, or I won''t reach the surface in presentable condition.''


    Sweat ran down his forehead as he continued his work. Each passing minute made his movements more difficult, more imprecise.


    First he used the residual energy in the lens he had bought and overcharged a crystal, then sealed it with deep earth. The crystal began to glow in a brown tone.


    Ren carefully deposited five bronze crystals on the ground, forming a specific pattern. His fingers trembled slightly while placing each one, not just from mana poisoning, but from the pain of wasting valuable resources. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Hurts to use bronze crystals like this,'' he thought while taking out three more from his bag. ''But I need the worm to detect them from afar. Iron ones wouldn''t be enough attraction at this 115 meters low depth.''


    The fresh marks on the walls confirmed what was necessary to execute his plan. A lesser worm had passed through here recently, its sensors probably still alert to any signal in its territory.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair, though weak, could still detect the fresh mana trail.


    ''This one must be near leveling up,'' he analyzed while studying the residue patterns. ''The marks are deep, regular. It''s been accumulating mana consistently.''


    With methodical precision, Ren began to strike the tunnel wall.

 Chapter 41 - Taming the Shitty Bait

    ''This one must be close to ranking up,'' he analyzed while studying the residue patterns. ''The marks are deep, regular. It''s been consistently accumulating mana.''With methodical precision, Ren began to strike the tunnel wall.


    These weren''t random blows, they followed a specific rhythm, a vibration that mimicked the lesser worms'' mating call.


    Each tap resonated through the ancient stone, carrying subtle harmonics that only the creatures could fully appreciate. sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tap-tap... tap... tap-tap-tap


    ''It''s not really mating,'' knowledge flowed through his mind while maintaining the rhythm. ''It''s more like an invitation to joint evolution.''


    The complex social behaviors of these supposedly simple creatures never ceased to amaze him.


    Tap-tap... tap... tap-tap-tap


    Lesser worms, upon reaching certain levels of maturity and mana accumulation, initiated this ritual. It was their way of seeking a compatible partner to merge with and evolve into a larger, more powerful common worm. Each tap echoed the ancient dance of transformation that had shaped these tunnels for centuries.


    Ren placed more crystals, forming a path leading toward the ascending tunnel he had prepared. Each crystal was strategically positioned, calculating the optimal distance for the worm to detect them sequentially.


    The placement had to be perfect, too close together and they''d overwhelm the creature''s senses, too far apart and it might lose interest.


    ''The concentrated mana in bronze crystals,'' he continued his analysis while working, his movements precise despite growing fatigue, ''mimics the signal of a mature worm offering part of its accumulation as an incentive for fusion.''


    Tap-tap... tap... tap-tap-tap


    A distant echo responded to his strikes.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly, detecting movement approaching. Something had heard his call and found it intriguing enough to investigate.


    ''Perfect. Now I just need to maintain the rhythm.''


    Ren continued his rhythmic calling, each series of strikes precisely spaced. The knowledge showed him exactly how to modulate the vibrations to maintain the worm''s interest without alerting it that something was wrong.


    Each tap had to be perfect, too strong would suggest aggression, too weak would indicate weakness.


    The crystals glowed faintly in the darkness, their concentrated mana acting like beacons for the approaching creature.


    The path he had created led directly to the ascending tunnel, where more crystals waited. It was a trail of irresistible temptation for a creature driven by mana hunger.


    ''An almost mature lesser worm can''t resist a signal like this,'' he thought while listening to the increasingly closer movements. ''The promise of enough concentrated mana to evolve... it''s like showing a feast to a starving man.''


    The sound of something dragging grew louder.


    Ren maintained the rhythm, though each strike became more difficult with his arms numbed by poisoning. The dense mana of the deep tunnels was taking its toll, but he couldn''t stop now.


    Tap-tap... tap... tap-tap-tap


    ''Come on,'' he mentally urged while feeling the worm approaching. ''I just need you to follow the path upward. You get some bronze crystals, I get my escape route.'' The bargain seemed fair enough, even if his partner in this dance was unaware of the final exchange.


    The mushrooms in his hair could barely process the ambient mana now, but it didn''t matter.


    The plan was in motion, and the worm was approaching exactly as he had foreseen. Each movement brought it closer to springing his carefully laid trap.


    ????


    Ren slid silently toward a tunnel bend when he had made enough attraction taps, his hand holding the specially prepared brown crystal.


    The lens light had altered its structure, and the addition of common worm excrement had transformed it into a Bronze-level earth crystal.


    ''Now comes the delicate part,'' he thought while listening to the approaching worm.


    The lesser worm emerged from below, its sensors vibrating with excitement at the mana concentration. Without hesitation, the creature lunged at the first pile of 5 crystals, absorbing them with frenzied movements.


    ''Hungry, eh?'' Ren observed as the worm followed the path of crystals he had laid out. ''Perfect.''


    With silent steps, he began following the creature, maintaining a safe distance. The worm continued its ascent through the tunnel, each crystal drawing it higher, away from the high mana concentration zone.


    ''A little more,'' Ren controlled his breathing as they climbed. The dizziness from poisoning made maintaining balance a challenge. ''Just a little higher up.''


    The worm reached the last crystal at the tunnel''s dead end. Its sensors writhed in confusion at detecting no more mana signals nor traces of the supposed evolution partner.


    ''Before you decide to return...''


    Ren struck the wall in a specific pattern, but this time different. Not the mating rhythm, but something more aggressive, more threatening.


    The sound a worm would make defending its territory.


    The reaction was immediate and grotesque.


    The lesser worm''s body contorted in an unnatural peristaltic movement, its posterior end transforming into a new head while the original retracted.


    ''Now!''


    Without losing a second, Ren threw the processed crystal directly toward the worm''s new mouth. In the same movement, he dropped and slid down the tunnel slope, his hands striking the walls in a rhythm that mimicked a superior worm''s threat.


    The lesser worm froze for a moment, caught between the confusion of contradictory signals and the sudden alteration in its system from the special crystal.


    Its body contorted again, trying to move away from the supposed threat.


    As it advanced, it began digging the tunnel upward, exactly what Ren needed.


    When it was about to realize that the mana was too low here and turn around, it noticed the problem in its internal mana flow, but it was too late.


    ''Three... two... one...''


    The mana imbalance in the worm''s body reached its critical point. The creature writhed violently, its body glowing with unstable light.


    It was time, dizziness crept in, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through¡­


    Ren clapped three times as fast as he could with all his strength, his hands firm but not so much, forming a perfect hollow curve to amplify the sound.


    With a sharp shriek that resonated through the tunnels, the worm shot upward, its body frantically digging through the rock.


    BOOM!


    The small explosion shook the tunnel, sending a rain of rock fragments and crystals. Ren protected himself, a satisfied smile on his face while the dust settled.


    ''And that''s how you create an escape route,'' he thought while climbing up through the new tunnel connecting to the upper levels. ''Though it pains me to have spent so many bronze crystals... at least now I have a perfect explanation for my "discovery".''


    The dizziness intensified, he needed to get out soon. But his plan had worked perfectly.


    Now all that remained was to climb up and tell his story of how he had "accidentally" found all these materials after a crazed worm dug a new tunnel and exploded near him, burying him in a hole.

 Chapter 42 - Taming the Aftermath

    Ren climbed hurriedly through the newly formed tunnel, his legs trembling from effort and mana poisoning.The mushrooms in his hair barely emitted a faint glow, but he could still distinguish the disaster scene before him.


    ''What a mess,'' he thought while examining the scattered remains of the lesser worm. Fragments of grayish flesh and greenish fluids covered the tunnel walls. The characteristic smell of mana in Iron-rank beast flesh permeated the air.


    It was a shame that despite the relatively high mana concentration, the worms were so inefficient and only Iron rank at that depth.


    Other Bronze-rank beasts could live there without problem... Of course, Ren doubted if he could eliminate those so easily.


    But not everything was bad.


    His eyes lit up upon detecting some of the bronze crystals he had used as bait, miraculously intact among the remains. He hurried to collect them, each movement calculated despite his growing dizziness.


    ''At least I recovered some,'' he thought while storing them. ''Though I would have preferred it if it were a Bronze beast, I need many parts for cultivation...''


    His fingers stopped on something more solid among the organic remains.


    Teeth.


    Lesser worm teeth, though from an Iron beast, had their uses.


    Ren carefully collected them, his mind already calculating their possible applications.


    ''They''re not Bronze beast fangs, but they''re almost as strong due to digging specialization, they''ll serve for...''


    A particular glow caught his attention.


    Among the mass of remains, something pulsed weakly with a silvery light. Ren held his breath while carefully pushing aside the shredded tissues.


    ''The core.''


    It wasn''t really a complete core.


    Unlike the complete core of the Bronze mantis for example, the lesser worm''s was more primitive, barely transforming so it couldn''t process well, it was more like a storage, closer to a simple mana crystal.


    But the silver color didn''t lie, it contained approximately a hundred units of concentrated mana.


    ''A low-quality Silver crystal,'' he evaluated while carefully picking it up. ''Imperfect, unstable... but with proper processing could be useful...''


    The sound of approaching boots interrupted his thoughts. The guards, attracted by the explosion, wouldn''t take long to arrive.


    Ren quickly stored the core along with the other recovered materials. It was time to put the last part of his plan into practice.


    ''Show time,'' he thought while composing his expression of surprise and confusion. His mushrooms, weakened by poisoning, provided the perfect image of an exhausted student who had just lived an unexpected experience.


    The guards'' sound drew closer. Ren mentally reviewed his story one last time, the discovery of an unusually rich vein that attracted the crazed worm, the unexpected explosion... Everything fit perfectly.


    His legs trembled; he didn''t have to fake the exhaustion. Mana poisoning was reaching concerning levels.


    But it had been worth it.


    Between legitimately collected crystals, those recovered from the remains, and the unexpected Silver core, the expedition had been more than successful.


    ''Though,'' he reflected while hearing the guards'' voices getting closer, ''explaining the presence of a Silver core will be... interesting.''


    ????


    "I just can''t believe it!" Taro shook his head while examining one of the bronze crystals. "All this was inside the worm?"


    Ren reclined on his bed. The mana poisoning still made his head spin, but his friends'' expressions of amazement were worth the discomfort.


    "Thirty-eight bronze crystals," Min meticulously counted, organizing the materials on the table. "Fifty-nine iron... and these bags of deep sand weigh at least a kilo each."


    Liu whistled, impressed. "Fortune smiles on you, fungus. Though being near when the worm exploded... Don''t know whether to call it good or bad luck."


    "The guards say they''d never seen anything like it," Ren shrugged, maintaining his innocent expression. "Apparently the worm consumed too rich a vein and its mana overloaded."


    ''If they knew I caused that overload...''


    "And look at this!" Taro held the silver core against the light. "A Silver-grade mana crystal. How did a lesser worm have something like this?"


    "Master Song explained it in class," Min added. "Lesser worms haven''t yet developed complete processing cores. At that level they just use crystal structures to store mana."


    Ren smiled while watching his friends examine his haul. This month had been exceptionally productive: 100 bronze crystals, 783 iron, two and a half kilos of "deep sand," one silver crystal, and several useful lesser worm parts.


    ''Must be worth around twenty-five hundred crystals to double in tomorrow''s report,'' he calculated mentally. ''The school will really double the value...''


    Everything was noted in the guards'' records, who had been surprised all month by Ren''s effectiveness, they even had a bet to calculate his daily earnings and called him the lucky fungus.


    "This deserves a celebration!" Liu pulled some candies from his drawer. "The rotting fungus is now the lucky fungus!"


    Taro laughed while accepting a candy. "Who would have thought being in the wrong place at the wrong time would turn out so beneficial?"


    ''If they knew how long it took to plan that "accident"...''


    The door burst open.


    "Ren."


    Lin''s icy tone made everyone freeze. The young instructor stood in the doorway, her expression dangerously calm.


    "Would you care to explain why you''re not at the training field?"


    The color drained from Ren''s face. Night training. He had completely forgotten.


    "Master Lin, I... I''m overloaded with mana..."


    "Oh, so you have energy to celebrate but not to train?"


    "Actually I feel quite bad and¡­"


    Lin interrupted him by grabbing his shirt collar and began dragging him toward the door.


    "Perfect! Physical training is excellent for purging excess mana from the system." Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But Master Lin...!"


    "No buts. Thirty additional laps for being late."


    Taro, Min, and Liu watched with amusement and sympathy as their friend was dragged out of the room.


    "Save me some candy!" Ren managed to shout before the door closed.


    His friends'' laughter followed him down the hallway as Lin dragged him relentlessly toward the training field. Despite the exhaustion and dizziness, Ren couldn''t help but smile.


    ''I guess this is the price of success,'' he thought while resigning himself to a night of brutal exercise.

 Chapter 43 - Taming the Leveling Cost

    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with renewed energy as he walked toward the exchange area with his friends.Lin''s pill, combined with last night''s brutal training session, this morning''s workout, and some meditative circulation had effectively cleansed the excess mana from his system.


    "I can''t believe how well it went today!" Taro practically bounced as they walked, his beetle''s markings shimmering with excitement. "I thought I''d struggle again, but the circulation was so much smoother. I could almost feel the patterns!"


    A smile tugged at Ren''s lips as he recalled their morning session.


    Watching Taro''s progress was satisfying, like seeing a complex puzzle slowly come together.


    "You''ve improved tremendously. Soon you won''t need my guidance."


    ''And the sooner he masters it,'' Ren thought, ''the sooner I can focus on my own advancement.''


    The exchange area buzzed with life, a hive of activity where students from all years crowded around the counters.


    The air hummed with haggling voices and the subtle resonance of magical items changing hands. Crystals clinked against scales, while preserved beast parts gleamed in their glass containers.


    "How much did you get with the duplication?" Min''s water snake coiled lazily around his shoulders as he asked.


    "They gave me 2500 crystals," Ren replied as they approached the beast parts counter.


    Glass containers lined the shelves, their contents casting prismatic shadows on the worn wood.


    "I have almost 4000 usable, the rest are materials. Though I doubt it''s enough for much cultivation, I hope it''s sufficient to begin cultivation..."


    ????


    His heart sank when he inquired about the prices of what he needed.


    Bronze-rank beast parts, meticulously preserved in crystal containers, glowed tantalizingly. Each piece cost a fortune, 1000 crystals apiece.


    Thankfully, he didn''t need those pristine specimens.


    But even the discarded parts, the ones slowly rotting that he actually required...


    "100 crystals for a daily portion''s worth for my crystals," he muttered, examining a fragment of common crocodile skin that had begun to decompose. Its scales still held a faint iridescence despite the decay. "And I need a hundred portions..."


    They were cheap by comparison, but far from free. His spore wasn''t the only creature that could utilize materials in that state for cultivation.


    Liu whistled low and long. "Wow, 10,000 crystals just for that garbage. And you still need other materials, right? That spore really is a pain in your side. Sure the investment''s worth it?"


    It was undoubtedly worth it, but the timeline...


    Ren nodded grimly and made his way to the poisonous fungi section. The vendor, an older woman with burn scars crisscrossing her hands like a roadmap of past mistakes, gave him a sympathetic look.


    "3000 per piece," she said before he could ask, gesturing to the glowing specimens. "And yes, it''s expensive. We have to import them from Yino City, and relations aren''t exactly friendly with our Yano City right now."


    ''Each one will process 10 crystals. Another 30,000 crystals...'' Ren felt a headache building behind his eyes.


    "And the intelligence rune?" He pointed toward the artifacts section with a trembling finger, hoping against hope.


    The intelligence rune pulsed with a soft blue glow. It was among the most basic, but still...


    "That''s one of the cheap ones, like vitality runes it costs 10,000," the vendor sighed.


    ''I need 50,000 crystals total.''


    Min scribbled quick calculations in his notebook, his water snake peering curiously at the numbers. "Based on what you say you need... Assuming luck keeps striking, you maintain your current gathering pace, and factoring in the school''s duplication..."


    "Ten months minimum," Ren completed the thought, shoulders slumping slightly. "And that''s if I maintain this level of production."


    ''If I could go deeper... but mana poisoning is already a problem at this depth.'' The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly at the thought.


    "Hey, it''s not so bad!" Taro tried to lift the mood, his beetle''s markings brightening with his optimism. "Ten months will fly by! Besides, meanwhile I can keep improving my control and¡­"


    "Ren!"


    The group turned to see Master Lin approaching, her crane''s feathers shimmering with each stride. Her expression was unreadable, but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes.


    "I hope you''re not thinking of skipping tonight''s training again."


    Ren swallowed hard. "No, of course not. I was just¡­"


    Lin studied him for a moment, her gaze piercing. "The path to Bronze rank is never easy. But you got many crystals this month so keep at it... and remember: sometimes the longest path is the safest."


    ''If she knew how I really get the crystals¡­ Not the safest.''


    "Now," Lin continued, a predatory smile forming on her lips, "since you have so much energy for calculations, I''m sure you can handle some extra exercise sets tonight."


    Ren groaned while his friends tried to hide their laughter. Evolution would have to wait, for now, he had another session of torture, er, training, to face.


    ????


    Days fell back into routine for Ren.


    Walking toward the deep mines, he reflected on his situation. Each step echoed his thoughts down the empty corridor.


    ''One worm exploding near the "lucky fungus" and finding a rich vein? Believable,'' he thought, skillfully dodging a group of students.


    Their whispers followed him, the latest rumors about his impossible luck.


    ''Two worms exploding in a week... they''d start asking uncomfortable questions.''


    The "lucky fungus" reputation was useful, but it had limits. He could already imagine the guards'' suspicious looks if "accidents" with worms became too frequent.


    Jin''s group watched from afar, shooting threatening glances but keeping their distance. The tunnel incident had left a lasting impression, a whole week of peace.


    Though they''d returned to their old habits, something had shifted.


    "There goes the rotting boy!" one whispered, but they moved with newfound caution.


    ''At least they don''t chase me like madmen anymore,'' Ren smiled while taking an unnecessarily complex detour. ''And when they do...'' S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Losing them had become almost entertaining.


    A month of Lin''s training had worked wonders for his endurance, and he knew every corner of the upper tunnels like the back of his hand.


    The new secret tunnel had been a success. Using the lesser worms'' mating call, he''d managed to get another worm to dig a small hidden passage. It was more discreet than the previous one, which the guards had quickly sealed after the "incident."


    ''Five bronze crystals, fifty iron, a quarter kilo of deep earth...'' he mentally tallied his daily gathering. ''A "lucky" amount but not suspicious.''


    The mushrooms pulsed as he descended through the hidden passage.


    The routine had become precise: enter, gather for 30 minutes, exit.


    No explosions, no drama.


    Just a persistent student with a consistently "lucky" streak.


    ''But it''s not enough,'' he calculated while carefully extracting a bronze crystal. At this rate, reaching 50,000 crystals would take far too long. ''I need another way...''


    His thoughts were interrupted by distant student conversations. Fragments about the upcoming gathering expedition reached his ears, making his heart race with possibility.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed stronger, responding to his sudden interest. The expedition... an opportunity to gather beyond the school''s usual boundaries.


    ''New territories,'' he reflected while storing the day''s crystals. ''New beasts, new resources...''


    A smile formed on his face as he ascended. The risks would be greater outside school grounds, but so would the rewards. More importantly, nobody would question a "lucky" gathering during an official expedition.


    ''I''ll need to prepare well,'' he thought while heading toward the exit.


    The mushrooms pulsed softly, as if approving his plan. The daily routine would continue for now, but the expedition promised to be an opportunity to significantly accelerate his progress.

 Chapter 44 - Taming Practice Beasts

    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed softly as he counted the day''s crystals. One hundred and twenty in total value, that was his "lucky" but not suspicious amount.''Not quite the thousand-plus crystals counting materials from that first day,'' he reflected while carefully storing his gathering, ''but it''s safer this way for now.''


    The numbers were consistent: between one hundred and one hundred fifty crystals daily. By month''s end, it would amount to roughly 4,000, which the school would double to 8,000.


    Progress toward the needed 50,000 was slow, but at least it was steady.


    ''Two days until the expedition,'' he thought while climbing through the hidden tunnel.


    The prospect of gathering beyond school boundaries offered new possibilities.


    Life had fallen into a rhythm.


    Taro practiced mana circulation daily, his control improving remarkably. He no longer needed as much guidance to distribute energy correctly.


    Morning training with Lin had become more bearable too. His muscles no longer screamed in protest with each exercise, and occasionally he could even maintain coherent conversation while completing his sets.


    It was today, after one of these morning sessions, when something unexpected happened in battle class.


    ????


    "Have you decided on your teams?" Master Yang''s voice resonated across the training field. His Stone Behemoth gleamed under the morning sun as he surveyed the students.


    An uncomfortable silence was his answer. Though some groups had clearly formed, like Jin with his usual followers, many students still seemed undecided.


    "As I thought," Yang crossed his arms, the Behemoth''s markings rippling across his skin. "It''s difficult to choose partners without truly understanding how you work together in combat."


    Lin stepped forward, her crane manifesting in feather patterns along her arms. "That''s why we''ve prepared something special for today."


    At her signal, several assistants began pushing something massive onto the field. It was a reinforced iron cage, covered by a dark canvas.


    "In the final exam, you''ll face a Bronze-rank beast," Yang continued as students instinctively backed away. "But before that, you need to understand the fundamentals of monster combat."


    Lin removed the canvas with a fluid motion.


    The students collectively held their breath.


    Ten enormous stones...


    Most students fell silent in confusion, some laughed... until Yang struck one of the stones and woke it.


    Inside the cage, a Stone Lurker moved cautiously.


    It was roughly the height of a ten-year-old child, with a stocky body covered in protrusions where rocks and minerals adhered. Its four short legs ended in adhesive pads that allowed it to climb vertical surfaces.


    "A Stone Lurker from the northern mines," Yang announced. "Beasts that stalk the tunnels, disguising themselves as rocks to ambush their prey. This one''s barely an Iron-rank juvenile."


    The creature observed the students with small, bright eyes, almost hidden among the stone plates covering its face. Its behavior was notably cautious, finding itself surrounded by beings larger than itself.


    Especially the teachers and assistants.


    "We don''t just breed them here, we regularly capture them from other mines," Lin continued. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "If we let them multiply outside the school''s breeding chamber, they''d leave the caves and become a real danger to children. They''re especially problematic because they tend to hide from adults and ambush prey their size or smaller."


    The Stone Lurker hunched in a corner of the cage, the rocks on its body rearranging to resemble a common big stone. If not for the slight movement of its breathing, it would be difficult to distinguish from its surroundings.


    "They''re slow but resilient," Lin explained. "Their armor absorbs impacts and can rapidly grow to protect damaged areas. The key is finding points where the growth is weakest."


    "They won''t attack directly," Yang added while the creature maintained its disguise. "They prefer to wait for the right moment. In caves, they''d drop from the ceiling onto distracted travelers. Here, you''ll have to force them to move."


    "They''re naturally cowardly," Lin added. "If they face serious resistance, they''ll try to flee. The challenge is either defeating them or making them attempt to escape."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed as he absorbed this information. The Stone Lurker was a specialized predator, not particularly strong, but perfectly adapted for its ecological niche.


    Despite its modest size, its mass was considerable, the rocks covering its body adding significant weight to its already robust constitution.


    Ren found the creature fascinating, a beast that compensated for its lack of speed with adaptive defense and precise ambushes. His spore''s knowledge revealed intricate details about its behavior and weaknesses that others might miss.


    What appeared to be a random pile of rocks was actually ten perfectly camouflaged Stone Lurkers.


    "You''ll form teams of three if you haven''t already," Yang continued, his voice carrying across the field as he passed the students a list to fill. "Each team will have five minutes to face it. You don''t need to defeat it, we just want to see how you handle a resilient creature while working as a team."


    Lin began bringing out the training equipment, laying it carefully on a nearby table. "Choose your weapons according to your style. We have spears for maintaining distance, shields for defense, maces for blunt strikes... Pick what suits your approach best."


    ????


    "As first team," Yang announced, consulting his now full list, "Han, Sora, and Jun."


    Han, a boy with a weaver spider that created intricate hexagonal patterns on his skin, stepped forward decisively. Sora, whose deer manifested small but elegant horns in her hair, and Jun, who had a monkey that manifested brown markings on his hands, followed with notably less confidence.


    "Choose your weapons," Lin indicated, gesturing toward the equipment array. "You''ll face one of them."


    Han took a spear confidently, his spider beast granting him excellent control with long tools. Sora chose a shield, its surface gleaming dully in the morning light, while Jun opted for a short sword despite its obvious limitations against stone.


    "Cutting weapons are a poor choice against rock," Lin murmured, but didn''t stop him from making his selection. This was, after all, a learning experience.


    "Remember," Yang warned as the assistants selected which Stone Lurker they would face, "these are ambush creatures. Don''t let their apparent passivity fool you until the end."


    The team entered the designated area.


    The chosen Stone Lurker was released, immediately blending with its surroundings like just another rock. The only sign of its presence was a faint scraping sound as it settled into position.


    "Begin!"

 Chapter 45 - Taming Practice Beasts - 2

    "Remember," Yang warned as the assistants selected which Stone Lurker they would face, "they are ambush creatures. Don''t let their apparent passivity fool you until the end."The team entered the designated area, their footsteps echoing in the sudden silence that had fallen over the training field.


    Students pressed forward to watch, eager to learn from either success or failure.


    The chosen Stone Lurker was released, immediately melting into its surroundings like just another rock.


    "Begin!"


    Han took the initiative, his spider''s hexagonal patterns rippling across his skin as he moved forward with his spear held at the ready. Sora followed close behind with her shield. Jun covered the flank, his monkey''s markings shifting nervously as he gripped his sword.


    "Maintain formation," Lin suggested from the sidelines. Her experienced eye could already see the gaps in their coordination, the subtle signs of uncertainty in their movements.


    The Stone Lurker suddenly sprang to life, rising on its suction-cup feet with shocking speed upon detecting that Jun was smaller than itself.


    Its mouth opened impossibly wide, revealing rows of crushing teeth designed to pulverize both stone and bone. The grinding sound of its jaw expanding sent shivers through the watching crowd.


    Jun screamed and stumbled backward, his sword shaking violently in his grip.


    His monkey''s patterns distorted chaotically with panic, the usual brown markings becoming a jumbled mess that reflected his terror.


    The maintained formation shattered like glass.


    "Don''t separate!" Han shouted, his spear moving to intercept the Stone Lurker with spider-enhanced precision.


    But it was already too late, Jun had retreated too far, breaking the defensive line.


    Sora, equally frightened by the creature''s sudden animation, had moved in the opposite direction with her shield, leaving a fatal gap in their defenses.


    The Stone Lurker, displaying the predatory intelligence that made its species so dangerous, instantly exploited the separation. It launched itself toward Jun with surprising agility, its stone-covered body somehow fluid in motion.


    The boy barely managed to raise his sword, the blade trembling as he faced the incoming mass of animated rock.


    Yang intervened with lightning speed, his Behemoth manifesting fully as he caught the Stone Lurker mid-leap. The creature writhed in his grasp, its rock armor grinding against itself, but it was useless against the teacher''s overwhelming strength.


    "Enough," he declared while returning the creature to its cage, its struggles diminishing as it recognized defeat.


    "What went wrong?"


    "They broke formation at the first scare," Lin answered. "Only Han maintained his composure, but a team isn''t just one competent member."


    The three students withdrew from the area, their failure weighing heavily on them.


    Jun still trembled, his monkey''s markings faded and distorted. Sora stared at the ground, her deer''s manifestation barely visible in her shame.


    Only Han maintained his composure, though frustration radiated from his rigid posture.


    ????


    "Next team!" Yang called out, his voice carrying across the training field. "Jin, Kai, and Cass."


    Jin stepped forward with a predatory smile, his tiger markings gleaming with an almost electric intensity.


    Kai flexed his arms, scales catching the morning light like polished jade.


    Cass stretched her red eagle wings, the feathers spreading in an impressive display.


    ''This group will be different,'' Ren thought while observing from his position. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed as he studied their movements. ''Jin might be an idiot who falls for traps, but he''s no fool in combat.''


    "Choose your weapons," Lin indicated as Jin''s group approached the arsenal. The variety of training weapons gleamed in the morning light, each designed for different combat styles.


    Jin studied the options before selecting a pair of battle caestus, metal-reinforced gloves designed for close combat. His tiger markings flared as he adjusted them, testing their fit with practiced movements.


    "No swords, eh?" Kai murmured, selecting a war hammer. His scales reflected light in complex patterns as he tested the weapon''s weight, finding its balance point.


    Cass, surprising several observers, took up a shield. "Someone has to keep you alive," she declared as her red eagle feathers manifested, creating intricate defensive patterns across her arms.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed as he observed their formation.


    Unlike the previous group, they moved with clear purpose, each understanding their role in the team. Working together, even if just as bullies, had given them an unexpected advantage in coordination.


    The assistants released one of the Stone Lurkers.


    The creature immediately camouflaged itself, its suction cups gripping the ground as it waited for the perfect moment to strike. Its stillness was almost perfect, only the slightest movement betraying its breathing.


    "Begin!" Yang commanded.


    Jin and Kai advanced with Cass between them, her shield ready and her eagle''s enhanced vision scanning for any hint of movement.


    The Stone Lurker remained motionless, patiently waiting for an opening.


    "Keep your eyes open," Cass murmured.


    The Stone Lurker attacked suddenly, its suction cups releasing with a soft pop as it launched itself toward Kai. Its jaws gaped wide, revealing again those rows of grinding teeth designed to crush stone.


    But Cass had already anticipated the attack. Her shield intercepted the Stone Lurker mid-leap, her eagle feathers glowing as she absorbed the impact with ease.


    "Now!" she shouted while holding the creature against her shield, her enhanced strength keeping it pinned.


    Jin and Kai struck from both sides. Jin''s caestus connected with tiger-enhanced force, while Kai''s hammer descended with the full power of his beast behind it.


    The Stone Lurker''s outer layer, still not fully hardened due to its youth, began to crack under their coordinated strikes.


    The creature attempted to bite, but Cass maintained her shield firmly in place. "Don''t let it breathe!"


    Jin and Kai doubled down on their assault. Each impact stripped away fragments of the Stone Lurker''s mineral covering, gradually exposing the vulnerable flesh beneath.


    "The edges!" Yang shouted from outside. "Focus your strikes where the stones meet!"


    Jin activated his skill, his caestus glowing as he found the weak joints between the mineral plates.


    Kai followed suit, his hammer now moving faster as he systematically destroyed the connections with brutal precision.


    The Stone Lurker shrieked. It attempted one final desperate attack, its jaws seeking Jin''s leg.


    "I don''t think so!" Cass rotated her shield, deflecting the creature into a combined strike from her teammates.


    The simultaneous impact of caestus and hammer shattered the Stone Lurker''s remaining defenses.


    The creature collapsed, its camouflage dissolving as its body relaxed in death.


    "Enough," Yang declared, though it was unnecessary at this point. "An... effective execution, if somewhat messy." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The coordination was decent," Lin added as assistants removed the body. "But you relied too heavily on brute force. Against an adult Stone Lurker, that strategy would be far less effective."


    Jin shrugged while removing his caestus, but his smile remained fierce. Kai rested his hammer on his shoulder, clearly satisfied, while Cass maintained her mock professional expression despite their success.


    ''Brutal but effective,'' Ren thought as his mushrooms pulsed, analyzing the combat. ''Though teacher Lin is right, that strategy only worked because it was a juvenile. It''s better to target the internal parts.''


    "Next team!" Yang called out.

 Chapter 46 - Taming Practice Beasts - 3

    ''Brutal but effective,'' Ren thought as his mushrooms pulsed, analyzing the combat. ''Though Lin is right, that strategy only worked because it was a juvenile. Better to target the internal parts.''"Next team!" Yang called out.


    "Klein Goldcrest''s team," Yang announced. "With Feng Zhao and Astor Blackwood."


    The Goldcrest heir stepped forward with the natural arrogance of nobility, his golden lion manifesting in brilliant patterns across his skin. The light caught the metallic sheen of his beast''s markings, creating an almost ethereal glow.


    Feng, whose red cobra created scarlet scales along his neck, and Astor, with his rhinoceros''s bluish markings, flanked him with similarly aristocratic bearing.


    "We won''t need heavy weapons," Klein declared while selecting a light short sword, the blade catching the morning light. "Our beasts are more than sufficient."


    Feng chose a pair of daggers, their edges glinting dangerously, while Astor opted to take no weapon at all. His rhinoceros markings intensified, covering his arms with a bluish glow that promised raw power.


    Unlike previous groups, these three had trained together since childhood.


    Their beasts, all with high potential, complemented their styles naturally, the lion''s overwhelming presence, the cobra''s precision, and the rhinoceros''s raw strength forming a deadly combination.


    The assistants released another Stone Lurker. The creature barely had time to camouflage before the team moved into action.


    "Delta formation," Klein ordered without raising his voice. His companions positioned themselves instantly, Astor taking the front while Feng and Klein covered the flanks.


    Their movements spoke of countless hours of practice.


    Feng''s cobra allowed him to detect the creature''s body heat and through it, the thinner areas of its armor. His scarlet scales shimmered as he focused his beast''s sensory abilities.


    "Thirty centimeters down, slightly left of the eye crack," Feng reported, his scales glowing brighter with certainty.


    Astor advanced heavily, his rhinoceros manifesting in a controlled charge. The Stone Lurker attempted to jump at him, identifying him as an apparently smaller and weaker target than itself.


    A grave mistake.


    Klein''s golden markings blazed as his lion responded. A roar, amplified by his beast''s power, struck the Stone Lurker mid-leap. The sound wave made the stones on its body vibrate violently, creating weak points in its natural armor.


    Before it could recover, Feng appeared at its side, his daggers shining with a poison skill, finding the points weakened by the vibration with snake-like precision.


    The Stone Lurker tried to turn, but Astor was already there. His rhinoceros manifested a charge that, though contained, struck the creature with brutal power.


    "Finish it," Klein ordered, his voice blending with a growl that carried his lion''s authority.


    All three attacked simultaneously, Feng''s poison daggers finding vital points near the eyes, Astor''s charge holding the creature in position, and Klein''s final roar shattering what remained of its mineral armor before ending it with his sword.


    The Stone Lurker collapsed without even having time to screech.


    "Impressive coordination," Yang commented as assistants removed the body. "Though perhaps a bit... excessive in mana use for a juvenile."


    "Excess is better than incompetence," Klein replied while sheathing his barely-used sword. His lion''s markings glowed with satisfaction. "Besides, we can use our skills five times without breaking a sweat."


    "An interesting demonstration of those powerful beasts'' natural abilities," Lin added. "Though in a real situation, depending solely on their mana could be risky."


    Klein simply smiled, the gold in his skin shimmering. His companions maintained equally satisfied expressions as they returned to their positions, their superiority evident in every movement.


    ''Efficient,'' Ren thought, ''but arrogant. They''re so used to their beasts solving everything they barely used their weapons.''


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while analyzing the combat. It had been a crushing victory, yes, but also a demonstration of perhaps excessive dependence on their beasts and mana.


    "Next team!" Yang called out.


    "Ren, Taro and Min," he announced.


    The laughter began before he finished naming them. Jin and his group were particularly loud, their mockery echoing across the training ground.


    "The rotting fungus and his friends!" someone shouted from behind. "This will be fun!"


    Ren ignored the taunts as they descended to choose their weapons.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed as he approached the equipment. His eyes immediately fixed on the coiled ropes among the more traditional weapons.


    "Take that one," he whispered to his companions, selecting just one long, sturdy rope. He approached each one and whispered something in their ear. Taro and Min exchanged surprised looks but nodded, trusting their friend''s unconventional strategy.


    For himself, Ren chose a short spear.


    "Look!" Jin''s mocking voice rose above the crowd. "The coward wants to stay far from the monster! Though he can''t even carry a normal long spear." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The laughter increased. Even students who normally remained neutral smiled at the sight of the "weak" mushroom boy unable to wield a longer standard spear.


    "Are you sure about your choices?" Lin asked, her expression neutral but her eyes studying them with interest.


    Ren nodded, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing calmly. Knowledge flowed through his mind, revealing the Stone Lurkers'' peculiar anatomy: how their organs concentrated in a compact sphere, with the brain aligned vertically above their posterior end.


    The assistants released another Stone Lurker. The creature immediately camouflaged itself, its suction cups gripping the ground while studying its opponents with predatory patience.


    "Begin!"


    The team''s movement took everyone by surprise.


    Instead of the cautious approach they thought would be employed, Taro and Min ran forward, each holding one end of the extended rope. Ren followed closely in the center, just behind the rope, his short spear ready.


    The Stone Lurker detected the movement and prepared to jump. Its sensors identified Ren as the closest target and smaller than itself.


    Its suction cups detached from the ground, its enormous mouth beginning to open...


    But it was too late.


    The rope caught it across the forehead mid-leap.


    Taro and Min pulled in unison, using the monster''s own momentum to roll it backward. The stones on its body scraped against the ground as its belly was exposed.


    But it was a belly also completely covered in stone, what could the spear do there?

 Chapter 47 - Taming Practice Beasts - 4

    Taro and Min pulled in unison, using the monster''s own momentum to roll it backward. The sound of grinding stone filled the air as the creature''s rock-covered body scraped against the ground, exposing its belly.But the belly was also completely covered in stone, what could the spear possibly do there?


    The audience held their breath, certain they were about to witness failure.


    Then Ren spotted it, a single small orifice, barely visible among the rocky plates.


    He didn''t hesitate.


    The short spear found its target with surgical precision, plunging deep into the creature''s cloaca and straight up.


    The Stone Lurker tensed once, then went completely still in the next instant. Death came swiftly and silently, catching everyone by surprise.


    Silence fell over the training field.


    The entire encounter had ended in mere seconds, leaving spectators struggling to process what they''d just witnessed.


    "Well," Yang broke the silence, a barely contained smile playing at his lips, "that was... efficient."


    Lin approached to examine the fallen Stone Lurker. "A direct strike to the brain through the cloaca. Impressive knowledge of their anatomy."


    The previous laughter had transformed into surprised whispers. Jin particularly looked like he''d swallowed something extremely unpleasant, his tiger markings dulling with his dampened mood.


    "The fastest victory so far," Yang declared as assistants removed the body. "And with minimal energy expenditure. Excellent teamwork."


    Taro and Min grinned while coiling their rope, their beasts manifesting proudly despite their supposedly "weak" status.


    "An unorthodox approach," Lin commented, "but perfectly executed. Sometimes knowledge truly is worth more than brute force." S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Next team!" Yang called, though eyes remained fixed on the team that had just redefined expectations.


    ????


    Several more teams faced the challenge.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed as he observed each attempt, some more successful than others.


    "We can do it like the fungus team!" one student declared confidently, holding a rope while his companions nodded eagerly. "If he could do it, so can we."


    They even took two ropes, and their leader "corrected" the weak rotting boy''s "mistake" by taking a long spear instead of a short one.


    But the Stone Lurker refused to cooperate with their plan. The ropes worked initially, flipping the creature, but then...


    "Stab it! Stab it!"


    "I''m trying!"


    The spear bounced off the monster''s rock skin, missing the tiny orifice completely.


    A second attempt proved equally fruitless.


    By the third try, the Stone Lurker had managed to break free, forcing Yang to intervene before someone got hurt.


    ''It''s not just about copying ideas,'' Ren thought as the team retreated in shame. ''Without understanding why certain things are done...''


    Finally, it was Luna''s team''s turn.


    Two girls accompanied her, students from noble families who had clearly requested to be her partners. They attempted to engage in conversation while selecting weapons, but Luna barely acknowledged them with brief nods.


    "We should coordinate a strategy," one suggested, adjusting her weapon with nervous movements.


    "It won''t be necessary," was Luna''s only response, her shadow wolf rippling beneath her skin.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with anticipation. Luna''s shadow wolf was different from other beasts, it possessed immense initial power and had started on the true evolution path from the beginning.


    The Stone Lurker was released, immediately seeking camouflage.


    Luna''s companions assumed combat positions, but she simply extended her hand, her wolf''s influence darkening the air around her.


    For a moment, nothing seemed to happen.


    Then Ren saw it, the monster''s shadow began moving unnaturally. The wolf emerged from it like spilled ink rising upward, its eyes glowing with spectral radiance.


    The Stone Lurker had no time to react. Shadows slipped between the cracks of its mineral armor like black water.


    A moment of absolute stillness, and then...


    Small explosions of blood erupted from every crack in the monster''s armor. The wolf returned to Luna''s shadow as silently as it had appeared, while the Stone Lurker collapsed, destroyed from within.


    The silence that followed was different from the one that had followed Ren''s victory. There was no surprise or admiration, only cold respect mixed with fear.


    "Efficient," was all Yang said as assistants removed the shattered body.


    Luna''s companions looked at her with both pride and nervousness, as if unsure whether to celebrate or maintain their distance.


    ''That shadow wolf...'' Ren observed as Luna returned to her place, as silent as her beast. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed, but for the first time, the knowledge flowing through them seemed incomplete, as if aspects of the shadow wolf lay beyond his current understanding.


    Yang called the next team, but many students kept glancing at Luna, wondering what other secrets their silent classmate concealed.


    ????


    After today''s classes, in Professor Song''s cancelled session...


    They would finally venture outside for the first time.


    "Welcome to your first gathering expedition," Professor Song announced as students gathered in the main courtyard. "Before we begin, let me introduce Professor Zhao, who will lead the fifth and final teaching unit."


    A middle-aged man with owl markings on his arms stepped forward. Though his expression was kind, his eyes, sharpened by his beast, studied each student with clinical attention.


    "Exterior gathering exercises are crucial," Zhao began while assistants distributed equipment packages. "Here you''ll learn to survive outside safe zones, identify valuable resources, and most importantly, recognize when to retreat."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed as he examined his package: ropes, tools, special containers, emergency rations...


    "Normally we would spend three days in the iron ring," Zhao continued, his gaze briefly resting on Ren. "However, this year we''ll make some adjustments. The expedition will last two and a half days."


    Murmurs immediately broke out among the students.


    "Why less time?"


    "Three days every 2 months is tradition!"


    Zhao raised a hand to silence the protests. "As some of you may know, we have a student whose beast has... particular limitations with prolonged exposure to high mana concentration zones."


    All eyes turned to Ren. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly, as if confirming the professor''s words.

 Chapter 48 - Taming the Expedition

    "Why less time?""Three days is tradition!"


    Zhao raised a hand to silence the protests, his owl markings shimmering with quiet authority. "As some of you may know, we have a student whose beast has... particular limitations with prolonged exposure to high mana concentration zones."


    All eyes turned to Ren. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly, as if confirming the professor''s words. Their usual glow seemed somehow dimmer under the weight of so many stares.


    "It''s not fair!" someone protested from the back of the crowd. "Why should we all lose half a day because of the fungus?"


    "Yeah, let him stay behind if he can''t handle it!"


    Jin''s smile turned malicious, his tiger markings rippling with cruel delight. "Or better yet, let him come and we''ll see how long he really lasts with that useless beast."


    "Silence," Zhao''s voice didn''t rise, but the owl in his eyes gleamed with unmistakable authority. "This decision is not open for debate. I prefer a shorter excursion to risking any student''s health."


    The protests transformed into resentful murmurs.


    Several students shot accusing glares at Ren, as if he had personally stolen those precious hours of exploration from them. The tension in the air was almost palpable.


    ''If they knew I spent hours in deeper levels with higher mana concentration than the iron ring, it would be even worse,'' Ren thought while adjusting his equipment, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with irony. Each soft glow seemed to mock their ignorance.


    "Safety is our priority," Song added, backing his colleague. His stance made it clear the matter was settled. "Two and a half days are more than sufficient for a first expedition."


    Zhao began explaining the expedition details, permitted zones, danger signals, emergency protocols. But Ren could feel the resentful stares burning into him, especially from those who already considered him a burden to the class.


    ''Doesn''t matter,'' he thought as the mushrooms pulsed softly. ''I have my own objectives to worry about for this expedition.'' The knowledge flowed through his mind, revealing possibilities his classmates couldn''t even imagine. While they worried about half a day lost, he was planning to make every available minute count.


    After all, the best opportunities often lay where others saw only limitations.


    ????


    The student caravan advanced along the path toward the iron ring.


    The carts, protected by experienced guards, moved at a steady pace as they left the city behind. The landscape gradually transformed, becoming wilder with each passing mile.


    "I can''t believe they took away half a day!" a student complained from the front cart, voice carrying on the wind. "All because of the fungus!"


    Ren, seated between Taro and Min in one of the last carts, smiled slightly. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with the vehicle''s movement, their rhythm somehow matching the cart''s gentle swaying.


    "Ignore them," Taro murmured, his beetle''s markings shifting protectively. "They''re just upset because they won''t get to brag about lasting three full days without bathing."


    Min let out a giggle, his water snake coiling playfully. "As if half a day less would make any difference in what they can gather."


    "Actually," Ren lowered his voice conspiratorially, "it''s better this way. Mana is denser at dusk. They''re doing everyone a favor."


    "Really?" Taro leaned in with interest, his beetle''s markings rippling with curiosity. "How do you know that?"


    The mushrooms pulsed while Ren considered how much to reveal. Each glow seemed to carry secrets waiting to be shared. "Let''s say I''ve been studying mana patterns."


    "The expert has spoken again, write it down!" Min joked, his water snake manifesting playfully around his neck. "Though after the Stone Lurker incident, I''m starting to believe you really do know everything."


    From another cart, Jin''s voice carried clearly: "I bet he doesn''t even last the first day! Who wants to take that bet?"


    "I bet he''ll surprise us again, unlike idiot Jin who only bores us," a soft voice cut through the laughter. Luna, seated in the adjacent cart, didn''t even turn to speak, her shadow wolf rippling beneath her skin.


    An uncomfortable silence followed her words. Even Jin seemed at a loss for a response, his tiger markings dulling slightly.


    "Did you hear that?" Min whispered excitedly. "Luna defended you!"


    "She didn''t defend me," Ren corrected, though the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with interest. "She''s just setting a precedent for when I surprise them again."


    "Shhhh!" Min elbowed him playfully. "Don''t ruin the surprise!"


    "What surprise?" someone shouted from another cart. "That the rotting fungus is going to faint before we even get there?"


    More laughter, but Ren noticed it was less enthusiastic than before. The Stone Lurker incident had planted seeds of doubt in many minds.


    He observed the changing landscape thoughtfully. The trees grew sparser, the vegetation more untamed. They were approaching the iron ring, where the real challenges, and opportunities, awaited.


    "Let them laugh," he murmured. "Soon they''ll have other things to worry about."


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while knowledge flowed, revealing the opportunities that approached. The iron ring might seem dangerous to his companions, but for him...


    It was a garden of possibilities waiting to be harvested.


    "Though nothing here helps me evolve," Ren murmured thoughtfully. "Everything has market value. And with the school''s exchange bonus..."


    The mushrooms pulsed while he calculated potential profits, each soft glow seeming to represent another opportunity.


    "If I play my cards right," he whispered, "this trip could be quite profitable."


    "Look!" Jin''s voice interrupted his calculations. "The fungus is already counting minutes until we return!"


    Laughter erupted from other carts, but Ren ignored it.


    His mind was already mapping collection routes, calculating which zones would yield the best results. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    From her cart, Luna observed the same landscape, her shadow wolf partially manifested.


    For a moment, her eyes met Ren''s, and a slight smile graced her lips before she turned her attention back to the horizon.


    ????


    "See those twisted trees?" Ren whispered as the cart crossed the iron ring''s border.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while knowledge flowed through his mind. "They look normal during the day, but at night it''s Shadow Stalker territory."


    "The what?" Min leaned in with interest, his water snake mirroring his curiosity.


    "Bat medusas black as night," Ren explained, his voice low and focused. "They float in groups using gas sacs in their bodies. During the day they sleep in caves, but when darkness falls they emerge to hunt, absorbing mana from anything that passes beneath them. They''re practically invisible against the night sky."


    "And look at the trees themselves," he pointed to branches where fine threads gleamed under the sun. "Moon Weaver territory."


    "They look like... cats?" Taro squinted, observing a white figure among the branches.


    "Moth cats," Ren corrected. "Their fur is white as silk and they have moth-like wings but can only glide. They weave nets between trees using threads they produce naturally. They''re daytime hunters, Shadow Stalkers are too dangerous at night."


    The mushrooms pulsed while he observed the ground. "And those mounds that look like grass or dirt... they''re not what they appear to be."

 Chapter 49 - Taming the Expedition - 2

    "Moth cats," Ren corrected. "Their fur is white as silk, and they have moth-like wings but can only glide. They weave nets between trees using threads they naturally produce. They''re daytime hunters, Shadow Stalkers are far too dangerous at night."The mushrooms pulsed while he observed the ground, revealing patterns others might miss. "And those mounds that look like grass or dirt... they''re not what they appear to be."


    "Are those beasts too?" Min asked, his water snake coiling closer in anticipation.


    "Bark Stalkers," Ren explained, pointing to what appeared to be random terrain features.


    "Imagine a toad the size of a small table, with a crab-like shell. They can change their skin''s color and texture to match their surroundings, piles of leaves, earth, even moss-covered rocks. Their camouflage is nearly perfect, which makes them particularly dangerous to unwary travelers."


    "And these beasts all live together here without displacing each other?" Taro seemed fascinated.


    "It''s an interesting cycle," Ren smiled, clearly enjoying sharing his knowledge with his friends. "The Shadow Stalkers dominate the night. From the air, they can safely absorb mana from the Bark Stalkers, they just need to avoid the Weavers'' threads hidden within the trees¡­


    ¡­The Bark Stalkers are practically defenseless against aerial attacks, their shells protect them from ground threats, but offer little protection from above." S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So the giant toads hunt during the day?"


    "Exactly, to hide from Shadow Stalkers," Ren confirmed. "They conceal themselves near trees and wait for Moon Weavers to come down for drinking or gathering nest materials. A Weaver on the ground is easy prey if it doesn''t notice the Stalker in time. The Stalkers'' incredible camouflage makes them nearly impossible to spot until it''s too late."


    "And when do the Weavers sleep then?" Min asked, leaning forward with growing interest.


    "They sleep very little and are the only ones that can move both day and night, though they prefer daylight. Their webs are too fine to catch anything large, but Shadow Stalkers are very light. If one touches a thread in the darkness, every Weaver in that tree''s colony knows instantly."


    Ren considered the possibilities, each opportunity in this not so complex ecosystem.


    "The materials they produce are very valuable. Stalker skin, when properly processed, is perfect for mana storage bags, it can contain crystals without letting them contaminate before processing. The same adaptations that help them regulate mana in their bodies make their skin perfect for storage."


    "Are the Weavers'' threads valuable too?" Taro seemed concerned about having to capture the nocturnal creatures Ren had described as dangerous.


    "They''re used to make mana detection amulets," Ren explained. "A Moon Weaver''s natural silk can sense energy fluctuations with remarkable precision. The same sensitivity that alerts them to predators makes their silk perfect for detecting mana disturbances."


    "But aren''t they dangerous too? You said if anything touches the web, the entire tree colony knows," Min observed worriedly as the beasts began to become more visible in the distance.


    Each passing minute seemed to reveal more details of the ecosystem Ren had described.


    "Not really... That''s why the school chooses this zone," Ren explained, gesturing at their surroundings.


    "Shadow Stalkers only hunt at night when we''ll be in the protected camp. Weavers avoid anything larger than themselves, they''re cautious creatures by nature. And Bark Stalkers... well, they''re so slow that simply watching where you step is enough to avoid them."


    "Also professor Zhao can easily control the area," he added thoughtfully.


    "Even hungry Bronze beasts avoid this territory, the combination of mana-absorbing swarms and Weavers that can alert and flee from any intruder makes it not worth their effort. The energy cost of hunting here outweighs any potential rewards for larger predators."


    The mushrooms pulsed while Ren made mental calculations.


    At current market prices, a square meter of Shadow Stalker skin was worth hundreds of crystals due to its unique mana-containing properties.


    Weaver silk, though more common, remained valuable for common miners and explorers who needed reliable mana detection. Even the herbs growing on Bark Stalkers'' protective scales had their market as mana poisoning remedies, though less efficient than those from inner rings.


    ''A simple ecosystem,'' he thought, studying the interplay of creatures and environment, ''but full of opportunities for those who know where to look.''


    ????


    "This will be our base camp," Professor Zhao announced as students descended from the carts.


    His owl manifested fully now, enormous wings spreading protectively over the gathered group.


    Ren observed the area with attention.


    The clearing had been carefully selected, open enough to discourage Moon Weavers from establishing territories, yet with sufficient cover to protect them during the dangerous night hours.


    Natural barriers and carefully positioned guards would create a safe zone.


    "During the day," Zhao continued, his voice carrying the weight of experience, "we''ll focus on collecting Weaver silk. It''s the safest and most abundant resource in this zone."


    His eyes, sharpened by his owl''s influence, methodically scanned the nearby trees for any signs of danger. "But even that requires strict precautions."


    The assistants began distributing camouflage blankets among the students, each one specially treated with protective compounds.


    "These blankets are treated with Bark Stalker essence," the professor explained, demonstrating the proper way to wear them.


    "The Weavers will ignore them, thinking they''re just another predator resting. As long as you move slowly, take only low-hanging threads, and keep the blanket over you, you can collect silk without getting jumped by the colony."


    "What about real Bark Stalkers?" someone asked, their voice tinged with apprehension.


    "This area has been cleared," Zhao responded confidently, though his owl''s wings shifted slightly. "We''ve removed the largest specimens and overly numerous Weaver colonies. Still..." his gaze hardened, commanding everyone''s full attention, "caution is mandatory."


    He produced a small flare from his bag, its crystal core glowing with a soft blue radiance that pulsed in harmony with the ambient mana.


    "Each team will carry one of these. If for any reason you stray too far and my owl can''t locate you, break it. The magical signal is unmistakable, even most Bronze-rank beasts avoid its frequency."


    "How far can we go?" Jin asked, his tiger manifesting eagerly in anticipation of the hunt.


    "My owl can cover approximately half a kilometer radius," Zhao indicated marks carved into the most distant trees. "Don''t cross those limits or you''ll enter territories we haven''t secured."


    He began pointing out specific areas. "Besides silk, you can collect moss from empty Bark Stalker shells, they''re abandoned molts. It has value and is relatively safe to obtain, as long as you verify the shell is truly empty first."


    His wings spread fully as he rose a few meters to demonstrate his surveillance range, the downdraft making the students'' clothes flutter. "But remember, I''m just one professor with one beast. I can''t be everywhere at once. If you act recklessly while I''m handling an emergency in another sector..."


    He let the implication sink in, the silence heavy with warning.


    "At night," he continued while descending gracefully, "it is absolutely forbidden to leave the camp. Shadow Stalkers are practically invisible in darkness, and they can drain an Iron-rank student in seconds. Their hunger makes them especially aggressive during the darkest hours."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed while absorbing the information. The professor was meticulous in his planning, this zone was perfect for beginners, with controllable dangers but sufficient risk to keep them alert.


    The ecosystem itself would teach them valuable lessons about survival.


    "Stay in groups of three," Zhao concluded, his owl''s penetrating gaze sweeping across the gathered students.


    "Report anything unusual and remember... While safety is paramount, don''t forget this is a gathering class. Your grades will depend directly on the quantity and quality of materials you obtain."

 Chapter 50 - Taming the Expedition - 3

    "Stay in groups of at least three," Zhao concluded, his owl''s penetrating gaze sweeping across the gathered students."Report anything unusual and remember... While safety is paramount, don''t forget this is a gathering class. Your grades will depend directly on the quantity and quality of materials you obtain."


    As students began organizing themselves, Ren studied the nearest trees. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed gently, revealing patterns others might miss.


    The silk was valuable, yes, but he knew the real treasures lay at the edges of the marked territory, where beasts still maintained their natural behavior, undisturbed by human presence.


    ''I just need to be careful,'' he thought while the mushrooms pulsed softly in agreement. ''And choose the right moment.'' S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Now," Zhao spread his wings while surveying the students, his owl''s influence making his presence even more imposing.


    "These excursions happen only three times throughout the year," the professor continued. "I hope you''ve paid attention in Professor Song''s theoretical classes. Correct identification of valuable materials will be crucial for your success."


    A mocking laugh echoed from Jin''s group, cutting through the serious atmosphere.


    "Did you hear that, Fungus?" he called loud enough for everyone to hear. "The theoretical classes! Aren''t those the ones you never attended because you were too busy becoming less poor or running from us in the caves?"


    More laughter joined in. It was true, Ren had spent most of those classes in the mines, both gathering and easily evading Jin and his group''s clumsy pursuit.


    "I guess being desperate for a few miserable iron crystals was more important than learning to identify valuable materials, poor people logic," Jin continued, his tiger markings gleaming with malice.


    "If student Patinder considers he already masters the theory," Zhao intervened, his sharp gaze fixed on Ren, "then his results in this excursion should reflect that."


    Ren maintained a neutral expression, though the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with quiet amusement. If his classmates knew he''d been gathering far more than "miserable crystals" all this time...


    "The best performing groups," Zhao continued, drawing attention back to himself, "won''t just receive the highest grades. The school offers double bonuses for gatherings, remember."


    Several students'' eyes lit up at the mention of rewards.


    Even Luna''s noble followers seemed more interested, their previously bored expressions sharpening with sudden focus.


    "But remember," Zhao''s voice hardened, his owl''s wings casting meaningful shadows, "a dead student can''t enjoy any bonus. Keep your priorities in order."


    "Good luck with that, Fungus," Jin smiled maliciously, his tiger markings rippling. "Maybe you''ll find some dry leaves worth as much as your iron crystals."


    Taro stepped forward, his beetle manifesting protectively, but Ren stopped him with a subtle gesture.


    "I get you Jin¡­ Mushrooms are experts at identifying what''s rotten and what''s valuable," he responded simply, causing the laughter to choke off as they processed the double meaning.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with satisfaction while Jin frowned, trying to decide if he''d just been insulted.


    "Enough," Zhao cut in. "You have until sunset for your first gathering. Don''t forget your flares and stay within the marked boundaries."


    As groups began dispersing, Ren caught a slight smile playing at Luna''s lips before she turned away with her companions.


    ''Let the others laugh,'' he thought while checking his equipment. ''Knowledge was almost everything so he could skip almost any theoretical class.''


    His mushrooms pulsed in agreement as he prepared to demonstrate exactly how much he''d learned during those "wasted" hours in the caves.


    ????


    "Did you check your blanket?" Taro asked while adjusting his own, his beetle manifesting darker markings that complemented the camouflage perfectly.


    "Mine has a hole," Min examined his blanket with concern, his water snake coiling nervously. "Do you think the Weavers will notice?"


    Ren spread his blanket next to Min''s. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while analyzing the problem. "We can switch. Mine''s bigger than I need."


    Nearby, Jin organized his group with characteristic confidence, his voice carrying across the clearing.


    "Cass, you''ll watch while Kai and I gather," he ordered, his tiger markings glowing with authority. "Your eyes are better at detecting movement."


    "What if I see a real Bark Stalker?" Cass asked, her eagle feathers manifesting slightly.


    "We crush it," Jin smiled, cracking his knuckles menacingly. "The professor said they removed the big ones, didn''t they?"


    A few meters away, Klein and his noble companions inspected their equipment with meticulous precision.


    "These containers are too basic," Feng complained, his red cobra manifesting in scarlet patterns. "We have better ones at home."


    "Focus," Klein ordered, his golden lion gleaming while studying the trees. "The highest quality silk will be in the higher zones."


    Ren noticed Luna keeping her distance from her assigned companions, who whispered among themselves while watching her with poorly concealed admiration.


    ''I should thank her,'' he thought. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly as he approached.


    "Luna," he called softly, his voice barely carrying above the general commotion. "About what you said in the cart..."


    She glanced at him sidelong, her shadow wolf barely visible as a silhouette stretching across the ground. "Don''t misinterpret it. I merely stated a fact."


    "Still, thank you."


    Luna seemed to consider his words for a moment, her wolf''s presence making the shadows around them deepen slightly. "Your knowledge is... interesting," she said finally, though she avoided looking at him directly. "Most only see the obvious."


    Before Ren could respond, one of the noble girls approached nervously, her eyes darting between Luna and the mysterious mushroom boy.


    "Luna, should we start with the eastern sector? The trees seem more..."


    "Do what you want," Luna cut her off, walking away with measured steps. But Ren noticed her path led precisely toward the eastern sector she''d apparently dismissed.


    "Ren!" Min called out. "I found something weird with these containers!"


    As he returned to his group, Ren reflected on the brief interaction. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed, reminding him they had their own plans for this excursion, plans that would surprise everyone.


    "What did you find?" he asked Min, who was holding one of the containers with a puzzled expression.


    "Aren''t these supposed to be sealed? This one has a crack..."


    Taro joined the examination. "We could ask for a replacement."


    "No," Ren smiled while the mushrooms pulsed knowingly. "Actually, this could be useful later."


    His friends exchanged knowing looks. After a month, they''d learned that when Ren smiled like that, he had a plan, one that usually worked out better than anyone expected.


    "Just make sure to keep the flares handy," he murmured while the professor began calling groups to assign sectors. "We might need them for something other than emergencies."

 Chapter 51 - Taming the Gathering Skills

    "First, the basics," Ren whispered as they approached a cluster of trees. "See how the threads shine differently depending on the angle?"Taro and Min nodded beneath their camouflage blankets, moving with the deliberate slowness Ren had emphasized. Each movement was carefully calculated to avoid alerting the creatures above.


    "The brightest ones are older, but they''re not the most valuable," Ren continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "Look for threads with a faint, transparent gleam. Those are new ones that haven''t absorbed much mana yet. Their sensitivity is still perfect."


    "How do we reach them?" Min whispered, observing the threads stretching several meters above their heads, creating an ethereal web in the filtered sunlight.


    "Watch the Weavers first," Ren discreetly pointed toward the high branches. Several white figures moved among the foliage, their moth wings shimmering under the sun like living silk.


    "They have routines. Approximately every two hours, they come down to check the lower networks."


    As if to confirm his words, a Weaver descended gracefully down a nearby trunk. Its white fur gleamed as it inspected the threads, completely ignoring the camouflaged students below.


    ????


    "Now," Ren whispered when the Weaver returned upward, "we have a two-hour window in this section. You need to look for vertical threads that start attached to the trees. And watch this..."


    He pulled out a long and thin branch he''d carefully selected earlier.


    With precise movements, he began winding one of the lower mature threads, which caught one of the new threads from above in a controlled spiral.


    "The older silk is stronger than it looks, but also less sticky. The new silk is more elastic." He let Min try with another thread. The silk tensed but didn''t break.


    "It stretches," Taro completed, watching fascinated.


    "Exactly. But if you twist it on its own axis several turns and then wind it at the correct angle..." Ren demonstrated the movement, "it detaches cleanly from the bark without damaging its properties."


    His friends began imitating the technique, growing more confident with each attempt.


    "And something interesting," Ren indicated marks on the tree trunk that most would mistake for random scratches. "See these scrapes? They''re Weaver territorial marks. They tell us exactly when they last renewed the networks in this area."


    "Like a calendar?" Min whispered.


    "Better. The deeper marks indicate primary weaving zones. If we follow the pattern..." Ren guided them around the tree, revealing a complex system of markings, "we''ll find the newest networks, and therefore, the most valuable ones."


    "One last thing," he murmured while crawling carefully across the ground. "Weavers leave more than just silk. Look at the base of the trees... there."


    He pointed to what appeared to be old bark. But when he carefully moved it aside, it revealed a complete Weaver molt, its delicate structure perfectly preserved.


    "The molts contain traces of their fur and wing scales. Some cultivators use them to enhance beasts with light affinity."


    "Valuable materials too?" Min whispered excitedly, his eyes widening at the discovery.


    "Exactly. And look at this..." Ren pointed to peculiar marks in the ground near the molt. "These are Bark Stalker tracks. But they''re old, not deep, at least a week old. If we find fresh tracks..."


    "We move away," Taro completed, his beetle''s markings shifting protectively.


    "Precisely."


    Ren smiled beneath his blanket. Jin could mock his absences from class, but Ren didn''t need those classes just like Wei''s case.


    "The silk needs special containers," Ren explained while extracting a large bag from his equipment. "Cost five hundred crystals, but worth the investment for its preservation properties."


    "Why invest so much in a large bag?" Min asked while examining the container curiously, his water snake mirroring his interest.


    "Silk contaminates easily, like crystals," Ren explained, demonstrating the proper storage technique. "Without the right container, it would lose its properties before reaching market. You must be very careful storing it. Keep the old separate from the new, or both will be ruined."


    "You must?" Min paused, catching the detail in his words. "Won''t you be with us?" sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren smiled while adjusting his own equipment, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with increased intensity. "I''m entrusting you with the silk collection. It''s the simplest and safest task. I''m going after something a bit... more complicated."


    "More complicated?" Taro frowned, his beetle''s markings darkening. "What are you planning?"


    "Nothing dangerous," Ren assured, though the mushrooms'' increasing pulse suggested otherwise. "Just following some interesting leads."


    "What leads?" Min pressed, his snake coiling anxiously.


    Ren discretely pointed to patterns in the ground that others might miss. "See those patterns? They''re Bark Stalker escape routes. But I''m not interested in them..."


    "Then what?"


    "I''m looking for Shadow Stalkers'' daytime hideouts," Ren revealed in a low voice. "Yes, they''re deadly at night, but during the day..."


    "You''re crazy!" Taro whispered in alarm. "The professor said¡­"


    "The professor warned about facing them at night," Ren corrected calmly. "During the day they''re not so bad. I just need to find where they hide."


    He calmed them while studying more ground marks. The Bark Stalkers'' escape patterns told a clear story to those who could read them, and thanks to his special knowledge, Ren could interpret them perfectly.


    "I''ll be fine," he assured his worried friends. "Focus on the silk. You know how to collect it now, and it''s valuable material."


    "But..." Min began.


    "I have the flare," Ren reminded them, patting his pocket. "And I won''t go too far. I just need to confirm some theories."


    His friends exchanged worried looks, but after a month of following Ren in the mines, they''d learned to trust his judgment... to a certain extent.


    "Be careful," Taro finally conceded. "And don''t take too long."


    Ren nodded and began moving away, his eyes fixed on the ground markings that would guide him to his true goal.


    The Shadow Stalkers had to be somewhere. And with them, materials worth far more than the common silk other students would collect.


    ????


    Ren had lied a little to calm his friends.


    The knowledge flowing through him was clear, Shadow Stalker colonies were mortally dangerous even during daylight hours. Thousands of them, packed into deep caves, each capable of draining a student''s vitality in seconds.


    ''But they''re creatures of habit,'' he thought while studying the terrain. ''And every colony has its solitary sentinels...''


    First, he needed a large Bark Stalker, one of those the professor mentioned they''d removed from the marked area. Which meant leaving the safe territory. But for that...


    ''I need a distraction.''


    About a hundred meters away, Jin''s group worked near a particularly silk-rich area. The mushrooms pulsed while Ren analyzed the situation. Just above them, an especially large colony of Weavers was constructing new networks.

 Chapter 52 - Taming the Hunt

    ''I need a distraction.''About a hundred meters away, Jin''s group worked near a particularly silk-rich area. Just above them, an especially large colony of Weavers constructed new networks, their white forms moving with deliberate purpose.


    The annoying bullies hadn''t earned Ren''s true hatred, at least not enough to wish them death... Weavers first trapped their prey in enormous amounts of silk before filling the cocoons with digestive fluid.


    It wasn''t a pretty death, but it was very slow, and a disturbed Weaver colony was an easy target for Professor Zhao''s eyes and intervention.


    Jin''s group wouldn''t be in real danger.


    With careful movements, Ren approached a nearby tree. A tap here, a vibration there... The threads began trembling in a way any Weaver would interpret as trapped prey struggling in their nets in Jin group''s general direction.


    "Look out!" Cass''s cry came just as the Weavers, alarmed by the perceived meal, began descending en masse. Their white forms seemed to multiply as they dropped from above, wings spreading like living silk.


    "There are too many!" Kai''s voice held genuine fear, all his previous bravado vanishing in the face of real danger.


    "Use the flares, idiots!" Jin ordered, his usual confidence replaced by barely controlled panic. His tiger markings flickered erratically, betraying his fear.


    "I can''t find it!" Kai sounded on the edge of complete panic. "They''re everywhere!"


    "PROFESSOR!" Cass''s scream was followed by a flare''s brilliant flash and loud noise.


    ''Perfect.''


    While chaos erupted and Professor Zhao flew toward the commotion, his owl''s wings spread wide, Ren slipped away in the opposite direction. Before crossing the marked territory''s boundary, he strategically placed his camouflage blanket near a silk-rich area, creating a perfect alibi.


    ''When he checks, he''ll think I''m quietly collecting.''


    As he moved away, the screams and sound of multiple flares provided perfect cover for his escape. The professor would be occupied for quite some time controlling the situation with Jin and his group.


    Now he just needed to find a Bark Stalker large enough for his plan. The mushrooms pulsed with anticipation at the hunt ahead.


    ''One step at a time,'' he thought while entering unsecured territory. ''First the decoy, then the real prey.''


    ????


    Jin''s group''s screams still echoed in the distance.


    Ren smiled remembering how easy it had been to provoke the chaos. The panic in Jin''s voice was music to his ears, another small revenge for their harassment.


    The terrain changed dramatically just meters outside the secured territory. Plants showed signs of massive predation, Shadow Stalkers draining the vitality from everything they found during their nocturnal hunts.


    A crunch made him freeze in place. The mushrooms pulsed in warning, something large moved nearby, something that had survived in this dangerous territory long enough to grow far beyond normal size.


    ''Easy,'' he reminded himself while slowly crouching. ''Large Bark Stalkers are territorial. If there''s one here...''


    The pile of "rocks" twenty meters away was chewing on a Weaver, its massive form shifting color with unnatural precision. Ren held his breath while observing the mass subtly change hue, adapting perfectly to the terrain once again.


    ''This one''s the right size,'' he evaluated. ''Three times larger than the juveniles in the safe area.''


    The knowledge flowed freely: these mature specimens were large enough to resist a sentinel male''s absorption for several crucial minutes. Their enhanced vitality and thick armor made them perfect for what he had planned.


    Ren began moving with extreme caution. One mistake and those claws could tear him in half. The Bark Stalker might appear slow, but if he got too close...


    A new sound made cold sweat break out on his forehead.


    A weak buzzing, almost imperceptible to normal ears. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed frantically, confirming what his instincts already suspected.


    The route he was following was correct.


    The Bark Stalker also tensed, its camouflage becoming nearly perfect. These beasts had survived this long for a reason, their instincts were honed by constant danger.


    ''The Shadow Stalker males are the real problem,'' Ren thought while studying the distance to the cave entrance.


    The sentinels weren''t the small black creatures he sought, but the species'' males. Larger, faster, and completely awake during daylight hours.


    The knowledge showed him the hierarchy with perfect clarity: the black females slept deep in the cave, their special skin perfect for storing mana.


    The males, with their more robust and aggressive bodies, guarded the entrance to their harems, defending them from other males and daytime dangers. They were practically Bronze-rank beasts, but could live in this ring thanks to the mana contribution from the numerous females.


    ''I need the male to come out and attack the Bark Stalker,'' Ren calculated, his mind racing through possibilities. ''Only then can I get to the females.''


    But the first problem was moving the camouflaged giant.


    The mushrooms pulsed while Ren observed its behavior, the Bark Stalker barely breathed, perfectly merged with its surroundings. As an ambush predator, it would only attack if something passed close enough.


    ''And if it misses...''


    The knowledge was crystal clear: these monsters didn''t chase prey. One attack, one attempt. If they failed, they returned to position to wait for the next opportunity.


    These beasts were the very definition of predatory patience.


    ''Being bait is useless,'' Ren bit his lip while thinking. ''But if I can''t make it hunt...''


    The mushrooms pulsed stronger when the idea formed. The answer was obvious, if he couldn''t make the Bark Stalker hunt, he''d have to make it flee.


    ''I know exactly what it fears,'' the knowledge flowed while Ren began formulating his plan. ''And with so much accumulated vitality, almost ready to reach Bronze rank, this giant has everything to lose if Shadow Stalkers detect it.''


    ????


    From the cave entrance, almost invisible in the gloom, a male mounted guard. Its body, more robust and aggressive than the black females, was a promise of immediate violence for any intruder.


    Ren couldn''t afford mistakes.


    The males could drain vitality as efficiently as females, but unlike them, had greater range and additional abilities that made them truly deadly.


    ''One step at a time,'' he thought while beginning to move. ''First, make our camouflaged friend decide this isn''t a good place to rest.''


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed while he observed the enormous Bark Stalker. The creature was a masterpiece of camouflage, its body the size of a large table blending perfectly with the surroundings.


    ''So much accumulated vitality I almost feel sorry,'' Ren thought while the knowledge flowed and he extracted some tools from his bag. Each movement was carefully measured to avoid detection.


    Ren began preparing his decoy. He needed the Bark Stalker to flee in exactly the right direction, close enough to the cave to attract the male, but not so close that the camouflaged giant would detect the danger too soon.


    ''One mistake and everything''s ruined,'' he thought while working. If the Bark Stalker fled in the wrong direction, he would lose his opportunity. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren took a deep breath and began implementing his plan. It was time to make a perfect predator remember what it felt like to experience fear.

 Chapter 53 - Taming the Fleshy Bait

    ''Shadow Stalkers use extremely thin mana tentacles to drain energy with absorption waves,'' knowledge flowed while Ren prepared his trap. ''And those waves follow a very specific pattern...''The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while he extracted the Silver-rank proto-core crystal he''d obtained from the worm. Unlike a normal crystal, this one still maintained part of the incomplete core''s mana storage structure, making it perfect for his needs. Its imperfect core nature actually made it more suitable for what he planned.


    ''If I overcharge it with the correct pattern...''


    With precise movements, Ren began introducing mana into the crystal, carefully mimicking Shadow Stalkers'' drainage waves.


    Each pulse had to be exact, too strong would alert the male immediately, too weak wouldn''t affect the Bark Stalker from a safe distance.


    It was risky work; every energy pulse was like a beacon for the male at the cave entrance, who would interpret it as a rival male''s presence. This was why the crystal needed to be perfectly calibrated for a range that was neither too long nor too short.


    The male shifted position, its head turning slightly toward Ren''s location.


    Though still too far to detect him completely, its mere movement sent chills down Ren''s spine.


    ''Just a little more...''


    The crystal began emitting a barely perceptible hum.


    To the Bark Stalker, it would feel like an approaching Shadow Stalker male, the wave pattern was unmistakable to a creature that had survived this long in such dangerous territory.


    The reaction was immediate and dramatic.


    The camouflaged giant tensed, its perfect environmental fusion faltering for a moment. The mushrooms pulsed in response, the primitive fear of losing years of accumulated energy, so close to evolution, was overcoming its instinct to maintain position.


    Ren moved the crystal with surgical precision, directing the waves.


    Finally, the Bark Stalker began retreating, abandoning its position with clear reluctance. Each step, taken as quickly as its massive form allowed, brought it closer to the cave while trying to escape what it perceived as an approaching predator...


    The male at the entrance rose to its full height, its body revealing itself in all its terrible glory.


    It had detected the Bark Stalker, a prey too tempting to ignore, especially one so rich in accumulated vitality.


    ''Now comes the dangerous part,'' Ren thought while preparing to move.


    He needed the male to chase the Bark Stalker far enough from the entrance, but not in his direction nor toward the school''s safe zone where teachers and assistants might detect the commotion.


    The mushrooms pulsed frantically when the male launched its attack. The Bark Stalker, caught between the false Shadow Stalker and the real predator, chose what it perceived as the lesser evil.


    But Ren didn''t falter. Instead, he redirected the waves to quickly give the monster an "escape route" where it wouldn''t have to face either of the two "males" it sensed pursuing it.


    Its retreat turned into a full sprint as the real male gave chase, heading exactly in the direction Ren needed them to go.


    ''The entrance is clear,'' the knowledge showed him he had about 20 or 30 minutes, at most, before the male returned. ''The black females are at the cave, and if he could find the...'' S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was time to discover if his entire plan was worth the risk.


    ????


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed while he slipped toward the cave entrance. The knowledge flowed freely now, Shadow Stalker females slept in groups, their fifty-centimeter bodies piled in the darkest zones where mana naturally concentrated.


    ''The skin is the only valuable part in the market,'' he thought while preparing his equipment with practiced efficiency. ''And only the outer layer... But I have an idea for the tentacles, if only the male...''


    The tunnel descended in a gentle slope, its walls gleaming faintly in certain places where years of mana absorption by the creatures had saturated the very rock. The air grew thicker with each step downward.


    In some of these places, crystals had formed naturally, their structure altered by the constant exposure to the creatures'' unique mana manipulation.


    These were the crystals that females accumulated as supplements to feed the male before going deeper to sleep.


    It seemed Ren had gotten lucky, arriving just before the absorption date when the collections would be at their peak.


    Ren collected a bag of those rocky crystals, as many as would fit.


    He had to be careful not to get too close to the swarms'' sleeping zones and not descend too deep into the cave, or he''d risk mana poisoning so severe he wouldn''t even last the two and a half days at camp.


    Though if his plan worked...


    The mushrooms pulsed more strongly, warning about the increasing energy density as he descended deeper into the cave system.


    The tunnel widened into a first chamber.


    Ren''s faint glow revealed groups of sleeping Shadow Stalkers in the walls'' natural cavities. Their black, fifty-centimeter bodies piled on top of each other, their skins absorbing mana even during rest.


    The sight was both fascinating and terrifying.


    Ren paused to study their breathing pattern.


    The knowledge flowed: during daylight hours, their metabolism slowed to an absolute minimum, making them vulnerable but still lethal to touch.


    ''But I need a way to separate the skin without touching or damaging it,'' he thought while observing more closely.


    The creatures, though asleep, remained mortally dangerous. A single touch and they would begin draining his vital energy.


    The knowledge helped him find the most efficient path through what would be a labyrinth to untrained eyes as he ventured deeper. The chamber connected to others, each housing more sleeping groups.


    Finally, Ren reached a deeper chamber, its walls marked with distinctive patterns.


    ''This is the molting chamber,'' the knowledge flowed while he observed the walls.


    Distinctive marks covered the rock, scratch patterns where creatures rubbed to shed their old skins during the process.


    A movement caught his attention. In one of the higher cavities, a Shadow Stalker writhed in its sleep, its outer skin naturally detaching.


    With morbid fascination, he watched as the external skin came off cleanly, like a perfect sheath, maintaining all its mana isolation properties while leaving the sleeping creature with its new, gleaming skin.


    The new body emerged larger and more fragile, but within days it would absorb enough mana to regain its hardness and elasticity in the outer layer.


    This was the chamber he''d been searching for, dozens of skins rested on the ground.


    Some had been ruined by moisture, insects, and decomposing remains on the floor, but many new molts rested atop the damaged ones, in perfect condition.

 Chapter 54 - Taming the Escape Block

    Ren began moving among the sleeping groups with growing confidence.His eyes had adapted to the gloom, allowing him to distinguish subtle variations in the darkness that others might miss.


    Time was of the essence, he risked having the male block the exit sooner than expected if he dawdled.


    Each second had to be used efficiently.


    He worked methodically, moving from group to group. Every skin was carefully rolled, light but voluminous, requiring careful optimization of his bag space.


    ''Fifty... seventy-five...''


    The skins piled up in his bag, occupying considerable space despite their negligible weight. Ten kilos of material didn''t sound like much, but the volume was becoming a challenge. Each new addition required careful repositioning of the others.


    ''Ninety-one, ninety-two...''


    The mushrooms pulsed with renewed urgency. The male would return soon, and if it found him here, surrounded by its sleeping females...


    The thought alone made his hands move faster.


    ''One hundred.''


    Ren contemplated his collection of skins. One hundred perfect sheaths, each obtained with ridiculous ease. But his gaze lingered on one of the newly molted creatures, its fresh skin still gleaming and vulnerable in the dim light.


    ''One more thing,'' he thought while extracting the first Weaver silk thread he''d saved.


    The knowledge flowed freely: these weren''t simple fibers. Generations of predation by Shadow Stalkers and vice versa had led Weavers to develop special silk specifically designed to counter Shadow Stalkers.


    With deliberately slow movements, Ren prepared a slipknot.


    The silk gleamed faintly in the darkness as he positioned it near the sleeping creature, each motion calculated to avoid any disturbance.


    Ren fought against the nervous tension in his fingers.


    One mistake, one sharp squeal at the wrong frequency, and the entire colony would awaken. But the knowledge showed him exactly how to proceed, guiding every movement with precise certainty.


    The loop fell silently around the Shadow Stalker''s neck. The creature didn''t even twitch, its metabolism still slowed by sleep and recent molting.


    ''Now.''


    A quick, precise pull.


    The thread tensed perfectly, and in an instant, it was over.


    The creature had no time to register what was happening. No sound, no struggle, just a moment of pressure and then, stillness.


    Ren worked quickly, selecting one of the largest skins he''d collected. The knowledge showed him how the external skin perfectly blocked absorption, isolating anything wrapped within it completely.


    With precise movements and using the thread to avoid directly touching the dead creature''s tentacles, he wrapped it in the skin, using more Weaver silk to seal the package. The isolating skin would contain any energy absorption from the tentacles inside, keeping Ren safe from its lingering abilities.


    ''A perfect specimen,'' he thought while securing his prize.


    The mushrooms pulsed urgently, it was time to leave. The male wouldn''t be long in returning, and he''d already pushed his luck far enough.


    But while packing his bounty, Ren couldn''t suppress a smile. It was time to exit. Somewhere above him, the male would be finishing its chase of the Bark Stalker.


    He still had enough time. Only about 20 minutes had passed, and 5 to 10 minutes would be more than sufficient to return before the male.


    Or so he thought...


    A vibration in the cave''s mana made him instinctively duck. The mushrooms pulsed in warning, something large was approaching through the main tunnel.


    ''Too soon,'' he thought while silently backing away. ''The male shouldn''t...''


    The knowledge flowed when a new figure emerged in the gloom. This wasn''t the cave''s guardian...


    A rival male.


    ''Impossible,'' Ren held his breath while continuing to retreat. ''It''s not mating season. Territorial fights are rare outside of...''


    The mushrooms dimmed completely while Ren backed away quickly and silently.


    The invading male advanced with purpose. Its objective was clear, the power crystals that females had accumulated for the dominant male.


    Ren pressed himself against the wall, moving as silently as possible. The tunnel was wide, but not wide enough to avoid the monster if it decided to...


    The male paused, its attention completely focused on a lateral cavity. The glow of accumulated crystals emanated weakly, drawing its interest.


    ''The leader''s crystals are its priority for now,'' the knowledge flowed while Ren evaluated his options. ''But after...''


    A satisfied growl resonated as the invader began absorbing the crystallized energy. But Ren knew it wouldn''t end there.


    The knowledge was clear: after stealing the crystals, the male would seek to "mark" some sleeping females. It was part of the domination ritual.


    ''And when it does, it''ll reach me...''


    Ren looked back.


    The hundred skins and specimen in his bag slowed him down, and the main tunnel was the only exit. In moments, the invading male would advance toward the deeper chambers, completely blocking the path.


    He was trapped. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair transmitted information while he evaluated his situation. The invading male continued absorbing the leader''s crystals, each second bringing it closer to its next objective.


    ''Think,'' Ren urged himself while the knowledge flowed. The male Shadow Stalkers were different from females. A single touch...


    ''I can''t go back,'' Ren studied the main tunnel. ''And if I stay here...''


    The male began to move.


    Its vibrations resonated ever closer as it advanced, searching for females to mark. The tunnel seemed to narrow with each passing second.


    The knowledge flowed: he needed to hide, and he had exactly what he needed.


    With hurried movements, he began extracting some of the black skins. The mana-blocking capability that made them so valuable could also serve as perfect camouflage.


    ''Like a second skin,'' he thought while methodically covering himself. Each piece had to overlap with the next, creating a seal that would block his energy presence.


    The knowledge flowed frantically: males were territorial, aggressive, but also... ritual-bound.


    Each step of their behavior followed a specific pattern.


    First the crystals, then the females nearest the entrance, then those at the bottom...


    The male moved among the sleeping females, marking its new territory. The invader growled in satisfaction. Its body gleamed with stolen energy as it turned toward the deeper chambers.


    Ren held his breath as the beast passed nearby, its senses completely focused on its domination ritual.


    The mushrooms sent him a warning sensation, something wasn''t right. The male stopped, its head turning slightly.


    A scent had penetrated the skin barrier.


    ''The captured female,'' the knowledge flowed urgently. The knot wasn''t perfect, allowing a small leak of the dead creature''s essence...

 Chapter 55 - Taming the Escape

    Ren held his breath as the beast passed nearby, its senses completely focused on its domination ritual.The mushrooms sent him a warning sensation, something wasn''t right. The male stopped, its head turning slightly.


    A scent had penetrated the skin barrier.


    ''The captured female,'' the knowledge flowed urgently.


    The knot wasn''t perfect, a tiny opening, barely visible to the naked eye, allowing the dead creature''s essence to escape...


    The male turned completely, all its senses now focused on the anomaly.


    It began moving toward Ren, each centimeter of its advance increasing the tension with growing menace.


    ''The broken flare,'' Ren remembered his last possibility, fingers brushing against the device in his pocket. It wasn''t just a signal, the crystal inside was designed to emit a pulse that the professor could detect from a significant distance.


    If he could alter the pulse''s specific frequency and release it instantly through the opening... His mind raced through the calculations, each second precious as the male drew closer.


    Ren moved his hands and mana flow frantically, trying to modify the crystal''s resonance before it was too late.


    The male approached with inexorable purpose.


    He wouldn''t make it in time...


    The beast was so close that Ren could see energy patterns swirling in its eyes, the hungry glow of a predator that had detected something amiss in its new territory.


    When the male was almost upon him, Ren broke the flare.


    The crystal shattered, releasing a concentrated energy explosion.


    The male recoiled, momentarily blinded, and more importantly, the crystal''s resonance traveled through the tunnels with a piercing sound that carried far beyond the cave''s confines.


    Ren didn''t wait to see the beast''s complete reaction. He launched himself toward the exit, every muscle straining with desperate energy.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed frantically as he ran, warning that the male would recover in seconds. Their glow dimmed to almost nothing, trying to minimize his presence.


    Ren ran, still covered by the skins. The male roared and moments later began the pursuit, its fury overwhelming its interest in the females. The sound of its rage echoed through the tunnel system, promising terrible retribution.


    The roars made the cave walls vibrate with their intensity. The Shadow Stalker''s fury was palpable, its new territory violated, its ritual interrupted. The sound of its pursuit resonated ever closer, each echo a reminder of approaching doom.


    ''Too fast,'' Ren thought while zigzagging between rock formations. The knowledge showed him the terrible truth, males could move at incredible speeds when provoked.


    Another roar, closer still.


    Ren could feel the air pressure changing as the male drained mana around it, creating vacuum zones meant to slow its prey.


    Fortunately, his skin covering provided some protection, and slightly confused the male''s precise detection abilities.


    The cave exit appeared ahead, daylight beckoning like a beacon of hope.


    The male''s claws scratched against rock, each impact closer than the last, the sound a countdown to capture.


    ''Just a little more,'' the mushrooms pulsed with renewed urgency. The flare''s resonance was still traveling, and somewhere out there...


    But time had run out. When he was about to be caught...


    A new roar answered the first, making it pause for a crucial instant that saved Ren. Discover hidden tales at empire


    This one came from outside the cave, carrying a different fury, the territorial rage of the original male detecting an invader.


    Ren''s plan with the flare had worked just in time...


    He threw himself to the ground as he reached the entrance, rolling into the black skins like a cocoon. Time seemed to slow as the two males met in what promised to be an epic confrontation.


    The invader emerged from the cave like a nightmare of power, its body glowing with stolen crystal energy.


    The original guardian landed before it, its own power obtained from the enormous Bark Stalker manifesting in visible waves of mana that distorted the air between them.


    For a moment, both beasts evaluated each other. The tension in the air was so dense that Ren could feel it even through the skins covering him, each pulse of energy making the very ground tremble.


    And then, all hell broke loose.


    ????


    Ren crawled away from the males'' confrontation.


    Their roars and energy waves transformed the air itself into a battlefield, each clash sending ripples of power through the surrounding area.


    When he considered himself far enough away, he stood and began running.


    But not toward the camp.


    Despite everything, Ren hadn''t had enough for today.


    Especially because the Bark Stalker he''d used as bait had to be somewhere along the route he''d directed it.


    ''The male chased it east,'' the knowledge flowed while Ren studied the terrain, looking for signs of the massive creature''s passage.


    After several moments of methodical searching, he found it. The Bark Stalker''s body lay like an artificial hill, its camouflage failing in death. It''s body was completely dry. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The male had drained much of its vital essence after death, but Ren''s interruption had prevented it from finishing the process. Otherwise, instead of the thin, desiccated creature he now saw, only a shell and dust would have remained.


    The mushrooms pulsed while Ren examined the corpse.


    This was perfect, with the draining interrupted...


    The core should be intact.


    With precise movements, he extracted his knife and grabbed a stone to use as a hammer.


    ''The exact point,'' the knowledge showed him where to strike. The Bark Stalker''s dry skin, though hard, had become brittle after losing its mana.


    A well-placed blow...


    The crack of the rupture resonated like a gunshot in the silence. Ren worked quickly, widening the gap until he could extract the crystallized core.


    He stored it in one of the skins with some powder from the desiccated monster, which should still contain considerable vitality.


    ''And this,'' he thought while studying the carapace, ''is an unexpected bonus.''


    The finest mosses and herbs still clung to the beast''s shell. Carefully, he began removing them and storing them between the Shadow Stalker skins.


    While working, his mind was already crafting possible explanations for his triumphant return. A story about a hollow tree full of skins discarded by Weavers would be hard to believe, the skins were too well preserved, too perfect.


    ''And when I add the core of an almost mature Bark Stalker, plus these exceptional quality herbs...''


    The mushrooms pulsed revealing his concern. Professor Zhao wouldn''t be easy to fool.


    ''I need a better story,'' he thought while storing the last specimens. ''Something that explains all this without revealing I ventured beyond the limits.''

 Chapter 56 - Taming the Interrogatory

    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed revealing his concern. Professor Zhao wouldn''t be easy to fool.''I need a better story,'' he thought while storing the last specimens. ''Something that explains all this without revealing I ventured beyond the limits.''


    In the distance, the Shadow Stalker males'' roars began to diminish, their battle reaching its inevitable conclusion.


    Soon, one would establish dominance and claim the territory.


    Ren had no more tricks ready to escape the losing male if it found him, his earlier gambit had used up all his prepared contingencies.


    It was time to return.


    But as he headed toward the camp, Ren couldn''t suppress a smile.


    Explaining his bounty would be complicated, but the value of what he carried in his bag would make any interrogation worthwhile.


    ''After all,'' he thought while the mushrooms pulsed softly, ''the best stories are always the hardest to believe.''


    ????


    Ren approached the marked territory cautiously.


    The battle between the Shadow Stalker males had ended, leaving a heavy silence in the air that spoke of recent violence.


    ''First I need something more believable,'' he thought while organizing his story. ''Something that explains not just the skins, but also the core and the herbs.''


    The knowledge flowed while he evaluated his options. The black skins were the biggest problem, too perfect, too well preserved.


    Even if he had found a Weavers'' tree, discarded skins would normally show signs of deterioration... Not to mention that finding 100 was like winning the lottery.


    ''And then there''s the core,'' the mushrooms pulsed while Ren touched the crystal in his bag. An almost mature Bark Stalker, conveniently found along with everything else...


    A sound made him freeze mid-step.


    Voices in the distance, other students gathering.


    He recognized the arrogant tone that had caused him so much dumb trouble.


    "It''s your fault!" Jin''s voice resonated with frustration, carrying clearly through the trees. "If you hadn''t lost the flare so quickly...!"


    "My fault?" Kai sounded equally annoyed, his scales visible even from a distance. "You were the one who provoked the Weavers!"


    Ren slipped silently between the trees, avoiding detection as he made his way back to his camouflage blanket.


    Jin''s group appeared to have had a difficult morning after their encounter with the enraged colony.


    ''At least that distraction worked perfectly,'' he thought while circling their position with practiced stealth.


    Another group appeared ahead, Luna and her reluctant followers. Her shadow wolf manifested briefly while she studied something on the ground, its ethereal form making the shadows dance.


    Their eyes met for a moment.


    Luna''s expression was unreadable, but Ren could swear he saw a flash of curiosity in her gaze before she returned to her task.


    ''She knows something doesn''t add up,'' the knowledge warned him that Luna was more perceptive than the rest. Her shadow wolf could probably detect traces of the residual energy from the Shadow Stalkers.


    Finally, he spotted Taro and Min working in the same silk-rich area where he''d left them. His friends looked up when he approached, their expressions showing relief and concern.


    "Where were you?" Min whispered urgently. "The professor has been making rounds..."


    "And all the guards are talking about a beast fight beyond the perimeter, so everyone''s been warned not to be reckless," Taro added, his beetle''s markings shifting nervously.


    The mushrooms pulsed while Ren considered his response carefully.


    ''Partial truth,'' he decided while preparing to share his edited version of events. ''Mixed with enough believable details to make it digestible.''


    "And then I found this hollow tree where the Weavers had..." Ren stopped mid-sentence. The mushrooms in his hair ceased pulsing abruptly.


    "A fascinating story, no doubt," Professor Zhao''s voice resonated behind him, laden with authority. "Perhaps you could share it in my office." Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren felt his throat constrict as he swallowed hard. Min and Taro exchanged worried looks, but there was nothing they could do to help their friend now.


    ????


    Night had fallen over the camp.


    An enormous insulating tent protected the students from Shadow Stalkers, while professors and assistants mounted guard at the entrances.


    Inside, the murmur of conversations and occasional flash of manifested beasts created an almost homely atmosphere.


    But Ren wasn''t with his companions. Stay updated with empire


    Instead, he found himself seated in Professor Zhao''s improvised office, feeling increasingly small under the penetrating gaze of the half manifested owl.


    "Do you really expect me to believe that story, Mr. Patinder?" Zhao leaned over his portable desk. There was no anger in his voice, but something worse, disappointment.


    "A tree where you conveniently found all of this?"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed weakly while the professor spread his bounty across the table: the perfectly preserved skins, the Bark Stalker core, the exceptional quality herbs, and even a freshly molted Shadow Stalker.


    "It was clever using the incident with Jin''s group to escape my monitoring," Zhao continued, his tone carrying a bit of irritation. "A perfect execution, I must admit. But..."


    He stood up, his owl manifesting completely.


    The wings spread while his eyes, sharpened by decades of experience, fixed on Ren with unerring focus.


    "Did you think I wouldn''t notice your motionless camouflage blanket for hours? That my eyes wouldn''t detect the complete absence of movement in that spot?"


    Ren sank deeper into his seat, shame and worry warring for dominance in his expression.


    "I don''t like being underestimated, Mr. Patinder," Zhao crossed his arms. "I am the exterior gathering professor for a reason. These eyes have seen more tricks than you can imagine."


    "I''m sorry, professor," Ren mumbled, his voice barely audible in the tense atmosphere.


    "The real question is," Zhao sat back down, his expression unreadable, "what am I going to do with you?"


    The mushrooms pulsed with renewed concern. Had all the planning, all the risks... been for nothing?


    The professor extracted something from his desk, a small flask containing clear greenish liquid.


    "You know, I prepared this before departing," Zhao continued, turning the flask between his fingers thoughtfully. "When the other students complained about the two and a half days, I thought it would be interesting to see their reactions if they ''discovered'' you lasted the full three days."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with surprise while he processed this unexpected information.


    "The mana poisoning medicine," Zhao smiled slightly, his severity beginning to crack, "was going to be our little secret. A lesson about prejudice for your classmates¡­ and my help for the unfortunate student."


    He reclined in his chair, his owl manifesting more relaxed now. "But it seems I underestimated your... initiative. Instead of needing help to last three days, you decided to venture alone into dangerous territory."

 Chapter 57 - Taming Behavior

    "The mana poisoning medicine," Zhao smiled slightly, his severity beginning to crack, "was going to be our little secret. A lesson about prejudice for your classmates¡­ and my help for the unfortunate student."He reclined in his chair, his owl manifesting more relaxed now. "But it seems I underestimated your... initiative. Instead of needing help to last three days, you decided to venture alone into dangerous territory." Your next chapter awaits on empire


    The laugh that followed was genuine, the change in his attitude flowing naturally. He hadn''t stopped being the strict professor, but now Ren could see the admiration mixed with the reprimand, like a master craftsman acknowledging a particularly clever apprentice.


    "The medicine is still yours if you want it," he offered, sliding the flask across the desk with deliberate care. "Though I suspect you might have your own method for handling the poisoning."


    Ren took the flask with gratitude. "Thank you, professor. And yes, I had a plan involving that Shadow Stalker body, but I''ll keep this as backup."


    "I see you''re relaxing... Now," Zhao leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with genuine interest, his owl''s gaze equally intent. "How about you tell me the true story of how you acquired all this?"


    The mushrooms pulsed while analyzing the professor''s new attitude. After considering for a moment, Ren decided to be more sincere.


    The medicine in his pocket was a reminder that sometimes, people could surprise you in the best ways, luckily not everyone was like Wei or Jin...


    ????


    Professor Zhao''s laughter broke the tension like sunlight piercing storm clouds, transforming the atmosphere in the small office.


    "Well, well," he reclined in his chair with more curiosity than threat of reprimand now. "How did you manage to enter that cave then?"


    Ren carefully considered how much to reveal so his story wouldn''t seem false again, sometimes truth was indeed stranger than fiction... He decided to begin with the basics and build from there.


    "The larger Bark Stalkers are slightly dangerous," he explained, gaining confidence as he saw the genuine interest in the professor''s eyes. "But they have so much accumulated vitality that they''re perfect targets for Shadow Stalker sentinels. I just needed to make one move to the right place..."


    "And how did you manage that without it returning to its spot?" Zhao leaned forward, fascinated by the technical details of Ren''s plan.


    Ren described his use of the worm crystal to imitate drainage waves. The professor''s eyes widened with professional appreciation.


    "Ingenious. I believe the story of that worm crystal must also be interesting, but tell me first... How did you obtain so many Shadow Stalker skins in such a short time? Eliminating them, even while sleeping, isn''t so simple..." S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The females molt regularly in the deep caves," Ren continued, carefully omitting exactly how he knew to find the molting chamber in the labyrinth of the enormous cave system.


    "The high concentration of individuals makes obtaining numerous skins easier, I just had to take the ones that had naturally molted."


    "Fascinating," Zhao murmured while examining one of the skins with expert attention.


    "In all my years exploring, I''ve only seen such perfect specimens twice... We had destroyed nests in an expedition, finding skins after days of exploring the caves, but most always show damage... It''s difficult to obtain them without marks of violence..."


    "I didn''t need force," Ren smiled slightly. "Just understanding of their natural cycles."


    The professor nodded thoughtfully. "You know? The King''s policy is clear, we must reward those who show true talent for exploration and gathering."


    He stood and began pacing.


    "It was incredibly risky, of course. With your... limitation," he gestured toward the mushrooms, "venturing so far could have ended very badly."


    "But," he continued, a smile forming, "you''ve demonstrated something many forget. Knowledge and cunning can sometimes overcome brute force."


    Zhao studied him for a long moment, his owl''s gaze equally penetrating. "The ''miserable one'' everyone says will belong to the grey wing all his life... Seems there''s much more to you than appears, isn''t there?"


    Ren maintained a modest expression, though the mushrooms pulsed with quiet satisfaction.


    "You know," the professor smiled, "I think I''m going to be very interested in seeing how you develop. With proper support... I almost regret having to stay watching other students collect basic silk."


    "I''d like to see firsthand how you work. Gathering with you in one of those caves, seeing how..."


    An assistant professor entered hurriedly, his face showing concern that quickly turned to disdain upon seeing Ren.


    "Professor Zhao, the Shadow Stalkers... they''re acting strangely. I''ve never seen so many hitting against the protective tent."


    Zhao raised a hand to silence him. "It''s not so unusual. When there are territorial changes, sometimes the colonies..."


    But Ren had gone rigid in his seat while listening to the impacts above the tent. They were quick, erratic, different from the usual cave migration pattern.


    "Silence," he requested, raising a hand. "Listen to the rhythm."


    The assistant looked at him with contempt, what could this troublesome student mean by that? ''How arrogant'', he thought but Zhao turned with interest.


    "What did you notice, Ren?"


    "This isn''t a normal territorial change, excuse me professor," Ren murmured, his mushrooms pulsing faster. "They''re flying too low, too fast. Almost as if..."


    "As if what?" Zhao prompted.


    "As if they were fleeing," Ren completed, standing up. "And Shadow Stalkers don''t flee from..."


    "Other beasts?"


    "The Bronze ring beasts in this section, the Wood Colossi, the Metal Serpents, even the Rock Scorpions, never venture here," Ren chose his words carefully. "Even when displaced by territorial fights or hunger."


    "Why are you so sure?" the assistant crossed his arms skeptically.


    "Because Shadow Stalkers kill them," Ren responded with quiet certainty. "A Bronze beast might be stronger individually, but at night a Shadow Stalker colony can drain all its mana in seconds. It''s suicide for them to enter this territory."


    Zhao nodded slowly, his owl''s feathers ruffling with growing concern.


    "They would stay in the mana-richer zones, even if displaced, they''d seek other hunting grounds," Zhao completed, his expression turning thoughtful. "You''re right. This is unusual."


    "And a Silver-rank beast..." Ren continued his analysis, "if it was displaced from its territory, why come here? It would be more logical to stay in the second ring, hunting Bronze beasts. The mana concentration there is much higher and hunting would be easier."


    "I suppose that''s why this zone is safe for students," Ren added. "The iron ring has nothing to attract more powerful beasts."


    "This is... too artificial," Ren frowned. "As if something had altered the natural cave structure. Or perhaps..."

 Chapter 58 - Taming Behavior - 2

    "I suppose that''s why this zone is safe for students," Ren added. "The iron ring has nothing to attract more powerful beasts."The impacts continued overhead, growing more erratic with each passing moment. The Shadow Stalkers, creatures that normally dominated the night in this zone with absolute authority, were acting as if something had fundamentally altered the natural order of the first ring.


    Their behavior spoke of primal fear, an emotion these predators rarely experienced.


    The assistant seemed eager to protest that they were taking a student seriously, but another pattern of impacts interrupted him, this one more urgent than the last. The rhythmic pounding against the tent''s protective fabric carried an unmistakable message of panic.


    The impacts persisted above the tent, the Shadow Stalkers'' erratic behavior becoming increasingly evident. Each new pattern of strikes revealed more about their unnatural state of agitation.


    "This is... too artificial," Ren frowned. "As if something had altered the natural cave structure. Or perhaps..."


    "Perhaps?" Zhao pressed, his owl''s eyes focusing intently on Ren.


    "Perhaps it isn''t natural at all," Ren looked at the professor meaningfully. "What if someone is deliberately controlling the stalkers?"


    The assistant snorted with derision, but Zhao''s expression had turned serious.


    "Someone?" the assistant insisted. "A cave could have collapsed... What kind of nonsense...?"


    "Silence," Zhao ordered, his expression grave while studying Ren with newfound intensity.


    "Continue."


    "Geological changes aren''t unusual for them, this isn''t a volcanic zone," Ren explained, knowledge flowing naturally through his mushrooms. "The beasts would behave differently. And a large collapse would have caused vibrations we would have felt."


    The impacts on the tent increased in frequency and force. Ren could picture the Shadow Stalkers, creatures that normally dominated the night without rival, fleeing in blind panic from something that terrified even them.


    Zhao grasped something, his expression growing more serious with each passing second. "Someone is deliberately driving the Stalkers toward this area."


    "But why?" Ren frowned, mind racing through possibilities. "Unless..."


    He stopped, an idea forming.


    The Shadow Stalkers were the reason why no one could move freely at night in this zone of the iron ring. If someone wanted to ensure that no one could escape...


    "Professor," the assistant finally seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation. "Should we evacuate the camp?"


    "No," Zhao shook his head decisively. "Such a move would only alert whoever is behind this. For now..."


    Something changed in Zhao''s expression, a shift from concerned teacher to battle-ready warrior. His owl manifested completely, wings extending to their full impressive span, each feather gleaming with contained power.


    "Ren," his voice was low but firm. "Stay here. Hide yourself."


    "Professor, I can help. If someone is..."


    "No," Zhao cut him off with gentle but unyielding firmness. "This is different from collecting materials or studying beasts. There''s a reason why I''m the professor of this class."


    He turned to the assistant. "Alert the other guards. Have them keep their beasts manifested."


    The assistant nodded, his own beast, a wind lynx, manifesting fully as he departed.


    "But professor," Ren insisted, his mushrooms pulsing with urgency, "if I know how the Stalkers behave I could counter..."


    "First I need you to stay safe," Zhao looked at him directly, his gaze burning with intensity. "Your knowledge might be vital to our city later. But now..."


    A new pattern of impacts resonated above the tent. The Shadow Stalkers were no longer just fleeing, they were being herded with purpose.


    "Now I need you to trust me," Zhao moved toward the exit. "There are things more dangerous than wild beasts, Ren."


    His gaze briefly shifted toward where the students slept, some of them heirs to powerful families with beasts of extraordinary potential.


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    "Stay here," he repeated before leaving. "And whatever happens, don''t expose yourself."


    Ren watched Zhao depart, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with growing concern. Something or someone had orchestrated this situation with careful precision. And while the impacts continued above the tent, Ren couldn''t help but wonder what other plans were unfolding in the darkness.


    ????


    The darkness inside the tent grew thicker while Zhao and the auxiliaries formed a protective circle around the sleeping students. Some students started to wake up from all the movement.


    Their manifested beasts created patterns of faint light, Zhao''s owl shining more brilliantly than the others, its power barely contained.


    The auxiliaries didn''t fully understand what the commotion was about until...


    A movement at the tent''s eastern entrance drew all eyes.


    A figure wrapped in black fabric stood motionless, its silhouette barely visible against the night. The fabric absorbed all light, all traces of mana, only the finest Shadow Stalker materials could achieve such an effect.


    "Professor..." one of the auxiliaries whispered, fear creeping into his voice.


    Before he could complete his warning, another figure appeared at the western entrance. Then a third in the north. A fourth in the south. Each identical to the last, their forms completely hidden by the black fabric that seemed to devour light itself.


    A student let out a choked cry when the figures began to move.


    Their bodies seemed to flow beneath the fabric, as if their forms weren''t entirely human. With synchronized movements, they drew what appeared to be curved blades that gleamed dully in the dim light. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhao stepped forward, his owl spreading its wings in warning, but stopped when the figures pressed their blades against the tent''s fabric.


    Small cuts appeared where the edges touched the material, the protective enchantments struggling against the weapons.


    "Don''t try it, Zhao," a voice resonated from outside. Authoritative, cold, with a metallic echo suggesting some kind of mask.


    "You know what will happen if the tent breaks."


    The Shadow Stalkers'' impacts on the roof intensified, as if emphasizing the threat, their frenzied movements promising swift death to any one exposed to the night.


    "There are more than 50 students here," Zhao responded, his voice tense but controlled. "Most are barely ten years old."


    "Then it would be a shame if something happened to them," the voice seemed to smile. "Surrender. No one has to die tonight."


    The blades pressed deeper, the cuts extending like dark veins across the protective fabric. In the darkness, the figures seemed to grow more menacing, their silhouettes distorting with increasing mana tension.


    "Last warning," the voice acquired a more threatening tone.


    "Lower your wings, Zhao. Or we''ll see how long these children can survive when the tent falls and the Stalkers enter their feeding frenzy."


    The sound above their heads was deafening now, dozens, perhaps hundreds of Shadow Stalkers hammering against the protection, hungry, maddened, waiting.

 Chapter 59 - Tamers Battle

    "Last warning," the voice acquired a more threatening tone."Lower your wings, Zhao. Or we''ll see how long these children can survive when the tent falls and the Stalkers enter their feeding frenzy."


    The sound above their heads was deafening now, dozens, perhaps hundreds of Shadow Stalkers hammering against the protection, hungry, maddened, waiting. Their collective frenzy created a symphony of impending doom that made even the bravest students tremble.


    The figures covered in black fabric remained at the tent''s entrances, creating a sense of silent siege. Their presence alone seemed to make the air heavier, more oppressive, as if the very darkness had taken physical form.


    The auxiliaries formed a protective circle, their beasts manifesting as patterns of power across their bodies, scales, fur, and feathers gleaming faintly in the dim light. Each of them knew that against a horde of frenzied Shadow Stalkers, their chances were slim at best.


    Zhao stepped forward. The hooded figures tensed, but didn''t retreat. Their stillness was more threatening than any movement could have been.


    "I wonder if Yino has truly fallen so low as to threaten children."


    His owl merged with him without fanfare, a subtle change in the air, a presence that spread like ink in water.


    "The famous Hunter of Yano," the voice from outside sounded amused, but there was an edge of caution in it. "Your reputation precedes you, Zhao. How many of ours have you tracked and eliminated flying over the abyssal border? Twenty? Thirty?"


    "Forty-two," Zhao responded with the same calm he might discuss the weather.


    Zhao stood tall, his owl manifesting across his skin. It wasn''t the ostentatious beast many would expect from someone with his reputation, but those who knew the Hunter''s history understood that his power lay in the lethal precisi¨®n of the user, not just his Silver 3 beast raw strength.


    "All of them better than you. None stupid enough to attack in my territory. You''ve made a mistake coming here."


    He wasn''t just a professor, the Hunter of Yano, as he was known at the border, was famous for his ability to track and eliminate threats from the rival kingdom. His very name was spoken with fear and respect in certain circles.


    The blades pressed deeper into the tent''s fabric. The Shadow Stalkers'' impacts created a frenzied rhythm overhead, their collective hunger growing with each passing moment.


    A dry laugh resonated from outside. "Mistake? No, old friend. This place... these training grounds you''ve used for generations. We know them better than you think."


    Zhao showed no reaction, but his mind worked rapidly. That information shouldn''t be available to Yino. Unless...


    "We have a simple proposal," the voice continued. "Luna, Klein, Feng, and Astor. Hand them over, and the other forty-six students will live. It''s a generous deal."


    The named students tensed.


    Luna, her shadow wolf manifesting briefly before melting back into the shadows. Klein, his golden lion gleaming with contained fury. Feng, whose red cobra created scarlet patterns across his skin. Astor, the blue rhinoceros pulsing with power beneath his surface.


    "And if I refuse?" Zhao maintained his casual tone, as if discussing the day''s weather rather than the lives of his students.


    "Then," the figures pressed their blades deeper into the tent''s fabric, creating ominous patterns of stress in the protective material, "we''ll have to settle for ensuring Yano loses an entire generation of promising talents. Not our preferred goal, but..."


    The auxiliaries were ready to fight, but Zhao could see the worry in their eyes. Even with all their combined skills, protecting fifty students from a horde of enraged Shadow Stalkers, plus some extra attackers of unknown rank would be impossible.


    The math was simple and brutal.


    "You have to make a decision, Hunter," the voice sounded almost compassionate now. "Four lives, or fifty? The heirs of some noble families, or an entire generation of students?"


    "Four lives or fifty, that''s the choice you''re giving me. Right?" Zhao repeated slowly. "Curious..."


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    The black figures shifted uneasily. Something in Zhao''s calm disturbed them more than any display of power could have.


    "Do you know why they call me the Hunter of Yano?" he stepped forward, and though the blades pressed deeper into the tent''s fabric, no figure dared to cut it.


    "It''s not for the number of enemies I''ve eliminated. It''s because never, not once, have I let a single target escape." S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Something changed in Zhao''s posture... a shift so subtle that only the most observant noticed it.


    The auxiliaries formed a tighter circle around the students. But everyone knew that against a horde of maddened Shadow Stalkers...


    "My choice..." his voice became dangerously soft.


    The black figures tensed when they felt the change in the air.


    Silver feathers flashed in the darkness, moving with lethal velocity.


    Ten feathers, ten targets.


    The heads of the black figures in his sights.


    The attack was so sudden that two of the hooded figures didn''t even have time to react. The feathers pierced their masks with deadly precision, their bodies collapsing before they could scream.


    The others were faster.


    Some ducked, others covered with their arms, and some retreated behind the tent''s folds. The silver feathers cut through the air where their heads had been moments before.


    The first cut in the tent''s fabric was the beginning of the storm.


    "Proud fool!" the leader''s voice resonated with fury as the figures began tearing at the protective fabric.


    The cuts in the tent multiplied rapidly as the enemies attacked. The first Shadow Stalkers began entering, their black bodies nearly invisible in the gloom.


    "You could have saved forty-six students," the leader continued as more medusas slipped through the openings. "But your pride has just condemned them all!"


    "Pride has nothing to do with it," he responded while launching a feather that eliminated the first Stalker that came too close. "I simply refuse to negotiate with monsters who take children hostage."


    The sound of tearing fabric was his only answer as more and more medusas began flooding the space.


    Zhao''s silver feathers flashed in the darkness while eliminating another medusa slipping through the cuts. His eyes, sharpened by his owl and decades of night hunting, detected every movement in the shadows as if it were daylight.


    ''Thirty-seven,'' he counted mentally as another feather found its target. The Stalkers'' bodies fell, but remained dangerous even in death, their mana-absorbing ability persisting for days.


    More cuts appeared in the tent''s fabric. The black figures coordinated their attacks, creating strategic openings that allowed more Stalkers to enter.


    "Maintain formation!" Zhao ordered his auxiliaries while another feather flew from his hand.


    The auxiliaries reduced the circle even more... Zhao was confused for a moment, it was reduced too much.


    Were there fewer students now?

 Chapter 60 - Tamers Battle - 2

    More cuts appeared in the tent''s fabric. The black figures coordinated their attacks, creating strategic openings that allowed more Stalkers to enter."Maintain formation!" Zhao ordered his auxiliaries while another feather flew from his hand.


    The auxiliaries reduced the circle further... Zhao felt confusion pierce through his battle focus for a moment.


    Were there fewer students than before?


    He dismissed the thought, he had enough on his mind dealing with each Shadow Stalker that breached their perimeter. Every second brought new threats that demanded his immediate attention.


    Zhao hadn''t been lying, this was his territory.


    The Mist Owl''s abilities were perfectly adapted for night combat.


    In this zone, he could move freely even during the medusas'' hunting hours, he could fly far faster than they could and was capable of distinguishing them perfectly in the darkness.


    His enhanced vision turned their greatest advantage into nothing.


    A single silver feather was enough to kill a Shadow Stalker, but even with this lethal advantage, he couldn''t eliminate such a massive swarm quickly enough to protect a big group all night¡­


    There were simply too many, their numbers seeming endless.


    ''This doesn''t make sense,'' he thought while eliminating ten more with precise strikes. Shadow Stalkers were exclusive to this region of the habitable world. No one had managed to obtain a Shadow Stalker from an egg in Yano, and even if they had...


    A medusa nearly reached a student. Zhao''s feather pierced it just in time, the creature falling dead before it could touch its prey.


    ''The control over them... it shouldn''t be possible.''


    Even having a contract from an egg wouldn''t necessarily explain such mastery over these creatures. Luna couldn''t control wolves despite having a powerful shadow one, for example...


    Yet the Stalkers moved with purpose, coordinated in a way that defied their very nature.


    Another section of the tent gave way.


    The attackers pressed from all directions, their distorted forms suggesting something more than simple manifested beasts. Their movements carried an unnatural fluidity that spoke of powers beyond normal cultivation.


    ''Abyssals,'' the thought made his feathers vibrate with recognition. The corrupted creatures that dwelled beyond known depths and emerged in controlled hordes. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But making a contract with one of them...


    "Professor!" an auxiliary''s cry pulled him from his thoughts. More cuts appeared as the tent began failing at multiple points, their protection crumbling piece by piece.


    The students clustered in the center, forming an ever-shrinking circle of frightened faces and manifesting beasts.


    Zhao launched another feather, the silver metal gleaming with medusa blood. He was fast, he was lethal, he was the Hunter of Yano. But even he had limits, and tonight they were pushing him beyond them.


    ''How?'' he wondered while eliminating another wave. ''How did they manage to contract with an Abyssal? What are they willing to sacrifice for this power?''


    The medusas flooded the tent through dozens of cuts. Zhao''s silver feathers flashed ceaselessly, each strike finding its mark with deadly precision.


    The attackers'' leader released a satisfied laugh from outside when Zhao began running low on feathers. His triumph was palpable.


    "It''s over, Zhao. Not even you can..."


    Zhao launched his last feathers, striking even the attackers cutting the tent who were now more visible, eliminating another enemy with lethal efficiency.


    The movement created a moment of vulnerability that the medusas rushed to exploit, surging toward Zhao...


    Exactly as he had planned.


    The silver feathers illuminated, vibrated, then shot back, returning to their master in an instant.


    In a flash of impossibly fast movement, the feathers fired out again, now backwards before reattaching to their owner''s wings. Dozens of Stalkers fell simultaneously, their lifeless bodies hitting the ground in a macabre rain.


    "Damn you...!" the leader lost his composure at seeing they were back where they started with one less person.


    "Everyone, attack! I don''t care if the heirs survive anymore!"


    The black figures began moving in concert with the medusa avalanche, their coordinated assault promising swift death.


    "Professor!" Ren''s cry cut through the chaos. "The supports! Destroy the tent supports!"


    Zhao wanted to demand why the boy wasn''t hidden where he''d left him...


    But he didn''t hesitate.


    His feathers found the structural points with surgical precision. The enormous fabric roof began collapsing on all of them, creating a moment of perfect chaos.


    The attackers retreated instinctively.


    "Fools!" the leader roared as the tent fell. "You''ve buried yourselves alive!"


    When the tent collapsed completely over them, the leader decided they didn''t need to remove it, they could eliminate their targets right where they lay, blind and helpless.


    "Attack the tent!"


    The fire-wielding attacker from the enemy didn''t wait for further orders. His flames began devouring the fallen fabric while his companions struck with other invocation powers or their blades.


    "Let them cook for a moment," the leader smiled beneath his mask. "The smoke will make our work easier."


    The flames spread rapidly across the treated fabric. The attackers waited to hear screams of terror, pleas for help...


    But there was only silence.


    "What...?" The leader advanced when the flames finished their work and revealed the interior.


    Where there should have been fifty trapped and burned students, there was only disturbed earth and a covered hole.


    "Impossible," he whispered as understanding dawned. "They''ve been digging this whole time."


    Then an explosion launched feathers everywhere, striking the attackers once more.


    ????


    Moments before¡­


    Ren crawled out of the office, covered in the Shadow Stalker skins he''d collected.


    He''d decided to wrap himself in them again when the professor rushed out and he understood the situation.


    The battle chaos above provided perfect cover for his movement.


    ''Sorry, professor,'' he thought while moving through the shadows, ''but I can''t stay still when I can help my friends.''


    He found Taro among the group of students. Min was with him, both manifesting their beasts against the imminent threat.


    "Taro," Ren whispered, making his friend jump in surprise. "I need you to use your digger beetle and... dig. Now." Stay tuned to empire


    "Ren? What...?"


    "Your beetle can go through compact earth very quickly, hurry," Ren explained while another Stalker fell, pierced by Zhao''s silver feather. "We need cover."


    Taro understood immediately, a trench. His beetle manifested fully, its pincers beginning to work the ground while Min kept watch.


    The sound of digging attracted nearby students'' attention. A boy with a mole-type beast joined without hesitation. Then a girl whose rock beast also had a facility for digging.


    Soon, several students combined their efforts.


    Above, Zhao continued his impossible battle. His feathers flashed in the darkness, finding target after target, but the Stalkers kept entering through the increasingly numerous cuts.


    "Deeper," Ren urged as the hole took shape.

 Chapter 61 - Tamers Battle - 3

    above the trench, zhao continued his impossible battle.his silver feathers flashed in the darkness, finding target after target, but the shadow stalkers kept pouring through the increasingly numerous cuts in the tent''s fabric.


    "deeper," ren urged as the hole continued expanding beneath them.


    sweat beaded on the diggers'' foreheads as they worked tirelessly.


    ren observed students sliding into the trench while zhao''s feathers grew increasingly scarce.


    "faster!" ren urged taro and the others who continued digging.


    the hole was almost deep and wide enough, forty students had slipped inside, but the space for those remaining wasn''t ready yet.


    "min, help them smooth the earth there," he directed his friend. "taro, to the right, the earth is softer there."


    taro''s beetle changed direction, its legs tearing away larger chunks of soil. two other students with digger beasts coordinated their movements, expanding the space with efficiency. their combined efforts made the tunnel grow faster than any single beast could manage.


    ''just a little more,'' ren thought while approaching where luna remained apart, observing the situation with her wolf ready to strike. he extended a hand toward her.


    "i don''t need you to rescue me," luna maintained her neutral expression, avoiding direct eye contact, though ren noticed her eyes evaluating the distance to the tunnel and the attackers'' positions.


    ren kept his hand extended, carefully considering his next words.


    "i didn''t need you to rescue me from jin either... or defend me with your opinion in the cart," he responded calmly. "but you gave it anyway. so let me repay some of that debt, and surprise you again. trust me this time."


    luna met his eyes, studying the daring confidence in them that contrasted with his usual gentle, cheerful appearance. without a word, she took his hand and slipped toward the hole, her wolf melting into the shadows around them.


    klein''s group, him, feng, and astor, needed no convincing... one glance at the situation was enough for them to make the sensible decision and jump into the tunnel as soon as space allowed. their egos hadn''t completely smothered their survival instincts.


    but jin...


    "the rotten one organized that?" jin spat the words with contempt, while his followers nervously watched the stalkers that zhao barely kept at bay. "i''d rather die than follow his plans!"


    zhao''s feathers returned to him, then the black figures pressed their attack with renewed vigor.


    "if you want to die, that''s your problem!" ren said to jin before turning toward where zhao was about to be attacked from multiple angles simultaneously. "professor! the supports! destroy the tent supports!"


    the auxiliaries, who had been watching the tunnel''s development with growing attention, exchanged quick glances. they didn''t wait for further debate... they grabbed jin''s group and dragged them toward the opening despite their protests.


    silver feathers found the supports with lethal precision. as the structure began to collapse, zhao launched himself toward the tunnel, his feathers returning to him just as the fabric fell over their heads.


    ????


    absolute darkness filled the narrow tunnel, pressing in from all sides.


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair glowed with forced intensity, illuminating tense and terrified faces. their light cast shifting shadows that made the space seem both smaller and larger than it was.


    above, they could hear the attackers retreating to avoid being covered by the fallen tent, accidentally touching the fallen life absorbing jellyfish''s bodies that surrounded the group.


    "what''s the plan?" zhao turned to ren. "i hope i won''t regret playing along with you, boy... we''ll be easy prey if we stay like this."


    "first we need a stronger cover!" ren spoke quickly, urgently. "just a few seconds! i''ll explain while they make it!"


    zhao nodded sharply. "everyone who can manipulate barriers, earth, or rock!" his voice cut through the tunnel. "we need a ceiling, now! thin but resistant!"


    several students responded immediately, their beasts manifesting with defensive purpose.


    "continue!" zhao ordered while his enormous wings helped support the improvised structure.


    ren nodded. "yes, first i''ll handle the shadow stalkers and then you..."


    a blow above them and the sound of flames interrupted his words. the attackers had begun their assault.


    "faster!" zhao urged. "we don''t have much time!"


    "the plan is..."


    ????


    taro pressed his hand against the tunnel wall. his manifested beetle vibrated, detecting movements above with uncanny precision.


    "three to the right," he whispered. "two more moving away north."


    the mole-beast boy nodded in confirmation. "the other two are almost directly above us."


    zhao watched ren, his silver feathers gleaming faintly while waiting for the perfect moment. the plan was risky, but better than trying to cover everyone alone... if it worked, he could fight with more freedom. sear?h the n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "5 meters!"


    "now!" zhao''s command cut through the tunnel''s tense air while the improvised ceiling flew upward, propelled by the wind lynx auxiliary''s power.


    zhao''s feathers shot through the improvised ceiling, finding several unprepared attackers. their precision was absolute even in the chaos of the moment.


    above, the attackers'' surprised cries confirmed they''d found their targets, the element of surprise worked perfectly.


    students with defensive capabilities had already begun forming the new shelter, thicker than before, strategically angled to deflect attacks. walls began rising around them, each layer reinforcing their protection.


    ren pulled out his new bark stalker core, his plan to counter the shadow stalkers'' control ready for implementation. he activated the proto-core crystal while beginning to manipulate the frequency in the immediate area around the students.


    shadow stalkers continued approaching from above, but something changed in their pattern when ren activated the core. the shadow stalkers began moving erratically, as if confused by conflicting signals.


    "it''s working!" taro shouted while reinforcing a section of the wall. experience more on empire


    the students prepared to defend their position with everything they had, while zhao and three of the four auxiliaries launched their attack.


    ????


    zhao didn''t hesitate, the moment of surprise was all he needed.


    his feathers had found vulnerable targets, leaving several enemies bleeding or disoriented. the battle for survival continued with renewed intensity.


    but this time was different, the auxiliaries could join zhao in the attack. for the first time since the assault began, they could focus completely on combat without worrying about protecting the students from the shadow stalkers.


    "keep them safe!" he ordered the auxiliary with the calcium-plated snail, before launching himself toward the group of attackers.


    it was time to press their advantage.


    the seven remaining attackers retreated, their distorted forms moving in impossible ways under the moonlight. their black fabric, now torn in places, rippled to reveal glimpses of the corruption beneath¡­ flesh fused with beasts in ways that defied nature.

 Chapter 62 - Tamers Battle - 4

    zhao didn''t hesitate, the moment of surprise was all he needed."keep them safe!" he ordered the auxiliary with the calcium-plated snail, just as he launched himself toward the group of attackers.


    the other three auxiliaries followed his lead, each moving with practiced coordination. their beasts manifested fully.


    the wind lynx bearer moved like a gust toward the enemy on the left, his claws gleaming in the darkness. the beast''s speed made him almost invisible to the untrained eye.


    the boar bearer charged against the fire wielder, his defensive plates shimmering against the first corrupt flames. each step was measured, calculated to close the distance while minimizing exposure.


    the third auxiliary, his bronze hawk manifesting in copper patterns across his skin, intercepted another enemy on the left.


    zhao faced the remaining four, including the leader. his silver feathers danced between his fingers, each one humming with power.


    read exclusive adventures at empire


    the black figures finally dropped their hoods, revealing the true abominations beneath... forms of the abyssals. their skin shared that disturbing purple tone that marked their chaotic species from the depths. each one was a unique nightmare made flesh.


    the first had tentacles emerging from its back, each moving with its own will, its purple skin pulsing with darker veins that seemed to writhe beneath the surface. the appendages twisted and coiled like living ropes.


    the second appeared to be a grotesque fusion of giant salamander and crocodile, its slimy skin gleaming wetly in the moonlight. scales and smooth flesh merged in weird patterns.


    the third maintained a vaguely humanoid form, but parts of its body melted and reformed constantly, like molten purple wax dancing to some alien rhythm. its shape was never quite the same from one moment to the next.


    the leader was a nightmare given form, an arachnid creature whose face split into three distinct mouths, one central and two on the sides of the jaw. five purple eyes moved unnaturally, studying zhao''s every movement with predatory intelligence.


    "the famous hunter of yano," it smiled, its multiple mouths moving in unsettling unison. "how long have you been hunting us without truly understanding what you face?"


    zhao''s feathers danced between his fingers with deadly grace. "long enough to know where to strike."


    the attack was instantaneous. silver feathers became streaks of light as they sought vital points. the tentacled one used its appendages to deflect them, but two found flesh, drawing purple ichor.


    the giant salamander spat purple acid that melted both feathers and earth where the hunter had been a second before, while the purple wax being suffered no damage as it tried to flank him. its mostly fluid form made conventional attacks nearly useless.


    the arachnid leader observed with its five brilliant eyes, its three mouths moving in a disturbing smile while coordinating the attack.


    behind them, ren struggled with the bark stalker core. the frequency it emitted made the medusas hesitate, but they kept approaching, their controller''s hold over them too strong to break completely just like that.


    around them, the auxiliaries kept their opponents occupied.


    the lynx bearer matched his enemy''s speed, his precise attacks seeking weak points in their defense. the boar absorbed the corrupt flames with his plates while advancing relentlessly. the hawk demonstrated why it was feared even among bronze beasts, its strikes leaving purple wounds that refused to close.


    "it was a mistake to leave the children alone, hunter!" the leader''s three mouths moved in unison. its spider legs propelled it in an attack that zhao barely managed to dodge. "i can sense the pathetic attempt to imitate a male stalker!"


    zhao blocked a tentacle with his feathers while evading another acid stream. the wax being had split into three masses attempting to surround him, each one moving with lethal purpose.


    "you think you can outmaneuver us in controlling this swarm?" the leader continued while pressing its attack. "we eliminated their male and made the entire swarm watch while we dominated them with my illusion! a simple frequency isn''t enough to¡­"


    it stopped abruptly. above the hole, a figure rose, a shadow stalker male, its presence making the entire swarm halt. the massive creature''s silhouette dominated the night sky.


    the medusas began dispersing, their coordinated attack breaking as the abyssal''s control vanished in the face of what appeared to be their true leader.


    "how...?" the leader''s three mouths twisted in confusion, its confidence cracking for the first time.


    zhao smiled while his feathers found purple flesh. "it seems trusting my ''least promising'' student wasn''t a mistake after all."


    "damned cheater!" the abyssal leader''s roar cut short in a choked cry as zhao''s feathers found their mark.


    the distraction was perfect, while the five purple eyes were fixed on the "illusion" above the hole, the hunter attacked without mercy.


    it wasn''t a real male glowing in the night¡­ ren had combined the natural reflection of mirror mantis plates with the dead medusa''s body, using his mushrooms'' white glow to create an image that, combined with the frequency, fooled the entire swarm.


    "silent flight," zhao whispered. his mist owl responded immediately, its presence vanishing like morning fog, leaving the abyssals in momentary confusion.


    the salamander turned frantically, its bifurcated tongue tasting the air for the hunter. a silver flash was its only warning before three feathers pierced its purple flesh.


    the tentacled being thrashed wildly, trying to create a defensive zone, but zhao was no longer there. he appeared like a ghost behind the wax abyssal, his feathers finding the right consistency to cause real damage to its fluid form.


    "find him!" the leader ordered, purple blood dripping from its wounds while its spider legs moved erratically. "he can''t¡­!"


    more silver feathers emerged from nowhere, some finding flesh, others forcing the abyssals to move as zhao wanted. the hunter of yano was in his element, the night was his domain, and his mist owl allowed him to move like a specter between shadows.


    a tentacle found empty air. an acid stream hit lifeless earth. purple wax masses split and reformed without purpose. the leader''s five eyes spun frantically, trying to track the invisible predator slowly bleeding them dry. s§×arch* the nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    only the whisper of feathers and choked cries of pain marked zhao''s presence, appearing and disappearing like the mist itself, each attack precise and lethal.


    the battle had become a hunt.


    the hunter was a nocturnal bird of prey.

 Chapter 63 - Taming Ilusion and Defense

    the abyssals retreated, bleeding and panting, their corrupted forms bearing the marks of zhao''s precise attacks.the leader looked at its companions, their purple bodies trembling from numerous wounds, but their eyes still gleaming with dark determination.


    "there is no other choice," its three mouths spoke in different tones that created an unsettling harmony. "complete fusion."


    a shiver ran through the other abyssals, their corrupted flesh rippling with either fear or anticipation.


    "we need 2 people''s mana. and if we fail..." one began, its tentacles writhing with nervous energy.


    "we''ve already failed," the leader cut in sharply. "at least this way we''ll have a chance, we must reach that cave."


    zhao emerged from his invisible state for a moment, launching more feathers that nearly eliminated the tentacled one. the silver projectiles sliced through corrupted flesh with surgical precision.


    the four beings began to... flee.


    ????


    while ren maintained the illusion with his mushrooms, the calcium snail remained defending the group of students.


    his beast manifested across his body created whitish barriers that stopped the occasional attacks that slipped through the other auxiliaries'' defense.


    "keep calm!" he ordered when a stream of purple acid splashed against his barrier, generating an intense reaction that made the protective surface sizzle ominously.


    klein''s group stayed organized, their manifested beasts ready to support if necessary.


    feng and astor flanked their leader with practiced coordination, while jin''s group, still resentful about being dragged into the shelter, at least had the common sense to remain behind the protections that all those capable of defense had created.


    another attack, this time a fireball that bounced off the boar auxiliary''s defense and headed toward the hole.


    the calcium barrier rose just in time, its surface hardening to deflect the corrupted flames.


    "professor!" klein called out, his golden lion manifesting more fully. "we can help the other auxiliaries!"


    "maintain your position!" the snail master reinforced another section of the barrier, his determination unwavering. "your job is to survive!"


    from the center of the hole, ren maintained his concentration with iron discipline.


    the mushrooms in his hair shone with an intense white glow, reflecting off the mirror mantis plates while taro and min manipulated the skinless shadow stalker body above them.


    "a little more to the left," ren whispered, adjusting the light angle with precise control. "we need it to look like it''s floating more naturally."


    taro struggled to keep the weaver threads taut. "it''s harder than it looks," he grunted, sweat beading on his forehead.


    "move it like this," min took control of the improvised "puppet" with more fluid movements.


    a cry of pain drew their attention, cutting through the tense atmosphere.


    the lynx auxiliary had been struck by one of the abyssal''s limbs, a purple myriapod with legs like spears.


    the corrupted beast had overcome the lynx master''s speed, wounding his side, and now turned its attention toward where ren was manipulating the illusion.


    "the brat," the abyssal hissed, its multiple legs moving like poisoned needles. "he''s the one interfering with the swarm."


    the abyssal launched itself toward the hole, but luna''s shadow wolf emerged from the darkness like solidifying ink, its fangs finding one of the attacker''s feet with deadly precision. find your next read on empire


    the abyssal screamed in pain but its speed barely diminished, the numerous long legs of its beast keeping it perfectly stable despite the injury.


    but that moment was all the lynx auxiliary needed. his manifested claws flashed in a deadly arc, severing two of the myriapod''s legs.


    however, the victory was brief.


    "look out!" ren''s warning came too late.


    the abyssal twisted with impossible speed, the myriapod''s legs, transformed into living spears, pierced through the lynx auxiliary''s chest and shoulder. blood sprayed as the man screamed, his manifested claws losing their gleam.


    "teacher!" min loosened the threads maintaining the floating male illusion.


    the dead shadow stalker''s body wobbled dangerously. taro cursed, trying to compensate, but his movements were clumsy and abrupt under the pressure.


    "no! the threads!"


    "i can''t!" taro''s hands shook while he fought for control. "it''s too complicated!"


    meanwhile, luna''s shadow wolf continued its assault with relentless precision. it appeared from one shadow to bite a leg, disappeared before the counterattack landed, emerged from another angle to tear purple flesh.


    a deadly dance of appearances and disappearances that kept the abyssal occupied. sear?h the n?velfire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    preventing it from finishing off the lynx auxiliary''s life.


    "min!" ren shouted while helping taro and maintaining his mushrooms'' glow. "i need you to help the teacher! taro can maintain the illusion alone!"


    "but..."


    "listen to me!" ren didn''t take his eyes off the mantis plates reflecting his light. "your snake can direct mana to heal, it''s one of its innate abilities. you need to make it flow in a spiral, from outside to center. now!" he urged. "the teacher will die if you don''t close those wounds!"


    min nodded, his water snake manifesting as he sent it to the injured auxiliary. the mana began flowing following the pattern ren had shown.


    luna remained focused, her eyes following every movement while directing her beast in this lethal dance of hit and run tactics.


    taro let out a grunt of effort. the shadow stalker''s body tilted dangerously.


    "i can''t!" taro''s hands trembled violently. "it''s falling!"


    "focus!" ren adjusted his light angle with desperate precision. "we can''t lose the illusion now!"


    min''s snake had reached its target. the energy began flowing, seeking the wounds, closing them slowly but steadily.


    the lynx auxiliary started breathing more easily as the mana did its work. his claws regained some of their luminescence.


    "min," he whispered hoarsely. "you''re doing it... keep going..."


    the abyssal roared in frustration, its legs moving increasingly erratically. each time it thought it had the wolf, the beast dissolved into shadows only to reappear at another point.


    it was like trying to stab smoke. luna remained motionless in the corner of the hole, her eyes fixed on the battle while her beast moved as a perfect extension of her will.


    "a powerful beast," the myriapod hissed while its legs dodged another wolf attack. "but its owner is just a defenseless girl."


    luna maintained her impassive expression, her eyes fixed on the battle while her wolf continued its assault from the shadows.


    "do you know what''s faster than your wolf, little one?" the abyssal''s legs tensed like coiled springs. "me."


    it launched itself like lightning toward luna, completely ignoring the shadow wolf''s next bite.


    the lynx auxiliary, finally recovering enough to rejoin the fight, intercepted the attack with his manifested claws.


    "luna!" he shouted while containing the spear-like legs. "fall back!"


    but the myriapod twisted in an impossible way, its rear legs propelling it over the auxiliary. luna barely had time to blink before the corrupted beast was above her, its legs descending like a rain of death.


    "too slow!" the abyssal roared.

 Chapter 64 - Taming Flexibility and Speed

    "it''s falling!" taro shouted, his hands trembling as he struggled with the delicate control required."no, no! softer!" ren urged while the medusas began showing signs of doubt in their movements. "the motion has to flow, like air is water. think of natural movements, not forced ones."


    "i''m trying!" taro''s hands shook with the effort of controlling the threads, each tremor threatening to reveal their deception.


    "you''re making movements that are too tense... close your eyes," ren interrupted, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. "forget the threads. think about your beetle, about how it will be when it evolves."


    "but we''re in danger... i can''t relax if..."


    "a living tunnel doesn''t fight against the earth," ren''s voice softened despite the chaos, carrying wisdom beyond his years.


    "it doesn''t scrape, doesn''t push. it undulates, flows, makes the earth dance around it. your beast will do this when you finish training. just like the mana movement during cultivation."


    the medusas stirred restlessly, the incomplete signal pattern making them hesitate between their natural instincts and the artificial control.


    "let tension go, breathe deep," ren insisted, guiding his friend. "let your arms move like your beast will. like water beneath the earth."


    taro breathed deeply, his eyes closed. for a moment, he could see it, his beetle transforming, becoming something more fluid, more natural. the vision was so clear it took his breath away.


    his arms began moving with a different rhythm. no longer fighting against the dead shadow stalker''s weight, he let his movements flow like liquid earth, each motion smooth and purposeful.


    "that''s it!" ren adjusted his mushrooms'' glow to complement the new rhythm. "keep it just like that!"


    above, the medusas responded to the completed pattern. the danger signal finally registered in their primitive minds, and they began retreating toward their cave, their movements becoming more natural and coordinated.


    "i''m doing it," taro whispered, a smile forming on his face while maintaining the undulating movement. "i can feel it... this is how it will be..."


    "like dancing earth," ren confirmed, proud that his friend had found that connection with his future evolution.


    ????


    the salamander-shaped abyssal ran, his purple skin gleaming with cold sweat.


    his supernatural senses were stretched to their limit, trying to detect where the next attack would come from.


    a whistle, barely perceptible in the night air. s§×arch* the n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    he threw himself right just as three silver feathers pierced the air where his head had been. he didn''t even have time to recover when two more emerged from an impossible angle, one finding flesh in his shoulder and drawing corrupted blood.


    ''where is he? where is he?!''


    the hunter was like a ghost in the darkness. there were no footsteps to hear, no presence to detect. only the deadly whistle of feathers and the pain they brought with them.


    ahead, he could see its companions, the tentacled one bleeding profusely, the purple slime being having lost consistency in several places. if he could just reach them...


    your next chapter is on empire


    another attack, this time from above.


    he rolled desperately, but a feather found his leg. the pain was unbearable, but the terror was worse. every time he thought he had found a pattern in the attacks, zhao changed it with lethal unpredictability.


    ''the rumors were true,'' he thought while another feather grazed his neck. ''the hunter never lets his prey escape.''


    a movement in the shadows, was it him? no, another distraction.


    the feathers came from the opposite side, piercing through scales and flesh as if they were paper.


    he couldn''t even scream anymore. fear had closed his throat. all he could do was run, crawl, try to reach his allies while silent death followed in the darkness.


    why had the leader accepted this mission? why had they provoked the hunter in his own territory?


    another whistle. more pain bloomed in his corrupted flesh.


    the salamander panted, his purple blood leaving a trail as he ran through the night.


    ''if only i could see him,'' he thought desperately.


    as if answering his wishes...


    zhao''s figure appeared before him.


    his eyes lit up. throughout the entire chase, the hunter had been attacking from the shadows, never giving an opportunity to counterattack.


    but now...


    ''a chance!'' the salamander felt his ancestral venom accumulating in his glands. ''at last i can see him!''


    the attack he had been saving, his trump card unfurling like a deadly flower.


    the abyssals'' corrupt acid wasn''t like normal beasts'', it didn''t just melt flesh and bone, but disintegrated the target''s very mana. a single direct hit and not even the hunter of yano could maintain his beast manifested.


    zhao launched a wave of silver feathers, but the salamander was ready. his purple muscles tensed to their limit, enduring the pain as he launched forward while his body twisted unnaturally to dodge each projectile by millimeters.


    ''i have you!'' his throat expanded, preparing the stream of corrupt acid.


    ????


    the lynx auxiliary, finally recovered enough to rejoin the fight, his wounds still bleeding but closed thanks to min''s intervention, intercepted the attack with his manifested claws.


    "luna!" he shouted while containing the spear-like legs with desperate strength. "fall back!"


    but the myriapod twisted in an impossible way, its rear legs propelling it over the auxiliary. luna barely had time to blink before the corrupted beast was above her, its legs descending like a rain of death.


    "too slow!" the abyssal roared in triumph.


    a barely perceptible smile formed on luna''s lips. her body began dissolving into shadows just as the legs were about to reach her.


    the shadow wolf appeared in her place, its fangs finding the myriapod''s center while luna emerged from the shadows several meters back, her timing perfect.


    "damned brat!" the myriapod roared in fury.


    the lynx auxiliary, his body still aching but wounds closed thanks to min''s healing, saw the opening. his manifested claws gleamed as he launched forward.


    the myriapod detected the attack, its legs spinning to intercept, but that was exactly the moment luna''s wolf had been waiting for.


    it sank into the shadows once more, this time flowing over the corrupted beast like living darkness.


    the wolf wasted no time, its fangs finding the abyssal''s neck just as the lynx''s claws tore through its front legs. the scream that followed was a horrible mixture of insect chirp and bestial roar.


    purple blood sprayed as the shadow wolf shook its prey, its fangs sinking deeper. the myriapod''s legs thrashed frantically, but without its front legs, its attacks had lost their deadly power.


    "it''s over," luna gestured and her wolf gave the final pull, tearing through flesh and tendons.


    the abyssal''s body twisted one last time before collapsing, its multiple legs twitching as life abandoned it.


    "who''s too slow?" she whispered.

 Chapter 65 - Taming the Hunt and Tasks

    the abyssals'' corrupt acid wasn''t like normal beasts'', it didn''t just melt flesh and bone, but disintegrated the target''s very mana.a single direct hit and not even the hunter of yano could maintain his beast manifested, leaving him vulnerable.


    zhao launched a wave of silver feathers, their deadly precision cutting through the night air. but the salamander was ready, his corrupted body prepared for this moment.


    his purple muscles tensed to their maximum, enduring searing pain as he launched forward while his body twisted in unnaturally fluid motions to dodge each projectile by mere millimeters.


    ''i have you!'' his throat expanded, preparing the stream of corrupt acid that would end the legendary hunter.


    at this distance there was no way to dodge, all he needed was one direct hit to turn the tide of battle.


    victory was within his grasp.


    his jaws opened beyond what should be physically possible.


    the purple acid gleamed between his fangs, ready to erase the hunter from existence, his corrosive power promising a horrible end.


    zhao launched one final wave of silver feathers, but the salamander was ready for this desperate attack. the acid would destroy the feathers without leaving a trace and finish zhao in the same deadly stream. s§×ar?h the n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    he had him! the great hunter of yano was finally within reach! generations in yino would remember this moment.


    the gleam in zhao''s eyes should have warned him that something was wrong.


    "silent flight," zhao murmured before disappearing like morning mist.


    a whistle, not from ahead but from all directions at once. the feathers that the hunter had been planting during the chase, dozens of them strategically positioned, returned to their master with lethal purpose.


    the salamander only had time to comprehend his fatal error before the silver metal pierced it from every possible angle. its last thought was understanding that zhao had never been following it... he had been expertly guiding it into a perfectly orchestrated trap.


    its body collapsed, purple blood forming a pool.


    "one less," the hunter murmured as the last feathers returned to him. his eyes were already fixed on his next prey, calculating their demise.


    ????


    "it''s over," luna gestured and her wolf gave the final pull, tearing through flesh and tendons with savage precision.


    the abyssal''s body twisted one last time before collapsing, its multiple legs twitching as life abandoned its corrupted form.


    "who''s too slow?" she whispered, satisfaction evident in her usually cold voice.


    "impressive," the lynx auxiliary dropped to one knee, the effort taking its toll on his newly closed wounds. "but now return to the shelter."


    "we can keep fighting," luna stepped forward, but the auxiliary raised a hand to stop her.


    "i know," he smiled despite the pain radiating through his body. "but your wolf isn''t the only one who can move in the shadows."


    he rose with effort, his claws gleaming again with renewed purpose. across the hole, the boar master continued maintaining a defensive battle against the fire abyssal, his plates glowing against the corrupt flames.


    "protect your companions," he ordered while preparing to move. "leave the rest to us."


    luna nodded slightly, her wolf returning to her side as the lynx auxiliary launched himself toward the other battle, his speed surprising despite his injuries.


    ''be careful,'' she thought while returning to the shelter. the shadow wolf followed like a second shadow, its eyes gleaming in the darkness with protective intent.


    ????


    "they won''t come back for a while," ren observed the night sky where the last medusas were disappearing toward their cave.


    "we have at least an hour before they get bored of following protocol and return to hunt."


    taro and min exchanged worried looks. they knew that expression on their friend''s face, he was planning something potentially dangerous.


    "is the illusion no longer necessary?" luna appeared near the group, her voice cold as always. there was no sign of fatigue in her despite the intense battle she had just fought.


    "not for now," ren studied the continuing battle. the auxiliaries were pressing the fire abyssal, but its corrupt flames maintained a defensive perimeter. "i need you all to help the teachers."


    "how?" min asked, his water snake coiling in anticipation.


    "taro, your beetle can..." ren began laying out his plan.


    "now you give orders?" luna''s eyebrow arched slightly, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.


    "suggestions," ren corrected smoothly. "taro can endure quite a bit with his beetle to defend them in case of attacks. min, your snake can weaken the pyromancer''s control from afar, just shoot water at him."


    he turned to luna, meeting her penetrating gaze. "and your wolf can support the auxiliary master with the hawk..."


    "what about you?" she interrupted. it wasn''t a casual question, she had noticed something in his posture.


    continue reading on empire


    ren adjusted the shadow stalker skins. "i have an idea, but... it''s complicated to explain."


    "you''re going to do something stupid," it wasn''t a question. her shadow wolf manifested briefly, its eyes gleaming with the same intensity as its owner''s.


    "probably," ren admitted with a small smile that did nothing to ease their concerns.


    luna studied him for a moment before turning away. "don''t die. it would be annoying to miss wei''s expression when you win the bet."


    "trust me," ren smiled while sliding out of the shelter. coming from luna, that was practically a declaration of concern. "i just need to verify something."


    the mushrooms in his hair barely pulsed as he slipped out of the hole, leaving his friends with worried but determined expressions. they had work to do.


    ????


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed softly as he followed the trail of purple blood.


    the signs of zhao''s pursuit were everywhere, feather marks in the ground, splashes of abyssal blood, trees damaged by dodged attacks.


    ''the professor is impressive,'' he thought while studying the scene. ''but...''


    his eyes stopped on a silver feather that gleamed faintly.


    the constant launching and retraction of his weapons, maintaining his silent flight technique, the continuous manifestation of his three silver-rank powers...


    all of it required a big amount of mana.


    zhao maintained a perfect facade of control, but ren could see the subtle signs of exhaustion in the patterns of his most recent attacks.


    what worried him most was his own ignorance.


    for the first time, the knowledge flowing through his golden mushrooms encountered a void.


    the abyssals were creatures beyond his current understanding, there was no information in his shrooms about their weaknesses, their patterns, their limits.


    ''if the professor falls...'' the thought made the mushrooms pulse with concern.


    without zhao, they would be at the mercy of these corrupted creatures.


    the auxiliaries were competent, but against more abyssals...


    ren adjusted the bag on his shoulders. he couldn''t stand by with crossed arms waiting for the best.


    ''i may not have knowledge of the abyssals,'' he thought while beginning to move in the direction the tracks indicated. ''but that doesn''t mean i can''t do anything.''

 Chapter 66 - Taming the Fusion

    zhao continued the pursuit but the enemies were almost reaching their destination.only two followers remained, too many had fallen to the hunter''s silver feathers.


    "you," the leader pointed to the semi-fluid being. "intercept zhao. we need time."


    the slime abyssal tensed visibly, its purple eyes glowing with fear. "sir, against the hunter..."


    "are you questioning a military order?!" the leader''s five eyes blazed with fury. "or would you prefer your family to experience the new... laboratory procedures?"


    the slime being shuddered. he knew what that meant, he had seen the results of those "procedures" on the families of deserters and traitors...


    without another word, he turned to face the approaching hunter.


    ????


    the abyssal leader stopped beside the massive corpse of the shadow stalker male.


    "you," the leader addressed the tentacled one. "prepare yourself. i''ll need your core to stabilize the process... a 50-50 chance is better than dying without achieving anything, isn''t it?"


    his three mouths twisted into a grimace as he brought his hands to his chest. the black fabric fell away revealing a torso covered in purple scars.


    in the center of his stomach, a creature writhed.


    with a grunt of pain, he plunged his fingers into his own stomach.


    "my captain..." the tentacled one watched in horror as his leader extracted something from within, a female shadow stalker, clearly having been part of him.


    the creature twisted weakly before dying.


    "partial fusion is painful," the leader dropped the now dead beast beside the male''s corpse. "but complete fusion..."


    he stopped, his body trembling from the trauma of extraction. "there''s a better chance of success if you help me. but if it fails..."


    "we''ll die," the tentacled one completed.


    an unnatural opening appeared in the leader''s stomach, like a huge mouth revealing entrails that moved like tiny tentacles, each ending in a small pulsing mouth.


    "connect," ordered the leader while kneeling beside the body. "your core must stabilize my fusion long enough. you must help me circulate the mana or i''ll explode."


    the micro-tentacles extended, connecting with the male''s corpse. the abyssal groaned when chaotic energy began flowing, it was like acid running through his veins.


    "aaagh!" the leader arched when the connection completed.


    corrupt energy flowed through all three, the enormous corpse, the subordinate''s core, and his own abyssal essence. sea??h th§× n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "captain... we..." the tentacled one could barely speak. each energy pulse was like a knife in his entrails. "i don''t know... how long i can..."


    "hold on!" the leader''s three mouths roared. his five eyes began glowing with a sickly purple while his body started changing. "if we fail here, everything will have been in vain!"


    the corrupt energy increased.


    the bodies began to merge, their essence mixing with the leader''s. read exclusive adventures at empire


    the tentacled one screamed in pain when his core began resonating with the fusion.


    in the distance they could hear sounds of battle, the slime being facing the hunter. they didn''t have much time.


    "just... a little... more..." the leader extended his arms.


    his purple skin bubbled as the shadow stalker''s essence integrated with his being. it was pain beyond comprehension, but he couldn''t stop.


    not now.


    the tentacled one fell to his knees, purple blood flowing from his eyes. his tentacles pulsed erratically, desperately trying to maintain the connection.


    the complete fusion was in its final stage.


    ????


    "i just have to resist!" the slime abyssal tried convincing himself while his fluid parts expanded, creating a wider defensive zone.


    "just until the leader completes the fusion!"


    a whistle in the air, silver feathers approaching from his right. his body liquefied in that area, letting the projectiles pass through harmlessly.


    "interesting defense," zhao''s voice came from somewhere in the darkness. "but too slow."


    more feathers, this time from three different directions. the abyssal transformed parts of his body into liquid shields, but some feathers found solid areas, drawing grunts of pain.


    ''i can''t keep my entire body liquid,'' he thought frantically while scanning the shadows. ''i need solid organs to function, and he knows it.''


    a silver flash, there! the abyssal launched a wave of liquid projectiles toward where he''d seen movement.


    but found only empty air.


    "too obvious," zhao appeared briefly in another direction, his feathers flying with deadly precision.


    the abyssal turned, transforming part of his torso to liquid, but wasn''t fast enough. two feathers found his right side, which he needed to keep solid.


    he barely managed to deflect enough to avoid fatal damage.


    "damn you!" he roared while counterattacking with liquid whips. "i''m just buying time! when the leader completes the fusion..."


    "you won''t live to see it."


    the abyssal''s eyes widened. the voice had come from all directions.


    turning around he saw feathers'' gleam everywhere and then understood, the feathers that had been grazing him, the ones he''d dodged...


    zhao had been creating a perimeter.


    a final whisper came from behind...


    "it''s over."


    dozens of silver feathers returned to their owner simultaneously, all piercing the space where the abyssal stood.


    he desperately tried to liquefy his entire body, but it was impossible, there was always a part that had to remain solid.


    the abyssal''s scream cut off when the feathers pierced him from every possible angle. his purple blood splattered the ground while his body tried to stay together, liquid and solid parts mixing in his agony.


    zhao appeared again before the dying abyssal, but this time there was no energy in his posture. he leaned on one knee, his breathing heavier than it had been in years.


    "a fatal... mistake..." the abyssal gurgled purple blood. "the damned hunter... is tired of hunting..."


    the abyssal''s body collapsed, its liquid parts solidifying in death.


    zhao allowed himself a moment to catch his breath.


    the constant use of his abilities had drained more mana than expected.


    ''i''ve never let an abyssal escape,'' he thought while standing with effort. ''and i won''t start tonight.''


    but the abyssal leader wasn''t planning to run anymore.


    a movement in the darkness made him tense. his feathers, stained with purple blood, gleamed faintly as he prepared for another confrontation.


    the figure that emerged from the shadows made his eyes narrow.


    where before there had been an arachnid-shaped abyssal, now rose a bone-white aberration. hundreds of tentacles emerged from its body, some thin, others thick. but what caught zhao''s attention was the face... or rather, the faces.


    on the creature''s chest, grotesquely fused, were the features of the abyssal leader and his tentacled subordinate.

 Chapter 67 - Tamers Battle (Revenge) - 5

    the abyssal leader wasn''t planning to run anymore.a movement in the darkness made zhao tense. his feathers, stained with purple blood, gleamed faintly while he prepared for another confrontation.


    the figure that emerged from the shadows was a bone-white aberration, but purple veins pulsed beneath its surface like sickly rivers of corruption, each beat sending ripples across its unnatural flesh.


    "impressed, hunter?" the words resonated in a distorted manner from the creature, its tentacles undulating as if they had lives of their own while the moonlight revealed its true form in all its horrific glory.


    hundreds of tentacles emerged from its body. but what caught zhao''s attention was the face, or rather, the faces.


    on the creature''s chest, grotesquely fused like a twisted sculpture, were the features of the abyssal leader and his tentacled subordinate. their expressions frozen in a moment of eternal agony.


    it hadn''t been a fusion, it had been an absorption, a betrayal made flesh.


    that had been his true plan. his own subordinate...


    ''a dead shadow stalker male''s body, impossible. of course it wouldn''t work alone.''


    it needed... fresh material.


    what he hadn''t told his lackey was that with a dead body, it wouldn''t work, so during the fusion, some of his entrails had connected with the tentacled abyssal and absorbed him too.


    a perfect betrayal hidden behind false promises of a shared victory.


    now it was capable of controlling long tentacles, absorbing energy, and controlling male shadow stalkers, a combination that made it a nightmare given form.


    "hello again, zhao," the voice sounded distorted, but also vengeful, each word dripping with years of cultivated hatred. "do you remember the ravencrofts?"


    something in that name made zhao tense imperceptibly, a memory surfacing from years of hunting. discover hidden content at empire


    "my son, marcus ravencroft," the creature continued while its tentacles undulated hypnotically. "three years ago, near the border..."


    zhao remembered, a young abyssal, barely transformed, too inexperienced to have been in the field. the mission had been quick, precise. like most of his hunts, there had been no hesitation.


    "adrian ravencroft," the creature formally introduced itself, its tentacles extending like a grotesque bow. "though i suppose the name doesn''t matter much anymore."


    a sound behind called his attention, making the hairs on his neck rise.


    zhao didn''t need to turn completely to sense the massive presence behind him. his instincts, though exhausted, warned him of the danger even before he shifted his stance.


    the shadow stalker male rose in the darkness, its white body reflecting the scarce light, but its eyes... its eyes glowed with the same sickly purple that pulsed beneath the aberration''s white skin.


    "surprised?" adrian''s tentacles undulated with savage pride. "three years looking for this. three years since you tore my son apart like he was just another name on your list."


    zhao maintained his position, his silver feathers gleaming faintly while evaluating the situation. the shadow stalker male moved in an unnatural way, as if invisible strings were pulling it like a puppet.


    "it was a reconnaissance mission," adrian''s voice grew deeper, more bestial with each word. "his first mission. there wasn''t even supposed to be combat."


    the tentacles began moving more erratically, some drawing dangerously close to zhao, who couldn''t afford to waste energy.


    not yet.


    each movement had to count now.


    "but the great hunter of yano never lets his prey escape, right?" purple veins pulsed beneath the creature''s white skin. "no matter if it''s an experienced warrior or a frightened boy."


    the shadow stalker male took another step closer. zhao could feel its mana absorption ability, in his current state, a single touch could be fatal.


    "so i studied every report, every sighting," adrian extended more tentacles, their tips gleaming wetly in the moonlight. "i learned about your patterns, your routes, your precious territory."


    "the shadow wolf heiress," he spoke while studying zhao''s movements. "that''s my mission. and klein''s group if possible."


    zhao noticed something in the creature''s chest, where the faces merged, there were marks of pain, as if the union had been... forced. the flesh around the fusion points was raw and pulsing, speaking of recent and violent transformation. sear?h the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "a traitor noble from your beloved yano pays well for this mission. very well. and when i learned the target was in your territory... the perfect opportunity."


    the tentacles tensed like coiled springs. "two birds, one stone. the mission... and revenge."


    "revenge? against the executioner and not those who gave the order? and your subordinate?" asked zhao, his eyes studying every movement. "was he also willing to be part of your revenge?"


    "marcus wasn''t my only son, hunter," adrian''s voice grew deeper, more bestial with each word. "and some... some still live."


    the implication was clear, hostages in yino, ensuring his loyalty through the most brutal means.


    "you know, marcus cried... that noble told me in the report you said he cried and begged. but you didn''t even hesitate."


    "and your subordinate? didn''t he have a family to protect too?"


    "don''t you dare judge me!" adrian''s voice distorted further while his form expanded like a blooming nightmare. "not when you blindly serve corrupt yano! at least i know i''m a monster!"


    the laugh that followed was a horrible sound, like breaking glass mixed with dying screams.


    "sure... i killed my subordinate for my goal and became this, but... does it matter? look at us now. stronger, more perfect. and you..."


    the tentacles tensed while the shadow stalker male prepared to attack, its unnatural movements becoming more fluid.


    "you''re exhausted, hunter. your feathers barely shine. your mana nearly depleted."


    zhao allowed himself a small smile. "three years studying me, adrian? you should know..."


    the silver feathers began to shine.


    "...that the hunter of yano always saves something for the end."


    "die!" adrian''s tentacles launched like living spears while the shadow stalker attacked from behind, their coordinated assault promising certain death.


    zhao counterattacked, his feathers finding and cutting through several tentacles with surgical precision despite his fatigue.


    the shadow stalker male began draining mana from the area. zhao could feel his energy weakening even faster, each movement requiring more effort.


    "why the shadow wolf heiress," zhao launched to cut another assault of tentacles, though more slowly. "what does the traitor noble plan?"


    "does it matter?" adrian released a grotesque laugh. "you''ll be dead soon! and she... well, who knows."


    the silver feathers cut through tentacles that wouldn''t stop coming. zhao moved between shadows thanks to his silent flight, but each movement was slower, more predictable.


    "ready to die, hunter?" adrian extended more tentacles while the shadow stalker male closed the circle with its own. their trap was nearly complete.


    another wave of tentacles. more feathers flew, severing corrupted flesh, but zhao noted with concern that each attack forced him to launch them in specific directions. his options were becoming limited.


    "is that all?" the tentacles hammered against the feather rain. "is this the legendary hunter?"


    zhao''s feathers began to fall, their gleam growing dimmer with each passing second. the hunter of yano finally seemed cornered.


    "before i kill you," the tentacles pressed their attack while the male drained more mana from the area, "which yano noble do you think paid for this mission?"

 Chapter 68 - Tamers Battle (Death) - 6

    "is that all?" the tentacles advanced against the rain of feathers, their corrupted flesh seeming to mock the silver light."is this the legendary hunter?"


    zhao''s feathers began to fall, their gleam growing dimmer with each passing second. the hunter of yano finally seemed cornered, his legendary prowess failing at last.


    "before i kill you," the tentacles pressed their attack while the male drained more mana from the area, creating a vacuum of power, "which yano noble do you think paid for this mission?"


    zhao cut through three more tentacles, his feathers increasingly scattered. silent flight finally vanished, he had to save mana to use it when it would truly give him an opportunity.


    "do you really know?" zhao breathed heavily, surrounded by both male and aberration. "or they don''t trust you enough to tell you?"


    "silence!" more tentacles attacked. zhao''s last feathers flew to intercept them with desperate precision.


    adrian smiled, his fused face contorting grotesquely. "it''s over, hunter. your precious feathers are scattered exactly where we wanted them. one last recall would be a useless waste of your already diminished mana from that angle."


    "then i''ll have to use something more efficient."


    zhao''s hands glowed as he adopted a stance adrian recognized. s~ea??h the n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "bird of prey talons?" adrian burst into laughter while zhao launched forward. "your last card is your bronze-rank short-range ability? no more mana i see¡­"


    but zhao disappeared, one final flash of silent flight. the shadow stalker male, now with almost no tentacles, barely had time to register the movement before the manifested claws tore through it.


    the male died, but...


    the victory was brief.


    zhao fell to his knees.


    the claws vanished while his poorly positioned feathers lay useless around him, their silver light barely visible in the darkness.


    "pathetic," adrian''s tentacles rose and surrounded him for the final blow. "in the end, you couldn''t even find out who ordered all this before running out of mana... i''ll tell you only because you''re already dead."


    zhao braced one leg to stand, his breathing labored and heavy.


    "you know what''s funny?" adrian moved his tentacles almost lazily while watching zhao struggle to rise. "this mission... the nobles called it ''asset recovery.'' as if their nephews and children were objects."


    "luna and klein''s group," the tentacles oscillated hypnotically. "alive preferably. they''d pay ten times more if we brought them as hostages instead of simply eliminating them."


    "the blackburns?" zhao coughed, his eyes studying the tentacles surrounding him. "or perhaps the march family?"


    "higher," adrian released a distorted laugh. "much higher. first minister silvercliff himself."


    that made zhao pause in his attempt to stand. the first minister of yano... if true, this was bigger than he had imagined.


    "though," the tentacles drew closer, "money stopped mattering to me long ago. do you know what would be more valuable than gold, hunter?"


    zhao managed to get both feet under him, though his body trembled with the effort of standing.


    "seeing your face when i kill your supposedly precious students. one by one. slowly." adrian''s eyes glowed with sickly malice. "destroy your facade. the great protector of yano, powerless while i destroy everything he swore to defend."


    "my students..." zhao finally straightened, though the effort seemed to be tearing him apart, "are not ''supposedly'' precious, they are precious."


    "oh, are they?!" adrian expanded his tentacles in a theatrical gesture. "the noble hunter, the dedicated professor. how many have you sent to die in missions like my marcus''s? how many children have you sacrificed for the ''good of yano''?"


    "the difference," zhao stepped forward, "is that i''m not the one pushing them, not the one giving orders and i''m not pretending to care... i truly care."


    "care?" the tentacles tensed.


    "i hope that''s true! but don''t think i''m stupid... i won''t take you alive so you can recover mana and pierce me with your hateful feathers, i''ll just give you my word. when i''m done with you, i''ll take my time with them. especially with that little fungus who tried to trick me with his shadow stalker illusion ploy."


    zhao took another step, his legs threatening to give way beneath him.


    "what''s wrong, hunter?" adrian mocked. "are your legs shaking? or is it truly the guilt of knowing they''ll die for your failure?"


    "you''re wrong about something, adrian," zhao stood completely straight, though the effort was visible in every line of his body.


    "oh? what am i wrong about?"


    "my students won''t wait to be eliminated and they don''t just matter to me," zhao''s eyes gleamed with something that made adrian hesitate for a moment. "they''re the only reason to stand one last time."


    zhao''s trembling hands rose, preparing for the final effort of recalling his scattered feathers.


    "really?" adrian burst into laughter that made his tentacles vibrate. "this is your grand finale? calling your feathers when you have no mana left? you''ll burst your veins for nothing... but if you want to suffer for free, go ahead."


    zhao stepped forward, his entire body shaking with the effort of staying upright.


    "pathetic," adrian''s tentacles undulated with anticipation. "you''ll really do it... the great hunter of yano, dying like a sentimental old fool."


    another step. zhao''s legs barely supported him now.


    "you know what?" the tentacles began to tense. "i''ll give you the killing blow now because you make me feel too much pity. it''s the least i can do to honor the legend and not feel i hunted you in vain."


    zhao staggered forward, his arms extended in a gesture that seemed more plea than threat.


    "you disappoint me, hunter," all tentacles rose simultaneously. "i expected a more... dignified end."


    zhao lunged forward with one final, enormous effort.


    adrian''s attack was brutal, dozens of tentacles piercing zhao''s body from every possible angle. the impact''s force raised dust and debris.


    "huh?"


    where there should have been flesh and bone, the tentacles found only air...


    and then he heard it, quick, precise footsteps, behind him.


    adrian turned his monstrous head just in time to see zhao, running behind him. his eyes blazed with iron determination while his hands completed the recall gesture.


    the silver feathers responded.


    all of them.


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    every feather that had been "forced" into specific safe angles for adrian during the battle returned to its master, but now from the opposite side, tearing through adrian''s aberrant form on their way. dozens of them, cutting tentacles, piercing corrupted flesh, destroying everything in their path.


    "im... impossible," adrian choked on his own purple blood. "silent flight... but you had no mana..."


    "never used it," zhao caught the last returning feather. "since the last silent flight, i was already behind you."


    "but... how..."


    "another illusion," zhao stepped toward the dying creature. "i told you, my students wouldn''t wait for you to come for them... i also told you, didn''t i?"


    the tentacles began to fall, lifeless.


    "the hunter of yano..." adrian released a broken laugh while his body began to collapse.


    ren emerged from the shadows where he had been controlling the professor''s illusion at a mirror angle with the mantis plates, "always saves something for the end... he doesn''t disappoint, after all."


    the aberration that had been adrian ravencroft collapsed, its form twisting as the forced fusion finally came undone.

 Chapter 69 - Taming the Small Rest

    "the hunter of yano..." adrian released a broken laugh while his body began to collapse.ren emerged from the shadows where he had been controlling the professor''s illusion at a mirror angle with the mantis plates, "always saves something for the end... he doesn''t disappoint, after all."


    the aberration that had been adrian ravencroft collapsed, its form twisting as the forced fusion finally came undone.


    ????


    ren wasted no time, moving directly...


    to the shadow stalker male''s corpse, not to zhao, his priorities clear even in the aftermath of battle.


    "good timing," zhao murmured while falling to his knees, his legendary strength finally failing him. enjoy new adventures from empire


    although he had feigned the trembling in his legs and having not a drop of mana for adrian, now he truly was depleted. the cost of maintaining his deception near the draining zone had been steep.


    "you used the illusion at the perfect moment... though it was risky coming out of hiding with that thing still alive."


    ren barely nodded, too concentrated on his task.


    his hands moved with precision around the shadow stalker male''s corpse, carefully avoiding the tentacles that still retained traces of abyssal power and absorption properties.


    "the enemy was already finished... and i had the illusion overlapped with you from the start. i didn''t guess when you disappeared, it was easy because mantis mirror plates are perfect for creating illusions," he commented while delicately extracting the core. "especially when there''s little light."


    zhao observed his student work.


    the ''weakest'' in the class, the one everyone underestimated, had helped instantly after arriving with just a glance. the boy''s efficiency was almost unsettling.


    though ren didn''t mention it, zhao realized, since his sound control had allowed him to detect the exact moment the boy arrived.


    "when did you notice?" ren asked without looking up from his work, his fingers moving with care.


    "when i used silent flight and saw my ''body'' where it shouldn''t be," zhao released a small laugh that turned into a cough.


    "though i could have missed that detail in the heat of battle... luckily i knew you were trying something when you arrived and paid attention to where you were pointing that ''mirror''."


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed softly while he finished extracting the core. it was larger than the bark stalker''s, and the abyssal corruption had given it a sickly purple tone that seemed to absorb nearby light.


    "the basic sound control of your owl to project your voice''s sound to the illusion''s location," ren examined his prize carefully, "was perfect to help making the enemy believe you were still in front, then making him think you couldn''t stand, and making him hear your illusion talk was unexpected, it was brilliant. although..."


    he turned toward his professor, who remained on his knees, breathing heavily from exhaustion.


    "you really ran out of mana this time, didn''t you, professor?"


    "it was worth it," zhao looked at adrian''s shattered body. "we got a name. silvercliff..."


    "and interesting materials," ren carefully stored the core in a special container. "though i wonder if the abyssal corruption..."


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed while he observed the abyssal bodies that had separated after the forced fusion collapsed. their flesh still writhed with residual energy.


    the corrupted shadow stalker male''s corpse lay to one side... sea??h th§× n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "professor," ren pointed timidly toward the deformed mass. "that one too...?"


    zhao shook his head, still catching his breath. "that one we''ll have to take to the city for analysis. sorry, but when i make the official report..."


    "i understand," ren nodded, though his eyes remained fixed on the interesting patterns of the failed fusion. each twist and curve held potential knowledge.


    "however," zhao looked toward the other shadow stalker male, the one controlled by tentacles, "you can keep that one. after all, without your help with the illusion..."


    ren''s eyes lit up as he returned his attention to the core he had already extracted. the abyssal corruption had given it unique properties worth studying.


    ren turned his focus back to the shadow stalker male, using weaver threads to manipulate the tentacles without touching them directly. his movements were precise, almost ritualistic in their care.


    "they should be fine¡­ with the auxiliaries united and the extra support from luna and min..."


    he stopped, concentrating on wrapping another particularly long tentacle. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly while he selected the least damaged pieces.


    "we should return," ren murmured, his voice smaller now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade. the reality of how dangerous it had all been started to sink in.


    ren approached his professor with concern evident in his movements.


    "can you stand?"


    "one more moment," zhao tried to rise but had to lean on one knee again. "i need to recover some mana before moving... sometimes pretending to be weak is more exhausting than actually being weak."


    "i''ll keep that in mind if i ever have to pretend to be the weakest student."


    ????


    ren waited in silence, his mushrooms pulsing softly while studying their surroundings.


    the night had been more instructive than he''d expected, though the abyssals... a shiver ran down his spine remembering how they had fused, how they had corrupted even the local beasts.


    not being able to access information about something felt strange now, like a blind spot in his understanding.


    zhao remained seated, his breathing more stable but still visibly exhausted. his feathers barely gleamed in the darkness.


    after several minutes of silent work while letting zhao rest, ren stored the last specimen. "professor... we should..."


    "the shadow stalkers?" zhao tried to stand again, his movements careful and measured.


    "the deception will keep them away for about twenty more minutes," ren adjusted his containers carefully. "after that..."


    zhao managed to stand, though the effort was visible. "time enough."


    "but in your condition..." ren hesitated, looking at the distance they needed to cover.


    "it will be... inconvenient," zhao took an experimental step, his legs still shaky from mana exhaustion. "but we''ll make it."


    they began their return journey, moving slower than either would like. the night had been long, and it wasn''t over yet.


    "professor," he whispered after a moment. "why did they want luna and the others?"


    zhao looked at the night sky before answering. "that, along with the name we obtained, is something we''ll have to investigate very carefully."

 Chapter 70 - Taming Protection

    min had reduced the pyromancer''s power, something the auxiliaries hadn''t initially agreed with, their protective training flaring against him getting aggroed by the attacker."it''s too dangerous to expose a student!" they had protested, but when his water began effectively reducing the abyssal pyromancer''s flames, their protests transformed into tactical orders. every splash weakened the corrupted fire''s intensity.


    so they left their complaints for later.


    the combat had ended quickly after that.


    the pyromancer, unable to maintain his defensive zone under constant aquatic assault, fell to the auxiliaries'' coordinated attack. his corrupted flames sputtering out against the relentless water.


    later, the complaints would turn to praise from the snail auxiliary...


    the remaining abyssal, now surrounded by all three auxiliaries and luna''s wolf, decided to flee rather than face such overwhelming odds.


    now, in the improvised shelter, the calcium-plated snail auxiliary tried to maintain order. several students were too excited about having participated, boasting about their contributions with youthful enthusiasm.


    "i made that wall that stopped him!" "my lightning almost hit him!"


    "silence!" the snail auxiliary reinforced another section of his barrier, his patience wearing thin. "or have you forgotten the incident with master jared (the boar one)?"


    some students shrank back, remembering how a misdirected attack had struck the auxiliary''s back instead of the enemy. that painful lesson was still fresh.


    which had led to the snail auxiliary forbidding any attacks except from min or luna... in the wolf''s case, it was clearly on another level entirely.


    "at least min really helped," taro murmured, his friend''s water had soaked the auxiliaries too but that had ultimately contributed to their victory.


    luna remained apart from the others, her shadow wolf returning to report the last abyssal''s position, who had opted to flee when surrounded.


    he had fled in the direction where the first group had escaped from zhao, perhaps seeking his leader''s aid.


    "they should have let me help," klein complained quietly, his golden lion manifesting with contained frustration. "my beast is more powerful than..."


    luna''s look silenced him instantly, her cold gaze brooking no argument. discover exclusive content at empire


    "this is ridiculous!" jin''s voice cut through the tension. "he just got lucky having a water beast! anyone could have done the same!"


    "sure," min responded softly, a slight smile playing at his lips, "are you perhaps jealous of my snake?"


    jin turned red with rage, but before he could respond, he seemed to notice something amiss in their group.


    "wait a minute... where''s the rotten one?"


    the silence that followed was revealing. no one had noticed when ren had abandoned the shelter.


    "i knew it!" jin swelled with renewed indignation. "the coward ran while we were all fighting!"


    min and taro exchanged worried looks, knowing their friend was out there somewhere in the night where abyssals still lurked.


    ???? s~ea??h the n?vel_fire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    the calcium-plated snail auxiliary evaluated their situation with professional scrutiny. the shadow stalkers would return soon, taro had informed him that ren''s trick had sent them to their cave, but they would eventually return to their hunting territory.


    "we need to reinforce this shelter," he announced while studying how to create a roof in the hole. "with a small but well-positioned ventilation shaft..."


    "are we staying here?" a student complained, voicing what many thought. "it''s dark and damp!"


    "i prefer dark and damp to being drained by those jellyfish," the auxiliary responded dryly. "those with earth or rock beasts, help with structure. we need this place to hold for the rest of the night."


    "the roof is almost ready," reported one of the students with an earth beast. "will the vent here work?"


    the auxiliary nodded, though his mind was elsewhere. not only did he have to keep the students safe, but zhao was still out there, and if what taro said was correct, the shadow stalkers wouldn''t take long to return.


    "this stinks, the air feels stale in here with the rotten one''s friends," jin commented in his group, his disdain evident.


    "jin," the snail auxiliary interrupted while supervising the new roof''s construction, "if you have so much energy to complain, help reinforce that section."


    luna observed everything in silence, her shadow wolf occasionally manifesting outside to explore the surroundings. klein and his group kept apart, clearly bothered by not having participated in the defense.


    ????


    "by the way... how did you find me?" zhao asked as they advanced slowly. the exhaustion was visible in every step he took.


    "i followed the battle''s traces," ren responded, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing softly. "the patterns in the blood stains, the marks from the feathers..."


    "you surprise me more and more," zhao glanced at him sideways. "did you perhaps find some hidden ability in your spore? do those mushrooms feed your brain and give you a super sharp mind perhaps?"


    ren hesitated a moment. "something like that... it gives me information about beasts and their behaviors. and sometimes... i can use that knowledge to deduce other things."


    "i see," zhao smiled slightly, though it was evident he wasn''t completely convinced. he probably thought the boy was simply a genius hiding behind modesty.


    "i look forward to seeing what other surprises you have in store," the professor continued. "though i''m afraid it will have to be another time... the expedition must end here. we need to report this and secure the children. it seems they''re the target of some noble''s dirty battle..."


    "it''s a shame," ren adjusted his containers full of specimens. "though at least i got a good harvest..."


    a noise alerted them.


    quick footsteps approaching through the darkness.


    zhao''s feathers flew before the fugitive abyssal could even register their presence.


    despite his exhaustion, the hunter''s precision hadn''t diminished, the enemy, already tired and wounded, fell lifeless instantly.


    "professor!" the falcon auxiliary emerged from the trees, followed by the boar and lynx one. they stopped upon seeing the abyssal''s body.


    "we arrived late," the lynx one observed the feathers of zhao. "as always, the hunter never lets his prey escape."


    "the students?" zhao asked while recovering his feathers.


    "safe," the boar master responded. "carl (the snail one) stayed guarding the hole."


    ren looked at the sky. they had less than ten minutes before the medusas returned to their territory.

 Chapter 71 - Taming Return

    the calcium snail manifested another barrier when jin began another diatribe about min''s "luck". the protective shield shimmered in the dim light, reinforcing their safety."silence!" ordered the auxiliary. "your chatter is bringing them back."


    the shadows over the ventilation shaft confirmed his words, the shadow stalkers had returned to their hunting territory. the students held their breath as the beasts passed above them, their presence a palpable weight in the darkness.


    the plan seemed to work, the bat-jellyfishes couldn''t detect them through the cover...


    until one began descending toward the small ventilation shaft, its tentacles probing curiously.


    ''should seal it completely,'' thought the auxiliary while preparing his beast. ''the air will last long enough for...''


    a silver feather pierced the shadow stalker, which fell lifeless. the precision of the strike was unmistakable.


    as if it were a signal, the rest of the swarm began rapidly moving away.


    "you can come out," zhao''s voice came from above. "the area is clear."


    zhao and the auxiliaries began carefully dismantling the shelter''s cover. the snail master constructed a calcium ladder for the students to emerge in small groups, each step solid despite its translucent appearance.


    "finally!" exclaimed a boy upon exiting. "i couldn''t stand the smell anymore!"


    "silence," ordered the lynx auxiliary sharply. "we''re not safe yet."


    the students emerged to find their professor along with the other three auxiliaries. ren was with them, carrying what appeared to be several skin bags/containers and a crystal emitting some kind of magical wave.


    "carefully," indicated the lynx auxiliary. "maintain order and silence."


    min and taro practically jumped on ren when they emerged, their relief evident in their enthusiastic greeting.


    "where were you?" whispered taro, giving him a small push. "you worried us!"


    "what happened out there?" whispered min, his eyes fixed on the sealed containers. "why did you leave like that?"


    "i wanted to verify something and get the professor''s help," ren responded evasively while securing his specimens with meticulous care.


    "verify what?" taro insisted, his curiosity evident.


    "nothing important... trust me," ren adjusted his equipment straps. "there are things better not discussed here."


    "things like controlling nocturnal stalkers, apparently."


    luna''s voice startled them. she had approached silently, moving like a shadow herself.


    her eyes studied ren''s containers with genuine curiosity, her gaze penetrating.


    "i... it''s not what it seems," ren avoided her penetrating gaze and shifted uncomfortably.


    "no?" luna tilted her head. "because it seems you weren''t just keeping the shadow stalkers away, you were actually doing something... more interesting."


    ren swallowed hard. the intensity of her stare was unsettling, as if she could see right through him.


    "i don''t know what you''re talking about," he tried to sound casual but failed.


    "mmm," luna observed the mushrooms in his hair. "i suppose those sealed containers are full of common earth then."


    "it''s just..."


    "and i suppose professor zhao just happened to find you on the way back."


    "i don''t know what you''re talking about," ren insisted, avoiding any direct answers.


    "of course you don''t," luna narrowed her eyes, her shadow wolf briefly manifesting behind her.


    taro and min exchanged confused looks, but ren could feel cold sweat on the back of his neck.


    luna took another step closer, her voice barely a whisper. "i''ll find out soon... you speak truths and lies at interesting moments, fungus."


    she moved away as silently as she had come, leaving ren with the uncomfortable feeling that she had seen more than he wanted to show.


    "what was that?" asked min, bewildered by the exchange.


    "nothing... it''s time to go," ren changed the subject while the auxiliaries began organizing students for the return. "the carriages are waiting."


    "pack your things," ordered zhao. "the covered carriages await. the expedition is over for this occasion."


    "but what about gathering?" someone protested.


    "safety is priority," zhao responded in a tone that admitted no discussion. "collect everything. we''re leaving."


    jin seemed about to say something more, but one look from the snail auxiliary silenced him definitively.


    continue your adventure with empire


    this gathering trip had been more than enough for one day.


    ????


    the students began boarding the carriages, some still excited commenting about the battle, others visibly relieved to be returning. the night''s events had left their mark on everyone.


    "what''s in those containers?" asked jin, eyeing ren suspiciously before boarding his own carriage. "did you sneak away to collect what professor zhao defeated while the rest of us were fighting?"


    before he could continue, zhao intervened with a ''gentle'' tap to jin''s head. "those containers are sealed for a reason. and you should be boarding over there."


    luna observed everything in silence while her shadow wolf manifested nearby, as if ensuring there were no more threats. her eyes briefly stopped on ren before turning to join her group of noble girls.


    klein''s group kept apart, though it was evident they were still upset. the incident had revealed too much... the attack hadn''t been random, and they had been a specific target.


    zhao stopped beside ren as he finished arranging his containers.


    "ren," zhao leaned slightly, his voice gentle despite evident exhaustion, his tone having lost the usual formality of classes, "do you think you could do something more with that crystal of yours?"


    "something more?" ren blinked, protectively hugging one of his containers.


    "for the return journey," zhao gestured toward the other carriages. "could that crystal of yours keep the medusas away during the entire trip?"


    "ah!" ren''s eyes lit up with understanding. "i can keep them away! just..." he touched his lip, thoughtful. "i just need to go in front¡­"


    "if i stay in the front carriage," ren nodded while adjusting the core. "the effect will make them gradually disperse, as if following the male. i just need to keep it active."


    zhao contained a smile at the childish enthusiasm. "of course. in fact, i insist you go to the front."


    "perfect!" ren smiled broadly before remembering who he was talking to. "i mean... yes, professor."


    "also," zhao continued as the boy climbed into the carriage, "i want to thank you for your help today. not everyone keeps calm in a situation like this."


    ren shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "it was nothing... i just wanted to help..."


    "and you did. more than you imagine," zhao gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "you deserve a proper reward. i''ll see what i can get from the academy that might be useful to you."


    ren''s eyes widened like saucers. "re-reward? like... like cultivation materials?"


    "would that be useful?" zhao smiled mysteriously. "we''ll see what i can do..." s~ea??h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    as the professor walked away to organize the departure, ren could barely contain his excitement. academy materials! with luck they would be...


    a movement in the nearby shadows caught his attention.


    but then he stopped...


    "everything ready?" the snail auxiliary''s voice startled him.


    "y-yes," ren looked away from the trees. it must be his imagination.

 Chapter 72 - Taming Estimation

    "the carriages are reinforced," zhao explained to three of the auxiliaries. "we''ll maintain a tight formation to take advantage of our lucky fungus''s crystal and... keep an eye open, we can''t assume there won''t be more attempts tonight..."they were ready to depart, with only one auxiliary remaining near the clearing''s edge where the carriages waited, when...


    "wait!"


    han shouted while running from nearby bushes toward the last carriage, adjusting his belt, his face red from exertion and his clumsy movements betraying his rush to reach the carriages before they left.


    "i''m coming!"


    "finally!" klein snorted with irritation. "i thought you''d gotten lost in the forest."


    "hey han, weren''t you just going to ''pee''!" jin smiled maliciously. "congratulations on holding it so long during battle and in the hole without soiling your pants! new endurance record!"


    laughter erupted in several carriages. even some of the more serious students couldn''t contain a smile.


    the echo of laughter bounced between trees while han, his face now the color of a ripe tomato, climbed into the last carriage.


    "shut up!" he muttered, though his voice was lost among more laughter when jin began dramatically imitating someone desperate to find a bush.


    "silence and order!" the snail auxiliary tried to sound severe, though the corner of his mouth curved slightly. "everyone to your places!"


    ren observed the scene from the front carriage, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing softly with the more relaxed atmosphere. after so much tension, even a silly joke served to lighten the weight of what had happened.


    that''s when he saw it again.


    a quick movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye. at first he thought it was another shadow stalker, but the flight pattern was different.


    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with curiosity when he managed to better distinguish the form: a flying beast, but its feathers... had a color that didn''t correspond to any species in the area.


    ''how strange,'' he thought as the carriage pulled away. ''those markings...''


    "move out!" the lynx auxiliary''s voice pulled him from his thoughts.


    the carriages began moving, the laughter from jin''s joke finally fading.


    ????


    they finally arrived at their dorm¡­


    the creak of the door opening made liu jump in his bed.


    "who...?" he sat up alarmed, his bat briefly manifesting before recognizing his companions. "you''re back already? but it''s barely..."


    "long story," taro mumbled while collapsing onto his bed without even removing his shoes.


    min was already snoring before his head hit the pillow. his water snake coiled lazily around his neck, also exhausted.


    "did something happen?" liu watched with concern as ren carefully stored several sealed containers under his bed.


    "we''ll tell you tomorrow," ren barely managed to remove his boots before sinking into his mattress. the mushrooms in his hair barely pulsed, as if they too needed rest.


    "but..." liu began, only to notice his three companions were already deeply asleep.


    sleep enveloped ren like a warm blanket.


    his body ached from the day''s effort, but it was a satisfying pain. images of the mysterious bird and its markings floated in his mind as he sank into well-deserved rest...


    ????


    some hours later¡­


    a ray of light hit his face directly.


    ren grunted, trying to turn away from it.


    something wasn''t right.


    the ray was moving in his eyes.


    and there was a shadow...


    his eyes opened slowly, his blurry vision gradually focusing on...


    the beautiful face of a woman floating right above him, her radiant smile promising pain in his immediate future.


    "good morning, my favorite student!"


    ren screamed, or at least tried to. the sound was muffled when lin covered his mouth with her hand.


    "shhh," her smile widened. "let your companions sleep a bit longer. they don''t have special training today."


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    "tfainfing?" ren tried to speak through lin''s hand.


    "of course!" lin finally released him, only to grab his arm and begin dragging him out of bed. "it''s a perfect day for exercise!"


    "but..." ren stumbled while being dragged toward the door, "we were supposed to return the day after tomorrow! today and tomorrow should be free days!"


    "oh, dear," lin dragged him through the hallway like a rag doll, "did you really think coming back early meant more rest? how adorable."


    "but i''m tired!" ren tried to resist, but lin''s strength far surpassed his. "we had a very intense expedition yesterday!"


    "more reason to train!" lin didn''t even slow down. "we must maintain momentum! besides..." she briefly stopped, her smile turning mischievous, "a little bird told me that a certain student had an interesting role in last night''s events."


    ren paled. "how did you...?"


    "oh, we''ll have plenty of time to chat," lin resumed her relentless march toward the training field. "between exercise and exercise!"


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed weakly, as if they too wanted to protest. but they knew lin well enough to know it was futile.


    the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, promising a long, very long day ahead.


    ????


    ren collapsed onto his bed, every muscle in his body protesting from the brutal training. through the window he could see his companions enjoying their free day in the gardens.


    "at least i can organize everything now," he mumbled while crawling toward his containers, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing weakly from exhaustion.


    he took out his treasures one by one, carefully aligning them on his bed. knowledge flowed naturally while he evaluated each piece:


    first, the cores. the mirror mantis core shone with a metallic gleam, a complete bronze core, perfectly preserved. next to it, the shadow stalker male''s core emitted a faint purple pulse from the abyssal corruption, but was still a complete core.


    "these two are the most valuable," he murmured while examining them. "though they''re also the ''least valuable,'' and the corruption..."


    the other cores were different.


    the worm''s and the bark stalker''s were more primitive, incomplete storage structures.


    "these would serve better as process materials than real cores."


    he continued with the skins. almost a hundred shadow stalker skins, some slightly damaged from battle. "with luck about 150-200 crystals each... the best perhaps 250."


    the worm teeth gleamed with an opaque tone. "resistant as bronze rank though they''re iron... interesting."


    the mantis plates reflected light hypnotically. ren smiled remembering how he''d used them. "the complete set could be worth quite a bit... shame i didn''t get it at school..."


    the weaver thread min and taro had gifted him from their own gathering gleamed with a silvery tone. "not much, but could be useful."


    the female shadow stalker body and male tentacles occupied a special container. "these are harder to value... but i have an idea for their use."


    in another container, the bark stalker powder mixed with moss and herbs from its shell. "good medicine materials..."


    the cave crystals formed a small brilliant pile. "these are purer than normal ones, the mana density is better."


    the weaver molt and deep earth completed his collection.


    ren began making calculations on paper:


    mantis core: ???


    male core (corrupted): ???


    primitive worm core: ~100


    primitive bark stalker core: ~200


    skins (average 200 crystals): ~20000 total


    mantis plates: ~???


    worm teeth (10): ~100


    weaver thread: ~500


    body and tentacles: ??? s~ea??h the novel(f~)ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    vitality powder: ~300


    herbs and moss: ~500


    pure crystals: ~1000


    weaver molt: ~300


    deep earth: ~500


    pure crystals: ~500


    crystals: ~5000


    total: ~30,000

 Chapter 73 - Taming Value

    "i have about 30,000 crystals total according to the numbers in liu''s book... if i wanted to sell everything and got the best price," he murmured while reviewing his calculations."and that''s without counting what the school will duplicate from the official report... maybe an extra 25,000 with luck. plus what i can mine in the remaining days of the month..."


    it was a good amount, more than he had expected to get from this expedition. his careful planning had paid off. but for his plans...


    "still need a bit more if i wanna start now," he sighed while beginning to carefully store everything away. "but maybe i could start with..."


    a shout of laughter came from the garden. his companions played carefree under the afternoon sun, enjoying their well-earned rest.


    "free time..." he murmured with a mixture of envy and resignation. "someday i''ll have free time... when all this bears fruit."


    "at least," he smiled while sealing the last container, "training with lin is showing results. even if it hurts."


    his eyes stopped on the male''s corrupted core. there was something about those purple veins that intrigued him, something his knowledge couldn''t quite decipher completely...


    ren slapped his cheeks and stood up.


    if he wanted to progress, he would have to keep working, and today he had a place to go to capitalize on his gathering reward...


    the exchange window.


    ????


    the exchange warehouse was enormous, its high shelves filled with materials of every kind.


    the usual aroma of dried herbs and minerals mixed with the unmistakable smell of tanned leather and metal, creating an atmosphere that spoke of countless treasures.


    the main window was occupied by a long line of older students, so ren headed to one of the side ones.


    a young girl, perhaps around 20, was clumsily organizing papers behind the counter, her movements betraying her inexperience.


    "um... hello?" ren approached with his samples.


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    the girl jumped in surprise, scattering several papers. "ah! i''m sorry!" she quickly bent to pick them up, hitting her head against the counter in the process. "ouch!"


    "are you okay?" ren couldn''t help but smile at her flustered state.


    "yes! perfectly fine!" the girl emerged rubbing her head, her hair becoming disheveled in the process. "welcome to the exchange warehouse! i''m jessy, and i''m here to help you!" her enthusiasm was contagious despite her evident nervousness.


    "thanks," ren began taking out his samples. "i wanted to check some prices..."


    "of course!" jessy pulled out a thick appraisal manual much larger than liu''s, eagerly flipping through it. several pages crumpled in the process. "oh, no... wait..."


    while trying to fix the wrinkled pages, ren noticed she had cat ears, her spirit beast.


    "first," ren placed the weaver molt on the counter, "could you check this?"


    "sure!" jessy examined the molt with genuine interest, her cat ears perking up. "let me see..." she began searching through the manual, muttering to herself. "scales... fur... here! no, wait, those are reptilian... white scales... aha!"


    her eyes lit up with professional excitement. "oh! these are complete! the quality is very good and..." she paused to search another page, her enthusiasm making her movements less clumsy, "yes! the wear pattern indicates they''re from a recent molt. that makes them more valuable."


    "really?" ren leaned in with interest, curious about her detailed assessment.


    "well..." jessy consulted a value table, her tongue peeking out slightly while calculating. "normally they''d be about 300 crystals, but in this condition... 450!"


    ren whistled softly. "wasn''t expecting that much."


    "it''s because of the preservation!" jessy smiled, gaining confidence in her expertise. "look at these marks here," she pointed with genuine enthusiasm. "it means they retain all their original flexibility because they haven''t dried out."


    next, ren showed the mirror mantis plates, their surface catching the light beautifully.


    "wow!" jessy''s eyes widened like saucers. "these are beautiful! and you have 5 complete ones..." she quickly flipped through the manual, accidentally dropping more papers in the process. "oops... doesn''t matter! let''s see..."


    her expression turned serious while consulting several tables, her professional side emerging. "they''re... they''re very valuable. especially because they have the bottom layer intact, looks like they weren''t ripped off as usual... are you planning to sell them?"


    "no, just wanted to know the value."


    "oh, well..." jessy made more calculations. "as a complete set, i''d say... 5000 crystals for all 5? the reflective properties are intact and it seems there isn''t even a trace of the bad smell from flesh or hemolymph, which is rare..."


    ren nodded, impressed. it was more than double what he had expected.


    when he brought out the shadow stalker skins, jessy let out a small squeal of excitement.


    "the quality is incredible! look at this sheen! they''re... um..." she nervously consulted the manual, "300 crystals each for the best ones, 250 for standard. but..."


    "but?"


    "they need treatment soon," jessy bit her lip with genuine concern. "shadow stalker skins are delicate. properly treated they''d be worth double, but..." she blushed slightly, "i wouldn''t recommend trying without experience. it''s... it''s very easy to ruin them."


    ren appreciated her honesty. "how long do i have?"


    "three days maximum," jessy consulted another table with practiced efficiency. "after that they''ll start losing properties. there''s... there''s a processing workshop on the third floor, isaac would be the best for this," she pointed vaguely upward while gathering the scattered papers.


    "alright," ren smiled while helping her collect them. "you''re very good at explaining things."


    jessy blushed at the compliment, her cat ears twitching. "thank you... i''m new and still a bit nervous."


    they continued reviewing the rest of the materials, which turned out to have values very close to ren''s calculations. jessy gained more confidence as they progressed, her expertise shining through her initial clumsiness.


    "so," ren began storing his samples, "the processing workshop, you said?"


    "yes!" jessy nodded energetically. "third floor, second door on the right. just... be careful with the stairs," she blushed again, clearly speaking from experience.


    ren laughed. "thanks for all the help, jessy."


    "come back anytime!"


    as ren climbed the stairs, one of the mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly. jessy noticed it for the first time, and her expression changed subtly.


    ''oh...'' she thought, ''he''s the spore boy...''


    a mixture of pity and curiosity crossed her face, until something clicked in her memory.


    "wait!" jessy stood and searched through the delivery drawer papers. "there''s a note... i''m sure that..."


    but ren was already heading upstairs.


    "oh, no..." jessy held the envelope she had just found, the words "for ren," written in elegant handwriting on the front. "i should have remembered earlier..."


    she bit her lip, watching the boy''s figure disappear toward the third floor.


    but another student arrived at her window.


    sear?h the n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 74 - Taming Processing

    "third floor," ren murmured, adjusting his bag filled with precious skins. "time to process some hides."the workshop was a spacious area filled with work tables and shelves of tools. the air was thick with the smell of tanned leather and fixative products, each scent telling a story of materials transformed.


    a short man with a thick grey beard worked at one of the tables. he was barely 10 centimeters taller than ren, but his hands moved with the certainty of years of experience, each motion precise and purposeful.


    "excuse me," ren approached, "mr. isaac?"


    "that''s me," he responded without looking up from his work, his focus absolute. "what do you need, boy?"


    "i''d like to use the workshop to process some skins."


    this caught isaac''s attention. he turned, his shrewd eyes studying ren... until they noticed the mushrooms in his hair. his expression softened with a hint of pity that ren was all too familiar with.


    "what kind of skins?"


    "shadow stalker."


    isaac whistled softly. "how many?"


    "almost a hundred."


    "look, boy," isaac set down his tools, his expression turning serious, "shadow stalker skins are delicate. one mistake and..."


    "i know," ren interrupted, determination in his voice, "but i''d like to learn."


    isaac sighed, scratching his beard thoughtfully. "i''ll show you the facilities, but i insist you should let someone with experience..."


    "could i pay you to process the first ten?" ren brought out some skins carefully. "i''ll pay for the service and materials. i just want to see how it''s done."


    isaac studied the skins with a critical eye, his expertise evident in every glance. "good quality... would be a shame to ruin them." he considered the proposal for a moment, weighing options. "fine, but it''ll cost you 100 crystals per skin, 50 for labor plus 50 for materials."


    ren nodded and watched attentively while isaac prepared his workspace. knowledge flowed while the artisan explained each step, every detail adding to ren''s understanding.


    "first, the base solution," isaac mixed several liquids with practiced ease. "three parts fixative, one stabilizer... this works for any skin you want to treat."


    ren began noticing details. the shadow stalker skin fibers had a peculiar pattern, unlike others which meant they may needed different proportions for optimal treatment.


    "why use standard fixative?" ren asked, his curiosity genuine.


    "it''s what i always use," isaac responded without pausing. "works well enough."


    "wouldn''t powdered crystal fixative be better?"


    isaac paused briefly. "would be slightly better, yes. also three times more expensive... not worth it."


    ''the skin doesn''t have its own mana,'' ren reflected while the mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly. ''it would need much less crystal powder than normal...''


    he observed how the standard fixative saturated the fibers. it was too much. the fibers didn''t need that amount because...


    "why use so much fixative?" ren asked, his mind connecting patterns.


    "better ensures preservation," isaac answered without stopping. "especially with delicate skins."


    based on the responses, knowledge whispered that the proportion could be better. four to one would give the skin more flexibility without compromising durability. your next read is at empire


    "then, we immerse for exactly ten minutes," isaac continued, his movements precise. "not one more, not one less."


    ''maybe eight and a half minutes would be ideal for shadow stalker skins,'' ren thought, but limited himself to nodding.


    isaac''s expert hands worked with mechanical precision, stretching and treating each skin. his movements were perfect, but the materials... s§×ar?h the n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ren took mental notes of each step. the technique was impeccable, but with the right materials...


    "done," isaac displayed the first batch of processed skins. "see the difference in texture and shine? you could sell them for 300 but now for 450."


    ren nodded. subtracting the 100 crystals per skin, the profit was 50...


    the result was good, but could it be exceptional?


    ????


    "still want to process the rest?"


    "yes," ren began storing the treated skins carefully. "thanks for the demonstration."


    "you''ll regret it..." isaac murmured, though there was a glimmer of respect in his eyes. "the facilities are available to students, but if you damage anything, you pay for it."


    ren went down to the warehouse with a clear mental list. jessy was still at her window, organizing papers with slightly more success than before.


    "back so soon?" she smiled warmly.


    "need standard fixative," he told jessy, "but also some bronze-grade powdered crystal."


    "bronze grade?" jessy consulted her manual. "that''s 10 times more expensive, quite fine..."


    "only need one small 100-crystal cost unit," ren began calculating. "also stabilizer and half premium stabilizer."


    while jessy gathered the materials, her eyes stopped on something on her desk.


    "oh!" she exclaimed. "the note! almost forgot again!"


    she took an elegant envelope and extended it to ren. "arrived this morning. it''s for you."


    ren accepted the envelope while paying 500 crystals for his materials.


    "thanks," he stored it carefully. he would finish with the skins first. that fresh knowledge in his mind shouldn''t be wasted.


    as he climbed back to the workshop, a smile formed on his face. the mushrooms pulsed softly, as if approving his deductions.


    ????


    ren organized his workstation methodically, aligning the materials in the order he would need them.


    "let''s see..." he murmured while measuring the base fixative.


    unlike isaac, who used a full measure per skin, ren added only three-quarters. then, with extreme care, he dusted a tiny amount of powdered crystal over the liquid.


    the fixative glowed faintly upon contact with the crystal, exactly as ren expected. the skin''s conductive fibers only needed that minimal mana guidance.


    he prepared the stabilizer solution in another container, heating it precisely to a shadow stalker''s body temperature, slightly cooler than what isaac had used. knowledge told him the fibers would respond better this way, as they did when the beast was at rest.


    the first skin was immersed in the modified fixative. ren counted the seconds carefully, observing how the fibers absorbed the solution. when he extracted it, he noted with satisfaction that the shine was even more intense than in the skins isaac had processed.


    "eight and a half minutes," he murmured while transferring the skin to the salamander solution. the fibers began tensing and relaxing in a rhythmic pattern, expelling soft fats and proteins.


    with each skin, ren refined the process. he discovered he could reuse the salamander solution more times than normal, shadow stalker skins barely altered its composition if they had no residue from the first process.


    the crystal fixative also yielded more, as the conductive fibers only took what they needed.


    isaac approached occasionally to observe, his expression oscillating between skepticism and curiosity. by 2 pm, when ren had processed almost half his skins, the artisan had to admit the results were exceptional.


    "never seen that deep shine," he commented while examining one of the finished skins. "and the flexibility..."

 Chapter 75 - Taming Processing - 2

    isaac approached occasionally to observe, his expression oscillating between skepticism and curiosity.by around 2 pm, when ren had processed almost half his skins, the artisan had to admit the results were exceptional.


    "never seen that deep shine," he commented while examining one of the finished skins. "and the flexibility..."


    "it''s because the fibers are perfectly aligned," ren explained while immersing another batch. "like when the shadow stalker prepares to sleep. i achieved it using a different fixative proportion and very little bronze crystal powder, look..."


    isaac paused briefly, interested. "why does it work with so little powder?" continue your journey on empire


    "powdered crystal fixative is designed for most skins, which have residual mana," continued ren, his knowledge helping him understand, to then explain. "that''s why they use so much powder, to seal the skin with more mana. but here there''s no mana to seal."


    "interesting theory," isaac stroked his beard thoughtfully.


    "and eight and a half minutes," he murmured. "not ten."


    "why eight and a half?"


    "the base solution is green slime oil, right?" ren sniffed slightly. the mushrooms had given him the answer to that scent''s owner already. "shadow stalker skins have 15% less fat and water than others."


    isaac looked at him with renewed interest. "continue."


    "if the solution maintains that pattern," ren pointed to a freshly immersed skin, "eight and a half minutes is enough to expel all matter that could rot."


    "fascinating," isaac murmured. "and that makes such a difference?"


    "the conductive fibers adapted better," ren traced the patterns in the skin. "like i said... just like when the shadow stalker goes to sleep."


    isaac processed the next skin following ren''s suggestions. the result was subtly different, more flexible, with an even deeper shine than what ren achieved, with the old man''s technique the best possible skins were born.


    "well, well," the artisan nodded appreciatively. "seems there''s more in that head of yours than just fungi."


    ren smiled, the mushrooms pulsing cheerfully. s~ea??h the n??efire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    by the end of the day, ren had processed all his skins using barely a tenth of the materials normally required, and his mixtures never became contaminated. each piece gleamed with a deep luster, the conductive fibers perfectly preserved in their optimal state.


    "you could make a career of this," isaac suggested while ren packed the last skins. "you have talent."


    ren smiled but shook his head. he had other plans for his future.


    while cleaning his workstation, he calculated mentally: the reduced material cost and his own labor meant more profit per skin. and with the improved quality, the selling price would also be higher.


    ''not bad for half a day''s work,'' he thought while carefully storing his production.


    ????


    the warehouse was quieter when ren returned.


    most students had already left, leaving only the occasional sound of papers and soft tinkling of crystals.


    ren could have gone to the more experienced lady with burn scars in her hands but decided to return to jessy.


    "you''re back," jessy smiled seeing him approach with his package. "how did the processing go?"


    ren carefully laid the skins on the counter. the deep shine immediately caught jessy''s attention.


    "may i?" she asked, extending a hand toward the nearest one.


    ren nodded. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly while jessy examined the first skin.


    "amazing," she murmured, running her fingers over the surface. "the flexibility is perfect, and this shine..." she held the skin up to the light. "are you sure this is your first time processing?"


    "isaac helped."


    "this is the best work i''ve seen from isaac so far, well i haven''t seen too many... has he been working worse lately?" jessy continued examining. "the fibers are perfectly ordered. almost looks like they could start breathing at any moment."


    she pulled out her appraisal manual, this time with professional enthusiasm replacing her earlier nervousness.


    "let''s see... premium quality, exceptional preservation..." her fingers ran through price tables. "how many do you have?"


    "ninety to sell. i''ll keep some."


    jessy nodded. "let''s see... at the base price of 450 crystals for premium quality, plus the bonus for perfect fiber preservation..." she made some calculations. "i can offer you 550 for each."


    "i''ll take it," ren responded without hesitation.


    "done," jessy began counting. "though i''ll have to bring more from the vault. how many did you say? ninety?"


    "yes. that''s 49,500 crystals total."


    jessy blinked at the speed of the calculation. "let me verify... yes, exact. give me a moment."


    while jessy headed to the back of the warehouse, ren organized the skins in groups of ten. some of the best quality ones were already set aside for his own experiments.


    "planning to use them to buy something now or want crystals to save?" she asked while completing the paperwork.


    "don''t trouble yourself, i already know what i want to buy, i have enough to begin my cultivation."


    jessy''s hands paused briefly while counting. "cultivation?"


    "yes, i have enough to evolve my spore."


    "but..." jessy continued counting, though more slowly, "wouldn''t it be better..." she stopped, biting her lip.


    "better what?"


    "it''s a lot of money," she continued carefully. "you could... there are other ways to invest it. the materials market always needs intermediaries, and i don''t know how you obtained all this being so young but if you save..."


    ren waited, knowing what was coming.


    "it''s just that..." jessy placed another group of crystals, "with a spor... i mean, that beast doesn''t... even with the best cultivation... well even if you were to follow my advice... the city''s regulations are strict. without an appropriate rank you won''t be able to establish yourself in the commercial zones or..."


    "operate a business in the inner districts?" ren completed.


    "exactly. even with capital, the rank restrictions are somewhat unfair..." jessy stopped, uncomfortable. "i''m sorry, i shouldn''t have... since you can''t even..."


    "can''t even reach bronze to operate businesses or trade outside school, right?"


    jessy blushed. "i''m sorry, i didn''t mean..."


    "don''t worry," ren smiled. "i know the regulations, my father always complained about them. i also know what everyone thinks about my beast... but you''ll be surprised."


    "by the way," jessy seemed to remember something while trying to change the subject to hide her rude slip, "did you open the envelope i gave you earlier?"


    ren blinked, surprised by the question. "the envelope?"


    "yes. i gave it to you when you came for the processing materials."


    "ah, that envelope," ren patted his pocket where it still rested, unopened. "haven''t had time."


    "must be important," jessy insisted. "the messenger who brought it was very specific about delivering it to you... all the windows knew about it."


    ren nodded, though his mind was already on his next steps. with these crystals he could finally begin his real work.

 Chapter 76 - Taming Processing - 3

    ren broke the blue wax seal, intrigued by the envelope''s formality. then he extracted a letter written in elegant calligraphy."dear ren,


    i have spoken with the director about your performance during the expedition. your support was crucial, and more importantly, you demonstrated an exceptional understanding of beasts that frankly intrigues me.


    the director has authorized a special support of 100,000 credits for the exchange store. consider it recognition for a promising student.


    perhaps i should start believing in that knowledge of yours and see what it can do with a small push. whatever you''re planning, i hope this helps you achieve it.


    i''ll be absent for a while arranging certain matters. we''ll see each other upon my return.


    professor zhao"


    ren read the letter twice, processing the implications. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with accelerated rhythm.


    ''a hundred thousand credits...'' his eyes shone while making mental calculations. with that he could buy the materials, his parents'' runes, and save his crystals for other needs... perhaps the mantis core wouldn''t have to wait so long.


    "jessy," he called while returning to the counter. "i need to make some purchases."


    "so soon, are you sure about...?" jessy was still worried, but her expression changed upon seeing the official letter. "oh..."


    "i have authorized credits," ren showed the director''s signature. "i need specific materials."


    jessy checked the authorization with increasingly widening eyes, then checked the credit book... "a hundred thousand... it''s true, what do you need?"


    "first, 10,000 in discarded bronze-rank beast parts," ren began listing. "but only tissues from woody or rocky beasts like the rock crocodile you had a few weeks ago."


    "woody ones?" jessy consulted the catalog. "we have some forest guardian remains and still have some of the crocodile you mentioned. but are you thinking of cultivating a ghoul monkey?"


    "don''t worry, i know what to use them for... i also need poisonous fungi, the luminescent ones imported from there..."


    jessy worried slightly. "those are 3,000 each. how many?"


    "ten," ren responded without hesitation.


    "thirty thousand just in fungi," jessy made notes. "the woody tissues would be about another ten thousand. anything else?"


    "one intelligence rune and 2 vitality ones."


    jessy stopped her pen. "those are... quite common, but..."


    "do you have them?"


    "yes, but..." jessy hesitated. "that''s another 30,000 credits. and normally they''re only used by beasts that can process large amounts of information, the vitality ones aren''t good either... a spor..." she stopped, uncomfortable.


    "a spore wouldn''t benefit because it only slightly increases strength, right?"


    "i didn''t mean..."


    "doesn''t matter," ren smiled. "i want them anyway."


    jessy nodded and began processing the order. "it''ll take a while to gather everything. the discarded parts are in the special warehouse and the runes in the vault."


    while waiting, ren mentally reviewed his plans. the crystals he''d gotten from the skins would serve other purposes...


    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly. soon, very soon, everyone would understand that a spore could be much more than they imagined.


    "here you go," jessy returned with several sealed containers. "the fungi are in special containers, they''re extremely toxic. the tissues are preserved with their original moss. and the runes..."


    she held a small crystal box. inside, a translucent stone glowed with a faint bluish radiance.


    "be careful with them," she warned while ren examined it. "they''re very sensitive to magical energies and you could ruin them."


    ren nodded while carefully storing each component. his knowledge showed him exactly how to use each piece, how to combine the elements to achieve something no one would expect from a simple spore.


    "now for your 49,500 crystals... we have two options," jessy turned to check a small box.


    "i can''t store student credits, the ones from the letter are a special case like some other bonuses and rewards, for storing you must go to the bank section or you can keep them with you... so you can withdraw part of the 30,000 you have left but can''t store more here..."


    "...i can give you forty-nine normal gold crystals, which are quite bulky, or if you want to withdraw 500 more crystals or have something to exchange and complete the 50,000..." her eyes sparkled, "i can give you five dark bronze crystals. they''re worth the same, but the bronze ones are smaller and easier to transport."


    ren considered his options.


    normal gold crystals were apple-sized spheres, each worth a thousand basic crystals. dark bronze ones, on the other hand, barely reached the size of a walnut, but each was worth ten thousand.


    ren gave her the herbs he''d obtained from the bark stalker''s shell to complete the last 500¡­ he didn''t want to withdraw or ruin the nice round number of his 30,000 credits for now.


    "the 5 dark bronze ones, please."


    jessy nodded while opening a special box. inside, small crystals shone with a soft dark tone.


    "thank you jessy," he said goodbye while securing the last container. "you''ve been a great help."


    "come back anytime," she smiled. "and... good luck with your cultivation."


    there was some pity in her voice, but also genuine kindness. ren couldn''t blame her, no one would expect a spore to go very far.


    ''soon they''ll understand,'' he thought while leaving the warehouse.


    he could finally begin.


    ????


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed with anticipation while he spread the shadow stalker skins across his bed sheet. their conductive fibers, perfectly preserved, absorbed light creating a space of deep darkness.


    working methodically, ren hung more skins using sheets as support until forming a sort of dark tent over his work area. the light that filtered through was minimal, but the faint glow of his fungi was sufficient to see.


    in the center of this improvised space, he placed the processing pot that all students received. it was made of special opaque metal, designed to contain magical reactions.


    this reaction wasn''t as simple as taro''s.


    the hundred normal bronze-sized crystals, from the best ren had mined, aligned perfectly around the pot''s edge, each shining with a soft bluish glow.


    the intelligence rune rested in its own crystal box, emitting occasional flashes.


    before processing the crystals in the pot, he had to use most of his mana on that rune.


    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed more strongly while he concentrated. slowly, he began directing his mana toward the rune in the covered space, away from contaminating external energies.


    it was a delicate process, too fast and the rune could fracture, too little and it wouldn''t reach the critical point necessary to begin synchronization with his beast.


    sweat drops appeared on his forehead while maintaining the constant flow.


    the rune began glowing more intensely, absorbing mana from his mushrooms. where energy drops touched the surface, tiny points began forming.


    ''like spores,'' ren thought while maintaining concentration. ''ten days of this and the rune will be ready... it will be reassuring to have it from the beginning.'' explore new worlds at empire


    when the process with the rune reached a stable equilibrium, ren turned toward the poisonous fungi. their special containers were marked with warning seals.


    with precise movements, he extracted all ten fungi. their colors were vibrant, almost hypnotic.


    the mortar he used was very clean. any contamination could ruin the process. the fungi crushed under his careful strikes, releasing a sweet aroma that made his eyes water. sear?h the ¦Çov§×lfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    when the paste was ready, ren channeled a small amount of mana. the reaction was immediate, the mixture beginning to bubble softly, its color becoming more intense.


    the discarded parts of woody beasts and crocodile parts came in sealed containers. upon opening them, a penetrating smell flooded the space.


    the moss covering them was the key.


    ren directed his mana toward the small plants, which responded immediately. they began growing, spreading over the discarded tissues, consuming the decomposing matter.


    the process was fascinating to observe. the moss pulsed with each new extension, converting dead tissue into new life. the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed at the same rhythm, as if recognizing a familiar process.


    when the moss reached its maximum extension, ren began scraping it carefully. each strand was precious, charged with the transformed energy of bronze beasts.


    the collected moss fell into the poisonous fungi mixture. the bubbling liquid absorbed it eagerly, its color changing to a deeper tone.


    the processing pot now contained the mixture of fungi and moss that would serve as transformation medium.


    the preparation was complete. now would begin the real work: a hundred days of careful cultivation, each crystal absorbing the mixture''s power while the rune developed its spores.


    in the darkness of his improvised tent, surrounded by the soft pulse of mana, ren smiled. the first step toward true evolution was underway.

 Chapter 77 - Taming Pain

    the materials were ready...but one step remained to ensure the cultivation''s success and reduce the pain, even if just a little.


    the preserved female shadow stalker''s body gleamed faintly in the darkness of the improvised tent. ren manipulated it carefully, tracing the conductive fiber patterns until locating the most appropriate tentacle.


    a tentacle too thick would absorb too much mana, one too thin would saturate quickly. he needed an intermediate one, with the correct amount of conductive fibers.


    ''this one,'' he thought while using the weaver thread to cleanly cut a tentacle the size of his index finger. the internal fibers briefly glowed when exposed, hungry for mana.


    with precise movements, ren submerged the tentacle in the now mana depleted solution he had prepared. the liquid, a mixture of poisonous fungi and moss, was instantly absorbed by the conductive fibers. the tentacle darkened, as if it was a paper that had absorbed ink.


    the bark stalker powder came next. ren carefully dusted it over the treated surface, watching how it adhered forming patterns like tiny scales.


    the powder would seal the tentacle, preventing it from absorbing his vitality instead of just the specific mana he needed to manipulate.


    ''now the delicate part,'' he thought while unrolling more weaver thread.


    he began wrapping it around a section of the tentacle, creating a safe grip zone.


    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with warning when he took the first crystal. the mana density was ten times greater than those taro used, enough to cause serious damage to his mana veins if not handled correctly.


    he breathed deeply, holding the modified tentacle in his right hand. he positioned it over the veins above his stomach, where mana would flow most intensely.


    ''here we go,'' he thought while absorbing the crystal.


    the pain was immediate and intense. mana entered his system like liquid fire, threatening to instantly saturate his channels. his mushrooms began glowing strongly, trying to process the overload.


    ren pressed the tentacle at a specific point on his chest. the conductive fibers, hungry but controlled by the treatment, began absorbing the excess mana saturating the channel.


    the pain decreased slightly, becoming manageable.


    he moved the tentacle following his veins, allowing the conductive fibers to unblock saturation points. it was like opening small gates, allowing mana to flow instead of dangerously stagnating.


    sweat ran down his face while maintaining concentration. one wrong move, one second of carelessness, and mana could fatally accumulate in his vital points.


    the tentacle and his willpower were his only protection against the overload that would leave him permanently unable to control mana.


    his mushrooms pulsed erratically, struggling to process the energy flowing through his system. still in their dormant phase, they weren''t ready to handle such power.


    but that was precisely why they needed this controlled overload.


    ren continued moving the tentacle...


    the process was painfully slow.


    the tentacle''s conductive fibers began glowing with a sickly purple tone, signaling they were saturating. ren adjusted his grip on the thread-covered section, grateful for that precaution.


    minutes that felt like hours passed while ren struggled to maintain balance. the crystal gradually consumed itself, its mana distributed between his channels and the saturated tentacle. s§×arch* the n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    finally, when the last vestige of mana was absorbed, ren allowed himself to breathe deeply. the tentacle in his hand was glowing an intense black, saturated to its capacity limit.


    ''one down,'' he thought while placing the used tentacle in a sealed container. ''ninety-nine to go.''


    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly, exhausted by the effort. but there was something different in their glow, a deeper, more concentrated tone.


    the first step toward awakening had been taken.


    ????


    the director''s office occupied the central tower''s peak.


    floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the school grounds, while shelves filled with ancient tomes covered walls that weren''t glass. the domed ceiling was decorated with a fresco representing the dragons of different beast families, each in its natural territory.


    a massive dark wood desk dominated the room''s center. behind it, the director read a note with furrowed brow while his royal phoenix subtly manifested golden flashes in his white hair.


    "zhao is getting soft since that incident," he murmured to himself while his eyes traced the lines. "a hundred thousand credits for a student with a spore? and this story about an extraordinary genius? it''s obvious he just feels pity for the boy..."


    he left the note on the desk, where it joined several detailed reports about the medusa incident.


    your journey continues on empire


    "at least before, his ''support for the unfortunate'' made some sense," he continued, his phoenix manifesting more clearly in response to his irritation. "but this is just..."


    finally, he looked up at the young woman waiting patiently before his desk. her presence was so discreet she almost seemed to merge with the room''s shadows.


    "i need you to investigate something," his voice adopted a more formal tone. "there''s an... unusual student. a boy with a spore."


    the young woman nodded silently.


    "i see you know who he is... i want you to test him. something to help us understand what zhao has seen in him to insist so much." the director took up the note again, rereading a specific passage. "i need to know if this is another of his whims or if there really is something so special about him."


    the young woman made a slight bow before heading toward the door, her movements so fluid they barely disturbed the air.


    "and remember," the director added as she reached the threshold, "be discreet. we don''t want your identity revealed over trifles."


    ????


    ren stored the used tentacle in its special container, his movements slow from exhaustion. the mushrooms in his hair barely pulsed, also exhausted from the effort of processing so much mana.


    his reflection in the room''s small mirror showed the changes: his veins still glowed faintly under his skin, and the mushrooms seemed more defined, with a deeper shine. they weren''t changes someone would notice at first glance, but they were there.


    ''a hot bath,'' he thought while gathering his toiletries, ''and then sleep for a week.''


    the mental exhaustion was different from anything he''d experienced before. it wasn''t like tiredness after training with lin, this was deeper, as if his mind had been stretched to its limit.


    he headed toward the door, eager to reach the baths before his body simply decided to collapse.


    knock. knock.


    the knocks, though soft, startled him. it was late, his roommates didn''t knock to enter, and no one else usually came to the grey wing.


    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly in alert.


    "who is it?" he asked, his voice betraying some of his exhaustion.


    "that doesn''t matter," a female voice answered from the other side. "could you open for a moment?"

 Chapter 78 - Taming Lies

    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly in alert."who is it?" he asked, his voice betraying some of his exhaustion from the intense cultivation session.


    "that doesn''t matter," a female voice answered from the other side. "could you open for a moment?"


    ren quickly looked around the room. the containers were sealed, shadow stalker skins stored away, work area dismantled. but the smell... a mixture of poisonous fungi and decomposing tissues still lingered heavily in the air.


    "who are you?" he insisted, buying time while considering opening a window to clear the suspicious scents.


    "it will only take a moment."


    "it''s... it''s very late and i''m not presentable," ren responded, his exhausted mind trying to process the situation. "could it be tomorrow?"


    there was a pause, barely a heartbeat...


    the tone changed.


    "open the door, fungus," luna''s voice cut through the silence, cold and direct. "i need to talk to you."


    ren froze. of all people...


    "luna," he tried to make his voice sound firm despite the exhaustion. "i was about to take a bath..."


    "can it really not wait until tomorrow?"


    "no."


    ren looked around the room with desperation. everything was stored, but the smell... and he was shirtless, covered in sweat, his veins still glowing faintly from the mana manipulation...


    "luna, it''s really not a good time..."


    "you have ten seconds," her voice didn''t change tone. "after that, my wolf will find another entrance."


    as if to emphasize her words, ren felt the shadow wolf''s presence manifesting on the other side of the door. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed more strongly.


    "five seconds."


    no choice. luna didn''t seem like someone who made empty threats.


    ren opened the door.


    luna stood there, her shadow wolf partially manifested in the shadow beside her, her blue eyes studying him with clinical intensity. her gaze traveled over his bare torso, stopping at the veins that still glowed weakly with residual mana.


    "interesting," she murmured, gently pushing him to enter the room. her nose wrinkled slightly. "though the smell is... peculiar."


    "luna, please..."


    "sit," she ordered, closing the door behind her. "we need to talk about what really happened during the expedition."


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed with resignation.


    ????


    "where were you when the tent fell?" luna began while her wolf materialized more clearly, its eyes glowing with a silvery tone that seemed to pierce through him.


    "in the hole with everyone else... but you already know that," ren responded, noticing luna''s gaze focusing on his chest when he answered, studying his mana patterns.


    "when did you leave?"


    "when you saw me do it... this is strange, you already know all this, why..."


    ren stopped, understanding something...


    mana flowed subtly to luna''s eyes, a pattern that ren knew generated in some beasts that used enhanced perception.


    "why did you leave?"


    "i wanted to verify something."


    "lies," luna didn''t change her expression, but her wolf growled softly. "the real reason."


    ren blinked, surprised by the certainty in her voice. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed while analyzing the mana flow in luna''s eyes again.


    "i wanted to help," he answered carefully, observing her reaction.


    this time luna didn''t contradict him, but her eyes glowed more intensely. "how did you know you could?"


    "i didn''t know," ren measured each word, noticing how the mana in luna''s eyes fluctuated with each response. "i just... had an idea."


    "when did you see zhao?"


    "a while after leaving the hole."


    the shadow wolf took a step closer, its eyes reflecting the same glow as luna''s.


    "was finding him a coincidence?"


    "yes," ren responded, and saw the flash in luna''s eyes. "no," he corrected immediately. "i knew he would be near because of the feathers left behind."


    luna narrowed her eyes, mana flowing more intensely. "how?"


    "by the attack pattern," the mushrooms in his hair pulsed while ren connected the dots. luna could detect lies, probably through small-changes in the speaker''s mana flow.


    "i see you notice many changes... for example, did you notice the medusas were very organized?" luna began. "too organized for..." sea??h th§× n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "i noticed," ren responded, aware of the mana flowing to luna''s eyes. explore more stories at empire


    "what else did you notice?"


    "that it wasn''t natural. medusas don''t hunt like that."


    "no," luna took a step toward him. "they don''t. you know what else isn''t natural? that a child with a spore knows exactly how to help during such an attack."


    ren had to be careful, luna was building to something.


    "someone must have been controlling them, right?"


    the shadow wolf tensed.


    "why is zhao hiding information about the attack in the official report? why didn''t he make public that they were looking for me and klein''s group?"


    "why don''t you ask him yourself?"


    "don''t play dumb¡­ zhao told you something," luna didn''t ask. it was a statement while her wolf moved even closer. "before disappearing and avoiding my questions."


    "he thanked me," he responded calmly. it was truth.


    "what else?"


    "he left me some credits for the store." also truth.


    luna took a step toward him, her eyes glowing with a particular mana pattern...


    the games and roundabout hints stopped.


    "who gave the order to the attackers?"


    "i don''t know that person." technically true, he had never met the first minister.


    "but you know their name."


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed with alarm. that was the real question luna had come to ask.


    ren maintained his neutral expression. he had to be very careful now.


    "i know many names." another truth.


    "which is the culprit''s?"


    "i couldn''t be certain." also truth, he had no physical proof to be certain.


    luna narrowed her eyes, mana flowing more intensely. "what did zhao tell you exactly?"


    "that he would conduct a careful investigation." truth again.


    the shadow wolf drew closer, its eyes reflecting the same glow as luna''s. they were looking for the slightest fluctuation in his mana that would betray a lie.


    "why?"


    "because accusations have consequences."


    "you''re good," she said finally. "very good."


    ren observed the mana flow in luna''s eyes that were now very close. "you can detect lies, can''t you? that''s why the pattern in your eyes changes with each response."


    luna tensed. "i don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "now you''re lying," ren smiled, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with enthusiasm. "i think i''m understanding the trick."


    "impossible," luna stepped back. "you couldn''t see..."


    "my spore can detect mana patterns too," ren advanced, for the first time feeling he had the advantage.


    luna stared at him while confirming that what ren said was true.


    "show it to me," said ren, his smile widening at seeing luna lose composure and backing away as he approached, turning the tables. "show me how it really works."

 Chapter 79 - Taming Misunderstandings

    "now you''re lying," ren smiled, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with enthusiasm. "i think i''m understanding the trick.""impossible," luna stepped back, her composure slipping for the first time. "you couldn''t see..."


    "my spore can detect mana patterns too," ren advanced, for the first time feeling he had the advantage in their verbal sparring.


    luna stared at him while confirming that what ren said was true.


    "show it to me," said ren, his smile widening at seeing luna lose composure and backing away as he approached, turning the tables on her intimidation tactics. "show me how it really works."


    "don''t get cocky," luna recovered some of her usual hardness. "you''re still just a foolish fungus who says nonsense about illogical evolutions and ''believes'' they''re true."


    she raised her hands to push him back, grabbing his wrists. "why do you insist on saying things that go against all logic?"


    she tried to push him backward, expecting to easily dominate him with her superior strength enhancement percentage. her eyes widened with surprise at finding strong resistance.


    "surprised?" ren maintained his position, lin''s training finally showing results. "enhancements don''t matter if they''re multiplying miserable values."


    luna narrowed her eyes, her pride wounded.


    her wolf began manifesting more fully, preparing to merge and increase her strength.


    the door burst open.


    "ren! you won''t believe what..." min froze mid-sentence, his eyes opening like saucers.


    liu and taro crashed into his back, curious to see what had stopped him. their jaws dropped almost in unison.


    the scene before them was... difficult to explain.


    ren, shirtless and covered in sweat, his mushrooms glowing intensely. luna, the untouchable luna, with her hands gripping ren''s wrists, her perfect blue hair unusually disheveled.


    the room smelled strange, sheets hung creating mysterious shadows, and there was a tension in the air that could almost be cut with a knife.


    both frozen in what appeared to be a power struggle.


    "oh..." min stepped back, colliding with taro.


    "my..." continued taro, stumbling into liu.


    "dragon..." completed liu, his bat manifesting briefly from nervousness.


    "i... we..." taro stammered, his beetle''s markings flickering with embarrassment. "we should come back later."


    "no!" luna released ren as if he burned, her usual grace completely forgotten. "it''s not what..."


    "we''ll sleep in the hallway!" min announced suddenly, his voice two octaves higher than normal, his water snake coiling nervously around his neck.


    "yes! the hallway!" taro nodded frantically. "it''s a beautiful night to sleep on the floor!"


    "very hygienic!" added liu, backing away. "dust is good for the lungs!"


    "wait! it''s not what it looks like!" ren tried to explain, but his friends were practically climbing over each other to escape.


    "take your time!" min shouted from the hallway, his voice cracking. s§×arch* the n?velfire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "yes, don''t worry about us!" taro''s voice sounded strangled.


    luna turned toward him, her cheeks red with fury and embarrassment. "this is your fault!"


    "my fault? you started it!"


    "ugh," luna headed toward the door, her manifested wolf ears drooping with embarrassment.


    "this isn''t over, fungus. and next time..." she stopped, trying to recover her dignity. "next time will be in a more appropriate place. but if anyone," she hissed, "hears a single word about this..."


    she didn''t finish the threat. the room''s shadows seemed to come alive, wrapping around her like a dark cloak. in a blink, luna and her wolf merged with them, disappearing as if they had never been there.


    ren stood in the middle of the room, shirtless, sweaty, and suddenly very aware of how ridiculous the entire situation was.


    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed once, as if laughing.


    "guys!" he called toward the hallway. "you can come back! it''s not what you think!"


    "we''re not thinking anything!" min''s voice came from far away. "absolutely nothing!"


    "our minds are completely empty!" added taro.


    "like my future memory of tonight!" completed liu.


    ren sighed.


    at least he had discovered luna''s secret about detecting lies...


    and she had discovered that maybe, just maybe, she had underestimated the "foolish fungus."


    ????


    there was a long silence from the hallway.


    "is she gone?" min''s voice sounded cautious.


    "yes, she''s gone."


    "through the door?" asked liu.


    "not exactly..."


    "used the shadows again?" taro sounded impressed.


    the three peeked their heads around the door, one above the other like an improvised tower, their beasts manifesting briefly in curiosity.


    "is it safe to enter?" min sniffed the air. "and... what''s that smell?"


    "it''s a long story," ren began gathering his bath things lazily, exhausted after everything that had happened.


    "oh, we have all night," liu entered first, his bat manifesting to inspect the room. "especially after... that."


    "it''s not what it looked like," ren defended while taro and min also entered, closing the door behind them.


    "you weren''t having a romantic moment with luna?" min arched an eyebrow, his water snake coiling playfully.


    "romantic?" ren nearly choked. "she was interrogating me!"


    "without a shirt?" taro grinned, his beetle''s markings shifting in amusement.


    "i was going to take a bath when she appeared!"


    "uh-huh," liu nodded solemnly. "and i suppose she tripped and you fell on her."


    "no! she was..." ren stopped, remembering he couldn''t explain the real reason. "we were just talking."


    "very closely?" min wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.


    "and in the dark," added taro.


    find exclusive stories on empire


    "with mysteriously hanging sheets," completed liu.


    ren groaned, collapsing onto his bed. "you''re impossible."


    "and you''re a heartbreaker," min sat beside him. "who would have thought?"


    "first lin, now luna..." taro pretended to wipe away a tear. "our little fungus is growing up."


    "lin just trains me!" ren protested. "and luna hates me!"


    "hate and love are very close," liu philosophized, his bat nodding sagely.


    "can we change the subject?" ren pleaded. "weren''t you going to tell me something when you came in?"


    the three exchanged looks.


    "oh, right, about the mines," min smiled. "but this," he gestured at the room and hanging sheets, "is much more interesting."


    "though it stinks," added taro. "what were you really doing?"


    ren sighed. this was going to be a very long night.


    "i''m going to take a bath," he announced, standing. "and when i come back, we''ll talk about anything else but luna, understood?"


    "whatever you say," liu winked. "romeo."


    his friends'' laughter followed him into the hallway. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed with resignation, they would never let him forget this.


    at least luna was equally embarrassed. that was a small consolation.

 Chapter 80 - Taming Profits

    the next morning, lin appeared before ren with her trademark sadistic smile. not even his exhaustion from the cultivation process could save him from training."faster!" lin''s voice cut through the morning air as she made him run with weighted bands strapped to his limbs.


    when he was finally released that afternoon, his muscles trembling from exertion, ren decided to demonstrate his cultivation process to his friends. they gathered around, watching with curiosity and apprehension as he meticulously laid out his materials.


    "first, i crush the poisonous fungi..." ren began explaining, his movements precise and practiced.


    min nodded along, following the process with keen interest until ren reached the part about overloading with ten times more mana than taro and controlling his veins with the tentacle while enduring excruciating pain.


    his eyes glazed over, and he toppled backward like a felled tree.


    "min!" taro lunged forward to catch him.


    liu observed in silence, his bat ears occasionally manifesting as a reflection of his unease. the methodical way ren handled materials that would make most people retch was... disturbing, to say the least.


    "and you say you''ll absorb all that every day for a hundred days?" liu finally asked, his voice a blend of admiration and horror.


    "just a hundred days," ren replied with an unsettling casualness.


    liu nodded slowly, his respect for ren growing alongside a healthy dose of caution. there was again, something deeply unsettling about the ease with which his friend handled substances that could kill a grown adult.


    the following days fell into a new routine. classes continued as normal, though luna now watched ren with an intensity that made everyone around them uncomfortable.


    "i think she''s plotting your death," taro whispered one day during mei''s class.


    "or your wedding," min added, earning a sharp elbow from ren.


    training sessions with lin grew more intense. each day brought new exercises, new aches, new boundaries to push past. the mushrooms in ren''s hair seemed to pulse in rhythm with his growing strength.


    "your body is changing," lin observed as she watched him lift weights, her keen eyes noting the subtle transformations. "whatever cultivation you''re doing... it''s working." s~ea??h the n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ren could only grunt in response, too focused on not dying from exhaustion and pain.


    finally, at the end of the second month, the official crystal report arrived. ren opened his during breakfast, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with anticipation.


    the report detailed everything: crystals mined from the caves, specimens collected, even processed and sold beast hides.


    guard signatures and master song''s verification certified the mined crystals, while isaac and jessy''s signatures confirmed the hide sales profits.


    zhao''s signature at the bottom of the collection report certified each of the last items.


    ren''s eyes grew wider and wider as he tallied the amounts. the academy would double everything: crystals found in the caves, beasts'' materials values, collected materials, processed and sold materials'' profits...


    "how much is it?" min leaned over his shoulder, curiosity evident in his voice.


    ren revealed the total. his friends gasped in unison.


    "that''s..."


    "no wonder luna''s interested," taro joked, earning a death glare from ren.


    ????


    the academy''s bank occupied the administrative tower''s first floor, a surprisingly modest space considering the wealth it managed.


    at this hour, it was nearly empty, with only a few senior students making routine inquiries.


    ren felt small as he climbed the stairs, his official report clutched firmly in hand.


    "well, look who it is!" mr. finch''s high-pitched, mocking voice sliced through the silence. "the academy''s most prosperous fungus cultivator! my most intriguing depositor!"


    the banker was a short, thin man with round spectacles that magnified his eyes until they resembled those of a startled mouse. his perfectly trimmed mustache seemed to have a life of its own when he spoke.


    despite his impeccable banker''s uniform, something in his eyes suggested he found everything terribly amusing.


    his beast, a small white mouse, occasionally darted between his fingers as he counted crystals.


    "good afternoon, mr. finch," ren approached the counter, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing gently.


    "come to confess your crimes?" finch smiled as his mouse approached, sniffing the air suspiciously. "because i must say, five dark bronze crystals two weeks ago was quite... interesting. not many ten-year-olds handle that denomination."


    "actually..." ren began pulling out the report.


    "oh, wait! don''t tell me!" finch raised a hand dramatically. "found an ancestral treasure? robbed a noble''s chest? or perhaps your mushrooms have hallucinogenic properties, and you''ve been selling them to the senior students?"


    the mushrooms pulsed with amusement as ren slid the report across the counter.


    "what''s this?" finch adjusted his glasses. "your written confession? how considerate, normally i have to..."


    he stopped mid-sentence, arching an eyebrow while stroking his mustache, his eyes growing even larger behind his glasses as he read.


    "this is..." he blinked several times, his mouse jumping to review the numbers. "no, no, there must be a mistake."


    "is there a problem?" ren asked, suppressing a smile.


    "problem?" finch let out a hysterical laugh. "the problem is these numbers make no sense! two weeks ago, you bring five dark bronze crystals, which was already suspicious enough. and now?" he consulted the report again, "fifty-five thousand additional crystals?"


    his mouse began frantically calculating in a small notebook.


    "one hundred and five thousand crystals in total!" finch removed his glasses to clean them compulsively. "with a spore? the weakest recorded creature? are you certain you haven''t been selling illegal substances?"


    "everything''s in the report," ren replied. "with professors song and zhao''s signatures."


    "ah yes, the signatures..." finch narrowed his eyes. "you''re sure you didn''t forge them? or perhaps hypnotize the professors? do your mushrooms have hypnotic properties in addition to being hallucinogenic?"


    "i just need to withdraw five thousand crystals."


    "just he says!" finch turned to his mouse. "did you hear that, theodore? ''just'' five thousand crystals. as if it were pocket change."


    the mouse nodded solemnly while continuing its calculations, tiny paws moving across the ledger with surprising dexterity.


    "you know," finch leaned over the counter, his eyes gleaming with undisguised curiosity.


    "i''ve been at this bank for fifteen years. i''ve seen students with legendary beasts amass fortunes. i''ve watched nobles squander entire inheritances. but never, and i mean never, have i seen someone with a spore earn so much in such a short time."


    he straightened, adjusting his glasses with practiced precision.


    "either you''re a criminal genius, or there''s more to those mushrooms of yours than anyone thought."


    "about those five thousand crystals...?" ren persisted.


    "yes, yes," finch began counting but paused mid-motion. "just five thousand? no grand plans? no extravagant investments? no fleet of golden carriages?"


    "not for now."


    "boring," finch sighed dramatically. "sure you won''t share your secret? between financial colleagues? i promise not to tell anyone. except theodore, of course, but he''s a vault. aren''t you, theodore?"


    the mouse nodded again, though its whiskers quivered with what appeared to be suppressed laughter.


    "just good luck," ren replied.


    "ha! good luck?" finch snorted while counting crystals. "next you''ll tell me you won it all playing dice!"


    as the banker prepared his withdrawal, ren reflected on his true plans. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed while his thoughts drifted to his home.


    the problem was that now they had to rent it.


    ''first,'' ren thought while finch counted crystals with unnecessary flourish, ''i''ll get their house back. then...''


    his eyes gleamed with determination.


    ''then i''ll show them they can have more.


    "voil¨¤!" finch interrupted his thoughts, presenting the crystals with a theatrical gesture and sliding them toward ren.


    "here you are, my mysterious mycological magnate. five thousand crystals, perfectly counted by the humble servant before you and verified by the illustrious theodore."


    the mouse executed a small bow.


    "thank you."


    "oh no, thank you," finch smiled while stroking his mustache.


    "you''ve made my week far more interesting. usually, i just see students complaining their allowances won''t cover cultivation crystals. but you..." he shook his head with mock admiration, "you''re a mystery wrapped in an enigma and covered in glowing mushrooms."


    the mushrooms in ren''s hair pulsed with what seemed to be amusement as he stored the crystals.


    "until next time, mr. finch." your adventure continues at empire


    "ah, a threat of future surprises!" finch turned to his mouse. "theodore, keep an eye on this one. when we least expect it, he''ll show up riding a dragon made of fungi."


    as ren walked away, he could hear finch muttering.


    "a spore... one hundred and five thousand crystals! theodore, perhaps we should consider a career in mycology..."

 Chapter 81 - Taming Aspiration

    ren walked slowly back to his room, the five thousand crystals weighing in his pocket like stones of possibility. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly while his thoughts wandered to his parents again.he stopped before a hallway window. at this hour, they would be preparing food in the small restaurant''s kitchen, earning barely enough to survive.


    "one hundred thousand crystals," he murmured with nostalgic feeling. "in just two months..."


    memories rushed in unbidden: his mother counting crystals at the kitchen table, worry in her eyes as she tried to make the money stretch. his father exhausted but smiling, always smiling.


    "the investment," he whispered while the mushrooms pulsed more slowly, as if sharing his memories. "i could return everything they spent on me."


    his fingers brushed the crystals in his pocket. each one represented another step closer to repaying what they had sacrificed for him.


    another memory struck without warning: his father on that night when he fell ill, coughing in bed while apologizing for having to use their savings on medicine. his mother, trying to smile while selling her best cooking pots to complete the payment for the worst egg.


    "half a million crystals," ren whispered, recalling the price of their old house. "i could get it back in less than a year at this rate."


    the mushrooms pulsed stronger, as if trying to show him something.


    the image of their old house appeared in his mind. it wasn''t large, but it had been their home for years¡­


    his parents had never complained. not once.


    even now, paying rent for the house that was once theirs, they kept smiling. kept working hard.


    kept believing in him.


    "no," he said suddenly, his voice firm. "it''s not enough."


    the mushrooms glowed more intensely as a new resolution grew in his chest.


    "they... they gave everything," he continued. "not just the house. everything. their thirty years of savings. their dreams. their chances."


    he began walking faster toward his room, his energy building with each step.


    "why settle for staying where we were?" the words came faster now. "mom always wanted a bigger garden. dad dreamed of a larger, better-equipped kitchen."


    he stopped before another window, looking out toward the distant city. the high-rank districts shone more brightly, their buildings rising above the rest like constant reminders of what lay beyond their reach.


    "thirty years saving," his voice trembled slightly. "thirty years working double shifts. thirty years waiting to have a child. and when i finally came..."


    the mushrooms pulsed forcefully, sharing his emotion.


    "they gave me everything," the words rushed out now. "without hesitation. without second thoughts. just... everything." s§×arch* the n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    his eyes moistened as memories flowed: his mother teaching him to cook even when exhaustion bent her shoulders after a double shift, her gentle hands guiding his smaller ones through each motion.


    his father carrying him on his shoulders like a dragon, spinning tales of legendary beasts despite his back aching from hours in the kitchen, never once letting the pain show in his voice.


    "they don''t deserve to just get their house back," he declared with renewed determination. "they deserve more. much more."


    ideas began flowing through his mind like a rushing river: a new house, larger than their old one.


    a huge garden where his mother could cultivate whatever she wanted without worrying about space.


    a kitchen where his father could experiment with new recipes, with proper equipment and room to move.


    "ten million," he murmured, testing how the number felt on his tongue. "a house in the city would cost at least ten million crystals¡­ if i just¡­"


    the mushrooms in his hair pulsed forcefully at the magnitude of the figure, their light reflecting off the window glass.


    "no no¡­ it''s impossible, i''m getting cocky since i got a bit lucky lately," whispered the part of him that still thought like a low-rank family''s son.


    "is it too much?" responded the new part, the one that had earned over a hundred thousand crystals in two months. "is it really too much?"


    his eyes moved to the intelligence rune inside its box with a crystal, where spores continued developing. to the sealed containers filled with materials most would fear to touch but he had collected alone. to the crystals gleaming with contained power that he was absorbing daily now.


    "two months," he repeated, his voice stronger. "a hundred thousand in two months. and i''m just getting started."


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    the mental image shifted. it was no longer their old house with its familiar rooms. now he saw a new house, spacious and bright, worthy of the people who had given him everything.


    "a house in any normal district of the city they choose, any one they want. if i can prove i''m capable of reaching at least silver rank..."


    "i could get them a good place... no rank restrictions. no limitations."


    the mushrooms glowed like captured stars while his determination grew, casting dancing shadows on the hallway walls.


    "i''ll show them," he promised. "i''ll show them their sacrifice was worth it. that their faith in me wasn''t misplaced."


    his hands closed into determined fists, knuckles white with resolve.


    "i won''t just recover what they lost. i''ll give them what they always deserved to have. what they never allowed themselves to dream of because they were too busy taking care of me."


    ren felt something new awakening inside him. he was no longer just a child trying to fix the past.


    he was a son determined to build a better future for those who had given everything for him.


    "ten million," he repeated, this time as a promise. "and that''s just the beginning."


    the mushrooms pulsed one final time, sealing his oath with their ethereal light.


    this was no longer about recovering a house or the tuition of one million.


    the old goal of regaining what was lost now seemed so small, so limited. he no longer wanted to return to what they had.


    he wanted to take them where they never imagined they could go.


    this was about giving them the world they had always deserved.

 Chapter 82 - Taming the Sleeping Core

    a few days after reaching his new resolution...ren sat on his bed, every muscle protesting after his night training with lin. the mushrooms in his hair barely pulsed, exhausted from another day''s work in the mines.


    correct maturation: 10/100


    incorrect maturation: 82/1000


    the amount of crystals he''d collected and his mana resistance had taught him something important.


    no matter how much he trained or how hard he pushed himself, his limits were painfully clear.


    he couldn''t venture beyond 200 meters to work, could only stay for a few hours, and accumulated 4 days of incorrect maturation... plus, the monsters wouldn''t let him stay in one place for long.


    even 150 meters sometimes yielded better results.


    at 250 meters it would be 8 points of incorrect cultivation, and he''d be dangerously close to the bronze ring''s mana levels... he wouldn''t even manage an hour of work there if he considered the time needed to climb up and down.


    or the time to avoid monsters.


    today he''d barely lasted two hours at 150 meters before excess mana forced him to retreat.


    his cultivation was oversaturating him as well.


    "but if i want to make more money..." he murmured while massaging his aching arms, "i need to go deeper."


    the mushrooms pulsed weakly, as if nodding.


    it wasn''t just about knowing how to find good materials anymore, he needed to be able to reach them. continue your saga on empire


    the iron ring and the -100-meter level, with their low mana concentration, were safe but limiting.


    even in just over a month, when they will have their next collection trip, he couldn''t achieve much more than before if he wasn''t able to endure...


    the truly valuable materials were in deeper zones, in territories where higher-rank beasts dwelled.


    ''ten million crystals,'' he thought while remembering his promise. ''i won''t get them by settling for what i have now.''


    ren knew that even at bronze rank his fungus wouldn''t have the power of a common beast.


    its capability was unique but its raw power and mana processing were far below a common beast.


    if he wanted to give his parents a truly comfortable life, he needed access to rarer, more expensive materials.


    but with his current level...


    ren stood up and took out the mirror mantis core. he had kept it thinking it might be useful eventually, but now that he was closer to being ready...


    "a second beast," he murmured while the mushrooms pulsed more intensely. "with the right process..."


    he stopped, an idea forming as he remembered a story his father used to tell him before bed.


    a tale about dragons and the origin of eggs.


    ????


    the world was divided by the abyss, a chasm so deep no one had seen its bottom.


    some said it reached to the planet''s heart. the abyss cut the world into four parts with its two perpendicular lines.


    one line was the dead abyss and the other the living abyss.


    yano controlled one quarter of the world. yino another quarter...


    or so they said.


    ren smiled at the idea. "control" was a pretentious word when 90% of those two territories belonged to the dragons.


    humans barely occupied a circular area that monsters simply despised for its lack of mana.


    the other half of the world, divided by the living abyss, no one had crossed.


    the dragons won''t let you go there¡­


    the mushrooms pulsed while knowledge showed him why.


    behind the territory of the dragons guarding the living chasm, the abyss wasn''t the dark and dry void that divided yino and yano...


    it was a living river of pure mana, so concentrated it glowed with its own light. the few adventurers who had ventured that far and seen the chasm from afar swore eggs were born there, floating in that primordial flow.


    "like seeds in a current," ren murmured, remembering his father''s words. "each egg absorbs mana from the nearest dragon''s territory, and that''s how it gets its color and potential."


    it was a beautiful story. romantic even.


    "it''s just a tale," ren reminded himself, smiling. "a pretty story about dragons and mana rivers."


    but his knowledge told him there was more to it... though something didn''t add up.


    if eggs only came from the abyss in dragon territory, how could the kingdom release hundreds to the market each year? how did they collect them? who ventured that deep into dragon territory regularly?


    knowledge whispered a different answer. sea??h th§× n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ren observed the mantis core again.


    "they don''t need to go that far," he murmured while the mushrooms pulsed with excitement. "because the abyss isn''t the only source of pure mana."


    knowledge flowed more clearly: mana veins ran throughout the world, like arteries carrying life. most were small, barely detectable. but some...


    "the ruins," his eyes widened with understanding. "the ancients built over a point where a huge vein came close to the surface... or so i believe."


    it was so obvious once you think about it. why else would you build a city over ancient ruins? why was there no mana in this part of the world?


    ren didn''t know the exact answer... but with his fungus''s information that didn''t quite fit, he could guess... there should be mana in this abyss too.


    how had they achieved such a thing? ren didn''t know, but he was certain.


    he had no proof, but also no doubts.


    after all, the best tales always hid some truth. and if he was right about the ruins...


    but that wasn''t important now...


    the mushrooms glowed while ren followed the thread of thought.


    ''it needs pure mana,'' he thought while studying the fractures in the core. ''like the kind that flows in the world''s natural veins.''


    knowledge unfolded in his mind: the core could revive if it absorbed enough pure mana. one hundred thousand units exactly.


    with that, and using a secret technique the mushrooms whispered to him, he could recover the mantis''s complete evolutionary line.


    his eyes shone with new determination. an extra beast... eventually a bronze beast.


    it would mean being able to venture deeper into dangerous territory, collect more valuable materials, and work for longer periods without succumbing to mana excess.


    "but first..." he studied the core carefully, "i need to feed it."


    injecting his own mana was out of the question, it would be a waste considering his current limitations. but the mines...


    the mushrooms pulsed while ren began calculating. at his current mine level, the core would absorb 4 units daily. at that rate, it would take decades.


    but if he could find a small mana vein deeper down... one his knowledge told him exactly where to find...


    his eyes narrowed as he did the calculations.


    "ten days," he whispered, the plan taking shape in his mind. "i just need to find a way to get it down there without dying."


    ren stood and began organizing his materials. if he was going to do this, he would need a perfect plan.

 Chapter 83 - Taming Deception

    "ten days," he whispered, the plan taking shape in his mind. "i just need to find a way to get it down there without dying."ren stood and began organizing his materials. if he was going to do this, he would need a perfect plan.


    the mana vein was there, three hundred meters beneath the academy. it wasn''t large like the ones feeding the abyss, but it would serve his purpose.


    the problem was how little time he could endure down there.


    fifteen minutes maximum before the mana overloaded him.


    near the vein it would be even worse due to the mana flow''s irregularity.


    he needed to do it early before the day''s cultivation, which meant skipping training with lin too, which would help him to also have more strength for the small adventure.


    "i need help," he murmured while organizing his materials.


    the male shadow stalker tentacles he''d saved would serve as duration extenders, but he needed something more.


    "hey, min!" he called to his companion studying on his bed. "do you still have that weaver''s thread?"


    "the one we got from the expedition?" min looked up from his book. "yeah, haven''t traded it yet, why?"


    "would you sell it to me?"


    "what do you want it for?" min''s small snake peeked up too, its curiosity evident to ren in the way it moved its flickering tongue.


    "projects," ren replied vaguely.


    "projects," min repeated with a knowing smile. "like those that make our room smell like death."


    "i''ll pay 50% more than what they give at the exchange."


    "sold," min didn''t even hesitate. "though i''m worried you''re willing to pay that much."


    while storing the thread, ren took out the potion zhao had given him. the green liquid glowed softly.


    then he spoke with taro about helping him fake something...


    ????


    "you''re going to skip training tomorrow?" taro asked worriedly.


    "not exactly," ren smiled. "i''m just going to... delay it a bit. just the morning one."


    "lin will kill you," liu commented without looking up from his notes.


    "not if she can''t find me."


    all three of his roommates stopped what they were doing to stare at him.


    "you''re going to try to hide from lin?" min sounded genuinely concerned. "the same lin who found you instantly that time you hid on the roof?"


    "or when you tried sleeping under your bed," taro added.


    "or that time in the library," liu smiled. "behind a big plant."


    "this time is different," ren began preparing the tentacles, wrapping them with weaver''s thread and dusting them with bark stalker vitality powder. "i have a plan."


    "oh no," min sat up straight. "last time you said that you ended up hanging upside down in the courtyard."


    "lin has a routine," ren explained while working. "she always checks the same places in the same order... i just need to prepare my alibis before she arrives."


    "you''ve been studying her patterns like she was a beast?" liu arched an eyebrow.


    "she taught me to use everything at my disposal," ren smiled. "first she comes here. if she doesn''t find me, she checks the dining hall, then the library, the roof... and finally the gardens."


    "and?" taro leaned in with interest.


    "and tomorrow," ren held up a prepared tentacle, "she''ll find evidence that i went to town."


    "to town?" min frowned. "but we can''t leave the academy."


    "exactly," ren pulled out a paper. "that''s why when she finds this note about a special permission and an errand..."


    "oh no," liu removed his glasses. "you''re going to forge documents?"


    "no," ren smiled. "i''m going to make it look like i was asked to. by someone who conveniently always needed an assistant to pick up materials early in the morning."


    "who would be so..." min stopped. "no. you wouldn''t."


    "professor wei always asks for help with his morning deliveries," ren continued working on the tentacles. "and coincidentally, tomorrow he won''t be at school."


    "you''re going to make lin think wei took you to town, the same wei who hates you," taro sounded impressed. "without wei knowing."


    "lin hates him so much she won''t even ask him," liu nodded appreciatively. "brilliant and terrible at the same time."


    "i only need a few hours," ren began storing his prepared materials. "by the time lin discovers the truth, i''ll be done."


    "and dead anyway," min added cheerfully.


    "it''ll be worth it," ren stored the last tentacle. "besides, it might even work."


    his friends exchanged skeptical looks.


    "want us to prepare your funeral?" taro offered.


    "i just need you to do something for me, taro," ren headed to his bed. "and maybe some ice for afterward."


    "lots of ice," liu corrected. "and bandages. lots of bandages." discover hidden tales at empire


    ren gave them an uncomfortable smile as he prepared for bed. tomorrow will be an interesting day.


    and probably painful.


    ????


    lin stopped in front of the gray wing''s door, her feathers partially manifesting as she checked the time.


    six in the morning, the perfect moment to wake her favorite student.


    ''good morning, little one...'' she murmured while opening the door, only to find two deeply sleeping students and two empty beds.


    her eyes narrowed.


    in the time she''d been training ren, he''d only tried escaping this early 3 times.


    "where is he?" she asked the sleepers.


    min stirred in his bed, mumbling something about dancing snakes. liu didn''t even move. taro wasn''t there...


    lin methodically searched the room. the bed was cold, he''d been gone for a while. the trunk was closed, but...


    "oh," her lips curved into a dangerous smile. "trying to be clever?"


    lin noticed something peculiar: wei''s assistant delivery uniform, normally hanging in the hallway for students who helped with deliveries, had several clasps and one was on the floor near the trunk.


    ''so you want me to believe you took the uniform,'' lin thought. ''clever, but predictable.''


    a note slightly protruded from the trunk, as if someone had hurriedly stored it. lin carefully pulled it out.


    ''temporary assistant for professor wei... sorry, i''ll be back soon for exercise.''


    "impossible," she murmured. wei would never take an assistant from the gray wing, much less...


    "let''s check the dining hall."


    she headed to the dining hall, her usual second stop. at this hour the cooks were already preparing breakfast and morning deliveries. sear?h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "the new assistant?" the head cook nodded when asked. "passed by a while ago. professor wei''s uniform and everything. said he had to prepare a special delivery."


    lin smiled. ren had used the uniform to access restricted areas early in the morning. no one would question a wei assistant.


    was he planning to hide inside one of them?


    the library was her next stop. she found it open, unusual at this hour.


    "oh, the new assistant just finished organizing the delivery records," the librarian pointed to some perfectly ordered documents.


    ''creating an alibi,'' lin examined the records. they were all correctly filed, including a materials order for today.


    "very efficient, though those mushrooms in his hair were quite peculiar."


    ''he''s leaving too obvious a trail,'' lin thought while climbing to the roof. ''he doesn''t want to hide... he wants me to follow.''


    on the roof she found another clue: a materials list with professor wei''s seal, apparently dropped here by accident.


    "using the system against itself," lin murmured, genuinely impressed. ren had learned well, each move was backed by official procedures.


    the gardens revealed the final piece: the delivery cart was in place, clean and prepared as wei always demanded.


    but the gardens were empty except for the gardener, who had also "just seen" ren heading toward the main entrance.


    lin stopped, processing the information...


    "that little..." lin smiled despite herself. it was an elaborate plan, using the antagonism between her and wei to prevent her from verifying directly with him.


    "but," her eyes gleamed with understanding, "all this real work is just a distraction."


    lin smiled.


    it was brilliant really, making the work appear real so no one would question anything. no forgeries, no obvious deceptions. just a temporary assistant doing his tasks.


    "except," her eyes narrowed as her crane fully manifested, "wei is out of town today."


    "where are you really, little trickster?"

 Chapter 84 - Taming the Depths

    "except," her eyes narrowed as her crane fully manifested, "wei is out of town today.""where are you really, little trickster?"


    ????


    lin headed toward the main entrance.


    had ren really gone to town with no formal permission?


    lin observed the figure in the assistant''s uniform near the main entrance. the mushrooms in his hair glowed under the dawn light, though something seemed... different.


    ''got you little cheat,'' she thought while silently approaching. ''you can''t leave without real permission, and wei isn''t here to sign it so you are trapped in the end...''


    the figure moved strangely, as if practicing what to say.


    "good morning, sir guard, i''m here to make a delivery," he muttered to himself. "no, too formal. uh, hi! i need to go out to... no, too casual."


    lin smiled. it was almost adorable watching him so nervous¡­ not quite like¡­


    "trouble with the script?" she asked softly, right behind him.


    the scream that followed was definitely not ren''s.


    the figure turned, revealing taro''s terrified face. obviously fake mushrooms were precariously attached to his hair.


    "teacher lin!" taro squeaked, his voice three octaves higher than normal. "what a terrible¡­ i mean, delightful surprise!"


    "taro," lin crossed her arms menacingly. "what... interesting hair accessories you''ve chosen."


    "this?" taro nervously touched the fake mushrooms. "it''s... a new fashion ren taught me yesterday and¡­?"


    "where is he?"


    "who?" taro stepped back. "professor wei? as you know, he''s out of town and couldn''t finish the..."


    "taro."


    "yes?"


    "your legs are shaking."


    taro looked down.


    "traitors," he muttered to his legs.


    "now," lin smiled sweetly, "you''re going to tell me exactly what''s happening, or i''ll..."


    "i can''t!" taro nearly cried. "i promised ren i''d distract you while he was...!" he covered his mouth with both hands.


    "while he what?"


    "nothing," taro began sweating profusely. "he was just going to... buy flowers. lots of flowers for you. because he appreciates you so much for torturing¡­ training him 3 times every day."


    "taro."


    "yes?"


    "you''re sweating so much the mushrooms are falling off."


    indeed, one of the fake mushrooms slid pathetically down his forehead.


    "they''re... sweaty mushrooms?"


    lin sighed. "how did he convince you?"


    ????


    the night before...


    "come on, taro," ren pleaded while holding the fake mushrooms. "i just need a few hours."


    "no," taro crossed his arms. "lin will kill me."


    "i''ll give you my dessert for a week."


    "risk my life? not even for a month of desserts."


    "i''ll help you evolve your beetle even beyond bronze, all the way to silver."


    taro hesitated. "really?"


    "i know exactly what you need to take it even further," ren smiled. "besides, lin won''t hurt you. you''re too adorable when you''re nervous."


    "i''m not adorable," taro protested. "i''m intimidating."


    min and liu, listening from their beds, burst out laughing.


    "besides," ren continued, "you just have to act suspicious near the entrance. lin will catch you, interrogate you, and by the time she''s done, i''ll be back." s~ea??h the n??elfir§×.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "what if she asks where you are?"


    "tell her i went to buy her flowers."


    "she''ll kill you twice when you show up."


    "worth it," ren placed the fake mushrooms on taro''s head. "so?"


    taro sighed, looking at his reflection with the mushrooms. "fine. but this better be important."


    the next morning, long before dawn, ren and taro snuck out of their room. the hallways were deserted at such an early hour.


    "remember," ren whispered as they walked, "in the end you just need to stay near the entrance. lin will see you, interrogate you, and by the time she''s done, i''ll be back."


    "i still don''t understand why i have to practice what to say to the guard if i''m not even going to leave."


    "because you need to look nervous," ren smiled. "and that, my dear friend, doesn''t come from you naturally if you''re faking it¡­ you are a terrible actor, but an awesome actor in the right conditions."


    "i don''t know whether to feel flattered or offended."


    in the morning¡­


    after finishing placing the clues, they stopped at the intersection leading to the mines.


    "good luck," ren whispered. "and thanks."


    ????


    the hidden tunnel ren constantly used to dodge the guards at 100 meters remained the safest route. the mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly as he slipped through.


    he often worked at 150 meters, so he knew the place fairly well now¡­


    at 200 meters, the first change was evident.


    the common worms here were twice as large, better fed by the mana density. their tunnels formed more complex patterns, creating true gallery networks.


    past 200 meters, the greater worms began to appear. four times larger than their lesser counterparts.


    two fusions had transformed them into true tunnel machines, their segmented bodies glowing with concentrated mana. each now had a complete core, capable of processing the dense ambient mana.


    but they were no longer the only inhabitants.


    digger beetles and very rare hunter bugs lived here too.


    the mushrooms pulsed in warning when he reached 250 meters. here the ecosystem changed dramatically.


    the first deep worms appeared, beasts the size of a cart that made the lesser worms look tiny. eight times larger.


    but the most impressive began just after.


    at around 275 meters, the first bronze beasts made their appearance.


    the living tunnels, massive beetles that had evolved to turn their own bodies into mobile tunnel extensions, created gallery networks that seemed to breathe. their shells secreted a living mineral that reinforced the walls, transforming simple tunnels into organic structures.


    they weren''t mere tunnelers, they were bio-engineers, reinforcing walls with special secretions.


    "natural architects," ren murmured as he passed near one expanding a chamber.


    the deep and greater worms acted as workers for these superior beasts, maintaining the tunnels in exchange for the beetles increasing protection.


    it was a symbiotic society, the worms executing and the beetles improving. enjoy new adventures from empire


    at 300 meters, where his objective waited, the mana was already 16 times denser than that of the iron ring, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with effort to process it.


    here¡­


    the symbiotic society had made a complex web of living tunnels that beathed with a soft yellow tint¡­ like the entrails of a huge beast.


    they had to make it...


    because something else inhabited these depths.


    here, a bronze beasts line reigned supreme:


    the mushrooms pulsed in warning when ren detected the first trace: claw marks on the walls, so fine they seemed carved with diamond. knowledge flowed revealing fragments about a new species: the deep assassins.

 Chapter 85 - Taming the Depths - 2

    here, a bronze beasts line reigned supreme:the mushrooms pulsed in warning when ren detected the first trace: claw marks on the walls, so fine they seemed carved with diamond. knowledge flowed revealing fragments about a new species: the deep assassins.


    the assassins were the true predators here.


    their bodies, long and segmented but with hyper-articulated elongated limbs, allowed them to move along walls and slip through narrow tunnels, while also being covered in vibration sensors that could detect the slightest movement through the rock.


    their bodies, a matte black that absorbed all light, made them practically invisible in darkness.


    but most terrifying was their proboscis. discover exclusive content at empire


    ''like a diamond sword,'' ren thought while examining one of the marks.


    knowledge showed him how the beast used this lethal tool: first locating its prey, then piercing through up to 50 centimeters of rock and its prey''s skin or shell, then injecting enzymes that paralyzed and liquefied internal organs to slowly suck them out.


    their prey remained alive through most of the process.


    they seemed like a nightmare born from the fusion between an assassin bug and a hunting spider, but perfectly adapted to subterranean life.


    the assassins primarily hunted deep worms and living tunnels, ambushing them from the other side of walls that weren''t yet reinforced.


    the assassins were the reason why all other beasts at this level built reinforced refuges.


    but nothing was completely safe. the assassins always found a weak point, a thinner section, an unprotected angle.


    some abandoned tunnels showed signs of ancient battles: walls perforated with small holes, abandoned galleries full of circular marks, remains of emptied shells.


    ren had less than fifteen minutes before the mana overloaded him.


    it was time to advance, but first he would need to ensure no killer decided to add him to its core collection.


    all creatures here were practically blind. ren intensified the glow in a pulse that illuminated the distance just once.


    a movement caught his attention.


    a killer emerged from its hiding place, its nearly 5-meter body moving with disturbing grace. four white and opaque eyes, blind, glowed faintly against ren''s light, while specialized antennae tested the air for prey.


    the beast slid along the wall without making the slightest sound, its legs detecting vibrations that revealed the position of creatures in nearby tunnels. its proboscis, normally folded beneath its head, briefly extended, it was almost as long as ren was tall.


    ''a perfect predator,'' ren observed fascinated as the assassin located its prey: a greater worm excavating too close while expanding a tunnel.


    the beast calculated the exact angle to pierce the rock.


    with a fluid movement, the assassin pressed its proboscis against the wall. there was no sound as it drilled, the precision such that it barely displaced material. in seconds, it had created a perfect hole toward its victim.


    ren was grateful the killer was too far away and occupied to hear his steps.


    he stopped in a small side cavern, acutely aware that any wall could hide a lurking killer. the mushrooms pulsed showing him it was clear.


    the air was now much denser, charged with mana that made breathing require conscious effort. ren advanced cautiously, each step measured while his senses adapted to the increasing pressure.


    the prepared shadow stalker tentacles absorbed some of the excess mana, but he could still feel it accumulating in his system.


    the tunnels here didn''t look like rock caverns anymore, transforming into something that seemed less mineral and more organic.


    the connecting tunnels and walls had a yellowish tone that melted into deep oranges, as if he were entering the entrails of a colossal beast.


    that''s when he saw it: a living tunnel emerging from a side gallery.


    ren pressed himself against a wall, holding his breath while the beast worked. it wasn''t aggressive, but at this depth everything was potentially lethal for him.


    even more so if it confused him with a small hunter bug.


    the advance continued.


    at this depth, the living tunnels'' work had created a maze that seemed designed to confuse.


    ''an escape and defense system,'' ren understood while carefully navigating.


    ren stopped at an intersection, aware that mana was already beginning to saturate his system. the vein was close, he knew from his knowledge. but between him and his objective lay a sea of identical tunnels.


    a soft pulse. the illumination bounced off the walls, returning with information.


    another pulse. clearer this time, the tunnels had a pattern. the living tunnels didn''t dig randomly; their galleries followed specific rules.


    ''like a chronology,'' he thought while studying the marks on the walls. the older sections returned a more opaque glow. as they approached active zones, the designs became more reflective.


    a third pulse revealed more: main intersections always had seven exits. secondary ones, five. those leading to rest areas, three.


    knowledge flowed as ren advanced: the mana vein was too powerful for creatures at this level to approach directly.


    ''the vein must be in an old saturated zone,'' he reasoned. ''living tunnels would avoid rebuilding near a pure mana geyser, some must have exploded sometimes with so much energy.''


    following this logic, ren began tracking back in time through the patterns. each intersection led him to more opaque but crystal-rich tunnels.


    information came in fragments as he studied the tunnel patterns. the vein periodically expelled a geyser of pure mana that crystallized into a huge crystal formation of at least 5th rank, creating a chamber that no common beast could penetrate.


    only something with the power of a ''dragon'' could break that mana-saturated rock to feed. sear?h the ¦Çov§×lfire .net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    but most fascinating was what knowledge revealed about the eggs. some emerged from the geyser itself.


    ''a living tunnel or deep killer egg would be useful,'' he thought, ''but the contract wouldn''t work like that.'' the beast he would get would be more basic: a digger beetle like taro''s, or perhaps a hunter bug. the potential was there, but it would take time to develop.


    the vein he sought was very small.


    knowledge whispered that in areas like this, an egg appeared perhaps every decade. the academy probably conducted periodic dives to collect the fixed eggs they found.


    but few bothered to search for them.


    the general perception was that digger beetles and hunter bugs only reached bronze, which made their fixed eggs, though more expensive, less desired than the brown eggs the kingdom released. fifty of those came out each year, promising the possibility of a mole too with supposedly better potential.


    still, it would be unlikely to find one and... his mantis was better for his first beast.


    the beetle was a defensive beast and the hunter bug had good offensive but short-range abilities and was slower.


    the mantis was faster and had some mid-range abilities; for ren''s taste, its skill kit was more attractive... still, having an extra egg wouldn''t be bad in any case... or he could sell it.


    ren continued advancing...


    until he found it: a yellow living bridge that seemed to breathe and crossed over a deep gallery. on the other side he could feel the vein pulsing with pure mana.


    but there was just one problem.


    a massive deep worm rested inside the bridge, its body occupying all the space. the beast dozed, probably recovering after excavating new galleries.

 Chapter 86 - Taming the Depths - 3

    until he found it: a yellow living bridge that seemed to breathe spanning across a deep gallery.on the other side, he could feel the vein pulsing with pure mana.


    but there was just one problem.


    a massive deep worm rested inside the bridge, its body occupying the entire space. the beast dozed, probably recovering after excavating new galleries.


    ren studied the situation. he couldn''t use force, the slightest conflict would attract predators. not that he had much force to use anyway...


    he also couldn''t make it explode like a lesser worm because this one had a real core.


    he needed the worm to move of its own volition.


    a pulse from his mushrooms showed him the surroundings, searching for nearby tunnels and threats.


    ''fused worms are territorial,'' he remembered while formulating a plan. ''and this one should be resting in its territory.''


    ren extracted the weaver''s thread while studying the situation. he had no choice; he needed to cross.


    he tied one end of the thread to a stalactite above the bridge that would serve as an anchor point, and if he calculated the distance correctly¡­


    with precise finger hits, he began generating vibrations in the ground.


    not just any pattern, but a specific one that mimicked an injured hunter bug.


    the kind of prey a fused worm couldn''t resist.


    practically no beast here could...


    hunter bugs were the pre-evolution of deep assassins; if a worm or beetle could take revenge on them, they would do so without hesitation.


    that''s why very few reached the surface, if they hadn''t achieved evolution along the way¡­


    the worm stirred in its sleep, disturbed by the vibrations of the intruder in what it considered its resting space.


    the deep worm finally awoke, irritated.


    the enormous beast moved almost immediately, its massive body turning toward the sound''s source. ren wrapped the thread around his hand, connected to a particularly robust stalactite to avoid it breaking.


    the worm approached, each segment of its body pulsing with anticipation while searching for easy prey. ren waited until the last moment, when the beast was fully committed to the search.


    he pushed off from the ground, the thread tensing as his body swung over the bridge.


    the worm detected that there was nothing at the movement''s location, but it was too late, ren was swinging above, his feet barely avoiding grazing the beast''s enormous body.


    he landed on the other side just as the worm realized it had been deceived.


    but his landing generated a vibration.


    the beast changed direction with surprising speed for its size, of course, it could transform its rear into its head¡­


    it followed ren, its entire body vibrating with irritation.


    ren didn''t wait.


    he ran toward the cave pulsing with the vein''s light and reached an unexcavated tunnel section, where the hard rock would slow the worm.


    yet the beast followed, its massive body crushing and scraping rock and minerals in pursuit.


    enjoy new adventures from empire


    ''too interested,'' ren thought while running. worms normally avoided making so much noise.


    it shouldn''t want to run directly toward the vein for too long either.


    something was wrong with its persistence.


    in general, ren had felt something strange in the cave from the beginning, the beasts were more excited than they should be, constantly...


    a glow ahead caught his attention, the mana vein. it was close, so close...


    his fingers worked quickly with another piece of thread while running.


    if the worm caught up before he reached it...


    he wouldn''t let it; he just had to swing again and he''d be safe. ren made a slip knot.


    the tunnel widened slightly. the worm accelerated; ren could almost feel its exact location under the rock by the intensity with which it dug. it was the beast''s most vulnerable moment, and yet it kept pursuing.


    then ren felt it, a different sensation in the tunnel. something moved behind them, something that had been attracted by the commotion.


    the strange sensation was silence; the worm''s digging was the only thing that could be heard.


    a sudden silence.


    the constant scraping of general excavation ceased, as if all creatures held their breath.


    all others had stopped to hide.


    the deep assassin emerged like a living shadow. its body arched with lethal precision, the proboscis extended like a nightmare lance. s§×arch* the n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    the strike was so fast ren barely saw it. the proboscis pierced the rock as if it were water, going through exactly above the worm.


    the beast froze almost instantly, its massive body paralyzed at the moment of impact.


    ren stopped, his heart beating so hard he feared the sound would give him away. the assassin was just meters away, its matte black body absorbing all light while beginning the feeding process.


    with infinitely slow movements, ren backed toward the vein.


    the assassin was completely focused on its prey; ren deduced that the worm had been fleeing, probably after detecting the predator''s presence after chasing ren a bit, but when it wanted to stop it was already too late.


    ren continued moving away with extreme slowness.


    each step away from the assassin seemed to last an eternity. the vein glowed tantalizingly close, but one sound, one careless movement...


    the sound of moving fluids filled the tunnel. the assassin had begun consuming its prey, its proboscis injecting enzymes that would liquefy the worm from inside.


    ren continued backing away, every muscle tense with the effort of maintaining absolute silence. the vein''s glow intensified with each step.


    just a little more...


    but he couldn''t move this slowly for so long.


    ren was drenched in cold sweat. the mana was so dense it was suffocating him. the tentacles were almost saturated; he had maybe ten minutes before the excess would overload him.


    he continued backing away but... the mana pressure became unbearable.


    ren tried to maintain concentration, but his senses began to cloud. with trembling fingers, he extracted the last tentacle, needing to release some of the overload.


    the slow movement, the pain, the concentration on the tentacle, and the fear of the killer made him distracted, too much, and his foot hit a loose stone.


    the sound, barely louder than a whisper, seemed to resound like thunder in the tunnel''s silence. the deep assassin turned instantly, its matte black body moving with unnatural fluidity.

 Chapter 87 - Taming the Depths - 4

    the slow movement, the pain, the concentration on the tentacle, and the fear of the assassin made ren distract too much, and his foot hit a loose stone.the sound, barely louder than a whisper, seemed to resound like thunder in the tunnel''s silence. the deep assassin turned instantly, its matte black body moving with unnatural fluidity.


    with no time to think, ren threw the tentacle.


    the improvised projectile flew straight toward one of the assassin''s legs, beginning to absorb mana at the moment of impact.


    the beast recoiled, more from surprise than damage.


    its senses, adapted to darkness and vibrations, hadn''t expected an aerial attack. the sensation of its energy being drained at a specific point made it focus on that area.


    ren didn''t waste a second.


    his hands were already knotting the thread while the assassin was distracted. a quick jump and his body hung far from the ground.


    the training with lin and his extra bit of strength gave him enough capacity to reach quite high.


    the thread began to turn slowly, the tension from the initial launch creating a circular movement. ren held his breath while the assassin searched for its attacker, its proboscis extended and ready.


    but ren kept slowly rotating...


    that''s when he saw it.


    the chamber opened about ten meters below, illuminated by the glow of a colossal crystal. the formation was both beautiful and terrifying, its facets reflecting mana light in a way that made it seem alive.


    in the center, a hollow, the vein itself. pure mana flowed in a silent geyser that fed the crystal''s growth. and there, on a ledge near the base...


    two eggs.


    the first wasn''t a surprise. a hunter bug, exactly one of the two he expected to find if he found anything.


    the egg had the characteristic pattern of its species, promise of a silent and lethal predator.


    but the second...


    ren had to contain an exclamation that would have been fatal. his eyes couldn''t be seeing correctly.


    it was impossible.


    the egg had the unmistakable design of a lesser carbon shark. what could one day evolve into a diamond hydra.


    knowledge flowed frantically while he rotated in silence, the assassin still searching below. diamond hydras were legendary silver rank 3 creatures, so rare in history that many doubted their existence.


    ''it makes no sense,'' he thought while the thread kept turning. hydras form much deeper than bugs or beetles, close to their dragon ''mothers'' in the depths.


    an egg like this shouldn''t be here, so high up in such a small vein.


    the probability of a hydra egg not hatching before reaching here was infinitesimal.


    unless...


    knowledge whispered a possibility.


    the core of an adult hydra, collected by the highest level of assassins, passed from one to another in their territorial battles. a core that was finally released when its last possessor reached golden or platinum rank, and somehow managed to ascend high enough to be reborn.


    but it was speculation...


    it was as if there was a void in the information, a mystery his mushrooms couldn''t decipher at this rank.


    what he did know was that he wanted it: a diamond hydra''s skill set in its early levels was exceptional.


    though primarily defensive, it didn''t lack offensive capabilities, and its versatility far surpassed that of a hunter bug or digger beetle.


    while slowly rotating on the thread, ren considered his options. if he sought speed and offensive power, the mirror mantis remained his best choice. but a hydra...


    even if he didn''t choose it as his first, it could be perfect as a second battle beast in the future.


    a movement in the chamber interrupted his thoughts.


    a creature emerged silently from a side opening. its body was elegant but alien: a long sinuous neck supported two heads that had jaws reminiscent of sharks.


    it moved on two powerful legs, and its scales... its scales were transparent, shining like living diamonds under the crystal''s light.


    knowledge couldn''t confirm its identity, but it was obvious, it had to be an evolved diamond hydra.


    its presence radiated gold rank power, which raised a disturbing question: how could a beast of that level survive in an environment with so little mana?


    the answer came immediately.


    the hydra approached the geyser, extending one of its heads directly into the flow of pure mana. it began absorbing energy directly from the source.


    the pieces started fitting together in ren''s mind.


    a silver rank hydra with a single head, must have been expelled from its territory. by luck or instinct, it found this vein.


    the constant flow of pure mana allowed it to survive and evolve, completing all silver ranks until reaching gold.


    the beast finished feeding and moved languidly toward the egg. its body coiled around it in a protective gesture, but its movements were slow, almost lethargic. despite the geyser, the vein was too small to keep it truly active at this superior rank.


    soon it would need to return to the depths but...


    as he watched the beast settle, ren understood something more: the cycle of hydras at higher ranks must be very different from deep assassins, worms, or beetles.


    that was his assumption seeing the protective behavior with the egg.


    it seemed that egg dynamics were more complex than he had expected.


    knowledge revealed more: the colored eggs containing the three known evolutionary line possibilities only formed when veins passed near the "mothers," the dragons of each evolutionary line dwelling much deeper below.


    that''s where brown eggs formed, for example, having bugs, beetles and moles as options.


    what arrived here was different.


    they were cores returning to the cycle thanks to the deep assassins.


    these creatures collected the complete cores of their prey, displaying them as trophies on their backs. as they evolved, they fought among themselves for these collections. but upon reaching gold or platinum rank, something changed, they discarded their trophies, casting them into the depths.


    most of these discarded cores were reborn as basic iron evolution in the lower levels only to be devoured again.


    but some managed to ascend, transformed by their journey through mana-saturated zones. that''s why most hunter bugs and digger beetles became living tunnels or deep assassins, the dense mana shaped them during their ascent. sear?h the n??efire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''that''s why there are so few young stages at this height,'' ren understood. those who managed to climb high enough had the chance to evolve along the way.


    it was a perpetual cycle: the assassins collected, fought, evolved, and finally released.


    the cores fell, were reborn, ascended or were hunted to try again. and occasionally, very occasionally, one reached high enough without evolving.


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    worms were slightly different.


    they weren''t born from eggs like other beasts. they emerged from the depths, fleeing from even deeper zones in the same way.


    those who managed to reach higher levels were the survivors of a deadly race from the abyss.


    it was a cycle generated by the mother worm, the devourer dragon of the depths... from its skin thousands of worms were constantly born, or so they said in his stories... his knowledge didn''t reach that far yet.


    but where worms had no parental care, nor beetles... where assassins began collecting cores from bronze rank, hydras clearly had different behaviors beyond gold rank.


    perhaps it was parental care that allowed them not to need to rise to high levels to evolve and made them so rare...


    but as these were behaviors of creatures not within his knowledge range...


    it was a missing piece of the puzzle, an aspect of the cycle that current knowledge couldn''t reveal. what did hydras do in their highest ranks? why would an egg be here, next to one of higher rank, when most beasts abandoned their eggs to the cycle?


    the deep assassin kept searching, and ren hung between two mysteries: the predator that couldn''t see him, and the hydra that defied everything he thought he knew about the beast egg cycle.


    with careful movements, ren extracted the flask with the potion zhao had given him.


    the green liquid glowed softly as he uncorked it. it was his last defense against mana overload.

 Chapter 88 - Taming the Depths - 5

    The Deep Assassin kept searching, and Ren hung between two dilemmas: the predator that couldn''t see him, and the hydra that defied everything he thought he knew about the beast egg cycle.With careful movements, Ren extracted the flask with the potion Zhao had given him.


    The green liquid glowed softly as he uncorked it. It was his last defense against mana overload.


    The taste was bitter and metallic, but the effect was immediate. The crushing pressure of mana receded, as if a window had been opened in a suffocating room.


    It wouldn''t last long, but it would have to be enough.


    The Deep Assassin finally lost interest in its search. Its sensors detected no more movement, and the paralyzed worm promised a feast it didn''t want to waste. The beast returned to its prey, its proboscis sinking back into the liquefied flesh.


    ''Now or never,'' thought Ren as he began descending the thread.


    He descended with extreme care and retrieved the stone that had betrayed him. He was now meters from the predator that had returned to the tunnel entrance...


    He would deal with that obstacle at the exit later.


    First he had to take advantage of his luck...


    It was a unique opportunity, a miracle of the cycle that wouldn''t repeat for centuries.


    Or so he thought. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The chamber opened below him, the massive crystal dominating the space with its pulsing light. The hydra dozed around the egg, apparently exhausted by the effort of existing at this depth.


    He still had to move with perfect caution. One sound, one sudden movement, and all would be lost. If the Assassin didn''t kill him, the hydra certainly would.


    Ren studied the crystalline formation more carefully. The enormous crystal formed a natural bowl, its facets creating levels and ledges that could serve for a safer approach.


    ''I don''t need to get all the way there,'' he thought while pulling out more weaver''s thread. ''I just need the right position.''


    The bowl''s edge offered a perfect spot. From there he could manipulate the thread without exposing himself too much to the geyser or the hydra.


    His fingers worked quickly preparing a knot while evaluating angles.


    The mantis core would also need pure mana. The solution was elegant: he could leave it suspended near the geyser, allowing the flow to saturate it naturally. In ten days it would have absorbed enough to begin its transformation.


    But for that to happen, he needed the hydra to stop feeding from the geyser''s mana.


    The hydra remained motionless, its two heads resting near the egg.


    ''Not really its child,'' he reflected while tying the mantis core to leave it suspended. The egg contained another hydra''s core, yes, but it was another that had somehow not completed the cycle and ascended here.


    It was more like an evolutionary sibling, part of the same line but not direct offspring.


    Ren liked to think it was a species with "parental care" but was it more like a strong siblinghood?


    Perhaps that''s why the hydra protected it, not from maternal instinct, but from lineage recognition. A siscon hydra? Ren shook his head at his own silly joke and continued working, perhaps nervousness was making him think foolish things...


    But the dilemma was clear, he needed the hydra to leave.


    And if the egg disappeared... what reason would it have to remain in this small, limiting vein?


    His feet touched a ledge. Pure mana flowed in the chamber, not at silver ring level but triple the normal at this depth. Even with the potion still in effect, Ren could feel the energy trying to saturate his system.


    The bug egg was closer. It would be easier to reach first, safer. But the hydra egg... the chance to understand such a rare evolutionary line...


    Ren took a step toward the ''better'' egg. The rock under his feet was strangely slippery, polished by years of exposure to pure mana. Each movement required total concentration, a slip here would be fatal.


    Another step. The hydra breathed deeply, its body moving in a slow but steady rhythm. Ren wondered how long it spent like this, conserving energy between feedings, trapped in this endless cycle of minimal survival.


    The egg was within reach of his thread now. Its surface gleamed with the same tone as its sister''s scales, as if already containing the promise of what it could become.


    A sound from above, the Assassin moving its prey. Ren froze, but the beast was just repositioning itself above the worm for better access.


    The potion still kept the mana at bay, but Ren could feel its effect beginning to diminish. Time was running out.


    The first throw had to be perfect. Ren breathed deeply. The knot swayed gently as he positioned it.


    The thread flew silently, settling right over the egg. With a soft but firm pull, the loop closed around his prize.


    Ren waited a moment.


    The hydra didn''t move.


    With infinite care, Ren began lifting the egg. Each centimeter was an eternity, the dead weight making the thread creak almost imperceptibly.


    When the egg was secure, Ren extracted the thread for a second throw.


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    Was it greedy? Maybe, but he wouldn''t waste an opportunity like this.


    The bug''s egg ended up in his hands a few seconds later.


    The core was left floating in the energy flow, immediately beginning to absorb pure mana when the hydra would leave. In 10 days¡­ maybe he could come in 11 or 12 as he didn''t know when the hydra would wake... With luck it would be ready then.


    The hydra moved slightly, one of its heads adjusting in sleep. Without the egg next to it, how long would it take to notice its absence?


    With nothing to protect, instinct would push it to seek areas with more mana, to reunite with others of its kind. This small vein would no longer have purpose for it.


    Ren carefully stored the second egg in his backpack too, now he had to get out of here.


    He began his careful ascent toward the cave entrance, toward the Assassin.


    The potion was losing effect, he needed to get out of here before mana saturated his system again.


    One last look at the magnificent creature. Part of him felt guilty for stealing something it had been protecting, but another part knew he might be doing it a favor.


    The hydra was too powerful a beast to be limited to this low-power existence.


    ''We''ll meet in the depths,'' he thought while beginning the final ascent. ''When we''re both stronger.''


    Ren extracted the small stone from his pocket, the same one that had revealed his presence before. The traitorous stone would now save him. The irony wasn''t lost on him as he calculated the throwing angle.


    ''Simple,'' he thought, feeling the eggs'' weight on his back. ''The Assassin investigates the noise, I run through the tunnel. With luck, its prey will keep it close and it won''t follow me for long.''


    But a voice in his head whispered that he should have left the second egg.


    Fifteen minutes of potion wasn''t much time to ascend three hundred meters, especially if he had to move stealthily.


    An encounter with any beast would be disastrous.


    ''Too late for doubts,'' he told himself while tensing his arm. The Assassin remained focused on its feast, its proboscis buried deeply in the worm.


    The stone flew in a perfect arc... until it hit a ledge Ren hadn''t noticed.


    The impact sound was like thunder in the silence. Instantly, the Assassin launched toward it and Ren advanced to the entrance still silently, he had to let the Assassin move a bit further until...


    The stone bounced, its trajectory altered sending it directly toward the crystalline chamber.


    Ren watched in horror as the traitor stone rolled down the bowl, the sound amplified by the crystalline formation. Each bounce was louder than the previous one, creating a cascade of echoes that filled the tunnel.


    The Assassin turned instantly toward the noise and froze for a moment.


    The hydra awoke.

 Chapter 89 - Taming the Ascent

    Ren watched in horror as the traitorous rock rolled down the bowl, the sound amplified by the crystalline formation. Each bounce was louder than the previous one, creating a cascade of echoes that filled the tunnel.The Assassin turned instantly toward the noise and froze for a moment.


    The hydra awoke.


    Its two heads rose in perfect synchronization, transparent scales gleaming as it uncoiled. For a moment it seemed confused, as if not understanding what had awakened it.


    Then it noticed the egg''s absence.


    The roar that followed made the Assassin instinctively back away. The hydra rose completely, its two heads moving in search patterns while the crystallized mana in its scales began pulsing with contained power.


    ''Run,'' Ren''s mind screamed. ''RUN.''


    ????


    The hydra turned both heads directly toward Ren, its eyes glowing as it recognized him as the egg thief.


    This was no longer a stealthy escape... the beast had seen him.


    Stealth no longer mattered.


    Ren ran like never before, each step resonating in the tunnels while the hydra''s roar made the walls tremble.


    Knowledge flowed: silver rank 3 hydras could shoot power rays, concentrated beams of light. This one, at gold rank, probably had even more lethal capabilities, but knowledge didn''t reach that far.


    A strong vibration shook the tunnels.


    The hydra had begun moving, its massive body crushing rock while following its prey.


    Fortunately it wasn''t shooting, it needed to conserve energy. With its feeding from that small vein, each use of power meant minutes of recovery.


    ''Thirty minutes,'' Ren calculated while running. ''It will need to feed after thirty minutes of intense activity with so little mana.''


    The first obstacle appeared: the natural bridge he had crossed before. The structure trembled with each impact of the hydra digging behind.


    Ren didn''t even hesitate, he used the momentum from running to jump and grabbed the thread, the eggs bouncing on his back as he landed on the other side.


    A group of deep worms emerged from a side tunnel, their massive bodies momentarily blocking the path. At the hydra''s next roar, the beasts writhed in panic harder and fled in the opposite direction, crushing each other in their rush to escape.


    The deep Assassin passed by him like a shadow, but didn''t even stop to look at him. The beast ran on pure survival instinct, its prey forgotten before a much greater threat.


    Behind, the sound of rock being pulverized echoed in the tunnels. The hydra wasn''t bothering to follow the passages, it was creating its own direct path toward Ren.


    Ren ran down the now cleared path, following his steps.


    The potion''s effects were beginning to fade and Ren could feel energy accumulating in his system. His legs burned with the effort of climbing, each step heavier than the last.


    The Living Tunnel he had seen earlier now blocked the path, its body occupying the entire gallery. Ren stopped abruptly, trapped between the beetle and the approaching hydra.


    Ren wanted to scream in frustration, but it would be dangerous if the beetle confused him with a bug for a moment and stomped on him so he had to position himself and strike hard with his feet in a unique rhythm of the living tunnel species that suggests danger.


    But Ren was light so the vibration didn''t convey enough urgency.


    The beast turned slowly.


    The sound of pulverized rock approached. One of the hydra''s heads appeared in the tunnel, its scales gleaming threateningly.


    The beetle finally sensed the danger and began turning quickly.


    But it was too late, the hydra was too close.


    Ren could see mana concentrating in its throat, it was considering using a ray.


    The Living Tunnel moved faster to back away, creating a small opening. Ren lunged for the space, but his foot slipped.


    He fell to his knees just as the hydra fired.


    The ray passed over his head, impacting the Living Tunnel. The beast collapsed split in two, its shell smoking. The hydra paused for a moment, its breathing heavier, that attack had cost valuable energy.


    Maybe it had lost about 10 minutes of energy.


    Ren crawled to the other side of the tunnel through the small gap, then got up and continued running. The hydra roared in frustration but didn''t fire again. Instead, it approached the fallen Living Tunnel and began devouring it, recovering some of the spent energy.


    Each head could consume one of the huge beetle halves in an instant.


    ''Damn that will give it about 5 more minutes of energy... It could do that all the way up,'' Ren thought. ''Consuming beasts to maintain the pursuit.''


    At 275 meters. The air was more breathable but the mana was still dense.


    Another group of worms emerged from a side tunnel. The beasts froze upon sensing Ren, but the sound of the approaching hydra sent them into panic.


    Ren was trapped in the middle of the fleeing worms. Their massive bodies pushed him against the walls while they writhed desperately.


    The hydra''s roar resonated closer.


    In desperation, Ren pushed between two worms, the space so tight he felt crushed. Just as he emerged from the other side, he saw the hydra catch one of the lagging worms.


    One of the heads caught it with lethal precision, its jaws tearing flesh. But the other head kept the body moving while the first ate, its eyes never stopped following Ren.


    At 250 meters, the tunnel narrowed. Ren could feel mana saturating his system, the potion was losing effect. His legs trembled from the effort while he crawled through a narrow passage.


    A section of the tunnel had partially collapsed, probably from the hydra''s vibrations.


    Ren crawled through the debris.


    Behind, the sound of destruction approached.


    A deep Assassin appeared before Ren in the narrow tunnel. The beast hesitated, caught between its hunting instinct and its fleeing instinct.


    The narrow cave entrance vibrated intensely. Ren worried about another collapse. But he was lucky.


    The Assassin completely forgot about Ren and decided to flee.


    Ren crawled to the cave''s exit while the hydra dug behind. His lungs burned. Mana saturated his body now that the potion no longer had effect. Each meter was a battle against exhaustion and energy overload. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren finally emerged from the tunnel at 200 meters.


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    A worm colony panicked upon feeling the vibrations, their bodies filling the tunnel in a chaotic mass. Ren had to jump over them, his feet finding small spaces between the writhing bodies.


    Behind the hydra finally broke through the wall.


    The beast was panting now, the chase''s effort beginning to take its toll.


    Ren took advantage to gain ground.


    He knew this area, turned and climbed up a not-so-light slope that led to the conventional cave entrance.


    150 meters. The first guard checkpoint.


    The air was lighter now but his legs felt like lead. The backpack on his back seemed to weigh a ton. His hidden tunnel offered an alternative route, so he wouldn''t have to explain...


    ''No,'' Ren thought while continuing to climb. No time for detours. The hydra was getting closer and closer.


    The checkpoint appeared before Ren, the mana lamps'' light shining through the entrance. Three guards moved hurriedly, alerted by the vibrations shaking the tunnels.


    "Halt!" one shouted when he saw Ren climbing the slope. "What the hell...?"


    "It''s the lucky mushroom boy!" another guard recognized him, his expression transforming from surprise to anger. "Why were you prowling in the lower levels. This time you really...!"


    The wall behind Ren exploded.


    The hydra emerged from the dust like a nightmare made real, its two heads covered in blood from the beasts it had devoured along the way.

 Chapter 90 - Taming the Blockade

    "Halt!" one shouted when he saw Ren climbing the slope. "What the hell...?""It''s the lucky mushroom boy!" another guard recognized him, his expression transforming from surprise to anger. "Why were you prowling in the lower levels. This time you really...!"


    The wall behind Ren exploded.


    The hydra emerged from the dust like a nightmare made real, its two heads covered in blood from the beasts it had devoured along the way.


    One last effort. One final sprint.


    Ren had finished climbing the slope, having gained ground on the beast despite his exhaustion as the beast wasn''t in much better condition than him.


    "Run! It''s a gold rank hydra!" Ren''s voice cracked with desperation and fatigue.


    The guards exchanged skeptical looks.


    At this level, barely 150 meters deep, the idea of a gold rank beast was as absurd as finding a dragon sunbathing in the academy garden.


    "Impossible," whispered the supervisor, his expression changing from disbelief to horrified recognition. "A diamond hydra. But they live more than a thousand meters deep..."


    The guards barely had time to process his words when the supervisor grabbed his arm, his ice penguin partially manifesting.


    The hydra roared, the sound making the mana lamps crack. One of its heads turned toward the guards while the other kept its gaze fixed on Ren.


    The other two guards instinctively backed away. Their beasts, an earth bear and a rock mongoose fully manifested. Both beasts were bronze rank 2, their power significant in normal circumstances but dwarfed by the terror before them.


    "Block the entrance!" ordered the supervisor while pulling Ren backward. His voice carried the authority of someone used to commanding in crisis situations. "We need to evacuate!"


    Knowledge flowed while Ren observed the guards'' beasts. Earth and rock control... The supervisor''s ice penguin, silver 2, was also a beast with ranged control capability.


    ''Maybe they''re prepared for dead abyss beasts, to contain hordes,'' Ren understood.


    The placement of the checkpoint, the specific combination of beasts, it wasn''t random.


    They''re designed for the very unlikely case of a horde; hordes only come from the dead abyss but loose monsters from the hordes are rarely found in the caves too... that''s why they fear hordes in the caves.


    ''But they must only be here to buy time while reinforcements arrive if dead abyss'' beasts ever filter into the caves. To block the path.''


    "Wait!" Ren resisted when the supervisor tried to drag him further back, an idea crystallizing in his mind. "Don''t take me yet! Your ice, you can use it to slow it down!"


    "What?"


    "The slope!" Ren pointed to the ascending tunnel while the other guards began controlling earth and rock barriers. "If you freeze the climb it''ll be harder for it to scale!"


    The supervisor hesitated only for an instant. "Hydras shoot light rays don''t be an idiot and come...!"


    "Look!" Ren pointed. "Its movements are slower. It only has about ten minutes of energy left at this height, it won''t waste power on rays!"


    The supervisor evaluated the suggestion in an instant. His penguin fully manifested, beginning to cover the steep climb with a thick layer of ice.


    "More ice!" shouted Ren. "It needs to be thick enough!"


    The ice layer grew as they ascended, becoming thicker with each breath from the penguin.


    "Now!" he ordered his subordinates. "Block the entrance!"


    The earth bear and rock mongoose created layered barriers, compacted earth reinforced with rock formations.


    The sound of rock being pulverized approached. The hydra was breaking up the slope a bit to get better footing.


    It roared again, but the sound was weaker. Without access to new prey, each movement brought it closer to exhaustion.


    The hydra hit the blockade but couldn''t break it, its strength no longer the same.


    "It won''t cross!" Ren shouted over the noise. "Without prey to feed on, each movement weakens it more!"


    Another hit, weaker than the previous one. The hydra was losing strength.


    "It''s giving up," murmured one of the guards while the impacts grew progressively feebler, hope creeping into his voice.


    Silence fell suddenly. The guards exchanged cautious looks.


    "Did it leave?" asked the one with the mongoose.


    Ren felt something was wrong, it was too soon for the hydra to abandon its pursuit after investing so much energy. Knowledge screamed a warning in his mind, calculating that it should still have enough power for one last...


    "GET DOWN!" he shouted, already diving for the ground.


    The power ray pierced the barriers as if they were paper, passing over their heads and leaving a trail of molten rock on the ceiling. The barrier had failed.


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    "Damn we''re dead!"


    After that, only silence reigned.


    "No... It''s over," said Ren as they slowly stood. "That ray used the last of its energy. It needs to return to its vein now."


    The echoes of the hydra''s slow departing steps confirmed his words. The beast was descending, deeper and deeper, where the increase in mana or eating other beasts would keep it alive.


    The supervisor turned to Ren, his expression a mixture of relief and suspicion. "You have a lot to explain, boy."


    But Ren had fainted, his mouth foaming and his veins glowing, unmistakable sign of mana poisoning. The mushrooms in his hair flickered weakly, barely processing the dense ambient energy.


    "Damn!" the supervisor caught Ren''s limp form before it hit the ground, noting the dangerous heat radiating from his small body. "We need to get him out of here and give him medicine fast!"


    "Peter!" he pointed to the mongoose guard. "Stay on watch!"


    "What? Why me?" Peter looked nervously toward the tunnel where the hydra had disappeared, his mongoose hugging his legs. "What if the hydra..."


    "The hydra is already going to the depths!" the supervisor was already running toward the exit with Ren in his arms. "Shut up and watch!"


    "But... but..." Marco hugged his manifested mongoose tighter, both guard and beast trembling slightly.


    "We''ll be back soon!" shouted the supervisor while disappearing up the upper tunnel with the bear guard.


    "That doesn''t make me feel better!" Marco shouted into the empty tunnel, his voice echoing mockingly back at him.


    The mongoose made a sound that suspiciously resembled laughter.


    "Don''t pretend, you don''t want to be here either!" Marcus accused his beast, which tried to look dignified despite its obvious nervousness.


    A distant echo made them both jump.


    "See? Even you''re nervous!" Marco pressed against the wall. "Though if anyone asks, we''ll say we maintained a stoic and brave watch." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A new echo made them both jump and hug each other.


    "But that doesn''t mean we have to be in the middle of the tunnel! We can watch perfectly fine from behind that rock!"

 Chapter 91 - Tamer Spies

    A girl watched from the shadows in the tree, her presence almost imperceptible among the leaves. She had been following Ren since early morning, this time more out of obligation than real interest.Though she was already worrying about the start of classes.


    Initially, she had considered following him into the mines.


    After all, the headmaster''s recent interest in the supposedly weakest student had piqued her already high curiosity too. But she had dismissed the impulse, reasoning that Ren was likely just another poor student desperate to recover his family''s investment.


    ''Another case of economic desperation,'' she had thought upon seeing him enter the mines. It wasn''t unusual, many low-resource students spent extra hours digging, trying to recover something.


    ''The headmaster must be overreacting,'' she had thought, settling into her observation post. ''What could possibly be special about a boy with a mere spore?''


    Yet something about him nagged at her mind.


    The way he moved through the mines wasn''t like other desperate students. He showed none of the random searching, the trial and error that characterized novice miners. His movements had purpose, precision.


    Or so she had seen during their time as classmates, and it was very strange.


    The hours passed without incident. The girl almost considered leaving, her time could be better spent on other tasks. But something kept her at her post. Perhaps that strange confidence he seemed to have despite his apparent weakness.


    She used the time to study. Occasionally, her eyes would drift to the mine entrance, but nothing seemed amiss.


    The chaos began without warning. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Two guards emerged running from the entrance, carrying the boy''s unconscious body. His veins glowed with a sickly radiance, and a line of foam ran from the corner of his lips.


    "Halt!" the entrance guard intercepted them. "Inspection protocol! All obtained materials must be..."


    "Mana poisoning!" shouted one of the guards carrying Ren. "Critical level!"


    The entrance guard paled and stepped aside. "You can... you can report what was found when he wakes up."


    The girl straightened on her branch.


    The academy carefully regulated access to deeper areas, and the guards were vigilant at the entrances, keeping students above the 100-meter mark.


    ''Did he fall like 200 meters from a secret tunnel?'' she wondered, her mind racing through possibilities. ''Some forgotten passage to the depths? Or is he simply that pathetic, getting poisoned at levels everyone can tolerate?''


    But that didn''t fit with what she had observed of him. Despite his weak beast, Ren had shown surprising competence in other areas. His victory over Kai hadn''t been luck, nor the illusions with the crystals, he had demonstrated knowledge that even senior students would envy.


    ''250 meters?'' she calculated while watching them take the boy to the infirmary. ''No, even deeper to cause that level of saturation.''


    But that was impossible. No first-year student, much less one with a spore, could survive at those depths. The beasts would kill them in minutes... Seconds with bad luck.


    The mushroom boy was proving to be a most fascinating puzzle.


    Her lips curved in a slight smile as she watched more guards arriving at the mine entrance. Whatever had happened below, she intended to find out. After all, anyone who could survive what had so clearly terrified the guards was worth watching very carefully indeed.


    She slid a small notebook from her sleeve and began taking notes. Professor Zhao might indeed have seen something that others overlooked.


    ????


    At 350 meters beneath the academy, a solitary figure ascended through the tunnels.


    The golden hippogriff pulsed beneath his skin as he extracted another potion from his bag.


    Months of mapping between silver and gold rank depths... some days much deeper, had depleted his reserves, but he still had enough to keep the concentrated mana''s effects at bay.


    The liquid was bitter, but the relief was instant. His silver rank 2 abyssal scorpion briefly manifested its claws, adjusting to the renewed energy flow.


    A movement in the shadows.


    A deep Assassin emerged from a corner, probably attracted by the man''s noisy steps.


    The beast had perfectly hidden its presence, but...


    The hippogriff manifested its front claws through its tamer''s arms, and the beast didn''t even have time to extend its proboscis before being torn apart.


    ''Pathetic,'' he thought while continuing his ascent. These beasts were nothing compared to what he had faced in the depths.


    His employer had asked for a hydra core for his daughter. "Any hydra," he had said, as if they were so easy to find.


    If he could turn it into an egg he would multiply his payment by 10, but according to his employer''s family secret technique he needed a mana vein and a hydra alongside the core to transform it back.


    The records were ancient, most destroyed during the last war. No one, not even from Yano had ventured so deep in this area in decades.


    Honestly, he wouldn''t have survived the worst encounters either...


    But everything had changed since Yino discovered how to contract abyssals.


    Having two beasts was an advantage that the war against Yano couldn''t ignore for long. Once the plan was complete, once the abyssal scorpions were his squad''s second beast...


    His hand instinctively touched the bag where he kept the cores.


    Dozens of them, each containing the potential of an abyssal scorpion. Unlike hydras, these abyss beasts could be revived with the new secret technique and didn''t need a vein and the mother creature.


    But he had delayed too long searching for hydras.


    He thought it would be easier to search for an egg directly, but...


    Weeks of searching in the gold ring had been a waste of time, none had eggs.


    They weren''t easy opponents either. But still he had to descend from those 1000 meters... 1000 meters more.


    The 2000 meters had been hell. The platinum hydras were territorial and ruthless. And they weren''t the only beasts, the superior Assassins were a nightmare. He had almost died three times before deciding to risk everything.


    Three thousand meters. The diamond ring.


    His potions barely kept him conscious at that depth and fighting was impossible, his whole life depending on stealth. The hippogriff and scorpion suffered from mana excess, but he had no choice.


    Luck finally smiled on him as he quickly found an 8-headed diamond hydra guarding eggs. The beast was monstrously powerful, but also predictable in its sleep routine.


    One moment of carelessness was all he needed to steal one.


    Or so he thought but one head saw him...


    The escape had been frantic. He had to hide in many places. Spent almost all his high-level potions staying alive while ascending. And in the end he had to return the egg.

 Chapter 92 - Taming Investigation

    Luck finally smiled upon him as he quickly found an 8-headed diamond hydra guarding eggs. The beast was monstrously powerful, but also predictable in its sleep routine.One moment of carelessness was all he needed to steal one.


    Or so he thought but one head saw him...


    The escape had been frantic. He had to hide in countless crevices and abandoned tunnels. He spent almost all his high-level potions just staying alive while ascending.


    And in the end...


    He had to return the egg.


    When he finally escaped and was returning to the surface defeated, having endured insane temperatures that only thanks to his gold beast he could withstand and that could be called torture, his body still ached with the memory of that heat.


    Having suffered the constant stalking of powerful beasts...


    Luck finally smiled upon him. This time for real.


    He found that small vein at 350 meters, perfect for his purposes.


    He couldn''t believe it, below he had found three others, as they were more common the further down, but all were guarded by beasts leagues above their real depth rank, impossible for him to defeat; he was sure not even the ridiculous Platinum King of Yano could defeat them.


    Small mana vein outlets were extremely rare at that height, but there it was.


    So¡­ he returned to the depth of 1000 meters for 2 silver rank hydras, difficult to find without golden rank company.


    But much easier to find and defeat than stealing the egg... If he had known there would be a vein, he would have done this from the beginning.


    He eliminated the first to obtain its core and weakened the second.


    Worthy opponents even one rank below him, but manageable thanks to him being a double tamer.


    It was easy to drag the weakened one with his griffon to feed from the vein, and to keep it guarding and molding the core until it became an egg while he obtained more scorpion cores.


    Everything had been meticulously calculated.


    The core would need weeks to recover enough energy to become an egg next to the hydra. The hydra would guard until he returned with the rest of the cores.


    Taking it would be easy when it had low energy, even if it had reached gold rank.


    But now...


    The next stretch of tunnel showed signs of recent activity. Fused worms and Living Tunnels had been excavating new routes, expanding territory.


    But something wasn''t right.


    The excavation patterns were erratic, as if the beasts had been fleeing. Claw marks and pulverized rock told a story of panic and hasty escape.


    His steps accelerated.


    ''No,'' he thought while running. ''It''s too soon.''


    His calculations had been precise. The silver hydra should barely have reached gold. The egg should have barely formed, it couldn''t have hatched.


    Worry grew when he found the first signs of massive destruction. Demolished walls, collapsed tunnels, traces of energy discharged against rock.


    Beast bodies lay scattered, some partially consumed. The hydra had been hunting, spending energy it shouldn''t have.


    Someone had interfered.


    Someone had provoked the hydra to spend energy it shouldn''t have in a chase toward the surface.


    After observing them for so long, attempting the same thing, he knew there could only be one reason...


    Someone had stolen the egg.


    When he reached the geyser chamber, he stopped dead.


    Empty.


    The massive crystal was still there, pulsing with pure mana. But there was no sign of the hydra or the egg. He hated being right this time.


    ''Impossible,'' the hippogriff''s wings manifested, reflecting their tamer''s fury while examining the empty chamber. So much effort, so many resources spent, so many risks taken...


    All ruined because some idiot had stumbled upon his experiment before time.


    Who would have thought the mana vein would be so close to an exterior entrance...


    But there was no point in being angry.


    Fury was replaced by cold determination. He would find the responsible party. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And when he did...


    The scorpion manifested its plates while he began the ascent. The work his King in Yino had given him was too important to allow interference. His princess would obtain that hydra, and the cores must reach their destination.


    Yano must not suspect anything until it was too late.


    But at least he could go out for a while to take in the sunlight and recover his egg¡­ Stealthy.


    ????


    The girl in the tree decided to investigate.


    The entrance guard didn''t even notice her pass. Shadows were her natural allies, though not in the way many would assume.


    As always, her beast could transport her to any point in her line of sight, a gift far more versatile than most beasts, though she wasn''t the only one who could do it.


    Her two cousins in class could too, how funny it had been that it ended up like this for all three...


    ''So much effort to keep ourselves hidden,'' she thought while descending through the first levels. Her group had carefully dispersed throughout the classroom, mixing with normal students, subtly exchanging handmaidens when forming teams.


    And yet...


    A sigh escaped her lips. All that precaution had been useless when the enemy kingdom''s eyes had so easily identified 4 of their 6 main targets in 1 classroom.


    Though without doubt Klein''s group were idiots bad at hiding it...


    The last 2 of them would probably be discovered soon too, at this rate.


    The mines'' upper level was practically deserted. Students had exhausted the accessible veins.


    The few students who usually dug weren''t here this early. The mushroom boy had caused quite a stir, but she wouldn''t hear gossip because there was almost no one, unfortunately...


    At one hundred meters, nothing changed. The mana wasn''t bothering her yet either.


    Her beast, though technically iron rank, was an exceptional specimen. The type that only the most privileged families could afford.


    At 150 meters, she found the first signs of something extraordinary.


    The descent tunnel had been blocked but the barrier showed signs of a devastating impact, rock melted and crystallized. A beam attack, it seemed from a high-rank beast.


    A guard hidden behind the rocks, quite frightened.


    The slope was frozen, she had to look through the gap and appear far away so he wouldn''t see her, though he really wasn''t paying much attention, the guard was more occupied trembling and hugging his beast with unintelligible murmurs.


    Had Ren really gone down so far?


    ''How could someone with a spore survive that?'' she wondered while silently advancing.


    She thought it would just be another case of juvenile stupidity but maybe this hadn''t had anything to do with him.

 Chapter 93 - Taming Investigation - 2

    Had Ren really gone down so far?''How could someone with a spore survive that?'' she wondered while silently advancing.


    She thought it would just be another case of juvenile stupidity but maybe this hadn''t had anything to do with him.


    The destruction became more evident as she descended.


    At 250 meters, the mana grew denser. Her beast was superior to most in its rank, but even it had limits. She could already feel the pressure building, and the fused worms at this depth were truly massive, their segmented bodies casting grotesque shadows in the dim yellow light.


    The tunnels here were wider, the work of greater worms and Living Tunnels.


    But it seemed the enormous beasts had hastily abandoned their galleries, half-built structures telling the story of a panicked flight. Something had scared even these territorial creatures from their domains.


    One suddenly emerged from a hole and nearly crushed her against a wall, forcing her to perform two consecutive blinks to evade its segmented body. The effort made her stop to catch her breath behind a rock formation, the mana pressing against her senses like a physical weight.


    When she was given her mission, she hadn''t expected to do this kind of thing...


    The worst part was that no one would know.


    No one except her handmaidens, of course.


    The thought almost made her smile, the girls everyone believed were simple noble followers were much more than they appeared, cousins and handmaidens.


    Three handmaidens for the three cousins, playing their parts perfectly in two teams... How had they already found the classroom, class, and school they were in? Was there a skilled spy in the school?


    Though the constant exchange of groups, pretending not to know each other... It was an entertaining game of actresses and also served as study for their future lives in high noble positions.


    Learning to act and be a spy was part of why she was here, after all, watching her cousin was her original mission.


    Though lately the headmaster, the only adult who knew the truth, seemed more interested in knowing about the mushroom boy than her cousin and the king''s daughter.


    It was fine. She wouldn''t have been able to fulfill the real mission anyway. She loved her cousins, besides...


    Her cousins had always been observant, even when pretending not to be. The mission would have failed.


    So the mission to watch Ren was better, she could take it more seriously and didn''t have to lie in the reports. But this no longer had anything to do with Ren either...


    ''How could he have reached so far down with just a spore? Impossible, this couldn''t have been his doing... My objectives seem to change too quickly. But I have to find out what happened here.''


    At 275 meters she found the first signs of deep Assassins, proboscis marks on the walls and remains of consumed prey. But something had driven them away. The territorial beasts had abandoned their usual hunting grounds.


    At 300 meters, the trail of destruction reached its climax.


    The mana was a bit denser now. Each blink required more concentration, and the rest periods between each use grew longer.


    A deep Assassin emerged from a corner, its proboscis extended.


    She remained completely still. Deep Assassins didn''t hunt by sight. They depended on detecting vibrations, and right now she wasn''t generating any.


    The Assassin moved slowly, its sensors sweeping the area.


    Her previous steps must have alerted it.


    When the beast came too close, she panicked, took a step back and used her ability, appearing several meters beyond. The Assassin advanced to the location of the last step and stopped, confused.


    Its prey''s vibrations had completely disappeared.


    The beast began moving in a search pattern, its sensors working methodically. She waited, studying its behavior.


    The Assassin approached again. This time, when she transported, she did it behind a rock formation she had been studying but it wasn''t perfect. The sound of her landing was muffled, but not far enough, the assassin felt it, she needed a more distant target to lose it.


    The beast turned instantly toward the new vibration, its proboscis cutting through the air where she had been a second before. Her next blink took her to a larger tunnel and she ran.


    The Assassin pursued her, guided by her footsteps'' vibrations.


    The signs of destruction were more evident here, pulverized walls and marks of recent combat.


    The Assassin kept chasing her, but something made it stop. Its sensors detected something else, something that made the beast instinctively back away.


    A roar shook the tunnels.


    The girl, not having to worry about the assassin now and confident in her skills, peered cautiously around a corner.


    A hydra, its two heads covered in recent wounds.


    Her mother had told her about them, but two heads meant gold rank, what was it doing so high up?


    Normal hydras only had one head and lived at around 1000 meters underground in the zone beneath the school, that was all that appeared in modern records.


    Information about multi-headed ones were relics of an earlier age, mentioned in texts so ancient that no one in Yano had bothered to verify.


    Her uncles or her father could have done it.


    Her father definitely had the power to obtain a hydra egg. But their interests had led them down other paths, to beasts they considered "better."


    No one had wanted the hard task, or risk their life if even a little, in an expedition beyond 2000 or 3000 meters of depth just for the possibility of finding a hydra egg.


    Its scales, beautiful as diamonds, gleamed weakly while it faced a figure she hadn''t noticed before.


    The man, if it was a man, had two beasts.


    The hydra attacked with one of its heads while the other tried to charge a ray. The man blocked the attack with his claws, the impact making the rock beneath his feet crack.


    She remained hidden, observing.


    The hydra was weakened, its movements slower than they should be, and the ray in its second head barely managed to form sparks.


    The man, on the other hand, seemed furious.


    "Where is it, idiot?" his voice resonated in the chamber. "How did you let them steal the egg? Now you''ll be my new egg, a plan B!"


    The hydra responded with another attack, but it was obvious it was rapidly losing strength. The man dodged and counterattacked with a brutal combination of his two beasts.


    Then, the golden hippogriff manifested completely outside his body, its 5-meter form filling the chamber.


    The abyssal scorpion remained fused with him, its influence evident, the mutations it caused different from anything she had seen in Yano.


    ''Yino,'' she thought while observing the mutation patterns. ''Father told me that only they have perfected fusion with abyssal beasts. He''s like those from the attack with Professor Zhao.''


    S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 94 - Taming Investigation - 3

    The golden hippogriff manifested completely outside his body, its 5-meter form filling the chamber.The abyssal scorpion remained fused with him, its influence evident in the way his body had transformed. The mutations it caused were different from anything she had seen in Yano.


    They weren''t subtle and stylized like their kingdom''s methods, these were more bestial, as if he was becoming the beast rather than merely controlling its power.


    ''Yino,'' she thought while observing the mutation patterns. ''Father told me that only they have perfected fusion with abyssal beasts. He''s like those from the attack with Professor Zhao.''


    The hippogriff launched forward with impossible speed, its massive form moving with a grace that defied its size. The hydra tried to defend itself, but its movements were already too slow.


    In an instant of perfect violence, the griffon''s claws cut cleanly through one of the hydra''s diamond necks.


    The girl held her breath, watching in horrified fascination. A hydra''s scales were legendary for their hardness, said to be impenetrable by normal weapons. That this man''s beast could slice through them so easily...


    The head fell with a dull thud while blood fountained from the severed neck. The hydra roared with its remaining head, a sound of agony and fury that echoed through the chamber.


    ''It will die soon,'' the girl realized.


    ''What a waste,'' she thought while watching the magnificent beast stagger. She herself had been lucky, her own beast was "superior" by current standards. But seeing this understudied creature, its beautiful gleam even in its moment of defeat...


    It was time to leave. She had enough information.


    If the man was strong enough to kill a two-headed hydra...


    The girl began her own ascent, processing what she had witnessed. The headmaster needed to know about this. The presence of someone from Yino with beasts of that level, the hydra, the mentioned egg...


    In her last glance at the scene, she saw something that made her blood freeze. The man had slightly turned his head, his eyes focusing for an instant on the spot where she had been observing.


    She began blinking backward, using her ability to move between visual anchor points. One blink, then another, each taking her further from the battle.


    Her heart pounding. He had noticed her, perhaps not clearly, but he had sensed her presence.


    ????


    The light filtering through the infirmary window made Ren blink.


    His head throbbed, but the effect of the potion they had given him was making the pain fade gradually.


    "Finally!" Taro almost jumped from his chair. "Are you okay? I thought you had died!"


    "What...?" Ren tried to sit up, but the world spun momentarily.


    "Stay still!" Taro gently pushed him back to the bed. "The nurse said mana poisoning is no joke. What were you thinking?"


    "Why are you here, the classes...?"


    "Did your brain melt? Wei isn''t at school today, remember?" Taro resettled in his chair. "And Lin left me here to wait for you to wake up and wait for punishment too... when she found out I helped you escape training."


    "Lin already knows about...?"


    "Oh, yes," Taro grimaced. "I confessed everything when she started threatening to triple my training and fail me in the battle unit. We were on our way when we saw you being carried out of the cave by the guards. But by then they were already bringing you to the infirmary."


    Ren closed his eyes, processing the information. "How angry is she?"


    "Let''s say when you return to training, you''ll wish you had died from poisoning."


    "Fantastic¡­"


    "And speaking of that..." Taro leaned forward, "what the hell happened down there? The guards seemed really shaken up."


    "It''s... complicated."


    "Complicated?" Taro raised an eyebrow. "Ren, you were foaming at the mouth. Your veins were glowing brighter than your mushrooms. They CARRIED you RUNNING to the infirmary."


    "I need a favor."


    "Oh no," Taro crossed his arms. "You''re not changing the subject that easily."


    "It''s important and urgent," Ren tried to sit up again, this time more slowly. "I need one of the processed crystals from my room. For today''s cultivation before Lin returns and I lose the whole day suffering." sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Taro looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "You''re joking, right?"


    "No, I''m serious."


    "You just woke up from mana poisoning!"


    "Exactly," Ren lowered his voice. "My body is more receptive now that the potion just finished its effect. It''s the perfect moment."


    "The perfect moment to do what? Die?"


    "Don''t be dramatic."


    "Dramatic?" Taro stood up, his beetle briefly manifesting from agitation. "You almost died!"


    "Shhh," Ren looked to one side. "The nurse will throw you out if you shout."


    "Good! Maybe she should throw your brains out too, since you''re clearly not using them!"


    "Taro..."


    "No," his friend shook his head. "I''m not going to help you kill yourself. I''ve had enough with lying to Lin. Do you know how terrifying she is when she''s angry?"


    "I do know¡­ I''ll owe you one."


    "You owe me like fifty!"


    "And I''ll take you to gold rank," Ren smiled weakly. "Please."


    Taro stared at him for a long moment, then looked aside feigning disinterest. "I don''t believe you... but fine. If you die, I get your stuff."


    "Deal."


    "And what you have in the bank."


    "Now you''re abusing."


    Taro sighed dramatically. "Fine. What do you need?"


    "The usual processed crystal," Ren lay back down. "And... one more thing."


    "What?"


    Ren smiled mysteriously.


    ????


    "A hydra?" Lin frowned while the guard finished his story. "Are you sure?"


    "Completely," the supervisor nodded. "Two heads, transparent scales. I''ve never seen anything like it... and for it to be so close to the surface..."


    "And you say it was chasing Ren specifically?"


    "Followed him until it had to return from lack of energy. The boy must have really bad luck for a beast of that level to waste so much energy in a place without mana in a chase... Or maybe it was good luck because he survived¡­"


    "...He even got us out of the initial surprise and suggested how to stop it. An interesting kid, shame about his beast, I guess he does have very bad luck... without doubt."


    Lin processed the information. Something didn''t add up. Ren wasn''t weak, but his beast was, even with all his training. How could he have found a hydra, how deep had he gone? And if that was the case... How had he survived so long at that depth?


    "Thank you for your time," she turned to leave, when something caught her attention.


    A presence in one of the nearby trees. This wasn''t the kind of concealment a normal student would use, there was something... semi-professional about it.


    Lin took off running to the guard''s surprise.

 Chapter 95 - Tamer Relay

    The presence vanished suddenly, as if it had never been there.Except Lin knew that sensation. Her crane partially manifested its wings and slightly elongated her legs while following the trail, her beast''s enhanced perception tracking the faintest disturbances in the air.


    A flash of movement to her right, someone appeared for an instant before vanishing again.


    "Interesting," Lin murmured. The jumps were becoming more abrupt now, almost clumsy in their haste. Whoever it was, they were more concerned with speed than subtlety.


    Another flash, this time to her left. Lin adjusted her course, her crane helping her maintain the pace while analyzing the pattern of movements.


    "Why the rush?" she whispered while following the flashes of movement, her experienced eyes noting how each jump seemed to cost the fleeing figure more effort than the last.


    The chase led them toward a more densely wooded section. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Clever," Lin had to admit it. "But not enough."


    ????


    The girl staggered upon appearing on the last branch before the administrative building.


    Her jumps had become clumsy, each transportation consuming more energy than the previous one.


    ''One last jump,'' she thought while focusing on the director''s window. Her beast protested, too many jumps in too little time, especially after the strain in the depths.


    "Your jumps are terrible today, I didn''t teach you to..." The director began, having perceived her long before she arrived.


    When she appeared inside the office, her legs gave way beneath her. She held onto the edge of the desk to avoid falling.


    The director rose alarmed. "What happened?"


    "I saw..."


    "Sit," the director quickly moved a chair toward her, his concern evident. "Are you hurt?"


    She shook her head while dropping into the chair. "Just... tired. Too many jumps."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes... I was following the mushroom boy as you asked," she began, her breathing still agitated. "He entered the caves this morning."


    "The caves?" the director frowned, but then remembered. "Ah, Wei is out today," his expression becoming understanding, "economic troubles. Wouldn''t be the first student trying to recover their investment working extra in the mines... But I don''t see how that''s reason to..."


    "It''s not that," the girl shook her head. "They carried him out unconscious. Mana poisoning."


    "What? How far did he go..."


    "But that''s not the important part either," she interrupted. "Yino," she managed between heavy breaths. "An agent... in the caves. About 300 meters deep."


    The director straightened immediately.


    "WHAT?! The boy went down to three hundred meters," the director almost shouted, then visibly controlled himself. "And you followed him there?"


    The girl nodded. "Partly yes, I don''t know how far down he fell... They carried him out unconscious, it must have been coincidence. Then ending in mana poisoning. But that''s not the important thing."


    "Of course it''s important," the director began pacing the office. "You were supposed to just watch a normal boy from a safe distance. If something had happened to you, your father would have..."


    "The Yino agent had two beasts, a gold rank hippogriff and an abyssal scorpion."


    The director stopped dead. "Explain."


    "Two beasts, a double tamer. And the scorpion mutation was unmistakable, only Yino has perfected that technique."


    "Did you discover what he was doing so close to the academy?"


    "He was fighting a hydra. With two heads."


    The director visibly paled. "A gold rank hydra? At 300 meters depth? Now you will tell me you engaged in combat?"


    "No," she quickly denied. "I stayed hidden. The agent... cut off one of the hydra''s heads. He was furious, looking for something. Mentioned an egg."


    The director approached his territory map, his mind working rapidly. "Did he see you?"


    "Almost. At the end... I think he sensed my presence."


    "By all the Dragons, how could you not¡­!" the director stopped himself, remembering who he was talking to. "This goes beyond watching a suspicious student. I shouldn''t have allowed..."


    "With all respect," she straightened in her chair, "this is what I''m training for."


    "Your father asked me to give you opportunities to improve your espionage skills," the director looked at her seriously. "Not to put you in the line of fire of a territorial conflict... You can be a noble house spy or in the kingdom of Yino when your father gives your hand, not in the deep caves at 10 years old... You put yourself in great danger and..."


    "And I''ve improved. Nothing is 100% safe... I managed to follow the boy, discovered the agent, and escaped without being detected. Well, almost."


    The director sighed. She was kind of right, but the idea that something might have happened to her... the repercussions would have been catastrophic.


    "Go to professor Yang," he finally said. "Tell him to start safeguarding the students of all years and alert the teachers, defense protocol."


    She stood up, her legs firmer now. "Will you go alone first?"


    "If Yino is moving pieces of that rank so close to the academy, they must have a bigger plan. Go with Yang, then rest. You''ve done enough for today."


    The girl nodded and headed for the door.


    "And..." the director stopped her, his tone softer, "good work. Though I''d prefer if next time you didn''t risk so much."


    A small smile appeared on her lips as she left.


    She knew she would keep taking some risks... It was part of her training and after all, she loved being a spy.


    The director waited for the door to close before taking out his special communicator.


    A Yino agent, a two-headed hydra, and always in the middle of everything...


    The mushroom boy had bad luck to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time.


    Outside, Lin observed from her tree, remaining perfectly still while processing what she had heard.


    ''A student trained by the director just as I train Ren... So it wasn''t just my student doing foolishness,'' she thought while watching the director make his calls. ''An enemy agent in our territory... The question is... What did you really find down there, Ren?''


    ????


    "Here you go!" Taro pulled out the crystal wrapped in black cloth and the tentacle from a bag. "And the other things you asked for."


    Ren took only the tentacle and crystal with trembling hands. "And the... Did you find them too?"


    "Yes," Taro nodded, nervously watching the infirmary door. "But I still think this is a terrible idea... If she arrives before you are done..."


    "Just don''t let them interrupt me for a few minutes, I''m faster at the process now and quieter."


    Ren turned to look at the busy nurse, unwrapped the crystal and positioned the tentacle over his stomach. He breathed deeply before beginning the absorption.

 Chapter 96 - Taming Thanks and Hugs

    Ren took only the tentacle and crystal with trembling hands. "And the... Did you find them too?""Yes," Taro nodded, nervously watching the infirmary door. "But I still think this is a terrible idea... If she arrives before..."


    "Just don''t let them interrupt me for a few minutes, I''m faster at the process now and quieter."


    Ren turned to look at the busy nurse, unwrapped the crystal, and positioned the tentacle over his stomach. He breathed deeply before beginning the absorption.


    The pain was immediate and intense, burning through his system like liquid fire. His veins began to glow as mana flowed through his system, creating intricate patterns under his skin. The tentacle worked frantically, absorbing the excess where the veins threatened to burst, its movements precise despite the chaotic energy flow.


    But after a few minutes, Taro finally couldn''t hide the glow in Ren''s veins from the nurse with his body anymore.


    "What are you doing?!" the nurse burst into their cubicle, her eyes widening with horror. "Stop immediately!"


    "He can''t!" Taro interposed himself in her path, arms spread wide. "He''s cultivating! If you interrupt him, he could get hurt!"


    "He just suffered mana poisoning and his veins are glowing again!" the nurse tried to get around Taro, her professional concern evident. "He needs medicine now!"


    "He''s perfectly fine!" Taro moved to block her again, almost tripping over a small table in his enthusiasm. "Just look!"


    "Step aside, young man!" the nurse pulled out a potion. "I need to give him this!"


    "No, no, no!" Taro waved his arms dramatically. "No potions! It would ruin the whole process!"


    The nurse tried to push Taro''s arm aside, who responded by hugging her tight, his face reddening at his own boldness.


    "This is ridiculous!" the nurse tried to remove Taro, who responded by spinning and hugging her from behind.


    "I am his designated bodyguard!" Taro continued hugging while the girl dragged him. "Officially appointed like... five minutes ago!"


    Meanwhile, Ren struggled to maintain concentration. The crystal was almost completely absorbed, but each second was a battle against searing pain. The tentacle moved constantly, following the points where mana threatened to saturate his veins with deadly precision.


    "Just a little more!" he shouted through clenched teeth.


    "See?!" Taro pointed dramatically toward Ren. "Just a little more!"


    "He''s a patient recovering from poisoning!"


    Ren let out a final gasp as the crystal finally dissolved completely. The tentacle made one last pass over his veins before becoming completely saturated.


    "Done," he sighed, falling back against the pillows.


    Taro and the nurse stopped mid-drag-fight.


    "See?" Taro smiled triumphantly. "Everything under control!"


    The nurse quickly approached to check on Ren. Her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed his vitals were... perfectly normal. Better than normal, in fact.


    "This is impossible," she murmured while checking his pupils. "A moment ago he was on the verge of collapse from mana saturation."


    "Cultivation can be like that," Ren smiled weakly. "Full of surprises."


    "And reckless idiots," added Taro, but he was smiling too.


    The tension in the room finally broke. The nurse even let out a small laugh while storing her unused potion.


    "It''s been a great day," Ren stretched, satisfied. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with renewed energy.


    "The best," Taro nodded. "Escaped training, survived poisoning... And I hugged a pretty nurse!" he proclaimed proudly.


    The nurse gave him a gentle tap on the nose. "Very gallant, little one. But I''m a bit old for you."


    A shadow appeared in the doorway.


    The smile froze on Ren and Taro''s faces. Color drained from their cheeks so quickly that the nurse almost pulled out her potion again.


    Lin stood in the threshold, her expression unreadable.


    "So..." her voice was dangerously soft, "who escaped from training?"


    ????


    "What were you thinking?!" Lin paced in front of Ren''s bed. "How did you trick the guards?"


    "I didn''t trick anyone," Ren tried his best innocent face. "I just... took a shortcut."


    Lin pinched his cheek. Hard.


    "Ow, ow! Alright!" Ren rubbed his sore cheek. "I have... a small secret tunnel. Sometimes I go down to 150 or 200 meters. To get crystals."


    "A secret tunnel?" Lin''s eyes narrowed. "With all those minor and common worms around? With a beast that can barely process mana at that depth?"


    "It''s not so dangerous if you know the worms'' patterns and only stay there a while," Ren avoided her gaze. "Besides... I was looking for something special for you."


    "What thing?"


    "A crystal flower," Ren drew the shape in the air with his fingers. "It''s a very rare formation. The crystals grow in the shape of petals, but finding one is like..."


    "Like finding a five-leaf clover," completed Lin, still skeptical. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Exactly! But no luck again, I thought I''d have it in the new vein I found," Ren looked back. "Taro... Did you bring option B?"


    Taro cautiously peeked his head in. "The flowers? Yes, here..."


    Lin blushed slightly at seeing the small bouquet, but her expression hardened immediately. Her hand descended in a precise chop on Ren''s head.


    "Ow!"


    "The truth," she demanded. "What did you really go looking for?"


    "It was for the flower!" Ren rubbed his head. "Why does no one believe me when I try to say thanks?"


    "Maybe because the last time you tried to ''say thanks'' you also ended up trying to escape training," Lin extended her hand. "Show me what you found."


    "I didn''t find the flower, just the usual," Ren pointed to the shadow stalker skin bag that Taro had brought. "Just some crystals and deep earth. You can check."


    Lin examined the bag''s contents. Indeed, there were only common crystals and some dark earth.


    "All this risk for this?" she shook the bag. "Going so deep you ended up with mana poisoning?"


    "I need to gather a lot for my cultivation," Ren shrugged. "And the crystals..."


    "Then," Lin interrupted him, her voice dangerously soft, "what was all that about the hydra?"


    The color drained from Ren''s face. Taro, who had been listening from behind, almost dropped the small bouquet.


    "The... what?"


    ????


    The hydra lay motionless, its single remaining head lifeless. The man approached the body.


    "At least it won''t be a total waste," he murmured while beginning the extraction.


    A hydra core could become an egg again. He just needed another silver rank hydra and wait... Keep living in the damn caves for at least 10 extra days...


    Eating that garbage...


    Defecating and sleeping in the caves...


    "To hell with it! I''m going to recover that egg."


    The griffon''s claws sank into the crystallized skin, searching for the exact point where the core rested.

 Chapter 97 - Taming the Lurcher

    "To hell with it! I''m going to recover that egg."The griffon''s claws sank into the crystallized skin, searching for the exact point where the core rested.


    It shouldn''t be too difficult to recover it, but he couldn''t afford to lower his guard. Not after sensing someone watching him, that subtle presence that had almost escaped his notice.


    The claws found their target. The hydra''s core pulsed weakly, its power still active even after the beast''s death. Its last breaths resonating with diminishing strength.


    ''Someone was there,'' he thought while working. The mana marks in the air were subtle, small distortions where someone had transported themselves, like ripples in an invisible pond.


    ''A Will-o''-the-wisp spirit? A mineral light fairy? A shadow wolf?''


    All 3 were possibilities, but they had something in common... They were very expensive beasts, the kind only the truly privileged could afford.


    Well, the wolf depended on luck but was still quite expensive.


    The core finally yielded to his expert touch.


    Even if for some reason he couldn''t recover the egg, this would be his insurance.


    Transforming his mouth into the scorpion''s, he took a large piece of the hydra''s mana-rich flesh and consumed it, feeling the power course through his mutated body.


    The pathetic monsters at this depth would feast on the wounds he''d left in the hydra''s body... Some would surely rank up, they didn''t deserve it.


    Just like the idiot who stole the egg didn''t deserve it either.


    He stored the core in his backpack and began his ascent. The trail of the person who had watched them was clearer now that he approached the spot where he''d sensed the presence, small points where space had been briefly distorted by mana.


    Though honestly, it wasn''t necessary. Before him...


    The destruction the hydra had caused in its pursuit also marked a quite clear path.


    Pulverized walls, tunnels violently widened, telling the story of a desperate chase.


    ''Could it have been the same person?'' he wondered while climbing.


    At 200 meters he found the first signs of regular occupation, methodically worked tunnels, tool marks. He was entering mined territory.


    The frozen slope appeared before him at 150 meters.


    It seemed they had wanted the hydra to give up the chase.


    An improvised but effective idea, the ice was thick enough to make ascending complicated even for a beast of his level.


    But the most interesting thing was what he sensed on the other side.


    A presence hidden among the rocks. Weak, barely perceptible from this distance... bronze rank, probably. The scorpion stirred, eager to eliminate the witness.


    ''No,'' he thought while studying the situation. ''Could have information.''


    He pulled out his map, calculated his position and overlaid it with another that his employer had obtained from the city of Yano, studying his location carefully.


    ''The central academy,'' he realized with surprise. ''We''re under one of Yano''s most prestigious academies.''


    A smile formed on his lips. If the egg had made it up here, maybe recovering it wouldn''t be difficult. An institution full of weak students, with only a few professors dangerous to him.


    But then that presence could have been a rich student... It was particularly weak and didn''t seem to be hiding its mana.


    The presence on the other side of the slope moved slightly. A miserable school guard, perhaps? Someone in charge of stopping students, dealing with wretched worms or delaying hordes, surely... Even better, someone who had probably seen everything that happened.


    His scorpion fully manifested its tail, abyssal venom dripping softly.


    Time to ask some questions.


    ????


    "You see..." Ren tried his best innocent expression, "I was looking for the flower for you when I heard a roar and a strong vibration. I tried to return through my tunnel but it had partially collapsed..."


    Lin kept her eyes fixed on him, her expression skeptical.


    "So... I had to take the long way. Through the main slope, though I knew the guards would scold me," Ren continued, avoiding her gaze. "And well, that''s when the hydra saw me."


    "The hydra saw you?" Lin crossed her arms.


    "But it was very tired!" he added quickly. "Could barely move. That''s why I could escape."


    "And if you only did that much then why did you have such strong mana poisoning?"


    Ren started sweating. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed nervously while he searched for another credible explanation.


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    "Well, you see, when I was..."


    The sound of hurried footsteps in the hallway interrupted him.


    A group of students ran past the infirmary. Luna appeared in the doorway, her breathing agitated.


    "Everyone to the shelters," she announced, her usual composure replaced by contained urgency. "Master Yang is evacuating the students."


    Taro, who had been pretending to be invisible in a corner, straightened up. "Evacuating? Why?"


    Luna ignored him, her eyes fixed on Lin. Something silent passed between them. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I suspected as much," Lin stood up, her expression becoming serious. "It''s time."


    "Time for what?" Ren got up, but Lin gently pushed him toward Luna along with Taro.


    "You two," she pointed to Ren and Taro, "go with Luna to the shelters. No detours, no secret tunnels," she looked meaningfully at Ren, "straight to the shelters."


    "But..." Ren began.


    "This is not negotiable," Lin''s tone left no room for discussion. "I''m going with Yang. Luna, make sure they reach the shelter."


    Luna nodded while waiting at the door.


    "Lin," Ren called before she left, "what''s happening?"


    "With luck, nothing," she responded without turning. "With bad luck... well, that''s why we have shelters."


    "Teacher Lin!" Taro shouted.


    "Yes?"


    "Do you still want the flowers?"


    Lin disappeared down the hall without answering.


    "Move," Luna ordered. "And no walks like during the excursion, mushroom. It''s not time for your secret adventures."


    Ren and Taro exchanged looks while following Luna. More students ran through the hallways, some scared, others simply confused.


    "Hey," Taro whispered while they walked, "you think this has to do with your...?"


    Ren shook his head, silencing him. "I don''t know, but it shouldn''t be... if in the end it went back down¡­ But lie about it," he whispered.


    Something was happening. Something serious enough for Lin to leave her interrogation unfinished.


    And somehow, he had the feeling it was related to the strange behaviors in the depths.


    ????


    The tunnels were too quiet. The agent advanced cautiously.


    The guard he had interrogated was left lying motionless on the frozen slope, he had resisted until the end, not releasing information even when the abyssal venom had begun to corrode his organs.


    ''Tougher than he looked.''


    The hippogriff remained manifested, its senses alert. The scorpion pulsed restlessly under his skin, the abyssal mutations making it more sensitive to threats.


    ''Not a single guard,'' he thought while approaching the exit. The checkpoints were empty, the mana lamps still lit. As if everyone had suddenly disappeared.


    Daylight filtered through the mine entrance. Too bright after so long in darkness, he didn''t exit, his eyes would need time to adjust.


    He stopped several meters from the exit, keeping to the shadows. His beasts tensed, detecting something they couldn''t fully identify.


    The silence was unnatural. Not even the wind seemed to dare blow.

 Chapter 98 - Taming Suspicion

    Daylight filtered through the mine entrance. Too bright after so long in darkness, he didn''t exit, his eyes would need time to adjust to the harsh change.He stopped several meters from the exit, keeping to the shadows. His beasts tensed, detecting something they couldn''t fully identify.


    The silence was unnatural. Not even the wind seemed to dare blow.


    ''Too easy,'' his training screamed warnings. An academy doesn''t evacuate its mines without reason. Doesn''t leave its entrances unguarded for students to do foolish things.


    The hydra''s core weighed next to many others in his bag, a constant reminder of his partial failure.


    The egg remained lost, stolen by some fortunate thief who had stumbled upon his experiment.


    ''Should go back,'' he considered while studying the entrance. The mission was clear: find and secure specific beast cores. The egg was extra, and he could obtain it again.


    But pride...


    He had spent months preparing everything. Finding the right hydra, manipulating it to this vein, waiting for the egg to form. All ruined because he grew overconfident, because he hadn''t considered someone else might find such a small vein.


    ''The mission,'' he reminded himself. ''Focus on the mission.''


    The core was enough. He could find another hydra. The depths were full of them, with time and patience...


    ''But the thief is here,'' a voice whispered in his mind. ''Close. With my egg.''


    His beasts stirred restlessly, sensing his inner conflict.


    ''Return,'' his training insisted. ''Something is wrong. Go back and plan better.''


    He took one step back, determined to retreat.


    Then another.


    ''It''s the right thing,'' he thought. ''The sensible thing.''


    He turned toward the protective darkness of the tunnels.


    And then...


    "To hell with it," he muttered, turning sharply. "Nobody steals from me!"


    He took a step toward the light.


    The massive fireball consumed him instantly.


    ????


    The shelter was an impressive structure located behind the academy. Spacious chambers connected by well-lit tunnels now housed dozens of confused and nervous students.


    "Min!" Taro waved his arms upon seeing his friend. "Over here!"


    Min approached. "Anyone know what''s happening?"


    Ren watched as Luna was immediately surrounded by the two noble girls who always accompanied her. A second group of nobles joined them, exchanging quick whispers before dispersing as if they had never spoken.


    "It''s obvious, isn''t it?" Taro began, his voice adopting a conspiratorial tone. "All this is because of Ren''s mad scientist experiments."


    "What?" Min blinked in confusion.


    "Think about it!" Taro raised an accusing finger toward Ren. "Our room always smells like death and strange processing products!"


    "That''s because of the cultivation..." Ren began.


    "The mushrooms in his hair glow unnaturally!"


    "They''re naturally luminescent..."


    "And today he went down to the depths!" Taro was on a roll. "He must have activated some ancient device! The mine must be glowing right now, about to explode!"


    Liu arrived just in time to hear the last part. "What''s going to explode?"


    "The mine!" Taro grabbed Liu by the shoulders. "Ren accidentally filled it with strange fungi! Soon we''ll have giant mutant worms emerging everywhere!"


    "The worms are already quite big on their own..." Ren murmured.


    "Bigger!" Taro insisted. "With tentacles! And light rays!"


    Min tried to contain his laughter. "Light rays?"


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    "It''s the only explanation!" Taro began walking in circles. "Why else would they evacuate the entire academy?"


    Ren searched for Luna with his gaze, but she and her companions had disappeared into the crowd.


    "And that''s not all!" Taro continued his theory. "The fungi will ally with the worms! They''ll create an underground empire!"


    "Taro..." Min tried to interrupt.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed, as if finding the idea entertaining.


    "See!" Taro pointed at the mushrooms. "They''re communicating! Planning their revolution!"


    "If beasts were going to start a revolution," Min said thoughtfully, "don''t you think mushrooms and worms... such weak beasts would be the last ones to do it?"


    Liu pinched the bridge of his nose. "How did we get to this?"


    "Taro, you don''t need to invent ridiculous things to avoid telling them about the hydra because Lin already knows, and I didn''t do anything to make them shelter us, also that''s not what I meant by lying¡­ But if it makes you feel better," Ren smiled, "when the fungi take control, I''ll name you minister of conspiracy theories."


    "Ha!" Taro raised his fist triumphantly.


    ????


    Luna observed the crowd from an elevated corner of the shelter.


    A gold rank Yino agent, here, in Yano territory. The news transmitted through her handmaidens had left the group of cousins unsettled.


    ''Have they discovered us?'' her eyes moved among the students, evaluating. Her position at the academy was delicate, direct niece of the king but pretending to be just another noble.


    Several meters away, Princess Larissa pretended to be absorbed in a book. Her handmaidens and other cousin surrounded her, maintaining the image of a young noble studying even during a crisis. But her mind worked furiously.


    ''The underground labyrinth,'' Larissa thought while turning a page she wasn''t reading. The tunnels between Yino and Yano were an intricate system of passages and beasts.


    To enter from the other kingdom unseen, they would have to start very deep... gold or platinum rank depth.


    It was supposed to be impossible to navigate there without a precise map. And the maps... the maps were jealously guarded.


    Liora stayed close to Larissa while talking with a group of students. Her thoughts, however, were far from her current task.


    ''A gold rank resource,'' she calculated while smiling at the students. Yino wouldn''t waste such a valuable asset on a simple mission. Agents of that level were scarce, precious. Sending one so deep into enemy territory...


    Luna noticed a subtle signal from one of her handmaidens. Her eyes moved briefly toward Larissa, who had received a similar signal from her own group. Liora, without turning, moved a finger in a practiced pattern.


    ''What are they searching for?'' Luna returned to her thoughts. The agent had been in the depths, fighting a hydra. Why risk so much for a beast that, though rare, wasn''t particularly powerful?


    Larissa softly closed her book. ''How did they find a path? Did a traitor give them an accurate map?'' the question ate at her. The tunnels changed constantly, beasts altered routes, new passages formed while others collapsed. Even with a map, it was an extremely difficult task.


    Liora finished talking with the students. ''Why now?'' she wondered while pretending to check a list. The tension between Yino and Yano had always been present, but this... This was a significant escalation.


    The three cousins maintained their positions, separated but connected by their similar thoughts. Their handmaidens moved between them, exchanging signals so subtle they seemed casual, a book changed hands, a handkerchief folded in a certain way, a brooch adjusted in a specific pattern.


    Luna thought about compromised security. Larissa considered the treaty implications. Liora evaluated the political consequences.


    None looked directly at the others.


    Their beasts remained semi-manifested, each synchronized with its tamer but also alert to the others'' signals. Luna''s shadow wolf, Larissa''s Will-o''-the-wisp spirit, and Liora''s mineral light fairy, all part of the silent communication network they had perfected.


    The final question resonated in all three minds, though none expressed it:


    What if the real target wasn''t the hydra at all?

 Chapter 99 - Taming the Threat of War

    Director Ignatius waited hidden in the trees facing the mine entrance, his royal phoenix manifesting a golden aura that made each strand of his white hair shimmer with power.The bronze rank guards maintained their encirclement at a greater distance, their earth beasts would be useful for blocking retreat or providing support, but in direct combat against a gold rank tamer they would be little more than a hindrance.


    The supervisor, his ice penguin partially manifested, positioned himself hidden on the other side of the entrance. Silver rank 2, not enough to fight directly against a gold opponent, but he could provide support to the director who did have a gold rank creature.


    A presence moved inside the cave. The Director sensed it immediately, gold rank power was unmistakable, impossible to completely conceal.


    In Yino, where platinum rank was nonexistent¡­ that meant someone near the top of their hierarchy. Which made their presence here very problematic.


    His fingers tensed as he prepared an attack. The phoenix concentrated power in his hands and the temperature around the Director began to rise. Enjoy new stories from empire


    But the presence stopped.


    ''Detected the trap,'' thought the Director as he felt the intruder cautiously retreat. The tension in the air was almost palpable.


    Following them inside would be a terrible idea. Without a tamer of similar rank specialized in underground combat, the terrain advantages would be too great. Better to wait, to confront them he had to let them come out into open terrain.


    The seconds crawled like hours. The presence moved occasionally, evaluating, perhaps thinking it wouldn''t be worth it.


    ''Come out,'' the Director maintained his position. ''Save us the trouble of sending someone to follow you...''


    The situation required a permanent solution, a tamer of this level returning to Yino with information about the academy''s defenses would be too dangerous. Better to end this here, where the incident could be... contained.


    As if responding to his thought, the presence moved forward.


    The Director''s attack was instantaneous, releasing a massive wave of golden fire that consumed the mine entrance.


    The heat was so intense that the guards had to retreat further. The supervisor fully manifested his penguin, preparing for whatever would emerge from the flames.


    When the fire began to dissipate, a mound of earth exploded from the ground.


    The figure that emerged was a nightmare of flesh and chitin, a human grotesquely fused with an abyssal scorpion, the characteristic mutations of Yino taken to the extreme.


    A golden hippogriff manifested instantly at his side, its majestic form contrasting with its tamer''s monstrosity.


    The Director observed the transformation with a mixture of fascination and revulsion. Yino''s techniques for fusing with abyssal beasts had always seemed an abomination to him, an easy path to power that inevitably corrupted its users.


    The mercenary''s eyes opened with recognition. "The famous Director Ignatius Aurelius of the Imperial Academy of Yano," his voice sounded distorted by the mutations. "It''s an honor."


    Ignatius studied his opponent.


    "I can''t say the same," Director Ignatius responded, expanding his wings in threat. "Though clearly you''re someone of importance in Yino."


    An asset too valuable to let escape.


    "Me?" the mercenary pointed to his mutations with a pincer. "I''m just one more... just the result of embracing the true potential of abyssal beasts."


    "Is your presence here a declaration of war?" the Director kept his voice calm, but his mind worked rapidly. An agent of this level, so deep in enemy territory... the implications were worrying. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His right hand moved in a subtle pattern. The bronze rank guards understood the signal and at the right moment, would seal the entrance. There would be no retreat.


    One wrong move and this could become the first act of a new war between kingdoms.


    "War?" the mercenary laughed, a horrible sound through his mutated jaw. "The war never really ended, did it? We''ve just been... preparing."


    "And I suppose," the Director observed the mutations with disgust, "those abominations are part of that preparation."


    "Abominations," the mercenary spat the word. "You and your pretense of purity. At least we don''t fear true power."


    "True power?" The Director maintained his condescending smile while taking a step forward. "Yino has always been... limited in that aspect. So many resources invested in aberrant experiments, so much forbidden research... and the result? Not a single platinum rank tamer."


    The mercenary''s crystalline pincers opened and closed rhythmically, a nervous tic that betrayed how much those words had affected him.


    "One platinum tamer?" he spat the words like venom. "Is that what gives you such confidence? A single double tamer holding up an entire kingdom?"


    "Isn''t that precisely what you fear? Our King''s capabilities... But let''s return to the important point... I''m surprised to find an agent of your level, a single agent near the academy... makes me wonder if Yino is really prepared for whatever it''s planning¡­"


    The guards sealed the entrance, their earth beasts manifesting to create interlocked barriers.


    "Oh, I see you want me to extend my visit."


    "We have plenty of ''hospitality'' for you so make yourself comfortable." Director Ignatius maintained his casual tone while golden flames danced between his fingers. "So answer! What does Yino seek by sending one of their gold rank tamers... alone?"


    "Alone?" The mercenary''s voice sounded distorted through his partially transformed jaw. "Do you think I''m alone in this, Director?"


    "Oh, I know perfectly well that you''re alone now," Ignatius let a condescending smile form on his lips. "The real question is why¡­ why send one of their precious experiments so deep into our territory?"


    "Precious?" The mercenary laughed, a metallic and fleshless sound. "Don''t overestimate me, Director. I''m just one of the many gold rank tamers that Yino regularly produces now."


    "Ah, so you admit they sent you?" Ignatius stepped forward, his phoenix spreading its wings in all its majesty. "Though you try to pass yourself off as one of many... your griffon betrays you. You''re one of their best, aren''t you? What a waste of potential, corrupted by those abyssal beasts..."


    "Waste? While Yano clings to its traditions, limiting itself to archaic beasts, Yino advances. Each year we produce more gold rank tamers, each month more double tamers join our ranks. And soon..."


    He paused dramatically, savoring the moment.


    "Soon our first triple tamers will be ready."

 Chapter 100 - Taming the Threat of War - 2

    "Waste? While Yano clings to its traditions, limiting itself to archaic beasts, Yino advances. Each year we produce more gold rank tamers, each month more double bearers join our ranks. And soon..."He paused dramatically, savoring the moment.


    "Soon our first triple bearers will be ready."


    The Director maintained his neutral expression, but his golden feathers bristled slightly at the revelation. Triple tamers were theoretically possible, of course, but the cost, the risk of uncontrolled mutation...


    "Triples?" He recovered quickly, his voice laden with disdain. "It doesn''t matter if they can bear three beasts or five, if they''re all those abyssal corruptions you so love to create. A true tamer with a pure beast will always be superior."


    The mercenary''s laughter echoed through the clearing, a sound that made several guards shudder.


    "A true tamer? Like your precious king? I suppose it has merit that he''s a double tamer too but... It must be... lonely, Director. Being so limited, so tied to the old traditions. But times change, old man... "


    "¡­A single platinum rank warrior holding up an entire kingdom? Yino no longer depends on exceptional individuals. We have something better, numbers."


    "And you think numbers compensate for quality?" Ignatius allowed more power to flow into his flames. "If you were facing our King right now, you''d already be dead. It doesn''t matter if you bear five beasts or ten, they''re all corruptions of simple silver rank, nothing compared to a single one of his pure beasts of true power."


    The mercenary''s smile widened, showing teeth altered by mutations. "Oh, but the King isn''t here, is he? In fact," his eyes gleamed with malice, "we know perfectly well that he''s not even in the kingdom."


    Ignatius maintained his neutral expression, but his mind worked rapidly. If Yino knew that...


    "It must be... lonely, Director, being so limited to a single beast... Not like your ''great'' absent King."


    "It must be LONELY," continued the mercenary theatrically, "to depend so much on ONE, SINGLE warrior. What will happen when our triple bearers are ready? When we have three gold tamers for every one of yours?"


    "I thought you would understand it better as the tamer of that griffon, but I see now that you don''t... Let me show you," Ignatius let his power manifest fully, his majestic phoenix enveloping the area in golden flames, "the difference between your imitations and a true bond with a pure beast."


    The supervisor extended his hand as his penguin fully materialized, covering the ground with a thick layer of ice that gleamed under the sunlight.


    "No more tricks underground," murmured the supervisor, his eyes fixed on the mutated agent.


    The director released a powerful flow of fire toward the mercenary.


    The mercenary evaluated the situation in an instant.


    "Defend me!" ordered to his hippogriff while he himself leaped to the side.


    The golden flames of Ignatius''s phoenix met the hippogriff''s wind flow. The resulting explosion shook nearby trees, creating a shockwave that made the guards stagger.


    The mercenary took advantage of the distraction to bury his legs in the ice. His mutations allowed him to break it enough to use the hole as a foothold and launch himself at dizzying speed toward the supervisor.


    The supervisor reacted on instinct. His penguin created a barrier of ice stalactites that emerged from the ground like spears. The mercenary twisted between them with unnatural grace, his body contorting in ways no normal human could imitate.


    "Too slow!" The mercenary appeared before the supervisor, his scorpion tail emerging from his back like lightning.


    The supervisor barely had time to create an ice shield. The stinger pierced through it like paper, stopping millimeters from his throat.


    He began to overpower him and push forward, the ice cracking. It seemed the mercenary''s power boosts were far superior to the supervisor''s.


    "Pathetic," the mercenary smiled with his mutated teeth while advancing his pincers. "A silver rank 2 and yet your strength is..."


    A column of golden fire fell from the sky, forcing the mercenary to jump back. The ice beneath his feet evaporated instantly, creating a vapor curtain that momentarily obscured the battlefield.


    "Did you forget who you''re fighting?" Ignatius''s voice resonated as his phoenix descended, its wings extended creating a wall of golden flames.


    The mercenary landed beside his hippogriff, which alone, had been forced to retreat.


    "I wanted to regain ground control, Director," the mercenary flexed his pincers as more plates sprouted from his skin. "A valid tactic against your fire powers, don''t you think?"


    Ignatius''s golden flames intensified until the air itself seemed to distort with heat. "Show me then, Yino experiment, if your tactics have a future while you ignore me."


    "Of course I will... My future and Yino''s are bright after all."


    "The future," murmured Ignatius while his phoenix manifested its complete form, "belongs to those who respect the true bond between tamer and beast. Not to those who debase themselves into monsters."


    ????


    Luna was concentrated on exchanging discrete signals with her cousins when she felt a light touch on her shoulder. The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed softly as she turned, startled at not having sensed him approach due to her distraction.


    "Do you know what''s happening?" asked Ren with a casual smile, as if he hadn''t just penetrated her entire surveillance system undetected.


    Luna quickly composed herself, her shadow twisting uncomfortably. "No, I don''t know anything," she responded curtly. "Now leave."


    "Lie," Ren smiled more widely with what appeared to be amusement. "Also, what are you doing?"


    Luna''s face tinged slightly red, remembering the last time Ren had discovered her ability to detect lies. The proximity in his room, the misunderstanding with his companions...


    "What I do or don''t do is none of your business, fungus," she responded brusquely, crossing her arms. "And ''also'', this has nothing to do with you."


    "Also a lie," Ren laughed, imitating the casual posture she usually used when interrogating him.


    "You''re exchanging information with them," he discreetly pointed to the other nobles, "using rather elaborate mana signals... What do they mean?"


    Luna clenched her fists, irritated at having her own tactics used against her. "I don''t care what you think you see. Leave, I don''t want to see you and I''m not interested in you."


    The mushrooms pulsed more intensely while Ren raised an eyebrow. "Wait, that''s a lie... Triple lie. That must be some kind of record... And you''re... interested in me?"


    "Enough!" Luna turned to her handmaidens, who had been watching the exchange with carefully neutral expressions. "Deal with him."


    The "noble students" moved with a grace that revealed training beyond mere noble posture. In seconds, they formed a perfect barrier between Luna and Ren.


    "We suggest you withdraw," one of them said in a soft but firm voice.


    "Oh," Ren studied them with genuine interest.


    "Out!" Luna interrupted before he could talk again, her face now definitely flushed.


    "As you wish," Ren stepped away from the wall with a small mocking bow. "Though you know I''ll eventually discover what''s happening. I''m quite good at finding secrets and lies lately."


    Luna watched his back as he walked away, her handmaidens maintaining their protective formation. Only when he was far enough away did she allow herself to release a sigh of frustration.


    "My lady," one of her handmaidens approached discreetly. "Do you want us to keep him under surveillance?"


    "No," Luna massaged her temples. "Watched he is... Just... keep him away. He''s too..." she stopped, searching for the right word. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Observant?" suggested a handmaiden.


    "Cute? Your type?" suggested another handmaiden with what seemed to be a hint of amusement.


    "Irritating," corrected Luna, sending a murderous glare to her maid, though the blush on her cheeks contradicted her words.


    Her handmaidens exchanged knowing looks but maintained their professional posture. After all, part of their training included knowing when their lady was lying.


    And at that moment, all indicators suggested that "irritating" wasn''t precisely the word Luna had wanted to use.

 Chapter 101 - Taming the Threat of War - 3

    Ren was walking away with a small smile, the mushrooms in his hair still pulsing with amusement at Luna''s reaction, when a soft roar made him stop.Klein''s golden lion shone with an intense aura while its tamer blocked the hallway.


    "Hey, fungus," Klein stepped forward, his voice trying to sound threatening though the effect was somewhat lost due to his still childish tone. "What do you think you''re doing getting so close to Luna?"


    The nearby students began paying attention, some discreetly, others not so much. The air grew thick with anticipation.


    Klein advanced with the confidence that only the heir of the Goldcrest family could possess, each step measured and deliberate.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed while analyzing the mana patterns. The golden lion was an impressive beast, though its current manifestation revealed some inefficiencies in its cultivation... If it continued like that the main line would be lost at silver rank...


    "We were just talking," Ren maintained his casual tone, though he noticed several students beginning to form a circle around them, anticipating trouble.


    "Luna doesn''t need to ''talk'' with plebeians like you," Klein took another step forward, his lion rumbling softly.


    Ren took a small step back. Not from fear, but from habit after so much training with Lin.


    "She belongs to me."


    Ren blinked, genuinely confused. "Belongs to you? Can people belong to other people?"


    "Don''t play dumb!" Klein clenched his fists. "My father told me. Luna will be my fianc¨¦e when we''re older, so she''s mine. It''s the natural order of things, noble families like the Goldcrests and Starweavers are destined to unite."


    "Oh," Ren tilted his head, thoughtful. "But my mother says people can''t belong to anyone. She says everyone owns themselves and thinking differently is... what was the word?" the mushrooms pulsed as if helping him remember. "Ah yes! Halfwitted."


    Klein''s smile froze. "What did you say?"


    The golden lion roared more forcefully, its mane glowing with threatening intensity. The students took a step back, but Ren stood firm.


    "What could your mother know?" Klein spat the words.


    "My mother knows many things," Ren frowned, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing more intensely. "She knows how to cook for many people, she knows how to tell stories, she knows how to make people smile... And she definitely seems to know more than your father about people."


    Klein turned red with fury. "Don''t you dare insult my father, filthy plebeian! So she''s just a plebeian cooking in some miserable restaurant. My father is the leader of the Goldcrest family. He understands how the world really works!" sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with even more intensity. "My mother knows that people''s smiles can''t be forced. And Luna definitely doesn''t seem very happy or smiley when you''re around!"


    Klein turned even redder. His lion extended its claws. "Don''t you dare talk as if you knew her! Luna is destined to be with me! It''s the wish of our families!"


    "What about her wish?" Ren tilted his head. "Have you ever asked her what she wants?"


    "I don''t need to ask her!" Klein took another threatening step. "It''s her duty as a noble! Something a miserable plebeian with a pathetic beast would never understand!"


    "I think you''re the one who doesn''t understand," Ren smiled. "People aren''t objects you can claim just because your father says so. Even a ''plebeian'' like me can see that... Or do you belong to your father?"


    "It''s different!" Klein advanced another step. "You don''t understand anything! You...!"


    The golden lion roared with all its might, making several students cover their ears.


    "You...!"


    "I what?" Ren maintained his smile, though his muscles tensed preparing to dodge if necessary. Training with Lin had taught him to always be ready.


    Klein raised a fist, his face contorted in a childish fury. "I''m going to teach you your place, fungus..."


    The ground shook violently, interrupting his threat. Students stumbled, surprised by the sudden tremor.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with alarm. This wasn''t an ordinary earthquake...


    Another shake, stronger than the previous one, made the shelter''s lights flicker.


    Ren and Klein exchanged one last look. Their personal dispute suddenly seemed much less important.


    "This isn''t over," Klein backed away, though his voice had lost some of its previous conviction. "Don''t think..."


    A third shake interrupted him. This time, even the shelter''s protective barriers flickered.


    The students began to murmur nervously.


    ????


    Moments before...


    "Your hippogriff fights pathetically without its tamer''s guidance," Ignatius observed while his phoenix''s golden flames forced the beast to retreat.


    "Is that why you resort to those abyssal aberrations? Because you don''t know how to properly use pure beasts?"


    The mercenary smiled. "You''re right," he admitted while watching his hippogriff. "I made the mistake of leaving the worst to my griffon while trying to quickly eliminate the weakling with the penguin..."


    His eyes narrowed, the scorpion mutations glowing with a threatening tone. "I shouldn''t have underestimated the difference between a beast guided by its master and one acting alone."


    The supervisor, still maintaining his ice barrier, noticed something strange in the mercenary''s tone. "Director, careful!"


    But Ignatius had already perceived it. The mana around the mercenary began flowing differently, as if it were...


    "Come," the mercenary extended his arms. The golden hippogriff instantly stopped fighting, transforming into pure light that flowed toward its tamer.


    The scorpion''s features were violently expelled from the mercenary''s body. The abyssal beast fully materialized, its monstrous form immediately launching against the supervisor.


    The mercenary''s body transformed again, but this time it was different. Where there had been grotesque plates before, now golden feathers sprouted following natural lines. His arms were covered in brilliant plumage while noble claws replaced the crystalline pincers.


    "This..." Ignatius observed the transformation with genuine interest, "looks more like a true tamer''s fusion."


    The mercenary extended his newly formed wings on his arms, each feather glowing with contained power. The transformation was elegant, almost beautiful in its symmetry. "Isn''t it?" he smiled, his features now more avian like the director''s but maintaining a harmonic balance with his human form.


    "Although..." his smile widened, "one of the things my body learned after so many abyssal ''experiments'' is how to extract... more."

 Chapter 102 - Taming the Threat of War - 4

    "This..." Ignatius observed the transformation with genuine interest, "looks more like a true tamer''s fusion."The mercenary extended his newly formed wings on his arms, each feather glowing with contained power. The transformation was elegant, almost beautiful in its symmetry.


    "Isn''t it?" he smiled, his features now more avian like the director''s but maintaining a harmonic balance with his human form.


    "Although..." his smile widened, "one of the things my body learned after so many abyssal ''experiments'' is how to extract... more."


    Ignatius barely had time to react.


    The mercenary''s golden claws passed grazing his face as he threw himself backward. The Director used his own phoenix claws, blocking the second attack by millimeters, golden feathers clashing against golden feathers.


    The mercenary feathers began to glow with more intensity. He arched his back as his transformation continued, pushing beyond natural limits. The air itself seemed to distort around him as his body reshaped itself.


    His arms, locked in a contest of strength with the director, lengthened and broadened, the transformation defying human anatomy.


    "Impressive, isn''t it?" The mercenary pressed forward, gaining ground in strength against the director. "When you truly accept becoming one with your beast, when you let the transformation reach its end..."


    His claws lengthened further, digging into the director''s skin, his face deforming slightly as a golden beak emerged, reshaping his features into something between human and raptor.


    "This is an abomination!" Ignatius manifested more power in his feathers which burst into flames. "You''re perverting the sacred bond between tamer and beast!"


    "Perverting it?" The mercenary pushed, his strength now far superior to before. "We''re improving it!"


    "Don''t think," Ignatius counterattacked by wrapping his hands in flames, "that just because you look more like a beast means it''s better."


    Their claws fought wind magic against fire magic, creating shockwaves that made nearby trees tremble. Each clash sent sparks of golden energy cascading through the air.


    "A true bond is about balance, about maintaining your humanity while channeling your beast''s power."


    The mercenary laughed while fighting the blaze. "Humanity? What good is humanity when you can be something superior?"


    Several meters away, the supervisor fought against the abyssal scorpion. The beast was slower without its tamer, but its venom made each exchange mortally dangerous, forcing the supervisor to maintain constant vigilance.


    "Look at what we''ve achieved," the mercenary nodded toward his golden wings that were beginning to separate from his arms while continuing to press his attack. "Two beasts, complete transformation, and soon..." his wind power began to gain ground and managed to graze Ignatius''s shoulder, "we''ll have tamers capable of fusing with three."


    Ignatius retreated further, feeling the cut on his shoulder. It was superficial, but the fact that it had connected was worrying. "All I see is someone who has forgotten what it means to be a tamer."


    The golden flames of his phoenix intensified, creating an aura that made the mercenary step back for the first time and sealed Ignatius wounds. "A true tamer guides their beast, doesn''t become one."


    "Empty words from someone limited by obsolete traditions," the mercenary began to gain ground again by generating thrust with his now separate wings. "I''ll show you the true power you achieve when you fully embrace the transformation."


    The mercenary''s golden wings began launching cuts at Ignatius while his own arms, covered in denser feathers, kept his hands trapped. Each wing moved independently, creating a storm of slashing attacks from multiple angles.


    "You see?" he smiled while his wings attacked independently. "You talk of nobility, of purity... but your transformation is limited, incomplete."


    Ignatius could only manifest his claws and wings on the same pair of arms. His movements lacked the versatility of his opponent, forced to choose between offense and defense with each motion.


    "Look at your form," the mercenary fully extended his 2 extra upper appendages. "So attached to human anatomy... don''t you see the irony? You boast of nobility but move further from the truly noble ones."


    "What are you talking about?" Ignatius created a mane of flames to block the wind attacks but some still got through, leaving shallow cuts across his defenses.


    "The dragons," the mercenary broke through the fire using his wings. "The true lords of beasts. Six appendages, not four. My base hippogriff and this form are closer to divinity than your ''pure'' transformation."


    The Director was reduced to focusing on his phoenix''s regeneration against the avalanche of attacks coming from multiple angles. The mercenary''s wings not only gave him superior mobility but functioned as additional limbs in combat, each one capable of launching its own deadly attacks.


    Meanwhile, the supervisor struggled to keep the abyssal scorpion at bay. His silver rank 2 penguin created increasingly thin ice barriers while the silver rank 3 beast systematically destroyed them, each impact weakening the defensive line.


    "Maintain the perimeter!" he shouted to the guards who were fighting to contain the fires caused by the Director''s golden flames. Their earth beasts worked frantically, digging trenches and raising barriers to prevent the fire from spreading toward more trees and other parts of the academy.


    "Your pure beast is failing," the mercenary pointed toward the supervisor. "Your subordinate will die soon. The rank difference is evident, and abyssal beasts are superior in endurance."


    As if to emphasize his words, the scorpion broke through another ice barrier. Its stinger passed dangerously close to the supervisor''s face, who barely managed to create a shield in time.


    "Your methods are obsolete, Director, the future belongs to those who are willing to truly evolve."


    Ignatius tried to increase the power of his golden flames, but it became increasingly difficult to maintain regeneration. The mercenary was right, the ability to use his wings and arms independently gave him a significant tactical advantage.


    A cry of pain pierced the battlefield. The scorpion had managed to graze the supervisor''s arm with its venom. The supervisor froze his arm at the point of impact but...


    The ice around the venom began to crystallize, the corrosion spreading rapidly. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Supervisor!" shouted one of the guards, but they couldn''t abandon their position. If the golden fire spread beyond the perimeter, the entire academy would be in danger.


    The scorpion prepared its final blow. The supervisor, partially paralyzed by the venom, could barely maintain a weak ice barrier.


    "Kill him already!" The stinger descended like a chitinous lightning bolt.

 Chapter 103 - Taming the Threat of War - 5

    "Supervisor!" one of the guards shouted, but they couldn''t abandon their position. If the golden fire spread beyond the perimeter, the entire academy would be in danger.The scorpion prepared its final blow. The supervisor, partially paralyzed by the venom, could barely maintain a weak ice barrier.


    "Kill him already!" The stinger descended like a chitinous lightning bolt.


    He just had to finish off the only silver rank and then the scorpion could help him with the director to clear the path.


    But a mass of living rock intercepted the attack.


    Professor Yang''s stone behemoth struck the scorpion, its massive fist absorbing the venomous stinger''s impact without difficulty, the crystalline substance barely marking its rocky surface.


    "Sorry I''m late," Yang helped the supervisor to his feet while his beast kept the scorpion at bay. "The students are safe, protected by the other professors in the shelter."


    The mercenary clicked his tongue in annoyance. "More unnecessary interference..."


    Yang''s presence manifested as a wave of silver rank power that made the agent turn his head slightly. His enhanced senses clearly detected the threat level. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Another silver,'' he evaluated while mentally directing his scorpion toward the new threat. ''The behemoth is slightly stronger than the penguin, it''ll be a problem for the scorpion, not that there aren''t more enemies but...''


    His eyes briefly moved toward some of the bronze rank guards still containing the fires. He didn''t even bother tracking them, their attacks would barely scratch his golden feathers.


    ''But the silvers could pierce my defense, and if they work together with the director...'' his wings tensed while calculating. ''I need to end this quickly.''


    The scorpion launched itself against the behemoth, its stinger seeking weak points in the living rock. Yang retreated, dragging the supervisor, coordinating his beast to keep the abyssal creature at bay.


    "No more games, Director!" The mercenary beat his wings with more force and urgency, creating a wind gust that reduced Ignatius''s golden flames.


    The Director was momentarily exposed, his flames unable to reform quickly enough against the cutting wind.


    ''He''s mine,'' the mercenary smiled. Without the Director''s gold rank power, most silvers wouldn''t pose a threat. He could recover his egg and retreat before the king''s aid...


    Something was wrong.


    The Director was smiling.


    It was just an instant, a slight pull of his lips, but the mercenary noticed. His senses tried to expand, to search for the trap, but...


    CRACK!


    A brutal force impacted against his leg from behind his knee. His legs, transformed with the hippogriff''s power withstood most of the damage, but buckled under the precise strike. Continue reading on empire


    The mercenary lost his balance, his wings desperately trying to compensate. ''What...? How didn''t I sense...?''


    Lin rolled on the ground, her crane manifested elongating and especially increasing the power of her legs. The kick had been perfect, all her beast''s strength concentrated in a single impact point.


    In the mercenary''s fall, Lin took advantage of her low position to execute an impossible spin, her transformed leg connecting brutally with the agent''s jaw-beak. The impact was devastating, making the mercenary''s head violently snap back.


    The Director''s right hand broke free and his claws descended like a golden lightning bolt.


    Through his blurred vision, the agent saw the Director lunge, his golden claws aiming straight for his throat. Consciousness was slipping away, Lin''s strike had been calculated to knock out...


    He managed to cover himself at the last moment, though the cost...


    Blood and golden feathers filled the air as the mercenary''s arm fell severed.


    The pain helped him overcome his blurred vision with adrenaline, he saw the Director lunging forward, his golden claws aiming again straight for his throat.


    ''I still have that... But I''ll fail my mission, should keep this secret... But is my life of lesser value? NO, TO HELL WITH THAT!''


    His wings extended with a burst of power, creating a wind wave so intense that both Lin and Ignatius were pushed back at the last moment.


    "Damn you!" the mercenary roared while his scorpion dissolved into a sphere of violet light that returned to his body. His wings didn''t stop beating with great force, maintaining distance while from his bleeding stump emerged a pincer that replaced the wound.


    "You asked for it!" his voice sounded distorted by rage and the mixed power of both beasts.


    ''Want to know how I got this far, Director? How I could map the depths without the changing tunnels losing me?'' The mercenary thought.


    The air began to vibrate with a strange energy while the mercenary pulled out a sphere from his bag that glowed with a purple aura and fed it with mana.


    ''The abyssal veins never change! And right below gold rank, before beasts reach platinum and can cross the barrier... exists the abyssal layer.''


    The earth beneath their feet began to shake. Lin and the Director exchanged worried looks.


    Ignatius narrowed his eyes, studying the mana patterns emanating from the mercenary. The energy had a... familiar behavior. Something he had read the theory of in ancient tomes, in the kingdom''s oldest archives.


    "So this is it," he murmured while intensifying his flames and trying to resist the wind. "Not only did they tame abyssal beasts... they found a way to navigate the abyss itself."


    The mercenary didn''t respond, but his smile widened. His wings beat harder while the tremor increased.


    ''Only we can navigate that 500-meter layer! From 1,500 to 2,000 meters deep, where the endless hordes of monsters make passage impossible for others!''


    "The layer between gold and platinum," the Director advanced, managing to push despite the cutting wind, his flames growing in intensity. "Where the hordes make passage impossible for those below platinum rank..."


    His smile turned savage while the tremor increased.


    "That''s how you could map the changing depths and get here," Ignatius felt how the beasts in the lower levels stirred, responding to a frequency that only they could fully perceive.


    "Hahaha, damn perceptive old man... That''s right! Know why? Because they recognize us as their comrades! The abyssals know we''re their brothers! So say goodbye to your security, we''ll always have ways to reach you when you least expect it!"


    The wind intensified while the mercenary''s violet aura grew. He no longer tried to hide his connection to the abyss, each beat of his mutations making the earth shake with more force.


    Ignatius concentrated all his power, his phoenix''s golden flames reaching a blinding intensity as he prepared for his most powerful attack. The heat was so intense that the surrounding trees began to wither, their leaves curling and blackening.


    He had to stop him no matter what.

 Chapter 104 - Taming Aliens

    The wind intensified while the mercenary''s violet aura grew. He no longer tried to hide his connection to the abyss, each beat of his mutations making the earth shake with more force.Ignatius concentrated all his power, his phoenix''s golden flames reaching a blinding intensity as he prepared for his most powerful attack. The heat was so intense that the surrounding trees began to wither, their leaves curling and blackening.


    He had to stop him no matter what.


    Yino had found a way to navigate the 500 meters of the abyss. The space where only abyssal creatures reigned. But if the mercenary had made the first map...


    Then perhaps it could still be destroyed before others followed his path.


    Ignatius released all his power in a wave of golden fire.


    For a moment, the battlefield transformed into an inferno of light and heat while both forces fought for supremacy.


    With a roar that made the trees tremble, the Director managed to pierce through the wind barrier... but when the flames dissipated, the mercenary had vanished.


    In his place, a hole gaped in the earth. The tremor intensified while the echo of distant laughter resonated from the depths, a sound that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.


    "He''s gone," Lin approached the hole''s edge. "Straight to the depths."


    Ignatius took a step toward the hole, but his legs trembled slightly. The prolonged use of so much power had taken its toll, golden feathers falling from his partially manifested form.


    "No," Lin put a hand on his shoulder. "Going down now would be suicide. You have no earth specialty and you''re exhausted."


    "But if he escapes..." the Director clenched his fists, his golden flames flickering weakly like dying embers.


    "Director," Yang approached, carrying the unconscious supervisor. The areas affected by the venom had expanded, covering much of his side with an otherworldly gleam. "We need help here."


    Ignatius quickly evaluated the situation. His flames could neutralize the venom.


    "Maintain the perimeter watched," he ordered while kneeling beside the supervisor. His hands glowed with a softer, more controlled fire that danced across the infected areas.


    Lin and Yang organized the remaining guards. The stone behemoth positioned itself near the hole while the earth beasts reinforced the defensive positions, creating overlapping fields of protection.


    The Director''s golden fire worked methodically, burning away the venom and healing the underlying tissue. Drops of sweat ran down his forehead, he had little energy left after his massive attacks.


    A roar emerged from the depths, the sound unlike anything they''d heard around the normal academy depths.


    "They''re coming!" shouted one of the guards, his earth beast trembling at the alien sound.


    The first beast emerged from the hole like a twisted shadow. Its body, a mass of chitin and tissue, barely had time to touch the ground before the Director''s flames consumed it, the creature''s death scream echoing unnaturally.


    He had finished healing the supervisor just in time.


    But the creature wasn''t alone.


    More beasts began to emerge, each more grotesque than the last. Yang''s behemoth crushed several with its massive fists while Lin used her crane-enhanced speed to intercept and drive back those trying to flank their position.


    A new roar, this time from another direction, this one deeper and more resonant.


    "Sir!" one of the guards pointed east. "They''re emerging from the ground making new entrances!"


    Lin cursed while kicking away a beast that tried to surprise her from behind. The monsters were using the mining tunnels, emerging through multiple points in a coordinated attack pattern.


    "The shelter," her eyes widened with concern. "Ren and the other children..."


    ????


    The impacts started as subtle vibrations beneath their feet, like the prelude to an earthquake.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with alarm, detecting something moving under the shelter''s floor, something that made their usual patterns fluctuate erratically.


    "What is that?" Klein whispered, his previous bravado forgotten in the face of the unknown.


    The impacts intensified. Some students began to murmur with concern.


    "Keep calm!" A Professor''s voice resonated through the chamber. "This shelter was designed to resist any emergency. The walls are made with several meters of reinforced solid rock."


    Another impact, stronger. Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with increasing intensity, their glow taking on an unusual pattern.


    "Even if it were a worm invasion," continued the professor while other teachers organized the older students into defensive formations, "the black earth layer in the construction makes it impossible for them to penetrate. It''s completely safe."


    Klein stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the floor, all thoughts of his earlier confrontation with Ren forgotten in the face of a greater threat.


    "Professor," he called with tense voice. "But look at the floor..."


    Ren saw it at the same time. A crack, barely visible, beginning to form in the solid rock. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed, as if detecting something completely alien to their knowledge base.


    "Impossible," murmured the professor, approaching to inspect. "This rock is specifically treated to..."


    Another crack appeared, connecting with the first one.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with more urgency. The mana pattern they detected wasn''t natural, wasn''t like anything they had encountered in the mines.


    "Professor," Ren stepped back. "Those aren''t worms."


    As if confirming his words, more cracks began to appear.


    Klein retreated as well, his lion covering him protectively. Ren saw genuine fear in the noble''s eyes, all pretense of superiority forgotten.


    "Everyone back!" The professor began manifesting his beast.


    The tremors ceased abruptly. A heavy silence fell over the shelter while students held their breath, the only sound the subtle hum of manifested beasts.


    "Is it... over?" Klein murmured, his golden lion still alert, its mane bristling with tension.


    The crystalline cracks in the floor began to expand again.


    "Maintain distance!" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Min and Taro came running, their faces pale with fear.


    "Ren!" Taro stopped beside him, his beetle manifesting from nervousness. "Only you can know what''s..."


    The floor exploded.


    The first creature that emerged made Ren''s mushrooms pulse with total confusion. Its body was a vertical column of translucent purple tissue, with no distinguishable head, just a series of concentric rings that pulsed with their own light.


    From its center emerged tentacles.


    "By all the..." Min couldn''t finish the phrase.


    Another creature emerged.


    This one had a segmented exoskeleton that gleamed with violaceous tones, but the segments didn''t follow any recognizable pattern. They overlapped and intertwined as if in constant motion..


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair couldn''t process the information they were receiving. These beasts didn''t follow their known logic.


    "There''s no information," murmured Ren while his mushrooms tried to analyze the creatures. "It''s as if... as if they came from somewhere completely different." Stay tuned with empire

 Chapter 105 - Taming Sense of Wonder

    Ren''s mushrooms couldn''t process the information they were receiving. These beasts didn''t follow their known logic, defying every pattern he had learned."There''s no information," murmured Ren while his mushrooms tried to analyze the creatures. "It''s as if... as if they came from somewhere completely different."


    "Fall back!" shouted one of the professors while attacking one of the beasts, barely managing to inflict any damage despite his powerful beast.


    The students retreated in panic as more creatures emerged. A being that seemed made of intertwined tubes pumping violet liquid advanced toward them, its movements following no natural rhythm.


    "They''re more horrible than I expected," Klein murmured, his lion growling at enemies that defied its comprehension.


    "What do we do, Ren?" Min asked, his water snake manifested but coiling nervously. "What kind of beasts are these?"


    Taro also turned to him. "Are they like the deep worms and living tunnels? Or more like the bugs or assassins you told us about?"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed erratically, trying to process what they were seeing, their usual patterns breaking down in the face of the unknown.


    He watched one of the creatures that had an elongated body covered in overlapping plates of deep purple. It had no visible eyes, but dozens of antennae vibrated constantly.


    "I..." Ren found himself speechless for the first time in a long while. His mushrooms couldn''t provide useful information; the beasts didn''t follow the normal patterns he had learned to recognize.


    "I don''t know," Ren finally admitted, the sensation of ignorance hitting him like a physical weight. "I have no information about them."


    Min and Taro exchanged surprised looks. Ren always knew something, always had some idea of how to proceed.


    A roar resonated in the chamber as a larger beast emerged. Its body was a mass of dense tissue, with multiple appendages ending in branching structures.


    "Defensive formation!" Professor Wei''s voice cut through the panic. "Senior students, form a perimeter! You''ve studied abyssal beasts!"


    The teachers moved with the precision that only comes from real experience in the army during their military service. Their beasts attacked while they took strategic positions.


    "Don''t let them advance!" shouted another professor while his elephant bull charged one of the creatures. "Test elements until you find their random weakness!"


    Wei directed his manticore. "Bronze rank, seek elemental weakness! Silver rank, attack directly! Brute force works if you have enough power!"


    The senior students who had advanced in their cultivation organized quickly. One launched a water attack that made one of the beasts writhe in pain. Another discovered his wind beast could disarm the protective plates of another.


    "This is revealing," murmured Ren while watching the battle unfold with fascination and apprehension.


    He observed, fascinated, as the teachers and experienced students worked together, testing different approaches until finding the effective way to eliminate each type of beast. It was for him a reminder that the world was larger and stranger than his mushrooms could show him at this level.


    "It''s like starting over," he whispered, a small smile forming on his lips despite the danger. "There''s so much I don''t know..."


    Ren observed with renewed interest. Perhaps he didn''t know these beasts, had no information about their patterns or weaknesses, but that only meant there was more to discover.


    Of course he was afraid of the unknown... But he had always been brave because he had always liked the idea of being an explorer like the ''Wandering King'' from his book.


    The initial feeling of vulnerability slowly transformed into something else: the same feeling of excitement and curiosity that had led him to leave home or explore the mines in the first place.


    "Well," he finally said to Min and Taro, his mushrooms pulsing with renewed determination, "I guess it''s time to learn something new."


    ????


    The last monsters fell to the teachers'' combined experience.


    What initially seemed like a crisis was resolved with common military tactics, leaving only carcases and some holes in the ground as evidence.


    "Very well," Wei gathered the younger students while other teachers inspected the damage. "Normally this is explained in battle class in a few years but... Since you''ve had an unexpected direct encounter with abyssal beasts, we''ll advance this lesson."


    He cleared his throat, preparing for one of his extensive explanations.


    Wei observed the group of young students, noting with discomfort the presence of a certain student he normally didn''t have to face in his classes.


    During the last few months, he had grown accustomed to freely mocking the "absurd fungus theories" when the boy wasn''t present.


    Now he would have to teach with him there.


    "As you can see," he continued with some stiffness, "abyssal beasts are fundamentally different from the normal creatures we find in the mines or outskirts."


    He stopped instinctively, waiting for the inevitable correction. When Ren only observed attentively with what seemed genuine interest, Wei found himself losing his train of thought.


    "Normally these attacks..." Wei cleared his throat, uncomfortable with Ren''s silent attention. "These attacks occur from the great abyss in the city outskirts."


    Taro, sitting nearby, smiled seeing Wei''s nervousness. During the last month he had had to endure the professor''s constant mockery about the "absent fungus''s theories," and now the professor seemed unable to maintain his usual condescending tone.


    "True hordes are much larger," Wei continued, his hand playing nervously with his robe. "They can last... entire months..."


    He stopped instinctively, his experience with Ren making him wait for the inevitable "actually professor..."


    Nothing.


    The boy kept listening with total attention, showing no signs of wanting to interrupt.


    "This attack was unusually small," Wei tried to recover some of his usual confidence. "Though I suppose some might have... alternative theories about that." S§×arch* The ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The jab, which would normally provoke laughter in class, fell into uncomfortable silence. The students who had witnessed Wei''s behavior during the last month exchanged amused looks.


    "Any questions?" Wei looked directly at Ren, almost begging for the familiar confrontation. Your next chapter awaits on empire


    "Yes, professor," Ren raised his hand politely. "Could you explain more about the horde cycles?"


    Wei almost choked on his own saliva. Where were the absurd theories? The references no one else knew?


    "True hordes..." Wei loosened his robe''s collar, visibly sweating, "follow a cycle of several years and appear in specific seasons... and require the intervention of the complete army."


    Another glance at Ren. Was he sick? Had the encounter affected him more than it seemed?


    "Does anyone want to... add something?" he looked meaningfully at Ren. "Comment on any error in my explanation? Please?"

 Chapter 106 - Tamers Progress

    "True hordes..." Wei loosened his robe''s collar, visibly sweating, "follow a cycle of several years and appear in specific seasons... and require the intervention of the complete army."Another glance at Ren. Was he sick? Had the encounter affected him more than it seemed?


    "Does anyone want to... add something?" he looked meaningfully at Ren. "Comment on any error in my explanation?"


    "Actually," Ren straightened up, and Wei almost sighed with relief, "I''d like to know more about the defensive tactics used against different types of abyssals."


    Several students laughed discreetly at seeing the expression of total bewilderment on Wei''s face.


    "Well¡­ Tactics against asarous monsters like those are just about finding the weakness by trying multiple options and¡­ This... this isn''t normal," murmured Wei, passing a hand across his forehead. "Are you feeling well?"


    "Why do you ask, professor?" Ren tilted his head innocently.


    "Because you seemed like someone who always had something to say!" Wei finally exploded. "Have you learned your lesson and become a new person in these months?"


    "Oh," Ren smiled. "It''s just that I don''t know anything about this, professor. My mushrooms don''t have information about abyssal beasts."


    "Your mushrooms... don''t know anything?" Wei blinked in confusion.


    "No sir. That''s why I''m listening. Although," and here the mushrooms in his hair pulsed, "according to what Taro has told me about your cultivation classes, you''re still wrong about many things..."


    Wei''s face went through several shades of red in rapid succession.


    "YOU¡­ I THOUGHT YOU HAD CHANGED YOUR¡­!" he began, but stopped, breathing deeply. "You know what, I prefer when you don''t know anything. Let''s continue with the lesson about what you DO want to learn... And I hope you remember that soon you''ll only have less than half the semester left to fulfill your word in our bet!"


    "Of course, professor," Ren nodded seriously. "Though about the cultivation method you mentioned to Taro last week..."


    "NO! ENOUGH!" Wei raised his hands in defeat while the students burst into laughter. "Ten points less for... for...! For existing!"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed to the rhythm of laughter while Wei tried to regain control of the impromptu class, muttering something about "thinking he had changed" and "returning his pity."


    ????


    The day of the second exploration is near, but it''s not the only thing happening soon...


    "Well?" Liu observed while Taro absorbed another processed crystal. "Do you feel closer to becoming a living tunnel yet?"


    "Don''t be like that," Min laughed. "Clearly Ren is transforming him into a deep assassin. Can''t you see how his mouth is lengthening and his shell glows differently?"


    Taro almost choked while dealing with the crystal absorption. "Don''t joke while I''m cultivating, idiots!"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with amusement while he continued absorbing the next crystal for his own cultivation.


    "Though..." Min moved closer to examine Taro more carefully. "Your mana does flow differently lately."


    Liu nodded with fake seriousness. "And your markings are more defined. Maybe the fungus knows what he''s doing after all."


    "Of course I know," Ren smiled while finishing his absorption and storing the saturated tentacle. "That''s why you too should..."


    "No no no!" Min raised his hands defensively. "First let''s see if Taro survives."


    "Thanks for the vote of confidence," Taro muttered.


    "Hey, you''re our brave guinea beetle," Liu patted him on the back. "If you survive and evolve like Ren says, we''ll be first in line begging for help."


    "And if I don''t survive?"


    "Then we''ll be first at your funeral," Min smiled. "With flowers and everything."


    The four laughed, though Taro looked slightly darker as he finished absorbing.


    "Well, I''m off," Liu stood up. "Some of us still have to study normal and safe cultivation methods at this hour and Professor Agatha is just as bad as Wei..."


    "Coward," Taro shouted as he left, provoking more laughter.


    Once alone, Ren, Taro, and Min also prepared to leave while discussing something more serious.


    "Professor Yang''s mid-semester evaluation..." Min began. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We need a strategy," Taro nodded. "We''re the only team without an offensive beast and I don''t know if I''ll have time to rank up... Hope they delay the date more because of the horde problem."


    Ren studied his companions thoughtfully. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while analyzing each one''s capabilities.


    "We have to use our strengths," he began. "Min, your snake has our best attack range. Taro, your beetle is perfect for defense, especially now that your mana flows better. And I..."


    "You have the brightest mushrooms," Min completed with a smile.


    "Also Lin''s training," Taro added.


    "True," Ren straightened. "And lots of normal beasts knowledge... Which means we can use interesting strategies depending on who we face..."


    "Well, I''m off to Professor Dorothy, good luck with Wei and Lin, haha," Min mocked while walking away.


    Taro clenched his fist, Ren frowned, that lucky one had the calmest teacher of first year.


    The boys separated to go to their first classes and Ren went to hide from Lin.


    He failed again.


    ????


    After a brutal training session with Lin, a punishment that had been going on for several days after his escape to the caves...


    Ren was dragged by Lin to Yang''s class, for more training.


    "Five more laps!" Yang watched while the students ran around the training field.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed steadily¡­ it wasn''t actually so bad since training with Lin had significantly improved his endurance. Min, on the other hand, was breathing heavily beside him.


    "How... do you... do this... 4 times... every day?" he managed between breaths.


    "Lin is worse lately," Ren smiled, remembering his morning session.


    When they finally finished, Yang gathered all the students.


    "Well, I have an important announcement," his voice resonated across the field. "As you know, you would normally have the gathering trip in the middle of the fourth month of the semester..."


    "Would have?" Cass, Jin''s friend, interrupted. "What do you mean by ''would have''?"


    "Professor Zhao will be... indisposed," Yang continued. "Therefore, we''ll take advantage of that day to hold a small friendly mid-semester tournament."


    Murmurs of discontent spread quickly among the students.


    "But we need those materials!" someone protested from the back.


    "The collection is crucial for generating profits and paying for our cultivation!"


    Ren also felt some disappointment. The collection trip would have been an excellent opportunity to obtain many materials again... though thinking about it, without Zhao present and the noble kids being targets, it could be more dangerous than last time.


    "Silence!" Lin''s voice cut through the complaints. "To compensate for the loss of the trip, special prizes will be awarded to the teams with the best performance."


    This immediately caught everyone''s attention.


    "The prizes," Yang smiled, "will include materials equivalent to what you could have obtained on the trip. Possibly more, depending on your performance."


    "Now," Lin took out a small box, "we''ll proceed to draw the matches for the first round."

 Chapter 107 - Tamers Absence

    Zhao''s owl manifested completely in his body as he advanced through the silver ring, its wings fusing with the professor''s arms to allow him to glide silently between the trees, each movement calculated to minimize detection. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.A group of two-headed hyenas hunted below, their black bodies perfectly camouflaged but visible to Zhao''s owl eyes under the moonlight.


    He easily avoided them, though he could defeat them, the noise of battle would attract unwanted attention and he needed to advance as fast as possible.


    Further ahead, a nest of winged serpents occupied several treetops. The silver rank 3 creatures intertwined their bodies creating a living net, their scales gleaming with hypnotic patterns designed to trap flying prey.


    Zhao descended. Flying in this zone would be suicide, the serpents had the advantage in the air and hunted in groups.


    A distant roar made him stop.


    The border with the beginning of the gold ring announced itself with a change in vegetation. The trees here were larger, older, their trunks marked by battles between superior beasts.


    The roar was probably from a golden fox bear, common in the area ahead.


    ''Dangerous territory,'' he thought while his owl eyes scanned the area. ''From here on all beasts are stronger than me.''


    ????


    A fox bear dozed in a nearby clearing. Zhao carefully circled around it, a rank gold 1 predator was dangerous for someone of silver rank like him.


    The ground trembled slightly. A herd of golden turtle trees moved in the distance, their massive bodies regenerating vegetation in their wake. Zhao was thankful they were far away enough.


    A sharp screech cut through the air. Above, a giant horned crow made its rounds. Zhao pressed himself against a tree trunk, merging with the shadows thanks to his owl''s feathers.


    ''I''ll die before reaching the platinum ring,'' he thought while continuing to advance with extreme caution. His enhanced senses caught every sound, every movement in the darkness.


    ????


    Upon reaching the platinum ring, alive but exhausted...


    A clearing opened ahead. Moonlight revealed recent battle marks, fallen trees, disturbed earth, broken plates scattered across the ground.


    Zhao''s owl caught movement. A figure moved among the shadows, its power making the air vibrate around it.


    ''Found you,'' Zhao smiled slightly while preparing for the encounter. He just hoped the news he brought justified the risk of venturing so deep into hostile territory.


    The figure seemed to sense his presence, turning slowly toward his position...


    ????


    Ignatius observed the city from his office window when he felt the familiar presence approaching. He didn''t need to turn to recognize his former student''s characteristic power.


    "It''s been a while, Director," Prince Julius''s voice sounded tired. "Though I would have preferred to visit under less... concerning circumstances."


    The Director turned to find the young noble practically collapsing into one of the seats. Work at the castle must be exhausting, but there was something more in his expression, a fatigue that went beyond the physical.


    "They took their time responding," Ignatius commented while pouring two glasses of wine.


    "We took time finding someone who could respond," Julius took the glass with a heavy sigh. "The council is... divided on how to handle the situation."


    "And your father?"


    The Prince laughed without humor. "What do you think was his response when I suggested he should have returned already 3 months ago?"


    Ignatius observed the liquid in his glass. "Let me guess... ''I won''t abandon my mission for small trifles you can handle?''"


    "''The will of dragons cannot be interrupted by mortal machinations,''" Julius quoted bitterly. "As if Yino weren''t literally invading our territory while he searches for... what exactly is he searching for?"


    The Director noticed how his former student avoided specifically mentioning the King''s mission. Even in private, some secrets were too dangerous to be named.


    "Does the council know Yino is aware of his absence?"


    "The council can barely agree on what to have for breakfast," Julius rubbed his temples. "Half insist we must reinforce the army at the rift. The other half argue that any sudden movement will only confirm Yino''s suspicions."


    "While they discuss," Ignatius set down his glass, "Yino advances. Their agents can navigate the abyss now, Julius. They''ve found a way to use the hordes to their advantage."


    "I know, I did read your message first," the Prince straightened slightly. "And I don''t like the rest either. Their experiments with abyssal beasts, their double tamers... and now this about triples."


    "Do you think it''s possible?"


    "Three beasts?" Julius frowned. "A year ago I would have said it''s impossible. But Yino..." he paused, carefully choosing his words. "They''re willing to cross lines we wouldn''t even consider."


    Ignatius noticed the subtle emphasis on "we." Purity in the bond between tamer and beast was one of Yano''s fundamental principles. But how much were principles worth against raw power?


    "Your father believes he''ll find the answer in his search," the Director commented softly.


    "My father believes many things," Julius finished his glass in one gulp. "He believes he can abandon the kingdom indefinitely. He believes his personal power is sufficient deterrent. He believes the dragons will guide him to... to whatever he''s searching for."


    The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken words. The King, the only platinum rank tamer in the kingdom, chasing a legend while his nation teetered on the brink of a war that could end everything.


    "Zhao reached the platinum ring," the prince continued. "But father was no longer there."


    Ignatius nodded while pouring more wine. It wasn''t a surprise, the King never stayed long in one place during his searches.


    "Zhao found my brother who father left behind," continued the prince. "Though with him we have another gold double in the kingdom I don''t think it will be enough."


    The Director observed his former student. The young noble had matured quickly since his father''s obsession began affecting the kingdom''s stability.


    "I''m sorry you had to come... but I understand why you couldn''t trust this to a message," Ignatius commented. "With the abyssals able to emerge anywhere..."


    "And I couldn''t ignore the situation either," the prince straightened. "Especially not when my sister and my cousins are here."


    His eyes narrowed slightly. "Liora told me about the incident in a letter. About the hydra in the mine..."


    "Your cousins have maintained excellent vigilance," the Director tried to reassure him. "Their unexpected dangerous encounter was something..."

 Chapter 108 - Taming Conjectures

    His eyes narrowed slightly. "Liora told me about the incident in a letter. About the hydra in the mine...""Your cousins have maintained excellent vigilance," the Director tried to reassure him. "Their unexpected dangerous encounter was something..."


    "I don''t blame you director," the prince interrupted. "I know those three, always getting into trouble... So I need to increase their security."


    "The academy is a target," Ignatius agreed. "The agent''s attack made that clear."


    "The academy has always been a target," Julius poured himself more wine. "It''s the nest that increases our kingdom''s power and home to perfect ''hostages'' in the enemy''s eyes..."


    "They have spies here," the Director added. "Good spies."


    The Prince nodded slowly. "I know."


    "More guards?"


    "Yes," the prince nodded. "But common guards would draw attention. I need to increase the number of ''handmaidens'' with additional training. The kind of handmaidens that only you can discreetly enroll."


    Ignatius accepted the request with a simple nod.


    "And the informants?"


    "They''re everywhere," the prince rubbed his temples. "Every noble, every counselor... all have their own agendas. And with father absent..." S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He paused, carefully choosing his next words. "Platinum rank used to be our last bastion of security. But neither I nor any of my siblings managed to match father''s cultivation, something was missing. And if what you say about the abyssals is true..."


    "It is," Ignatius confirmed. "The agent made it very clear after fleeing. They have a way to navigate the depths using the hordes themselves."


    "If Yino tries something with that while father is... absent..."


    The word ''absent'' carried the weight of years of frustration. The King, the only platinum tamer, chasing legends while his kingdom teetered on the edge of crisis¡­


    "How much longer?"


    "Until he returns?" the prince laughed without humor. "Does even he know? Let''s talk about something more interesting... Liora told me something about her adventure in the mines that coincidentally resonates with something Zhao mentioned¡­"


    ????


    "Han''s spider is problematic," Min traced patterns in the air with his finger while his snake coiled nervously around his neck. "Those hexagons aren''t just decorative."


    Ren nodded while his mushrooms pulsed, analyzing the available information. "It can create traps and barriers too. Not as strong as Taro''s shell, but more versatile."


    "And Sora has good speed with her deer," Taro added. "The horns in her hair aren''t just for looking pretty either."


    "At least Jun''s monkey is more straightforward," Min sighed. "Enhanced strength, nothing complicated."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while considering their options. If Taro had started his cultivation at the beginning of the semester, they would now be planning tactics with his evolution in mind.


    But there was no point in lamenting.


    "We''ll have to work with what we have," Ren stood to draw some formations in the air. "Min, your snake has the best range. If we can keep Han busy and you take down his webs..."


    "And Jun always attacks directly," Min added. "If we could use that against him..."


    A knock on the door interrupted their planning.


    The three exchanged confused looks. It was late for visits, and Liu generally didn''t knock to enter.


    Ren approached the door, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with curiosity. When he opened it, the welcome words died in his throat.


    Director Ignatius was there, his phoenix manifesting in a subtle golden glow. And beside him...


    Prince Julius, heir to the throne, observed Ren with intense interest. His beast, a Qilin, created golden patterns that flowed under his skin like liquid gold.


    "Young Ren," the Director kept his voice neutral. "We apologize for the hour, but we need to discuss something important."


    Min and Taro stood up so fast they almost tripped over each other.


    "May we come in?" the prince smiled slightly at their reaction.


    "Of... of course," Ren stepped aside, his mind racing with possibilities.


    "Relax," the Director noticed their nervousness. "Just..."


    "Actually," the prince interrupted softly, "we''re here about something that has intrigued me quite a bit." His eyes fixed on the mushrooms pulsing in Ren''s hair. "Something about unconventional methods and unexpected knowledge."


    Taro and Min exchanged worried looks. How much did they know about the cultivation experiments?


    "The director mentioned something Professor Wei reported... an interesting bet," continued the prince while examining the papers with battle formations on the table. "About evolution and traditional methods."


    The mushrooms pulsed faster. Ren could feel the weight of the prince''s gaze, evaluating, measuring.


    "Though that''s not all," Julius smiled. "I''ve also heard fascinating stories about a certain student who seems to understand beasts better than some teachers."


    The Director remained silent, observing the interaction with an indecipherable expression.


    "And I wonder," the prince sat casually in one of the chairs, his qilin manifesting more completely, "what other secrets might you know?"


    ????


    Moments before¡­


    "Zhao and Liora?" The Director observed the prince as they walked through the academy''s empty hallways. "It''s curious that both specifically mentioned this student."


    "Yes," Julius smiled slightly. "Zhao spoke of a boy who seemed to have unusual knowledge about beasts. Specifically mentioned that his knowledge during the exploration was... too precise."


    "And Liora noticed something similar," Ignatius nodded. "Though she focused more on how the boy seemed very confident while exploring."


    "As if he knew what to expect," the prince stopped, his qilin partially manifesting. "Or as if he had detected something others couldn''t see."


    The Director considered the implications. "You think it wasn''t coincidence that he was in the cave that day?"


    "Zhao said the boy appeared exactly when needed," Julius continued. "And when my cousin was following him, coincidentally, that''s the same place where the agent appeared."


    His eyes gleamed while his second beast created crystalline patterns on his arms. "My earth beast can track underground movements. I came primarily to search for the mercenary, if he''s still nearby..."


    "But you also want to know why a student with the supposedly ''worst'' beast seems to have such deep understanding of the depths," Ignatius completed the thought.


    "Exactly," the prince nodded. "A common spore that somehow guided my cousin exactly toward an infiltrated agent. A student who, according to Wei, is challenging all established knowledge about cultivation..."


    "Wei tends to exaggerate," the Director smiled. "Especially when it comes to this particular student."


    "But he''s not completely wrong, is he?" Julius arched an eyebrow.

 Chapter 109 - Taming Conjectures - 2

    "Wei tends to exaggerate," the Director smiled. "Especially when it comes to this particular student.""But he''s not completely wrong, is he?" Julius arched an eyebrow.


    "Wei talks a lot but doesn''t lie when..."


    "And just when Yino finds a way to use the abyss against us," continued the prince, "such a student appears."


    "You suspect a boy with a mushroom too?" the Director smiled.


    "Not necessarily..." Julius smiled too. "Rather, I''m intrigued. Zhao mentioned something specific about how he was too clever."


    They stopped in front of the dormitory door.


    "Ready to speak directly with our mysterious student?" Julius smiled while raising his hand to knock.


    ????


    "So," the prince observed the room with apparent casualness, "do you enjoy spending time in the mines?"


    Min and Taro had withdrawn after a signal from the Director, leaving Ren alone with his important visitors.


    "It''s... a good way to obtain resources, your highness," Ren responded carefully, measuring each word.


    "The guards say you''re quite successful at finding crystals," Julius continued. "For someone with a spore, it''s... unusual."


    "I just follow basic patterns," Ren maintained his neutral tone. "Anyone can learn them."


    The prince smiled slightly. "Like the patterns you followed during the exploration with Zhao?"


    Ren felt a pang of nervousness, but kept his expression calm. "Professor Zhao guided us that day. I just followed his instructions."


    "Curious," Julius tilted his head. "He remembers the situation... differently. Something about a boy escaping his famous vigilance."


    The Director remained silent, observing the exchange like he would a chess match.


    "I think, pardon, y-your highness," Ren chose his words carefully, "I think Professor Zhao is being too generous. He probably compares me to others because of my weak beast and assumed more than what really happened."


    "And auxiliary Lin?" the prince changed topics abruptly. "Why did she decide to train you personally?"


    Read the latest on empire


    "Because I have a pathetic beast in combat and I''m a lost cause," Ren smiled with feigned self-deprecation. "Or I was, at least. Master Lin has a weakness for lost causes..."


    The Director coughed slightly to hide a smile. The answer was perfectly believable, Lin was known for adopting students with unrecognized potential.


    "You were also in the infirmary for mana poisoning that day," Julius continued. "How deep did you really go?"


    "Not very deep," Ren shrugged. "But my spore is so weak that even a little exposure affects me more than others."


    It was a perfectly reasonable explanation. The prince frowned slightly, each of Ren''s answers was logical, simple, almost too perfect in their normality.


    But was it really that weak?


    He didn''t have much to compare it to but it shouldn''t be so different in processing mana to others, maybe 50% less...


    "And the cultivation method that bothers Wei so much?"


    "Oh, that," Ren seemed to genuinely animate. "It''s just an idea based on a lucky friend. Professor Wei believes it''s impossible, but..." he stopped, as if doubting whether to continue.


    "But?" the prince encouraged.


    "But I think sometimes we focus so much on what we believe impossible that we stop seeing what can be," Ren concluded.


    Julius studied the boy for a long moment. Each answer subtly diverted attention from any special ability, attributing everything to luck, help from others, or simple persistence.


    It was the kind of humility that could be genuine... or a well-constructed facade.


    But the prince was the one who had taught the girls to detect lies...


    "You know," the prince finally stood, "I need to investigate something in the mines tomorrow. The guards say you seem to be an expert in tunnels and very ''lucky''."


    Ren blinked, surprised by the change of topic. "You want me to...?"


    "Guide me," Julius smiled. "Since you spend so much time there, you must be able to help me find an intruder''s trail."


    The Director carefully observed Ren''s reaction. For a moment, something seemed to gleam in the boy''s eyes, but it disappeared so quickly it could have been imagination.


    "O-of course, y-your highness," Ren nodded respectfully. "Though I don''t know how useful a spore can be as a guide..."


    "Oh, don''t worry about that," the prince headed toward the door. "Sometimes the simplest beasts surprise us, don''t they, Director?" sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ignatius nodded slightly, noticing how the mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed faster than ever.


    ????


    The prince observed Ren while they descended through the tunnels. The boy''s answers in the dormitory had been careful, measured... and several of them were definitely false.


    There was something in the way his eyes moved when answering about the exploration, in how his voice subtly changed when talking about the depths. Small details others might overlook, but for someone who had trained Luna, Liora, and Larissa in the art of detecting lies were clear as day.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair illuminated the way with a soft glow.


    "Well," the prince commented casually, "at least now I see one small advantage you have over your companions. That light must be useful down here... Do your mushrooms have any other interesting advantages?"


    "It''s just light, your highness," Ren responded while guiding the way. "Not really a big deal."


    The prince noticed the slight tension in his shoulders, the subtle change in his tone.


    Another lie.


    "Do you know anything about the intruder who attacked the academy?" he asked abruptly, watching Ren''s reaction.


    "Just what I heard afterward," Ren responded, and this time his voice carried the ring of truth. "That he was someone dangerous from Yino."


    ''Interesting,'' thought the prince. ''So he didn''t see him personally then.''


    "And can you repeat to me what you were doing that day in the mines?"


    "Looking for crystals, as always," the response was too quick, too rehearsed.


    The prince studied the boy while they continued descending. He didn''t seem like a spy, his lies were too specific, too focused on hiding something particular instead of the kind of general deception an infiltrator would use.


    "Tell me," he stopped at a tunnel crossing, "do you notice anything unusual? Anything different from what you''re used to?"


    Ren visibly hesitated. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while his eyes scanned the walls.


    "No... not really."


    The prince smiled. It was the most obvious lie yet.


    "You know, my cousin told me something about you and how you understood her special ability, but..." his voice softened, "I was the one who taught Luna to detect lies. It''s a subtle art, the small changes in voice, the tension in certain muscles, the way the eyes move... And above all, the bodily flow of mana."


    Ren froze, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing erratically.


    "And you, young Ren, have been lying quite a bit. Not about everything, but definitely about important things."

 Chapter 110 - Guide Tamer Ren Patinder

    "You know, my cousin told me something about you and how you understood her special ability, but..." his voice softened, "I was the one who taught Luna to detect lies. It''s a subtle art, the small changes in voice, the tension in certain muscles, the way the eyes move... And above all, the bodily flow of mana."Ren froze, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing erratically.


    "And you, young Ren, have been lying quite a bit. Not about everything, but definitely about important things."


    Silence filled the tunnel while Ren processed this revelation.


    "You''re not a spy," the prince continued. "Your lies are too specific for that. You''re protecting something, hiding something you can do or see."


    The mushrooms pulsed more intensely, as if responding to their bearer''s tension.


    "Please," Julius softened his tone further, "tell me what you really see down here. What your mushrooms with more than ''just light'' are showing you."


    Ren remained silent for several seconds, clearly debating with himself.


    The mushrooms pulsed once more before Ren finally spoke:


    "The patterns..." he began hesitantly. "I can see patterns in the mana. In the walls, in the beasts, in how the energy flows..."


    The prince observed how the boy seemed to relax slightly upon finally telling the truth. Although that was an ability several beasts had, like his qilin or those of his cousins or siblings... He had never heard of a spore providing it.


    And it definitely wasn''t enough to explain Zhao''s exaggerations...


    "Continue," he encouraged gently.


    "It''s like... like clues," Ren gestured toward the walls. "I can see where crystals form, where beasts have left marks, which tunnels are safe and which aren''t."


    His mushrooms pulsed with more confidence as he continued explaining:


    "And since the attack... there are new patterns. Marks I hadn''t seen before. As if something had altered the natural flow of mana in the depths."


    The prince listened attentively, noting how each word now carried the unmistakable weight of truth.


    The supposedly useless spore had turned out much more interesting than anyone could have imagined. Or was Ren''s spore different to others?


    "But it''s strange," Ren frowned, his mushrooms glowing more intensely while he approached to examine a crystalline vein. "The mana flow is... different. As if something had pushed it out of its natural course."


    He moved to another section of the wall, his fingers tracing lines invisible to others.


    "Do you see these crystal formations?" he pointed to patterns that seemed random to the prince. "Normally they grow following the natural mana lines, but here..." he paused, searching for the right words. "It''s as if something had forced them to grow in another direction."


    The prince observed with renewed interest as Ren continued his analysis. Enjoy new chapters from empire


    "The abyssals," Ren murmured, more to himself than his companion. "When they emerged, it must have been like opening a floodgate. A vein of their energy extended up to here."


    His mushrooms pulsed more rapidly while following the trail of alterations.


    "But it''s receding," he continued, noticing how the patterns began normalizing in certain areas. "The natural flow is pushing back, reclaiming its territory."


    "Like a river returning to its course?" the prince could see it too, but played along trying to understand more about the boy.


    "More like..." Ren searched for a better analogy. "Like when you mix water with oil. At first they blend, but gradually each returns to its natural place."


    The mushrooms detected something else, a subtle fluctuation in the patterns.


    "Although..." Ren stopped, studying a particular section more carefully. "There are areas where the abyssal energy seems to have... settled. As if it had found points where it can remain stable."


    The prince observed how the boy moved through the tunnel with a confidence that completely contradicted the image of someone with the "worst beast." Each movement seemed guided by information invisible to others.


    He showed no fear of possible old worm holes that could make him fall, seeming to walk as if through his own home. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That''s why some crystals are changing color," Ren pointed to formations. "They''re absorbing the residual energy from the abyssals."


    He stopped before a particular crack, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing with a slower, more cautious rhythm.


    "Here," he murmured. "This point is still... active. Like it''s an anchor for the abyssal energy."


    The prince approached to examine the crack. To him it looked like any other, but the certainty in Ren''s voice was undeniable, so he scraped with his beast''s claws and found violet crystals.


    "The normal mana flow is avoiding this area," Ren continued explaining. "Like a river circling a rock. But the abyssal energy..." he stopped, considering his next words.


    "Yes?" the prince encouraged him to continue.


    "It''s as if it left a mark," Ren frowned. "A point where its influence remains, even while the rest fades."


    The mushrooms pulsed one final time, detecting something deeper, more worrying.


    "And I don''t think it''s the only point like this... it must continue downward... This way," Ren pointed to another descending tunnel while his mushrooms pulsed. "The abyssal energy vein is stronger in this direction."


    They passed a group of guards who respectfully saluted the prince. As they descended, the marks on the walls became more pronounced.


    "Your highness," Ren stopped abruptly, this was his chance to escape from the prince... He had guided him far enough in the right direction. "We''re passing 150 meters. With my spore, the mana poisoning..."


    "Is that what really worries you?" the prince interrupted softly. "Or is there another reason you want to stop here?"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed erratically.


    "I don''t understand what you mean by..."


    "That day," Julius looked at him directly, "when they found the mercenary. Did you also stop at 150 meters?"


    "Of course, I..."


    "Lie," the prince took a step toward him. "Like the other lies about your limits. How far did you really go down, Ren?"


    Silence filled the tunnel while Ren considered his options. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed faster and faster.


    "150 meters isn''t your limit," Julius continued pressing. "Not even close. I can see it in your face every time you mention that depth."


    Ren took a step back, but the prince advanced another.


    "I... might have gone a bit deeper that day."


    "How much is ''a bit deeper''?"


    "Maybe... 200 meters?"


    The prince smiled without humor. "You''re still lying. 300 meters, perhaps?"


    Ren''s mushrooms practically glowed at the mention of that depth. It was all the confirmation Julius needed.


    "Three hundred meters," the prince whistled softly. "With a spore. I won''t ask how you avoided the deep assassins or the worms. But it''s... impressive. And what were you looking for so deep?"


    "Nothing in particular, just..."


    "Ren," Julius interrupted again. "We''ve established that I can detect your lies. Why don''t you tell me the truth?"


    There was another moment of tense silence before Ren finally sighed.


    "There was a mana vein," he admitted. "A special one. That I wanted to use for my cultivation..."


    "And that''s when you found the hydra?"


    Ren nodded slowly.


    "Show me."


    "What?"

 Chapter 111 - Guide Tamer Ren Patinder - 2

    "Ren," Julius interrupted again. "We''ve established that I can detect your lies. Why don''t you tell me the truth?"There was another moment of tense silence before Ren finally sighed.


    "There was a mana vein," he admitted. "A special one. That I wanted to use for my cultivation..."


    "And that''s when you found the hydra?"


    Ren nodded slowly.


    "Show me."


    "What?"


    The prince opened his robe, revealing dozens of small vials secured inside. "Medicine for mana poisoning. Enough to keep you safe even at that depth."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while considering his situation...


    "Well?" the prince arched an eyebrow. "Will you show me the way? Or would you prefer we continue this game of half-truths?"


    Ren looked at the medicine vials, then at the prince, and finally toward the depths he knew so well.


    "The vein is relatively easy to find," he began slowly.


    "Perfect," Julius took out a vial and offered it to Ren. "Guide me."


    ????


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed restlessly while he guided the prince through the tunnels. His mind kept circling back to the mantis core he had left dangling and accumulating mana.


    ''It shouldn''t be an egg yet,'' he thought as they descended. ''According to the knowledge... Mana levels indicate it still needs almost 20,000 points to complete the process.''


    But the prince was the problem. How would he explain that?


    The mushrooms detected a subtle change in mana patterns.


    "Everything alright?" the prince noticed his hesitation.


    "Yes, your highness," Ren responded automatically. "Just verifying the safest path."


    ''Although maybe...'' his mushrooms pulsed while considering the possibilities. ''It wasn''t such a bad situation, if he could use the prince and his potions to collect the core already... Then the mana points saved in medicine and preparations could be injected into the core to finish the process and...''


    The prince observed him with interest while they navigated another tunnel crossing. Ren could feel the weight of his evaluating gaze.


    ''The core should still be safe... With no monsters having hatching behavior at this depth, the core should maintain its nature. But since that hydra had made it up here... Maybe it wasn''t a bad idea to collect a bit earlier if possible.''


    Suddenly, the mushrooms pulsed with alarm. Ren stopped dead.


    "What''s wrong?" Julius asked, his hand transforming into claws instantly.


    "A Deep Assassin," Ren whispered. "Moving through the side tunnel. If we wait a moment, it will pass without..."


    The prince stepped forward, an enigmatic smile on his lips. "No need to wait."


    A golden light emanated from his body while he manifested his beast.


    The creature that materialized was something Ren had only seen in books. A sleek and elegant body covered in scales that shone like polished jade. Its horn, long and spiral, emitted an aura of pure power that made Ren''s mushrooms reduce their glow.


    A Qilin.


    The sacred beast''s aura expanded through the tunnel. Ren felt how the Assassin, a creature that normally feared nothing at this depth, retreated in panic. Its presence quickly vanished in the distance, fleeing from the power that had just manifested.


    "Assassins are cowardly creatures," the prince commented casually while his Qilin remained manifested, its light illuminating the tunnel with a glow greater than Ren''s mushrooms. "So sure of their position in the food chain... until they find something truly superior."


    Ren couldn''t take his eyes off the sacred beast. The mushrooms trying to process the unique mana patterns emanating from the Qilin. But most information concerning a gold beast was beyond their knowledge.


    Perhaps the Assassin wasn''t cowardly... maybe it was intelligent.


    "It''s..." Ren stopped, searching for the right words.


    "First time seeing one?" Julius smiled at his amazement. "Not surprising. Qilin are... the symbol of royalty."


    The mana patterns around the Qilin were different from anything Ren had seen before.


    "Let''s continue," the prince indicated, his Qilin illuminating the way with its golden radiance. "I suspect we won''t have any more interruptions. Beasts tend to avoid me." Find exclusive stories on empire


    Ren nodded, his mind divided between awe at the beast and concern for his core. At least now they would have a clear path to the vein... though that meant he wouldn''t have excuses to delay the inevitable.


    ''I just hope,'' he thought as they resumed their descent, ''the prince is more interested in the mana vein flow than in any unusual core we might find.''


    ????


    "What do you know about crown lizards from the western desert?" Julius asked as they advanced, his Qilin still illuminating the way.


    "Oh, they''re fascinating," Ren''s mushrooms pulsed giving him the knowledge enthusiastically. "They have a unique life cycle, they run in circles that they use to create hot air currents. The currents trap insects that..."


    The prince observed how the boy described with micrometric precision the habits of a beast he had probably never seen. It was the kind of knowledge you''d only find in specialized texts.


    He asked more about iron, bronze, and silver beasts until...


    "And the celestial spirit flames of the eastern islands?" S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Liu told me he read a book recently that says they glow with their own light and can levitate using mana currents, although..." Ren hesitated for some reason, "they actually don''t use currents, they project themselves wherever the mana is because they''re pure energy..."


    ''Interesting,'' thought Julius. ''Extensive knowledge but with some weird confusions.''


    The prince had thought Ren was wrong when in reality the book Liu had read was the one that was wrong and the boy''s correction was the truth.


    The prince, of course... believed the version from the book he had also read.


    Zhao had mentioned something similar, how during the expedition, Ren seemed to know too much about some things... But added small outlandish things to the general knowledge.


    "What about phoenixes?"


    "Ah..." Ren seemed to shrink slightly. "I only know the basics. Gold rank or higher beasts, very powerful, use fire and..."


    "And platinum Wyverns?"


    "Sorry, your highness. I know even less about those."


    Julius frowned. The contrast was marked, encyclopedic knowledge of common and rare beasts of silver rank and below, but almost nothing about the more powerful gold ones and above.


    ''As if someone had poured hundreds of books of lower rank creatures into his head,'' thought the prince. ''But that doesn''t make sense...''


    Records showed Ren came from a modest family. Limited wealth wouldn''t allow the kind of library needed to accumulate such knowledge. And although the academy had an impressive library, the boy hadn''t been there even half a year¡­


    Was he really some kind of genius or¡­?

 Chapter 112 - Guide Tamer Ren Patinder - 3

    ''As if someone had poured hundreds of books into his head,'' thought the prince. ''But that doesn''t make sense...''Records showed that Ren came from a modest family. Limited wealth wouldn''t allow the kind of library needed to accumulate such knowledge. And although the academy had an impressive library, the boy hadn''t been there even half a year.


    Was he really some kind of genius or...?


    "Tell me about your spore," Julius said casually.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with nervousness. It was the question he had been dreading since this journey began.


    But then, something changed in his expression.


    "You know what, your highness? It''s not fair," Ren stopped, turning toward the prince. "You ask all the questions. How about I ask something too?"


    Julius blinked, surprised by the sudden change in attitude. Then smiled, amused by the boldness.


    "About my beasts, I suppose?"


    "Exactly!" Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with genuine enthusiasm. "What''s it like having a Qilin? And what''s your other beast?"


    The prince laughed softly. The boy was skilled at diverting attention... but perhaps if he played along it would make him relax...


    "The Qilin is the beast of royalty as I already told you," he began, watching Ren''s reaction. "My father is the only one who has a platinum rank one. An impressive sight, truly."


    "And your siblings?"


    "None have managed to take it beyond gold 3," Julius sighed. "I myself stalled at gold 2. The cultivation... failed after that and my Qilin matured."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with curiosity. "Why?"


    "There''s something different in my father''s method," the prince shrugged. "Some detail we haven''t been able to replicate. He insists it''s simple, but..."


    "Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to see," Ren commented, surprising Julius with the depth of the observation. sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "True. As for my other beast," continued the prince, "it''s a rank gold 1 elemental wolverine."


    "The ones that can adapt to different elements?"


    "Exactly, it''s popular among nobility too. I have it attuned to the earth element, though changing its neutral element in juvenile stage isn''t difficult. Most of my sisters prefer water, my brothers fire..." he stopped, a nostalgic smile on his lips. "A shame both beasts are already mature. The decisions we make when young follow us all our life..."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed more intensely. "How... how do you manage to have two beasts?"


    Julius smiled enigmatically. "Sorry, but that''s a royal family secret. If I told you, I''d have to kill you."


    Ren froze for a moment, until he noticed the gleam of amusement in the prince''s eyes.


    "Just kidding," Julius laughed at Ren''s expression. "The method for obtaining two beasts isn''t really a deadly secret. It''s just... impractical to replicate on a large scale."


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with curiosity while they continued advancing.


    "Unlike Yino we don''t have easy methods to cultivate double tamers," the prince continued, his expression becoming more serious. "According to our recent visitor, they''ve found a way to make the process quite replicable. They''re even experimenting with three beasts."


    "And is it true?"


    "Seems so... but they have their own limitations," Julius nodded. "Their abyssal beasts seem to have the limit at silver 3. No matter how many they accumulate, if that''s the limit in their individual power¡­"


    Ren processed this information while his mushrooms analyzed the tunnel ahead. The mana pressure was gradually increasing making it a bit difficult to advance, but he could still endure about 14 minutes more without major problems...


    "Wouldn''t it be better then..." he began without thinking too much, "to share the method with Yano''s people? If Yino can give two or three beasts to their tamers, keeping the method secret seems like a disadvantage for the kingdom."


    Julius stopped, observing Ren with renewed interest.


    "It''s more complicated than that," he finally responded. "The method has... implications that could affect the kingdom''s economy and would be problematic for people to know for various reasons."


    ????


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while pointing to another tunnel. This one showed signs of recent destruction, though local beasts had begun rebuilding it.


    "The worms and beetles have been working," Ren commented as they passed. "They use their secretions to reinforce damaged tunnels. It''s fascinating how they incorporate crystal fragments into..."


    "How do you know so much about the depths?" Julius interrupted. "Not just the tunnels and beasts, but their behaviors, their habits..."


    "There are many books in the academy," Ren responded automatically.


    "You read that much?"


    "In the library of the..."


    "You haven''t been at the academy that long," the prince cut him off softly. "And your family... Besides I feel it''s half lies..."


    He stopped. Something in Ren''s expression had changed.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with a different rhythm while the tunnel opened into a wider cavern. The air here smelled different, like death.


    "So this is where..." Ren whispered.


    Julius''s Qilin illuminated the cavern with its radiance, revealing a scene of major destruction. The walls showed marks of battle, and in the center...


    "The hydra," the prince approached the corpse. "Or what''s left of it." Discover stories with empire


    The beast''s massive body had been practically consumed completely, only the hard parts of its armor remaining. Purple crystals sprouted from some of its wounds, creating a grotesque statue that glowed faintly under the Qilin''s light.


    "The attacker''s abyssal energy I suppose," Ren murmured, his mushrooms pulsing while failing to analyze the patterns. "The crystals around, the mana, even the way beasts rebuild the tunnels is strange here..."


    As they skirted the hydra''s corpse Ren grew bold enough to ask...


    "Your highness?" Ren stopped beside the hydra''s crystallized corpse. "Could I... could I collect some parts of the armor?"


    Julius blinked, as if the idea hadn''t occurred to him. "The armor?"


    "The diamond scales," Ren explained while his mushrooms analyzed the most valuable sections. "In the market, even a single hydra scale can be worth..."


    The prince had probably never needed to worry about the market value of anything so he hadn''t thought about it.


    "Of course," Julius smiled, understanding the situation. "Take what you can carry. Just avoid the parts affected by abyssal energy."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while identifying the best pieces. Some scales here, a tendon fragment there... each piece worth a small fortune.


    "As for the rest..." the prince manifested his second beast.


    The wolverine that emerged was massive. Its fur had an earthy tone and its body seemed to partially merge with the ground beneath its paws. Crystals and minerals sprouted from its skin like natural armor.


    "Watch," Julius commanded his beast.

 Chapter 113 - Guide Tamer Ren Patinder - 4

    "As for the rest..." the prince manifested his second beast.The wolverine that emerged was massive. Its fur had an earthy tone and its body seemed to partially merge with the ground beneath its paws. Crystals and minerals sprouted from its skin like natural armor, each one catching and reflecting the Qilin''s light.


    "Watch," Julius commanded his beast.


    The wolverine approached the hydra''s corpse and, to Ren''s surprise, began to devour it systematically. But something was weird, the pieces it swallowed seemed to disappear into some kind of internal space.


    "It has a special cavity," the prince explained upon seeing Ren''s expression. "It can store objects without digesting them. Quite useful for transporting things... or eliminating evidence."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with fascination while observing the wolverine methodically consume the hydra''s remains. When it finished, the beast simply vanished, returning to Julius''s body.


    "Are... are the remains inside you now?" Ren couldn''t help but ask.


    "In a way," Julius smiled. "Though I prefer not to think too much about the details. Do you have everything you need?"


    Ren nodded, carefully securing his bounty.


    ''A beast that can store objects,'' he thought as they advanced. ''Would be really convenient...''


    His mushrooms pulsed, reminding him there were more immediate things to worry about.


    ????


    "Now," the prince resumed their path, "since I''ve answered your questions, how about you tell me more about that spore of yours?"


    "Well..." Ren began, but stopped abruptly. His mushrooms pulsed with a different rhythm.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "We''re close," Ren pointed ahead. "The vein is just past that ''bridge'' turn."


    Julius noticed the topic change but decided not to press. For now. The boy was more skilled than he appeared at handling difficult conversations.


    Before Julius could ask more, his mushrooms pulsed with intensity.


    "It''s here," he pointed to the large chamber as they exited the tunnel.


    The vein revealed itself as a crystal bowl that glowed with pure energy. The mana pressure was considerable, for someone with a common spore, it should be almost unbearable to approach the flow.


    Ren knew he still had about ten minutes before really needing the medicine, but...


    His mushrooms pulsed erratically while he pretended to stagger slightly.


    "The mana..." he murmured, taking out the vial the prince had given him. "At this depth..."


    Julius observed how Ren drank the medicine, his eyes studying every movement. The boy seemed genuinely affected by the pressure, which was consistent with someone bearing a simple spore.


    And yet...


    "Better?" he asked while Ren recovered his "balance."


    "Yes, thank you," Ren nodded, hoping his performance was convincing. If the prince thought he could barely handle himself at this depth, maybe he wouldn''t insist on exploring further down, filling him to the brim with potions.


    "The vein is impressive, it''s rare to have them at this low depth," Julius approached to examine the crystals. "Is this what you were looking for that day?"


    "Something like that," Ren responded vaguely, his mushrooms pulsing while searching for the mantis core.


    The dangling core should be here, oscillating right where he had left it, but...


    ''Disappeared,'' he thought with a touch of sadness. At least he still had the hydra egg as backup.


    "Interesting location," Julius commented while descending to examine the geyser more closely. "You were right, it''s not particularly inaccessible. Though with recent... problems... It''s not worth the effort to come here to..."


    "To create more random eggs for the kingdom?" Ren completed the thought.


    His mushrooms pulsed while considering something. "Is that how... how you make the random colored eggs, using the veins?"


    Julius stopped mid-inspection.


    He turned slowly toward Ren, a smile forming on his lips.


    "You know, I really should kill you for asking such perceptive questions."


    Julius observed the boy. His knowledge was too precise to be coincidence, too specific to be just reading... but it also didn''t fit the profile of a spy... Perhaps it was even worse.


    It was as if Ren was a mystery that grew deeper with each answer.


    ''Every time I learn more,'' thought Julius. ''I understand this boy less and less.''


    Ren tensed for a moment before noticing the gleam of amusement in the prince''s eyes.


    "I realize," Julius continued, "that it''s quite difficult to hide things from you. You''ve probably already deduced most of it..."


    He approached to examine a particular crystal formation. "Yes, the kingdom has a massive mana vein. That''s where we get the eggs we distribute." Enjoy new chapters from empire


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with interest while absorbing this confirmation of his suspicions.


    "The problem," Julius sighed, "is that we can barely control what type of eggs form there. Most methods for obtaining specific beasts require a dragon brooding or at least a platinum rank beast, and we don''t have..."


    He stopped, but Ren had already caught the implication. The King''s platinum Qilin probably had played a crucial role in producing eggs for the royal family, but that wasn''t a detail that needed mentioning.


    ''Too late to hide it... Though it was obvious to me.''


    "This vein is too small," Julius continued, apparently oblivious to Ren''s thoughts. "There is a method to revive cores using concentrated mana, but here we could barely produce one egg per month. Maybe one every ten days if we found a creature willing to brood but few could live at this depth. Oh, the hydra perhaps..."


    "But it''s not worth the effort, right...?" Ren left the question hanging so the prince wouldn''t follow the conversation thread that would lead back to why the hydra had followed him up.


    "Exactly. The gold rank beasts that can survive here can''t brood, or aren''t strong enough to make the effort worthwhile..."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while looking around.


    "Anyway," Julius straightened, "I''ll discuss the possibilities with the Director. Though small, a pure mana vein always has its uses." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren nodded, his mind working quickly. If the kingdom had a massive vein somewhere it must be in...


    "Don''t bother trying to find the big one we have," Julius smiled, reading his expression. "The main vein is very well protected. Though," he added with a wink, "I have the feeling you''d find a way to get there if you really tried."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with what might have been embarrassment or amusement.


    "After all," the prince continued, "you seem to have a special talent for finding trouble and things that are supposed to be well hidden."


    ''If you knew I already know where it is¡­ maybe you would actually kill me...'' thought Ren.

 Chapter 114 - Guide Tamer Ren Patinder - 5

    While Julius examined the vein, Ren''s mushrooms pulsed detecting something unusual. A different mana pattern emanated from a nearby crack at the edge of the bowl.Ren descended the slope as far from the pure mana geyser as possible and approached cautiously, taking advantage of the prince being distracted with his inspection at the bowl''s center.


    The crack was narrow, barely visible in the penumbra, but there...


    His heart skipped a beat. Two cores rested in the hollow. One still had the weaver''s thread tied to it, his mantis core. And next to it, another core that hadn''t been there before.


    The mushrooms pulsed with excitement while Ren extended his hand toward the crack. If he could reach them quickly and hide them...


    "What are you doing?"


    Ren jumped, his hand freezing midway. Julius was right behind him, his eyes fixed on the cores in the crack.


    "So this is it," the prince murmured, leaning to better examine the discovery. "You''ve found a way to generate eggs?"


    Ren''s initial panic mixed with resignation.


    "Something like that," he responded carefully. "I have a bug egg..."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed nervously. With the prince''s ability to detect lies, there was no point trying to deny it.


    Julius''s eyes momentarily gleamed while verifying the truth in those words. "I see. Experimenting with basic eggs to sell in the market, eh? Though they''re not very popular... But with your family''s situation I can understand a bit..."


    The prince''s assumption was convenient for Ren, but there was something more in his expression. As if he were connecting invisible dots.


    Then, something seemed to occur to the prince. His expression changed subtly.


    "You know, Ren," Julius spoke slowly, his tone changing too. "I wonder... were you the one who caused the incident with the hydra?"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed erratically while the boy tried to find a way to respond that wasn''t a direct lie.


    "Ah right," he said softly. "That it followed you by bad luck when you came doesn''t imply you''re the culprit I''m looking for... Would it be, who brought it here. or who took it up...?"


    The prince noticed his hesitation.


    "No, let me rephrase that," Julius raised a hand. "Did you bring the hydra here? For brooding a core or for some other reason?"


    "No," Ren responded immediately, grateful to be able to tell the absolute truth in this. Experience more tales on empire


    The prince kept his eyes fixed on Ren for several seconds, studying every micro-expression, his Qilin illuminating the scene with its golden radiance.


    "Interesting," he finally murmured. "That last response was completely true."


    He approached the crack, observing the cores more carefully. "I wonder what other secrets you keep about this whole incident. Because I''m starting to suspect you know much more than you appear to."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with concern.


    "You know what''s most fascinating?" Julius continued, his voice casual but his eyes sharp. "That a student with the supposedly ''worst beast'' has managed not only to survive at these depths, but also experiment with cores and eggs. That requires knowledge not found in common books."


    He turned to fully face Ren. "The question is: where does that knowledge come from? And what other secrets are you hiding?"


    How much could he reveal without getting into more trouble?


    "Take your cores," Julius smiled slightly. "If you don''t want to share your specific method, you don''t have to."


    Relief flooded Ren while he carefully collected both cores from the crack. Upon closer examination, he noticed the second one also seemed to be from a hydra. It could be useful for something different if he applied his method... though he would need parts of the beast he wanted to get.


    Julius had moved to another sector of the cavern, his eyes fixed on the ground.


    "There are traces here," murmured the prince. "From the agent, probably." He turned to Ren. "What do you think? Should I follow the receding abyssal corruption trail, or these footprints?"


    Ren considered the question while his mushrooms analyzed both patterns. "Not the corruption trail," he finally responded. "If I were the intruder, I''d think that''s good bait."


    ''Besides,'' he thought to himself, ''this second core must be related to the intruder. It wasn''t here before so maybe he still has something to do with the hydra egg.''


    "You''re probably right," Julius nodded. "You should return for now."


    "I agree," Ren responded, grateful for the suggestion.


    The prince took out 3 more medicine vials and offered them to Ren with a wink. "For when you think of doing more interesting things."


    Ren took the vials, hesitating a moment before making a decision. The prince had treated him well, it seemed his suspicions toward Ren were simple protocol. So he could return some kindness...


    "Your highness... there''s something that might be useful for the kingdom." The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while organizing his thoughts. "Deep killers don''t brood at this depth, but..." he paused, making sure to explain correctly. "If you have a part of the monster, a carcass or any other part, you can put it surrounding the core, along with 10 days of the specific bug cultivation in this case, and..." S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren proceeded to show him the correct mana circulation pattern in the core. It was a complex symbol that followed the reasoning of the creature''s mana circulation in life.


    "...You can revive the egg without needing its own species to brood it."


    Julius observed him with surprise, clearly processing the implications. But the pattern''s complexity was too ridiculous to be a coincidence... When could people simply happen upon such a discovery by chance... How...?


    Suddenly, an amused smile crossed his face.


    "Wolverine," he called, manifesting his massive beast. "I need you to shake yourself. And scratch, a lot."


    The beast seemed confused for a moment, but obeyed. It began an intense session of scratching and shaking, spreading hair and mineral fragments across the ground.


    "Are these useful to you?" Julius asked, pointing to the remains.


    "I-I can at least sell them," Ren responded, surprised by the gesture. "Thank you."


    "Good," the prince smiled. "Wolverine, could you take our friend up?"


    Before Ren could protest, Julius had lifted him and placed him on the beast''s back. The mushrooms in his hair barely had time to pulse with surprise before the wolverine moved.


    A minute later, Ren blinked under the light at the cave entrance, still processing what had just happened.

 Chapter 115 - Taming Pursuit

    The prince''s wolverine returned after leaving Ren at the cave entrance.Julius began his descent, following the trail the mercenary had left.


    In the silver zone at 500 meters depth, the greater deep assassins were the first to appear. Where their lesser cousins were solitary predators, these hunted in pairs.


    Julius had to use his Qilin several times to force these creatures to reveal their presence. "No wonder some explorers don''t return from these depths."


    Their more developed bodies gleamed with a metallic tone more suited to the new environment as they moved between shadows, their forms blending perfectly with the crystalline formations around them.


    "Impressive coordination," murmured Julius while observing them communicate through small taps on their partners'' front legs. "But they still maintain distance from the Qilin."


    Deeper, he found the domains of the superior worms. These beasts had evolved to be larger and still created complete networks of interconnected galleries but now wider.


    "Natural engineers," he noted.


    The greater living tunnels, unlike their common versions, could improve tunnels in more complex ways, like adding spikes at certain entrances to damage Assassins, turning entire cave sections into traps. Their work showed an intelligence that went beyond mere instinct.


    Common hydras were very rare at these levels and if found it was almost at the end of the section, in small groups. Though individually less impressive than the one that had attacked the academy, their teamwork made them equally dangerous.


    ????


    Upon reaching the gold zone, the environment changed drastically. The beasts here weren''t just stronger, they had fundamentally different behaviors.


    The Assassins became more crystalline, almost transparent, their strategy shifting more to camouflage and ambush than pursuit. Their bodies seemed to bend light itself, making them nearly invisible until the moment they struck.


    The worms developed resistant shells. The living tunnels created mobile magical traps.


    Gold hydras cared for lower rank hydras, teaching them, protecting them, showing a level of social organization that challenged the common understanding of most beasts.


    But it was the rock beetles that really added tension to the Assassins'' more obvious ambushes, their massive forms emerging from seemingly solid walls.


    "Fascinating," he murmured while observing one of these divergent evolutions of the living tunnels. They merged with the walls, these massive insectoids literally appearing as rock, gaining the ability to mold and generate it at will.


    "The power difference is notable," he thought while dodging an attack from a Assassin that had jumped from its hiding place. His wolverine barely managed to deflect the beast''s proboscis of the same rank while the Qilin attacked from behind.


    The mercenary''s trail became harder to follow. The beasts here were at his level, some would even be stronger soon when he descended further. Each step required more caution, more power.


    Finally, he reached the border between gold and platinum, the zone where the true abyss began.


    "So this is where you went," he murmured, observing how the abyssal energy trail was lost in the depths. "They are using the abyss itself as refuge indeed."


    The mercenary had escaped him... He had chosen another path and not the abyssal vein but had reached the abyss anyway.


    But something didn''t add up...


    ????


    "Damn it!" the agent''s voice resonated in the vein cave. His scorpion arm glowed faintly reflecting the geyser while he struck the wall in frustration.


    It had been a risky plan: descend to the bottom, create 2 trails, and then return through the abyssal energy vein dragging a new hydra. The days needed to feed the core would be almost covered by the time he returned and he could wait out the last ones hidden near the entrance.


    The silver hydra he had captured writhed weakly. It was badly hurt but once it took mana from the geyser it would recover and serve to brood the core... if only he could find it.


    "Again!" he roared, his mutations expanding from frustration. "Again someone took the damned core!"


    His fingers traced the empty space where the core should be hidden.


    All the effort... He took the risk of reaching the abyssal vein, climbing back up through the zone that would give him a quick escape route if someone pursued him, letting his beast make a second trail while he hid from the gold rank ones... all had been in vain.


    The hydra shook again, as if mocking his failure.


    "Don''t think this means you''ll be saved," murmured the agent while approaching the beast. If he couldn''t have the egg, at least he''d get another hydra core before returning.


    His claws rose, preparing to give the hydra the final blow...


    After extracting the hydra''s core and feeding himself some meat, the mercenary decided it was no longer possible to obtain the egg, he would have to return and deliver at least the hydra core... After all his employer seemed to have an alternative method, though it would give only a tenth of the reward.


    He left the vein chamber...


    The attack came from nowhere.


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    The agent barely managed to dodge, his mutations reacting by instinct. A golden Qilin claw passed grazing where his head had been a moment before.


    "Did you think having two trails would be enough?" Julius''s voice resonated in the cavern. "Didn''t you think your pursuer might also have two beasts?"


    The mercenary backed away, cursing internally. His strategy had been solid, both trails would lead any pursuer toward the abyss, how did he find the trail after he changed his access route from the abyss?


    Had he returned to the chamber on a hunch?


    The prince emerged from the shadows, his wolverine manifesting in his body.


    "One trail for my Qilin," Julius smiled. "And another for my..."


    "Nose," the agent completed, his scorpion arm tensing. "I should have considered that an earth tracker could catch my scent from the surface trails."


    "I followed them, both," the prince advanced casually. "But you were careless returning here, do you care so much about this small vein? I want to know why..."


    The agent observed the blocked exit...


    ????


    "Spill everything!" Min practically jumped with excitement trying to feed his curiosity. "What did the prince want? Why did he take you?"


    "Did he threaten you?" Liu added, his bat opening its mouth briefly from anxiety. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed softly. "Nothing so dramatic. He just wanted to check some things in the mines."


    "The prince? In the mines?" Min narrowed his eyes with suspicion.


    "Well..." Ren elaborated a convenient version of events. "Apparently he had heard about my... successes finding veins. He wanted to hear about my method while I guided him."


    "And?" Liu leaned forward.

 Chapter 116 - Taming Nests

    "Well..." Ren elaborated a convenient version of events. "Apparently he had heard about my... successes finding veins. He wanted to hear about my method while I guided him.""And?" Liu leaned forward.


    "And nothing. I showed him how I use the mushrooms for light. He let me take some remains from the dead hydra and gave me old parts from his beast. End of story."


    His friends clearly wanted more details, but Ren moved toward his trunk, effectively changing the subject since¡­ Carefully, he took out the hydra egg and the bug egg, placing them next to the two cores he had recovered.


    Taro, who had been unusually quiet, observed the objects with familiarity. After all, he had helped Ren hide them the day he ended up in the infirmary.


    "What the hell?" Min approached to examine the objects. "Where did you get those?"


    "A bit deeper in the caves," Ren responded honestly. "Luckily... I found them along with the cores."


    Liu studied the cores without much interest. "Why keep cores? They''re useless."


    "The government buys them," Min pointed out, "though they pay a pittance. You can''t extract mana from them like a crystal, they can absorb mana but filling them is a useless waste because they have no practical use."


    Taro scratched his head. "The bug egg is worth something. What? About 100,000 crystals for being rare?"


    "If you find a buyer," Liu snorted. "People prefer to pay a bit more for a brown egg like the one that gave you your beetle. At least they have the possibility of getting a mole then."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while his friends discussed market value. If they only knew... Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But this other egg is what intrigues me..." Min pointed to the hydra egg, his eyes shining. "I''ve never seen anything like it even in the city market."


    The egg glowed like a diamond, its patterns clearly different from common random eggs.


    "Doesn''t look like a random egg," Liu moved closer. "What beast could it be from? How much do you think it''s worth? That glow is impressive."


    "Much more than the bug one, surely," Min nodded. "Some people pay fortunes for unique eggs."


    Ren let his friends speculate about prices and potential buyers. It was safer if they thought about the objects only in terms of their market value.


    "Why don''t you sell them?" Liu finally asked. "You could get a really good profit, school residence hasn''t treated you as badly as we thought after all... Congratulations lucky shroom."


    "I''m waiting for the right moment, don''t tell anybody yet," Ren responded vaguely.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly. His friends would never suspect that one of those "useless" cores would soon become something as valuable as any rare egg in the market... soon he would have 4 eggs in his hands.


    "Hypothetically, if you could choose," Ren began, "what would you prefer? A defensive creature with some attack, an elemental offensive one, or a faster one with utility?"


    "Defensive," Taro responded immediately. "There''s nothing like a good shield."


    "Are you crazy?" Min shook his head. "Elemental offensive, obviously. The best defense is a good offense."


    "You''re both wrong," Liu intervened. "Speed and utility. What good is power if you can''t reach your target?"


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with what seemed to be exasperation. "Thanks. You''re not helping at all."


    He lay back on his bed, thoughtful. The wolverine''s ability to store things inside was fascinating, and the mantis''s mirrors had already saved his skin more than once... but the hydra also...


    Suddenly he stood up, startling his friends. He began emptying his enormous backpack, which seemed to contain his size in materials.


    "What are you doing?" Taro asked while Ren piled hydra plates to one side.


    Without answering, Ren opened his trunk and took out the carefully stored mantis plates. With precise movements, he began building small "nests" using the mantis plates as a base for one, interweaving the wolverine''s hair and minerals for the other.


    "Um..." Min observed confused. "Are you making... abstract art?"


    "Maybe it''s a phase," Liu whispered. "Like when Taro tried to make ugly sculptures with earth."


    "Hey! Those sculptures were art!"


    "They were piles of dirt, Taro."


    Ren ignored them, completely focused on his task. Suddenly, something seemed to occur to him. He grabbed some of the hydra plates and headed toward the door.


    His friends were left staring at the decorative "nests" and then at the door where Ren had disappeared.


    "Should we...?" Min began.


    "...worry about his mental health?" Liu completed.


    They looked at each other for a moment.


    "Ren, wait!" they shouted in unison, running after him.


    They found him in the hallway, muttering to himself while examining a hydra plate against the light.


    "Are you going to tell us what you''re doing?" Taro asked.


    "Brooding," Ren responded distractedly.


    "Brooding?" Min repeated skeptically.


    "Need more materials," Ren elaborated, turning the plate 45 degrees.


    "For what?" Liu asked.


    "It''s... for the nests."


    The three exchanged looks.


    "You know," Min began slowly, "when we said you needed a hobby away from the caves..."


    "We didn''t mean this," Liu finished.


    "Shouldn''t you be practicing for the tournament?" Ren asked without stopping examining the plate.


    "Shouldn''t YOU be practicing with us for the tournament instead of... whatever this is?" Taro counterattacked.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with what could have been amusement. "Multitasking."


    "Doesn''t multitasking imply doing both things? You''re only doing one..." Min observed.


    Ren finally looked at them, a mysterious smile on his face. "Don''t you have homework to do?"


    The three looked at each other while following Ren until...


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    "J-Jessy!" Min practically shouted when they saw who Ren was looking for. "Why didn''t you tell us we were coming to see Jessy?"


    The young evaluator jumped in her seat, dropping several papers. "Ah! Ren! And... company?"


    "Ignore them," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed. "They''re bored and decided to follow me."


    "Hey!" Liu protested. "We''re worried about your mental health. The art with monster parts..."


    "Art?" Jessy blinked confused while picking up her papers. "Oh, are you going to sell me more materials?"


    "Just these 5 diamond skin plates," Ren placed the enormous hydra plates on the counter.


    Jessy''s eyes lit up immediately, her cat ears perking. "These are...! Wait, let me check..." she began frantically searching in her manual.


    "The quality is exceptional," she murmured while examining the plates. "And the crystallization pattern... oh! And look at this iridescence on the edges... Gold rank..."


    Min, Liu, and Taro watched open-mouthed while Jessy calculated the value.


    "F-for the quality and preservation state..." Jessy smiled brightly, "I can offer you 3 bright bronze crystals for each one, fifteen total!"


    "Fifteen?!" the three friends exclaimed in unison.

 Chapter 117 - Taming Nests - 2

    "F-for the quality and preservation state..." Jessy smiled brightly, "I can offer you 3 bright bronze crystals for each one, fifteen total!""Fifteen?!" the three friends exclaimed in unison.


    "Seems good," Ren nodded while his mushrooms pulsed with satisfaction.


    While Jessy prepared the payment, the others couldn''t stop staring at the crystals with envy... The lucky bastard had five more plates in the room, not to mention the eggs and who knows how much more among his fortunate acquisitions...


    While his friends were still processing the figure, Ren pulled out a list.


    "I also need some materials," he said casually.


    "Oh?" Jessy took the list. "What are you looking for?"


    "Speed and elemental control runes," Ren began. "And these components..."


    Jessy''s eyes widened while reading the list. "These are... unusual combinations. The runes are usually the most expensive parts of cultivation..."


    "How much for everything?"


    "Ten thousand for the speed rune, fifteen thousand for the elemental control one and with the materials you want... T-thirty thousand," Jessy stuttered. "But I could look for more economical alternatives..."


    ''It''s almost exactly the calculation I had,'' thought Ren. ''The cultivation materials for the mantis for 10 days are cheap, no more than 500 crystals, 1000 for the rune guide solution, but the iron wolverine ones are quite expensive, they must be popular among royalty and high-rank nobility...''


    "Use my credits, should be just enough," Ren said.


    "Credits just enough?!" the three friends exclaimed in unison.


    "Next stop," Ren announced after saying goodbye to Jessy, "the bank."


    ????


    At the bank, Finch was polishing his spectacles when they saw the group enter.


    "Theodore!" Finch''s high-pitched voice greeted them. "Prepare the withdrawal forms! Look who''s come to visit us! Our mysterious fungus magnate!"


    The small white mouse sighed, pulling out the corresponding papers.


    "How much will it be this time?" Finch smiled sympathetically. "Five thousand for the month''s expenses? Your third month report was only ten thousand, still quite impressive for that beast, but you''ll spend your luck very soon if you squander it like it''s..."


    "Actually," Ren interrupted, "I''m here to make a deposit."


    Finch blinked. "Deposit? But you just turned in your last report..."


    Ren placed 10 bright bronze crystals on the counter.


    Finch''s mustache trembled violently. "This is... one hundred thousand?"


    "Look, I have 5 more here... And wait until they double it in the 4th month report," Ren added with a wide smile.


    Theodore dropped the forms.


    "In cash!" Finch squealed. "Theodore! Our magnate has returned! And more magnate than ever!"


    The mouse began counting frantically while Finch circled around the counter.


    "Let me see," Finch adjusted his spectacles. "With the previous hundred thousand, plus the ten thousand from the third month, plus what''s doubled from the third month''s report... you''ve already gathered 220,000 crystals total in 3 months!"


    For the 3rd month Ren had ''only'' managed to obtain 10 thousand crystals from the mines.


    Ren''s friends stared at him open-mouthed.


    "Where did you get so much?"


    "Just sold some normal materials," Ren laughed. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ha! Normal? Fifteen bright bronze crystals! Theodore, remember when fifteen bronze crystals was our annual budget?"


    The mouse nodded solemnly while beginning to count.


    "Though..." Finch narrowed his eyes when Ren pocketed the other five crystals. "Not depositing everything? Does the fungus magnate need cash for minor expenses?"


    "It''s for a project," Ren responded vaguely.


    "Project?" Finch''s eyes enlarged behind his glasses. "What kind of project requires 50,000 crystals in cash? Are you building a mushroom palace?"


    "Nests," Ren smiled.


    "Nests?" Finch looked at Theodore. "Did you hear that Theodore? Nests! Fifty thousand crystals for ''nests''!"


    The mouse paused his counting to look at Ren with curiosity.


    "Exactly."


    Finch removed his spectacles to clean them compulsively.


    "Theodore!" Finch turned dramatically. "Add ''luxury nest builder'' and ''interior decoration'' to our list of side hustles to get rich!" Your next chapter is on empire


    The mouse pulled out his tiny notebook, diligently noting while his whiskers trembled with amusement.


    "By the way," Ren turned to his friends. "Why do you have so much free time? You should join Lin''s training."


    The instant horror on their faces said it all...


    "NO!" they shouted in unison, backing up several steps.


    "We value our life," Min explained.


    "And our unbroken bones," Liu added.


    "And our dignity," Taro completed.


    "Cowards," Ren smiled.


    "Oh!" Finch clapped. "You''re one of Lin''s students? That explains so much and so little at the same time!"


    "Theodore," Finch turned to his mouse. "Add ''sadistic training'' to our list of theories about our fungal friend."


    The mouse leafed through the tiny notebook and noted diligently.


    "Anything else you need?" Finch asked while Theodore finished the paperwork. "A personal accountant? An investment advisor? A historian to document the legend of the fungus magnate?"


    ????


    Back in the room, Ren took out the rune guide solution.


    His friends watched with curiosity while he traced precise patterns around the mantis core in the ''nest'' full of components.


    "What are you...?" Min began to ask.


    Ren took 2 of the 5 bright bronze crystals.


    "No," Liu narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn''t dare."


    "Don''t be ridiculous," Taro laughed nervously. "No one would be foolish enough to..."


    Ren pressed the crystals against the rune drawn on the core.


    His friends'' scream of horror probably reached the academy''s top floor when the crystal began dissolving, its mana flowing into the core.


    "MY EYES!" Min covered his face dramatically.


    "TWENTY THOUSAND CRYSTALS!" Liu fell to his knees.


    "STOP!" Taro tried to reach Ren. "WE CAN STILL SAVE IT!"


    But Ren had already finished with the first core. His mushrooms pulsed while he turned toward the hydra core, holding the three remaining crystals.


    "No..." Min''s eyes widened with horror. "NO!"


    The three lunged forward at the same time.


    Lin''s teachings kicked in and the first movement knocked down Liu, who fell with a thud.


    The second sent Min spinning toward the bed.


    The third left Taro blinking from the floor, wondering how he got there.


    "If you let me explain..." Ren began.


    "EXPLAIN WHAT?!" Liu shouted from his position. "HOW TO THROW YOUR MONEY IN THE TRASH?!"


    "This one needs an extra step," Ren continued calmly while tracing a different rune on the hydra core. "Since I''m going to change its beast type..."


    He pulled out a male Shadow Stalker tentacle.

 Chapter 118 - Taming Nests - 3

    "EXPLAIN WHAT?!" Liu shouted from his position. "HOW TO THROW YOUR MONEY IN THE TRASH?!""This one needs an extra step," Ren continued calmly while tracing a different rune on the hydra core. "Since I''m going to change its beast type..."


    He pulled out a male Shadow Stalker tentacle.


    The preserved appendage seemed to writhe slightly in the dim light, as if still possessing a fragment of its former life.


    Min groaned from his bed. "Oh great. More monster parts. Are you making a collage now?"


    Their mockery transformed into horrified fascination as Ren used the tentacle to methodically destroy the core''s edges, systematically erasing the "form" that defined its original species.


    The room filled with a subtle humming as he worked, the whisper of ancient magic being undone.


    The core, now more spherical than before, emitted a soft pulse of light as Ren began tracing new runic symbols with his solution.


    "No..." Taro''s whisper was barely audible, his digger beetle''s markings darkening with distress. "Not the other thirty thousand..."


    But it was too late.


    The three remaining crystals dissolved one after another, their mana flowing into the modified core like water into parched earth.


    Each crystal''s ''death'' drew a collective wince from his audience.


    The silence that followed was deafening.


    The two cores, after consuming fifty thousand crystals worth of resources, simply... glowed a bit brighter.


    Their subtle illumination seemed to mock the fortune that had just been invested in them.


    "That''s it." Min''s voice was flat with disbelief. "He''s lost his mind."


    "If you wanted more light, you already have your stupid glowing mushrooms!" Liu gestured wildly at Ren''s hair, his night bat''s ears manifesting in agitation.


    "We don''t need more night lights!" Taro joined in, his voice rising with hysteria. "We can barely sleep with the ones you already have!"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed with what appeared to be amusement while his friends continued their lamentations.


    "Fifty thousand crystals!" Min pulled at his hair, his water snake coiling in distress. "I only managed to get five thousand last month with so much effort!"


    "This must be a nightmare!" Taro suggested hopefully.


    "Are you done?" Ren asked calmly while carefully storing the cores in the ''nests''.


    "NO!" they responded in perfect unison, their voices blending into a chorus of outrage.


    "At least Taro''s horrible sculptures were free!" Min pointed out desperately.


    "Hey!" Taro protested, his pride visibly wounded. "My sculptures were art!"


    "They were piles of dirt, Taro!" Liu and Min responded automatically.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed steadily as he watched his friends argue, their light seeming to dance with silent laughter. Soon they would understand that some "wastes" were worth far more than any investment.


    But for now, he found entertainment in their dramatic mourning over his "fifty-thousand-crystal lamps."


    A subtle tremor shook the room, causing the crystals on the desk to tinkle briefly before everything returned to stillness. The vibration was so slight it might have been imagination, yet it left an unsettling feeling in its wake.


    "See?" Taro pointed dramatically at the floor. "The dragon god of the depths is angry at your waste!"


    Ren''s laughter was cut short as he produced two more crystals from his bag. His friends immediately launched into panic mode.


    "No more!" Min lunged forward, his snake extending protectively.


    "Think of the children!" Liu pleaded, though which children he meant remained unclear.


    Their relief was palpable when they saw they were just common bronze-sized crystals, barely worth ten points each. The tension in their shoulders visibly eased. S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Oh, now you use the cheap ones," Taro muttered.


    With precise movements, Ren began organizing the materials he''d purchased from Jessy.


    He simulated two different cultivation processes: one using the patterns of the iron-rank wolverine, and another from the iron-rank mantis.


    "When you see them turn into eggs," Ren continued casually, as if discussing the weather, "don''t tell anyone, okay?"


    His friends erupted in laughter, the sound bouncing off the dormitory walls.


    "Oh yeah," Min wiped a tear from his eye, his snake swaying with mirth. "Your big secret of turning cores into eggs is safe... Sure thing."


    "And after that," Ren continued, ignoring their laughter, his mushrooms pulsing steadily, "when I reach bronze, I''ll absorb one to become a double tamer."


    The silence lasted exactly three seconds before his friends doubled over with renewed laughter.


    "A double tamer!" Liu clutched his stomach. "You haven''t even reached bronze rank!"


    "With a spore!" Min added between gasps. "Getting to bronze would already be a miracle!"


    "Ten days," Ren murmured while his mushrooms pulsed rhythmically. "In ten days, the eggs will be ready."


    "Just in time for the friendly tournament?" Taro asked, showing genuine curiosity.


    "Yes, though I won''t be able to absorb anything yet," Ren explained patiently. "I''ll only be at about 60 days of cultivation by then, I need 100."


    "And I''ll be at 75, we started 25 days late then," Taro added, calculating his own progress.


    Min and Liu were still laughing¡­.


    "You''ll see," Ren smiled as his mushrooms pulsed. "I know it''s too early to prepare them, but having them ready will give me the motivation to not miss a single day of cultivation.


    "Oh? So you have plenty of motivation not to miss a single day?"


    Lin''s deceptively sweet tone from the doorway made all four boys stiffen.


    "That''s wonderful," she continued as she entered the room, each step deliberately slow. "Because you''re already late for your night training, and I grew tired of waiting."


    "Teacher Lin, I..." Ren began backing away, but there was nowhere to run in the small room.


    "No, no," Lin smiled. "If you have such motivation, surely you''ll want to make up for lost time."


    Before Ren could protest further, Lin grabbed him by the collar, her grip gentle but inexorable.


    "Guys, help!" Ren called out as he was dragged toward the door, his mushrooms pulsing frantically.


    "Sorry," Min carefully avoided eye contact. "We value our lives."


    "Traitors!" Ren''s voice faded down the hallway, leaving his friends in guilty but relieved silence. Find your next read at empire


    "Do you think he can really make eggs?" Taro asked after a moment.


    "It''s more likely Lin will turn him into one," Liu responded dryly.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed weakly as he was dragged to his fate, but a small smile played on his lips.


    In ten days, his friends would have to swallow their laughter.


    If he survived Lin''s training, that is.


    ????


    In the Director''s office, a different kind of conversation was taking place.


    The setting sun painted the grand windows in shades of amber and gold, its dying light illuminating a young woman who stood before Ignatius''s desk. Her posture was perfect, her report delivered with military precision.


    "His routine hasn''t varied since the incident," she explained, her voice crisp and professional. "He begins at dawn with Lin''s training, still completely avoiding Professor Wei''s class..."


    The Director nodded thoughtfully. The bet between Wei and Ren was well known to him through both the professor''s complaints and the girl''s reports. It would almost certainly result in the boy failing one of his units this semester...


    ''Why had he made such a foolish wager, unless...?''


    "He attends Professor Yang''s class, then Zong''s," the girl continued, cutting through his musings. "After that, he invariably descends to the mines. And at night..."


    "More training with Lin?" Ignatius arched an eyebrow, genuine curiosity coloring his voice.


    "Precisely."


    "Interesting," the Director leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking softly. "Most students Lin ''adopts'' don''t last a month. The pace is... intense."


    "In fact," the girl added, a hint of intrigue in her tone, "since the prince left him out of the cave, he seems more... animated."


    "Animated?"


    "As if he''s found something that particularly motivates him."


    The Director was about to respond when a sharp knock interrupted their conversation. Without waiting for an answer, Prince Julius strode into the office, his presence immediately filling the room.


    "Ah, I was beginning to worry," Ignatius straightened in his chair. "How was the investigation?"

 Chapter 119 - Taming Presumption

    The Director was about to respond when a sharp knock interrupted their conversation. Without waiting for an answer, Prince Julius strode into the office, his presence immediately commanding attention."Ah, I was beginning to worry," Ignatius straightened in his chair. "How was the investigation?"


    "I found him¡­ Unfortunately, I couldn''t take down the mercenary." Julius shook his head as he leaned against the Director''s desk, exhaustion evident in every line of his body. The recent pursuit had clearly taken its toll.


    "I had the complete advantage in power, but when it came to escaping, he proved extraordinarily skilled... I tried following him through the abyss, but there were too many creatures. I ended up wasting energy without achieving anything from there."


    With a gesture that spoke of pure frustration, the prince hurled a blood-stained backpack onto the desk. The impact resonated through the office with a dull thud, the considerable weight of its contents making the solid wood creak.


    "At least I managed to wound him significantly," he continued, his eyes gleaming with the memory of combat. Golden light flickered across his irises as his Qilin stirred beneath his skin.


    "He might not survive. I tore off another arm and a leg during our confrontation."


    The prince straightened. "But using the abyssal power from the start was barely enough for him to escape. He invoked the abyssal vein again, they undoubtedly can control it. The small surge of abyssals attacked me while ignoring him..." His fingers clenched into fists. "He replaced his lost leg and hand with scorpion appendages almost instantly and ran."


    "The mutation capacity of abyssal beasts..." the Director began to mutter, but Julius cut him off with a sharp gesture.


    "This wasn''t a simple mutation." The prince''s voice carried an edge. "It was as if the beast was part of him at a deeper level. The way he manipulated those appendages... too natural, too controlled."


    "And the normal beast, the hippogriff?" the Director asked.


    "I destroyed its form," Julius responded, bitter satisfaction coloring his voice. "My wolverine followed the mercenary while I used the qilin. It was a relatively easy battle, but the beast fought to the end."


    His expression darkened.


    "By the time I had defeated it... the mercenary had already tricked my beast and escaped quite far. When I caught up, part of the griffin had already regenerated in his body, so he used its wings to move faster and reach the abyss."


    The Director and his cousin listened intently to the story. The girl, especially, seemed fascinated by the pursuit''s details, her eyes never leaving the prince as he spoke.


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    "What''s in the backpack?" his cousin finally asked, her gaze fixed on the bloodied object.


    Julius pushed it, causing its contents to spill across the desk in a cascade. Dozens of cores rolled across the polished surface, some still stained with dark crimson, others emitting a faint, pulsing glow in the fading light.


    "Why risk so much for this?" The Director picked up one of the cores. "Surely they could obtain many others more easily in their territory. Apart from generating random eggs in the controlled veins, cores are practically useless once the beast dies..."


    "Maybe they''re not so useless." The prince''s voice dropped lower, heavy with implication.


    "Maybe there''s something we don''t understand but they do. What if it''s not the quantity that matters, but the specific type? If they''ve discovered how to hatch them, if they''re from specific creatures that help them..." His eyes narrowed. "Like the one from the mercenary infiltrating us."


    His words fell heavily in the room, each syllable weighted with unspoken threats. The Director observed the cores scattered across his desk with renewed concern while the prince cousin began collecting them, her movements precise and methodical.


    The setting sun filtered through the office windows, making the cores gleam with an ominous light. What had seemed like worthless remains now represented a potential threat none of them had considered.


    What if it''s not coincidence? What if they''re collecting specific cores to facilitate their mass infiltrations?


    "We need to investigate this further," the Director began, but the prince was already walking toward the door, his Qilin''s light casting elongated shadows.


    "I''m already doing something about it," Julius paused in the threshold. "For now, I need you to complete the paperwork for the extra guards, and you, dear cousin, keep watching our friend very carefully."


    The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving the Director and his cousin contemplating the situation, silent witnesses to an approaching war that was taking an unexpected turn.


    ????


    Ren''s muscles screamed in protest as he settled into his bed.


    Every movement sent waves of pain through his overtaxed body, reminders of Lin''s particularly brutal training session.


    He took the recovery pill she had given him, feeling the familiar warmth spreading through his limbs as the special medicine took effect. The constant ache began to fade, replaced by a gentle tingling sensation that promised relief.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly as his gaze drifted to the two cores resting on his nightstand. The mantis and hydra cores glowed faintly with the mana he had invested in them.


    His trunk caught his attention, specifically the two eggs hidden within. The Ambush bug egg especially... he could sell it. There were always buyers interested in rare eggs, and though bugs weren''t popular, their rarity guaranteed a good price if he was patient enough to find the right buyer or collector.


    ''But finding it already transformed was too lucky,'' he thought as his mushrooms'' glow momentarily distracted Taro. ''It could be useful later...''


    His eyes drifted to where he kept the abyssal shadow stalker core. Though he couldn''t use it yet, (his knowledge didn''t cover abyssals) perhaps when his spore increased in rank there would be interesting possibilities.


    Bronze rank with two beasts... He could become strong enough to defeat beasts with real cores when he reached that level. The thought made his heartbeat hasten with anticipation.


    Could he obtain more cores in the future to produce more eggs? Transform them for use or sale?


    The mushrooms pulsed insistently, reminding him of reality: first, he needed to become stronger.


    Dealing with bronze-rank beasts was too dangerous at his current level. Luck and knowledge would only take him so far, he needed real power to back up his plans.


    "Hey, Ren..." Taro''s voice pulled him from his thoughts.


    His roommate sat cross-legged on his bed, surrounded by books and notes from Wei''s class. The flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows across his unusually serious expression. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Do you really believe my beetle can evolve beyond bronze?" Taro fidgeted nervously with his pen. "Truth is... I''ve tried not to get my hopes up, but..."


    He paused, searching for the right words in the dim light.


    "You always surprise us," he finally continued, voice thick with emotion.


    "With your knowledge, with your predictions... Now if even those cores transform into eggs, I won''t be able to help it anymore. And now, with my beetle''s cultivation, I..." Tears began forming in his eyes¡­

 Chapter 120 - Taming the Prince Investment

    He paused, searching for the right words in the dim light."You always surprise us," he finally continued, voice thick with emotion.


    "With your knowledge, with your predictions... Now if even those cores transform into eggs, I won''t be able to help it anymore. And now, with my beetle''s cultivation, I..." Tears began forming in his eyes¡­


    The mushrooms pulsed gently as Ren watched his friend struggle with his doubts.


    "I''m scared," Taro admitted in a whisper that barely disturbed the night air. "Scared that this hope will turn into disappointment. Everyone says it''s impossible, that I should be content with bronze rank 2 at most."


    Ren sat up in his bed, ignoring the protest of his aching muscles.


    "I promise you that won''t happen."


    "How can you be so sure?"


    "Because," Ren smiled with quiet confidence, "I see what others can''t. And you have potential you can''t even imagine..."


    Taro opened his mouth to respond, but a sharp knock at the door interrupted them. The sound echoed strangely in the quiet dormitory.


    Who could be visiting at this hour?


    "Did Liu forget his key again?" Taro rose, setting aside his studies.


    "No, they told me..." Ren shook his head. "He and Min are in the library until late, Liu''s helping Min with an assignment."


    Another knock, more insistent this time.


    ????


    "Good evening, Ren," Prince Julius smiled when the door opened, his presence immediately filling the small room. "How have you been?"


    Without waiting for an invitation, he strode inside. His eyes immediately fixed on the cores resting in their elaborate "nests" of diverse materials.


    "Interesting," he murmured, studying the setup with undisguised curiosity. "I see you''ve been busy."


    Taro had frozen on his bed, textbooks forgotten as he watched the crown prince enter their dormitory for the second time.


    "I brought you a gift," Julius continued, dropping a stained backpack onto the floor. Dozens of cores rolled across the wooden planks, their dull surfaces catching the light from Ren''s mushrooms.


    Ren showed his surprise as he observed the sheer quantity of cores scattered before him.


    "I was thinking," the prince casually leaned against Taro''s desk, his Qilin''s power subtly manifesting in golden ripples across his skin. "Instead of taking them back to be converted into random ones, how about I leave them with you to show me what you can do with them?"


    Ren glanced between the cores and the prince. "That''s..." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Oh, don''t worry," Julius waved a dismissive hand. "The castle has far more than we can process anyway."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed as he analyzed the cores. They all appeared to be from scorpions, their essence still faintly resonating with their original nature.


    "Filling them all with mana will be difficult," Ren commented cautiously, acutely aware of Taro''s presence.


    "You have time," the prince smiled. "Besides, I think that vein we found will be safe for quite a while." He winked at Ren.


    Julius transformed his stomach into something resembling a bottomless void and pulled out an enormous package. "I also brought you these," he unwrapped it to reveal ten more hydra plates. "This should give you enough to work with for a while."


    Ren nodded slowly, noting how the prince carefully avoided mentioning eggs specifically in front of Taro.


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    "Though," Julius added casually, "in your next demonstration, I''d like to see if you can do something more... interesting. Like a hydra one, for example."


    Ren felt his throat go dry. His mushrooms pulsed erratically as he searched for an excuse. But then he noticed something peculiar. Among all the scattered cores, there wasn''t a single hydra one. They were all scorpion cores.


    "Wouldn''t it be strange for the intruder who was trying so hard to get a hydra core not to have any among their collection?"


    The prince followed his gaze. "Oh? I hadn''t paid attention to that. To me, all cores were just cores." His smile widened. "Thank you for noticing."


    He moved toward the door. "Unfortunately, my ''vacation'' has to end. My siblings must be drowning in work without me."


    Before leaving, he paused in the threshold. "I''ll visit you again, Ren. I have a feeling you''ll do very interesting things in the future."


    Ren scratched his head, unsure how to respond as the door closed behind the prince.


    "What... what just happened?" Taro finally found his voice.


    Ren surveyed the cores scattered across the floor. The prince had been somewhat careful with his words, but the message was clear: he knew more than he let on.


    "Seems I have more work than I thought," he murmured as he began gathering the cores.


    ????


    "Day 105," Liu sighed while checking his calendar. "Only 75 days left until the end of semester."


    Min looked up from his books, his water snake coiling lazily around his shoulders. "105 days have passed already? Feels like we just arrived yesterday."


    "We should be going gathering today," Taro commented while absorbing his daily crystal. His cultivation was on day 75.


    "At least we have the tournament to distract us," Min tried to sound optimistic. "Three days of competition."


    Ren, who was organizing his trunk, struggled to make space among his materials. The fifteen hydra plates and cores took up an enormous amount of room, even the space under his bed hadn''t been spared.


    "Most are from the prince," he insisted when he noticed his friends'' knowing looks.


    "Sure, sure," Liu smiled. "Like the hundred thousand crystals you ''casually'' deposited the other day."


    "Or the fifty thousand you ''invested'' in your core lamps," Min added.


    "Oh!" Taro perked up. "Did you hear about our tournament prize? Professor Yang will announce it today, but I overheard some senior students talking about it."


    "No¡­ Is it something good?" Liu asked, noticing Taro''s excitement.


    "It must be!" Taro practically bounced on his bed. "It''s to compensate for the canceled gathering trip after all."


    "I didn''t get that kinda event last year but I bet it''s special materials," Liu speculated. "Like Ren''s hydra plates."


    "The ones worth 30 thousand each?" Min whistled.


    "Most are from the prince," Ren repeated.


    "Or maybe some bronze shine crystals?" Taro continued excitedly. "Like the ones Ren wastes on his ''nests''!"


    "The ones that cost ten thousand each," Min recalled.


    "It''s not a waste," Ren muttered.


    The bell rang.


    "Oh!" Min jumped up. "It''s time! Yang''s going to make the announcement!"


    All four hurried to the training field, where other students were already gathering. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the packed earth as they found their places.


    Yang waited for everyone to settle before beginning.


    "This friendly tournament will compensate for the gathering trip," his voice resonated across the field. "Three days of competition. The best teams will prove their worth."


    The tension was palpable as students waited for the prize announcement.


    "The winning team," Yang made a dramatic pause, "will be exempt from the final tamer battle exam and receive ten thousand crystals for each member."


    Min, Liu, and Taro slowly turned to look at Ren, who tried to maintain a neutral expression.


    "Ten... thousand..." Min murmured.


    "Like... one-third of a hydra plate?" Liu calculated.


    "Or one of his ''nest'' crystals," Taro added.


    The three sighed in unison.


    "The plates are from the prince," Ren repeated automatically, his mushrooms now definitely pulsing with amusement.


    "Still," Min complained. "After seeing your hundred thousand deposit..."


    "And the thirty thousand you spent on materials with Jessy..."


    "And the fifty thousand on your ''lamps''..."


    "And¡­"


    "They''re from the prince!" Ren interrupted, but this time he didn''t even try to hide his smile.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed cheerfully while his friends continued lamenting how ten thousand crystals no longer sounded impressive after witnessing Ren''s "investments."


    "At least," Liu grinned, "we know who to borrow from if we need money."


    "If he sells any of his 15 hydra plates," Min laughed.


    "Most are from the prince," all three chorused along with Ren, bursting into laughter.

 Chapter 121 - Tamers Friendly Competition

    In the dormitory room, Min and Taro were visibly depressed."Five thousand for second place," Min collapsed onto his bed. "And a thousand points for third and fourth."


    "Not even real money for fifth to eighth place," Taro sighed, absently turning his daily cultivation crystal between his fingers. His beetle''s markings had dulled to match his mood.


    Liu laughed from his desk. "What did you expect? That they''d hand out fortunes like Ren''s?"


    Ren listened while organizing his materials, trying to find space where none existed.


    "Anyway," Liu continued, "it''s not like you had a chance of winning. Luna''s famous wolf will sweep everyone aside, and if not her, it''ll be Klein''s expensive beasts or some other noble."


    "Liu''s right... maybe we should focus on the mines," Min murmured, then grimaced. "Although lately..."


    "It''s impossible to find decent veins," Taro completed the thought. "And Ren always disappears shortly after we enter to search for good veins alone... Selfish mushroom."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed as guilt pricked at his conscience. His expeditions to the depths were still too dangerous to bring a group that would make more noise.


    "The interrupted gathering trip was terrible too," Min continued, his snake mimicking his dejected posture. "Only 1000 crystals from the weaver''s thread. I can only say I did better than the rest with 1500 because I sold the thread to Ren."


    "At least you got extra," Taro sank deeper into his bed. "If my mother hadn''t sent money, I still wouldn''t have the defense rune. Twelve thousand crystals..."


    "You would have gotten it," Ren interjected. "Though barely 5 days before the hundred days limit."


    "How are we supposed to cultivate higher ranks like this?" Min complained. "The mines are practically empty in the safe levels now, and we''ve already lost 5 days of gathering outside."


    Ren considered how to cheer up his friends...


    "We can try to win at least one round and I''ll give you my 1000 crystal prize. If we don''t manage even that... This tournament is just preliminary," he began. "The important one will be the final exam. By then, Taro will have evolved and we''ll have a better chance."


    "If I evolve," Taro muttered.


    "You will," Ren affirmed with conviction. "And when you rank up, you''ll be able to get better materials. I''ll teach you how to deal with the weaker worms, there are specific techniques you can use with your next ability that..."


    "And now you''re going to disappear with Taro in the mines?" Liu teased.


    Ren ignored the comment and turned to Min. "You could start your cultivation too. Your snake has potential and..."


    "Ah, no," Min waved his hands nervously. "I prefer... I prefer to wait and see how it goes for Taro first."


    "Fine, I won''t insist... But back to the tournament topic, you should at least try, we''ve practiced. Besides," he continued, "we don''t need to win to pass Yang''s class. Just give a good demonstration and..."


    The bell''s ring interrupted him.


    The four exchanged glances. It was time.


    "At least," Min tried to joke as they stood up, "if we lose quickly, we can go to the mines before other teams finish."


    "And follow Ren, maybe this time we''ll catch him before he disappears and reveal his secrets," Liu added. "We''ll find his magical vein of infinite crystals."


    Ren rolled his eyes.


    ????


    The training field had been transformed for the tournament.


    In the first semester zone, only eight teams were going to fight.


    The teams had arrived and Yang explained the battle format. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the packed earth as students took their positions.


    Ren, Min, and Taro observed their competitors with careful attention.


    Klein stood proudly apart with his team, his golden lion manifesting in brilliant patterns. Feng and Astor flanked him.


    Near them, another team of nobles who constantly sought their approval practiced their formations.


    Luna and her two companions (maids) remained silent in their corner, her shadow wolf barely visible as a rippling darkness around her.


    The other noble girls (her cousins and the other maid) maintained a calculated distance from everyone else.


    Jin and his group occupied the opposite end of the field, and beside them had formed another team that lately seemed to gravitate toward their influence. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Han and his companions were there too.


    8 teams.


    In the stands, six new girls observed the preparations. Though they had arrived recently, they had already integrated themselves into the noble circle, orbiting especially around Luna and her cousins.


    It was curious how the teachers barely made them participate in class, and now they wouldn''t compete in the tournament either.


    "Remember that since most of you are young and your beasts are still not very resistant, no weapons or offensive skills in dangerous body areas will be allowed or Yang and I will stop you and disqualify you," Lin warned them.


    "First match," Yang announced. "Jin''s team versus Larissa''s team."


    ????


    The maid with the armadillo took central position, Larissa and Liora flanking her. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    Facing them, Jin smiled as Kai advanced to the vanguard, his green scales gleaming under the sun. Cass moved to the right, her eagle partially manifesting in shimmering feather patterns across her skin.


    "Begin!" Yang gave the signal.


    Kai launched forward, activating his speed enhanced by his lizard legs. The maid responded by activating the armadillo''s shield skill, creating a semicircular barrier that covered all three of them.


    But Cass and Jin ran to the sides, their movements fluid and practiced.


    "Now!" Jin ordered.


    Cass began launching small cutting wind bursts while Jin circled around the shield to attack from behind, his spiritual claws gleaming with ethereal light.


    Liora''s blue hair rippled like flames as she dodged the wind cuts, but she didn''t counterattack. Her movements were graceful, almost dance-like, but she was clearly holding back.


    The faint glow around Larissa intensified slightly when Jin approached, but she too didn''t respond with power. Instead, she relied solely on hand-to-hand combat techniques to counter Jin''s advances.


    "We have them cornered!" Kai pressed against the shield.


    The maid maintained her position, the armadillo channeling more power into the barrier. Larissa and Liora continued moving with grace, dodging attacks but never utilizing their beasts skills.


    Ren observed from the stands, noting how the two nobles contained their beast features and abilities as always...


    For most, it would be difficult to guess the girls'' beasts for this reason, since many beasts shared flames or glows, but not for Ren.


    Liora''s will o'' wisp could have launched devastating flames, while Larissa''s mineral light fairy could have easily blinded their opponents or defended its tamer even better than Kai''s lizard.


    Even short spatial jumps would have completely changed the course of the battle.


    Because both could do them.


    They were truly powerful creatures like Luna''s wolf, but for some reason, they didn''t want to show them.

 Chapter 122 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 2

    Liora''s will o'' wisp could have launched devastating flames, while Larissa''s mineral light fairy could have easily blinded their opponents or defended its tamer even better than Kai''s lizard.Even short spatial jumps would have completely changed the course of the battle.


    Because both could do them.


    They were truly powerful creatures like Luna''s wolf, but for some reason, they didn''t want to show them.


    Ren had a theory, based on the prince''s face and the familiar resemblance some of the girls'' features shared after being close to him for a while.


    Also on the fact that no random eggs could produce such beasts¡­ they had to come from unique eggs unavailable in the market.


    Unlike Luna''s beast, the eggs of these creatures would be many times more costly... If Luna''s wolf could compete with them, it was only due to her enormous luck in obtaining it from a random black egg.


    They had to be very important people... But the fact that they weren''t searched for during the first excursion''s attack by the abyssals must have been because they hid to look as plain nobles.


    Yet Ren had one doubt when looking at the girls'' features...


    Luna.


    Why didn''t she hide?


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    Jin increased the pressure, his spirit claws slicing through the air ever closer to striking Larissa. She simply stepped back, her glow barely perceptible beneath her skin.


    "They''re boxing themselves in!" Cass intensified her attacks, creating a rain of wind cuts that forced Liora to move closer to the shield. The air itself seemed to shimmer with each slice.


    The maid adjusted her position, maintaining the barrier though the effort was beginning to show. The armadillo''s plates glowed with increasing strain, their light flickering under the pressure.


    "Lost shield formation!" Jin commanded.


    Kai suddenly withdrew while Cass and Jin converged from both sides. The maid stepped forward accidentally when Kai''s pressure disappeared, forced to pivot the shield to protect her ladies. This left her back exposed, which Kai immediately exploited.


    His green plates blazed on his fist as he struck the girl. Simultaneously, Jin and Cass launched their most powerful attacks, their beasts'' energies harmonizing in deadly synchronization.


    Larissa and Liora could have used their spatial jumps to reposition. Instead, they moved conventionally, allowing themselves to be caught in the attack pattern.


    The combination was devastating. Cass''s wind cuts forced Liora toward Jin''s spirit claws, while Kai finally broke through the maid''s defensive formation. The coordinated assault left no room for escape.


    After that, the noble girls tried to win with hand-to-hand combat techniques, even getting close to knocking Jin out, but ultimately Jin''s group''s liberal use of abilities proved too much for them.


    "Victory for Jin''s team!" Yang announced.


    The nobles withdrew gracefully, showing no frustration at their defeat. The maid bowed respectfully, her armadillo features fading from view like morning mist.


    "Good battle," Jin smiled, but there was something mocking in his gaze.


    From the stands, the six new girls observed in silence. Their expressions remained unreadable as the nobles returned to their side. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Next match!" Yang announced. "Klein''s team versus Roran''s team."


    The Goldcrest family heir stepped forward with his usual arrogance, his golden lion manifesting in an impressively generous mane. Feng, whose red cobra created scarlet scales across his skin, and Astor, with his rhinoceros''s bluish plates, flanked him with similar aristocratic bearing.


    On the other side, Roran''s team took their positions. His troll dog, a robust beast with grayish skin, fully manifested as it adopted a defensive stance at the front.


    Mira, his companion with a giant rat, let her beast''s moss and flowers bloom across her arms as she positioned herself on the left. The vibrant growth pulsed with gentle energy.


    Trent and his fire ant completed the formation on the right, heat shimming around him.


    "Begin!"


    Klein didn''t even move. Seeing that Roran had fully released his beast, he did the same, and with a casual gesture, his lion roared, creating a golden pressure wave that forced his opponents back.


    Feng followed suit, his cobra slithering forward, scarlet scales gleaming as it spat a stream of venom toward Mira. The giant rat created a moss barrier, but the venom began corroding it instantly, eating through the green defense like acid.


    Astor''s rhinoceros charged at Trent. The power of its charge made the ground tremble, forcing the fire ant to abandon its position.


    "Hold formation!" Roran shouted, his troll dog struggling to break free from the paralyzing effect of Klein''s lion.


    "Pathetic," Klein smiled as his lion pounced, attacking with golden claws that left trails of light in the air.


    Mira''s rat managed to regenerate its moss enough to dodge another of Feng''s attacks, but the cobra''s scales began to glow with greater intensity. The next stream of venom didn''t hit the moss, it made a parabola aimed directly at Mira''s feet, forcing her to jump out of the way.


    The rhinoceros charged from the flank, channeling power into a strike that shattered Trent''s fire ant''s defense. The wall of flames was impressive, but the rhinoceros''s bluish plates shone, creating a barrier that nullified the damage completely.


    The ant was crushed beneath its power.


    Roran''s troll dog was knocked down by Klein''s lion, its gray claws scraping the ground in desperate attempts to escape its grip.


    "This is boring," Klein sighed. "Feng, Astor, let''s end this."


    Feng''s red cobra coiled around his arm while scarlet scales covered more of his skin. The venom it spat this time, guided by Feng''s will, formed a complete circle around Roran''s team.


    Astor''s Rhinoceros charged again. The ground beneath its feet cracked and splintered as it rushed forward.


    Klein simply extended his hand, his lion roaring one final time to paralyze them. The golden pressure combined with Astor''s charge, amplifying the rhinoceros''s power to devastating effect.


    The result was brutal.


    Mira''s rat''s moss withered instantly as it was knocked out, and Yang stopped the battle before real damage could be done.


    "Victory for Klein''s team," Yang announced, though it was unnecessary.


    Klein didn''t even look at his defeated opponents as he withdrew, Feng and Astor following with the same arrogance with which they had entered.


    From the stands, Jin observed in silence. His expression remained neutral, but his eyes tracked Klein''s every movement with predatory focus.


    Klein paused briefly, looking toward where Luna watched the battles. For a moment, his expression shifted from arrogance to something else... but the moment passed quickly as he continued on his way, the golden lion fading from his skin like sunset''s last rays.


    "Next match," Yang called. "Luna''s team against..."

 Chapter 123 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 3

    "Luna''s team against Hector''s team!" Yang announced, his voice carrying across the hushed training field.Luna stepped gracefully onto the field, her shadow wolf barely visible as a dark silhouette at her feet, rippling like ink in water.


    Her "noble companions", in reality her maids, took flanking positions.


    The cloud bird of one created soft wisps in the air, while the small tree growing from the other''s turtle shell swayed gently.


    In the stands, students leaned forward, eager to witness Luna''s infamous combat style. Even the new noble girls seemed to pay closer attention, their usual aloof expressions showing hints of genuine interest.


    Hector (leader of Klein''s follower team) manifested his minotaur, its horns gleaming menacingly as he took center position. The beast''s power radiated in waves of barely contained aggression.


    To his right, Vern let his centaur fully materialize, its hooves resonating against the ground in a steady rhythm. The hybrid beast''s muscles rippled with anticipation.


    Rosalind completed the formation, her three-horned horse pawing the earth eagerly. The beast''s three horns caught the sunlight like polished spears, their points promising swift and decisive strikes.


    "Begin!"


    Hector''s minotaur charged immediately, its horns blazing as it aimed for Luna. Vern''s centaur flanked right while the tri-horned horse attacked from the left.


    The triple attack formation would have overwhelmed most opponents through sheer power alone.


    Luna smiled.


    Her maids'' beasts moved to intercept, the cloud bird creating a curtain of mist while the tree turtle generated many thin wooden stakes at the front. They appeared to be a weak defense against the charging power of three noble beasts. Some spectators even muttered about the apparent mismatch.


    But it was going exactly as Luna had planned.


    Just as the minotaur was about to impact the barrier, the maids melted into the mist and Luna vanished into the shadows. Her wolf emerged behind Hector, its fangs gleaming as they prepared to bite his leg.


    "Behind!" Vern shouted, spinning to protect his companion.


    But there was nothing there except lingering shadows.


    Luna appeared from Vern''s own shadow, her precise strike finding a pressure point in his neck that sent him stumbling off balance.The attack was so swift that many in the audience missed it entirely, seeing only its effects.


    At the front, Rosalind turned and attempted to charge Luna, but the cloud bird had created enough cover for the shadow wolf to slide through the mist arriving at Rosalind''s back, biting (not too deep, as permitted) the girl''s leg before she could attack Luna from behind.


    "Defensive formation!" Hector ordered upon seeing his injured companion, his minotaur backing up to protect him and his teammates.


    The tree turtle advanced then, its seemingly harmless skill becoming a threat. It began creating more stakes between the boys to separate them, and when the horse tried to charge back, roots extended with surprising speed, entangling its feet.


    Luna switched places with her wolf just as the centaur tried to stomp her. The wolf dodged the slow attack meant for Luna and its fangs found the beast''s flank while Luna materialized behind Rosalind like a ghost.


    The cloud bird''s mist had spread across the entire field, creating a labyrinth of shadows and sticks that Luna and her wolf exploited with devastating efficiency.


    Hector struggled to free his minotaur, also caught by the roots, but one of the maids emerged behind him for a knockout strike. The wolf also surfaced from below, its fangs finding the beast''s belly.


    The minotaur roared one final time before fading, returning to Hector''s unconscious body.


    Rosalind and her tri-horned horse were the last to fall.


    But their resistance proved no different from their companions, and with her injured leg, it was only a matter of time... The end came swiftly, almost merciful in its precision.


    "Victory for Luna''s team," Yang announced.


    The mist dissipated slowly, revealing the three defeated nobles and Luna standing at the field''s center, her shadow wolf once again barely visible at her feet. Her maids maintained neutral expressions, as if their role in the strategy had been insignificant.


    From the stands, Klein watched with burning intensity. The shadow wolf''s power was impressive, but it was Luna''s tactical precision that truly stood out.


    The defeated nobles rose with what dignity they could muster after receiving preventive healing from an assistant''s beast. They would head straight to the infirmary but their pride was more wounded than their bodies.


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    Still, despite their defeat, they had shown considerable skill and coordination. They had simply been outmatched by superior strategy and beast.


    Luna inclined her head slightly in acknowledgment as she withdrew, her maids following like if they were normal noble girl subordinates.


    ????


    "Next match," Yang called, drawing attention back to the field. "Ren''s team versus Han''s team."


    Ren studied their opponents'' formation as they took positions. Han''s weaver spider... their greatest threat, its ability to control the battlefield more devastating the longer they leave him alone.


    Sora, with her deer''s antlers gleaming in her hair, took the left flank, while Jun with his monkey hands positioned himself on the right.


    "Remember the plan," Ren murmured. "Taro, contain Sora and Jun. Min, keep Taro standing."


    His mushrooms pulsed as he analyzed their opponents'' manifestation patterns. Han''s web was the priority, being the worst matchup for Taro. Once neutralized, the others would lose their main tactical advantage. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Begin!"


    Sora launched forward immediately, activating her skill to increase his speed to levels comparable to Kai''s.


    Jun activated his skill too, though there was nothing to climb here, the boost it gave was useful, his muscles visibly swelling as his monkey''s strength increased from 30% to 60%.


    Taro advanced to intercept them with his skill also activated, his shell gleaming as he expanded his defense. Min began channeling water, ready to heal or attack as needed.


    Han started weaving webs around himself, creating hexagonal patterns. Ren moved laterally, studying how light refracted through the nearly invisible threads.


    Sora rammed against Taro''s shield, his manifested antlers clashing against the reinforced shell. Jun took advantage to flank, his enhanced strength making each blow resonate.


    "Hold on!" Min directed a concentrated water jet toward Jun, forcing him to retreat while using another stream to heal the cracks in Taro''s defense.


    Ren dodged Han''s first web, noting how the mana had been channeled for the attack even before it was launched.


    ''The edges,'' he thought while jumping aside. ''They''re 4 meters from his hip.''

 Chapter 124 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 4

    "Hold on!" Min directed a concentrated water jet toward Jun, forcing him to retreat while using another stream to heal the cracks in Taro''s defense.Ren dodged Han''s first web, noting how the mana had been channeled for the attack even before it was launched.


    ''The edges,'' he thought while jumping aside. ''They''re 4 meters from his hip.''


    Jun vaulted over Taro with monkey-enhanced agility, attempting to strike at Min. Taro''s arm extended just in time, his shell''s reinforced surface intercepting the blow while Min counterattacked with a precise water jet to Jun''s face. The coordination between defenders and healer had become almost instinctive.


    Sora seized the momentary distraction to charge again, her antlers blazing with accumulated power. Taro pivoted to intercept, but the sheer force of impact drove him back several steps, leaving small furrows in the packed earth.


    Han had woven an intricate network of hexagons, the nearly invisible threads limiting Ren''s movement options. The pattern was beautiful in its complexity, a deadly spider''s web catching the afternoon light¡­


    But instead of retreating, Ren advanced.


    ''The weaving pattern has a rhythm,'' his mushrooms pulsed as he analyzed each intersection. ''Three gaps large enough for me between each main connection.''


    Ren slid between the web''s gaps with serpentine grace. Lin''s technique gave him the confidence to approach, but it was his analytical mind that revealed the exact paths through Han''s deadly maze.


    Han''s eyes widened in surprise, he hadn''t expected the mushroom boy to enter his trap zone so directly.


    Spectators leaned forward, sensing something unprecedented was about to unfold again.


    Meanwhile, Taro held Jun at bay, his carapace absorbing blow after enhanced blow while Min alternated between healing his fracturing defense and keeping Sora at distance with precisely aimed water jets. Their teamwork had evolved dramatically since their first training sessions, each movement supporting the others.


    Ren surveyed the battlefield with calculating eyes. Han''s hexagonal webs reached only hip height, unable to rise higher without anchor points, a limitation of the field he could exploit.


    In a forest, Han would have been far more problematic for them.


    Han launched another web, trying to snare Ren as he approached. The hexagons gleamed faintly, nearly invisible except for how they distorted light and their mana content. The pattern was mesmerizing but deadly.


    Ren moved.


    Not backward as Han expected, but sideways. A calculated leap carried him over the low webs, landing perfectly in another gap.


    Then he sprang forward to finally close the distance, but...


    "Got you!" Han''s smile was triumphant as he launched a web directly into Ren''s trajectory, mid air.


    Time seemed to slow.


    He was in trouble, but not trapped. Not yet.


    Ren hung suspended in the air, the web approaching with inexorable certainty.


    From the stands, several students held their breath. It seemed impossible to dodge in that position. Jin''s smile widened knowingly...


    "Ren!" Min''s cry echoed across the field, but he couldn''t help while maintaining Taro''s defense.


    Sora tried to exploit the opening to charge Min. Her antlers blazed as she rushed forward, but Taro remained vigilant.


    In a move that demonstrated how much his initiative had improved since his defeat against Jin ¨C thanks to the hope Ren had given him ¨C Taro grabbed one of Sora''s antlers. Using her own charging momentum against her, he spun and hurled her directly into Jun. The impact sent both sprawling.


    Ren calculated angles and distances in the split second he had left. The web approached, its hexagons glowing with Han''s anticipated victory.


    ''Now.''


    The mushrooms in his hair flared brilliantly, temporarily blinding Han with their sudden radiance.


    It was all he needed.


    In that same instant, Ren covered his right hand with spores. As the web was about to catch him, he grabbed one of the threads he''d been jumping over and pulled hard, canceling his jump''s forward momentum to drop faster.


    The spores adhered to the sticky thread while his hand came away clean.


    Han blinked away the afterimages, expecting to see Ren trapped in his web. But there was nothing above.


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    The strike came from below.


    Ren had crawled under the web network.


    His kick connected perfectly with his opponent''s legs, sweeping the weaver off his feet.


    Han tried to break his fall by putting his hands down, but before they could touch earth, Ren''s fist was already threading between his arms. The uppercut, perfected through countless sessions with Lin, found exactly the right point on Han''s jaw.


    The weaver crashed unconscious to the ground.


    "Han is out!" Yang announced, his voice cutting through the stunned silence.


    When Taro had thrown them together, Sora and Jun collapsed in a tangle of limbs, giving Ren time to rejoin his teammates. Their expressions showed a mixture of relief and renewed determination.


    Without Han''s support, the combat dynamics shifted dramatically as Ren joined the fray.


    "Shall we finish this?" Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing as he adopted one of Lin''s combat stances.


    Min and Taro nodded, falling into position beside him.


    Taro and Ren moved to flank their opponents while protecting their healer. Lin''s training sessions with Ren and their practice as a team finally bore fruit.


    Within minutes, Sora and Jun also lay defeated. Their resistance was skilled but futile against the team''s synchronized assault.


    "Victory for Ren''s team!"


    "The first round has concluded!" Yang announced while assistants tended to the minor injuries.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed softly as he helped Han to his feet. The weaver blinked in confusion, still processing what had happened.


    "How...?" he began to ask.


    "My spores," Ren explained, showing him the residue still clinging to the thread. "They stuck to the thread but my hand didn''t."


    Han studied the spores for a moment before laughing. "Using my own web as an anchor point... brilliant." S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    From the stands, Luna observed with renewed interest, unable to completely hide a small smile from her watchful maids. Her shadow wolf seemed to ripple at her feet.


    "For the semifinals: Luna''s team versus Jin''s team! Klein''s team versus Ren''s team!"


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed steadily as he looked toward where Klein smiled arrogantly, his golden lion''s mane shimmering.


    The real test was about to begin.

 Chapter 125 - Taming Promises

    The room was illuminated by the light of three moons when they returned from the infirmary, casting triple shadows that danced across the walls.Their injuries had been minor, bruises and scratches that the auxiliaries had healed quickly.


    "Well, at least you made it to the semifinals," Liu tried to lift the mood as he settled at his desk. "That''s more than most people expected."


    Min collapsed onto his bed, stretching muscles that still ached despite the healing. His water snake coiled dejectedly around his belly. "Yeah, and now we get to face the strongest team in the tournament. Perfect."


    "Maybe Luna''s team is stronger, though it depends on how you look at it... If you''d been matched against Jin''s team, you''d have had a chance," Liu continued, trying to find silver linings. "Their beasts are strong but not at Klein''s team''s level¡­ Those are too much, even with Ren''s strategies..."


    "Yeah, no... strategies don''t help much when there''s such a huge power gap," Taro muttered.


    Ren stood by the window, his mushrooms pulsing softly as he mentally reviewed every possibility. He wanted to tell them there was a way, that if they tried hard enough and executed the perfect plan...


    But even with all his knowledge, he couldn''t find a viable solution.


    The gap was simply too wide.


    Klein''s golden lion, Feng''s red cobra, Astor''s rhinoceros, all beasts with explosive growth in their early stages. Their raw power was evident in every movement, every manifestation. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In contrast, Taro''s beetle would need time to reach its true potential. Min''s snake was just beginning to develop its water abilities.


    And his mushrooms...


    Well, the intense glow only worked up to a point and wouldn''t surprise anyone anymore.


    He didn''t want to give them false hope.


    It wouldn''t be fair to promise an impossible victory.


    "Hey, don''t make those faces," Liu tried again, his night bat manifesting slightly in response to his concern. "Nobody expected you to get this far. Just being in the semifinals is..."


    "Maybe we can find a way to lose with style," Min completed with a resigned smile, his snake mimicking his defeated posture.


    Ren finally turned to face his friends. His mushrooms pulsed steadily as he made a decision.


    "You should be happy," he said, drawing everyone''s attention. "At least you''re guaranteed 1500 crystals each."


    "Each?" Taro blinked in confusion, his beetle''s markings swirling with surprise. "But third place is only a thousand points."


    "I''ll give you my share," Ren explained, his mushrooms casting gentle light patterns across the room. "I don''t really need it and..."


    "Oh," Min sat up straighter, a hint of his usual humor returning. "The generous magnate doesn''t need his prize because he has a trunk full of hydra plates."


    "Which are from the prince," Liu added automatically, triggering laughter that helped ease the tension.


    "It''s not because of that," Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with amusement. "It''s because you worked hard following the plan and..."


    A knock at the door interrupted him.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with sudden alertness as everyone turned toward the entrance. It was late, and after the day they''d had...


    Another knock, more insistent this time.


    Ren approached the door, his mushrooms analyzing the presence on the other side. Whoever it was carried an aura of purpose that seemed unusually intense for this hour.


    ????


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    The male wing''s corridors were practically deserted at this hour, moonlight creating patches of silver and shadow across the wooden floors.


    A girl moved with the practiced grace of someone accustomed to avoiding notice, her blue hair barely visible in the darkness as she slipped between shadows. Each step was precisely placed, each movement calculated for silence.


    Like so many other nights, her destination was Ren''s room. It had become routine, listen, observe, report.


    But tonight something was different.


    A movement in the perpendicular hallway made her quicken her pace. For an instant, a flash of her blue hair was illuminated by moonlight through a window before she vanished around the corner.


    Klein, passing by, froze mid-step. "Luna?"


    The blue hair, the direction... his eyes narrowed as he processed that this corridor led directly to Ren''s room. His golden lion stirred beneath his skin, responding to his rising tension.


    ????


    The knocks at the door startled the room''s occupants from their contemplation.


    Ren approached cautiously, his mushrooms'' light revealing his friends'' concerned expressions.


    When he opened it, Klein shoved the door with enough force to make Ren step back instinctively into a defensive stance.


    Feng and Astor flanked Klein but remained in the hallway, their beasts partially manifesting as their leader scanned the room with narrowed eyes, as if searching for something... or someone.


    "Hey!" Min jumped up, his water snake coiling protectively around him. "You can''t just barge in like that!"


    "Ren, hide the plates," Taro whispered urgently. "Maybe they''re here to steal them."


    "If he steals anything he''ll be expelled, noble or not," Liu interjected. "The academy is extremely strict about obtained items. The value must be doubled by them so they''re very careful about where things come from..."


    Klein diverted his attention from the corner he''d been examining.


    "I''m not interested in your miserable possessions," he spat, though it was clear he had no idea of the wealth Ren had accumulated.


    Not that it mattered, as the Goldcrest heir, money was the least of his concerns.


    His eyes swept the room one final time before focusing on Ren with laser intensity. "I came to tell you something directly."


    His golden lion manifested partially, creating brilliant patterns across his skin and expanding his mane into a corona of power. "Tomorrow I will humiliate you in front of everyone. When they see the abyssal difference between us, perhaps you''ll finally understand your place."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with growing irritation as Klein spoke of humiliation. It was one thing to know the battle would be difficult for them, he himself had been considering it moments before.


    But seeing how his friends lowered their gazes before Klein''s threats...


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed as he studied Klein. There was something more than simple arrogance in his bearing, an extra tension, an irritation that went beyond his usual disdain. His golden lion''s manifestation seemed almost unstable with emotion.


    "Once I demonstrate how insignificant you are," Klein continued, his voice carrying an edge of something personal, "it will be perfectly clear that approaching Luna is forbidden."


    Taro and Min exchanged confused looks. Luna? What did she have to do with this?


    "After all," Klein raised his voice slightly, as if wanting someone else to hear, "a promised girl shouldn''t be meeting other men in secret."


    The silence that followed was absolute. Ren''s friends stared at Klein uncomprehendingly, while Feng and Astor seemed equally confused by their leader''s comment. The tension in the room grew thick enough to cut.


    "Promised?" Min finally broke the silence. "What are you talking about?"


    Klein ignored the question, his eyes fixed on Ren with burning intensity. "Tomorrow you''ll learn your place, mushroom. And I hope that afterward, certain people remember their... obligations to..."


    "I told you before," Ren stepped forward, cutting off Klein''s monologue. "That kind of discourse is for halfwits."


    Klein froze in the doorway, his golden lion manifesting more fully until its power filled the corridor with shimmering light. "What did you say?"

 Chapter 126 - Tamers Pride

    "I told you before," Ren stepped forward, cutting off Klein''s monologue. "That kind of thinking is for halfwits."Klein froze in the doorway. His golden lion manifested more fully. "What did you say?"


    "Having a beast that is decent in the lower ranks doesn''t give you the right to look down on others." Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with growing intensity, their light steady and unwavering. "Or to threaten humiliation... or to treat people like objects."


    "A decent beast?" Klein turned fully. "My golden lion''s lineage is the culmination of generations of noble cultivation. You dare call it decent? What next, will you compare it to your pathetic mushrooms?"


    "Your beast or your noble genes don''t make you a better person than anyone else," Ren''s voice remained firm, unbending. "And tomorrow won''t be the easy victory you imagine against my awesome spore!"


    Min and Taro straightened slightly at his words. It wasn''t a promise of victory, both understood the real odds too well for that. But it was a promise of dignity.


    "Are you challenging me, mushroom?" Klein stepped forward, but Ren held his ground.


    "I''m reminding you that arrogance has a price." Ren met Klein''s gaze steadily. "And that my friends deserve respect, regardless of tomorrow''s outcome."


    Feng and Astor exchanged wary glances. Few dared confront Klein like this.


    "Tomorrow," Klein practically spat the word, "you''ll regret every single one of those words. And when I''m done with you and your pathetic friends, everyone will see the difference between¡­"


    "The difference between someone who needs to humiliate others to feel superior," Ren cut in, "and those who win or lose with dignity."


    Outside in the dark hallway, the girl held her breath. Her mistake in being seen had caused Klein to reveal something perturbing, but at least now she knew...


    Though now she would have to report this unexpected development. The Goldcrest heir was saying very concerning things, and she didn''t like hearing that at all...


    At least Ren seemed unwilling to let Klein say whatever he wanted about it.


    The silence that followed within the room crackled with tension. Golden patterns danced across Klein''s skin, pulsing with fury.


    "Tomorrow," Klein finally spoke, his voice cold as winter frost. "In the arena. We''ll settle this once and for all."


    "Tomorrow," Ren nodded once.


    When Klein and his followers finally left, Min released the breath he''d been holding.


    "What was all that about?" Taro asked as they finally closed the door.


    "Klein being Klein," Min shrugged, though worry lined his face.


    "He''s trying to intimidate you," Liu suggested. "Though I don''t know what he meant about Luna... Wait! Is he jealous because Ren seduced her in the room the other day?"


    "Don''t be ridiculous..." Ren sighed.


    "Ren," Taro began hesitantly, "we..."


    "I know," Ren turned to face Taro and Min. "I know the odds aren''t in our favor. But that doesn''t mean we have to accept his threats or his contempt."


    "You''re right. Even if we lose," Min smiled faintly, "at least we''ll do it on our terms."


    "And he''ll have to earn his victory," Taro added, his voice stronger now.


    Liu watched from his corner, a small smile playing on his lips.


    They might not win tomorrow, but something more important had been strengthened tonight.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed softly as he began planning tomorrow''s battle. He couldn''t promise them victory, but he could ensure Klein never forgot this encounter.


    ????


    Luna, Liora, and Larissa gathered in the main room each night, a ritual as familiar as breathing.


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    Two of the three cousins shared the characteristic blue hair of the adjacent family, while one bore the blonde of the main line. Each wore it differently, like variations on a noble theme.


    "You won''t believe the horror story I just heard!" One burst into the room, practically trembling with disgust. "Klein is shouting to the four winds that he has a fianc¨¦e!"


    "That''s impossible," another replied, sitting ramrod straight with an irritated expression. "Marriage promises can''t even be made until sixteen."


    "B-but that''s in 6 years..." mumbled the third cousin from her corner, half-hidden behind a beast manual.


    "And he went straight to Ren''s room to make a scene!" continued the first.


    The book quivered slightly. "To... to Ren''s room?"


    "Oh, does that interest you?" The storyteller''s smile widened mischievously. "It was quite interesting. He defended the right to free choice and everything."


    "Who did he defend?" the other two asked in unison, one demanding and barely audible.


    A blush crept across one face, its owner immediately turning away in a futile attempt to hide it.


    "Is that a blush I see?"


    "D-don''t be silly," the blushing girl kept her face turned away. "It''s just warm in here."


    "B-but we just opened the windows..."


    "Don''t take her side!"


    The maids, who had remained discreetly in the corners until now, exchanged amused glances.


    "Young Ren has certainly been showing interesting facets lately," one commented.


    "Especially in the mines," added another, causing one of the cousins to visibly tense.


    "It''s fascinating how he always knows where to find the best veins and win battles without a beast!"


    "And how he seems to understand beasts so well..." came the comment from behind the book.


    "And how certain someone always seems to be aware of his movements," a maid added with feigned innocence.


    "Enough!" The blushing cousin stood abruptly. "It''s not... it''s not what you''re implying."


    "And what exactly are we implying?" The playful smile grew. "We haven''t mentioned anything about certain eyes following a certain figure in Yang''s classes..."


    The book dropped, revealing a startled face. "Y-you noticed too?"


    "That''s enough!" The blushing girl began herding her cousins toward the door. "The tournament is tomorrow and we need rest."


    The maids hid their smiles as they watched their young lady practically expel her cousins from the room, their protests and laughter echoing down the hallway.


    When she finally closed the door, she leaned against it with an exasperated sigh.


    "Young Ren is quite peculiar, isn''t he, my lady?" a maid commented while preparing the bed.


    The only response was a soft groan and the sound of someone burying their face in a pillow.


    ????


    The crystal dissolved in Ren''s hand, the last of his daily cultivation. In the adjacent bed, Taro absorbed his dose as well.


    Neither spoke. There was no need. Last night''s words still echoed in the room, the promise of dignity.


    The training field awaited them, ready for battle.


    Luna''s team versus Jin would be an interesting match, but everyone knew who would win. All eyes were on the second battle.


    The Goldcrest heir against the mushroom boy who seemed to win in interesting ways, leveraging the beasts'' low rank to cushion his spore''s virtual uselessness. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Klein was already there, his golden lion manifesting across his skin. Feng and Astor flanked him, the red cobra and rhinoceros creating an intimidating tableau.


    In the stands, Ren saw the three cousins with their three maids watching intently. Beside them, the six new students remained silent.


    What he had said last night...


    It was a promise that, regardless of the outcome, this battle would be remembered.


    "First semifinal!" Yang announced. "Team..."

 Chapter 127 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 5

    "First semifinal!" Yang announced, his voice carrying across the morning air. "Luna''s team versus Jin''s team!"The teams advanced to the center of the field.


    Luna walked with innate grace, her "noble companions" flanking her with matching elegance. Her shadow wolf was barely visible as a dark silhouette at her feet.


    Jin took center position, his tiger manifesting partially in rippling stripes across his skin as he studied his opponents. At his right, Kai let his defensive plates gleam under the sun. Cass completed their formation on the left, her eagle flickering like a living shadow above them.


    "Begin!"


    Mist began flowing immediately from the cloud bird, but Jin''s confident smile showed he had anticipated this.


    "The same strategy as before?" Jin''s voice dripped with disdain. "Hiding in the mist won''t work this time."


    Luna didn''t respond, but a small smile curved her lips as her companion''s cloud bird continued producing mist in great quantities. The fog rolled across the ground like a living thing.


    "Cass! Now!"


    Cass''s eagle was already outside her body, its majestic wings spread to their full span. Each feather gleamed as it began beating the air, creating currents that started dispersing the mist.


    The area around Jin''s team cleared, revealing the battlefield. Morning light pierced the thinning fog like golden spears.


    "See?" Jin''s smile widened. "Without your cover, your wolf isn''t so¡­"


    He stopped mid-sentence.


    For a moment, it had seemed their strategy would work, but...


    Where the eagle dispersed the mist, new fog flowed to fill the void. It was like watching water flow in slow motion, filling every empty space with deliberate purpose.


    "Doesn''t matter," Jin clenched his teeth. "Keep trying, Cass! Kai, prepare for any attack!"


    A cracking sound drew their attention. The turtle''s roots and branches began emerging from the ground, creating barriers that serpentined between them.


    "Don''t let them separate us!" Kai fully activated his plates on his fists, striking the wooden barriers. But for each branch he destroyed, two more took its place.


    A howl resonated through the growing mist.


    "Cass, watch out!" Jin shouted, but the wolf had already emerged from the shadows.


    Its fangs found Cass''s flank with precision, drawing a cry of pain. Her eagle, responding to the primal instinct to protect its tamer, abandoned its task of dispersing the mist.


    It was their fatal mistake.


    The wolf appeared above the manifested eagle like a black lightning bolt, its fangs finding the exact point where the neck was most vulnerable. The eagle vanished in a flash of light, its form dissolving back into pure mana.


    Luna emerged simultaneously from Cass''s shadow, a precise strike to her nape rendering her unconscious before she could even register the attack.


    "One down," Luna counted softly, her voice carrying an edge of satisfaction.


    "Cass!" Jin tried to reach his fallen companion, but more wooden barriers blocked his path, the branches weaving together like prison bars.


    Luna and her wolf vanished back into the shadows. The mist swallowed them whole, leaving no trace of their passage.


    "Back to back!" Kai ordered, his plates blazing intensely as he positioned himself beside Jin. Their shoulders touched as they turned slowly, trying to watch every angle at once.


    A soft laugh echoed through the mist, seeming to come from all directions at once. The sound danced around them like autumn leaves in the wind.


    "Coward!" Jin shouted, his frustration evident in every line of his body. "Come out and fight face to face!"


    The laughter continued, mixing with the sound of wind through branches and occasional wolf howls. In the mist surrounding them, shadows began to move with deliberate purpose.


    "Coward?" Luna''s voice resonated through the fog. "Like you, always bullying those you think weaker?"


    The wolf bit Jin''s arm while Luna''s voice distracted him. Jin tried to counterattack with a spirit punch, but hit only empty air. The beast had already melted back into the shadows.


    "You''re a narcissistic child, a boring bully," Luna continued, her voice moving around them like a dance. "What makes you think you''re better than others? Your wealthy family? Your beast?"


    "Shut up and fight face to face, you witch!" Jin launched more spirit punches into the mist, but the wolf was too quick, appearing and vanishing between shadows like a nightmare. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Kai withstood the attacks better, his defensive plates absorbing the wolf''s bites. But even he began showing wounds in his less protected areas, blood slowly staining his uniform.


    "Enough!" Jin growled, his frustration reaching its limit. "Spirit Tiger!"


    His beast manifested fully outside his body, roaring as it searched for the wolf in the mist.


    Luna''s laugh gained a sharper edge. "Perfect."


    The wolf emerged from the shadows, this time holding nothing back. It no longer needed to worry about injuring the tamer too deeply, a manifested beast could be "eliminated" without permanent consequences. It would regenerate completely within a day at most.


    The massive wolf appeared from below and tore the tiger''s throat with a brutal bite. Blood that would soon turn to mana sprayed in an arc through the mist.


    The tiger managed to connect a slash with its huge paw, making the wolf retreat briefly. But Luna''s beast recovered quickly, returning to the shadows while the tiger''s opened neck let all the mana of its form bleed away.


    With a flash of light, Jin''s beast vanished, returning to his body.


    "No!" Jin tried to manifest it again, but it would be impossible for today¡­ and the wolf was already upon him.


    "Two down," Luna counted again as Jin fell unconscious.


    The wolf continued its assault against Kai, though the damage it had received was beginning to take its toll. Its movements had slowed slightly, black blood dripping from where the tiger''s claws had found their mark.


    Kai saw his opportunity.


    The wolf had become slower after the tiger''s slash. Activating his enhanced speed, he launched himself toward the wolf that had just missed an attack against his armor...


    It was his final mistake.


    Luna emerged from his shadow, her strike finding exactly the same point Ren had exploited in their individual battle. Kai''s eyes widened in surprise before he collapsed.


    "Three down," Luna finished counting, satisfaction evident in her tone.


    "Victory for Luna''s team," Yang announced as the mist began to dissipate like morning fog burning away under the sun.


    The wolf walked back to its tamer''s side, showing some signs of the encounter with the tiger in its gait, but retreated to Luna''s shadow to rest.


    The "noble girls" accompanying her maintained their neutral expressions, as if the outcome had been inevitable from the start.


    Luna observed her fallen opponents as medical auxiliaries approached to tend to them.


    "Next time," she murmured, though only her wolf heard, "think twice before calling someone a coward witch." Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    The mist finished dispersing, revealing the battlefield in its entirety. Klein followed Luna with his gaze as she and her group returned to the stands, his eyes blazing with an intensity that made several people look away.


    The medical auxiliaries carried away Jin''s team. Their injuries weren''t severe, some healing energy would mend them, but taking them to the infirmary beds was more convenient to give them time to recover their dignity as well as their health.


    "Second semifinal!" Yang''s voice resonated across the field once more. "Klein''s team versus Ren''s team!"

 Chapter 128 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 6

    "Last semifinal!" Yang''s voice resonated across the field. "Klein''s team versus Ren''s team!"Lin watched Ren prepare to descend to the arena, her hands tightening. Her student had progressed enormously in recent months, but this battle...


    Still she couldn''t bring herself to suggest surrender, yet the thought of a crushing defeat affecting his motivation made her chest tighten with worry.


    Taro and Min flanked Ren as they advanced onto the field. Their expressions showed determination despite the overwhelming odds they faced. The morning sun cast long shadows behind them, like omens of the challenge ahead.


    What Ren had said last night...


    It was a promise that, regardless of the outcome, this battle would be remembered¡­


    And he intended to go by those words.


    Klein stepped forward before Yang could begin the match. His golden lion manifested fully, creating a spectacle of light that drew gasps from the spectators. The beast''s mane rippled with power, each strand seeming to capture and amplify the morning sun.


    "Listen, everyone!" his voice carried across the field. "What you''re about to witness is not just a battle. This is a demonstration of the natural difference between nobility and those who don''t know their place!"


    Feng and Astor smiled as their beasts partially manifested, the red cobra and rhinoceros adding their intimidating presence to the scene. The cobra''s scales gleamed like fresh blood, while the rhinoceros''s armor plates seemed to absorb light itself.


    "No matter what tricks you pull from your sleeve, mushroom," Klein pointed at Ren, contempt dripping from every word. "No matter what pathetic strategies you attempt. The difference between us is fundamental, and today everyone will see it!"


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed softly as he held his position. Min took several steps back but left his snake with Ren, while Taro stepped forward, creating an unusual linear formation that seemed to puzzle the spectators.


    From the stands, Luna observed in silence, her shadow wolf rippling at her feet. Her cousins exchanged meaningful glances while the six new students remained motionless as always, but like everyone their attention was fixed on the unfolding scene.


    "This will be a lesson!" Klein continued, his voice growing more theatrical. "A lesson about the natural order of things. About why certain boundaries should not be crossed, and certain... ''approaches'' should not be attempted."


    He glanced briefly toward where Luna sat before returning to Ren, the meaning clear to those who understood.


    Yang studied both teams before raising his hand... but Ren''s team seemed uninterested neither to answer nor even listen. Instead, they stared intensely at Yang himself, as if expecting something.


    ''Do they want him to defend them? Well, yeah the ''speech'' was getting¡­''


    "After this battle," Klein continued, cutting Yang''s thought, "everyone will see the difference between a true noble and¡­"


    "Begin!"


    Yang dropped his hand, starting the battle if only to silence Klein. The golden lion''s roar shook the air as the battle for pride, and something more, began. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire


    ????


    Their positions seemed strange to observers, Taro and Ren at the front, with Min slightly behind. To the spectators, it looked like suicide.


    "Poor things," someone murmured in the stands. "They don''t even know how to position themselves properly."


    "The lion''s roar will paralyze them the moment it starts," another added. "It''ll be a massacre."


    Klein observed the formation with undisguised contempt. Were they really so stupid as to separate? Should he simply take a nap while letting his lion''s power do the work? This would be even easier than he''d thought.


    The golden lion roared instantly, waves of spiritual power crossing the field like visible ripples in the air. Klein smiled, expecting to see his opponents frozen in terror.


    The smile froze on his face.


    Taro and Ren were already running full speed forward, as if the roar hadn''t affected them at all. Their movements were unhindered, fast, nothing like Klein had expected.


    "Impossible!" Klein gritted his teeth, his confidence cracking. "Attack!"


    Klein''s golden lion charged directly at them. Ren''s mushrooms pulsed as he analyzed patterns, the frontal attack was a distraction. Feng''s cobra was already slithering along the left flank, while Astor''s rhinoceros prepared to charge from the right.


    It was ridiculous, did they really think they could face beasts of this level in direct combat?


    "Finish them!" Klein ordered his lion, focusing on Ren. That damned mushroom needed to learn his place once and for all.


    But Taro was in front, so he''d have to deal with him first.


    The lion attacked, its golden claws gleaming as they descended toward what appeared to be Taro''s suicidal charge.


    Then Ren''s light made a strong pulsation across the field. But from that far it couldn''t blind anybody¡­ even less at daylight


    Yet it wasn''t important because instantly after, in a move no one expected, Taro curled into a ball.


    His shell blazed brilliantly as he concentrated all his defense into his back, the hardest part of his beetle manifestation. Months of cultivation had made that shell a bit stronger too.


    The lion impacted against the carapace with devastating force... but Taro held firm. The sound of the collision echoed across the field.


    "What...?" Klein began, but then he saw it.


    Ren, who had been running behind Taro, used the shell as a springboard as Taro also pushed him up. His legs, honed by months of training with Lin, launched him skyward. Every muscle, every movement had been perfected for this moment. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Min''s snake launched against the lion''s back, giving him the second small boost he needed. The coordination was flawless, each piece falling into place like a perfectly executed dance.


    For a moment, time seemed to stop.


    Klein saw Ren suspended above him, the mushrooms in his hair gleaming under the sun. In that frozen instant, their eyes met, one filled with shock as he tried too late to put up his guard, the other with furious determination.


    ''It can''t be,'' Klein thought. ''He''s just a commoner with a useless beast...''


    Ren''s fist, charged with months of training with Lin and his small but meaningful buff, connected directly with Klein''s jaw.


    The impact carried the weight of every slight, every insult, every moment of condescension.


    The Goldcrest heir fell backward, his eyes wide with disbelief as his golden lion roared in impotent fury. The sound of his body hitting the ground seemed to echo across the suddenly silent field.


    In the stands, no one breathed. Even the wind seemed to pause.


    The mushroom boy had just knocked down the Goldcrest heir with a single punch.


    Luna''s lips curved in a small, satisfied smile.

 Chapter 129 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 7

    The battlefield was controlled chaos. Spectators remained slack-jawed, still processing the shocking initial blow they''d just witnessed when the true battle exploded into life.Min''s snake had coiled skillfully around the golden lion, using its flexibility to keep the powerful beast occupied.


    Taro was doing the impossible, containing Astor''s rhinoceros. His shell, though already showing cracks from the lion''s impact, continued to hold. Each blow resonated through the field like thunder, yet he refused to yield.


    Across the field, Min dodged and weaved, keeping ahead of Feng''s cobra, buying precious seconds.


    Klein lay on the ground, his vision blurred from the impact. The metallic taste in his mouth only fueled his fury at the humiliation of being knocked down before everyone. But before he could fully recover, he saw Ren launching himself forward to finish the job.


    ''No... Damned commoner,'' rage cleared his mind like lightning. ''I won''t lose to a damned commoner!''


    "RETURN!" Klein''s cry echoed across the field.


    The golden lion transformed into a sphere of pure energy, breaking free from the snake and returning to its tamer''s body. Beast power coursed through him, clearing the confusion from the blow and allowing Klein to block Ren''s next attack with renewed strength.


    Ren''s movements were precise, each strike and step showcasing Lin''s brutal training. Klein found himself shocked to be on the defensive while still grounded, the cursed mushroom really knew how to fight.


    But Klein was no novice either.


    His beast''s power enhanced his reflexes, letting him block the strike aimed for his chin. His training in the Goldcrest mansion emerged as he blocked and counterattacked. He wouldn''t underestimate this opponent again.


    Ren''s movements were a revelation to all present. With a technique Lin had made him practice dozens of times, he caught Klein''s arm in a lock, forcing his guard to open. Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    The second punch connected, drawing a grunt of pain from Klein.


    "Klein!" Astor launched himself toward them, his kick catching Ren''s side. The impact forced him to release his hold on Klein, sending him stumbling back. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You''ll pay for this," Klein rose, wiping blood from his lip as his eyes blazed with murderous fury. This humiliation... this insult...


    His lion fully manifested again, golden patterns on his skin glowing with menacing intensity. The beast''s power radiated from him in visible waves.


    Ren adopted his fighting stance once more, the mushrooms in his hair pulsing in rhythm with his controlled breathing. Lin''s training had been brutal, but now he understood why, this was the level needed to face the academy''s elite.


    "CRACK!"


    The impact was brutal.


    After so many attacks, Taro''s shell finally gave way before the rhinoceros''s charge. His body rolled across the ground as his beast was forcibly returned to his interior.


    "Taro is out of combat!" Yang announced, the rules preventing any additional attacks on the fallen student.


    "Taro!" Min shouted, trying to reach his companion through the chaos.


    Feng''s cobra intercepted him, forcing Min to retreat. His own snake hesitated, torn between protecting its tamer and helping Ren. The conflict was visible in its shifting coils.


    "Return!" Min finally ordered his beast, knowing Taro couldn''t rejoin the fight after Yang''s announcement.


    Ren quickly evaluated the situation as his mushrooms pulsed with analytical light. The rhinoceros was already charging toward him, its plates gleaming threateningly in the morning sun.


    "Three against one," Klein spat blood while smiling as Feng joined them. "Where''s your wit now, mushroom?"


    Ren didn''t respond.


    His eyes moved constantly, evaluating angles and distances as Lin had taught him. Against multiple opponents, every second of analysis was crucial. Each movement had to count.


    Astor attacked first, relying on their numerical superiority. Ren dodged the initial strike and responded with an elbow that connected with his opponent''s solar plexus, forcing him back with a grunt.


    Klein tried to exploit the opening, but Ren had anticipated the move. Pivoting on his axis, his kick found Klein''s side before he could complete his attack. But Feng managed to kick Ren''s back.


    "Damn you!" Klein roared. "Hold him!"


    The rhinoceros finally arrived and charged, forcing Ren to leap aside. But it was exactly what they''d expected, Astor was already there, his arms closing around Ren in a lock. The trap had sprung perfectly.


    "Ren!" Min shouted, watching his companion struggle desperately.


    He tried to reach him but now he had to get past Feng.


    Min''s snake managed to coil around the cobra, but Feng himself still blocked the path. Min''s limited combat abilities prevented him from breaking through, each attempt rebuffed with brutal efficiency.


    Ren flexed his body, employing one of the most difficult techniques Lin had taught him. His elbow found a pressure point in Astor''s grip, loosening it just enough to free one arm.


    Klein approached, transforming his hand with his lion''s power. Ren blocked the first strike to his face, then the second. The third grazed his cheek, but he maintained his defense despite the overwhelming difference in strength.


    "Why don''t you surrender?" Klein growled while preparing another blow with his massive lion claw.


    Ren smiled despite the situation, blood staining his teeth. "I can still do this."


    His leg rose in an impossible arc, connecting with Klein''s jaw for the third time in the battle. The Goldcrest heir staggered back, spitting fury and blood.


    But that moment of triumph proved costly.


    The rhinoceros finally returned to Astor, its plates reinforced in his fists as he struck Ren''s side. The impact was devastating, though Ren responded with a strike of his own, there was no way to damage that defense with mere fists.


    Klein recovered, fury burning in his eyes as even his fangs transformed. He unleashed his lion''s roar, trying to paralyze Ren with fear. But just like before, the roar seemed to have no effect on the mushroom tamer.


    "HOLD HIM TIGHT!" Klein ordered, preparing to strike.


    Min watched everything as if in slow motion. His snake distracted the cobra, but Feng continued blocking his path. Each second that passed was another moment he couldn''t help Ren, couldn''t reach his friend.


    "REN!" he shouted, throwing himself against Feng in a desperate attempt to break through.


    Klein''s first punch connected with Ren''s stomach, driving the air from his lungs. The second crashed into his side. The third struck his face, making him spit blood. The fourth would have downed him if Astor wasn''t holding him upright.


    "This one is for daring to strike me," Klein prepared the final blow, his lion''s power concentrating in his fist like golden fire.

 Chapter 130 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 8

    "REN!" he shouted, throwing himself against Feng in a desperate attempt to break through.Klein''s first punch connected with Ren''s stomach, driving the air from his lungs. The second crashed into his side. The third struck his face, making him spit blood. The fourth would have downed him if Astor wasn''t holding him upright.


    "This one is for daring to strike me," Klein prepared the final blow, his lion''s power concentrating in his fist like golden fire.


    Even then, held and beaten, Ren refused to surrender. His mushrooms pulsed one last time as he gathered his remaining strength, their light steady despite his battered state.


    "And this," he managed between ragged breaths, blood staining his teeth, "is for underestimating me."


    His final kick connected with Klein''s knee, making him stumble, curse in pain and fail the hit.


    But the price was steep when the lion kid recovered.


    The fifth blow finally connected with Ren''s face, Klein''s enormous golden lion hand sending his head snapping back. This time, consciousness fled from him like morning mist before the sun.


    "Ren!" Min fell to his knees watching his companion collapse. His snake, sensing his anguish, released the cobra and coiled protectively around him.


    "Victory for Klein''s team," Yang announced as he saw Min surrendered, medical auxiliaries rushing onto the field.


    The battle had ended.


    The result was expected.


    But no one who witnessed the match would forget how the mushroom boy faced the academy''s elite and, though he lost, did it on his own terms.


    ????


    Silence hung heavy over the field while the auxiliaries tended to Ren and Taro. Min remained on his knees, his snake wrapped around him in an attempt at comfort.


    Klein spat blood while wiping his split lip, shoving away the auxiliary trying to heal him. His victory felt... different from what he''d imagined. The humiliation of being knocked down, of needing help to defeat a mere commoner with a spore...


    "He knocked Klein down," someone murmured in the stands, breaking the silence.


    "Incredible," another whispered. "Would he have been knocked out in the end if Astor hadn''t helped him in time?"


    "And the lion''s roar... it didn''t work on Ren. How...?"


    Lin watched from her position as they loaded her student onto a stretcher. Her hands, which had been clenched throughout the battle, finally relaxed. The marks of her nails remained in her palms, crescents of worry etched in flesh.


    The three cousins remained silent, though one gripped the edge of her seat so hard her fingers had gone white. Each impact on Ren had made her flinch imperceptibly.


    "My lady," a maid whispered. "Should we...?"


    A subtle gesture silenced her, though concern remained evident in the maid''s eyes.


    In the higher stands, the six new students exchanged meaningful glances.


    Klein couldn''t stop staring at where Ren had fallen. Five direct hits. He had needed five direct hits, plus his companions'' help and 2 of their beasts, to defeat someone that was supposedly the weakest in the academy.


    "Lord Klein," one of his followers approached. "That was an impressive victo¡­!"


    "Shut up," Klein cut off the attempt at flattery. His lion dimmed briefly, its golden patterns dulled by exhaustion and something that might have been shame.


    Min couldn''t stop following Ren''s stretcher with his eyes, his snake mirroring his worried movements.


    "Easy," an auxiliary restrained him gently. "Your friend will be fine. He just needs rest."


    "You don''t understand," Min smiled weakly, tears gathering in his eyes. "That''s not why I want to go. I want to be there when he wakes up... to tell him that was the most incredible battle I''ve been in and that he defended our honor like he promised."


    ????


    Yang found Lin watching as the auxiliaries carried Ren to the infirmary. She maintained her stoic expression, but he knew her well enough to see the worry swimming in her eyes.


    "Did you really expect him to win?" he asked softly, taking his place beside her.


    Lin shook her head while sighing. "The difference in beasts was too great," she responded after a moment. "Ren is clever, reckless even... but there are barriers not easily overcome with just..."


    "Don''t see yourself there," Yang smiled slightly. "Your crane isn''t considered a good beast for its rank either, yet the other day you were crucial to the Director''s victory."


    Lin recalled the battle against the mercenary, how her kick had created the necessary opening. The memory brought a ghost of pride to her face.


    "Everyone''s contributions matter," Yang continued. "Ren didn''t win, true, but he gave a performance worth remembering. Like you, he refused to accept the limitations others tried to impose."


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    A small smile formed on Lin''s lips as she watched her student being transported. Even unconscious, there was something in his expression that suggested satisfaction.


    "You''re right," she admitted. "Ren is worth more than just his fighting ability. His way of analyzing situations, his persistence..."


    "If he had any other beast," Yang nodded, "he probably would have won today. Even with a common combat beast, his tactical ability..."


    He stopped seeing Lin shake her head, her eyes fixed on the stretcher where Ren rested with a slight smile on his face.


    "You know? I have the feeling that even if he could, Ren wouldn''t want another beast as his first," Lin said softly. "During training, even the hardest sessions, I''ve never seen him sad or frustrated about his spore."


    She paused, searching for the right words in the afternoon light.


    "He always seems... grateful."


    Yang observed Lin, noting how her expression softened when speaking of Ren. The usually stern combat master had found something special in this unusual student.


    The stretcher disappeared down the hallway. The last students began dispersing, still commenting on the surprising battle that may become an academy legend. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Then I''m sure he''ll find his place," Yang assured. "Like you found yours. Sometimes someone''s true worth isn''t in winning every battle."


    Lin nodded, remembering her own struggles to be accepted as a combat master with a bronze crane as her beast.


    ????


    Light filtered through the infirmary windows when Ren opened his eyes.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly as his vision cleared. In the adjacent bed, Taro slept deeply, his eyes occasionally moving beneath his lids as if responding to some dream.


    He removed the small bread balls from his ears.


    Min, who had been looking out the window, turned at the sound of movement. His hands twisted nervously as he approached the bed, his snake coiled anxiously around his shoulders.


    "Ren, I..." his fingers played with the edge of his shirt. "If I had gotten there sooner..."


    "And steal all my fun?" Ren tried to sit up, wincing as he still felt some of the blows. "I was the one who wasted the opportunity. If I had knocked Klein out when I had the chance, we would have had that three-on-two we planned."


    He leaned back against the pillows, a small smile forming on his bruised lips. "Though that first hit... Klein''s face when he went down... no one''s going to forget that anytime soon."


    Min laughed softly, letting his shoulders relax a bit. "Especially after all that speech about crushing victories and great differences?"


    "Exactly," Ren nodded. "And in the final battle of the semester..." his mushrooms pulsed stronger, their light carrying a promise, "we''ll have our rematch."

 Chapter 131 - Taming Reproach

    Ren leaned back against the pillows, a small smile tugging at his bruised lips. "Though that first hit... Klein''s face when he went down... no one''s going to forget that anytime soon."Min laughed softly, letting his shoulders relax. "Especially after all that speech about crushing victories and great differences?"


    "Exactly," Ren nodded. "And in the final battle of the semester..." his mushrooms pulsed stronger, their light carrying a promise, "we''ll have our rematch."


    "You''re right... and it was pretty satisfying seeing his expression at the end," Min sat down, his fingers finally releasing their anxious grip on his tunic. "Ren... do you think you could...?" he stopped, biting his lips. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yes?"


    "Could you teach me the correct cultivation for my snake?" the words tumbled out in a rush. "I know I should have accepted the offer before, I''m sorry, it''s just that..."


    "Just bring me a fruit drink as an apology," Ren interrupted with a smile. "I''m quite thirsty."


    Min blinked in surprise before breaking into a grin. "I''ll be right back!"


    When his footsteps faded down the hallway, Ren''s smile faltered.


    His mushrooms pulsed while his hand clenched into a fist beneath the sheets.


    So close to taking him down and...


    "It was a shame."


    Ren startled at the girl''s voice.


    Luna was leaning against the doorframe, her wolf barely visible as a shadow at her feet, its presence making the light bend strangely around her.


    "Can you tell me how you avoided the roar''s paralysis?"


    Ren sighed, a slight smile returning to his face.


    "We put some bread in our ears," he explained. "We could barely hear anything, but that way the effect can''t take hold. It needs to reach a high volume in the opponent''s ears to work, though with your beast''s mana level..."


    "Thank you," she looked down, a blush coloring her cheeks.


    "The hits you landed on Klein were... satisfying," she continued, her eyes still avoiding meeting Ren''s. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure to beat him in the finals. It''s time he stops feeling so important and stops bothering me."


    Her fingers played with the edge of her sleeve. "And you know... I don''t need you to defend my freedom. He can''t force me into anything if he doesn''t manage to..."


    "I defended you?" Ren frowned. Then he remembered the conversation with Klein...


    "How do you know about that...?"


    Luna visibly tensed, a soft pink coloring her cheeks. Without another word, she vanished into the shadows just as Min''s footsteps returned down the hallway.


    "Got your drink!" Min entered holding a glass. "I brought one for Taro too when he wak¡­" he stopped, noticing Ren''s confused expression. "Did something happen?"


    "I''m not sure," Ren responded while his mushrooms pulsed with curiosity. "But I think I just had a conversation with my shadow."


    In the adjacent bed, Taro mumbled something about invincible shells in his dreams.


    ????


    Klein slammed his fist against the wall of his private room, ignoring the protest of his bruised knuckles. His golden lion stirred beneath his skin, rippling with agitation. The beast''s unease only fueled his anger.


    Five hits.


    The number haunted him like a curse. And not just the hits, he''d needed Astor to hold Ren, needed Feng to kick his back, needed... His pride twisted like a knife in his gut.


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    "My lord?" A hesitant knock at the door interrupted his brooding. "The auxiliaries are waiting to finish healing your injuries."


    "Leave me alone!" The words emerged as a snarl. His lion''s mane partially manifested, casting fractured golden shadows across the room.


    The servant''s hasty retreat echoed down the hallway. Klein touched his split lip, still refusing healing. Let it sting. Let it remind him of his... of his...


    Victory.


    He''d won.


    So why did it feel like ashes in his mouth?


    That first punch replayed endlessly in his mind. The moment he''d looked up to see the mushroom boy suspended above him, those cursed glowing fungi casting light across his determined face. The impact that had sent him sprawling in front of everyone.


    In front of Luna... his future wife.


    His fingers clenched into fists again, nails biting into palms. A hundred and ten days of cultivation. That''s how far the commoner had progressed, far more than should have been possible with such a weak beast.


    His own lion grew stronger every day. By the time of the final exam, he''d have completed his family''s special 166-day method, reaching Bronze rank 1.


    It should be enough. It had to be enough.


    "You were supposed to be nothing," he muttered, pacing the room like a caged animal. "A joke. A rotting boy with the weakest beast in history. So how...?"


    The question gnawed at him like poison. If someone with a mere spore could land such a blow, what chance did he truly have against Luna''s shadow wolf?


    His father''s words echoed: "The Goldcrest name must be elevated. The Starweaver''s... Luna''s power will be ours, one way or another."


    Klein had been so certain. The arranged marriage would be simple, demonstrate overwhelming strength, prove himself worthy of first place and claim what was promised. But now...


    He caught his reflection in the window and froze. A bruise was darkening along his jaw where Ren had struck him. Where a commoner had marked the face of a Goldcrest heir.


    "Damn you," he whispered, but the fury felt hollow. Something else crept in, an emotion he refused to name. "If you could do this with just a spore..."


    The thought trailed off as his golden lion stirred again, almost nervously. The beast that was supposed to represent his noble breeding, generations of careful cultivation. Yet today it had barely been enough.


    No. He couldn''t think like this.


    He was a Goldcrest. His beast was superior by divine right.


    This was just... just...


    "A fluke," he tried to convince himself, but the words rang false even in his own ears. "It has to be."


    The sun was setting outside his window, painting the academy grounds in shades of amber and gold. Somewhere out there, Luna was probably watching the same sunset. Had her opinion of him changed after today? Did she now see him as...


    This wasn''t how it was supposed to be. He was meant to be untouchable, invincible.


    "I won''t lose," he declared to his empty room, trying to recapture his usual confidence. "Not to him. Not to her. Not to anyone."


    But as night fell over the academy, Klein found himself standing at his window for a long time, watching shadows lengthen across the grounds. And for the first time in his life, deep in his core where even his lion''s light couldn''t reach, a seed of doubt had taken root.

 Chapter 132 - Taming the 2nd Tutee

    Luna slammed her bedroom door harder than necessary, startling Mayo and Matilda who were preparing her bed for the night. Her shadow wolf slid like liquid ink into her shadow to rest."Is everything alright, my lady?" Matilda asked, noting the subtle blush coloring Luna''s cheeks.


    "Of course it is," Luna strode to her vanity, deliberately avoiding to see her face in the mirror. "I''m just thinking about tomorrow''s strategy. We need to make sure we crush Klein once and for all."


    Mayo exchanged a knowing look with Matilda while folding the sheets, their practiced movements betraying years of service even at their young age.


    "Oh, is that all it is?" Mayo smiled mischievously. "Nothing to do with a certain boy with an adorable face who¡­"


    "Mayo!" Luna spun around, her blush deepening. "I''ve told you it''s not... it''s not like that. If I find baby faces cute, it''s... it''s purely an aesthetic appreciation."


    "Of course, my lady," Mayo''s smile widened. "Totally aesthetic. Like when you stare during training or when¡­"


    "One more word," Luna narrowed her eyes, shadows stirring around her feet, "and I''ll send you to serve Liora and Larissa. I''ll keep Mar¨ªa, who at least knows when to keep quiet."


    "Oh, but my lady," Mayo laughed softly while fluffing the pillows, "we all know Larissa would never allow it. She''s quite... attached to her current friendly relationship with her. So I''m afraid you''re stuck with me."


    "Mayo," Matilda intervened with a gentle but firm tone, "I think that''s enough for today. Our lady needs rest for tomorrow."


    Luna sighed as she sat at her vanity, allowing Mayo to begin brushing her hair. The repetitive motion seemed to calm her nerves.


    "Tomorrow we can move more actively in the mist and attack for real," Matilda commented while closing the curtains. "We won''t let that arrogant brat even get close."


    "Don''t overdo it too much," Luna frowned. "The noble maiden facade could¡­" Enjoy new stories from My Virtual Library Empire


    "Oh, that facade?" Mayo giggled. "My lady, with all due respect, that strategy failed long ago. There are too many eyes in the academy, too many informants, and they already know you''re here."


    "It''s true," Matilda nodded. "In the end it did no good that your uncle denied you the will o'' wisp egg or the mineral fairy one. Even with the black egg as the most discreet option, the risk ended up being for nothing¡­"


    "It doesn''t matter," Luna studied her reflection, her shadow wolf barely visible as a dark silhouette behind her. "This companion turned out better than I could have hoped for. A direct line from my father''s family''s best knights brought it to gold rank so I can¡­"


    Her fingers unconsciously traced her wolf ear that her beast manifested, a soft smile playing across her lips.


    "And tomorrow," she continued, her voice taking on an icy edge, "we''re going to show Klein and his father they can forget about that ridiculous arrangement. No matter what my uncle wagered, I won''t be a prize to elevate their horrible family''s status."


    "Especially since your heart already has another own¡­" Mayo began.


    "Mayo!" Luna and Matilda exclaimed in unison.


    The maid raised her hands in surrender, though her playful smile remained intact. "I''m just saying that a certain boy with glowing mushrooms¡­"


    "It''s a misunderstanding," Luna stood abruptly, her blush returning. "And if you continue with that, I''ll really consider asking Mar¨ªa to take your place."


    "As you say, my lady," Mayo executed an exaggerated bow. "Though we all know Mar¨ªa is terrible at hair-brushing and that you''d never¡­"


    A knock at the door interrupted her teasing. All three tensed instantly, their playful atmosphere evaporating into sudden alertness. They hadn''t felt the presence till now.


    "Who is it?" Matilda asked, her voice transforming into the servile tone appropriate for a common noble''s maid.


    "Message for Lady Luna," a voice responded.


    Luna exchanged glances with her maids. The shadow wolf silently slid toward the door, ready for any eventuality.


    ????


    Morning began as always with Ren and Taro absorbing their daily crystals. The glow of Taro''s shell was increasingly intense, a sign that the cultivation was progressing well along its intended path.


    "Are you sure about this? They say that''s the weaker version." Min played nervously with his snake as they walked toward the shop. "I don''t want to waste resources if¡­"


    "Trust me," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed softly. "Your snake is freshwater. Traditional methods waste resources using marine components that actually change its nature to one with less potential." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And the night lily extract will really work?"


    "Better than marine coral and moon algae," Ren stopped in front of the counter where Jessy waited, her cat ears perking up at their approach. "And it''s much cheaper."


    "Ren!" Jessy''s cat ears twitched with enthusiasm. "More materials for your nests?"


    "Not today," Ren shook his head. "My friend needs night lily extract. One hundred units."


    Jessy consulted her manual while her tail moved thoughtfully. "Let me see... yes, we have it in stock. One thousand points for the hundred units."


    Min nearly choked. "Only a thousand? But marine coral costs¡­"


    "Five times more," Ren completed. "That''s why few use the lily extract. Many assume more expensive ingredients are better."


    While Jessy prepared the order, Min took out his crystals. He had quite a few after months of mining, though most were small.


    "You should deposit some, your trunk is full too," Ren suggested. "The bank can¡­"


    "Don''t even mention it," Min shuddered. "I don''t want to see Theodore''s look when he compares my tiny deposits to your... plate investments."


    "The plates are from the prince," Ren and Taro responded in unison, causing Min to roll his eyes.


    Back in the room, they found Liu sitting on his bed, his night bat fluttering above his head, casting dancing shadows on the walls.


    "Finally decided to risk it all?" he asked, seeing the materials.


    "Yes," Min spread his crystals on the table. "Though I still need the elemental control rune."


    "Those are expensive," Liu whistled. "Like fifteen thousand points."


    "I have time," Min shrugged. "A hundred days to get it. For now..."


    Ren was already examining the crystals one by one, his mushrooms pulsing as he analyzed each piece with precision.


    "Not this one," he discarded one. "Too small. This one yes, the mana quantity is perfect."


    "How can you...?" Liu began to ask, but stopped himself. After so many times he''d learned not to question Ren''s knowledge about beasts.


    After half an hour of meticulous selection, Ren had separated the hundred best crystals, each one gleaming with promise.


    "Ready?" he asked Min, who held the first crystal nervously in his trembling hands.

 Chapter 133 - Taming the 2nd Tutee - 2

    After half an hour of meticulous selection, Ren had separated the hundred best crystals, each one gleaming with promise."Ready?" he asked Min, who held the first crystal nervously in his trembling hands.


    "What if it doesn''t work?" his snake coiled more tightly around him, scales shifting with anxiety. "What if the extract isn''t enough?"


    "It will work," Ren placed a drop of extract on the crystal, which immediately began to glow with a more intense bluish tone, like sunlight through deep water. "Your snake is freshwater. It needs the essence of plants that grow in its natural habitat, not marine components that would only contaminate its energy. How many times do I need to tell you that?"


    Min swallowed hard while Ren helped him sit in a comfortable position, adjusting his posture with practiced movements thanks to the experience he got with Taro.


    "Breathe deeply and manifest your snake in your body," Ren instructed as Min held the overcharged crystal. "When the pain starts, keep the energy flowing toward your center. Don''t let it stagnate in your extremities."


    "Why does it have to hurt so mu¡­ ARGH!"


    Min clenched his teeth as the crystal''s energy flooded his system. His scales blazed with unnatural intensity.


    "Because we''re using the maximum concentration your body can handle," Ren watched attentively, his mushrooms pulsing while analyzing the energy flow. "Maintain control. Guide the energy like a river, don''t let it overflow."


    "A very hot river," Min growled, sweat beading on his forehead. "That''s boiling my insides."


    "Oh, come on," Liu smiled from his bed, his night bat casting flickering shadows from the ceiling. "It can''t be worse than when you tried to eat that extra spicy curry."


    "Shut up," Min gasped between breaths.


    "Focus," Ren corrected Min''s posture with gentle but firm hands. "The energy is accumulating in your left shoulder. Make it flow."


    "Everyone''s falling to the dark side," Liu sighed dramatically. "First Taro with his impossible evolution, now you suffering the same with the pain method. What''s next? Will you tell me mushrooms are the future?"


    "Mushrooms are the future," Ren and Taro responded in unison, just before Min let out another grunt of pain.


    "Traitors," Liu shook his head, though his smile betrayed his amusement. "You''ve been corrupted by the Lord of Mushrooms."


    "I can''t...!" Min started trembling, his scales taking on an alarming blue tinge. "It''s too much!" Read latest chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Yes, you can," Ren held his shoulder firmly and helped him circulate his mana slightly. "Your snake is processing the energy well. You feel this flow? You just need to hold on a little longer."


    The minutes crawled by while Min struggled to contain and direct the torrent of power coursing through him. Each second felt like an eternity until finally, the last trace of energy was absorbed. He collapsed backward, panting heavily.


    "That was..." he breathed heavily, his scales slowly returning to their normal color, "horrible."


    "But effective," Ren smiled, pointing to the new markings on Min''s skin that shimmered like sunlight on water. "Your snake is responding better than expected."


    "Great," Min stretched out on his bed, every muscle aching. "Only ninety-nine more torture sessions to go¡­ How the hell do you handle 10 times this amount?"


    ????


    The first rays of dawn were filtering through the window when Klein heard knocking at his door.


    He had barely slept a few hours, his mind churning with worries that refused to let him rest.


    "Didn''t I tell you not to disturb me?" he growled from his bed, his fangs partially manifesting in response to his irritation.


    "Lord Klein, I''m very sorry, but..." the servant''s voice sounded unusually nervous.


    The door opened before the servant could finish his apology.


    Klein sat up furiously, ready to unleash his accumulated frustration, but the words died in his throat.


    "Kassian?" his older brother''s name came out as a surprised whisper.


    "I see you''re still charming in the mornings, little brother," Kassian smiled as he entered. At twenty-two, he was already as tall as their father, carrying himself with the same aristocratic bearing.


    Klein jumped up, his mood shifting instantly. "What are you doing here? Did you hear about the tournament? You didn''t need to¡­"


    Kassian raised a hand, silencing his younger brother. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Don''t think so highly of yourself. I''m here for other matters." His smile remained, but there was something calculating in his eyes. "This ''friendly tournament'' is merely a convenient coincidence."


    Klein tried to hide his disappointment.


    For a moment, he''d thought his brother had come to support him, like in the old days.


    "Although since you mention it," Kassian continued, his tone becoming more serious, "you better not disappoint our father. The family has enough... complications lately."


    Before Klein could respond, Kassian turned to the door. "Enter."


    A boy Klein''s age entered the room. His posture was rigid, like he was standing for military inspection, every movement precisely controlled.


    "This is Harold," Kassian introduced him with a casual gesture. "He''ll soon be your classmate. Father arranged his admission as... a special favor."


    Klein studied the newcomer. There was something in his way of moving that suggested formal training, a soldier''s discipline in a student''s uniform.


    "I want you to give him a general overview of how things work here," Kassian continued. "You know, the unwritten rules, the hierarchies... the usual."


    "Why me?" Klein frowned. "There are others who could¡­"


    "Because I say so," Kassian''s smile didn''t waver, but his eyes hardened like steel. "Or would you prefer I tell father you''re refusing a simple favor?"


    Klein clenched his fists but nodded. "As you say, brother."


    "Excellent," Kassian patted Harold''s shoulder. "I leave him in your care then. And since I''m here, I suppose I''ll stay to watch your match with the little Starweaver."


    Klein visibly tensed.


    "Oh, did I touch a nerve?" Kassian laughed softly. "Relax, little brother... This activity is extracurricular. Though I hope you remember what''s at stake in the final exams. The Goldcrest family cannot afford... unnecessary setbacks."


    With those words, Kassian headed toward the door. "Harold, stay a moment with my brother. You have much to discuss."


    The door closed, leaving Klein with his new "companion" and an additional weight on his shoulders. As if he didn''t have enough pressure already.


    Harold remained silent, waiting for instructions. Klein observed him for a moment before sighing.


    "Sit," he finally ordered.


    The sun continued its inexorable ascent. In a few hours he would face Luna, and now he had this new... "favor" to further complicate matters.


    ''A Goldcrest shows no weakness,'' he reminded himself as he began explaining the academy''s complexities to Harold. ''No matter how much pressure there is.''

 Chapter 134 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 9

    ''A Goldcrest shows no weakness,'' Klein reminded himself as he began explaining the academy''s complexities to Harold. ''No matter how much pressure there is.''????


    "Unfortunately, I won''t get to see Luna crush Klein''s team," Liu began gathering his things, his night bat casting fleeting shadows. "I have class and need those points to not fall behind again."


    "We''ll tell you every bloody detail," Min promised from his horizontal position, still recovering from the cultivation session.


    The bells began to toll, marking the hour of the final battle. Their deep resonance seemed to vibrate through the academy walls and their bodies.


    "Ready?" Ren headed for the door, his mushrooms pulsing with anticipation.


    "To see Klein humiliated? Always," Min rose with effort, his new markings still shimmering. "Think Luna will use your trick against the roar?"


    "We''ll find out soon."


    The battlefield was packed when they arrived.


    Even spectators from other years with free schedules had come to watch. Klein''s brother lounged in the stands with aristocratic indifference, and even Professor Wei, who had no class today, had made time to attend. sea??h th§× novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The tension in the air was almost palpable as the teams took their positions, like static before a storm.


    Luna advanced with grace, her shadow wolf barely visible as a dark silhouette at her feet, bending light around its ethereal form. Her "companions" flanked her with elegance, though there was something different in their posture today, like predators barely containing their hunting instincts.


    Klein occupied the opposite field''s center, his golden lion manifesting in brilliant patterns across his skin. The mark on his jaw, where Ren had struck him, was still visible from refusing proper healing, a reminder of wounded pride.


    Feng and Astor flanked him, their beasts creating an intimidating spectacle of crimson scales and bluish plates.


    "The friendly tournament''s final battle," Yang positioned himself between both teams. "Are you ready?"


    Klein''s gaze toward Luna contained more than simple rivalry. There was desperation in his eyes, as if his entire future hinged on this moment.


    Luna returned an icy smile, her wolf materializing more clearly for an instant. The message was clear: there would be no mercy.


    "It''s like the whole academy is holding its breath," Min whispered.


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing in rhythm with his anticipation. The final spectacle was about to begin.


    ????


    Klein studied the battlefield while Yang prepared to give the signal, his mind racing through scenarios.


    ''The cloud bird is key,'' he thought, mentally reviewing his strategy. ''If they create their mist field, the wolf will have too much of an advantage. I need to paralyze them before they can establish their terrain and finish them quickly.''


    Feng and Astor positioned themselves according to plan too.


    Feng''s red cobra already had its acid ready, the instant Luna''s team was paralyzed by the roar, it would strike the cloud bird at its most vulnerable moment.


    Astor and his rhinoceros would handle the noble girl controlling it.


    Luna remained serene, almost unconcerned. Her maids maintained their elegant poses, as if this were merely a garden stroll.


    Their confidence only fueled Klein''s anger.


    ''That arrogance...'' Klein clenched his fists. ''They think they can underestimate me after what happened with that rotting boy...''


    "Begin!" Yang''s voice resonated across the field.


    Klein didn''t waste a second. He unleashed his roar instantly, golden waves of spiritual energy crossing the air like a tsunami of light. The very ground seemed to tremble with its power.


    "Now!" he shouted, certain of victory.


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    Feng launched his snake''s acid attack toward the cloud bird while Astor''s rhino charged at its controller. It was a perfect plan. The roar would paralyze their opponents for precious seconds, more than enough to¡­


    Luna didn''t freeze at all.


    Not just her¡­ her entire team moved with devastating speed, as if the roar didn''t even exist.


    "Impossible!" Klein stepped back, his eyes widening in horror as once again his roar failed to affect his opponents. The image of Ren falling toward him flashed through his mind for an instant.


    Feng''s acid found only air, the cloud bird was already in action, mist pouring from its wings in torrents. Astor''s charge was slowed by roots erupting from the ground, the tree turtle creating barriers with supernatural speed.


    "They used it!" Min watched from the stands. "I knew denying Klein''s roar was too good to ignore."


    "They''re doomed, right?" Taro leaned forward. "With the mist, victory is..."


    "Luna''s team''s," Ren completed. "Though they''ll have to take their time. We could only attack by surprise at the start but for them..."


    On the field, Klein tried to reorganize his shattered strategy. Without the initial paralysis, his team had lost all positional and field advantage.


    The wolf emerged from Astor''s shadow, its fangs tearing at his leg where the rhinoceros''s armor couldn''t yet manifest. It wasn''t an attack to take him out since the rules didn''t let it hurt him too much, but to slow and force his beast to retreat.


    As expected, the rhinoceros returned in a sphere of light to Astor''s body immediately after his pained scream.


    "Defensive formation, retract beasts!" Klein ordered while backing toward Astor, the mist already surrounding them, thick and disorienting.


    Luna still gave no verbal orders. Her maids moved as one, each anticipating the others'' movements with practiced precision.


    Luna''s wolf began its deadly dance, appearing and disappearing between shadows, delivering small attacks that Astor barely managed to block. Each time Klein tried to track its position, he found only more mist.


    "Don''t let them separate us!" Klein tried to keep his team together, but wooden barriers kept appearing, pushing them out.


    "Scared so soon?" Luna''s voice slid through the fog like frozen silk. "And we''re just getting started."


    Klein tried to track the sound''s origin, but her voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.


    "The voice isn''t the problem," Feng muttered, his cobra moving nervously. "It''s that we can''t¡­"


    "You know what they told me, Klein?" Luna interrupted, her tone carrying childish disgust with a razor''s edge. "That you''ve been going around talking about engagements and false promises. I don''t even like you!"


    Klein visibly tensed. Feng and Astor exchanged confused looks.


    The words struck harder than any physical attack, not because of Luna, but because of what they meant for the future hanging over his head.

 Chapter 135 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 10

    "You know what they told me, Klein?" Luna interrupted, her tone carrying childish disgust with an icy edge "That you''ve been going around talking about engagements and false promises. I don''t even like you!"Klein visibly tensed. Feng and Astor exchanged confused looks.


    The words struck harder than any physical attack, not because of Luna, but because of what they meant for the future hanging over his head.


    His grandfather had been clear: without this engagement, their family''s position would weaken. His father counted on him, his mother had arranged so many social gatherings to prepare him... S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the stands, Kassian''s gaze sharpened, his attention suddenly focused like a predator sensing weakness.


    "That cursed rotting boy," Klein growled, his lion manifesting more intensely. "He went running to tattle!"


    A soft laugh floated through the mist. "Ren? Oh no, he has more class than you despite being a commoner. The academy is just full of attentive ears..."


    A silhouette moved in the mist, imposing. For a moment it seemed to be Luna, but when Feng launched his beast''s acid, the figure vanished like smoke.


    "You know what''s worse, Klein?" Luna continued, her voice now coming from another direction. "That you actually believe you''ll have any right over me."


    "Shut up already!" Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    Klein tried to maintain concentration while searching for the wolf in the mist.


    "They told me you should be grateful because we''re trying to improve your family situation!" he roared into the fog. "Look, at least my beast is truly noble! From a fixed golden lion egg! Not a dirty shadow wolf obtained by pure luck!"


    "Golden? Oh, Klein... your lion can''t even reach ''golden'' rank. And now it''s just an iron lion with a pretty shine. My ''luck'' will tear it to pieces."


    "Watch out!" Astor blocked an attack from another angle. "They''re toying with us!"


    Another silhouette appeared, more defined this time. Klein ordered Feng to attack, but again found only mist. The wolf then emerged from another point, its fangs grazing Feng''s leg before vanishing again.


    Ren watched the mana silhouettes clearly moving in the haze while listening to Klein''s comment.


    "You know," he remarked to Min and Taro, "it''s funny how everyone calls it a golden lion when it barely shines yellow. A normal ''golden'' tiger of his same iron rank would be physically more powerful. Jin''s is weaker in physical enhancement only because it''s a spiritual one."


    The golden, no¡­ yellow beast lunged toward where it thought it saw the wolf. Its claws cut only mist yet again.


    "You know what''s the difference between you and me, Klein?" Luna''s voice came from everywhere and nowhere. "I fight for my freedom."


    ????


    ''No,'' Klein thought desperately. ''It can''t end like this. The promise to my father... the agreement...''


    The figure in the mist, now clearly visible as the noble girl with the turtle, emerged with a powerful kick trying to knock Feng down just as the wolf attacked from the opposite side.


    Astor barely managed to block both attacks, but the effort forced him back.


    "Enough games!" Klein ordered his beast to attack the girl who had revealed herself.


    "There it is," Luna murmured, her voice now laden with satisfaction. "The moment desperation makes you commit mistakes."


    The wolf emerged like black lightning, its fangs heading directly for the lion''s flank.


    But Klein also saw his opportunity in the ''mistake''.


    Instead of ordering his beast to dodge, Klein himself lunged forward, grabbing the wolf with his own hands. The fangs sank into his shoulder, but he didn''t let go, blood beginning to stain his uniform.


    ''This is my chance,'' he thought through the pain.


    "Klein!" Astor tried to approach to help.


    "No! Stop the turtle girl!" Klein gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain. "Maintain formation! This is my battle!"


    The lion turned toward the wolf while Astor blocked Mayo.


    Klein roared triumphantly as his lion''s claws finally found flesh. The wolf''s side opened in a wound that bled black mana, its howl of pain resonating across the field.


    The pressure on Klein''s shoulder increased slightly, the fangs sinking deeper from his grip, but he didn''t release his hold.


    He couldn''t let go.


    Not when his honor and family depended on his ability to defeat this girl.


    ''Grandfather, father, mother...'' his thoughts mingled with the pain. ''I won''t fail you.''


    The lion attacked again, its claws tearing at the wolf''s already wounded flank. The shadow beast howled, its form becoming unstable for a moment.


    Klein smiled despite the pain. The wolf was badly hurt, his beast had finally managed significant damage. If he could hit it once more, prevent it from vanishing into the shadows by interrupting its mana flow...


    The lion roared triumphantly as its claws rose for a third time.


    Finally.


    The lion would finish it...


    Or so he thought.


    "You really are an idiot," Luna''s voice had lost all mocking tone.


    A strange sound cut through the air.


    "Leave my poochy alone," Luna whispered, her voice coming from very close now.


    Klein realized his mistake too late.


    The wolf had vanished like ink in water, leaving Klein holding... Luna herself.


    His brain froze.


    Suddenly he had the girl who was supposedly going to be his future fianc¨¦e in his arms, her perfume reaching his nose. The lion halted its attack as much as it could, only grazing the girl''s back, since the rules prohibited deep damage to tamers.


    Luna''s eyes flashed dangerously as she endured the pain.


    "You''ll never touch me again!"


    Her knee rose with the extra force of her buff, finding a target that made every man in the audience capable of seeing mana wince in sympathy.


    Klein doubled over, his grip loosening as an entirely new pain replaced his shoulder''s one easily. His lion roared in confusion, torn between the rules prohibiting attacks on tamers and the instinct to protect its own.


    That moment of hesitation was all the wolf needed.


    The beast emerged from the shadows like a nightmare made manifest, its fangs finding the lion''s throat. This was no superficial attack now, it was against another beast, and the fangs sank deep, making the yellow beast roar in agony.

 Chapter 136 - Tamers Freedom Knee

    Klein doubled over, his grip loosening as an entirely new pain replaced his shoulder''s one easily.His lion roared in confusion, torn between the rules prohibiting attacks on tamers and the instinct to protect its own.


    That moment of hesitation was all the wolf needed.


    The beast emerged from the shadows like a nightmare made manifest, its fangs finding the lion''s throat. This was no superficial attack now, it was against another beast, and the fangs sank deep, making the yellow beast roar in agony.


    "Klein!" Feng reacted instinctively, his cobra rising to strike, scales glowing with deadly intent.


    "Too slow," whispered a voice behind him.


    Mayo emerged from the mist like an avenging ghost. Her kick connected with the base of Feng''s skull with deadly precision, sending him crashing to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.


    "Oops!" Mayo landed with perfect grace, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "Where did the noble maiden facade go? Well, an occasional slip is forgivable."


    Only the most troublesome remained¡­ Astor with his powerful defense that was difficult to breach.


    The cobra, sensing the danger to its tamer, began spitting acid erratically. The wolf, as if having anticipated this very reaction, tore the lion''s throat with one savage motion and bit the serpent''s tail.


    The effect was immediate and spectacular.


    The cobra hissed in pain, its body writhing as its acid attack became completely uncontrollable. The wolf, using the tail as leverage, threw the thrashing cobra with its wild spray toward where Astor tried to maintain his defensive position.


    "Watch out!" someone shouted from the stands, but it was far too late.


    The acid rained down on Astor''s plates like corrosive tears. His scream of pain cut through the air as his defensive plates began to dissolve, steam rising from where the acid ate through his protection.


    "It''s over!" Yang intervened instantly, his voice carrying command. "Auxiliaries, quickly!"


    Medical staff rushed onto the field as the mist began to dissipate. Klein remained on the ground, his lion slowly fading from the throat wound while he tried to process what had gone so terribly wrong. Feng lay unconscious, his cobra weakly writhing before it too vanished back into his body.


    Astor received immediate attention from several auxiliaries working to neutralize the acid. Though not in mortal danger, they needed to stop the effect quickly to prevent injuries that would require excessive healing.


    Luna observed the scene with calm detachment, her shadow wolf returning to her side. Though the beast trembled slightly from its wounds, it maintained an air of dignity that matched its tamer''s bearing.


    "Next time you try to claim something that doesn''t belong to you," she said as she walked away, "remember this moment."


    Mayo approached her, all pretense of servility abandoned in their triumph. "Wasn''t the knee strike a bit... excessive?"


    "He deserved it," Luna shrugged, though a hint of satisfaction colored her voice. "Besides, I needed his lion to hesitate for a moment."


    "Ah, so it was all planned?" Mayo''s smile widened. "The dramatic appearance, the strategic knee strike...?"


    "Of course not," Luna blushed slightly. "It was... impulse. But it worked, didn''t it?"


    In the stands, spectators were still processing the devastating outcome.


    "That was..." Min responded to Ren''s comments, his snake coiling nervously, "intense." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Luna is terrifying," Taro nodded, his beetle''s markings shifting uneasily. "Let''s remember never to make her angry."


    "The most impressive thing," Ren observed while his mushrooms pulsed analytically, "is how she turned every ''error'' into an opportunity. Klein''s attack on the wolf, Feng''s reaction, even the uncontrolled acid... everything ended up playing to her advantage. Astor would have been very difficult to take down with their current beasts."


    "You think she really planned all that?" Min asked, fascination mixing with awe in his voice.


    "Not everything," Ren smiled. "But she definitely had enough contingencies to exploit any opportunity. The rest was... creative improvisation."


    On the field, the auxiliaries continued their work. Klein''s shoulder and pride would need more attention, though the latter would take far longer to heal.


    Feng began regaining consciousness, confusion evident on his face as he tried to understand how a "mere girl" had taken him down so easily. Astor would be taken to the infirmary for more extensive treatment along with Klein.


    Luna received treatment for her back, but her team had emerged almost unscathed. Mayo couldn''t help one last satisfied smile. Their noble maiden facade might have cracked today, but the message had been sent with crystal clarity:


    Underestimating Luna and her team was an error paid for dearly.


    Very, very dearly.


    "Victory for Luna''s team," Yang announced officially, though by now it was mere formality.


    In the higher stands, Luna''s cousins exchanged knowing looks. One whispered something that sounded suspiciously like "he had it coming," while another tried to hide her smile behind a beast manual.


    The six new students observed everything with carefully neutral expressions, though their eyes sparkled with what might have been amusement.


    Kassian, on the other hand, was far from pleased with the result. His rigid posture spoke volumes about his thoughts on this public humiliation.


    The tournament had ended, but its repercussions were only beginning.


    ????


    The award ceremony was brief.


    Luna received her ten thousand crystals with elegance and a neutral expression, as if the prize were mere trinkets. Her "companions" maintained their facade once again, though Mayo couldn''t help a small smile seeing Klein receive his five thousand crystals for second place.


    Klein pocketed the prize without even looking at it. What were five thousand crystals to the Goldcrest family? An insignificant sum compared to what he had just lost.


    His shoulder still ached slightly where the wolf had bitten him, but it was his pride that had suffered the deepest wound. The auxiliaries had healed the physical injuries, but the pitying looks from his peers...


    "Klein."


    Kassian''s voice cut through his thoughts like an ice blade. His older brother waited at the training field''s entrance, his expression unreadable.


    "Come with me."


    It wasn''t a suggestion.


    Klein followed his brother to his room, acutely aware of Harold watching their departure with calculating eyes.


    "Interesting spectacle," Kassian began once they were alone in the room. His tone was soft, almost casual, which made it all the more threatening. "Especially the part where a little girl brought you to your knees. Father will be... fascinated when I tell him."


    Klein clenched his fists. "It was just a friendly tournament. In the finals¡­"


    "In the finals there will be no excuses," Kassian cut him off, steel entering his voice. "You better have followed the cultivation method to the letter and reached bronze rank 1 by then. You and your... companions."

 Chapter 137 - Taming Family

    "Interesting spectacle," Kassian began once they were alone in the room. His tone was soft, almost casual, which made it all the more threatening. "Especially the part where a little girl brought you to your knees. Father will be... fascinated when I tell him."Klein clenched his fists, the bruises from the battle still fresh. "It was just a friendly tournament. In the finals¡­"


    "In the finals there will be no excuses," Kassian cut him off. "You better have followed the cultivation method to the letter and reached bronze rank 1 by then. You and your... companions."


    The word ''companions'' dripped with contempt from his lips.


    "Astor and Feng will also reach bronze 1," Klein assured quickly. "We''ve been cultivating according to the traditional method and¡­"


    "Oh, and you think that will be enough to get conceited again?" Kassian smiled without humor, his eyes cold as winter frost. "I''ve already heard the gossip, did you think I wouldn''t learn about a boy with a mere spore humiliating you?"


    Klein felt blood rush to his face. "That was¡­"


    "A disgrace," Kassian completed the thought. "A stain on the Goldcrest name that will need more than words to cleanse. All caused by stupid overconfidence."


    He stepped closer to Klein, his voice dropping to a threatening whisper that seemed to chill the very air.


    "Listen well, little brother. If you don''t reach bronze rank by the finals, if you lose again even with that advantage..." he made a meaningful pause.


    "You''d better forget your place in the family."


    Klein paled. "You can''t¡­"


    "Can''t what?" Kassian arched an eyebrow. "Inform father about your incompetence? Suggest that perhaps the second son isn''t as valuable as we thought?"


    He stepped back, subtly gesturing toward where Harold watched like a sentinel.


    "Our new friend will keep me informed of your... progress. So I suggest you start training harder. Today''s humiliation must be erased no matter what."


    "It will be," Klein tried to keep his voice from trembling. "I promise that¡­"


    "Don''t promise me anything," Kassian cut him off. "Prove it. Or the next time I speak with father, it will be about the possibility of sending you to a different city... where no one knows you."


    He turned to leave but paused for a moment.


    "Oh, and Klein? Next time you decide to let a girl strike your noble parts..." a cruel smile curved his lips, "at least make sure it''s not in front of the entire academy."


    Klein remained motionless long after his brother left.


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    Five thousand crystals weighed in his pockets, a useless reminder of his failure. The prize didn''t matter, the rank didn''t matter. All that mattered was reclaiming his honor.


    And if that meant training until exhaustion, until he bled...


    So be it.


    ????


    Luna had barely finished changing when her cousins burst into her room, followed by their maid who tried to maintain some semblance of decorum.


    "That knee strike was epic!" one cousin exclaimed, throwing herself dramatically onto the bed. "Did you see his face? It was like his brain had to restart!"


    "The knee strike was vulgar," Matilda commented while collecting the training clothes, though her lips twitched. "But I must admit it was... satisfying to witness."


    "The way the wolf seized the moment to bite the lion!" the other cousin perched on the bed''s edge, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "And then with the cobra... it was brilliant!"


    "Everything went according to plan," Luna smiled while sitting at her vanity, allowing Mayo to begin brushing her hair with practiced strokes.


    "You planned the knee strike too?" Mar¨ªa asked with feigned innocence.


    "That was... creative improvisation."


    Laughter filled the room. For a moment, they were just a group of girls celebrating a victory, without the weight of their responsibilities or appearances.


    "Although..." Luna hesitated, her expression growing more serious. "There''s something we need to discuss."


    Her cousins straightened, recognizing the change in her tone.


    "The message I received last night," Luna continued. "It seems Klein''s brother didn''t come just for the tournament."


    "The Director informed me," the first cousin nodded. "The Goldcrest family is moving pieces. They''ve inserted a new student into the academy."


    "Can they do that just like that?" the second cousin frowned. "Brother Julius is one thing, but they¡­"


    "Apparently," the other cousin sighed. "The Director says he can''t reject all their requests. The family provides too many resources to the academy."


    "We need to keep an eye on the new student," Luna mused. "Find out what they''re planning."


    "If someone needs spying on, you know I''m the one for the job," the first cousin pointed to herself with a flourish.


    "Oh no," the second cousin crossed her arms. "You already have Ren. Besides, Luna is very interested in him so you can''t stop watching him..." S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Excuse me?" Luna turned so quickly Mayo had to dodge with the brush. "I''m not interested in anyone!"


    "Please," the first cousin rolled her eyes. "We all saw how you smiled when the roar didn''t affect him because he used the ear trick."


    "That was technical appreciation!"


    "Oh, then you won''t mind if I investigate him while our ''star spy'' switches to watching the new guy," her second cousin smiled mischievously.


    "No way!" The first cousin blushed at her own outburst. "I mean... I''m already familiar with his routine. It makes more sense for me to¡­"


    "Oh? Do we have a new interested party?" The second cousin feigned surprise.


    "No! I mean..." The first cousin looked to the maids for support, but they seemed to be suppressing laughter.


    "Then I''ll handle Ren and you take the new one," the second cousin interjected with a playful smile.


    "My lady," Mayo commented with mock seriousness, "if your attachment to young Ren is purely professional, there should be no issue reassigning the observation task... After all, you''ll continue your ''observation support duties'' in class and in your free time..."


    "Mayo!"


    "She''s right, you practically have two people watching him already so our ''expert spy'' isn''t needed," Matilda nodded solemnly. "Though I must say your observation methods are quite... intense. Especially during training."


    "I don''t watch him during training!"


    "Oh, then why do you always insist we practice near where he¡­" her first cousin began.


    "It''s coincidence! He runs right in front of us because he''s that fast!" Luna had turned completely red. "And we should be discussing the new student!"


    "Of course, so it''s decided that I''ll watch him from now on," the second cousin grinned. "But I''ll do it when Luna can''t... After all, we wouldn''t want to distract her from her current ''technical appreciation''."


    The three maids could no longer contain their laughter, which only worsened when Luna shot them a betrayed look.


    "You''re impossible," Luna muttered, sinking into her chair. "All of you."


    "We love you too," her second cousin blew her a kiss. "Now, who''s watching whom?"


    "Alright, since we don''t know his perception level yet... It''s decided then," declared the first cousin. "I''ll watch the new guy, and you can help Luna continue her thorough ''investigation'' of a certain ''cute'' mushroom pot."


    Laughter erupted again, even Matilda abandoning her usual composure to join the fun.


    "I hate you all," Luna murmured, but a small smile betrayed her words.


    "We love you too," they responded in unison, causing another round of laughter that echoed through the room.

 Chapter 138 - Taming the Impossible

    Ren observed the four eggs aligned on his bed with a thoughtful expression, his mushrooms pulsing softly as he analyzed each one.The hydra egg shone like a cut diamond, its perfect geometric patterns capturing and refracting light in mesmerizing ways.


    The wolverine egg displayed a prismatic multicolor glow, shifting like aurora.


    The mantis egg reflected light like a faceted green mirror, while the ambush bug egg maintained an opaque hue with threatening plates.


    Behind him, Min, Taro, and Liu''s jaws had dropped so low they seemed in danger of detaching completely.


    They noticed something else, their necks turning mechanically between the newly formed eggs and the corner of the room where dozens of identical "prince''s nests" waited.


    The three boys resembled poorly articulated golems in their shock.


    "This... this is impossible," Liu finally found his voice. "Cores don''t turn into eggs. They can''t. It''s... it''s..."


    "Impossible?" Min completed automatically. "Like a spore being useful?"


    "Or a digger beetle evolving differently than documented in the last 500 years?" Taro added, his shell manifesting slightly with excitement.


    "But this is different!" Liu gestured wildly toward the corner full of nests. "Those are like fifty scorpion cores! Are they all going to...? How even...?"


    "Wei is going to have a fit when Taro evolves," Min whistled softly.


    Ren barely heard them, focused on his decision. The knowledge flowed: each egg had unique potential, specific advantages and disadvantages that only he could see.


    "How?" Liu was still trying to process what he''d just witnessed. "How did you make the cores transform? They''re supposed to be just... just..."


    "Trash?" Ren smiled without taking his eyes off the eggs. "Most people assume that because they don''t know what to do with them."


    His friends looked back at the nests in the corner, as if expecting them to start transforming at any moment.


    "So..." Taro swallowed. "All those scorpion cores...?"


    "Will also become eggs, yes," Ren nodded. "Though it''ll take a few more days. And I''ll need to wait for more materials for the last nests."


    "More nests..." Min collapsed onto his bed. "More crystal investments..." sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Actually, yes, I exchanged the three hundred thousand crystals the prince gave me for the nests," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed. "But I managed to save quite a bit."


    "Save?" Liu blinked in confusion. "How can you save when each nest costs over 10 thousand and you have like 50?"


    "The defense rune is the most expensive part," Ren explained while examining the hydra egg. "But I can use the same one to hatch all the eggs..."


    "...Unlike when ranking up, you only need the mark near the egg, not actually absorbing it. The main expense was materials and rune writing fluid... Though with more runes I could hatch faster, but I''m not in a hurry."


    Taro made quick mental calculations. "But still, with so many nests..."


    "I still have almost two hundred thousand of those crystals," Ren shrugged. "And five hydra plates that are mine."


    "You''re not going to sell those too?" Min asked, leaning forward with curiosity. "Jessy would pay a fortune for them."


    "No," Ren caressed the hydra egg carefully. "I think I''m going to need them. I''ve made my decision."


    His friends observed the brilliant egg Ren had chosen.


    "The hydra?" Liu whistled softly. "Ambitious."


    "It has the best initial mana resistance potential," Ren explained while his mushrooms pulsed. "Besides, even if I don''t sell them, tomorrow''s report will be interesting."


    "Why?" Taro asked.


    "The first plates the prince gave me, the ones I didn''t use in the scorpion nests, count as materials I obtained myself," Ren smiled. "When his beast left me at the entrance, the guard registered them and Julius apparently asked the director to count them as my acquisition... The report will exceed three hundred thousand."


    Min nearly fell off his bed. "Theodore is going to have a breakdown!"


    "Finch will clean his glasses like crazy," Liu mimicked the compulsive gesture.


    "No, Finch will squeal so high only your bat can hear it!" Taro added, laughing.


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    "Theodore will probably add a new page to his notebook of ''mushroom magnate'' theories," Min held his stomach from laughing.


    Ren watched amused as his friends imagined the banker''s reactions.


    "Oh!" Min straightened suddenly. "We have to be there when you deliver the report tomorrow!"


    "Yes," Taro nodded enthusiastically. "I want to see Theodore''s face when he has to write all those zeros!"


    "And hear the new nicknames Finch invents," Liu added.


    Ren let his friends continue with their jokes while returning to examine the hydra egg. The diamond-like glow seemed to respond to his touch, as if recognizing its future tamer.


    ''First the report, then Taro''s evolution,'' he thought while his mushrooms pulsed. ''And then...''


    Ren smiled. Tomorrow would be an interesting day at the bank.


    ????


    Wei frowned as he walked through the academy''s halls.


    The students'' whispers had been bothering him all week.


    "Did you see how the mushroom boy held against Klein?" "They say he managed to hit him..." "I heard even the prince..."


    Nonsense.


    It had to be nonsense.


    But the rumors persisted, and Wei found himself attending the first-grade finals more out of irritation than real interest. He needed to see for himself what was causing such commotion.


    The battle had been... interesting for iron-rank children.


    Wei thought the Goldcrest boy was an idiot for letting himself be humiliated by someone with a spore... If that was the case, he''d see a clumsy battle that would reveal the boy''s flaws.


    But it wasn''t what he expected...


    Klein''s group lost, yes, but not in the way rumors suggested. The Starweaver girl''s shadow wolf had demonstrated excellent coordination with her companions. The strategy, timing, synergy... everything had been exemplary.


    ''A perfectly normal execution for rich kids from big name families,'' Wei thought as he headed to the bank to deposit his monthly report.


    He saw his juicy payment on the paper that would multiply by 10 at the end of the semester.


    Wei stared fantasizing about taking his girlfriend somewhere nice when he finally withdrew the support from Ren at the end of the semester. A satisfied smirk played across his lips as he considered the possibilities.


    ''The tournament finale was somewhat crude, but did Klein have diarrhea in the semifinals then? It made no sense...


    How could that crazy spore kid, with the most pathetic beast in existence, and his team of a mediocre beetle and a support snake possibly deal with¡­''


    A high-pitched squeal interrupted his thoughts, making him jump.


    "Theodore!" Finch''s voice pierced through the hallway like a drill. "THEODORE! Bring the special calculator! The one we use for big accounts!"

 Chapter 139 - Taming the Impossible - 2

    A satisfied smirk played across Wei''s lips as he considered the possibilities.''The tournament finale was somewhat crude, but did Klein have diarrhea in the semifinals then? It made no sense...


    How could that crazy spore kid, with the most pathetic beast in existence, and his team of a mediocre beetle and a support snake possibly deal with¡­''


    A high-pitched squeal interrupted his thoughts, making him jump.


    "Theodore!" Finch''s voice pierced through the hallway like they didn''t exist. "THEODORE! Bring the special calculator! The one we use for big accounts!"


    Wei froze mid-step. He hated dealing with Finch when he got like this. Perhaps he should use the other reception, even if the line was longer he could avoid his nonsensical banter and his...


    "Three hundred and ten thousand in one month from an iron 1 student!" Finch''s shout nearly made Wei drop his papers. "Theodore! Are you seeing this or am I dreaming? THREE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND!"


    Wei crept closer to the hallway intersection, partially concealing himself behind the corner. His manticore''s eyes and ears manifested slightly, responding to his burning curiosity.


    "The mushroom magnate has returned with a new record!" Finch practically danced behind the counter. "And more magnificent than ever! We must kneel this time in front of him for a chance to share in his money making secrets!"


    Wei narrowed his eyes. Was that the mushroom boy? Three hundred thousand? Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Mr. Finch," Ren''s voice sounded amused. "The prince practically gave it all to me for free. It''s not like I helped much, not that big a deal..."


    "Not that big a deal?" Finch removed his glasses to clean them frantically. "Theodore! Note this in your book! The magnate is being modest!"


    The small mouse wrote furiously in his tiny notebook, his whiskers trembling with concentration.


    "The hydra plates he gave me are particularly valuable," Ren continued, clearly enjoying Finch''s theatrically exaggerated expressions. "And with the cores I processed for him, next time he comes I could be rewarded too..."


    "Processing cores? Information only noble families control?" Wei almost revealed his position with his muttered questions. Was the brat still on about his absurd weird knowledge theories?


    Wei pressed himself harder against the wall, his mind working furiously. Processing cores? Obtaining 310,000 crystals? In one month? That was more than he earned in three...


    "Theodore!" Finch was practically hyperventilating. "Open a new section in the notebook! We need to document this!"


    Wei silently retreated from the intersection, his monthly report forgotten in his trembling hands. Something didn''t add up. The useless spore boy, generating those amounts... processing cores? Selling hydra materials?


    ''The bet,'' he thought suddenly. The brat had wagered with such confidence. Soon he''d have to demonstrate his ridiculous theories...


    Wei began to doubt.


    ''Perhaps they weren''t so ridiculous? Impossible!''


    "THE LORD OF MUSHROOMS!" Finch''s final cry followed him down the hallway. "Theodore! We need a grander title! This one no longer suffices!"


    Wei clutched his papers tightly. Perhaps he should pay more attention to the demonstration the boy had promised.


    Just to prove him wrong, of course.


    ????


    Today was the day, on the 10th day of the 5th month, 130 days since the semester''s start, Taro would rank up and obtain his Living Tunnel variation according to Ren.


    The defense rune and final crystal glowed with a deep brown tone in Taro''s trembling hands.


    One hundred days of cultivation, each crystal processed and absorbed exactly as Ren had indicated, culminated in this moment.


    Liu and Min watched silently from their beds, the tension so thick it felt almost tangible. Min''s scales rippled in waves across his skin, reflecting his tamer''s anxiety.


    ''Please,'' Min clenched his fists. ''Please let it work.''


    After seeing cores transform into eggs before their eyes, it was easier to believe in Ren''s "impossible knowledge" now.


    But this... seeing this happen before their eyes was a bit different.


    Five hundred years of records stated the digger beetle had only one mediocre option.


    "Come on," Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with confidence. "It''s still early, but I want to show you some things you can do before we go to Wei''s class."


    The beetle''s markings on Taro''s skin shone more intensely than ever. A hundred days of cultivation had strengthened the bond, but... would it be enough?


    "What if...?" Taro swallowed, his fingers tightening around the crystal. "What if it doesn''t work?"


    "It will work," Ren maintained his smile, but his friends could see the slight concern in his eyes. "Your beast is ready. The crystals are perfectly processed. You just need to take the final step."


    Min shifted restlessly on his bed. If it worked, if Ren was right... it would not only prove his "crazy" theories true but confirm that his own beast was now on a different path as well.


    "Remember," Ren approached Taro, "when you feel the change begin, don''t fight it. Let the energy flow naturally. Your beast knows what to do."


    Taro nodded, though his hands continued to shake.


    Liu remained silent but drummed his fingers, his gaze intense with anticipation.


    "What if Wei is right?" he whispered. "What if it only evolves into a Great Digger like the books say?"


    "I''ve told you a thousand times already, it will work," Ren maintained his smile, though he could feel Lin''s evaluating gaze from her corner.


    It hadn''t been easy convincing her to stay and witness the cultivation instead of taking him to morning training.


    "If this is a waste of time..." she had warned when Ren explained he''d attend Wei''s class today, "tomorrow''s exercises will be twice as intense."


    "Trust me," Ren had responded. "Today Taro evolves."


    Lin had only agreed to let Ren skip training with the explicit condition that there would actually be an evolution.


    "If your friend doesn''t evolve and this is another of your tricks," she had threatened, "you''ll compensate for the lost training with interest."


    "Wei''s books are¡­"


    "Wei can shove his books where the sun doesn''t shine," Lin muttered, surprising everyone. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire


    She blushed slightly when they stared at her. "What? That man needs someone to knock him off his pedestal again. And if my student says it will evolve differently..." she left the sentence hanging, but her message was clear.


    The tension broke momentarily with nervous laughter.


    "It''s now or never," Ren pointed to the crystal and defense rune.


    Taro looked at the materials one last time. A hundred days of hope, of trust in theories that defied everything established, converged in this moment.


    "Here we go," he whispered, and began to absorb them.

 Chapter 140 - Taming the Impossible - 3

    Taro looked at the materials one last time. A hundred days of hope, of trust in theories that defied everything established, converged in this moment."Here we go," he whispered, and began to absorb them.


    The effect was instantaneous.


    The crystal''s brown glow spread through his veins like rivers of liquid earth, yellow earth. His beetle''s markings intensified, expanding across his skin in patterns none of them had seen before, each line seeming to pulse with newfound power.


    "It''s beginning," Ren watched attentively. "Let it flow..."


    Taro gasped as the first wave of power hit him. It was different from the previous ones, deeper, more fundamental. He could feel his beast changing, transforming at its very core.


    Min leaned forward, completely still for the first time that morning. Liu held his breath, his night bat manifesting slightly in response to his tension. Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The markings continued to expand, but instead of hardening into the shell plates, they seemed to merge with the earth itself, bright and yellow. The air around Taro vibrated with raw energy.


    "Ren..." Taro''s voice sounded strange, distorted, as if coming from underground. "I feel... I feel..."


    "I know," Ren smiled. "It''s happening exactly as it should."


    The transformation reached its climax. For a moment, Taro seemed to glow from within, his silhouette blurring as if made of shifting earth.


    And then...


    ????


    Wei flipped another page of the "Advanced Compendium of Insect Evolutions," his eyes irritated from another night of intensive reading. His manticore manifested intermittently in his eyebrows like a nervous tic, responding to his growing frustration.


    Five hundred and forty thousand crystals in his account.


    The number kept resonating in his mind since he''d returned remembering to deposit his money and heard Finch''s squeals ten days ago.


    It was an absurd amount for any first-year student, but for someone with history''s weakest beast...


    ''There must be an explanation,'' he thought while reaching for another book. ''Accumulating that amount through luck alone isn''t logical.''


    It was the kind of wealth a veteran Silver 3 rank slightly stronger than him would obtain after about 6 months of work. Not something a child with a mushroom could achieve in 4 months.


    His fingers traced the new tome''s index, searching for any mention of variations with incompletely documented methodologies in digger beetles.


    There had to be something he was missing.


    "What if...?" Wei paused, an uncomfortable idea forming in his mind. "What if someone in the outer lands...?"


    He shook his head immediately.


    It was ridiculous.


    The odds of someone discovering a new evolution without the academy''s knowledge were astronomically low.


    The million-crystal reward for a new methodology was too difficult for those people to ignore...


    It could be that someone working in the mines wanted to sell it themselves to their close associates... But that made it more improbable, that same person sharing such a secret with a random child...


    But the doubt persisted.


    Wei rose from his desk and began pacing his study. The walls were covered with shelves full of books, each one carefully selected and studied over years.


    "Five hundred and forty thousand," he muttered. "In four months."


    Wei stopped in front of a specific section: "Documented Evolutions in the Last 100 Years."


    Not a single mention of variations in the digger beetle''s evolutionary pattern.


    "It''s impossible," he told himself. "The records are clear. Five hundred years of consistent observation..."


    But then, how to explain the crystal amount?


    How to justify that a child with the weakest recorded beast was generating more wealth than students with elite beasts?


    Was someone deliberately messing with him?


    Wei returned to his desk and pulled out a map of the outer lands. His eyes scanned the known inhabited areas, searching for... what exactly?


    A point where someone could have made a revolutionary discovery without anyone noticing?


    "Ridiculous," he muttered, but continued studying the map.


    The bet. Everything came back to that foolish bet.


    "If he loses," Wei smiled humorlessly, "I''ll have to find out where he got so much money. And if he wins..."


    His skin bristled as his manticore''s fur manifested, as if the thought itself was disturbing.


    "No," Wei closed the book with more force than necessary. "He can''t win. It''s impossible for a child with a mushroom to know something generations of researchers overlooked."


    But as he prepared for his first class of the day, Wei couldn''t help slipping an extra book into his briefcase.


    Just in case.


    ????


    Wei crossed the classroom door, and his manticore manifested involuntarily at seeing who awaited him.


    Ren sat in the front row, his mushrooms pulsing with a steady light.


    Beside him, Taro seemed... different.


    Wei couldn''t pinpoint exactly what, but there was something distinct in the way the boy carried himself.


    ''So he finally decided to show up,'' Wei smiled sarcastically while placing his books on the desk. ''He still has a month and a half to play fool, but I suppose he wants to advance his humiliation.''


    "Well, well," Wei couldn''t resist. "Has the expert in impossible theories finally decided to honor us with his presence?"


    Several students laughed out of obligation, but there was tension in the air. Something in Ren''s tranquil smile made Wei feel... uneasy.


    "Good morning, professor," Ren responded with a calmness that only irritated Wei more. "I thought today would be a good day to demonstrate my theory about the beetle''s evolution."


    ????


    Moments before...


    The classroom was half full when Ren and Taro entered.


    Jin was the first to react.


    "Look who decided to show up!" his voice dripped venom. "Has the rotting boy come to beg for class?"


    Klein, sitting in the back with his mood still dark from his defeat, straightened in his seat. His eyes gleamed with contained malice. Stay updated with My Virtual Library Empire


    "Shouldn''t you be in the mines, pauper?" he mocked. "At least there your mushrooms serve some purpose."


    Some students laughed, more out of habit than real malice. Others watched with barely concealed interest. The bet between Ren and Wei was known to all.


    Luna, from her place by the window, stopped pretending to read her book. Her eyes followed every movement as Ren and Taro sat in the front row. Her shadow wolf manifested slightly, as if sensing something important.


    "Is he really going to try it?" one of her cousins whispered to the other. "Taro''s mana looks different, do you think...?"

 Chapter 141 - Taming the Impossible - 4

    Some students laughed, more out of habit than real malice. Others watched with barely concealed interest. The bet between Ren and Wei was known to all.Luna, from her place by the window, stopped pretending to read her book. Her eyes followed every movement as Ren and Taro sat in the front row. Her shadow wolf manifested slightly, as if sensing something important.


    "Is he really going to try it?" one of her cousins whispered to the other. "Taro''s mana looks different, do you think...?"


    "Shh, quiet," Luna interrupted, though her own eyes sparkled with anticipation.


    Harold, the new student, observed everything with studied intensity. His eyes moved between Klein and Ren, evaluating, measuring, storing away every detail.


    "Just wait until Wei throws him out," Kai commented to Cass, his green scales gleaming with amusement. "He must be really worried about losing his tuition to come, now that the end of the semester is coming closer."


    "Or maybe he''s very confident," Mayo murmured from her seat, her words carrying more weight than they seemed.


    The six new students exchanged silent looks from their usual places. Something in their posture suggested this was more than mere academic curiosity.


    "You should leave," Jin leaned forward, his tiger partially manifesting in rippling stripes. "Before Wei arrives and humiliates you in front of everyone. Again."


    "Worried about me? Better worry about not falling into another hole in the mines." Ren responded without looking at him, his mushrooms pulsing softly.


    "Or making it past the semifinals in the next tournament," added Taro.


    Jin''s face turned scarlet. Several students held their breath, remembering the battle where the wolf had torn apart his spiritual tiger''s neck.


    "You..." Jin half-rose, but Klein stopped him with a gesture.


    Since the day both lost to Luna''s team, they''d grown closer.


    "Leave it," the Goldcrest heir smiled. "Soon he won''t even have tuition to get any school benefits. Wei will see to that."


    "Ready?" Ren asked Taro softly, ignoring the taunts.


    Taro nodded, though his hands trembled slightly.


    The door opened before anyone could respond. Wei entered with his usual air of superiority, but faltered for a moment upon seeing Ren.


    The classroom collectively held its breath. The moment they''d been waiting months for had finally arrived.


    ????


    "Good morning, professor," Ren responded with a calmness that only irritated Wei further.


    "I thought today would be a good day to demonstrate my theory about the beetle''s evolution."


    The classroom fell into absolute silence.


    Even those who normally couldn''t focus in class were paying rapt attention.


    Wei placed his hands on the desk, trying to maintain his composure. "Oh? And what makes you think today is different from any other day in over five hundred years of records?"


    "Because today," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed, "Taro completed his hundred days of cultivation."


    Wei observed the other boy more carefully. Now he could see it, the beetle''s markings seemed more defined, more... alive. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire


    Now bronze rank...


    ''But only 100 days? More nonsense. Exaggeration? Maybe, 130 days have passed since that day.''


    "Ah, yes. Our little bet," Wei regained his confidence. "Let me remind you of the terms: if your friend evolves into anything other than a Great Digger, you win. If not..." he smiled maliciously, "you lose your tuition support... You''ll sign it, by the way."


    "And if I win," Ren maintained his tranquil smile, "I get any Bronze rank material I choose and a hundred points in your two classes without attending... Your entire teaching unit."


    "Exactly," Wei spread his arms theatrically. "So go ahead! Show us your great discovery that contradicts half a millennium of documented research."


    Students held their breath. Some even leaned forward in their seats, unwilling to miss a moment.


    "I present to you," Ren stood while his mushrooms pulsed intensely, "the Living Tunnel... Go ahead, Taro..."


    "Show them."


    Taro nodded and, instead of manifesting the markings on his body, directly invoked his beast to leave no doubt.


    The air in front of Wei''s desk began to ripple.


    The earth that emerged from Taro seemed to come alive, rising and taking shape. Where a one-meter digger beetle with its characteristic rigid shell should have appeared, something completely different emerged.


    The two-meter-tall beast was enormous, occupying much of the classroom''s front space. Its body looked as if a piece of the depths had gained its own life. Each segment gleamed with an earthy but vibrant tone.


    "Impossible," Wei stepped back.


    He frantically opened one of his books, searching for any similar record.


    "No... this isn''t... the records say..."


    "The records are incomplete because the methods are based on luck," Ren pointed to Taro, who now seemed to glow from within. "As I told you months ago, professor, the digger beetle can evolve differently."


    Though they were known creatures in the not-so-deep caves, no one had managed to obtain one as their beast.


    The beetle''s evolutionary line had always given tamers a single variation, the Great Digger.


    Wei dropped his book.


    "This is... must be..."


    "A Living Tunnel?" Ren completed the phrase. "Considering they live in the caves near the academy, professor, you should know them."


    Wei visibly paled. His eyes frantically scanned the beast, searching for any sign of deception.


    "It''s a trick!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Must be a physical transformation beast. Or an illusion... Yes! An illusory beast must be trying to deceive me!"


    He stepped forward with trembling steps, extending a hand toward the creature. "Illusions have no substance, this must be..."


    His fingers touched the Living Tunnel''s surface. It was solid, warm, undeniably real. The texture was like crystallized earth but alive, pulsing beneath his touch.


    "A physical transformation beast?" Ren arched an eyebrow.


    "Like a camouflage raptor, invisible amphibian, or mimic insect? And whose supposed beast would this be, professor? You know every student present. Who would have such a beast? But let''s not beat around the bush, you can use your mana vision..."


    Wei scanned the room. True, he didn''t know some of the noble students'' beasts for sure, but his mana vision didn''t lie¡­ the bond between Taro and the creature was clear as day.


    "This isn''t... can''t..."


    Wei looked desperately at his books.


    "Five hundred years of records... all the research..."


    "Incomplete," Ren pointed out calmly. "As I just told you, and months ago, proper processing makes the difference."


    "The methods are proven!" Wei slammed his desk. "It can''t be true, it''s a deception, it''s earth control generating a statue, it''s...!" S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Taro," Ren ignored Wei''s outburst, "show them what we practiced."


    Taro nodded.

 Chapter 142 - Taming the Impossible - 5

    "The methods are proven!" Wei slammed his desk. "It can''t be true, it''s a deception, it''s earth control generating a statue, it''s...!""Taro," Ren ignored Wei''s outburst, "show them what we practiced."


    Taro nodded.


    Newfound confidence was visible in his every movement.


    The Living Tunnel began to move, its segments interweaving in patterns. Before the class''s astonished eyes, it began manipulating the earth, creating what at first glance appeared to be a disordered mound. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Is that all?" Wei tried to recover some of his confidence, though his voice trembled. "A pile of dirt? See, that''s what I mean, any beetle can¡­!"


    His words died in his throat as the Living Tunnel began secreting a crystalline liquid that covered the mound. The substance gleamed with a characteristic yellow tone, the same found in deep tunnels 300 meters down in the caves.


    "Living crystal," Ren explained while the substance hardened yet remained somehow alive, pulsing with inner light. "The distinctive mark of a true Living Tunnel. They don''t just dig tunnels, they make them habitable and safe from Deep Assassins."


    Wei fell to his knees before his desk, his manticore manifestation flickering erratically across his skin.


    His hands trembled as he touched the newly formed crystal. It was identical to what was found in the depths, the substance no common beetle could create. The texture was unmistakable to anyone who had spent time in the deeper mines.


    "No..." he whispered, but there was no conviction left in his voice, only despair. "The records..."


    "Are wrong," Ren concluded softly. "Or at least, incomplete. As I told you from the beginning."


    The classroom remained in absolute silence as Wei contemplated the living crystal, all his arrogance vanishing like morning mist. Five hundred years of certainty had just crumbled before his eyes.


    And with them, everything he thought he knew about beast evolution.


    The silence in the room was deafening as Wei remained kneeling, his fingers still touching the living crystal as if expecting it to disappear at any moment.


    Luna was the first to react. A small smile formed on her lips while her shadow wolf manifested briefly, as if nodding in approval.


    Liora and Larissa exchanged surprised and satisfied glances, their own beasts stirring beneath their skin.


    Jin and Klein looked as if they''d been struck with a mace. Their beasts manifested erratically across their bodies, responding to their confusion and contained rage.


    "So," Ren broke the silence, his mushrooms pulsing with steady light, "about our bet, professor..."


    Wei rose slowly, his movements mechanical. For a moment, it seemed he would protest, search for another explanation, any excuse to deny what he''d just witnessed.


    But he said nothing.


    "I want the Bronze rank 2 light rune," Ren continued calmly. "The most expensive bronze rank one."


    Wei choked. "That costs two hundred thousand crystals! That''s more than two months of my salary!"


    "A bet is a bet," Ren smiled, though there was steel beneath his pleasant tone. "Unless you''d prefer to discuss the 1 million tuition forfeiture document you were going to make me sign..."


    Taro barely contained his laughter.


    Wei clenched his fists. "This is ridiculous! One thing is demonstrating a different evolution by luck, but demanding a rune of that price that you can''t even use is¡­!"


    A creak at the door made him freeze. Lin was leaning against the frame, arms crossed and a dangerous smile playing on her lips. Her crane''s feathers ruffled menacingly.


    "Any problems fulfilling your bets, professor?" she asked with false sweetness.


    Wei paled. The memory of his last encounter with Lin flashed through his mind like lightning. His body visibly shrank, his manticore manifestation fading entirely.


    "There''s also the matter of my grades," Ren added, clearly enjoying the moment. "A hundred points in both subjects, if I remember correctly."


    The six new students observed everything with carefully neutral expressions, though their eyes sparkled with something that might have been amusement or satisfaction.


    "The academy gossips are going to love this," Larissa commented. "The student with the ''weakest beast'' proving that Wei''s ''five hundred years of records'' were wrong."


    Wei moved to his desk like an automaton, pulling out the grade registry. With trembling hands, he wrote a perfect 100 next to Ren''s name in both subjects.


    "The rune..." Wei began, his voice barely above a whisper.


    "You can bring it tomorrow," Lin interjected from the door. "I''m sure you won''t want to... delay payment more than a day. I don''t think we''ll need to make you sign anything, right?"


    Wei watched all this with humiliation and impotent rage.


    Lin stepped away from the door. "Ah, and Wei," she added with a dangerous smile, "next time you make a bet... make sure you can pay up on the spot."


    "Well," Ren glanced at the classroom clock, barely ten minutes of class had passed. "Since I''m officially approved and won''t even have to take the final exam for this class which, frankly, DOESN''T serve me any purpose..."


    He rose calmly, gathering his things. His mushrooms pulsed with a rhythm like joyful little hops.


    "I''ll retire to train with my master," he continued while heading for the door. "Something that DOES serve me a purpose."


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    "Good luck, Taro," he bid farewell to his friend with a casual gesture. "Though I doubt you''ll have much to learn here..."


    Lin stepped forward, her presence filling the doorway.


    "By the way, professor," her voice was soft but laden with threat. "I hope it won''t occur to you to take reprisals against Taro or Ren. I''ll be very attentive to how you conduct your classes from now on."


    Wei sank into his chair as Lin and Ren departed, their footsteps echoing down the hallway.


    The living crystal continued to glow at the front of the classroom, a tangible reminder of everything that had just happened. Its pulsing light seemed to mock five centuries of academic certainty.


    Wei raised his gaze, trying to start his class through sheer inertia, but the words refused to come. All eyes were fixed on him, some with pity, others with barely contained amusement.


    He lowered his head, defeated.


    "T-today''s class is... is over, you may leave," he whispered in a trembling voice.


    No one moved for a moment, as if they couldn''t believe what they''d just heard.


    The sound of the door closing behind Ren and Lin seemed to break the spell.


    Wei remained at his desk, alone, contemplating how five hundred years of certainty had crumbled in less than ten minutes. The living crystal''s steady glow illuminated his slumped figure, a testament to how thoroughly his academic world had been shattered.

 Chapter 143 - Taming Changes

    No sooner had the students spilled into the hallway than a crowd formed around Taro, the power dynamics visibly shifting before their eyes.Han''s group was the first to approach, followed closely by Luna''s maids and cousins.


    Even Jin''s usual errand-runners now orbited nearby, trying to catch Taro''s attention.


    The corridor buzzed with excited whispers.


    "It''s incredible!" Han beamed, his spider''s web patterns shimmering with excitement. "First student with a bronze beast! And only 130 days after starting school!"


    "Actually..." Taro scratched his head, clearly uncomfortable with the attention, his new beast''s markings shifting beneath his skin, "it was only 100 days of cultivation."


    "A hundred days?" one of the maids moved closer, her cloud bird manifesting in her hairt. "How is that possible?"


    "It was all thanks to Ren," Taro smiled, his newfound confidence evident in his posture. "He knew exactly what to do from the beginning to the end."


    Luna observed from a distance, leaning against the wall while her cousins and maids mingled with the group. A small smile played on her lips as her shadow wolf rippled at her feet.


    "A Living Tunnel?" someone asked eagerly. "What else can it do besides that crystal?"


    "Oh, well..." Taro began, but was interrupted.


    "It''s not that impressive," Klein''s voice cut through the crowd like a knife. He approached with arrogant steps, his lion manifesting in bright patterns that seemed dimmer than usual. "It''s still a mediocre beast. My lion will reach the same rank soon, and it will be much stronger."


    "Exactly," Jin joined in, his group following automatically. "I defeated you once, remember? Extra defense means nothing if my spirit punches can pierce through it like it doesn''t exist."


    Taro rolled his eyes, remembering something that made his lips curve into a knowing smile.


    "It''s funny you mention how good your beasts are," he said casually. "Ren mentioned your beasts are on the wrong path. That they won''t reach gold rank."


    Silence fell over the group. After the demonstration with the beetle, Ren''s words carried entirely different weight.


    "In fact," Taro continued, enjoying the moment, "he said your lion, Klein, will stall at silver rank 3 from what he can see in your cultivation patterns... Not so golden after all, huh?" Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Klein visibly paled, his lion''s manifestation flickering erratically. "Lies! My lion has golden lineage, everyone knows..."


    "Like everyone ''knew'' my beetle could only evolve into a Great Digger, right?"


    Han let out a laugh that others quickly joined, the sound echoing through the corridor.


    "Ren promised to help me reach at least gold," Taro added as if commenting on the weather, though his eyes sparkled with mischief.


    "Gold?" Jin scoffed, but his voice betrayed uncertainty. "A gold beetle? Now you''ve really lost your mind."


    "Like Professor Wei lost his?" Taro continued. "You know what Ren says about your beast''s rank? Bad news, it''s..."


    "It''s ridiculous," Klein tried to regain control of the situation. "A nobody with an inferior beast reaching gold..."


    "Inferior?" Han stepped forward, his spider''s web glowing faintly. "The only bronze beast in the first semester, the only tamer of a Living Tunel in history doesn''t seem inferior to me... The odds of how far it can advance aren''t set yet. And in only 100 days¡­ When did you say your lion would reach that bronze rank?"


    Jin group''s usual followers keep subtly backing away further from him, gravitating toward the group around Taro. The shift in power was almost palpable.


    "It''s just luck!" Jin spat, his tiger manifesting in agitated stripes. "Tricks and crazy theories from a rotting mushroom, theories that won''t work again!"


    "Theories that worked once," Mayo commented from where she watched with the other maids. "They could work again."


    The crowd had clearly divided now. Jin and Klein with their most loyal noble followers on one side, while the majority clustered around Taro.


    "When my lion reaches bronze rank..." Klein began, but his voice lacked its usual conviction.


    "Bronze is just the beginning, and one day only one of us will reach gold," Taro interrupted. "Ren mentioned something about an error in the golden lion''s cultivation pattern. Something about using the wrong light..."


    Klein choked on his own words. Doubt flickered across his face like a shadow.


    "You know?" Han smiled, his spider''s patterns weaving with interest. "I wonder if Ren would be willing to check other beasts. You know, to help poor classmates avoid cultivation mistakes..."


    Several students nodded enthusiastically.


    "This is ridiculous!" Klein spun around. "Let''s go! We don''t need to hear more nonsense."


    But as they walked away, it was evident their influence had been severely damaged.


    "So, Taro," Han threw an arm around his shoulders. "What else has Ren said about alternative evolutions? Perhaps something about weaver spiders?"


    Luna finally pushed off from the wall, a satisfied smile on her face as her cousins and maids fell in step behind her.


    "Things are going to be very different from now on," she murmured.


    ????


    "Master," Ren paused after completing a series of exercises, his mushrooms pulsing softly in the morning light. "There''s something I want to tell you about your crane."


    Lin stopped correcting his posture, a shadow of something¡­ Pain? Resignation? Crossing her face briefly.


    "There''s a method," Ren continued while wiping away sweat, "a thousand-day one that could bring your crane to Silver rank 1 or 2 power, at least in its speed specialty... and with your technique..."


    Lin regarded him silently for a moment, her crane partially manifesting in feather patterns across her skin. At any other time, she would have dismissed such a suggestion as the well-intentioned delusions of a student trying to cheer her up.


    But after what she had witnessed today in his room and Wei''s class...


    "A thousand-day method?" she finally asked, trying to keep her voice neutral though her eyes shone with what might be hope.


    "Yes," Ren nodded. "It requires absolute consistency. Miss one day and you have to start from zero but..."


    Lin sat on one of the training area benches, gesturing for Ren to join her. Her crane''s patterns shifted with interest.


    "Explain," she said simply.


    "Every dawn you''ll need to absorb a crystal," Ren began, his mushrooms pulsing as he shared his knowledge, "you''ll need to process crystals of your beast''s rank, in this case bronze 1, with 10 minutes of first dawn light. But not the traditional way."


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    "It''s crucial," Ren smiled. "Your crane has a natural affinity with dawn. That''s when its speed peaks, isn''t it?"


    Lin blinked in surprise. It was a detail about crane beasts that very few had noticed.


    "The crystal needs exactly 10 minutes," Ren repeated. "Plus it must be sealed with bronze rank aquatic plant root extract and..."


    As Ren explained the method''s details, Lin felt something she hadn''t experienced in years: true hope for her beast''s future.

 Chapter 144 - Taming Changes - 2

    "The crystal needs exactly 10 minutes," Ren repeated. "Plus it must be sealed with bronze rank aquatic plant root extract and..."As Ren explained the method''s details, Lin felt something she hadn''t experienced in years: true hope for her beast''s future.


    "Why a thousand days?" she asked when Ren finished his explanation. "The traditional methods..."


    "Traditional methods are incomplete," Ren interrupted gently. "As you saw today, there''s much that those who wrote those books don''t properly understand. The problem is they have to experiment blindly..."


    Lin observed her crane''s markings, thinking of all the times she had wished she could push her beast beyond its current limitations. The feather patterns shifted beneath her skin, as if sensing her renewed hope.


    "The intermediate maturation isn''t like ranking up, that''s why it requires 10 times more energy... There''s a final maturation later, but let''s finish this one first."


    "A thousand days," she murmured. "Without missing a single one."


    "You''ll need a bronze rank 1 speed rune at the end," Ren added. "But I''m sure that''s not too costly for you and worth the investment."


    "And you really believe it will work?" The question came out more vulnerable than Lin intended.


    Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed with confidence. "As sure as I was about Taro''s Living Tunnel."


    Lin stood, her decision made. "Then I''ll start tomorrow at dawn."


    "Does this mean I get a day off from training?" Ren asked hopefully.


    Lin''s laughter echoed across the training field. "Nice try. Now, back to that kick series you were doing wrong."


    As they resumed training, Lin couldn''t help but smile. For the first time in years, her crane''s future seemed bright.


    And all thanks to the student with the academy''s supposed "weakest beast."


    ????


    Yang''s training class was normally a spectacle of concentration and effort. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Today, however...


    "Cass! That''s the third time you''ve tripped on the same exercise!" Yang shook his head while his behemoth resonated with frustration. "And Feng! Since when does your cobra attack in the wrong direction?"


    The students barely listened. Their eyes constantly followed Ren, who tried to concentrate on his exercises while ignoring the stares. Even Jin''s group couldn''t maintain their usual disdainful distance, stealing glances when they thought no one was looking.


    It wasn''t a pleasant sensation. The constant attention made him uncomfortable, as if each movement was being analyzed and judged.


    But then he remembered Wei''s face crumbling before the living crystal, Jin and Klein''s expressions as they watched their influence dissolve...


    A small smile formed on his lips. His mushrooms pulsed with satisfaction.


    "Han! Your web just tangled with your own feet!" Yang rubbed his temples. "Is anyone paying attention today?"


    Lin, for her part, practically glowed with joy while enthusiastically correcting postures.


    "Excellent form, Ren," she commented in passing, winking. "At least someone maintains their concentration."


    ????


    In Mei''s class, the situation didn''t improve.


    "...and that''s how economic cycles affect crystal prices," Mei drew graphs on the board, her voice increasingly irritated. "Is anyone even listening?"


    A paper ball flew through the air, intended to catch Ren''s attention. Mei''s vine intercepted it with a sharp movement.


    "Enough!" she slammed her desk. "Mr. Patinder''s alternative evolution situation will not be on the exam! But my graphs will be!"


    Ren sank slightly in his seat, though the memory of Wei on his knees before the living crystal remained an excellent consolation.


    ????


    By the time Song''s optional class came around, the professor found himself in a completely empty classroom.


    He peeked into the hallway just in time to see his usual students surrounding Ren, who had been heading to the caves but ended up trapped in the courtyard, bombarding him with questions about alternative evolutions.


    "I suppose there''s no crystal class today," Song murmured.


    Ren finally managed to escape the crowd thanks to Lin, who appeared providentially announcing it was time for his special training.


    "Not so fun being the center of attention, huh?" Lin smiled as they walked away.


    "No," Ren admitted, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "But remembering Wei''s face when he saw the living crystal... that makes it worth it."


    Lin laughed. "Wait until you see his face tomorrow when he hands over the rune."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with renewed anticipation. Perhaps a few more days of being the center of attention wouldn''t be so bad after all.


    ????


    Ren had barely opened the door to the room when he found Liu on his knees, holding a bronze shine crystal in his outstretched hands like an offering.


    "I''m so sorry!" Liu exclaimed nervously. "I should have believed you from the start! Please accept this humble crystal as an apology and teach me the right path for my beast!"


    Ren couldn''t contain his laughter. Of course, now everyone wanted his help with cultivation.


    "Get up," Ren put a hand on Liu''s shoulder. "You''ll need that crystal for your own cultivation. Although..." he smiled mischievously, "you could bring fruit water for all four of us."


    "Of course!" Liu jumped up and practically flew to the door.


    Min burst into laughter as soon as Liu disappeared. "Did you see his face? Like he was before an ancestral master!"


    "Don''t mock him Min, you looked very similar a few days ago..."


    "About today..." Taro scratched his head, looking a bit guilty. "I think I ran my mouth too much. Everyone''s talking about your evolution knowledge and..."


    "It''s fine," Ren waved his hand while his mushrooms pulsed calmly. "It was just a matter of time."


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    "You should charge," Min suggested while lounging lazily. "You saw how everyone is. You could make a fortune selling your methods."


    "No," Ren pulled a new notebook from his trunk. "I''m going to do something better."


    "Better than making money?" Min arched an eyebrow.


    "I''m going to write books," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed with determination. "Books of cultivation techniques for everyone. So no one else has to settle for incomplete evolutions just because current records are wrong."


    Taro and Min exchanged looks.


    "Wei is going to have a fit," Min smiled.


    "The entire academy is going to have a fit," Taro added.


    "Doesn''t matter," Ren began writing, his mushrooms pulsing with steady rhythm. "It''s time someone corrected hundreds of years of incomplete information."


    Liu returned with the fruit water, finding his roommates laughing while Ren wrote the first page of what would become a revolution in beast cultivation knowledge.

 Chapter 145 - Taming the World

    Nine days of frenzied writing in his scarce free time had resulted in a notebook filled with detailed diagrams and meticulous explanations.Ren smiled as he handed "Ecology, Characteristics, Abilities, and Cultivation Techniques for Digger Beetles" to Taro, his mushrooms pulsing with quiet pride.


    "I want you to be the first to read it," he said while his mushrooms pulsed softly. "Though it''s not entirely complete."


    Taro flipped through the pages with reverence, his eyes widening with each diagram he found. There was information about tunnel patterns, living crystal composition, fortification techniques... things he hadn''t even known his beast could do. Each page seemed to hold another revelation.


    "Not complete?" he asked without taking his eyes off the book. "There''s enough information here to take a good while reading."


    "It only goes up to silver rank 3," Ren shrugged. "I want to include the path to gold, but I need a bit more time to have that information."


    "How long?" Taro finally looked up from the book.


    "Don''t worry," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed. "It''ll take you some years to reach silver 3, so I''ll have plenty of time to complete it. And I only need one more day to know..."


    Taro froze, his mind suddenly connecting the dots.


    Tomorrow.


    Tomorrow Ren would complete his hundred days of cultivation.


    Tomorrow he would reach bronze rank 1.


    "Tomorrow you''re going to...?" Taro didn''t complete the question, but he didn''t need to.


    "Yes," Ren nodded while his mushrooms pulsed with anticipation. "Tomorrow I''ll know."


    ????


    On the 25th day of the fifth month, exactly 145 days after entering the academy, Ren held the final bronze crystal, a golden mushroom and the intelligence rune in his hands.


    The moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.


    Liu, Taro, and Min held their breath, clustered around his bed. Their beasts manifested partially, responding to their anticipation.


    Lin leaned against the doorframe, apparently relaxed but missing no detail, and ensuring her student wouldn''t try to escape training afterward.


    "Here we go," Ren murmured while his mushrooms pulsed softly.


    He absorbed the materials and...


    The glow was... subtle.


    So subtle that for a moment his friends wondered if something had gone wrong.


    The previous days of his normal cultivation had been much more intense. This seemed almost anticlimactic in comparison.


    "Did it work?" Min leaned forward, his snake mirroring his movement. "Your mushrooms seem to... glow a bit more?"


    "Maybe?" Liu squinted, his night bat vision manifesting. "It''s hard to tell if they''re glowing more or if it''s just the morning light."


    But Ren was smiling.


    In his mind, new evolution paths unfolded like an intricate map. He could see routes that were previously nebulous, patterns that extended all the way to...


    "I can see it," he whispered in awe. "Up to gold rank 1... the path is clearer now."


    "But what changed?" Taro asked, searching for any visible difference. "I don''t see any new manifestation in your beast."


    "In my body I don''t notice much difference," Ren admitted. "But my spore is no longer a simple cloud of inactive tiny seeds. It''s a complete beast now, a real fungus."


    The four exchanged expectant looks.


    "Could you...?" Min made a vague gesture.


    "Show you my beast at bronze rank 1?" Ren completed the question. "I suppose so. Though I don''t love losing the knowledge flow from my head..."


    "Most of it is memorized already, isn''t it?" Lin commented from the door. "And I admit I''m curious too."


    Ren nodded and, for the first time in a long time, separated his spore from his body.


    The air in front of him rippled softly and then...


    "It''s... it''s..." Liu leaned so far forward he nearly fell.


    A small mushroom, no taller than five centimeters, materialized on the bed.


    It had a face that looked like a chubby baby''s, with big eyes and round cheeks that seemed designed to inspire cooing noises.


    "It''s tiny!" Min couldn''t contain himself.


    "What''s the increase to your capabilities now?" Liu asked, trying not to laugh.


    "Twenty percent in strength and another 20% in intelligence," Ren responded with dignity.


    Laughter erupted in the room. Even Lin had to cover her mouth with one hand.


    "Taro has 60% in defense!" Min held his stomach. "And 30% in everything else!" S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And this cost ten times more to cultivate..." Liu wiped tears of laughter. "Any beast could eat it in one bite!"


    "Stop making fun of the world''s best beast!"


    The high-pitched voice, like a small child''s, made everyone freeze.


    Slowly, very slowly, all eyes turned to the tiny mushroom.


    "Did it just...?" Taro blinked several times.


    "Of course I spoke!" the mushroom crossed what appeared to be arms.


    "And I''m not small!" the mushroom began jumping indignantly on the bed, its cheeks puffed in an adorable pout. "I''m compact! Aerodynamic! Efficient!"


    The silence that followed was absolute. Beasts didn''t talk.


    It was a known fact that they communicated mentally with their tamers, sharing sensations and emotions directly because they were part of them.


    Sure, there were stories of dragons that could speak, but those were children''s tales.


    Taro and Min exchanged looks of amazement while Liu rubbed his eyes as if not believing what he was seeing.


    "It''s... it''s impossible," Liu stuttered. "Beasts don''t..."


    "I speak, deal with it already!" the mushroom continued, its cheeks still inflated in that impossibly cute pout.


    Lin was the first to recover from the surprise. "Well," she smiled, "this is unexpected but I suppose it makes sense."


    "What do you mean?" the mushroom looked at her with its large eyes.


    "Why Ren always seems to know so much about beasts," Lin moved away from the door. "He has a beast that can analyze and communicate information, like a huge living library."


    "In a very compact package," added Taro, unable to contain a smile.


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    "Exactly!" the mushroom nodded vigorously before realizing they were teasing again. "Hey!"


    Min and Liu continued staring, alternating between the tiny talking mushroom and Ren, who smiled as if this were perfectly normal.


    "I''m the command center of a gigantic body! It''s like... it''s like your brains. Do you think you''re small if you only count your brain and couldn''t see yourselves complete?"


    "Command center?" Liu leaned closer to see the tiny mushroom better.


    "Yes, of the biggest beast of all!" declared the mushroom proudly.


    Laughter erupted again.


    "Why are you laughing? My mana roots, so fine that not even the sharpest eye could see them, will extend throughout the world! For now they only reach the first part of the gold ring," the mushroom admitted, but its eyes shone with determination.


    "But one day my influence will touch every corner of the world! I''ll know all the secrets! All of them!"


    Something about seeing the tiny creature claim it occupied such an enormous expanse of land made the boys unable to stop laughing.

 Chapter 146 - Taming Secrets

    "But one day my influence will touch every corner of the world! I''ll know all the secrets! All of them!"Something about seeing the tiny creature claim it occupied such an enormous expanse of land made the boys unable to stop laughing.


    "Hmph!" the mushroom puffed its cheeks in what had to be the most adorable display of indignation they''d ever seen. "Ren! I don''t want to be in front of these mocking troglodytes! I''m going back inside!"


    Without waiting for a response, the small mushroom vanished, returning to Ren''s body. The mushrooms in his hair sprouted and pulsed once more with their characteristic glow.


    ????


    "Well, what now?" Liu asked, still smiling at the spore''s peculiar evolved personality. "How are you supposed to get your second beast?"


    "It''s simple," Ren smiled while approaching the hydra egg resting on his desk, its crystalline surface catching the morning light.


    "Simple?" Min arched an eyebrow. "Nobody outside the highest-ranking nobles and the royal family knows about methods for a second contract... It can''t be simple."


    The words died in his throat when Ren touched the egg.


    Fine mana roots, invisible to the normal eye but clearly perceptible when gathered in large quantities, began emerging from Ren''s body. They spread like an ethereal web, each strand pulsing with power.


    "What''s...?" Taro stepped back as the roots completely enveloped the egg, creating a cocoon of pure energy.


    Before their astonished eyes, the egg began transforming. Its physical form gradually dissolved, becoming a pure mana construct that pulsed with its own light. The air around it seemed to bend and twist.


    There was no ceremony. No rituals or magic circles like in the stories they''d heard.


    The egg, now a brilliant mass of pure energy, simply flowed into Ren''s chest as if it had found its natural home.


    "Impossible!" Lin moved closer to see better. "That''s not... that''s not how..."


    Ren''s body glowed for a moment, the energy reorganizing and settling within him. When the glow faded, the mushrooms in his hair had disappeared.


    In their place, new features began manifesting.


    His teeth visibly sharpened, becoming similar to a predator''s fangs. His ears lengthened and refined, taking on a more reptilian aspect. Crystalline claws replaced his nails, and scales of crystal blue began covering his arms in elegant patterns that caught and reflected light.


    "Is that... an iron rank hydra?" Liu whispered in awe.


    "So this is what it feels like," Ren flexed his hands, observing how light played across his new scales. "The knowledge was correct."


    "But..." Min shook his head, his snake coiling anxiously. "Getting a second beast is supposed to require special rituals! Potions! Preparation!"


    "Only if you do it like in the stories, but we don''t even know the true traditional way," Ren smiled, his new fangs gleaming. "My spore uses a different path, their own one."


    "Your mushrooms?" Taro looked around. "Where are they?"


    As if answering the question, the mushrooms briefly reappeared in Ren''s hair before vanishing again.


    "I can alternate between manifestations like any normal double tamer," he explained, shifting between forms with ease.


    "Can you invoke them outside your body, or can''t the hydra come out since it''s entwined?" Lin asked, her professional curiosity evident.


    "Everything works the same, I can summon the mushroom outside while keeping the hydra manifested or vice versa," Ren explained while admiring the scales on his arms. "They''re both part of my being now. But the mushroom''s physical manifestation doesn''t have much use outside my body, so there''s not much point in using it."


    "What kind of boosts does the hydra give you?" Liu asked, studying Ren''s new features with fascination.


    "Forty percent in strength and defense, 20% in everything else," Ren flexed his crystalline claws. "It doesn''t reach Luna''s wolf''s boost levels, which can hit fifty percent per rank, but it''s not far behind."


    "And with your mushroom''s twenty percent..." Min began calculating.


    "Sixty percent total strength," Ren nodded. "Similar to Taro''s defense buff. And the hydra is still iron rank."


    Lin approached. Her expression had turned serious, her crane''s feathers ruffling with concern.


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    "Writing theories that challenge five hundred years of knowledge is one thing," she said quietly. "But being a double tamer... that''s more complicated than you think."


    Ren looked at her curiously. "Why?"


    "Because only the highest-ranking nobles and the royal family are supposed to know the method," Lin crossed her arms. "And they''re... quite protective of that knowledge."


    The other boys exchanged worried looks, their beasts manifesting slightly in response to their anxiety.


    "I recommend you don''t manifest the hydra for now," Lin continued. "At least until we find a way to handle this. Did you tell Julius anything about this?" S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No," Ren shook his head. "I didn''t discuss this with him."


    "Maybe you should next time you see him," Lin nodded. "I''ve known Julius since we were children. He''s trustworthy. But his siblings..." she made a significant pause. "They''re another story entirely."


    "What do you suggest?" Ren asked while his scales slowly faded.


    "Let me talk to someone first," Lin moved toward the door. "There might be a simpler solution that doesn''t involve having powerful people asking you questions you shouldn''t answer right now."


    "Questions like ''where did you learn to make a second contract''?" Min suggested, his snake coiling nervously.


    "Or ''how did a child with a mushroom discover something only royalty knew''?" Taro added, his markings shifting uneasily.


    "Exactly," Lin paused at the door. "For now, keep a low profile. You''re already drawing enough attention with your evolution theories. We don''t need to add more fuel to the fire."


    "And training?" Ren asked, a small smile forming on his lips.


    "Oh, that continues as always," Lin smiled mischievously. "Though now that you have sixty percent more strength, we can intensify it a bit."


    Ren groaned while his friends laughed.


    "One more thing," Lin added before leaving. "When the time comes to talk to Julius, let me prepare the ground first. As I said, he''s trustworthy, but even he might have a strange reaction when he learns a first-year student achieved something supposed to be exclusive to royalty."


    After Lin left, the boys remained silent for a moment, the weight of their new secret settling over them like a heavy cloak.

 Chapter 147 - Taming New Beginnings

    "One more thing," Lin added before leaving. "When the time comes to talk to Julius, let me prepare the ground first. As I said, he''s trustworthy, but even he might have a strange reaction when he learns a first-year student achieved something supposed to be exclusive to royalty."The silence that followed Lin''s departure was heavy.


    Min, Liu, and Taro watched Ren with concern, their excitement diminished by the metaphorical rain falling on his achievement while he remained unusually still, apparently lost in thought.


    "Hey," Min began, "it''s not so bad, you just need to keep the hydra secret for a while and¡­"


    He stopped when a big smile began forming on Ren''s lips.


    "Lin..." Ren murmured, his smile growing. "Lin was so worried about the hydra issue that she..."


    His eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievous realization.


    "SHE FORGOT ABOUT MY TRAINING!" he jumped from his bed with explosive energy. "This is our best chance!"


    "Oh no," Taro recognized that look. "Oh no, no, no..."


    Ren grabbed Taro by the shoulders, his new muscles enhanced by the stacked 60% buff making his grip surprisingly firm for a 10-year-old.


    "Ren!" Taro blinked in surprise. "Since when are you this strong?"


    "Fifty percent extra strength increase..." Liu reminded him.


    Ren practically glowed with excitement. "This time we don''t need an elaborate distraction like last time!"


    "Last time?" Min narrowed his eyes suspiciously.


    "I wanted to start gathering materials for the hydra and my world mushroom''s next level but they''ll have to wait... We need to seize this morning!" Ren was already dragging Taro toward the door. "The ruins await us!"


    "Wait!" Taro tried to resist, but Ren''s new buff made it surprisingly difficult. "Shouldn''t we at least discuss what you want to do or...?"


    "There is no time to talk!" Ren was already running down the hallway, dragging a resigned Taro by the arm. "Lin could remember about our training at any moment!"


    Min and Liu looked at each other for a moment.


    "Should we...?" Liu began.


    "Follow those idiots before they get into trouble?" Min sighed while his snake coiled nervously. "Probably."


    ????


    In Yino territory...


    Morning light barely illuminated the path when a figure crawled out of a mine.


    Its anthropomorphic silhouette was grotesque: where arms should be, two enormous scorpion pincers moved erratically.


    The guard at the entrance noticed the movement and raised his lamp, tense and prepared to face a threat.


    The light revealed a disturbing sight: a man covered in dirt and dried blood, his uniform in tatters.


    The guard''s initial tension dissipated upon recognizing the characteristic marks on the uniform of a Yino abyssal soldier, though he''d never seen one in such poor condition.


    "Registration?" the guard asked automatically, following protocol despite the obviously abnormal situation. "I need to note the materials that..."


    The scorpion pincers vanished, revealing stumps where the man''s arms should be. His blood-shot eyes tried to focus on the guard before his body finally gave out.


    The soldier collapsed at the entrance, his last incoherent mumblings about lost cores and stolen eggs.


    "It''s Hagen!" the guard shouted. "The abyss cartographer!"


    Other guards near the entrance came running.


    Few people in Yino didn''t know Hagen, the man who had mapped the depths longer and across greater expanses than anyone. His maps had discovered dozens of new mana veins for the city in recent years.


    "Bring a healer!" another guard was already running toward the emergency post. "And notify the Captain!"


    Transport was complicated. They didn''t want to cause more damage...


    When they finally reached the infirmary in the city center, the head healer was already waiting. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    "By all the..." the healer stopped upon seeing Hagen''s condition. "What in hell happened here?"


    The damage was extensive, not just the lost arms, but massive internal trauma suggesting he''d been crushed and beaten multiple times.


    ????


    When Hagen finally awoke, his first instinct was to reach for his bag, only to find himself moving a bloody stump.


    ''Right¡­''


    He tried with the other arm, achieving the same pathetic result.


    "Damn it," he muttered, concentrating to manifest the hippogriff''s claws.


    The transformation was painful, his beast as exhausted as he was.


    The claws weren''t the best "hands" now, they were clumsy, designed for tearing, not fine manipulation. Though they were better than the pincers...


    After three frustrated attempts to reach his bag, Hagen let out a curse that would have made a sailor blush.


    "Mr. Hagen," the healer rushed in. "I need to administer more treatment. The damage was too severe to heal in one session. My mana wasn''t enough to heal everything in the first round."


    Hagen tried to wave his "hand" dismissively but with his claw¡­ only succeeded in knocking over a tray of instruments. He rolled his eyes, frustrated by his new clumsiness.


    He sighed heavily, concentrated, and moved his claw slowly... He felt his bag, confirming he still had what he needed.


    "About your arms..." the healer began cautiously. "I''m afraid we have no way to..."


    "Don''t worry about that," Hagen interrupted. "Soon it won''t be a problem."


    A familiar laugh resonated from the door. "Won''t be a problem? What are you planning to do? Grow new arms?"


    The east zone supervisor entered, followed by the guard who had found Hagen. The smile on his face froze upon seeing the damage to his body. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hell, Hagen, you look terrible," he whistled. "Did you run into the King of Yano or what?"


    Hagen let out a laugh. "The King? No, no... from what I heard, if it had been the King, I''d be dead."


    He straightened with difficulty.


    "This one," he raised his left stump, "I gifted to that Director Ignatius when I tried to recover the first egg someone stole from me. And this other one," he raised the right, "was a farewell gift to the prince when I tried to save the second egg."


    "The eggs?" The supervisor frowned. "The ones you were supposed to find in the deep zones?"


    "You see..." Hagen told him most of what had happened.


    "Why the hell did you leave the depths?"


    "Because I''m a proud imbecile," Hagen rolled his eyes. "A stubborn idiot who wouldn''t accept to lose what was lost..." Hagen sighed, making the hippogriff''s claws disappear and raising his stumps. "But I learned my lesson."

 Chapter 148 - Taming New Beginnings - 2

    The castle of Yino was an imposing structure carved into living rock, its corridors illuminated by crystals that pulsed with a sickly purple glow. The very air seemed heavier here, weighted with power and secrets.Two guards practically dragged Hagen to the throne room, his bandaged stumps contrasting starkly with the elegance of the place.


    Each step echoed ominously through the ancient halls.


    The King of Yino awaited, his Nian beast manifesting as a horn that his crown accommodated perfectly.


    When Hagen finished most of his report...


    The King''s eyes, normally calculating, burned with barely contained fury.


    "Do you know what you''ve done?" the monarch''s voice was deceptively soft. "Not only did you lose the scorpion cores. Not only did you fail the most important mission I''ve given you in years."


    He rose slowly, his Nian''s power making shadows dance across the walls.


    "You revealed to Yano that we can control abyssals!"


    Hagen remained silent, his stumps trembling slightly.


    "Do you have any idea," the King continued, rising from his throne and approaching, "how much you''ve delayed our plans? Without the scorpion cores to begin abyssal cultivation, the next phase is impossible."


    "My lord," Hagen spoke again, his voice hoarse. "Now that they''re alert, we''d need to wait for things to calm down to try again. Or perhaps we could find another digging beast that supports abyssal injection as well as the scorpion and..."


    The King''s beast''s shadow extended, engulfing Hagen in darkness for a moment. "Perhaps I should cut off your head," whispered the King. "To match your arms."


    "I''ll accept whatever you order, my lord," Hagen bowed his head. "I regret my failure."


    The King moved away, massaging his temples.


    "Manufacturing new abyssal control cores to deploy someone else will take months. And there aren''t many willing to cross the gold depth barrier to complete the mission..."


    He turned abruptly.


    "Why the hell did you need to go up? What was so important that you risked leaving safety and ending up like this?"


    There was a moment of silence. The King studied Hagen; in twenty years of service, he had never lied. He was one of the few the King trusted completely, which made this failure even more frustrating.


    "Stupidity, I have no excuse, but at least," Hagen straightened with difficulty, "I got the hydra core you wanted for your daughter, majesty. Although..." he grimaced, "I couldn''t turn it into an egg. They stole it, and that was largely why I left the safe zone."


    The King sighed deeply, fury giving way to resignation.


    "I suppose we can use you as a test subject for the next abyssal creature as punishment before sending you again." A twisted smile formed on his lips. "If you survive having 3 creatures in your body... Also¡­ Maybe its hands will serve you better than the hippogriff''s."


    He approached to take the core Hagen had protected so fiercely. "At least my little one will be happy with the hydra she''s been asking for so long." His expression softened slightly. "Though we''ll have to resort to plan B and buy some things soon. It''s not long until her tenth birthday."


    "The princess is almost ten?" Hagen blinked in surprise. "Time flies..."


    "Indeed, and you took so long I thought you were already dead... And now, thanks to your little adventure, we''ll have to hurry with the alternative preparations."


    The King carefully stored the core.


    "I know, my lord," Hagen lowered his head. "That''s why I''ll try to recover them as quickly as possible next time if you allow me."


    The King observed the bandaged stumps of his most loyal servant. Twenty years of impeccable service, and now this...


    "Go rest," he finally ordered. "When the new abyssal beast is ready, we''ll discuss your next mission."


    Hagen nodded as the guards helped him stand. "Yes, my lord."


    ????


    "Slow down!" Taro''s voice echoed through the hallway. "Your legs are sixty percent stronger too!"


    "Exactly!" Ren''s laughter floated back to them. "Isn''t it great?!"


    Min and Liu ran after their friends, barely managing to keep pace with the newly empowered Ren. Their beasts manifested partially, trying to help them match his enhanced speed.


    "At least tell us what we''re going to do in the mines!" Liu panted as they ran.


    "We''re going where we couldn''t before!" Ren skillfully dodged a group of surprised students, his new reflexes making the movement seem effortless. "I have a Living Tunnel and a hydra on my side!"


    "I thought we were supposed to keep the hydra secret!" Liu nearly crashed into a column.


    "Secret from the nobles!" Ren corrected without slowing. "Not from the mines!"


    "Isn''t that dangerous?" Taro asked while bouncing behind Ren like a puppet.


    "Not if they don''t catch us!" Ren laughed, clearly enjoying his new capabilities.


    Min and Liu exchanged another look while continuing to run. A normal Ren was troublesome enough. A Ren with strength buff and avoiding training...


    "There are ancient ruins under the school!" Ren explained while running, his excitement infectious despite their reservations.


    This day was going to be interesting.


    ????


    Harold observed Klein strike the training post for the hundredth time¡­


    The kid was throwing movements, more aggressive but equally inefficient as before. Each impact sent vibrations through the ground that his mole beast translated into clear pictures of frustration.


    His mole stirred beneath his skin, like laughing.


    Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire


    ''How pathetic,'' he thought while pretending to take notes. ''The Goldcrest heir reduced to this.'' Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Klein had been like this since his defeat, alternating between periods of impotent rage and what he called "intensified training".


    In reality, he was just making the same mistakes with more force, like a child throwing a tantrum.


    His long-antennaed abyssal centipede, the special beast for his quest, stirred within him, its mana sensors capturing the erratic energy patterns emanating from the golden¡­ no, yellow lion, as the beetle boy had correctly pointed out the other day.


    Harold suppressed a smile. As an orphan from Yino, he had seen true power, true determination.


    This spoiled noble''s tantrums were almost insulting.


    His centipede perceived something deeper, far more interesting than Klein''s frustrated strikes. Ancient energy patterns, firmly buried beneath the academy.


    The ruins that were his true mission to investigate.


    The centipede extended its ethereal antennae, invisible to all except those most sensitive to mana fluctuations. The ruins were fascinating, more complex than Yino had theorized.


    ''If you only knew, Klein,'' he thought while pretending to admire another poorly executed strike. ''That your "new assigned companion" is a double tamer, sent not to watch you, but to uncover secrets your traitorous family wants to share with Yino...''

 Chapter 149 - Taming the Ancient Ruins

    ''If you only knew, Klein,'' Harold thought while pretending to admire another poorly executed strike. ''That your "new assigned companion" is a double tamer, sent not to watch you, but to uncover secrets your traitorous family wants to share with Yino...''The mole was perfect for detecting physical structures, excavating the tunnels and chambers. Its sensitivity to underground formations provided a living map of what lay beneath.


    The abyssal long-antennaed centipede, Yino''s latest experiment in detector beasts, could perceive mana patterns in ways other normal beasts couldn''t even dream of. Its ethereal antennae could trace the faintest energy signatures through solid rock.


    Together, they formed the perfect exploration team. And while Klein obsessed over his wounded pride, Harold could continue his true mission without raising suspicion.


    "Stronger!" Klein roared, his lion''s fur manifesting erratically across his skin. "I have to be stronger!"


    Harold nodded with false admiration, while his beasts silently mapped the secrets buried beneath the academy. Each vibration through the ground revealed more of the complex network below.


    ''Keep at it, Goldcrest heir,'' he thought. ''Keep distracting everyone with your drama while I discover what really matters.''


    Harold watched Klein strike the training post once more before deciding it was time to move.


    "You''re progressing very well," he lied with a practiced smile. "You should maintain this rhythm all day and I''ll tell Kassian you are doing good."


    Klein barely grunted in response, too absorbed in his "intensive training" to notice his supposed guardian''s departure.


    The mole beneath Harold''s skin vibrated slightly as he walked away, detecting another student''s movements several corridors ahead. His abyssal centipede confirmed the mana signature¡­ undoubtedly his companion.


    ????


    Minutes later, Harold walked side by side with one the others, Yino spies¡­ another student from his same class.


    To the casual observer, they were just two classmates chatting casually.


    "Did you find an entrance?" Harold asked quietly, his beasts constantly scanning the area for witnesses. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The other spy nodded, guiding him toward a rarely frequented section of the academy. The air grew colder as they descended toward what appeared to be an underground storage area.


    "This section has a ton of food stored for iron rank students," his companion explained as they went down. "Mainly old grains and cheap preserves."


    Harold noticed the dust accumulated in the corners. "Doesn''t seem very used¡­ Or cleaned."


    "That''s the point," a smile formed on the other spy''s lips. "Who would steal low-rank food in an academy full of rich people and nobles? This food is a ''punishment'' to make them want to rank up. Most of the time they don''t even watch this place."


    The centipede''s ethereal antennae extended, detecting increasingly strong mana patterns as they descended. The mole vibrated with anticipation, sensing ancient structures below the basement.


    They stopped in front of a particularly dark section of the storage room. An old barrel container rested against the wall, covered by a thick layer of undisturbed dust.


    "I''ve been observing this place for almost five months," the other spy moved the container slightly, revealing a narrow space. "Nobody has touched these barrels. Not even the cleaning staff comes here if that isn''t obvious..."


    Harold slipped through the space, his mole guiding him in the darkness. Behind the container, partially hidden by old boxes, a hole had been carefully excavated in the wall.


    "The ruins are about 200 meters down," Harold whispered, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "I can feel them."


    "How long will you need?"


    "My mole can make a single-person tunnel in a few minutes," Harold calculated. "The real challenge will be preventing the mana from leaking and alerting the academy''s sensor tamers."


    "That''s what I''m here for," the other spy smiled. "Just focus on digging. I''ll handle covering the hole to hide the presence."


    Harold nodded, feeling the ruins pulsing weakly beyond the wall.


    "The Goldcrests betrayed Yano for a reason," Harold murmured while his beasts analyzed the excavation. "Whatever''s down there must be more valuable than Yino imagines."


    Soon they would discover exactly what was important enough to risk everything.


    ????


    "There are ancient ruins under the school!" Ren explained while running, still dragging Taro like a kite in his wake.


    "Ruins?" Min had to raise his voice to be heard while trying to keep pace. "How do you know?"


    "I can feel them!" Ren turned a corner without slowing. "From the caves to the academy there''s an impenetrable crystallized mana wall surrounding them¡­ that¡­ everyone probably thinks as part of the natural cave''s structure!"


    "Slow down!" Liu almost collided with another student. "What does that have to do with wanting to escape training?"


    "There are leaks!" Ren grinned while his mushrooms pulsed briefly. "From the school I feel strange sensations in the mana!"


    "Please tell me we''re not going to try to break through an impenetrable mana wall!" Taro pleaded while bouncing behind Ren.


    "No! There must be some entrances!" Ren jumped over a bench with surprising agility, dragging Taro with him. "With my new level I can feel them better than before, though still not with total precision!"


    "What about the director?" Taro managed to ask between bounces. "The staff? Don''t they know about these ruins?"


    "They probably do!" Ren dodged a group of sleepy students. "Maybe they''ve already explored them! But there''s something strange, a powerful sensation down there and I need to know what it is!"


    "I bet you''re thinking: We''ll find out if they''re explored when we get there!" Min guessed the thought, already knowing how his friend''s mind worked.


    Liu finally stopped, leaning against a wall while catching his breath. "Ok, that''s too much, I actually have the first class!" he raised his hands in surrender. "I''ll miss this suicide mission, sorry!"


    "Don''t forget to absorb your crystal today!" Ren shouted over his shoulder without stopping.


    The mine entrance appeared before them. The guard nodded at his post, fighting against early morning drowsiness.


    "Good morning," Ren greeted casually while dragging a disheveled Taro toward registration.


    The guard barely managed to keep his eyes open while scribbling their names. "So early today?"


    "The early worm catches the crystal!" Ren grinned, causing Min to roll his eyes at the made-up saying.


    They had barely finished registering when Ren accelerated again, practically flying toward the lower tunnels. Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire

 Chapter 150 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 2

    "Exactly at 100 meters!" Ren announced as they headed toward the tunnel he used for his habitual escapes. His mushrooms pulsed with excitement, casting dancing shadows on the rough walls. "The perfect entrance.""Perfect for what?" Min asked, but Ren was already turning at the familiar corner.


    "This way," Ren didn''t answer and slipped through an opening so narrow that Min had to hold his breath to pass.


    "How did you even find...?" Taro stopped at seeing the network of tiny tunnels stretching before them. "Oh. So this is where you always sneak off to."


    "Sorry," Ren laughed while advancing through a passage that seemed specifically designed for someone his size. "It''s just..."


    "It''s just that you didn''t want us following you to your secret vein to keep all the crystals for yourself," Min completed the sentence, his snake hissing with mild indignation.


    "Not really, it''s because you would..."


    A distant sound, like claws against stone, made them all freeze.


    "What was...?" Taro began, but Ren silenced him with a gesture.


    They advanced silently until reaching a crack in the floor. The darkness emanating from it seemed deeper, more threatening than that of normal tunnels.


    "My secret route," Ren whispered, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "I''ve been going down here every day."


    Min peered into the abyss. "But... the monsters..."


    Another sound, like something dragging itself across stone.


    "You guys don''t know how to avoid the worms... one wrong step and you attract them," Ren nodded. "That''s why I couldn''t bring you before, but now we are stronger." Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire


    Taro and Min exchanged looks.


    How had Ren managed to spend an entire semester moving among monsters without being detected? The question hung in the air, but neither dared to ask it for a long explanation here.


    "We''ll go down to two hundred meters," Ren began descending through the crack with the familiarity of someone who has made the journey dozens of times. "That''s where I need your help, Taro."


    The descent was tense. Every brush of clothing against stone seemed amplified in the darkness. The tunnel twisted like a snake, sometimes so narrow they had to move sideways.


    But Ren was super happy that the mana didn''t feel as oppressive anymore.


    "Living tunnel beetles like yours start at three hundred meters," Ren explained when they finally reached their objective. "Which means..."


    "That if we make a tunnel here," Taro completed, his eyes gleaming with understanding, "and coat it with my Living Tunnel''s crystal..."


    "The lesser worms won''t be able to enter," Ren nodded. "The crystal is too hard for them."


    "It''ll be a safe tunnel..." Min understood.


    "And better yet," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed with anticipation, "they''ll think a lower-level creature was expelled and is hunting due to lack of mana. No common monster will risk entering once it''s finished."


    "Are you sure about this?" Taro asked.


    "Completely," Ren pointed toward the school''s direction. "I can feel the ruins more clearly here. We just need a direct path..."


    "A secret tunnel," Min whispered. "Straight to whatever''s under the school."


    ????


    Ren guided them to another "slide" that led to a solitary zone at 200 meters and asked them not to move to avoid vibrations, while he decided for the perfect location.


    "That''s a good place to start," Ren manifested his hydra, its crystalline scales gleaming with his mushrooms'' light in the darkness. At his side, Taro''s Living Tunnel emerged in all its glory.


    The two beasts began excavating with supernatural efficiency.


    "Taro!" Ren called without stopping coordinating his hydra''s movements. "Have your beast start coating the walls! The worms won''t take long to notice the vibration!"


    Min moved nervously while watching the first meters of tunnel form. "Shouldn''t we...?"


    "Don''t be scared!" Ren smiled without taking his eyes off the work. "Just stay still and summon your snake! It can help us soon."


    The water snake materialized, its scales shining with a deep blue tone in the tunnel''s gloom.


    "My hydra and your snake can keep the worms at bay while the beetle secures the first sections," Ren explained while the beasts continued their labor.


    Twenty meters of tunnel later, Ren visibly tensed. His mushrooms pulsed once, catching something.


    "First one''s coming!" he warned. "Taro, stop excavating! Start the blockade!"


    The Living Tunnel immediately changed its task, living crystal flowing from its segments to strengthen the walls.


    Ren guided his hydra a few meters beyond the finished tunnel''s end. "Here it comes!"


    The earth trembled beneath the hydra. A common worm, its segmented body glowing with a sickly tone, emerged from the wall as if it were water.


    "Diamond Shield!" Ren ordered.


    The hydra''s scales shone intensely, crystallizing into an improvised armor.


    ''Not as hard as it will be at higher ranks,'' Ren thought, ''but it''ll do!''


    The worm launched itself at the hydra, only to find its jaws trapped by the crystalline beast.


    "Min!" Ren called. "Now!" sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The water snake slid swiftly, coiling around the worm. Between the two beasts they began pulling, dragging the monster completely from its hole.


    The worm writhed uselessly, trapped between the hydra''s jaws and the snake''s constricting coils.


    "Just a bit more and...!"


    CRASH.


    The Living Tunnel, apparently tired of waiting, simply crushed the worm with one of its enormous feet.


    "Well..." Ren blinked in surprise. "That... works too."


    "Can we get back to work?" Taro asked while his beast casually cleaned its foot against the wall. "I''d prefer to finish before more come."


    "Right!" Ren had his hydra return to excavating. "But stay alert! Some worms are foolish enough to..."


    He broke off, his mushrooms pulsing again.


    "From the right!" he warned.


    The beasts positioned themselves, prepared for another round.


    ????


    Luna''s cousins looked at each other in horror when the first rays of sun woke them.


    They had fallen asleep after a night of ''planning surveillance strategies'' with their cousin.


    They ran through the hallways, trying to maintain aristocratic composure. But when they reached Ren''s room, they found the door closed and no sound from within.


    "Did he escape us?" the blonde bit her lip. "Great spies¡­"


    As if answering her question, Liu appeared turning the corner, muttering to himself while walking distractedly.


    The cousins exchanged a look and slid silently closer, hiding behind a column.


    "...and now with that ruins thing..." they managed to hear Liu. "...as if the hydra wasn''t enough..."


    The blue-haired cousin barely contained an exclamation. Her companion covered her mouth with one hand.

 Chapter 151 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 3

    The cousins exchanged a look and slid silently closer, hiding behind a column."...and now with that ruins thing..." they managed to hear Liu. "...as if the hydra wasn''t enough..."


    The blue-haired cousin barely contained an exclamation. Her companion covered her mouth with one hand.


    Liu continued walking distractedly while muttering to himself until he was far enough away.


    "Great," one of them sighed. "Now what? Without Wei''s class this first hour, we don''t even know where to look for Harold..."


    "...should have followed Ren to the caves?" Liu continued mumbling. "But the cultivation class has the hardest exam to memorize..."


    The cousins exchanged a meaningful look, their beasts stirring with interest beneath their skin.


    "I''m going to the caves," one of the cousins whispered. "If they''re looking for ruins, we need to know why."


    "And what am I supposed to do without being able to find Harold?"


    "You''re right... Without Wei''s class, he won''t show up until later. Follow this boy for now, he''s muttering interesting things so keep track of everything he says."


    The cousin sighed resignedly while watching her companion disappear down the hallway. She turned to follow Liu, who was still muttering to himself as he walked.


    But though she followed, he no longer seemed to be saying anything interesting... He appeared to be heading to his cultivation class.


    The cousin was considering abandoning the surveillance when Liu, instead of heading to his usual class, took an unexpected detour.


    The side hallway was rarely used, mainly for storage. Liu looked nervously both ways before turning another corner.


    ''What are you up to?'' the cousin smiled while following cautiously. Maybe this day wouldn''t be so boring after all.


    ????


    In the caves¡­


    The tunnel grew meter by meter, each section immediately reinforced with living crystal that glowed with a soft, steady light.


    "How much further?" Min asked while his snake helped the hydra try to remove another particularly stubborn worm from the ground.


    "Not much," Ren smiled. "I can feel the ruins getting closer."


    CRASH.


    "Was that necessary?" Ren looked at Taro, who shrugged sheepishly.


    "My beast says it''s more efficient this way."


    Min shook his head while watching the Living Tunnel clean its foot again. "At least it''s quick..."


    While Taro''s beast and the hydra continued digging, Ren and Min collected the remains of the lesser worms they''d defeated. The tunnel floor was littered with evidence of their battles.


    The cores were incomplete, practically hundred-point crystals so they were good, but the teeth were what really caught Ren''s attention.


    "Still thinking about making those strange weapons?" Min asked while storing some crystals.


    "Mmm," Ren examined one of the teeth, remembering his failed attempts of the last few months. "I never managed to get them to fix properly to the wood to make the spiked club I wanted."


    He recalled his visit to Isaac, the craftsman. The cost of the work he''d requested was high compared to the limited utility the weapon would have... buying a complete wooden weapon would be cheaper and the utility would be similar.


    "I got to the point where I was thinking of selling them," he continued while picking up another particularly sharp tooth. "But with only 10, a hundred crystals weren''t very attractive so I decided to just keep them..."


    "Ha ha, now we have to hear about the rich hoarder''s problems... Are you planning to keep more to collect?" Min observed the small bag of teeth that Ren was accumulating.


    "Now that we have a way to get many..." Ren held a tooth up to his mushrooms'' light. "I was thinking about arrows."


    "Arrows?"


    "They''d be easier to make than a weapon designed to be permanent," Ren explained while carefully storing the teeth. "And cheaper. They could be useful for the final gathering expedition of the semester in five days."


    The tunnel advanced quickly thanks to the combined work of the hydra and Living Tunnel. Living crystal continued flowing, creating resistant walls that no lesser or common worm would try to breach.


    Taro broke his silence. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ren," he wiped dirt from his forehead, "how much are you going to need to rank up?"


    "Why?" Ren smiled while his hydra helped with the excavation. "Worried about the costs?"


    "Well," Taro made mental calculations, "I went from using one-point crystals to ten-point crystals. So my base cost went from one hundred to a thousand crystals."


    Min shrugged. "That doesn''t sound so bad." Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire


    "No, that''s the only cheap part," Taro continued. "The bronze rank deep earth now costs me a hundred points per crystal. That''s another ten thousand..."


    "And the defense rune for bronze 2," he added, "is twenty-four thousand crystals."


    "Thirty-five thousand total," Ren nodded. "Not bad for a bronze evolution."


    "Exactly, though it''ll take me a bit longer to get them but I have 100 days to complete..." Taro directed his beast to widen a section of the tunnel. "But you already spent fifty thousand just to reach bronze 1. How much will you need now?"


    Ren sighed while his mushrooms pulsed softly. "The base crystals have to be hundred points now. So that''ll be ten thousand crystals just for that."


    "Ten times more than me," Taro nodded.


    "The intelligence rune for bronze 2 is twenty thousand so that''s actually cheaper than yours," Ren continued. "But the expensive part is the special materials. I need bronze 2 beast remains with a specific type of mold. Thousand crystals per unit."


    Min almost choked. "Thousand per unit? And how many do you need?"


    "A hundred," Ren responded casually. "One hundred thousand crystals total..."


    "And that''s not all," he continued while feeling an energy leak and correcting course. "The bronze 2 level fungi to dissolve the materials have to be from Yino. Three hundred thousand more."


    "Four hundred thirty thousand," Min calculated, his snake coiling nervously. "Just for the mushroom?"


    "Well, there''s also the hydra," Ren smiled. "But it''s more economical because it''s just going from iron to bronze 1 so¡­ Uses a defense rune like Taro''s and some basic light element materials. Only adds about twenty thousand more to the total."


    "Four hundred fifty thousand crystals," Taro shook his head in amazement. "There goes the magnate''s fortune."


    "But don''t worry, after this we''ll use your tunnel to improve our situation," Ren touched one of the crystallized walls. "Plus the gathering in five days could help."


    Suddenly, Ren stopped. His mushrooms pulsed briefly.


    "What''s wrong?" Taro halted the excavation upon noticing his expression.


    "I can feel it more clearly now," Ren closed his eyes, concentrating. "One of the entrances. It''s close."

 Chapter 152 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 4

    Suddenly, Ren stopped. His mushrooms pulsed briefly."What''s wrong?" Taro halted the excavation upon noticing his expression.


    "I can feel it more clearly now," Ren closed his eyes, concentrating. "One of the entrances. It''s close."


    Min and Taro exchanged looks while Ren pressed his hand against the tunnel wall, his fingers tracing patterns only he could sense.


    "There''s energy leaking," he murmured. "Through the enormous crystallized mana wall. It''s... different. More intense than anything I''ve felt before."


    "Should we continue in this direction?" Taro asked, his Living Tunnel awaiting instructions.


    "No," Ren opened his eyes. "We need to adjust course. About twenty degrees to the left and..." he calculated for a moment, "five degrees upward."


    "Are you sure we want to go toward that?" Min asked nervously, his snake coiling tighter around his arm.


    "I can feel the entrance more and more clearly. It''s like... a whisper calling to me."


    Min felt ignored again... but didn''t argue against Ren.


    Taro nodded and directed his beast to begin excavating in the new direction. Ren''s hydra joined the effort, its crystalline claws tearing through hard earth with renewed purpose.


    "Well... At least, whatever''s there," Min murmured while collecting the last tooth, "must be important if it''s protected behind a mana wall."


    Ren smiled while feeling the strange energy growing stronger. "We''ll find out soon."


    ????


    Luna''s cousin frowned when she saw Liu enter the food storage for iron rank students.


    The place was barely used, most students uninterested in its existence.


    Maybe the occasional couple of lovebirds...


    ''Why would someone come here alone?'' she thought while sliding silently after him.


    The air grew colder as they descended. Liu constantly looked over his shoulder, as if afraid of being followed.


    The cousin maintained her distance, using the shadows of old containers as cover. There was something very strange about all this, and she was determined to discover what it was.


    ????


    The other cousin had reached the mines and registered.


    "Lucky mushroom''s group?" the guard checked his registry to remember the time. "Arrived about ten minutes ago."


    Luna''s cousin nodded, maintaining a casual expression while signing her entry. Ten minutes wasn''t much time, in theory, they should be easy to catch up to if they were limited to the first hundred meters like all first-year students.


    But after searching all the main tunnels of the first level, she had to admit she was wrong. There was no sign of them anywhere.


    She stopped at an intersection, considering her options. The tunnels were quiet this early in the morning.


    ''Where could they have gone?'' she thought while observing the rock walls. And then an idea crossed her mind.


    Her beast specialized in minerals.


    If Taro''s Living Tunnel had been using its special ability to create living crystal, it would have left a distinctive mineral energy signature. And since that type of crystal was only found naturally after three hundred meters down...


    A smile formed on her lips while she manifested her beast, making sure no one saw. Any use of that crystal at lesser depths would be like a bright signal pointing directly to them.


    ????


    In the iron rank students'' food storage...


    The sound of footsteps on the storage stairs made the spy curse internally. His fist hit the ground in a specific pattern: three quick hits, pause, two slow ones.


    Through the rock, the vibrations traveled to where Harold was digging. His mole caught them first, instantly alerting him. His long-antennaed centipede confirmed the pattern, unplanned intrusion.


    Harold stopped excavating immediately, cursing his luck. His beasts tensed, sensing his frustration.


    Just when they had decided to act...


    He climbed the 50 meters of tunnel he''d made, approached the soft, elastic cover of the tunnel that the other spy had made, and pressed his hand against it.


    Liu had reached one of the less dusty boxes, muttering to himself while his bat separated from him, venturing into the storage''s darkness.


    "You love this, don''t you?" Liu talked to his beast while opening the box. "You can never enjoy darkness in the room because Ren always has those glowing mushrooms... At least here you can relax a bit before class."


    The spy covering the entrance tensed when the bat passed nearby. The beast was rather large, almost a meter in height. If it decided to use its sonar...


    ''Shit,'' he thought while remaining completely still.


    Harold waited for information inside the tunnel on the other side of the entrance.


    From the other side, his companion responded with a series of soft taps. His fingers moved in Yino''s silent language, transmitting vital information in Harold''s palm. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Student... unknown... flying beast..."


    Harold''s fingers responded quickly: "Threat?"


    The response came immediately: "Bat... large... sonar..."


    A single echo-location pulse and all would be lost. Its ears moved constantly, catching every small sound.


    The spy''s fingers transmitted quickly: "Mentions Ren... roommate..."


    Harold felt his blood freeze. A roommate of the mushroom boy? The same one who had been causing such a stir lately?


    The fingers transmitted another urgent message: "Beast... too close..."


    Harold gritted his teeth. If the bat discovered them, they would have to silence the boy. Not something they wanted, a missing student would draw too much attention.


    The student kept talking, apparently oblivious to the danger he was in.


    ????


    Luna''s cousin watched curiously while Liu searched through the new boxes.


    After so much mystery and suspicious behavior, what he pulled out was...


    Food?


    "Ah, here they are," Liu smiled holding a dried leaf filled with preserves. "They haven''t restocked these since last semester."


    "It''s a funny acquired taste that left me without friends," he muttered while opening the preserve. "Haven''t had these since I was little. Last semester reminded me of them and I suffered because they stopped serving them... But the other day, when I passed by one of the carts bringing provisions to the punishment storage and smelled them..."


    The smell emanating from the opened box made the cousin have to contain a retch. It was a mixture between fermented vegetables and something that definitely shouldn''t be fermented.


    "I don''t understand why everyone hates it," Liu smiled, apparently immune to the stench. "Though they don''t seem to like the smell..." his smile faltered. "Maybe I should worry about my breath now..."


    The cousin had to contain an incredulous laugh. All this stealth and suspicious behavior was for... smelly food no one likes? She had worried for nothing.


    "Ah!" Liu snapped his fingers. "The dried herbs! There are some boxes in the back, next to the oil barrels. They''re not tasty at all, but they''re perfect for killing smells if you chew them."


    Liu began walking toward the back of the storage, directly toward the old barrel furniture that no one had moved in months.

 Chapter 153 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 5

    Liu was worried about losing friends again due to the smell that would linger in his mouth...


    "Ah!" Liu snapped his fingers. "The dried herbs! There are some boxes in the back, next to the oil barrels. They''re not tasty at all, but they''re perfect for killing smells if you chew them."


    Liu began walking toward the back of the storage, directly toward the old barrel furniture that no one had moved in months.


    ''He''s just looking for herbs to...'' thought the cousin.


    Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed something strange in the shadows near the barrels. Was it her imagination, or had something moved?


    Liu kept approaching, cheerfully chewing his smelly preserve while his bat rested lazily on his head. Completely oblivious that he was heading directly toward...


    The cousin narrowed her eyes, trying to better distinguish what she had seen. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw the gleam of eyes in the darkness.


    ????


    In Luna''s room...


    The absence of Wei''s class had made the morning unusually peaceful.


    Mayo hummed softly while brushing Luna''s hair with expert movements, taking her time to create Luna''s perfect favorite hairstyle that she normally had to rush.


    Matilda moved around the room with silent efficiency, folding yesterday''s pajamas and organizing the training uniform for later classes.


    Luna''s shadow wolf dozed lazily in a corner, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.


    "We should thank Ren... I have a feeling we''ll have several mornings like this after Wei''s humiliation," Mayo commented while braiding a section of hair. "I could send him a bouquet of roses... with a note saying something like, ''Thanks for an unhurried morning, with love: Luna''."


    Luna rolled her eyes and was about to respond when three firm knocks resonated on the door.


    The girls exchanged glances and following protocol...


    Matilda opened the door to find two of the new "students". The usual formality in their faces had been replaced by a sense of urgency.


    Luna noticed the change immediately. "Matilda, close the door."


    The newcomers didn''t even wait for the door to close completely.


    "Two energy anomalies underground," the first reported without preamble. "Our companions with perception beasts detected them 1 minute ago. Something''s happening under the school."


    "And that''s not all," the second added. "The four caretakers assigned to your cousins sent a message. They believe they might be in danger again from their ''spy games'' shenanigans."


    Luna''s wolf entered her shadow, responding to her concern. "Which game?"


    "They went out monitoring again, escaping early and unwatched, it seemed safe as always so our team followed from afar, but apparently one decided to follow the mushroom boy," responded the first agent.


    "...But the boy went to the caves again today. The energy anomalies... they''re enormous. The kind that shouldn''t exist under the academy."


    "We need to act together," the second agent looked meaningfully at Luna.


    As agents infiltrated in a children''s class, Julius couldn''t form too strong a team since age greatly affected the rank children could reach through cultivation time. Individually they barely reached bronze rank 1 and 2.


    Luna vividly remembered the incident with the gold rank 1 agent.


    If something similar was happening...


    "The six of us together can protect them even then, our beasts are specialized in protection and recovery," continued the first. "But if there are serious problems, we''ll need total team coordination."


    "First we want you to get to safety," added the second agent. "But we need someone to inform the director. If there are intruders of the level of the last incident..."


    "Excuse me?" Luna arched an eyebrow.


    "You''re our primary protection target," the other agent added. "We can''t risk anything happening to you while we''re all investigating the anomalies."


    Luna clenched her fists, her shadow wolf manifesting with more intensity. "My cousin could be in danger."


    "And we''ll handle it," the first agent insisted. "Please, stay where we can guarantee your safety when we return."


    "My lady," Mayo intervened, her usual playful tone completely absent. "What are your orders?"


    Luna held her gaze for a long moment before sighing. "Fine. I''ll stay... I''ll go to the director," Luna decided. "You gather with the others."


    The agents nodded, apparently satisfied, and headed for the door, but Luna stopped them.


    "And girls," her voice turned icy, "if you find my cousin... make sure she returns safely."


    The "students" exchanged a look before nodding. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire


    When they left, Mayo and Matilda were already ready, their beasts partially manifested.


    "Do you think it''s another Yino intruder?" Matilda asked as they followed Luna down the hallway.


    "I don''t know," Luna clenched her fists. "But if someone hurts my cousin, they''ll discover there are things worse than a gold rank 1 beast."


    Mayo and Matilda knew that expression on Luna''s face too well.


    "My lady..." Matilda began.


    "Mayo," Luna interrupted while her wolf began merging with the shadows. "Go to the director. Inform him of the situation."


    "And you?" Mayo asked, though she already knew the answer.


    Luna smiled while the shadows enveloped her. "I''m going to find my cousin. And let no one tell me who I can protect."


    Before they could protest, Luna had disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the echo of her last words.


    ???? S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Stop," Ren raised a hand when the tunnel ended abruptly against a crystalline wall that glowed with strange energy. "It''s here."


    Taro''s Living Tunnel stopped, its segments pulsing while evaluating the new barrier. Ren''s hydra sniffed the surface, its crystalline scales resonating slightly with the material.


    "Is this...?" Min approached to better examine the wall. "The mana cristal barrier?"


    "Yes," Ren ran his fingers over the surface. "But look at this."


    His mushrooms pulsed while pointing to an irregularity in the crystal. What appeared to be a solid, impenetrable wall had a crack, barely visible under the living crystal light that coated their tunnel.


    They used their beasts and began digging around it until they finally had an entrance...


    "It''s small," Taro observed, studying the opening. "Very small."


    "We''ll have to return the beasts," Ren began vanishing his hydra into his body. "It''s the only way to get them through."


    Ren was the first to try. Used to moving in the small secret tunnels he''d made, it wasn''t difficult for him.


    Min followed, though he had to contort a bit to pass. His snake remained manifested, being long but not thick managed to slide through the crack with relative ease.


    Taro stayed looking at the opening with apprehension.


    "I''m not going to fit," he declared after studying it. "I''m more... robust."

 Chapter 154 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 6

    Ren was the first to try. Used to moving through the small secret tunnels he''d made, it wasn''t difficult for him to slip through.


    Min followed, though he had to contort a bit to pass. His snake remained manifested, being long but not thick managed to slide through the crack with relative ease, its scales gleaming in the strange light.


    Taro stayed looking at the opening with apprehension.


    "I''m not going to fit," he declared after studying it. "I''m more... robust."


    He tried to wedge a shoulder in, but his broad back made passage impossible. After several frustrated attempts, Ren began to laugh.


    "What''s so funny?" Taro growled, still stuck halfway.


    "I don''t sense anything dangerous here... Deactivate the shell," Ren suggested between laughs. "Your beetle is in your body so it can pass, but you don''t need to keep all its characteristics manifested."


    Taro blinked in surprise before blushing. The shell on his back vanished and, indeed, he managed to slide through the crack without further problem.


    He was about to make an excuse and say it wasn''t fear, but the words died in his throat when he saw what awaited them on the other side.


    Where they thought they would find more rock, earth, or crystal, rose a metallic wall that glowed faintly under a layer of ''antiquity'' (rust).


    They were standing on a structure of the same material, some kind of strange bridge or walkway with pulsing blue lines that extended from the crack to the wall.


    "Look up," Ren whispered, his voice filled with wonder.


    Min and Taro raised their eyes and held their breath.


    The metal wall curved upward and to the sides, forming what appeared to be part of an enormous sphere. The same was true when they looked down.


    Other bridges similar to theirs connected the crystallized mana wall to the structure at different levels and angles.


    All this existed in a space between the crystal barrier they had just crossed and another similar layer that seemed to contain the entire structure, as if the metal sphere had been built in a pocket between two worlds.


    "It''s... it''s..." Taro couldn''t find the words.


    "Impossible," Min completed, his voice barely a whisper.


    Ren was already walking toward the end of their bridge, where a rectangular shape was distinguishable in the metallic wall. As he approached, the details became clearer, it was definitely a door, with engraved symbols that resembled ones he had seen before.


    "It can''t be," Min observed the other walkways. "All this has been here, under the academy, this whole time?"


    "What is this place?" Taro asked, still trying to process the scale of what they were seeing.


    Ren extended his hand toward the door.


    "I don''t know," he responded while his mushrooms pulsed with anticipation. "But we''re going to find out."


    Ren''s fingers barely brushed the door''s symbols when a bluish glow emanated from them. His mushrooms responded immediately, pulsing with the same strange light.


    An overwhelming sensation coursed through his body, as if something ancient and powerful was communicating directly with his mind. Suddenly he understood, every action needed to open the door unfolded in his consciousness like a map.


    But along with that knowledge came something else. Explore stories on My Virtual Library Empire


    An increase in his perception...


    And a realization.


    "Down!" Ren grabbed Min and Taro, roughly pulling them to the metal floor. "Don''t move."


    "What...?" Min began to ask, but Ren silenced him with a gesture.


    "Someone followed us," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the crack they had entered through. "They have a beast that can ''jump'', do short teleportations."


    Ren began crawling toward the crack, taking his friends with him, keeping as close to the floor as possible. S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Min and Taro didn''t understand the abrupt change, they had many questions but...


    Ren pressed a finger to his lips, silencing Min and Taro''s questions. He pressed against the edge of the mana wall, his body tense as a bowstring.


    "Teleportation beasts have a weakness," he whispered so low his friends could barely hear him. "They need to see where they''re going to appear."


    Min and Taro nodded, understanding the importance of staying out of sight.


    "Be ready," Ren continued. "When they appear..."


    He broke off when he felt the distortion in the mana, the signal of a spatial jump.


    The figure materialized right in front of the crack, still inside Taro''s "living tunnel".


    After some tense seconds of what felt like indecision, they ended up cautiously peering through.


    Ren held his breath. He knew the follower''s next action would be predictable, seeing no one, they would do a jump inside the space for better visibility.


    As anticipated, the figure muttered something and instead of physically crossing the crack, the air distorted with the signal of another jump.


    ''Teleportation beasts tend to choose the most obvious and safe point to appear,'' Ren smiled internally while moving.


    At the exact moment the figure materialized in the center of the metal walkway, Ren jumped. His arms, strengthened by Lin and the hydra''s buff, closed around the intruder from behind, one hand firmly covering their eyes.


    "A jumping beast is useless if you can''t see your destination," Ren declared, maintaining his firm grip. "Now, why did you follow us?"


    ????


    The vibrations Harold''s mole caught were unmistakable, the intruder was approaching. His long-antennaed centipede confirmed the presence.


    ''Damn,'' Harold gritted his teeth. They couldn''t afford witnesses, not when they were so close. They would have to silence the bat boy.


    The spies quickly analyzed the situation. The bat was a threat with its sonar, but its tamer seemed distracted, focused on chewing smelly food.


    A quick and precise attack...


    Harold touched the hand on the other side, transmitting a new message to his companion: "Prepare elimination. Too much risk."


    His companion didn''t seem very convinced as his hand trembled, was that indecision?


    But while considering his options, a plan began to form. The ruins he was going to find... were deep enough that a disappearance would take time to investigate. If they could get the boy''s body there without being seen...


    In the worst case, he could always escape to the abyss.


    His modified beast, a modern achievement of Yino, reached silver rank 1 without destroying its tamer''s mind, giving the spy a power range unthinkable for a normal child his age.


    No student near his age could avoid being dragged to the depths.


    "Stop trembling and prepare," he transmitted to his companion. "Let me pass when in range. We catch the intruder as soon as he''s less than 5 meters away."


    The other spy began preparing his trap.


    And then they felt it.


    A distortion in the mana, the unmistakable pattern of a spatial teleportation. The spy covering the entrance caught a glimpse of blue hair materializing briefly before hiding under a box behind the other intruder.


    ''Shit,'' Harold''s fingers transmitted frantically. "Second intruder. Jump beast."


    ''Luna?''

 Chapter 155 - Taming Fear

    The other spy began preparing his trap.


    And then they felt it.


    A distortion in the mana, the unmistakable pattern of a spatial teleportation. The spy covering the entrance caught a glimpse of blue hair materializing briefly before hiding under a box behind the other intruder.


    ''Shit,'' Harold''s fingers transmitted frantically. "Second intruder. Jump beast."


    ''Luna?''


    The situation had just grown exponentially more complicated. One thing was disposing of a distracted student, but a teleportation beast... those were rare, and generally meant trouble.


    Harold''s centipede extended its long antennae, trying to map the new intruder''s exact position. The mole vibrated, detecting movement right where the jump had landed.


    The outer spy insisted: "Blue hair + jump = Luna, strong. Extreme risk."


    Yet Harold considered his options. The mission was crucial, the ruins contained secrets Yino desperately wanted.


    But if they were discovered now...


    "Abandon?" the other spy asked insistently through the cover.


    Harold felt the tension in his companion''s taps, but a smile formed on his lips. His abyssal centipede vibrated, catching the characteristic mana fluctuations of teleportation.


    ''Luna,'' he thought while his mole confirmed the presence at the jump point. ''What an interesting twist of fate.''


    His employer''s orders had always been clear: obtaining Luna was a priority.


    The arranged engagement with Klein was just one of many strategies in play, and frankly, one destined to fail from the beginning in his opinion.


    Harold remembered Klein''s constant complaints, his childish tantrums, his inability to understand the true nature of his political mission of wooing the girl.


    He shook his head in disgust remembering.


    No, that path would never work.


    But this... this was a unique opportunity.


    His fingers transmitted quickly: "No retreat. Priority target identified."


    "Are you crazy?" the response came immediately. "She''ll have guards nearby. The six new ones are extremely suspicious..."


    "That''s why we must act fast now that she''s near our tunnel," Harold interrupted the tapping. "Generate more material like this used for the camouflage. I want two blankets."


    His companion hesitated but began working.


    Harold didn''t know why Luna was following the bat boy, but that was irrelevant. What mattered was that she was here, far from most of her protectors that his antennae couldn''t sense, in a place where no one would expect an attack.


    His modified beast stirred beneath his skin, eager to act. At silver rank 1, he could handle any initial resistance.


    ''Sorry, Klein,'' he thought with some irony. ''But there are more efficient ways to get what you want.''


    His fingers transmitted the final instructions: "Hurry. We need immediate containment."


    It was risky, yes. The new students probably weren''t far. But if they acted quickly enough...


    The prize was worth any risk. They would generously reward whoever delivered Luna, especially if she came with information about the ruins under the academy.


    Harold smiled in the darkness. Luna had no idea she was walking straight into a trap.


    ''Sometimes,'' he thought while preparing, ''fate delivers exactly what we need.''


    Harold transmitted through the cover on the wall...


    "Open the entrance just for a moment when the stuff is ready. I''ll handle Luna, you take the intruder. Signal when finished."


    The first cover took shape quickly.


    The tension was palpable while the second began forming. The spy worked with controlled but hurried movements, clearly uncomfortable with the plan but following orders.


    The second was barely halfway done when...


    A flash of mana. Luna had materialized nearby, too close. She was peering precisely in their direction.


    ''Damn,'' Harold didn''t wait for the signal or his companion to finish. His body changed instantly, his modified beast manifesting to its maximum. The centipede''s antennae extended, catching every mana fluctuation in the air.


    "Now!" he shouted to his companion. "You catch the bat one!"


    Everything happened in an instant.


    Luna detected the danger immediately. The air distorted with the characteristic signature of a spatial jump as she tried to escape.


    But Harold''s antennae were extraordinary. The mana fluctuations were so clear to him that he could predict exactly where the jump would appear.


    It was like seeing a three-dimensional mana map in space, and only one point glowed brightly.


    With Harold''s multiple long legs and his speed increased by 200%, the swift impulse took him to the appearance point.


    Just after the girl''s figure could fully materialize, Harold was already there.


    The cover his companion had created deployed like a living net, enveloping "Luna" without giving her eyes time to repeat the appearance dynamic.


    Inside the cover Harold felt mana accumulating, she was trying to use transformation.


    His centipede''s antennae caught the intention instantly. There was no time for subtleties.


    The strike was quick and precise. Luna collapsed inside the cover, the energy dissipating inside like mist.


    "Secure the other one," Harold ordered while verifying his prisoner was truly unconscious. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire


    His centipede''s antennae remained extended, monitoring the area. If the new students were nearby, they would have to act fast.


    But for now, they had Luna.


    The other spy was barely finishing the second cover when Liu''s bat emitted a sonar pulse. The waves bounced through the space, revealing the hidden figures.


    Liu''s fusion with his beast after that was almost instantaneous. The bat''s wings manifested on his arms while his mind processed the sonar information: two attackers, one wrapped figure.


    He rose quickly in the storage''s darkness, his bat guiding him with perfect precision.


    "He''s escaping!" Harold shouted, still holding his unconscious prisoner.


    The other spy threw the newly finished cover, but Liu was already near the high ceiling.


    ''Damn,'' Harold gritted his teeth. If the boy reached the entrance, the entire operation would be compromised. He would have to catch him, but...


    Liu stopped in the air. His bat had detected something else, the kidnapped girl.


    "No..." he whispered, and then made his decision.


    Instead of escaping toward the entrance, Liu dove directly at Harold. His eyes glowed with determination while remembering Ren''s lessons:


    "Sonar isn''t just for detection," his friend had told him. "Concentrated and at the right distance, it can disorient, stun..." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The cry that emerged from Liu was like nothing Harold had experienced. The sound waves, amplified and concentrated by the beast, hit his nervous system like a hammer.


    Too effective against Harold''s beast''s heightened perception.

 Chapter 156 - Taming Defeat

    Instead of escaping toward the entrance, Liu dove directly at Harold. His eyes glowed with determination while remembering Ren''s lessons:


    "Sonar isn''t just for detection," his friend had told him. "Concentrated and at the right distance, it can disorient, stun..."


    The cry that emerged from Liu was like nothing Harold had experienced. The sound waves, amplified and concentrated by the beast, hit his nervous system like a hammer.


    Too effective against his beast''s heightened perception.


    He staggered, his antennae involuntarily retracting from the attack. His vision blurred while his brain tried to process the sensory overload.


    Liu descended, his hand extended toward the wrapped figure.


    He was so close...


    So close that he was distracted for an instant.


    The movement above Harold went unnoticed until it was too late.


    It wasn''t an antenna.


    A line of organic material, placed defensively above Harold as protection, wrapped around Liu''s wrist. The first spy had activated the line Harold was pulling at the precise moment.


    Liu''s hand got pulled.


    And before he could react, Harold recovered from the stunning. His fist, empowered by his modified beast, connected with brutal precision. Liu went limp like a puppet with cut strings even before touching the ground.


    Harold raised his hand for a second blow, this time lethal, but his companion stopped him.


    "Leave him to me," the spy pointed toward the tunnel. "Your beast... its energy is too distinctive. If someone''s tracking, they''ll detect you first. Enter the tunnel now."


    Harold barely had time to consider his companion''s suggestion when his antennae caught a new presence. The vibrations his mole detected in the stairs were unmistakable, someone was approaching.


    "Shit," he hissed, his centipede extending its antennae to evaluate the threat. "Hurry!"


    His spy companion acted efficiently, wrapping Liu''s unconscious body in the protective cover with precise movements.


    The sensation intensified, whoever was coming was moving fast.


    "Inside!" Harold urged while his companion carried Liu toward the hidden hole.


    They slipped through the opening just as the footsteps reached the storage level. The entrance disappeared under a layer of material.


    "Take her," Harold passed Luna''s unconscious body to his companion. "I need my hands free."


    Without waiting for a response, he positioned himself at the tunnel''s front. His ears were still ringing and he saw things slightly distorted from the bat boy''s annoying ability, but he gritted his teeth. The centipede extended its ethereal antennae through the rock, searching.


    "There are two possible entrances in the upper part," he murmured while beginning to excavate. "The antennae can sense them, but we need to reach the closest one before..."


    A vibration came from the direction they''d come from. Someone was investigating the storage room.


    "Faster," his companion whispered, adjusting his grip on the two unconscious prisoners.


    Harold didn''t respond, focused on creating a perfect tunnel while the centipede constantly scanned the surrounding area.


    The antennae caught one of the entrances more clearly, it was close, very close. The mana emanating from it had a pattern very similar to what he''d been trained to look for in the ruins.


    "This way," Harold turned slightly right. "I can feel an entrance. If we can reach it before they track our mana..."


    His companion followed in silence.


    The tunnel extended behind them, serpentining through the rock like an invisible scar. Harold knew they would eventually find it, it was impossible to completely hide an excavation''s trace, especially when the ruins'' mana would end up escaping through the hole.


    But they didn''t need to hide it forever. Just long enough to obtain the prize and escape to the depths.


    His centipede''s antennae vibrated with anticipation, they were close, very close. The mana signal grew stronger with each meter they advanced.


    "Almost..." he murmured while his claws tore away another section of rock. "Just a little more..."


    ????


    In the Academy''s biggest office¡­


    Director Ignatius massaged his temples while reviewing the preliminary monthly reward reports.


    The Academy, dedicated to training the heirs of the kingdom''s best families, might seem expensive in its entrance fee, but was paradoxically one of the 5 most costly institutions to maintain.


    The incentive system was brutal for the kingdom''s coffers:


    The Top 5, the so-called "Platinum" students, though none actually had a beast of that rank, received a daily support of 10,000 crystals. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    - Top Platinum: 10,000 daily crystals, totaling 1,800,000 per semester.


    Almost two million per semester for each one. But they justified it with their extraordinary results.


    In all the Academy''s history, mostly students from 7th or 8th year.


    They were the top of the ranking, one that simulated cultivation ranks without actually depending on the students'' beast cultivation rank.


    Though in a way, one could say the rank showed how "cultivated" they were.


    Right behind those 5 came the scarce Gold rank students:


    - Gold 3: 3,000 daily crystals, totaling 540,000 per semester


    - Gold 2: 2,000 daily, 360,000 per semester


    - Gold 1: 1,000 daily, 180,000 per semester


    ''Very few reach so high,'' he thought while turning pages.


    And with reason. Getting there was equivalent to truly perfect performance.


    Most outstanding students concentrated in Silver ranks:


    - Silver 3: 300 daily crystals, 54,000 per semester


    - Silver 2: 200 daily crystals, 36,000 per semester


    - Silver 1: 100 daily crystals, 18,000 per semester


    These students typically reported between 10,000 and 20,000 crystals monthly. Respectable numbers that justified the school''s investment and were enough to cultivate decent beasts.


    Bronze ranks received more modest support:


    - Bronze 2: 20 daily crystals, 3,600 per semester


    - Bronze 1: 10 daily crystals, 1,800 per semester


    Their reports oscillated between 2,000 and 10,000 crystals monthly. Nothing spectacular, but showing potential. Usually early-year students still learning.


    Enough for initial cultivations but not so much that they''d be content, still incentivized to improve their ranks.


    And finally, Iron rank students.


    The new ones.


    One crystal daily, 180 per semester.


    Such an insignificant amount it didn''t even cover basic cultivation cost. Their reports were predictably low, with the occasional prodigy maybe reaching 10,000 crystals in gathering trip months.


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    It was a system designed to reward progress and punish stagnation.


    The numbers in each list were always of similar length, monotonous, predictable, following patterns established for decades...


    Ignatius sighed, his eyes returning to a specific report.


    "Then why always you," he murmured, reviewing the numbers again.


    It was impossible for those numbers not to stand out in the list with the fewest zeros...


    An Iron rank student had been reporting amounts comparable to seventh and eighth-year Gold rank students.


    Not for one month, not by luck, but consistently for over three months.


    And now Wei, standing before his desk, was telling him they would have to add a 200,000-crystal rune''s value to this month''s "acquisitions" report.


    "A Bronze rank 2 light rune?" Ignatius looked at Wei incredulously. "For an Iron student?"


    "I lost the bet," Wei looked physically ill while explaining. "It''s official, there''s a new digger beetle evolution."

 Chapter 157 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 7

    "A Bronze rank 2 light rune?" Ignatius looked at Wei incredulously. "For an Iron student?"


    "I lost the bet," Wei looked physically ill while explaining. "It''s official, there''s a new digger beetle evolution."


    The Director''s eyes returned to the numbers on his desk, scanning them for the hundredth time. Final-year students with elite beasts and years of experience reported similar amounts. But a first-year child? With the historically weakest beast?


    "Luck should have limits," Ignatius muttered, massaging his temples. The figures danced before his eyes, defying all logic and experience. His hands trembled slightly as he set down the report. "This is ridiculous."


    Wei shifted uncomfortably before the Director''s desk, his usual confidence shattered. "That must be it," he insisted, though his voice lacked conviction. "Some relative of his must have stumbled upon it by dumb luck and somehow communicated it to the kid by¡­"


    The Director was about to silence Wei''s poor attempt at rationalization when urgent knocks on the door interrupted first.


    "Enter," Ignatius had barely finished speaking when he felt it, a mana disturbance. A wave of power emanated from the depths, strong enough that even without a perception-specialized beast, he could sense it crawling across his skin.


    Mayo burst in, her usual maidenly composure completely abandoned. Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were wide with urgency. "Director, we have problems. The prince Julius''s three special guests might be in danger."


    The Director visibly tensed.


    "The 6 new ''students'' went to investigate," Mayo continued, "but if we''re facing something of the last intruder''s level..." She let the sentence hang in the air, heavy with implication.


    Ignatius understood immediately. Six Bronze rank 1 or 2 agents, no matter how well-trained, could hardly survive a Gold rank opponent. The power gap was simply too vast.


    "Their best option is to try to recover and retreat upward," Mayo explained, her hands clasped tightly before her. "Bring the battle to you."


    As if confirming the gravity of the situation, perception auxiliaries began arriving alongside several combat masters.


    Their reports were similar, they had sensed a significant energetic disturbance beneath the academy. But there was a crucial difference, one had detected an abyssal energy signature below the school, if only for a moment.


    "Evacuate the students," Ignatius ordered as he rose from his chair, his movements sharp and decisive. "Standard protocol, same routes as last time."


    From a hidden compartment, he retrieved the lightning hawk Julius had sent, a direct communication line with the prince.


    The bird glowed, its feathers crackling with electricity. Using the mana lines of standard communicators in the castle would have taken longer to reach the prince.


    He quickly wrote on a special parchment: "Possible second abyssal intruder of Gold level. Luna, Liora, and Larissa potentially in danger. Six agents in recovery action. Request immediate response."


    The hawk snatched the message and shot through the window, its speed so high it left a trail of sparks in the air. It was their fastest form of communication besides the castle''s scarce communicators, which were slightly less private. The bird would reach the castle in seconds.


    He strode toward the door, followed by several battle teachers and the most experienced perception auxiliaries.


    The "designated location" for intercepting high-level threats had been established after the last attack, an area specifically designed to minimize collateral damage and maximize the advantage of the many combat teachers and new guards.


    ''It can''t be,'' he thought as they moved swiftly through the corridors. ''Yino can''t have that many Gold rank agents already. If they had that level of power...''


    If Yino truly had that many warriors of that caliber, they wouldn''t need infiltrations and furtive attacks. They could simply invade directly.


    "Director," one of the perception auxiliaries approached as they continued toward the interception point. "The energy... it''s different from normal. More... intense."


    Ignatius frowned. Different? Had Yino sent something worse than a Gold agent?


    Soon the hallways would be filled with evacuating students, the remaining teachers directing the movement.


    ''Let the girls be safe,'' the Director thought as they reached their position. Another wave of power interrupted his thoughts. This time it was undeniable, something was happening in the depths of the academy.


    ????


    Ren''s arms maintained a firm but careful grip around the girl, one hand covering her eyes. Min and Taro tensed upon recognizing her, but Ren didn''t hesitate.


    "Why were you following us?" he whispered near her ear, keeping his voice low in the crystal chamber.


    The girl shivered at the whisper. She didn''t seem frightened, but rather... embarrassed?


    Her mind raced through options, she could manifest her beast, use its special characteristics...


    With Ren''s grip on her eyes leaving one arm partially free, she drove her elbow back toward him. But her strike met an abdomen hard as diamond.


    The girl internally cursed, fighting through the pain not to scream.


    Could he really be that hard there?


    "Don''t even try," Ren warned softly, the hydra''s defense manifested in his torso. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The girl decided she had no choice but to manifest her beast then. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire


    "I told you not to try," Ren insisted.


    His free hand settled on the girl''s stomach, and suddenly she felt something extraordinary, her mana flow distorted, like a river whose course had been subtly altered.


    The transformation was interrupted¡­


    She held her breath, surprised.


    Only three people she knew could perform such precise disruptive control without causing damage: her father and two of her older brothers. It was a technique that required a deep understanding of mana flow and exceptional control.


    "Last chance," Ren insisted. "Either cooperate, or to protect ourselves I''ll have to threaten you to tell everyone your secret."


    The girl''s heart raced. ''My secret?'' she thought frantically. ''Which one? Does he know about...?''


    Ren guided her toward the metal door, practically carrying her to maintain control. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, referring to the ancient structure.


    "I can''t see anything," she responded, trying to keep calm. "You''re covering my eyes, remember?"


    Ren was about to respond when his mushrooms pulsed in warning.


    Several presences were approaching rapidly.


    "Damn," he muttered. This was supposed to be a moment like no other to make his discovery down here, but it seemed many had the same idea for some reason...


    His eyes scanned the ancient door, and an idea formed in his mind.


    "Sorry about this then," he whispered to the girl before sending a precise mana pulse through his hand. The cousin let out a small whimper when she felt the internal pinch of her flow being manipulated harshly.


    "The numbness in your flow will only last a few minutes," Ren explained as he began pressing different points on the door. "It''s better that you can''t use mana for now... You''re going to accompany us."


    His fingers moved with precision, following the pattern he had perceived when he first touched the door. It was like playing an invisible melody, each point needing exact pressure at the exact moment.

 Chapter 158 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 8

    "The numbness in your mana flow will only last a few minutes," Ren explained as he began pressing different points on the door. "It''s better that you can''t use mana for now... You''re going to accompany us."


    His fingers moved with precision, following the pattern he had perceived when he first touched the door. It was like playing an invisible melody, each point needing exact pressure at the exact moment. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire


    Ren pressed the symbols with growing urgency as the presences approached at an alarming speed. He regretted not having the fast option, the key.


    Sweat beaded on his forehead as he worked, but something wasn''t right. They were moving too fast, as if something had fundamentally changed.


    And then it hit him.


    ''The interrupted mana flow of my "hostage",'' he thought as panic began to bloom in his chest. His fingers trembled against the cold metal of the door.


    Any decent perception beast would detect the anomaly, the expelled mana stopping abruptly, like a sudden death amid all the natural flow. A red flag that would send any guard into high alert.


    They might think she is dead now.


    "Oops¡­"


    The six new students flashed through his mind, six presences that now made terrible sense. Their arrival after Julius''s visit, their behavior, the way they always seemed to be observing, their minimal participation in classes...


    ''Guards?''


    The thought made his hands shake slightly making it more difficult to open the door.


    ''Did I just attack and threaten someone under Julius''s royal protection?''


    As if that wasn''t enough, another presence, a strange energy pulsed above for a moment. His imagination playing tricks?


    The symbols under his fingers seemed to resist now, as if his own panic interfered with the pattern. The ancient metal felt cold and unresponsive, refusing to yield to his touch.


    What had he gotten himself into?


    Discovering ancient ruins in secret was one thing, but interfering with the mana flow of someone under kingdom protection...


    "They''re getting closer."


    Ren adjusted his grip on the girl while trying to maintain concentration on the pattern. The girl remained oddly still, as if oblivious to the gravity of the situation.


    She was more occupied exploring Ren''s torso with curiosity, her free hand sliding across his abdomen. As if she couldn''t believe the incredibly hard texture she found there.


    The presences were already near the crack when finally the last symbol yielded under his fingers. The ancient door began to move with a sound that seemed to resonate through the entire metallic structure, its echo bouncing off the spherical walls.


    "Inside! Quickly!"


    The ancient door had barely finished opening when a figure leapt through the crack. One of the new students, her earth wolverine manifesting for the first time since arriving at the academy.


    The Bronze rank 2 beast combined with its tamer gave her a menacing air.


    Ren shoved Min and Taro toward the interior while his fingers frantically searched for the closing pattern on the internal panel. A second agent was already entering through the crack, her shadow stretching ominously across the metal floor. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''Just a few more symbols!'' Ren released the captured girl, throwing her to Min to focus on the patterns, his fingers moving with desperate urgency.


    The girl with the Bronze 2 wolverine lunged at him to attack. Her claws found Ren''s arm but couldn''t break the hydra''s crystalline scales, the momentum died with a sound like metal striking glass.


    The guard''s and spy girl''s eyes widened in surprise at seeing the manifestation of a second beast in Ren.


    They shouted simultaneously:


    "So you were a damned Yino spy, traitor!" the guard snarled, realizing Ren was a double tamer.


    "So those weren''t steel abs, traitor!" the ''spy'' girl blurted, blushing as she realized she wasn''t focusing on the important problem¡­ that Ren had two beasts.


    "You are lucky she''s alive, surrender her now and your death will be quick and painless!"


    The second agent who had passed through the crack charged forward while a third figure began emerging from the crack. Taro managed to catch the first one who was in a stalemate with Ren in a bear hug, but the second was already about to enter too.


    Ren''s fingers pressed the final sequence. The ancient door closed with a metallic groan that echoed through the chamber.


    ''Yes!'' Ren thought, but his relief was short-lived.


    The second agent had managed to slip inside just before the door was sealed.


    "Damn it."


    Now they were trapped with two formidable opponents: a Bronze rank 2 agent with an earth wolverine and another Bronze rank 1 with a Night Ambusher (an evolutionary branch of the Night Excavator Ren had visited in the forest near his house, the ones that dig traps).


    The first agent broke free from Taro''s grip with an elbow to his side and a fluid movement that spoke of years of training.


    Ren raised his guard, ready to fight alongside Taro. The guards mirrored their stance, tension crackling in the air between them.


    Face to face, the wolverine one started creating a chunk of earth. The second guard touched the earth with her claws, and before Taro and Min''s astonished eyes, the material began to fuse with her extremities.


    The claws grew and sharpened, transforming into deadly mineral extensions. They were a devastating combination, the wolverine''s elemental power providing the material that the Night Ambusher converted into lethal weapons.


    ''A duo with good synergy,'' Ren analyzed while manifesting more of his hydra, crystalline scales spreading across his skin. ''Like Luna and her team members.''


    They were two attack beasts. Earth elemental damage and a high-speed earth controller, the perfect vanguard for the caves.


    "Wait," Ren tried to reason, raising his hands. "This is a misunderstanding, we only¡­"


    He barely managed to dodge the first attack from the Night Ambusher agent, her mineral claws slicing through the air where his head had been a second before.


    The Night Ambusher moved like a shadow, so different from its base form that it was hard to believe it had ever been a digger designed for ambushes. In this evolution it had sacrificed stealth for pure speed and offensive power.


    "Silence, Yino spy!" the wolverine agent spat the words like venom.


    "I''m not¡­!"


    "We''ve already seen your second beast. Only the royal family and select nobles know the secret to achieving that so don''t play dumb. Who''s your employer?!"


    It was clear they weren''t going to listen. Taro took up a defensive stance, his Living Tunnel manifesting as well. Ren adopted a defensive posture, hydra scales glinting in the strange light of the ancient chamber.

 Chapter 159 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 9

    The remaining four agents finished crossing the crack and stood on the metallic bridge, muscles tense and ready for combat.


    Their forms cast long shadows across the ancient structure as they assessed the worrying situation.


    The two attack oriented companions, the vanguard of the group chosen for their advantage in territory and speed, had rushed ahead and managed to enter before the door sealed.


    Now they were trapped inside with their protection target and the suspected spies.


    "Did you see?" one of them asked the third agent who had crossed the crack. "The young lady, is she...?"


    "Couldn''t get a clear view," the agent shook her head in frustration, fists clenching at her sides. "Mako and Shizu charged in and blocked the line of sight."


    "Damn it!" Another slammed her fist against the metal floor, the sound reverberating through the spherical structure like a gong. "We''re the recovery specialists. What good are we if we couldn''t retrieve the young lady?"


    They approached the ancient door, studying the engraved symbols that pulsed with a faint, ethereal light. The leader ran her fingers across the marks, her expression growing more grave with each passing second.


    "This is a seed of the three main veins," she murmured in awe. "Not as big as the royal artery beneath the castle, but not an insignificant structure either... There''s an important artifact and 10 miracle potions inside."


    "Are you certain?" Another agent leaned in to examine the markings, her breath fogging the cold metal surface.


    "Absolutely. Only the three main families and the royal line have the key to access this." Her fingers traced the ancient patterns. "Master Julius told me the three schools were originally created to guard these seeds until the crystal opened. Maybe the traitors gave the key to the spies, but it isn''t something they''d entrust to common spies¡­"


    The agents exchanged worried looks. The implications were deeply disturbing.


    "This seed wasn''t supposed to be ready for another 10 years," the agent observed the crack they''d entered through. "The opening shouldn''t exist, but even though it does... an adult still can''t fit through that small gap."


    "How did they know it would be ready early?" the one who had struck the floor asked, her voice tight with tension. "How did that mushroom boy hide the key? And more importantly, how did they manage to infiltrate him into Yano when they already were looking at the Goldcrests shenanigans closely?"


    The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken fears. The questions none dared voice hung in the air:


    Had more than one of the three main families betrayed the kingdom? Was another family acting while they were trying to get evidence on the Goldcrests?


    "We can''t enter," the leader finally spoke, breaking the oppressive silence. "Only someone of the standing of Master Julius or someone of high rank in the main families could bring the key to activate this door." sea??h th§× N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "So what do we do?" another asked, shifting nervously. "Wait for them to come out?"


    ????


    Moments earlier...


    Harold''s antennae detected the entrance.


    With a final adjustment to their course, the crystal wall appeared before them, its surface shimmering with power.


    His mole claws worked methodically, removing earth around a discovered fissure barely large enough for a child to squeeze through. The crystalline barrier hummed with contained energy as they exposed more of the crack.


    The other spy, still holding their unconscious captives, finished creating another special coverage. The material would shroud Harold and his companion, further masking their mana signatures from detection.


    Harold crossed first, antennae extended to detect any threats in the alien environment. He helped his companion maneuver the two unconscious bodies through, noting that the bat boy still drew breath.


    "Why didn''t you kill him?" Harold asked, his voice sharp with disapproval.


    "It''s... it''s not necessary," the other spy hesitated, voice wavering. "He didn''t see our faces, doesn''t know which family¡­"


    "Don''t be foolish," Harold cut off the excuse, his tone cold. "His bat used sonar. It could distinguish plenty in the darkness." He approached the motionless body. "If you lack the stomach to take lives, I''ll do it myself."


    The other spy trembled slightly, clutching the wrapped bodies tighter. Harold advanced toward him but stopped abruptly, his antennae vibrating with urgent warning signals.


    More presences!


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    Harold and the other spy stood on the upper section of the "seed", and three new mana signatures had entered through one side of the spherical structure.


    "That way," Harold pointed in the opposite direction. "Take the hostages to the other end and hide."


    His companion seemed relieved to avoid bloodshed and quickly obeyed, disappearing into the shadows with their captives.


    Harold peered cautiously around the curve of the structure, the other spy''s coverage still masking his presence. His eyes widened in surprise, the damned mushroom boy was here too.


    ''What the hell?!'' his antennae extended, rapidly assessing the situation.


    He could eliminate them all, adding more bodies to the list hardly mattered now...


    But then he detected another mana signature.


    Someone had stopped outside the crack where the mushroom group had entered. The figure performed a spatial jump, and Harold nearly lost his coverage in shock.


    ''Impossible, another jump beast!'' but then he saw the girl''s hair color and everything clicked into place. ''Idiot!'' he berated himself. ''She was hidden in the same group all this time.''


    The mushroom boy had caught the young woman. If he acted quickly, he could secure both Luna and the King''s daughter.


    His body began to transform...


    Then his antennae captured six new power signatures. Bronze rank 1 and 2.


    ''Shit.'' The semi-conspicuous guards. Their presence changed the entire scenario.


    Harold canceled the transformation and watched the situation with Ren''s group unfold.


    He stood dumbfounded as the mushroom boy began pressing specific points on the ancient door.


    ''You moron!''


    It was impossible¡­ only special keys, like the one he carried, should be able to activate these mechanisms.


    Yet¡­


    ''How...?'' his antennae extended involuntarily, trying to comprehend what he was witnessing. Had the other noble family supporting Yino sent another agent? But even they needed the keys...


    Seeing the door open without a key was beyond incredible.


    Nobody should possess that knowledge. Was there a third power at play? Some faction they''d overlooked?


    His thoughts were interrupted as he watched the group enter. Only two guardians had managed to slip inside before the door sealed.


    He pushed his questions aside, focusing on the immediate mission.


    He should attack now, enter from the other side and eliminate the two guards who''d gone in with the mushroom group. It would make their escape easier by eliminating the group of 6 separately, and he could take not one but two valuable hostages for Yino.


    ''The ten medicines and the evolution key are inside,'' he thought as he crawled back to his companion. ''If I dispose of them now...''


    He rose and began running toward the opposite side of the structure. Glory for completing such a mission with results far beyond expectations was within reach...


    Intense pain exploded in his leg.


    A wolf had emerged from his own shadow, its fangs sinking deep into his flesh and tearing before vanishing back into darkness.


    ''What the...?''


    The beast had appeared through the shadows themselves, invisible to his enhanced perception until that instant.


    Harold transformed his injured leg, flesh morphing into centipede segments. A power signature emerged from the shadows, and his blood ran cold.


    Luna.


    Luna was here, standing before him.


    ''But then...'' his eyes widened in shock. ''Who did we capture?''

 Chapter 160 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 10

    Harold transformed his injured leg, flesh morphing into centipede segments. A power signature emerged from the shadows and his blood ran cold.


    Luna.


    Luna was here, standing before him.


    ''But then...'' his eyes widened in shock. ''Who did we capture?'' S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    Moments earlier...


    Luna raced toward the caves, her shadow wolf merging and reappearing as they advanced. If the energy disturbance came from below, it was the most logical place to search.


    Everyone seemed to be heading in that direction.


    But suddenly, her wolf''s ears drooped, and it whimpered softly.


    Luna stopped, noticing how her beast seemed uncomfortable.


    "What is it, did you hear something?" she whispered, kneeling beside her companion. The wolf''s dark fur rippled as shadows played across its form.


    The wolf perked its ears, nose twitching as it caught something in the air.


    Without warning, it turned and began guiding Luna in the opposite direction, toward the iron rank students'' food storage.


    When they entered, the place appeared empty.


    Shadows stretched between old containers and boxes, but Luna could see clearly, though there were no signs of movement.


    The wolf, however, insisted.


    Its nose worked frantically until it caught a particular scent. But suddenly, the beast recoiled, whimpering in pain. Its eyes began to water.


    Luna caught the scent then too, a nauseating smell that seemed to contaminate the very air. Her eyes traced the trail to an opened box.


    "The bean preserves," she muttered while quickly closing the box, wrinkling her nose at the pungent aroma.


    After a few moments, when the air cleared somewhat, the wolf resumed sniffing. This time it led them to the corner where the old barrels rested, its nose moving with renewed determination.


    Luna carefully observed the area. Something wasn''t right.


    Her fingers brushed the wall and found a strange texture, a flexible covering that shouldn''t be there.


    When she pulled it away, a wave of mana energy hit her with such intensity she nearly stepped back.


    ''They didn''t enter through the mines,'' she realized with horror.


    Hurried footsteps resonated above their heads, someone on the upper floor had sensed the disturbance too when she unblocked it.


    Moments later, two perception auxiliaries rushed down the stairs.


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    "Lady Luna!" one of them approached quickly. "The energy..."


    "Here," Luna pointed to the hidden tunnel. "Someone has been digging."


    One of the auxiliaries immediately left to inform the director and reinforcements. The other, an earth specialist, began examining the tunnel.


    "I''ll go in, wait here..."


    "I have to enter with you," Luna insisted. "My cousins could be down there."


    "Lady Luna, I cannot allow¡­"


    "I''m not asking permission," her eyes glowed dangerously. "I''m going in. You can come with me or stay here."


    The auxiliary hesitated before nodding resignedly. "At least let me check the path first... I''ll take the front."


    They descended the tunnel carefully, the auxiliary using his beast to ensure it wouldn''t collapse on them. When they reached the crack in the crystal barrier, however, they found another obstacle.


    "I can''t pass," the auxiliary admitted after several attempts. The opening was too narrow for an adult.


    Luna looked at the crack, then at the auxiliary. Her wolf was already merging with the shadows, ready to follow her.


    "I can," she declared while sliding through the opening. "Let the others know where I am."


    Before the auxiliary could protest, Luna had vanished beyond the crack.


    ????


    It was clear they wouldn''t listen.


    Taro took up his guard position, his Living Tunnel manifesting as well.


    Ren adopted a defensive stance and quickly evaluated the situation.


    The two agents, Mako with her earth wolverine and Shizu with her Night Ambusher, were at a higher level than the girl he had subdued earlier, the mana flow control he''d used on her wouldn''t work against opponents of his same standing, bronze rank or higher.


    ''We''ll have to do this the hard way,'' he thought, analyzing his opponents'' battle pattern.


    "Taro!" he called without taking his eyes off the agents. "Maximum concentration on your defense! Use all your plates and convert earth to living mineral whenever you can!"


    Taro was the perfect counter¡­ the Living Tunnel''s living crystal would be immune to the wolverine''s elemental control and couldn''t be used by the Night Ambusher.


    The only problem was that Taro hadn''t fully mastered his new abilities yet, his movements still clumsy from inexperience.


    ''I''ll have to keep them busy,'' Ren prepared as his hydra''s scales gleamed under the dim light.


    But his beast''s true ability wasn''t its crystalline armor, that was just its manifestation.


    The hydra''s elemental nature was light.


    Yet the powerful light beam from that day, its signature ability, would be available at that level in gold rank, where its power would be devastating.


    But for now, it wasn''t worth using like that...


    Energy concentrated in his hands.


    Where Mako had mineral earth claws, Ren manifested claws of pure light, blazing with blinding intensity.


    The combined buff of his beasts, 40% from the hydra plus 20% from the mushroom, gave him a total 60% strength increase. Time to put it to the test.


    Mako attacked first, her wolverine summoning more earth for her companion. Shizu moved like a shadow while seeking a weak point, her Night Ambusher''s speed making her almost blur.


    Ren blocked the first blow with his light claws, the impact sending sparks through the air. The force of the clash surprised Mako, clearly she hadn''t expected him to match her strength.


    Let alone exceed it.


    His physique, molded by Lin''s training, made better use of the enhancement.


    Shizu attacked from the flank, or tried to, but Taro had created a living crystal barrier. Her earth spikes bounced uselessly off the crystalline surface.


    Taro touched Shizu''s claws while Ren contained her.


    "The earth can''t destroy his defense!" Mako shouted in frustration, her wolverine growling inside her.


    "Tell me about it, my claws are breaking!" Shizu responded, her Night Ambusher''s attacks becoming increasingly desperate.


    "Because they''re not earth anymore!" Ren grinned as his light claws cut through Shizu''s claws in his next attack. "It''s living crystal!"


    The Night Ambusher changed tactics, its speed increasing as Shizu searched for an opening. But Ren''s light claws and crystalline armor denied her damage, and each blow backed by that 60% strength increase reverberated through her muscles, leaving them increasingly fatigued.


    Mako tried to create more earth for her companion, but Taro was transforming every chunk into living crystal before she could control it. Their perfect coordination was crumbling before a strategy that completely negated their synergy.


    "We''re not Yino spies!" Ren blocked another attack while backing toward Min and the king''s daughter. "If you''d let us explain...!"


    "Silence!" Mako roared in frustration, her wolverine''s fur bristling. "Only the royal family knows the secrets of double beasts!"


    Ren sighed. It seemed they would have to resolve this the hard way.

 Chapter 161 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 11

    The wolf''s fangs sank deep into Harold''s leg, but his instant transformation into centipede limbs nullified the effective damage for the moment.


    The modified appendage allowed him to move as if the wound didn''t exist, ready to react and strike.


    Harold launched himself at Luna without hesitation.


    His antennae had detected the shadow wolf''s characteristic mana signature, and Harold twisted to dodge the next attack, gaining distance. The metallic floor beneath him hummed as he moved.


    Luna had also seen something in the mana surrounding Harold since first spotting him, the abyssal mark was unmistakable to someone who had fought Yino agents before.


    She vividly remembered her encounter during the journey with Zhao. It hadn''t happened to her that day, and it wouldn''t happen today either... she wouldn''t make the mistake of letting herself be attacked directly.


    The air distorted as she executed a jump, swapping positions with her wolf. It was a tactic she had perfected and used many times before, the shadows bending to her will.


    But Harold was no common agent.


    His extended antennae captured every mana fluctuation with supernatural precision. He could see the jump pattern forming like a three-dimensional map in his mind. Moreover, unlike the other two girls with jump beasts, Luna was limited to shadowed areas or her wolf''s location.


    By the time Luna emerged at her new point, Harold was already there.


    His fist, covered in chitinous armor and powered by his beast far above Luna''s rank, descended with brutal force. The impact of a silver rank creature resonated like thunder in the chamber.


    But instead of flesh, it met crystal.


    A transparent barrier had materialized between Luna and the blow. The force of the impact shattered it, brilliant fragments flying in all directions, but it had served its purpose¡­


    Luna was unharmed.


    Harold narrowed his eyes. Someone else had interfered.


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    The crystal fragments exploded in a blinding flash.


    Luna was also momentarily blinded, but she didn''t need to see her jump location, so she attempted another leap.


    Something strange happened though¡­


    Instead of appearing where she''d planned, she found herself materializing beside her four guards.


    The first guard''s Bubble Coral had created the sacrificial barrier. Her beast was a marine creature, formed by tiny spherical crystals, like a constellation of miniature mirrors, each fragment ready to create new defensive barriers or labyrinths of reflections.


    The second guard controlled her Ambush Firefly, which had used the Coral''s crystals to amplify and reflect its light attack, creating the flash that temporarily blinded Harold.


    The third, with her Antenna Venus, had been responsible for redirecting the jump. Her plant beast, specialized in trapping and devouring crystal fairies that ventured too close, could manipulate and redirect spatial jumps in its area of influence.


    They had asked her just a few minutes ago to stay in a safe place, but this wasn''t the time for reproaches.


    "Lady Luna," the guard with the Antenna Venus spoke quickly, her voice urgent. "We must get you to safety. Kira has her Giant Goat ready for your transport to the surface."


    "It''s not the fastest," admitted the Bubble Coral''s tamer. "Mako''s wolverine would be a better option, but..."


    "But she''s inside the seed with Shizu," the Firefly guard completed. "Please, my lady, we must withdraw you while we can create a distraction. That beast is strong."


    Luna observed the situation as her vision returned.


    The guards'' coordination was impeccable, the Coral creating reflective surfaces, the Firefly using them to blind, and the Venus manipulating space to ensure her extraction.


    They were specialized in recovering the mischievous daughters of the most powerful families, an extraction and distraction team.


    They weren''t designed to fight against agents.


    But...


    "No," she declared firmly. "I won''t leave."


    Luna could smell her cousins, Liora and Larissa, somewhere nearby. There was no way she would abandon them.


    Harold didn''t give them time to argue.


    His eyes still burned from the flash, but his antennae vibrated with increased intensity, mapping every mana fluctuation in the environment. He transformed even further, his body twisting as the abyssal beast emerged.


    What remained barely looked human, an anthropomorphic abomination covered in chitinous segments and antennae. He launched himself at them with a speed that contradicted his grotesque form.


    The Bubble Coral guard reacted first. Her spherical crystals multiplied in the air, creating a labyrinth of mirrors and reflections designed to confuse and disorient.


    But Harold kept his eyes firmly closed. To his antennae, mana fluctuations were clearer than any visual image. Reflections couldn''t deceive one who navigated by pure energy waves.


    The Ambush Firefly intensified its glow, firing concentrated light rays. The luminous explosions bounced between the Coral''s crystals, creating a network of attacks from multiple angles.


    The rays barely marked Harold''s chitinous carapace. His abyssal armor resisted the assault as if they were mere caresses.


    The Antenna Venus extended its roots forward while trying to trap the monster''s extremities. But the roots were too slow, unable to find purchase on his transformed body.


    In seconds, Harold was upon them, his antennae extended like a deadly crown.


    The Giant Goat charged from one side while Luna''s wolf attacked from the other, a coordinated attempt to halt his advance. The two beasts crashed against Harold''s transformed body like waves against a cliff.


    ????


    Taro''s Living Tunnel remained the key to their advantage, transforming each earth attack into crystal, rendering them useless to their opponents.


    The wolverine agent, Mako, frustrated by her inability to gain ground, finally summoned her beast outside her body, an imposing and furious Bronze rank 2 creature. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "This is all ridiculous!" Ren complained while dodging an attack. "I can''t even explore in peace without Luna and her friends chasing me all the time, do they have a crush on me or something?!"


    His light claws blocked another blow while he continued: "I only covered her eyes because I didn''t want her to escape with a jump, I wanted to negotiate! She keeps my secret about going into the depths outside my rank, and I keep hers! I thought her rich family was hiding her beast to prevent kidnapping attempts like with Luna!"


    "Don''t play dumb, she''s not from a rich family!" one of the guards shouted, her voice charged with indignation. "Larissa is the King''s daughter!"


    Ren almost lost control of his light claws. Cold sweat began running down his back as the pieces clicked into place in his mind, the connection with Julius, the resemblance he had noticed but ignored...


    ''Oh no.'' The thought hit him like a hammer. ''Did I just rough up a real princess?''

 Chapter 162 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 12

    "Don''t play dumb, she''s not from a rich family!" one of the guards shouted, her voice charged with indignation. "Larissa is the King''s daughter!"


    Ren almost lost control of his light claws. Cold sweat began running down his back as the pieces clicked into place in his mind, the connection with Julius, the resemblance he had noticed but ignored...


    ''Oh no.'' The thought hit him like a hammer. ''Did I just rough up a real princess?''


    Ren swallowed hard, remembering how roughly he had manipulated her mana flow.


    "Was that your objective from the start?" the guard pressed, her wolverine growling menacingly. "The artifact? Or perhaps you saw an opportunity to capture one of the girls? Or all three?"


    The wolverine began circling them while her companion continued: "The King''s daughter and the heiresses of two of the kingdom''s three most important families aren''t just any target... we have many ways to recover them. Did you think you could simply take them and run?"


    "No! It''s not what you think!" Ren shook his head frantically, his voice echoing off the metallic walls. "It''s a misunderstanding! I just¡­!"


    The distraction cost him dearly. The wolverine seized his moment of panic to charge with all its might, sending him flying against one of the metal walls with a resounding crash.


    Min and Taro exchanged a brief look before simultaneously throwing themselves to the ground, their foreheads hitting the metal with a hollow thud.


    "We''re so sorry!" they shouted in unison, faces pressed against the cold floor. "We had no idea!"


    "I thought they were just normal noble girls!" Min whimpered, his snake coiling nervously around his arm.


    "I believed royalty never left the castle!" Taro added, his voice trembling. Your next read awaits at My Virtual Library Empire


    Larissa seized the moment to break away from Min, running toward where her guards waited. Once they had her behind them, the agents'' demeanor changed completely.


    "Enough games," the wolverine guard growled, her beast tensing for attack. "Time to end these filthy spies."


    With Taro and Min prostrate on the ground, practically defenseless, the guards saw their opportunity. The wolverine launched itself at Taro, his armor would only protect him from fatal damage for so long.


    The other guard moved like a shadow toward Min, her mineral claws gleaming with lethal intent.


    Min didn''t even have time to look up.


    Ren, barely recovering from the previous impact, saw the claws descending toward his friend.


    Something ignited inside him.


    His mushrooms pulsed with unprecedented intensity, feeding pure light into his crystalline defense.


    He leaped with all his strength to the limit.


    The light claws in his hands stretched, reaching greater length while barely managing to interpose between Min and the attack at the last moment.


    The clash was brutal. The guard''s mineral claws shattered on contact with Ren''s concentrated light, brilliant fragments raining onto the metallic floor.


    The guard retreated, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at her destroyed weapons.


    Ren''s gaze hardened.


    He had now understood it truly, part of him already knew, but now it was much clearer... for these girls, this wasn''t a game or mischief.


    They were deadly serious and would kill without hesitation.


    Without a word, his hand shot out to the disarmed guard''s wrist. With his enhanced strength, the grip was implacable as he spun her and slammed her against the metal floor with an impact that resonated throughout the structure.


    The other guard reacted instantly, her wolverine charging forward. But Ren already knew every detail of that beast and was prepared, his mushrooms flashed with blinding light, directly into the beast''s sensitive eyes.


    The wolverine, three meters of muscle and fury, still charged blindly. Ren dropped to the ground, his light claws intensifying as the beast passed over him. With a fluid motion, he cut along the wolverine''s unprotected belly, its weak point.


    The beast disintegrated from the massive damage.


    Without losing a moment, Ren dissipated his claws and turned toward the downed guard before she could fully summon her beast again. His fist, charged with disruptive mana, connected with her stomach.


    He couldn''t manipulate her flow delicately as he had done with Larissa, but he could cause moderate damage to deny her the capability.


    The beastless guard and manaless Larissa tried to attack him from behind, but their punches and kicks bounced uselessly off the hydra''s crystalline scales.


    "Taro!" Ren shouted while maintaining his position over the other guard. "Cover them in living mineral!"


    Taro, finally shaking off his stupor and seeing Ren truly angry for the first time, nodded. His Living Tunnel responded immediately, living crystal flowing to immobilize the three girls before they could attempt another attack.


    ????


    With the three girls firmly wrapped in living mineral, Ren finally had the chance to explain himself.


    "You know what?" he began, running a hand across his face in frustration. "I just wanted to explore what I felt down here. You''re the ones who came to ruin my day and¡­"


    "Don''t lie, Yino spy¡­!" the guards started shouting, but Ren stepped closer and raised his voice above theirs.


    "ENOUGH!" his shout resonated through the metallic structure. "I''m sick of you not letting me speak! And in case you haven''t noticed, you''re not exactly in a position to talk... So you''re going to LISTEN!"


    He approached Larissa, leaning until his eyes, burning with indignation, were inches from hers. The princess tensed, unaccustomed to anyone invading her personal space so boldly.


    "You have a mineral fairy, don''t you?" Ren asked, his voice more controlled but still intense. "Then like Luna, you have the perception ability, you can sense when someone lies through mana flow too?"


    Larissa''s eyes widened in surprise. It was true, her beast could detect the fluctuations in mana that occurred when someone lied. It was an ability she shared with her cousin Luna... But how did he know?


    Larissa nodded tentatively.


    "Then use it," Ren challenged her. "See if I''m lying when I say I have nothing to do with Yino."


    Larissa closed her eyes for a moment, her mineral fairy partially manifesting. The mana fluctuations around Ren were clear, crystalline¡­ he was telling the truth.


    "And I''m not interested in kidnapping princesses either," Ren continued. "Not you, nor Luna when I see her with her blue hair spying on me sometimes..."


    "Oh," Larissa interrupted, a small smile forming on her lips. "Actually, Liora is the one who always spies on you. Luna only watches you during classes." Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My lady!" the guards protested. "You shouldn''t reveal¡­!"

 Chapter 163 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 13

    "And I''m not interested in kidnapping princesses either," Ren continued. "Not you, nor Luna when I see her with her blue hair spying on me sometimes..."


    "Oh," Larissa interrupted, a small smile playing on her lips. "Actually, Liora is the one who always spies on you. Luna only watches you during classes."


    "My lady!" the guards protested. "You shouldn''t reveal¡­!"


    "He''s telling the truth," Larissa cut them off. "About everything." She turned to Ren, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "Why are you here then?"


    "Like I said, I wanted to explore. I felt strange energy coming from down here and..." Ren shrugged, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "Guess I''m curious."


    "And you attacked the princess because...?" one of the guards pressed, though her tone had lost some of its hostility.


    "I didn''t attack her!" Ren defended himself, throwing his hands up. "I just wanted to negotiate before she jumped away after maybe confirming it was us, probably to accuse us or something. Since she was spying on us, and I thought... well, I thought if she kept the secret about me coming down here, I''d keep hers about her beast. I didn''t know she was a princess or that she thought I was a spy!"


    "That''s true too," Larissa confirmed, then frowned. "But how did you know I had a mineral fairy if I was hiding my beast?"


    "Are you kidding?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "A jump beast, white glow in your hair and eyes, anyone who saw you jump would know. Though now that I think about it, being constantly guarded and with that beast... It was obvious you were important. Like Luna when they tried to kidnap her. Maybe I should have known earlier because you do look like Jul¡­ His Highness Julius."


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    The guards exchanged glances. Seen that way, his actions made more sense, though they remained reckless.


    "So," Larissa smiled slightly, "this was all a misunderstanding?"


    "A misunderstanding we could have avoided if someone," Ren cast a significant look at the guards, "had let me explain before attacking."


    Larissa burst into laughter, the musical sound resonating through the metallic structure. Ren took a step back, blushing at the princess''s joyful expression. Her laughter was contagious, and her face lit up in a way that...


    A penetrating stare made him quickly avert his eyes. One of the guards was watching him as if she wanted to skewer him with her gaze. Ren cleared his throat, grateful that the situation seemed to be calming down.


    "I like him," Larissa declared cheerfully, still laughing.


    "My lady," the guard with the bruised stomach protested, her voice tight with pain. "Don''t trust so easily. It could be a trick." She winced slightly. "No normal child has such strength. That hit still... everything about him is suspicious."


    "He''s telling the truth," Larissa insisted firmly. "You can deceive the body, but not mana." Her eyes gleamed with determination. "The essence that rules over magic always paints liars black. If it weren''t for those foolish ancient rules about ''respect for nobles'', I would do a purge with my mana sight myself, so don''t underestimate my ability."


    "But Truth in his words doesn''t change that he''s a brute," the guard complained, tears welling in her eyes. "He even hugged you and¡­!"


    Larissa visibly blushed, some memory crossing her mind. "It was just self-defense," she mumbled. "I saw myself how he retracted his claws at the last moment before hitting you so he meant no harm."


    "But I probably have internal bleeding!" the guard whined dramatically.


    Ren scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable. "Min," he called to his friend. "Could you heal her with your snake?"


    While Min approached the injured guard, Ren turned back to Larissa. "What''s this about ''respect for nobles''? Why can''t you use your detection ability for this ''purge''?"


    Larissa let out an exasperated sigh. "It''s ridiculous. The mana beast lie detection method was proven just a few years ago. But since it''s ''new'' and there aren''t enough ''trustworthy'' users", she skilfully made air quotes with her eyebrows since her arms were still trapped, "it''s not considered valid evidence in court yet."


    "So you have to get other proof?" Ren asked, genuinely interested.


    "Exactly. And meanwhile, the government is full of traitors who know exactly how to hide physical evidence, the corrupt lot." Larissa frowned. "We all know who they are, but without ''traditional'' proof, we can''t do anything."


    Min, meanwhile, had begun treating the injured guard. "The damage isn''t that bad," he diagnosed. "Ren was quite precise with the hit."


    "Precise?" The guard looked at him incredulously. "I feel like I was charged by a rhinoceros!"


    "So who are the traitors?" Ren asked, avoiding the guard''s accusatory glare and genuinely curious.


    Larissa considered him for a moment, her eyes studying his face. Finally, she seemed to reach a decision.


    "The Goldcrests," she answered. "Not all of them, but... the highest ranks of the family are involved."


    "I see..." Ren touched his chin thoughtfully.


    The guard tried to protest but Larissa continued: "We know they''re conspiring with Yino, but we must wait for my father''s return to act. Or find evidence that not even they can dismiss."


    "Okay I understand, so¡­" Ren tried to cut her off but Larissa didn''t stop.


    The girl sighed heavily. "The problem is that the Starweavers are too weakened since the last horde. For some reason, the attack in their defense sector was unusually intense a year ago... Luna is practically alone now because her father has been ignoring her with the excuse of work and recovering losses..."


    "Wait shouldn''t you stop telling me these things...?" Ren insisted but Larissa wouldn''t quiet down.


    "The Ashenways, Liora''s family, insist on maintaining their neutrality. They have their own internal problems." She grimaced. "And we, the Dravenholms, aren''t any better. My father''s absence has caused... uncertainty. Some of my siblings have started fighting among themselves and¡­"


    "My lady!" the guard scolded. "You shouldn''t reveal such sensitive information!"


    "For once I agree with your guard," Ren nodded vigorously. "I don''t want to know so much!"


    "We don''t either!" Min and Taro exclaimed in unison, waving their hands in denial. Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Larissa giggled. "It''s too late for that, but I have a feeling it will be good if you know... Besides, you''re in the ancestral ruins. Whether by luck, good or bad," she gave them a meaningful look, "you''re now owners of the artifacts. And by law, that means you''ll be made nobles, so it''ll be your problem too..."


    "WHAT?!" Ren and Taro shouted simultaneously.


    Min, however, just scratched his head with a confused expression. "But... I''m already noble."


    "You''ll be a new noble," Larissa explained patiently. "Of your own house, not as a secondary branch of¡­"


    Min processed the information for a moment before his eyes widened like saucers. "WAIT, WHAT?!"


    "I don''t want to be noble!" Taro flailed his hands frantically. "I can barely remember which fork to use for each dish at my aunt''s house!"

 Chapter 164 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 14

    "I don''t want to be noble!" Taro flailed his hands frantically. "I can barely remember which fork to use for each dish at my aunt''s house!"


    "They can''t do this to us!" Ren joined the protest, his face a mask of panic. "We just wanted to explore!"


    "Will I have to wear those ridiculous hats?" Min looked ready to faint.


    "Will we have to learn to dance?" Taro turned pale as a ghost.


    The guards watched the spectacle with expressions that oscillated between exasperation and reluctant amusement. Larissa simply laughed, finding their reactions absolutely adorable.


    "It''s the law," she explained between giggles. "Besides, it''s not something bad... Now, the fact that the door opened for you..."


    "It was Ren!" the other two protested in unison, pointing at their friend.


    "Then Ren is the leader of this ''expedition''," Larissa smiled. "Welcome to nobility, gentlemen."


    ????


    When the three boys finally calmed down and accepted what they thought was their "sad" fate...


    "Could you free us now?" Larissa asked, though her tone was more amused than demanding.


    Ren remained thoughtful for a moment, studying the three girls trapped in crystal. "You won''t attack us again? Because if you do, I''ll have to..."


    Larissa let out a little giggle. "You''ll have to what?"


    "He''s threatening to kill us," the injured guard muttered, still distrustful. "Like the trained agent he is, surely he has no problem with¡­"


    Ren remembered the moment he struck the guard and clapped a hand over his mouth, his face turning pale at imagining a more lethal scenario.


    Larissa laughed harder. "I don''t think Ren would do anything like that. In fact, I''m quite sure he''s not even trained for it."


    "It''s true," Ren admitted, still looking a bit green. "I''d probably throw up... but..."


    He turned serious for a moment. "But if I have to defend my friends..."


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    "It won''t be necessary," Larissa interrupted him, smiling. "Right, girls?"


    The guards looked sideways before reluctantly nodding, mumbling promises not to attack.


    "Good," Ren turned to Taro. "Then..."


    Before he could finish, Larissa disappeared in a flash and reappeared free of the crystal.


    "You already gave me permission," she smiled at Ren''s surprised expression. "And my circuits aren''t blocked anymore."


    Ren scratched his head, confused.


    "I accept the deal," Larissa continued. "I won''t say anything if you don''t say anything. Although..." she looked toward the entrance, "it will be hard for this to go unnoticed when we leave. But at least I won''t be the one to expose you."


    While Taro cautiously freed the guards, who maintained tense but non-hostile postures, Larissa turned to Ren with curiosity.


    "But then tell me why you have two beasts? It''s supposed to only be possible with the artifacts..."


    "It was my beast," Ren began to explain.


    "How?" Larissa asked, intrigued. "I only know the mana potion method for¡­"


    She stopped when Ren''s mushroom suddenly manifested itself.


    Ren''s light dimmed as the little one appeared like a light bulb with legs.


    The tiny creature, with its chubby baby face, looked toward the corridor that led deeper into the ''seed'' and, without warning, took off running in that direction.


    Everyone stared at the scene with dumbfounded expressions.


    "Hey!" Ren shouted, taking off after his rebellious beast. "Come back here!"


    Larissa burst into laughter before running after him. "That''s the cutest thing I''ve ever seen in my life!"


    Min and Taro exchanged resigned looks before following them, the guards bringing up the rear with expressions mixing concern and curiosity.


    ????


    The metallic corridor they chased the little mushroom through gradually widened until the group emerged into a chamber that took their breath away.


    It was a perfect spherical room, the metal gleaming with a soft light that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. Eleven pillars rose from the floor in a circular pattern, ten surrounding a central one, each emanating a gentle pulse of energy.


    "What is this place?" Taro whispered, his voice echoing slightly in the chamber.


    Ren''s mushroom ignored the ten potions glowing on the outer pillars, each contained in a crystal vial that seemed to float above its pedestal. Instead, it ran directly to the central pillar, where a metallic ring floated in the air, slowly rotating.


    The tiny creature began jumping, its little arms extended trying to reach the ring, but its diminutive size made the task impossible.


    "It''s so tiny and adorable," Larissa commented, laughing softly at the mushroom''s attempts.


    The mushroom stopped, its cheeks puffing up with indignation at being called tiny. With an audible "hmph!" it disappeared back into Ren''s body.


    Min and Taro approached the outer pillars, their eyes fixed on the glowing potions floating above them.


    "Those are the transformation potions," Larissa explained. "The ones that convert a normal tamer into a double tamer."


    Taro held his breath. "Like the high-ranking nobles and the men of the royal family?"


    "Exactly," Larissa ran her fingers near the crystal of one of the potions, without touching it. "They regenerate approximately every thirty-three years, though that number is only based on the time it took for them to reappear in the only other two ''seeds'' in our kingdom..."


    "There are only 3 seeds?" Ren asked, turning his attention away from his mischievous mushroom.


    "As far as we know, yes... Well, Yino has another three, just like us," Larissa explained, her expression growing more serious. "In fact, we believe they altered some of their potions to create the abyssals."


    Min and Taro exchanged amazed looks. The possibility floated literally before them, the power to control a second beast.


    "The ring..." Larissa approached the central pedestal, her eyes gleaming with recognition. "It''s one of the 3 keys believed necessary to enter the kingdom''s central ruins. My father has one, and the Starweavers have another."


    "The rings are keys?" Ren asked, also approaching.


    "They also give power to the bearer," Larissa explained. "A hundred percent increase in all statistics." She turned to Ren. "As expedition leader, technically it would belong to you..."


    "My lady!" one of the guards protested. "You shouldn''t reveal that information if he didn''t even know about it!" S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s only fair," Larissa shrugged. "Though obviously you won''t be able to keep it... but I''ll make sure you receive appropriate compensation."


    Ren was about to ask how much something like that could be worth when he felt a familiar movement in his head. The mushroom manifested again, appearing atop his hair.


    Before anyone could react, the tiny creature leaped toward the central pedestal. This time, instead of trying to reach the ring, it simply opened its tiny mouth, now way bigger than it seemed and...


    Swallowed the ring in one bite.


    "NOOOOO!" the collective scream resonated through the spherical chamber while the mushroom chewed contentedly.

 Chapter 165 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 15

    Ren clutched his head with both hands, the horror of what had happened hitting him. "No, no, no..."


    "...Larissa," he approached the princess, his voice trembling. "What are we going to do when they ask for the ring?"


    Larissa froze. Her eyes, fixed on the now-empty pedestal, seemed to look beyond it, as if contemplating consequences the others couldn''t yet imagine. Ren gripped her shoulders, desperation overcoming his usual caution.


    "Larissa!" he shook her not so gently. "Say something!"


    The guards tensed, their beasts partially manifesting, bristling at the physical contact with the princess.


    "Ren!" Min and Taro shouted in unison, worried about their friend''s reaction.


    "They had..." Larissa finally murmured, her voice barely audible. "They had been preparing for years... The internal war that would be triggered by the fight for the three rings..." she swallowed hard. "The entire power balance depended on who would get them and..."


    Ren felt cold sweat running down his back while the color drained from his face.


    "Mmm!" a satisfied little voice interrupted from the pedestal. "That was delicious! The best meal I''ve had since waking up!"


    The silence that followed was absolute. Everyone turned slowly toward the small mushroom wiping its mouth with an exaggeratedly satisfied gesture, Ren''s group with expressions of contained fury, while Larissa and her guards seemed surprised to hear it speak for the first time.


    "Did it just...?" one of the guards began. "...talk?" the other completed, her eyes huge with surprise.


    "Beasts don''t talk," Larissa whispered, worried but also fascinated. "It''s impossible. They communicate mentally with their tamers... but articulated words... unless..."


    "YOU!" Ren pointed accusingly at his beast. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!"


    The mushroom blinked its large eyes, as if offended by the question. "I don''t know," it shrugged with a carefree gesture. "Instinct called me."


    "Instinct?" Larissa repeated weakly. "Eating one of the kingdom''s three most important artifacts because of instinct?"


    "Beasts shouldn''t be able to talk, nor make independent decisions like this..."


    The mushroom gave them a look that seemed to say "Are you done?" before disappearing back into Ren''s body.


    At that moment, thin glowing lines began spreading throughout Ren''s body, as if someone had drawn an intricate network of light beneath his skin.


    The sensation was strange but not unpleasant, he could feel his power increasing significantly. His strength, already at 60% thanks to his beasts, now reached an astonishing 160%. And that wasn''t all¡­ numerous other improvements flowed through his system, each of his characteristics now had an extra 100%.


    Larissa observed the phenomenon intently, something like realization forming in her eyes.


    The guards, for their part, seemed divided between concern for the lost ring and fascination with this series of impossibilities unfolding before them.


    "A beast that talks," murmured one. "That eats ancestral artifacts," added the other. "And seems to process them for its tamer somehow," Larissa completed, studying the glowing lines.


    After a long moment, the princess sighed deeply.


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    "I suppose there''s nothing we can do for now. We should take the potions and leave. People outside must be worried."


    Ren nodded, thinking about the other four guards who had been about to enter earlier and that strange sensation he had felt on top.


    "You''re right," he agreed, though he didn''t seem very enthusiastic about the prospect of more confrontations like the one they''d just had.


    "Everyone take a potion for yourselves then," he suggested.


    Larissa thanked him with a bow since her group having attacked and lost the battle it would be normal for them to get nothing, while Min and Taro practically bounced with excitement.


    Min and Taro approached the pedestals with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. They took their potions with trembling hands and, after exchanging glances...


    They drank their potions with exaggerated gestures, as if expecting to transform instantly into all-powerful beings. When nothing happened, their disappointed expressions made Larissa laugh.


    "It takes a while to take effect," she explained between giggles. "And it doesn''t feel as dramatic as you expect from what I saw with my brothers¡­ It just makes you shine a little."


    As if responding to her words, both glowed briefly.


    "Done," Larissa smiled. "Now you can choose a new egg to make your second contract."


    When Ren approached to take a potion, the glowing lines in his body instantly analyzed it. The information flowed into his mind: this version was useless for him, as he already possessed a more powerful variant of the medicine, so he decided to save the five remaining potions.


    "You''re not taking one?" Ren asked, noticing that Larissa and her guards hadn''t opened the potions.


    "Oh, no," she shook her head but her gesture was somewhat sad. "I''m not a man¡­ the potions are saved for the men of the royal family because they''re stronger and more suited for war, so tradition..."


    "That makes no sense," Ren frowned as he saw in the mana that she didn''t believe what she was saying was all true or just. "You''re here with the expedition, aren''t you? The potion should be yours if you want it... Don''t worry about those foolish ''traditions''."


    Larissa seemed to consider his words for a moment, but began shaking her head. "It''s not that simple. Protocol dictates that¡­ also I''d get in trouble and..."


    Ren stepped closer, his expression turning serious. "Drink it."


    "There are reasons why..." Larissa looked away, searching for an excuse.


    In a quick movement that surprised everyone, Ren grabbed Larissa''s potion, uncorked it, and before anyone could react, pressed it against the princess''s lips. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "My lady!" the guards advanced alarmed, their beasts manifesting.


    "Don''t interfere!" Ren shouted, his voice firm, his expression showing discomfort at forcing the situation but his eyes had a gleam of mad satisfaction. "Those traditions don''t seem fair to me at all."


    Larissa had no choice but to drink. When she finished, she wiped her lips and looked at Ren with a mixture of indignation and curiosity.


    "Why did you do that?"


    "Because I wanted to help you stop lying to yourself and¡­"


    "Liar!"


    Ren looked to the side, scratching his neck nervously. "Well, I''m in trouble because my mushroom ''ate'' something important... so now you can be in trouble with me and keep my secret."


    The guards exchanged a look before quickly passing their potions to Larissa.

 Chapter 166 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 16

    The headache persisted after Liu''s sonic attack, but Harold ignored it through sheer willpower as his transformed body moved with supernatural speed. The metallic floor beneath his feet hummed with energy as he darted between his opponents.


    His two beasts gave him an overwhelming advantage against the lower-ranked guards, who were clearly trained for support roles rather than direct combat. Even against five opponents, the battle remained evenly matched, though only through his monstrous power.


    Luna''s wolf and the Giant Goat charged in a coordinated pincer attack, their movements perfectly synchronized.


    Harold spun, his chitinous segments gleaming in the strange light while his antennae captured every movement. His transformed arm struck the wolf, sending it crashing against a wall while he dodged the goat''s charge.


    The beasts rose more slowly than before, accumulated damage beginning to show in their labored movements and dulled reactions.


    "Containment!" one of the guards shouted, her voice echoing off the curved crystal walls.


    The Antenna Venus extended more of its roots, creating a network of vines attempting to limit Harold''s movement space. Simultaneously, the Bubble Coral generated strategically positioned crystalline barriers, forming an improvised labyrinth.


    ''They''re trying to buy time,'' Harold analyzed while his antennae mapped each obstacle with inhuman precision. ''But their vanguard is trapped in the ruins...''


    The Ambush Firefly took advantage of the Coral''s reflective surfaces to multiply its light attacks. The rays bounced between barriers, creating a network of luminous energy that would have been lethal to a normal opponent, each beam ricocheting through the improvised arena.


    But Harold was far from normal. His chitinous armor, hardened by abyssal energy, barely showed surface marks where the rays impacted, the attacks dissipating harmlessly against his supernatural defense.


    The wolf attempted another attack, emerging from a shadow to bite his leg. Harold kicked it with brutal force, his antennae already detecting the goat trying to capitalize on the distraction. He spun using the momentum from striking the wolf and connected a punch to the transport beast''s side.


    "We can''t contain him!" the Coral guard shouted while creating more barriers, her voice tight with strain.


    The Venus''s roots extended more aggressively, trying to create zones where Harold couldn''t move freely. But his chitinous claws cut through the vegetation like paper, green fragments flying in the air around him.


    The Firefly increased the intensity of its attacks, making the crystal barriers practically sing with bouncing energy. It was a beautiful and lethal spectacle, light fragmenting and multiplying through the crystalline maze, but still insufficient against Harold''s supernatural defense.


    Luna directed her wolf trying to capitalize on every opening her guards created, but each successful attack barely scratched the surface of Harold''s armor. And with each exchange, their beasts showed more signs of exhaustion, their movements becoming slower and less coordinated.


    ''If this were about escaping,'' the Antenna Venus guard thought while Harold destroyed another barrier, ''we''d be far away by now.''


    But she couldn''t abandon her companions trapped in the seed nor her protection mission.


    While the guards couldn''t defeat him, Harold also couldn''t simply ignore them and continue his way, a moment of carelessness against five opponents, however individually weak, could be fatal.


    The wolf emerged from another shadow, this time targeting his neck. Harold caught it mid-air with one hand, but had to release his grip when the goat rammed his side. The Venus''s roots took advantage to entangle his legs while the Firefly concentrated its attacks on his eyes.


    Harold broke free with a burst of strength, but the pattern repeated itself, for every offensive movement he made, the guards responded with a combination of defensive tactics and opportunistic counterattacks.


    It was an exhausting stalemate, where the only real difference was that the guards'' beasts gradually tired while he maintained his monstrous power practically intact.


    ????


    Luna watched as her wolf retreated from another failed exchange, its fangs having barely scratched Harold''s carapace.


    It was frustrating, her bites were effective when they connected, but getting close enough was increasingly dangerous as damage accumulated in her wolf.


    "Your light attacks!" she called to the Firefly guard. "If they were more powerful..."


    "I know!" the guard responded while her bronze rank 1 beast continued firing rays that bounced uselessly off Harold''s armor, sweat beading on her brow. "But his defense is too strong!"


    Luna observed how the light rays reflected off the crystal barriers, and an idea began forming in her mind.


    "Let''s use light and shadow synergy!" she shouted while her wolf merged with darkness. "If we combine our energies...!"


    The guard caught the idea but seemed reluctant. "It''s a difficult attack to set up, the preparation is slow and with that monster''s speed..."


    "Let''s try it!" Luna began extending shadows behind Harold, creating a zone of denser darkness. "If I can trap him, hit him with everything!"


    Harold, however, had been sensing the mana. His antennae vibrated, capturing the increase in shadow energy behind him.


    When Luna tried to manipulate the darkness to trap him, he simply leaped forward, his chitinous claws destroying another crystal barrier. The impact sent crystalline fragments scattering across the metal floor.


    The Firefly''s concentrated ray passed harmlessly through the space where Harold should have been.


    "Damn it!" Luna gritted her teeth. "He''s too fast!"


    But the Giant Goat guard had been observing the exchange. Her eyes followed Harold''s movements, calculating each dodge and counter.


    "Again!" she shouted while her beast positioned itself. "But this time...!"


    Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire


    She quickly shared her plan with Luna and the Firefly guard, their eyes lighting with understanding.


    Luna began expanding the shadows again, this time creating multiple smaller dark zones. Harold responded as they expected, his antennae extended while analyzing each shadow area for the real trap.


    The Firefly began charging its most powerful attack, luminous energy accumulating as it bounced between crystal barriers, amplifying with each reflection until the air itself seemed to hum with power.


    Harold saw the pattern coming and dodged... or so he thought. When Luna tried to trap him with the shadows, he jumped again...


    Directly toward the goat that had been silently moving into position.


    The impact was brutal. The goat connected with all its strength, driving Harold toward the densest shadow zone. For an instant, his perfect balance shattered. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "NOW!" Luna shouted while her wolf emerged from the shadows, its fangs finding purchase on Harold''s leg, holding him in position for one crucial fraction of a second.

 Chapter 167 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 17

    The impact was brutal.


    The goat connected with all its strength, driving Harold toward the densest shadow zone. . For an instant, his perfect balance shattered.


    "NOW!" Luna shouted while her wolf emerged from the shadows, its fangs finding purchase on Harold''s leg, holding him in position for one crucial fraction of a second.


    The Firefly''s ray, charged to maximum power and amplified by dozens of reflections in the crystal barriers, struck Harold directly. The light energy blazed with extra blinding intensity as it impacted Harold''s shadow-shrouded form, creating a reaction that not even his chitinous armor could fully resist.


    A crack echoed through the chamber as the carapace finally broke, revealing the vulnerable flesh beneath.


    Harold roared, the first sound of intense pain he hadn''t been able to contain, the first he''d emitted since the battle began. The sound reverberated off the ancient walls, primal and filled with fury.


    "We did it!" the Firefly guard exclaimed, though her beast panted from the effort of expelling such power.


    But Luna didn''t celebrate. She knew a wounded enemy was even more dangerous.


    The broken carapace and pain unleashed something in Harold...


    Unbridled rage.


    His muscles expanded while forcing his transformation beyond safe limits, his form becoming even more monstrous. Flesh and chitin merged and twisted, creating an aberration that barely resembled anything natural.


    He launched himself at the Giant Goat with brutal speed.


    Luna''s wolf, still biting the leg, emerged from the shadows as it was yanked by the massive increase in strength, its fangs sinking deeper from the effort, but Harold endured the pain through gritted teeth and raised his leg. With a savage strike, he sent the wolf flying against the crystal wall.


    A powerful leap made him break through a new crystal barrier and reach the goat.


    The Goat tried to retreat, but it was too late. Harold''s venomous jaws, a modification of his abyssal centipede, closed around the beast''s neck. The abundant flow of venom coursed through its body and acted almost instantly, the Giant Goat vanished in an explosion of light, forced to return inside its tamer.


    "No!" Luna cried while her wolf rose unsteadily.


    Without the Goat to maintain the power balance, the battle began tilting rapidly. The Coral''s barriers could no longer contain Harold''s frenzied advance as he shattered crystal with blows empowered by his now excessive transformation''s enormous body.


    The Antenna Venus tried creating a root cage, but Harold burned them with acid secretion from his centipede. The Firefly fired rays continuously, seeking the damaged zone in his carapace, but without the previous surprise and synergy, it couldn''t inflict enough damage.


    The wolf returned to the shadows to attempt a new attack, but Luna was hesitant as she knew one more hit would eliminate it.


    The Coral guard retreated, trying to maintain distance while creating more barriers, but Harold simply charged through them.


    He reached in seconds and¡­


    A single blow sent her flying and crashing against the crystal barrier, the two hits knocked her unconscious.


    The Antenna Venus created one last desperate defense, forcing her skill to its maximum, her roots intertwining to trap Harold who was already upon them. For a moment it seemed to work, the vines wrapping around Harold, limiting his movements.


    Three more seconds would be useful for the firefly to charge a final attack aimed at the armor breach.


    But then he released a wave of acid again, melting the vegetation and reaching the guard behind. She screamed when the acid touched her skin, distracting her long enough for Harold to reach her and silence her with a precise blow that sent her flying too.


    The Goat guard, though beastless, launched herself at Harold with a hidden dagger. It was brave but futile, Harold''s armor broke the dagger effortlessly and slammed the girl against the ground with brutal force.


    The Firefly guard retreated, almost ready to launch another concentrated attack¡­ Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    Luna saw the danger.


    "Watch out!" she shouted, her wolf launching from the shadows to intercept.


    But it was too late.


    Harold''s mole attacked from behind the guard, its claws cutting deeply across her back.


    The scream of pain distracted Luna who turned to look at the girl for one crucial second.


    Harold seized that moment of distraction. His claws found the wolf mid-jump, and with a brutal motion, slammed it into Luna. Both fell, the wolf vanishing from damage while Luna struggled to maintain consciousness and tried to rise.


    With one last tremendous effort and a scream, Luna stood and used her enhanced speed, forcing her injured wolf to manifest just its claws in her hand.


    A swift strike at the armor breach...


    That never landed.


    Harold caught Luna''s wrist.


    "Game over, bitch..." he said laughing, then pulled and knocked her out.


    Luna, "the strongest first year" fell.


    He stood over two of the fallen guards, his body covered in wounds but his eyes blazing with murderous fury.


    He lifted them by the neck, ready to enjoy finishing them slowly.


    "Harold!" a voice called from the side. The other spy emerged partially from his hiding place. "There''s too much activity outside! We need to hurry!"


    Harold''s damaged antennae vibrated with effort. Despite the pain, he could sense the presences approaching the cracks.


    Indeed¡­


    He had to hurry to obtain the artifacts before they excavated the entire crystal surface of the seed and found the lower cracks through which he planned to escape. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With a growl of frustration, he released the guards.


    Harold tried to retract his transformation, but something was wrong¡­


    An involuntary roar escaped his throat while his body began to contort. The modified beast resisted returning, as if the taste of battle had awakened something primitive and hungry.


    "Harold?" the other spy watched with growing concern as his companion struggled against his own form.


    The chitinous segments twisted, antennae vibrating erratically. For several tense moments, it seemed Harold would lose control completely. But finally, with a supreme effort of will, he managed to dominate the beast.


    Almost.


    His face still showed marked chitinous patterns, like living scars that refused to disappear. His injured leg and other areas where he''d received damage remained partially transformed, flesh and carapace mixing grotesquely. But at least he had regained control.


    He grabbed Luna by the hair and began dragging her toward where they kept Liora wrapped.

 Chapter 168 - Killer Tamer

    For several tense moments, it seemed Harold would lose control completely. But finally, with a supreme effort of will, he managed to dominate the beast.


    Almost.


    His face still showed marked chitinous patterns, like living scars that refused to disappear. His injured leg and other areas where he''d received damage remained partially transformed, flesh and carapace mixing grotesquely.


    But at least he had regained control.


    He grabbed Luna by the hair and began dragging her toward where they kept Liora wrapped.


    "There are many beasts in the school that can create coverings," the spy commented worriedly as Harold dragged the poor girl and caught his breath. "I can stay at the academy, keep my eyes open and continue reporting..."


    Harold looked at him as if he''d lost his mind. "They''ll interrogate you after this even if you pretend I kidnapped you..."


    "I know, it''s a big risk... That''s why I need you to rough me up a bit," the spy smiled weakly, though his eyes betrayed his nervousness. "Make the situation more believable."


    "As you wish," Harold shrugged, but when he raised his fist, the patterns on his face intensified, darkening like spilled ink. The rage he had been containing bubbled back to the surface, a primal fury he couldn''t fully suppress.


    The blow was brutal, too brutal. The spy collapsed, barely conscious, blood flowing from his shattered nose and split lip. His head bounced off the metal floor with a sickening thud.


    "Sorry," Harold muttered, his claws retracting slowly as worry at his own lack of control settled in. "I... I overdid it."


    ????


    On the metal bridge where they kept the other hostages, Harold observed the unconscious bodies of Liu and Liora¡­


    His claws grew involuntarily at seeing Liu, the headache from the sonic attack still present and returning with a vengeance, demanding retribution.


    For a moment he considered finishing what he''d started, his transformed hand flexing with murderous intent, but his damaged antennae captured even more movement now both above and in the tunnel that Ren''s group had created.


    There was no time for indulgences.


    "The emblem," he ordered his mole.


    The beast regurgitated a small crystal carved with the symbol of the Venmonts, one of Yino''s most prominent houses. Harold took it carefully, it was more than a simple key, it was evidence of the trust his kingdom placed in him.


    When he placed the emblem on the ancient door, it reacted immediately. Mechanisms hidden for centuries came to life, responding to House Venmont''s call.


    The ancient door opened with a metallic sound that echoed through the spherical structure.


    Harold took a step toward the tunnel but stopped when he heard a groan behind him. The other spy was staggering, the blow had done more damage than planned. Blood still flowed freely from his nose, and his eyes couldn''t quite focus.


    "Stay," Harold ordered, his antennae vibrating while analyzing the path ahead. "There are only 6 students with normal beasts in there... My antennae are injured but I can sense that 2 of them lost their mana signature."


    "But... how did they open...? If they got in they could be..." the spy leaned against the wall, still dizzy from the impact.


    "I don''t know," Harold frowned, the chitinous patterns on his face undulating with his expression.


    "But I don''t think they''re from Yino, nor do I think they''re strong from what I saw and felt when they were trying to escape those weak guards. Probably the 2 extinguished presences are 2 of those fools... the princess''s guards probably already took care of them and left one alive for questioning..."


    A cruel smile formed on his lips while dragging Luna closer. "Just one princess left with two low-level guards and a hostage. If I let myself go a little more..."


    He stopped, an idea forming in his mind distorted by the transformation. "You don''t need to follow me. They probably fought among themselves, wore out the guards and the princess... But if she uses the ring..."


    His grip on Luna''s hair tightened, causing the unconscious girl to moan softly. "I''ll use this bitch to make the princess lose focus, it''ll surely be her with her iron rank beast who demands to carry the ring. Maybe she won''t give me much trouble or be able to escape with her jumps if she''s worried about her friend..."


    The spy watched with growing concern as Harold''s features became more bestial while imagining the scene, the transformation spreading further across his face.


    "The face she''ll make when she sees..." Harold laughed, a sound that was more insect than human. The chitinous segments on his face expanded, his transformation advancing as he entered the tunnel.


    "Are you sure that...?" the spy began trying to stand, but Harold was no longer listening.


    ''Too easy,'' he thought while advancing, dragging Luna. ''A frightened iron rank princess, two tired guards...''


    His antennae vibrated with anticipation, ignoring the warning signals trying to pierce through his mind intoxicated by power. All he could think about was the reward he would receive for delivering not one, not two, but three prisoners of such value.


    The tunnel curved ahead, and Harold could sense presences. A predatory smile formed on his deformed face as he prepared for his triumphant entrance.


    ????


    Ren couldn''t stop thinking about Larissa''s words.


    Could he really kill someone?


    His hand trembled remembering the fury he had felt when the guard threatened Min, how for a moment he had been willing to... The memory of that rage frightened him almost as much as the situation itself.


    Larissa interrupted his thoughts with a whimper, holding the two potions her ''traitorous'' guards had given her. "It''s not fair... Why do I have to be the only one in trouble?" she murmured sadly but with a small air of happiness.


    She looked at them with accusing eyes while they avoided her gaze. Min and Taro scratched their heads, pretending sudden interest in the metallic walls that surrounded them.


    The moment of levity shattered when they felt it... a wave of power emerging from outside the seed.


    A door had opened, but the mana emanating from one of the tunnels...


    "Abyssal?" Larissa whispered, her mineral fairy detecting the corruption in the energy, its wings trembling at the tainted power.


    Everyone tensed. The guards, despite their exhaustion, immediately positioned themselves in front of Larissa, their beasts barely beginning to regenerate.


    "Don''t be foolish!" Larissa tried to push them aside. "You barely have mana! Your beasts haven''t even fully reformed!"


    "Our duty is to protect you," they responded firmly, though their stances betrayed their mana fatigue.


    Ren stepped forward, his hydra armor manifesting in brilliant crystalline scales with glowing veins now even more imposing due to the ring''s addition.


    "Stay back. I''ll handle this."


    "But you..." Larissa began, evident concern in her voice.


    Ren hesitated for a moment.


    Could he really kill someone even if they were an abyssal? The idea turned his stomach and sent chills down his spine, but... he clenched his teeth and fists. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This wasn''t the time for doubts.


    His carapace began to shine with increasing intensity, his mushrooms'' light veins feeding the hydra''s light power.


    The figure that emerged from the tunnel was monstrous, a hybrid of human and insect that dragged something... no, someone.


    Ren''s eyes fixed on Luna, unconscious and bleeding, her hair being used cruelly as a leash by that abomination.


    Something changed inside him.


    "LUNA!" Larissa''s scream seemed distant as fury flooded through Ren. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire


    The internal light of his mushrooms still traveling through his body in numerous small veins exploded, feeding a power he shouldn''t be able to use yet. The consumed ring''s enhancement resonated with his rage, amplifying the luminous energy to impossible levels.


    The hydra''s light beam manifested in all its destructive glory.


    Harold barely had time to register the strange situation as he was blinded by an intense radiance.


    His injured antennae caught the danger too late, he had been so sure of his victory that he hadn''t noticed the sudden accumulation of power...


    Luna awakened at that moment feeling the intense light. With the last remnant of her mana, she created a shadow behind Harold and clutched his leg, anchoring him in place for another small instant.


    The beam pierced through Harold like a miniature sun, its purifying light tearing through the abyssal corruption like divine judgment made manifest.

 Chapter 169 - Killer Tamer - 2

    In his final moments, Harold saw his life flash before his eyes. The orphanage in Yino, cold and desolate, where shadows seemed longer and darkness deeper than anywhere else.


    The day the Venmonts adopted him, the first time he felt hope bloom in his chest like a fragile flower.


    Years of brutal training, painful modifications, all to please a father who never...


    The thought remained unfinished when the beam of light finished consuming his torso. What remained was barely recognizable as human, the lower half of a charred body, part monster, part man, smoking on the metallic floor. The acrid smell of a burned body filled the air.


    "Luna!" Larissa ran to her cousin, who lay there after anchoring Harold with her last shadow and physical effort. Her normally perfect composure shattered by genuine fear for her family.


    Min followed immediately, his snake manifesting to begin the healing process, its scales gleaming with restorative energy.


    Taro and the guards also approached, forming a protective circle around the girls, their bodies tense despite their exhaustion.


    But Ren collapsed to his knees, his eyes fixed on what remained of Harold. His hands trembled uncontrollably while the glowing lines across his body began to fade from the massive energy expenditure of his powerful attack.


    "I..." his voice was barely a whisper. "I just..."


    The hydra armor retracted and his mushrooms appeared in his hair, pulsing softly as if trying to console him but reflecting a dimmer, sadder light. Their usual cheerful glow muted by their tamer''s emotional turmoil.


    "She''s alive," Min''s voice cut through the fog in his mind. "Luna will be fine."


    Larissa held Luna''s hand while Min worked, but her eyes were fixed on Ren. She had heard about this before¡­ her brother had told her that something could be seen in warriors'' eyes and mana after their first real kill.


    There you could see someone''s true yin or yang nature.


    ????


    When Min finished healing Luna, Larissa approached Ren.


    "You saved her life," she said softly, her voice gentle with understanding. "Maybe all of ours."


    Ren nodded mechanically, but his eyes remained on the charred remains. How old had the transformed tamer been? Had he had a family like Ren''s? Would his mother and father miss him?


    "It was him or us," one of the guards added, her voice kinder than it had been before. The hostility from earlier completely gone, replaced by something like sympathy. "You had no choice."


    "You''re right... there was no choice," Ren murmured, remembering how fury had consumed him upon seeing Luna injured. But had there really been no other option? Or had he simply let rage decide for him? Was he still able to "become a good man" like his mother and father had asked him to be?


    "Thank you," Larissa smiled weakly. "For not hesitating." sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren felt tears beginning to form. He hadn''t hesitated, no. And that was what frightened him the most.


    But Min called them, momentarily distracting Ren from his dark thoughts.


    Luna opened her eyes slowly, her vision focusing on the worried faces surrounding her.


    "The other guards..." she mumbled, trying to sit up. "They''re badly hurt. They need help, quickly."


    Larissa helped her up while Min considered the injured guards with concern. His snake had already expended much energy healing Luna, its scales dulled from the effort.


    "I don''t know if I have enough mana left," Min admitted, biting his lip.


    Ren, who had been staring into space, seemed to wake at this. His eyes lit up, here was something good he could do, something that might slightly reduce his guilt.


    "Min!" he quickly approached his friend. "I can help."


    "Yes, but my snake''s mana is different from your beasts'' and..."


    "I know exactly how it works," Ren continued, his mushrooms pulsing as he concentrated. "I know the pattern of each type of mana. I can transfer some of mine to you."


    "Is that possible?" Taro asked, momentarily forgetting the situation out of pure curiosity.


    "It''s very difficult," one of the guards commented. "The mana of different beasts isn''t usually compatible."


    "But Ren knows the patterns," Min smiled, beginning to understand. "Like when he helped us with our cultivation."


    Ren nodded, placing a hand on Min''s shoulder. His glowing lines, relic of the consumed ring, began to pulse with a specific rhythm.


    "It''s like directing a river into a lake," he explained as his mana flowed into Min.


    Min''s snake began to glow with renewed energy, its scales brightening with borrowed power.


    "It''s working!" Min exclaimed excitedly.


    Larissa observed how Ren concentrated on the task, noting how his hands no longer trembled.


    ????


    The group advanced down the corridor Harold had used, their footsteps echoing on the ancient metal. When they reached the exit...


    They didn''t have to search long before finding three bundles wrapped in some kind of organic material.


    When they opened one of the coverings... "Liora!" Larissa rushed forward upon recognizing her cousin''s face. Luna also seemed surprised but pretended not to care too much when Larissa announced she was merely unconscious.


    They assumed all three were Harold''s hostages, as like Luna, he surely intended to take Liora to Yino as well.


    Taro summoned his Living Tunnel, which carefully lifted the three unconscious but breathing hostages. "I''ll carry them," he offered.


    "We need to find the guards quickly," Luna tried to move faster but stumbled.


    "I''ll heal them, I promise," Min decided, his snake still glowing with the energy Ren had transferred. "They could be..."


    No one completed the sentence. They couldn''t sense the mana signatures since the guards were knocked out.


    They climbed toward the seed''s upper section, supporting themselves on the metal bridges. The silence was oppressive as they searched.


    "Here!" one of Larissa''s guards shouted.


    The first fallen guard lay near fragments of coral crystal, her breathing barely visible. Min knelt immediately, his snake beginning to work.


    "Over there," Ren pointed, his mushrooms pulsing as they detected signs of life. "There''s another."


    They found the second guard surrounded by withered roots, her skin showing acid burns. Min''s snake hissed with concern, the wounds were deep.


    "Come on," Min murmured as he worked. "Come on..."


    Color slowly began returning to the guards'' faces.


    "Another!" Luna pointed to a corner where the Firefly guard lay motionless, a deep wound in her back.


    Min moved as quickly as he could, but his hands trembled from the effort. He had healed too many serious injuries today.


    But one was still missing... Larissa found the Goat guard, her ears bleeding slightly.


    Min''s remaining mana didn''t seem sufficient, the light faded... The girl began to convulse.


    "One more time," Ren put his hand on Min''s shoulder, his last mana reserves flowing into the snake.


    Gradually, the girl began to calm.


    The glowing lines on Ren''s body started flickering while more and more presences accumulated outside the cracks. He could sense dozens of perception beasts probing the area.


    "There are... there are many..." he mumbled, his vision beginning to blur. He had spent too much mana, the light beam, repeatedly transferring energy to Min...


    Taro barely managed to catch him when his legs finally gave out. The mushrooms in his hair gave one last weak pulse before vanishing.


    "Ren!" Min approached worriedly, but his snake was also exhausted after so many healings.


    Taro''s Living Tunnel added Ren to its load of wrapped bundles.


    The guards began waking one by one, disoriented but alive.


    The last to open her eyes was the Firefly guard. "The... princess?" she whispered.


    "Safe," Larissa knelt beside her to show she was alright. "We''re all safe."


    ????


    "Should we dig another exit?" Taro asked, looking nervously toward the cracks where they could sense the growing concentration of people outside.


    "Maybe we could..." Luna began, but stopped. "No, it''s useless."


    "There''s no point in hiding anymore," Larissa nodded. "Everyone will know who was involved by now."


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    The group headed toward the tunnel Ren and Taro had originally created. It was the widest path, and at this point, trying to sneak away would only make them appear more suspicious.


    When they approached the crack, however, they froze in their tracks.


    There, looking directly at them with an unreadable expression, was Julius''s face.


    "I believe," said the prince after a long moment, "that you have much to explain."

 Chapter 170 - Taming Punishment

    A little before the fight''s resolution...


    Director Ignatius paced back and forth, worry growing with each passing minute. The girls still hadn''t returned with news, and their presences continued to be detected far from the planned interception point.


    ''Why are they taking so long?'' he thought while his phoenix stirred beneath his skin, responding to his unease. The beast''s agitation only heightened his own anxiety.


    That''s when he felt it, a disturbance in the mana with the unmistakable mark of abyssal corruption. His muscles tensed instantly, but something was different this time.


    "At least it''s not as powerful as the last intruder," he muttered, remembering the gold rank agent''s intrusion. "Maybe I should go, if the rank is low the terrain maybe can''t..."


    His thoughts were interrupted when an auxiliary arrived running.


    "Director!" the man panted, clearly having sprinted with all his might. "We found a tunnel in the iron rank students'' food storage!"


    Ignatius internally cursed himself for the poor surveillance at that point. The place had seemed so unimportant that... He shook his head, this was no time for self-recrimination.


    "No time for regrets," he told himself. "Did anyone follow the tunnel already?"


    "Yes, sir," the auxiliary nodded. "But..."


    As if responding to his words, another auxiliary appeared just after a little while, his face grim.


    "The crack in the mana crystal wall at the tunnel''s end is too small," he reported. "We can''t pass through. And..." he hesitated a moment, "Lady Luna entered before I could stop her."


    The Director froze. The crystal structure they''d mentioned... it was the kingdom''s last seed. Calculations based on the crystal''s thickness and the pattern of the previous ones indicated it shouldn''t open for at least ten more years.


    "Why now?" he murmured. "What changed?"


    The auxiliaries exchanged worried looks while the Director considered his options. The abyssal presence wasn''t as strong as last time, but if they were trying to get the ring and the potions...


    "I''m going down," he finally decided. "Organize a massive excavation with all earth element professors and auxiliaries. I want all entrances blocked."


    "All of them, sir? There are more than¡­" S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "All of them," Ignatius began moving. "If we can''t enter through the crack, at least we won''t let anyone escape. And if there are intruders in there..."


    His eyes gleamed dangerously.


    "They won''t get out alive."


    The auxiliaries dispersed quickly, transmitting orders. Within minutes, the sound of digger beasts began resonating throughout the academy. Students were evacuated while tamers specialized in earth and rock began their work.


    ''Luna is in there'', thought the director. ''And the new students... Julius will kill me if anything happens to his...''


    He could only hope that, whatever was happening inside the seed, the girls could handle it until reinforcements arrived.


    ????


    The director was organizing the excavation squad when another auxiliary came running.


    "Director! We found another tunnel entrance that goes to the mana barrier! It''s wider and... strange."


    "Strange how?" the director turned, his attention captured.


    "It''s a tunnel coated in living crystal," the auxiliary explained, gesturing animatedly. "But it''s far above the mana range where these beasts should appear."


    Wei, who had been beside the director, opened his eyes in surprise. "The mushroom boy," he muttered, drawing everyone''s attention. "It has to be him."


    "The student who won the bet against you?" the director frowned.


    "Yes," Wei clenched his fists. "He''s been acting suspicious from the start. Let me go down with you, director."


    The director considered the suggestion for a moment before reluctantly nodding. If the student was involved...


    A deafening screech interrupted his thoughts. It wasn''t a common cry, the sound resonated with pure power, making every beast in the area shudder. The very air seemed to vibrate with its intensity.


    Looking up, they saw a massive figure descending upon them. A golden Giant Eagle, its plumage shining with the intensity of a gold rank 2 beast, approached with imposing majesty. Its wingspan cast shadows across the academy grounds.


    Three figures jumped from its back before it touched earth.


    "Zhao, Julius..." the director recognized the professor and the prince. "And Victor¡­"


    Victor, one of Julius''s older brothers and owner of the Giant Eagle, nodded gravely. His beast perched behind him, its golden eyes scanning the area with predatory intelligence.


    "This time we''ll join the hunt from the beginning," Julius declared, his voice leaving no room for arguments. "No more waiting for slow reports."


    The director noticed the tension in his posture. Of course, his prot¨¦g¨¦es were down there.


    "They say the tunnel is this way," Wei pointed, eager to begin.


    Victor placed a hand on his brother''s shoulder. "We''ll find them."


    The group headed toward the mines. This time, thought the director, they wouldn''t let anyone escape.


    ????


    Larissa froze upon seeing Julius''s face in the crack.


    Her mind, which moments ago had been planning how to explain the entire disaster, went completely blank.


    The situation worsened when a hand appeared and pushed Julius''s head aside. Victor''s face peered through the crack, his eyes widening in surprise at finding his little sister inside such important ruins.


    "Larissa," Victor''s voice sounded strangely calm, which only made her more nervous. "Get out of there. Now."


    Larissa looked around, everyone who wasn''t knocked out averted their gaze... Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    Would she have to explain everything alone? Harold''s partially destroyed body, the injured guards, unconscious Ren, the "packages" carried by Taro''s Living Tunnel and the artifacts that...


    "Am I going to get scolded?" she asked in a small voice, like when she was younger and got caught asking the kitchen maids for sweets.


    Julius appeared again in the crack, pushing Victor. "No, we''re not going to..."


    "Liar!" Larissa interrupted, pointing at him accusingly.


    "This time is different," Julius tried to sound convincing. "We just want to..."


    "Mana doesn''t lie!" Larissa crossed her arms.


    Victor couldn''t contain a chuckle, which earned him an elbow from Julius.


    "Larissa," Julius tried again, his voice mixing authority and pleading. "There was a Yino spy in there, right? I can''t sense their presence anymore... Could you come out and explain everything that happened?"


    "Promise you won''t punish me!" Larissa pointed with a trembling finger.


    "I can''t promise anything without knowing what¡­"


    "You have to promise!"


    Victor pushed Julius aside again. "Listen, little demon," his tone was more amused than severe. "If you come out now, I promise not to let Julius punish you too much."


    "Too much?" Larissa narrowed her eyes. "Define ''too much''."

 Chapter 171 - Taming Truth

    After Julius and Victor convinced Larissa and the other kids to come out, the academy guards acted swiftly.


    The children, both conscious and unconscious, were directly transported to a "secure room" in the academy''s most protected area. The term "secure" was a polite euphemism for what it really was: an interrogation chamber adapted for minors, though decorated with soft furnishings and warm colors to mask its true purpose.


    "Do we really need this many guards here?" Julius observed the security deployment around the "secure room" with disgust. "They''re just children..."


    "Children who defeated a Yino transformed spy," Victor leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the closed door. "One with an abyssal beast."


    "Defeated?" Julius let out a dry laugh. "Someone or something tore him apart... But he was only silver rank 1, this is excessive."


    The initial priority had been investigating the seed.


    With adults unable to enter through the cracks due to their size, they sent small beasts specialized in reconnaissance. The creatures worked efficiently, transmitting vital information back to their tamers.


    The director approached with a preliminary report. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Sir," he addressed Victor, "the reconnaissance beasts confirm Princess Larissa''s story. The body... what remains of it, shows clear signs of abyssal corruption. The transformation fused with his flesh permanently."


    "Like the last one," Julius murmured.


    "No," the director shook his head. "This one was different. Weaker, yes, but... the fusion was deeper. As if it had almost completely lost control."


    Victor straightened, suddenly more interested. "As if the beast was transforming into the tamer?"


    The silence that followed was heavy. Julius closed his eyes, his expression darkening.


    What they found confirmed Larissa''s first rushed words. Harold''s partially charred body lay where someone or something had defeated him, the remains of his abyssal transformation still visible in the carbonized flesh.


    "The Goldcrests traitors," Victor spat the name like poison. "And Yino experimenting on children¡­"


    "Now we have proof," Julius smiled humorlessly. "The body, the papers showing they forced a spy into the academy, Larissa''s testimony..."


    Larissa''s preliminary testimony, though carefully edited to protect Ren, provided the necessary context. Harold had been a Yino agent, infiltrated into the academy thanks to the Goldcrests. The evidence was undeniable.


    For the first time in years, they had tangible proof against one of the kingdom''s three most powerful families.


    Victor struck the wall with such force that the stone cracked. "Enough," his voice was pure ice. "This ends now."


    "No brother¡­ You know that we need more than this," Julius tried to reason. "The Goldcrests have too much influence and power. Besides, even with absolute proof... As long as father doesn''t return, we fighting them alone would just end up creating the perfect situation for Yino''s invasion..."


    And too many questions remained unanswered.


    In the "secure room," surrounded by guards with beasts specialized in perception, the children slept unaware of the chaos they had unleashed.


    The mushroom boy also slept deeply, not knowing that his actions to explore and save Luna had changed the kingdom''s balance of power.


    Although the room seemed comfortable, with soft beds and pleasant decoration, the truth was evident in the guards'' watchful eyes. No one would leave until every question was answered.


    ????


    The children had been separated into two rooms, one for the girls and another for the boys.


    In the girls'' room...


    "It''s about time you tell us the truth, little demon¡­ What happened to the ring?" Julius kept his voice soft while observing Larissa.


    This was the most important situation of all and had priority¡­ but they had searched their bodies and no one had it.


    The princess, seated with her cousins and guards in the elegantly decorated room, smiled with feigned innocence. "It disappeared."


    "Larissa..."


    "It''s true!" she protested. "I literally saw it disappear. One moment it was there and the next..." she made a vague gesture with her hands.


    "Who defeated the spy?" Victor tried another angle.


    "An elemental light attack," Larissa responded without hesitation. "The light beam pierced through him."


    "And where did this powerful light come from? Only you or Lucy can use that element among those present and you''re not at that level..." Find your next read at My Virtual Library Empire


    "The beam came from inside the seed, of course," Larissa blinked with a confused expression. "Where else could it come from?"


    Luna coughed to hide a smile. Her cousin was in her element, telling incomplete truths with the innocence of someone who never breaks a plate...


    Even Luna didn''t know exactly where the attack had come from, she had only seen the flash and acted on instinct.


    Liora had been knocked out so also knew nothing.


    Julius and Victor exchanged frustrated looks. Each of Larissa''s answers was technically true, but they felt she was still hiding something important.


    "How many potions exactly remain?" Julius tried to be specific.


    "Seven," Larissa responded cheerfully and without hesitation. Her mineral fairy glowed slightly, while her brothers detected that she wasn''t lying.


    "Two belong to me by right and five are Ren''s group''s."


    "Why does the boy have more? Can you explain the discovery situation?" Victor arched an eyebrow.


    "Of course. There were two groups who entered: mine and Ren''s. Ren entered first so he had priority, but he gifted us two... the potions, like any artifact, belong to the Yano citizen who finds them first."


    "And the other three?" Julius leaned forward.


    "Oh, Ren''s group used them immediately," Larissa waved her hand dismissively. "Well, two of them and Ren..."


    Luna observed her cousin with interest. It wasn''t exactly a lie, but...


    "Did the mushroom boy not take one?" Victor straightened, suddenly more attentive.


    "Yes¡­ He took it from the pedestal... Mm-hmm," Larissa nodded while playing with her dress. "The potions belong to them, so they''ll be made nobles and can use them as they want, right?"


    "But the two you have..." Julius began.


    "Are mine to distribute," Larissa interrupted firmly. "Two belong to me even if by tradition I''m not allowed to use them directly, but as the princess I am¡­ I''ll ensure they''re used appropriately and justly, also the other five are Ren''s group''s."


    "Appropriately and justly?" Victor crossed his arms.


    "They always are for the men of the royal family, of course," Larissa smiled innocently. "It''s tradition that whoever finds them distributes them to the men of the family, isn''t it? Like the ones father keeps in the castle and hasn''t distributed yet."


    Julius and Victor exchanged looks. It was a difficult argument to refute.

 Chapter 172 - Taming Truth - 2

    "Appropriately and justly?" Victor crossed his arms.


    "They always are for the men of the royal family, of course," Larissa smiled innocently. "It''s tradition that whoever finds them distributes them to the men of the family, isn''t it? Like the ones father keeps in the castle and hasn''t distributed yet."


    Julius and Victor exchanged looks. It was a difficult argument to refute.


    Their little sister had masterfully turned their own family''s rules against them.


    "Even so," Victor tried another angle, his fingers drumming an agitated rhythm against his arm as he searched for leverage, "considering the situation..."


    "Oh, they''ll be perfectly safe with me," Larissa interrupted, her voice carrying the perfect blend of childish enthusiasm and royal authority. She straightened in her chair, every inch the princess despite her youth.


    "After all, who better to guard something so important than a princess? And when father returns and decides which brothers are worthy of the ones he had saved for so long..."


    "Fine but... The ring whereabouts are more important," Julius changed topics. The loss of such a powerful artifact couldn''t be dismissed so easily. "Where is it?"


    "As I said before, it disappeared," Larissa maintained her smile, though a mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes. "Poof. Right in front of us." She wiggled her fingers in an exaggerated magical gesture.


    "Larissa..."


    "It''s the truth," she insisted, her mineral fairy glowing softly beneath her skin like validating her words. "You can ask anyone who was there. One moment it was there and the next... poof." She made the gesture again, clearly enjoying their discomfort.


    "Larissa," Victor''s voice carried the weight of exasperation built up through years of dealing with his clever sister, "this is serious... If a beast stored it inside someone''s body, you need to tell us..."


    "I know," she nodded with exaggerated solemnity, though amusement danced in her eyes.


    "That''s why I''m being so precise with the details. No beast ''stored'' it, nobody ''hid'' it¡­ Besides, your voice is rising, and you promised not to scold me if I only told the truth." Right on cue, tears began welling in her eyes, a performance worthy of the royal theater.


    Victor looked away, caught between embarrassment at falling for her act and admiration for her skill. He began pacing the room, his boots clicking against the polished floor.


    "The potions..." he muttered, searching for any angle of attack. "Fine, they''re yours according to our King''s rules, so you can keep them. But the ring..."


    "No longer exists," Larissa shrugged with perfect nonchalance. "So there''s nothing to look for." She was telling the truth.


    Julius finally stood, recognizing defeat in this particular battle.


    "The potions," he conceded, "can stay with you as Victor said. But this conversation about the ring isn''t over, and you haven''t escaped punishment yet."


    ????


    In another room, far from the royal drama, the spy posing as a hostage answered similar questions with his own brand of careful truth-telling.


    The interrogation room masqueraded as a comfortable study, with plush chairs and warm lighting designed to put students at ease. But the spy noted every detail that betrayed its true purpose¡­ the slight angle of the chair that gave the interrogator psychological advantage, the carefully positioned lights that would make facial tells more visible, the barely perceptible hum of detection beasts in the walls.


    Unlike the room where the princess held court with her family, this space carried no pretense of deference.


    The consequences here could be far more severe.


    As other students awakened, they were systematically separated and questioned.


    The spy knew this performance would determine not just survival, but the success of years of careful planning that had been made just so they could keep getting information as a normal student.


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    "Did you see who attacked you?" asked the guard, his tone carefully calibrated to convey sympathy.


    "Yes," the spy touched his partially healed face, allowing genuine pain to color their expression. The bruises Harold had left were a gift, real injuries made deception so much easier. "But everything happened so fast. Harold hit me when I tried to stop him..."


    "Stop him?"


    "Yes, I..." he coughed, the wetness in the sound perfectly calculated. "When I saw he had hostages, I prevented him from killing them. I tried..." Another cough interrupted the words. "I tried to do the right thing."


    The guard made a note in his book, the scratching of his pen unnaturally loud in the quiet room. "And the ring? The potions?"


    "I don''t know," the spy let vulnerability seep into the words, years of training making it easy to tremble at just the right moment. "I was outside the ruins when... when everything happened."


    Every word was true, but danger still lurked. The school''s thorough investigation had revealed hollows throughout the academy, hidden spaces concealed by various coverings. Grass and moss, minerals, spider webs, even beast shells... A network of hideaways that raised too many questions.


    The interrogator studied the student before him trying to catch the smallest tell, the slightest hesitation.


    "The covering in the tunnel," he began without preamble, placing several samples on the table between them, "is similar to others we''ve found in the last few hours around the academy."


    The injured student nodded weakly, allowing genuine fatigue to show. "Not surprising given how Harold made me cover him. Many students can make coverings." Each word was true, yet revealed nothing of importance.


    "But yours is the one used this time," the interrogator''s fingers traced the edge of one sample. "Perfect for containing mana signatures."


    "Or for protecting people," the student coughed again, the sound carrying just the right note of pain. "Like I tried to do when I saw what Harold was planning... Many other covers can contain mana too..."


    "Why didn''t you alert the guards?"


    "With what time?" a pained smile crossed the bruised face, the expression carefully crafted to show both sincerity and trauma. "Everything happened so fast. I saw Harold acting strange, followed him, and when I understood what was happening..." Another perfectly timed cough. "Well, you''ve seen how that ended."


    "Why did he hit you?"


    "Because he wanted to, because he lost control," the student gestured at his bruises, using them as both shield and evidence. "Isn''t it obvious?"


    "Did you know Harold well?"


    "No, he was a classmate," another careful truth, delivered with practiced casualness.


    The interrogator leaned forward. "The coverings we found... some have been there for months."


    "The academy is big," the student smiled weakly. "And many of us can make coverings. Some use them to hide and sleep between classes..."


    "Like you?"


    "Sometimes," another truth. "Darkness can be very comfortable with a good hammock in a hollow." sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Many of the coverings have this same base."


    "The material is common," the student maintained his composure, letting exhaustion do the work of hiding any tension. "My beast produces it, yes, but others have the same. Check the beast registry if you want."


    "Oh, we did," the interrogator''s smile carried a predatory edge. "There are 33 students who can produce organic coverings similar to those found."


    "See? Not so special."


    "But only 11 can make them this resistant."


    "Practice makes perfect," the student''s weak smile never wavered. "When you spend so much time..."


    "Practicing coverings?"


    "Studying and resting," another truth that revealed nothing. "The covering is just for comfort and avoiding punishment from the auxiliaries."


    "Did you know Harold had an abyssal beast?"


    "A what?" the student allowed genuine surprise to show. "I just saw him transform into something horrible. I thought it was a failed cultivation or..."


    "And you still tried to stop him?"


    "I didn''t think much," the student letting shame color the voice. "I saw he had hostages and... acted on instinct. It was stupid, I know."


    "Very stupid," the interrogator nodded slowly. "Or very brave. The question is... which was it?"


    "Considering how I ended up," the student gestured at the injuries, using them one final time as both shield and proof, "I''m leaning toward stupid."


    "Very well," the interrogator rose with deliberate slowness. "Rest. We may have more questions later."


    "I''ll be here," the student indicated with resigned humor. "Not like I can go anywhere else."


    As the interrogator left, he couldn''t help but admire the student''s performance. Every answer had been truth, every explanation logical and simple. The story was perfect¡­ too perfect perhaps.


    ????


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed weakly when he finally opened his eyes, their dim light barely illuminating his pale face.


    "Where am I?" he murmured while trying to focus his vision, the elegant room swimming before him like a dream.


    "Ren!" Min jumped from his bed, relief breaking through his usual composure. "Finally!"


    "Lower your voice," Taro glanced nervously toward the door where two guards maintained their silent vigil. "They''re observing us."


    Ren sat up slowly, taking in their surroundings. The room was beautiful, with rich furnishings and tasteful decoration. But the walls themselves seemed to hum with the energy of detection beasts, their presence a constant reminder that this comfortable prison was still very much a cage.

 Chapter 173 - Taming Truth - 3

    Ren sat up slowly, taking in their surroundings. The room was beautiful, with rich furnishings and tasteful decoration. But the walls themselves seemed to hum with the energy of detection beasts, their presence a constant reminder that this comfortable prison was still very much a cage.


    To his surprise, the potions sat untouched beside his bed. They hadn''t taken them away... His gaze drifted to the adjacent bed where a familiar figure lay.


    "Liu," Ren noticed his roommate''s dejected expression on the nearby bed. "Are you alright?"


    "Define alright," Liu attempted a smile that came out more like a grimace, his usual cheerfulness nowhere to be found.


    "Are you still hurt? Does anything pain you?"


    "Not really... maybe just my ego," Liu tried to smile again but only managed a twisted expression. His eyes fixed on the floor, unable to meet Ren''s gaze. "I tried to stop him, you know? When I saw he had a girl..."


    "You saved her," Min interjected softly, his voice gentle but firm.


    Liu shook his head, self-loathing evident in every movement. "It wasn''t enough. That attack you taught me, Ren... I think I executed it perfectly, concentrated the sonar just like you explained, but..." his voice cracked slightly. "I only managed to get myself knocked out. Couldn''t even help her."


    "You''re wrong," Ren straightened, his voice carrying absolute conviction. "Think about it. He must have been disoriented when he fought after your attack, his movements probably clumsier. You gave enough time to prevent worse outcomes, prevented deaths. We can''t know for certain but I believe..."


    "But..."


    "No, listen," Ren pressed on, refusing to let his friend wallow in self-doubt. "Luna and her guards probably only managed to resist because he wasn''t at full capacity. Your attack weakened him, damaged his senses, affected his balance. We barely had time to find the guards¡­ so surely... you gave them just enough time."


    "Time Min needed to heal them," Taro added, backing up Ren''s assessment.


    Liu lifted his gaze, a spark of hope breaking through his defeated expression. "You really think I helped that much?"


    "I don''t think, I know," Ren smiled warmly. "In fact..." he paused, weighing his next words carefully. "I''ve been thinking about what to do with the remaining potions."


    "Those 5 you have left? You''re not selling them to kill Finch and Theodore with a heart attack?" Min asked jokingly, though having received one himself, he suspected he knew the answer.


    "No. Two are for my parents," Ren began counting on his fingers. "One definitely goes to Lin, she''s more than earned it. But the other two..."


    Liu blinked in confusion, not daring to hope. "Why are you telling me this?" S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Because I think you''ve earned one," Ren responded simply, though the weight of his words filled the room. "What you did today... I don''t think just anyone would do that."


    "But I failed," Liu''s gaze dropped again, shame evident in his posture.


    "You didn''t fail, you stubborn fool," Ren shook his head emphatically. "You gave them a chance. Without your intervention, without the damage you caused him, the girls might have..."


    "But a potion to become a double tamer... it''s too valuable."


    "Those of us in the grey wing need to help each other," Ren shrugged, as if giving away a priceless artifact was the most natural thing in the world. "What you did today proved you''re someone valuable."


    "Besides," he added with a theatrical gesture, "what better use than giving it to a friend who''s already proven he''ll use his power to help others?"


    Liu opened his mouth to protest but closed it again. His eyes moistened slightly with unshed tears.


    "I..." he began, his voice trembling with emotion. "I don''t know what to say."


    "Say you''ll accept it," Ren smiled warmly. "And that next time you see someone in trouble, you''ll have double the power so you can help better."


    Min and Taro observed the exchange in respectful silence, understanding the weight of the moment. This wasn''t just a gift, it was recognition.


    "Thank you," Liu finally managed, his voice firmer now. "I promise I''ll use it well and repay you many times over."


    "I know," Ren nodded with absolute certainty. "That''s why I''m giving it to you."


    "Although," Liu smiled weakly, some of his usual humor returning, "I still think I should have practiced that attack more."


    "Oh, trust me," Ren laughed, the sound lightening the mood, "we''ll have plenty of time to practice. After all, I''m going to need your help getting rich since I won''t be selling any of the potions."


    ????


    Min and Taro exchanged meaningful looks before moving closer to Ren, their expressions turning serious.


    "Listen," Min lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. "There are some things you need to know before they come to interrogate you like they did us."


    "Princess Larissa explained us about lie detection," Taro continued in the same hushed tone. "About what to say and what not to."


    "Oh yes... I know how it works. What did you tell them?"


    They shared the official version they''d maintained, the three truths they needed to protect, the role each had played in the story they''d constructed.


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    "So," Ren repeated the information carefully, "the light beam came from the center of the chamber?"


    "Exactly," Min nodded.


    "And the ring simply... disappeared."


    "Nobody saw it after," Taro added. "One moment it was there, the next it wasn''t."


    "And about Larissa''s potion..." Min murmured conspiratorially.


    "Technically she wasn''t the one who ''took'' it," Taro completed.


    Liu watched them curiously from his bed. "What are you all whispering about?"


    "Just confirming what happened," Min straightened, returning to a normal volume. "Don''t worry about it, you don''t know anything because you were knocked out, and that''s better."


    "Ah yes," Liu deflated slightly again. "After that bastard hit me, everything went dark... By the way, can someone explain exactly what happened after I blacked out?"


    As his friends began recounting the subsequent events, Ren noticed the guards outside and in the walls seemed particularly interested in their conversation. Perfect. Letting them hear this version of events would only strengthen their cover story.


    "It was incredible," Min was saying with carefully measured enthusiasm. "Suddenly there was this brilliant light from the center of the chamber and..."


    "And the bad guy just... disintegrated," Taro completed, gesturing dramatically.


    "Such a shame about the ring," Min sighed theatrically. "It just disappeared."


    "As if it had never existed," Taro nodded solemnly.


    The mushrooms in Ren''s hair pulsed softly as he listened to the story. His friends had become surprisingly good at lying with the truth.


    "By the way," Liu coughed lightly. "I heard them talking about making you nobles or something."


    "Apparently it''s the law," Taro shrugged with feigned nonchalance. "Something about finding ancient artifacts."


    "Though first we have to get through more interrogations," Min grimaced.


    "It''s not so bad," Liu tried to smile encouragingly. "Just have to tell the truth."


    The guards at the door shifted, apparently satisfied with what they''d heard. The story remained consistent: the mysterious beam, the vanished ring, the three used potions...


    ????


    The other girls knew almost nothing of importance, Luna, Liora and the four guards had no trouble sharing everything.


    The only two guards who seemed to know something only repeated what Larissa had said.


    Finally, it was Ren''s turn.

 Chapter 174 - Taming Truth - 4

    The interrogation room was different from the elegant cell. Smaller, more intimate, with a round table that pretended to create a false sense of equality between its occupants.


    The lighting was again carefully arranged to reveal facial expressions while the walls hummed with detection beasts'' energy.


    Ren observed the five men seated before him. They''d given him the VIP treatment, with the highest number of important figures trying to extract information. Each of them carried themselves differently; authority wrapped around them like cloaks of varying weights.


    His mushrooms pulsed softly, capturing the nuances in their expressions, the subtle tells that betrayed their thoughts.


    Zhao was the first to speak, his voice warm as the last time they''d met. "I''m glad to return and see you''re well, Ren. You worried us when you wouldn''t wake up." Genuine concern colored his words.


    Wei shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the one with the lower standing and rank. His eyes avoided looking directly at Ren, as if afraid of what he might discover.


    "Let''s start at the beginning," Director Ignatius leaned forward, his presence commanding attention. "Why were you in the depths?"


    "Seeking wealth and secrets¡­ as our king likes, right?," Ren responded naturally, his tone carrying the perfect blend of innocence and truth. "As always."


    "As always?" Victor arched an eyebrow, studying the child that everyone seemed to treat so differently. "A first-year student with a spore frequents the depths... ''as always''?"


    "Oh, yes," Zhao smiled, pride evident in his voice. "Ren has a special talent for exploring, he''s practically a genius. During our expedition..."


    "This isn''t a social gathering, Zhao," Wei interrupted sharply. His hands trembled slightly, betraying his agitation. "The boy was where he shouldn''t have been so early in the morning."


    "Was he?" Julius intervened, his voice soft but firm. "From what I hear, you weren''t giving your class and... Technically they created a safe entrance from the permitted level. He didn''t break any specific rules if he was above 200 meters with a bronze 1 student."


    Victor observed the exchange with growing interest. Why was his brother defending the child?


    "The light," the director resumed the interrogation. "Where did it come from?"


    "From the center of the chamber," Ren replied, his voice innocent. "It was very bright and I know because I was right there."


    The silence that followed was dense. The five adults exchanged looks, knowing they had to ask the other questions if they wanted different information.


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    "Did you take one of the potions?" the director finally asked.


    "Oh, I took many for myself, not just one," Ren nodded while his mushrooms pulsed softly. "Though we didn''t use them all, but... I''m already a double tamer."


    Wei choked on his own saliva. Victor leaned forward, his interest sharpening.


    "Prove it," Julius requested, his voice mixing curiosity and caution.


    Ren shrugged and manifested his hydra. The crystalline scales gleamed under the room''s light while the adults observed with varying degrees of surprise.


    "A hydra?" Victor frowned. "Of all possible beasts..."


    "It''s a rare and respectable beast," the director commented, though his tone suggested certain disappointment. "But the potential of a natural double tamer from our Yano..."


    "It''s a shame," Victor sighed theatrically. "If you had waited, the kingdom could have provided something more... suitable to your new potential."


    Ren stroked his hydra''s scales, seemingly oblivious to the adults'' disappointment. "I like it. It''s strong from the start."


    "I guess it''s fine since you only had a spore anyway¡­ But the hydra will only reach silver rank 1," Victor insisted. "A double tamer should have aspired to more."


    "By the way," Julius intervened. "Did you get the hydra egg for that contract from the core you found that day in the depths with me?"


    "Yes," Ren smiled. "Like the scorpion ones you asked for. I''ve already have several dozen, but they still need much more mana to finish the process."


    Julius slapped his forehead with his palm. "Ren... I didn''t need that many scorpions. I thought you would make more variety of monsters."


    "The cores were from scorpions," Ren shrugged innocently.


    He didn''t mention anything about the possibility of changing the cores'' nature¡­ Not because Julius didn''t have suspicions already, but it would have too many implications to hide in this room.


    "You''re talking about creating specific eggs from cores?" The director asked incredulously.


    Zhao tried to hide a smile while Wei looked at the ceiling, as if seeking divine patience.


    "About the remaining potions," Victor cleared his throat. "The kingdom would be interested in purchasing them."


    "Oh, they''re not for sale," Ren shook his head. "I''m going to use them all."


    Victor developed a tick in his eye. "It''s useless to use more than one potion. It''s impossible to have more than two beasts by drinking more, it would be a waste..."


    Wei developed an even worse tick.


    "I know," Ren smiled. "They''re not for me. They''re for people I know." He turned to Zhao. "In fact, professor, one is for you."


    The room fell silent again. Zhao blinked in surprise while the others processed the declaration.


    "Ren," Victor massaged his temples. "Those potions are invaluable. You can''t simply..."


    "Why not?" Ren tilted his head. "Larissa told me they''re mine, right? Professor Zhao has supported me. He''s earned it."


    "The boy has a point," Julius smiled slightly. "Technically he can do whatever he wants with them."


    Victor looked about to suffer an aneurysm. "Do you have any idea of the value of those potions? How much noble families would pay for them?"


    "No," Ren shaked his head. "But I prefer to give them to people I care about."


    Zhao had to cough to hide his laughter at Victor''s horrified expression.


    "It''s your right," Julius intervened before his brother could protest further.


    Wei buried his face in his hands, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "this illogical child is going to give me a heart attack."


    "Fascinating," Victor reclined in his chair, his irritation transforming into interest. "You just rejected a fortune in crystals, political power and noble favors... to give the potions to your teachers and family."


    "And a friend," Ren added casually.


    "A friend?" the director arched an eyebrow.


    "Yes... Though that''s not relevant to this interrogation, is it?"


    Julius observed the child with renewed interest. Under that apparent simplicity and honesty...


    "That''s right, what''s truly important is... Where is the ring?" Victor leaned forward.


    "It disappeared," Ren shrugged.


    "Things don''t simply disappear," Wei found his voice in a higher pitch than planned.


    "Like impossible evolutions don''t exist," Ren smiled innocently. "Nor do bet payments disappear... Right, professor?"


    Wei snapped his mouth shut and sank into his chair, his face pale.


    "Fascinating," Victor murmured, more to himself than the others. "Each of you treats him differently. Zhao like a prodigy, Wei like a threat, Julius like..." he paused, studying his brother. "Like an equal?" S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The boy is... unusual," the director admitted.


    "Unusual?" Victor laughed. "A first-year student enters an ancestral seed and everyone here seems to have a different opinion about him." He turned to Ren. "Do you know what finding ancestral artifacts means?"


    "What?" Ren asked innocently.


    "It means the noble families are going to tear you apart," Victor smiled humorlessly, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "They''ll pressure you, manipulate you, offer you everything you can imagine until you yield."


    "Victor," Julius warned, but his brother ignored him.


    "Do you think this is a game?" Victor stood, his Gold rank 3 Qilin beginning to manifest. Golden scales appeared on his skin while an aura of power filled the room. "Nobles have spent centuries perfecting the art of getting what they want."


    "Don''t you think you''re exaggerating with that level of pressure mana here..." Zhao tried to intervene. "He''s just a child that¡­"


    "A child?" Victor laughed while advancing toward Ren. His beast''s power grew, making the air itself seem denser. "A child who somehow reached an ancestral seed. A child who has many double potions. A child who hides the most important ring relic of..."


    He stopped abruptly. Something was resonating with his power.


    Ren had begun to glow, but it wasn''t the normal glow of a tamer. The lines of light coursing through his body seemed to respond to the Qilin''s pressure, as if something inside him recognized the power.


    And then it appeared.


    The tiny mushroom manifested atop Ren''s head, its large eyes observing Victor with what seemed like... hunger?

 Chapter 175 - Taming Truth - 5

    Ren had begun to glow, but it wasn''t the normal glow of a tamer. The lines of light coursing through his body seemed to respond to the Qilin''s pressure, as if something inside him recognized the power.


    And then it appeared.


    The tiny mushroom manifested atop Ren''s head, its large eyes observing Victor with what seemed like... hunger?


    The expression was so unexpected on its chubby, childlike face that for a moment no one quite knew how to react.


    The adults froze in place. The creature was absurd with its round cheeks and tiny arms, but there was something about it that didn''t match any known beast. A quality that defied classification.


    The spore evolution they knew was different, much larger and thinner. This was something else entirely.


    But then something even stranger occurred.


    The energy flooding the room began to swirl, as if drawn to an invisible point. The lines of light in Ren''s body pulsed with ancient power.


    The director and Julius also felt their beasts resonate involuntarily, the phoenix and the Qilin responding to the pressure of power far older than themselves.


    The tiny creature opened its chubby mouth and... began to absorb.


    Victor''s Qilin''s power, instead of pressing outward, started flowing toward the mushroom like water into a drain. The intimidating energy transformed as it was consumed, becoming purer, closer to the Qilin''s true nature: benevolence, wisdom, compassion.


    The director''s phoenix resonated as well, its energy of regeneration and life being absorbed and purified until only its essence remained.


    For a brief instant, in Victor''s eyes, the small mushroom seemed to grow, becoming majestic and enormous, like an existence that had witnessed the birth of the world itself. Ancient wisdom peered through those oversized eyes.


    The prince stepped back, his eyes widening in surprise when his beast reacted not with aggression but with... reverence?


    The lines in Ren''s body glowed more intensely as new energies flowed through his system. He could feel the changes: 10% more in fire control and regeneration, courtesy of the phoenix. Also 10% in earth control and vitality from the qilin.


    Two slight improvements and two that, curiously, he couldn''t use... yet.


    The mushroom, satisfied with its feast of power, opened its mouth again... but Ren felt that now it was to speak.


    Ren, snapping out of his amazement, rushed to cover its mouth with his hand.


    "Mmph!" the creature protested, its cheeks puffing up adorably, as if it hadn''t just defied every known law about beasts and mana control.


    The adults observed in silence, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed. Victor especially seemed to be fighting between indignation and a strange sensation of respect he couldn''t explain.


    "What... what just happened?" Wei finally managed to ask.


    Victor took another step back. "What in hell is that?"


    "Nothing," Ren responded quickly while wrestling with his mushroom. "Just my spore... My... first beast?"


    "Another new beast path..." Wei muttered, his face pale. "And I could swear it looked like it was going to speak... I must be delirious... yes, delirious..."


    "It wasn''t going to speak," Ren lied blatantly while the mushroom continued struggling against his hand.


    Fortunately, everyone was so distracted by his beast that no one noticed the lie in his eyes.


    Ren smiled nervously while keeping his mushroom''s mouth firmly closed.


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    Julius leaned forward, fascinated. "That''s not a normal beast."


    "Definitely not a spore anymore," Zhao added.


    "It''s just a new cultivation path for the mushroom," Ren insisted. "A very normal and common mushroom that doesn''t..."


    The creature bit his hand in protest.


    "Ow!" Ren shook his injured hand while the mushroom opened its mouth again.


    Just then, someone knocked on the door.


    Ren took advantage to force his beast back into his body.


    The mushroom disappeared instantly, but left behind the strange regal atmosphere it had created. The lines in Ren''s body faded, though he could feel the new power percentages settling into his system.


    The five adults stared at the empty space, each trying to rationalize what they had seen. Victor''s Qilin stirred restlessly, as if remembering something important it couldn''t express.


    "Come in," the director managed to say, his voice betraying his bewilderment.


    Lin entered first, her crane manifesting and slightly enhancing her elegant posture. However, that elegance evaporated when she saw Ren.


    "Ren!" she launched herself at him, trapping him in a hug that squeezed all the air from his lungs.


    "Hiiiii!" the high-pitched sound that escaped Ren made Victor arch an eyebrow.


    "I brought reinforcements," Lin whispered in his ear taking advantage of the noise while squeezing him, though her expression turned worried as she indicated someone else had come. "But there was an unwanted visitor in her office..."


    Behind her, Selphira Ashenway entered with the grace that only decades of power can bestow. Liora''s grandmother, leader of one of the three main families, observed the scene with astute eyes.


    "Well, well," she smiled while approaching. "Why are so many important adults bothering a poor child?"


    "We''re not bothering him," Zhao and Julius responded almost in unison.


    Wei sank deeper into his chair, as if wanting to disappear. The director straightened, adopting a formal posture.


    "Lady Selphira," he greeted with a bow. "We weren''t expecting..." Sear?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Of course not," she interrupted him kindly. Behind her, another figure entered the room.


    Sirius Starweaver, Luna''s father, remained near the door, his expression cold and distant. His eyes barely rested on Ren before returning to Selphira.


    "This doesn''t concern you," Victor complained. "With all respect, persistent old counselor, this isn''t your problem. We''re just teaching the lucky boy that fortune isn''t always something good."


    "Luck?" Sirius showed a flash of interest. "What kind of luck?"


    "He''ll be made noble," Julius responded, studying Luna''s father''s reaction.


    "Is he already a gold student?" Sirius asked, his tone suggesting the answer would determine if he was worth his time and interest.


    "Not yet," Zhao and Julius responded simultaneously, exchanging an amused look at the coincidence.


    The interest in Sirius''s eyes died as quickly as it had appeared. "Selphira, we should continue our discussion. This is..."


    "One moment," Selphira raised a hand. "Why don''t you go see your daughter while I help my niece Lin resolve this situation? I''ll catch up later to see my granddaughter Liora."


    The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.


    "My daughter is being properly educated at the institution, I didn''t come to distract her," Sirius responded with an icy voice. "We have more important matters that..."


    "More important than your daughter, who was almost kidnapped?" Selphira''s smile didn''t waver, but her eyes flashed dangerously.


    "Luna is strong," Sirius responded dryly. "She doesn''t need coddling."


    Lin squeezed Ren tighter, as if wanting to protect him from the tense atmosphere that had formed.


    But quickly they felt their bodies relax... Breathing in the atmosphere that the mushroom had created.


    "Fascinating," Selphira commented, feeling the atmosphere. "Well, since you insist on staying then you can wait..." she turned to Victor. "What were you saying about teaching lessons to my future prot¨¦g¨¦?"

 Chapter 176 - Taming Truth - 6

    Lin squeezed Ren tighter, as if wanting to protect him from the tense atmosphere that had formed.


    But quickly they felt their bodies relax... Breathing in the atmosphere that the mushroom had created.


    "Fascinating," Selphira commented, feeling the atmosphere. "Well, since you insist on staying then you can wait..." she turned to Victor. "What were you saying about teaching lessons to my future prot¨¦g¨¦?"


    "Your what?" Victor blinked in surprise, his composure slipping for the first time.


    "Oh, didn''t you hear me?" Selphira smiled sweetly, though steel lurked beneath her gentle tone. "As leader of the Ashenways, I''m taking a personal interest in this future young noble''s development."


    Wei groaned audibly, slumping further in his chair. Julius hid a smile while Zhao watched with evident amusement, clearly enjoying the show.


    "You can''t simply..." Victor began, his authority crumbling before the elderly noble''s presence.


    "I can''t?" Selphira arched an eyebrow, her smile never wavering. "How curious. I wasn''t aware that a single prince, one whom I taught as a child, could dictate whom I may or may not protect."


    Victor choked on his own indignation while Lin finally released Ren, who took a dramatic gasp of air.


    "Now," Selphira sat gracefully in a chair that no one had offered, commanding the room''s attention with effortless authority, "why don''t you tell me exactly what''s happening here?"


    ????


    After the director explained the situation, Sirius''s face showed genuine interest for the first time.


    "The ring has been released?" his eyes fixed on Ren with predatory intensity. "And these children know where it is?"


    "Apparently your daughter also participated in the incident so you should ask her directly," Selphira commented casually, though her words carried a sharp rebuke. "In fact, since I''m here, I should make use of my visit to see Liora. Perhaps she knows something more..."


    Sirius frowned at the mention of Luna but didn''t respond, his cold demeanor growing more rigid.


    "Where is the ring?" Victor pressed Ren again, but the truth remained unchanged.


    "As I said before, it disappeared," Ren responded with the same tranquility. "Poof."


    "Maybe we should focus on his strange creature," Wei suggested nervously, fidgeting in his seat. "Something tells me it must have something to do with all this... What we saw before..."


    "Ah," Selphira interrupted, exchanging a meaningful look with Lin. "That would be in very poor taste."


    "Poor taste?" Victor arched an eyebrow, his voice dripping with skepticism.


    "Of course," Selphira smiled kindly, though her eyes glinted with challenge. "After all, how many here freely share their beast cultivation secrets?"


    An uncomfortable silence fell over the room as her words hit home.


    "The royal family''s Qilin," she continued, "can any student find information about its cultivation in the academy library?"


    Julius and Victor exchanged looks, unable to counter her point.


    "The high ranks of wolverines either, the director''s phoenix..." Selphira continued listing, each example another nail in their argument''s coffin. "Are there any books about the final ranks of Victor''s eagle? Or about Sirius''s White Celestial Tiger?"


    Sirius tensed visibly, his shoulders going rigid at the mention of his beast.


    "Even I," Selphira smiled, "would never share with you the secrets of my family about cultivation of my Black Turtle."


    "That''s different," Victor began, but Selphira raised a hand, silencing him effortlessly.


    "Is it?" her smile turned sharp as a razor. "Wei and Zhao are the only ones here whose beasts have publicly available cultivation information. And that''s only because researchers were properly compensated for it."


    "The situation requires..." Victor tried to argue.


    "What?" Selphira interrupted softly, her gentle tone carrying more force than any shout. "That a child reveal his cultivation secrets without compensation? Without even being properly asked permission?"


    Lin, Zhao, the director and Julius nodded silently, acknowledging the truth in her words.


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    "If you''re so interested," Selphira continued, her logic inexorable, "you should make a proper offer. Negotiate appropriately. Not interrogate a child with threats to steal secrets that might as well be familial."


    "Familial?" Sirius snorted derisively. "He''s barely iron rank... he''s far from even being the lowest noble rank and¡­"


    "And yet," Selphira smiled, triumph gleaming in her eyes, "he already has secrets that all of you are desperate to know. Fascinating, don''t you think?"


    Lin, who had remained close to Ren throughout, hid a smile.


    "But the ring is more important than any cultivation secret," Sirius tried to redirect the conversation.


    "Ah, yes," Selphira nodded sagely. "The ring that, according to all testimonies, simply disappeared. Shouldn''t we stop bothering children to fix our problems and start looking for our lost things ourselves then? Like adults."


    "This is ridiculous," Victor complained, though his authority continued to crumble. "We can''t simply..."


    "Can''t what?" Selphira interrupted again, her voice sharp. "Respect the same principles we demand for ourselves? Or do rules of humanity only apply when they''re convenient?"


    Ren watched the exchange with fascination while his mushrooms pulsed softly.


    "Cultivation secrets are one thing," Victor crossed his arms, trying to regain ground. "But this is different. The boy is too suspicious."


    "They found a Yino spy in the school," Sirius added. "Victor is right, Selphira. We can''t ignore the coincidences..."


    Selphira exchanged a look with Lin, who nodded almost imperceptibly. The Ashenway leader sighed with resignation before turning to Ren.


    "Very well," she smiled while leaning toward him. "Let''s make this simple. Just answer yes or no. Understood?"


    Ren nodded.


    "Were you born in Yino?"


    "No."


    "Have you ever been to Yino?"


    "No."


    "Do you work for someone from Yino?"


    "No."


    "Do you have contact with people from Yino?"


    "No."


    "Have you received training from Yino?"


    "No."


    "Have you been offered anything from Yino?"


    "No."


    "Is Yano your home?"


    "Yes."


    "Have you considered living in Yino?"


    "No."


    She asked him dozens of questions...


    Each answer was clear and firm while the adults analyzed for lies.


    "You know what?" Selphira straightened, satisfaction evident in her bearing. "I think we can conclude this interrogation."


    "Just like that?" Victor stepped forward, disbelief coloring his voice.


    "Just like that," Selphira nodded with finality. "You can maintain surveillance on the children without interfering with their academic life or basic privacy."


    "But..." Sirius began.


    "But nothing," Selphira took Ren''s arm gently. "We''re leaving."


    Victor advanced, his Qilin manifesting partially. "You can''t simply..."


    Selphira stopped at the door and turned slowly. Her smile turned dangerous, decades of power radiating from her slight frame.


    "Want to test that, Victor?" her voice softened to almost a whisper. "Or would you prefer everyone to know about that little boy I so fondly called ''little bird''?"


    Victor visibly paled. Julius had to cough to hide a laugh while Wei looked between them with horrified fascination.


    "That was decades ago," Victor protested, though he took a step back.


    "And you think I''ve forgotten?" Selphira arched an eyebrow. "My memory works perfectly. Want to test it?"


    "That won''t be necessary," Julius intervened, clearly enjoying the moment. "I think we can all agree that respectful surveillance is sufficient."


    "But the ring..." Sirius insisted.


    "Look for it if you want it," Selphira responded calmly. "Or don''t. Either way, torturing a child with interrogations won''t make it magically materialize."


    "We weren''t torturing..." Ignatius began.


    "No?" Selphira interrupted. "Five powerful adults intimidating a first-year student. What would you call it?"


    The silence that followed was eloquent. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That''s what I thought," Selphira smiled. "Now, if you''ll excuse me, I''m taking this young man with me. And Victor..." her smile widened, "remember that birds are adorable creatures and qilins are so benevolent they avoid stepping on grass."


    As they left, Ren couldn''t help but ask in a low voice: "Did you really call him ''little bird''?"


    "Oh yes," Selphira laughed softly. "It''s his worst fear that others will learn why."


    "Why?"


    "Because of ego," Selphira winked at him, "but sometimes princes need to be reminded that power comes in many forms. It''s not always the strongest or loudest who wins."


    Behind them, they could hear Victor muttering something about "manipulative old witches" while Julius and Zhao laughed openly.


    "Besides, back then," Selphira added as they walked away, "he sang surprisingly well."

 Chapter 177 - Taming Nobility

    "Do you know what finding ancestral artifacts means?" Selphira asked Ren, her eyes studying him with keen interest.


    "That I''ll become noble?" Ren responded casually, as if discussing the weather.


    "Not until you reach at least gold rank in school... But it''s more than that, it makes you someone important. Someone who''ll need to know how to play the game."


    "I''m not interested in those games..." Ren began.


    "Oh, but you''re already playing, and from what I saw, quite well," her smile widened, eyes twinkling with approval. "Each person in that room saw you differently, and yet..." she paused meaningfully, "none could prove anything concrete about what happened."


    Lin watched her aunt with relative caution. She was a great ally, but her interests sometimes came at a steep price... For example, the cultivation of her beast would have...


    "Nobility isn''t just titles and land rights," Selphira continued, her voice carrying many years of accumulated wisdom. "It''s power. Influence. The ability to make others see you as you want them to see you."


    "Like a normal student who just wants to earn many crystals for his poor family?" Ren suggested innocently.


    "See, Lin? This is exactly what I''m talking about. The boy already understands the game better than most adult nobles."


    ????


    Shortly after Selphira and Ren left the room, the remaining adults regained their composure, but...


    Wei practically jumped from his seat, nearly tripping in his haste. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I... uh... have to go," he muttered while backing toward the door. His eyes carefully avoided making contact with the powerful figures remaining in the room.


    "So soon?" Julius smiled, clearly enjoying his discomfort.


    "Yes, I have to... buy a rune," Wei swallowed hard while glancing sideways to where Lin had been. If she was a close niece to Matriarch Selphira, perhaps he should make sure that rune was of especially good quality.


    Victor let out an amused snort while Wei practically fled from the room.


    "I''m leaving too," Zhao stood with a smile that threatened to split his face in two.


    "Why is the "cold blooded hunter of Yano" so happy?" Victor asked, though everyone knew the answer.


    "Oh, nothing in particular," Zhao tried to maintain composure, but his eyes sparkled like a child in a candy store. "Just... matters to attend to."


    "Matters related to a certain potion?" Julius teased.


    Zhao''s smile widened even further, if that was possible. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    Director Ignatius watched the professor practically float toward the exit, a stab of envy piercing him. Everyone present, except him, either was or would be a double tamer. But as a respectable director, he maintained his neutral and elegant expression.


    "You can take your time visiting your student relatives," he offered with all the dignity he could muster. "As main benefactors of the academy, you have free access to the facilities. Though it will be a favor since visits aren''t school¡äs normal policy."


    "Normal policy?" Victor laughed. "You mean you can''t deny us entry even if you wanted to."


    "Victor," Julius warned, though he was smiling at seeing Ignatius ''elegance'' falter.


    Sirius, who had remained silent, headed toward the door with an annoyed expression. It was obvious that Selphira had escaped their previous discussion by coming here.


    "Lord Starweaver," the director called. "Don''t you wish to see your daughter?" Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire


    "It''s not necessary," Sirius responded dryly without stopping.


    He reached the door and opened it, but stopped. His hand tensed on the handle as he seemed to fight an internal battle.


    After what seemed like an eternal moment, he released the door again and turned.


    "Where..." he coughed uncomfortably. "Where are they keeping her?"


    Julius and Victor exchanged a meaningful look while the director gave Sirius directions... they nodded before turning to the director.


    "We''ll go see Larissa too," Julius announced.


    "Yes," Victor nodded. "And director... don''t forget what was agreed upon."


    Ignatius sighed. "The six new operatives."


    "Exactly," Victor smiled, but there was no warmth in his expression. "The previous ones were... insufficient."


    "They''re good elements," the director defended.


    "So good they sided with the girls," Victor responded coldly.


    "This time they''ll be different," Julius intervened. "More experienced and specialized in searching."


    "And more lethal for the remaining spies," Victor added.


    Sirius, who had been listening to the exchange, frowned. "More guards for the girls?"


    "To protect them and search for the ring," Julius explained.


    "Luna must become strong... she doesn''t need..." Sirius began, but Victor interrupted him.


    "No? Didn''t you read the report? She needed help when that spy almost took her to Yino."


    The silence that followed was tense.


    Julius broke it. "We''ll pay all costs for these 8 years as agreed, don''t worry... Even though they''ve been discovered, she''ll be protected as best as possible."


    Sirius clenched his fists but didn''t respond.


    "The new operatives will arrive tonight," Victor continued, his tone brooking no argument. "And this time, director, make sure they have free and constant access to protect them... Or next time," he smiled while his Qilin manifested a golden aura, "we won''t be so understanding about security failures in your academy."


    Julius sighed, "He''s just worried about Larissa, director, don''t take it to heart. This time we need you to allow more freedom to the assets."


    "The students will be frightened, the spies will be even more careful," Ignatius lightly protested.


    "Good," Victor headed toward the door. "Perhaps a little fear and stress will teach them to respect our kingdom."


    As the three last visitors left to see the girls, the director remained alone in his office, contemplating how to maintain the delicate balance between protection and ''learning freedom'' in his academy.


    He wondered if this time the cure wouldn''t be worse than the disease.


    ????


    "So," Selphira smiled as they walked, "what do you plan to do with the potions you obtained?"


    "Give them away... One is for my teacher Lin," Ren responded immediately, causing his teacher to nearly stumble.


    "For me?" Lin blinked in surprise.


    "Of course, teacher," Ren nodded while his mushrooms pulsed softly. "You''ve earned it with all the support and training you''ve given me."


    "Little one," Selphira stopped, studying him with curiosity. "Do you have any idea how much one of those potions is worth?"


    "Not really," Ren shrugged. "But it doesn''t matter."


    The elderly woman laughed softly. "With a single potion you could obtain enormous favors from noble families when you assume your position."


    "I don''t want to be noble," Ren protested.


    "No?" Selphira arched an eyebrow. "You don''t want anything? You have no ambition? You said something about getting crystals for your family, right?"


    Ren paused a moment, considering. "Well... I''d like to get a decent house for my parents. One that''s not on the outskirts, that helps them feel successful and not have to walk with their heads down."


    "A decent house for your parents?" Selphira repeated. "How good?"


    "Something in the city would be nice," Ren responded. "It doesn''t need to be anything special..."


    "Ah," Selphira smiled shrewdly. "Do your parents deserve just something ''decent''? Or do they deserve the best?"

 Chapter 178 - Taming Nobility - 2

    "A decent house for your parents?" Selphira repeated. "How good?"


    "Something in the city would be nice," Ren responded. "It doesn''t need to be anything special..."


    "Ah," Selphira smiled shrewdly. "Do your parents deserve just something ''decent''? Or do they deserve the best?"


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with greater intensity as he processed those words, their light reflecting his deepening thoughts.


    "The best," he finally responded, conviction growing in his voice. "They deserve the best."


    "Then aim higher," Selphira nodded with approval. "You know? You could get one of the best houses in the city."


    "With the potion?" Ren asked.


    "No, no," Selphira shook her head. "Well, maybe with the potion or with enough money you could get a favor to obtain a large house near the center... but you''d still have to keep your head down with no status."


    "Why?"


    "Because respect isn''t bought so easily," Lin intervened softly, her voice carrying the weight of experience. "No matter how much money you have, without position..."


    "Exactly," Selphira nodded. "If you want a truly grand house, one where your family can walk with their heads held high, you need to be at least noble."


    "And for that," she continued as they resumed walking, "you need to reach at least gold student rank."


    "How long would that take?" Ren asked, his curiosity piqued.


    "You need to get perfect marks in all your units. First advance to bronze 1 next semester, bronze 2 the following one, silver 1 and so on until reaching at least gold 1," Lin explained, counting off the steps.


    "Minimum three years, you could be there upon entering your fourth year if you''re a perfect student," Selphira responded. "But it''s not easy. Being realistic, most students never achieve it."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with determination. "If my parents will get the respect they deserve... I''ll do it."


    "And you still insist on giving the potion to Lin?"


    "Of course," Ren smiled. "If I''m going to be noble, I''ll need strong and cool allies, won''t I?"


    Selphira burst out laughing while Lin blushed slightly.


    "Clever," the elderly woman nodded with approval. "Although..." she turned to Lin, her expression growing more serious. "We''ll have to be discreet about this..."


    Lin seemed to shrink into herself. "Aunt, I..."


    "As long as he doesn''t find out," Selphira sighed, "I won''t have to punish you for this."


    Ren looked between them, confused. "He?"


    "The succession happened years ago," Selphira continued, ignoring Ren''s question. "It shouldn''t be a major problem now."


    "Succession?" Ren insisted.


    Lin avoided his gaze while studying the ceiling with sudden interest.


    "Some families," the elderly woman finally responded, "have very specific rules about who can be their leader and who cannot."


    "But you..."


    "It''s complicated," Lin interrupted softly. "And it''s not important now."


    Her eyes pleaded with him to drop the subject, so Ren nodded, though curiosity still burned within him.


    "What''s important," Selphira resumed her cheerful tone, "is that you''ve started thinking bigger. That''s good."


    "A noble house," Ren murmured, imagining his parents walking proudly through the city. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "A huge house," Selphira confirmed. "And much more, if you play your cards right."


    "My cards?"


    "Oh yes," the elderly woman smiled. "You already have some very interesting ones: double tamers, a unique beast, the support of a certain princess..."


    "And a terrifying teacher," Ren added, looking at Lin.


    "And a terrifying teacher," Selphira laughed. "Though," her eyes sparkled with amusement, "if I were you, I''d be more afraid of the aunt than the niece."


    Lin coughed to hide a laugh as they approached the room where Ren''s friends waited.


    "After all," Selphira added casually, "not just anyone can turn princes into little birds."


    ????


    The door opened without prior announcement.


    Sirius Starweaver stood in the threshold, his imposing figure partially blocking the hallway light.


    The nine girls in the room fell silent instantly. The guards exchanged uncomfortable looks while Luna, who had been conversing softly with her cousins, visibly tensed.


    Sirius said nothing. He simply made a gesture with his hand, summoning his daughter.


    Luna rose slowly, her usual elegance shadowed by an unnatural rigidity. She crossed the room under her companions'' worried gazes and stepped into the hallway. The door closed behind her with a click that sounded too loud in the silence.


    The atmosphere in the room remained tense until new knocks on the door broke the moment.


    Julius and Victor entered, bringing with them a less oppressive though equally authoritative air.


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    "Larissa," Julius smiled at his sister. "You''re free to leave here now, but..."


    "Liora," Victor addressed their cousin. "Your grandmother came to see you. If you want, you can go find her."


    Liora looked at Larissa, understanding the unspoken message. When her cousin nodded slightly, she stood and left the room.


    "Well?" Larissa looked at her brothers once the door closed again. "What do you want?"


    "Your friend Ren spilled everything," Victor smiled maliciously. "You''re in trouble."


    Larissa burst into laughter that surprised the guards. "Really? You still can''t fool the mana detection, you know?"


    Julius sighed. "Alright, you caught us. You''re free to go, but..."


    "The ''seekers'' will stay with you until the ring matter is resolved," Victor completed.


    Larissa sighed dramatically. "Fine," she shrugged. "Though I warn you they won''t find anything."


    "Don''t be so sure," Julius smiled. "In fact, I specifically asked one of them to ''watch over'' our friend Ren."


    Larissa''s cheeks puffed up in an adorable pout that made some guards have to contain their smiles.


    Victor let out a laugh. "What''s wrong, little sister? Upset because we''ll discover your tricks?"


    "No," Larissa crossed her arms. "I''m upset because I had just gotten the chance to watch him and now you''re taking that away."


    The brothers exchanged a meaningful look.


    "Larissa," Victor knelt before her, his voice turning serious. "You''re too young for foolish ideas."


    "What foolish ideas?" she protested.


    "You''re a princess," Victor continued relentlessly. "There''s no place for common interests like those. Forget it."


    "Common interests?" one of the guards murmured, earning an elbow from her companion.


    "He''s just a commoner who got lucky," Victor insisted.


    "Exactly," Larissa nodded. "Don''t you find that fascinating?"


    "What I find," Victor growled, "is that you need to focus on things more appropriate for your position."


    "Like learning to lie better," Larissa smiled innocently. "Or is that not appropriate either?"


    Julius had to cough to hide a laugh while Victor developed a tick in his eye.


    "The seekers stay," Victor declared firmly. "And you''ll keep away from that boy."


    "Of course, dear brother," Larissa smiled sweetly. "I''ll stay as far away as you stayed from the castle maids."


    This time Julius couldn''t contain his laughter.


    "You were almost a baby then," Victor protested. "How can you even..."


    "Liora''s grandmother tells great stories," Larissa winked. "Especially about a certain little bird prince."


    Victor turned toward the door, muttering something about "gossipy old witches" and "princesses too clever for their own good."

 Chapter 179 - Taming Nobility - 3

    When Ren opened the room''s door, the first thing he saw was Min standing on his hands, Taro flexing his arms in a strange pose, and Liu trying to imitate what appeared to be a battle stance... all shirtless.


    The three froze upon seeing Lin and Selphira.


    "AAAAHH!" the collective scream resonated through the hallway.


    Ren closed the door immediately, his face a mask of perfect expressionlessness. His mushrooms, however, pulsed fast with what could only be secondhand embarrassment.


    Behind him, Selphira hid a smile behind her hand while Lin blinked in confusion.


    "Should we...?" Lin began to ask.


    "Let''s give them a moment," Ren responded, his voice completely flat.


    From inside the room came sounds of frantic movement, several falls, and what suspiciously sounded like Min shouting "My shirt! Where''s my shirt?"


    After what felt like an eternity but was probably only thirty seconds, Ren opened the door again.


    The three boys were sitting on their beds, fully dressed and wearing expressions of absolute innocence, as if nothing had happened.


    "Welcome," Taro smiled with such artificial calm it was painful to watch.


    "What a beautiful day, isn''t it?" Liu added while smoothing down a shirt with clearly misaligned buttons.


    Min simply smiled, though his shirt was inside out.


    Ren observed his friends and sighed deeply. "Did I really give transformation potions to these clowns?"


    Selphira laughed openly while Lin tried to maintain a serious expression and failed miserably.


    "Potions don''t cure foolishness in men," Selphira commented cheerfully. "In fact, some cases make me believe they double it."


    Ren approached the small table where the four remaining potions rested. Selphira''s eyes opened slightly upon seeing them, a spark of recognition and something else crossing her gaze.


    Without ceremony, Ren took one and turned to Lin.


    "Teacher," he said simply, extending the potion.


    Lin remained motionless for a moment, her eyes fixed on the glowing crystal.


    "Ren," her voice was barely a whisper. "I..."


    She couldn''t finish the sentence. Instead, she caught Ren in a hug that made his mushrooms pulse with surprise. Small tears rolled down her cheeks while Ren held the potion against her chest.


    Selphira observed the scene with a small smile, something soft replacing the usual cunning in her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment someone knocked on the door.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with curiosity while Lin quickly dried her eyes.


    "More visits so soon?" Selphira murmured, her expression turning cautious.


    "Come in," Ren responded to the knock.


    Wei poked his head in cautiously, as if fearing to find something dangerous inside. Upon seeing Selphira, he seemed to shrink even more, but forced himself to enter completely.


    "I... uh..." he cleared his throat nervously while holding a rune that glowed with a whitish tone. "I came to deliver this."


    Lin, still with moist eyes, shot him a look that could have frozen a volcano. Wei audibly swallowed.


    "The bronze rank 2 light rune," he hurried to explain while advancing with rigid steps toward the nearest table. "As agreed."


    He placed the rune with as much care as if it were a bomb about to explode, making sure Lin could clearly see he was fulfilling his part of the deal.


    "The debt is settled and recorded for the month''s report," he added quickly while backing toward the door. "I''m leaving... I have to... there are things that..."


    He didn''t finish any of his sentences. He simply made an awkward bow and practically fled from the room.


    Selphira waited until Wei''s hurried footsteps were lost in the hallway before letting out a giggle.


    "Well, well," she smiled looking at Ren. "It seems you have Wei completely dominated."


    Ren let out a nervous laugh. "Not really, just..."


    "Just defeated him in his own specialty, proved him wrong, and got one of the most expensive runes out of him?" Min suggested with a smile.


    "And he runs every time he sees you," Taro added.


    "Like a fire mouse before a water cat," Liu completed.


    "Shut up," Ren looked at them reproachfully, though his mushrooms pulsed with amusement.


    Lin resumed the hug, taking Ren by surprise. "Thank you so much, Ren. I¡­"


    "It''s only fair," Ren shrugged. "After all, you..."


    Another knock on the door interrupted his words.


    "Has everyone decided to visit you today?"


    "Fame has its disadvantages," Selphira commented with an enigmatic smile while observing the door with renewed interest.


    "Come in," Ren responded again.


    The door opened revealing Liora, who peeked in timidly. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Excuse me," she smiled softly. "A guard told me my grandmother was here..."


    "Ah, my little one!" Selphira brightened upon seeing her. "Just in time. I was thinking of going to find you."


    The elderly woman turned to Ren with a mischievous smile. "I''ll leave you with Lin to finish your ''loving embrace'', those moments are important."


    The effect was immediate.


    The boys'' cheeks blazed like embers, Ren looked like he wanted his mushrooms to absorb him and disappear. Min, Taro and Liu blushed by pure proximity to the situation, and Liora, who had no context of what had happened, reddened at the insinuation.


    "Aunt, you''re going to confuse the children!" Lin protested weakly.


    Selphira laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos she had created. "Oh, come on. I''m just pointing out the obvious. After all, not every day does a student give their teacher something so valuable..."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with embarrassment while Lin seemed to debate between gratitude and mortification.


    "By the way, Ren," Selphira continued while heading toward the door. "I''ll be watching your development. I''m very interested in seeing how someone with your... peculiarities evolves."


    Her smile turned more calculating. "And of course, you''ll always be welcome in my faction once you achieve your noble appointment. Someone as interesting as you has potential."


    With a final laugh at everyone''s flustered expressions, Selphira left to the hallway with Liora.


    Once outside, her expression turned more serious.


    "Now, dear," she addressed her granddaughter as they walked. "Tell me exactly what happened in that seed."


    "I don''t know much," Liora admitted. "I was unconscious most of the time."


    "But?"


    "But Larissa told me some things," Liora lowered her voice. "She said Ren was... crucial. That he saved us."


    "Oh?" Selphira arched an eyebrow with interest. "Did she mention how?"


    "Not exactly," Liora shook her head. "But the way she said it... I''ve never seen Larissa so impressed by someone."


    "Fascinating," Selphira murmured. "You know? I think you should pay more attention to that boy." Read the latest on My Virtual Library Empire


    "More attention?"


    "Yes," Selphira smiled. "In fact, I''d like you to report directly to me about him from now on."

 Chapter 180 - Taming Nobility - 4

    "Fascinating," Selphira murmured. "You know? I think you should pay more attention to that boy."


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    "Yes," Selphira smiled. "In fact, I''d like you to report directly to me about him from now on."


    Liora blinked in surprise. "You too want me to watch him?"


    "Yes," Selphira nodded. "But be... subtle. We don''t need others getting territorial, do we?"


    "Grandmother," Liora narrowed her eyes. "What are you planning?"


    "Oh, nothing special," Selphira laughed softly. "Just making sure I don''t miss the show."


    "You think he''ll do important things?"


    "Dear," Selphira smiled, wisdom gleaming in her aged eyes. "He already is. The question is: who will be better positioned to capture him when he rises? Now take me to the main door..."


    As they walked down the hallway, Selphira added almost to herself: "I didn''t expect so much from this visit, and... It will be fun imagining Sirius''s face when he learns I used coming here as an excuse to escape his boring petitions."


    "Grandmother..." Liora sighed, though a small smile formed on her lips.


    "What? An old woman needs her entertainment," Selphira laughed. "And something tells me that boy is going to provide me with plenty."


    ????


    While walking away from Larissa''s room, Julius observed his brother from the corner of his eye.


    "You''re not as unpleasant when giving orders anymore... You''ve changed," he commented casually.


    Victor snorted. "You''re the unpleasant one."


    "I''m serious," Julius smiled. "Before, you wouldn''t have let Larissa get away with it. You would have tripled her surveillance just on principle."


    "Tch," Victor looked away. "It''s not a bad idea for her to keep an eye on that strange boy anyway. There''s something about him that doesn''t quite add up to me."


    "So you''re not worried about her interest in him?"


    "I just hope Larissa matures and understands her role on her own," Victor evaded the question. "She''s a princess, she can''t go around being fascinated by any commoner who shows unusual tricks."


    Julius laughed softly. "You''ve matured."


    "I don''t know whether to take that as a compliment," Victor growled, but after a moment added in a lower voice: "After going to look for father in that... madhouse in the platinum ring, I realized some things."


    "Oh?"


    "The world is too big to think you''re strong," Victor shook his head. "I was like a frog in a well, thinking the sky was only what I could see from below."


    "Zhao said something similar when he returned from looking for you," Julius nodded. "Though I suppose it was worse for him¡­ and he didn''t even have to enter the platinum ring."


    "His beast is good at hiding," Victor acknowledged. "But he probably saw enough from the shadows and at the edge of the platinum 1 ring when he found me."


    They walked in silence for a moment before Victor spoke again.


    "Speaking of Zhao," his expression turned thoughtful. "Now that he''ll be a double tamer, maybe we should find him a good complement for his beast. He''s an excellent soldier."


    "Thinking about the Goldcrests?"


    "With things as they are," Victor nodded gravely, "we''ll need all the support possible when the time comes to punish them."


    "Do you think father will arrive in time...?"


    "Father is still trying to understand that thing," Victor interrupted. "As I told you when I arrived, I don''t know when he''ll return... but when he does, the evidence will be undeniable. The Goldcrests have crossed too many lines."


    "Experimenting on children," Julius murmured. "Helping abyssal spies enter here..."


    "Betraying the kingdom," Victor completed. "The question is: how many more are involved?"


    "Do you already suspect someone specific?"


    "Just suspicions," Victor smiled humorlessly. "Nothing concrete. But I trust my gut... It''s what kept me alive in the platinum ring."


    Julius studied his brother with new appreciation. The old Victor would have declared open war on the Goldcrests at the first hint of betrayal. This more mature Victor... was more dangerous to their enemies.


    "You know?" Julius smiled. "I think I understand why you let Larissa keep her little spy game with the mushroom boy."


    "Oh?"


    "It''s better to have friendly eyes on him than make him more cautious," Julius winked. "You''ve definitely matured."


    "Shut up," Victor growled, but a small smile formed on his lips. "I just hope Zhao knows how to choose his second beast well. It''s not every day you get the chance to be a double tamer."


    "With luck," Julius laughed, "he''ll choose better than a certain prince who ended up with an eagle when he could have had something with better synergy for the Qilin."


    "My golden eagle is perfectly capable," Victor defended. "Not everyone needs 2 boring earth beasts."


    "Boring? My beasts have perfect synergy!"


    "Your beasts are pretentious," Victor corrected. "Like their tamer."


    As the brothers continued their way between jokes and more serious plans, the echo of their voices was lost in the academy''s hallways. The storm brewing with the Goldcrests was still on the horizon, but preparations had already begun.


    ????


    Larissa watched through the window, lost in her thoughts.


    Things hadn''t gone as badly as she feared. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her brothers hadn''t discovered her most important secret: that she was now a double tamer.


    A sigh escaped her lips as she thought about Liora''s family. The Ashenways were different. Not only did they allow women to lead, but their own matriarch, Selphira, was a respected and feared double tamer.


    ''It must be nice,'' she thought while her mineral fairy glowed softly beneath her skin. ''Not having to hide your desire for power.''


    Her thoughts drifted to Luna. Would her situation be similar? Were the Starweavers like the Dravenholms, bound to antiquated traditions? Or like the Ashenways, more progressive?


    But Luna never talked about her family¡­


    As if her thoughts had summoned her, Luna entered the room. Her head was down, her usual elegance tarnished by something that seemed to weigh on her shoulders.


    "Luna?" Larissa called softly. "Are you alright?"


    There was no response. Luna simply sat on her bed, her gaze fixed on the floor.


    Larissa approached, extending a hand to touch her cousin''s shoulder. But before she could, something emerged from Luna''s shadow.


    A black snake, its scaly skin gleaming with a dark luster, materialized holding an envelope in its fangs. Larissa recognized it instantly, it was the most common beast from the random black egg, the one everyone had expected Luna to get in the first place.


    Its abilities were similar to the shadow wolf''s, though it lacked elemental control and its potential was limited to silver rank 3. It was a respectable beast, but not exceptional.


    ''Uncle Sirius''s second beast,'' Larissa realized as the snake deposited the envelope in Luna''s hands.

 Chapter 181 - Lin, Double Tamer

    A black snake. Larissa recognized it instantly, it was the most common beast from the random black egg, the one everyone had expected Luna to get in the first place.


    Its abilities were similar to the shadow wolf''s, though it lacked elemental control and its potential was limited to silver rank 3. It was a respectable beast, but not exceptional.


    ''Uncle Sirius''s second beast,'' Larissa realized as the snake deposited the envelope in Luna''s hands.


    The change was subtle but immediate. Luna''s somber countenance seemed to lighten slightly while her fingers caressed the envelope. The snake slid back into the shadows, vanishing as if it had never been there.


    Luna carefully tucked the envelope into her clothes, her movements almost reverent.


    "Is everything alright?" Larissa asked softly.


    Luna''s cheeks tinged pink. She avoided her cousin''s gaze, her eyes fixed on a distant point.


    "Yes," she finally responded, her voice barely a whisper.


    It was the smallest voice Larissa had ever heard from her cousin, so different from her usual confident and controlled tone. But there was something in it, a note of... happiness?


    Larissa observed Luna for a moment more before returning to her own bed. She wouldn''t press. If her cousin wanted to share the message''s contents, she would in her own time.


    Meanwhile, she couldn''t help but wonder what kind of message could cause such a change in Luna''s always stoic countenance. What words could uncle Sirius have written that could transform sadness into that soft blush?


    Perhaps, Larissa thought while her mineral fairy glowed with curiosity, other families'' traditions weren''t as simple as they appeared at first glance.


    ????


    "I''ve been thinking," Lin caressed the potion while speaking, "about which beast to choose."


    "Do you already have an idea?" Ren asked while his mushrooms pulsed with interest.


    "All my life I''ve practiced hand-to-hand combat," Lin explained. "I''d like to deepen that. I was considering beasts that increase speed or strength."


    She stood and began walking around the room, gesturing while explaining. "The problem is that the main family doesn''t know decent cultivation methods for direct combat beasts, except for the crane."


    "And that worries you because...?" Ren encouraged her to continue.


    "I''d need classic noble beasts if I want to reach gold," Lin sighed. "In school, the beasts known to have a chance to reach gold 1 are basically three: the Cockatrice, the gargoyle, and the pegasus."


    "They''re not seen often..." Min leaned forward, interested.


    "No, they all have less than 1% probability in random eggs," Lin grimaced. "And they''re expensive eggs. Besides, none gives me exactly what I''m looking for..."


    "...The pegasus could be useful," she suggested while sitting again. "Though it''s not ideal."


    "For what you''re looking for," Ren intervened, "a fire panther lizard would be excellent... It also has good synergy."


    Lin blinked in surprise. "Well, yes. They have a 40% increase in speed and 40% in attack, but..." she shook her head. "They only reach bronze 1. Nobody chooses them if they can avoid it."


    "No," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed with more intensity. "I know how to take them at least to gold 1, remember? Like all beasts."


    The silence that followed was deafening. Taro, Min, and Liu exchanged knowing looks, but Lin remained motionless, processing the words.


    It wasn''t the first time they''d heard him say it. He''d mentioned it when he obtained his little mushroom, but now... now that they saw him ready to apply that knowledge again, the reality of what it meant hit harder.


    "It''s surreal," Liu murmured, breaking the silence.


    Lin straightened. "Well, then I''ll get an orange egg. They have a good probability of containing a panther lizard, and I have enough money saved..."


    "You don''t need the egg," Ren interrupted. "We just need a core from one, or failing to get that from another beast, though preferably of the same type to save the big tentacles..."


    "...We''ll also need several parts of the panther lizard. With that I can make the egg."


    Lin, who hadn''t seen Ren process cores from scratch, looked at the other three boys, who nodded confirming what Ren was saying. Clearly, they had seen this process before...


    "The core is extremely cheap," Taro rubbed his chin. "And the parts are easy to buy."


    "Ren can transform all that into a perfect egg," Min added proudly.


    "We''ve seen him do it," Liu confirmed.


    Lin stood with determination and drank the potion in one gulp. "Then it''s time to visit the bank."


    "Are you sure?" Ren asked. "Once you decide on the beast..."


    "Completely," Lin smiled. "Besides, what kind of teacher would I be if I didn''t trust my favorite student?"


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with what seemed like embarrassment while the other boys laughed.


    "Though," Lin added with a mischievous smile, "I still find it incredible that the same boy who can''t dodge my basic strike knows how to take beasts to gold."


    "Hey!" Ren protested. "Those strikes are impossible to dodge!"


    "They''re not," Lin sang while heading to the door. "You just need more practice. But when I have my panther lizard, they''ll be even faster so prepare to train harder."


    Ren visibly paled while his friends burst into laughter. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You know?" Min managed to say between laughs. "Maybe you should have suggested a slower beast."


    "It''s too late for regrets," Lin smiled from the door. "Come on, the bank awaits."


    As they followed Lin down the hallway, Ren couldn''t help but wonder if he had just committed a tactical error by suggesting a beast that would increase his already terrifying teacher''s speed.


    His mushrooms pulsed with resignation. At least, he thought, the training would serve to improve his reflexes.


    ????


    When they reached the shop, Ren stepped ahead of the group.


    "Jessy," he called while his mushrooms pulsed softly. "How much does it cost to safeguard two very valuable objects?"


    The merchant looked up from her account book, arching an eyebrow. "Ah, hello Ren... That''s quite expensive. Ten thousand crystals per month for each safeguarded object, I don''t think it''s worth it for those hydra scales..."


    "Twenty thousand a month..." Ren murmured, making mental calculations.


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    Lin stepped forward. "It''s fine, I''ll pay for it."


    "It''s not necessary," Ren shook his head. "I just wanted to know the price. I have enough crystals."


    "I insist," Lin frowned. "It''s the least I can do after..."


    "Really, don''t worry," Ren interrupted her quickly, noticing Jessy''s confused expression.


    He turned back to the merchant. "More importantly now, what''s the price for Panther Lizard parts?"

 Chapter 182 - Double Tamers

    "I insist," Lin frowned. "It''s the least I can do after..."


    "Really, don''t worry," Ren interrupted her quickly, noticing Jessy''s confused expression.


    He turned back to the merchant. "More importantly now, what''s the price for Panther Lizard parts?"


    "What rank?" Jessy asked while pulling out a price list.


    "Bronze and silver," Ren specified. "All options."


    "Let''s see..." Jessy consulted her register. "Bronze 1 parts are a hundred crystals each. Bronze 2 goes up to a thousand."


    Min whistled at the difference while Taro and Liu exchanged knowing looks.


    "And silver?" Lin asked, her interest evident.


    "Silver 1 is ten thousand per piece," Jessy continued. "Silver 2... twenty thousand."


    "We''ll need five parts," Ren explained, looking at Lin. "And the higher the level of the pieces, the faster I can cultivate the egg. It''ll depend on how urgently you want it."


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    "There''s also the core," Liu reminded.


    "Right," Ren nodded. "We''ll need a hundred thousand crystals to feed it properly."


    "It''s less than an orange egg cost," Taro commented. "Though it''s still expensive."


    Lin remained silent for a moment, clearly calculating options.


    "The bronze 2 ones," she finally decided. "How long would it take with those?"


    "About twenty days," Ren responded while his mushrooms pulsed with approval. "It''s a good balance between cost and time."


    "Then it would be five thousand for the parts," Lin calculated, "plus a hundred thousand for the core..."


    "A hundred and five thousand total," Min completed.


    "Though I don''t know why you want a core but those are 10 crystals," Jessy added casually, "although I''m not sure if we still have complete bodies to get you one, they normaly send them to the castle fast¡­ it would also be hard to distinguish it among others in the piles."


    "I''ll cross my fingers and give you a tip if you find it," Lin added.


    Jessy smiled. "I''ll do my best to search for it in the refrigeration basement."


    "If you can''t find one, I can help you distinguish them¡­ Do you have the 5 bronze 2 parts available?" Ren asked.


    "I can get them while I look for the core in about 30 minutes," Jessy responded.


    "Alright," Lin nodded. "We''ll return with the money then."


    As they headed toward the exit, Jessy called to Ren.


    "Are you sure you want to safeguard objects?" she asked curiously. "Almost nobody does it because of the cost, but if you insist I''ll bring the paperwork."


    "Yes, thanks," Ren smiled, "but I''ll bring the money when we return."


    When they moved away from the counter, Lin insisted again. "I really can pay for the safeguarding. It''s only fair since you gave me a potion."


    Ren stopped, turning to her. "The potion is a gift. I don''t need anything in return."


    His mushrooms pulsed softly while he continued: "Besides, if you really want to do something, you could reduce training intensity a bit when you have your panther lizard and..."


    Min, Taro, and Liu''s laughter resonated through the hallway while Lin smiled maliciously.


    "Oh, no," her smile turned predatory. "You won''t escape that easily. I''m going to pay for safeguarding AND increase the intensity. After all, I''ll need to practice with my new beast."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with what seemed to be resignation while the group headed to the bank. At least, he thought, he had twenty days before the real suffering began.


    "You know?" Min commented as they walked. "I think Ren just committed the biggest tactical error of his life."


    "Definitely," Taro nodded solemnly.


    "Totally and completely," Liu confirmed.


    Lin just smiled, already planning new training routines in her mind.


    ????


    "THEODORE!" Finch''s shout resonated from the bank. "IT''S A WITHDRAWAL OF ONE MILLION CRYSTALS!"


    The group stopped just before entering.


    Through the door they could see Finch leaning over his counter, his eyes enormous behind his glasses while his mouse calculated frantically.


    "What''s happening?" Lin asked, curious about the commotion.


    "Finch is just dramatic like this, he likes to entertain others and..." Ren explained to Lin.


    "Oh no," Min interrupted and smiled maliciously. "Looks like someone''s being unfaithful to our mushroom magnate."


    "New love? Ah!" Taro peered through the door and then turned to Ren with a dramatic expression. "Sorry friend, looks like they''re cheating on you."


    Ren rolled his eyes while his mushrooms pulsed with amusement. Inside the bank, Finch continued his monologue.


    "One million crystals," the banker adjusted his glasses while trying to maintain a professional tone. "It''s a considerable amount, you usually make smaller withdrawals Professor Zhao."


    "Today is a special day," Zhao responded with a patient smile.


    "I see, I see," Finch visibly struggled against his impulse to dramatize as he was before a respected professor. "But still... Theodore, note the transaction in the special book."


    "Your number one fan seems to have found someone richer... Look at him contain himself," Liu whispered while joining the teasing. "I can almost see how much it pains him not to do his complete show."


    A young but arrogant voice interrupted. "I will deposit two hundred thousand crystals. Doesn''t that deserve some recognition?"


    At the counter, Leopold Montclaire, the fifth-year prodigy, observed the transaction with evident disgust.


    "Mister Leopold!" Finch''s voice sounded exasperated. "I already told you your numbers are very impressive for your age, however we are in the presence of a respected gentleman. But..."


    "But?" The gold rank prodigy looked at Finch expectantly. "I''m a gold rank student in my fifth year! Don''t I deserve your exaggerated dance at least?"


    "Of course, of course," Finch responded hastily. "Theodore, note also the deposit of the young fifth-year prodigy."


    The group entered just in time to see the student in golden robes strutting in front of the counter.


    Behind him, Zhao waited with an increasingly impatient expression.


    "Could we speed this up?" the professor sighed. "I just need to withdraw that million crystals from my account..." Sear?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "A million," the student in golden robes interrupted. "And you don''t even give our profesor the... proper appreciation?"


    Finch seemed to brighten at the opportunity.


    "Finch," Zhao coughed softly. "My withdrawal, please."


    "Ah, yes, yes," the banker adjusted his glasses. "Excuse the delay. It''s just that young Leopold insists on receiving the... proper appreciation for his achievements."


    Leopold puffed up his chest and interrupted again. "Though my situation is more impressive... I''m a gold rank prodigy at 14! I''m going to deposit two hundred thousand crystals, don''t you get it?"


    Finch''s eyebrows rose while his mouse looked up from his calculations.


    "Two hundred thousand," the banker repeated, his voice barely containing his enthusiasm. "Very impressive for someone so young. Theodore, doesn''t it remind you of...?"


    The mouse nodded vigorously, his whiskers trembling with what seemed to be amusement.


    "Right?" Finch continued while processing Zhao''s withdrawal. "Though of course, some prefer gradual accumulation while others..." his memories drifted toward Ren, "surprise us with THREE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND IN ONE MONTH AND IN IRON RANK."


    Leopold choked on his own saliva. "What?"

 Chapter 183 - Double Tamers - 2

    The mouse nodded vigorously, his whiskers trembling with what seemed to be amusement.


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    "Right?" Finch continued while processing Zhao''s withdrawal. "Though of course, some prefer gradual accumulation while others..." his memories drifted toward Ren, "surprise us with THREE HUNDRED AND TEN THOUSAND IN ONE MONTH AND IN IRON RANK."


    Leopold choked on his own saliva. "What?"


    "Oh, you didn''t know?" Finch smiled while his mouse prepared a new book. "Some of our younger clients have rather... interesting numbers."


    "Impossible," Leopold spat the word. "I''m a gold rank prodigy and barely..."


    "Your withdrawal, professor," Finch interrupted, handing the money to Zhao who now watched the scene with amusement as he finally had his ten silver-glowing crystals.


    "Thank you," the professor smiled.


    Leopold flushed red. "I demand to see those records!"


    "Sorry, that depositor''s name is private unless they request otherwise," Finch shrugged. "Bank policy."


    "But..." Leopold frowned, clearly upset by the lack of impression his deposit was making.


    "Don''t compare yourself to other magnates, Mister Leopold. You''re also a winner who leaves Theodore and me drooling with envy, and quite an impressive one," Finch nodded politely. "Theodore, in fact, thinks it''s extraordinary to achieve so much at your age."


    The mouse looked up from his book and nodded vigorously.


    "Then where''s my funny dance?" Leopold smiled smugly. "If even your assistant recognizes my talent¡­"


    "The rich humiliating the poor," Finch sighed dramatically. "Theodore and I are just obliged to observe and document. Although..." his voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "some are more considerate than others with our theatrical sensibilities... But it''s fine, we''ll do the dance just for you, young Leopold."


    Ren''s group approached to see Finch practically dancing around Leopold while Theodore wrote frantically in his little notebook.


    "This offends me," Min declared with false indignation. "I thought those worship dances were exclusive to Ren."


    "He seems to be doing them with even more enthusiasm today," Taro added, playing along. "Say goodbye, Ren¡­ It''s not worth it."


    "Oh no," Finch murmured upon seeing the new visitors. "Theodore, prepare for more numbers!"


    The mouse pulled out a new book, his whiskers trembling with anticipation.


    "More numbers?" Leopold asked, his curiosity momentarily overcoming his arrogance.


    "The mushroom magnate visits us," Finch explained. "Though I don''t know if he''ll be able to maintain his account when his friend reaches silver. Cultivation becomes SO expensive..."


    "More of a magnate than me?" Leopold studied Ren with disdain. "This first-year child?"


    "Not yet," Finch sighed dramatically. "But if he continues like this..."


    The mouse nodded solemnly while turning the page.


    "Impossible," Leopold spat the word.


    "Sorry," Finch shrugged. "It is what it is. Right, Theodore?"


    The mouse nodded vigorously again.


    "Though," Finch continued, "if you''re interested in his exact impressive numbers, you could ask him yourself..."


    "No... I don''t want to hear more!" Leopold turned dramatically and left the bank.


    "Well," Finch sighed. "It seems few appreciate good theater. Don''t you think, Theodore?"


    The mouse shook his head solemnly while turning the page.


    "Did you see that?" Min smiled. "Totally unfaithful."


    Lin observed everything with a mixture of amusement and confusion. "Is he always like this with you?"


    "Oh no," Taro responded. "Usually it''s worse. Just that some clients..." he looked meaningfully toward Zhao and back to Lin, "don''t let his dramatic art emerge freely..."


    "THEODORE!" Finch suddenly exclaimed, though with less intensity than before. "Do you have the special book ready? Our mushroom magnate honors us with his presence."


    "There was nothing to worry about... See?" Liu elbowed Ren. "He''s already coming back to you. True loves always return."


    "Mushroom magnate?" Zhao turned, revealing a smile. "Is that your title now, Ren?"


    "Professor," Ren greeted, ignoring his friends'' giggles. "I''m glad to find you here. I wanted to give you your potion."


    Zhao stopped short, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Finch and Theodore exchanged curious looks.


    "About that," Zhao offered the million he had just withdrawn. "As I support my family, I can''t give you more right now, but I''ll keep paying the favor bit by bit and..."


    "No," Ren shook his head while his mushrooms pulsed softly. "First use that money to cultivate your new beast. By the way, have you thought about which one you''ll choose?"


    Ren turned to Finch while Zhao scratched his chin. "I need twenty thousand crystals, please."


    "THEODORE!" Finch straightened. "The special withdrawals book..."


    "No," Lin put a hand on Ren''s shoulder. "I already told you I wouldn''t let you pay for the safeguarding."


    "They''re for my parents," Ren explained. "The two potions I''m going to store. So it''s up to me to..."


    "I insist," Lin tightened her grip slightly.


    "Lin will be a double tamer too?" Zhao asked, observing the exchange with interest.


    When both nodded, a smile of understanding crossed the professor''s face.


    "Ah," Zhao put away the money, as if having made a decision. "Then let her help, Ren. I myself feel a great debt to you that I''d like to reciprocate. At least allow her this much for now."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with what seemed like resignation while Lin smiled triumphantly.


    "Alright," he finally yielded. "But then tell me, professor, what kind of beast will your second one be?"


    "I want something that increases my stealth," Zhao leaned on the counter, ignoring how Finch and Theodore discreetly leaned in to listen better. "Or that improves the speed and damage of my feather attacks."


    "The school''s gold beasts don''t really serve you too well either then..." Lin commented while asking a distracted Finch to withdraw 200,000 crystals from her account for the safeguarding and her new egg.


    "That''s the problem," Zhao sighed. "None is really ideal for what I''m looking for. The Cockatrice would add damage to my feathers but not speed to my shots or help my camouflage, the gargoyle is resistant but slow..."


    "And the pegasus has great mobility but is redundant for you," Ren completed thoughtfully.


    "Exactly," Zhao nodded. "I need something more... specific... but it doesn''t exist."


    "Not necessarily," Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while he thought. "There are some options..."


    "Theodore..." Finch murmured. "Prepare the special knowledge page. I still don''t understand what they''re talking about but surely this is good research material."


    The mouse pulled out a new notebook, his ears trembling with anticipation.


    "Do you have any suggestions?" Zhao asked, ignoring how Finch practically vibrated with curiosity.


    "Depends," Ren brought a hand to his chin. "Do you want to prioritize stealth or damage?"


    "Ideally both," Zhao smiled. "Though I know I''m asking too much."


    "Theodore..." Finch whispered dramatically. "He''s thinking... Prepare to write!"


    "Finch," Lin looked at him warningly while counting her crystals. "You''re whispering too loudly..."


    "Sorry, sorry," the banker adjusted his glasses. "The excitement of the moment."


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 Chapter 184 - Double Tamers - 3

    "Finch," Lin looked at him warningly while counting her crystals. "You''re whispering too loudly..."


    "Sorry, sorry," the banker adjusted his glasses. "The excitement of the moment." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "As I was saying," Ren continued, "there are beasts that could work."


    Zhao straightened, his interest completely captured.


    "A camouflage raptor would be perfect," Ren suggested.


    "THEODORE!" Finch couldn''t contain himself. "WRITE THAT DOWN!"


    "Finch!" two voices scolded him simultaneously.


    "Sorry," the banker shrank in his seat.


    "Camouflage raptor?" Zhao considered the idea. "It would undoubtedly help with silent flight dynamics but..."


    Finch "accidentally" dropped some papers near them, bending to pick them up with exaggerated slowness.


    "But they''re not easy to obtain," Zhao continued, ignoring how the banker now pretended to search for something under the counter to be closer. "And they only reach silver 1 at most. Being a double tamer, my chance of reaching gold with the castle''s help is quite good and..."


    Theodore wrote frantically while his tamer climbed the counter.


    "In fact," Zhao added, "I could ask Julius for a wolverine. Feathers with elemental damage of my choice would be useful, plus I could reach gold 1 that way and..."


    "Reaching gold isn''t a good reason to get the wolverine and discard your own style, professor. If it''s just about reaching gold I..."


    Ren was about to explain how he could take the raptor to gold, but he noticed Finch practically hanging from the counter, his eyes enormous behind his glasses.


    Liu and Lin looked at him, shaking their heads.


    "He''s a gossip," Liu murmured.


    "The biggest one," Lin nodded while collecting her two hundred thousand withdrawal.


    "But you have to admit this is fascinating."


    The mouse nodded vigorously from behind his book.


    "Professor, why don''t we continue this conversation in Ren''s room?"


    Finch straightened instantly, abandoning all pretense of discretion. "What? You''re leaving already? But we were just getting to the interesting part!"


    Theodore''s shoulders dropped in disappointment, his whiskers drooping.


    "Not even a hint?" Finch complained while compulsively adjusting his glasses. "Is this how you treat your humble financial servants? The custodians of your fortunes?"


    "...Poor commoners like Theodore and me," he continued while his mouse nodded dramatically, "can only dream of the magnates'' secrets..."


    "...Theodore," Finch turned to his assistant with a theatrically hurt expression, "remember when we only had to count normal crystals? Before they came with their mysterious secrets and impossible deposits?"


    The mouse nodded solemnly while wiping an imaginary tear.


    "Life was simpler then," Finch sighed. "Now we have to live with the torture of knowing there are more secrets," he looked accusingly at Ren, "secrets that could revolutionize banking as we know it, and they won''t even give us a hint!"


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    "Dramatic as always," Liu laughed while they headed to the exit.


    "It''s not drama!" Finch protested. "It''s professional indignation! Right, Theodore?"


    The mouse raised a tiny fist in solidarity.


    "See!" Finch pointed to his assistant. "Even Theodore is indignant! And he never gets indignant!"


    "See you, Finch," Ren smiled as they left.


    "Someday!" Finch called after them. "Someday we''ll discover your rich people''s secrets! Theodore won''t rest until then!"


    The last thing they saw before the door closed was Theodore nodding with determination while pulling out a new notebook titled "Theories about the Mushroom Magnate - Volume 2".


    ????


    "The camouflage raptor can reach gold if you follow my method," Ren explained in his room. "And when it evolves, it''s not just a beast that hides."


    "What do you mean?" Zhao asked with genuine interest.


    "Its scales become extremely hard," Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while he detailed. "You could combine your feathers'' dynamics with them, make them heavier and invisible. Plus, the beast''s stalking attacks are incredibly fast."


    Zhao touched his chin, processing the information. "You''re sure you can take it to gold?"


    "Ren doesn''t lie... If he says he''ll take us to gold, he definitely can," Lin intervened. "But for now, it''s better to keep this between us."


    Zhao nodded slowly, understanding the implications.


    "Since we all have potions," Min began while they waited for Zhao to finish accepting the incredible reality of what Ren was, "we should decide what beasts we want."


    "I want to try getting the mole I didn''t get," Taro stepped forward. "The brown egg didn''t give me one the first time, but now that Ren can help us get almost anything..."


    "Actually," Ren interrupted, "I already have a Deep Assassin egg prepared that would be great for you."


    "A what?" Taro frowned. "I don''t want that horrible bug, I want the mole. It''s an impressive beast that can..."


    "The Deep Assassin has perfect synergy with your Living Tunnel," Ren explained. "Your ability to manipulate minerals and your carapace would benefit all its future abilities and..."


    "But..." Taro didn''t seem convinced. "The mole can dig faster and everyone would..."


    "The Deep Assassin can use your living crystal to amplify its attacks a lot," Ren continued. "And again, I already have the egg ready..."


    Taro crossed his arms. "I don''t know... the mole sounds cooler."


    "And you, Liu?" Min tried to change the subject seeing Taro wouldn''t easily yield.


    "Anything good works," Liu shrugged. "It''s not like I''m very attached to the useless bat that left me embarrassed..."


    "You should consider a banshee hyena," Ren suggested.


    "A hyena?" Liu made a face. "Why would I want that when I could have something like a golden lion or..."


    "Because the banshee hyena would increase your sonic damage and improve your future skill set with your beast," Ren explained. "The bat isn''t bad, it''s just a baby. Since you can''t get rid of it, it would be better to use it well."


    "But hyenas are..." Liu searched for the words, "inelegant."


    "The banshee hyena would greatly increase your power with the insane volume of its shrieks and laughs since they can shred their opponents'' nervous system with a single howl," Ren countered.


    "Still..."


    "And me?" Min interrupted. "I was thinking about a phoenix that would heal me too. Something majestic that..."


    "Fire wouldn''t combine well with your water snake... You need defense and stealth," Ren shook his head. "As a healer, you must stay safe. An invisible amphibian would be perfect."


    "An... amphibian?" Min looked horrified. "You want my second beast to be a lame hiding frog?"


    "They aren''t frogs¡­ An amphibian that can become almost completely invisible," Ren corrected. "It would increase your water magic, so your healing too, and they''re extremely resistant."


    "But when people ask about my second beast..." Min protested weakly.


    "You''ll be alive to answer them," Ren completed.


    "How would you create the eggs for all these rare beasts?" Zhao intervened, noticing the boys'' unconvinced expressions.

 Chapter 185 - Double Tamers - 4

    "How would you create the eggs for all these rare beasts?" Zhao intervened, noticing the boys'' unconvinced expressions.


    "I need parts that won''t rot from the monsters we''ll use," Ren explained. "Scales, bones, claws, hair, teeth from the beasts. The core must be kept surrounded by these materials and I''ll draw specific complex runes with rune liquid."


    "Complex runes?" Lin leaned in with interest.


    "Very complex," Ren nodded. "Each beast requires a unique set of patterns. Besides the 100,000 mana to fill the core, I need to inject processed mana daily during the process as if cultivating."


    "For how long?" Zhao asked.


    "Depends on the beast, for example... For Min''s Invisible Amphibian," Ren looked meaningfully at his still reluctant friend, "it would be about two weeks working on the egg if we use bronze 2 parts in the nest."


    "Two weeks?" Min blinked in surprise. "Six days less than the panther lizard...?"


    "You''re lucky, right? Beasts have different ''incubation'' periods," Ren smiled.


    "Wait no! He''s trying to convince me without me noticing," Min realized, "an amphibian... it just doesn''t sound very..."


    "Impressive," Liu completed. "Like the hyena..."


    "You know what''s not impressive?" Ren looked at them seriously. "Wasting potential because you chose the wrong cultivation path, right?... The same goes for choosing a beast that looks ''cool'' instead of one that truly complements the abilities you already have."


    The three fell silent, considering his words.


    "Besides," Ren continued, "who says these beasts aren''t ''cool''? You don''t even have an idea how they look at gold rank..."


    "What about the amphibian?" Min asked, his curiosity overcoming his resistance.


    "It will be a huge reptile at gold rank. It can greatly improve your water magic and will also give you vitality," Ren smiled. "And that''s just the beginning."


    The three friends exchanged looks. Their expressions still showed doubt, but there was a spark of interest in their eyes.


    "The materials to create the eggs, especially the mana to fill them isn''t small, they''re expensive," Ren added. "And the process besides taking time is delicate, so... I need to know what you want before starting."


    "But are those really the best options?" Liu asked.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with confidence. "The best synergies. The question is: do you trust me?"


    After thinking about it a bit, they all accepted Ren''s suggestions.


    Zhao asked Ren to dictate all the materials to make a list...


    ????


    "Well," Lin turned to Ren with a smile that made his mushrooms pulse nervously. "Time for your exercises."


    "But we have to buy and..." Ren began to protest.


    "Don''t think you''re going to escape your routine today. You can start while we take those two last potions to safekeeping and go get the cultivation things you named... We''ll even bring yours and the boys''... Right, Zhao?"


    Zhao nodded.


    Ren dropped his shoulders dramatically, but Lin wasn''t finished.


    "Besides," her smile grew wider, "from now on I''ll train all four of you. For today you can even teach the basics to the other 3 yourself."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with new interest as he looked at his friends. Min, Taro, and Liu instinctively backed away when they saw how his expression changed.


    "You know?" Ren smiled, a flash of Lin''s sadism reflecting in his eyes. "Maybe it''s not a bad idea to train my allies a bit..." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Oh no," Liu murmured.


    "This is going to hurt tomorrow," Min added.


    "A lot," Taro confirmed.


    When Lin and Zhao left heading for the exchange, leaving Ren instructing his friends on the "correct basic posture," their cries of pain were already resonating through the hallway.


    "He''s a good boy," Zhao commented as they walked. "With extraordinary potential."


    Lin stopped abruptly in the hallway and looked at him sideways. "You''re a government dog."


    It wasn''t a question.


    "I am," Zhao admitted without shame. "But that doesn''t change that I''m on his side and care about him."


    "Ren isn''t protected enough for everyone in the castle and high nobles to know his secrets," Lin warned, pointing at his neck up close. "Not yet."


    Zhao smiled softly. "Don''t worry. I fight for our homeland precisely to keep our children safe. I wouldn''t put Ren in danger."


    Lin relaxed a bit.


    "Speaking of something more important," Zhao changed the subject, "there''s a way to ''pay him back'' for the potion that he won''t be able to reject. Will you join me?"


    "What do you have in mind?"


    "Well," Zhao smiled mysteriously, "he''ll surely use the school''s counter to get materials for some years, right?"


    Lin''s eyes opened with understanding. "The credits."


    "The same ones," Zhao nodded. "And coincidentally, I have a million crystals that we can defer over several months to not scare him."


    "So he''ll have to accept it," Lin nodded her head. "I can leave him a part each month too without going bankrupt in one go... Good idea, you''re clever."


    "Thanks," Zhao began walking.


    Behind them, the boys'' screams mixed with Ren''s laughter.


    "Back straight!" they could hear him shout. "Or we''ll have to repeat the whole series!"


    "Definitely your student," Zhao laughed.


    "For better or worse," Lin smiled as they walked away, leaving the boys to their fate for a while.


    ????


    Liora returned to Luna and Larissa after leaving her grandmother at the entrance.


    She found Larissa sitting comfortably, as if she had been waiting for her.


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    "How did it go?" Larissa smiled.


    Neither responded immediately. Luna seemed lost in her thoughts, her fingers unconsciously brushing the envelope hidden in her clothes. Liora maintained her expression carefully neutral, though her eyes revealed certain unease.


    "It''s okay," Larissa gestured for them to sit. "Take your time. Maria!"


    One of the guards approached.


    "Could you bring us that special drink I prepared?" Larissa asked sweetly. "The one I left on the corner table?"


    Maria nodded and returned moments later with three cups of an aromatic liquid.


    The girls sat around Larissa, each taking a cup. The aroma was sweet and comforting.


    "On my part¡­" Larissa began while her cousins drank, "everything went quite well. They''ll probably increase surveillance, but there''s not too much to worry about."


    Luna and Liora nodded distractedly, the warmth of the drink helping to relax them.


    "There''s just one thing..." Larissa leaned forward, lowering her voice conspiratorially.


    Her cousins looked at her with curiosity, though they didn''t quite understand her mysterious attitude. Still, they instinctively leaned in too.


    "You''ll have to be very careful," Larissa whispered, "not to tell anyone that all three of us are double tamers now."

 Chapter 186 - Double Tamers - End

    "You''ll have to be very careful," Larissa whispered, "not to tell anyone that all three of us are double tamers now."


    Luna frowned. "What are you talking about? We''re not..."


    A faint glow suddenly enveloped the two girls, so brief it could have been mistaken for a flicker of the lamps.


    Larissa covered her mouth in feigned surprise while her cousins stared at her with enormous eyes, suddenly understanding.


    "Oh," Larissa smiled behind her hand. "It seems we''re all the same."


    "You..." Liora looked at her empty cup. "The drink..."


    "Did you just...?" Luna seemed at a loss for words.


    "Give you potions?" Larissa completed cheerfully. "Of course. We''re family after all."


    "But..." Liora whispered, "my father wanted..."


    "But your grandmother will surely be delighted," Larissa assured. "The Ashenways support female double tamers, right?"


    "You don''t understand... my grandmother was..."


    Luna wasn''t faring better.


    "The few men left in the family... My father is going to..." Luna murmured.


    "They don''t have to find out," Larissa winked. "Not until it''s too late to do anything about it."


    The two girls fell silent processing what had just happened, wasn''t it too late already? Their beasts stirred within them.


    "Why?" Liora finally asked.


    "Because things have to change," Larissa responded, her expression becoming serious for the first time. "We can prove that we''re valuable investments too."


    "Investments?" Luna looked at her curiously.


    "Oh yes," Larissa smiled mysteriously. "For the future... one that promises very interesting things. Especially now that a certain boy with glowing mushrooms is involved."


    "Larissa..." Liora began, but her cousin interrupted her.


    "Now," Larissa clasped her hands with enthusiasm, "what beasts would you like as second companions?"


    The two girls stared at her open-mouthed at her casual change of topic, but Larissa only smiled more broadly.


    "What?" she asked with feigned innocence. "Don''t tell me you''ve never dreamed of having a second beast? I have several ideas..."


    Her mineral fairy glowed cheerfully while she began enumerating possibilities, leaving her cousins still trying to process how their life had just changed with a simple cup of tea.


    ????


    "Fifty more!" Ren ordered, his mushrooms pulsing in red and yellow with what seemed like too much joy.


    "But we already did a hundred!" Min complained, his arms trembling.


    "Oh?" Ren smiled in a disturbingly similar way to Lin. "You want them to be a hundred more then?"


    "No!" three voices responded in unison.


    "Master Lin will be proud," Ren commented while watching his friends suffer. "You''re learning the importance of not complaining."


    Taro tried to say something, but only managed an exhausted groan.


    Knocks on the door interrupted the torture session.


    Ren went to open it, finding Julius and Victor.


    "I see you''re busy," Julius smiled seeing the three boys practically melting on the floor.


    "Just some basic training," Ren responded innocently.


    "About the scorpion cores," Julius went straight to the point. "Since you took the trouble to work on them, could I take them? We want to do some experiments."


    "Experiments?"


    "We''re trying to understand how Yino gets their abyssal beasts," Julius explained.


    Ren nodded. "Of course. I can also give you the crystals from the leftover scales..."


    "Not necessary," Julius shook his head. "In fact, you can keep ten of the cores and the remaining crystals to do your own experiments."


    "Thanks," Ren added, "But they still need to be filled with a hundred thousand mana crystals each."


    Victor, who had been observing silently, stepped forward. "Do you know how to make other types of eggs besides those scorpions?"


    The three boys on the floor suddenly seemed to find new energy for their exercises, moving with suspicious intensity while looking away and sweating cold.


    "Yes," Ren responded casually. "The bug, too, not just the scorpion."


    His mushrooms pulsed softly while he avoided mentioning that he could create practically any species up to the gold ring 1.


    Julius noticed how Ren''s friends suddenly doubled their efforts in the exercises again, as if wanting to appear too busy to be interrogated.


    "I see," Victor murmured, taking another step toward Ren.


    Julius stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, leaning to whisper in his ear: "We shouldn''t pressure him for now."


    Victor nodded reluctantly, though his eyes shone with barely contained curiosity.


    "Well," Julius smiled, "I''ll bring you a gift for the information later. I expect great things from the future new noble who opened the last seed."


    He looked meaningfully at the three boys who were still exercising frantically, "I think now you should return to your... training."


    "Oh, right," Ren turned to his friends with a smile that made them shudder. "Where were we? Ah yes, ONE HUNDRED more repetitions."


    The groans of protest were music to his ears. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the princes withdrew, they could hear Ren counting cheerfully: "One! Harder! Two! I don''t see you suffering enough!"


    "Definitely Lin''s student," Julius laughed softly.


    "Do you think he knows how to make more types of eggs?" Victor asked as they walked away.


    "Oh, I''m almost certain," Julius smiled. "But for now, let''s let him keep some secrets for the new team to discover."


    ????


    "You can... you can rest for a moment," Ren smiled while his mushrooms pulsed cheerfully.


    Min, Taro, and Liu collapsed instantly, their agitated breathing being the only sound in the room.


    "You know?" Ren sat near them, his tone surprisingly animated for someone who had just tortured his friends. "Before coming here, I used to read the Wandering King''s book. I always thought the magical medicines to become a double tamer would be in some far and mysterious place..."


    "...And they ended up being almost in the heart of the city," Ren laughed softly. "Right beneath our feet."


    "What irony," Liu murmured from the floor.


    Knocks on the door interrupted the moment. Zhao and Lin entered, carrying several packages and materials.


    "Did you break them already?" Lin smiled seeing the three boys lying on the floor.


    "Just some basic training," Ren responded, imitating her tone.


    "That''s my student," Lin nodded with approval.


    Ren approached to examine the materials while his friends tried to recover the ability to move.


    "We got almost everything," Zhao explained. "But we couldn''t find the raptor core or Liu''s hyena one. They didn''t have complete specimens and had already sent the cores to the castle."


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    "We had to buy some silver rank parts too," Lin added. "They only had high quality in stock, pieces that almost nobody buys. They cost us a hundred thousand total for the parts of those two rare beasts."


    "No problem," Ren nodded while his mushrooms pulsed. "I have some free cores now, I can make those two. Although..." he grimaced, "I''m running low on tentacles."


    "About that," Zhao smiled, "don''t worry. The last excursion is near. The third collection of the semester, well¡­ second in your case. My unit''s final exam."


    "Your territory again?" Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with more intensity.


    "Exactly," Zhao nodded. "And with everything you''ve shown, you''ll surely pass with honors."


    Ren began organizing the materials while preparing the necessary runes.


    "The final exams begin," he murmured while tracing the first pattern.


    Lin observed her student work, a proud smile on her face. On the floor, the three boys finally began to sit up, their muscles protesting from the effort.


    The sun was setting over the academy, its last rays illuminating the room through the window. Soon the trials would begin, but for now, in this moment, everything seemed to be in its place.


    Ren continued drawing runes, his mushrooms pulsing softly while he thought about everything that had happened since he arrived at the academy. The impossible evolutions, the transformation potions, the ancestral seed... and this was just the beginning.


    "Are you ready for your own exercise?" Lin asked.


    Ren looked at his friends, now double tamers thanks to him. Looked at his teachers, who trusted in his knowledge despite his age. Looked at the runes he was tracing, runes that nobody else knows.


    His mushrooms pulsed one more time while he smiled.


    "Always."


    [End of Volume 1]

 Chapter 187 - Triple Tamers

    The council chamber in Yino was a perfect reflection of its philosophy: dark, practical, and serious.


    The black stone walls absorbed the light from the purple crystals, creating shadows that seemed to move of their own volition. The darkness writhed and twisted at the edges of vision, as if alive.


    Six figures sat around a circular table carved from black crystal, magical obsidian. The material had been specifically chosen for its ability to absorb and contain abyssal energy, making it nearly impossible for any beast to spy on the meetings.


    The King occupied the main seat, his face partially hidden by shadows while he studied the maps scattered across the table. His presence seemed to make the very air heavier, more oppressive.


    "Let me understand the situation," he rose slowly. The shadows seemed to stretch with him, as if they were an extension of his body.


    He began walking around the table, his steps resonating on the stone with deliberate weight.


    "Two weeks," the King of Yino observed the leader of the Venmont family. "Two weeks without a single report from this Harold kid¡­ Can none of your plans work?"


    Lord Venmont maintained his firm posture despite the pressure. "My lord, the training we provided was the most rigorous possible. If he hasn''t reported, it must be because he''s following the maximum security protocol."


    "Protocol?" the crown prince, seated at the King''s right, arched an eyebrow. "Or did you simply lose control of your agent?"


    A girl seated in the last chair leaned forward, as if wanting to better see Lord Venmont''s reaction, but the King raised a hand. She immediately straightened, returning to her position as a silent observer.


    "Harold was personally modified by our family," Venmont continued. "His abyssal beast is perfectly studied by us and adapted to the mission. It''s possible he''s underground, transporting the key, unable to send messages without compromising his position."


    The King turned to Lord Bloodwyn, ignoring Venmont''s explanation. "What about your part?"


    "We''ve completed the study on the beast cultivation you requested," Bloodwyn responded. The girl visibly straightened, her eyes gleaming with interest.


    "And you think with just that I''ll forget your failure with the shadow stalkers?" the King interrupted. "The mana devourers that were supposed to help us accelerate the release of our last seed?"


    Bloodwyn tensed. "My lord, the mercenaries never returned, they had a very good reputation but must have..."


    "I don''t want to hear your excuses again... It''s ridiculous that in trying to accelerate our seed we managed to accelerate Yano''s seed instead," the King cut him off. "We extracted its mana from our control vein by taking so much for our abyssals, but from here we can''t replicate the process with our own seed¡­ The only plausible way was using a swarm of mana devourers! Right?"


    "The theory makes sense," Bloodwyn tried to explain. "But without mana devourers in our territory to study¡­ If we had been able to¡­"


    "You failed, that''s all... both of you did. And instead of taking advantage of knowing about Yano''s last seed''s release before them, you only give us useless reports... Excuses," the prince spat the word.


    The King finally turned to Lord Ravenspire. "And the scorpions I asked for?"


    The girl moved uncomfortably in her seat, as if wanting to say something, but again the King silenced her with a gesture.


    "Hagen managed to map much of the subsoil," Ravenspire responded carefully. "Although he didn''t manage to obtain any cores, his contribution was..."


    "These maps," the King laughed humorlessly signaling. "We have maps, but Yano now knows we can infiltrate from the depths and control the abyssals to a certain extent. All that important information they got thanks to your famous mercenary. Do you know how many years this sets back our plans?"


    "My lord," Ravenspire leaned forward, "if you allow me to explain. Perhaps Hagen didn''t carry out the operation in the best way, but he himself lent his body risking everything for the kingdom and his loyalty to you... he helped us discover something else. Something that could change everything."


    The King''s interest visibly stirred. "What?"


    "A safe way to obtain a third beast."


    The silence that followed was absolute. Even the abyssal crystals seemed to contain their crackling.


    "Impossible," the prince broke the silence. "So soon?"


    "Hagen confirmed it himself already," Ravenspire continued. "There is a method. But it was only possible because he already has a gold rank beast. Still, we can¡­"


    "And he wasn''t consumed, there are no other side effects?" the King interrupted. "If what you say is true..."


    "There are no problems for the moment," Ravenspire assured. "The process seems safe in powerful tamers like him. We just have to observe him a bit more and obtain the necessary knowledge to..."


    The girl suddenly rose from her seat, her eyes shining intensely. The King looked at her for a moment before nodding.


    "Is it true?" her childish voice contrasted strangely with the chamber''s atmosphere. "We can have three beasts already?"


    "Sit down, Selthia," the King ordered softly. The girl obeyed immediately, though her eyes still shone with contained excitement.


    "Explain the new details," the King addressed Ravenspire. "All of them."


    ????


    The King raised a hand once he had understood most of the explanation. "Lastly..." He turned to Venmont. "Have the Goldcrests reported anything?"


    Venmont visibly tensed. "The situation with our... allies has become complicated."


    "Complicated?" the prince leaned forward. sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Since Bloodwyn''s mercenaries failed in their attempt to ''kidnap'' the Klein boy," Venmont carefully chose his words, "the Goldcrests have expressed their... discontent with our methods."


    "Discontent?" the King repeated softly, though his tone contained a veiled threat.


    "They complain about our lack of professionalism," Venmont continued. "The plan was to use Klein''s kidnapping as a negotiation chip in Yano, accelerate the open conflict between the cities. But the failure..."


    "Has only made Yano more cautious," the King completed.


    "It was difficult enough convincing them to help with Harold''s infiltration," Venmont added. "And that only worked because Kassian himself took the job instead of his father."


    "The young Goldcrest," the King murmured. "Always more... adventurous than the old one."


    "Their communications have become more sporadic, which doesn''t help with Harold''s situation either," Venmont concluded. "It seems they fear our... unorthodox methods might expose them." Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire


    The King remained silent for a moment.


    "I will handle that," he finally declared. "The Goldcrests need to understand they''re already too involved to have doubts now."


    "My lord," Venmont bowed respectfully. "How do you plan to..."


    "They have a point about professionalism," the King interrupted again. "Perhaps it''s time to show them how Yino works when it decides to be... truly professional."


    The smile that accompanied those words made even Selthia shrink slightly in her seat.


    "Now," the King turned his attention to Ravenspire. "Bring Hagen. I want to know exactly what he is now."


    The three lords rose and bowed before withdrawing, leaving the King with his son and the girl.


    "Can I go see when they bring Hagen?" Selthia asked immediately.


    "No," the King responded.

 Chapter 188 - Taming Procedures

    Ren traced the final runes on Zhao''s camouflage raptor core while his other projects rested in different stages of development.


    Lin''s panther lizard glowed with a reddish tone, Liu''s banshee hyena emitted green pulses, and Min''s invisible amphibian... well, it was already starting to occasionally disappear.


    Only one complete egg remained unclaimed.


    "Come on," Ren looked at Taro, who was observing the egg of what would be a bronze rank Deep Assassin as if it might bite him. "It''s not as bad as you think."


    "Not bad?" Min laughed. "Wait until his mouth elongates like a giant straw."


    "Assassins are known for their proboscises," Liu added with a mischievous smile. "Imagine drinking tea like that."


    Liu made an exaggerated gesture, pretending to sip with an imaginarily long mouth, causing Min to burst into laughter.


    "Don''t listen to them," Ren sighed. "The bug''s qualities don''t manifest that way at first. You won''t even have the absorption ability yet, it''s just iron rank and not a complete Deep Assassin."


    Taro kept looking at the egg with distrust. "Are you sure?"


    "Completely," Ren nodded. "For now you''ll only have the claws and carapace. When you develop vitality absorption, you''ll channel it through them. Your mouth won''t turn into a proboscis unless you move to Yino." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "See?" Min smiled. "You just have to avoid moving to Yino and keep your beautiful smile."


    "But seriously," Ren continued, ignoring the jokes. "Think about the advantages. You''ll be able to summon your living tunnel fully and still have a carapace."


    "But won''t it be weaker?" Taro asked.


    "A bit less resistant," Ren admitted, "but the long claws ability and the new carapace directly benefit from living mineral. The bug line has a natural disposition for acquiring trophies, like some other insects. It can easily adhere materials to its carapace."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while he entered explanation mode.


    "Besides," he continued, "your tunnel''s 60% defense will affect the bug''s 30% defense. That gives you a total 90% defense over the 2 defensive layers."


    Taro began showing interest. "And I''ll just be a defender like always?"


    "The bug''s attack is 40%," Ren smiled. "Combined with the little your tunnel gives you, you''ll finally have 60% instead of just 20%. You''ll be a real threat when attacking."


    "A threat with a straw," Liu murmured, earning an elbow from Min.


    "So I won''t have to absorb with my mouth?" Taro asked one last time.


    "Not while you''re in Yano," Ren assured. "The claws will be your main absorption method. The proboscis is a specific adaptation that involves more than just a long mouth..."


    Taro looked at the egg for a long moment, clearly weighing the advantages against his aesthetic concern.


    "Ninety percent defense," he murmured.


    "And sixty percent attack," Ren added.


    "And zero percent proboscis," Min laughed.


    "For now," Liu added with a malicious smile.


    Taro finally extended his hand toward the egg trying to ignore Liu. "Alright. But if I start developing any kind of strange appendage..."


    "We''ll help you find very large hats to cover it," Min solemnly promised.


    "Or decorative face masks," Liu suggested.


    "Guys," Ren looked at them reproachfully, though his mushrooms pulsed with amusement.


    "It''s okay," Taro smiled while taking the egg. "I guess the synergy plus ninety percent defense is worth the risk."


    The ritual began making Taro and his egg glow while they connected.


    "That''s the spirit," Ren nodded. "Besides, think how useful it''ll be if you ever need to drink something from the bottom of a very tall glass."


    "Ren!" Taro protested while the others burst into laughter.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed cheerfully while he returned to his work. Four eggs, five new beasts, five new paths to explore.


    And only one potential straw problem in the future.


    ????


    Ren had taught everyone how to cultivate.


    Liu''s crystals had to be processed in complete darkness.


    "Darker!" Liu complained while trying to process his crystals. "You say it has to be total darkness but... Your mushrooms keep glowing."


    Ren concentrated, trying to extinguish the soft pulse of light his mushrooms emitted, but every time he thought he''d succeeded, they would glow faintly again.


    "Sorry," Ren apologized. "I can''t turn them off completely."


    After several failed attempts, Ren had to admit defeat. "I think you''ll have to do it yourself."


    He explained the process in detail: the crystals needed to bathe in shadow beast blood for at least an hour in complete darkness, then be sealed with pure crystals maintaining the same condition.


    Fortunately, Ren had blood and crystals from the shadow stalkers from the cave, a rare resource and more expensive at school where most crystals were earth-based due to underground mining.


    Liu''s sonar proved perfect for the work. He could navigate in total darkness without problems, completing the process with a precision that Ren couldn''t have achieved with his treacherously luminous mushrooms.


    Meanwhile, Taro had already begun absorbing his crystals to jump directly to bronze 2.


    For Ren the investment was considerable, but thanks to Zhao and Lin having bought all the materials he needed, the complete 450 thousand crystals, he could concentrate on his progression without financial worries.


    The magnate''s fortune was safe for now.


    But Ren was only cultivating his mushroom for now, leaving his hydra on hold since he needed specific conditions to process the crystals.


    Min advanced steadily with his snake, and Lin had adopted the thousand-day method that Ren had taught her.


    "The thousand-day method is... expensive," Zhao had commented when Ren explained it to him.


    And he was right. Because unlike Lin, his beast was silver 3.


    The necessary silver 3 size crystals cost 300 points each, totaling 300,000. Materials of the same grade added another 300,000 per unit, and that unit only served to process 100 crystals. Sealing each batch of 100 required another 100,000 points.


    "So," Zhao had calculated, "I would need 3.3 million just for the base materials, plus 1 million for sealing the complete process..."


    "Four million three hundred thousand total," Ren confirmed.


    Zhao had decided to wait and save more before embarking on such an expensive and prolonged method. For now, like Lin, Min, Liu, and Taro, he patiently awaited his egg''s hatching.


    "How much longer?" Min asked while observing his amphibian egg, which occasionally became transparent.


    "Each has its time," Ren responded while tracing runes on the hyena egg. "Yours will be the first ready, then Zhao''s raptor."


    Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    "And mine?" Liu asked.


    "The hyena needs more time," Ren explained. "Master Lin will be third."


    While his friends discussed, Ren continued working on the eggs, his mushrooms pulsing softly. The process was delicate, requiring precision and patience, but seeing his friends anxiously awaiting their new beasts made all the effort worthwhile.

 Chapter 189 - Taming Fame

    The morning began as always: Lin dragging Ren to her early morning torture routine.


    "Me too...?" Taro began to ask when Lin looked at him.


    "N-no... The... The attendance," he hurried to add. "Wei still takes roll and..."


    "Hmm," Lin narrowed her eyes. "Wei hasn''t been giving good classes lately."


    "But attendance!" Taro insisted. "It''s important to maintain the record and my grade could..."


    Lin sighed. "Fine. But after the final exam, you''ll come train too."


    Taro had never been so grateful for school bureaucracy.


    Min and Liu were naturally saved, having other teachers in the first hours. They wouldn''t join the torture group until Yang''s class.


    When Taro entered the classroom, Wei was already there, sitting at his desk with a lost look. The usual class murmur seemed more subdued, as if the professor''s depressive atmosphere was contagious.


    "Taro," a voice called from behind.


    It was Mira.


    Since he had leveled up, Taro had noticed a change in how his classmates treated him. Where before they barely noticed his existence, now there was always someone looking to talk to him, asking for advice, trying to become part of his circle.


    It was a... strange sensation. Not necessarily unpleasant, but definitely strange.


    "Have you seen any improvement in Wei?" Mira whispered as Taro sat down. "He seems worse than yesterday, after Roran corrected him in class."


    "When he mentioned the canine creatures?" Taro asked.


    "Yes," Mira nodded. "Wei just... froze when Roran said ''as Ren mentioned to me, iron rank canine creatures generally...'' and simply stopped functioning."


    Taro made a face that clearly said "nothing to be done," but Mira wasn''t finished.


    "I''m worried about the final exam," she continued. "If even the professors aren''t sure what''s correct..."


    "They''re right," Han commented from a nearby seat. "How are we supposed to learn if everything they''ve taught us could be wrong?"


    Wei seemed to shrink in his seat although the comment had been barely a murmur.


    "Ren should teach this class," Sora turned from the first row. "Or at least grade the exam."


    The professor visibly writhed in his chair, as if each word was a needle.


    "After all," Sora continued, apparently unaware of the effect her words were having, "he seems to be the only one who really understands..."


    "I''ll... I''ll take roll," Wei interrupted with a hoarse voice, raising the attendance list like a shield. "Klein, Astor..."


    The students exchanged looks while responding to roll call. Wei seemed smaller than normal, his usual confidence completely evaporated.


    "Feng, Han..."


    "Here," Han responded, then added in a low voice, "though I don''t know if it matters being present when we''re not learning anything..."


    Wei trembled slightly.


    "Luna, Mira..."


    "Present," Mira responded, her concern about the exam clearly visible on her face.


    "Larissa, Sora..."


    "Here!" Sora raised her hand. "Could we ask Ren if...?"


    "Liora, Rosalind..." Wei continued mechanically, as if he hadn''t heard.


    Taro observed his professor, remembering how he used to strut around the classroom, sure of his knowledge, proud of his position. Now he seemed a shadow of himself, reduced to taking roll as if it was the only thing he could still do with certainty.


    "Hector, Taro..."


    "Present," Taro responded, noticing how Wei avoided making eye contact. He was beginning to feel bad for Wei... But only a little. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    Wei finished taking roll and froze, as if he''d forgotten what came next. He sat heavily at his desk and grabbed his head with both hands.


    "Now what?" Mira complained, unconsciously rubbing the bandage on her nose. "The final exam is near and we can''t even have a normal class. And on top of that those new adults who won''t stop asking their boring questions since the incident..."


    "Are they still bothering you about the mana-blocking moss coverings of your giant rat?" Taro asked.


    "They won''t stop," Mira grimaced in pain as she touched her nose. "It''s unbearable."


    "Still hasn''t healed from your fall?" Han asked, emphasizing the last word with a tone that suggested he didn''t quite believe her story.


    "I fell very hard," Mira responded dryly.


    "Such bad luck," Han smiled. "They interrogate me all day about my coverings too, but at least I haven''t ''tripped'' into any doors."


    Mira stuck her tongue out in response.


    "Taro!" Han abruptly changed the subject, wrapping an arm around his classmate''s shoulders. "Did you get Ren to tell you anything about spiders?"


    "Uh... yes," Taro tried to wriggle out of the embrace. "But I don''t remember well. Better ask him yourself."


    A collective sigh ran through the group.


    "As if it were that easy," Mira protested. "When he''s in Yang''s class, Lin doesn''t let anyone near him to distract him."


    "And during breaks there''s always like twenty people surrounding him," another student added. "He never manages to answer anything coherent."


    "You could..." Taro smiled mischievously, "follow us to the mines in the afternoon. In separate groups, of course."


    "You''ll keep going down to the mines?" an elegant voice interrupted. Larissa had peered from her seat, suddenly interested.


    Wei observed the whole scene, his face a mask of misery. Finally, he seemed to give up.


    "You can leave if you want," he mumbled. "Study on your own. Class... class is over."


    "About time," Jin rudely blurted while standing up and heading to the exit with his hands behind his head and elbows raised. "I don''t even know why they take roll."


    Kai and Cass followed him to the door, but most of the class remained congregated around Taro.


    "So Ren really can take any beast to gold?" someone asked.


    "Is it true he made you and Min double summoners?"


    "How did he get a hydra?"


    "Why does he know more than Wei?"


    Wei dropped his forehead against the desk with a dull thud that no one seemed to notice. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    "I also heard he has lots of crystals," a girl commented excitedly.


    "And that he knows how to cultivate faster than normal," another added.


    Mira and Han exchanged looks while Taro was bombarded with questions.


    "Is it true he can evolve beasts that have already matured like Master Lin''s?" someone else asked.


    Wei banged his head against the desk again.


    "Guys," Taro tried to calm the group. "You really should ask him directly."


    "But we never can!" several protested at once.


    "Maybe if you went to his room..." Larissa suggested with a mischievous smile.


    "He won''t like that!" Taro looked at her alarmed. "You shouldn''t..."


    But it was too late. He could see the gears turning in his classmates'' minds, planning secret expeditions to the know-it-all''s ''office''.


    Wei lifted his head only to let it fall once more against the wood.


    "At least being ignored is better," he muttered to himself, "they''re not making fun of me all day anymore."


    Nobody heard him. They were too busy interrogating Taro about the best times to "accidentally run into" Ren in his room or the mines.

 Chapter 190 - Taming Fame - 2

    "Do you notice it?" Larissa asked while observing the group surrounding Taro.


    Luna rolled her eyes, pretending to be more interested in her notes than the conversation. "Notice what?"


    Larissa smiled and suddenly wrapped her cousin in a hug. "Don''t play disinterested, it''s getting old!"


    "Larissa!" Luna protested, her cheeks reddening while trying to break free. "We''re in class!"


    "Not anymore... And I won''t let go until you admit you''ve noticed it," Larissa sang near her ear.


    Luna struggled a moment more before surrendering with a sigh. "Fine, yes... I noticed it," she murmured, her voice barely audible.


    "And?" Larissa loosened her grip a bit but didn''t release her completely.


    "The... the two beasts inside Taro," Luna continued in a low voice, avoiding looking directly at her cousin. "The patterns fluctuate very well between them. Even..." she stopped, as if considering whether she should continue.


    "Even what?" Liora also leaned in to hear better.


    "Even better than Julius''s synergy," Luna completed quickly. "His is simple because at least it''s the same element, but this..."


    "Must be Ren''s work," Liora suggested thoughtfully. "If what little you told us about what happened in the seed is true..."


    "Speaking of Ren," Larissa interrupted and smiled while finally releasing Luna. "What do you say we ask his advice about what second beast we should..."


    "Shhh!" Luna and Liora interrupted simultaneously, frantically looking around. The mere mention of "second beast" had put them on high alert.


    "Are you crazy?" Luna hissed. "You can''t talk about... that... here!"


    "About what?" Larissa smiled innocently. "About how the three of us are..."


    Liora covered her mouth with a hand while Luna looked about to faint.


    "Alright, alright," Larissa laughed when Liora finally released her. "But I''m going to ask him after class. You can come if you want."


    "We can''t just..." Luna began.


    "Why not?" Larissa interrupted. "Nobody will suspect if we just ask him theoretical questions. Everyone''s obsessed with Ren lately anyway."


    It was true. Looking around the classroom, at least half the class was trying to get close to Taro just to obtain information about his luminous friend.


    "Besides," Larissa added with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, "don''t you want to know what beasts could better complement your... powerful first beasts?"


    Luna and Liora exchanged looks. The temptation was evident on their faces.


    "Just theoretical questions," Luna murmured, as if trying to convince herself.


    "Purely academic," Liora nodded.


    "Of course," Larissa smiled. "Though..." she added while watching Taro being bombarded with questions, "maybe we should wait for the crowd to disperse a bit. We don''t want anyone else hearing our... academic theories."


    Her cousins nodded vigorously, though Larissa noticed how their eyes occasionally drifted toward the group around Taro, clearly anxious for answers.


    ''This will be fun,'' she thought while her mineral fairy pulsed softly.


    ????


    "It''s strange," Han commented as they walked toward Yang''s class, "I always thought the grey wing was for... well, you know."


    "Losers?" Taro completed with a smile, remembering his own initial prejudices.


    "I didn''t mean it like that!" Han waved his hands, embarrassed. "It''s just that..."


    "It''s okay," Taro laughed. "I thought the same before getting there. Turns out the grey wing was the best thing that could have happened to me."


    "The best?" Mira approached, still touching her nose. "Well he certainly didn''t lie about the different beast and faster cultivation, but maybe it''s too soon to..."


    "Min," Taro looked at her worriedly, "don''t you want me to ask Min for help? His water snake has healing abilities and..."


    "The nurse said it would heal on its own," Mira interrupted quickly, though Taro noticed how she avoided eye contact.


    "Doesn''t it hurt?" Han leaned in to examine Mira''s nose, his eyes shining with genuine concern. Despite his serious expression, there was something adorably childlike in how he wrinkled his forehead.


    "Just a little," Mira touched the bandage carefully, her small fingers tracing its edge. "But, I want to hear more about the grey wing... What about you Taro?"


    Several more students approached, curious. Most had never thought much about the dormitory''s other wings.


    "My family has a restaurant in the Terragon district," Taro explained. "We''re a minor branch of the family, but the business is doing well."


    "Terragon?" Han whistled impressed. "The family with the most earth controllers?"


    "A very, very minor branch," Taro emphasized. "So minor I only visited once a year. All I got from that was the brown egg... I thought I was doomed when they gave me the beetle..."


    "But you were wrong," Mira smiled. "You were the first to evolve!"


    "Thanks to Ren," Taro added automatically. "Besides, he''s bronze now too so..."


    "Ren doesn''t count," someone commented from behind. "Nobody has really seen his evolution."


    "It''s true," another voice added. "We just know his mushrooms glow a bit more."


    Taro contained a smile, remembering the true form of Ren''s mushroom. If they heard it they''d...


    "The point is," he continued, "that the grey wing doesn''t determine your potential... Mira I can''t stop looking at your nose, I insist Min help you, if not now then in the room after class... Ren and Liu will be there."


    Mira tensed at hearing Liu''s name.


    "It''s just..." she began quietly, "I don''t want to cause trouble. With everything that''s happening..." Explore more adventures at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Trouble?" Taro arched an eyebrow. "Min would be delighted to help... Really it''s not..."


    Larissa, who had been observing the interaction with Luna and Liora, approached casually. "It''s curious," she commented with feigned innocence, "how some accidents happen right after certain... uncomfortable questions."


    Luna gave her a subtle elbow, but her eyes also showed concern. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s nothing," Mira insisted, though her voice trembled slightly. "I just... tripped and hit my nose."


    "These hallways can be treacherous," Liora commented softly, her gaze meeting Mira''s.


    "Especially when certain adults are asking too many questions," Larissa added, her usual playful tone replaced by something more serious.


    Taro observed the two. Mira, with her bandaged nose and Han... Both trying to appear strong while carrying an invisible weight.

 Chapter 191 - Taming Fame - 3

    Mira and Han exchanged nervous glances as the girls'' hints began to pile up. The tension was visible in their small shoulders.


    "Han," Taro intervened, noticing their discomfort, "what kind of questions have they been asking you? The adults seem very interested in you two lately."


    Han scratched his head, avoiding eye contact. His fingers trembled slightly as they ran through his messy hair. "It''s nothing important... I just told them I skipped some of Wei''s classes." He shrugged, trying to appear casual. "Sometimes I hide to sleep in different places because my roommates are too noisy at night."


    "Han!" Taro scolded, though concern tinged his voice. "That''s bad. What if Wei fails you?"


    Mira''s cheeks flushed crimson, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her uniform. "I... I''ve done it too sometimes," she admitted in a whisper that barely carried. "The dormitory with Cass can be... tense."


    "You''re lying," Luna stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of irritation and worry. The shadow wolf''s influence made her gaze particularly penetrating. "I can sense some falsehood in your words. If you won''t be honest, I might mention these... half-truths to the adults who show such interest in you."


    Lie detection again...


    The effect was immediate. Han and Mira visibly stiffened under that scrutiny, having faced it too many times this week already.


    "It''s not... it''s not just that," Han finally sighed, his shoulders slumping under an invisible weight. "It''s also my sister."


    "Your sister?" Larissa leaned in, genuine interest replacing her usual playful demeanor.


    "She''s very sick." Han''s voice dropped to barely a whisper, as if the words themselves hurt to speak. "I write to her almost every day, but..." His eyes drifted to a distant point. "My dormitory is the same as that idiot Jin''s and his crony Kai. I didn''t want them to mock my..."


    "Are you ashamed of writing to your sister?" Liora asked softly, her gentle tone free of judgment.


    "No!" Han protested immediately, his voice cracking. "It''s just that... it''s already hard enough to endure that room without them knowing. Jin has a way of making even the most important things sound stupid..."


    Mira clenched her fists, gathering courage. "I... I practice with my mana coverings," she blurted suddenly. "And hiding. A lot..."


    "Why?" Taro asked.


    "Because..." Mira swallowed hard, her throat working visibly. "Because when I leave school, I''m going to run away from home. I won''t let them force me to marry that fat, ugly noble I''ve never even met in person."


    Stunned silence fell over the group like a heavy blanket.


    "You''re going to break an arranged marriage?" Luna whispered, her eyes widening in shock.


    "My family says it''s an honor," Mira continued, the words tumbling out like a broken dam. "That I should be grateful someone of his position is interested in our family. But I..." Her voice cracked, raw emotion bleeding through. "I just want to be free."


    "That''s why you practice so much with the coverings," Liora murmured, understanding dawning in her eyes.


    "And why you hide sometimes," Larissa added. "You''re preparing."


    Luna, Larissa, and Liora exchanged meaningful looks. Suddenly, the absences and strange behaviors took on new meaning.


    "You know," Larissa began, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, "I know some excellent hiding places."


    "And I know quite a few stories from grandmother about breaking arranged marriages," Liora added, a spark of rebellion glinting in her eyes.


    Mira and Han exchanged glances. The tension in their shoulders began to ease, if only slightly.


    "Besides," Larissa added gently, "some of us understand what it''s like to have to keep secrets."


    "And how important it is to protect them," Luna completed, her hand unconsciously touching where she kept a certain letter.


    Mira looked at Taro, who nodded slightly. "Maybe..." she began, hope creeping into her voice, "maybe we could talk after class."


    "After we get some answers about certain... synergy theories," Larissa added, earning another warning look from Luna.


    "And after Min checks that nose," Taro insisted kindly.


    "He won''t mind?" Mira asked hopefully.


    "Not at all," Taro smiled. "He always says he needs practice... Though with Lin as a teacher, I think he gets more than enough practice healing our muscles."


    The bell rang, interrupting the group''s laughter.


    "Speaking of Lin," Han sighed as they hurried along. "Think she''ll make us run while carrying weights again today?"


    "It''s Lin," they all responded in unison.


    "And do you think Yang will make us practice combat today?" Han asked, his voice regaining some of its childlike innocence.


    "I hope not," Mira made a comic grimace. "My nose isn''t ready for more adventures."


    The group''s laughter echoed through the hallway, mixing with other students'' conversations. For a moment, they were just children heading to class, sharing a moment of normalcy amid jokes and worries.


    Even if some of them had more secrets than others.


    "YOU''RE 5 SECONDS LATE!" Lin''s voice resonated across the field.


    "Speaking of trouble..." Han muttered.


    "ONE HUNDRED EXTRA LAPS!" Lin continued, though her smile suggested she was more amused than angry.


    ????


    "You got me?" Taro panted while keeping pace with Ren and Min during their laps around the field.


    "I just have to heal Mira?" Min adjusted his stride to maintain conversation. "No problem..."


    "Thanks," Taro nodded.


    "But there won''t be time after class to help them with cultivation today," Ren added, his voice low but firm as he continued running. "I need you to help me make another tunnel today."


    "Another tunnel?" Taro nearly stumbled. "Today? But the others wanted..."


    "I don''t want them following us down," Ren shook his head. "It''s risky enough with just us."


    Taro scratched his head as they completed another lap. "About that... I think they''re going to follow us anyway. You''ve seen how everyone''s been lately, especially after I evolved." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren sighed, his mushrooms pulsing with what seemed like resignation. "I was afraid of that."


    "We could divide them into groups," Min suggested. "Take turns or something."


    "Actually..." Ren increased his pace, ensuring no one else could hear them. "It''s allowed to take a group of six down to 200 meters."


    "Two hundred?" Min whistled low. "That doesn''t sound..."


    "Only if we have two bronze rank in the group," Ren specified. "Though I want to go down to 300... I guess the last meters will have to wait until tomorrow."


    "The last meters?" Taro frowned. "300!?"


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    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with a glow his friends had learned to recognize as contained excitement. "Enough to reach where we need."


    "And what exactly do we need?" Min asked while trying to keep Ren''s pace.


    "A small vein," Ren responded simply. "For cultivation."

 Chapter 192 - Taming Fame - 4

    "And what exactly do we need?" Min asked while trying to keep Ren''s pace.


    "A small vein," Ren responded simply. "For cultivation."


    Taro and Min exchanged glances, their eyes meeting in a silent conversation born from months of friendship.


    "What if we get caught?" Min asked, though his tone held more excitement than concern.


    "We won''t," Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with quiet confidence. "Not if we close the tunnel properly... I''ll explain everything after class, when we''re all together. For now, let''s focus on surviving Lin''s training."


    As if summoned by the mere mention of her name, their teacher''s voice thundered across the field: "TOO MUCH TALKING! FIFTY MORE LAPS!"


    The three friends groaned in unison but kept running, their feet pounding against the packed earth in a steady rhythm.


    ????


    After completing all their exercises, muscles trembling from exertion...


    "Attention!" Yang''s voice boomed across the training field, cutting through the scattered conversations like a blade. "I have an important announcement."


    The students gathered, many still panting from their workout. Lin took her place beside Yang, her crane''s feathers gleaming in the morning light.


    "Final exams begin in one month," Yang continued, his stone behemoth manifesting subtly in his skin, creating rippling patterns like living granite. "And this time will be different..."


    A wave of anticipation swept through the group, raising the hairs on the back of their necks.


    "This won''t be just a friendly match between yourselves," Yang smiled, though gravity lurked in his eyes. "You''ll face a real Bronze-rank beast."


    The murmur transformed into exclamations of surprise and worry, voices rising in concern.


    "A real Bronze beast?" someone asked from the back, their voice cracking. "I thought you were joking on the first day to scare us... We''re Iron students!"


    "That''s why you''ll be allowed weapons again and work in groups of three," Lin cut through the rising panic, her voice sharp and precise. "You have a month to prepare yourselves mentally."


    "Learning to kill beasts is crucial for your future," Yang pressed on. "What matters is your ability to face a real threat. The hordes don''t discriminate, and in the outside world, monsters won''t wait until you''re ready."


    "There will also be matches between you with no weapons again," Lin added."Both individual and in groups of three. Other classes will join for these trials, and it won''t be as friendly... Your exam results and rank are at stake this time."


    Students exchanged wary glances. The mention of other classes meant more competition, more chances to shine... or to fail spectacularly.


    "Your performance in these exams," Yang emphasized each word, his stone patterns gleaming, "will determine if you advance to Bronze 1 next semester. This isn''t just a skill test, it''s your chance to rise in rank."


    "Groups must register this week," Lin continued, her eyes scanning the gathered students. "Choose wisely. Skill balance will be crucial."


    "What kind of Bronze beast will it be?" Jin asked, his tiger markings glowing with poorly concealed eagerness.


    "You''ll find out on exam day," Yang replied, his expression unreadable. "Be prepared for anything."


    "What if we fail?" a trembling voice asked from the back of the crowd.


    "Then you''ll remain Iron rank," Lin answered simply, her words falling like stones in still water. "And watch your companions advance without you."


    The silence that followed was heavy enough to crush dreams.


    "One month," Yang repeated, his voice resonating with finality. "Use this time wisely. Study, train, prepare. Because when you face that Bronze beast, there won''t be second chances."


    "...And remember," Yang concluded, his grave voice echoing across the field, "this is the first real trial you''ll face as tamers. What happens here will determine not just your rank, but your future at the academy."


    The students began to disperse, forming small clusters to discuss the news. The air hummed with a mixture of excitement and anxiety, like the calm before a storm.


    The month ahead promised to be intense. The final exams would be a trial by fire, a chance to rise... or to be left behind. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    "Unacceptable!" Mei slammed her hand against her desk, making several students jump in their seats. "An entire class missed without explanation, and you waltz in as if nothing happened!"


    Her gaze swept over the culprits: Ren, Taro, and Min, the two groups of noble cousins with their "follower students" Maria, Mayo, and Matilda, and the six "new girls." All tried to make themselves as small as possible under her withering stare.


    "The new Wei might ignore your absences," she continued, her vine manifestation rippling across her skin with irritation.


    "Professor Mei," Larissa stepped forward, wearing her most charming smile. "Allow me to explain..."


    Larissa outlined the situation broadly. Apparently, Lin had explained everything to Yang, but nobody had remembered to inform Mei.


    "No, my dear," Mei cut her off. "Not even an infiltrated child from Yino can justify this... It''s not the students'' responsibility to handle such matters. All that commotion, having to take students to shelter, and it just happens to involve precisely the students who missed my class!"


    The "new girls" shifted uncomfortably. They were supposed to protect the girls, not cause academic problems.


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    "And you, Ren," Mei turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "Your shenanigans are causing more and more problems. First the crazy theories, then the interruptions, and now unjustified absences! I''ll have to deduct points for the first time over this."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed rapidly as he considered his options.


    "Professor," he began softly. "May I make an observation?"


    "Don''t try to change the subject!"


    "It''s about your Megaphila Vine," Ren continued, unfazed. "Don''t you find it curious that at Silver 1 it only grants 40% vitality? Compared to its 120% in wind control..."


    Mei halted mid-scolding, her eyes widening slightly.


    "That''s... that''s normal for this type of beast," she responded, though doubt had crept into her voice.


    "It''s really a shame," Ren smiled gently. "With the correct method, it could easily reach 80%. You''d look even younger..."


    The last words caught Mei''s attention completely. Her hand unconsciously rose to her face.


    "Younger...?"


    "Oh yes," Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing with apparent enthusiasm. "It''s just a matter of applying a new cultivation method that Professor Zhao and Master Lin are already practicing. Have you noticed how the leaves tend to lean north during certain nights?"


    "How do you know that?" Mei asked, genuinely surprised.


    "The patterns are quite clear," Ren explained. "If you absorbed crystals processed during the correct lunar phases..."


    "Enough!" Mei raised a hand, though her tone had lost all hostility. "Perhaps... we could discuss this after class."


    "Of course," Ren smiled innocently. "Though about the points..."


    "The points," Mei coughed, composing herself. "Well, considering the special circumstances and... given that you seem to have some interesting theories to discuss..."


    "Shall we start class?" Larissa suggested sweetly.


    "Yes, yes," Mei nodded, shuffling her papers and attempting to regain her dignity. "Everyone take your seats. And Ren..."


    "Yes, professor?"


    "I''ll see you after class," a small smile tugged at her lips. "To discuss these... theories of yours."


    As the students settled in, Min leaned toward Ren.


    "You''re terrible," he whispered. "Do you really know how to improve her vitality?"


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with what was definitely amusement.


    "Of course," he replied quietly. "It''ll take 1000 days... But that''ll give her something more interesting to think about than our absences."


    Taro, overhearing the conversation, could only shake his head with a smile. His friend was turning the art of distracting teachers with real knowledge into an exact science.

 Chapter 193 - Taming Fame - 5

    After Mei''s class and explaining some details about processing the first hundred crystals, and ''strategically'' skipping Song''s optional class, Ren finally met with Taro and Min at the agreed spot.


    His mushrooms pulsed with resignation when he saw they weren''t alone.


    Mira and Han stood nearby, surrounded by the four groups of noble girls. Far too many people for a discreet expedition.


    "I managed to convince Mira and Han''s four team members to wait," Taro scratched his head with an apologetic smile. "And Hector''s group understood it was better to try another day... but..."


    "But we''re not missing this," Larissa stepped forward with a mischievous smile, her mineral fairy glowing faintly in her hair. "Don''t worry, we have our own Bronze-rank guides," she gestured to the "students" accompanying them.


    Ren sighed, his mushrooms pulsing with what could only be described as defeated acceptance. "I suppose I don''t have a choice."


    "No, you don''t," Luna confirmed, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.


    "It''ll be fun," Liora added softly, though her gentle tone did nothing to hide her excitement.


    Ren shouldered his pack and started walking toward the caves. The group followed, keeping their conversations to hushed whispers.


    At the entrance, the guard greeted them with a familiar smile.


    "Lucky shroom!" he called cheerfully while pulling out the registry. "Another productive expedition today?"


    Ren nodded while filling out the form. The guard leaned casually over the paper, but his expression shifted dramatically as he read the details.


    "Two hundred meters?" his eyebrows shot up. "And... you''re registering as Bronze? You and Taro?"


    "We''ve registered that way two days before too," Ren replied calmly.


    The guard frowned and began reviewing previous records. His eyes widened.


    "It''s true," he muttered. "Sorry, you''re so consistent every day I stopped checking and never really..." He paused, pulling a special lens from his desk.


    He held it up before Ren and Taro, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.


    "By the twelve moons!" he exclaimed. "Not only are you Bronze, but this level of mana and¡­ those are..." he stopped, staring at Taro in amazement. "Two beast cores?"


    Silence fell over the group like a heavy blanket. All eyes turned to Taro, who suddenly found his shoes absolutely fascinating.


    "Two beasts?" Han was the first to recover his voice. "Wasn''t Ren the only one who got a new one?"


    "When did this happen?" Mira asked, her eyes as wide as saucers.


    "Why didn''t you tell us?" several voices joined the interrogation.


    Min started laughing, leaning against the wall to keep himself upright.


    "Sorry," he managed between fits of laughter. "It''s just... if you knew... his mouth..."


    "It''s not a big deal," Taro tried to deflect attention, but the questions only intensified.


    "What kind of beast is it?" "How did you get it?" "Can it make tunnels too?"


    "Enough," Ren intervened, his voice cutting through the chaos. "We have work to do. Questions can wait."


    "But..." Han began to protest.


    "Two hundred meters," Ren reminded them. "We need to move soon."


    The guard, recovering from his surprise, began stamping everyone''s permits. "Be careful, lucky shroom," he warned. "At that depth, even Bronze beasts need to watch out for common worms and, though rare... hunter bugs."


    Taro shifted uncomfortably with a forced smile.


    "We know," Ren nodded while pocketing the papers. "Everyone ready?"


    The group nodded, though curious glances at Taro didn''t diminish. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Keep your secrets for now," Larissa smiled as she passed Taro. "But eventually we''ll want the full story."


    "And it better be good," Luna added.


    "Oh, it is," Min, who had finally controlled his laughter, grinned widely. "Especially the part about his mouth becoming..."


    "Min!" Taro cut him off, his face flushing crimson.


    "Let''s go," Ren started descending, his mushrooms illuminating the path. "And remember: no separating from the group."


    As they ventured into the darkness, whispers and theories about Taro''s second beast continued. Min occasionally let out a giggle, earning death glares from his friend.


    ''At least,'' Ren thought, ''this will keep them distracted from asking more uncomfortable questions about me... Your sacrifice will be honored, my warrior Taro.'' His mushrooms pulsed softly, as if in agreement.


    ????


    As they descended through the tunnels, Larissa stealthily approached Ren. Without warning, she leaned in and whispered directly in his ear:


    "What would be a good synergy for my beast? Since you made me a double¡­"


    Ren startled, blushing slightly at both the proximity and the tickle of her breath.


    "But the Qilin is out," she continued before he could respond. "I can''t get one, so don''t even suggest it."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed as he entered analysis mode. "Actually," he began, regaining his composure, "the Qilin wouldn''t be the best option, though you might assume so because of the earth element synergy."


    "No?" Larissa arched an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.


    "A Wind Lynx would be far more effective," Ren explained, his mushrooms pulsing with enthusiasm. "Its natural perception and speed would perfectly complement your jumps. Nobody could catch you from behind so easily again."


    "Interesting," Larissa blushed remembering but moved even closer, completely ignoring the concept of personal space. "But are those all the synergies? Other beasts have enhanced senses and speed too, even..."


    "The ice crystals that the Lynx generates in its higher evolutions," Ren continued, trying to maintain focus despite her pressing proximity, "have a natural affinity with your fairy''s minerals. You could create more complex and resistant crystalline structures, even manipulate the environment to your advantage."


    "Sounds promising," Larissa smiled. "But I''ve only heard of Lynx reaching Bronze 2 at most. Would you help me find the technique to take it higher?"


    "Of course," Ren nodded. "After this we can..."


    "Excellent!" Larissa interrupted, and just when Ren thought she''d finally leave him in peace, she added: "What about Luna and Liora?"


    Ren sighed, but his mushrooms pulsed with what seemed like amused resignation.


    "Luna has a situation similar to yours," he began. "The White Celestial Tiger her father uses would be perfect. Being a light beast, it would create a perfect balance with her wolf''s darkness."


    "Like yin and yang?" Larissa asked, fascinated.


    "Exactly. Both beasts would also mutually amplify their general elemental control. The tiger''s speed and perception would complement her jumps too like your case."


    "And Liora?"


    "A Demonic Bashe," Ren answered without hesitation. "Her will-o''-wisp is already powerful, but with the Bashe''s spirit manipulation ability..." Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    "Spirit manipulation?"


    "The Bashe can alter how energy flows through the body," Ren explained. "Combined with the will-o''-wisp, she could make parts of her body temporarily become black spirit fire and intangible."


    "Intangible?" Larissa''s eyes sparkled with interest.


    "Yes, plus trying to hit her would burn enemies... But this is all basic," Ren clarified. "Without a specific strategy or combat style defined by you, I''m just suggesting the natural synergies I consider strongest. The true potential will depend on how you decide to use your combinations."


    Larissa fell silent for a moment, processing the information.


    "You know," she finally said, a playful smile forming on her lips, "you understand so much about evolution and synergy. Maybe I should..."


    Before she could finish, Taro called from ahead:


    "First checkpoint ahead, guard''s there!"


    "We''ll continue this conversation later," Larissa winked before moving away to rejoin her cousins.


    Ren watched her go, his mushrooms pulsing softly.


    "Everything okay?" Min asked, noticing his thoughtful expression.


    "Just thinking," Ren responded, "about how interesting it''ll be to see what they do with that information."


    "Did you tell her something about their beasts...?"


    "Just a little," Ren smiled.


    His mushrooms pulsed once more as they signed in with the guard and resumed their descent. After all, they''d still need more information, the real challenge for rich people perhaps wasn''t obtaining a second beast, but cultivating it and learning to use it properly.

 Chapter 194 - Taming Fame - 6

    After signing in, the group continued their descent into the depths.


    "There are more students than usual," Min observed as they sidestepped another group climbing up laden with crystals. Picks clinked against the stone walls and earth beasts were the norm here, the sound of mining echoing through the tunnels.


    "It''s the semester''s final stretch," one of the noble girls'' ''student'' escorts explained. "Many upperclassmen try to increase their productivity around this time to pass the gathering unit."


    As they crossed below 150 meters, the mana density began affecting the group. Beasts started manifesting in preparation for any lesser worms, Taro''s living tunnel creating patterns across his skin and Luna''s wolf projecting denser shadows that seemed to crawl along the walls were some examples.


    Only Liora and Larissa kept their beasts completely hidden, though the tension in their postures suggested they too felt the pressure of uncertainty.


    They could have entered through Ren''s ex secret tunnel, Liora and the escorts already knew about it and had expanded it... but with adults still investigating the seed from outside, Ren had decided to write it off.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed softly, detecting several lesser worms nearby. They weren''t a real threat to the group, but their presence indicated they were entering more dangerous territory.


    Before they could cross to the next level, the sound of approaching voices and footsteps made them halt. A new group of six older students was climbing up.


    Ren immediately recognized one of them, they were fifth-year students, and among them was Leopold, the same one who had demanded special attention from Finch at the bank. Ren lowered his gaze, hoping to avoid any confrontation, but...


    "Well, well," Leopold''s voice shattered the silence between both groups. "If it isn''t the ''mushroom magnate.''"


    The group stopped. Leopold stepped forward, his golden robes gleaming even in the dim light.


    "Don''t think you''ll surpass me just with luck," he continued, his tone dripping with disdain. "Don''t expect another miracle just because you wander around here. I''ve investigated everything about the hydra and the gifts you received from the prince. But that''s not enough to stand out. You need to shine in many areas, and with a miserable spore..."


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    One of his companions suddenly leaned in, whispering something in his ear. Leopold''s expression shifted subtly.


    "Noble candidates?" he murmured, loud enough for everyone to hear. "These first-year children?"


    Liora and Larissa exchanged glances, their fingers touching their chins in identical gestures of contemplation.


    ''I wonder who leaked that information,'' Larissa mused internally.


    ''Grandmother might have spread it... she has a peculiar sense of humor,'' Liora pondered.


    ''Julius enjoys these political games,'' Larissa finally inferred.


    ''Even the Director could be involved,'' Liora continued thinking. ''What better way to make the academy stand out among the other two schools than boasting about having such young double tamers?''


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with what seemed like resignation. The secret apparently wasn''t so secret anymore.


    "They''re just Iron students!" Leopold spat, though his voice had lost some of its initial arrogance. "If you could find a miracle, I''ll find one too. I won''t let some novices surpass me." S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "No one''s trying to surpass you," Ren finally spoke. "We''re just working on our own path."


    "Your own path?" Leopold laughed, but there was tension in his laughter. "Don''t you understand? If you aim upward, you aim at me..."


    "Leopold," one of his companions interrupted. "We still have several things to process to get the crystals from..."


    "Fine," Leopold turned sharply. "Let''s go. But this isn''t over, ''minor magnate''."


    As the fifth-year group moved away, Mira approached Ren.


    "Is he your friend?" she asked quietly.


    "It''s rival pride," Han answered before Ren could. "My sister says upper-year students hate when someone younger surpasses them."


    "Especially if that someone has mushrooms instead of a ''proper'' beast," Min added with a smile.


    "Well," Taro intervened, "at least now we know why there''s been so much interest in our group lately... seems like many already know."


    "The annoying part of fame," Larissa sighed dramatically. "That''s what you get for finding something extraordinary."


    "We should continue," Ren suggested, trying to evade the topic. "I need to find a good spot before it gets late."


    The group resumed their descent, but now there was a new element in the air... the sensation that somehow, they were at the center of everything.


    "You think it was your grandmother?" Luna whispered to Liora as they walked.


    "Maybe¡­ or maybe Julius?" Liora added with a small smile.


    "Knowing both," Larissa joined the conversation, "I have no idea who moved first. They love creating chaos."


    Their soft laughter mixed with the echo of their footsteps as they ventured deeper into the mines, leaving politics and rivalries behind, at least for the moment.


    ????


    Ren studied each intersection carefully, his mushrooms pulsing as he analyzed the veins and monster activity patterns. He was looking for something specific: an area that other students would naturally avoid.


    "Watch out!" Min warned of a lesser worm emerging from the ground.


    "They''re really annoying," Taro commented as his living tunnel detected and crushed another. "Weak, but those bites are dangerous..."


    "Just keep moving," one of the nobles'' ''student'' escorts explained. "And stay alert to ground vibrations."


    Luna observed Ren with growing irritation. Her eyes followed his every movement as he examined the walls, ignoring veins that any other student would have considered valuable.


    "What exactly are you looking for?" she finally asked, her tone mixing curiosity with ''annoyance''.


    "The perfect entrance," Ren responded distractedly, his mushrooms pulsing faster as they neared their objective.


    Another worm emerged, but Luna''s wolf dispatched it with a casual swipe of its shadowy claws.


    "Entrance to what?" Larissa joined the interrogation, her interest clearly piqued.


    Ren stopped abruptly, his mushrooms illuminating a crack in the wall. It was small, almost invisible if you didn''t know what to look for, and completely devoid of crystals around its edges.


    "To my new secret route... to this," he pointed at the opening. "Nobody would come here, there are no visible crystals and the space is too narrow to be comfortable."


    "And that makes it perfect because...?" Mira let the question hang.


    "Because nobody will follow us," Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with what seemed like anticipation.


    Without further explanation, he began squeezing through the crack. His thin body barely fit through the opening.


    "Are you sure about this?" Han asked, looking at the narrow space with apprehension.


    "Absolutely," Ren''s voice came from inside. "It''s time to head for the real objective."

 Chapter 195 - Taming Fame - 7

    "Are you sure about this?" Han asked, looking at the narrow space with apprehension.


    "Absolutely," Ren''s voice came from inside. "It''s time to head for the real objective."


    Min and Taro exchanged knowing looks before following him into the darkness. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire


    Larissa smiled at her cousins, her eyes gleaming with barely contained curiosity.


    One by one, they slipped through the crack. The ''students'' took strategic positions to keep watch while the group entered.


    Luna was the last to pass through. Before entering, her eyes swept the area one final time. There was something about the way Ren had been searching, something in the precision of his movements...


    "You weren''t lost at all, were you?" she murmured as she slid through the opening. "You knew exactly what you were looking for from the beginning."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed softly in the darkness, but he offered no response.


    "This way," he directed his hydra. "I need a tunnel descending at a forty-five-degree angle in that direction."


    "Taro," he turned to his friend, "could you start lining it with living minerals? And..." he looked at the girl with the earth wolverine, "your help would be useful at the front with my hydra."


    The girl frowned. "I''m not your excavation tool."


    "Shizu," Larissa intervened with a smile that brooked no argument. "Please help Ren make the tunnel."


    The girl sighed but nodded, her manifested wolverine joining the digging efforts.


    While they began working, Han and Mira approached Ren timidly.


    "Um," Han started, "about our beasts..."


    "Could you tell us if we''re doing anything wrong?" Mira completed the question.


    "We''ll pay whatever you want when we can, or you can ask us for favors..." Han added.


    Ren turned to Larissa with narrowed eyes, a clear reproach for not having offered anything in exchange for the information he''d given her earlier. The princess simply smiled, completely immune to his accusing gaze.


    "Don''t worry about that," Ren sighed. "Just... remember that I helped you if I ever need your support."


    "Just that?" Kira, the girl with the giant goat, arched an eyebrow. "You''re not very greedy for an outskirts boy."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed as he responded: "My parents have lived a long life, and they always taught me that the most important things are the connections you make with people around you, not what you can get from them."


    "Why?" Matilda asked.


    "Because we all might end up needing help in life," Ren explained, his mushrooms emitting a gentle glow. "Even the richest... or so my father said. And I believe him."


    He turned to Mira: "Your cultivation is going well, but you need to change when you expose your crystals to seal the process. Use the midday sun for 20 minutes instead of morning light."


    "Why?" Mira asked, genuinely curious.


    "Solar energy is more intense and pure at that point," Ren explained. "Your giant rat needs that specific density to properly develop its plants."


    Then he addressed Han: "Your spider is also on the right track, but you need to change the web you''re using. Common weaver web isn''t optimal. You need greater weaver spider web from your own species."


    "But that''s harder to get," Han protested.


    "And more expensive for being Bronze rank," Ren added. "But a higher-rank web is what weavers consume when they hatch from the cocoon left by a higher-rank one to cover the cores they collect and turn into eggs..."


    "...Also..." Ren searched his knowledge, "what rune did they suggest?"


    Han scratched his head, "they recommended using an attack rune for sealing..."


    "Use an agility one," Ren interrupted. "I know the hunter spider that would be the evolution from the method you''re following seems to have more potential because records say it reaches Silver 3 while the weaver only reaches Silver 1, but that''s a mistake."


    Han''s eyes widened in surprise. "A mistake?"


    "Unlike the hunter, the weaver can surpass Silver rank," Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing with certainty. "It just needs the correct cultivation method."


    Han and Mira stood contemplating, seemingly trying to burn the information into their minds.


    Larissa appeared at Ren''s side, practically hanging off his arm. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Since you gave me that reproachful look, let''s make something clear," she smiled mischievously while whispering in his ear, "you forced me to be a double tamer, so you''ll have to take responsibility."


    "Wasn''t that what you really wanted? Mana doesn''t lie..." Ren blinked in confusion.


    "Of course," Larissa nodded with feigned seriousness. "But you gave me that potion without warning and without my consent. Now you''ll have to help me with the whole process to redeem your misdeeds."


    "Well yes, thinking about it that way you''re right that it was wrong but..." Ren began to protest.


    "No buts," Larissa smiled. "You''re already stuck with me in this."


    As the group continued advancing, Han and Mira exchanged glances. There was something comforting about how Ren shared his knowledge so freely, asking only friendship in return.


    "You know," Han murmured to Mira, "I think we can really trust him."


    Mira nodded, watching how Ren''s mushrooms illuminated the path ahead. For the first time since arriving at the academy, she felt they had found true allies.


    Ren resigned himself. "Alright, I would have helped you with the information without asking for anything anyway... It was just that Mira and Han looked better than you..."


    "I was joking, I''ll support you without doubt when you need it in return." Larissa smiled and stuck closer to Ren, amused by his reactions.


    Luna observed the interaction from the side, her eyes narrowing at her cousin''s boldness in invading personal space... She would never do something like that with... Her cheeks colored slightly at the thought and she quickly looked away.


    "Oh!" Larissa, who had noticed her cousin''s blush and reaction, smiled mischievously and moved close to her...


    "What do we have here? I smell jealousy in the air..." She whispered in Luna''s ear.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Luna responded with dignity, though her cheeks burned brighter.


    "Really?" Larissa practically hung off Ren''s arm again. "Doesn''t he have a nice face when he''s explaining things?"


    "Larissa!" Luna protested, her wolf ears and tail manifesting and bristling in reflection of her embarrassment.


    "Y-you shouldn''t do that," Ren tried to free himself from Larissa''s grip, his mushrooms pulsing erratically. "We''re in a dangerous place and..."


    Larissa laughed. "Isn''t Luna adorable?"


    Ren was about to respond and Luna about to shout when the ground began to tremble.

 Chapter 196 - Taming Fame - 8

    Larissa laughed. "Isn''t Luna adorable?"


    Ren was about to respond and Luna about to shout when the ground began to tremble.


    "That''s not a lesser worm," Taro warned, his Living Tunnel approaching the invader''s exit point.


    The vibration intensified and suddenly the ground exploded before them. A worm much larger than the previous ones emerged, its four-meter-long body betraying its rank.


    "A greater worm!" Min exclaimed, his snake adopting a combat stance.


    "We''re at 250 meters," Ren analyzed quickly. "This is today''s digging limit for us..."


    The Greater Worm rose menacingly.


    The worms have a different ranking structure than all normal beasts and though not yet a true Bronze-rank Deep Worm, its size made it nearly as strong as Taro''s living tunnel.


    "All together!" Ren ordered. "Send in your beasts!"


    The worm attacked. Taro used his living tunnel to create a barrier while Maria''s wolverine struck from the side. Min''s snake launched a pressurized water stream, but it barely seemed to affect the creature.


    "Its rings are too hard!" Mira observed, her giant rat creating coverings to help Taro''s beetle better hold the opponent as she couldn''t damage it.


    "Luna!" Ren called. "Target the joints between the ring plates!"


    Luna nodded, her blush completely forgotten as her wolf merged with the shadows to attack.


    Ren''s hydra used its Light claws on the joints affected by the shadow attacks, the synergy further weakening the plates.


    "Now, Taro!" Ren shouted. "Crush it against the wall!"


    The living tunnel charged, pushing the worm sideways for the final blow.


    After a crunch, the worm collapsed, finally defeated.


    "That was..." Han panted, "intense. It was... impressive how you knew exactly what to do."


    "Just basic observation," Ren responded modestly, though his mushrooms pulsed with what might have been pride.


    "And very professional," Larissa added with a wink, making both Ren and Luna blush again. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "This is as far as we''ll go today, we can create a larger chamber and collect the deep earth and crystals that were left buried in the rock remains along the tunnel path." Ren hurried to say, turning to hide his face.


    The greater worm had been a clear signal they were near truly dangerous territory.


    "Please finish covering the tunnel walls first," Ren asked Taro.


    "Why don''t we continue?" Mira asked, clearly disappointed.


    "First because the mana must already be affecting some of you, and second because the next things we''ll find are deep assassins," Ren explained. "A greater worm is as you saw easy to beat with this group, but those beasts..." he shook his head.


    "...The noise and vibrations we make would inevitably attract them and although we would win they''re dangerous. We also won''t be able to dig the tunnel so easily there since the Living Tunnels of that depth create their own ones."


    ????


    When Taro''s enormous beetle finished covering the tunnel, the group began to disperse to collect, each choosing a different area of the safe tunnel.


    While everyone was distracted, Liora stealthily approached Ren.


    "The day the hydra appeared down here," she whispered, her eyes gleaming with intelligence, "I reached a similar depth and direction to where we seem to be heading. Did you make it to the end of this route somehow that day?"


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    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while he considered his response. There was no point in lying here, after all, he had reached there with Julius¡­


    "Yes," he admitted quietly. "In fact, I want to reach the same deposit from that day."


    "Why?" Liora asked, her curiosity evidently piqued.


    Ren pulled a plate from his backpack, the material glowing faintly. "It''s from that hydra," he explained. "I need to process some crystals with pure mana for my hydra''s cultivation. I can use this plate to reflect the light from the deposit''s crystals and fill Iron-sized crystals with that pure mana."


    "But, can''t you take us if we learn the method you used that day?"


    "Although I could explain... If there are too many of us it''ll be impossible to hide the distortion in the depths'' natural vibrations, it would be too dangerous to attract much attention," Ren shook his head. "After 280 meters the tunnels become much more complex. It''s not just earth anymore, there are other living tunnels, plus assassins and deep worms. It''s better to go alone."


    "Take me with you," Liora suddenly suggested.


    "What?" Ren blinked in surprise.


    "I can jump and avoid the monsters," she explained, a small smile forming on her lips. "You must know that already."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed while he analyzed the proposal. It was true, he knew Liora''s capabilities. Her escape ability was impressive but...


    "It''s very dangerous," he tried to argue, but he could see the curiosity and determination in her eyes. She was just like him¡­


    "If there''s just a few of us it should be possible, right?" Liora countered. "I just want to learn your stealth technique for having reached there with just an Iron rank spore."


    Ren sighed, his mushrooms pulsing with resignation. "It''s not so much about stealth as you think but... If you promise to follow my instructions about how to avoid attracting monsters exactly..."


    "I promise," Liora responded immediately, her smile widening.


    "And no unnecessary jumps," he added.


    "Only the necessary ones," she agreed.


    "And if I say we retreat..."


    "We''ll do it without argument," she completed.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed once more before he finally nodded. "Alright. But we''ll have to be very careful about how we plan this."


    "When do I follow?" Liora asked, her voice barely a whisper.


    "When they''re done with the crystals here and move away," Ren responded in the same tone. "While the others explore this section, we..."


    "Look what I found!" Min''s voice interrupted their conversation. "This must have been a complete vein of Bronze-sized crystals, there are even some Silver-sized ones!"


    Liora casually moved away from Ren, as if they had never been conspiring. Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with approval at her discretion.


    "Ren!" Larissa called from another point. "Is this type of deep earth better quality?"


    "Coming," Ren responded, but before moving away, he looked at Liora one last time.


    Liora nodded imperceptibly while joining Luna in gathering.


    While helping the others identify valuable materials, Ren couldn''t help thinking that teaching Liora about the technique for walking with the tunnel''s rhythm could be fun.


    Now he just had to make sure no one else discovered their plans. Especially a certain princess who seemed to have a special talent for uncovering secrets.

 Chapter 197 - Taming the 3rd Tutee

    "It has to be now," Ren whispered to Taro while the others were distracted gathering. "Every day I spend without cultivating the hydra is a day lost."


    "Now?" Taro nearly shouted, but Ren quickly covered his mouth.


    "Keep your voice down," Ren hissed, his mushrooms pulsing with urgency. "The excursion with Zhao is in 3 days and I need to start the hydra''s cultivation or I''ll go crazy with the feeling of stagnation during the gathering trip." S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But going deeper alone..." Taro tried to protest against Ren''s hand over his mouth once more, but it was too strong.


    "Listen," Ren released him but kept his voice low. "I''ve already started cultivating the fungus to get rank Bronze 2 in 100 days, that was just a matter of money. But the hydra..." his mushrooms pulsed intensely, "needs this specific location to start. No amount of crystals can replicate the small vein that''s further ahead."


    "It''s too dangerous to be alone in the Bronze beast zone," Taro murmured, glancing nervously in the direction where their tunnel had stopped.


    "I''m the one helping you reach Bronze 2 and will continue until at least Gold 1," Ren reminded his friend. "Couldn''t you show a little solidarity for my hydra''s cultivation to Bronze 1?"


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed as he continued: "I just need you to open a small exit space in the mineral with your Living Tunnel when most of them move away to gather. Something discrete, quick."


    Taro looked around nervously. Most of the group was focused on a particularly rich vein Min had found.


    "But the monsters..." he began to protest.


    "We already have the whole tunnel covered," Ren interrupted. "I just need to get out quickly, and you can close it immediately after. Monsters won''t enter and the girls won''t even notice we''re gone."


    "We?" Taro frowned.


    Before Ren could respond, he noticed Liora watching them from a distance. Their eyes met briefly, and she nodded almost imperceptibly.


    "Not you, it''s¡­ Just trust me," Ren turned his attention back to Taro. "Will you do it?"


    Taro sighed deeply, his living tunnel manifesting in his arm to control the mineral. "If something goes wrong..."


    "Nothing will go wrong," Ren assured. "I already got there twice¡­ will only need half an hour, maximum."


    While the group continued gathering, Taro began working discretely on a small crack in the wall. His movements were so subtle they looked like he was simply examining the rock.


    "Look at this, more Silver-sized crystals!" Mira suddenly exclaimed from the other end of the tunnel, drawing everyone''s attention.


    Taking advantage of the distraction, Taro finished the crack. It was barely visible, but enough for someone thin to slip through.


    "Now," Ren whispered, moving toward the opening.


    "Be careful," Taro murmured as his friend began sliding through the space.


    At the exact moment Ren disappeared through the crack, Liora, who had gradually fallen behind the group, vanished. Her movement was so fluid, so natural, that no one immediately noticed her absence.


    "Thirty minutes?" Taro whispered toward the crack.


    "Thirty minutes," Ren''s voice confirmed from the other side.


    Taro kept his living tunnel partially manifested, ready to close the crack at the first sign of danger. While watching the rest of the group continue gathering, he couldn''t help wondering if he''d done the right thing.


    ''You better know what you''re doing, Ren,'' he thought while joining the others, trying to act normal.


    On the other side of the wall, Ren urged the hydra to advance quickly to reach an open space, of which there were many just over 20 meters further.


    Thirty minutes to teach Liora to walk, reach the vein, process the crystals, and return. It would be tight, but it had to work.


    ''It''s time for the hydra to get the right materials to evolve.''


    ????


    "Wait," Ren whispered, stopping Liora and the hydra with a gesture. "Before we continue, you need to learn something crucial."


    "What is it?" Liora asked softly, aware of the need for silence.


    "Come closer slowly," Ren pointed to the tunnel wall. "Put your ear against the rock and listen carefully."


    Liora looked at him curiously but obeyed as agreed, approaching the wall and pressing her ear against the cold surface.


    "At first you''ll only hear silence because we''re still somewhat high," Ren explained, his mushrooms pulsing to the rhythm he wanted her to detect. "But there''s a pattern underneath. A constant rhythm."


    Liora closed her eyes, concentrating. Slowly, she began to distinguish what Ren mentioned, a series of soft taps with 3 alternating rhythms, like a distant but regular heartbeat.


    "They''re communications between species," Ren continued, his voice barely a whisper. "Each type of monster transmits waves to communicate with their own kind. But there''s a specific rhythm they all share."


    "I hear it," Liora murmured, fascinated. "It''s like... underground music."


    "Exactly," Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with approval. "If you walk following that shared rhythm, your vibrations will blend with the natural ones. The assassins and worms won''t be able to distinguish you from the background noise as long as you don''t step too hard."


    Liora pulled away from the wall, processing the information. "Is this how you move around here without being detected?"


    "It''s one of the secrets," Ren nodded. "Living Tunnels are actually gentle giants, not very dangerous, but the other beasts, though aggressive, have their own patterns, their own rules. You just have to learn them."


    "We have to finish the tunnel to at least 275 meters to find open chambers," Ren warned as they approached their objective. "When we do, we''ll inevitably make noise. If there''s any monster nearby, it might attack."


    Liora nodded, tensing slightly.


    "If you get scared," Ren continued, his mushrooms pulsing with seriousness, "stay completely still. I''ll handle it. Your other option is to move to the rhythm you just learned, but only if you''re sure you can maintain it under pressure."


    "I understand," Liora responded, determination clear in her voice.


    Ren hurried the hydra, which began working on the new opening, its movements as precise as possible to minimize noise. The ground gradually yielded, creating a narrow but passable passage.


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    Just as they finished emerging on the other side, Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with alarm. His eyes widened and he raised a hand, stopping Liora dead in her tracks.

 Chapter 198 - Taming the 3rd Tutee - 2

    Just as they finished emerging on the other side, Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with alarm. His eyes widened and he raised a hand, stopping Liora dead in her tracks.


    No explanation was needed, the ground beneath their feet vibrated subtly, revealing the nearby presence of something enormous. A deep worm, it had to be eight meters long, moving in their vicinity.


    Ren made a silent signal to Liora: don''t move.


    They remained completely still, barely breathing.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed once, very softly, synchronizing with the tunnel''s natural rhythm. Staying calm was crucial now, the deep worm might be Bronze rank and in its element, but as long as it didn''t detect them, they wouldn''t have to face it.


    Liora maintained her position, her control perfectly held. There was no fear in her posture, only absolute concentration.


    The worm drew closer. They could feel its massive presence moving the earth around them as if it were water.


    Ren began to move, his steps perfectly synchronized with the tunnels'' rhythm. It was an almost hypnotic movement, so fluid and light that it seemed a natural part of the environment.


    But Liora, despite her determination, didn''t feel so confident. The deep worm was right below them, its presence a constant threat. Remembering Ren''s instructions, she opted to remain completely still.


    Ren stopped when he noticed she wasn''t following. His mushrooms pulsed softly as he signaled for her to wait. With deliberately slow movements, he continued moving away until reaching a nearby wall. A smile formed on his lips while Liora watched with evident confusion.


    ''Now I have enough distance in case this fails,'' he thought while preparing himself.


    He pressed his hands against the wall, spreading all his fingers so the tips touched the rock. With precise movements, he gradually changed position until using his fingernails.


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    Suddenly, his fingers began moving in a complex and delicate pattern. It was a downward movement, but so intricate it seemed impossible to replicate by chance. He was perfectly mimicking the vibration of a deep assassin walking, light, quick, deadly.


    The effect was immediate.


    The worm, sensing what it believed was a natural predator, began retreating deeper into the rocks. No worm at this depth, regardless of size, would risk facing a deep assassin.


    ????


    Ren straightened, relaxing his muscles while his mushrooms pulsed with satisfaction. He waited a moment to ensure the worm had truly moved away before signaling to Liora.


    "Now," he whispered, "try approaching using the imperceptible step."


    Liora nodded, her expression determined. She began to move, trying to imitate the movements she''d seen before. The result was... less than graceful.


    Deeply concentrated... her feet moved at different times, occasionally colliding with each other. She tried to maintain the rhythm but ended up looking more like an unpracticed dance than a stealthy movement. Ren had to bite his lip to avoid laughing while his mushrooms pulsed with barely contained amusement.


    "Relax," he suggested when he managed to control his smile. "Don''t think too much... Feel the rhythm."


    Liora furrowed her brow in concentration and tried again, this time more slowly.


    "No, relax your face and let yourself flow," Ren instructed gently. "Feel the rhythm before taking the next step."


    It was fascinating to watch her progress. Each attempt was slightly better than the last, though occasionally she still lost the rhythm by thinking too much and tripped over her own feet.


    "Wait!" Ren suddenly whispered, his mushrooms pulsing in warning. A worm was moving nearby, attracted by the failures.


    Liora froze mid-stride, precariously balanced on one foot. Ren had to contain another laugh at the image.


    After scaring away the worm, they continued practicing. Ren was a patient instructor despite their limited time, gently correcting each mistake and stopping Liora whenever he detected a nearby threat.


    "We won''t always be lucky, an assassin might come... Think of it as a casual dance, not a traditional one," he suggested while watching her try again. "The rhythm is already there so you don''t need to mark it, you just need to follow it."


    "A ''casual'' dance where tripping means being eaten," Liora murmured, though there was humor in her voice.


    "Exactly," Ren smiled. "Though perhaps your mind would prefer to avoid that part."


    Gradually, Liora began to improve. Her movements became more fluid, more natural. She wasn''t just mimicking the rhythm in Ren''s advance anymore, she was beginning to feel it.


    "Much better," Ren approved when she finally managed to approach without breaking the pattern. "Though your intense concentration expression could use some work."


    "What''s wrong with my expression?" Liora asked, relaxing her furrowed brow.


    "You look like you''re trying to solve a particularly difficult math problem," Ren laughed softly. "It''s supposed to feel natural."


    "Easy for you to say," Liora responded, though a small smile formed on her lips. "You''ve been doing this for... how long exactly?"


    Ren avoided answering directly. "You''re doing quite well for your first time."


    They continued advancing, now alternating between practice and real movement. Each time Ren detected any danger, they stopped so Liora could observe how the rhythm changed or what signals to look for. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She was very serious, but Ren could see that Liora was a natural learner. Her ability to adapt and improve in a short period was impressive.


    "Soon you won''t need me to stop you," he commented while scaring away another worm. "You''re starting to feel the vibrations yourself."


    Liora''s eyes brightened at the compliment, though she maintained her concentration on keeping the correct rhythm.


    ????


    Finally, they reached the small deposit. Ren examined it.


    "This time there are no monsters," he murmured. "No eggs, no cores... nothing."


    "Is that strange?" Liora asked, observing the natural bowl formed in the rock.


    "I think so," Ren responded while pulling the crystals he''d prepared from his backpack. "Though perhaps the other times were the strange ones..."


    Ren began examining the bowl''s walls, his mushrooms pulsing while analyzing the light and mana patterns. He was looking for specific points where crystal reflections against the mana environment were particularly intense.


    "We can move normally here," he explained while working. "The crystal plate on the ground is too hard, no creature at this depth can break through it."


    He carefully placed the Iron and Bronze rank crystals he''d brought, aligning them to make the process easier. Then he took out the hydra plate.


    "I need you to stay at the edge," he instructed Liora while taking out one of the medicines Julius had given him. "The mana saturation here can be... intense."


    "Is that why the medicine?" Liora observed the small flask with curiosity.


    "Precaution," Ren nodded. "The hydra needs pure mana for cultivation, but processing it here isn''t exactly... comfortable."

 Chapter 199 - Taming the 3rd Tutee - 3

    After identifying the ideal point, Ren carefully slid toward the center of the bowl. His movements were precise, calculated, every second counted now.


    With efficiency, he began arranging the crystals in formation. The hydra plate was placed at a specific angle, positioned to concentrate the reflections directly onto the crystals.


    The effect was immediate. The crystals began to glow with an almost blinding intensity, absorbing the pure mana from the environment. Before they could grow or stick to the bowl''s crystal, he stored them one by one in shadow stalker skin, while maintaining the plate''s projection with his other hand.


    After a few minutes, Ren took the first potion. Sweat ran down his forehead, even with his new level, being a double tamer and the medicine¡­ The mana saturation here was still difficult to handle for too long.


    "Are you alright?" Liora called from the edge, noticing his tension.


    "Yes," Ren responded while adjusting a crystal''s position. "I just need to finish the process, we''ll leave soon."


    His mushrooms pulsed faster now, working to help him process the excess mana. It was a delicate balance, he needed to keep the crystals exposed long enough to absorb the correct amount, but not so long they became oversaturated.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was only minutes, all the crystals reached the perfect point.


    "The half hour''s almost up," Liora warned, looking toward the tunnel they''d come through.


    "I know," Ren stored the last crystals in his specially lined backpack. "Taro must be worried."


    He took a moment to ensure everything was properly packed. These crystals were crucial for the two next ranks of his hydra''s evolution; he couldn''t afford any mistakes in handling them.


    "Was it worth it?" Liora asked as Ren joined her at the edge.


    Ren smiled with satisfaction while touching his backpack. "Definitely. These crystals have exactly the pure mana I need for my cultivation."


    Liora observed Ren with growing curiosity. There was something in his way of moving, in how he seemed to read the tunnels as if they were an open book. In the certainty with which he acted...


    "You know?" Liora whispered, keeping her voice barely audible, "I hadn''t realized everything you could do without even using your beast despite spying on you constantly..."


    "Technically I was using it¡­ Also I too hadn''t realized it was you, I thought it was Luna who was spying on me until Larissa told me it was you," Ren admitted quietly, scratching the back of his neck.


    Something changed in Liora''s expression, a shadow of disappointment crossing her face before she could hide it.


    "Why did you think it was her?" she asked, trying to maintain a casual tone.


    "I guess the blue hair and that your mana marks are kinda similar," Ren shrugged. "Plus Luna... She always seems to be watching me in class so..."


    ''I don''t blame her, you really are interesting,'' Liora thought. ''The way you understand all this... your way of acting is different. The other boys our age seem so immature...''


    "We better hurry," Liora forced a smile. "We don''t want Taro having a nervous breakdown."


    Ren nodded, though he paused a moment to look at the deposit one last time. It was an extraordinary place.


    "Ready for the return trip?" Liora asked, already adopting the stance for the silent step she''d learned.


    "Ready," Ren confirmed. "But I''m not the one you should worry about... try not to trip over your own feet."


    Liora gave him a push as they began moving.


    Ren laughed. "Sorry, the guys have gotten me into bad habits."


    "I''ll let you off this time," Liora nodded. "But you should know that girls aren''t rude to each other when interacting."


    ''He''s a boy like all the others after all... But he apologizes and accepts his mistakes so easily... How can he be so honest yet so mysterious at the same time?''


    "The mana always shines white when you speak, as if you really enjoy expressing yourself truthfully, but still... You''re different, you know?"


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    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed softly while considering her words. "I can see mana too and... You''re also sincere and different, I like that," he pointed out.


    Liora blushed slightly and, distracted by the conversation, momentarily lost the rhythm.


    Ren also didn''t notice and continued. "You learned very quickly and I like that you''re curious like..."


    A nearby and familiar sound interrupted his words. The same one Ren had faked several times.


    The sound resonated through the tunnels and Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with alarm. "Don''t move," he whispered urgently to stop Liora dead in her tracks.


    But it was too late. A Deep Assassin emerged from the shadows, its proboscis gleaming threateningly. Liora had stopped poorly positioned, off balance.


    Ren had some contingency options... he reached for one of the large rocks in his pocket, planning to throw it as a distraction, but Liora involuntarily took another step as she failed to regain her balance.


    The Assassin lunged toward her.


    "Jump behind me!" Ren shouted, throwing the rock simultaneously.


    The Assassin was surprised to find nothing where Liora had been and received the rock''s impact. The projectile hit with unexpected force, creating a small crack in its carapace.


    ''My strength...'' Ren realized while his mushrooms pulsed intensely. ''Of course, 160% extra and now that I''m a double... A Bronze beast isn''t so far from my reach, especially one that sacrifices some defense for speed and attack.''


    Liora manifested her will-o''-wisp and her body set aflame, bathing the tunnel in blue light.


    But Ren stopped her.


    "Don''t move!" He ordered while manifesting his hydra in his body. The claws grew, amplified by the new light veins and the girl fire''s light, his armor gleaming with the same blue tone as Liora''s fire.


    "Close your eyes!" Ren shouted upon seeing the Assassin''s proboscis raised in front, preparing to attack.


    Liora reluctantly obeyed, part of her wanting to continue observing the beautiful light display of Ren''s armor.


    The Assassin launched itself toward where Liora had landed a few meters behind Ren, its proboscis extended like a deadly lance. But Ren, still interposed between them, created a blinding flash and with his now even more enhanced claws...


    The movement was fluid, the result of countless hours of training with Lin. The long claws deflected the proboscis toward the adjacent rock, where it buried deeply. Without losing an instant, Ren took advantage of the beast being trapped and chained several precise cuts to the monster''s head.


    The claws, empowered by the double light resonance, cut through the Assassin''s defense despite the rank difference.


    Ren maintained the assault, his movements precise and lethal, until finally the monster''s head separated cleanly from its body.


    Silence returned to the tunnel as the Assassin''s body collapsed.


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 Chapter 200 - Tamers Missing

    Silence returned to the tunnel as the Assassin''s body collapsed.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed softly while his armor disappeared and he caught his breath.


    "That was..." Liora opened her eyes, looking at the scene in amazement, "incredible."


    "Your fire helped with the light synergy."


    "It''s not just that," Liora shook her head. "The way you moved, how you knew exactly what to do... Where did you really learn all this?"


    "Master Lin''s training mostly," Ren explained modestly, though his mushrooms pulsed with something like pride. "And that day in the seed I..."


    Liora''s eyes brightened with interest, but before he could continue, Ren''s mushrooms pulsed in warning.


    "It''ll have to wait," he said. "We''re almost at the time I promised Taro, and more beasts are coming attracted by the battle noise. Also..." Ren whispered while approaching the Assassin''s body.


    With a precise movement, he grabbed the monster''s head and freed it from where it had become embedded in the rock. It was heavy, and the proboscis extended like a spear.


    His eyes settled on the Assassin''s body, Ren wanted the core inside. And there were other useful parts too: the leg tips, the sensory organs...


    But the mushrooms pulsed in warning. He could feel more beasts approaching, drawn by the noise and smell of battle.


    "Aren''t we going back? Do you want to take more...?" Liora asked quietly, noticing his indecision.


    Ren shook his head. "The body will serve better as bait," he responded while adjusting the long proboscis with the head over his shoulder.


    "Clever," Liora smiled, though there was a question in her eyes. "Why take the head?"


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with what might have been amusement. "Because I want to make a weapon."


    "With that?" Liora arched an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Those rot and dry out in 2 days. Several have tried using them and..."


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    "Assassin proboscises are very resistant if you preserve them properly," Ren interrupted while beginning to move. "But I suppose it is difficult to prevent the acid from ruining them..."


    They started moving away, maintaining the rhythm they had practiced. The proboscis swayed gently with each of Ren''s steps, like a macabre victory staff.


    "You know?" Liora whispered as they advanced, "I think I''m going to steal Larissa''s place as your spy again."


    "Stop spying on me, it''s not..."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with amusement, but before he could continue, a distant noise reminded them they weren''t out of danger yet.


    It was time to hurry. Taro was waiting, and he had a trophy to show off.


    ????


    Taro sat in front of the crack he had reopened minutes ago, cold sweat sliding down his forehead as he tried to appear casual...


    But his living tunnel pulsed nervously under his skin, reflecting his anxiety.


    Behind him, he could feel the penetrating stares of several noble girls. Especially Larissa''s, whose smile didn''t reach her eyes as she watched him.


    "So, Taro," Larissa approached with deliberately slow steps, "how much longer are you going to pretend that wall is the most interesting thing you''ve ever seen?"


    "I... uh..." Taro kept his eyes fixed on the crack. "I-I don''t know what you''re talking about... I''m just... uh... studying my mineral formations!"


    "You don''t know what I''m talking about?" Larissa leaned until her face was level with his. "You don''t know what that hole you''ve been watching like a hawk means?"


    "It''s... um... a very promising cave!" Taro tried to sound convincing.


    "Oh, really?" Mako, one of the guards, crossed her arms. "And I suppose Lady Liora and the mushroom boy are also ''studying'' that cave?"


    "Liora?" Taro tried his best surprised face. "Isn''t she over there gathering with...?" He turned his head and stopped at seeing the girls'' unimpressed expressions. "Oh¡­"


    "''Oh'' indeed," Matilda narrowed her eyes. "Lady Liora disappeared and curiously at the same time as your mushroom friend."


    "The reckless mushroom boy," Maria murmured, her tone making Taro shrink. "How could you let Lady Liora follow him?"


    "She could have followed him on her own... Min!" Taro called desperately. "Help me here!"


    "Oh?" Larissa smiled wider. "So you admit they went together?" sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I didn''t say that!"


    "Technically Ren could have brainwashed her like us," Min commented jokingly from where he was gathering crystals, clearly enjoying the show. "I don''t even know how I ended up doing so much exercise with him... Ren is more sadistic than he seems so it''s not wrong to worry because maybe..."


    "This isn''t the time for jokes, Min!" Taro looked betrayed.


    "Sorry, but you got yourself into this by opening the crack," Min responded cheerfully while filling another bag with crystals.


    "You know what''s interesting?" Larissa continued, ignoring the exchange. "How your ''promising cave'' coincides exactly with a crack the perfect size for someone like Ren to slip through."


    "Life''s coincidences," Taro laughed nervously. "Nature makes fascinating things, doesn''t it?"


    "Almost as fascinating as your ability to lie," Luna commented dryly.


    Han, observing from a safe distance, sighed while watching his companion sink deeper into his own verbal grave.


    "Poor thing," he murmured. "He doesn''t know how to lie."


    "It''s part of his charm, without a clear alibi he doesn''t know what to say. It was a miracle he followed Larissa''s story well the other day," Min laughed. "Though he should learn to improvise, considering Ren''s secrets..."


    The girls had joined the interrogation, forming a semicircle around the increasingly nervous Taro.


    "The longest half hour of my life," Taro murmured to himself, though not quietly enough.


    "Aha!" Larissa exclaimed triumphantly. "So they did tell you something!"


    "No! I mean... I just..."


    A sound from the crack saved him from having to invent another unconvincing excuse. Everyone tensed, preparing for whatever might emerge.


    Taro could only pray it was Ren and Liora at last. Preferably before the nobles decided he had been complicit in some kind of kidnapping.


    "Does it sound like a worm?"


    "Sounds more like someone trying to move silently through the narrow tunnel and failing miserably."


    As if confirming their words, a muffled whisper was heard from the crack:


    "Ouch! Be careful!" "It''s not my fault! You''re the one who insisted on bringing that thing!" "Shhh! We''re supposed to be stealthy!"


    Taro buried his face in his hands as Ren and Liora''s voices became increasingly clear.


    "Liora is going to hear it from me," Larissa smiled maliciously. "But¡­ What ''thing'' do you think they''re bringing?"

 Chapter 201 - Tamers Missing - 2

    "Damn it, this thing barely fits through here." "Careful with the proboscis, you nearly took my eye out." "Shh, they''ll hear us."


    "Liora is going to hear it from me," Larissa smiled maliciously. "What ''thing'' do you think they''re bringing?"


    As if answering her prediction, a long proboscis with a metallic gleam emerged first through the crack, followed by the head of a Deep Assassin.


    Everyone began to take defensive positions.


    The silence that followed was absolute.


    Suddenly, a flash of blue light appeared beside Taro, and Liora materialized as if she had been there all along. Her clothes were covered in dust and there were dark stains on her sleeves, but she maintained her composure with a noble''s dignity.


    "Lady Liora!" The guards exclaimed in unison.


    "Hello," she greeted casually, as if appearing out of nowhere was perfectly normal. She looked toward the crack and then at the girls surrounding Taro, shrugging in a gesture that clearly said "oh well¡­"


    Ren emerged with difficulty, and it wasn''t until he was out that everyone could see it was just a Deep Assassin''s head, without the body. Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren, still clutching his macabre trophy, looked around and finally registered the scene: Taro trapped in the middle of a group of girls with expressions ranging from disbelief to fury, Liora standing casually to one side as if nothing had happened, and Min, the only one who seemed to be genuinely enjoying the moment.


    "Ah," Ren swallowed, his mushrooms pulsing nervously. "Hello."


    "''Hello''?" Maria was the first to recover her voice. "Is that all you have to say? ''HELLO''?!"


    "Surprise?" Ren tried, slightly raising the Assassin''s head as if it were a gift.


    "Is that...?" Mira paled upon recognizing the creature. "It''s a Deep Assassin! Those things are Bronze rank!"


    "A Deep Assassin!" the guards exclaimed in unison.


    "You were facing Bronze monsters?" Larissa stepped forward, her smile too sweet to be reassuring.


    "Lady Liora!" Maria seemed about to faint. "You faced a Deep Assassin!"


    "Technically," Liora clarified, "Ren faced the Assassin. I just provided the lighting."


    "That doesn''t make it better!" Maria waved her arms.


    "Look," Ren tried to appease the mood, carefully placing the Assassin''s head on the ground, "we weren''t planning to encounter any beasts. I just needed to go to a specific place to process some crystals for my hydra and..."


    "And you decided to take Lady Liora with you without telling us?" Maria interrupted. "Do you know how dangerous that was?"


    "I wanted to go," Liora clarified. "And it was fascinating."


    "That''s not the point," Mako added. "We''re supposed to protect you. How can we do that if you disappear without warning?"


    "And you," Larissa addressed Ren directly, her smile never faltering though her eyes gleamed dangerously, "didn''t think I might also be interested in this little adventure?"


    Everyone turned to look at Larissa incredulously.


    "I... umm..." Ren looked desperately at Taro for help, but his friend just shook his head, clearly communicating "you''re on your own with this one."


    Min gave Taro a thumbs-up while Han turned away, finding one of Taro''s walls extremely fascinating.


    "It wasn''t personal," Ren finally responded. "I didn''t want to bring anyone but Liora had already noticed what I was planning to do..."


    "Oh, so it wasn''t personal," Larissa crossed her arms. "But you still could bring her... Wouldn''t it have been fair to ask everyone if we were interested in the adventure?"


    Luna, who had remained silent as always, finally spoke: "I-it''s not like others would have wanted to go," she said, avoiding looking directly at Ren. "You shouldn''t generalize, Larissa. It''s not like I was especially interested in knowing what they were doing."


    "Of course not," Larissa smiled, looking meaningfully at her cousin, whose cheeks had turned slightly pink.


    "But you didn''t miss much, it was a short trip and the battle was quick too," Ren pointed to the Assassin''s head. "Actually I thought bringing someone would be difficult but... I''d say it went pretty well."


    "''Pretty well''?" Maria seemed about to have an aneurysm. "Facing a Bronze-rank monster as Iron students isn''t ''pretty well''! It''s a miracle you''re alive!"


    "Well, technically I am Bronze," Ren murmured.


    "What did you say?" Larissa leaned toward him.


    "Nothing, nothing," Ren stepped back.


    Min, who had finally approached to join the spectacle, examined the Assassin''s head with genuine interest.


    "I have to admit," he commented, "it''s quite impressive. How did you defeat it?"


    "That''s not important right now," Maria interrupted. "What matters is that they took an unnecessary risk and..."


    "Actually, I''m quite interested in knowing how they defeated it," Larissa smiled.


    "How did they defeat it?" Maria asked, her attitude doing a complete 180 at her lady''s interests.


    Larissa rolled her eyes and continued. "After all, if we''re going to organize future expeditions, we need to know how capable our guides are."


    "Future expeditions?" Maria and Mako exclaimed in horror.


    "Of course," Larissa nodded with feigned innocence. "After all, it''s evident there''s much to learn in the depths. And since Ren and Liora have proven to be... competent, it would be a shame not to take advantage of their experience."


    Ren''s expression fluctuated between horror and resignation as he understood the implications. There was no escape; somehow, he had gone from being in trouble to becoming the master guide for more expeditions with the noble girls.


    "I could make an exception and accompany you if you wish," Luna added. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire


    "I..." Ren began, desperately searching for a way out.


    "I think it''s an excellent idea," Liora interrupted, a small smile forming on her lips. "I''m sure there''s much more Ren can teach us down there."


    "So he taught you things," Larissa smiled.


    The girls began to close the circle around Ren and Liora, their expressions promising a thorough interrogation.


    "Any last wishes?" Taro whispered to his friend.


    "Yes," Ren responded as the nobles approached. "Next time, bring Min as lookout. At least he knows how to keep something secret."


    "Hey!" Taro protested. "It''s not my fault girls are so intimidating!"


    ????


    "It''s strange," Klein murmured while reviewing the papers on his desk, the afternoon light casting long shadows across the room. "I think it''s been a few days..."


    Astor Blackwood looked up from the advanced evolution book he was studying, his eyes sharpening with interest. "What is?"


    "Harold," Klein responded, frowning as he shuffled through his notes. "He''s disappeared. I haven''t seen him in classes, he doesn''t come to the dormitory, and I have no idea where he is."

 Chapter 202 - Tamers Missing - 3

    "Harold," Klein responded, frowning as he shuffled through his notes. "He''s disappeared. I haven''t seen him in classes, he doesn''t come to the dormitory, and I have no idea where he is."


    Feng Zhao, who was practicing partial manifestations of his serpent by the window, shrugged with evident disinterest. "So what? The guy was always creepy. Honestly, it''s a relief not having him following us everywhere."


    "You don''t understand," Klein placed a hand on his chin, his lion briefly manifesting under his skin in response to his anxiety, golden fur rippling across his forearms. "Kassian specifically ordered me to look after him, help him adapt."


    "Your brother and his projects," Astor closed his book with a sigh, the leather binding making a satisfying thump. "Always complicating everything."


    "Harold never wanted to adapt," Feng added, the scales on his arms gleaming under the setting sun. "He just asked questions. About the academy, the professors, the mines... It was obvious he was gathering information for your brother."


    "I know," Klein stood to pace around the room, his expensive boots making soft sounds against the polished floor. "And that never bothered me. I knew he was Kassian''s lackey and would report everything we did. It was... expected. But now that he''s disappeared..."


    "Now you''re in trouble," Astor completed, always direct, his serious expression unchanging.


    "Exactly," Klein collapsed onto his bed, the silky sheets rustling beneath him. "If something happened to Harold, Kassian will blame me. Just what I need right now, with final exams approaching and after that disaster in the tournament."


    The three friends had grown up together in Yano''s aristocratic circles. Astor, from the ancient Blackwood house, and Feng, heir to the Zhaos, had been Klein''s inseparable companions for as long as they could remember. They had attended the same tutoring sessions, learned to invoke together, and now shared the weight of enormous family expectations at the academy.


    Their houses weren''t as grand as Klein''s...


    But neither envied the additional pressure that came with being a Goldcrest, especially with a brother like Kassian.


    "Maybe you should report it to the administration," suggested Astor, always the most sensible of the three.


    "And admit I lost someone under my responsibility?" Klein shook his head, his golden hair catching the light. "Kassian would kill me."


    "So what''s your plan then?" asked Feng, dissipating the scales from his arms with a subtle shimmer. "Wait for him to magically appear?"


    Klein heard someone knocking at his door...


    "Didn''t I say not to disturb me?" he growled from his bed, his fangs partially manifesting in response to his irritation, sharp points slowly pressing against his lower lip.


    "Lord Klein, I''m very sorry, but..." the servant''s voice sounded unusually nervous.


    ''A strangely familiar situation...'' Klein thought.


    The door opened before the servant could finish his apology.


    "Kassian?" his older brother''s name escaped as a surprised whisper.


    "Speak of the abyss(Devil)," Astor murmured, straightening instinctively.


    "I see you''re still Iron rank. Time is running out, little brother," Kassian Goldcrest, at twenty-two, emanated an authority that made even some professors carefully choose their words in his presence. His immaculate appearance, from his perfectly tailored uniform to his precisely styled hair, spoke of a person who accepted nothing less than perfection.


    Without waiting for an invitation, Kassian entered the room, nodding briefly toward the other two. "Astor, Feng. As inseparable as ever, I see."


    "Kassian," both responded almost in unison, with the formal respect demanded in the presence of the Goldcrest second heir.


    "To what do I owe the honor?" Klein tried to maintain a light tone, but the tension in his voice was evident.


    "Harold," Kassian went straight to the point, as always. "He hasn''t reported in days, considerably outside his usual schedule."


    Klein exchanged a quick glance with his friends before responding. "Ah, yes. We were just talking about that. He seems to have... disappeared."


    Kassian''s smile didn''t reach his eyes, creating an unsettling contrast. "Disappeared? How nice. The person I specifically asked you to watch over simply... vanished?"


    "It''s not like I lost him intentionally," Klein defended himself, his lion partially manifesting in response to stress. "He was here, then he stopped showing up. I thought perhaps..."


    "You thought?" Kassian arched an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "That would be novel, Klein. No, you didn''t think. As usual."


    From across the room, Feng Zhao and Astor Blackwood observed the exchange in silence. Both knew better than to intervene when one Goldcrest brother confronted another.


    "I thought he was reporting directly to you about my affairs as always," Klein defended again. "He was your... whatever he was. Your spy, I suppose."


    "He wasn''t a spy," Kassian responded too quickly, his composed demeanor briefly slipping. "He was a family guest who needed guidance."


    Feng and Astor exchanged discreet glances. Both had noticed how strange Harold was from the beginning, with that military rigidity and his way of observing everything as if cataloging information. There had always been something off about him, something that didn''t quite fit.


    "He was in all your classes," Kassian continued, each word laden with reproach. "He was supposed to be your responsibility."


    "I''ve been busy," Klein protested, though he knew it sounded weak even to his own ears. "The tournament, the final challenges, exam preparation..."


    "Busy?" Kassian stepped closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that sent a chill through the room. "So busy that you didn''t notice someone under your care disappeared for days?"


    Klein involuntarily shrank back. His older brother had always had that effect on him, the ability to make him feel small with just a few words.


    "Perhaps he''s sick," suggested Astor, risking speaking up. "Or maybe he was assigned to another dormitory. Things have been... hectic lately."


    The look Kassian directed at him was glacial.


    "Such friendship," Kassian commented. "And will these bootlickers manage to defeat Luna in the finals this time?"


    Klein blushed intensely, the memory of his defeat still stinging. "They are loyal and talented. Both will reach Bronze rank soon."


    "I''m sure they will," Kassian responded with barely disguised disdain. Then, returning to the topic that truly mattered to him: "I still don''t understand how you could lose Harold." S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I didn''t lose him," Klein protested. "I just... don''t know where he is."


    "That is literally the definition of losing something," Kassian sighed with exasperation, pinching the bridge of his nose. "When was the last time you saw him? Did you talk about anything important?"


    Klein tried to remember. Harold had been a constant but discreet presence, always asking questions about the academy, its professors, the mines beneath the building... Nothing too suspicious considering he was new.


    "He left me training and went away the day of the false alarm," he finally recalled. "We were told there was an abyssal attack from the mines again but in the end it was a false alarm."


    Something changed in Kassian''s expression, a flash of genuine concern quickly masked. "The mines? When was that exactly?"

 Chapter 203 - Taming Coverts

    "He left me training and went away the day of the false alarm," he finally recalled. "We were told there was an abyssal attack from the mines again but in the end it was a false alarm."


    Something changed in Kassian''s expression, a flash of genuine concern quickly masked by his usual cold demeanor. "The mines? When was that exactly?"


    "I haven''t really kept track of days lately," Klein struggled to remember and turned to look at Feng. "Two days ago? But, why did you leave him in my charge? I don''t understand what that guy has to do with our family or with me..."


    "It has everything to do with your inability to handle responsibilities," Kassian snapped. "First you lose shamefully in front of the entire academy, then this..."


    Klein visibly shrank back, his shoulders hunching as if to shield himself from the verbal assault.


    "Perhaps," Feng intervened, defying the common sense that told him to remain silent, "we should officially report his disappearance."


    The look Kassian directed at him would have frozen a lake in summer. "Are you suggesting we make this situation public? That we admit a guest under the Goldcrest protection has disappeared without a trace?"


    "If he''s in danger..." Astor began.


    "This is a family matter," Kassian interrupted, his tone brooking no further argument. "And it will be handled as such."


    He turned to Klein, who seemed to want to melt into the floor. "This is a disaster you created, little brother. And now I''ll have to clean it up."


    "Why is he so important?" Klein dared to ask, looking up through his golden bangs. "He was just a transfer student, wasn''t he?"


    "There are things you don''t need to know, little brother," Kassian responded, his voice turning colder. "Things that, frankly, you wouldn''t understand. It''s better this way, now if you''ll excuse me..."


    "I''m sorry," Klein murmured, his usual arrogance completely dissipated.


    Kassian headed toward the door, but stopped before exiting.


    "I''m going to see the director. I''ll convince the administration to allow two of our men in to search discreetly. Meanwhile, you and your... friends," the word sounded like an insult, dripping with disdain, "will keep your eyes open. If you hear or see anything about Harold, you will inform me immediately. Understood?"


    "Yes, brother," Klein responded automatically, like a trained pet.


    Kassian studied the three boys for a moment longer, his expression inscrutable. "And Klein, remember what''s at stake with the final exams. A Goldcrest can never afford three consecutive failures at the same task."


    With that warning, Kassian left, firmly closing the door behind him.


    The silence he left was oppressive, heavy with the weight of unfulfilled expectations and implicit threats.


    "Well," Feng murmured, "seems like you just got two new shadows, Klein." S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And something tells me they''re not just here to look for Harold," added Astor, his voice barely above a whisper.


    Klein collapsed onto his bed, suddenly exhausted, the weight of his family name crushing down on him like a physical burden.


    "Do you think Harold is in trouble?" Astor asked.


    "I don''t know," Klein admitted. "But Kassian wouldn''t worry so much unless Harold was really important so..."


    What Klein couldn''t know, what he couldn''t even imagine, was exactly why Harold was so important to his brother. He didn''t know the boy was a Yino spy, sent to gather information about the seed beneath the academy. He didn''t know his brother was involved in a betrayal that could destroy their family if the King returned soon.


    And he certainly didn''t know that Harold had already met his end, struck down by a powerful beam of light in the depths of the tunnels.


    All he knew was that, somehow, he had disappointed his family again. And the consequences, as always, would be mockery and reproaches accompanied by other sad pains...


    He had to at least win first place this semester. Whatever it took.


    ????


    "We should head back," Ren announced after the group finished admiring the Assassin''s head. "It''s getting late and the guards will start asking questions if we don''t return soon."


    "I suppose everyone agrees on the story of how we all killed the creature displaced from its Bronze-rank environment?" Larissa commented with a smile.


    "I''d prefer to avoid them finding out I went down to an unauthorized depth, so I''d appreciate it if everyone remembers the story well," Ren added, picking up his macabre trophy.


    They advanced up the inclined slope of Taro''s tunnel until they reached the 200-meter mark, where the air felt noticeably lighter, less saturated with mana.


    Taro approached the original crack. "Should I seal it completely?"


    "Do it," Ren nodded. "We don''t want unexpected visitors invading or going down there." Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire


    Taro, under Ren''s direction, began to concentrate.


    "Now, collapse this specific point."


    The veins in Taro''s arms glowed with a pulse as he executed the maneuver, the mineral wall flowing like liquid before solidifying again.


    "Having living walls at your disposal is super useful," Mira observed, watching with fascination.


    "I''m just realizing that today myself. The other day we didn''t take as much advantage of it," Taro admitted, opening his eyes with a new appreciation of his abilities.


    "Now, let''s build the passage up to one hundred sixty meters," Ren continued. "There are fewer worms at that depth, and we can create an alternate entrance away from the guards."


    Under Ren''s coordination, the group worked to configure the tunnel. Taro directed the formation of the walls, while Ren and the earth wolverine girl led the front of the tunnel and provided guidance on the structure.


    The group killed some more worms along the way¡­


    "We need to cover the entrance with something that won''t attract attention," Ren reflected when they reached 160 meters, examining the tunnel''s closed mouth with critical eyes.


    "I can help with that," Mira stepped forward, her giant rat manifesting. "My coverings can hide the mana signature."


    "And we could add a layer of common earth on top," Han suggested. "So even if someone examines the area, they''ll only see an uninteresting wall without crystal veins."


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing with approval. "Perfect. This will be our safe access to the depths in the future."


    They worked methodically, each contributing their unique abilities. Mira applied her mana coverings, creating a barrier that concealed the tunnel''s energy signature. Han and others helped cover the entrance with common minerals and earth, perfectly camouflaging it with the surroundings.


    "Nobody will suspect there''s a passage here," Min commented, admiring the finished work. "It''s practically invisible even knowing where to look."


    "That''s the point," Ren smiled with approval. "Safe access means we can gather more valuable materials with less risk."


    Han approached Ren, an expression of sincere gratitude on his face. "Thanks for all the help and information today," he said. "And for letting us gather these crystals. I had no idea we''d find so many in one day."


    Seeing this, Mira also approached. "Thank you. It was much more interesting than I expected," she admitted. "I learned things they hadn''t taught us in class."

 Chapter 204 - Taming Coverts - 2

    Han approached Ren. "Thanks for all the help and information today," he said. "And for letting us gather these crystals. I had no idea we''d find so many in one day."


    Seeing this, Mira also approached. "Thank you. It was much more interesting than I expected," she admitted. "I learned things they hadn''t taught us in class."


    "It''s nothing," Ren responded modestly. "You can come to gather occasionally if you take turns with the others. We don''t have enough Bronze ranks to bring everyone with the guards'' permission so..."


    "Does that mean I can come every day too?" Larissa instantly appeared next to Ren, startling him with her sudden proximity.


    "And me," Luna added, though she tried to appear less interested than she actually was, her shadow wolf was shifting restlessly in her shadow.


    "I think it''s already clear that I''ll be coming as well," Liora smiled slightly.


    Ren looked at the three cousins, resigned to his fate. "I suppose I don''t have a choice, do I?"


    "None whatsoever," Larissa confirmed cheerfully.


    The group began their final ascent, passing through the guard checkpoints at the 150 and 100 meter levels. At each post, the guards observed with amazement the quantities of crystals they carried and the severed Assassin''s head.


    "All this from just one trip?" asked one of the guards, examining the overflowing bags with widening eyes.


    "Taro''s living tunnel gives us a huge advantage," Min explained proudly. "It can block the worms and we can just gather without fear."


    Taro blushed at the attention, unaccustomed to having his beast viewed as something extraordinary.


    Upon finally reaching the surface, the entrance guard reviewed their forms with increasingly larger eyes.


    "It''s very rare for assassins to come up to 200 meters... And these numbers can''t be correct," he muttered while verifying the declared quantities.


    "Every crystal has been correctly counted by the previous guards," Ren assured, placing his own bag on the counter.


    The guard proceeded to verify, becoming even more surprised when confirming that the quantities were exact.


    "Lucky shroom," he shook his head with an incredulous smile, "you always find a way to exceed expectations."


    As they left the caves, the group began to disperse to head to their respective dormitories. The shared experience had strengthened the bond between them.


    "Well, it''s been an interesting day," Ren yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "I think I''ll go finish processing these crystals."


    "I''ll follow," Taro nodded, clearly anxious to escape before more complications arose.


    "We are leaving too," Larissa announced, though her tone suggested she wasn''t finished with Ren. "But I want to insist that we''ll continue accompanying you to the tunnels from now on."


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    "Purely for safety reasons," Luna quickly added, avoiding looking directly at Ren as a faint blush crept across her cheeks.


    "I am interested in other reasons," Liora admitted straightforwardly. "Especially in that technique you used to drive away the deep worm."


    Ren sighed with resignation and amusement. "See you tomorrow then..."


    As the cousins walked away with their guards, Ren remained contemplating the Assassin''s head he still carried. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    When they opened their room door, Liu dropped the book he was reading. His eyes widened at the sight of the Deep Assassin''s head that Ren held as if it were any ordinary and perfectly normal stick.


    "What the hell is that?" he exclaimed, his bat ears manifesting by reflex, twitching nervously at the edges.


    "A Deep Assassin head," Ren responded casually while placing the head on the table, as if bringing monster parts to their dormitory was the most natural thing in the world.


    "I can see that," Liu approached cautiously, studying the proboscis that still gleamed threateningly. "The question is why you brought it here, those things only last 2 days and are worthless."


    "Rare uses for materials," Taro explained, collapsing onto his bed with a tired groan. "You know Ren by now."


    "Please tell me you''re not planning to sleep with that thing in the room," Liu grimaced in disgust. "The smell will start seeping through."


    Min, who had been organizing his newly collected crystals, laughed softly, remembering something from their shared experiences.


    "Actually," Ren pointed toward the proboscis, his mushrooms pulsing softly, "the membrane will last 2 days. The internal structure contains several reservoirs of concentrated acid that I''ll need to neutralize tomorrow."


    Liu shook his head. "Those things are useless. The academy stopped accepting them as study material years ago. The acid is in many porous parts of the exoskeleton and as soon as you break the membrane, the monster''s weapon is ruined¡­ Right?"


    "The acid weakens the structure," Ren corrected him with what appeared to be amusement. "The important thing is to inject the right material to process the acid without breaking the sacs from the base."


    "And I suppose you know what that material is?" Liu asked, though his tone made it evident he already knew the answer.


    "Of course," Ren smiled. "Though I''ll buy the materials and do it tomorrow. Tonight I have another more urgent project."


    He headed toward a corner of the room where he had prepared a special space. From his backpack, he removed the hydra plates he had collected during his adventure with the prince, along with the specially processed crystals from the deposit.


    "Can the hydra be cultivated already?" Min asked, approaching with interest.


    "It''s time to start its cultivation, yes," Ren confirmed while methodically beginning to organize the plates.


    Liu observed with growing curiosity. Despite his initial apparent concern, scientific fascination was winning. "Are you going to create a cultivation environment there? In the plates? How?"


    "It''s not as complicated as it seems," Ren responded while carefully forming a cube with the hydra plates, securing them at the corners with the special fabric he had made from the shadow stalkers. "The important thing is maintaining the correct conditions."


    Taro, recovering from his exhaustion, approached to observe. "The hydra is a light element, right? Shouldn''t it be in a bright environment?"


    "That''s a perception error I suppose most people make," Ren explained, his mushrooms pulsing with educational enthusiasm. "The hydra is quite an illogical creature in that aspect to them. It''s a light element, but it needs darkness to evolve correctly."


    "That doesn''t make sense," Liu frowned, adjusting his position to get a better view.


    "Actually, it makes perfect sense if you understand its natural ecology," Ren continued while carefully sealing the cube''s joints. "Young hydras live in underground tunnels, protected by adult hydras. The glows they receive in their early life come from pure mana reflected in the accompanying hydra, which is usually a higher-level hydra."


    "And you plan to emulate that with...?" Min asked, genuinely interested, leaning in closer.


    Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with a soft glow. "With these Gold-level hydra plates."


    The other three boys exchanged understanding looks.


    Ren continued working. The cube was almost complete now, the plates subtly shining in the dormitory''s dim light.


    "The trick," he explained while carefully placing the processed crystals inside, "is to simulate the natural evolution environment. The tunnel darkness, but with pure mana reflecting light on what would be the accompanying hydra plates."

 Chapter 205 - Tamers Expedition - Finals Preparations

    "Done," Ren declared with satisfaction, stepping back to admire his handiwork. "Now I just need to cultivate with the correctly processed crystals."


    Without wasting a moment, Ren took one of the special crystals he had prepared. Unlike normal crystals, these had a distinctive internal glow, as if they contained liquid light.


    "Are you going to absorb it now?" Taro asked with surprise. "Shouldn''t you rest first? You already took that large crystal for your mushroom this morning, and we spent a good while at considerable depth."


    "I don''t want to lose time," Ren responded, his fingers caressing the crystal''s surface. "Every day that passes without advancing the cultivation is a day wasted."


    Without further preamble, he began the absorption process, closing his eyes while the crystal gradually dissolved and was absorbed into his body. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with renewed intensity, and for a moment, they all could see lines of light forming under his skin, following a specific rhythmic pattern for the hydra.


    When the crystal completely disappeared, Ren opened his eyes. For an instant, it seemed a flash of light gleamed in them before fading away, leaving behind a momentary afterimage.


    "How do you feel?" Taro asked, leaning forward with concern.


    "Good," Ren responded with a small smile. "The crystal is small for what I''m used to and had exactly the type of energy I needed. The hydra is responding positively."


    "How long will you need to maintain this one?" Liu asked.


    "One hundred days as always," Ren responded without hesitation. "With the proper crystals and maintaining the correct pattern, any beast Bronze 2 or lower should evolve completely by then."


    Liu shook his head with both disbelief and admiration while looking at his eccentric roommate.


    "I never thought I''d say this," he murmured, "but I''m genuinely curious to see what you''ll do with that head tomorrow."


    Ren simply smiled.


    ????


    The next morning...


    "Skip the exercises? Again?" Lin arched an eyebrow, her arms crossed as she observed Ren with a skeptical expression.


    "Just today," Ren explained, his mushrooms pulsing with what he hoped was a calm and persuasive rhythm. "I need time to prepare the cultivation materials for Taro and get some weapons for our outing with Zhao."


    "Weapons?" Lin studied him for a moment... Finally, to Ren''s surprise, she nodded.


    "Fine I wanna see what kind of weapons you''ll prepare... But this afternoon you''ll do double exercise."


    As she walked away, Ren couldn''t help wondering if Lin was softening since he gave her the potion. For an instant, he imagined a smiling and understanding Lin, forgiving mistakes in postures and reducing the intensity of training sessions.


    He violently shook his head to dispel that absurd image.


    No, Lin surely hadn''t become softer. She was probably just accumulating reasons to torture him even more later. Getting his hopes up would be a mistake. Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With the first hour free, Ren headed first to the exchange storehouse. Jessy was organizing some bottles when she saw him enter.


    "Ren!" she smiled, accidentally knocking over a small flask that she caught at the last second, her catlike reflexes betraying her nervous energy. "What can I do for you today?" Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire


    "I need cleansing liquid, the foamy nymph blood one," Ren responded, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "Undiluted."


    Jessy''s eyes widened with surprise. "The pure extract? That''s... unusual. It''s quite dangerous undiluted, it can dissolve skin with simple contact, you know?"


    "I know," Ren nodded. "That''s why I''ll also need the special container."


    "Okay but... I''ll have to register this," Jessy murmured while searching the back shelves. "Not many students request such reactive substances."


    While Jessy prepared the order, Ren added other materials to his list: several meters of resistant thread, basic Iron-rank beast feathers, and perfectly straight and resistant sticks produced by wood beasts. Nothing particularly expensive or flashy, but exactly what he needed.


    "Here you go," Jessy placed a specially sealed container on the counter. Through the reinforced crystal, Ren could see the bubbling liquid with iridescent hues shifting like oil on water. "Be very careful with this, okay? And, uh..." she hesitated a moment, "may I ask what you need it for?"


    "Material processing," Ren responded vaguely, paying the corresponding crystals, which weren''t even half of what he obtained yesterday. "Thanks, Jessy."


    With his purchases secure in his specially compartmentalized backpack, Ren headed to Isaac''s workshop on the third floor. The craftsman was polishing his tool when Ren entered, the rhythmic scraping sound filling the otherwise quiet space.


    "Well, well," Isaac smiled beneath his thick beard. "If it isn''t the mushroom boy. More hides to process?"


    "Something different today," Ren placed his materials on the workbench, adding a bag full of worm teeth that clinked together with a sound like tiny chimes. "I want to learn how to make arrows and a spear."


    Isaac examined the materials with a critical eye, lifting one of the worm teeth to study it in the light, turning it over between his calloused fingers.


    "Arrows with worm teeth?" he frowned. "It''s feasible, but uncommon. Most shooters prefer to use feathers, spines, or scales from their own beasts. Better cadence, more precision, less uncomfortable, lower monetary and energy cost..."


    "I know," Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing while he explained. "But for now I need something with range, and I don''t have any of those options. My beast doesn''t offer good options for distance attacks yet either, and throwing rocks is not that effective."


    "You''ll have to make a bow too," Isaac pointed out. "And aiming isn''t as easy as it seems, especially in combat."


    "I''ll learn, and... I was hoping you could suggest the best material for the bow," Ren smiled slightly.


    Isaac scratched his beard, thoughtful. "For someone of your build... I''d use cartilaginous bone from a marine beast. And for the string, nothing in bronze rank beats the black fiber from marine Sarracenia."


    "An aquatic carnivorous plant for an aquatic bone," Ren understood. "Its fiber will naturally adhere to the bone, I suppose it would be resistant and relatively easy to work with."


    Isaac nodded. "Not cheap, but not exorbitant either. It''ll be hard for it to break."


    Ren pulled out the Deep Assassin''s proboscis that he had brought with him, its gleaming surface catching the workshop''s lights.


    "I also wanted to ask you about this."


    Isaac''s eyes opened with surprise and professional respect. "You killed a Deep Assassin? Impressive for your age. But if you''re thinking of making a spear with this, it won''t work. They rot quickly once separated from the beast."


    "It won''t get damaged," Ren clarified. "But I need a way to inject this into its acid sac."


    Isaac studied the proboscis and the nymph liquid with new appreciation. "Would this neutralize the internal acid? Interesting approach. We could create an injection mechanism with the container... But, I still think it won''t work."

 Chapter 206 - Tamers Expedition - Finals Preparations - 2

    Isaac studied the proboscis and the nymph liquid with new appreciation. "Would this neutralize the internal acid? Interesting approach. We could create an injection mechanism with the container... But I still think it won''t work."


    "Why do you say that?" Ren asked, his mushrooms pulsing with curiosity.


    "Someone from the craftsmen''s guild managed to extract the acid once... but the monster''s mouth was still barely resistant, just a bit less than a common sword and the method is expensive," Isaac explained, running a calloused finger along the proboscis''s edge.


    Ren smiled, his eyes lighting up. "It''s not just about extracting it, it''s about transforming it. The hollow, porous structure isn''t very resistant on its own, the deep assassin uses the liquid as support and micro-vibrations¡­ err, I mean fast and small movements to bury its proboscis into rock and through the chitinous armors of its prey."


    "I understand, seems like you know what you''re doing... But I don''t think you can make it ''vibrate'' like that then." Isaac stroked his beard.


    "No, but the result of neutralizing the acid will turn what will be the tip of my spear into a harder, more elastic structure. Plus, small hard crystals will emerge on the surface, facilitating cutting and increasing damage."


    "Interesting theory. I''m beginning to eagerly await the result," Isaac''s eyes sparkled with professional curiosity.


    "One more thing," Ren added. "I also need a good dagger for dismantling beasts up to Bronze 2. Can you recommend one or make it for me before the 15th?"


    Isaac smiled, clearly intrigued by the challenge, his entire demeanor shifting from skepticism to engagement. "I can do both. For the injection mechanism, we just need to reinforce the interior with chromatic Stone Lurker minerals."


    "Exactly," Ren confirmed, his mushrooms pulsing with approval. "The extract doesn''t react with that material and maintains its corrosive properties."


    "You know more about this than I expected," Isaac commented, studying Ren with renewed curiosity, leaning back against his workbench. "Most students don''t even know that the cleaner contains nymph extract."


    "Let''s just say I have many books in my head," Ren responded with a small smile, tapping his temple lightly.


    "I see," Isaac nodded, though his expression suggested he wasn''t completely convinced. "As for the dagger, for Bronze 2 beasts you''ll need something special. I have an iron alloy with silver-glow mineral that would be perfect. Not cheap, 150,000, but it''ll last years if you take good care of it."


    "How much for everything?" Ren asked, mentally preparing himself for the impact on his savings.


    Isaac calculated quickly, his fingers twitching as if counting invisible crystals. "For the bow with Sarracenia string 10,000, the 100 arrows with worm tooth tips 500 since you brought the materials, the injection mechanism 4,000, incorporating the proboscis into a basic spear 500, and with the dismantling dagger... 165 thousand crystals, including labor."


    Ren whistled softly. It was a considerable sum, but necessary for his plans.


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    "How long would it take?"


    "Since you want it for Zhao''s excursion, I can finish it in the two remaining days," Isaac responded, already mentally organizing his workflow. "I could rush some things so you could test it before going, but I wouldn''t recommend it. Especially with the bow, we need precision."


    "That''s fine, use all the remaining time then," Ren nodded. "Can I help with any part of the process? I''m interested in learning."


    Isaac''s eyes brightened with genuine interest. It wasn''t common for students here to want to learn the craft; most just demanded their items as quickly as possible and left after hearing an acceptable date. Ren was different and a breath of fresh air for him.


    "Actually," he smiled, revealing slightly crooked teeth stained from years of metalwork, "we could start right now with the arrows. It''s an easy process that just requires some precision."


    Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with anticipation. "Perfect."


    While Isaac prepared the work area, Ren reflected on his decision to invest in conventional weapons.


    Most students here focused exclusively on developing their beasts'' abilities, considering traditional weapons inefficient or even a sign of weakness.


    Why depend on external tools when you could cultivate power within yourself?


    But Ren considered versatility as important as pure power and more important than the pride of the rich and noble.


    A powerful beast might be magnificent in certain situations, but useless in others. Well-chosen weapons could compensate for specific weaknesses, offer tactical options, and in Ren''s case, provide time while his beasts continued evolving.


    Besides, there was something elegant about a well-designed tool. Something that perfectly complemented the meticulous and analytical approach Ren applied to his cultivation.


    "All right," Isaac interrupted his thoughts, placing precision tools on the table with a metallic clink. "Let''s begin."


    Ren nodded, focusing on the task at hand.


    ????


    After spending time helping Isaac with arrow crafting, Ren decided it was time to resolve the financial aspect of his project. His mushrooms pulsed softly as he walked toward the academy bank, mentally calculating how much he would need to withdraw.


    The bank was relatively empty at that hour, so Finch spotted him immediately, his expression lighting up as if he''d just received a gift, practically bouncing in his seat.


    "Look who honors us with his presence!" he exclaimed dramatically, causing Theodore to look up from his ledgers. "The mushroom magnate in person!"


    "Good morning, Finch," Ren greeted as he approached the counter, the familiar scent of ink and paper filling his nostrils.


    "I need to make a withdrawal."


    "THEODORE!" Finch turned to his assistant with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Prepare the special book! Our favorite client is going to make some moves!"


    The mouse quickly pulled out a specially marked book, his whiskers trembling with anticipation.


    "How much will it be this time?" Finch asked, leaning over the counter conspiratorially. "Ten thousand to fill your room with sweets?" S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I want 170 thousand crystals," Ren responded calmly.


    Finch blinked, his smile faltering slightly. "170 thousand? So much... but... that... that will reduce your balance to less than four hundred thousand..."


    He pronounced the figure as if it represented a personal calamity. Theodore even let out a small squeak of dismay, his tiny paws clutching the ledger.


    "It''s for an important project," Ren explained.


    "But..." Finch compulsively adjusted his glasses, the lenses catching the light. "This is the first time your account has decreased so much since you started your deposits! The first setback in the saga of the mushroom magnate!"


    "Don''t worry," Ren smiled slightly. "I have plans for this month. I''ll recover that and much more."


    Finch''s eyes widened behind his glasses, practically bulging with excitement.


    "THEODORE!" Finch exclaimed, startling the poor mouse who nearly jumped out of his fur. "WRITE THAT DOWN! HE WHO DOESN''T RISK, DOESN''T WIN!"


    The mouse wrote frantically, his tiny paws barely keeping pace with his tamer''s enthusiasm.


    "Could you give me a hint?" Finch leaned even further, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Is it a new business? A secret investment? Perhaps an alliance with one of those noble families I''ve heard have been following you lately?"


    "Just the crystals, please, Finch," Ren responded kindly but firmly.

 Chapter 207 - Tamers Expedition - Finals Preparations - 3

    "Just the crystals, please, Finch," Ren responded kindly but firmly.


    "Always so mysterious," Finch sighed dramatically while beginning to count, his nimble fingers flicking through stacks of currency with practiced ease. "Someday, Theodore and I will discover all your financial secrets. That''s a promise!"


    While Finch finished counting and Ren carefully stored the crystals in his compartmentalized pack, he didn''t notice the figure observing him from across the bank. Leopold Montclaire, the fifth-year prodigy, studied every movement with calculating eyes.


    ????


    His next stop was again the exchange storehouse, where Jessy greeted him with her usual nervous enthusiasm.


    "Ren! You''re back so soon!" she exclaimed, nearly knocking over a jar. "Did you forget something?"


    "No, I''m here for more materials," Ren handed her the list, the paper slightly warm from being in his pocket.


    Jessy reviewed it, her eyes widening gradually. "This is... quite specialized. Cartilaginous marine beast bone? Black Sarracenia fiber?"


    "Is that a problem?" Ren asked.


    "No, no," Jessy waved her hands frantically. "Just unusual for a first-year student."


    While Jessy gathered the materials, darting between shelves with surprising agility, Ren noticed several older students observing him with growing curiosity. His reputation was expanding faster than he would have preferred, their whispers creating a soft backdrop of sound.


    "Here you go," Jessy finally placed all the materials on the counter, arranging them with meticulous care.


    Ren paid without comment, packing each material carefully in his compartmentalized backpack.


    "Thanks, Jessy," he bid farewell.


    "Come back soon," she responded cheerfully, her cat ears twitching. "And be careful with that nymph extract!"


    With all necessary materials secured, Ren returned to Isaac''s workshop. The artisan was finishing polishing a blade when he saw him enter, the metallic scent of freshly worked steel hanging in the air.


    "Ah, you''re back," he smiled. "Did you get everything?"


    "Everything," Ren confirmed, placing the materials on the workbench. "Is the dagger ready?"


    Isaac nodded, extracting a leather sheath from a drawer under his table. "One of my finest pieces, if I may say so myself."


    He unsheathed the dagger for Ren''s examination. The blade had a silvery gleam with blue veins that seemed to move beneath the light, flowing like water trapped in metal. The handle, perfectly balanced, was wrapped in leather treated with hardening resin that felt warm to the touch.


    "It''s perfect," Ren observed, taking it and testing its weight, feeling how it nestled into his palm as if custom-made. "Shall we test how well it works?"


    Without waiting for a response, he placed the Deep Assassin''s head on the table and, with a precise movement, cleanly cut around the base of the proboscis.


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    The dagger''s metal penetrated the hard carapace with surprising ease, parting it like butter.


    "Careful with the acid sa¡­ Impressive," Isaac murmured, observing how Ren carefully separated the long proboscis with the acid sac intact.


    "It''s superb... Well, this is all we''ll need for the spear tip," Ren placed the proboscis on the table. "I''ll take the rest with me for another project."


    "What will you do with the head?" Isaac asked with professional curiosity.


    "Cultivation materials," Ren responded simply. "Nothing goes to waste."


    ????


    Ren returned to his room with the Assassin''s head and his new dagger. He needed to hurry before Yang''s class hour arrived.


    Placing the head on a treated hide, he began working methodically. The dagger slid through the different tissues with surgical precision, separating exactly the parts he needed for Taro''s cultivation.


    The sensory glands, capable of detecting movement through solid rock. And, most valuable, the central processing organ, a structure that amplified nerve signals.


    When he finished, he had separated and preserved several distinct components, each carefully stored.


    Sealing Taro''s crystals with Deep Earth and the hemolymph solution was straightforward, the components bonding together with a soft hiss.


    He thoroughly cleaned the dagger before storing it, admiring its quality once more. Isaac truly knew his craft, the blade showing no signs of wear despite cutting through the beast''s tough exoskeleton.


    He had barely finished cleaning when he heard the door open. Taro entered, his expression changing from mental exhaustion due to so many questions about Ren from his classmates, to surprise at seeing the carefully aligned containers.


    "What''s all this?" he asked, approaching for a better look.


    "Your first cultivation crystal for the second beast," Ren responded, handing him a crystal that emitted a faint bluish glow, its surface warm and slightly pulsating.


    Taro took the crystal with reverence, his fingers trembling slightly. "Is it from...?"


    "The Assassin, yes," Ren nodded.


    "I don''t know how to thank you," Taro murmured, genuinely moved.


    "Just use it well," Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "And perhaps help me clean up this mess before Yang''s class... If we leave everything like this until Min returns in the afternoon, he''ll start complaining about the smell." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    The next day, Ren returned to Isaac''s workshop at first light, again taking advantage of the surprising flexibility Lin had granted him with morning training sessions lately.


    "We''re ready to work with the acid," Isaac announced when Ren entered, the workshop already prepared with protective equipment and containment vessels. "I''ve prepared everything according to your specifications."


    The process was delicate and potentially dangerous. The Assassin''s acid had unique properties: extremely corrosive to organic materials, but also capable of catalyzing certain crystalline reactions if handled correctly.


    Ren worked with absolute concentration, carefully injecting the foamy nymph extract into the sacs at the base. The reaction was immediate: the liquid bubbled vigorously before stabilizing into a dark amber gelatinous substance.


    "Now comes the critical part," murmured Ren as he injected mana, his fingertips glowing with a soft blue light.


    Isaac watched with professional fascination as Ren manipulated the mana with a precision few students possessed, directing it in intricate patterns that seemed to solidify the material from within.


    "Extraordinary," he murmured, studying the result. It was hard yet surprisingly elastic, with a surface that reflected light like polished obsidian. "I''ve never seen anything like this."


    To test its hardness, Isaac tried to make a small scratch with a common tool. To his surprise, it was the tool that ended up damaged, its edge dulled instantly.


    "Careful," Ren warned when Isaac touched the edge directly to feel the texture. "Its crystals are sharper than they look."


    Too late. Isaac quickly withdrew his finger, where a fine line of blood began to form.


    "Incredible," he murmured, more impressed than annoyed. "It cut as if my skin were butter."


    "It''s perfect for the spear tip," Ren nodded, satisfied with the result. "It will penetrate Bronze 1 carapaces without issue."


    Isaac wrapped his finger while contemplating the material, his eyes gleaming with professional excitement. "With this, I could create a truly exceptional weapon. Beyond what I would normally offer a student."


    "That''s exactly what I wanted," Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with anticipation. "Something exceptional for tomorrow''s outing."


    "Leave it in my hands," Isaac nodded with professional determination. "You''ll have your weapons ready before dawn. My craftsman''s word."


    As Ren said goodbye, leaving Isaac with the materials to complete the work, he couldn''t help but feel growing expectation. The outing with Zhao would be interesting as he would now be better prepared.


    And in the world of tamers, preparation often made all the difference.

 Chapter 208 - 208 - Taming Discrepancy

    While Ren happily busied himself with preparations, a much tenser conversation was unfolding elsewhere in the academy.


    Two days earlier...


    Director Ignatius''s office had always been an imposing space, with its shelves filled with ancient tomes and expensive pieces from bygone eras. The director''s phoenix, partially manifested in the golden veins running across his skin, added an air of authority to the already intimidating office.


    Facing him, Kassian Goldcrest maintained perfect posture, his expression carefully controlled despite the fury boiling beneath the surface.


    "It''s unacceptable," he declared in a cold voice. "A student missing for days, and nobody considered it necessary to inform me."


    Director Ignatius reclined in his chair, studying the young Goldcrest with a penetrating gaze. There was something disturbingly calculating in how his eyes traversed Kassian''s face, as if peeling away layers to see what lay beneath.


    "The administration handles many matters, young Goldcrest," he finally responded, his fingers steepled before him. "Temporary student disappearances are more common than you might think. Especially when said students seem to have... varied interests."


    Kassian narrowed his eyes. Did this old fox know something and was threatening him? Or was he simply establishing his position? S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Harold was under my tutelage," Kassian specified, keeping his voice firm. "I deserve to be immediately informed of any matter related to him."


    "Your concern is touching," the director smiled slightly, the expression never reaching his eyes. "Especially for a student who had barely been under your wing and at the academy for just a few days."


    There was something in that smile, in the slightly insinuating tone, that sent alarm signals through Kassian''s mind. This wasn''t a simple bureaucratic exchange; it was a chess match.


    "I demand that they find him," Kassian went straight to the point, abandoning any pretense of cordiality. "And I want a complete explanation about why I wasn''t notified of his disappearance." Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire


    Director Ignatius maintained silence for seconds that seemed to stretch eternally. His phoenix manifested a bit more, golden feathers gleaming between the spaces of his clothing.


    "It''s regrettable," he finally said, each word measured with precision. "But I must inform you that we have already found Harold."


    The tension in Kassian''s shoulders loosened slightly. "Where is he?"


    "His remains were recovered from the lower mines recently."


    The impact of the words hit Kassian like a physical shock. His lion partially manifested by reflex, bright markings briefly appearing in his hair like a golden crown.


    "Remains?" he repeated, struggling to maintain his composure, a muscle twitching in his jaw.


    "There was an attack," the director continued, his eyes never leaving Kassian''s face. "A regrettable incident perpetrated by one or several Yino infiltrators. Unfortunately, Harold died during the altercation."


    Kassian knew the truth perfectly well: Harold was a Yino spy, sent to gather information about the seed beneath the academy. He himself had facilitated his entry, providing falsified documents and cover as a transfer student.


    But Kassian couldn''t know that the director''s presentation of the facts was peculiar. He didn''t directly imply that Harold was the spy, only that he had died during a Yino attack.


    Technically true, but deliberately ambiguous.


    "When did this happen?" Kassian asked, buying time while analyzing the implications, his mind racing behind his carefully composed expression.


    "During an incident with our ancestral seed," the director responded, leaning forward slightly. "It seems he was in the depths when the attack occurred. Quite unfortunate that he happened to be precisely in that area, don''t you think?"


    The question hung in the air, laden with insinuations. The director knew. Somehow, he knew that Harold hadn''t been there by chance.


    "Very unfortunate," Kassian responded carefully, each word chosen with deliberation. "May I ask why I wasn''t informed immediately after the discovery?"


    "Identification took time due to how little was left of him," the director explained, though his tone suggested it was merely a convenient excuse. "And without meaning to offend, frankly, we didn''t expect you to have such a... personal interest in the matter. After all, Harold was just one of many students under your extensive tutoring program."


    Another insinuation. Kassian''s "tutoring program" was a well-known fa?ade for recruiting talented youth to the Goldcrest house.


    "As a family representative, I have responsibilities toward all those students," Kassian responded, maintaining the double-meaning game. "May I see the body?"


    "I''m afraid that won''t be possible," the director joined his hands over his desk. "The remains were in... precarious condition. And they have already been processed according to the kingdom''s standard protocols."


    "Without notifying his family or tutors?" Kassian couldn''t prevent a tone of disbelief from filtering into his voice.


    "In exceptional circumstances, the castle has authority to proceed without prior notification," the director responded smoothly. "Especially when positive identification is complicated and the remains represent potential evidence of what happened in the enemy invasion. I''m so sorry."


    The implications were clear: they wouldn''t let him examine the situation of the death, he couldn''t do anything to know whether they were aware of Harold''s true nature or not.


    "I understand," Kassian responded, though he was clearly unsatisfied. "And the responsible parties?"


    "The matter is still being investigated with the utmost diligence," the director assured him. "We have zero tolerance for external infiltrations."


    Again, the carefully chosen language.


    "I trust that any relevant discovery will be communicated to the appropriate authorities before it becomes too large a problem for you," Kassian observed, establishing his own veiled threat.


    "Of course," the director slightly inclined his head. "Transparency is fundamental in matters of national security."


    Silence fell between them, dense with unexpressed meanings and unformulated accusations. The clock on the wall ticked loudly, marking the seconds.


    "I must add," the director finally broke the silence, "that the academy offers compensation for student losses in those circumstances. As his registered tutor, you are eligible to receive insurance benefits, so don''t worry."


    Indignation burned in Kassian''s chest. Was this old fox offering him money? Compensation for a dead spy? The insinuation was as insulting as it was dangerous.


    "That won''t be necessary," he responded with an icy voice, rising from his seat. "Harold was not a resource to be monetized."


    "As you wish," the director inclined his head again. "My condolences for your loss. The academy deeply regrets not having been able to protect all its students during the incident."


    "Then, under such circumstances, I will leave two operatives to protect my brother and the other students under our tutelage... I hope you understand."


    "You know we cannot deny you such requests, you may add them. We never know when another attack might occur, correct?"


    Kassian didn''t stay to hear more. With a brief courteous nod that hid his inner fury, he headed for the door, his footsteps echoing in the suddenly quiet room.


    "Young Goldcrest," the director''s voice stopped him for a moment. "In these uncertain times, we must all be careful with the company we keep. Divided loyalties often have... unpredictable consequences."


    Without deigning to respond, Kassian left the office, closing the door with controlled force behind him.


    As he walked through the academy''s corridors, doubt corroded his mind. Had they discovered him? Or were they simply fishing, throwing insinuations to see if he would bite the bait?


    And more importantly, what were they willing to do if they had that knowledge?

 Chapter 209 - 209 - Taming Discrepancy - 2

    The Goldcrests still maintained enough power in Yano to be above accusations without substantial proof. The director couldn''t act openly against them; it would just hasten Yino''s invasion and unleash a conflict for which Yano wasn''t prepared.


    The city''s best hope remained waiting for the King''s return, while noble families continued their secret conversations, seeking a solution that wouldn''t trigger open warfare.


    But from Kassian''s doubts, Yino would also think they weren''t prepared...


    ????


    Yino''s dark council had always been a place where shadows seemed to have a life of their own. The purplish light from abyssal crystals barely illuminated the faces of those present, creating an unsettling chiaroscuro effect that blurred expressions and concealed reactions.


    The King occupied the central seat, his eyes reflecting the violet glow as he reread the encrypted message for the third time. His fingers traced the symbols with deliberate slowness, as if trying to extract meaning beyond the words themselves.


    "Read it again," he ordered, his voice resonating in the black obsidian chamber like distant thunder.


    Lord Ravenspire cleared his throat and translated the code, his voice measured and precise.


    "Urgent message from our ally in Yano," he began. "Request for confirmation on operative Harold''s status. He hasn''t reported according to established protocols. Suspects fatal compromise during release incident. Preliminary information suggests ancestral seed opening and agent''s death. Third ring possibly in Yano''s hands. Increased surveillance prevented quick and detailed communication. Requests instructions."


    The silence that followed was dense, charged with implications no one dared to express openly. The council members exchanged glances, each gauging the others'' reactions without betraying their own thoughts.


    "So Harold has failed," the King finally broke the silence. "Just when we were so close."


    "We can''t be certain," Lord Venmont cautiously intervened, shifting in his seat. "He could still be hiding, seeking a safe route for the ring to..."


    "If he had the ring, he would have found a way to notify us... Harold was trained to prioritize the mission over his own safety. Such prolonged silence can only mean one thing."


    The King raised a hand, stopping the debate. "If the ring is in Yano''s hands, we must reconsider our strategy."


    He rose and began circling the table, the shadows at his feet seeming to follow his movements like extensions of his will.


    "The irony," he commented bitterly, "just when we thought the triples would leave us prepared for open conflict, this happens..."


    "But Yano remains vulnerable," Lord Bloodwyn pointed out. "Without their King, their army lacks unified direction. The noble families are divided. With the Goldcrests on our side..."


    "We would have a significant advantage, yes," the King interrupted. "But not decisively enough. The Goldcrests would betray us."


    Young Selthia, seated silently until that moment, leaned forward, her pale face eager in the dim light.


    "Aren''t the triples enough even then?" she asked, her childlike voice contrasting with the gravity of the topic.


    The King returned to his seat, interlacing his fingers while considering the options, the gemstone in his ring catching and fracturing the purple light.


    "The problem is that the Goldcrests'' situation would be precarious," he observed. "If they openly declare in our favor before we attack first, they''ll be almost completely eliminated... It would be very useful to us, but they''ll never accept that."


    "They''ll only summon the courage when we attack Yano," Lord Ravenspire added. "As opportunistic traitors, not as declared allies."


    "That''s right," the King nodded. "The ideal battle for them is one that allows the Goldcrests to attack from behind when we''re winning from the front."


    A messenger entered silently, delivering a new sealed scroll to Lord Ravenspire. The noble read it quickly, his expression subtly changing, the muscles around his eyes tightening.


    "More information from Kassian," he announced. "He has investigated with his infiltrators at the academy. Apparently, the ancestral seed was indeed opened a little ahead of time. There are rumors about the artifact being lost, though details are confusing. Surveillance has intensified significantly, making communication with his informants difficult."


    "So the ring is lost?" the King asked directly, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.


    "There''s no confirmation about its location," Lord Ravenspire responded. "But Kassian suspects it''s a trap and it''s really in the hands of Yano''s authorities already."


    "However... At least Yano''s King hasn''t yet returned with the last ring," Ravenspire continued. "They won''t be able to open the main artery without all three of them."


    The King remained silent for a long moment, his mind calculating scenarios and possibilities.


    "Our plans must adapt," he finally declared. "If we''ve lost the opportunity to take the ring from them, we must compensate for that loss with other advantages."


    "Will we finally use the triples?" Selthia asked again, her voice barely containing her excitement, her small hands clenching in anticipation.


    "And more," the King nodded. "Lord Bloodwyn, intensify attempts to acquire ground element abyssal beasts. Lord Venmont, prepare our defenses for a possible counterattack. If Yano has all 3 rings and opens its artery, they''ll eventually try to use whatever they have found."


    He turned to Lord Ravenspire. "Respond to Kassian. Tell him I understand the situation and that he''ll receive help soon. A new advantage that will help him discover what really happened."


    "What kind of advantage, my lord?" Lord Ravenspire asked, his quill poised over fresh parchment.


    The King smiled, a gesture rarely seen on his severe face, transforming it into something even more unsettling. "Something our enemies cannot anticipate. Something that will change the rules of the game before the king returns to play."


    He looked toward Selthia, who straightened with sudden understanding, her eyes widening.


    "A triple tamer," she murmured, her eyes gleaming with anticipation, a flush of excitement coloring her pale cheeks.


    "Not one," the King responded, his voice dropping to a near-whisper that somehow filled the entire chamber.


    He turned to Lord Bloodwyn. "Is the special project ready?"


    "The third subject has completed integration," Bloodwyn confirmed. "Tests show exceptional results."


    "Then prepare the remaining two for deployment," the King ordered.


    The King rose, concluding the meeting. As the lords withdrew, he stopped Lord Ravenspire with a gesture.


    "In your message to Kassian," he added in a low voice, "remind him that tolerance for failure is limited. He has lost Harold, he cannot afford to lose these new resources." S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It will be communicated clearly, my lord," Lord Ravenspire nodded gravely.


    When the chamber was empty except for the King and his children, the crown prince allowed himself to express his concern.


    "Are you sure about sending the special project so soon? It hasn''t been fully tested in all conditions."


    "Necessity dictates our actions now," the King responded, the shadows around him deepening. "Harold was valuable, but replaceable. The ring is not."


    "And if it''s already too late?" the prince asked. "If Yano has already opened the white chamber with the rings?"


    "Then," the King smiled again, and this time the gesture was charged with cold determination, "we will have to tear that knowledge from them before they manage to understand it."


    The shadows in the chamber seemed to pulse in response, as if even the darkness of Yino shared its ruler''s resolution.

 Chapter 210 - 210 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1)

    The day had finally arrived.


    Ren rose before dawn, his mushrooms pulsing with anticipation while he packed the last supplies in his specially compartmentalized bag. The morning air was crisp, carrying the earthy scent of dew-dampened soil through the open window.


    The final gathering exam with Zhao wasn''t just an academic test for him; it represented a unique opportunity to obtain more materials for his projects.


    With luck, this time he could acquire many more tentacles.


    Isaac had kept his word. The weapons were ready on time, each piece crafted with a precision that exceeded even Ren''s expectations.


    The spear was a masterpiece of artisanal engineering. Its tip, formed from the treated material, gleamed with a tone between amber and steel. The white bow, crafted from cartilaginous marine beast bone, tensed perfectly with the black Sarracenia string, the entire weapon balanced and responsive in his hands.


    When he said goodbye to Isaac after collecting them, the few students who crossed his path looked at him with expressions ranging from mockery to a kind of condescending understanding.


    "Look at the mushroom boy," he heard one mutter. "Needs traditional weapons to compensate."


    "I''ve heard rumors he became a double tamer," commented another, his voice laden with skepticism. "But if that were true, why would he still have those mushrooms on his head and carry primitive weapons?"


    Ren simply continued on his way, ignoring the comments. Unlike many of the rich or noble students at this school, he didn''t measure his worth by others'' opinions. Each decision, each action, had a specific purpose in his plans.


    Upon reaching the meeting point where the caravan waited, Ren found Min and Taro already prepared, their bags packed and their expressions mixing excitement with nervousness.


    "Ren," Min called to him, pointing toward a group of adults. "Lin is coming with us this time, we are so done..."


    "Not just her," Taro added in a low voice. "Wei, Yang, and several more professors. There''s even new people who seem to work for the castle."


    Ren studied the scene. Indeed, the group''s composition was radically different from the previous expedition. The presence of so many instructors and guards suggested an unusual level of caution.


    "I guess it''s normal," he commented, adjusting his weapons. "There was an attack last time. They''re probably taking additional measures to protect the princess."


    "They''re not just looking after me," Larissa''s voice sounded right behind him.


    Ren turned to find not only Larissa, but the entire group of noble cousins with their companions. The twelve girls, now much more openly united than before, formed a semicircle around him.


    "Interesting choice of equipment," Luna commented, gesturing toward the spear and bow. "Not what I would expect from someone with your... knowledge."


    "I think the perception of weapons is mistaken... they''re tools and each one has its purpose," Ren responded simply.


    "We''re eager to accompany you in the gathering," Liora added with a small smile. "We want to know how it will be different from when we''re in the depths."


    Ren nodded, observing how the rest of the students organized themselves into groups. Unlike the last expedition, the atmosphere was completely different. Klein and Jin remained apart with their group reduced from 15 to only 9 people, now avoiding any direct confrontation with Ren.


    It was surprising how the dynamics had changed. The usual taunts, the provocations to gain popularity at his expense, all that had disappeared.


    Not even with Ren carrying weapons... they didn''t dare to openly bother someone who had the support of more than half the class, over twenty people, including the noble cousins.


    He also noticed he was no longer perceived as the inconvenience who had reduced a three-day trip to just two. Now he was someone everyone wanted to approach for advice.


    It was... refreshing. Not having to constantly defend himself. Being able to simply exist and share knowledge without fear of reprisal.


    "Attention everyone!" Zhao''s voice resonated above the conversations. "Gather for instructions."


    The students congregated around the professor, who had climbed onto one of the carriages to be more visible, his beast partially manifested, creating the impression of keen eyes that missed nothing.


    "The final gathering exam has simple rules," Zhao began, his authoritative voice gaining everyone''s immediate attention. "To pass, each student must individually collect values equivalent to ten thousand crystals."


    A murmur ran through the group. It was a considerable amount, especially for first-year students with little experience.


    "The professors will evaluate both the quantity and quality of the materials," Zhao continued. "It''s not just about accumulating common materials, but demonstrating discernment in selecting valuable resources."


    His eyes scanned the group, briefly stopping on Ren before continuing.


    "This year, due to exceptional circumstances, we will have additional security. Don''t be alarmed by the presence of so many adults; they''re here to ensure the experience is safe and productive." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhao made a significant pause.


    "Also," he added, "I want to clarify that division of the main group will not be permitted. You may work in small teams within the designated territory which will be larger this time, but no one should move beyond the established perimeter. This is for everyone''s safety."


    Ren exchanged glances with Min and Taro. Last time, he had strayed considerably from the group. This time, with so much surveillance, it would be more complicated to explore freely.


    "Finally," Zhao concluded, "remember that although this is an exam, it''s also an opportunity to learn. Observe, experiment, and above all, stay alert. The gathering territory, as you realized on the first trip, can be as generous as it is dangerous."


    With those words, Zhao gave the signal to board the caravan. The students began climbing into the vehicles, organizing themselves according to the professors'' instructions.


    While waiting for their turn, Lin approached Ren''s group.


    "This time I won''t miss the action," she commented, studying the weapons Ren carried. "Interesting choice by the way."


    "They''re just complementary tools," Ren explained, his fingers tracing the smooth contours of the bow.


    Lin nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "I''m intrigued to see how you''ll use them. And also how you''ll handle your new... popularity."


    She discreetly pointed toward where a group of students observed Ren with evident curiosity, their whispers barely audible over the general commotion.


    "I''m not seeking popularity," Ren responded sincerely. "Just doing my thing."


    "I know," Lin placed a hand on his shoulder for a brief moment. "Those things you carry will help reduce that popularity. But I think those things are part of what makes you... interesting."


    With those words, she headed toward the main caravan, where Yang and Wei were already organizing the students.


    As the caravan began to move, marking the official start of the journey, Ren couldn''t help but reflect on how things had changed in such a short time. From being an outcast with an apparently weak beast, to becoming someone whose opinion was valued and sought after.

 Chapter 211 - 211 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 2

    The caravan advanced at a steady pace, raising clouds of dust that shimmered golden under the mid-morning sun. The wheels creaked rhythmically against the packed earth, providing a constant backdrop to the conversations within.


    Students had naturally distributed themselves among the different vehicles, grouping according to affinities and alliances.


    In one of the carriages, Klein Goldcrest observed with a somber expression. The landscape passed before his eyes without him really seeing it, his mind trapped in a cycle of frustration and resentment that tightened his jaw and furrowed his brow.


    "Still thinking about your brother?" Astor asked in a low voice, seated across from him.


    Klein barely deigned to respond with a grunt. His lion briefly manifested in his hair and mouth, reflecting his internal agitation.


    "You shouldn''t worry so much," Feng intervened, adjusting his posture on the uncomfortable seat. "I''m sure that Harold will eventually turn up."


    "It''s not just that," Klein finally spoke, his voice tense. "It''s... everything."


    His gaze instinctively turned toward one of the forward carriages, where laughter and animated conversations could be heard even at a distance, the sound carried on the breeze like a taunt.


    "The fungus kid?" Astor correctly guessed, following Klein''s gaze.


    "Did you see what he was carrying?" Klein spat with disdain. "Weapons! Like any peasant! In a prestigious school where we''re supposed to cultivate powerful beasts, and he shows up with a bow and spear as if we were in some poor plebeian''s school."


    Jin, seated nearby with Cass and Kai, nodded vehemently. "It''s ridiculous. And everyone acts like he''s some kind of genius... Though I suppose it''s logical he needs those things with such a miserable beast."


    "Well," Astor commented cautiously, "his methods may be... unconventional, but his results are undeniable."


    The look Klein shot him could have melted metal. "Now you too?"


    "I''m just pointing out facts," Astor defended himself, raising his hands slightly. "I didn''t say I liked him." S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The problem isn''t him," Feng intervened. "The problem is that we aren''t progressing as quickly as we should."


    Klein couldn''t deny it, though it pained him to admit it. He was close to reaching Bronze rank, yes, but the pace was too slow for Goldcrest standards. Especially with Kassian breathing down his neck, waiting for any mistake to remind him of his inadequacy.


    "At least Astor has already evolved... That''s something."


    Jin, Kai, and Cass exchanged uncomfortable glances. None of the three had advanced significantly in their cultivation in the last few days. Not since...


    "I still think we should try it," Cass murmured, her fingers nervously braiding a loose thread from her sleeve.


    "Try what?" Jin asked, though by Kai''s expression, he already suspected the answer.


    "Move up to Bronze," Cass responded, confirming his suspicions. "Even though the fungus said we were cultivating wrong, are we going to listen to him?"


    "No, he''s definitely just jealous of our beasts!" Jin snapped, though his tone betrayed his insecurity. "He''s just trying to confuse us."


    "If you''re not going to listen to him... Then explain why you''ve paused your tiger''s cultivation for days," Feng challenged. "You''re suffering here because of a commoner''s words... Meanwhile, look at them."


    They all looked toward the forward carriage, where a new wave of laughter resonated. It was as if they were on a completely different journey.


    ????


    "...and then my father said it was the first time he''d seen anyone use a turtle shell as an improvised dress!" Min concluded his story, prompting another round of laughter that echoed against the carriage walls.


    "That can''t be true!" Mira exclaimed between laughs, her eyes shining with contained tears.


    "I swear on my snake," Min solemnly raised his hand, his water serpent lowering its head in sadness as its tamer used it as collateral. "Ask Ren, he knows how to distinguish the truth."


    All eyes turned to Ren, who was calmly carving a small piece of chitinous skeleton with his new dagger, the fine shavings collecting in a neat pile at his feet.


    "It''s true," he confirmed, his mushrooms pulsing with amusement. "Though the turtle probably wasn''t very happy."


    Another wave of laughter shook the carriage, making it seem to vibrate with their mirth.


    "What are you making?" Han asked, observing Ren''s meticulous work, leaning in for a better view.


    "A copy of Zhao''s feathers," Ren responded. "To have options in case I don''t learn to use my arrows in time."


    "Always working," Larissa commented with a playful smile. "Aren''t you going to enjoy the journey?"


    "This is enjoyable too," Ren responded simply, his mushrooms pulsing peacefully. "I''ve already lived my whole life with a direct view of the outskirts, plus... I like creating useful things."


    "Speaking of useful things," Taro intervened, "did anyone else notice how quiet Klein''s group is today?"


    "Hard not to notice," Luna commented, trying to appear cool although her smile betrayed her childish joy. "Usually Jin doesn''t miss an opportunity to mock someone."


    "They have more important things to worry about," Liora observed softly. "I heard from the director that Kassian has been applying a lot of pressure lately."


    "Kassian?" Min asked, tilting his head in curiosity.


    "Klein''s older brother. A real charmer," Larissa responded with evident sarcasm. "Imagine Klein, but with twice the size, arrogance, and no sense of humor."


    "Sounds terrible," Han grimaced, his shoulders tensing at the mere description.


    "He is," Larissa confirmed. "Plus, Klein has to gather enough materials to uphold his family''s reputation. The Goldcrests don''t accept mediocrity."


    "No noble family does," Liora murmured, almost to herself, her fingers tracing an invisible pattern on her knee.


    There was a moment of silence as everyone processed the comment, the weight of unspoken expectations hanging in the air.


    "Well," Taro finally intervened, "at least we have the gathering expert." He pointed toward Ren with a smile. "Right, Ren?"


    "I''m not an expert," Ren modestly denied. "I''m just... observant."


    "Observant?" Min burst out laughing. "Last time you identified more veins in an hour than the rest of us did all day."


    "Very observant..."


    "Look," Lin intervened from her seat at the front. "We''re almost there."


    The carriage began to slow down as they approached a small rest station, the wooden structure appearing on the horizon.


    "Remember," Lin added with an enigmatic smile, "pay attention to everything Ren shows you. You might learn something valuable."


    "Even you admit to learning from him?" Larissa asked with feigned surprise, her eyebrows arching dramatically.


    "A good teacher knows when to become a student," Lin responded simply, though her eyes shone with something akin to pride as she looked at Ren.

 Chapter 212 - 212 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 3

    "This year, the gathering territory also encompasses some shadow stalker caves in the peripheral zones," Zhao explained while the students gathered in a clearing, preparing to begin collection.


    "...However, I must emphasize that nobody should approach or enter these caves without a teacher''s company. They are significantly more dangerous than the exterior areas due to the sentinels."


    While Zhao continued with the general instructions, Ren studied the map they had been provided as he calculated distances and analyzed the marked geological formations to find the quickest route densest with resources.


    It was no longer just him, Taro and Min, but a complete entourage that included Larissa, Luna and Liora, accompanied by their maids Maria, Mayo and Matilda, plus the six guards. Han and his group had also joined them, as well as Mira''s.


    Min leaned toward him, noticing his evident interest. "You''re planning to enter one of those caves, aren''t you?"


    Ren nodded without lifting his gaze from the map. "It''s easier to get good materials there. I need to restock parts for my upcoming projects."


    Taro, who had been listening, sighed in resignation. "I suppose this means you''ll drag us into another dangerous adventure." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Nobody''s forcing you to come," Ren responded, though a small smile formed on his lips.


    "As if we had a choice," Min laughed softly. "The last time we left you alone, you came back with a hydra."


    A few meters away, Lin observed the conversation with a mixture of amusement and concern. Subtly, she approached Zhao while the students began to disperse.


    "He''s going to enter one of the caves," she commented without preamble.


    Zhao followed her gaze to where Ren and his friends continued studying the map. "I know. I expected it, in fact. He did the same thing the first time."


    "Shouldn''t I stop him?"


    "Stop him?" Zhao looked at her with an arched eyebrow. "You should follow him to better understand his ability first... Besides, you''ll be there to save them if necessary. We''re here primarily to evaluate their gathering capacity. If he could handle the challenge before, he surely can do it now. The Lin I know isn''t a worrywart mother..."


    Lin nodded, understanding the reasoning and ignoring the last part. "I''ll go with them."


    "I''d join, but..." Zhao gestured toward the other students who were already beginning to explore the area.


    "You have to supervise everyone," Lin completed his thought. "I understand. I''ll make sure they don''t get into too much trouble."


    Zhao studied her for a moment. "Based on his first visit to this place... I think he''s going to change your opinion of him even more."


    "My opinion is already very high," Lin responded diplomatically, though she couldn''t prevent a small smile. "Let''s see if he can really be... more interesting."


    ????


    "Are you sure it''s a good idea to head toward the caves so soon?" Mira asked as they advanced, pushing aside brambles that caught at their clothing. "There are many materials we could gather first."


    "Day time is limited, we''ll just collect some thread along the way," Ren responded. "But the most valuable materials are primarily in that direction."


    Lin caught up with them when they had already moved considerably away from the main group.


    "If you go to the cave, you''ll find a sentinel," she commented casually, "you should know that I''ll only observe. Asking me for help will cost you points on the exam."


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    Ren stopped, turning to look at her. "We don''t need help, Master."


    "Aren''t you overestimating your group of Bronzes and Irons against those dangerous beasts?" Lin crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.


    "I don''t intend to use the group''s power... I''m going to do something I couldn''t last time," Ren responded, his mushrooms pulsing with determination. "Take down a male shadow stalker by myself."


    Taro almost choked on his own saliva. "You what?"


    "They''re much more dangerous than common Bronze beasts," Min explained, his voice trembling slightly. "And significantly more aggressive."


    "They also have a very annoying ability, they''re a bit more resistant, plus..." Ren added.


    "They''re mortally dangerous just by approaching them," Lin completed, studying Ren with renewed interest. "How do you plan to face one?"


    In response, Ren simply patted his spear and the bow carefully secured to his back. "I have some ideas."


    "Some ideas?" one of the guards repeated with evident concern. "Those creatures are dangerous, especially for first-year students."


    "They''re dangerous even for other Bronze-rank creatures," another guard added. "Lady Larissa, perhaps we should consider targets more appropriate for your level."


    Larissa smiled with that mischievous expression everyone had learned to recognize as a signal for trouble. "Oh, but we have our beast expert here. Right, Ren?"


    All eyes fell on Ren, who continued advancing with determination, the dried leaves crunching softly beneath his boots.


    "I''m not an expert," he responded automatically. "I just understand them."


    "And your plan is...?" Luna asked.


    "Kill it from a distance," Ren explained. "The sentinels are a considerable danger in close combat, but they''re vulnerable to ranged attacks. Most Bronze beasts lack those means, especially in nearby areas, and that''s why they can''t beat them, but it''s just a bad matchup... They''re not actually that strong."


    Lin observed the exchange carefully, noting how Ren appeared completely confident as always.


    "With that?" Min pointed to the bow Ren carried. "I''ve never seen you shoot an arrow before."


    "There''s a first time for everything," Ren responded, though his tone suggested he was more confident than he had a right to be.


    They continued their way, now moving with greater stealth as they approached the edge of the designated territory. The forest grew denser here, shadows deeper, the air carrying a faint metallic scent that hinted at the proximity of the caves.


    After almost half an hour of walking, the group reached the limit of the designated gathering area. Ren indicated they should stop to collect Weaver threads from a large nearby tree while he went ahead to survey the terrain.


    ????


    Several dozen meters away, the entrance to a cave opened on the side of a rocky hill.


    "There," Ren pointed discreetly toward the cave entrance, where the male shadow stalker stood guard.


    An imposing creature mounted guard. Its whitish, semi-translucent body combined features of jellyfish and bat. Luminescent tentacles hung from its base, while enormous membranous wings pulsed rhythmically to keep it suspended.


    The group observed from a distance, camouflaged with moss and bark coverings provided by Zhao, making them appear like simple bark stalkers at rest, a strategy that was almost unnecessary considering that several members of the group were already Bronze rank, but Maria insisted on being cautious.


    "It''s bigger than I expected," whispered Taro, adjusting his camouflage from behind a tree.


    "The males always are," Ren responded while preparing his bow. "And much more dangerous than the females. Their ability to absorb vitality and mana works at a greater distance."


    "But it''s not alone," Liora added in a low voice, pointing toward the cave entrance. "There''s an entire colony of those same females in there."


    Ren nodded while preparing his bow, carefully selecting an arrow from his quiver. "But we''re outside their sensory range."


    "Are you sure you can hit it?" Han asked, studying the distance with a critical eye. "It''s a complicated shot."


    Ren hesitated a moment before admitting: "I don''t know, I''ve never tried it before."

 Chapter 213 - 213 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 4

    "Are you sure you can hit it?" Han asked, studying the distance with a critical eye. "It''s a complicated shot."


    Ren hesitated a moment before admitting: "I don''t know, I''ve never tried it before."


    Min, Roran, Jun, Trent, and Taro clamped their hands over their mouths to stifle laughter that might attract the sentinel. Their shoulders shook with suppressed mirth, eyes watering with the effort of containing their amusement.


    Above, in the branches of nearby trees, several white weavers observed with feline curiosity, their moth wings folded while their bright eyes followed every movement of the group. Their antennae twitched occasionally, sensing the subtle changes in the air.


    "Why don''t we just attack all together?" asked Liora, clearly anxious for some action. "We''re more than enough to defeat it."


    "Because I want to see if I can do it alone and because it''s not just the male," explained Ren without shifting his gaze from the target.


    "...In the cave there are hundreds of females that would respond to his call. If we attack with too many people and it perceives a threat, they''ll all come to its aid. That''s why the arrows are to lure it and draw it away from the entrance. If I can attract it to the forest edge, even better¡­ I''ll have a more certain shot."


    Ren drew the bow, the string taut against his fingers.


    Han observed Ren''s posture and shook his head. "You won''t hit like that."


    "Do you have a better suggestion?" Ren asked, without a trace of defensiveness in his voice.


    "Actually, yes." Han approached and adjusted the position of Ren''s arms. "Raise your elbow... like this. And when you breathe, do it deeply. Release on the exhale, not the inhale. And remember to compensate for distance and wind by aiming higher."


    Ren nodded, focusing intensely as he aimed. With a fluid movement, he released the arrow.


    The projectile crossed the air, tracing an elegant arc... that ended almost 5 meters to the left of the target. The jellyfish-bat didn''t even seem to notice it.


    "Not bad at all for a first attempt," Han commented diplomatically.


    "It was terrible," Mayo murmured, earning an elbow from Luna.


    "Try again," Han encouraged. "This time, aim a bit higher and to the right to compensate."


    Ren prepared another arrow, incorporating the suggested corrections. He inhaled deeply, his mushrooms pulsing with intensity. For a moment, it seemed everything around him vanished, leaving only him, the bow, and the target. With a new understanding of his weapon, he released the arrow.


    The second arrow embedded itself in one of the monster''s tentacles, provoking a furious hiss but dealing no significant damage. The entire appendage contracted like a spring before slowly unfurling again.


    "Good shot," Luna acknowledged, her tone revealing genuine admiration despite herself.


    "It''s detecting something," Lin warned, her posture tensing as she prepared to intervene if necessary.


    The creature emitted a sharp screech, its tentacles thrashing violently as it turned in the direction from which the attack came. The air seemed to ripple around it as its sensory organs expanded to their full capacity.


    "It saw us," Taro warned when the creature began advancing toward them.


    "Not yet, it''s searching for the culprit with its sensors, but we''re still far from them," Ren announced calmly, setting down the bow and taking his spear. "Luckily that screech of pain wasn''t a call for the females¡­ And it won''t be able to distinguish us among the trees and bushes from there. Now comes the dangerous part."


    "More dangerous than attracting that thing?" Min asked incredulously.


    The shadow stalker began cautiously advancing toward them, its sensors methodically scanning the area, sending out barely visible pulses of energy that disturbed the air.


    "Now or never," Ren positioned himself ready to go, mentally measuring the maximum distance he could maintain from the monster without sacrificing precision in his throw.


    The shadow stalker advanced ever closer, and everyone could feel the mana pressure diminishing in the environment as the creature voraciously absorbed it, creating a subtle mana vacuum.


    Before anyone could stop him, Ren emerged from his hiding place, advancing in a zigzagging pattern that seemed specifically calculated to confuse the creature. The jellyfish-bat understood the movement a second later, its tentacles extended as it descended to intercept him.


    "It''s too fast!" exclaimed one of the maids, watching in horror as the distance between Ren and the creature rapidly decreased.


    But everyone underestimated what Ren was now capable of. With his strength increased by 160%, his movements were faster and more precise than anyone would expect. His feet barely seemed to touch the ground as he darted between patches of cover.


    Ren stopped abruptly, his mushrooms pulsing intensely as he calculated angles and trajectories. With a fluid movement that seemed almost rehearsed, he threw the spear with all his strength.


    The weapon cut through the air like lightning, its tip briefly gleaming before penetrating the center of the jellyfish-bat. There was a moment of absolute silence as the creature remained motionless, suspended in the air as if time had stopped.


    Then, the jellyfish-bat fell to the ground with a dull thud and began to convulse. Its tentacles twisted erratically before falling inert, and its slightly luminescent body gradually began to fade, the light dimming like a dying star.


    The silence that followed was broken by Larissa, who began to applaud enthusiastically. "That was incredible!"


    "It wasn''t a big deal," Ren responded modestly while approaching the fallen creature to recover his spear. "Their movement patterns are predictable since they always launch straight to absorb their prey''s mana. They have no predators."


    Lin observed the scene with both, amazement and concern. The force with which Ren had thrown the spear was much greater than should be possible for someone with a 60% increase, even with her training...


    Her thoughts were interrupted by Taro and Min, who ran toward Ren to examine the creature up close.


    "How did you know it would work on the first hit?" Taro asked, observing how Ren methodically began examining the jellyfish-bat, identifying the parts he needed.


    "Throwing with my hands feels easier to me," Ren commented as he carefully began extracting the translucent wing membranes with his dagger. "Based on its anatomy, I only needed to hit a vital organ, and aiming for the largest one had the highest probability of success." Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire


    The others approached gradually, curiosity overcoming their initial caution.


    "Careful with the tentacles," Ren warned. "They''re quite dangerous even after death."


    "Hearing that from you is even creepier," murmured Han, instinctively stepping back.


    "Those materials," Liora approached to observe the membranes and tentacles Ren was extracting, "what exactly are they for?"


    "Among other things," Ren responded, focused on his task, "they''re excellent for absorbing mana if you block the vitality absorption... Though I''ll need a large bark stalker again."


    Ren extracted the tentacles with meticulous precision, using cheap gloves to avoid direct contact. One by one, he deposited them in skin bags he had brought specifically for this purpose, each sealed with a careful knot. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "But if there are potions to control your mana saturation, why do you want those?" asked Luna, observing the care with which Ren sealed each bag.


    "They''re different, plus I ran out of the ones I had," he responded simply. "They''re invaluable for certain cultivation techniques."


    "How much is all that worth?" Roran asked, watching the parts that Ren was meticulously separating.


    "The wing membranes, about a thousand crystals each," Ren calculated. "The central core almost nothing, the tentacle filaments, and other parts could be used as Bronze beast discards for 100 crystals, but probably nobody would want them because they''re dangerous to handle..." he smiled slightly while extracting a crystalline structure from the center of the creature.


    "Only two thousand in total," Mira calculated quickly. "A Bronze creature and it''s worth so little!"


    "Don''t worry," Ren responded while carefully finishing packing his trophies. "This was just the beginning. The real gathering starts now that we have access to the cave."


    Min looked at him with disbelief, his eyes widening. "Wait a minute. This whole time you''ve been telling us how dangerous it would be to alert the females because they''re too many and deadly in groups. And now you want us to go directly into their nest?"

 Chapter 214 - 214 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 5

    Min looked at him with disbelief, his eyes widening. "Wait a minute. This whole time you''ve been telling us how dangerous it would be to alert the females because they''re too many and deadly in groups. And now you want us to go directly into their nest?"


    "The point was to prevent the male from alerting them," explained Ren while checking his tools. "If we keep noise to a minimum and don''t wake them, we won''t die."


    "We won''t die," repeated Min. "Great. Very reassuring."


    Despite their doubts, nobody seriously protested when Ren began advancing toward the entrance first. Everyone knew that, despite his strange methods, Ren had proven during their visits to the depths that he wouldn''t put them in danger unless he was certain he could protect them in the worst case.


    The cave descended at a soft gradual angle, with walls that glowed faintly thanks to pure mana crystals embedded in the rock. The light they emitted was sufficient to navigate without torches, which was convenient considering the need for stealth. Stay updated through My Virtual Library Empire


    Not that they needed them with Ren''s mushrooms at the front though.


    The air grew cooler as they descended, carrying a faint metallic scent that tingled in their nostrils.


    "These crystals," Ren indicated in a murmur as they advanced, "collect all you can. It''s difficult to obtain pure crystals of this size without access to a vein. The pure ones the kingdom distributes are always in large denominations so it''s convenient to be able to easily take them here instead of wasting time at the vein again. The sentinel won''t need them anymore..."


    The group began carefully extracting the most accessible crystals, the soft scraping against the stone barely audible in the hushed silence.


    "They''re worth double the normal ones," commented Ren while storing several. "But they''re difficult to obtain and... Their true value lies in their applications for initial cultivation."


    After collecting all the easy crystals, they continued their descent. The tunnel gradually widened until it opened into a large chamber where dozens, no, hundreds of female shadow stalkers slept in groups, adhered to the walls and ceiling like enormous bats. Their translucent bodies pulsed with light bioluminescence, casting eerie, shifting shadows across the cavern floor.


    Everyone instinctively stopped, holding their breath at the sight. The creatures, smaller than the male but equally lethal, pulsed softly with a rhythm that suggested deep sleep. Occasional soft chirps and whistles escaped them, creating an unsettling symphony.


    "Don''t make much noise," whispered Ren, so low he was barely audible. "And don''t wake any of them. We''re not going to kill any yet."


    "Yet?" Taro silently articulated, shooting him a worried look.


    Ren simply gestured for them to follow and began advancing along the edge of the chamber, keeping as far as possible from the walls where the creatures rested. The group followed in single file, each step calculated to minimize sound, even their breath controlled.


    At a particularly tense moment, one of the shadow stalkers moved in its sleep, partially extending its tentacles before returning to its position. The entire group froze, nobody daring to even breathe until the creature settled again. Larissa''s hand found Luna''s in the darkness, squeezing tightly.


    After what seemed like an eternity, they reached another tunnel that descended even deeper into the cave. They continued advancing for several minutes in silence, until the tunnel finally opened into a new chamber, larger but with a clearly different purpose than sleeping.


    "The molting chamber," announced Ren, his voice returning to a more normal volume though still controlled. "What we were looking for."


    The chamber was filled with discarded skins, all nearly complete, piled in mounds that reached almost to the low ceiling in some areas.


    "They''re beautiful without any scratches," murmured Liora, approaching to examine one of the upper skins, which appeared to be in better condition than those below. The membrane felt cool and slightly slick beneath her fingers.


    "And quite valuable," added Ren. "The ones on top are the most recent, therefore the best preserved. Even some slightly older ones from the pile can serve, at least for the exam''s purpose." S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "How much is each worth?" asked Han, already mentally calculating, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.


    "Depending on the condition," Ren responded while examining a particularly well-preserved skin, holding it up to catch the faint light, "between 300 and 250 crystals. The old or damaged ones, perhaps between 50 and 100."


    "With just 33 or 34 of the good ones, any of us could meet the exam requirement," calculated Larissa, clearly impressed.


    "Exactly," Ren nodded. "Last time I couldn''t carry too many because of the weight and space, but there should be about 30 for each of us here... Collect all those in acceptable condition. We''ll look for more chambers like this during the rest of the day."


    "There are more?" asked Han, surprised.


    "At least three more, if my calculations are correct based on this colony''s size," confirmed Ren. "Shadow stalker colonies always make multiple molting chambers. It takes little time for them to degrade, but with just one chamber for this big a colony, it would fill faster than they disintegrate."


    The group began to work, selecting and packing the best-preserved skins. Each had to be handled carefully to avoid additional damage, and properly packed to maintain its integrity during transport. The soft rustling of membranes and whispered instructions created a strange harmony in the dimly lit chamber.


    As the skins accumulated and backpacks began to fill, the atmosphere among the group became more relaxed. The expedition''s success was practically assured now, even if they found nothing else.


    "This is just the beginning," commented Ren while packing the last usable skin in his backpack. "The other chambers may contain even more, especially if we continue descending."


    "Further down?" Taro couldn''t help but ask with certain apprehension. "Where there are more sleeping shadow stalkers, I assume?"


    "Yes," Ren confirmed naturally, as if discussing the weather.


    "Of course," sighed Min. "Because we can never simply settle for what''s safe and easy."


    Ren smiled slightly, his mushrooms pulsing with what seemed like amusement. "That''s the easy part. The hard part comes when you help me get some small tentacles."


    The silence that followed was immediate and absolute. Taro almost dropped the skin he was examining, his face draining of color.


    "Tentacles?" Mira finally asked, her voice a worried whisper. "From the live females?"


    "Of course," Ren nodded as if discussing something as simple as picking flowers. "The sentinel''s are for one thing, but the females'' have different uses. Equally valuable to me."


    "And you n-need our help...?" Han left the question hanging in the air.


    "You''ll give me your help as thanks, won''t you?" Ren responded simply. "For bringing you here and showing you these chambers. It''s a fair exchange."


    Everyone audibly swallowed, exchanging looks of resignation mixed with nervousness. Finally, they nodded one by one, their faces a mixture of dread and determination.

 Chapter 215 - 215 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 6

    Everyone audibly swallowed, exchanging looks of resignation mixed with nervousness. Finally, they nodded one by one, their faces a mixture of dread and determination.


    "I suppose it''s the least we can do," admitted Mira. "Considering that with what we''ve collected, the exam is basically passed."


    "Exactly," Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with approval. "And don''t worry, I have a method that minimizes the risk."


    Two molting chambers later, their backpacks were completely full, and some had even had to improvise additional bags with cloth they carried for emergencies. The weight made the shoulders of some ache, but the promise of success outweighed the discomfort.


    "We can''t carry any more," announced Taro, adjusting his already overflowing load. "It''s time to return."


    "First," Ren intervened, pulling the weaver thread from his pack, "we have one last pending matter."


    The group visibly tensed, shoulders rising and jaws tightening, but nobody protested when Ren began explaining the process.


    "This weaver thread you collected," he instructed while demonstrating how to manipulate it, his fingers working with hypnotic precision. "It''s extremely good for dealing with shadow stalkers. The key is approaching close enough to loop it around the neck, but not so close as to enter their passive absorption range."


    "And if it wakes up?" asked Han, studying the thread with skepticism, rolling it between his fingers.


    "Then you back away and run to alert me," Ren responded pragmatically. "I''ll use the male''s core to give us time to escape... But if you do it correctly, the other females will never know we were here."


    They cautiously returned to the main chamber, where hundreds of female shadow stalkers continued sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the intruders'' presence or the looting of their molting chambers.


    Though they wouldn''t care... One''s trash could be another''s treasure.


    Ren approached the edge of the wall where one of the females hung. With fluid and precise movements, he extended the thread and looped it around its neck. A clean pull, and it stopped breathing. The creature twitched slightly, but didn''t wake in time before oxygen ceased flowing to her brain. Her tentacles went limp, the bioluminescence fading like a dying light.


    "That simple," he whispered, carefully storing the specimen and covering the tentacles with one of the molt skins. "Now you."


    With evident nervousness, the group dispersed throughout the chamber, each selecting a target and preparing for the procedure. Their hands trembled slightly as they stretched their threads, the silence broken only by the soft, collective sound of controlled breathing.


    ????


    Almost everyone had succeeded their first one, though Ren had to help "nervous fingers Taro" as Min whispered teasingly.


    Min approached a female slowly, still chuckling under his breath, the thread secured between his fingers. But when he was about to loop it, his right foot slipped slightly on a small slope.


    Min managed to regain his balance, his arms windmilling almost comically.


    But the sound was enough to make the shadow stalker stir. Its tentacles began moving erratically, and Min froze in place, panic evident on his face, the blood draining visibly.


    Ren gave him a light tap on the head and quickly silenced the female just before she could wake the others... he had been close as a precaution, knowing Min was distracted teasing Taro.


    From the other side of the wall, Mayo rolled her eyes and mockingly gestured at Min''s failure, as if saying "seriously?" Her exaggerated expression of disbelief was comical.


    But the distraction of her own mockery almost resulted in an equally serious disaster. While gesturing with her arms mimicking Min, her thread tickled another sleeping female.


    This time, the creature emitted a low hiss that made the entire group hold their breath. For a few eternal seconds, no one moved, no one breathed.


    Finally, the shadow stalker returned to its resting state, and the tension in the chamber dissipated slightly, replaced by collective relief.


    Larissa and Luna each presented one of their elbows to Mayo''s ribs, the synchronized jabs making her wince silently.


    Min and Mayo exchanged embarrassed looks... before returning to their tasks with renewed concentration, their earlier smugness completely evaporated.


    After several minutes of meticulous work, each group member had captured two females without waking the others. The bundles of inert creatures were carefully wrapped and stowed, tentacles safely contained.


    "That''s enough," Ren finally announced, observing the contributions everyone carried. "Now we can leave."


    Exiting the cave proved considerably less tense than entering. With their objectives fulfilled and their backpacks bursting at the seams, the group advanced with renewed confidence through the tunnels. The weight of their bounty, though physically burdensome, seemed to lighten their steps.


    Upon emerging into the afternoon light, Lin congratulated them with something resembling pride on her face.


    "The expedition was successful," she commented, her crane manifesting briefly in approval.


    "More than successful," responded Larissa, unable to contain her enthusiasm. "We have enough to pass the exam three times over!"


    "One hundred skins each, approximately," calculated Liora with precision. "Between twenty-five and thirty-five thousand crystals in value, depending on the final quality."


    Mira still couldn''t believe it... genuinely impressed at accomplishing it so easily thanks to Ren. "Who would have thought we''d get all that on the first day?"


    "Very impressive," acknowledged Han, studying Ren with renewed interest.


    ???? Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The group returned to the main camp, where Zhao and the other professors supervised the rest of the students. Even from a distance, they could see the expressions of astonishment on the faces of those who noticed their bulging loads, jaws dropping as they approached.


    As they neared the camp, Ren noticed Jin and his group watching them with disbelief and barely disguised resentment, their eyes narrowing as they took in the obviously successful expedition.


    "Seems we have admirers," murmured Luna, following Ren''s gaze.


    "Not for long," he responded, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "Let''s leave everything with the teachers who keep count and return."


    "Return?" Min groaned dramatically. "Can''t we just relax and enjoy our success for the next half of the day?"


    "We could," Ren smiled enigmatically. "But then we''d miss out on an extra 30,000 crystals for today that can be 50,000 after processing."


    Min sighed with melodramatic resignation. "I suppose rest will have to wait."


    "There''s always time to rest when you''re dead," commented Mayo cheerfully. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire


    "Then I''d prefer never to rest," replied Min with a mock scowl.


    "Perfect, work then," responded Mayo, flicking his arm playfully.


    As the group finally reached the camp, ready to register their impressive haul, Ren couldn''t help but feel a quiet satisfaction. Not just for the valuable materials they had obtained, but for how decently the group had functioned.


    At least to help him carry more than 40 females...


    And to make his adventure more enjoyable.


    The tentacles he would accumulate were valuable for his cultivation, without doubt, but the bond forged during this expedition might prove even more valuable than he had expected.

 Chapter 216 - 216 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 7

    The first day of gathering culminated in a procession that resembled more a victory parade than the return of simple students.


    Ren''s group, loaded to impossible limits with perfectly preserved shadow stalker skins, emerged from the wooded area as the sun began to set. The golden light caught on their burdens, casting elongated shadows across the ground and making their silhouettes seem almost heroic against the darkening sky.


    This second time they had organized the transport better.


    Unfortunately, Shizu''s Wolverine hadn''t yet reached Silver rank, so she couldn''t use the space within it to store even more skins.


    But Matilda''s turtle had created several wooden rods they used to build a platform that transported the additional piles of skins that wouldn''t fit in their backpacks.


    The contraption swayed gently as they walked, the weight distributed among several bearers.


    The image was as absurd as it was impressive: first-year students returning with enough loot to embarrass experienced gatherers. Their faces, though tired, beamed with unmistakable pride.


    "How many do you think there are in total?" asked Han while adjusting the heavy load they all supported from various sides.


    "We''ve completely emptied three molting chambers and almost half the fourth today," responded Ren, who was the only one breathing calmly as if he weren''t carrying several extra kilos. "Approximately 250 skins per person. Considering that we''re 21..."


    "More than 5,000 skins," calculated Liora. "Each of us with an approximate value greater than 70,000 crystals."


    In the main camp, activity gradually stopped as students noticed the group''s arrival. Expressions ranged from disbelief to open envy. The afternoon''s chatter faded into stunned silence as they approached.


    A student from another group dropped the small sack of herbs and thread he had spent all day gathering. Compared to what Ren''s group brought, his loot seemed like the leftovers from the leftovers from a banquet. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s impossible," murmured an assistant loudly enough to be heard. "Not even fifth-year students get this much in the full three days."


    Even Zhao, who supervised the registration station, couldn''t prevent his eyes from widening upon seeing the quantities they began to declare. The normally composed professor blinked rapidly, as if not trusting what his eyes were showing him.


    He knew Ren was special, but this...


    His professional expression briefly faltered, revealing the passionate explorer hiding beneath the instructor fa?ade.


    "One and a half million crystals in value..." he murmured while reviewing the records. "In one day."


    "The cave was especially well-stocked," commented Ren casually while completing his form. "They had their molting cycle recently, luckily."


    "Especially well-stocked," repeated Zhao, a resigned smile forming on his lips. "I suppose that''s one way to describe it."


    A few meters away, Klein''s group observed the scene with somber expressions. Despite having taken down several bark stalkers with their group of 9 and the help of Astor''s Bronze-rank beast, they had barely managed to obtain materials worth more than five thousand crystals each.


    "It doesn''t make sense," muttered Klein, his lion manifesting due to frustration, golden patterns rippling across his skin. "We have noble, powerful, and expensive beasts. We should be getting more than a group of mediocre students."


    "Your beast is indeed the strongest if we don''t take into account Luna''s cheating strategies, leader... But I think the fungus kid is cheating, someone must be telling him where things are for sure," responded Hector, his hands nervously twisting his clothes.


    "It could be Lin or Zhao helping him out of pity, and despite us having the best beasts... Strong beasts aren''t much use if you don''t know where to look for the materials," added Astor.


    "Sounds possible, how would he know about rare evolutions or obtain so many points in the exam otherwise? And it seems the fungus kid always knows exactly where the valuable stuff is," concluded Feng.


    "Maybe it''s just insane luck," insisted Jin from where he sat, grumpily rolling up a long line of thread. "There''s no way those professors would give someone with no future so much just out of pity."


    Cass let out a dry laugh. "All that he''s obtained? Nobody has that much luck... I''d be more inclined to believe he really knows everything like he hinted on the first day of school."


    "Nobody can be born knowing everything... So they''re hiding something from us," concluded Klein, his eyes fixed on Ren as he methodically organized his loot. "Who is that damn fungus kid really?"


    Meanwhile, Mira and her group couldn''t contain their enthusiasm while sharing the amazing details of their expedition with other students who had approached, drawn by the impressive quantity of materials. They gestured animatedly, recreating scenes from their adventure.


    "Are you telling me the mushroom boy eliminated the sentinel with that strange spear and you didn''t wake any females inside the cave while you took all those skins?" asked a student from another group, clearly skeptical.


    "We almost woke them," Han smiled, exchanging a knowing look with Min and Mayo. "There were some tense moments."


    "Ren knew exactly which routes to take in that labyrinth of caves," added Liora. "It was as if he had a map in his head."


    Gradually, the story of their expedition spread throughout the camp, growing and becoming embellished with each retelling. By the time they finished registering all the materials, the feat had become almost legendary among the more than 50 first-year students.


    Most impressive, however, was that in the end, no one questioned the reality of the facts. They didn''t need to. The facts spoke for themselves, and the mountain of valuable materials was silent but eloquent testimony to their success.


    The tent, considerably larger and more robust than in previous expeditions, served as an operations center for the instructors and general dormitory.


    When they finally retreated to the enormous tent for dinner, gazes followed them, some of admiration, others of envy, but in all had grown an undeniable respect for the mushroom boy. The atmosphere inside was a bit awkward for the group with the whispers and sidelong glances.


    "It''s almost uncomfortable," commented Taro while being served a generous portion of stew, the rich aroma rising in steamy tendrils. "The way everyone looks at us."


    "You''ll get used to it," responded Larissa cheerfully. "It comes with the territory when you do something noteworthy."


    "It''s going to get worse then," intervened Ren, "Tomorrow I want to eliminate some large bark stalkers and then we can focus on the last cave."


    "Aren''t we going to finish looting the first cave?" asked Liora, delicately wiping her mouth with a napkin.


    Ren shook his head, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "We''re going to leave the last chamber for the other students if they can find it. It''s already half empty anyway... There''s a whole complete cave waiting on the other side, and I think the sentinel will be of higher quality."


    The group continued discussing plans for the following day, oblivious to how their success had subtly changed the dynamics of the entire camp. They were no longer simple first-year students; they had become a phenomenon that would be recounted for posterity in the expeditions of future generations. Your next chapter awaits on My Virtual Library Empire


    ????


    The professors gathered in the command tent.


    In the small section of the tent designated as an office, Zhao collapsed heavily into a chair, the wooden frame creaking under his weight.


    "Seventy thousand crystals," he repeated for the umpteenth time, shaking his head. "Seventy thousand in one day. When I was their age, it took me an entire semester to gather fifty thousand."


    Lin, seated across from him with a steaming cup of tea, smiled slightly. "It was impressive. The way he eliminated the sentinel, watching him locate the molting chambers as if strolling through his home without a second''s doubt that he was on the right path, how they extracted several specimens without waking the other females..."


    "And I missed it all," lamented Zhao, the explorer in him momentarily overcoming the disciplined professor and soldier. "While you enjoyed a fun and interesting expedition, I was stuck supervising everyone from above."

 Chapter 217 - 217 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 8

    "And I missed it all," lamented Zhao, the explorer in him momentarily overcoming the disciplined professor and soldier. "While you enjoyed a fun and interesting expedition, I was stuck supervising everyone from above."


    "You think you''ve had bad luck with work assignments since that kid arrived, yet I don''t even know if what I do is still work," commented Wei from where he was reviewing notes for the upcoming theoretical exam. His voice sounded distant, clearly more concerned with his own problems, his fingers nervously tapping against the paper.


    "It''s not about good or bad luck... Though luck is what Lin had," responded Zhao, shooting her an accusatory look without real malice. "Three molting chambers. It must have been like finding three treasure chests on the same day."


    "Four, actually," Lin corrected. "But they left the fourth already half-looted, probably going straight to the next cave from how insistent I saw Ren being, making them carry more on the last trip."


    "Interesting," a voice intervened from the farthest corner of the tent, where a tall figure remained partially in the shadows. "And you say Ren located them all without any prior map?"


    Julius, who had remained hidden underground even from the students, advanced slightly. His presence on the expedition was a well-guarded secret from potential spies, part of the "exaggerated" security measures implemented after recent incidents.


    "As if he had visited them before," confirmed Lin. "Which should be impossible, but..."


    "With that boy, the word ''impossible'' seems to lose meaning," Zhao completed, leaning back in his chair.


    Wei looked up from his notes, his expression worried and perhaps the gleam of madness in his eyes betrayed his scattered mind thanks to his desperation. "I wonder if it would be ''impossible'' to have him review the theoretical exam. Although with the little time left, I don''t think I could explain the fundamental principles of universal cultivation to them even if I were given a book that truly explained it."


    The comment revealed the true source of his anxiety. It wasn''t the exam he would supervise in just under a month. Rather, it was the possibility that he had been teaching incorrect things all along.


    Zhao noticed immediately. "Have you been able to teach any classes after what Lin told me happened? I thought you had decided to give the usual exam for now."


    "I''ve thought about it," admitted Wei with evident frustration. "But every time I read the questions, I find myself questioning if my outdated ideas are correct. It''s as if my entire reality is being questioned by a ten-year-old."


    "A ten-year-old genius," Julius corrected distractedly. "And he''s not the first prodigy to challenge established knowledge..."


    "History was... is different," Wei shook his head, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Knowledge changes gradually. But he seems to have a complete system, possibly coherent for all beasts and... possibly correct."


    The silence that followed was heavy, laden with implications that none could fully understand yet.


    "Then why don''t you dedicate yourself to verifying if all the information he claims is wrong is actually so and that the new species discovered hasn''t just been a fluke... It would be a better use of your time than worrying and not being productive, I''m going to fire you if you don''t work you know? But I''m even willing to subsidize all efforts you make with the boy to correct our kingdom''s information that''s wrong..." Julius concluded.


    Wei looked up, finding a small hope. Zhao nodded, also in agreement with the prince. Lin, on the other hand, looked away, snorted and grimaced, crossing her arms. Julius realized she didn''t get along well with Wei, but by not saying anything, she seemed to be reluctantly accepting the idea too.


    The three men discussed some plans about how they could incentivize Ren to help Wei for a while, their voices rising and falling in the lamp-lit tent. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally, Zhao changed the subject. "Anyway, tomorrow I''ll observe closely. I don''t intend to miss another historic expedition."


    "If they decide to do another one," commented Lin. "They''ve already obtained seven times the requirement... Ren might decide he can skip his exercises today and sleep in at the last minute. They could simply rest for the remainder of the expedition."


    "Rest?" Zhao let out a laugh. "Ren? The boy who escaped to explore beyond the limit in the first expedition without a decent beast? I don''t think so, first..."


    Suddenly, a subtle but unmistakable tremor shook the ground beneath them. So slight it might have gone unnoticed if not for the sudden silence that fell over the conversation.


    The four exchanged looks, all previous discussion instantly forgotten. The air in the tent seemed to grow thicker, charged with tension.


    "Was that...?" Wei began, his voice trailing off.


    Julius was already standing, his expression transformed from interested to alert. "Yes," he confirmed simply. "And it shouldn''t have happened here."


    Something was moving beneath them, something that shouldn''t be there.


    ????


    Moments ago¡­


    The huge black structure that protected them at night was lightly illuminated by lots of cheap mana crystals, their light casting dancing shadows on the boys'' obtained skins, which rested carefully arranged on the ground. The extra flickering light from nearby fire pits created an ever-shifting pattern across their makeshift beds.


    The camp had a fairly predictable night routine: first basic survival lessons (how to light fires without igneous beasts practically applying Mei''s theoretical classes, identify edible plants and beasts, recognize attack patterns of some nocturnal creatures), then the community dinner, and finally rest in simple but clearly delineated areas...


    Boys on one side, girls on the other.


    None of the academy''s usual comforts were present. There were no soft beds or the possibility of a relaxing bath after an exhausting day. It was part of the training, Zhao had explained: learning to survive with the minimum, learning to adapt.


    Of course, Ren''s group had elevated their own comfort level. Adapting better.


    The shadow stalker skins, normally used exclusively for sale or cultivation, had proven to be excellent insulators. The worst quality ones (those older, with small tears or stains that significantly reduced their value) now covered the floor of their section, creating a surprisingly comfortable surface.


    "We should market this when we get back," suggested Min while settling on the skins. "Premium shadow stalker beds, the ultimate luxury for the discerning tamer."


    "They''d be too expensive," responded Taro, who was meticulously organizing his day''s collection. "Nobody would pay what they''re really worth just for a bed."


    "Speak for yourself," Han yawned, stretching like a satisfied cat. "After sleeping like this out here, I''ll never be able to sleep on the ground again."


    Ren listened to the conversation with divided attention, his mushrooms pulsing softly while he adjusted his own area. Unlike the others, he had placed his skins in a specific pattern, seemingly random but actually following a configuration that minimized contact with the ground.


    "Why have you arranged them like that?" asked Jun, noticing the peculiar arrangement. "It looks like you''re creating some kind of ritual circle."


    "Better distribution of the upper tips," Ren responded automatically, though his true purpose was more complex. The skins, placed that way, allowed him to better feel the ground''s vibrations, as sensing what was beneath him had become a habit after so much subterranean exploration.


    Though there shouldn''t be anything beneath them in this area.

 Chapter 218 - 218 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 9

    Though there shouldn''t be anything beneath them in this area.


    The conversation drifted toward plans for the following day. The boys'' voices gradually lowered as fatigue from the day''s exertions settled in their bodies.


    Gradually, the conversation died down, replaced by deep breathing and occasional snores. The night silence was only interrupted by the distant sounds of local fauna and the crackling of the central fire that remained lit all night.


    Ren was about to fall asleep but still awake, his mushrooms pulsing softly in a slow and constant rhythm.


    It was then that he felt it.


    A subtle vibration, almost imperceptible, transmitted through the skins. So slight that anyone else would have confused it with their own breathing, or perhaps with the movement of a nearby companion.


    But Ren managed to distinguish it.


    This vibration was different: deep, rhythmic, and above all, impossible.


    His mushrooms pulsed with greater intensity while he processed what he was feeling.


    It was a...


    It was a...


    A...


    A lesser worm? S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was undoubtedly the characteristic movement of a lesser worm, but there was something fundamentally wrong with it.


    Worms shouldn''t be able to come so close to the surface, not in this area.


    Ren mentally reviewed the subterranean geography he knew from the information that had never failed him.


    Mana in the subsoil was and wasn''t distributed uniformly at the same time.


    It wasn''t a simple sphere of mana that behaved the same throughout the world. It was more like an icosahedron from which one of the points originated in the city''s castle, with distribution lines that followed specific geometric patterns.


    The main mana arteries, those major veins that transported energy from the depths, followed predictable trajectories based on the points of this geometric figure.


    Between these arteries, the figure''s lines connected in a straight and direct manner, but because the earth is a sphere, the subsoil''s mana was distributed in a gentle but constant slope as it moved away from the points.


    Surface mana, on the other hand, radiated from the light abyss crack and acted as a force field, like an atmosphere that lost its strength as it moved away from that crack. Like a belt for the planet...


    An incomplete shield.


    At the current depth Ren could perceive it, so close to the surface of the iron ring, there shouldn''t be enough mana to sustain a worm for long, not even a lesser one.


    The closest point with the appropriate concentration would be about two hundred meters underground, a considerable distance for a displaced worm¡­ even if it was being pursued, it wouldn''t have gone that far.


    Or at least not a big chance to be escaping perfectly vertically for more than 50 meters.


    Those 200 meters should also always be free of mana, without exception.


    Environmental mana neither rises nor falls, doesn''t invade spaces; when in the environment, it behaves like radiation and only at certain concentrations and pressure does it become a resistant crystal.


    The shadow stalker caves, while deep by human standards and able to descend between 20 and 30 meters, barely scratched the surface in geological terms.


    They didn''t remotely reach the natural territory of worms. The two species simply didn''t overlap in their habitual distribution.


    ''Unless...'' Ren sat up slowly. ''What if the mana distribution is changing?''


    The idea was disturbing. The structure of subterranean mana had remained constant for millennia according to what his knowledge whispered.


    The recent opening of the seed certainly qualified as a slightly disruptive event, but its effects should have been localized, concentrated primarily in the immediate area 300 meters below the academy. This gathering site was too far from that to be affected.


    Ren placed his hand directly on the ground, eliminating even the layer of skins to obtain a clearer sensation. The vibration continued; he hadn''t imagined anything. The cool earth beneath his palm seemed to tremble with a rhythm.


    He considered waking the others, but what exactly would he tell them? That he had felt a vibration suggesting the impossible presence of a worm near the surface? That he suspected the fundamental structure of mana might be altering?


    ''I need more information before causing an uproar; it''s not trying to reach the surface anyway,'' he decided, remaining alert and focused on the movement.


    His mind began analyzing other possibilities. Perhaps it wasn''t a natural worm. It could be the vibrations of a tamer simulating a lesser worm with great precision, though that would raise the question of who and why someone would be digging so close to the camp.


    There was also the possibility that it was a natural phenomenon unrelated to worms. But extremely coincidentally similar to worm movement.


    But none of these explanations made much sense. The patterns were too perfect, too organic to be mechanical, and too deep for someone trying to spy or seeking to invade...


    Finally, he decided that, without more information, it was best to alert Zhao. If something really was altering the subterranean mana distribution, it wasn''t a matter to be taken lightly.


    Carefully, so as not to wake his companions, Ren silently rose. Min mumbled something in his sleep and turned over, but didn''t wake. The others continued sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the anomaly Ren had detected.


    As he headed toward the professors'' section, Ren kept his steps light and calculated, avoiding any sudden movements that might alert the subterranean creature. His mushrooms barely pulsed, reducing their glow to a minimum to avoid drawing attention in the camp''s dim light.


    The teachers'' tent was guarded by two assistants who watched the small fabric entrance.


    Before Ren could explain the situation, the door opened from within and Zhao emerged, his tense expression revealing that something had already alerted him.


    "Professor," whispered Ren, approaching cautiously. "There''s something moving under the camp. A vibration pattern similar to a worm''s, but impossibly close to the surface."


    Zhao studied Ren for a moment upon finding him awake, surprise briefly flickering across his features. "We''ve felt it too," he confirmed in a low voice, guiding Ren a few steps away from the guards. "But we''ve already sent someone with earth specialty to investigate. It shouldn''t represent an immediate danger."


    Instead of feeling relieved, Ren frowned. Something in the explanation didn''t match the vibrations he had felt. If they had already sent someone, he should have detected a second presence, not just the worm''s movement.


    So surely that someone had just set out.


    Following his impulse, Ren knelt and placed both hands directly on the ground, closing his eyes to focus completely on the sensations transmitted through the earth.


    Now he could clearly distinguish two entities: one with the unmistakable pattern of a lesser worm, moving erratically as if fleeing, and another significantly larger and faster that pursued it with relentless elemental earth control.


    Finally, the larger entity reached the worm. There was only a moment of struggle before everything became strangely still.


    Ren slowly opened his eyes, finding Zhao and watching him intently.


    "Is it Julius?" asked Ren directly, his voice barely audible.

 Chapter 219 - 219 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 10

    "Is it Julius?" asked Ren directly, his voice barely audible.


    The surprise that crossed Zhao''s face was revealing. His eyes widened momentarily before he could control his expression. He quickly looked around, ensuring no one else had heard.


    "Yes," he finally confirmed, placing a finger over his lips in a clear gesture for silence. "But you shouldn''t know that, and we definitely shouldn''t be discussing this here."


    Without further explanation, Zhao took Ren lightly by the shoulder and guided him toward the professors'' tent. The guards appeared surprised but didn''t question the professor as both entered, the heavy canvas flap falling shut behind them.


    The tent''s interior wasn''t new to Ren. Detailed maps covered a central table, illuminated by soft light crystals that cast a warm glow over the gathered faces. Lin and Wei were discussing in hushed tones when Zhao and Ren entered, their conversation halting abruptly.


    "He felt the vibrations," Zhao explained without preamble. "And he''s already learned that Julius is here."


    Lin didn''t seem particularly surprised. "Of course he felt them," she commented, studying Ren with an evaluative gaze. "The question is whether he has any idea what might be happening." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m not sure," Ren responded, his eyes traveling over the maps spread across the table. "But I''ve seen strange behaviors from creatures at school. Especially near the seed..."


    The three professors exchanged significant looks.


    "Sit," Lin indicated, pointing to a chair near the table. "We need to talk about what you just witnessed."


    Ren obeyed, his mushrooms pulsing softly while evaluating the situation. He hadn''t expected his simple decision to warn about an anomalous worm would lead to this impromptu meeting with the professors.


    "Julius is here along with many more auxiliaries and guards as an additional security measure because of what happened on the first trip," explained Zhao, keeping his voice low despite being inside the tent. "His presence isn''t known to the students, and we prefer to keep it that way."


    "We must be prepared," added Lin, leaning forward slightly. "We can''t afford another similar incident, especially with so many important students in the first year."


    "The worm," Wei returned to the topic, his fingers tapping nervously against the table''s edge, "I don''t think it''s natural. At least, it shouldn''t be so close to the surface due to the mana distribution and..."


    "I know," Ren interrupted. "What do you think it means, then?"


    The three professors fell silent for a moment, apparently weighing how much they could share with a student, even one as exceptional as Ren.


    "What we''re going to tell you must remain between us," Zhao finally said. "Understood?"


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing with what seemed to be anticipation, their glow intensifying slightly.


    "We suspect there are... explorers," Lin chose the word carefully, her expression guarded.


    "Yino?" Ren asked immediately, cutting to the heart of the matter.


    Again, the professors exchanged glances, but this time it was Wei who responded.


    "Possibly," he conceded. "Although we don''t have concrete evidence yet."


    But Ren shook his head. "I think that''s very unlikely... It seems to me that the subterranean mana structure has been gradually altered even before the seed''s opening. The slightly strange behaviors near the seed make more sense then."


    "Which would explain why a worm might venture so close to the surface," Zhao completed, his brow furrowing in thought.


    "Exactly," Ren nodded.


    "Julius should return soon to give us information about what he found underground. But he''s also looking for signs of external intervention," added Lin. "Any evidence that someone might be trying to exploit these worm tunnels."


    Ren remained silent for a moment, processing all this information. The implications stretched far beyond a single misplaced worm.


    "What do you want me to do?" he finally asked.


    The question seemed to take the professors by surprise. They clearly hadn''t expected Ren to offer help so directly.


    "For now, nothing specific," Zhao responded after a moment. "But if you feel other similar anomalies, inform us immediately. And of course..."


    "Keep the secret," Ren completed.


    "Not just about Julius," Lin clarified. "But also about the changes in subterranean mana. The last thing we need is for students to panic or, worse yet, for some to decide to ''explore'' on their own."


    Ren nodded, perfectly understanding the implications. Knowledge, as always, came with responsibility.


    Before Ren could respond, a faint but distinctive sound came from the tent floor, a subtle vibration different from the worm''s movement.


    "It''s him," Zhao murmured, straightening in anticipation.


    Mere seconds later, the earth opened and Julius emerged, his imposing figure somewhat made awkward by the fluid way he moved upwards. Still, not a speck of dirt clung to his immaculate clothing despite having traveled through the ground.


    A hole beside him grew larger, but the earth barely trembled despite its great size, earth elemental control at its finest. His earth wolverine finally emerged, holding a worm in its mouth.


    The creature couldn''t move, trapped in a compressed earth cage that seemed to emerge from the ground itself. Julius''s earth manipulation was so powerful in comparison that the worm could barely move its central segments to breathe, while its head and tail remained completely immobile.


    Julius paused momentarily upon seeing Ren, an expression of mild surprise crossing his face before being replaced by his usual composure.


    "I see we have company," he commented, his voice controlled but friendly as he fully entered the tent. "Good evening, Ren."


    "Your Highness," Ren slightly inclined his head, maintaining a respectful distance.


    "Young Ren felt the vibrations," Zhao quickly explained. "And somehow deduced it was you who was pursuing the worm, so there was no point in hiding it from him anymore."


    "Impressive," Julius acknowledged. "May I ask how you reached that conclusion?"


    "By the size and level of earth control," Ren responded, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "Since the day your wolverine transported me out of the school cave, I memorized that sensation; it''s quite... distinctive."


    Julius exchanged a look with Zhao and Lin. "And apparently quite recognizable," he added with a slight smile, a hint of genuine respect in his eyes.


    Wei, who had remained relatively silent, approached the captive worm. "Did you find anything unusual?" he asked, pretending to be uninterested in Ren''s surprising perceptive abilities.


    "Nothing concerning," Julius responded, allowing the conversation to change. "I found the small tunnel that Yino''s spies had used during the previous incident. It was almost completely collapsed but I still sealed it entirely."


    "Signs of recent activity?" asked Lin, also approaching to examine the worm.


    "None," Julius shook his head. "There were no traces of human presence, no unnatural alterations."


    "And what about our friend here?" Zhao pointed to the worm, which continued weakly writhing in its earth prison.


    "A completely ordinary worm," Julius responded. "Its behavior was absolutely normal when I found it. It showed no signs of external manipulation."


    "I agree as well," added Wei.


    Ren had slowly approached the worm, his mushrooms pulsing intensely while studying the creature. His eyes methodically traced each anatomical detail, as if reading information invisible to others.


    "May I examine it more closely?" he asked, looking at Julius.


    The prince nodded, though with certain caution. "Go ahead. The containment is secure, but keep your distance from its mouth."

 Chapter 220 - 220 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 11

    "May I examine it more closely?" he asked, looking at Julius.


    The prince nodded, though with certain caution. "Go ahead. The containment is secure, but keep your distance from its mouth."


    Ren knelt beside the worm, his mushrooms pulsing in a pattern that seemed to momentarily synchronize with the creature''s weak movements. With precise but respectful movements, he studied the segmented rings, the subtle color variations in its skin, and especially the small lateral glands that rearrange the absorbed and processed earth.


    "It''s completely normal," he finally confirmed, standing up. "A common lesser worm, near the first fusion cycle."


    "That confirms my observations," Julius nodded. "The question is: how did it get so close to the surface?" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Or rather," added Zhao, "why?"


    Ren remained silent for a moment, his mushrooms pulsing slowly while organizing his thoughts, their glow fluctuating slightly with each pulse.


    "If there are no signs of external manipulation or abnormal behavior," he began cautiously, "and if the spies'' tunnel is collapsed..."


    "Then it got there by its own means," Lin completed, her brow furrowing.


    "Which suggests it was expelled from its territory," Ren continued, "But that would have pushed it a maximum of between 50 and 100 meters up before going down... so it''s almost certain that subsoil mana is changing its distribution. Mana is rising."


    The four adults exchanged significant looks, a silent communication passing between them.


    "Precisely what we feared," Wei murmured, running a hand over his face. "The worst option."


    "If this worm rose so high, it''s because there''s enough mana to sustain it at a nearby depth. Which shouldn''t be possible, not in this area," added Zhao, his voice tight with concern.


    "The seed''s opening might have had broader effects than we calculated," Julius reflected, his expression becoming more serious. "The main arteries could be redistributing the flow."


    "What implications would that have?" asked Wei, clearly worried about the consequences, his fingers drumming nervously against his thigh.


    "Short term, ecological imbalances," Julius responded. "Depth creatures appearing in surface areas, alterations in migratory patterns..."


    "Long term," added Ren, his mushrooms pulsing intensely, "it could mean a complete restructuring of the depth hierarchy and perhaps even that of the rings. If mana continues ascending, zones that are currently Iron rank could eventually harbor Bronze rank creatures, or even Silver rank if the mana rises too much. The city might not be safe."


    The silence that followed was heavy, laden with implications that none dared fully express. The soft hissing of the oil lamps seemed suddenly loud in the quiet tent.


    "We need more data," Julius finally concluded. "Systematic observations, concentration measurements at different depths..."


    "Impossible to obtain all that during a gathering expedition," Wei pointed out. "We''d need specialized equipment, time, resources..."


    "For now," Zhao intervened, "we must focus on immediate safety. If more worms are approaching the surface, they could pose a danger to the students."


    "I''ll return to the depths to start measuring," Julius assured. "You can be certain no worm will cross while I''m patrolling. And I''ll seal any tunnel I find too close to the camp."


    His gaze briefly rested on Ren. "And it seems we have an unexpected additional sensor."


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed once, as if responding to the recognition, brightening momentarily.


    "What will we do with it?" Lin pointed to the captive worm.


    "I''ll release it far from camp," Julius responded. "Preferably in an area with enough mana so it doesn''t feel the need to approach the surface again."


    "We should mark it somehow," suggested Ren. "To identify it if it reappears."


    Julius considered the suggestion for a moment. "A good idea. Any specific recommendation?"


    "The dorsal scales of the third segment," Ren pointed out. "They''re the least sensitive and most durable. Even if it fuses, the mark will remain for at least a year."


    With a fluid movement, Julius extracted a golden dissection dagger and, following Ren''s indications, made a distinctive mark on the indicated scales. The worm barely reacted, as if the area was indeed less sensitive, just as Ren had suggested.


    "Good," Julius sheathed his dagger again. "I''ll take care of our marked friend and continue surveillance. I suggest everyone try to rest a bit before dawn."


    His gaze fell on Ren again. "And I appreciate your discretion in this matter. The fewer students who know of these anomalies, the better."


    Ren nodded, understanding the responsibility he now shared. Knowledge always came with a price, and in this case, the price was secrecy again¡­


    As he prepared to return to his rest area, Ren couldn''t help but wonder what other surprises these changes in subterranean mana would bring.


    ????


    Ren stealthily returned to his rest area, his mushrooms barely pulsing to avoid illuminating his path back. As he settled again among the skins, he left one hand with his fingertips on the ground and kept part of his consciousness alert to any abnormal vibration.


    For almost an hour he remained like this, listening attentively to the depths. Occasionally he perceived distant movements, but nothing close to the surface. Julius must have been patrolling deeper areas, beyond the reach of his perception.


    Finally, fatigue overcame him and he slipped into a deeper sleep than he had planned, his body surrendering to exhaustion despite his determination to stay alert.


    Morning arrived with Taro''s voice shaking him from his sleep.


    "Still alive?" his friend joked, giving him another push. "Come on, you never sleep this late."


    Ren opened his eyes, surprised that dawn had broken without him noticing. He felt unusually drowsy, his mind still heavy from the previous night, like a fog that refused to dissipate.


    "What time is it?" he asked, sitting up quickly.


    "Almost everyone''s already had breakfast," Min responded, who was finishing organizing his equipment for the day. "Luna asked about you, she tried not to seem concerned though¡­ Or so Larissa said."


    Memories of the night''s conversation returned vividly. Had something else happened while he slept?


    By instinct, Ren lay down again and placed his hand on the ground, concentrating briefly.


    Nothing.


    The vibrations had returned to their normal pattern, with no signs of unusual activity.


    "Too comfortable in the skins?" Taro asked with a smile. "What''s the plan for today?"


    "We were waiting for you to wake up and tell us," added Han, who had approached with a small food package for Ren. "But after eating we got tired of waiting and decided to wake you up."


    Ren accepted the food with a gesture of thanks while considering the options. They could simply finish collecting the skins, but he feared Klein''s team could find the best bark stalker specimens if they were left searching for too long.


    "Bark stalkers," he finally announced. "The largest ones."


    "The large ones?" Min arched an eyebrow. "They''re notoriously difficult to find. Not for nothing they''ve grown so big, you know..."


    "I know," Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing while he quickly chewed his breakfast. "But being so large also means they''re close to evolving, so they must be closer to the boundary with the Bronze ring. I''ll use their recent feeding activity to find them quickly and still leave us time for the shadow stalker cave."


    "How can you know that?" asked Mira, who had joined the group along with the noble cousins.


    "The tracks," explained Ren. "Large bark stalkers move very slowly, but their passage leaves distinctive marks due to their enormous carapace. The largest must feed more, so they must have been feeding at least a week ago, it hasn''t rained so the tracks should still be intact."

 Chapter 221 - 221 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 12

    The group began preparing while Ren finished his breakfast and quickly organized his equipment. In less than half an hour, they were already heading toward the northern zone.


    Unlike the previous day, today''s expedition had a more relaxed air. Having vastly exceeded the exam requirements, they felt no pressure to rush.


    "Why specifically large bark stalkers?" asked Liora as they advanced along a wooded path guided by Ren.


    "Their bodies contain abundant vitality," Ren responded. "I need their blood and flesh to process the tentacles you helped me obtain."


    "And those processed tentacles serve for...?" Larissa left the question hanging, curiosity evident in her voice.


    "For insane advanced cultivation techniques," Taro completed before Ren could respond. "From what I''ve seen Ren do... It''s super dangerous and I wouldn''t recommend you ever try it."


    Ren shot him a look of appreciation for having paid attention. "Exactly... But he''s exaggerating about the danger."


    The others looked at Taro and Min who were shaking their heads intensely. Clearly it wasn''t something to try lightly, their expressions conveying more warnings than words ever could.


    As they approached the Bronze ring''s boundary, the mana concentration in the environment subtly increased, creating that characteristic pressure sensation students had learned to recognize as a warning thanks to their incursions in the mines.


    But it was a more gradual difference and much gentler, rather than the abrupt change they experienced underground.


    "This is where the exam zone limit ends, and this is as far as Iron students would normally go," commented Lin, pointing to a natural rock formation that served as a visual boundary about 2 kilometers away, its jagged silhouette stark against the clear sky.


    Ren guided them along the exam terrain''s boundary, his eyes attentive to signs that would go unnoticed by others: scraped bark on certain trees, specific patterns of flattened vegetation, small accumulations of processed organic residue.


    Finally, after about 20 minutes of meticulous tracking, Ren signaled them to stop, his hand raised in a gesture that had become familiar to the group.


    "There," he whispered, pointing toward what appeared to be simply an earthy mound among the forest debris.


    The rest of the group narrowed their eyes, trying to distinguish what Ren saw.


    "I only see earth and rocks," Taro admitted after a moment, squinting in confusion.


    "Exactly," Ren smiled. "That''s what it wants you to see."


    "And how will we eliminate them?" asked one of the guards.


    "The Bronze-rank beasts will have to handle it," Ren responded, looking toward the guards and the ''students'' accompanying the nobles. "They''re very close to Bronze and are creatures with high defense, so Iron attacks will do very little to them. Those who can use mana vision can already distinguish them..."


    Ren looked at the cousins who were now channeling mana to their eyes.


    The large bark stalker''s silhouette revealed itself to their gazes, a massive creature, the size of a small shed, perfectly camouflaged under layers of vegetation, stones, and earth accumulated on its carapace. Its outline pulsed faintly with the mana it had absorbed from the surrounding area.


    "Impressive," murmured Liora. "How did you know it would be here, did you use mana vision all the way?"


    "No, can''t keep it on that long¡­ It was the feeding marks around it," explained Ren, pointing to some clues around the mound, torn foliage, unusual scratches in the soil, trails of dried sap on nearby trees. "They move very little, but leave traces when they leap to attack."


    "What''s the plan to take it down?" asked Min. "That thing is enormous."


    "Since we don''t need to capture it alive," Ren clarified, "we can kill it and dismantle it right here."


    "Should I send my beetle to hit it?" Taro was ready to act, his beast partially manifesting.


    Ren studied the group, quickly evaluating their capabilities. "Shizu, Taro," he pointed to both, "you can flip it over with earth elemental control. Their carapaces are too hard for Iron-rank beasts, but not for Bronze ones so..."


    Shizu, one of the guards with earth control, nodded understanding the plan.


    "Once flipped," Ren continued, "Mako''s night ambusher and Kira''s giant goat can attack the belly from the rear, away from the pincers. It will have no way to counterattack until it turns over and uses its legs, which will take time due to its weight. Taro and Shizu can keep it trapped and prevent it from flipping while the two beasts strike it."


    "Even if iron rank, Trent''s fire ant has an elemental advantage, wouldn''t it be fine to just burn it?" observed Mira.


    "True," Ren nodded, "but it would damage the materials with excessive heat. I''d prefer the carapace herbs and certain internal organs to remain intact."


    Ren didn''t mention that Liora''s will-o''-wisp would also be effective in this case, keeping her still secret beast for some, secret. Nor did he suggest using Luna''s wolf, despite the fact that theoretically it could infiltrate through the soft parts, the damage would be low and there was no point taking the risk when the already mentioned four Bronze beasts could achieve it without problems.


    ????


    "Everyone ready?" he asked, receiving confirmatory nods.


    The group positioned themselves strategically around the bark stalker. Taro and Shizu placed themselves on opposite sides, preparing to coordinate their earth control.


    At Ren''s signal, both activated their beasts simultaneously. Taro''s living tunnel manifested completely, creating a deep wedge under one side of the monster, while Shizu''s earth wolverine generated a mound that pushed from the other end.


    The effect was immediate. With a cracking sound, the enormous bark stalker began to tilt, its balance compromised by the sudden alteration of the terrain beneath it. Clumps of dirt and vegetation fell from its carapace as it struggled to maintain its position.


    "Now!" shouted Ren.


    Taro and Shizu made their beasts intensify their efforts, their beasts working at their limits to overcome the monster''s enormous mass. Finally, with a thud that shook the ground, the bark stalker flipped completely over, its legs thrashing helplessly in the air like an overturned beetle.


    Without losing a second, Kira and Mako launched their attack. Mako''s night ambusher slid under the carapace and began tearing at the monster''s exposed belly. Kira''s giant goat charged, generating a loud crack, its horns penetrating the weak points Ren had indicated.


    The bark stalker emitted a deep screech, its front pincers waving uselessly, trying to reach attackers who were out of its range. Its powerful legs tried to push against the ground to flip itself over, but the damage to its belly was already too extensive.


    "That''s enough," Ren indicated when he saw the creature stop resisting. "We don''t want to damage the organs any further."


    The group backed away, observing how the huge monster finally became motionless after a few small involuntary tremors. The strategy had worked perfectly, and in less than a minute of battle they had defeated a creature that would normally represent a significant challenge for teams their age.


    "Now comes the important part," Ren approached the body, extracting his new dagger. "I need to dismantle certain parts with precision."


    With methodical movements, Ren began working on the bark stalker. His approach was surgical, carefully separating the multi-layered carapace while discarding the parts he didn''t need. The others helped arrange things on the wooden platform again, organizing the harvest according to Ren''s instructions.


    "Why does it seem like you know exactly where to cut?" asked Han, watching with fascination.


    "I know the anatomy," Ren responded without stopping, his hands moving with practiced efficiency. "The systems always maintain certain proportions, regardless of the specimen''s size."


    In less than twenty minutes, Ren had extracted all the valuable components. After checking the ground for strange vibrations and feeling none, he addressed everyone.


    "I need two more like this one," he announced while closing his backpack, its contents now significantly heavier but also more valuable. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 222 - 222 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 13

    The group continued the search, following the same pattern of meticulous tracking that Ren had demonstrated. Under his guidance, they found and defeated two more bark stalkers during the next two hours, each in a different location but always following the same pattern of camouflage and behavior.


    By the time they finished processing the third bark stalker, almost three hours had passed since they began the hunt. The sun was high in the sky, indicating that a good part of the day still lay ahead, golden light filtering through the canopy above.


    "Enough materials?" asked Taro while helping Ren organize the last components.


    "Enough," confirmed Ren with satisfaction, his mushrooms pulsing with quiet contentment. "Now we can head to the cave."


    "Are we doing the entire shadow stalker cave today?" Min groaned theatrically, though everyone knew he would follow Ren without hesitation.


    "Without a doubt," Ren smiled, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.


    "Fine, fine, but let me go and urinate before we continue plundering this poor forest with your predatory gaze," Han commented, earning laughs from the boys and varied opinions from the girls.


    When he returned, Min and Mayo teased him for a while, as his bladder tended to constantly trouble him during excursions.


    With the guards'' beasts serving as improvised transport, they secured the valuable parts of the three bark stalkers to take back to camp. The enormous carapaces and specialized organs would fetch a handsome price, far exceeding what most students could hope to obtain in their entire stay at the academy.


    The other students were surprised again by the procession, this time even earlier in the day, their faces betraying a mixture of awe and envy as they watched Ren''s group return with their bounty.


    ????


    When they reached the cave entrance, they found another male shadow stalker mounting guard. Unlike the previous day, today Ren seemed much more confident with his bow, his stance relaxed yet focused. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Let me help you today to ensure the first shot," said Han, offering to shoot to also redeem himself after the teasing.


    "It won''t be necessary," responded Ren with quiet confidence. He drew the bow, breathed deeply as Han had taught him, and released the arrow.


    The projectile flew with deadly precision, embedding itself directly in the point between the shadow stalker''s sensors. The creature staggered, clearly wounded but not defeated, its wings beating erratically as it struggled to maintain its position.


    As Ren stepped forward, one of the guards made a fluid movement with her hand. Her coral beast partially manifested, creating a brilliant barrier of crystalline mirrors that surrounded Ren, their surfaces catching and refracting the afternoon light.


    "In case you miss," explained the guard, her eyes never leaving the wounded creature.


    Ren nodded in thanks, though his expression suggested he considered the precaution unnecessary. With calculated movements, he prepared his spear, measured the distance, and threw it with precise force.


    The spear cut through the air, impacting directly in the center of the creature. The male shadow stalker collapsed instantly, without even time to emit an alert call.


    "Impressive improvement in bow use in just one day," commented Liora, genuinely admiring his progress.


    "I had a good teacher," Ren responded, looking at Han.


    Han, on the other hand, shook his head intensely... He hadn''t taught him so well as to warrant such instant improvement. Ren was a learning monster, absorbing skills at a rate that defied explanation.


    With the guardian eliminated, the group entered the cave again, this time with greater confidence and efficiency. They knew the protocol, understood the dangers, and moved as a well-coordinated unit, their steps almost silent on the cave floor.


    Soon they found new molting chambers guided by Ren, as full as the previous ones, and began the collection process. But Ren seemed slightly distracted, his mushrooms pulsing in irregular patterns while he occasionally stopped to touch the cave walls, as if listening to something only he could perceive.


    "Is something wrong?" asked Luna during a pause, her eyes searching his face.


    "No," Ren responded, turning his attention back to the task. "Just... verifying something."


    But the way his mushrooms continued pulsing in unusual patterns suggested to Lin that, even amid another successful gathering expedition, part of his mind was still analyzing the anomalies of the previous night.


    ????


    For the second time in the day, the group ventured deeper into the cave. It was already familiar to them, and the sleeping females that once inspired an almost paralyzing fear were now simply another obstacle to navigate carefully, their translucent bodies pulsing softly in the dim light.


    As they advanced toward the deeper areas of the cave, Lin noticed that Ren still stopped to touch the walls, his fingers splayed against the cool stone.


    "Did you feel something again?" she finally asked, approaching him during one of these pauses.


    Ren remained silent for a moment, his mushrooms pulsing while he seemed to listen to something the others couldn''t perceive, his brow furrowed in concentration.


    "Yes and no," he finally responded. "There''s a strange sensation, but I can''t precisely identify it."


    "Any worms? Perhaps another beast from the depths?" Lin studied his expression carefully.


    "No," Ren shook his head. "From everything I know... It''s not a beast. It''s just... a feeling."


    Lin observed him a moment more before nodding. "Let me know if you feel something concrete. But don''t worry too much, it could simply be a residual effect of the changes we discussed last night."


    Ren nodded, but the slight wrinkle between his eyebrows suggested he wasn''t completely convinced.


    "We should finish soon," he decided, resuming the advance. "Before night falls and the females wake."


    The group increased their pace, moving more quickly through the tunnels. This time they delved deeper, discovering two additional molting chambers, their walls lined with the silvery discarded skins.


    While collecting the skins, Han approached Ren, who was meticulously examining a particularly well-preserved specimen.


    "I wanted to thank you again," Han said quietly. "For the cultivation advice and for the help with the exam. Not just for me, but for everyone."


    "You would have done the same," Ren continued with his task, though his mushrooms pulsed softly.


    "If I had all that knowledge," Han continued, "I''d probably be too greedy to share it. I think your head is worth a fortune."


    "I don''t think you would be," Ren finally responded, storing the skin. "You shared the bow technique without hesitation."


    Han chuckled. "That''s not worth much. Anyone can learn to shoot a weak bow with practice. What you have..." he gestured encompassing the chambers, the skins, all the materials they had collected, "that''s worth too much."


    Ren looked at him directly, his mushrooms pulsing with a soft but intense rhythm. "You shouldn''t think that way about what you taught me with the bow. Sometimes, the things people believe are worthless are the most valuable."


    Han seemed to reflect on this as they continued advancing, his expression thoughtful.


    Upon finishing emptying the chamber, the group began their journey to what would be the day''s 4th and final chamber.


    Ren led the way through the intricate tunnels, occasionally taking alternative routes that he seemed to know by instinct. At a fork, he turned left without hesitation, followed closely by Han, the others trailing a few paces behind.


    Suddenly, his mushrooms pulsed with alarming intensity, brightening the narrow passage. A strange sensation, like an invisible pressure wave, traveled through the tunnel. Ren looked up and barely had time to register a disturbing sight, several shadow stalker carcasses scattered further ahead in the tunnel.


    But he had no time to process what he was seeing. In the next step, the ground simply disappeared beneath their feet.


    There was no warning, no prior cracking or change in texture. One moment they were walking on solid ground, and the next, both Ren and Han were falling into an unexpected void, swallowing them in an instant.


    Taro and Shizu, just a few meters behind, had no time to react. Not even Lin, with her trained reflexes, could anticipate what happened. There was not even a hole.


    The fall was so sudden, so impossible, that no one was prepared, especially because it was Ren, the one who always knew exactly where to step, the one who never made mistakes in exploration.

 Chapter 223 - 223 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 14

    Darkness enveloped them completely as they fell.


    For a moment, everything was a chaos of sensations, stomachs contracting from the free fall, air whistling in their ears, the absolute disorientation of not knowing what was up or down. The sudden weightlessness made their bodies feel simultaneously heavy and light.


    Ren reacted instinctively. His mushrooms pulsed with increasing intensity, brightening until they illuminated the tunnel through which they were falling.


    The walls passed rapidly, an oddly smooth surface that seemed almost polished, reflecting the glow of his mushrooms.


    "Hold on!" he shouted to Han, who was falling beside him, the other boy''s face a mask of shock and terror.


    When they had fallen barely five meters deep, Ren managed to get rid of his backpack, extract his dagger and, with a precise movement, attempted to drive it into the tunnel wall. The blade penetrated the surface, creating a metallic screech as it momentarily reduced his falling speed.


    With his free hand, Ren managed to grab Han''s arm, his fingers digging into the fabric of his sleeve.


    But their combined weight exerted extra pressure on his grip. The dagger, though crafted from exceptional materials, didn''t have enough grip area to withstand such tension.


    The wall emitted an alarming crack as it began to break.


    "It won''t hold," Ren warned, feeling the dagger beginning to loosen. "Your spider! Use your web and drop the bag!"


    Han, who had been momentarily paralyzed by the suddenness of the fall, finally reacted. His weaver spider partially manifested, silvery strands appearing at his fingertips as it launched a silk thread toward the opposite wall. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At that precise moment, the dagger gave way completely. Gravity reclaimed their bodies, dragging them deeper into the darkness, the momentary respite gone in an instant.


    Han''s spider''s thread hit the wall, but instead of adhering firmly as it should have, it seemed to slide. The silk, normally capable of supporting the weight of both boys, barely managed to slow their fall before detaching.


    "The walls!" Han shouted, desperately launching another thread. "They''re treated with something!"


    Ren noticed it too. The surface appeared to have been deliberately polished and treated with some substance that prevented adhesion. He got rid of Han''s backpack too by cutting the straps.


    But it was still not enough¡­


    Han continued launching threads in all directions, each one momentarily slowing their fall before detaching. It was a battle against gravity they were gradually losing, but each deceleration meant less force in the eventual impact.


    Meter after meter, they continued descending in the darkness barely illuminated by Ren''s mushrooms. Thirty meters... fifty... one hundred... The depth became alarming, taking them much deeper than expected.


    "Keep launching threads!" Ren instructed while trying to position himself below Han, calculating angles and trajectories even as they plummeted.


    Two hundred meters... two hundred fifty... Their falling speed had decreased considerably thanks to Han''s persistent efforts, but it remained dangerous, still fast enough to break bones or worse.


    The hydra partially manifested. Not in its complete form but as a protective armor, scales overlapping across Ren''s body. The 140% increase in his defense would be crucial for what he planned.


    At approximately three hundred meters deep, Ren perceived a change in the tunnel''s acoustics. The space was widening, indicating they were approaching some kind of chamber.


    "Prepare for impact!" he warned Han.


    Han launched so many desperate threads that he managed to reduce their speed even further before they finally landed from the vertical tunnel into a wider chamber.


    The impact came with a dull thud that resonated in the darkness. Ren received the worst of it, his body serving as a cushion for Han. The hydra armor absorbed much of the force, distributing it through its reinforced structures.


    Still, the pain was immediate and intense, wrenching an involuntary groan from him, the breath knocked from his lungs.


    Han rolled to the side immediately, conscious of Ren''s sacrifice.


    Some small rocks and what appeared to be crystals fell from above, perhaps due to the dagger Ren had embedded. Fortunately, they didn''t hit Han''s head, clattering harmlessly beside them.


    "Are you okay?" Han asked with a tense voice, his own breathing choppy from pain and adrenaline.


    Ren slowly got up, assessing the damage. Nothing seemed broken beyond small cuts and bruises that he felt were superficial. Without the hydra''s armor, the result would have been much worse.


    "I''ll survive," he responded, his mushrooms now pulsing with reduced intensity. "You?"


    "I think I hurt my left shoulder," Han grimaced while trying to stand. "But nothing serious thanks to you."


    Ren looked up. The tunnel through which they had fallen was barely visible as a tiny circle of deeper darkness against the chamber''s ceiling. The distance was overwhelming, there was no way for them to return that way.


    His mushrooms slightly increased their brightness, partially revealing the space in which they found themselves. It wasn''t a natural cavern made by any of the beasts in this area. The walls showed unmistakable signs of having been intentionally carved, their surfaces too regular, too deliberate.


    "Where are we?" Han whispered, his voice tight with apprehension.


    "I don''t know," Ren admitted, his mushrooms pulsing with what could be interpreted as unease. "But I''m sure of one thing: whatever made this shouldn''t be here in the first place."


    ????


    Moments before¡­


    "Ren!" Taro and Min''s desperate shout echoed through the tunnel as they watched their friend disappear into darkness.


    "Han!" Sora exclaimed almost simultaneously, lunging forward, her hand outstretched as if she could somehow pull him back.


    Everything happened with dizzying speed. One moment Ren and Han were there, guiding the group through the tunnel, and the next they simply vanished, as if the ground had devoured them in less than a second.


    Lin reacted with the quickness of a combat veteran, throwing herself toward the point where the boys had been standing, her arm extended trying to reach them. To her surprise, her hand went through what appeared to be solid earth, as if it were made of mist.


    "It''s an illusion!" she shouted, as her arm sank up to the shoulder in what should have been firm ground.


    She wasted no time. Her arm partially transformed, crane skin erupting to cover her own. With a precise movement, she struck what seemed to be the corner of something hard and crystalline.


    A satisfying crack indicated she had hit her mark. The crystal fractured and, for a brief moment, the illusion fluctuated, revealing a dark, deep hole where before there had seemed to be solid ground.


    The noble cousins reacted instinctively. Larissa, Luna, and Liora simultaneously attempted to activate their transportation abilities, disappearing in flashes of light and shadows with the intention of appearing further down the tunnel, following Ren and Han.


    "No!" shouted one of the guards, her Antenna Venus instantly manifesting, tendrils of green energy erupting from her skin.


    A pale green field briefly pulsed, and the three cousins reappeared confusedly next to the guard, not in the depths as they had attempted.


    "What are you doing...?" Larissa began, clearly frustrated, her hands clenched into fists.


    "I canceled your jumps," the guard explained in an authoritative tone. "None of you is capable of transporting another person with your ability, nor can you exceed the falling speed. You would have ended up falling for no reason."


    Mira and Sora observed the scene with enormous eyes, their surprise at the revelation that the cousins could teleport momentarily eclipsing even the current crisis.


    "Can they... make jumps?" Mira murmured, but no one paid attention to her.


    "We have to go down after them!" insisted Taro, his living tunnel fully manifesting, ready to create a passage, earth already beginning to shift at his feet.


    "Not so fast," another guard raised a hand. "That fall could be hundreds of meters. The best option is to find Zhao so he can fly them out, or create a rope with Matilda''s turtle''s wood and the resistant mosses from Mira''s rat."


    "Silence!" Min suddenly shouted, his hand raised as he listened carefully. "What''s that sound?"


    A low but growing hiss filled the tunnel. Min visibly paled.


    "The females," he pointed toward the entrance of the tunnel, where dozens of shadow stalkers were beginning to stir. "We''ve woken them up."

 Chapter 224 - 224 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 15

    A low but growing hiss filled the tunnel. Min visibly paled.


    "The females," he pointed toward the entrance of the tunnel, where dozens of shadow stalkers were beginning to stir. "We''ve woken them up."


    The effect was instantaneous. The first of the females launched herself toward them, tentacles extended and pulsing with absorption hunger, the air around them seeming to distort with her approach.


    Lin reacted without hesitation. With a fluid movement, she leaped over the creature, spinning in the air to deliver a brutal kick to the center of its mass, carefully avoiding any contact with the tentacles.


    "Shizu! Taro!" she shouted as she landed. "We need a wall! Now!"


    Shizu stamped her foot against the ground, her earth wolverine manifesting. The tunnel began to change as enormous stone blocks emerged from its walls and floor, the sound of grinding stone filling the air.


    Taro joined his efforts, his living tunnel working to solidify and structure the emerging barrier. The wall began to take shape, but too slowly, more shadow stalkers were approaching, their tentacles reaching hungrily toward the group.


    "We''re going to need help!" Taro shouted, sweat beading on his forehead.


    Larissa stepped forward without hesitation. Her mineral crystals shone intensely as they joined the structure, reinforcing the weak points and accelerating the construction process.


    "It''s not enough!" Lin warned, eliminating another shadow stalker with a kick, her foot striking with precise force. "Keep them back while the wall completes!"


    Trent stepped forward, his fire ant manifesting, heat radiating from his skin in visible waves.


    "Back!" he warned before a fireball erupted from his hands, illuminating the entire tunnel with an orange glow that cast bizarre, dancing shadows on the walls.


    The heat explosion and small oxygen pressure change pushed the shadow stalkers several meters back, buying precious time for the wall''s construction. The air shimmered from the thermal disturbance, making the approaching creatures appear to waver like mirages.


    One guard''s firefly and another guard''s coral joined the effort as more and more blocks were added to the barrier, their energy signatures adding strength to the growing wall.


    The wall finally closed, sealing the tunnel with a definitive sound just as the large wave of shadow stalkers was about to reach them. The final stone slid into place with a heavy, resonant thud that seemed to echo with finality.


    For a few seconds, no one spoke. The only sound was that of heavy breathing and the occasional muffled impact from the other side of the wall, where the enraged shadow stalkers tried to penetrate the barrier, their attacks creating tiny vibrations that ran through the stone.


    "It will hold for a while thanks to Taro''s living tunnel," Shizu finally stated, leaning against the wall to catch her breath, her palms flat against the cool surface.


    "Good," Lin nodded, her expression grave. "Because now we have two problems. Two students are trapped somewhere far below us, and with this tunnel blocked, we''ll have to find another exit to reach Zhao."


    "And night will fall soon," added one of the guards, glancing toward the tunnel''s entrance. "The shadow stalkers won''t stop after dark."


    The group exchanged somber looks, the reality of their situation settling heavily. With darkness approaching, perhaps they wouldn''t be able to rescue their companions lost in the depths anytime soon.


    "What do we do now?" asked Liora, her voice small in the silence that had fallen over them.


    Lin looked toward the wall they had built, then toward the opposite direction of the tunnel where more sounds started to come closer, her mind rapidly calculating their options.


    "First, we need to close that side to¡­ Second, we make a group to reach Zhao," she responded. "Third, another group to find our lost ones."


    ????


    Ren increased his mushrooms'' brightness, illuminating the chamber into which they had fallen more broadly.


    The room was approximately circular, with four tunnels extending in different directions like fingers of a monstrous hand. But what immediately caught his attention wasn''t the structure, but its contents.


    Corpses. Dozens of them, in various states of decomposition. Some appeared relatively fresh, while others were reduced to little more than bones and carapace fragments. All showed signs of having been partially devoured, limbs torn away and torsos hollowed out.


    "What... what is this place?" Han whispered, his spider partially manifesting as an instinctive response to the perceived danger, silvery threads appearing between his fingers.


    "A storeroom," Ren responded, his mind working at full speed while analyzing the remains. "Something is using this chamber to store food."


    There were numerous half-eaten female shadow stalker bodies, but he cautiously approached one of the more complete cadavers. It was a medium-sized worm, its segmented body now flaccid and partially emptied. Next to it lay the remains of what appeared to be a Stone Lurker, its once hard rocky skin shattered.


    "This doesn''t make sense," Ren murmured, systematically observing the other bodies. "At this depth we should mainly find Worms, Stone Lurkers, Giant Moles, and small Mimic insects. Nothing capable of creating tunnels this size..."


    His eyes stopped on a particularly large cadaver. Despite being partially consumed, it was unmistakable.


    "A male shadow stalker," he identified, his voice barely audible.


    Worried, Ren crouched to feel the ground for vibrations, but the layer covering the tunnel seemed to cancel any external sensation, they were isolated in the chamber, cut off from the world.


    Han had approached to examine the chamber walls as well. "These crystals..." he began, running his fingers over the surface.


    "They''re not natural formations."


    Ren moved closer to the wall to examine it more carefully. The surface was covered by a layer of translucent crystals that reflected his mushrooms'' light, creating an eerie, shifting pattern as he moved. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s some type of coating," he explained while studying the structure. "Similar to what living tunnels or giant scavenger wasp larvae produce. But none of those creatures belong to this area."


    "The trap we fell through isn''t from any of those...?" Han left the question hanging, his voice tight with apprehension.


    "Mimic insects are known for their illusions," Ren explained, "but they use them to hide, not to set traps, and their effects aren''t permanent nor can they be reflected in crystals like the ones we saw above. This is... something else."


    His gaze methodically moved around the chamber, studying each detail with scientific attention, his mushrooms pulsing in complex patterns, as if performing invisible calculations.


    "Whatever created this place," he finally concluded, "is collecting creatures from different depths for some weird reason other than feeding¡­ or going up would make no sense."


    Ren looked at the fallen backpacks, filled with valuable skins they had collected during their last incursion. In any other circumstance, abandoning them would have been unthinkable. But now...


    "We can''t take them," he decided, pointing to the backpacks. "They''re too heavy and would slow us down."


    "Slow us down for what? ?We won''t wait to be rescued?" Han asked, though his expression already anticipated the answer.


    "To escape," Ren headed toward one of the walls, examining it carefully. "This chamber is something''s pantry, Han. And whatever stores food here will eventually return."


    "Couldn''t we hide in one of these tunnels?" Han pointed to the four exits extending from the chamber, each mouth a dark promise of unknown dangers.


    "We don''t know where they lead," Ren shook his head. "And given the creatures that have ended up here, they likely lead to more traps like the one that caught us."


    His hand stopped at a specific point on the wall, where the crystals seemed slightly thinner.


    "We need to create our own path," he declared. "Break through this wall and dig upward as quickly as possible."


    "Dig?" Han looked skeptical. "We''re like three hundred meters deep. Other creatures will also feel the vibrations and even that thing may follow our tunnel..."


    "We don''t need to reach the surface from here," Ren explained, beginning to systematically strike the point he had identified with a diamond covered fist. "We just need to get out of this specific area and find some natural tunnel before the owner of this... collection returns."

 Chapter 225 - 225 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 16

    The students rested while Shizu, Larissa, Umi (the guard with the coral), and Taro finished raising a second wall.


    Lin observed the situation with the cold calculation of a combat veteran. Two walls of furious shadow stalkers, two companions lost in the depths, and night approaching. The decisions they made in the next few minutes would determine who survived.


    "We need to decide on teams quickly," she announced with a firm voice, immediately capturing everyone''s attention. "One group must return to camp to alert Zhao, while another remains here to attempt rescuing Ren and Han."


    "I''m staying," Taro declared instantly.


    "Me too," added Larissa.


    Lin nodded, but raised a hand to stop the chorus of volunteers that would follow. "I need the rescue team staying with me to be small and specific. Larissa, Taro, Umi, Matilda, Min, and Mira will stay with me. We''ll work on creating a rope long enough to lower down the hole while keeping the walls strong."


    Several voices began to protest, but Lin silenced them with a look.


    "The rest," she continued, "I need you to form a team to reach Zhao as quickly as possible. And that means tunneling beneath the colony."


    A tense silence followed these words. Creating tunnels in this area was a desperate tactic, something all gatherers avoided for good reason.


    "But the tunnel could lead us directly to a larger shadow stalker hive," objected Hikari, her firefly trembling nervously on her shoulder, its light flickering with her anxiety.


    "It''s a risk we''ll have to take," Lin responded, her tone making it clear there was no alternative. "Shizu with her wolverine will lead the tunnel team. Mako with the night ambusher, Hikari with the firefly, and Luna at the front. You need beasts with offensive capability to give Shizu time to quickly seal any breach into the main hive if you find one."


    Luna stepped forward, her shadow wolf manifesting in a dark aura around her. "I''d prefer to stay and support you here. There are enough people to find Zhao. We won''t all fit at the tunnel front."


    Liora and Luna exchanged glances. "I want to stay too," argued Liora, her voice usually serene now laden with tension. "My fire could be useful in keeping shadow stalkers at bay if a wall here fails."


    Lin observed them for a moment, her expression softening briefly before returning to her usual determination. "I understand how you feel, but reaching Zhao and bringing him quickly is the best way to help. Your abilities are particularly good because they don''t take up much space and can make the tunnel-front efforts safer."


    Larissa took her cousin''s hands. "Go," she said with unusual firmness. "Bring Zhao as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, we''ll keep the wall strong and prepare everything for the rescue."


    After a moment of hesitation, Luna and Liora nodded, reluctantly joining the tunnel group, their shoulders tense with unspoken concern.


    "Good," Lin turned to Shizu. "Start the tunnel about twenty meters down from here, where the softer ground begins. Maintain that medium depth, neither too shallow nor too deep. And if you reach another shadow stalker tunnel, seal it immediately and change course."


    Shizu nodded, her wolverine fully manifesting as she prepared for the task, earth already shifting beneath her feet.


    "The rest," Lin turned to the rescue team, "we''ll begin preparing the rope. Matilda, we''ll need your turtle to produce flexible, resistant wood. Mira, reinforce the line with your moss and give it better grip."


    As the tunnel group quickly departed under Shizu''s leadership, those remaining with Lin immediately began rescue preparations, their movements purposeful despite the mounting tension.


    Taro, Larissa, and Umi reinforced both walls, adding additional layers to contain the increasingly agitated shadow stalkers. The impacts from the other side intensified, indicating the creatures were coordinating their efforts to bring down the barriers, each thud reverberating through the stone.


    "They won''t hold forever," Taro murmured, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead from the continuous effort.


    "They don''t need to hold forever," Lin responded while helping Matilda generate the first section of the improvised rope. "Just long enough."


    Min, working nimbly to help intertwine the wooden filaments, looked down toward the dark hole where his friends had disappeared.


    "Do you think they''re okay?" he asked, his voice betraying a concern he would normally keep hidden beneath laughter and jokes.


    "It''s Ren," Larissa responded with confidence she didn''t entirely feel. "He''ll take care of Han. He''s probably already looking for a way up while meticulously classifying every rock he finds by its usefulness in cultivation. You''ll be there to heal them when we find them."


    ????


    "We don''t need to reach the surface from here," Ren explained, beginning to systematically strike the identified point with a diamond-covered fist. "We just need to get out of this specific area and find some natural tunnel before the owner of this... collection returns."


    With each blow, small crystal fragments fell to the floor, glittering in the light of his mushrooms. The wall was surprisingly resistant, but gradually began to yield under his relentless assault.


    "Do you have any idea what creature could have made this?" asked Han while joining Ren''s efforts but finding his strength insufficient to damage the covering.


    Ren paused briefly, his mushrooms pulsing in a pattern that Han had learned to recognize as concern, the light dimming and brightening in rapid succession.


    "No," he finally responded. "But most likely, that means something..."


    He stopped when a crackling began to spread from the point they were attacking. Small fissures branched across the wall like webs of light, reflecting the glow of his mushrooms in fractured patterns.


    "It''s giving way," Han observed with renewed enthusiasm. Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    With one final powerful blow, the wall finally yielded. The crystal broke with a sound similar to ice cracking, revealing compact but natural earth behind.


    Ren immediately pressed his hands against the earth, his mushrooms pulsing intensely as he felt the vibrations transmitted through the ground.


    "Can you sense anything?" Han whispered, watching with fascination as Ren''s mushrooms changed their pulse pattern.


    "Movement," Ren responded quietly. "Several creatures, but distant. Nothing immediate."


    With a quick glance toward the chamber to ensure they were still alone, he closed his eyes briefly, concentrated, and his hydra fully manifested.


    The hydra glowed with a faint but unmistakable light. It didn''t yet have multiple heads and only measured about four feet tall, but it did have a more complete armor than what manifested over Ren''s body. Its scales shifted with iridescent patterns as it moved, small crystalline structures embedded within them.


    "She can help us dig faster this way," Ren explained simply.


    Without wasting time, he directed the hydra toward the earthen wall. The diamond claws began to work with surprising efficiency, tearing away large chunks of earth and quickly creating an ascending tunnel.


    As it worked, Han alternately observed the tunnel''s progress and the chamber entrances, tense for any sign of danger. The silence between them extended for several minutes, broken only by the sound of earth being removed and the occasional brief instruction from Ren.

 Chapter 226 - 226 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 17

    Han alternately observed the tunnel''s progress and the chamber entrances, tense for any sign of danger. The silence between them extended for several minutes, broken only by the sound of earth being removed and the occasional brief instruction from Ren.


    "Thank you," Han finally said, his voice low but clear in the confined space. "For not letting me fall."


    Ren paused briefly in his work to feel for vibrations while listening, his palm pressed flat against the tunnel wall.


    "With the dagger," Han continued, his eyes fixed on the glowing hydra as it worked, "you could have held on alone. Since you probably would have stayed up close to the surface... Matilda or Mira could have thrown something down for you to climb up."


    Ren resumed excavation, but responded without turning around, his focus unwavering. "If I had done that, you might not have survived. And I wouldn''t be able to sleep thinking I could have saved you."


    "Not everyone would make that choice," Han insisted, a note of wonder in his voice. "I... I''m not sure I would have made it. I probably would have been too cowardly."


    This time Ren stopped completely, turning to look at Han directly. In the fluctuating light of his mushrooms and the subtle glow reflected by the hydra, his expression was serene but intense, his eyes holding Han''s gaze steadily.


    "It''s not about cowardice or bravery," he said with a simplicity that carried the weight of his old father''s deep conviction. "It''s about doing what''s right in the moment it''s needed. Nobody really knows how they''ll react until that moment comes... but you would certainly save your sister, right?"


    Han thought for a moment before closing his eyes and nodding, "I think it''s very likely... I would do anything for her despite the fear."


    "Then I think you can overcome ''cowardice''," Ren smiled and continued sensing vibrations in the confined tunnel while speaking, the hydra''s claws working tirelessly, leaving gouges in the compacted earth. "Besides, don''t worry about those things now. The most important thing is that we''re alive and we''re going to get out of here."


    Han nodded, though Ren couldn''t see him, and set about helping as best he could, using his spider to cover the tunnel entrance with fine silk threads.


    They had advanced perhaps ten meters when Ren stopped abruptly. His entire body tensed, like an animal sensing imminent danger, every muscle going rigid.


    "What''s happening?" Han whispered, immediately on alert.


    Ren raised a hand, indicating absolute silence. His mushrooms now pulsed with an irregular, almost erratic rhythm, the light fluctuating unpredictably.


    Han held his breath, straining to hear what had alarmed his companion. And then he noticed it, or rather, noticed the absence. Not a single sound or vibration.


    The subtle background sounds that had been present for Ren, slight creaks, distant movements, the almost imperceptible echo of life, had completely ceased.


    The creatures were silent. An unnatural silence, as if everything in the depths held its breath, waiting.


    Ren''s eyes widened and he began to turn toward the entrance of their improvised tunnel. Han followed his gaze and felt his blood freeze.


    A glow, an intense pulsating purple radiance, began to filter from the direction of the chamber they had just abandoned. The light intensified by moments, projecting strangely elongated and distorted shadows on the tunnel walls, making ordinary shapes seem monstrous and alien.


    It wasn''t the natural glow of any creature Ren knew... But he knew what it was.


    An abyssal.


    With extremely cautious movements, Ren repositioned his body and absorbed his hydra, the creature seeming to melt back into his skin in a shimmer of light.


    Han tried to control his breathing, which had become rapid and shallow. His spider had retracted almost completely, as if even she could feel it was better to remain hidden, pulling back beneath his skin like a frightened child.


    The purple glow intensified further, illuminating the beginning of their tunnel with an unnatural light that seemed to pulsate like a diseased heart. And with the light came a sound, a low hum, almost subliminal, that Han felt more than heard, a vibration that seemed to resonate directly in his bones and teeth.


    "Ren," he whispered, unable to contain the tremor in his voice.


    "I know," Ren responded, his own voice perfectly controlled though his mushrooms had begun to pulse again, this time in a pattern Han had never seen before, rapid, almost frantic, but strangely reassuring, like a silent promise that they would survive this.


    Until Han felt it in the threads.


    Something was entering the tunnel.


    ????


    The tunnel advanced with surprising speed under Shizu''s expert earth control. Her earth wolverine fully manifested, its claws displacing volumes of soil that would normally require hours of work in mere seconds, the earth parting before her as if eager to make way.


    "Keep the pace," she instructed while working, sweat beading on her forehead despite the cool underground air. "We need to reach camp as soon as possible." S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The rest of the team had organized into an efficient system. Mako with her night ambusher took over when Shizu needed a rest, while Luna''s wolf, Trent''s ant, Roran''s dog, and Maria''s armadillo took turns helping clear loose earth, their coordinated efforts creating a steady rhythm.


    Hikari and Liora provided constant illumination, Hikari''s firefly emitting a soft but wide glow that illuminated the entire space, complemented by Liora''s will-o''-wisp that provided more intense, directed light toward the front.


    "How much further do you think?" Luna asked Shizu, who paused briefly to evaluate their position.


    "Hard to know exactly," she responded, her fingers pressed against the tunnel wall as if reading some invisible map, her eyes closed in concentration. "But we''re advancing in the right direction. If we maintain this pace, maybe another hour."


    The group continued advancing, fatigue beginning to show on their faces. Concern for Ren and Han, along with the constant tension of digging in potentially dangerous territory, made each minute feel like an eternity.


    "Something''s not right," Shizu suddenly murmured. "I feel... big changes in the earth''s resistance."


    Her beast stopped as she pressed her hands against the front wall. Her eyes widened slightly. "There''s a space ahead. Large."


    "A natural cavern perhaps?" Mako asked, hope briefly flickering across her features.


    "No," Shizu slowly shook her head. "Too regular. Too... constructed."


    A tense silence fell over the group as they considered the implications. Regular tunnels at this depth could only mean one thing.


    "Shadow stalker hive," Trent whispered.


    "Do we retreat?" asked Hikari, her light instinctively dimming, shrinking back as if sharing her apprehension.


    Luna shook her head. "We can''t waste time. We need to reach Zhao as soon as possible."


    "Then we dig about 5 meters deeper," Shizu decided. "At the first sign of danger, I''ll close the tunnel and we''ll change direction."


    With renewed caution, Shizu continued excavating, now in much slower movements due to the hardness of the deeper earth, each chunk requiring more effort to dislodge.


    Unfortunately, a small opening formed on top of them, barely the size of a fist. Hikari directed her firefly toward the hole, allowing its light to filter through to reveal what lay beyond.


    The glow illuminated a scene that made everyone hold their breath. A huge chamber extended before them and moving throughout the chamber, dozens, no, hundreds of shadow stalkers awakened by the vibrations of the excavation.

 Chapter 227 - 227 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 18

    The glow illuminated a scene that made everyone hold their breath. A huge chamber extended before them and moving throughout the chamber, dozens, no, hundreds of shadow stalkers awakened by the vibrations of the excavation.


    "Shit," Roran whispered, his dog fully manifested beside him with the fur along its spine bristling. "It''s the main hive of the area."


    "Pull back," Shizu ordered Hikari, her voice low but urgent. "I''ll seal this right now and we''ll change direction¡­"


    She couldn''t finish her sentence. One of the shadow stalkers, apparently drawn by the firefly''s light, had approached to investigate. Its sensory appendages stretched directly toward the small opening like probing fingers of mist. Before anyone could react, it began widening the hole, tearing at the edges.


    "Look out!" Luna shouted.


    Chaos erupted instantly. More shadow stalkers quickly joined the excavation efforts and began converging on the opening.


    Shizu tried desperately to close the hole, her hands splayed against the earth, channeling her power, but it was already too late. Tons of tentacles scraped at the entrance with their tiny claws at the tips, widening the aperture with each passing second.


    The sound of scraping filled the tunnel, a nightmarish scratching that sent chills down everyone''s spines.


    "I can''t push them back!" Shizu let them know, her wolverine struggling to contain the invasion. "Prepare to fight!"


    The first shadow stalker forced its way into the tunnel, its tentacles thrashing violently as it searched for prey.


    Mako and her night ambusher were the first to attack. The beast''s razor-sharp claws sliced cleanly through the shadow stalker, separating its upper mass from its tentacles in one fluid motion. Pale blue fluid splattered across the tunnel walls, glowing faintly in the dim light.


    Roran''s dog launched itself at another creature with valiant ferocity, its fangs sinking deep into the shadow stalker''s upper mass. The creature emitted a high-pitched shriek that echoed through the tunnel as it twisted, desperately trying to reach its attacker with its remaining tentacles. The dog growled through its mouthful of writhing flesh, refusing to release its grip even as the shadow stalker''s body convulsed beneath it.


    "Trent, now!" Luna shouted while her wolf dispatched a third shadow stalker attempting to enter.


    Trent didn''t need to be told twice. His fire ant unleashed a concentrated burst of flames at the gap, effectively incinerating another creature and forcing those behind to temporarily retreat.


    But their victory was short-lived. More shadow stalkers began crowding the entrance, drawn by the battle sounds and the death of their brethren.


    "We can''t hold them all back!" Maria exclaimed, her armadillo creating an improvised barricade.


    Maria''s armadillo was finally pushed back and chaos erupted.


    But¡­


    In the midst of the chaos, Roran''s dog suddenly lunged into the hole, pushing the shadow stalkers and disappearing into the swarm.


    "Close it now!" Roran shouted. His connection to his beast allowed him to understand how miserable it was fighting in that mass of predators.


    Inside the chamber, the shadow stalkers swarmed around the dog. The brave beast fought ferociously, tearing through tentacles and ripping apart translucent bodies, but there were simply too many. More tentacles wrapped around its limbs, its torso, its neck, dragging it inexorably deeper into the hive. With one last heart-wrenching howl, it vanished among the mass of shadow stalkers. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Roran staggered back, losing his beast temporarily made mana management way harder.


    With a roar of effort, Shizu channeled all her wolverine''s energy. The earth around them began to tremble violently as enormous blocks of stone and mineral emerged from the walls, converging to seal the opening. Her face contorted with strain, veins standing out on her forehead as she forced the earth to obey her will.


    The resulting wall was impressive,at least three meters thick¡­ but even through it, they could feel the furious impacts of shadow stalkers trying to break through.


    "It won''t hold forever," Shizu warned, sweat dripping from her brow and breath coming in ragged gasps. "We need to move. Now."


    The group retreated in somber silence. The temporary loss of Roran''s dog weighed heavily on them all, a stark reminder of the danger they faced.


    "We''ll change direction," Shizu decided after a moment, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. "East instead of north. It''ll take longer, but we''ll avoid this hive."


    "More time means Han and Ren will be in danger longer," Liora protested.


    "We can''t help them if we''re dead," Maria replied firmly, placing a steadying hand on Liora''s shoulder.


    ????


    The shadows were growing longer outside as Zhao stood at the edge of the gathering encampment, his brow furrowed in concentration. His owl manifested, the markings along his eyes glowing with subtle intensity as he extended his senses outward, scanning the terrain before him.


    Ren''s group should have returned by now.


    It wasn''t just that they were late. The boy''s thoroughness and attention to detail made quick expeditions almost impossible. What concerned him was the pattern of returning. Every other time had followed a similar timeline¡­ this deviation spelled trouble.


    "Professor," one of the assistants approached, sensing his tension. "Patinder''s group?"


    Zhao nodded, his decision already made. "Maintain the perimeter. No students leave camp until I return. And prepare the emergency protocols, just in case."


    The assistant shifted nervously, glancing at the darkening sky. "Sir, night''s approaching. The shadow stalkers will¡­"


    "I''m well aware," Zhao cut her off, his voice revealing no uncertainty. "That''s precisely why I''m going now."


    He signaled to his most trusted auxiliary, a stern-faced man whose hawk beast had given him wings and good eyes too. "Kenji, you''re in charge until I return."


    Without waiting for a response, Zhao set out toward the shadow stalker cave where Ren''s group had headed earlier that day. His owl fully manifested, its ghostly form spreading wings that merged with his arms, enhancing his vision and allowing him to cover ground with unnatural speed.


    The cave entrance loomed before him within minutes, a dark mouth in the hillside that seemed to exhale cool air against his skin. The sentinel was missing¡ªthe male shadow stalker that had guarded this entrance was nowhere to be seen, which meant someone had eliminated it. Ren, most likely, just as he had done with the first one.


    ''They should still be in there, then,'' he thought, cautiously entering the cave.


    The interior was surprisingly quiet. Too quiet.


    Shadow stalker colonies, especially as darkness approached, should be buzzing with energy as females prepared to wake for their nightly hunting. Instead, the tunnel stretched before him in eerie silence, the mana crystals embedded in the walls providing just enough illumination to navigate by.


    His owl''s enhanced vision penetrated the gloom, revealing details that would remain hidden to normal sight. Scuff marks on the floor indicated recent footprints, and the subtle patterns of disturbed dust spoke of organized movement. Ren''s group had indeed passed this way.


    As Zhao advanced deeper, the silence gradually gave way to distant sounds, faint hisses and chittering that raised the hairs on the back of his neck.


    They had disturbed the colony.


    A movement caught his attention: a female shadow stalker gliding past a side tunnel, completely ignoring his presence. Another followed, then another. All heading deeper into the cave system, moving with purpose rather than the random patterns of normal hunting behavior.


    "They''re being called," Zhao murmured to himself. Shadow stalkers only exhibited this behavior in two situations: when defending against a large-scale threat or when responding to the discovery of significant prey.


    Neither option boded well for Ren''s group.


    Zhao followed the creatures through the labyrinth, maintaining a careful distance. His owl allowed him to move like a phantom through the tunnels, his footsteps barely disturbing the air.


    The females continued their purposeful journey downward, their numbers increasing with each joining tunnel until dozens flowed through the passageways like a macabre river of translucent flesh and writhing tentacles.


    The main problem came into view, and Zhao paused at its periphery, assessing the situation. Hundreds of shadow stalkers swarmed across the cavern floor and walls. But what drew his attention was the stone, mineral, and crystal barriers positioned at opposite ends of the chamber.


    ''So they had sealed the exits and were trapped.''

 Chapter 228 - 228 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 19

    About 200 meters underground, Julius advanced with the fluid certainty of someone who commands the element surrounding him.


    His earth wolverine maintained a constant flow of perception through the ground, allowing him to detect movements and vibrations across a considerable radius.


    Something didn''t add up, though.


    Since beginning his patrol after the worm incident, he had noticed strange patterns in the behavior of subterranean creatures. At times, they seemed to become agitated as if responding to an invisible threat, moving in waves of panic that spread across different levels.


    But when he arrived at the location, inexplicably, everything calmed again.


    "It''s as if something is frightening them," he murmured to himself, his wolverine''s essence merged with his skin in subtle ripples, enhancing his connection to the earth around him. "But when I approach to investigate..."


    Nothing. That was the most disconcerting part.


    Each time he tracked these disturbances to their apparent origin, he found only silence and emptiness, as if the source of agitation had vanished moments before his arrival.


    What he had detected, however, were weak but unmistakable traces of abyssal energy. Small pockets of that characteristic purple radiation, concentrated in cracks and recesses where it normally shouldn''t exist.


    His first instinct was to associate it with remnants of the Yino incursion four months ago, when enemy agents had attempted to infiltrate this Yano territory.


    "Residue," he theorized while examining one of these concentrations.


    Julius continued his methodical inspection, his wolverine''s senses stretched to their limits as he moved through the earth.


    It was then that he felt it.


    A vibration more intense than any before. His wolverine roared mentally, all its perceptions directing toward the origin of that disturbance. For the first time since beginning his patrol, Julius had a clear direction, an undeniable signal.


    "This isn''t normal," he concluded, his voice hardening while he began moving at great speed through the earth. His body seemed to melt into the element, moving as if it were part of the ground itself.


    ????


    Han''s breathing accelerated while his fingers felt something through the threads. Something was entering the tunnel, something large and heavy that broke his fine but tough webs as if they didn''t exist.


    The purple glow intensified, painting the walls of the narrow tunnel with distorted shadows. The predator approached, and the light emanating from it transformed their improvised refuge into a death trap.


    A viscous, glowing tentacle appeared at the entrance, moving with unnatural precision as it explored the space. It slithered forward, testing the air, sensing their presence.


    "No time to dig further," Ren whispered, his light claws manifesting as he prepared for combat.


    "No!" Han grabbed his arm with desperation, his fingers digging into Ren''s flesh. "Don''t fight, dig! I can feel it through the threads... it''s too big, too strong."


    Han''s spider fully manifested, not as the shy presence it usually was, but as a desperate creature fighting for survival. From it began flowing an impressive amount of silk, much more than Ren had ever seen Han produce before.


    "Hurry!" Han insisted while his spider created layer after layer of resistant material, sealing the tunnel with a plug that grew thicker by the second. "Keep digging!"


    Ren hesitated for an instant, torn between his instinct to fight and Han''s desperate plea. The certainty in Han''s eyes convinced him. With a grunt of effort, he buried his diamond claws into the earth, tearing through the ground with renewed force.


    Discretion no longer mattered. The vibrations that might attract other beasts no longer mattered. Even the comfortable size of the tunnel didn''t matter, a small hole to crawl through would have to be enough.


    All that mattered was speed.


    Ren''s claws ripped away large chunks of earth and rock quickly, his muscles burning from the superhuman effort. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with frantic intensity, illuminating his work with erratic flashes.


    "Faster!" Han gasped, his body trembling from the effort of maintaining silk production. "It''s coming!"


    Behind them, the creature was testing the resistance of the silk as if it were a game, poking and prodding with casual malice.


    Ren felt something through the earth, an irregularity in the density that could mean...


    "There''s a tunnel nearby!" he exclaimed, redoubling his efforts. His claws moved in a blur, earth flying behind him in dark sprays. "I can feel it!"


    Han, following and still working to reinforce the barrier, suddenly shouted:


    "Quick! It seems... It''s stopped..." His eyes widened, hope illuminating his face for a fleeting moment. "Maybe it got stuck in the thick layers? Or lost interest?"


    The silence that followed was deceptively calm, broken only by their ragged breathing and the sound of earth yielding to Ren''s claws. For one second, it seemed they might escape.


    Then, horror.


    Like lances of purple light, several tentacles pierced through the silk barrier as if it were wet paper. They moved with lethal precision, wrapping around Han before he could react, securing his arms, legs, and torso in their slimy grip.


    "REN!" Han''s heart-rending scream resonated as he was dragged toward the chamber, wrapped in his own perforated barrier, his body contorting in a desperate attempt to break free. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren didn''t hesitate. He propelled himself backward, rolled, and leaped again. In an instant, he was beside Han, one hand gripping his friend. With the other hand, Ren unsheathed his dagger and began cutting the tentacles that coiled around Han.


    The blade sliced with precision, but for every tentacle severed, two more seemed to replace it. Worse still, where Han''s skin had made contact with the appendages, pale, sunken marks appeared, as if his vitality and mana were being drained. His friend''s face grew ashen, eyes dulling as the creature siphoned his life force.


    "They''re like the shadow stalkers!" Ren recognized the effect while continuing to cut frantically. "They absorb vitality and mana!"


    The pulling force suddenly increased, as if the creature had lost patience with their tactics. With a devastating jerk, the tentacles dragged both boys through the destroyed silk barrier, pulling them into the main chamber.


    Ren continued cutting even as they were dragged, his dagger moving with the precision born of desperation.


    The last tentacle holding Han gave way just as they emerged into the larger chamber from which they had tried to escape, both falling several meters before landing painfully on a floor covered with residue and bones.


    The fall left Ren momentarily on his back against the ground, the impact stealing his breath. Beside him, Han lay motionless,eyes wide open, his skin pale where the tentacles had touched him, but still breathing.


    The purple glow that Ren had seen from the tunnel now bathed them completely, allowing them to see for the first time the creature that had captured them.


    What rose before them defied natural comprehension.


    A colossal worm more than twenty meters long writhed in the center of the chamber, its segmented body pulsing with abyssal light that emanated from within. But what horrified Ren wasn''t its size, but its impossible anatomy.


    Dozens of long, thin legs, similar to those of a mimic insect, extended from its flanks, moving with an unnatural grace that barely disturbed the air around them and barely touched the ground, explaining the absence of vibrations that had confused Ren.


    They twitched and flexed independently, giving the impression of countless separate creatures working in horrific unison.


    Its body was covered by overlapping plates reminiscent of a living tunnel, interspersed with rocky protrusions typical of stone lurkers.


    Each segment seemed to have been designed by a madman, fusing characteristics of different creatures into an abomination that shouldn''t exist.


    In the final section of its tail, an enormous luminescent ball pulsed with purple energy, similar to that of a shadow stalker queen, but grotesquely distorted. The orb throbbed with a sickening rhythm, like a diseased heart pumping corrupt blood.


    But it was the head that provoked true horror. A nightmarish fusion of bat, insect, and worm, with multiple compound eyes that glowed with malevolent intelligence. Its mouth opened in several directions, revealing rows of triangular teeth arranged in concentric circles that rotated independently.

 Chapter 229 - 229 - Taming the Light

    The strange creature writhed with evident rage, the tentacles severed by Ren''s dagger regenerating slowly as they undulated like serpents in the purple light.


    Ren tried to activate his knowledge, searching for information about the creature, but his ability seemed to fail. The information arrived fragmented, inconsistent, as if the beast were too anomalous to be understood through his usual parameters.


    It was then that Ren noticed something on one of the worm''s final segments: a distinctive mark, artificial, that stood out against the natural plates.


    He recognized it immediately: it was the mark that Julius had made on the lesser worm they had found the previous night. The precise pattern of cuts was unmistakable, even amid the creature''s grotesque anatomy.


    Understanding hit him like a physical blow.


    "It''s... it''s assimilating the beasts in the area," Ren murmured, his voice barely audible as the creature slowly approached. "Shadow stalkers, living tunnels, stone lurkers, mimics..."


    ''How is this possible? The residual abyssal energy? That hasn''t generated anything like this beneath the school, and it''s stronger there¡­'' His mind raced through possibilities.


    Ren observed the purple glow emanating from each segment until he distinguished one with an incrustation and a more intense brightness. Inside, a sphere very similar to the core of a corrupted male shadow stalker he had, pulsated with energy. The orb throbbed with sickening rhythm, veins of darkness spreading outward from its center like a parasitic network.


    "That must be what allows it to fuse such disparate characteristics."


    Ren recalled the agent who had merged with the monster that day beneath the academy, but was instantly pulled from his reminiscence.


    The creature emitted a sound that reverberated painfully in his ears, a discordant symphony of screeches and rumbles that seemed to vibrate the very air in the chamber. Its tentacles extended again, this time moving more slowly, with predatory curiosity.


    Ren evaluated his options, none promising. They were trapped in the monster''s main chamber, weakened, and facing a creature whose capabilities he couldn''t even fully comprehend.


    The thin tunnel he''d begun digging was too far, and even if they reached it, the creature would simply follow.


    Ren knew that even with his enhancements and his beast''s abilities, the odds were completely against him. The creature possessed the strength of multiple beasts combined, its regenerative capabilities were extraordinary, and its absorption powers were already draining the chamber''s ambient mana.


    The abyssal beast moved with terrifying speed. While Ren was evaluating his options, the creature had already made a decision. Its tentacles didn''t target him, but instead shot toward Han, who lay unconscious and vulnerable on the chamber floor.


    There was no time to think. Ren''s body reacted on instinct.


    "NO!"


    The veins of light pulsed with great intensity, flooding the chamber with a radiance that battled against the abomination''s purple glow. The hydra responded to his desperation, manifesting not just as partial armor, but as the most complete fusion possible for a Yano tamer.


    Scales covered around 30% of his body, the hydra''s muscles merging with his own, reinforcing every fiber, every tendon. The claws weren''t typical tactical extensions, but blades of condensed light, fueled by the energy his mushrooms emitted in frantic pulses from within his body.


    With all his attributes enhanced by 120% thanks to the ring and hydra, plus additional improvements to defense at 140% and strength up to 160%, Ren became a living projectile. The months of training with Lin had transformed his body into a more efficient machine, and now that efficiency multiplied exponentially.


    He launched himself toward the monster''s head in a perfect straight line, intercepting it before it could touch Han. His light claws cut through the air with a whistle, impacting against the central mass.


    The chamber air crackled with displaced energy as he moved, leaving a brief afterimage of light in his wake.


    Yet, the resistance was greater than expected. Instead of cleanly separating, the monster''s plates barely suffered a superficial cut, but the impact force was enough to divert it from its course. The blow reverberated through Ren''s arms, nearly dislocating his shoulders despite his reinforced structure.


    "Too hard!" he grunted, regaining his balance in mid-air to land on his feet. "Its resistance is at least Silver rank..."


    The abyssal worm emitted a shriek that seemed to tear the air itself. More tentacles emerged, this time all oriented toward Ren.


    He at least had achieved what he wanted: drawing its attention.


    Ren dodged the first onslaught with a lateral spin, his movements fluid as water thanks to more than double his normal speed. His mind worked at full capacity, analyzing attack patterns, calculating trajectories, identifying the milliseconds between strikes where vulnerability existed.


    "Four main tentacles," he muttered to himself while evading another blow that impacted the ground, creating a crater where he had been a second before. "They emerge in sequence, with a 0.3-second delay between each."


    A tentacle managed to graze his leg in the next attack.


    The effect was instantaneous: an unnatural cold that penetrated even through his scales. Fortunately, Ren''s internal light quickly reduced the effect, pushing back against the siphoning energy with a bright pulse.


    But the pain cost him an instant of doubt. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The monster launched forward with its tentacles leading, Ren rolled to avoid a complete grab, his claws cutting the nearest appendage before it could coil around his ankle. The absorption reduced his energy, the light recovering from the damage but losing some intensity.


    But Ren had a plan. Each movement took him farther from Han, but also closer to the backpacks they had abandoned when they fell.


    The creature arched its segmented body, preparing for a faster and more direct attack. Its multiple insect legs tore through the air, generating a disturbing rhythmic clicking that reverberated throughout the chamber.


    Ren seized that moment to launch into a direct run toward the backpacks. The creature pounced and the tentacles at its front pursued him, serpentining across the floor like rivers of purple death.


    As he passed the abandoned backpacks, his hand extended with precision. His fingers closed around the spear he had used against the male shadow stalker. The weapon, perfectly balanced thanks to Isaac''s work, felt like a natural extension of his arm.


    Its weight felt reassuring, solid, a connection to the world above.


    But the beast would give him no time to celebrate. A mass of tentacles converged on him from multiple angles, closing any escape route with nightmarish coordination.


    With an acrobatic leap that would have made Lin proud, Ren jumped over the first tentacle, rolled under the second, and executed a mid-air spin with the spear and claws to cut the third and fourth.


    The hydra and ring increased his agility to superhuman levels, allowing him to perform maneuvers that seemed to defy normal physics. Time itself seemed to slow as his enhanced perception processed each movement, each threat, each opportunity at more than double their real speed.


    Before falling, Ren drove the spear into the ground and used the momentum to catapult himself upward, just as the beast''s head collided with the spot where he had been.


    The movement carried him to land on one of the creature''s upper segments.


    The sensation was repulsive. Beneath his feet, abyssal energy emanated directly against his scales, slowly trying to corrode his protection and his light.


    The worm twisted violently, trying to dislodge the intruder from its back. Ren drove the spear in as an anchor to maintain balance.


    The beast roared, a sound that seemed to combine the agonized screams of all its prey. The walls themselves vibrated with the force of its cry, small stones and dust raining from the ceiling.


    From his new elevated position, Ren could clearly see the creature''s corrupted core: a pulsating mass of purple energy located just beneath the plates of the central segment.


    "There it is," he whispered, his eyes fixing on the target. Sweat stung his eyes, but he dared not blink.


    The creature seemed to sense his intention. It coiled protectively, partially hiding its core while more tentacles emerged from its posterior end. They whipped through the air with greater ferocity, their movements less controlled but more dangerous in their wild unpredictability.


    Ren breathed deeply, centering his mind as Lin had taught him. The light seemed to respond to his concentration, directing more energy to his arms.


    Ren jumped toward the backpacks full of skins again to land on something soft, avoiding the bite and tentacles that lashed the air behind him.


    With a movement that combined strength, precision, and all his desperation, Ren launched the spear directly toward the corrupted core during his mid-jump.


    The spear cut through the air like lightning, its trajectory aimed at the abomination''s only vital point. Time seemed to slow as the weapon flew, the chamber silent save for the whistling sound of its passage through the air.

 Chapter 230 - 230 - Taming Desperation

    Meanwhile, Liora and Luna''s group...


    The impacts against the containment wall intensified by the moment.


    Shizu stopped, leaning against the wall of the tunnel she had been excavating for the past few minutes. Her breathing was labored, each inhalation a visible effort that made her shoulders heave.


    The earth wolverine she had fully manifested was beginning to show signs of exhaustion, its earthy form crumbling slightly at the edges as her control wavered.


    "Need to... keep going," she gasped, sliding down until she was on one knee. Her face was drawn with fatigue, skin ashen beneath the dirt that smeared her features.


    "We can''t stop," Mako looked at her with concern but also urgency. "Those shadow stalkers will break through the wall soon. I felt them through the ground..."


    Hikari illuminated Shizu''s face with her firefly, the light revealing the worrying pallor beneath the layer of dirt. "She''s at her limit," she diagnosed, her voice soft but clinical. "Pushing her further could cause a mana collapse."


    The guards exchanged meaningful glances. Maria was the first to speak, her voice firm despite the tension that tightened her jaw.


    "The priority is clear," she declared. "We must protect Ladies Luna and Liora at all costs. If Shizu cannot continue the planned route, we will stay to contain the beasts while you seek another path."


    The other guards nodded silently, their beasts partially manifesting in preparation for what might be their final stand. Their faces betrayed no fear, only grim determination born from years of training.


    "We won''t abandon anyone," Luna protested, her shadow wolf briefly flaring around her silhouette. "There must be another solution."


    A tense silence fell over the group as they evaluated their options, interrupted only by another distant impact against the containment wall.


    "Up," Liora suddenly pointed toward the tunnel ceiling, her will-o''-wisp brightening with her excitement. "We could dig directly toward the surface. It''s a much faster path than continuing to tunnel all the way to the camp."


    "And it would allow us to find Zhao more quickly," Luna added, immediately grasping the idea.


    Mako shook her head, her expression somber. "Too risky. Night is very close. Besides, there''s an 80% probability of intersecting another shadow stalker tunnel between 30 and 5 meters of depth. That depth is completely infested."


    "Then what do you suggest?" Luna asked, frustration filtering into her normally controlled tone.


    "The area under the camp is the only safe island," Mako explained.


    As Song had explained before Zhao repeated it to them, the ground there had a higher concentration of calcium and was drier due to the old efforts of auxiliaries and earth element masters, which naturally repelled shadow stalkers.


    "Remember why they forbid us from digging deep to set traps during gathering..." Her night ambusher rippled along her skin as she spoke. "Reaching the island and emerging from beneath the tent is our only safe path."


    A new impact sent vibrations through the tunnel, stronger than before. Small stones dislodged from the ceiling, pattering around them like ominous rain.


    "We don''t have time for debates," Maria declared. "The wall won''t hold much longer."


    Luna knelt beside Shizu, studying her exhausted face. She gently brushed a strand of dirt-caked hair from the girl''s forehead. "Can you make it to the camp?" she asked directly, her voice gentle but firm.


    Shizu tried to stand, only to stagger. Her wolverine flickered, almost dematerializing for a moment before stabilizing again. "No... I don''t think I can, my lady..." The admission seemed to pain her more than her physical exhaustion.


    "Then it''s decided," Luna rose, her decision made. "We''ll dig upward. It''s our best option now."


    "If we encounter a shadow stalker tunnel..." Mako began to protest.


    "Then we''ll have to deal with it," Liora completed, her will-o''-wisp manifesting to illuminate the space with renewed intensity. The ethereal flames cast dancing shadows across their determined faces.


    The guards exchanged another look before Maria nodded with resignation.


    "If you''re going to do it, then we''ll establish conditions," she declared with authority. "If you find a populated tunnel, don''t fight. Run back immediately to where Lin is. We''ll stay here to ensure you have an escape route."


    "You can''t stay," Liora protested, her normally quiet voice rising. "You''re coming with us."


    "Our mission is to protect you," responded one of the guards, her tone leaving no room for discussion. "That means securing your escape, even at our own cost if necessary."


    Hikari intensified her firefly''s light, illuminating the tunnel ceiling. "Let''s begin then. An angle of about 45 degrees should take us to the surface quickly without compromising accessibility and mobility too much."


    With Shizu too exhausted to contribute significantly, the others combined their efforts. Mako used her night ambusher to displace earth, while Luna and the others applied their own beasts in creative ways to facilitate excavation.


    The new tunnel began to take shape, ascending at a pronounced angle toward what they hoped would be safety. The earth yielded grudgingly to their efforts, each handful of soil and stone representing another step closer to the surface.


    Twenty-five meters... twenty meters... fifteen meters...


    Sweat soaked their clothes, but the sensation of approaching the surface kept their spirits up. Perhaps, against all odds, they had found a direct path to salvation.


    It was then that Trent, who had slightly advanced ahead with his fire ant, stopped abruptly. His body went rigid, one hand raised in warning.


    "Wait," he whispered, his body tensing. "I feel something... vibration in the wall."


    Everyone froze, sharpening their senses. A barely perceptible sound filtered through the earth: the soft dragging of bodies, the brushing of tentacles against stone.


    "Shadow stalkers have sensed the vibration of our advance," Mako confirmed in a tense whisper. "On the other side of this wall."


    As if responding to their name, the earth began to give way at several points, small holes appearing as the creatures on the other side perceived the disturbance and began to investigate. Tiny streams of dirt trickled down as the first probing tentacles searched for weaknesses in the barrier.


    "Fall back!" Maria ordered, her armadillo beast fully manifesting, plates of protective armor spreading across her skin. "Now!"


    Luna looked toward the guards, desperation flickering in her eyes. "Come with us. We can¡­"


    She didn''t have time to finish. A tentacle emerged through one of the holes, serpentining in the air as if seeking prey. Another followed, and then another.


    "Return to Lin!" shouted one of the guards, her beast launching itself against the first shadow stalker that had managed to create an opening large enough to pass through. "We''ll hold them back!"


    "We won''t leave you!" Liora protested, her will-o''-wisp intensifying as she prepared to fight. The flames flared with her emotion, bathing the tunnel in ghostly blue light.


    "Our mission is your safety!" Mayo insisted, her beast already engaging another shadow stalker that was forcing its way through. "Do your part and return to Lin!"


    Luna hesitated only a moment more before making a decision.


    They wouldn''t leave without them.


    ????


    Zhao observed the situation with a grave expression, his mind evaluating possibilities while shadow stalkers continued flowing through the tunnels like rivers of nightmare.


    "Something''s wrong," he murmured to himself, his owl partially manifested as he sharpened his vision to penetrate the deepest shadows of the cavern. "Ren should have been able to control this situation." S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Knowing the boy as he now did, it seemed strange that he hadn''t employed some ingenious strategy to evade the shadow stalkers. After all, Ren had demonstrated surprising knowledge about these creatures'' weaknesses.


    With the cores of the males they had eliminated to enter, plus all the resources they had collected, they should have had sufficient tools to create illusions or vibrations like the previous time and lead everyone in an orderly retreat.


    "Unless they can''t use them," Zhao concluded, concern accentuating on his face. "Unless they''re separated... or something worse."


    Night was approaching rapidly. Soon the entire surface would be infested with fully awakened shadow stalkers.


    Zhao weighed his options, aware that each passing moment narrowed his choices.


    "I''ll have to intervene directly," he decided, the responsibility weighing on his shoulders.


    Part of him regretted that this would mean reducing the group''s grade. They had collected an impressive amount of materials, possibly the largest ever recorded by first-year students. But the protocols were clear: any direct teaching intervention to rescue students from the site beasts implied a significant penalty in the final evaluation.


    "Safety first," he reminded himself as his owl fully manifested, extending almost spectral wings that merged with his arms. "Grades can wait."


    With a fluid movement, Zhao extracted several feathers from his wings.

 Chapter 231 - 231 - Taming Aid

    With a fluid movement, Zhao extracted several feathers from his wings.


    Aiming with millimetric precision, he launched the first feather. It cut through the air like a bolt of silver light, penetrating three aligned shadow stalkers before embedding itself in the cavern wall.


    Without pause, Zhao continued his assault. Each feather found multiple targets, eliminating shadow stalkers with an efficiency that spoke of decades of combat experience. His movements were fluid and economical, wasting no energy as he positioned himself for optimal firing angles.


    His owl eyes enhanced his precision to superhuman levels, allowing him to calculate trajectories that seemed almost impossible. Time itself appeared to slow as he tracked the movement of each creature, predicting exactly where they would be when his projectiles arrived.


    "Too easy," Zhao murmured, his eyes scanning the battlefield.


    He advanced deeper into the cavern, eliminating shadow stalkers almost distractedly while his mind continued working on the mystery.


    His feathers returned to him after each kill, eliminating even more creatures on their way back while he positioned himself at different angles. Each feather that returned merged seamlessly with his owl manifestation, ready to be used again.


    Soon after, dozens of beasts lay dead in the tunnel, and only the wall, product of the combined efforts of Taro, Shizu, Umi, and Larissa, remained standing.


    ????


    The battle against the shadow stalkers underground continued...


    One after another, the students'' beasts began to disappear.


    Jun''s monkey was the first. It had been keeping three shadow stalkers at bay simultaneously, its agile movements a blur of fur and claws. But when a fourth wrapped around its leg, the creature emitted an agonizing shriek.


    "No!" Jun cried out as he felt the bond break, falling to his knees while the pain of forced cancellation and the difficulty of controlling unbound mana coursed through him. sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Sora''s deer resisted for barely a few seconds more. Its antlers had impaled multiple shadow stalkers, the elegant beast charging and pivoting with surprising grace in the confined space. But the continuous absorption of vitality finally depleted its reserves.


    With a final flash, the majestic creature vanished, leaving Sora gasping and pale, her hands clutching the tunnel wall to keep from collapsing.


    "Fall back!" Maria ordered, her armadillo serving as another defensive barrier, its plates expanding to shield as many students as possible. "Conserve your beasts'' energy!"


    But it was already too late for many. Trent''s fire ant consumed itself in flames, unable to maintain its material form. The small beast flared brilliantly one last time, incinerating two shadow stalkers in its final act before winking out of existence.


    Mayo''s cloud bird dissipated like mist under the midday sun.


    Mako, who had been fighting on the front line from the beginning, finally reached her limit. Her night ambusher''s claws slashed one last time before dissolving, and she collapsed unconscious, saved from the tentacles only by Kira''s goat''s quick intervention. The horned beast charged the creatures, knocking them back with powerful impacts before it too began to fade.


    Hana''s Venus extended its roots, creating a defensive network around the unconscious Mako. The plant''s tendrils wove together in a protective lattice, temporarily keeping the shadow stalkers at bay. It worked for a brief moment, until the shadow stalkers, learning quickly, began attacking the roots instead of the adjacent earth. The plant shuddered and began to visibly wither.


    "Hikari, Liora! I need light!" Luna shouted, her shadow wolf struggling to maintain its form while repelling the creatures.


    Both responded instantly. Hikari''s firefly emitted a blinding flash that momentarily disoriented the shadow stalkers, while Liora''s will-o''-wisp created a barrier of blue flames that kept the closest ones at bay. But it was evident in their contracted faces and in the trembling of their hands that they were operating at the limit of their capabilities.


    "We can''t maintain this much longer," Hikari murmured. Her firefly''s light pulsed erratically, growing dimmer with each flash.


    "Something''s wrong," Maria observed between gasps. "They''re absorbing too quickly, as if they were... hungry for something specific." Her armadillo''s plates had begun to crack in places, small fissures appearing where the shadow stalkers'' touch had drawn out too much vitality.


    A different vibration then traveled through the tunnel. It wasn''t the familiar soft scraping of female shadow stalkers, but something more intense, more powerful.


    Liora visibly paled.


    "It''s the nuptial flight," she whispered in horror. "We must be near the dispersal season."


    "Nuptial flight?" Hikari turned to her, confusion momentarily overriding her fear.


    "Ren told me in the tunnels that the males of this species aren''t males like those of ours... they''re not what they seem," Liora explained. "Shadow stalker queens create ''sentinel males,'' not for reproduction, but as carriers and protectors. The males transport young queens to new areas to establish colonies, along with some workers to start the process."


    "So in this colony they''re creating more males now?" Hikari asked, her light dangerously flickering as her energy decreased.


    "It seems that..."


    She didn''t need to finish the sentence. A guttural sound, completely different from the hisses of female shadow stalkers, resonated through the tunnel. The creatures that had been attacking them momentarily stopped, as if listening to silent orders.


    "They''re coming," Luna confirmed in the darkness what everyone feared. "The males."


    Her wolf, now reduced to little more than a shadow outline, growled weakly. Hana''s Venus had collapsed almost completely, its roots now simple dry greenish threads. Matilda''s armadillo maintained its position, but its shell was looking brittle and worn.


    The wall at the end of the tunnel gave way, and a creature emerged that made normal shadow stalkers seem harmless by comparison.


    The male shadow stalker entered the tunnel. Its tentacles were thicker, more numerous, and extended farther than those of its smaller counterparts.


    Behind it, a second male began to emerge like a nightmare taking physical form.


    "We''re finished. You must run, my ladies," Hikari murmured, her firefly now barely a trembling point of light.


    The first male extended its tentacles, the energy pulsation in them so intense that the air itself seemed to distort around them. The few remaining beasts positioned themselves in defensive formation, but it was an almost symbolic gesture against such power.


    The male attacked.


    In the same instant, the ground beneath the shadow stalker exploded upward like a geyser of earth and stone. The creature was thrown backward, its tentacles flailing in momentary confusion as it was launched into the air.


    A figure emerged from the ground with the fluidity of one who dominates the earth element as an extension of their own being. Julius stood up between the students and the shadow stalkers, his wolverine fully manifested, transforming his arms into colossal claws of crystallized rock.


    "Take cover!" he ordered, his voice resonating with natural authority as the earth around him began to move as if it had a life of its own. The ground trembled beneath their feet, responding to his will like an eager servant.


    Without waiting for a response, Julius struck the ground with both fists. The earth responded to his command, undulating like a wave that rose to form a protective wall in front of the students. The barrier emerged with startling speed.


    The second male had finished emerging, and now both converged on Julius, their tentacles extending like deadly whips, hungry for the powerful mana signature they detected.


    But Julius was in his element, literally.


    With impossibly precise movements, he created stalagmites that eliminated each of the creatures in sight while simultaneously sealing the tunnel with all the adjacent earth. Tons of weight that had cost Shizu so much effort to move were now like extensions of his own hands, responding to his will with perfect obedience.


    In moments, what had been a desperate battle became a one-sided demonstration of mastery over the earth element.

 Chapter 232 - 232 - Taming Disillusionment

    Back with Ren¡­


    The spear cut through the air like a silver lightning bolt, its trajectory perfect.


    The weapon impacted exactly where Ren had aimed, cleanly piercing the pulsating core of the abomination. The tip sank deep into the glowing mass with barely any resistance.


    An ear-splitting shriek reverberated throughout the chamber, so high-pitched that Ren felt as if his head might explode. The creature writhed violently while the spear remained firmly embedded in its center.


    Ren landed in the abandoned backpacks. Without losing a second, his hands found the bow and quiver of arrows he had left behind. His fingers closed around the weapon while he was already nocking an arrow in case a follow-up shot was needed.


    But it was merely an excessive precaution.


    "Should be enough," he murmured, his mushrooms pulsing as he assessed the damage caused. "The spear went directly through the core. Any moment now it should..."


    He stopped abruptly, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. Something wasn''t right. The creature continued writhing, yes, but its agony seemed... contained.


    It wasn''t the reaction of a being whose vital core had been destroyed. There was no catastrophic energy release, no cascading failure of its systems.


    The abomination shook again, and the spear fell to the ground with an almost metallic clang, its bright tip stained with a purple fluid. But where the destroyed core should have been, where there should have been catastrophic damage... Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was nothing.


    "That can''t be," Ren whispered, understanding hitting him like a sledgehammer. "The core..."


    His eyes frantically scanned the creature''s segmented body, and then he saw it. Or rather, he saw them.


    Energy pulsations now appeared at multiple points on its body: small cores glowing beneath its plates, strategically distributed along its segments. Each one pulsed with the same sickly purple light, creating a hypnotic rhythm of illumination across the monster''s form.


    "It was an illusion," Ren realized, a drop of cold sweat running down his temple as he tensed an arrow in his bow. "The core was a fake."


    The beast seemed to react to his discovery. The multiple cores pulsed, changing position with greater speed, as if mocking him. The purple light they emitted intensified in brightness, projecting distorted shadows on the chamber walls that seemed to dance with malevolent purpose.


    "It has advanced mimetic capabilities," Ren quickly analyzed while backing away, keeping the arrow drawn. "It doesn''t just absorb physical characteristics from its prey, but also their abilities. The illusion of the hole we fell through..."


    His mind worked at full speed. What beast in the area could generate such convincing illusions? None of the Bronze-rank creatures it had absorbed possessed that capability at such a level of complexity.


    Unless...


    "The illusion of a mimic insect projected onto a living mineral," he murmured. "So, something like a ''living illusion''?"


    The abyssal beast, as if having understood that its trick had been discovered, emitted a metallic screech that seemed to tear the air itself.


    Its segments began to contract and expand in a hypnotic rhythm, and before Ren''s eyes, the creature began to change. The transformation was both fascinating and horrifying, like watching a nightmare reshape itself into something worse.


    The tentacles extended again, now moving with more erratic and unpredictable patterns. Some merged together to form thicker appendages while others split into finer, whip-like structures that cracked the air with each movement.


    The plates covering its body reorganized, some fusing while others divided. The tentacles transformed into more solid structures, resembling barbed harpoons more than the absorptive appendages they had been moments before. The head, that nightmare of combined features, contracted upon itself before expanding into a new configuration even more terrifying.


    "It''s adapting," Ren realized with horror. "It''s evolving in response to the encounter."


    The multiple cores were now visible to the naked eye, pulsing beneath transparent plates that had previously been opaque. They shifted position constantly, never remaining in the same place for more than a second, making targeting any single one nearly impossible.


    Ren released an arrow tipped with a greater worm''s tooth, not a lesser worm''s tooth like his first planned arrows.


    The teeth of the greater worm were capable of penetrating one rank higher, in this case Silver. The projectile whistled through the air and embedded directly into one of the visible cores, but not very deep. The creature shuddered, the arrow fell away, and the wound began to close almost immediately, purple light knitting the damaged tissue together.


    "Accelerated regeneration," Ren prepared another arrow, his mind desperately evaluating strategies. "I need to attack all the possible cores, I have no way to damage it quickly enough to prevent regeneration."


    The hydra roared within him, eager to face this abomination with Ren at full strength. But Ren knew that, even with his beast enhanced by the mushroom''s light and the ring, the power difference was too great. A direct confrontation would be suicide.


    The abomination seemed to perceive his dilemma. The segments of its body finished compacting, conferring greater power to its movements.


    The creature launched forward with terrifying speed, its head converted into a lethal projectile. Ren barely had time to throw himself to the side, avoiding direct impact by millimeters. The floor where he had been standing shattered, fragments of corrupted living mineral and earth flying in all directions.


    "Too close," he gasped, rolling to stand again, his muscles protesting the sudden movement.


    The beast gave him no time to recover. With a fluid movement, it retracted its spear-head and charged again. This time, Ren jumped to the other side, feeling the displacement of air brush his face as the head passed beside him.


    The impact against the chamber wall was devastating. The rock cracked, fragments of stone and crystal falling like rain onto the floor.


    Ren dodged two more attacks, each more precise than the last. The creature was learning, calculating his movements, gradually reducing his maneuvering space. With each charge, more sections of the chamber were destroyed.


    Jumping to avoid a new attack, Ren noticed something strange. When crystal fragments fell from the walls and ceiling, some of the multiple cores he had seen seemed to flicker, as if their image suffered interference.


    "The crystals," he murmured to himself, an idea forming in his mind while dodging another devastating charge. His eyes darted around the chamber, noting how the light played across the crystalline surfaces embedded in the walls.


    As he landed after the jump, one of the creature''s tentacles reached him, grazing his leg.


    The effect was immediate and painful: an unnatural cold that penetrated to the bone, draining his vital energy.


    Ren cut the tentacle with his claws, but the damage was done. His leg felt numb, more light energy reconfiguring to heal it, diverting precious resources from his combat capabilities.


    However, the observation had been worth the price. Each time a crystal fragment fell from the chamber''s structure, the illusions flickered momentarily, revealing inconsistencies in what should have been solid form.


    "The crystals are amplifying and reflecting the illusory capability," Ren understood while evading another attack by centimeters. "They''re part of the system."


    If he could break the illusion, perhaps he could find the true core.

 Chapter 233 - 233 - Taming Disillusionment - 2

    If Ren could break the illusion, perhaps he could find the true core.


    The beast seemed to sense the shift in his mood from the discovery. With a roar that combined the agonized screams of dozens of different creatures, it intensified its attacks. The spear-head moved so fast it was barely a blur in the hot, stale air of the chamber.


    One of the attacks connected partially, sending Ren crashing against the wall. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs, black spots dancing in his vision as he fought to maintain consciousness.


    Beside him, a large crystal fragment detached from the wall, the jarring impact having loosened it from its setting.


    And in that instant, he saw it.


    When the crystal hit the ground and shattered, one of the cores, the one pulsating in the enormous shadow stalker queen segment of the tail, didn''t flicker like the others. It remained constant, its purple light unwavering amidst the chaos of failing illusions.


    Ren needed confirmation. With his enhanced strength, he grabbed one of the large crystal fragments from the floor and hurled it against an intact section of the chamber. The impact caused more crystals to break free from the walls, cascading down in a glittering rain of sharp fragments.


    Again, while the illusions flickered, the core in the third segment remained constant, its purple glow undisturbed by the disturbance in the crystal network.


    "There it is," Ren pulled himself up with renewed determination, ignoring the pain radiating from his battered body. "The true core."


    The creature seemed to sense that its secret had been discovered. Showing its intelligence, it made its light dimmer so Ren would not see its tail.


    Its movements became more calculated, more defensive. It positioned its segments differently, shifting to better protect the area Ren now watched so intently.


    "I need to reach the spear and then attack the real core."


    But the creature wouldn''t give him that opportunity so easily. As if it had read his thoughts, it intensified its attacks against Ren, pushing him away from the weapon, limiting his ability to maneuver.


    "Fine," Ren murmured, gathering his strength. "One last effort..."


    His eyes fixed on the fallen weapon several meters away, its edge still gleaming with the beast''s purple fluid. The spear lay tantalizingly out of reach, its crystalline tip catching what little light existed in the chamber.


    The light from the mushrooms and the ring was gradually diminishing too. The energy they provided, so vital for maintaining his enhanced capabilities, was reaching its limit.


    Soon he wouldn''t have enough power to face the creature or even to dodge its relentless attacks.


    "It''s now or never," he told himself, feeling how exhaustion began to infiltrate his trained muscles.


    The creature was intelligent, so Ren would have to be even smarter than it.


    Most creatures inhabiting these depths had adapted without relying on sight, depending primarily on detecting vibrations and other specialized senses. But this abomination, having absorbed characteristics from multiple species, was different. It possessed various types of eyes and but not all were optimized for total darkness. Not all were blind to light.


    A dangerous but potentially effective idea began to form in his mind.


    "It''s almost impossible to turn off my lights with my mushroom in my body," he murmured to himself.


    With a concentration that defied his exhaustion, Ren dodged the next attack and immediately expelled his beasts from his body.


    He did something he had never done before: invoking his beasts separately while remaining alone.


    The hydra emerged beside him as it assessed the situation, its scaled body reflecting dim light as it tensed for action. The small mushroom from his head appeared in his hand, the creature forming an independent body the size of a fist, its luminescent filaments pulsing as it looked at Ren with curiosity. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m sorry, little friend," Ren whispered, squeezing the mushroom. "But I need you to do me a favor."


    The little mushroom emitted a pulse of light that seemed to convey confusion as it was compressed.


    Without giving time for further doubts, Ren threw it with all his strength toward the opposite end of the chamber. The mushroom traced an arc of light through the darkness, emitting a faint pulse of indignation that only Ren could interpret as it soared through the air.


    "I''m not a stone, this is not an appropriate use for a companion!" it protested as it flew through the air, its luminescence creating an ephemeral trail behind it like a miniature comet.


    The abyssal beast, detecting the movement and light, partially turned its attention toward the strange event. Its multiple senses attempted to process the separation of energies that until now had remained united. The creature''s head swiveled toward the light source, tentacles extending reflexively toward the new stimulus.


    With the mushroom away from his body, darkness enveloped Ren almost completely. Without the constant luminescence of the mushrooms in his hair, his presence became much more difficult to detect. Only the faint energy signature of the hydra remained, but that too was part of the plan.


    "Go," he ordered in a whisper to the hydra. "Distract it."


    The creature, understanding perfectly, began moving in the opposite direction from the mushroom, its feet deliberately generating what little vibrations it could against the floor. The abyssal beast immediately detected this new movement, its senses divided between the two contradictory signals. Its head swiveled back and forth, unable to focus on a single target.


    Motionless against the crystalline wall, Ren held even his breath. Without movement, without light, without any vibration, he had become a blind spot for the abomination''s senses. He blended with the chamber wall, his survival now depending on absolute stillness.


    The beast emitted a shriek of confusion. Its senses, though powerful, were overloaded by contradictory signals. The mushroom emitted light but few vibrations. The hydra generated strong vibrations but no light. And the human...


    Where was the human?


    The creature''s head rotated between the two points of interest, unable to decide which represented the true threat. Finally, after several moments of indecision, its enormous eyes began to dilate, absorbing every available photon to try to visualize what its other senses couldn''t detect.


    The beast slowly approached where Ren remained motionless, its head oscillating gently as its eyes strained to distinguish shapes in the almost complete darkness. The tentacles extended, brushing the air mere centimeters from where Ren held his breath.


    It was time.


    With a thought as swift as it was decisive, Ren simultaneously reabsorbed both the hydra and the mushroom. The beasts returned to him in a beam of light, reintegrating into his body in an instant.


    The energy surged through him like a lightning strike, filling every cell with renewed power.


    The mushrooms emerged again in his hair, but this time Ren channeled all available energy toward them. Concentrating every particle, he forced the mushrooms to release a pulse of light so intense that it seemed to transform the subterranean chamber into broad daylight.


    The flash was blinding, instantaneous, and devastating for the beast whose eyes had dilated to their maximum to search for him in the darkness.


    The abomination emitted a shriek of pure pain, its multiple eyes violently contracting, unable to process the sudden luminous assault. The creature recoiled, tentacles flailing wildly as it tried to shield its sensitive visual organs from the searing light.


    It was precisely this instant that Ren had been waiting for.


    With the hydra fully manifested and integrated into his body, his muscles powered to their maximum by the fusion, Ren launched himself forward in a movement so explosive that his feet left cracks in the crystalline covering.


    Time seemed to slow down as he flew through the air, each second fragmented into microseconds of perfect clarity. His vision narrowed to a single point, the true core, now exposed as the creature writhed in blindness and pain.

 Chapter 234 - 234 - Taming Aid - 2

    In Larissa and Taro''s group...


    The walls trembled with each new impact.


    The shadow stalkers on the other side had intensified their attacks, as if sensing that the structure was about to give way.


    Lin pressed her hands against the minerals, feeling the vibrations transmit through her palms.


    "It won''t hold much longer," she warned, turning toward the group. Her face was drawn with concern, eyes darting between the weakening wall and the students she was responsible for protecting.


    Taro, Umi, and Larissa constantly reinforced the structure, channeling what little remained of their energies to maintain the solidity of the wall. Their faces were pale with effort, sweat beading on their foreheads as they fought to keep the barrier intact.


    Meanwhile, Mira and Matilda''s rope descended slowly into the dark hole where Ren and Han had disappeared. They had already extended about a hundred meters of line, but the absolute darkness made it impossible to know how much more they would need.


    "How much farther could it be?" Min asked, peering over the edge of the hole.


    The light from the wall''s crystals barely penetrated a few meters into the darkness before being devoured by the gloom. Beyond that lay only impenetrable shadow.


    "Impossible to know until we reach the bottom or feel a tug from the boys," Lin responded, dividing her attention between the threatened wall and the rescue operation. "For all we know, it could be twice what we''ve extended so far..."


    "Or more," Larissa added, her voice strained from the effort.


    "We can''t continue like this," Taro panted, sweat running down his face. His living tunnel, though evolved, was reaching the limit of its capabilities against so many enemies. "We need to reach Ren soon or we won''t get out of this."


    Lin nodded gravely. She wasn''t sure she could keep the students safe... They had placed too much confidence in Ren, who made it seem impossible not to be able to face any mishap in this "easy zone".


    Now she faced a terrible decision.


    It was the kind of decision no instructor wanted to make: protect the present group or try to rescue those who had fallen. Each option carried its own weight of responsibility and potential regret.


    It was then that they saw it.


    A flash of light, brief but intensely bright, ascended from the depths of the hole like an inverted lightning bolt. It illuminated the chamber for a split second before fading away, leaving ghostly afterimages dancing in their vision.


    "What was that?" Mira blinked, rubbing her eyes.


    "Ren," Min had no doubts. "Those are his mushrooms when he forces them."


    But events weren''t happening alone or in order.


    A new sound drew their attention.


    It didn''t come from the internal wall they were having more trouble defending, but from the opposite one, where they had sealed the cave entrance and there were fewer shadow stalkers.


    It sounded as if hundreds of creatures were moving frenetically on the other side while the air whistled through small cracks in the barrier.


    "Maybe they want to increase pressure there too," Umi observed with alarm. "If they attack this intensely from both sides simultaneously..."


    Lin quickly evaluated the new situation.


    Perhaps it was time to send the children into the escape hole.


    An attack that broke the walls and came from both broken fronts simultaneously would be impossible to contain. They would be overwhelmed in seconds.


    But then, as suddenly as it had begun, the noise outside the wall leading to the main exit began to diminish...


    Finally, it ceased completely.


    "What''s happening?" Matilda whispered, her eyes wide with uncertainty.


    Lin cautiously approached that wall, pressing her ear against the stone. The sudden silence was almost as unnerving as the previous commotion.


    "Something or someone has changed the situation. It''s not night yet, so..."


    Meanwhile, the other wall, containing the shadow stalkers from the deeper section, continued receiving increasingly powerful impacts. An alarming crack indicated that a section was beginning to give way.


    "I can''t hold it!" Taro shouted, attempting to repair the crack. His hands pressed desperately against the fracturing stone.


    Lin made an instant decision. "We need to open the other wall," she declared, pointing toward the now-silent barrier. "It could be help..."


    After a moment of tense deliberation, the group nodded. With extreme caution, Lin directed Larissa to create a small opening in the silent wall, just large enough for them to see what lay beyond.


    Then, a familiar face appeared.


    "Professor Zhao," Mira exhaled with palpable relief, her shoulders sagging as tension fled her body.


    Indeed, Zhao peered through the opening, his owl markings glowing intensely as he rapidly assessed the situation. Behind him, the passage was clear, the floor littered with the remains of shadow stalkers.


    "Widen the opening," he ordered.


    While Taro and the others expanded the opening, a cracking sound indicated that the other wall had finally yielded. The shrieks of shadow stalkers filled the air as they began to flood the space, their translucent bodies gleaming in the dim light as they poured through the fissures.


    "Behind me!" Zhao shouted, beginning to launch feathers with deadly accuracy.


    The group hurried through the widened opening, Lin ensuring that everyone passed safely before her, but also covering for Mira and Matilda to keep the line going as the shadow stalkers surged forward.


    ????


    In Liora and Luna''s group¡­


    The last shadow stalker was crushed under the power of Julius''s earth wolverine.


    With a fluid movement, Julius sealed the final opening through which more creatures could enter. The earth responded to his will as if it were an extension of his own body, flowing and hardening at his command with perfect obedience.


    "It''s safe now," he announced, turning toward the group of exhausted students.


    The scene was desolate. First-year students, who should have been enjoying a gathering excursion in which they had already achieved an astonishing goal, now found themselves in various states of exhaustion and shock.


    Some leaned on each other to remain standing, while others had simply collapsed against the tunnel walls, their faces pale from the vitality drain they had suffered.


    But this was very strange to Julius. They had shown they had a perfect lineup for this area, and yet they had reached such a bad state...


    "I''ll have to get you out of here," Julius decided.


    With precise movements, he began manipulating the earth to create an ascending platform. With it, he reconfigured the ground and raised all the students simultaneously, more difficult but perfect for those most weakened.


    The earth rose beneath them in a smooth, controlled motion, carrying them upward toward safety.


    As the earth reconfigured under his command, Julius evaluated the situation. Several students would need immediate attention. The signs of mana poisoning were clear in at least three of them, and vitality loss had severely affected several more.


    Luna and Liora, exhausted but determined, approached him as he supervised the ascent. Despite their fatigue, they moved with the ingrained grace of nobility, refusing to succumb entirely to their exhaustion.


    "Prince Julius," Luna began, her normally controlled voice now tense with effort and concern. "Ren and Han are still down there."


    "They fell through a hole," Liora added, her will-o''-wisp barely a weak flicker. "We have to rescue them."


    Julius observed them, recognizing the brave effort they were making to remain conscious. Both had exceeded their limits, and their beasts could no longer fully manifest.


    "I see... I think I understand the situation," he responded gravely. "But look around you."


    With a gesture, he encompassed all the injured students.


    "Several of your companions need anti-mana medicine urgently," he continued. "And nightfall is approaching. When darkness comes, this entire area will be infested."


    Liora tried to protest, but exhaustion almost made her fall. Only Julius''s quick reflexes prevented her from collapsing. His arm steadied her, firm but gentle.


    "In your current condition, none of you would survive the journey back to camp without protection," he explained while helping her stabilize. "And I cannot divide myself."


    The frustration in both girl''s eyes was palpable, but even they couldn''t deny the logic of his decision.


    "But... we can''t abandon them," Liora insisted, her voice barely a whisper.


    "We aren''t abandoning them," Julius assured, his tone firm but compassionate. "I''ll return as soon as I get everyone to safety... Now, we must move," he ordered. "Every minute counts."


    With painful but necessary resignation, Luna and Liora nodded. Julius cast one last look toward the sealed depths, where he didn''t know that right now two students were fighting for their lives against unknown dangers.


    "Hold on," he murmured, before turning to guide the survivors to safety.


    ???? Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren''s vision narrowed to a single point, the true core.


    Although he couldn''t know it...


    He would receive no help in time; he would have to resolve his situation on his own. The weight of survival rested solely on his shoulders, with Han''s life hanging in the balance alongside his own.


    The creature, temporarily blinded, thrashed its tentacles erratically, trying to ignore the pain in its damaged eyes.


    Ren slipped between two tentacles that flailed blindly, dodging by millimeters a third that almost struck him by pure chance. His outstretched hand could almost feel the grip of the spear already, fingers extended toward the weapon that might be their only salvation.

 Chapter 235 - 235 - Taming Disillusionment - 3

    Ren ran, every muscle in his body propelled by the fusion with the hydra, each movement maximized by Lin''s relentless training.


    But the abyssal beast didn''t remain paralyzed after momentarily losing its vision. In a movement that defied all natural understanding, the creature did something that froze Ren''s blood: it voluntarily detached its eyes.


    The visual organs dropped from its head like ripe seeds falling from a plant, landing on the ground with sickening wet sounds. The creature had decided that sight was a weakness in this battle.


    Without the distraction of visual stimuli, the beast fully reconnected with its other senses.


    Ren finally reached the spear...


    The weapon felt like a natural extension of his arm, its weight reassuring as he landed on one knee, pivoting to face the abomination once more.


    Now, with the spear in his hand and exact knowledge of where the true core was located, Ren had a real chance. A single opportunity to end this nightmare once and for all.


    The beast had rid itself of its eyes, but that had taken a second.


    Taking advantage of that second of distraction, Ren leaped forward, suspending himself in the air so the now-blind creature would have trouble perceiving the direction of the attack. His body traced a perfect arc through the vitiated air, the spear extended before him like the point of a compass seeking true north.


    The segment containing the true core was now within his reach. It was the last one, the massive tail that appeared to be a grotesque hybrid between a worm and a shadow stalker queen, swollen and pulsing with purple energy.


    With every fiber of his muscles, Ren launched the spear. The weapon cut through the air like lightning, its path true and unwavering.


    The tip penetrated cleanly into the abdominal section of the segment, piercing through protective plates and alien tissue until burying itself deeply into the pulsating core.


    This time, the reaction was immediate and catastrophic.


    A shriek, different from any sound Ren had ever heard before, reverberated throughout the chamber. The tail segment grotesquely swelled, pulsing with unstable purple energy that leaked through cracks appearing on its surface. The fissures spread like spiderwebs, purple light spilling from each new opening.


    Ren barely had time to land and take cover behind a sizable corpse before the core imploded. The energy, released from its containment, collapsed inward before exploding outward in a small shockwave of abyssal power.


    When he could finally focus his vision again, Ren observed with horror what he had unleashed.


    From the shattered segment emerged small creatures, dozens of them. They were like abyssal miniatures, reduced versions of the greater abomination, with combined features of beasts but better structured. They writhed blindly, their translucent bodies weakly pulsing with residual purple light before fading out and stopping completely.


    ''It was gestating offspring,'' Ren realized with a shiver that ran down his spine. ''It was going to reproduce using the shadow stalker queen''s capacity.''


    The implications were terrifying. If this abomination had managed to establish itself and propagate its brood, it could have permanently altered the subterranean ecosystem and even the surface. It could have created a new species of abyssal predators adapted to any environment, combining the worst aspects of multiple beasts into something nature never intended.


    Relief washed over Ren.


    He had prevented the worst. He had identified and destroyed the true core.


    He had won.


    Or so he thought.


    The beast''s agonizing roar suddenly changed, transforming into a howl of pure primordial fury. The segment immediately adjacent to the destroyed one began to pulse with increasing intensity, the purple energy concentrating and crystallizing within it.


    Before Ren''s horrified eyes, a new core was forming.


    ''That''s not possible,'' he thought, desperation threatening to overwhelm him. ''If each segment can become the primary one...''


    The realization hit him with devastating force. He wasn''t facing a creature with multiple organs; he was fighting against a modular entity where each part could assume the central function.


    He had destroyed one core, but the beast was simply creating another.


    To completely eliminate it, he would have to destroy each segment individually. And in his current state, exhausted and at the limit of his capabilities, that task seemed impossible.


    For a moment, despair threatened to consume him. His muscles shook from sustained effort, his energy reserves almost exhausted, the fusion with his hydra manifesting with increasing difficulty. The light that had sustained him was dimming, his extraordinary abilities fading as his strength waned.


    But then, like a beacon in the darkness, images of his parents working tirelessly to give him the best filled his mind. He saw Liu, Min, and Taro, his first true friends. He remembered Lin, who had seen potential in him when everyone else saw only a child with the weakest beast. He saw everyone who now shared fun adventures with him...


    And a few meters away, Han began to move weakly, his eyes slowly opening, disoriented and confused. His friend was still alive.


    ''I can''t give up,'' Ren decided, determination hardening within him like tempered steel. ''Not while I can still move.''


    Ignoring the pain radiating from every cell in his body, Ren launched himself toward where the spear had fallen after the explosion. The creature, now reorganized around its forming new core, pulled back, as if evaluating this opponent who refused to be easily defeated like all those before.


    Ren reached the spear, his fingers closing around the shaft with renewed determination. If this abomination could create new cores, he would destroy them one by one. No matter how many he needed to eliminate, he wouldn''t stop until the threat had been neutralized. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The creature and Ren faced each other again, each evaluating the other with new respect. The abomination had lost a complete segment and its reproductive capacity. Ren had proven to be much more than simple prey; he was a predator in his own right.


    A weak groan broke the tense calm. Han, finally regaining consciousness, tried to sit up, his body still weak from the vitality drain. His movements were sluggish, uncoordinated, his skin pale where the tentacles had touched him.


    "Ren?" he murmured, his voice barely audible. "What...?"


    The reaction was instantaneous. The abyssal beast, detecting more vulnerable prey, sharply turned its attention toward Han. Its multiple sensors registered the weakness, the fragility, the opportunity.


    A hungry tremor ran through its remaining segments.


    With terrifying speed, the creature launched itself toward Han, tentacles extended like deadly spears directed at the defenseless boy.


    Han, still too disoriented to fully comprehend the danger, watched with bulging eyes as death approached.


    Ren reacted without thinking, his body moving on pure instinct. In a fluid movement, calculated to take advantage of the beast''s new angle of attack, he threw the spear.


    The weapon flew. The tip headed inexorably toward the new core that was forming, the point where the purple energy concentrated with greatest intensity.


    But Ren didn''t stop there. In the same instant that the spear left his fingers, he launched himself with superhuman impulse toward Han, his body transformed into a projectile of pure determination. He moved faster than he ever had before, pushing beyond limits he didn''t know he had, his only thought to reach his friend before the creature did.

 Chapter 236 - 236 - Taming Disillusionment - (End 1 / 2)

    His sister''s face faded into the crowd.


    Her terrified eyes desperately searching for him as the guards dragged her in the opposite direction.


    Han stretched out his small hands, trying to reach her, but other arms held him firmly in place.


    "Hedda! HEDDA!" he screamed, his childish voice breaking with the effort. Tears streamed down his face, hot against his cold skin.


    "Han!" His sister''s voice echoed one last time before disappearing behind a carriage door. "I''ll find you! I promise!"


    The promise was never fulfilled.


    The following years merged into an endless sequence of exhaustive training to transform him into a perfect tool. Physical pain became so constant that Han learned to mentally separate himself from it, observing it as if it were happening to someone else.


    "Remember the rules," the instructor repeated, his face always in shadows as Han lay exhausted on the training floor. The cold stone pressed against his cheek, the only comfort in a world of calculated cruelty.


    "You know perfectly well that you are forbidden from seeing her directly, but..."


    "If I contribute to my nation, Yino will ensure my sister has a good life," Han completed mechanically, the words engraved in his mind after countless repetitions.


    "The Queen you got is your last resort," the instructor continued, his voice monotonous but laden with threat. "The only situation in which you will use it is one where a high-priority target is within your reach. Otherwise, it''s better that you die without ever using it rather than showing it to the enemy."


    The instructor then leaned in, his hot breath against Han''s bruised face. "Remember that if we find out you''ve committed that offense, she will pay the consequences."


    The image of Hedda, now blurred after years of separation, was the only thing that kept Han functioning. The only thing that gave him purpose amid so much suffering. Her memory was both his strength and his weakness, the reason he endured, and the chain that bound him to his masters'' will.


    "Do you understand?"


    "Yes, master. I understand."


    The memory vanished like mist under the sun when a new wave of pain shot up from his knee and through Han''s body. He focused on ignoring it as always...


    But reality returned brutally: the underground chamber, the abyssal monster, debris everywhere. And Ren, that strange mushroom boy, trying to protect him with his own body.


    ????


    The spear struck first.


    It penetrated cleanly into the segment where the new core pulsed, the tip piercing layers of alien tissue until reaching its target.


    Ren reached Han an instant later, just in time thanks to the beast twisting in pain just as the tentacles were about to make contact.


    "Hide in the tunnel!" Ren shouted, positioning his body between Han and the beast, using his own flesh as a shield. His mushrooms pulsed frantically, casting erratic shadows across his determined face.


    The beast writhed a few meters away, its energy distribution reconfiguring after losing another core.


    Han tried to stand to escape as requested, but a sharp pain in his leg stopped him. He looked down and saw the tear in his pants, blood soaking the fabric, his leg clearly fractured from the previous impact.


    Even if he ignored the pain¡­


    He couldn''t move fast like this. He couldn''t escape before the monster attacked again.


    If he used the Carrion Queen, he could save himself... But that would mean eliminating Ren with his own hands. Sacrificing an innocent to save himself, a final betrayal of whatever humanity remained within him.


    It wasn''t something he wanted to do.


    So all that remained was to die as bait.


    And he accepted this fact with a calmness that would surprise anyone who hadn''t gone through his training. Death was simply another possibility for which they had prepared him as a spy. Another variable in the equation. The final page in a story written by others.


    "Ren," he called, his voice strangely serene. "Leave me. Save yourself."


    Ren turned to him, his face marked by small cuts and dirt, his light pulsing weakly. Exhaustion had carved deep lines around his eyes, yet determination blazed within them.


    "I can''t," Ren responded, and Han could see in his eyes something he immediately recognized: genuine determination.


    It wasn''t the manufactured determination that had been instilled in him during years of training.


    It was something natural, something real.


    "I already told you I couldn''t sleep, and if I don''t sleep, training with Lin is much worse."


    Han felt a strange mixture of emotions.


    Admiration for this boy who, with that beast and against all odds, had earned the respect of so many. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Envy for the freedom that radiated from him, for having real friends, for being able to simply be himself. For having something to protect by his own choice, not out of obligation or fear.


    For possessing the very thing Han had been denied; the simple right to make his own decisions.


    "Don''t be foolish!" Han shouted, frustration breaking his fa?ade of calm. "We''ll both die if you stay!"


    Ren simply smiled, that carefree smile he wore even in the tensest moments, and turned toward the beast that was beginning to recover. The segment following the destroyed one pulsed with increasing intensity, the purple energy condensing to form a new central core.


    "I don''t plan to die," he stated with a simplicity that seemed almost absurd given the situation.


    The abyssal beast, now reorganized around its third core, prepared a frontal attack. Its tentacles, combined with insect legs and chitinous extensions, formed a living spear aimed directly at the children.


    Han closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable impact. His last thought was for Hedda, silently apologizing for not being able to send her one final farewell letter.


    But instead of the pain he expected, he felt a wave of heat and heard a hissing sound, like compressed air being released under pressure.


    He opened his eyes to witness something impossible.


    Lines of pure light traversed Ren''s body no longer emitting their usual soft glow; now they shone with blinding intensity, converging in geometric patterns over the diamond plates covering his body.


    All the luminous energy seemed to concentrate in front of Ren, condensing into a brilliant point. The light intensified with each second, transitioning from a soft glow to a concentrated ray of pure energy.


    With a cry that channeled all his determination, Ren released the accumulated energy.


    A ray of light, so bright that Han had to narrow his eyes to avoid being blinded. The beam cut through the air, impacting directly against the beast''s frontal attack.


    There was a moment of resistance, a frozen instant where opposing forces met and fought for supremacy.


    Then, Ren''s light prevailed.


    The tentacles and extremities forming the creature''s attack disintegrated upon contact with the ray, pulverized by the pure energy. The beam continued its relentless trajectory, vaporizing the beast''s body segment by segment. Where it touched, corruption was cleansed, abyssal energy dissipated, and alien flesh simply ceased to exist.


    Han observed with absolute incredulity. The child whom some idiots called "rotten," whom they despised for having the "weakest beast," was facing an abyssal abomination with a power they couldn''t dream of acquiring.

 Chapter 237 - 237 - Taming Disillusionment - (End 2 / 2)

    Fragments of abyssal tissue scattered throughout the chamber.


    Three complete segments were entirely destroyed.


    The other 15 remaining, now headless, collapsed with a dull thud.


    But the monstrosity was far from defeated.


    Before Han''s horrified eyes, the beast began to reorganize itself once again. What remained of its original twenty segments, after losing five in battle, began to restructure.


    The last segment at the front started to swell and transform, translucent membranes stretching as a new structure formed: a grotesque mouth with rows of triangular teeth arranged in concentric rings.


    All remaining segments began functioning in coordination again, like independent control centers forming a collective organism, each capable of directing the whole. The abomination wasn''t a creature with multiple vital organs; it was multiple creatures fused into a single modular consciousness.


    Ren fell to one knee, completely exhausted. The light had diminished to a faint glow, barely enough to illuminate his exhausted face.


    Despite his condition, Ren extended his arms in front of Han, determined to continue protecting him until the end.


    Han observed this boy, so different from anyone he had met before. Someone with genuine concern for others.


    A memory, so vivid it almost hurt, emerged from the depths of his mind.


    "Why do you try so hard?" Han remembered asking, his childish voice filled with genuine curiosity as he watched his sister mending their worn clothes by the light of an almost consumed candle.


    Hedda had looked up, her fingers momentarily stopping their meticulous work. Her eyes were reddened from fatigue, but her smile never faltered when she spoke to him.


    "Because I love you, silly," she had answered with that particular mixture of toughness and tenderness that only she knew how to combine.


    "But the adults say we''re pests," Han had insisted, repeating the cruel words he had heard whispered in the alleys. "That there are too many like us, that we consume resources..."


    Hedda had put down the needle and taken his face between hands calloused from work, forcing him to look at her directly.


    "Listen to me, Han," her voice had become intense, almost fierce. "No matter what they say, no matter our situation. I want you to be a good person, I promised our mother. You must be someone who knows what''s right, even when it''s difficult. Especially when it''s difficult."


    "But..."


    "No buts," she had interrupted. "Promise me. Promise that you''ll always try to do what''s right, no matter what happens."


    And he, too young to fully understand what he was promising, had solemnly nodded. "I promise, sister."


    The memory faded, but left something vital in its place.


    A certainty.


    A decision.


    Ren deserved to live.


    This boy, who had been willing to sacrifice himself defending him, who represented exactly what Hedda had wanted for him, deserved to have a chance.


    ''If I use my second beast, he''ll discover me,'' Han thought, anxiety tightening his stomach. ''And if I''m discovered, Hedda will pay the consequences.''


    But as he watched Ren, still trying to protect him, something changed inside him. A crystalline resolution formed, displacing years of fear and conditioning. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ''No,'' Han decided. ''Hedda wouldn''t want me to be different. She would want me to do what''s right, especially when it''s difficult.''


    With a certainty he had never felt before, Han activated his beast.


    It wasn''t a normal manifestation. It was Yino''s extreme style, where human and beast not only fused but intermingled.


    His fractured leg dissolved into a mass of pulsating tissue that quickly reconstructed itself, but no longer as a human extremity. Instead, a chitinous leg with additional joints formed, characteristic of the abyssal Carrion Queen.


    The transformation didn''t stop there. His torso expanded, chitinous plates emerging through the skin, his bone structure reconfiguring with wet cracking sounds. Translucent wings sprouted from his back, membranous and veined with patterns that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it.


    In seconds, where a child had been before, now stood a monstrous abyssal wasp.


    The creature that had been Han moved with unnatural fluidity, positioning itself protectively in front of Ren. Multiple compound eyes glowed with intelligence as they evaluated the abomination, which surprisingly had halted its advance.


    The abyssal beast seemed to detect something familiar in the energy emanating from Han. Its movements became slower, almost cautious, its multiple sensors vibrating as it analyzed this new presence.


    Han felt the connection immediately.


    Concentrating intensely, Han began releasing specific pheromones. The air around his transformed form distorted slightly.


    The pheromones reached the abomination, which reacted with a visible shudder. Its segments tensed, its tentacles retracted, and the multiple cores pulsed in a different rhythm, more harmonized.


    It was time.


    With a movement that combined physical gestures and chemical signals, Han issued an unequivocal command: go down. To the natural level of us abyssals.


    Slowly, the beast began to retreat. With a final roar that seemed to contain as much frustration as resignation, the abomination launched itself toward one of the openings in the chamber floor, disappearing into the depths with a sound similar to a train entering a tunnel.


    When the abomination finally withdrew, plunging into the depths where it belonged, Han turned toward Ren.


    He mentally prepared himself for what would come: the look of betrayal, the horror, perhaps even contempt. The reaction any inhabitant of Yano would have upon discovering a Yino infiltrator, a monster with an abyssal beast.


    But what he found was something completely unexpected.


    Ren was standing, yes, but barely. His body swayed dangerously, his unfocused eyes staring at an indefinite point in the void.


    A few threads of residual light still traversed his skin, but they were rapidly fading.


    "Ren?" Han took a cautious step toward him.


    Ren seemed to hear him through a great distance. His eyes tried to focus, his lips moved but emitted no sound. And then, like a puppet whose strings are cut, he began to collapse.


    Han barely had time to catch him. He examined him, noting with growing alarm the evident signs of mana poisoning.


    Ren''s skin was pale, with an alarming grayish tint. Purplish veins marked his neck and temples, pulsing with an irregular rhythm. His pupils were dilated, and cold sweat covered his forehead. His breathing was rapid and shallow.


    ''He absorbed too much mana from the environment to generate that last ray,'' Han understood, recognizing the symptoms from his training. ''His body couldn''t process it correctly.''


    Ren needed immediate medical attention.


    Just when he had saved himself from being discovered, he would have to stand firm.


    Han made an instant decision. He would use his transformed form to fly and take Ren to the surface. Once he delivered him to the professors, especially to Lin who seemed to have such appreciation for him, Han would simply disappear.


    Perhaps he would fly directly to Yino, trying to reach his sister Hedda before it was too late, before the consequences of his betrayal fell upon her.


    His mission had ended, his cover would be sacrificed to save someone who inexplicably mattered that much to him.


    He prepared to ascend.


    But then he felt it.


    A powerful presence was descending through the tunnel at great speed. Someone or something was approaching, and the force emanating was considerable, clearly beyond a student''s level.


    Han retracted his transformation immediately, the instinct ingrained by years of training taking control.


    If it was a professor, perhaps he still had a chance to maintain his cover...


    There was no time for speculation. With supreme effort, Han forced the Carrion Queen to retreat completely, ignoring the searing pain of his returning broken leg.


    In seconds, his body returned to its normal student appearance, though exhaustion hit him like an avalanche.


    He let himself fall beside Ren, feigning unconsciousness just as a figure landed gracefully in the center of the chamber.


    Through his half-open eyelids, Han saw Zhao.

 Chapter 238 - 238 - Taming Aid - 3

    Moments before...


    Zhao contemplated the devastation of the colony with mixed feelings. Dozens of shadow stalker bodies lay scattered across the ground, their translucent forms gradually losing luminescence as death claimed even the last particle of their essence.


    His feathers were very effective in this territory, perhaps too much so.


    ''A necessary massacre,'' he told himself while evaluating the situation. ''But still...''


    As an expert in this gathering ecosystem, Zhao understood the delicate balance. Shadow stalker colonies had their function in the natural order, keeping other more aggressive species at bay.


    ''At least the queen and her closest guards must still be alive,'' he thought, finding some comfort in that fact. The guardians of the royal chamber would have remained in position, protecting their monarch instead of joining the attack frenzy. It was typical behavior.


    The colony would eventually recover. The widow queen''s pheromones would travel for miles, eventually attracting some wandering male that would allow the cycle to be reestablished. In a few months, the colony would thrive again.


    His reflections were interrupted by Lin. Her normally serene face showed clear signs of concern.


    "Professor Zhao," she said without preamble, the urgency evident in her voice. "There is much to explain, but right now the most important thing is to find Ren and Han."


    "What has happened?" he asked, his owl markings intensifying instinctively at the tension.


    "They fell through that hole," Lin explained quickly. "It was some kind of illusory trap." S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The girls had probably already found Julius through the vibrations in the earth, although they didn''t know he was here... but most likely he would first take the students back to camp.


    ''Which means he''s far from where Ren might be now,'' Lin concluded.


    Lin continued. "You''re the fastest option to rescue them."


    Zhao understood the situation and without losing another second, headed toward the opening Lin had pointed out. The illusion had been deactivated, revealing a dark well that descended vertiginously into the depths.


    "I''m going to find them," he declared. "Keep the students safe until I return."


    Zhao launched himself into the void. Air currents enveloped him as he descended, his wings controlling the speed of descent. The darkness was almost complete, but his owl provided vision even in these conditions.


    As he fell, his amplified senses detected something disturbing: a trail of abyssal energy, faint but unmistakable. It wasn''t a stable presence but rather an echo, as if something had been there just moments ago and was now rapidly fading.


    ''Abyssal creatures shouldn''t exist at this depth, much less in this area.''


    The sensation briefly intensified as he continued his descent, only to dissipate completely, as if the source had disappeared or had been deliberately hidden upon sensing his power nearby.


    The discovery put him on maximum alert. First the worm abnormally close to the surface, then the illusory trap, and now abyssal energy...


    ????


    Through his half-open eyelids, Han saw Zhao.


    The gathering professor observed the scene with an indecipherable expression, his owl markings glowing intensely as he evaluated the situation. His gaze traveled across the destroyed chamber, the remains of the abomination''s segments, the pulverized crystals, the spear, the bow, and the abandoned backpacks.


    Finally, his eyes settled on the two boys collapsed on the ground.


    Han kept his breathing controlled, his body motionless, perfectly playing the role of an unconscious victim. But inside, a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts consumed him.


    What had Zhao sensed, did he realize it was him that expelled the abyssal energy just moments ago or would he think it was the abomination?


    Would they discover him?


    Would Ren remember what he had seen?


    How much time did he have before Yino discovered his betrayal and Hedda paid the price?


    As Zhao approached them, Han made the most difficult decision of his life. No matter what happened, he would try to maintain his cover at the probable cost of losing everything.


    He would pretend to be just another injured student here, hoping that Zhao would deduce that the beast was responsible for the abyssal energy.


    For now, he would risk his secret.


    But no longer out of loyalty to Yino. Not out of fear.


    He would do it for Ren.


    As he felt Zhao''s hands checking his vital signs, Han allowed himself one last thought before falling asleep to fully commit to his role: perhaps, just perhaps, there was still a way to save everyone from the terrible misfortune of a war.


    ????


    Back to Zhao POV¡­


    When Zhao landed in the lower chamber, the vast cavern showed signs of an intense battle. Fragments of what appeared to be parts of some massive creature lay scattered, some still weakly pulsing with purple energy.


    Entire sections were charred, as if they had been struck by an intense energy ray.


    And at the center of all this destruction, two motionless figures: Ren and Han, apparently unconscious and with clear signs of having fought a desperate battle.


    Zhao approached.


    Upon reaching the boys, his concern intensified. Ren showed clear symptoms of mana poisoning.


    Han, for his part, didn''t seem to be much better. Although he showed no signs of mana poisoning, his body was covered with cuts and bruises, and his leg was at an angle that suggested a possible fracture.


    ''Luckily they managed to survive... But what happened here?'' Zhao wondered while checking their vital signs. ''Surely that energy I sensed was the beast...''


    Ren''s spear lay a few meters away, its tip stained with a strange fluid. The bow and several broken arrows were scattered across the floor, silent witnesses to the desperate struggle.


    "Hold on," he murmured as he prepared to transport them. "You''re safe now."


    As he secured the boys for the ascent, Zhao couldn''t help but cast a final evaluating glance at the chamber. Something terrible had happened here, something that shouldn''t be possible at this level.


    Although Ren and Han had survived in some miraculous way, Zhao couldn''t shake the feeling that this wasn''t the end, but barely the beginning of something much bigger.


    With that somber thought, he fully summoned the huge owl that extended his wings and began the ascent, helping him carry the two unconscious students¡­ But Zhao also carried a growing doubt about what really lurked in the depths.

 Chapter 239 - 239 - Taming Conclusions

    Light filtered gradually through Ren''s eyelids, a soft whitish invasion that slowly pulled him from the deep abyss of dreamless sleep.


    Ren opened his eyes, blinking several times to adjust his vision to the prevailing brightness. A white canvas stretched above him: the inner fabric of a tent ceiling, illuminated by the morning light that managed to penetrate the partially open fabric door.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed softly, as if greeting the new day. He felt curiously renewed, as if he had slept for weeks instead of hours. His body, which he remembered on the verge of collapse after the battle with the abomination, now seemed brimming with energy, each muscle relaxed, every nerve at peace.


    The residual pain he had expected was conspicuously absent.


    Slowly, he turned his head to inspect his surroundings. He found himself in a separate compartment, smaller than the main camp tent. The air held the faint scent of medicinal herbs and clean linen.


    The only person present was Lin, seated on a small stool next to his cot. Her expression, normally playful, now showed an unusual seriousness, though her eyes visibly brightened when she noticed he had awakened.


    She leaned forward slightly, relief evident in the softening of her shoulders.


    On another cot nearby, just a few meters away, lay Han. His companion remained motionless, eyes closed, breathing regular. A bandage wrapped around his broken leg, and smaller dressings covered various minor wounds on his arms and face.


    "How long...?" Ren began, his voice slightly hoarse from disuse.


    "Just one full night, your recovery is monstrous, much faster than I remember," Lin responded, handing him a glass of water. "It''s the morning of the third expedition day."


    Ren drank gratefully, the fresh water dispelling the last vestiges of dryness in his throat.


    While he drank, Lin took a small silver bell that rested on a small table and rang it briefly. Outside the tent, hurried footsteps moved away, probably some assistant sending a message.


    "How do you feel?" Lin asked, studying him attentively, her eyes scanning for any signs of lingering illness or pain.


    "Surprisingly well," Ren noticed two empty vials on a nearby tray, recognizing them as containers of good quality anti-mana medicine. "I suppose that explains why I don''t feel like I''ve been trampled by a herd of bull elephants."


    Lin nodded, a small smile briefly appearing on her lips. "Mana poisoning. Quite severe, I might add. If Zhao hadn''t found you when he did..." Her voice took on a somber quality, the unspoken implications hanging heavy in the air.


    She left the sentence incomplete, but the message was clear.


    "Ren," she continued, her tone changing to something more cautious, more measured. She leaned closer, lowering her voice slightly. "I need you to tell me exactly what happened down there."


    Ren contemplated the question for a moment, organizing his thoughts. The memories came in flashes, the fall, the chamber, the monstrous creature that defied all natural laws. Each image was vivid despite his exhaustion at the time.


    From his position on the other cot, Han listened attentively. Although he appeared asleep, something in the tension of his shoulders, in the too-regular pattern of his breathing, started to suggest he was awake.


    "It was an abyssal," Ren began. "But not a common one. Somehow it had... absorbed characteristics from all the surrounding deep beasts."


    Lin leaned forward, her interest clearly intensified. "What do you mean by ''absorbed''?"


    "Exactly that," Ren gestured with his hands, trying to give shape to what he had witnessed. His fingers traced patterns in the air, mimicking the creature''s impossible anatomy. "It had characteristics from different creatures. Living tunnel plates, mimic insect legs, stone lurker features... it had even assimilated part of the shadow stalker queen from the colony."


    Lin visibly paled. "The queen? That would explain the unusually aggressive behavior of the colony." Her fingers tightened around the edge of her stool, knuckles whitening.


    "Fortunately, it hadn''t encountered a weaver queen," Ren continued, a shiver running down his spine at the mere thought. The image of such a creature wielding thread manipulation abilities made his blood run cold. "If it had acquired their abilities to manipulate thread... we wouldn''t have survived to tell the tale."


    Lin was clearly trying to process this information, her brow furrowed in concentration as she mentally connected dots.


    "Wait," she interrupted, raising a hand. "How is it possible for a creature to absorb special abilities from such disparate species? I''ve never seen any abyssal with more than one ability in the hordes..."


    "I''m not sure, but I think it was the corrupted core of a shadow stalker," explained Ren, his mushrooms pulsing more rapidly as he remembered. "The abyssal energy that permeated it... it was as if it had corrupted its natural absorption capacity, taking it to impossible extremes. It could create illusions like an advanced mimic, absorb vitality like a shadow stalker..."


    For the next few minutes, Ren detailed the battle: the creature''s multiple cores, abilities, the illusion trap, how he had needed to destroy several segments before the creature finally retreated.


    The words flowed easily as he recounted the desperate struggle, each detail preserved with perfect clarity despite his exhaustion at the time.


    He described how he had used the spear, the bow, and even a last desperate attack with the concentrated energy of his light, amplified by the hydra''s armor. His hands moved animatedly as he explained the sequence of events, tracing the trajectory of each attack in the air.


    However, his account ended with the ray of light, just before losing consciousness.


    There was no mention of Han''s transformation.


    Han maintained his pretense of unconsciousness, but the tension in his jaw over what Ren might say relaxed. His breathing returned to its carefully measured rhythm.


    "...and that''s all I did," Ren finally concluded. "After launching that last attack, the mana poisoning overcame me. The next thing I knew was waking up here."


    Lin remained silent for several seconds, absorbing everything she had heard. The implications were staggering, a creature capable of cross-species absorption represented a threat far beyond normal ecosystem disruptions.


    Finally, she settled back in her seat and nodded, as if accepting the story.


    "Incredible," she murmured. "Absolutely incredible that you survived something like that."


    Ren took advantage of the pause to slightly change the subject. "How is everyone else? Min, Taro, the girls, everyone..."


    "Everyone is fine," Lin responded, her expression softening. "Some cases of beast exhaustion, mana drainage, what''s expected after a prolonged confrontation with shadow stalkers. Nothing that proper medicine and rest can''t solve..." She gave him an appraising look. "Though they''re not monsters like you; the auxiliary healers will have to work overtime there."


    Lin paused, as if considering whether to add something more. "Julius returned to the chamber after ensuring all students were safe. He recovered your backpacks and belongings."


    ''And probably thoroughly investigated the scene,'' Ren mentally added, noticing the subtle change in Lin''s tone.


    "The current theory," she continued, confirming Ren''s suspicions, "is that this... abomination, as you''ve described it, could be a product of the last intrusion of Yino agents. Perhaps even something deliberately planned."


    Han''s body relaxed slightly more at these words. A nearly imperceptible sigh of relief escaped his lips.


    "What will happen with our evaluation?" Ren asked, genuinely concerned about the lost time and points potentially deducted for the rescue.


    Lin smiled, a flash of her usual playful personality briefly appearing.


    "Considering the extraordinary circumstances, no points will be deducted. The presence of an abyssal beast is not a common part of the environment in which you''re being evaluated. It would be unfair to penalize you for something like that."


    Ren felt a wave of relief wash over him. The last thing he wanted was for his companions, who had risked so much following him, to suffer academic penalties. Their trust in him had already cost them enough in his mind.


    "So, we have a third day to obtain more materials," Ren calculated, his mind already planning how to make the most of the remaining time. New routes, potential gathering locations, and strategies began forming in his thoughts.


    Lin''s expression turned cautious again. "Not so fast, young genius. First, you''ll have to answer some more questions... to Zhao and Julius."


    As if they had been waiting for precisely that signal, the tent flap opened at that moment, revealing the two men.


    Zhao entered first, his owl markings glowing softly as they always did when he was evaluating something with special attention. His eyes swept the tent with practiced efficiency. Julius followed, his expression carefully neutral, though his eyes quickly scanned the tent, briefly pausing on Han before focusing on Ren.


    "Professor Zhao, Your Highness," Ren slightly inclined his head in respect. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ren," Zhao nodded in response. "It''s good to see you awake and recovered."


    "A remarkably rapid recovery," Julius added. "Especially considering the severity of the mana poisoning you presented." There was something in his tone, not quite suspicion, but a hint of curiosity that suggested he found Ren''s resilience worthy of further investigation.

 Chapter 240 - 240 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 20

    Ren immediately perceived the subtle interrogation hidden behind the seemingly innocuous comment. The careful emphasis Julius had placed on "remarkably" hadn''t escaped his notice.


    "High-quality anti-mana medicine works wonders," he responded, maintaining a casual tone. "Besides, now that I''m a double tamer, my hydra seems to be a very resilient creature."


    Julius nodded, as if the answer confirmed something he already suspected.


    Ren repeated the same account he had told Lin moments ago. The words flowed naturally, each detail consistent with his previous telling.


    ????


    "Your perspective of the events. I must admit it is... extraordinary." Julius''s voice carried the weight of careful analysis, his eyes studying Ren''s face for any sign of inconsistency.


    "I would say impossible," Zhao intervened, though without accusation in his voice, rather with genuine scientific curiosity. "A creature with the ability to absorb such disparate abilities from multiple species defies everything we know about abyssals."


    "And yet," added Julius, rubbing his thumb against his forefinger thoughtfully, "the remains I found in the chamber match your description perfectly."


    This caught Ren''s attention. His mushrooms pulsed with heightened interest. "You found remains?"


    "Of the segments you destroyed," Julius confirmed with a single nod. "Some were still showing clear influence of abyssal energy. Sufficient to confirm your account, although many questions remain unanswered." The prince''s gaze was penetrating, as if trying to see beyond Ren''s words to the truth that might lie beneath.


    Zhao leaned slightly forward, his posture shifting from casual to focused in an instant. "Which brings us to the purpose of this conversation. We need to understand exactly how you survived an encounter with such a creature, how you made it flee, Ren."


    The implicit message was clear: something didn''t add up in the story. If Ren had lost consciousness, how had he defeated or driven away the creature?


    The suspicions of the ring''s whereabouts and the last abyssal energy Zhao felt still not fully resolved or explained.


    Han tensed again, his pretense of unconsciousness becoming increasingly difficult to maintain amid the growing tension.


    "I..." Ren began, his mind racing through possibilities.


    "I''m not sure," he finally admitted, his voice softening with what appeared to be genuine confusion. "My last clear memory is launching that attack with all the energy I could channel. After that... nothing certain, until waking up here."


    Julius and Zhao exchanged a brief look, some silent communication passing between them.


    ????


    The canvas of the small medical tent rustled when Julius and Zhao emerged outside. The morning sunlight cast long shadows across the camp.


    The morning light illuminated the camp, where the remaining students prepared with renewed enthusiasm for their third day of gathering. Backpacks were being checked, tools sharpened, and plans discussed in small groups scattered throughout the area.


    Zhao observed the scene with a slightly envious expression. His explorer''s instinct, never completely tamed by years of teaching, yearned to follow Ren''s group, to document their methods, to learn their secrets. The opportunity to witness such a remarkable first-year student in action was a rare privilege that called to his scholarly heart.


    "You can go with them," Julius commented, correctly interpreting his gaze. "There''s no longer any need for both of us to remain here." The prince''s voice was low, almost casual, but his eyes remained alert, scanning the bustling activity around them.


    Zhao looked at him with surprise. "Are you sure? After what happened..."


    Julius led Zhao away from curious ears, to a small clearing near the camp boundary. His earth wolverine partially manifested, creating a subtle vibration in the ground that would interfere with any attempt to eavesdrop.


    "The spider boy didn''t do much more than send that letter with irrelevant details," Julius commented, his voice barely audible even to Zhao. "As always."


    Zhao nodded slowly, remembering the reports he had periodically received during the past few days.


    Since the seed incident, new intelligence groups had been following Han with particular interest. He wasn''t the only student under surveillance, of course; security teams kept a watchful eye on Ren during his incursions into the depths, and Julius received secondary information through Larissa, although the young noble was unaware she was indirectly providing data about Han.


    "You were certain from that day, weren''t you?" Zhao asked, keeping his voice low. "That Han was a spy."


    "There were too many indicators," Julius confirmed. "Mainly his excessively perfect behavior. Young infiltrators often fall into that pattern: they fear standing out for doing something wrong, so they end up standing out for doing everything right."


    "Why allow him to continue at the academy?"


    Julius smiled slightly, though the expression didn''t reach his eyes. There was a coldness to it, the calculated measure of a man long accustomed to the chess game of politics and security. "A known spy has certain uses. We decided to let him believe he was going unnoticed to monitor his communications with Yino, and eventually confront him with evidence to try to extract extra information."


    According to Julius''s explanation, the plan had been reasonable. Han''s letters, carefully intercepted and copied before allowing their delivery, always followed the same pattern: seemingly innocent messages to a sister in Yino, with small coded details interwoven in the text. Class schedules, excursion dates, basic mappings of certain areas of the campus. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Hardly relevant information," Zhao murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Barely the minimum to justify his role as a spy."


    "Exactly," Julius nodded, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Data that Yino probably already possesses through more established sources, such as the Goldcrests and other known traitors. Information that would hardly change the balance of power. But..."


    Han''s apparent harmlessness had led them to maintain discrete surveillance, using him as a window to understand what kind of basic information Yino handled. But recent events had cast momentary doubts on that strategy.


    "You feared he had shown his true capabilities during the incident," Zhao understood.


    Julius nodded gravely. "A vulnerable moment, an extreme situation... the perfect circumstances for a dormant agent to activate. He''s just a child, but like Harold he could..."


    "An abyssal beast?" Zhao could barely believe the possibility, despite the residual energy he had sensed during his descent. "Is it really possible, weren''t they thoroughly checked? Harold was a very recent addition by the Goldcrests, wasn''t he?"


    "Although Han has much older records, we can''t be certain they aren''t false or that he doesn''t have one... Our mechanisms for internal mana perception wouldn''t detect it," Julius explained, his brow furrowing slightly. "Not like they detect the core of a common second beast. It could have been hidden all this time. Even now."


    Zhao considered the implications. A Yino agent with an abyssal beast, infiltrated into the heart of the academy, with access to the kingdom''s future elite... it was an alarming scenario. The constant supervision and even the company of a professor in each group on this excursion made more sense in terms of resource expenditure.


    "Lin''s presence in the group should be sufficient safeguard," Julius continued, his tone measured. "And his last communication, sent during one of his ''bathroom trips,'' followed the same harmless pattern as always."


    "But everything changed too quickly," Zhao completed, understanding dawning in his eyes. "And for a moment you worried you had underestimated the boy."


    "Ren''s account seems to dispel those doubts," Julius placed a hand on his chin, his expression thoughtful. "But we need to be certain. Interrogate him directly when this is over."


    Zhao nodded, understanding the gravity of the matter. "Meanwhile, I can follow the group closely during their last excursion. Even if he turns out to be as dangerous as you think he might be, he wouldn''t stand a chance against a beast like mine."


    Zhao would finally be able to gather with Ren...


    Julius seemed about to confirm his approval when a flash cut through the morning sky. A swift hawk descended directly to perch on the prince''s extended forearm.


    The bird carried a small cylinder attached to its leg. Julius unscrewed it with precise movements and extracted a tiny scroll. His expression remained inscrutable as he read the message, but Zhao, who had known him for years, could detect the tension accumulating in his shoulders.


    "Bad news?" Zhao asked, though he already knew the answer.


    "There was an attack," Julius responded, his voice controlled but laden with gravity. "We must return immediately."

 Chapter 241 - 241 - Taming the Return

    The caravan carts advanced heavily along the dirt road, their wheels creaking over occasional stones as they left the gathering territory behind.


    The sky stretched in an intense blue above their heads, with just a few scattered clouds offering moments of welcome shade in the midday heat.


    The gathering had been abruptly interrupted, to the disappointment of many students. As a concession, the professors had reduced the approval requirement to six thousand crystals in total value, an adjustment considered fair given the lost time.


    But for Ren''s group, this change was irrelevant. They had exceeded even the original requirements several times over.


    In one of the carts, sitting tightly packed between piles of gathered materials, Klein Goldcrest maintained a tense conversation with his followers. His expression oscillated between frustration and cold determination as he mentally calculated his next moves.


    "A minimum of one hundred and fifty thousand points for the lowest member of that enormous group," Astor murmured, remembering the official announcements. He shook his head in disbelief. "The mushroom boy''s group has shattered any first-year record. Possibly of any year."


    Klein clenched his fists on his knees. The semester honor, that recognition he had planned to obtain as a first step toward platinum student status, seemed to be slipping through his fingers like fine sand. The legacy he had promised to uphold for his family name was being overshadowed by a brain rotted commoner with fungi growing from his head.


    "It''s only the first unit," he replied, his voice controlled but charged with tension. "There are still four more. I just need to surpass him in three."


    Feng, seated across from him, nodded with a somber expression. "Especially in battle. When your lion reaches Bronze 1, you''ll tear him to pieces."


    "Exactly," Klein smiled, though the gesture didn''t reach his eyes. A cold calculation resided there instead. "This is just a setback. A stroke of luck that won''t be repeated."


    Another cart, in contrast, overflowed with energy and animated conversations.


    The atmosphere was light despite the recent dangers they had faced, a celebration of survival and success.


    Too many students had crowded into it, clearly exceeding its recommended capacity, but no one seemed willing to separate from the main group.


    Their shared experiences had forged bonds that none wanted to break, even temporarily.


    Ren sat between Taro and Min, with Han facing them, his leg extended on an improvised bench of backpacks. Luna, Liora, and Larissa occupied the nearby space, while the maids and the rest of the students accommodated themselves wherever they could, creating an organized chaos of bodies and materials.


    Min, whose water serpent healer still had enough energy to continue working, had attended to the minor injuries that persisted in several of his companions. His fingers, surrounded by a faint bluish glow, traced small bruises, accelerating their healing.


    "Hold still!" he ordered Han while examining his fractured leg, now almost completely recovered thanks to previous treatments.


    Ren nodded, "Listen to Min... There are still small cracks in your bone that need to seal."


    "I can''t believe you missed almost all the action," Min continued, unable to contain a mocking smile. "Knocked out while Ren fought an abyssal abomination. What bad luck!"


    Han merely laughed, though something in his gaze revealed an underlying tension that only Ren seemed to notice.


    "Bad luck, indeed," Han responded with forced lightness. "But I''m grateful that Ren saved me. Though I''m sure you would have been trembling in a corner, probably wetting your pants."


    "The only one who doesn''t control his bladder here is you!" Min exclaimed indignantly, remembering the frequent pauses for "relief" that Han always requested during their expeditions.


    A wave of laughter swept through the cart, momentarily alleviating the tension accumulated from recent events.


    Liora, who had remained unusually quiet, looked up at the clear sky. Her normally serene face held a shadow of regret. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I can''t help but regret it," she said softly. "We couldn''t be of help. We didn''t manage to get out of the underground by ourselves."


    Her comment brought a brief contemplative silence to the group. The memory of being trapped, of walls crumbling and shadow stalkers advancing, hung heavy in the air.


    "If it hadn''t been for Julius..." Maria began, leaving the sentence incomplete, but the message was clear to everyone.


    "Actually," Ren intervened, his mushrooms pulsing calmly as he spoke, "Lin knew that Julius was keeping watch at the camp. If you had continued digging downward as originally planned, you probably would have found Julius before the shadow stalker tunnels. Your quest was getting to him from the beginning, so don''t worry about that¡­"


    "I suppose you''re right," Liora nodded, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.


    "He would have sensed the excavation sooner or later," Ren explained.


    He directed a grateful look at the group. "Though I appreciate that you took the risk of going up to try to help us more quickly. It was brave, even if dangerous."


    His eyes briefly scanned the faces of his companions, pausing a moment on Luna. "I wouldn''t want anything to happen to any of you."


    Luna, surprised by the sincerity of Ren''s words in his eye''s mana, blushed slightly and turned her attention to the outside landscape, feigning sudden interest in the passing trees. Mayo, closely observing the interaction, exchanged a knowing look with Matilda.


    "I agree with Ren," added Larissa, apparently oblivious to the moment. "Though I''ll definitely have a conversation with my dear brother about not mentioning to me that he would be present during our expedition."


    Her light tone contrasted with the calculating gleam in her eyes, suggesting that this "conversation" would carry much more weight than her words indicated.


    The chat naturally drifted toward the abrupt cancellation of the gathering. Rumors had begun to circulate as soon as the return order was given, fueled by fragments of conversations overheard among the professors and the evident urgency with which Julius had departed ahead of them.


    "An attack," Hikari murmured. "That''s what I heard one of the auxiliaries say." Her voice dropped further, glancing around to ensure no outsiders were listening.


    "But where?" Taro asked, leaning forward. "And by whom?"


    No one had concrete answers, only increasingly elaborate speculations ranging from border incursions to palace conspiracies. Theories passed from student to student, growing more outlandish with each retelling.


    "What concerns me," Liora intervened in a low voice, making sure that only those closest could hear her, "is how timely the attack was."


    Larissa nodded, immediately understanding. "Just when half of the academy''s security forces were deployed here, with us."


    "And with Julius," Liora added.


    A worried silence settled among the nobles. The implications were disturbing: someone might have warned of the relative weakness.


    "Maybe it''s just a coincidence," Taro suggested, though without much conviction.


    "Perhaps," Larissa conceded, but her expression made it clear that she didn''t believe in coincidences, at least not this one. Years of royal education had taught her to search for patterns and motives in seemingly random events.


    The cart traversed an especially pronounced bump, shaking all the occupants and momentarily breaking the atmosphere of seriousness. Min lost his balance and fell onto Mira, who in turn pushed Trent, creating a domino effect of bodies and surprised exclamations.


    "Watch your hands!" Mayo shouted, lightly hitting Jun''s head, who had tried to stabilize himself by grabbing the first thing he found.


    "It was an accident!" the boy protested, rubbing the point of impact.


    The laughter returned, temporarily dissipating the tension. Ren observed the scene with a grateful smile, valuing these moments of normalcy after the underground nightmare they had faced.


    Han, noticing his expression, gave him an inquisitive look. His eyes searched Ren''s face with careful scrutiny.


    "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, taking advantage of the momentary chaos for a more private conversation.


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "Just thinking about how fortunate we are. Despite everything."


    Han studied his face for a moment, as if looking for some indication that Ren remembered more than he had admitted in front of the professors. But the mushroom boy''s expression remained open, without a hint of suspicion or recrimination.


    "Yes," Han finally responded. "Very fortunate indeed."

 Chapter 242 - 242 - Taming Change

    The road continued its gradual ascent toward the city center where the academy stood. In the distance, the main towers of the three principal schools and the castle began to take shape against the horizon, their spires catching the late afternoon sun.


    "Two hundred thousand points for Ren," Taro commented, looking with amazement at the pile of materials they had accumulated in two adjacent carts. "Even I obtained the equivalent of 155 thousand crystals... I never imagined we would get so much."


    "And all thanks to Ren''s instructions," Mira added, her voice filled with genuine admiration.


    "It wasn''t just because of me," Ren protested, genuinely uncomfortable with the exclusive credit. "Everyone did their part helping me get fresh tentacles and the 3 big guys, also carrying their own weight..."


    "A great weight in skins," Min added with a grin, gesturing toward the overflowing carts trailing behind them.


    The conversation continued flowing animatedly in the cart as they ascended the serpentine path leading toward the city center. The familiar silhouette of the academy grew larger with each passing minute, its features becoming clearer as they approached.


    But something about its profile seemed wrong, a subtle disruption in its familiar symmetry.


    Trent was the first to notice.


    "Something''s not right," he murmured, narrowing his eyes to better focus on the familiar silhouette of the academy towers.


    The conversations gradually died down as more students directed their gaze toward the horizon.


    "A spire is missing," Luna pointed out, her voice barely a whisper. Her finger traced the skyline, indicating the gap in the academy''s crown.


    Indeed, one of the spires that crowned the east tower had disappeared, leaving an irregular stump where it once rose elegantly.


    But that wasn''t all.


    "The section near the western cave," Liora leaned forward, her face pale, will-o''-wisp flickering briefly around her fingertips. "It''s... burned."


    A large black stain, like a scar on the academy''s skin, covered part of the western wing. Even from a distance, the movement of workers could be distinguished as small figures repairing the damage.


    "The school has been attacked," Larissa finally articulated, verbalizing what everyone had already understood.


    A dense silence settled in the carriage. Students exchanged worried glances, some thinking of friends or family who had been in classes these days, others contemplating the unexpected vulnerability of what they considered an impregnable sanctuary.


    The rattling of the wheels seemed to intensify in the silence, marking a somber cadence as they continued their inexorable, gentle ascent toward a wounded academy.


    Lin must have perceived the growing unease in the carriage. She approached, her mount trotting slowly to keep pace with the vehicle. Her expression was serious but controlled, like someone bearing bad news but who has found a balance to convey them.


    "We recently received a message from Julius," she announced, her clear voice cutting through the tension. "The academy is secure now. Wei and Zhao are informing the other carriages what I''ll tell you."


    Her presence seemed to bring some normalcy to the situation, an anchor amid the uncertainty.


    "What exactly happened?" Taro asked, his eyes fixed on the evidence of the attack that became increasingly clear with proximity.


    Lin took a deep breath, carefully weighing her words.


    "There was an attack from Yino agents," she began. "The Ashenway family sent reinforcements by direct order of my aunt Selphira as soon as they received news. The castle could allocate few personnel due to other... situations requiring attention. The Goldcrests also sent ''support''."


    The subtle emphasis Lin placed on the word didn''t go unnoticed by Larissa, who narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Political nuances rarely escaped her attention.


    "And the Starweavers?" Luna asked, thinking of her own family.


    "They couldn''t send anyone," Lin responded with neutrality. "Lack of available personnel, as I understand it¡­"


    "But the combination of forces was sufficient," she continued. "The attackers were repelled and the academy is now under control. Repairs began immediately."


    Min, who had been unusually silent, finally spoke: "They must have been many to cause so much damage. A complete battalion from Yino?"


    Lin shook her head, and her response left everyone momentarily speechless:


    "Two," she said simply. "Only two attackers."


    Exclamations of disbelief followed immediately. How was it possible that only two individuals had inflicted such destruction on an institution protected by dozens of teachers and guards?


    Taking advantage of the moment of general confusion, Lin discreetly approached Ren. Leaning slightly, she murmured in a voice low enough that only he could hear: Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It seems the target was the seed. They retreated when they couldn''t locate the bearer of the relic and when reinforcements finally overcame their combined power."


    Ren nodded imperceptibly, the implication crystalline in his mind.


    "Secrets are bad manners, Lin," Larissa''s melodious but firm voice cut through the moment. Nothing escaped her notice, especially not whispered conversations that excluded her.


    Lin straightened, a resigned smile appearing on her lips. "You''re right. In any case, you''ll all find out soon. There''s no point in hiding things."


    Turning her attention back to the group in general, Lin adopted a more formal tone.


    Her expression became graver, and Ren noticed how her shoulders tensed slightly, preparing to share even more difficult news.


    "During the battle... there were casualties."


    The carriage seemed to sink into absolute silence, as if even the sound of the wheels and the wind had been absorbed by the gravity of those words.


    "Most were auxiliaries who fought underground where the investigation of the last incident continued," Lin said, her voice professionally controlled but with an underlying tone of pain. "Probably few or none that you knew personally for the majority of you."


    She paused, and Ren instinctively knew that the worst was yet to come. The momentary hesitation in Lin''s usually confident demeanor told him more than words could.


    "We also lost two teachers."


    Min''s hands unconsciously clutched the edge of his seat, while Taro closed his eyes, as if preparing himself for the impact. The others held themselves rigidly, bracing for news they didn''t want to hear.


    "One of them taught classes to you," Lin''s voice descended to little more than a whisper. "Professor Song, crystal instructor, fell valiantly defending a group of students."


    The news fell like a stone slab. Professor Song, with his contagious enthusiasm for crystals and his characteristic good nature, had been a pleasant presence during the short time they had known him. His optional class, though not mandatory, had been a breath of peace amid the rigorous curriculum of the academy.


    For many, he was barely an acquaintance, a friendly face they crossed in the hallways. For others, a mentor who had dedicated extra time to explain the mysteries of crystals after class.


    But for all, his loss represented a fissure in the shield of security that the academy symbolized. Death had reached into their sanctuary, shattering the illusion of perfect safety.


    "It can''t be," Mira murmured, tears forming in her eyes. "Just three days ago he was so excited showing me how to identify mana crystals from the incursions with Ren..."


    Several students lowered their heads, some regretting not having attended or paid more attention in his classes, others remembering gestures of kindness that now took on special weight.


    Memories of the professor''s gentle correction, his patient explanations, his genuine passion for teaching crystalized into a collective grief.


    Ren observed the reactions around him, particularly Han''s. The boy had become completely still, his face a pale, expressionless mask that contrasted with the emotionality of the rest. There were no tears, not even visible shock, but something deeper and more complex: an absolute stillness that spoke of a more intense shock than any external manifestation.


    "Are you okay?" Ren asked quietly.

 Chapter 243 - 243 - Tamer King

    The director''s office had lost its characteristic aura of formal dignity.


    In the center, Director Ignatius remained seated. His face, normally serene and authoritative, showed the weariness of someone who had looked death directly in the eyes.


    His phoenix was partially manifested, both from defensive instinct and the need to accelerate his own healing.


    But it was the absence of healing that proved most shocking. Where his left leg should have been, only an empty space remained beneath the carefully folded fabric of his trousers.


    The legendary regeneration of his specific beast would allow him to recover the limb eventually, but the attackers had ensured its destruction to an excessive degree, beyond what even a phoenix could quickly repair.


    Victor Dravenholm, Julius''s older brother, occupied a nearby armchair, his usual royal attire replaced by bandages covering much of his torso and right arm. Blood had seeped through in places, creating dark patterns against the white gauze. His face, so similar to Julius''s but marked by more years of combat, showed an intensity of tension more severe than usual.


    "The triples proved more powerful than we anticipated," the director was explaining to Julius, his voice maintaining admirable composure considering his circumstances. "It wasn''t just their individual strength, but their synergies... as if the enhancements were retroactive."


    Julius absorbed the scene with the analytical meticulousness that characterized him. The devastation evident in these two powerful men sent a chill through him, but he kept his expression neutral. "Real triples?"


    Victor turned toward his younger brother, a weary smile briefly appearing on his face. "Tamers with three beasts at the same time indeed. A facet of Yino we would have preferred never to know."


    "Impossible," Julius responded automatically. "In their experiments, they could never withstand the strain of managing three cores..."


    "Evidently," the director interrupted, gesturing toward his absent leg, "they have found a way."


    Victor sat up slightly, wincing in pain when the movement tensed the bandages on his chest. "I believe the secret is the power of the main beast... Each carried a Gold beast as a base. One Gold-1, the other Gold-2. Despite both secondary beasts being only Silver-3... The synergies with the abyssals gave them many unexpected combinations."


    "The enhancement percentages multiplied with each other," the director continued. "Combinations of abilities that no traditional tamer could achieve."


    The director paused, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward his missing leg, a momentary lapse in his otherwise perfect composure.


    Julius remained silent, processing the information. The implications were staggering, if Yino had successfully developed stable triple tamers, the balance of power had shifted dramatically.


    "What was their objective?" he finally asked, though he suspected the answer already.


    "The seed," Victor and the director responded in unison, exchanging a significant look. The word hung in the air between them, laden with implications.


    A heavy silence fell over the room, broken only by the soft hum of the healer''s energy.


    "They knew exactly what they were looking for and that the academy was lightly guarded these days."


    "Which leads us to wonder," the director tilted his head slightly, "how did they obtain that information so fast?"


    "The Goldcrests," Victor growled, his voice loading with bitterness. "They''re infiltrated even into the walls of this institution."


    The director neither confirmed nor denied the accusation, but his silence was eloquent.


    "I barely arrived in time to help Ignatius," Victor continued, unconsciously rubbing his injured shoulder. "Professor Song and Professor Jasiba had already fallen."


    Julius knew both professors. Song, with his contagious enthusiasm for crystallography; Jasiba, stern but fair, an expert in beasts of the second ring. Deaths that left a void impossible to fill. He could picture Song''s animated explanations, Jasiba''s precise corrections¡­ now silenced forever.


    "And the abyssal beasts certainly didn''t help," added Victor, his frustration clear. "The auxiliaries and the rest of the teaching staff were busy evacuating students and containing abyssal leaks."


    A muscle tensed in Victor''s jaw as he continued. "If those bastards from the castle were more efficient in their damned functions... if our dear siblings were less concerned with politics and more with actual security..."


    He interrupted himself, as if suddenly remembering Julius''s presence.


    "But mainly," his voice descended to a dangerously low tone, "if we could root out the real problem: the Goldcrests and their treachery."


    "Victor," the director''s tone contained a veiled warning. "Be careful what you say aloud, even here."


    "Why? Do you fear the walls have ears, Ignatius?" Victor let out a bitter laugh. "They probably do. But it wouldn''t matter..."


    Julius remained still, observing the exchange.


    "...If the old man were here instead of wasting valuable resources and time," Victor finally continued. "Chasing fantasies on the diamond line while Yino moves its pieces here."


    "But he isn''t," said Ignatius.


    "Victor¡­ Did you reach the 6th ring with him?" Julius asked, unable to contain his curiosity.


    Victor sighed heavily. "Don''t ask, brother."


    Julius''s curiosity, however, could not be so easily deflected. "Since you arrived, you''ve been hiding it... I want to try contacting him again. Were you at least able to follow him? Do you know where he is now?"


    A dry laugh escaped Victor. "Follow him? The Gold-3 ring was already dangerous even for me, little brother. Platinum-1 is a constant dance with death for anyone who isn''t him... I found him resting there just by luck."


    Victor leaned forward, his expression suddenly serious. "But Platinum-2 is hell itself, Julius. Trying to follow him to the edge of the Diamond level would have been suicide, even for me... But if you want to try, go ahead. He should still be in the central territory''s artery¡­ the 4th one."


    The mention of the Diamond ring made Julius visibly tense. It was legendary territory, home to the youngest dragons whose power already surpassed human comprehension. The mere idea that their father was tempting that limit...


    "And you tried to convince him?" S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Victor shook his head. "A waste of time. You know how he is."


    Oh yes, Julius knew. Dragarion Dravenholm, King of Yano, was known for his legendary stubbornness as much as for his impossible feats. Once he set a goal, not even the gods themselves could dissuade him.


    "But has he achieved something, at least?" Julius asked, trying to find some hope in the situation.


    Victor seemed to hesitate, as if considering whether he should share certain information. Finally, he nodded slowly.


    "He already has two minor rings," he admitted, his voice barely audible.


    ????


    A torrent of emerald energy tore through the clearing, vaporizing rocks and turning the air itself into greenish fire.


    The dragon''s breath, concentrated like a living laser, transformed everything in its path into an extreme explosion of life. Particles of pure essence scattered in its wake, refracting the surrounding light into cascading prisms.


    Where it touched the earth, vegetation emerged with uncontrolled violence, not simple plants, but botanical monstrosities that joined the battle.


    Dragarion rolled under the beam, feeling the heat that threatened to steal his vitality brush against his back as carnivorous trees instantly sprouted from the charred soil.


    He rose with the fluidity of a predator, adjusting the feathered gauntlet protecting his right hand, a defense torn from the claws of a Flame Griffin in the depths of the second Platinum ring. The gauntlet glowed with residual fire, embers dancing between the golden feathers.


    "Damn it, you''re too persistent for a lazy ass skipper!" exclaimed Drag, a savage smile illuminating his weathered face as he dodged another burst of the arboreal breath. His eyes gleamed with the thrill of combat, a hunter facing worthy prey.


    The King of Yano bore no resemblance to the traditional image of a monarch. No crown adorned his unkempt hair, cut irregularly as if he himself had taken a knife to keep it out of his eyes.


    His clothes, though of exquisite quality, showed evident signs of countless battles: patches made during campaigns, acid burns, and the characteristic discoloration produced by toxins from beasts of the fourth ring in this latitude.


    Mud caked his boots, and various implements hung from his belt, tools of survival rather than symbols of office. His weathered skin told the story of a life spent under harsh conditions, far from the comforts of court and castle.

 Chapter 244 - 244 - Taming the Dragon Tree

    The wind howled among the enormous trees over 300 meters tall that marked the boundary between the possible and the impossible.


    Here, at the edge of the Diamond ring forest, the air itself seemed charged with a different energy, denser, more ancient.


    Sunlight refracted into millions of fragments as it passed through the enormous crystalline mountain that rose like a silent guardian between two worlds: the Platinum ring that the strongest humans could traverse, and the Diamond ring, where only dragons reigned without dispute.


    Inside the mountain lay the ring, one of the 10 he needed.


    Three rings gleamed on his left hand, each emitting a distinct radiance. The first was the original ring from the center of Yano, extracted from the first seed. The other two, one of aquamarine crystal and another of twisted metal that seemed to trap currents of air, were trophies from past victories against young dragons, guardians of mana arteries similar to this one.


    The Dragon Tree, an impossible creature that guarded the entrance to the crystal mountain, rose like a vegetal nightmare a hundred meters tall.


    It was the Guardian of Yano''s Central Point, protector of one of the seven mana arteries where the internal distribution icosahedron touched the surface.


    It wasn''t a simple tree shaped like a dragon, but a living nexus, a central point from which the mountain guardian exercised its dominion. Twisted branches extended like gigantic arteries, each delineating a draconian feature composed entirely of living wood and leaves sharp as razors.


    From the exposed roots constantly emerged the guardian''s servants:


    Bark Knights, humanoid warriors formed of wood harder than iron, wielding swords of vegetal obsidian. Dark hollows in their "faces" emitted a greenish glow, the dragon''s will animating these constructions without minds of their own.


    At the center of this vegetal maelstrom, Drag moved with the confidence and agility of someone who has danced with death too many times to fear it. His movements were precise, calculated after decades of facing beasts much more powerful than himself. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Twenty-one attempts," he murmured to himself as his eyes evaluated the Dragon Tree''s attack pattern. "And each time your forest grows more impressive. I almost feel flattered by the effort."


    With a fluid movement, Drag activated his Earth Qilin. His legs fused, elongating and filling with scales, while crystalline horns sprouted from his temples, shimmering with pure elemental power. The stone beneath his hooves reverberated, responding to his will.


    Simultaneously, the three rings on his left hand began to glow with increasing intensity.


    The first, forged with the primordial metal of the original seed, emitted a pulse of white light.


    The second, wrenched from the Water Dragon after a three-day battle in the depths of a great lake, shone with a deep blue that evoked the abyssal trenches.


    The third, trophy of his victory against the Wind Dragon, seemed to contain a miniature hurricane, constantly spinning within its crystalline structure.


    Drag channeled the power of the second ring, and the air around him lost its moisture. With a gesture, he manipulated this energy toward the Bark Knights advancing toward him, drying their bodies until each of their movements crackled with desiccation.


    "Let''s see how well your toys move when they''re thirsty," he smiled, as his Azure Dragon responded to his call.


    The transformation of his arms was instantaneous, bluish scales covering his skin while his fingers elongated into claws that gleamed with a blue radiance.


    With a roar that rivaled the dragon''s own, Drag launched himself against the Knights. He didn''t fight like a duelist, nor like a soldier; he moved like a force of nature.


    The Dragon Tree perceived the threat and responded. It inhaled deeply, its wooden chest expanding before releasing concentrated jets of sap that melted stone on contact.


    Drag activated the third ring, and the wind around him violently swirled, forming a cyclonic shield that deflected the projectiles.


    In response, the Dragon Tree deployed its most lethal card. From its central trunk emerged a figure that made even Drag momentarily pause: an Amber Knight, three times larger than the Bark ones, its body formed not of simple wood but of fossilized resin that shone with the dragon''s concentrated power.


    In its hands, it wielded a halberd whose blade was a petrified dragon fang; powerful enough to cleave even the scales of a Platinum tamer.


    "Oh, this is new," murmured Drag, all mockery leaving his voice as he evaluated this new opponent. "Finally something interesting."


    The Amber Knight advanced with surprising speed for its size, its halberd tracing a deadly arc that would have decapitated the King if not for centuries of refined instincts. Drag ducked under the attack, rolling forward and inside the colossus''s reach, where its size played against it.


    His blue claws struck with precision against the giant''s joints, seeking weak points in the fossilized resin. To his surprise, the amber resisted, barely scratching.


    "Interesting," Drag smiled, genuinely impressed while dodging a descending punch that fractured the ground. "This will take a long time."


    With a fluid movement, Drag simultaneously activated all three rings. The combined power made the light around him distort, adding 200% to all his capabilities.


    His Earth Qilin manifested completely, covering his lower half with living armor, while his Azure Dragon enveloped his arms and torso in blue scales. The fusion of elements created a hybrid appearance, neither fully dragon nor qilin, but something uniquely powerful.


    The Dragon Tree roared, this time emitting a sound that shook the mountain itself. From the depths of the surrounding forest emerged more wooden creatures.


    Drag extended his dragonized arm, channeling his own vegetal energy. Where the dragon''s breath created aggressive and lethal trees, Drag''s Azure Dragon commanded wood with precision. The roots at the feet of the soldiers began to burrow, responding to a different will, fighting against the dragon''s control.


    It was a battle of domains, two similar powers confronted in a duel of wills.


    The dragon, irritated by the interference, released its breath over an enormous area. A cloud of green energy erupted from its jaws, floating like living mist toward Drag.


    Drag covered himself. Immediately, small sprouts began to form on his coat, trying to root themselves in his flesh. Each seedling pulsed with the dragon''s essence, seeking to transform him into another servant.


    With a gesture of annoyance, Drag tore off the incipient plants and activated the wind ring. The air around him purified instantly, neutralizing the residual effects of the draconic breath.


    "Always the same trick," he commented, standing up straight. "I expected something more creative after almost a year."


    The guardian''s entire army, summoned to stop a single man.


    Drag inhaled deeply, focusing on the sensation of the rings against his skin. With each visit, with each attempt, he had learned more about the dragon''s defenses, cataloging weaknesses, observing patterns.


    "This time," he murmured, more to himself than to the guardian who couldn''t hear him, "this time will be different."


    From his position, he could see the entrance to the crystalline cavern, where the third minor ring... the fourth ring that would fall into his power awaited.


    Inside, somewhere in the depths, would be the next artifact he needed: not for glory, not for power, but out of desperate necessity.


    Time was running out. And without the seven rings, everything, his kingdom, his people, perhaps the world itself, would be lost.


    With a cry that contained decades of unbreakable determination, Drag launched himself against the arboreal army, his fused beasts shining like a beacon of impossible defiance against the power of a dragon.


    The battle for the fourth ring had begun.

 Chapter 245 - 245 - Taming the Future

    "Father already has two minor rings," Victor admitted, his voice barely audible.


    Julius couldn''t hide his surprise. "Two? I thought Diamond-rank dragons were invincible. And why hadn''t you told me?"


    "Because father didn''t want to give false hope to you all," Victor replied, reclining again in his armchair. Pain flickered across his face as the movement disturbed his wounds. "You know how he is with these things. He doesn''t want to promise anything until he''s certain. But it seems his qilin''s elemental advantage was just enough to defeat the water dragon, and the wood element advantage of his azure dragon was also enough to defeat the wind one."


    "So he has made progress those last years," Julius reflected, a spark of hope igniting within him. Perhaps the situation wasn''t as dire as it seemed.


    "Yes," Victor conceded, "but time runs against us if Yino gets more of those soldiers. By the time he obtains all seven minor rings, it could be too late. And with one of the three major rings lost..."


    The phrase hung in the air, laden with somber implications.


    The director, who had remained silent during this exchange, finally intervened. "What we need now is to focus on finding it. It must not fall into Yino''s hands."


    Julius nodded, but his mind was working in another direction. As the King''s youngest son, he had always occupied a peculiar position. He wasn''t the principal heir like his older brother. This position certainly had its disadvantages, but also unique advantages.


    Their father had always maintained a special connection with him, one that sometimes transcended protocol.


    An idea began forming in his mind. "Perhaps I can send father a message," he suggested carefully. "Something that might make him reconsider his priorities."


    Victor looked at him skeptically. "And you think he''ll listen to you when he ignored my direct petitions and those of the entire council?"


    A small smile appeared on Julius''s face. "Maybe. He left me an option."


    Victor shook his head, but there was a hint of amusement in his exhausted expression. "Go ahead, try. Things can''t get worse."


    Director Ignatius, observing the exchange between the brothers, seemed to find a moment of relief amid the chaos surrounding them. His phoenix briefly brightened, responding to the small spark of hope.


    "Meanwhile," Victor continued, his voice regaining some of its usual authority, "we must reorganize our defenses. The triples might return, and next time we''ll be prepared."


    ????


    "Are you okay?" Ren asked quietly.


    Han seemed to slowly return from some distant place. He blinked, as if struggling to focus on immediate reality. His eyes had a haunted quality to them, seeing something beyond the present moment.


    "Yes," he responded mechanically. "Just... surprised."


    But Ren noticed how Han''s fingers trembled slightly, the only crack in his facade of controlled indifference.


    The carriage finally entered the inner boundaries of the academy. The damaged towers loomed closer now, the destruction more evident at this proximity. Workers could be seen on scaffolding, some using earth and wind magic to repair the structural damage, others clearing debris.


    Lin excused herself to return to the front of the caravan, leaving the students to process the news. The festive atmosphere from just hours ago had transformed into solemn contemplation about the fragility of what they considered permanent. The weight of loss settled over them like a heavy blanket. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Upon arrival, they would normally have distributed materials and celebrated the passing scores. But it wasn''t so this time; they sent the students to their rooms. The auxiliaries would handle distributing things later.


    Priorities had shifted in the wake of the attack.


    Han seemed to want to say something as they walked toward the dormitories, his gaze oscillating between Ren and the ground. His fingers closed and opened rhythmically, as if rehearsing grasping words from the air.


    However, before he could decide, a figure in the uniform of administrative auxiliaries approached the group. The woman moved with crisp efficiency, her expression professionally neutral.


    "Students Han and Lady Larissa, your presence is required immediately in the Director''s office."


    The rest of the group exchanged looks of surprise and concern. Whispers immediately began circulating among them.


    "Did they do something wrong?" Min asked, earning an elbow from Taro.


    The auxiliary maintained her neutral expression. "It''s just protocol. The rest should go to their dormitories until further notice."


    Han cast a final glance at Ren before following the auxiliary along with Larissa, who bid farewell with a reassuring gesture.


    "What was that about?" Taro murmured as the group resumed their path toward the dormitories.


    "Extra interrogation, probably," Liora responded. "Larissa is a representative of the royal family, and Han... well, they didn''t have much time to question him during the trip because of the abrupt cancellation, and they might think he possibly saw something relevant during his fall in the expedition."


    Ren remained silent, watching Han''s figure recede into the distance.


    Upon reaching the first-year dormitories, Ren, Min, and Taro found Liu organizing his notes on the table. His face momentarily brightened upon seeing them enter, but his expression quickly changed upon noticing their countenances.


    "I guess you''ve already heard," he said by way of greeting.


    "We saw it when we arrived," Taro responded, dropping his backpack with an exhausted sigh. "The east tower..."


    Liu nodded gravely. "They say it was an underground attack first. They were looking for something on the seed..."


    His gaze briefly rested on Ren, who was already heading toward his eggs, apparently indifferent to the conversation. His mushrooms, however, pulsed with a pattern that suggested intense mental activity.


    The eggs showed signs of normal development, although Ren immediately noticed that progress had halted during his absence. Unfortunately, Liu hadn''t managed to replicate the rune... The delicate and complex energy pattern required Ren''s specific understanding.


    In any case, it wasn''t serious; the crystalline structure remained stable, and the cores maintained their integrity. Two days without his direct attention only meant two days less of energy accumulation.


    "Did Lin or Zhao tell you anything else?" Liu asked while Ren meticulously examined each egg. He leaned forward, eager for information beyond the official announcements.


    "Only sad news," Min replied, collapsing onto his bed. The exhaustion of the journey and emotional toll of recent revelations weighed heavily on him.


    Liu lowered his head. "The professors and auxiliaries protected us valiantly."


    While the others shared what little they knew about the attack, Ren carefully extracted the shadow stalker tentacles he had collected. Their condition was optimal, thanks to the bark stalker blood he had used as a preservative after obtaining them. With precise movements, he began finishing their processing, before they lost potency in mana absorption.


    "And what did you see?" Taro asked Liu, while observing Ren work.


    Liu shrugged. "Not much, really. They evacuated us to the underground shelter almost immediately. We felt tremors..."


    His voice grew lower. "Afterward, we learned what it was when some abyssals emerged on the lower level. The professors contained them."


    A heavy silence fell over the room. The reality of the losses, the fragility of the security they had taken for granted, settled in their minds like a stone slab.


    Ren, though apparently absorbed in his work, processed all the information. His mind was far from the mechanical task at hand.


    ''The academy needs more strength,'' he thought, evaluating options. ''Lin and Zhao may obtain their beasts soon, but that wouldn''t be enough against triples with Gold level.''


    The solution was evident, though it would require considerable resources: more eggs, more beasts for promising students. And he needed to begin immediately.

 Chapter 246 - 246 - Taming Honor

    The solution was evident, though it would require considerable resources: more eggs, more beasts for promising students. And he needed to begin immediately.


    After finishing processing the tentacles, Ren dedicated some time to his daily cultivation. The light of his mushrooms acquired that characteristic bluish tone while he channeled energy.


    Min and Taro imitated him shortly afterward, each focused on their own techniques.


    Liu, having completed his routine in the morning, continued with his studies without paying much attention.


    Lin didn''t seem likely to appear to supervise today''s exercise, which wasn''t surprising considering the circumstances. Ren took advantage of this absence to extract three more cores from his now abundant personal reserve.


    When his companions finished their cultivation, Ren silently headed toward the door.


    "Where are you going?" Min asked, looking up from his meditation position.


    "Exchange warehouse," Ren responded succinctly. "I''ll be back soon."


    "But they told us to..." Taro began, concern evident in his voice.


    Ren merely smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with quiet determination. "I won''t be long."


    Upon arrival, he found the special materials section still active, with Jessy nervously organizing several scrolls behind the counter. She was sorting through the chaotic aftermath of the academy''s disruption.


    "Ren!" the young woman exclaimed upon seeing him, her cat ears moving with surprise. "You shouldn''t be here."


    "I need some specific materials," he responded directly. "It''s important."


    Jessy seemed to hesitate, but something in Ren''s expression must have convinced her. The intensity in his eyes perhaps, or the unusual urgency in his typically measured demeanor.


    "Well, I suppose I can make an exception. What are you looking for?" She pulled a ledger toward her, ready to check inventory.


    "Cheap Wind Lynx parts, five," Ren began, mentally consulting his list.


    Jessy quickly reviewed the inventory. "We have some cheap Iron rank ones." Her fingers traced down the columns of her ledger."


    Professor Zhao''s auxiliary had a specimen. They''re not very common, but not excessively rare either.


    After verifying the price, Ren nodded. Five hundred crystals was reasonable for a component of that quality.


    "I also need five Demonic Bashe parts," he continued.


    Jessy''s eyes widened slightly. "That''s... quite unusual. We only have as the lowest¡­ the Bronze-1 rank, and they''re considerably more expensive."


    "How much?" Ren asked, mentally preparing himself.


    "Five thousand crystals for the complete set."


    Ren made an internal grimace. It was undoubtedly a higher sum since they weren''t Iron rank, but the expedition had been extraordinarily productive. He could afford it. The Bashe components would provide the perfect balance of stealth and power for what he had planned.


    "And finally," he continued, "I need components of the Celestial White Tiger. Its initial form, the striped light cat."


    This time, Jessy seemed genuinely surprised. "That''s extremely rare, Ren. Even more than the Bashe."


    "Do you have anything?"


    "Yes, but..." Jessy consulted the registry again. "Twenty thousand crystals, and that''s with your luck being generous because they''re only Bronze-1 rank. Normally there''s nothing that isn''t Silver since the Starweavers control that market."


    Ren calculated quickly. Between the price of the materials and what he would need for other components of the process, he was spending an amount that would have sounded substantial to him before. But he remembered Luna, her support since that first day. Despite her occasionally overwhelming insistence, she had proven to be an ally and a good person.


    "I''ll take it," he finally decided. "All of it."


    "Is that everything?"


    "Yes, please," Ren affirmed.


    With the carefully wrapped packages under his arm, Ren returned to the dormitories. His mind was already designing the additional nests.


    ????


    The next day¡­


    The Great Hall had been transformed for the occasion. Black banners hung from the walls, replacing the academy''s usual vibrant colors.


    The students, organized by year, remained in perfect formations, all dressed in simple black robes over their uniforms. The silence was absolute, broken only by the occasional quickly suppressed sob.


    On the main stage, portraits of the fallen had been placed. Twenty-three frames in total: two professors and twenty-one auxiliaries and support staff who were underground at the time of the first attack.


    A devastating figure compared to the single casualty of the previous attack.


    Director Ignatius slowly advanced toward the center of the stage, leaning on a richly carved staff. His physical absence was painfully evident; where he once stood with majestic presence, he now moved with the careful deliberation of someone whose equilibrium has been fundamentally altered. The empty space where his left leg should have been seemed to draw eyes despite the flowing robes designed to disguise it.


    His phoenix was partially manifested, the golden-reddish glow pulsing softly under his skin, accelerating a healing process that would take months even with the best treatments.


    "We gather today," he began, his voice projecting clearly despite his evident fatigue, "to honor those who gave their lives protecting this institution''s fundamental principles: knowledge, honor, and, above all, the future that each of you represent."


    Ren observed from his position among the first-year students. His mushrooms barely pulsed, maintaining a silent respect for the moment. Beside him, Min kept his head bowed, while Taro stared straight ahead, his jaw tense with contained emotions. Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A little further away, Han remained absolutely motionless, his face a stone mask that contrasted with the open sadness of those around him. Since his return from the interrogation, he had maintained a subtle but perceptible distance, as if fearing to contaminate them with something invisible he carried. Occasionally, his eyes would dart to Ren, then quickly away, as if unable to maintain contact.


    The Director continued with the ceremony, individually naming each of the fallen while a small flame was lit above their corresponding portrait.


    It was an ancient Yano tradition: the flame symbolized the spirit''s passage to the great mana cycle, released from earthly bonds.


    The additional presences at the ceremony didn''t go unnoticed by Ren.


    Guards from noble families, recognizable by their heraldic insignia, lined the walls.


    Castle personnel, with their characteristic dark blue uniforms, occupied strategic positions near the exits.


    And Julius, standing at one end of the stage. His face betrayed no emotion, but the tension in his shoulders spoke volumes about his awareness of the continuing threat.


    The academy had fortified itself, preparing for another attack that everyone feared might be repeated.


    When the ceremony concluded with a minute of absolute silence, the students were released to attend their regular classes, an attempt to reinstate normalcy amid the recent chaos. The crowd dispersed slowly, many lingering near the portraits to pay personal respects.


    Ren stood for a moment next to the portrait of a guard, the one who normally stood at the entrance of the cave at mid day and affectionately called him ''lucky shroom''.


    ????


    "Looks like we''ll have Zhao for crystallography," Min commented as they headed toward their first class. His voice was kept low, as if speaking normally would somehow dishonor the somber mood.


    "Temporarily," Taro added. "Until they find a permanent replacement."


    The news didn''t surprise Ren. Zhao was one of the few professors with knowledge broad enough and now also free time, thanks to Julius, to cover multiple subjects, although his specialty was exterior gathering.


    Upon entering the crystallography classroom, normally half-empty as it was an optional subject, they found the space completely full. Students who previously showed barely any interest now occupied every available seat, their faces solemn and notebooks open.


    It seemed Professor Song''s sacrifice had accomplished what his passion for teaching could not, filling his classroom.


    Zhao entered punctually, his expression slightly uncomfortable at finding the overcrowded classroom. His owl markings and feathers seemed more pronounced today, perhaps reflecting his heightened alertness.


    "Good morning," he began, quickly adapting to the situation. "As you know, I will be covering this class until an appropriate successor is designated for Professor Song."


    He paused, letting the name float in the air for a respectful moment.


    "For those joining this subject belatedly, I must clarify that the requirements for passing haven''t changed. A minimum quantity of crystals collected from the mine is needed, which most of you have already fulfilled during your regular incursions."


    Several students visibly relaxed at this confirmation.


    "However," Zhao continued, with a slight smile, "this doesn''t exempt you from the theoretical exam, which constitutes fifty percent of your final grade."

 Chapter 247 - 247 - Double Tamer - 3rd

    "However," Zhao continued, with a slight smile, "this doesn''t exempt you from the theoretical exam, which constitutes fifty percent of your final grade."


    A murmur of discontent spread through the classroom, primarily from the newly incorporated students who had hoped for an easy pass.


    For Ren, however, the news presented no problem whatsoever. His enhanced processing capacity, a product of his fusion with the ring, allowed him to assimilate information at a rate that bordered on superhuman.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with quiet confidence as he reviewed his mental catalog of crystallographic knowledge.


    He had already memorized practically the entire syllabus, extracting knowledge from textbooks and notes borrowed from Min and Taro.


    He wouldn''t need to present a thesis specialized in his beast either since Wei had already approved him. Despite his mushroom having reached bronze rank, fulfilling another of the possible requirements, it was very difficult to demonstrate that this was the case and not incorrect maturation.


    The only obstacle to officially verify this rank was that his core remained abnormally small, even tinier than that of his hydra, despite technically being his main beast.


    A specialized crystal could see his interior cores, but the mushroom''s would still not reach the minimum size of a bronze 1. The two 20% increases his mushroom had managed to obtain also fell far below traditional standards. A bronze 1 rank beast should provide a minimum 60% increase in its main attribute and a maximum of 100%.


    ''The true advantage of my beast is being able to obtain multiple beasts,'' Ren reflected as Zhao began the lesson. ''I could explain to them in detail... But having them believe I''ve simply taken a potion is convenient for now.''


    The idea of having to explain to Julius, the Director, or any of the intimidating adults at the academy how his beast really worked seemed an unnecessary risk. The obtained potion provided the perfect shield, a reasonable explanation that required no further questioning.


    At the end of class, Ren caught Klein''s gaze, laden with barely contained frustration. The Goldcrest heir must have already understood that it was too late to surpass him in this subject. In his eyes, Ren had practically lived underground the entire semester, giving him an unfair advantage in crystal collection.


    His only hope would be to obtain a perfect grade in Mei''s class, tie with Ren in Wei''s, and then defeat him decisively in the battle class, both in individual and team modalities. Since the combat subject carried more weight than the theoretical ones, he could still snatch the semester honor.


    A logical plan considering he would soon be Bronze 1. The lion''s increased power would give him a significant edge in combat scenarios.


    But it didn''t contemplate that Ren already had more total increases than the 80% Klein would obtain. The mushroom boy''s hidden advantages remained precisely that for him, hidden.


    In the following days, classes gradually resumed their normal rhythm. Han and Larissa fully reincorporated after their interrogations, and although Han initially seemed uncomfortable, especially around Ren, he slowly began to relax again in the group''s presence.


    Whatever had been discussed in the Director''s office remained private, but the tension in Han''s shoulders had visibly decreased with each passing day.


    Ren''s group''s incursions into the depths were temporarily suspended, diverting the boys'' attention toward theoretical preparation.


    Ren took advantage of this time to work on his eggs and his cultivation.


    ????


    Upon returning to the dormitories after the day''s classes, they found a surprise. The auxiliaries had finally delivered all the materials collected during the expedition. Carefully labeled packages occupied every available space: piles of shadow stalker skins, bark stalker parts, and other materials.


    The room now resembled a warehouse more than a living space, with barely visible paths between the beds.


    "Where are we supposed to sleep?" Min asked, contemplating the now crowded room with amazement.


    "We can process and sell them for a bigger cash out, but first will need to reorganize," Ren suggested, already evaluating how to use the vertical space.


    "All this... is really just ours?" Taro asked, incredulous.


    "Most of it is mine," Ren admitted. "But don''t worry, I''ll find somewhere to store it."


    The next day, Zhao made the official announcement of the expedition grades in front of the entire class.


    As expected, Ren''s group topped the list with astronomical values that made the efforts of the rest of the students seem ridiculous.


    "And with these results," Zhao concluded, his owl markings brightening with what seemed like pride, "it is established that Ren Patinder obtains first place in the practical gathering unit."


    A murmur ran through the classroom. Although everyone had anticipated this result, hearing it officially transformed it into an inescapable reality.


    Jin and Klein exchanged somber looks. What they had feared was confirmed: Ren, the boy with the supposedly weakest beast, had secured the first official academic victory, consolidating his position as the most outstanding student of the semester so far. The mushroom boy''s trajectory continued to defy all expectations.


    Klein clenched his fists under his table. His plan to obtain the semester honor was becoming increasingly complicated. The path to proving the Goldcrest superiority was narrowing with each achievement from the common-born student.


    Classes continued their normal course.


    Julius had remained at the academy for a few more days after the attack, dedicating himself to a meticulous underground investigation. According to circulating rumors, he had found no traces of the attackers, who had apparently retreated wounded, disappearing as mysteriously as they had arrived.


    ????


    The school returned to complete normalcy.


    But today, things in the boys'' room had spiraled out of control.


    Min jumped in the dormitory with eyes bulging with excitement.


    "It''s moving! Ren, it''s moving!" he exclaimed, gesturing toward his nest.


    "They don''t move, relax," Ren approached Min''s nest and examined the new fully formed egg. A faint bluish glow pulsed from within. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s ready," he confirmed, a slight smile forming on his lips. "Call it."


    Min nodded nervously and extended his hand.


    When he made contact, a brief light connected the creature with Min, and the bond was established.


    He concentrated, briefly closing his eyes, and when he opened them, the egg emitted a more intense flash. His excitement was palpable, the culmination of weeks of anticipation.


    The four observed in silence as the creature inside struggled to free itself. Finally, with a decisive crack, the shell split and a gelatinous substance spilled over the nest. The scent of fresh water filled the air.


    In the midst of the fluid, barely visible, floated what appeared to be a transparent tadpole the size of a rabbit. Its internal organs, faintly visible through its translucent skin, pulsed with a constant rhythm. Two small black eyes rotated independently, examining its new environment.


    Min extended his hand tremblingly. The amphibian swam through the air as if it were in water, approaching his fingers with undulating movements. It circled his hand once, twice, then settled in his arm, its small body cool and slightly damp.


    "It''s..." Min began, clearly searching for word.


    "A glorified tadpole?" Liu suggested, unable to contain a mocking smile.

 Chapter 248 - 248 - Taming True Knowledge

    "It''s..." Min began, clearly searching for words. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "A glorified tadpole?" Liu suggested, unable to contain a mocking smile.


    "It''s perfect," Min corrected, marveling at the creature. "My invisible amphibian. Well, almost invisible."


    The translucent being rippled through the air with fluid grace. Its tiny body caught the light occasionally, revealing glimpses of intricate internal structures.


    "It''s still in the initial phase," Ren explained. "As it evolves, its invisibility capability will improve. For now, it''s rather translucent."


    Taro leaned in to observe more closely. "It''s quite... small." He squinted, following the creature''s movements with fascinated skepticism.


    "That will change too," Ren assured. His mushrooms pulsed confidently, as if sharing a secret only they knew about the creature''s potential.


    "For now," added Liu with a malicious smile, "it seems you''ve established a bond with a small animated blob of mucus."


    Min shot him a withering look. "Laugh all you want. When I can infiltrate where no one else can reach, I won''t share any information with you."


    "Sure," Taro joined the teasing, "because we''re all dying to know the school gossip like you and Han."


    Despite the jokes, the pride on Min''s face was undeniable. His amphibian, small as it was, was the undeniable symbol that he had transformed into a double tamer. The achievement radiated from him, practically visible in the way he held himself taller.


    Ren observed the scene with satisfaction. The first egg had hatched correctly, validating his techniques and calculations. The others would follow soon, and with each new beast, their collective forces would strengthen.


    While Min continued marveling at his new beast, and Taro and Liu competed to create the best mocking nicknames for the creature, Ren directed his attention toward the other nests.


    ????


    "Here," said Ren, extending a thin but meticulously bound book toward Min. "Here''s everything you need to know about your amphibian for now: development cycles, specific cultivation techniques, elemental compatibilities."


    Min took the book with reverence, running his fingers over the cover where Ren had drawn the silhouette of his amphibian in its more developed form. The illustration showed a sleeker, more defined creature with extended limbs and complex gill structures.


    "You wrote it so quickly?" he asked, leafing through the pages densely covered with precise diagrams and carefully annotated text.


    "Yes," Ren responded while adjusting the conditions of Zhao''s nest, which showed signs of being close to fully forming. The crystalline structure pulsed with slightly increased frequency, and the internal energies had begun to align in preparation. "Though sections about advanced interactions with other beasts are still missing."


    Liu, who was observing from his desk, closed the elementary theory book he was studying. "And will I get one when my egg is ready, boss?"


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing softly. "I''ve already started writing it, but with everything that''s happened... I haven''t had as much time as I''d like to progress."


    "Don''t rush," Liu shrugged, a casual smile on his face. "Anyway, I have you here to ask directly. It''s better than any book."


    "Speak for yourself," Min interjected, without looking up from the manual. "Some of us prefer to have clear instructions that don''t disappear when Ren decides to get lost alone or kidnaped by the girls."


    Ren continued working in silence, but his mushrooms briefly pulsed with what his companions now recognized as his version of a laugh.


    The following days passed in an almost normal routine. Ren divided his time between classes, creating new eggs, and attending to existing ones.


    It was during a particularly quiet afternoon when Taro burst into the room.


    "Ren," he announced, "Professor Wei wants to see you. He says it''s important."


    Ren looked up from the nest he was adjusting, a slight frown appearing on his face. His relationship with Wei had been tense since the classroom incident, though the won bet had established a certain forced respect.


    "Did he tell you what for?"


    "Something about research," Taro replied, sitting on his bed. "Seems he''s been reviewing all the literature on iron beasts with short cultivation cycles, the ones we used for the first exam. I think he wants your help to correct it."


    Ren considered the information. He wasn''t particularly interested in helping Wei, but the prospect of correcting erroneous information that affected so many fellow students was tempting.


    "I told him I''d let you know and if you decided to go, you''d see him in the library after the last class," Taro continued. "Hope you don''t mind."


    Ren shook his head. "It''s fine."


    When the day''s last class ended, Ren headed to the library. The vast space, with its shelves reaching the ceiling and tables strategically scattered to maximize concentration, was unusually empty. Most students preferred to study in their rooms or in groups since the attack.


    At a secluded table, surrounded by piles of books and scrolls, he found Wei. The professor looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes and his normally impeccable tunic slightly wrinkled. He was so absorbed in an old tome that he didn''t notice Ren''s presence until he was standing directly across the table.


    "Ah, Patinder," Wei started slightly. "Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat."


    Ren sat across from the professor, observing with interest the texts scattered about. He recognized several treatises on iron rank cultivation, along with some standard academy manuals and what appeared to be original field notes.


    An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Wei seemed to be struggling to find the right words, nervously reorganizing some papers in front of him.


    "I''ve been... researching," he finally began, avoiding direct eye contact. "About initial beasts."


    Ren nodded, patiently waiting for Wei to get to the point.


    "The thing is..." Wei cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Your intervention in class raised... significant... doubts about the accuracy of our teaching materials."


    Another silence. Wei drummed his fingers on the table.


    "I''ve been comparing our texts with recent field observations and..." Wei finally looked up, facing Ren directly.


    The professor breathed deeply, as if gathering courage for what was to follow.


    "I was wrong," he finally admitted.


    Ren maintained his neutral expression, though his mushrooms pulsed slightly faster, registering his mild surprise at this admission.


    "The literature varies somewhat in its number of cultivation days, and that would be explained with an explanation of mana quantities from you for some reason... I need help to verify it," Wei continued, gaining confidence as he spoke. "I''ve secured authorization to include an optional section in the final exam that follows your... alternative cultivation methods."


    This truly captured Ren''s complete attention. His mushrooms brightened noticeably, their pulses quickening with interest.


    "It won''t be mandatory," Wei quickly clarified. "There''s little time for students to adapt to such a fundamental change."


    "But it''s a beginning."

 Chapter 249 - 249 - Taming the Top Students System

    Wei shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as if what would come next was particularly difficult. His fingers nervously adjusted a stack of papers, aligning their edges with precision.


    "What I need is... your help," the words seemed physically painful for him. "To identify the most crucial errors, especially those affecting your classmates'' beasts. The main credit would be entirely yours... And also..."


    Wei paused, unnecessarily readjusting his position.


    "I also wanted to apologize," he finally said, so quickly that the words almost stumbled over each other. "For my previous behavior. It was... unprofessional."


    Ren studied the professor for a moment. His mother had always taught him about the value of forgiveness, warning him against becoming "a small person" who clung to grudges. "Don''t let pride make you petty," she would tell him. "Forgive when you can, but don''t forget to learn from what happened."


    Added to that, Ren had mourned the loss of people he had met only recently, which gave him a fresh perspective. It wasn''t worth holding grudges in times like these. Helping everyone could improve the city''s situation in the long run.


    The city where he wanted to give his parents a better life.


    "I accept your apology, professor," Ren responded after brief consideration. "And I''ll help with your research, especially if it benefits my classmates. Well, most of them."


    Maybe Klein and Jin group''s beasts would have to wait longer to get their fixed methods¡­ Maybe he was a bit petty.


    The relief on Wei''s face was evident. His shoulders relaxed visibly, and color returned to his previously pale complexion.


    "Excellent. Thank you, Patinder. I''ve prepared an initial list of five beasts to review: weak plants, frogs, and three types of insects that are traditionally cheaper and have shorter cultivation periods than others, between 150 and 130 days also..."


    As Wei explained his plan, Ren understood the true scope of the project. It wasn''t just about correcting academic literature for wealthy students; Wei planned to seek volunteers outside the academy, young people from the peripheral areas of the city who normally wouldn''t have access to proper cultivation instruction, to test the revised methods.


    "Thanks to Professor Zhao''s intervention," Wei continued, shuffling through his notes with renewed energy, "Lin has authorized you to temporarily skip the nightly exercises to dedicate that time to this research."


    "Perfect," Ren nodded. "We''ll start with the duration, mana quantity, and absorption method. It''s 100 days and not one more, the crystal must have stable brightness, and absorption must be done by circulating in a specific pattern than..." S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ????


    Professor Mei''s class, traditionally a quiet bastion where students learned information useful for daily life, had undergone a notable transformation in recent days.


    The classroom, previously characterized by a relaxed atmosphere where no student actively participated, now vibrated with an almost palpable energy. The very air seemed charged with competitive spirit, crackling with tension whenever a question was posed.


    Hands rose constantly at each question, voices overlapped offering answers and additional examples, and debates about theoretical applications frequently extended beyond the assigned time.


    "Mana poisoning manifestation occurs because the body processes too much mana from the environment, exceeding the contracted creature''s absorption and expulsion capacity," Mei explained, her normally monotone voice now carrying a hint of enthusiasm. "Could anyone provide the symptoms of this phenomenon?"


    At least five hands shot up immediately. Klein, Jin, Luna, and several others from the noble group who rarely participated now competed for the professor''s attention.


    Klein answered correctly when selected.


    "Excellent answer, Goldcrest," Mei nodded, genuinely pleased with the level of detail. "Can anyone give me an example of passive mana processing from their beasts?"


    "My shadow wolf," Luna interjected instants before being formally recognized, "causes a decrease in perceived luminosity of up to twenty percent, even when not actively manipulating shadows. The effects are more pronounced in enclosed spaces."


    "My tiger," Jin quickly added, not wanting to be left behind, "increases air purity by approximately ten percent, which can be detected using appropriate perception instruments."


    Mei observed this display with barely disguised satisfaction. After years of teaching students who considered her subject merely complementary, this sudden enthusiasm was refreshing.


    Her eyes sparkled with renewed purpose as she navigated the forest of raised hands.


    What most didn''t notice was that Ren, the culprit behind this situation, barely participated in this competition.


    Seated in his usual place, he meticulously took notes and responded when directly asked, but rarely raised his hand voluntarily. His mushrooms pulsed with their characteristic rhythm while absorbing the information, but his mind was clearly divided between the class and other matters.


    For Ren, the research with Wei occupied a significant portion of his concentration. Correcting errors in cultivation literature seemed more valuable to him than conquering participatory points in a competition he didn''t even know was happening.


    Because that was the crucial detail: Ren was almost completely unaware of what was at stake.


    The semester student honor, an objective that had awakened such competitive fervor in his classmates, was for him an abstract concept with no apparent practical value. He had never asked about its real meaning, and nobody had bothered to explain it to him.


    The academy''s system worked this way by design.


    Certain knowledge wasn''t openly offered; it had to be sought, researched, conquered. Honor was one of those "open" secrets that separated the merely intelligent from the truly ambitious.


    For most students, advancing at the academy simply meant passing all units satisfactorily. An Iron rank student who completed their first year without failing anything would automatically become a Bronze 1 rank student, with all corresponding benefits: a daily stipend ten times greater (ten crystals instead of one), better food, and access to new specialized classes.


    Failure in theoretical subjects of low value like Mei''s meant remaining at the same rank, though advancing to the next year.


    Failure in high-value subjects like combat or gathering implied repeating the entire year and receiving a "strike"; three of these meant the complete loss of academic support.


    But there existed a system within the system, invisible to those who didn''t know to look for it.


    The top ten students of each year had the option to pursue a more ambitious path, one that could eventually lead them to the coveted Gold and Platinum ranks.


    Gold was the minimum rank Ren needed to achieve to realize the objective for which Selphira had planted a seed in his head.


    This system of silent selection wasn''t determinative in the first year, but it established crucial foundations.


    Every student who had reached Gold rank had been among the top ten of their generation. And all Platinum students, without exception, had obtained the honor of best student during their first year.


    Ren, without knowing it, was about to secure that honor simply by doing what he considered right and necessary. His path, guided by instinct and intellect rather than ambition, was aligning perfectly with the academy''s highest trajectory.

 Chapter 250 - 250 - Taming the Sky Stone

    The throne room of Yino had never been a place for warmth. The walls of polished obsidian reflected the purple light of the abyssal crystals, creating an atmosphere as oppressive as it was majestic.


    The air seemed denser here, charged with the barely contained power of the beasts pulsing beneath the skin of those who occupied positions of power.


    The King reviewed the scroll with an impenetrable expression, his eyes absorbing every detail of the report while Lord Ravenspire remained silent, awaiting his reaction. Only the occasional purple flash that traveled through the monarch''s veins betrayed the agitation the message caused him. These luminescent veins briefly illuminated his face from within, casting his features in an otherworldly glow.


    "Is this everything?" he finally asked, his voice deliberately controlled.


    "All they could report after reaching our borders and before receiving attention from the healers, my lord," Ravenspire responded, his posture rigid with tension. "The complete details will be provided when they arrive at the capital."


    The King placed the scroll on the carved armrest of his throne. His fingers, partially transformed into claws, drummed on the surface with a rhythm that would have made anyone nervous who wasn''t accustomed to the manifestations of his impatience amplified by his abyssal beast.


    "The seed was opened," he pronounced, not as a question but as confirmation of a regrettable fact. "But the ring wasn''t there."


    "Our agents were quite clear on this, my lord. After eliminating several Yano assets during the assault, they confirmed that the ring was not in the academy leader''s possession, nor did it arrive with any of the reinforcements to the battle."


    A heavy silence filled the hall as the King processed this information. The loss of the only power ring they could steal, especially the last one Yano needed, represented another significant setback in plans that had been developing for decades.


    "And our first triples remain in one piece?" he inquired, slightly changing the subject.


    Lord Ravenspire adjusted his posture, obviously uncomfortable. His hands clasped behind his back to hide their slight tremor. "They were... effective in combat, my lord. But they demonstrated a certain lack of discipline." S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Elaborate."


    "The combined power of three beasts seems to have affected their judgment capacity. They remained fighting long after determining the target wasn''t present, apparently for mere personal satisfaction. This considerably complicated their retreat when additional Yano reinforcements arrived."


    The King didn''t seem surprised, only slightly disappointed. "Intoxicated by their own power. A foreseeable side effect, although I had hoped our conditioning would have been more effective."


    He rose abruptly, his beasts partially manifesting as he descended the throne steps.


    "Kassian reported correctly about the academy''s temporary vulnerability," he continued as he walked through the hall, each step resonating with an unnatural echo. "They sent too much security to protect the nobles during their excursion, neglecting their seed''s main base. The opportunity was there."


    "And our agents took advantage of it as best they could, my lord," Ravenspire attempted to appease him, though his voice carried a hint of uncertainty.


    "Did they?" The King stopped, turning to face his counselor. His eyes glowed with an inner light that made Ravenspire take an involuntary step backward. "First that Harold fails to obtain the ring during the seed''s opening. Then we send our first triples, our most valuable assets, and they return empty-handed too."


    His frustration was palpable, making the abyssal crystals pulse with greater intensity, bathing the hall in purple shadows that seemed to move with a life of their own.


    "What concerns me," he continued, his voice dropping to an almost meditative tone, "is what this means. If the ring wasn''t in the seed, and isn''t in the possession of Yano authorities... where is it?"


    A messenger entered hurriedly, stopping at the entrance with a deep bow. "My lord, Lord Bloodwyn sends word: Hagen is fully prepared for the operation."


    The King considered this information for a moment, strategies and possibilities reconfiguring in his mind like pieces on an invisible board.


    "No," he finally decided. "Inform Bloodwyn there is a change of plans. Hagen will not be deployed yet."


    "My lord?" Ravenspire couldn''t hide his surprise.


    "This situation smells like a trap," the King explained, resuming his pacing. "If Yano doesn''t have the ring, or is very skillfully hiding its possession, attacking now could be catastrophic. We need more information, to know who has it."


    He stopped before a map carved in black stone, where the cities of Yino and Yano glowed with contrasting light, separated by the abyss rift. His finger traced the border between the kingdoms, lingering on the jagged line that marked their division.


    "Redirect our efforts to intelligence gathering. And accelerate the triple program. Every soldier with a Gold-1 level beast or higher must be prepared for conversion."


    "All our nobles?" Ravenspire couldn''t help asking. "The process isn''t 100 percent safe yet, my lord. We could lose valuable warriors."


    "It''s an acceptable price for what we will gain," the King responded coldly. "Even if Yano has all 3 rings in the hands of the wandering king, they won''t be able to resist all our triples once they are well-trained."


    Ravenspire bowed his head in acceptance, but dared to raise an additional concern. "And if they manage to open the upper door before we are prepared?"


    The King slowly returned to his throne, his beasts'' manifestations gradually retracting beneath his skin. A humorless smile briefly crossed his face.


    "Then the war we have been preparing for decades will come to us on its own. And we''d better make sure we''re in the best possible position when it does. But in our territory at least... The entity protects us."


    He sat down, his posture regaining the royal formality he had momentarily abandoned. "The sky stone gave us a unique opportunity. But this series of failures has forced us to adopt a defensive stance. However, patience, Lord Ravenspire, has always been Yino''s most valuable virtue."


    In the purple darkness, no one could see the shadow of concern that briefly crossed the monarch''s face.


    What none of them knew, what not even their most efficient spies or traitors had discovered, was that Yano wasn''t hiding the ring as a trump card.


    They too didn''t know its exact location with certainty.


    And so, the precarious balance between the two cities remained unaltered. The opening of the first door, the objective that both kingdoms had pursued for generations, would have to wait.


    Meanwhile, in the space between them, in the depths where beasts reigned supreme, the forces that would determine the fate of both kingdoms continued evolving, oblivious to the human ambitions trying to control them.

 Chapter 251 - 251 - Double Tamer Zhao

    With the end of the semester approaching, Ren felt a particular satisfaction seeing how the projects in which he had invested so much time were beginning to bear fruit.


    The nest he had prepared for Zhao finally showed the egg ready for contracting. The crystalline shell pulsed with a steady rhythm, the energy within reaching optimal levels for emergence.


    It was late when Zhao arrived at the room. The professor seemed slightly agitated, as if he had been resolving some urgent matter before coming to their appointment.


    "I hope I haven''t kept you waiting," he commented while closing the door behind him.


    Ren shook his head. "It just reached the critical point a few minutes ago. Your timing is perfect, professor."


    The egg, amber-toned with greenish veins, emitted an intermittent glow. Unlike Min''s amphibian, whose hatching had been more delicate, this egg showed signs of more intense energy. Small arcs of electricity occasionally danced across its surface, and the air around it felt charged with potential.


    "What should I do?" asked Zhao, approaching the nest with barely contained anticipation. His fingers twitched slightly, betraying his eagerness despite his professional demeanor.


    "It''s as simple as when you contracted your mist owl egg as a child," instructed Ren. "Let some of your mana naturally enter the egg. The raptor needs to recognize you as its tamer before emerging."


    Zhao followed the instructions. The moment he touched the crystalline surface of the egg, it responded with a more intense pulse of energy.


    The process was surprisingly rapid. A series of crackles traveled across the egg''s surface, followed by the appearance of fractures that extended like lightning. Unlike the gelatinous hatching of Min''s amphibian, the raptor''s egg opened with an explosive movement, crystalline fragments flying in all directions before disintegrating into particles of light.


    Where the small egg had been, particles of light grew and disappeared... now stood a reptile approximately the size of a large dog.


    Its skin constantly changed color, adapting to its surroundings, but its basic form was unmistakable: an agile, muscular body, powerful hind legs, a long tail for balance, and a triangular head dominated by yellow eyes with vertical pupils that intensely studied Zhao.


    "Impressive," Liu murmured as the camouflage raptor tilted its head, recognizing Zhao as its tamer. "Definitely not a ''small'' creature like our Min''s."


    Taro nodded with a knowing air.


    "Reptiles generally emerge in more advanced stages of development like my hydra," Ren explained while observing the bond forming between beast and tamer. "Their growth cycles are different from amphibians or insects."


    The raptor made an agile leap, landing in front of Zhao. Its size was considerable; the professor observed with fascination how the creature''s skin adopted the exact tone of his tunic''s fabric.


    "The enhancements will be notable," Ren commented. "Forty percent in attack, with an additional thirty percent in defense and speed. All other attributes receive a twenty percent increase..."


    "...It''s not at the same initial level as Luna''s wolf, Larissa''s fairy or Liora''s will-o''-wisp," Ren reflected, "but it''s certainly very close... Like my hydra."


    "The professor will have enhancements equivalent to a Gold 1 of Tier 2," Taro understood, his eyes widening slightly at the implications.


    Ren nodded. "Your mist owl already provides forty percent increases in attack and speed, which at Silver-3 level means an impressive 240% in those attributes and 120% in the others."


    "And with the raptor..." Zhao mentally performed the calculations, his expression shifting as the numbers revealed themselves.


    "Your attack will reach 280%, and your speed 270%, with considerable increases in defense and all other attributes as well," Ren completed. Then, he extended two thin books carefully bound by Isaac''s hands. "These are for you."


    Zhao took the books, examining the meticulously calligraphed titles: "Cultivation of the Camouflage Raptor" and "Maturation of the Mist Owl: Path to True Form."


    "The second is for when you''re ready for the investment," Ren explained. "It contains all the tips and optimized methods to bring your owl to the first step of its maximum potential in 1000 days."


    "About that..." Zhao smiled slightly, "Julius has agreed to cover the costs." Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Really?" Ren couldn''t hide his surprise. The maturation of a Silver-3 beast toward its true form required resources that even some nobles would consider prohibitive. The process demanded rare materials from the deepest rings, specialized energy crystals, and constant expert supervision.


    Zhao nodded, while the raptor rubbed against his leg, apparently comfortable with its new tamer.


    "I was wondering if you''ve ever considered joining the military forces when you grow up," he commented, shifting the topic slightly. "As a soldier, they could pay for all your cultivations too."


    Ren remained thoughtful for a moment. The proposal was tempting from a purely practical standpoint. He mentally calculated what it would cost to bring his mushrooms to complete maturation: special materials, energy 10 times more expensive, rare components from superior beasts... The resulting sum was truly astronomical.


    "I appreciate the suggestion, professor," Ren finally responded, "but I don''t think military life is for me."


    "May I ask why?"


    Ren considered his answer for only a moment. "I don''t like killing people," he said simply.


    Zhao nodded, not seeming surprised by the response, though he mentally registered the structure of the comment, as if it were relevant data for some invisible assessment.


    "In any case," Zhao continued, while the raptor cautiously began to explore its new environment, "Julius will not only cover my cultivation. It seems he intends to fund certain research that, according to my calculations, might give you a surprise when the first results start to show."


    "What kind of research?" asked Ren, genuinely curious.


    "Yours with Wei... I can''t reveal all the details now," Zhao responded with a slight smile. "But based on what I''ve learned about your hundred-day methods, I''d say you could see monetary results in approximately four months."


    Ren didn''t fully understand what Zhao was referring to, but the mention of his accelerated cultivation methods suggested that someone was taking his theories seriously enough to plan significant resource investment in them.


    The possibility that his work might extend beyond the academy walls was both exciting and somewhat intimidating.


    "I''m glad you''ve decided to begin the maturation process for your owl," Ren commented, deciding not to press for more details for the moment. "When it reaches its true form, it will be at the level of a Gold-2 in its main enhancement... three hundred and twenty percent."


    "No negligible power," Zhao nodded. "Though it will take almost 3 years, it will be a long time."


    "All valuable things do," Ren responded with the practical wisdom that often surprised those who expected the typical naivety of his age.

 Chapter 252 - 252 - Taming Laziness

    While Zhao began to familiarize himself with his new beast, Ren mentally reviewed his upcoming projects. Lin''s egg was close to completion, then would come Liu''s, and shortly before the end of the semester, those for the noble cousins.


    The annotation work with Wei was progressing exceptionally well, recording the first phase of the project at a good pace... The professor seemed renewed, as if he truly cared more about knowledge than ego since Ren had defeated him. The pride that had once clouded his judgment had given way to genuine scientific curiosity.


    But not all projects were advancing; one of them encountered a pause for the first time.


    One that seemed like a distant dream.


    "Rest," Lin declared firmly, crossing her arms while observing Ren with an inflexible expression.


    The silence that followed this simple word was so profound that one could have heard a pin drop. In the room, four faces looked at her with varying degrees of disbelief.


    "Pardon?" Taro was the first to recover his voice. "Did you just say ''rest''?"


    "Exactly," Lin nodded. "Ren will take a break from morning training sessions too, not just the nightly ones... for the remainder of the semester."


    Min let out a laugh that he quickly suppressed when he saw that Lin''s expression didn''t change. "Wait, are you serious? Ren? Rest?"


    "I think you''ve confused your student," Liu interjected from his desk, without looking up from the book he was reading. "Ren no longer knows that word. It''s not in his vocabulary anymore."


    Lin ignored the comments, keeping her attention on Ren, whose mushrooms pulsed with what appeared to be confusion. The soft light fluctuated in an irregular pattern, betraying his internal surprise.


    "The medicine has reached its limit of effectiveness," she explained. "Forcing more growth at this point could cause damage."


    "But I feel fine," Ren protested, touching his arms as if to demonstrate his point. "Better than ever, in fact."


    "Yes, I''ve noticed," Lin responded, and something in her tone suggested she had noticed much more than she was saying. "Your body seems to regenerate in... unusual ways since the underground incident with the seed."


    A tense silence followed this observation. Lin''s suspicions were evident, though she didn''t fully verbalize them. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Listen," she continued, her voice softening slightly. "I''m not interested in theories about how you acquired that accelerated regeneration. I don''t believe you stole the relic out of selfishness, and frankly, it''s not my job to investigate that matter."


    Ren maintained his neutral expression, but his mushrooms briefly pulsed with what could be interpreted as relief. The light dimmed momentarily before returning to its normal intensity.


    "But," Lin raised a finger to emphasize, "as your instructor, it''s my responsibility to ensure your development is healthy and sustainable. Since I don''t know what that regeneration increase is about or how it works, I''m not going to take it into account... And rest is also part of growth. We will allow the medicine and your body to stabilize as if normal."


    Min pretended to faint onto his bed. "It''s the end of the world. Lin is recommending rest. Next news: the Goldcrests open a flower shop with Jin at the counter!"


    Taro threw a pillow toward Min, though he couldn''t contain his own smile. "Shut up or she''ll make us train twice as much while Ren enjoys his vacation."


    Lin ignored the antics again, keeping her gaze fixed on Ren. "We''ll begin next semester with a completely new level of training and more advanced medicine. For now, you need to allow your body to assimilate everything it has learned."


    She approached Ren to place a hand on his shoulder. The gesture was unexpectedly gentle, almost parental.


    "And don''t you want to be rested and at your best for the final battle exam?" Lin smiled slightly. "It''s no longer a matter of defending your honor. This time, I want you to obtain the crushing victory you deserve. Let the ''weak'' boy I adopted show what hard work can achieve."


    Ren seemed to consider Lin''s words, his mushrooms pulsing in a thoughtful pattern. Finally, he nodded reluctantly. "It''s not just effort, I''ve been very lucky... But I suppose I could use that time for other projects."


    "Of course that''s what you understood by ''rest,''" Liu murmured, shaking his head.


    "Speaking of projects," Ren continued, ignoring the comment, "in two days your egg will be ready, Master Lin."


    Lin''s eyes briefly lit up with something resembling enthusiasm, though she quickly returned to her usual composure. "Thank you. I''ll be looking forward to it."


    As Lin headed toward the door, Min rose from his feigned faint. "So there will be no night exercises for the rest of the semester?"


    "Oh, the exercises will continue for you, Min," Lin responded over her shoulder, a dangerous smile forming on her lips. "In fact, I just thought of some special exercises to compensate for Ren''s absence."


    Min''s horrified groan followed Lin as she closed the door, leaving the boys alone with this new and improbable reality: Ren Patinder, officially obligated to rest.


    "Well," Taro said after a moment, "that was unexpected."


    "Completely," Liu nodded. "Though I suspect Lin is right."


    Ren remained silent, his mushrooms pulsing slowly as he considered this new directive. Rest wasn''t something he was particularly familiar with, but if Lin insisted it was necessary for his development...


    A small smile appeared on Ren''s lips.


    "Lin said that I''ll rest¡­ but you lot won''t have any yet, it''s time for the daily routine I supervise for you... So get up, you scrawny insects!"


    ????


    Mei''s class continued to be very active.


    But it wasn''t the only one that had experienced this increase in competitiveness. A similar phenomenon occurred in Wei''s and Zhao''s classes, where preparation for final exams was almost palpable in the air. More incisive questions, more heated debates, and unprecedented attention to detail now characterized these sessions.


    Klein, Luna and Jin had become particularly vocal, each attempting to outdo the other while simultaneously trying to surpass Ren''s performance. Their newfound academic enthusiasm had transformed even the driest topics into occasions for fierce intellectual competition.


    However, for Yang and Lin, the dynamics were different. The battle subject didn''t lend itself to this type of verbal competition; its final exam followed a completely different methodology.


    While their colleagues enjoyed the renewed academic fervor in their classrooms, Lin and Yang prepared something more physical, more immediate, more revealing: a tournament. An event that would not only test the students'' combat skills but would reveal aspects of their character that no written exam could capture.


    It would be the perfect culmination of a semester filled with unexpected developments and shifting perceptions.

 Chapter 253 - 253 - Doble Tamers Lin and Liu

    During the following weeks, Ren worked alongside Wei meticulously reviewing every aspect of cultivation for the five selected beasts.


    With the forced rest period, Ren divided his time between preparation for final theoretical exams and the meticulous care of the remaining eggs.


    The egg destined for Lin was the first to show signs of being ready after just 2 days. Ren immediately sent a message to the instructor through Liu, who was also anxious about his own egg. Lin took no more than ten minutes to arrive at the room.


    "Is it truly ready?" Lin asked as she entered, her usual composure slightly altered by a gleam of anticipation in her eyes.


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing softly as he stepped back to give the instructor space. The egg sat in its specialized nest, emitting a steady reddish glow that bathed the room in warm light.


    Lin followed the simple instructions. Her hands, calloused from years of martial arts training, rested delicately on the crystalline surface of the egg. The connection formed immediately, a resonance of energy flowing between tamer and beast.


    The process was dramatic and elegant, reflecting the nature of the beast it contained. The egg didn''t explode or melt; instead, it divided perfectly into 4 parts that separated like opening petals. In the center, wrapped in a reddish glow, appeared a creature that combined feline and reptilian elements.


    The lizard fire panther was approximately the size of a large dog, with brilliant scales covering a muscular and agile body. Its eyes immediately fixed on Lin, recognizing its tamer with instinctive certainty.


    "What an extraordinary and nostalgic sensation," Lin murmured, her expression softening slightly.


    "I suppose you haven''t felt it more than twice, when you acquired your beast and when you rose to Bronze 1... The 40% increases are also considerable," Ren understood, observing her reaction with satisfaction. "Forty percent in speed and strength, perfectly complementing your crane''s enhancement."


    Lin nodded, already mentally calculating how these new attributes would affect her capabilities. Her crane, already at Bronze 1 rank, provided an 80% increase in those same attributes. With this addition, she would reach a not insignificant one hundred and twenty percent.


    "This will change my combat approach," she reflected, her fingers lightly running along the panther''s scaled back. "I believe I''ll be able to break through the defenses of some Silver-rank beasts without resorting to internal displacement techniques that damage their organs."


    "Surely," Ren confirmed. "Your technique and base strength far above average, especially in your legs, combined with this enhancement, will allow external damage to be sufficient to overcome many defenses you couldn''t break before. Especially of non-defensive beasts."


    Lin allowed a satisfied smile to briefly appear on her lips. "Of course, I would still need to find the weak point of a Gold 1 rank even with the worst defense, like the chin, if I wanted to cause damage with a brain concussion. And I still won''t be able to damage a defense that exceeds my attack capacity but..."


    "But not just any armor or resistant skin will withstand your kicks anymore," Ren completed with a smile.


    Lin gently stroked her new beast, feeling the comforting warmth it emanated. The panther leaned into her touch, its body heat intensifying pleasantly where her fingers made contact. "Thank you, Ren. This is an invaluable gift."


    "It''s not a gift," Ren responded with seriousness, handing over the already expected book. "It''s an investment in our collective security."


    The instructor looked at him intensely for a moment, as if reassessing the extraordinary young man before her. Finally, she nodded, accepting both the beast and the responsibility it represented.


    ????


    A week later, it was Liu''s egg''s turn.


    Ren nodded, seeing the mixture of excitement and nervousness in his roommate. "When you''re ready, place your hands on the egg."


    Liu breathed deeply before following the instructions. His fingers trembled slightly as they made contact with the crystalline surface.


    The response was immediate. The egg began to emit a low-frequency sound, almost inaudible but that could be felt as a vibration in the bones.


    "Is this normal?" Liu asked, suddenly unsure. His eyes widened as the vibrations intensified.


    "For this particular beast, yes," Ren responded calmly. "Each species has its own method. This reflects the nature of the hyena banshee."


    As if confirming his words, the egg began to fracture, not explosively or elegantly, but as if the shell were disintegrating. Very small fragments fell away while a toothed muzzle emerged, followed by a body that combined canine elements with spectral characteristics.


    The banshee hyena was slightly smaller than Liu''s bat, with grayish fur that seemed to fade at the edges like smoke. Its eyes, completely black with no visible pupil, shone with penetrating intelligence. When it opened its mouth in what appeared to be a yawn, it revealed rows of sharp teeth and a throat that emitted a faint bluish glow.


    "It''s... smaller than the teachers'' creatures," Liu murmured as the creature leaped toward him, landing with surprising lightness in his arms. Its weight seemed inconsistent with its size, as if it were partially incorporeal.


    "Its initial development is slower, but it will surprise you later... Still, it''s not among the slowest, it''s rather a generalist so it will provide you with thirty percent increases in multiple attributes," Ren explained while observing Liu familiarize himself with his new beast. "Speed, strength, attack, defense... and something more."


    "Something more?" Liu asked, noticing Ren''s hesitation.


    "It''s what I would call ''non-elemental magic,''" Ren elaborated. "Specifically, it will amplify the sonic capabilities of your beasts. It''s an effect that can''t be directly measured with crystals like physical enhancements, but you''ll feel it when you use both beasts."


    Liu nodded, already perceiving the synergy between his two beasts. His bat, which normally only provided him with a thirty percent increase in speed and attack, would now have its capabilities significantly complemented and amplified.


    "It''s an incredible change," he commented. "I''ve practically more than doubled my enhancements in some attributes."


    "And multiplied your tactical options," Ren added. "The combination of the bat''s improved echolocation with the banshee hyena''s sonic capabilities will create effects that you can''t yet fully imagine."


    The hyena emitted a soft moan, as if testing its voice, and Liu felt a strange resonance inside his head. The sound seemed to bypass his ears entirely, vibrating directly within his skull.


    "It''s... different than what I expected," Liu admitted. "But in a good way."


    Ren smiled, his mushrooms pulsing with satisfaction. S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "The complete manual is here," he said, handing Liu a carefully bound book. "It includes specific techniques to maximize the synergy between both beasts, as well as exercises to develop the ''spectral hearing'' you will eventually acquire."


    Liu took the book with reverence, aware of the value of the knowledge it contained. Its cover was embossed with an intricate pattern that resembled sound waves. "Thank you, Ren. I don''t know how I''m going to repay you for all this."


    "You don''t need to repay it now," Ren responded, simply smiling. "Just use it well when the time comes."


    Liu nodded, perceiving the implicit weight in those words. Something in Ren''s tone suggested he was preparing them all for challenges yet to come.


    ????


    Wei had announced to the class that part of the final exam would optionally include "Ren''s alternative methods" for those students who wanted to participate.


    The reaction was mixed. Han, who still maintained a certain emotional distance from the group, signed up immediately. Several from Ren''s group did the same, their trust in his methods overcoming traditional apprehensions.


    Other students, however, showed more reluctance. The idea of starting a "premature" cultivation still seemed dangerous to many, especially with traditional warnings about irreversible damage deeply rooted in their education.


    Klein and Jin''s group, as expected, categorically rejected the offer. Klein, in particular, had publicly declared that he would not abandon "centuries of knowledge proven by his family''s long history for the simple theories of a novice with mushrooms on his head."


    Ren didn''t care. He knew that change would take time, that entrenched ideas wouldn''t transform overnight. But each student who decided to try his method represented a small victory, a step toward a future where correct knowledge would prevail over erroneous tradition. The tradition he had learned to hate upon arriving at school months earlier.


    However, he also knew that these superficial changes were just the beginning. The real change would come from bringing a beast above its perceived maximum rank.


    For now, he would concentrate on what he could control: correcting information about the beasts of the poorest, preparing his companions, and continuing to create his special eggs. The future would arrive in due time, or so his father said...

 Chapter 254 - 254 - Cheater Tamer, Player Patinder

    The classroom was unusually quiet when Wei entered, carrying a folder with what everyone assumed were the partial results of the unit.


    The students straightened in their seats.


    The professor seemed different lately, less rigid, as if an enormous weight had been partially lifted from his shoulders.


    He cleared his throat and observed the students, momentarily pausing on Ren, who occupied his now habitual place, his mushrooms pulsing calmly while he reviewed another text.


    "Before continuing with today''s lesson," Wei began, "I have an important announcement concerning this unit''s evaluation."


    The students felt a tense anticipation floating in the air.


    "After thoroughly reviewing the works presented to date, and considering the exceptional contributions to the correction of course material," he continued, "I have made the decision to assign the first place of the unit to Ren Patinder in advance."


    A murmur traveled through the classroom. It wasn''t a complete surprise, considering the joint work Ren had been doing with Wei in recent weeks, but the formality of the announcement made it official. The whispers rose in volume, a mixture of awe, resentment, and grudging acceptance.


    "This means," Wei continued, raising his voice slightly to overcome the murmurs, "that Patinder is not only exempt from this unit''s final exam, a grade of 100 alone will not be a tie with him."


    The reactions were varied. Some students, particularly those who had adopted Ren''s corrections for their own cultivation methods, nodded in approval. Others seemed indifferent, focused on their own grade prospects. Several exchanged glances, recalculating their chances in the semester''s remaining challenges.


    But in two specific places in the classroom, the reactions were notably more intense.


    Klein Goldcrest maintained a carefully controlled expression, but the tension in his jaw and the slight golden glow that occasionally appeared in his eyes betrayed his inner fury.


    ''Another insult,'' he thought, his fingers imperceptibly tensing on the edge of his desk. ''First gathering, then crystals, now this. How can it be that this... this rotten intruder keeps triumphing over me?''


    His mind frantically reviewed the calculations he had been making for weeks. With this first place secured for Ren, his own path to the semester honor was dangerously narrowing. He would need a perfect grade in Mei''s unit, plus decisive victories in combat.


    ''It doesn''t matter,'' he assured himself. ''Combat exams are where a tamer is truly measured. And there he won''t stand a chance against my Bronze 1 lion.''


    The rage inside him gradually transformed into a cold, calculating determination. He would prove to everyone¡­ the professors, the other students, his family, especially Kassian, that he was a Goldcrest and as such could not be surpassed by someone so insignificant. It was a matter of natural order.


    Of hierarchy.


    ''Enjoy your moment, Patinder,'' he thought, as a tense smile formed on his lips. ''Because it will be brief.''


    In another sector of the classroom, Luna observed Ren with a much more difficult expression to interpret. Her shadow wolf created subtly changing patterns in the shadow beneath her desk, rippling like dark water.


    ''First place. Again.'' Her admiration for Ren struggled against her own competitive spirit, creating a conflict she physically felt as pressure in her chest.


    Unlike Klein, Luna didn''t resent Ren''s success. She found it fascinating, inspiring even. The way the boy defied all expectations, how he ignored the initial taunts and obstacles to follow his own path... it was exactly what she herself aspired to do, though for different reasons.


    ''But I need to be first,'' she reflected as she gently pressed the letter in her pocket, her determination reaffirming.


    ''I can beat him in Mei''s, Lin''s and Yang''s exams,'' she calculated, mentally organizing her strategy. ''The battles... there I have my chance.''


    Her shadow wolf stirred, responding to the intensification of her determination. Luna had been diligently practicing, refining techniques that most of her classmates wouldn''t even suspect she possessed.


    As Wei continued with his class, Klein and Luna''s gazes occasionally converged on Ren, both loaded with intentions, though of fundamentally different natures.


    Klein saw a usurper, someone who threatened the natural order of things, who stole recognition that by birthright and status belonged to him. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Luna saw an equal, perhaps even someone she admired, but also an obstacle she must overcome to achieve her own goals. Her view of Ren carried respect, but also resolution.


    Ren, apparently oblivious to these intense reactions, calmly continued his corrections. His mushrooms pulsed in their steady rhythm, illuminating the pages before him.


    And while Klein planned his defeat and Luna his overtaking, Ren remained focused on what truly mattered to him: correcting what was wrong.


    ????


    Wei''s classroom was about to go empty after the lesson as the students were getting ready to leave.


    Larissa, always surrounded by her retinue of guards, was reviewing some notes when Ren approached her table. His steps were measured, deliberately casual.


    "Larissa," he said with an unusual formality for him, his mushrooms pulsing with a pattern that suggested certain nervousness, "I''ve been thinking a lot about what you told me the other day."


    Larissa looked up, an expression of curiosity crossing her face. "Oh, really? And...?"


    "You''re right," Ren interrupted, his voice audible enough for several nearby students to clearly hear. "I''m going to take responsibility for what I did."


    Luna, who was collecting her materials a few meters away, almost dropped her book.


    Klein, who was conversing with Astor near the window, turned sharply, his expression oscillating between disbelief and malicious delight.


    "Responsibility?" repeated Mira from her seat, her eyes widening as she exchanged glances with Sora. The two girls leaned forward, eager not to miss a word.


    "I always knew there was something between them," Mayo whispered loudly enough for others to hear, a smile forming on her lips. "I warned my lady..."


    Larissa, oblivious to the reactions the conversation was provoking (or perhaps perfectly aware and enjoying it) smiled enigmatically, not even fully understanding Ren''s intentions but playing along. "I''m glad you''ve made the right decision, Ren. When do you plan to... act?"


    "Right now, if you''re available," Ren responded naturally.


    Several muffled gasps resonated through the classroom. Astor choked on the water he was drinking, causing a boisterous cough that Feng tried to silence by patting him on the back. Other students whispered frantically to each other, theories growing wilder by the second.


    "I am completely at your disposal," declared Larissa, standing with princely grace. A shimmer of light danced around her hair and shoulders before fading again.


    "Close your eyes for a moment," Ren warned just before releasing a flash from his head. The mushrooms blazed with sudden brightness, temporarily dazzling anyone looking directly at them.


    It was at that moment that the plan was set in motion.


    With coordination that suggested previous practice, Min seemingly appeared out of nowhere next to Larissa. His amphibian, the small herbivorous tadpole as Liu called it, had extended its partial invisibility field.


    Simultaneously, Liu from the door activated his banshee hyena, creating a discrete bubble of sonic distortion around the small group. Sounds within this bubble would not escape, creating a pocket of privacy amid the bustling classroom.


    "What are we...?" Larissa began to ask, but Ren interrupted her with a gesture.


    "Trust me," he whispered, as Min controlled the invisibility to include them all.


    For the other students, it was as if the three had vanished into thin air. The initial confusion quickly gave way to an uproar of increasingly far-fetched theories.


    "He took her!" exclaimed Roran, jumping from his seat. "Ren just kidnapped Larissa!"


    "Impossible!" protested Trent. "No one can be that precocious!"


    The guards in question, alerted by the sudden commotion, rushed to where Larissa had been. But it was already too late. The trio, protected by Min''s invisibility and Liu''s sonic distortion, skillfully slipped through the academy''s hallways.


    "Where are we going?" Larissa asked in an excited whisper. Far from being frightened, she seemed to be greatly enjoying this clandestine little adventure. Her eyes sparkled with mischief.


    "To our dormitory," Ren responded. "I have something for you."

 Chapter 255 - 255 - Cheater Tamer, Player Patinder - 2

    "To our dormitory," Ren responded. "I have something for you."


    "Oh," Larissa arched an eyebrow, a mischievous smile forming on her lips. "And you needed all this theater to deliver it to me?"


    "Considering what it is, yes," Ren replied, his mushrooms pulsing with what appeared to be amusement. "Unless what you said about ''tradition'' no longer matters."


    "I see, then..."


    They reached the dormitory, apparently without being detected, despite some tense moments when they nearly collided with a group of students and professors.


    Once inside, with the door firmly closed, Min canceled the invisibility while Liu maintained his sonic bubble active. The shimmering distortion around them faded, revealing four students catching their breath from the clandestine journey.


    "That was incredibly fun," declared Larissa, her eyes shining with childish excitement. "Can we do it again?"


    "Perhaps after you see what I''ve brought you here for," Ren responded, heading toward the cabinet where he kept his creations.


    Larissa observed with curiosity as Ren carefully extracted a crystalline egg. It had a silvery tone with white veins that seemed to move like air currents.


    "Is that really...?" Larissa began, her voice fading with disbelief.


    "Your Wind Lynx," Ren confirmed. "It''s ready."


    Larissa remained momentarily speechless, a rarity for her. Her eyes widened as she stared at the egg, hands trembling slightly as she reached toward it before stopping herself.


    "But... when I asked you what would be my best option, I didn''t expect you to actually get it for me..."


    "Well, I felt bad about what you said," Ren responded. "You were right when you said I didn''t think through what I was doing, so I wanted to make up for it a bit. Of course, if you don''t want to get caught, it''s better not to take it and just..."


    "NO! Ahem... I want it, thank you... I thought about asking Julius," Larissa admitted, approaching to examine the egg with fascination, "but that would have meant revealing my... situation. I''m not sure how badly they would react, so this is perfect."


    "Perfect, but it should be clear that it will be your decision from here on... And having it will be a problem," Ren warned, his tone becoming more serious. "With two common cores, perception tools like those at the cave entrance could detect you. Especially now that security has intensified." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Larissa shook her head, unconcerned. "Don''t worry about that. I have my methods for hiding my interior nature."


    "Because of your mineral fairy?" Ren asked, his mushrooms pulsing with curiosity.


    "Exactly," Larissa nodded. "These earrings aren''t just decorative. They''re artifacts that make the energy signature inside me appear like that of a simple firefly. With luck, they''ll work just as well to hide a second core."


    "Convenient," Ren acknowledged. "So, should we proceed with the bonding? We don''t have much time before half the school is looking for you."


    Larissa laughed at the image. "Wait a moment. First, I want to thank you properly."


    To everyone''s surprise, especially Min''s, who pretended to cover his eyes but peeked between his fingers, Larissa briefly hugged Ren.


    "I''ll be repaying this favor for a long time, Ren Patinder," she declared in Ren''s ear with a princely seriousness that comically contrasted with her slightly blushed cheeks and ears.


    "Um, thanks, I guess," Ren responded, a bit uncomfortable with the display of affection. His mushrooms pulsed rapidly, emitting a more intense glow than usual.


    "Look, he got more nervous than with Luna!" Min whispered to Liu, who was unsuccessfully trying to maintain a serious expression.


    "Let''s focus on what''s important," Ren intervened, fake coughing and quickly regaining his composure. "The egg is ready for bonding."


    The next moments passed in silence as Larissa finished establishing the bond with her new beast. The egg opened with a silver flash, revealing a small lynx with snow-white fur and paws that seemed to barely touch the ground, as if constantly floating on air currents.


    "It''s beautiful," Larissa whispered, extending a hand toward the creature.


    "It will be a perfect complement to your mineral fairy when it reaches gold," Ren commented, observing with satisfaction. "It will give you a 30% increase in speed, agility, and perception, plus another 30% in elemental air control for now."


    Larissa nodded, already feeling the connection with her new beast strengthening. The small lynx jumped into her arms, settling comfortably.


    "By the way," Ren added while carefully storing some materials, "I also have the eggs ready for Liora and Luna."


    Larissa blinked, momentarily confused. "How did you know they were already doubles too?"


    "I was 100% sure from your question that day and the potions the guards gave you," Ren responded casually, classifying some residual tentacles into neatly labeled containers.


    Larissa stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Liar."


    Ren joined her laughter, his mushrooms pulsing with what Min and Liu already recognized as his version of amusement. "Fine, fine, I wasn''t that sure just from that... So did they take the potion or not?"


    "Of course they did, they gladly accepted it," Larissa responded, absently stroking her lynx.


    "Now you''re the liar," Ren replied. "I can see it clearly in your eyes... Besides, Liora told me you tricked them into taking the potion, making them believe it was normal tea."


    Larissa opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it, a mischievous smile forming on her lips. "Well, technically I didn''t lie. In the end, they''ll be content..."


    "You can''t!" Luna suddenly exclaimed, jumping from the shadows. "You''re too young for THAT!"


    Four pairs of eyes looked at her with absolute confusion. The lynx bristled, its fur standing on end as it sensed the sudden intrusion.


    ????


    The shadow moved between corners, sliding like spilled ink to the dark side of the room''s door.


    Luna had followed the trail without difficulty. Her shadow wolf granted her a sense of smell that rivaled that of professional tracking beasts, and the combination of the mossy scent of Ren''s mushrooms with the peculiar perfume aroma that always surrounded Larissa created an unmistakable olfactory signature.


    Now, crouched in a shadowy recess outside the old room of the grey wing, Luna tried to listen with curiosity and growing indignation upon realizing that she could smell them but they didn''t seem to be saying anything...


    Too quiet...


    Ren had "kidnapped" Larissa to "take responsibility"...


    ''It can''t be true,'' she had told herself while following the trail. ''They''re surely just doing some of Larissa and Mayo''s ridiculous games.''


    But as the long seconds passed and no sound escaped from the room, her imagination began to run wild. The silence was worse than any conversation she might have overheard.


    What could they be doing that required such¡­? The implications(none, they are 10) made her cheeks burn, though she wasn''t entirely sure why she cared so much.


    Her shadow wolf stirred restlessly, feeding on her growing agitation. The darkness around her deepened, tendrils of shadow extending unconsciously from her feet as her emotions intensified.

 Chapter 256 - 256 - Cheater Tamer, Player Patinder - 3

    Her shadow wolf stirred restlessly, feeding on her growing agitation. The darkness around her deepened, tendrils of shadow extending unconsciously from her feet as her emotions intensified.


    Now, in this clandestine situation... a pang of something she didn''t want to acknowledge pierced through her.


    She was about to jump to emerge from the shadows inside the room when the memory of an embarrassing moment stopped her. That time when she had entered without announcing herself to the dormitory and had found Ren shirtless, engaged in some strange ritual. The embarrassment had been monumental in the end, amplified by the reactions of the bat boy, Min, and Taro.


    ''I won''t make the same mistake twice,'' she thought, hesitating on how to proceed.


    "Luna? Are you acquiring a taste for the art of spying?" Liora''s whispered voice came from behind in the hallway, startling her.


    Luna quickly returned to her normal form and covered Liora''s mouth.


    "Shhh," she warned, pulling Liora into the recess of a nearby staircase. "How did you find me?"


    "I saw you following a trail after the Ren and Larissa fun escape thing," Liora responded. "It wasn''t easy to lose the others. I can''t openly ''jump'' between shadows like you... Grandmother should give me permission to reveal my beast already..."


    Luna nodded distractedly, her attention divided between her cousin and the door of this dormitory of the gray wing. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Are they in there? What are they doing?" Liora asked, trying to listen but failing due to Liu''s sound control.


    The innocent question triggered a sequence of images in Luna''s mind. Memories of shirtless Ren again, his skin covered by those strange luminescent patterns. Larissa''s complicit expression when being "kidnapped." The stuff about "taking responsibility"...


    Luna stopped thinking coherently and did something uncharacteristic of her practiced "persona".


    A shadow jump right inside the room she remembered well. But with a very different goal than last time¡­


    "You can''t!" she suddenly exclaimed, jumping from the shadows. "You''re too young for THAT!"


    Four pairs of eyes looked at her with absolute confusion.


    Ren, fully dressed, was standing next to the egg cabinet, holding what appeared to be a thin notebook. Larissa was calmly stroking her new white lynx. Min and Liu, positioned like sentinels on either side of the door, seemed more surprised by the dramatic entrance than by the accusation.


    "Too young for what exactly?" Larissa asked, arching an eyebrow.


    "For... for..." Luna stammered, suddenly aware of how ridiculous her conclusion had been.


    Liora entered right behind her, hastily closing the door.


    "Hehe, it was open," Liora added, shrugging her shoulders while Min and Liu smacked their foreheads... Then she looked at her cousin. "Luna! What are you doing?" she whispered furiously. "We were supposed to be discreet spies."


    "I... thought..." Luna tried to explain, her face gradually turning the same color as Ren''s hair.


    "Oh," Larissa began to laugh as she understood, "you thought Ren and I were...?"


    "No!" Luna protested too quickly. "I just... rumors were starting to..."


    "What rumors?" Ren asked, genuinely confused.


    Liu smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand again. "Ren, you''re brilliant at understanding beasts, but completely dense about these things."


    "I think Luna believed you were repeating your ''naked beast'' exhibition but with Larissa this time," Min explained with a malicious smile, earning a withering look from Luna.


    "Naked beast?" Larissa repeated, her eyes widening with delight. "This sounds fascinating. Please, tell me more."


    "Nothing like that happened!" Luna exclaimed, mortified. "I just entered without warning because for a moment I thought he was a spy and he was... he was..."


    "Cultivating my mushrooms," Ren completed naturally. "It requires direct skin contact for maximum control of mana channels."


    "Oh, Luna," Larissa shook her head with feigned disappointment. "And I thought you were the calmest of us. Look at you misinterpreting such an innocent situation..."


    "I didn''t misinterpret," Luna protested weakly. "I was just... concerned."


    "About what, exactly?" Larissa pressed, clearly enjoying the moment. "What did you think Ren and I would be doing alone in his dormitory?"


    "Technically they weren''t alone," Liora intervened, pointing to Min and Liu, who seemed to be greatly enjoying the Patinder player spectacle.


    "We are humble servants, continue imagining we don''t exist," Min solemnly declared, before becoming transparent and laughing along with Liu.


    Luna wished the floor would open up and swallow her. Her shadow wolf, sensing her embarrassment, began to create a small dark whirlpool at her feet.


    "If it''s any consolation," said Ren, somewhat oblivious to the comedy unfolding around him, "your eggs are also ready. Yours and Liora''s."


    "Eggs?" Luna looked up, momentarily forgetting her embarrassment. "You mean...?"


    "Secondary beasts," Ren confirmed. "Like the lynx Larissa is holding... You''re doubles now, aren''t you?"


    "That''s why I ''kidnapped'' her," he continued, making air quotes with his fingers. "To give her her wind lynx without anyone knowing she was acquiring a second beast."


    The revelation fell like a bucket of cold water on Luna, replacing her embarrassment with surprise.


    "Wait," she said, trying to process the information, "this whole secret affair was to give her a beast? Not because you two were...?" She stopped, unable to complete the sentence.


    Larissa, who had been trying to contain her laughter, finally gave in and burst into laughter so loud that her lynx jumped in alarm.


    "This," she declared between laughs, "is the funniest thing that''s happened to me this semester. It''s just... perfect."


    "It''s not funny," Luna muttered.


    "Anyway," Ren said when the laughter finally began to subside, "as I was saying before this unnecessary confusion, your eggs are ready for bonding if you want to proceed at once."


    He returned to the special cabinet where he kept his creations. "Though I must warn you that being real double tamers puts you at risk of being discovered, if that matters to you as it does to Larissa."


    "About that," Larissa intervened, her lynx still curiously exploring the room, "I have some additional pairs of earrings like mine. They should help hide the nature of your cores if you use them."


    Ren handed Larissa a book bound in black leather with silver symbols engraved on the cover. "This is for you. It contains everything you need to know to bring your lynx to gold level."


    "Gold level?" Liora let out an exclamation of surprise. "If that''s true, that book is worth a fortune. I knew you were doing research with Professor Wei to correct cultivations, but I didn''t imagine you were actually aiming to bring beasts without potential to gold. I thought Taro was exaggerating to annoy Jin and Klein''s groups. That would easily be worth from a million crystals upward, depending on the beast."


    "All beasts should be worth the same," Ren responded with simplicity. "One day you''ll understand."


    Larissa browsed through the book with growing interest, occasionally nodding. "I think I understand what you mean," she commented, looking up. "Are you saying that all can reach gold level with the correct method?"


    She looked at Liora and added: "You''re right about the value, but for now Ren can only be paid for the living tunnel method. The payment will be considerable when it advances to silver, but to obtain rewards proportional to the real value of his methods, these must first be officially verified."


    She closed the book decisively. "For my part, I will personally endorse his method for the lynx. I trust that the truth I see in his eyes is not mere delusion."


    "I''m willing too," Liora joined in, approaching the eggs Ren had extracted. "I''ll take whatever beast you recommend."

 Chapter 257 - 257 - Cheater Tamer, Player Patinder - 4

    "I''m willing too," Liora joined in, approaching the eggs Ren had extracted. "I''ll take whatever beast you recommend."


    Ren nodded, selecting one of the eggs and handing it to her along with another similar book. "The demonic Bashe. A perfect choice to complement your will-o''-wisp."


    Liora observed the egg with fascination.


    "Can you create any egg?" she asked, genuinely impressed.


    "Almost any, with the correct materials," Ren responded, looking at the three nobles. "Though I would ask for discretion for now. There are... implications I''d prefer not to discuss publicly until I''m better off."


    The three nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. The ability to create eggs at will was something many powerful factions would covet, not to mention the implications for the kingdom''s economic and political balance.


    "It''s magnificent," Liora murmured, observing the Bashe egg. "I''ve never seen one of this type; specific eggs occupy less than 1% of the market. I''m too accustomed to seeing random eggs of plain colors as the only way aside from very specific species."


    Ren nodded, visibly pleased with her reaction. "The materials were rare for this one," he explained. "The Bashe components are more rare than those of Larissa''s Lynx. I had to buy parts from Bronze-1 rank specimens instead of iron, which considerably increased the cost."


    "How much did it cost you exactly?" Liora asked, genuine concern appearing on her usually serene face.


    "Approximately 105 thousand crystals, at the end of the day the materials don''t compare with the 100 thousand mana points needed for the transformation... Of course, from the experiments Julius commissioned me to do, I already had some very close to the mana limit so I paid mostly only those 5 thousand," Ren responded naturally.


    "One hundred and five thousand?" Liora almost dropped the cultivation book she held in her other hand. "That''s... a considerable amount to gift for an iron student. But wait, a specific egg can be worth millions depending on the type. Though I''m not sure if this one has ever existed in the market¡­"


    "It would be of low value, perhaps 150 thousand. A volume on the potential of different creatures that I was reviewing with Wei classified it as a maximum potential of Bronze 2... Of course, yours will reach gold as well as Larissas though," Ren commented.


    "Then I''ll pay you for its real value," Liora clarified with a confident smile.


    Min let out a little laugh from his position by the door. "Our Ren is quite the magnate. Don''t think you''ll win him over with a payment like that. Anyone would think he has a secret crystal mine under his bed."


    Ren shaked his head. "I''m no magnate, though I''m saving to recover my parents'' house. I don''t need you to pay me. First of all, I did it without consulting you. Secondly, I believe I''ll have enough crystals with the doubled final payment at the end of the last semester''s month¡­ I''ve almost finished processing all the skins and obtained other awards..."


    Liora listened to the exchange attentively.


    Unlike her cousin Luna, who pretended calmness but often got carried away by her emotions, or Larissa with her almost perpetual ''dark playful'' attitude, she had always been the most observant and practical of the three. And what she saw in Ren at that moment was fascinating: genuine generosity mixed with pure pragmatism, an unusual combination, especially in someone so young.


    "I insist on paying you," she finally said, her voice acquiring the formal tone she used for her family''s official ceremonies. "The Ashenways don''t accept such valuable gifts without proper compensation."


    "It''s really not necessary," Ren began, but Liora interrupted him with an elegant gesture.


    "Of course it is. My family values balance in all things, Ren. I''ll pay you ten times the cost."


    Min softly whistled. "One and a half million crystals. That would buy a decent house in the outer districts."


    "It''s only fair," Liora responded with simplicity. "The real value of this beast, especially if the cultivation methods Ren has developed work, far exceeds that amount."


    She directed her attention back to Ren, studying him with an intensity that would have made many adults uncomfortable. "There''s something I''d like to understand better, however. Why did you choose a Bashe for me? They''re mainly known for their illusory capabilities in mist and poisonous abilities. They''re enormous serpents in the wild but not particularly synergistic with fire."


    Ren smiled slightly, the kind of smile he reserved for technical discussions about beasts, one that his dormitory companions knew well.


    "It''s more for the demonic part and not the serpent part," he explained. "Your will-o''-wisp possesses spiritual properties similar to those of the Bashe at high ranks. The synergy will improve other aspects of your will-o''-wisp, not just the fire... Though you''ll also be able to obtain black spiritual fire at some point."


    He made a gesture with his hands simulating the union between both beasts. "When correctly combined, they create an effect you could call anatomical exchange. Opponents will not only be unable to touch you on the exchanged parts, they''ll burn when they try."


    Liora assimilated this information with growing interest. "So the illusory mist evolves and becomes part of my body. I could create illusions that cause real physical damage..."


    "You could see it that way," Ren confirmed. "Section seven of the manual explains the specific techniques. It''s a quite different approach to conventional combat."


    "Quite clever," Liora commented, a smile forming on her lips. "No one will expect the ''sweet and quiet'' Liora to use such... novel techniques."


    "I''m not sure those adjectives... I mean... That''s exactly what I thought," Ren responded, quickly correcting himself upon seeing Liora''s sudden change of expression. "Your opponents might be prepared to counter fire or illusions, but likely not both simultaneously, and the black spiritual fire cannot be extinguished with water."


    Liora looked at what would be her new companion with renewed appreciation. "One and a half million crystals is a ridiculously low price then, considering what you''ve given me." sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Well, then I''ll gratefully accept the payment for my own cultivation... But you don''t need to hurry to pay; it will take me 3 months reaching the rank where my beast will require more than 4 million to advance."


    "I''ll keep that in mind. And Ren..."


    She looked up from the book, her eyes reflecting a sincerity she rarely showed. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Not just for the beast, but for trusting me with your methods. I assure you that your trust is not misplaced."


    The genuine gratitude in her voice contrasted with her usual cheerful and casual tone.


    "There''s nothing to thank me for," Ren responded, slightly uncomfortable with the display of emotion. "It''s just a practical application of my theoretical knowledge."


    Liu rolled his eyes at the response to what had clearly been a significant moment. "And thus, ladies and gentlemen, is how our favorite genius perfectly ruins an emotional moment."


    Ren ignored him and turned to Luna, who remained somewhat apart, clearly still uncomfortable from her previous misunderstanding. "Do you also want the beast I prepared for you?" he asked, with a slight smile.

 Chapter 258 - 258 - Cheater Tamer, Player Patinder - 5

    "Do you also want the beast I prepared for you?" he asked, with a slight smile. "I should warn you it was the most expensive of all."


    Luna clenched her fists, forcing herself to overcome her embarrassment. "I apologize if I seem ungrateful," she finally said. "But first, may I ask what beast it is? There was one I wanted before obtaining the wolf, but it was difficult to obtain due to... particular circumstances."


    "It''s the beast that best complements your shadow wolf, in my opinion," Ren responded. "Although it seems that because of your family it was quite costly... It''s the base form of the celestial white tiger. A striped light cat."


    Luna brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes widening with surprise and something more complex:


    A long-repressed yearning.


    "Oh, Ren..." Liora shook her head with an expression between amused and concerned. "Rather, it''s my family that''s the problem now."


    "What do you mean?" Ren asked, confused by the reaction.


    Larissa smiled with a certain melancholy. "Luna''s family has had economic problems for some time. An unfortunate situation forced them to negotiate with their jurisdictions to stay afloat."


    "One of the concessions," she continued, her voice softer, "was the celestial tiger market, which passed into Selphira''s hands. Luna couldn''t obtain the tiger she would have traditionally received as part of her family inheritance."


    "They also tried to disguise her as someone less important when entering her into the academy, taking advantage of the situation of the lack of tiger eggs," Liora added. "But the Goldcrests ruined the plan, preventing Luna from changing her surname when registering."


    "As you probably already know from Klein''s outbursts," Larissa intervened, "the Goldcrests have particular interests in Luna. They''ve been trying to get her father to accept a marriage between the families."


    "Although Liora has reasons to believe that won''t happen," Larissa continued.


    Klein''s nonsense sounded too improbable to them for this reason.


    "But the alternative isn''t ideal either..." Liora added, shaking her head.


    "Liora is happy with the prospect of strengthening ties with her favorite cousin, of course," Larissa concluded with a slightly mocking tone that made Liora shoot her a warning glance. "But the Ashenways aren''t exactly a charity institution either."


    Luna, who had listened to the explanation with growing discomfort, finally intervened:


    "You don''t have to worry about any of this, Ren," she said firmly. "The high nobility is an unpleasant and fake world that has nothing to do with you."


    "I''m not so sure about that," Larissa murmured, though only Liu clearly managed to hear her.


    "Please, forget everything you''ve heard," Luna continued, her voice gaining determination. "I belong neither to the Goldcrests nor the Ashenways, and I''ll prove it starting with the semester battles and ending with the interschools tournaments."


    Her eyes fixed on Ren''s, a renewed intensity shining in them. "I''ll thank you for the rest of my life for getting me precisely the beast I wanted, although it might have been luck. I''ll pay you the cost multiplied by a hundred one day, but let me be clear¡­ I''ll use this extra strength and all my present power to defeat you in the semester final battle exams."


    The last words weren''t a threat, but an honest challenge.


    Ren smiled, his eyes reflecting the same competitive spirit. "Here," he said, offering her the crystalline egg and its corresponding cultivation book. "I''m sorry, but this time I''m not going to aim for a good battle to look good, but for victory."


    Luna accepted both with a formal bow, her shadow wolf partially manifesting in response to her emotions, creating undulating patterns in the shadows at her feet.


    "You should proceed with the bonds now," Ren suggested, looking toward the door. "I don''t know how much longer Liu can maintain his sonic field active and Taro the decoy in the courtyard."


    "I''m fine for a few more minutes on my part," Liu responded, although small drops of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead from the continuous effort.


    The binding ritual with Liora was quick and efficient. The demonic Bashe egg opened with a hissing sound, revealing a serpentine creature with black scales and red eyes that immediately coiled around her arm, establishing the bond with a crimson flash.


    "It''s perfect," Liora murmured, feeling how the Bashe''s energies harmoniously interwove with those of her will-o''-wisp.


    Luna was the last to perform the bond. Unlike the previous ones, her ceremony had an almost solemn character. When the celestial white tiger egg opened, an intense light flooded the room for a few seconds. In its center appeared a small feline with white fur and luminescent stripes that seemed to be made of pure condensed light.


    The cat looked at Luna with bright eyes that dramatically contrasted with the deep black of her wolf''s eyes. Light and shadow, perfectly balanced.


    When the bond was established, a momentary crown of intertwined light and shadow formed around Luna''s head before fading. Even Ren seemed surprised by the intensity of the reaction.


    "That was... unexpected," he commented, his mushrooms pulsing with what appeared to be scientific interest.


    "It''s the royal resonance," Larissa explained. "The Starweavers from 10 generations ago discovered a ruin with a strange medicine that gave the leader of that time unconventional capabilities connected with other ruins... They say some of the descendants still inherit that power."


    Luna ignored the account of her family history while reverently stroking her new companion, as if fearing it might disappear at any moment. "I can''t believe I really have it," she murmured, more to herself than to the others.


    "Well, congratulations to everyone on their new beasts," Min intervened, who had been unusually quiet during the ceremony. "But I think we should consider how we''re going to get three princesses out of our dormitory without causing a bigger scandal than before..."


    Suddenly, a crash resonated from the courtyard, loud enough for everyone to hear it even through Liu''s sonic field. Min ran to the window, slightly parting the curtain to take a peek.


    "Oh no," he murmured. "Taro''s living mineral dome underground has broken."


    The others hurried to the window, crowding to see what was happening. In the courtyard, Taro was surrounded by a group of guards and several adults in castle uniforms, all with severe expressions. Crystalline fragments of what had been an earth dome lay scattered around him, and Taro was gesturing animatedly, his face a mixture of badly feigned confusion and genuine nervousness.


    "We have problems," Liu said, his concentration momentarily faltering. "I miscalculated... I won''t be able to maintain the field much longer." S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As if confirming his words, the sound of firm footsteps resonated in the hallway outside the room, followed by forceful knocks on the door.


    "Open immediately by order of the royal guard," demanded an authoritative voice from the other side.


    Min and Liu looked at Ren with expressions of panic, but to their surprise, Larissa began to laugh softly.


    "Don''t worry, Ren," she said calmly, approaching the window and opening it completely. "This is nothing we can''t handle."


    She looked down, to where Taro continued his distraction, and without warning, she jumped. The next instant she appeared a few centimeters above the ground and landed with feline grace next to Taro, startling the guards.


    "Excuse the interruption," she said with a charming smile. "Is there a problem with my classmate?"


    Liora observed her cousin with a mixture of exasperation and admiration. "Always so dramatic," she murmured, shrugging with resignation. "I guess that''s my cue, see you."


    With much less theater but equal elegance, Liora jumped too.


    Luna remained a moment longer, her eyes meeting Ren''s.


    "Thank you again," she said with a smile that illuminated her entire face, an expression of pure joy she rarely showed in public. Her white tiger purred with satisfaction from her shoulder.


    Before Ren could respond, Luna took a step back, entering the shadow cast by the cabinet. Her body seemed to merge with the darkness, fading until only a slight glimmer of her new feline''s bright eyes remained before disappearing completely.


    The knocking on the door intensified.


    "Last warning! Open now or we''ll be forced to enter by force!"


    Min looked at Ren with panic. "What do we do?"


    "Open, of course," Ren responded calmly, his mushrooms pulsing with their usual rhythm. "We haven''t done anything wrong."

 Chapter 259 - 259 - Taming Support

    "They really did that?" Selphira couldn''t contain her laughter, her slender but elegant shoulders trembling with each burst. "You''re telling me Larissa also jumped into the middle of the courtyard while the guards watched open-mouthed?"


    Liora nodded, trying to maintain her composure, but her grandmother''s laughter was contagious.


    "And seriously..." Selphira continued between laughs, bringing a hand to her chest as if she needed to contain herself, "little Luna jumped from the shadows trying to stop an imaginary immoral act? Oh, by all the dragons, I would give half my fortune to have seen everyone''s faces... even those of the castle guards when they saw you both appear in front of them and next to the poor boy, Taro you said his name was?"


    "It was quite dramatic," Liora admitted, allowing herself a smile. "Especially because Larissa convinced them that everything was part of an elaborate prank."


    "That girl!" Selphira exclaimed, wiping a tear of laughter. "She has more of my Ashenway in her than many who bear our surname just for show."


    The Ashenway matriarch finally regained her composure, though amusement still shone in her eyes, identical to Liora''s. The family resemblance was striking despite the decades between them, the same sharp cheekbones, the same gaze, though Selphira''s was tempered by years of political maneuvering.


    The two were seated in one of the private rooms for noble guests, where the afternoon light filtered through ornate windows, projecting patterns of colors on the polished floor.


    The incident of the disappearance and the decoy in the courtyard had caused more commotion than necessary. Within hours, news of their "disappearance" and dramatic reappearance had reached their families.


    Poor Julius had lost more time from his already busy routine due to the accumulated work, Selphira had taken the opportunity to escape her problems and present herself at the academy (telling her granddaughter that her son was driving her crazy, as always), and even Luna''s father, Sirius, had made another rare appearance. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All for nothing.


    "And Julius really thought it was a security matter?" Selphira asked, serving herself more tea with a fluid movement that betrayed decades of refinement.


    "At first, yes," Liora responded. "With the recent attacks on the academy, any unusual behavior triggers all the alarms. The new guards thought we had been really kidnapped and overreacted in their reports."


    "Understandable, I suppose," Selphira conceded. "Though excessive. As usual."


    Since she had asked Liora to keep her informed about Ren, she wasn''t entirely uninformed about the most interesting events. Liora carefully filtered what she shared, of course, but she provided enough to keep her grandmother entertained. The latest developments in the exams, being already public knowledge, were a free topic of discussion. Especially Zhao''s one.


    Selphira took a sip of tea, studying her granddaughter over the rim of the cup. Her eyes missed nothing, analyzing every micro-expression, every subtle shift in posture.


    "So, this Patinder boy... He has really suggested a different cultivation to you?"


    Liora nodded slowly, aware of treading on thin ice. The subject of Ren''s methods was one she approached with calculated caution, even with her grandmother.


    "His knowledge is... extraordinary. Assuming it''s true, but I believe it is... We saw it in his eyes."


    "Interesting," Selphira murmured, her eyes shining with that calculating intensity that had made many council members think twice before opposing her. "A common child with an apparently useless mushroom who turns out to have such talent for understanding beasts. Perhaps we should be more concerned with adding him to our family than Luna, don''t you think? Life has a curious sense of humor, doesn''t it?"


    "Grandmother..." Liora''s tone changed, becoming more serious. The shift was subtle but unmistakable.


    "Why do we have to do that with Luna?"


    Although she didn''t specify what she meant by "that," Selphira immediately understood. The playful expression abandoned her face, replaced by a mask of political pragmatism.


    "Ah," Selphira set down her cup with a sigh. "I suppose it was my fault for mentioning it... Now we''re talking about marriages."


    She looked toward the window, as if she could see beyond the academy grounds, toward the future she was trying to weave.


    "You must understand, little one, that I am close to stepping down from the podium. And that fool..." she shook her head with a mixture of resignation and annoyance, "that fool is incredibly insistent."


    Liora remained silent, waiting for her grandmother to continue. She had learned long ago that patience was the only effective strategy with Selphira.


    "I have worked for years to make him less of an imbecile," Selphira continued, the frankness in her words contrasting with her elegant tone. "But everything has a limit. Unfortunately, he is my son, and I cannot simply... get rid of him."


    The statement hung in the air between them, neither completely in jest nor completely serious: the ambiguous space where true power often operated.


    "Luna is still young," Selphira added, her tone softening slightly. "In a few years, circumstances could change. If I still retain enough strength and influence in the council..."


    She let the thought fade away and then abruptly changed the subject.


    "Now, about that impressive jump of yours into the courtyard along with Larissa," her eyes narrowed slightly. "I noticed you speak as if it doesn''t matter too much."


    Liora shifted uncomfortably, aware that she had revealed more than intended.


    "There are some rumors about our beasts since no one has seen them manifested, but the vast majority believe the appearance was part of Ren''s prank," Liora explained, guilt filtering into her voice. "I''m sorry if it was too risky."


    Selphira dismissed her concern with a wave of her hand.


    "Don''t worry about that. I was already considering telling you to reveal your beast."


    "Really?" Liora couldn''t hide her surprise. After years of strict instructions to conceal her true capabilities, this reversal was unexpected.


    "Indeed," Selphira nodded, leaning slightly forward. "These attacks on the academy have forced a change in strategy. We are moving from hiding to deterring by showing our power. Security will increase significantly."


    A small smile formed on Selphira''s lips.


    "Which means you can stop pretending and start kicking ass in the finals."


    Liora''s eyes widened with excitement, the possibility of finally unleashing her full potential tantalizingly close.


    "You mean...?"


    "I mean," Selphira leaned even closer, her eyes shining with intensity, "that I might even find time to come see you using that fun beast I got you instead of my boring turtle."


    Selphira''s beast partially manifested on her body almost as if complaining about the insult.


    The implications weren''t lost on Liora. With permission to reveal the true capabilities of her will-o''-wisp, she would be a formidable competitor.


    "Thank you, grandmother," Liora slightly inclined her head, the gesture respectful and genuine at once.


    "Don''t thank me yet," Selphira warned, though her tone remained light. "Now you will openly represent the Ashenway name. I expect results that live up to it."


    "And Ren?" Liora asked, unable to contain herself. "What do you think of him now?"


    Selphira''s expression became unreadable, that perfect mask she had perfected during decades of political maneuvering.


    "An interesting piece in the game," she finally responded, running a finger along the rim of her cup. "I''m eager to see how he will surprise me... But whether he''s a pawn or a King, that remains to be seen when his different cultivation methods bear fruit."

 Chapter 260 - 260 - Taming Support - 2

    Liora nodded, half-understanding the depth behind her grandmother''s words. Ren''s potential to rewrite the rules of cultivation had implications that went far beyond the academy.


    The ripples of such knowledge could reshape power dynamics throughout the kingdom, altering hierarchies and traditions.


    "By the way," Liora said, taking advantage of the pause, "the theoretical exams were interesting as well."


    "Oh?" Selphira arched an eyebrow, her interest piqued. "And why were they?"


    "Professor Mei''s was particularly interesting," Liora explained, remembering the tension that had permeated the classroom that day. The air had been charged with ambition, each student more focused than they''d been all semester. "It was a historic record, more than 3 students obtained perfect scores."


    Selphira smiled slightly, as if she could see beyond Liora''s words. Her eyes gleamed with that particular awareness that had made her such a formidable political opponent for decades.


    "And did our young beast breeder also achieve perfection?"


    "Surprisingly, no," Liora couldn''t hide a small hint of satisfaction. "He had an incorrect answer about what to do in a contingency, protocol for minors, in case of an abyssal invasion. He got a 99%. The only imperfect score among his 4 grades so far."


    "Interesting," Selphira murmured, her eyes shining with amusement. "I imagine that has given hope to many who want to defeat him for the honor. Luna among them."


    "Exactly," Liora confirmed. "Now several believe they can beat him in the final battles and match his grade for the semester honor."


    Selphira nodded thoughtfully, as if rearranging pieces on an invisible board. Her fingers tapped a subtle rhythm against the armrest of her chair.


    "And regarding your interest in defeating him..." she began, carefully choosing her words, "I understand you have a new card to play, judging by the confidence with which you move and the way your energy flows."


    Liora tensed slightly. She hadn''t explicitly mentioned anything about this, and the fact that her grandmother intuited it made her nervous. Selphira''s perception had always been uncanny, but this seemed almost supernatural.


    "I..." she hesitated, aware that revealing her Bashe would mean compromising Larissa''s secret and possibly revealing more about Ren than would be fair to him without raising suspicions. "I''m not sure if using that possibility would be appropriate."


    Selphira observed Liora with that penetrating gaze that seemed to read all her thoughts. The silence stretched between them, weighted with unspoken understanding.


    "That tradition," she finally said, her voice strangely soft, "is a chain that simply helps us more easily distinguish exceptional women."


    Liora looked at her grandmother with surprise. It was well known that Selphira was the only woman openly recognized as a double tamer, an achievement she had attained midway through her more than 100 years, when it was considered almost heresy and not just a matter of resource efficiency.


    "I don''t know how..." Liora began, but interrupted herself, unsure how to proceed. The implications of breaking with tradition, of stepping into the light as a double tamer, seemed both thrilling and terrifying.


    "How everyone would react?" Selphira completed, an enigmatic smile forming on her lips. "My dear girl, do you really believe I wouldn''t defend you?" S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Liora blushed slightly, suddenly feeling like a small child again. The warmth spread across her cheeks, a rare show of vulnerability that she allowed few to witness.


    "I''m not pressuring you," Selphira continued, her tone becoming more serious. "Each woman must choose her battles. I chose mine long ago, and paid the corresponding price. You will have to choose yours and not depend on other opinions. But you should know that I am here for you."


    A contemplative silence filled the room as Liora assimilated her grandmother''s words.


    Liora took a deep breath to undo the knot in her throat and opened her mouth to thank her grandma, but...


    "Speaking of the price of decisions," Selphira said abruptly, changing the subject, "you said you offered Patinder a considerable sum for his cultivation."


    "One and a half million crystals," Liora confirmed. "It''s fair, considering the real value of the cultivation method if it works up to gold for my will-o''-wisp, which should only reach silver 3."


    Selphira nodded appreciatively, calculating the value against other investments she had seen over her long life.


    "A fair sum, indeed. If you need help covering..."


    "No," Liora interrupted with a firmness that surprised them both. "I appreciate your support, grandmother, but... I want to do this on my own."


    The response seemed to please Selphira, whose eyes shone with approval. Pride flickered briefly across her features before being carefully masked again.


    "I''m not that far from getting it," Liora added. "With what I''ve earned at the academy and some things I sold... luxuries I didn''t really need."


    "You sold your jewelry?" Selphira seemed genuinely surprised. "The ones your parents gave you?"


    "Only those without enchantments," Liora quickly clarified. "The stones can be replaced."


    Selphira studied her granddaughter for a long moment, as if seeing her in a new light.


    "You know," she finally said, "there are moments when you remind me of myself at your age. Though I think you are considerably more sensible."


    She rose from her seat with the fluid grace that belied her years. Her movements were precise and economical, the result of decades of discipline.


    "I must let you rest," she declared, smoothing imperceptible wrinkles in her elegant dress. "The most important final exam battles begin tomorrow, and you will need all your concentration."


    As she headed toward the door, she added:


    "And Liora... whatever happens tomorrow, remember that sometimes apparent defeat teaches you something that can be the beginning of a greater victory if you know how to take advantage of it. Watch carefully what he does and understand it in depth. Then entertain me."


    Liora nodded, understanding that, as always, her grandmother''s words operated on multiple levels.


    "Will you watch me in the tournament?" she asked when Selphira was about to leave. "Or perhaps you won''t have time because of dealing with him..."


    The matriarch paused at the threshold, the evening light framing her slender silhouette. The backlight cast her in dramatic relief, highlighting the regal bearing that had intimidated council members for generations.


    "And miss the opportunity to see my granddaughter demonstrate why the Ashenways remain a force to be reckoned with?" she responded with a smile that contained centuries of cunning. "I wouldn''t miss it for the world."


    And with those words, Selphira Ashenway disappeared down the hallway, leaving behind the subtle aroma of ambition and ancient secrets. Her footsteps faded gradually, the sound of authority retreating but never truly absent.


    Liora remained seated a moment longer, contemplating everything that had and hadn''t been said. The conversation replayed in her mind, each word and gesture carrying layers of meaning that would take time to fully unravel.


    With a deep breath, Liora stood up. It was time to prepare for what was to come. Tomorrow would be more than just another exam, it would be her first step toward claiming her own place in the complex game of power her grandmother had navigated so skillfully.

 Chapter 261 - 261 - Tamers Home

    The kitchen''s heat had eased now that dinner service was ending. Freshly washed pots gleamed in the dim light, and the lingering aroma of spices hung in the air.


    Fern Patinders untied her apron with a relieved sigh as her husband, Reed Patinder, stored the last knives in their rack. Her hands, weathered by decades of culinary work, moved with practiced efficiency.


    Reed''s fingers, marked with the occasional scar from ancient cuts, also displayed the precision and grace that only years of experience could bestow.


    "Everything ready?" Fern asked, tucking a strand of grayish hair back under her cap. Though lately, she''d noticed a few small strands seemingly regaining their color, just like they had eleven years ago.


    Reed nodded as he wiped down the work surface one final time.


    "Perfectly clean, as it should be," he replied with a tired but satisfied smile.


    The restaurant owner entered the kitchen while counting the day''s earnings, crystals clinking softly between his fingers.


    "Another exceptional day, thanks to you two," he remarked, looking up from his counting. "That new sweet root stew recipe was a complete success."


    "It''s Ren''s favorite, so we wanted to improve it," Fern said, her voice carrying a blend of pride and longing. "I thought customers might enjoy trying the enhanced version too."


    "You were right," the owner replied, separating out one hundred crystals and handing them to Reed. "Here''s today''s bonus for the new culinary experience, as agreed."


    Reed accepted the crystals, adding them to the small pouch he kept in his pocket.


    "Thank you," he said with a slight bow. "See you tomorrow."


    "Until tomorrow. Rest well," the owner replied, returning to his accounts.


    The couple exited through the restaurant''s back door. The twilight sky stretched above them in shades of orange and purple, while the twelve moons began to peek shyly from behind scattered clouds.


    "That makes two hundred now," Reed commented as they walked through the streets of the outer district, where homes gradually became more modest. The cobblestones gave way to packed dirt beneath their feet. "Enough to replace what we''ve already used."


    Fern nodded, gently squeezing her husband''s hand.


    "Mr. Cirrus''s Roc beast predicted clear skies tomorrow," Reed said. "He passed along the forecast as usual, though my knees already told me, they haven''t been aching. We can process them together at dawn, before work."


    They walked in comfortable silence for a stretch, each lost in their own thoughts. Their "mature" Iron-rank plants hung from their heads, only a few discrete leaves and vines peeking out from beneath their humble hats.


    "Do you think Ren is doing alright?" Fern finally asked, worry seeping into her voice.


    Reed squeezed her hand more firmly. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I''m sure he is. He''s a clever boy, and he always listened to our advice. He must be learning so much."


    "It''s been almost six months," Fern murmured, her voice dropping to a whisper. "When we''re not working... the house feels so empty without him."


    No more words were needed to open the daily wound. They both felt their son''s absence like a physical pressure¡­ a hollow space that nothing could fill.


    As they rounded the corner, their former owned home appeared before them. The rental cottage was still their life, the familiar sight of its tilted roof and worn door brought a measure of comfort. Reed fumbled with the key, the old lock sticking as it always did.


    Once inside, Reed lit a lamp while Fern removed the newly acquired crystals and placed them carefully in a small black box alongside others of similar size.


    "We have enough now, so we won''t run out of what Ren left us," she observed, studying the collection with bittersweet pride.


    Reed approached, peering over her shoulder. The crystals'' soft luminescence reflected in his tired eyes.


    "Remember how he gave us all those instructions before leaving?" he asked with a nostalgic smile. "So serious, like a little professor... Though his inventions are becoming increasingly elaborate. I had to write down the steps or I would have forgotten them."


    "A thousand-day cultivation method," Fern replied, laughing softly. The sound filled the small room like music. "Such an imagination... As if weak plants needed more cultivation time than legendary Platinum-rank tamers beasts."


    They both vividly recalled that day, shortly before Ren departed for the academy. Their son, with those luminescent mushrooms in his hair, explaining with absolute conviction a ritual that would supposedly elevate their mature plants to the power of a Bronze-2 rank beast.


    They''d taken it as a childish fantasy, a comfort that Ren had invented to cope with the disappointment of receiving the weakest beast. But they had promised to follow the ritual, day after day, without fail.


    And so far, they had kept that promise.


    "For a little white lie," Reed admitted as he sank into a chair with a tired sigh, "it''s been surprisingly useful. Gives me something to look forward to each morning."


    Fern nodded, preparing an herbal infusion for them both. The kettle whistled softly on the small stove, releasing a cloud of fragrant steam.


    "For me too. It''s as if, somehow, we''re connected to him through this routine."


    She poured the steaming liquid into two chipped cups, the aroma of something akin to mint and chamomile filling the air.


    Their small house overflowed with memories of Ren. His first shoes, carefully preserved in a wooden box beneath their bed. Childish drawings adorning the walls like precious tapestries. Stones and skeleton fragments he had collected with friends, arranged on windowsills and shelves. Each item held a story, a frozen moment of their son''s childhood.


    Sometimes, the pain of separation was almost unbearable. They had spent decades yearning for a child, and when they finally had Ren, he became the center of their universe. Now, with him at the academy, they suffered a new anxiety, and the house seemed too quiet, too empty¡­


    Like a bell without a clapper.


    "Have you noticed anything strange lately?" Reed asked suddenly, accepting the cup Fern offered him.


    "What do you mean?"


    "With our plants," he explained, extending his arm where the vines gently coiled. In the lamplight, they seemed to pulse with a subtle emerald glow. "Mine seem... different. Brighter. And yesterday I could lift the water barrel without help."


    Fern studied him thoughtfully, absently stroking the leaves that peeked from her collar. They felt smoother under her fingers, more vibrant.


    "Now that you mention it... I''ve been sleeping better, and my hair is regaining color. And that migraine that used to torment me hasn''t returned in weeks."


    They looked at each other in silence, an unspoken question hanging between them like morning mist.


    "Must be that we''re sleeping more due to his absence," Reed finally suggested, though uncertainty tinged his voice. "Or perhaps it''s the new herbs we''re using in the kitchen."


    "Yes, that must be it," Fern agreed, though she didn''t sound entirely convinced.


    Neither wanted to admit it from fear to get ideas and make the absence more painful, but both had begun to wonder if Ren''s daily ritual was having some actual effect.


    It was absurd, of course.


    Everyone knew that mature Iron-rank plants couldn''t evolve further. It was an established fact.


    And yet...


    "I wonder how he''s doing at school," Fern said, changing the subject. She sipped her tea, savoring its soothing warmth. "Do you think he''s made friends?"


    "I''m sure he has," Reed answered, though worry briefly crossed his face, deepening the lines around his eyes. "Although with a spore..."


    He didn''t need to finish the sentence. They both knew the stigma associated with Ren''s beast, the weakest of all. The thought of their son, alone in that prestigious academy, possibly enduring mockery and rejection, still broke their hearts.


    "He''s stronger than he seems," she said firmly, straightening her shoulders. "Stronger than anyone knows. And he has a good heart. That counts more than any beast... Remember the day he left, with that determined look in his eyes?"


    Reed smiled, admiring the conviction in his wife''s voice. Her unwavering faith had always been one of the qualities he loved most about her.


    "You''re right. Our Ren will find his way, with or without a powerful beast."


    The conversation shifted to more practical matters: rent payment, ingredient purchases for their meals, small repairs the house needed. Their financial situation had been precarious since selling their home, but they managed. The restaurant work was stable, at least, and occasionally they received extra tips for their special culinary creations.


    Later, as they prepared for bed, Fern paused by the window, gazing at the multiple moons illuminating the night with their subtle colored light. The smallest moon, crimson as a ruby, peeked from behind a cloud, casting a reddish glow across her face.


    "I just hope he''s alright," she murmured, more to herself than to Reed. "That he''s happy, that he''s learning, that he doesn''t feel alone."


    Reed approached, embracing her from behind. His arms encircled her waist, strong and comforting.


    "He is," he replied softly. "I have this feeling, you know? That something good is happening with our Ren. Something... unexpected."


    Fern leaned against him, finding solace in his presence. After decades together, they still fit perfectly; two pieces of the same puzzle.


    "Perhaps you''re right," she said finally.


    That night, as they slept, both dreamed of their son. Not the small, frightened boy who had come home with a beast that only generated luminescent mushrooms in his hair, but someone taller, stronger, surrounded by light. In the dream, Ren smiled at them with confidence, as if he knew something they were only beginning to suspect.


    And while they slept, the plants on their arms glowed with a barely perceptible radiance, slightly more intense than the night before. With each passing day, with each crystal absorbed following their son''s precise instructions, something changed within them. Something subtle but undeniable.


    One hundred and seventy-five days had passed. Eight hundred and twenty-five remained.


    The ritual continued.

 Chapter 262 - 262 - Tamers Homesickness

    Ren watched the light of the twelve moons filter through the dormitory window as he took advantage of the relatively rare celestial alignment to prepare some crystals. His mushrooms pulsed gently, emitting a glow that rivaled the natural radiance of the night sky.


    The day had been exhausting, especially considering all the questions he''d fielded about the situation with the noble cousins, a situation which seemed to be relaxing very slowly.


    The rumors about his "kidnapping" of Larissa were gradually being replaced by new gossip, but the incident still earned him curious glances in the hallways.


    His thoughts, however, were far from the academy.


    They drifted to the small rented house where his parents, Reed and Fern, would probably be sleeping after a long day working in the kitchens. The image of them, exhausted but determined, faithfully following the ritual he had taught them, made his heart constrict.


    He could almost smell the spices that would cling to their clothes, see the flour dusting his father''s forearms.


    "They should be receiving the first benefits by now," he thought, mentally calculating the days that had passed. "The change should be subtle but perceptible at this point."


    He ran his fingers over a crystal, feeling its cool surface warm at his touch. The worry about his parents'' financial situation gnawed at him more than he let others see. The rent as an extra expense would barely allow them to subsist.


    An idea began to form in his mind, crystallizing like the formations he studied in the mines.


    "The noble girls," he murmured to himself, remembering something they had mentioned casually.


    Wealthy people were known to have transport services for sending crystals to distant places in the city when conducting business. They even had specially trained birds for delivering urgent messages. Perhaps, although they might charge him a considerable amount, it would be worth it now that he had resources.


    "I could ask Larissa or Liora to explain how it works," he reflected, feeling the idea gaining strength. The more he considered it, the more obvious the solution seemed.


    If he waited until the end of the semester, he could send a substantial portion of his final doubled prize to his parents. An amount that would immediately relieve any financial pressure they faced.


    "Of course! Why didn''t I think of this before?"


    For Ren, the concept of sending letters or resources over distances was completely foreign to his everyday experience. Having lived his entire life in the only city he had contact with, and with the neighboring city as an enemy, like most, he''d never had reason to consider communication or resource transport beyond urban limits.


    The magic of contracted beasts facilitated water collection and mass food production in small spaces, eliminating the need for large external cultivation fields.


    For this same reason, letters or transport were tools almost exclusively used by spies or businesspeople who needed to communicate quickly between the city''s extremes or between the only two cities in the world.


    But he remembered Larissa mentioning something about these letters a few days earlier.


    Liora had been asking Larissa about a letter that had fallen from Luna''s bag, which she had hurriedly picked up, almost in panic. The exchange had been brief but sufficient to remind Ren of the existence of these services, which he''d first heard about from Han, who used them to communicate with his sister somewhere.


    Ren nodded to himself, decided.


    He would consult with the noble girls about the possibilities of distant transport and messaging. With what he had earned in the expedition, plus what he would receive at the end of the semester, he could send a significant amount to his parents.


    A thunderous snore interrupted his musings. Min, as usual, was sleeping deeply in his bed, his body sprawled across the mattress as if trying to occupy as much space as possible. His snake coiled to his side and his amphibian sprawled peacefully above his pillow, nearly invisible in the dim light.


    Taro, however, was still awake, meticulously reorganizing his battle notes for the next day.


    Liu, from his bed by the other window, observed the night sky with a thoughtful expression, his banshee hyena was curled at his feet while his bat was hanging from the ceiling.


    "Can''t sleep?" Liu asked quietly, subtly activating his sound control so their conversation wouldn''t disturb Min.


    Ren sighed slightly.


    "Just thinking."


    "Worried about the final battles?" Liu inquired, studying Ren''s expression with the increased perception his bat granted him.


    Ren shook his head, his mushrooms pulsing with quiet confidence.


    "Not really. The stone lurker''s evolution is just a bigger stone for the exam, one three meters tall, but a stone in the end. They didn''t feed them any special minerals or allow them to cultivate their development at this level," he explained calmly. "If they give them the same daily amount of crystals in this mana-poor environment as Yang explained to us, then the best they can do is stay alive. They''ll never evolve since they''re not destined for higher classes¡­"


    "So you''re not worried about facing those enormous creatures with high defense?"


    "A Bronze-1 beast won''t be any problem for our team," Ren responded with confidence, his eyes reflecting the moonlight. "Even less with the method I''ve planned to eliminate it. You shouldn''t worry either now if you do what I taught you..."


    Liu narrowed his eyes, studying his roommate. The nocturnal vision his bat provided let him see details others might miss, the subtle tension in Ren''s shoulders, the careful way he compulsively arranged the crystals.


    "Then the individual battles? Or the group ones?"


    Ren smiled slightly, his mushrooms pulsing with a rhythm that Liu already recognized as his version of amusement.


    "I''m not worried about those either. And if I face you in an individual battle, I''ll kick your ass even though we''re friends."


    "Receive me as... the tournament champion..." Min mumbled between dreams, turning in his bed and hugging his snake as if it were a trophy, interrupting Liu who had just opened his mouth to say something.


    Taro and Liu looked at each other and couldn''t contain silent laughter. However, there was something more in their expressions, a spark of challenge, of determination.


    "You seem very confident," commented Taro, joining the conversation. "Maybe you''ll be surprised if you underestimate someone you''ve strengthened so much."


    "Or some-two," added Liu, his banshee hyena emitting a silent growl of approval.


    Ren looked at both of them, appreciating the competitive spirit that had emerged between them. They were no longer the same insecure boys discarded in the gray wing on the first day, fearful of their poor potential. Now they stood tall with confidence, aware of their worth.


    "I guess we''ll find out over the next few days," Ren responded, genuinely pleased with his friends'' transformation. A surge of pride warmed his chest.


    "Then go to sleep already," advised Liu, gradually deactivating his sound field. "Tomorrow begins the infamous battle week."


    His face took on a more serious expression, shadows deepening the lines around his eyes.


    "And if you don''t give a good performance, the same thing that happened to me the past two semesters will happen to you," he warned. "And you''ll have to repeat."


    Ren nodded, aware of the importance of the challenge that awaited them. The exams weren''t just academic hurdles, they were potential life changers. Success or failure here could alter their trajectories permanently.


    "I''ll rest," he promised, settling under the blankets.


    While the others prepared to sleep, Ren couldn''t help taking one last look at the moons. Somewhere, under that same sky, his parents continued their struggle, trusting in him. And he had no intention of letting them down.


    His mind worked on strategies for the coming battles, but also on the necessary steps to help his family. The path that had begun with that gray spore, considered the weakest beast, now expanded in directions he could never have imagined.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with a slow, steady rhythm as sleep finally claimed him. Their glow dimmed gradually, synchronizing with his deepening breaths.


    In another part of the academy, other students were also preparing in their own way for the coming challenges.


    Klein Goldcrest meticulously reviewed the possible combinations of opponents, calculating his chances of victory in each scenario. His golden lion, now at Bronze 1, roared softly beside him, eager to demonstrate its superiority. The beast''s mane shimmered with some actual gold flecks, a sign of its enhanced status.


    "I just need to defeat him decisively," Klein muttered to himself, fingers tapping nervously on his desk. "An absolute victory that no one can question."


    Luna Starweaver, in her own room, silently practiced the movements she had perfected over weeks.


    "This time will be different," she promised in the solitude of her room, her voice barely above a whisper. "This time I''ll prove my worth."


    Even the professors felt the tension that preceded battle week. Lin and Yang reviewed the pairings one last time, ensuring the system was fair but revealing. The lists spread across Lin''s desk, names arranged in patterns that would test both skill and character.


    "Do you think your pupil this semester will live up to expectations?" asked Yang, studying Ren''s name on the list. Lamplight glinted off his stone-hardened skin.


    Lin smiled, remembering the exhausted child from her first lessons, comparing him to the disciplined young man he had become.


    "I believe," she responded cautiously, her eyes twinkling with something like pride, "that everyone is about to get a surprise." S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While the academy slept, the expectations and ambitions of its occupants converged on a single point: the tournament that would begin at dawn.


    And at the center of it all, sleeping deeply in his bed in the gray wing, Ren Patinder, the spore boy, the paradigm transformer, the one who defied all predictions... dreamed of impossible beasts and a future that extended beyond the limits of the known.

 Chapter 263 - 263 - Tamer’s Battle Week

    Dawn brought a palpable change to the academy''s atmosphere.


    The hallways, normally organized with students of the same year maintaining their usual routines on slightly different schedules, now teemed with a mixture of uniforms from all eight different years.


    But it wasn''t just the year colors that differentiated the students.


    Performance levels were also distinguishable by the emblems they wore on their lapels: the simple iron badges of all first-years and some second-years; the bronze emblems in their two variants for the intermediates from the second year onward; and the scarcer but resplendent silver emblems adorning the more advanced students from the third year up.


    Gold students were generally surrounded by others, creating small galaxies of admirers. They were exceedingly rare, and it had always been difficult to approach them.


    Their emblems caught the light, drawing eyes like beacons. But they were not the best¡­


    Of platinum rank, there were only five students in their final years, engaged in special assignments or work, and they weren''t often seen among the common students.


    Their presence was so unusual that whispers followed in their wake, their emblems gleaming with an almost otherworldly luminescence.


    However, today it was possible to see some of these rare academy members. Today...


    Battle Week had begun.


    In the corners of the main gardens, external auxiliaries and healers with curative beasts established treatment stations. Their green and blue robes contrasted sharply with the austere black of the academic uniforms as they meticulously organized vials of potions and magical herb bandages.


    "Look at that," Taro pointed as they walked toward the central notice board, excitement raising his voice an octave. "They even brought someone with a Medical Mermaid, this year from the start."


    Ren followed his gaze to a woman with the lower half of her body transformed into a tail of iridescent scales. Her hands glowed with a blue-green aura as her tamer calibrated instruments.


    "Mermaids are rare," Min commented, his eyes wide with wonder. "I heard there are fewer than ten in the entire city."


    "And all of them work for the castle," added Liu, his last year experience evident in his knowing tone. "For the academy to have managed to bring one means they''re expecting injuries this year... as always."


    Min nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his amphibian beast briefly phasing into visibility with his anxiety. "Is it really that intense?"


    "You have no idea," Liu replied, a grim smile forming on his lips. There was a certain pride in his voice, the satisfaction of being the veteran among them. "Last year, three high-ranking students lost limbs while facing the fifth-year Silver beasts because a teacher lost control for a second. Of course, they recovered the limbs from the beast''s stomach after other professors intervened and killed it, but they spent weeks in recovery to get them reattached."


    Taro and Min audibly gulped, exchanging looks of apprehension. Their beasts unconsciously manifested further, responding to their tamers'' emotions.


    ????


    The crowd densified as they approached the main plaza.


    Students from all years had gathered, their beasts partially manifested in an unconscious display of intimidation. The air itself seemed charged with mana, the competing energies creating subtle currents that Ren could perceive through his mushrooms'' enhanced sensitivity.


    A final-year student passed close to them, his skin covered by a pattern of silver feathers that captured the morning light. His eyes, transformed into those of a hawk, scrutinized the crowd with supernatural acuity, seeming to catalog every detail in an instant.


    "Tian Xingwu," Liu murmured with reverence, his voice dropping to an awed whisper. "Silver 3, eighth year, everyone wants to know if he''s going to be able to evolve until Gold 1 to become the third Gold rank student in the school. His Greater Steel Hawk is legendary. He earned his Platinum student emblem by finding the best materials in gathering for six consecutive years."


    Behind Tian walked other advanced students, moving with the casual confidence of apex predators. Among them, Ren noticed a girl whose right arm had completely transformed into a stone claw etched with blue runes.


    "Ravena Gravemore, eighth year," Liu continued, following Ren''s gaze. His knowledge of the academy''s hierarchy was impressive, a survival skill he''d clearly cultivated as a gray wing student.


    A glimpse of what Ren''s life in this school could have been¡­


    Liu continued. "Her Superior Magic Gargoyle is one of only two Gold-ranked student beasts in the academy. Tier 1, but still impressive. She earned her Platinum student emblem through perfect performance in classes and her victories in the interschool battles."


    "And the other with the Platinum emblem is the famous Pegasus boy, right?" Taro asked, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the academy''s elite.


    Liu nodded, a hint of envy coloring his expression. "Seiya Galehart, seventh year. Tier 2, technically more powerful, but less resistant in combat... Though he also earned his Platinum emblem through his performance in the interschool tournaments."


    Luna''s Tier 3 Shadow Wolf potential to Gold 1 getting so much praise made more sense now.


    "Why haven''t we seen them if they have so many followers?" Min asked, clearly interested in the prospect of having that many admirers one day.


    "In the final years, the students spend more time gathering outside the city... It''s difficult to see them outside of battle week because they''re almost never at school to begin with." Liu answered, remembering himself a year ago asking the same questions to companions who had left him behind.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed at a steady rhythm as he absorbed the scene, processing and cataloging the information with his characteristic thoroughness. He noted the subtle hierarchies, the posturing, the way mana signatures interacted.


    Once in the center and surrounding the podium, students were organized by years.


    The murmur of the crowd gradually died down when Director Ignatius ascended the stage in front of the notice board. His phoenix was partially manifested, creating a golden-reddish aura that seemed to emanate heat even at a distance. Despite this, the absence of his left leg was noticeable to Ren, despite the carefully designed clothes to conceal it.


    The director''s posture remained regal, however, his bearing that of someone whose authority came from within rather than physical presence.


    "Welcome to the two hundred and forty-eighth Semester Tournament," his voice resonated across the plaza without need for amplification, the energy of his mana empowering his words. "For first-year students, you are about to face what could be the most challenging, and perhaps revealing, week of your academic career thus far."


    The board behind him illuminated, displaying the tournament structure in brilliant blue detail.


    "Three trials await you," the Director continued, his gaze sweeping across the gathered students. "The Professor and auxiliaries of your specific years will explain the details to each group."


    ????


    For Ren''s group, Yang and Lin were the ones tasked with explanation.


    Yang stepped forward, his Stone Behemoth manifesting completely, making his muscles appear twice their normal size, his granitic skin gleaming under the morning sun.


    "First trial: the Bronze Beast Challenge," he explained in his characteristic rough tone. "Teams of three students will face a Bronze 1 rank beast. Your performance here is fundamental. Failing means possibly repeating the semester."


    Nervous murmurs coursed through the first-year crowd. This wasn''t a surprise, but hearing it stated so directly underscored what was at stake.


    Lin stepped forward.


    "Second trial: the Team Tournament," her voice was softer but equally authoritative, carrying to every ear. "Here you will face your fellow students, demonstrating your growth and cooperative technique."


    On the board, tournament brackets began to appear. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "And finally," Lin continued, a subtle smile playing at her lips, "the Individual Tournament, where you will learn that even the strongest beast is only as effective as the person behind it."

 Chapter 264 - 264 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 2

    Yang resumed speaking, his stone-covered arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed the sea of students before him.


    "For some, this is already known, but let me clarify for our misinformed novices: while victory brings glory and rewards, what we evaluate is your progress, your adaptability, your growth as tamers. A spectacular defeat can be more valuable than an easy victory."


    His eyes seemed to rest briefly on Ren, though it might have been imagination. The weight of that glance carried unspoken expectations.


    "For those who fail to advance in the main tournament," added Lin, stepping forward with feline grace, "there exists the Obstacle Trial. A specially designed challenge that allows even the eliminated to demonstrate their development."


    Director Ignatius reclaimed the center of the stage, his phoenix''s golden-red aura briefly intensifying around him to also reclaim the attention.


    "The schedules are now posted. The first trials begin in one hour. Prepare yourselves."


    The crowd surged forward as the professors retreated, eager students rushing to learn their assignments. The sound of hundreds of feet created a thunderous backdrop as almost all students jostled for position.


    Ren and his friends hung back, knowing the tumult would subside shortly.


    "Look at those," Liu pointed toward a group of older students. "Some second years and above already know that the true value of Battle Week isn''t just winning and passing the year."


    Ren followed his gaze. The older students were gathered in small circles, some demonstrating techniques with their beasts, others discussing strategy in low tones.


    "It''s the only time multiple years mix freely," Liu explained, his eyes bright with appreciation. "Sometimes you can learn more by watching an eighth-year student with your same type of beast than from a complete semester of battle classes."


    "Speaking of which," interrupted Taro, straightening suddenly, "isn''t that Zhou Liwei? The one with the Silver Steator Vulture."


    Everyone turned to see a tall, slender seventh-year student surrounded by admirers. His skin had a subtle gray tinge.


    "The echo prodigy," Liu confirmed, his voice dropping with reverence. "Rumor has it he already has offers to join the royal guard after graduation."


    "Looks like you''re quite interested in his fighting style," Min observed, nudging Liu with his elbow.


    "He has a different beast than me, but¡­ I have to see him fight," Liu whispered, nodding eagerly. "They say he can direct strong sound vibrations to strike any point around him without even moving from his spot."


    The crowd at the board had diminished enough for them to approach. They scanned the lists, searching for their names among the organized chaos of schedules and brackets.


    "There!" Min pointed excitedly, his finger tapping a section of the board. "Bronze Beast Challenge, Team Eight: Min, Taro, and Ren."


    "We''re not the first," Taro sighed with evident relief.


    "Who opens?" asked Min, stretching his neck to see better.


    Liu pointed toward the top of the list. "Ron Blackfire''s team."


    ''The salamander boy from the invocation ceremony?'' Ren remembered the event, the smile on the boy''s face when his red egg had produced a respectable fire creature.


    Ren remained silent, studying the other brackets with methodical precision. His mushrooms pulsed at a steady rhythm as he absorbed the information. Team One of Group B consisted of Roran, Mira, and Trent. Team Five had Klein, Astor, and Feng.


    His gaze shifted to the Individual Tournament bracket. His first match would be against the same student he had recognized from Group A... Ron, likely with his beast still at iron rank. If he won that, he would face the winner between Hector and Cass.


    The board also displayed the team pairings for the sixteen first-year teams. Ren, after a quick glance, noticed that his group would face the challenge in sixth place, right after Klein''s team and before Luna''s.


    "Interesting pairings," he murmured, his mind already calculating probabilities and strategies.


    ????


    "That''s Ron''s team?" Min asked, pointing toward three students entering the preparation area.


    "Must be, since they''re going first," Liu nodded. "He''s in the other section, Group A, which is why you don''t have classes with him, but he''s a first-year just like you."


    First-year students were beginning to fill the stands around the arena dedicated to their final exam.


    "We''d better find a spot," suggested Taro, already moving toward the seating area. "I want a good view of how the monster behaves."


    As they approached, Ren noticed the final preparations in the arena. Specialized professors with wood-element beasts traced complex patterns on the ground, creating anchors for a root system that would remain hidden underground until needed.


    Others installed parasitic plants or insects in the beasts'' bodies to be able to stop them instantly if necessary, a small green larvae being carefully "fed" to the stone creature.


    Security methods perfected through decades of academic combat.


    Ron Blackfire walked with the confidence of someone who has been admired all his life. His partially manifested crimson salamander gave his skin a scarlet glow, while small flames occasionally leapt between his fingers when he gestured, explaining something to his teammates.


    Beside him walked a girl with reddish hair, tamer of a red eagle manifested in her body. The same beast as Cass, a popular creature among noble girls of low and medium rank.


    The third member, a stocky boy with earth markings on his arms, completed the team. His beast, a digger mole, was visible as a pattern running across his skin and big claws.


    "A well-balanced team for the confrontation," commented Ren, analyzing the combination. "Ranged attacker, aerial support, and an underground attacker."


    "And Ron seems pretty confident of his victory," noted Liu, observing the salamander tamer''s grandiose gestures and theatrical posturing.


    In the center of the arena, an enormous creature waited, contained by invisible barriers. The Big Stone Lurker, an evolution of the common stone Lurker, measured approximately three meters in height and slightly more in width. Its rocky body presented a texture similar to stone that could only be eroded by the passage of centuries.


    At first glance, it appeared to be an immobile mound, almost a natural formation, until one noticed its small eyes or the strange extremities at its base, short but surprisingly powerful. And on its front, a fissure that occasionally opened, revealing a jaw capable of crushing rock.


    ???? S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Beyond the academy walls, the city itself transformed in response to this ''Battle Week''.


    In the markets, apothecaries and herb vendors were already experiencing their seasonal boom. Healing herb prices had doubled overnight, and several stalls displayed "Sold Out" signs before noon.


    The economic ripples extended to the city limits, where small healing practices that struggled during normal times suddenly found themselves flooded with orders.


    Independent healers who normally couldn''t compete with the central medical corps received temporary contracts, their services in high demand as all schools in the city simultaneously conducted their battle exams.


    For those living in the outer city, Battle Week represented a unique opportunity. Gatherers who ventured into Iron and Bronze territories returned with bags full of medicinal plants, selling them at premium prices to desperate buyers. The poorest districts buzzed with unusual activity, temporary prosperity flowing through streets typically forgotten by the wealthy.


    Tamers with low-rank healing beasts, normally overlooked for their lack of potential, found themselves courted by various job opportunities. Those who would struggle to find employment during regular seasons could earn enough crystals during this single week to support themselves for months.


    Battle Week transformed not just the academy but the entire city''s ecosystem, a reminder of how deeply the tamer system was woven into the fabric of society. Triumph and tragedy, victory and injury, all flowed together in a cycle as old as the city itself.


    And at the center of it all, young tamers prepared to prove their worth in the crucible of combat.

 Chapter 265 - 265 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 3

    "Students, auxiliaries, professors," Director Ignatius''s voice resonated throughout the stadium. "The first trials of the Two Hundred and Forty-Eighth Semester Tournament officially begin."


    The audience fell silent as the Director yielded the attention to the professors of different years to continue.


    In the first-year stadium, Yang continued, his gravelly voice carrying effortlessly across the arena:


    "Team One of Group A, prepare to face the Big Stone Lurker. Remember: coordination, strategy, and prudence. The objective is to demonstrate that you can defeat the beast together, not to showcase individual bravery."


    Ron and his teammates entered the arena, wearing the characteristic black uniform with chest protections. Their steps were confident, almost swagger, as they approached the center.


    "Weapons?" asked the auxiliary professor, offering a rack with various combat tools. The arsenal gleamed under the morning sun¡ªhammers of different weights, reinforced spears, even pickaxes designed to penetrate stone.


    Ron looked disdainfully at the arsenal, his lip curling slightly. "We don''t need those fragile tools," he declared with a confident smile that bordered on arrogance. "Our beasts are more than sufficient."


    His teammates exchanged glances, a flash of uncertainty crossing their faces, but followed his example, rejecting the offered weapons. The auxiliary professor shrugged and withdrew the rack, though not before casting a knowing glance toward Yang.


    "Typical of a tamer with fire element," Min muttered from his seat in the stands. "They always think scorching everything around solves all problems."


    Liu laughed briefly, remembering something, and added, "Weapons are frowned upon because for many, they''re an admission that your beast is too weak. But there are still those who use them... Hammers are the most popular, but unlike iron-rank stone lurkers, these evolved ones have very thick defenses, and only students with really good strength enhancements can use them properly."


    The team took position as far as possible from the Stone Lurker, which remained motionless, as if in slumber. Its massive form dominated the center of the arena, casting a long shadow across the packed earth. Ron positioned himself at the front, the red eagle girl, Nia (according to the board''s announcement) to his right, and the mole boy, Gulhan, maneuvering to the left. They moved with practiced coordination, suggesting they had trained together extensively.


    "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted down, his voice resonating throughout the arena.


    The roots containing the monster receded underground, their retreat marked by the soft whisper of earth shifting, leaving nothing between the students and the Stone Lurker.


    For an instant that felt far too long, nothing happened. The Stone Lurker remained motionless, seemingly oblivious to the presences surrounding it.


    "Now!" Ron''s shout broke the silence, echoing against the stadium walls.


    His salamander fully manifested in his body, enveloping his arms in crimson scales that gleamed with intense heat. With a fluid movement, he generated a fireball the size of a melon and hurled it against the stone beast. The flames left a trail of shimmering air as they flew toward their target.


    The impact resonated with a small explosion, raising a cloud of dust that momentarily obscured the creature. When visibility returned, the Stone Lurker showed only a blackened spot on its surface, like a small bruise on its otherwise untouched hide.


    "Seems like we''ll need more power," exclaimed Ron, without losing his confident smile. "Nia, use the wind as we practiced!"


    The girl nodded, manifesting her red eagle. The air around her arms began to swirl, forming visible currents that extended toward Ron.


    Meanwhile, Gulhan had invoked the physical form of his digger mole. With a quick movement, the creature submerged into the arena''s earth as if it were water, leaving only a small hole to mark its passage.


    Ron, now backed by Nia''s air currents, began launching larger and hotter fireballs. Each impact generated a more powerful blast than the previous one, but the Stone Lurker barely reacted. The blackened spots expanded slightly, but the creature''s integrity remained largely uncompromised.


    "Classic strategy," commented Liu, leaning forward in his seat. "Attack from a distance while enhancing their main offensive strength. It usually works, but..."


    "But they have an elemental disadvantage... Though something''s not right with the beast," murmured Ren, his mushrooms pulsing with a calm rhythm. "It''s not responding as it should..."


    As if answering his words, the Stone Lurker finally moved. But it walked slowly, very slowly. Its massive limbs dragged against the ground, each movement accompanied by the grinding sound of stone against stone.


    It seemed to be in a dream from which it was gradually awakening.


    Ren understood that what the auxiliaries had done to contain it was still affecting the monster, and it was taking time to readapt to freedom of movement...


    But Ron''s team didn''t realize this.


    Seeing the monster approaching slowly, they decided to take advantage and maintain their attack without worrying about keeping their distance. The salamander''s flames intensified, pouring forth in an almost continuous stream now as Ron pressed what he perceived as an advantage.


    Ren noticed the change in mana flow, the monster had fully awakened. Its energy signature shifted from dormant to active, a surge of power rippling through its stone body.


    But Ron''s team maintained their attack, oblivious to the danger.


    Until the monster was too close... sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The frontal crevice opened slowly, revealing a cavernous mouth filled with crystalline protrusions that resembled teeth.


    "Watch out!" Ren shouted from the stands, unable to contain himself.


    With a speed that contradicted its heavy appearance, the monster pivoted slightly and leaped toward Nia. The movement was so sudden that the girl barely had time to react, using her wind control to propel herself backward.


    The Stone Lurker''s jaws closed in the space where she had been a second before with a chilling crunch.


    "Gulhan, now!" ordered Ron, taking advantage of the beast''s distraction.


    From beneath the beast, the ground trembled. Gulhan''s mole emerged like a projectile, its reinforced claws striking the monster''s belly with brutal force. The impact slightly damaged the Stone Lurker, eliciting a growl that sounded like rocks sliding against each other.


    But when Gulhan''s mole tried to submerge again, the beast reacted. One of its strange feet struck the ground with precision, blocking the tunnel the mole had created. The impact was so violent that the tunnel collapsed.


    "It knows how to defend its belly well," observed Taro with concern.


    "It''s the thinnest area... Fortunately for them, it''s not using its real press ability. It seems its earth abilities are blocked by the auxiliaries too," Ren explained, his eyes never leaving the battle.


    The mole survived with moderate damage and dug a new tunnel while Ron and his team began to move away from the enormous monster.


    Ron maintained his offensive, launching continuous fire attacks enhanced by Nia''s currents. The surface of the Stone Lurker began to show signs of heating, acquiring a reddish tone in some areas. Small cracks appeared where the heat was most intense, suggesting a potential vulnerability.


    "Keep it up!" Ron encouraged his companions, his voice hoarse from the exertion. "It''s weakening!"


    But Ren could see what Ron ignored. The beast wasn''t weakening; it was retracting its blood to the center to maintain a stable body temperature. While the group spent their energy on attacks that generated minor damages¡­


    "It''s more concerned about the attacks from below," commented Ren.

 Chapter 266 - 266 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 4

    The battle stretched on longer than expected.


    Ron continued launching fire, but the flames, which initially appeared impressive, were now visibly smaller. His salamander''s iron rank wasn''t sufficient to maintain that level of attack for so long.


    What had begun as a confident display of power now revealed its limitations with each passing minute.


    Nia also showed signs of fatigue. Her wind control, crucial for enhancing Ron''s fire, became erratic. Her previously precise gestures grew sloppy. Sweat streaked her face, plastering strands of her reddish hair to her forehead.


    Gulhan''s mole, perhaps the most affected, emerged with decreasing frequency. His attacks from the tunnels, initially precise, now seemed disorganized.


    To gain more time and recover, instead of frontal attacks, they began moving in a circular pattern, constantly surrounding the platform and attacking the beast in small bursts.


    Gulhan no longer attempted direct attacks from below. Instead, he created strategic tunnels around the monster, weakening the ground beneath its feet and only attacking when the Big Lurker stepped on one of them.


    It was a strategy that the auxiliaries controlling the roots to avoid hindering the mole found annoying.


    Nia concentrated her wind gusts only at the moment of impact, timing them with Ron''s attacks to maximize their effect while conserving energy.


    Ron, abandoning the constant fireballs, now generated more concentrated and sporadic flames. Each blast was carefully timed, aimed at areas already weakened by previous attacks.


    "Better," Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing as approval. "Though I''m not sure if their stamina will be enough in the end..."


    The new strategy began showing results. The Stone Lurker, though still formidable, could no longer advance with the same speed. One of its front legs moved with difficulty, affected by the concentrated heat on that side.


    But time worked against them. After almost twenty minutes of combat, exhaustion was evident in all three students. Gulhan could barely keep his beast manifested. Nia breathed with difficulty, her wind gusts increasingly weak.


    Even Ron, whose initial confidence had seemed unshakable, showed signs of extreme fatigue. His salamander scales, partially deactivated, barely maintained a faint glow on his arms.


    "They won''t make it," Taro murmured, leaning forward with tension, his hands gripping his knees tightly.


    The Big Stone Lurker, sensing its opponents'' weakness, began moving with renewed aggression. Twice it nearly caught Nia and Ron, saved at the last instant by their teammates'' intervention.


    "One last charge!" Ron shouted, his voice hoarse from effort and heat. "Everything you''ve got!"


    It was a desperate move, but they had no alternative. Their endurance was depleting faster than the monster''s defenses.


    The team lured the beast toward a large trap that Gulhan had gradually created. The ground was honeycombed with tunnels, a fragile lattice designed to collapse under the creature''s weight. They moved with surprising synchronization despite their exhaustion, herding the monster toward the center of the weakened zone.


    When they finally managed to make the Big Stone Lurker fall into it and teeter on the verge of toppling over...


    Gulhan''s mole emerged directly beneath the Stone Lurker, not to attack, but to create a fulcrum. Using his last reserves of strength, he pushed upward, partially lifting the beast and exposing its belly.


    Nia, drawing on reserves she didn''t know she possessed, generated the largest air current of the combat, directing it like a cyclone toward the exposed point.


    Ron, his salamander glowing one last time with intensity, channeled all his remaining fire toward the same target.


    The combined impact resonated throughout the arena. An explosion of fire, wind, and rock fragments temporarily blinded the spectators.


    When visibility returned, the Stone Lurker lay on its side, motionless. A smoking hole in its belly revealed the internal crystalline core, the flesh around it charred and crumbling. Cracks spread across its entire body, some deep enough to expose the inner structure.


    The three students had collapsed as well, gasping for breath, completely exhausted.


    For an instant, silence dominated the arena. Then, gradually, applause began spreading among the audience, growing until it became an ovation.


    "Victory for A group''s Team One," announced Yang, his voice betraying a slight tone of surprise. "Time: twenty-three minutes, forty-two seconds."


    Ron, despite his exhaustion, managed to raise a fist in triumph. His companions could barely sketch smiles of relief. Their chests heaved with desperate breaths, but pride shone in their eyes.


    Auxiliaries and medics quickly entered the arena, attending to the exhausted students while others began removing the remains of the Stone Lurker. Green healing energy glowed around the medics'' hands as they assessed the team''s condition.


    "Impressive, considering how long they maintained that mana expenditure," Liu commented, nodding appreciatively.


    "But too confident," Ren observed, his eyes still analyzing the aftermath. "They underestimated the resistance of a real Bronze rank... I don''t understand why they hate weapons so much."


    While observing how the medical team helped the victorious but depleted students leave the arena, Ren couldn''t help smiling.


    "But that was just the first one," he murmured to himself. "The show''s barely beginning."


    In the stands, murmurs and analysis spread like wildfire. Opinions, criticisms, and praise mingled as the first students from higher years who had already overcome their challenges evaluated the performance.


    "Team One of group B, prepare to enter in three minutes," the announcement resonated.


    ????


    The auxiliaries worked with efficiency, repairing the arena floor while others brought in a new Big Stone Lurker for the next combat.


    "Prepare to enter," announced Yang, his voice echoing throughout the stadium.


    "Here they come," Min murmured, leaning forward with interest, his amphibian briefly materializing on his shoulder from excitement. "Do you think our classmates will do better than Group A?"


    Ren nodded while observing Roran, Mira, and Trent walk toward the arena. Unlike the previous team, their body language showed nervousness. Their movements lacked Ron''s swagger, but there was determination in their squared shoulders.


    "I think this will be interesting," Ren commented.


    Roran led the group, his stocky figure imposing with the complete manifestation of his Troll Dog. Thick, greenish fur covered his arms and neck, and his teeth had elongated into small tusks. Beside him, the slender Mira adjusted the moss gloves that Ren had taught her to create to channel her Giant Rat''s power more quickly and easily. Trent, with his Fire Ant, studied the beast they would soon face.


    "Weapons?" offered the auxiliary, presenting the same arsenal that the previous team had rejected.


    Unlike Ron, Roran showed no disdain for the tools. After a moment of consideration, he selected a reinforced combat hammer, testing its weight. Mira chose a shovel, while Trent opted for a pickaxe, its point designed to find cracks in stone.


    "Good choice," Taro murmured. "The shovel and pickaxe can serve both for digging and striking."


    "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted.


    The roots receded, releasing the monster from its containment. The enormous creature stood motionless for a moment, its small eyes surveying the new challengers that faced it.


    The second battle had begun. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 267 - 267 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 5

    "Now!" Roran shouted. "Seeding formation!"


    Instead of attacking directly, Mira extended both hands toward the ground, channeling energy through her gloves.


    "Neutral pattern!" she directed as her mana traced a complex circle on the ground. Where her fingers touched, moss sprouted at a supernatural speed, expanding in precise spirals.


    Simultaneously, Trent invoked his fire ant. The creature materialized beside him, its exoskeleton gleaming like burnished copper in the arena light. Though only the size of a large dog, the ant''s mandibles looked capable of crushing stone, and heat shimmered around its body.


    "Curious beast," Liu commented. "Fire ants are rare. They''re not as powerful as salamanders in elemental control, but their endurance is remarkable. They''re highly valued because they can reach Silver 3, though it''s a shame they''re not specialists."


    Ren knew what Liu meant. The ant provided a 30% increase in strength and defense instead of a specialized increase in fire like the salamander''s. That''s why they called it a generalist. But he knew that like all beasts, Silver 3 was far from the actual limit.


    The Stone Lurker, apparently confused by the lack of direct attack, emitted a growl that resonated like crumbling rocks. It began advancing toward Mira, identifying her as the most vulnerable target as she crouched.


    "Watch out!" several students shouted from the stands, their voices merging into a single warning cry.


    But Mira didn''t seem concerned. Without interrupting her tracing, she continued expanding the moss. In the last second, when the Lurker was almost 3 meters away and its jaws seemed about to open, Roran intervened.


    His transformation was the most dramatic of the three. His muscle mass visibly increased, and his features took on a canine aspect, with prominent jaws and pointed ears.


    With a roar that blended human and animal, Roran hurled the hammer that struck the Lurker''s flank. The force of the impact, amplified by the 40% increase his beast granted him, momentarily destabilized the Stone Lurker, distracting it just enough for Mira to finish her pattern.


    "Ready!" she exclaimed, moving away from the area now covered in moss. "Trent!"


    The ant boy nodded, sending his beast to the edge of the moss circle. The creature scuttled forward obediently.


    "Wait," Min murmured, observing with growing interest. "What are they doing?"


    The moss began to change, its green tones acquiring reddish hues where Trent''s ant touched it. A reaction was occurring, one that shouldn''t be possible without...


    "The neutral mana pattern," Ren explained. "Mira can not only create moss that denies the passage of mana, she can also create moss that can adapt to other elemental energies. It''s something like when your snake changes the mana pattern to heal."


    While the Stone Lurker recovered from the destabilization, Mira ran to reposition herself and began frantically digging with her shovel.


    Trent and Roran moved to the flanks as the dog was summoned fully and sent next to the ant.


    Then, both Roran''s troll dog and Trent''s ant began devouring the moss that Mira had sown. The scene surprised many spectators; it was unusual to see beasts of different elements feeding on a magical resource, especially one of a different element.


    "What are they doing?" a nearby student murmured, incredulity in his voice. "Are they crazy?"


    "They''re not," Ren responded with quiet confidence. "They''re applying a synergy I taught them, one that few know about."


    The effect was immediate and striking. Roran''s troll dog, after consuming the moss, experienced a visible increase in muscle mass. Its claws grew and its fur acquired an unnatural sheen, almost metallic in quality.


    "The troll dog''s ability isn''t the bite as everyone believes since it''s strong," Ren explained, observing with satisfaction. "It''s actually the passive ''Glutton'', which doubles the effects of any food or medicine it consumes."


    Simultaneously, Trent''s ant also changed after ingesting the moss. Its reddish carapace acquired greenish streaks, and the small flames that occasionally emerged from its pincers intensified, acquiring an emerald tone. The creature''s size increased by nearly a third.


    The Stone Lurker, oblivious to its opponents'' transformation, continued its slow but relentless advance.


    "Phase two!" Roran indicated.


    Without further warning, his empowered troll dog began frantically digging in the ground. Its claws, strengthened by the moss effect, tore through the earth as if it were butter, quickly creating a tunnel that extended under the monster.


    At the same time, Trent''s ant also began excavating, but in the opposite direction, creating a second tunnel that would eventually meet the first.


    "They''re digging a trap," Min realized, his eyes bright with understanding. "Like the previous team."


    The Stone Lurker, sensing the vibrations beneath its feet, tried to turn away from the new threat to its belly. Its movement was heavy and slow, as if its entire mass resisted the change in direction.


    "The disadvantage of Big Stone Lurkers," Liu commented. "They can make surprisingly quick leaps forward, but turning costs them great effort."


    Taking advantage of this limitation, Mira began generating more moss at an accelerated rate where she had dug. Her giant rat worked tirelessly, consuming mana to produce more and more organic material.


    Underground, the troll dog and ant had completed their interconnected tunnels.


    "Ready for the final phase!" Roran announced.


    The trap was set. The tunnels formed a complex structure beneath the Stone Lurker, weakening the ground while saturating it with the moss that both the dog and ant transported in their mouths.


    "Collapse in three!" shouted Mira, running toward Roran to distance herself from the center and draw the beast. Her small form darted across the arena, deliberately catching the creature''s attention.


    The Stone Lurker, oblivious to the danger, followed her with single-minded determination.


    "Two!"


    Trent also joined them, completing their formation at a safe distance.


    "One!"


    The ground beneath the monster began to visibly give way. Cracks extended in a radial pattern, and the Stone Lurker emitted what could almost be interpreted as a sound of confusion.


    "Now!"


    Roran''s troll dog, still empowered by Mira''s moss mana, launched itself upward, emerging directly beneath the Stone Lurker.


    The impact was devastating. The doubly increased strength of Roran''s beast struck a specific point at the base of the monster.


    The Stone Lurker rose slightly, losing its balance. It teetered precariously, its massive bulk shifting as gravity worked against it.


    Trent slammed both hands against the ground, and his ant channeled an intense fiery discharge directly into the moss-filled tunnels. The reaction was immediate: the moss, prepared by Mira''s neutral pattern and strategically transported under the monster, ignited with explosive violence.


    The moss, modified by Mira''s neutral pattern and Trent''s elemental influence, erupted in flames that didn''t spread horizontally but ascended in a perfect cylinder. The Stone Lurker became trapped in a column of fire more intense than all of Ron''s attacks combined.


    "The furnace is ready!" exclaimed Trent, his voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. "Roran!"


    At this critical moment, Roran''s troll dog executed the final play. Emerging from a lateral tunnel they had kept sealed precisely for this purpose, it charged with all its enhanced strength directly against the already cracked base of the monster.


    The creature''s body had become a living battering ram, its every muscle straining toward this single, decisive impact.


    The chain reaction was immediate. The crack expanded, heat penetrated the monster''s interior, and with a thunderous boom that resonated throughout the stadium, the Big Stone Lurker fragmented from within. S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In the center of the arena, where the monster had stood, now remained only its exposed crystalline core and a pile of debris. Steam rose from the shattered remains, carrying the scent of hot stone and burned earth.


    The silence that followed was broken by an ovation even more enthusiastic than the previous one. Even upper-year students rose to their feet, applauding the strategy they had witnessed.


    "Victory for Team One of Group B," announced Yang, not attempting to hide his impressed tone. "Time: seven minutes, eleven seconds."


    Unlike the previous team, Roran, Mira, and Trent didn''t collapse exhausted. Tired, yes, but still able to stand and acknowledge the applause with grateful gestures.


    "That was a brilliant application," Liu commented, looking at Ren with renewed respect. "You taught them well."


    "Actually, I only pointed out some synergies that already existed," Ren responded, modest but evidently satisfied. "They developed the strategy."

 Chapter 268 - 268 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 6 (Ineffective Purity)

    The applause for Roran, Mira, and Trent''s team continued as they left the arena. Their victory had set a high standard, especially considering they had defeated the monster in less time than Ron''s team, who possessed beasts widely considered superior.


    "The next combat will begin in three minutes," announced Yang, his voice cutting through the excited murmurs. "Team Two of Group A, prepare yourselves."


    "This organization is confusing," Min commented, studying the announcement board with furrowed brows. "Why not simply number the teams from one to sixteen?"


    "Tradition," Liu replied with a shrug. "Each group first competes with teams from their adjacent section to maintain competitiveness between classes. Someone told me that counting us together up to 16 would ''make us feel'' like one group."


    "What about your group, Liu?" Taro asked, looking around the crowded stands. "I thought they''d be with you." S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "You''re in Group D, right?" Ren also inquired.


    "Since we compete in another stadium, they''re waiting for their turn. They''re probably not even with our group, just like I''m not with them." Liu explained, a shadow briefly crossing his face before he masked it with indifference.


    "He prefers being with us," Min added in a low voice, leaning toward Ren and Taro. "Since he repeated a year, his classmates haven''t been... kind. I think the same goes for the other two on his team."


    The auxiliaries had finished preparing the arena for the next combat.


    A new Big Stone Lurker, almost identical to the previous one, waited motionless in the center like a natural rock formation.


    Team Two of Group A entered with expressions of forced determination. Two girls and a boy, all with air element beasts.


    "Weapons," offered the auxiliary, presenting the rack with tools.


    The three students exchanged glances and shook their heads, though there was hesitation in their movements.


    "We trust in our beasts," declared one of them, though her voice betrayed a certain uncertainty.


    What followed was sad to watch. The students attempted a mobility strategy, constantly running around the Stone Lurker, creating air blades and gusts that barely affected its rocky surface.


    Their beasts weren''t bad, but they lacked the necessary power to penetrate the monster''s defense. They attacked from different angles, trying to find a weak point, but with no apparent success.


    Each strike seemed to fade away against the creature''s stony hide, like waves breaking against a cliff.


    "They''re not causing any real damage," Taro observed after ten minutes of fruitless attempts.


    The Stone Lurker remained mostly unaffected, occasionally turning with its characteristic slowness to follow the students. Its mouth opened periodically, but the young tamers were agile enough to avoid its attacks.


    Five more minutes later, the situation hadn''t changed. The students showed obvious signs of fatigue, their attacks becoming less frequent and more desperate. Sweat streaked their faces, and their coordinated movements had deteriorated into individual, increasingly frantic efforts.


    Finally, Yang raised a hand.


    "Enough," he declared with a firm voice. "The trial concludes."


    The auxiliaries activated their containment abilities, restoring the barrier around the Stone Lurker, which didn''t even show significant marks after fifteen minutes of constant attacks.


    The creature settled back into immobility, looking almost exactly as it had at the beginning.


    "Team Two of Group A, you have failed to defeat the target," Yang announced, his tone neither harsh nor sympathetic. "However, you have demonstrated acceptable coordination and evasion technique. You will be evaluated on the obstacle course."


    The three students left the arena with downcast expressions, their shoulders slumped in defeat. One of the girls seemed on the verge of tears, though she struggled to maintain her composure.


    "They never had a chance," Min commented. "Three wind element beasts against a solid rock creature..."


    "The element wasn''t the only problem," Ren corrected. "It was their approach. There were many ways they could have used their beasts to win. They also seem unaware of two of their beasts'' abilities."


    "And they rejected the weapons," Min added. "At least they could have tried something different."


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms also pulsing with agreement.


    While the auxiliaries prepared the arena for the next combat, Ren observed Team Two of Group B waiting their turn. Hector, Vern, and Rosalind conversed with expressions of absolute confidence.


    "They''re still followers of Klein''s group after all this time," Taro observed, following Ren''s gaze. "But if you ask me... it seems like they don''t have another choice."


    "They''re from purist families," Min nodded. "Families under the Goldcrests... They''re among those who most believe that using weapons or tools is an admission of weakness. They only trust in the natural power of their beasts."


    "Team Two of Group B, prepare to enter," announced the auxiliary, his voice cutting through their conversation.


    Hector led his team toward the arena with an arrogant stride. His minotaur was fully manifested. Beside him, Vern also invoked his centaur. Rosalind completed the trio of 2-meter-tall beasts with her three-horned horse.


    "Very good-sized beasts with impressive strength for Iron rank," Taro commented, showing appreciation despite his dislike of their owners.


    "Tier 2, all three," Ren confirmed. "They offer 40% increases in their primary attributes." His mushrooms pulsed as he analyzed their mana signatures.


    When the auxiliary offered them weapons, Hector responded for all with a dismissive gesture, his nostrils flaring with disdain.


    "We are pure tamers," he declared, head held high. "We don''t need artificial trash."


    "Idiots," Min muttered under his breath.


    "The centaur and minotaur could have utilized weapons very effectively," Ren observed, shaking his head slightly. "Both beasts are excellent for combat with implements."


    "Why reject something that would give them an advantage?" Taro asked, genuinely confused.


    "Ego. They think they''re above others because they don''t use them," Min responded, rolling his eyes. "And they''re Klein''s followers. They wouldn''t dare contradict the group''s philosophy."


    The combat began with an impressive display of brute strength that drew gasps from the crowd.


    "Joint attack!" Hector roared.


    The beasts of all three charged simultaneously against the Stone Lurker from different angles. The impact was thunderous, reverberating through the arena.


    During the first few minutes, the strategy seemed promising. The powerful physical attacks of the three beasts generated visible cracks in the Stone Lurker''s surface. The minotaur''s horn thrusts, especially, seemed capable of penetrating the hard rocky shell.


    "Maybe they didn''t need weapons after all," Taro murmured, impressed despite himself.


    Ren shook his head, his eyes seeing what others missed.


    "Observe more carefully," he indicated. "The cracks are superficial. They''re not achieving much, just chiseling thin, external layers of the rock."


    Indeed, as the combat progressed, it became evident that the strategy had serious limitations. Although their beasts were Tier 2 and the Big Lurker Tier 1, the monster was a rank above and fully specialized in defense.


    What had initially looked like significant damage was revealed to be merely cosmetic as the creature continued to move with undiminished strength.


    The Stone Lurker, after absorbing the first impacts, began to react with more aggression. Its crystalline mouth opened completely, launching calculated bites that the students'' beasts barely dodged.


    Gradually, the movements of the three beasts lost precision and power. Their attacks, initially coordinated and powerful, became increasingly desperate and uncoordinated.


    "They''re getting exhausted," Min observed, leaning forward. "The complete manifestation abilities consume too much mana to use them this many times."


    By the ten-minute mark, the situation had changed dramatically. The Stone Lurker, apparently learning from the battle formations, began concentrating its attacks on Rosalind''s horse, the most defensively fragile of the three.


    "Watch out!" Vern shouted, trying to kick and deflect the attack with his centaur. His hooves struck the Stone Lurker''s flank but failed to divert its attention.


    Too late.


    The monster''s crystalline mouth closed around Rosalind''s horse. It didn''t do enough damage to break it in half, but enough to neutralize its manifestation. The beast flickered and partially dematerialized, its form becoming translucent as Rosalind cried out in pain and surprise.


    The spectators gasped collectively as the tide of battle shifted dramatically. What had begun as an impressive display of power was rapidly transforming into a demonstration of the limitations of brute force against a defensively superior opponent.

 Chapter 269 - 269 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 7 (Elemental Advantage)

    The three-horned horse disappeared with a flash, leaving Rosalind gasping and vulnerable. The sudden severing of the beast connection sent a shock through her system.


    "Rosalind, fall back!" Hector ordered, nearly dragging her to the edge of the arena.


    The minotaur charged again, its horns striking with renewed force. Several new cracks appeared on the Stone Lurker''s surface, but none deep enough to cause real damage.


    Each impact sent stone fragments flying, but the monster''s integrity remained largely intact.


    "They should change their strategy," Ren murmured. "Winning through frontal attacks would take nearly five times the energy they''ve spent so far... But they don''t even have half that remaining."


    Yet the team persevered with their original approach. Vern sent his centaur to execute quick charges, striking and retreating before the monster could respond. The beast''s hooves striking against the stone made strong thuds travel through the arena.


    By the fifteen-minute mark, his strength was also faltering. The centaur showed signs of fatigue, its movements becoming increasingly less fluid.


    The Stone Lurker, detecting the weakness, executed one of its characteristic short but surprisingly quick leaps. The huge creature seemed to defy gravity for a moment, all its bulk in a trajectory aimed directly at Vern''s beast.


    Before it could react, the monster''s mouth opened wide. Hector tried to intervene, but his minotaur, also exhausted, couldn''t reach them in time.


    A flash of light marked the moment when Vern''s centaur was neutralized by the attack. Vern cried out, dropping to one knee from the backlash of the connection disruption.


    "No!" exclaimed Hector, his frustration evident, face flushed with anger and desperation.


    Only he remained, facing a beast that barely showed signs of damage after more than a quarter-hour of constant attacks from all three beasts.


    But he didn''t surrender.


    With a roar that blended determination and desperation, the minotaur charged one last time. Its horns, directed toward one of the deepest cracks, struck with all the strength it had left.


    The impact created an explosion of rocky fragments. For a moment, it seemed he had managed to penetrate the defense, but when the dust settled, the Big Stone Lurker remained intact, protected by several deeper layers of rocky material.


    The crack had widened but failed to reach any vital area.


    Finally, Yang raised his hand.


    "Trial concluded," he declared. "The target has not been defeated."


    The auxiliaries reactivated the roots, containing the Stone Lurker while the students, exhausted and defeated, left the arena.


    "They had ways to win," Ren commented as he watched them exit.


    "But obviously they didn''t ask you," Min completed with an ironic smile, nudging Ren''s shoulder lightly.


    "They never would," added Taro, his beetle markings shifting slightly with his emotions. "They''re from Klein''s inner circle. They''d rather fail than accept advice from the ''mushroom boy''."


    Ren nodded, his expression neutral but his mushrooms pulsing with a rhythm that his friends now recognized as amusement. The soft glow ebbed and flowed like silent laughter.


    "Their loss," he said simply. "Each failure is a lesson for us."


    While the auxiliaries prepared the arena for the next combat, Ren continued observing, absorbing every detail, every strategy, every mistake.


    When his turn came, he would be more than prepared.


    ????


    The stands vibrated with the energy of dozens of simultaneous conversations. Students analyzed the battles they''d witnessed, debating strategies and predicting outcomes with passionate intensity.


    The first battles had established a clear pattern: brute force was ineffective against the Big Stone Lurker; strategy and exploitation of its specific weaknesses were necessary. This realization spread through the crowd, changing expectations for the upcoming matches.


    "Team Three of Group A, prepare to enter," announced the auxiliary, his voice cutting through the chatter.


    Three students advanced toward the arena. Unlike the previous teams, these seemed to have a well-defined plan from the beginning. Their movements were coordinated, their expressions focused rather than arrogant or uncertain.


    "I know the girl in the middle from my morning class," Min commented, leaning forward with interest. "She has a water undine, good for support but not for direct attack."


    "And the one on the left has an Earth Cricket according to the board," added Taro, squinting to see better. "But the third is..."


    "A fat roots dwarf Treant," Ren completed, his mushrooms pulsing with interest. "An uncommon plant beast. Its roots are exceptionally thick for its size."


    The three students took strategic positions around the Big Stone Lurker, maintaining a prudent distance. Like most students from previous teams, they didn''t fuse their beasts with their bodies but fully invoked them externally.


    The iron-rank dwarf treant appeared next to its tamer, a vegetal structure approximately one meter tall, with a thick, twisted trunk from which sprouted roots that seemed disproportionate to its size. Its "face," barely distinguishable as a collection of knots in the bark, emitted a creaking sound.


    Beside it, the iron-rank water undine took form, a small translucent female figure composed entirely of crystalline liquid that flowed in constant movement.


    The digger cricket completed the trio, a robust creature with enormous claws and black eyes adapted to darkness.


    "Phase one: terrain preparation," ordered the treant''s tamer, his voice calm and methodical.


    Immediately, the digger cricket launched itself toward the ground, disappearing beneath the surface with surprising speed.


    "I guess trapping it in a hole always works... They''re copying Ron and Roran''s teams'' strategy," Taro observed, folding his arms across his chest.


    "Yeah, but¡­ Not exactly," Ren corrected, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Watch what the undine is doing."


    The aquatic creature had begun generating a fine mist that spread across the arena floor, concentrating especially around the Stone Lurker. Where the mist touched the earth, it visibly darkened, becoming wet and more malleable. The packed dirt transformed gradually, from dusty firmness to damp clay.


    "They''re softening the terrain," Min realized, his eyes widening with understanding. "Facilitating both excavation and root penetration."


    The Stone Lurker, sensing the threat, began moving with its characteristic slowness. Its crystalline mouth opened, trying to reach the undine''s tamer, but she retreated agilely, maintaining her distance while her creature continued saturating the soil with moisture.


    Meanwhile, the dwarf treant had remained motionless, apparently accumulating energy. Its trunk pulsed with an increasingly intense glow, the bark seeming to breathe as it expanded and contracted rhythmically.


    "Phase two: extension," indicated its tamer when the cricket emerged briefly to confirm that the tunnels were complete.


    The undine directed its elemental energy straight to the treant, water flowing from its hands into the plant creature''s base. The connection formed a shimmering arc between them, power transferring visibly from one beast to the other.


    The transformation was immediate and remarkable. The dwarf treant''s roots began extending and branching with unnatural speed. Like vegetal serpents, they slid through the newly created tunnels, spreading outward in an expanding network beneath the arena floor. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Normally dwarf treants are very slow although their roots are very strong. But the moisture," Ren noted, observing how the undine continued feeding it with elemental water and keeping the soil saturated. "The water not only weakens the earth, it also allows the trent''s absorption ability to work faster. It''s a basic elemental synergy between wood and water, but doubly effective thanks to their specific passives."


    The Stone Lurker, though slow, wasn''t stupid. Sensing that the real danger came from underground, it began stomping the ground with its extremities, trying to collapse the tunnels and crush the invading roots.


    But it was too late...


    "Final phase: constriction!" shouted the treant''s tamer.


    The water undine suddenly submerged into the wet ground, disappearing from sight. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, the terrain around the Stone Lurker began to shake violently.


    In a perfectly orchestrated demonstration, dozens of massive roots simultaneously emerged from the ground, wrapping around the Stone Lurker and anchoring it in place. Other roots, thinner but equally strong, introduced themselves into the natural cracks in its rocky surface.


    The stone beast struggled against its vegetal bindings, its mouth opening completely in what almost seemed like a silent roar. But the roots, strengthened by water and nutrients from the earth, squeezed with immense force.


    "Crush it!" ordered the treant''s tamer with a firm voice, his hand closing into a fist to direct the final attack.


    The dwarf treant began contracting all its roots at once, exerting constant pressure from multiple angles. Its trunk shuddered with effort, the glow intensifying to almost blinding brightness.


    The sound was like a mountain splitting apart.

 Chapter 270 - 270 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 8

    Cracks spread across the entire surface of the Stone Lurker, connecting with each other and deepening with each passing second. The sound of stone giving way under tremendous pressure filled the arena, a symphony of destruction that held the audience captivated. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Finally, with a deafening boom, the Big Stone Lurker collapsed. Its core remained suspended in a network of roots, entrails, and debris before completely fading out.


    Silence fell over the arena, followed by enthusiastic applause. Even upper-year students who had finished their battles clapped with genuine appreciation for the strategy demonstrated.


    "Victory for Team Three of Group A," Yang announced, his voice carrying a hint of approval. "Time: Six minutes, forty-eight seconds."


    "They beat Roran''s time," Taro pointed out, impressed.


    "Elemental advantage," Ren nodded. "Plants naturally have superiority over rocks, especially when empowered by water. Their synergy was nearly perfect."


    While the auxiliaries cleaned the arena and prepared the next Stone Lurker, conversation in the stands intensified. Each battle revealed new strategies and possibilities, generating technical debates among students from different years. Animated discussions broke out as veteran students pointed out nuances that first-years had missed.


    "Team Three of Group B, prepare to enter," Yang announced.


    "Here they come," Min murmured, his expression tightening slightly.


    Jin, Kai, and Cass advanced toward the arena with the characteristic confidence of those who still considered themselves the elite of the first year. Jin, in particular, walked with an unmistakable air of superiority, his eyes occasionally drifting toward where Ren and his friends were seated.


    "Jin has evolved his beast," Ren observed, noticing the subtle differences in the aura surrounding the student. "It''s no longer a spirit tiger."


    "How can you tell?" asked Taro, narrowing his eyes to try to see what Ren perceived.


    "The mana pattern is a bit more complex," Ren replied, his mushrooms pulsing while analyzing. "He''s reached Bronze 1. It''s now a Greater Spirit Tiger."


    "So more first-years than our group have dared to evolve," Min muttered with suspicion. "His family must have their own cultivation technique if he didn''t wait to learn more before starting."


    The three students took positions in the arena. Unlike previous teams, they showed neither nervousness nor doubt. Every movement denoted absolute confidence.


    "Weapons?" offered the auxiliary, presenting the rack that had been repeatedly rejected throughout the day.


    Jin shook his head, an arrogant smile on his lips.


    "We don''t need them," he responded, looking directly at Ren, who was carrying his spear, while saying it. "My beast is enough."


    The challenge in his gaze was unmistakable, a direct message to the mushroom boy watching from the stands.


    Cass invoked her red eagle, a majestic creature with scarlet plumage that rose above the arena with powerful wing beats. Its wingspan was impressive, nearly twice the girl''s height, and its talons gleamed like polished daggers in the stadium light.


    Simultaneously, Kai manifested his green lizard. The greenish scales shimmered under the stadium lights, and its movement was fluid and fast.


    Jin, unlike his companions, did not invoke his beast externally. Instead, he began to merge with it. Black and blue markings appeared on his skin, forming patterns resembling those of a tiger. His eyes acquired a supernatural glow, and his hands partially transformed, developing translucent claws around them that seemed to be made of pure energy.


    "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted.


    The roots retracted, releasing the Stone Lurker from its containment. The massive creature stood motionless for a moment, as if assessing its new opponents.


    Instead of all attacking directly, only Kai''s green lizard launched itself toward the Stone Lurker, moving with surprising speed. It didn''t attempt to cause damage, simply scurrying around the monster, jumping on its surface and constantly provoking it.


    The Stone Lurker, confused by this elusive attacker, began to turn heavily, trying to follow the lizard.


    "The fast and defensive lizard is an effective distraction," commented Taro. "But what''s the real plan?"


    The answer came immediately. While the lizard kept the Stone Lurker occupied, Cass''s red eagle began generating air currents. Unlike previous teams that had tried to use wind as a weapon, Cass was employing it in a completely different way.


    "She''s creating a circuit," Ren observed, his eyes tracking the patterns forming in the air. "An accelerated wind path."


    Indeed, the currents formed a specific route that passed directly over the Stone Lurker and returned in a wide arc.


    "Now!" shouted Jin, crouching slightly in preparation.


    The red eagle intensified its wing beats, and the air currents captured Jin, propelling him at a dizzying speed along the circuit that Cass had created.


    "It''s accelerating him quite a bit," Min murmured, fascinated despite his antipathy toward Jin. His eyes widened as he tracked Jin''s increasing velocity.


    Jin followed the air circuit. When he passed near the Stone Lurker, which was still distracted by Kai''s lizard, he struck it before exiting the monster''s attack range.


    The impact was extraordinary. Jin''s spiritual claws penetrated the rocky surface of the monster as if it didn''t exist. They didn''t cause large visible cracks, but seemed to pass through matter itself. Where they connected, the stone briefly glowed with an eerie blue light.


    "Spirit Wave," Ren recognized. "The new ability of the Greater Spirit Tiger. It can ignore physical defenses and attack directly the interior."


    Jin landed gracefully on the other side of the Stone Lurker, which had gone completely still. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, a thin beam of light emerged from the exact point where Jin had struck, rapidly expanding inside the stone beast.


    The team repeated the attack several times... A hit-and-run strategy that kept them safely beyond the Stone Lurker''s reach while systematically targeting its vulnerable internal structures.


    With one last, weak growl, the Big Stone Lurker collapsed.


    Unlike previous defeats, where the creature broke apart dramatically, this one simply seemed to lose all its strength and turn off.


    The total time: barely five minutes.


    An incredulous silence dominated the stadium before applause erupted.


    "Victory for Team Three of Group B," announced Yang. "Time: five minutes, twelve seconds. A new record for this battle week of the first years."


    Jin, Kai, and Cass accepted the ovation with confident smiles. Before leaving the arena, Jin looked directly at Ren, his expression halfway between challenge and mockery. The message was clear: Beat that if you can.


    "The ability to ignore defense is very useful," Taro admitted reluctantly, remembering their old confrontation. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists at the memory.


    Ren remained silent, his mushrooms pulsing with a steady rhythm. His face betrayed no emotion, but the light from his mushrooms intensified slightly.


    "Ren?" Min finally asked, concern edging into his voice. "What do you think?"


    A slight smile appeared on Ren''s lips as he watched Jin and his team leave the arena amid applause. It wasn''t a smile of worry or resignation.


    "I think," he responded quietly, "that it''s good to see all the cards on the table."


    His mushrooms suddenly glowed with a more intense pulse, as if responding to some internal resolution.


    "Our turn will come," he added. "And we have a surprise or two of our own to show. Right?"

 Chapter 271 - 271 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 9

    The auxiliaries worked quickly to remove the Big Stone Lurker defeated by Jin''s team.


    In the stands, even more students from all years, now free from their own trials, discussed the strategy employed with growing enthusiasm. Many scribbled notes in their journals, sketching movement patterns or writing down tactical observations.


    Liu had departed before Team Four of Group A entered combat. It wasn''t disinterest that motivated him, but quite the opposite: an opportunity he couldn''t afford to miss.


    "Where are you going?" Min had asked upon seeing him rise from his seat.


    "To the north stadium," Liu responded. "It''s gonna be Zhou Liwei''s turn soon."


    The name sparked a flash of recognition in Ren''s gaze.


    "The one with the Silver Steator Vulture," he commented, his mushrooms pulsing with that particular rhythm that appeared when he discussed beast synergy. "Good idea. His approach to combat must be similar to what I suggested for you."


    Liu nodded, grateful for his friend''s understanding.


    "I''ll be back for your combat," he promised before hurrying toward the exit.


    ????


    "Team Four of Group A, prepare to enter," announced the auxiliary, his voice cutting through the excited discussions.


    Three students advanced toward the arena, their expressions mixing determination and nervousness like almost all who had come before them. They possessed earth and water beasts, a combination that had already demonstrated certain effectiveness against the monster.


    Especially the digging beast, whose claws could potentially penetrate the Stone Lurker''s less resistant underbelly.


    "They don''t have the plant element to exploit the advantage," observed Taro as the students took positions.


    "But the combination of their beasts could be sufficient if executed correctly," Ren responded.


    When the combat began, the team implemented a strategy similar to what they had seen work: the earth beast began digging tunnels beneath the Big Stone Lurker, while the aquatic creatures saturated the ground with moisture to soften it and then began to restrain the enormous beast.


    During the first ten minutes, the strategy seemed promising. The constant skirmishes of the digger and the water erosion began weakening the Stone Lurker''s base, creating cracks in its belly.


    "They seem close," Taro murmured, leaning forward with interest. "They just need a little more time."


    But time proved to be precisely what they lacked. At the twelve-minute mark, the water beasts began showing obvious signs of exhaustion.


    "They''re losing momentum," Min observed.


    "They should have concentrated on a single point or used all their abilities," Ren commented. "They''re dispersing their efforts too much and don''t seem to know their beasts that well."


    As if the Stone Lurker sensed its opponents'' weakness, it executed a devastating attack at exactly the right moment.


    "Watch out for its crushing move!" Ren shouted from the stands, recognizing the monster''s stance shift.


    But the warning came too late. As the mole emerged to conduct another skirmish, the Big Stone Lurker struck the ground with brutal force. The impact was a direct hit that eliminated the digger underground.


    The two remaining tamers tried to regroup, directing their creatures in one last coordinated effort.


    But the Stone Lurker could no longer receive sufficient damage.


    Without the ability to continue weakening the structure from below, the water beasts couldn''t maintain their offensive. After three more attempts that only slightly widened existing cracks, Yang finally raised his hand.


    "Enough," he declared. "The trial concludes."


    "Victory for the Big Stone Lurker," Lin announced. "Team Four of Group A, although you didn''t defeat the target, you managed to cause significant damage. You will be evaluated accordingly."


    The students left the arena with expressions of disappointment but also determination. They had been close, and everyone knew it.


    "Almost," Taro sighed. "If they hadn''t gotten desperate with their digger, maybe they would have succeeded."


    "They wouldn''t have had so many problems if they had changed their approach," added Ren. "They scattered their attacks instead of concentrating on a single vulnerable point."


    The auxiliaries worked again, preparing the arena for the next combat. A new Stone Lurker waited, seemingly identical to the previous ones.


    "Team Four of Group B, prepare to enter," announced the auxiliary.


    Han, Jun, and Sora advanced toward the arena. Unlike previous teams, they showed a peculiar cohesion: Han maintained a certain physical distance from his companions, but his movements were clearly coordinated with theirs.


    ????


    Moments earlier...


    Liu was departing, so he nodded gratefully for his friend''s understanding.


    "I''ll be back for your combat," he promised before hurrying toward the exit.


    The corridors between stadiums were relatively empty, most students focused already on the highest level battles, the new students or their respective trials.


    Liu advanced quickly, his banshee hyena partially manifesting in his legs to enhance his speed even further.


    He had carefully studied the matchups. Fortunately, his turn was the last in his group, giving him this precious window of opportunity. Moreover...


    He knew Zhou Liwei would soon fight.


    The battle he was about to witness could offer invaluable lessons about the potential of his own beast combination. His heart raced with anticipation, not just from the physical exertion.


    The north stadium, reserved for upper-year students, was considerably larger than the one designated for first-years. The stands rose higher, the protective barriers were visibly more robust, and the arena itself showed signs of more intense combat: partially repaired craters, burn marks, and residual crystallizations from previous battles.


    Liu found a seat in the lower stands, where younger students typically gathered to observe their seniors. The stadium was approximately at half capacity, with scattered groups of students discussing strategies and analyzing previous battles. Their conversations were more technical, their gestures more precise as they debated advanced techniques.


    "Team Three of Group D, prepare to enter," announced an auxiliary with an amplified voice.


    He had arrived early; the seventh-year battles seemed to take a bit longer. Liu watched the battle, which fortunately took only 15 minutes. And finally...


    Liu''s heart accelerated with anticipation. It was Zhou Liwei''s team''s turn.


    Three seventh-year students advanced toward the arena with the characteristic confidence of experienced tamers. Their uniforms had different colored lines than Liu''s and bore silver insignias; one of them even displayed a gold emblem that caught the light with each movement.


    Zhou Liwei stood out even among his advanced-level companions...


    Tall, with a slender but evidently strong build, he moved with a grace that suggested years of intensive physical training. His Silver Steator Vulture was partially manifested, giving him distinctive features: feathers integrated with his hair, ears with a singular shape, and skin with a silvery undertone.


    His companions, though less striking, were equally impressive.


    The first, a girl with short hair and a serious expression, wielded a Major Digger Cricket at Bronze 2 level.


    The second, a well-built young man with visible scars on his exposed arms, displayed a Deep Menace, the third evolution of the digger mole, already at Silver 1 level.


    "Interesting composition," murmured a fifth-year student seated near Liu. "Two diggers and a sound master. Containment and destruction strategy."


    "Containment?" asked another, apparently less familiar with advanced combat.


    "Watch and learn," responded the first. "The diggers don''t just move earth; they control it. They''ll create a distraction so Zhou''s attack can be maximized, and by staying hidden, there won''t be any friendly fire."


    Liu listened attentively, absorbing every detail. Each fragment of information was valuable.


    In the arena, preparations took on a much more serious aspect than in first-year trials. Professors specialized in containment reinforced the barriers with higher-rank beasts. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "That''s not a Big Stone Lurker," Liu noted with surprise. The creature emerging in the center of the arena was considerably larger and more imposing.

 Chapter 272 - 272 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 10 (Shared Knowledge)

    "That''s not a Big Stone Lurker," Liu noted with surprise.


    "First time observing advanced trials?" asked a sixth-year student who had sat down next to him, her tone friendly.


    Liu nodded, not taking his eyes off the arena.


    "Stone Mountain," she explained. "The natural evolution of the Big Lurker, already at Silver 1 level. When you advance to fifth year or obtain a Bronze 2 beast, you face a Lesser Stone Mountain. But these are seventh-years with Silver beasts, so they fight against a complete Stone Mountain."


    Liu processed the information, mentally comparing the dimensions. The Stone Mountain must have measured at least six meters in height, with proportionally greater mass. Its surface displayed crystalline formations that suggested increased resistance.


    "And that''s not all... In seventh year we have to face two types of trials," continued the student, apparently pleased to share her knowledge. "The Stone Mountain tests our ability to overcome formidable defenses, while the Greater Giant Toad of Silver 1 rank evaluates our skill against agile and aggressive opponents. They can choose the order, but they must complete both to advance to eighth grade."


    "Which is more difficult?" asked Liu, unable to contain his curiosity.


    The student considered the question.


    "Depends on your specialty. For defensive beasts, the Mountain is a headache. For offensive ones, the Toad can be a nightmare."


    The conversation was interrupted when the final barriers were deactivated.


    The three tamers took strategic positions around the Stone Mountain, maintaining a perfect triangular formation. Unlike first-year students, there was no nervousness or doubt in their movements, only mechanical precision born from countless hours of practice.


    At an imperceptible signal between them, they fully invoked their beasts.


    The Major Digger Cricket appeared first: an impressive creature that combined insect characteristics with adaptations for underground excavation. But it looked much larger and more resilient than its iron rank version.


    The Deep Threat emerged next: an evolved version of the digger mole, also larger and evidently more powerful. Its fur, a brown so dark it seemed almost black, absorbed light instead of reflecting it.


    Zhou Liwei didn''t perform an invocation. Unlike his companions, he maintained his beast''s fusion with his body.


    "Beginning in three, two, one..." counted the supervising professor.


    The barriers dissipated, releasing the Stone Mountain.


    The reaction was immediate and perfectly coordinated. Without needing verbal communication, the tamers of the diggers directed their beasts toward opposite positions. The Cricket and the Deep Threat simultaneously submerged themselves in the arena, disappearing beneath the surface with impressive speed.


    Liu could see something that many other spectators missed: the diggers weren''t leaving open tunnels behind them. They meticulously closed every inch of the path traveled, compacting the earth as they passed.


    ''Are they generating a barrier against sound?'' Liu wondered.


    The surface around the Stone Mountain began to ripple, as if the earth itself were breathing.


    The earth control exercised by the two digging creatures was much more sophisticated than anything Liu had observed in first year.


    The Stone Mountain, however, was not a passive opponent. Its Silver 1 rank granted it elemental control that rivaled that of its attackers. The stone beast began emitting its own vibrations, countering the underground movements with pulsations that stabilized the ground beneath its feet.


    The underground battle quickly escalated in intensity. Shock waves began emanating from the center of the arena, so powerful that earth-element auxiliaries had to intervene, neutralizing the vibrations before they affected the stadium''s structure.


    And while this was happening, Zhou Liwei remained absolutely motionless, his eyes closed, his wing-arms extended horizontally, in what appeared to be a deep trance.


    "He''s preparing," commented the sixth-year student, her voice dropping to a respectful whisper. "The signature technique of the Silver Steator Vulture."


    Liu, using his own bat''s perception, managed to see what remained invisible to most: sound waves, at frequencies inaudible to the human ear, emanating from Zhou Liwei in precise circular patterns.


    The waves bounced off each other. Each rebound increased their intensity, each reflection concentrated them more, gradually forming an invisible sonic dome of energy around the tamer.


    "It''s brilliant," Liu murmured, suddenly understanding the strategy.


    At that moment, Zhou Liwei opened his eyes. A supernatural silver glow emanated from them.


    With a fluid movement, like a conductor orchestrating a silent symphony, Zhou directed all the accumulated energy toward the Stone Mountain.


    The impact was devastating.


    A wave of concentrated sound, invisible but of undeniable power, struck the Stone Mountain''s surface at a specific point. The rock, seemingly impenetrable, turned to almost sand and instantly developed a perfect hole, as if it had been drilled.


    Without stopping, Zhou began launching successive attacks, each directed at the same point on the Mountain.


    The diggers, meanwhile, maintained their control over the terrain, ensuring that the Mountain couldn''t stabilize or counter the attacks.


    Liu watched in amazement. It was like witnessing a perfectly executed dissection. Each sonic attack created new cracks, each vibration further destabilized the Stone Mountain''s structure.


    "Offensive echolocation," Liu murmured, finally understanding.


    It was exactly what Ren had suggested for his own beast combination: using his bat''s echolocation not just for detection but for attack, while his banshee hyena amplified the effect.


    In less than five minutes, the Stone Mountain, a beast that normally required prolonged efforts to defeat, had been reduced to crystalline fragments. Its core, exposed and vulnerable, pulsed weakly before completely shutting down.


    The victory was indisputable.


    "Impressive, isn''t it?" commented the sixth-year student, applauding along with the rest of the stadium.


    Liu nodded, too impressed to respond verbally. The battle had shown him brilliant possibilities for his own beast combination.


    As he watched Zhou Liwei and his team leave the arena, amid ovations and recognition from their peers, Liu felt a renewed determination strengthening within him.


    Now he better understood what Ren had tried to explain to him.


    "I have to go back," he finally said, standing up. "My friends are waiting for me."


    "First year?" asked the student, with a friendly smile.


    "Second, repeater," Liu responded, expecting the usual look of disdain that typically accompanied that admission.


    Instead, the student nodded understandingly.


    "Sometimes it takes time to find the right path," she commented. "Good luck in your battles, colleague."


    Liu thanked her with a nod and headed toward the exit, his mind still processing everything he had witnessed.


    ????


    "Interesting combination," commented Liu, who had returned from observing the high-level combat. "Han''s weaver spider, Jun''s monkey, and Sora''s deer."


    "Has Han been practicing with them?" asked Min, concerned. "Sora told me he still kept his distance from the group."


    "He does," confirmed Ren, watching attentively. "Or so I was told... But Jun and Sora have been practicing on their own since I showed them some... peculiarities of their beasts." S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 273 - 273 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 11

    In the arena, the three students invoked their creatures.


    Han''s weaver spider emerged first: a creature the size of a large dog, with a white exoskeleton and eight gleaming eyes.


    Jun''s monkey manifested in his body, covering him with reddish-brown fur, making his arms longer and all his muscles grow. They still weren''t particularly large, but they clearly indicated considerable strength. His posture also changed subtly, becoming more primal and balanced.


    Finally, Sora invoked her deer: an elegant animal with pale bronze fur and branching antlers.


    "Weapons?" offered the auxiliary.


    Unlike many previous teams, all three responded affirmatively, each selecting a heavy hammer from the available arsenal. The weapons looked almost comically large in their hands, especially in Sora''s slender grip.


    The choice provoked murmurs of surprise among the students. Hammers were powerful but difficult to handle, especially for first-year tamers with beasts that weren''t specialized in physical strength.


    The only exception being Han¡­


    "An unconventional approach," commented Liu. "Especially for Sora. Her deer should give her good advantage in agility, but low enhancements in everything else, particularly in strength."


    "The deer isn''t that simple," replied Ren, a slight smile forming on his lips. "Watch the fur."


    Indeed, as they prepared to begin, the deer''s fur began to change subtly, acquiring greenish tones while small buds appeared with increasing frequency along its flanks and back.


    Liu, Min, and Taro couldn''t understand what they were seeing. Weren''t deer neutral speed beasts? they wondered.


    "Spring coat," Ren murmured with satisfaction. "Most believe the deer is a neutral element, but it''s actually a wood beast in hibernation. With the correct mana pattern..."


    The barrier receded, releasing the Big Stone Lurker. Immediately, the three tamers executed movements that evidenced previous practice.


    Han directed his spider toward the right flank, where the creature quickly began weaving a web. The threads, surprisingly strong, extended in a pattern designed to limit the monster''s movement.


    Simultaneously, Sora and her deer positioned themselves on the opposite flank. The deer, whose coat now clearly showed its element, began emitting an aura that seemed to interact directly with the rocky surface of the Big Stone Lurker.


    Where the aura touched stone, small fissures appeared.


    Jun remained in the center, fused with his monkey and watching attentively while holding his hammer in a defensive position. Unlike his companions, he seemed to be waiting for something specific.


    The Big Stone Lurker, confused by the attack from multiple angles, turned heavily trying to face the most obvious threat: Han''s spider, whose threads were beginning to limit its mobility. The creature''s slow movements only served to entangle it further in the sticky strands.


    "Phase one complete," announced Han with a calm but firm voice.


    The weaver spider, responding to some invisible signal, intensified its weaving, focusing on the monster''s strange legs. Each movement of the monster only managed to entangle it more in the silk trap.


    "Now, Sora!" Han indicated.


    Sora''s deer charged directly toward the Big Lurker, its antlers glowing with green energy. The creature moved with unexpected speed, crossing the distance in a blur of motion.


    The impact produced a vibrant sound. The antlers fixed to the stone, and the deer began absorbing pulses of energy that seemed to flow directly from inside the Big Lurker. The stone around the contact point began to crack and weaken even more.


    "It''s absorbing its vitality," Ren explained to his companions. "Its wood element ability can absorb energy from earth and rock."


    While Sora and Han''s beasts kept the creature occupied, Han and Sora approached Jun and began hitting him with light blows to his back.


    "What are they...?" Taro began to ask.


    "Watch the monkey''s fur," Ren indicated.


    Jun had subtly changed. His fur, previously a uniform tone, now showed more intense reddish patches, and his eyes shone with an almost red glow. His muscles tensed visibly with each breath.


    "Rage Mode," Ren explained. "An ability that allows the monkey to temporarily amplify its strength at the cost of slightly less control if you use the correct mana pattern."


    Jun, now holding the hammer as if it weighed nothing, nodded to his companions. He was the only beast fused in the arena: Jun''s muscles were now visibly expanded, and a reddish energy began emanating from his body.


    "Final phase!" Han shouted.


    Jun charged toward the Stone Lurker, hammer raised high.


    The first impact was devastating.


    The hammer struck exactly where the deer''s antlers had weakened the monster''s structure. Cracks spread across the entire surface of the Big Stone Lurker. The sound of stone fracturing filled the arena.


    The hammer, however, didn''t withstand the impact. It broke cleanly, the handle separating from the head with an audible crack. The metal head remained embedded in the stone creature while the wooden shaft splintered in Jun''s hands.


    In a coordinated effort, Sora and Han threw him a second hammer. The weapon spun through the air in a perfect arc.


    Without losing momentum, Jun spun to catch it and launched the second blow. This hit the same area, deepening the monster''s cracks. But like the previous one, this hammer also broke from the force of the impact, its metal warping before giving way.


    Sora and Han quickly provided the last hammer, tossing it in perfect sync.


    For the third blow, Jun concentrated all the energy of Rage Mode. His fur glowed brighter, and his muscles bulged further.


    The final impact resonated throughout the stadium. The hammer, unlike the previous ones, completely broke through the Big Stone Lurker''s defense.


    Sora''s deer charged with more intensity, attacking the now defenseless point and absorbing more vitality. The antlers plunged deeper into the creature''s body, drawing out its essence with increasing speed.


    With the monster vulnerable, the battle tipped in favor of the students.


    After a short time, with a sound reminiscent of a house collapsing, the Big Stone Lurker disintegrated. Jun remained attacking at the front until the end, now panting but victorious, the third hammer deformed but still unbroken in his hands.


    The ovation was immediate.


    "Victory for Team Four of Group B," announced Yang, genuinely impressed. "Time: eight minutes, twenty-three seconds."


    "Impressive," Liu murmured, looking at Ren with new respect. "You taught them well."


    "Only Jun and Sora," Ren corrected. "Han would still flee and not let me approach him."


    "But he still fit perfectly into the strategy," Min observed. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing with a rhythm that his friends now associated with satisfaction.


    "Han is intelligent," he responded simply. "He knows how to recognize a good strategy when he sees it."


    As the three tamers left the arena, Han briefly looked toward where Ren was seated. Ren returned the gaze with a slight nod. It was a small advance, but significant.

 Chapter 274 - 274 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 12 (Efficient Nobility)

    The fifth team of group A entered the arena with evident confidence.


    The three students, with two wood beasts and one water beast, took advantage of the elemental advantage similar to the third team. Although they only had Iron-level creatures, the combination proved devastating for the Big Stone Lurker.


    The wood element systematically absorbed the vitality of the rocky monster while the water beast enhanced the plants'' power.


    The battle, relatively easy and straightforward, lacked the surprise factor or strategy that previous combats had shown.


    "Victory for Team Five of Group A," announced Yang when the beast finally died. "Time: five minutes, thirty-two seconds."


    "They almost matched Jin''s time," Min commented.


    "Almost," Taro emphasized. "Jin keeps the record by twenty seconds."


    Ren observed with an unsatisfied expression. "The elemental advantage was significant. They could have easily surpassed Jin, but their execution was mediocre."


    Liu nodded. "Even if your element is favorable, you''ll get into trouble one day if you don''t understand how to maximize its advantage."


    The auxiliaries worked hurriedly to prepare the arena for the next combat. The audience, now fully engaged in the competition, animatedly speculated about the strategies they would see next.


    But they knew nothing¡­


    "Team Five of Group B, prepare to enter," announced the auxiliary.


    A murmur of anticipation ran through the stands. The approaching team wasn''t just any team.


    "It would be funny to see what the spectators would do if they knew she was the princess," Min murmured.


    Liora, Larissa, and Maria advanced toward the arena with the characteristic grace of their aristocratic upbringing. Unlike most previous teams, they showed neither nervousness nor bravado, only serene determination.


    "Something has changed," observed Ren, noticing subtle differences in how they moved, especially Liora. "There''s less... restraint."


    Since the attacks, Selphira Ashenway and the castle had changed their approach and increased security measures at the academy. sea??h th§× N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As a result, they had finally allowed the girls to use their beasts openly.


    Of course, only their normal beasts... They still didn''t know they were doubles.


    "Are they going to..." Ren murmured.


    Larissa was the first to invoke her beast. Her mineral fairy, normally barely visible as a subtle glow, emerged completely: an ethereal creature approximately twenty centimeters tall, with crystalline wings and a body that seemed like solid mineral brought to life.


    Liora followed, summoning her will-o''-wisp. Unlike normal flames, this entity seemed conscious, an amalgamation of bluish lights that danced around its tamer with movements that suggested intelligence. Occasionally, small sparks separated from the main body, orbiting around it before reincorporating.


    Maria completed the trio with her armadillo, a compact creature about one meter tall but evidently resilient, whose segmented shell gleamed with a metallic luster under the light.


    But everyone knew about Maria''s armadillo...


    "Those are two rare Tier 3 beasts," murmured a seventh-year student to his companions. "Like the Starweaver girl''s shadow wolf."


    The crowd began talking all at once. The shock was evident.


    "Fifty percent in primary enhancements!" someone from sixth year shouted, evidently familiar with the classification.


    "That''s impossible!" replied another. "Two more beasts with gold potential from the same first-year group?!"


    "Wait, the Will-o''-wisp is controlled by the Ashenways!" responded a third. "The mineral fairy by the castle... Royal Blood and Ashenway... Obviously they would have tier-3 beasts!"


    Professor Yang raised a hand, silencing the growing commotion. "Order in the stands."


    This quieted the shouts but intensified the murmurs. It wasn''t just that they had powerful beasts, but the implications of having them.


    "Weapons?" offered the auxiliary, presenting the usual arsenal.


    To the surprise of many, especially those familiar with aristocratic traditions and their disdain for those "ordinary plebeian" tools, the two cousins nodded.


    "The ''princesses'' using weapons?" The shock in the voice of the student seated in front of Ren was evident. "Since when does royalty lower themselves to use those sticks?"


    "We brought our own," responded Larissa, extracting an object wrapped in cloth from Maria''s hands.


    When she unwrapped the fabric, murmurs of amazement were inevitable. In her hands, she held a rudimentary spear whose tip was not metal, but a pearlescent material that emitted a soft golden glow.


    The shape and texture made its origin clear to anyone with basic knowledge of mythical beasts.


    "A F**KING QILIN HORN!" someone shouted, unable to contain themselves.


    "It has to be fake!"


    "It''s the royal family, idiot! They have Qilins!"


    Liora unsheathed her own weapon: an also rudimentary black sword that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.


    "Black Turtle," recognized the seventh-year student, in a tone that mixed disbelief and envy. "Shell point. Another family relic."


    The Will-o''-wisp gave Liora a 50% control in fire element and mana, with superior specialization than Ron''s salamander.


    Larissa had a 50% increase in Earth and vitality.


    Maria had 40% in defense.


    Even so, they wouldn''t have much advantage against the Big Stone Lurker, and initially planned to defeat it with lower quality weapons, made from Elephant Bull material that wouldn''t let their families be known.


    Although somewhat frowned upon, it served the objective of keeping their beasts hidden. But it wasn''t needed anymore¡­


    After revealing their beasts, they no longer needed nor planned to use their weapons... Or that would have been the case, but since they had been associating with Ren, they had largely lost their distaste for weapons.


    "Are those Gold-level materials?" Taro asked Ren.


    "Yes, but they''ve lost half their power," Ren murmured. "They might overcome Silver 2 defenses."


    "How is that possible... Do they tear them off?" Min asked.


    "Tearing them would run it¡­ They shed them after a few decades," Ren responded simply. "The Qilins shed their horns and the Black Turtles the central peak of their shell. They''re among the few beasts whose attack parts maintain sufficient power even after detaching. Most other materials only serve for cultivation if you don''t treat them like the tip of my spear."


    Maria completed the trio with a mace embedded with faintly glowing inlays. Though less spectacular than her companions'' weapons, it was clearly of superior manufacture compared to common tools.


    They weren''t very effective for Gold-rank parts, and the royal family and Ashenways didn''t have too many¡­ Qilins and Turtles rarely lost a horn or shell point. However, with these creatures being abundant in their families, they had enough to arm several dozen soldiers in extreme cases.


    Or lend to their kids¡­


    The weapons were quite rudimentary, as there wasn''t much weapons development in Yano, but they served their purpose when high-level soldiers who were better with their high Silver or Gold beasts weren''t sufficient, and they needed to arm Bronze-rank soldiers against abyssal hordes.


    Finally, the murmurs subsided.


    "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted.

 Chapter 275 - 275 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 13

    "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted.


    The containment retracted, releasing the Big Stone Lurker.


    The team deployed immediately.


    Maria and her armadillo took the frontal position, acting as the primary tank. The beast''s shell gleamed as it created a living shield that immediately drew the Stone Lurker''s attention.


    Simultaneously, Larissa executed a movement that left many spectators open-mouthed...


    She attacked instantly, appearing with a flash at the monster''s flank.


    "A spatial jump," murmured a sixth-year student with amazement. "If only I had a beast like that..."


    Larissa brought the Qilin horn at the tip of her spear to the side of the Big Stone Lurker. When she struck, the weapon pierced the rocky carapace as if it were soft clay, creating two perfectly circular holes. The horn''s glow intensified at the moment of impact, then faded to its previous soft radiance.


    It wasn''t a big attack in terms of size, but it had penetrated all the defensive layers in a single blow.


    Liora, meanwhile, executed her own version of the spatial jump, although her technique seemed slightly different, with a blue fire flare at the edges of the distortion. She reappeared on the opposite side of the monster, her Black Turtle sword tracing an elegant arc that cut cleanly through the rock.


    The Stone Lurker, irritated by receiving attacks from multiple angles, attempted to execute one of its characteristic short jumps to first bite Maria, who remained firmly in her frontal position.


    But it was then that Ren noticed something extraordinary.


    "They were anticipating the movement," he murmured, observing how Larissa and Liora diverted their weapons toward the monster''s hind legs, just before it finished accumulating energy to jump.


    Larissa''s negation of earth control also joined the effort.


    Because of all this, the Big Stone Lurker couldn''t gain enough momentum to lift its enormous body and generate its jump, interrupting the process before it could begin.


    "They''re reading its attack patterns perfectly," Ren continued, genuinely impressed. "They can see how it prepares to jump."


    This strategy allowed them to cancel each of the beast''s movements and at one point they would leave it immobile, effectively negating any counterattack it attempted.


    The girls inflicted small damage to the enormous monster with their weapons, but gradually accumulated it in a safe manner.


    Meanwhile, Liora''s will-o''-wisp had begun to divide into multiple smaller flames, each precisely directed toward the holes that the weapons had created in the monster''s surface.


    The visual effect captured the attention of all spectators.


    The bluish flames penetrated the interior of the Stone Lurker, illuminating it from within like a rocky lantern. Light escaped through each perforation, creating a pattern of blue dots across the creature''s surface.


    Maria, perfectly fulfilling her role as tank, kept the Big Stone Lurker trying to bite her; the monster focused on her while her companions continued their slow dismantling. Her armadillo''s shell absorbed each impact, its defensive capabilities clearly superior to what most first-years could muster.


    Larissa and Liora continued damaging the entire surface of the enormous monster, alternating positions through spatial jumps, each attack leaving another small internal space exposed. Their weapons left a pattern of perforations that seemed calculated while the will-o''-wisp continued degrading the monster''s interior.


    In just three minutes, the BIg Stone Lurker had been transformed into a hollow structure, internally illuminated by the ethereal flames.


    The huge beast disintegrated from within, collapsing into fragments blackened by the will-o''-wisp''s effort. The blue flames consumed it from the inside out, methodically destroying its internal structure.


    When the dust settled, only the crystalline core remained, completely extinguished, in the middle of a perfect circle of rocky fragments and charred remains.


    The almost reverential silence that followed was finally broken by Yang''s voice:


    "Victory for Team Five of Group B. Time: three minutes, two seconds."


    The applause began spontaneously, spreading throughout the stadium as students from all years recognized the revelation they had just witnessed.


    "They beat Jin," Min murmured, clearly satisfied. "By more than two minutes."


    Ren observed as the three nobles prepared to leave the arena, their beasts disappearing into their bodies with the same elegance with which they had been invoked.


    "They used concepts similar to those I suggested to them," he finally said. "But executed in an elegant and careful manner..."


    "Do you think they''ve been paying attention to your advice?" Taro asked.


    A slight smile appeared on Ren''s lips. "Let''s say mostly yes."


    "I see, but even if you told them various things, the execution... That is aristocratic efficiency," commented Taro, shaking his head slightly with reluctant admiration. "When they''re allowed to show their true level..."


    But he was interrupted by Larissa and Liora who exchanged a knowing look and pointed directly at Ren. Just before leaving the arena, both stopped and deliberately pointed toward the stands where Ren was seated. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The gesture was so obvious that dozens of heads turned simultaneously, following the direction of their fingers.


    "The mushroom boy?" asked one of the upper-year students with disbelief. "Why are they pointing at the poor unfortunate one? Can''t be a challenge so¡­ End his misery?"


    But the surprise was just beginning.


    From another side of the stadium, Han''s team, still celebrating their own victory, saw the gesture and responded by nodding and also pointing toward Ren. Roran and his group, seated nearby, also pointed at him, smiling in recognition.


    The murmurs spread like fire among the spectators.


    "What the hell does that mean?" The question resonated among several students. "Why are the princesses and those other teams acknowledging the mushroom boy?"


    A fourth-year student narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation. "They''ve used unusual strategies and abilities for their beasts..."


    "And now the girls from Royalty and the Ashenways are using weapons when all nobility despises them," added another. "Who could have given them that idea?"


    Gazes remained fixed on Ren, who held his enormous spear and maintained a neutral expression despite the sudden attention.


    Ren remained motionless under the sudden scrutiny, although his mushrooms pulsed with a slightly faster rhythm than usual.


    "See what happens for advising half the world?" Min whispered, leaning toward him.


    "It''s not that big a deal," Ren whispered back. "I just shared some observations about their beasts."


    "Observations?" Taro shook his head in disbelief. "You taught them secrets that not even their families knew. Do you know what this means? More people will want to talk to you after the tournament!"


    "Or kill him," Liu added dryly. "Half would be grateful, but the other half must be furious that someone with a spore has proven to know more than them."


    The weight of many gazes pressed upon Ren from all directions. The once-mocked "mushroom boy" had suddenly become the center of attention in a way that went beyond mere curiosity.

 Chapter 276 - 276 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 14

    While the auxiliaries cleaned up the remains and prepared the arena for the next combat, Ren couldn''t help but notice the gazes now directed at him from various points in the stands.


    Klein, in particular, observed him with intensity and suspicion.


    Luna, more discreet but equally attentive, studied Ren with admiration but also challenge in her eyes.


    "Seems like you''ve drawn attention," Min murmured. "Klein''s team will compete soon. I bet they''re now thinking about how to surpass the record of all your strategies."


    "Let them," Ren responded calmly. "Everyone made their own effort, and they''ll have to make theirs."


    Battle Week had barely begun, and it was already revealing surprises that no one had anticipated. For Ren, this wouldn''t just be an exam or a competition... it would be the validation of everything he had learned since that day when his gray spore was the object of universal mockery.


    And this time, no one was laughing.


    ????


    From a privileged place in the upper stands, an elegant figure observed with great satisfaction...


    Selphira Ashenway tilted her head slightly in a gesture of approval as her granddaughter and her friend left the arena victorious... but more than anything, mischievous.


    Her gaze, however, briefly drifted to where Ren was seated, studying him with an intensity that would have made many experienced courtiers shudder.


    "Team Six of Group A, prepare to enter," announced Yang, returning everyone''s attention to the ongoing competition.


    Jin''s record had been demolished, and the new mark to beat seemed almost unattainable.


    Almost.


    While the debate continued in the stands, the sixth team of Group A entered the arena...


    Three students with fire and wind beasts attempted a strategy of constant and sustained attack, but with the disadvantage in their elements...


    After eighteen minutes of failed efforts, Yang finally stopped the combat, declaring victory for the Big Stone Lurker.


    "Team Six of Group B, prepare to enter," announced the auxiliary.


    Klein Goldcrest led the advance toward the arena, flanked by Astor and Feng. The three walked with that characteristic confidence of those who have rarely known failure.


    Unlike previous teams, Klein didn''t wait to win before making his own surprising declaration.


    Upon reaching the center of the arena, he stopped and deliberately turned toward the stands where Ren was seated.


    With a slow gesture, he ran his thumb across his throat in an unequivocal sign of threat, followed by a thumbs down. S§×arch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    This time, the looks that turned toward Ren had a completely different character.


    Klein didn''t avert his gaze from Ren while his companions took positions for combat. The message was clear: this was no longer just an academic exam, it was personal.


    The three invoked their beasts, and new murmurs of amazement ran through the stadium.


    Klein''s golden lion, though still not completely golden but rather a more yellowish tone, was evidently already a Bronze 1 rank beast.


    Astor followed with his blue rhinoceros, also Bronze 1, a mass of muscle and armor now larger, whose central horn emitted a cerulean glow. The beast stomped the ground, preparing to charge.


    Feng completed the trio by invoking his red cobra, a snake nearly two meters long with crimson scales. Its hood expanded, revealing intimidating patterns.


    "Three Bronze 1 beasts," someone murmured with amazement. "How is it possible that so many first-years have already reached that level?"


    "Isn''t it obvious?" responded another. "They''re high-status nobles... Their families must have proven cultivation methods. And I bet they started the process when they obtained their beasts, right before arriving at the academy."


    Klein seemed to absorb these comments as compliments, his smile widening as he took the central position in the team''s formation.


    "He''s going to have the best record," a student predicted. "With three Bronze beasts..."


    "Don''t be so sure," Ren murmured, though only Min, Liu and Taro heard him. "The beast''s level isn''t everything."


    "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted.


    The containment retracted, releasing the Big Stone Lurker.


    Unlike previous teams that had adopted more elaborate or cautious strategies, Klein and his companions launched into the attack with a speed that surprised even Ren.


    "Ascending Triangle Formation!" ordered Klein, his voice resonating with natural authority. Although the name didn''t make much sense...


    But the strategy they had prepared was effective.


    Klein, having already let everyone see the lion, fused his body with his beast. His skin acquired golden tones, though yellow still predominated, and his mane, now literally his, rippled with the accumulation of magical energy.


    "Now!" shouted Klein.


    He opened his mouth, now more resembling the jaws of a feline, and emitted a roar that wasn''t just sound; it was a shock wave that advanced like a current of golden energy until directly impacting the Big Stone Lurker.


    The effect was immediate: the monster was paralyzed.


    "That was an intimidation roar," Ren observed quietly to his friends, his mushrooms pulsing with disappointment. "It''s a shame he still doesn''t know how to get the most out of his abilities."


    But it was enough for Astor... who didn''t waste the moment.


    His rhinoceros began to spin its horn at a dizzying speed, transforming it into a living drill. With a bellow that rivaled Klein''s roar, the beast charged directly toward the paralyzed Stone Lurker.


    The impact was devastating. The drill-horn penetrated the rocky carapace, creating deep cracks that extended across the monster''s entire surface.


    Feng directed his cobra to attack the newly created cracks. The snake, moving fluidly, launched a jet that rose to reach the fractures from the top. It wasn''t simply corrosive anymore; it glowed with an inner radiance that suggested enhanced properties.


    "Drill horn and catalytic toxin," Ren murmured, recognizing the effect as the venom infiltrated the cracks. "Though it seems they haven''t mastered all their options yet either."


    Klein, maintaining the paralysis with his roars, advanced decisively in front of the enormous monster. He raised his hands, now transformed into golden claws that shone with intense energy. With a fluid movement that none of his classmates had seen before, he slashed at the air.


    To the spectators'' amazement, the energy concentrated in his claws projected forward, creating a cutting arc that traveled three meters until impacting the exact point where the cracks created by the rhinoceros and the cobra''s weakening venom converged.


    "Phantom Claw!" someone shouted from the stands.

 Chapter 277 - 277 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 15

    "Phantom Claw!" someone shouted from the stands.


    The impact triggered a chain reaction. The cracks expanded, and the venom, now more widely distributed through the Stone Lurker''s interior, intensified its effect.


    Rock fragments began to break off as the monster''s structural integrity was irreversibly compromised. The stone surface darkened where the venom made contact, spreading like a network of black veins through the cracks.


    Without allowing the momentum to be lost, the team executed a second wave of attacks. The rhinoceros charged again, this time from a different angle, its drill-horn penetrating even deeper. The cobra fired a new load of venom, aiming precisely at the weakened zones.


    And Klein, without breaking the paralysis that kept the Stone Lurker defenseless, launched more Phantom Claws, each striking critical points in the monster''s structure.


    The final collapse was spectacular.


    Vapor began to emanate from the countless cracks that now covered the Stone Lurker, as if it were melting from within.


    With a crunch that resonated throughout the stadium, the monster''s structure gave way due to its melted muscles. It disintegrated from within, rock fragments falling together and forming a pile of debris.


    In the center of the destruction remained only the crystalline core, completely extinguished and surrounded by dust that had once been a formidable Bronze defensive beast.


    The silence that followed was so deep that the soft scraping of the last rock fragments settling in the arena could be heard.


    "Victory for Team Six of Group B," announced Yang, his voice betraying a hint of amazement even through his usual impassivity. "Time: two minutes."


    A collective gasp ran through the stadium, immediately followed by an explosion of exclamations and applause.


    "They''ve pulverized the record!"


    "A full minute less than the princesses'' time!"


    "Did you see those abilities? That''s not first-year level!"


    Klein, still partially fused with his lion, directed a look of absolute triumph toward the stands where Liora and Larissa were watching. His smile, now adorned with slightly more prominent fangs than normal, was pure satisfaction.


    Then, deliberately, he looked toward Ren again, repeating the gesture of sliding his thumb across his throat, but this time adding a mocking laugh and a "respectful" half-turn to "step aside" that clearly said, "your turn".


    The message was clear: anything Ren could accomplish, he could surpass. And any advice Ren had provided to other teams, Klein''s team had eclipsed with their status and power.


    While the team left the arena amid cheers, Ren remained imperturbable.


    "It was impressive," Taro admitted, his voice low. "But did they use all their cards in the first round? What''s left for the individual competitions?"


    "It seemed that way based on the mana expenditure," Ren nodded, a slight smile forming on his lips. "I think it''s because they''re desperate to win here... Or maybe that''s what they want us to think."


    Min looked at Ren with curiosity. "Do you think they still have more surprises?"


    "I''m not sure," Ren replied. "Those aren''t all the abilities their beasts have... But I''m not sure if they don''t know or are hiding the others."


    Liu, who had been observing in silence, nodded. "Well guys, I''d like to see your turn... but you''ll have to tell me about it because my battle is also coming up."


    Liu headed toward the door, saying goodbye as he walked away.


    Everyone''s gaze was now divided between Klein''s team departing victoriously and Ren, whose apparent calm in the face of such a power demonstration was puzzling.


    ????


    In the upper stands, isolated from common students, Kassian Goldcrest observed the end of his younger brother''s battle.


    A few empty seats separated him from Sirius Starweaver, a tacit agreement between noble families to maintain a certain distance in public.


    When the Stone Lurker disintegrated in just two minutes, a slight smile crossed his face, so brief that only someone who knew him intimately could have detected it.


    ''Perhaps the idiot isn''t so useless after all,'' he thought, leaning back slightly in his seat.


    The abilities shown by Klein had met his expectations. The Phantom Claw, in particular, was a technique that he himself had mastered at eleven, not ten.


    The development of his combat ability, though not yet fully mature, was an encouraging sign. With that rate of evolution, perhaps he would reach a good Silver rank with sufficient margin for the inter-school tournaments where the Goldcrests liked to display their superiority.


    However, while Klein and his team left the arena amid cheers, concern returned to his mind. His gaze drifted to the opposite side of the stands, where the young Starweaver awaited her turn.


    Luna...


    The shadow wolf she possessed was, though he hated to admit it, tactically superior to Klein''s lion, perhaps even in its current form.


    "But it''s still an Iron beast," Kassian reflected. "And there''s a big difference between lower ranks."


    Yet, the benefits were tangible: the wolf''s shadow jumps could penetrate between the cracks in the Big Lurker''s plates, allowing it to attack from within. S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A significant advantage, certainly.


    But the Stone Lurker wasn''t just rock. Under its protective armor were muscles and quite resistant tissues. The bites, though effective, would hardly cause damage quickly enough to overcome Klein''s time.


    "Two minutes is a tough record to break against so much vitality," he concluded, allowing himself another fleeting smile. "And with Bronze against Iron..."


    His thoughts were interrupted upon noting that it was already Team 7 of Group A''s turn...


    Then the Starweaver would follow.


    If his calculations were correct, Klein would maintain his record, a small victory in the perpetual competition between noble families. And that would greatly facilitate his own plans.


    ????


    Team 7 of Group A claimed victory in 10 minutes...


    Finally, it was Luna''s team''s turn.


    Sirius, Selphira, and Kassian leaned forward like many other spectators...


    If anyone could surpass the latest record, it was her.


    "Team Seven of Group B, prepare to enter," announced the auxiliary.


    The audience''s anticipation was palpable as Luna''s team approached the arena. After Klein''s team unexpected performance, expectations had shifted dramatically. What had seemed an unbeatable record just minutes ago now stood as a challenge that only someone with Luna''s reputation might overcome.

 Chapter 278 - 278 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 16

    Luna, Mayo, and Matilda advanced with firm steps toward the center of the arena. Unlike Klein''s ostentation or the princesses'' elegance, Luna''s team displayed a sobriety that bordered on severity, almost military in their march.


    "If they managed to surpass the princesses, I doubt the tragic noble''s kid can beat Klein," murmured a student near Ren. "That Phantom Claw..."


    "Don''t underestimate Luna," Ren replied, interrupting the analysis. "Her team has the best coordination of all that have gone before."


    Taro nodded, remembering the demonstrations of power they had witnessed from the Starweaver heiress. "If there''s anyone who can beat that time, it''s her."


    Luna invoked her shadow wolf. Mayo brought forth her cloud bird, a creature with blue-grayish plumage that immediately began generating a faint mist around it. Matilda completed the trio with her tree turtle, a slow but resilient being whose shell carried a small dwarf tree.


    The three rejected the standard arsenal; Larissa had provided them with three spears.


    Ren noticed the different quality of their tips.


    "Elephant Bull horn," he identified. "Not as powerful as Qilin ones, but sufficient to damage the Big Stone Lurker."


    When Larissa had offered them, Luna had slightly frowned, an indication that she probably would have preferred the academy''s conventional weapons instead of her cousin''s help.


    But Larissa knew perfectly well the Starweavers'' economic situation and the reason for it, so she had "kindly" insisted until Luna accepted.


    Matilda and Mayo had taken the other two, showing no reservations.


    "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted.


    The auxiliaries'' containment retracted, releasing the Big Stone Lurker.


    The team''s signature strategy deployed quickly as in previous combats. Mayo directed her cloud bird upward, generating a denser curtain of mist that began to gradually descend over the battlefield. Matilda, meanwhile, made her tree turtle use a defensive formation, creating a barrier between the monster and the three students.


    Luna didn''t wait. She ordered her wolf to attack quickly; it instantly disappeared into her shadow as if it had never existed. S§×arch* The n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Where is it?" asked a confused student.


    "Everywhere," replied Ren, pointing to the Big Stone Lurker.


    As if responding to his words, a black flash emerged from one of the cracks in the monster''s carapace. The shadow wolf partially emerged, only the tip of its maw materializing outside the darkness, biting ferociously before disappearing again.


    The Stone Lurker roared, a sound like grinding rocks. Another black flash, another precise bite, this time in a different crack. And then another. And another.


    "It''s jumping between the shadows of the cracks," Ren explained to companions from other grades and halls, genuinely impressed at never having seen such a beast in combat. "It can only bring part of its maw out of the shadows because the spaces are too narrow, but it''s attacking the internal tissues directly."


    Min let out a whistle of nostalgic admiration. "That''s... terrifying as always. Imagine facing something that can bite you from inside your clothes or armor. I wonder what one could do in such a case...?"


    As if answering the question, the Big Stone Lurker began to shake violently, trying to dislodge the intruder inside it. The plates of its carapace rumbled against each other as they tried to crush anything trapped between them.


    Luna briefly reappeared, emerging from the mist next to Mayo. "Now," she ordered simply.


    Matilda commanded her tree turtle to advance.


    The tree on the turtle''s shell expanded, revealing its true nature by burying its roots in the ground. Hundreds of thin vegetable stakes then emerged, extending like living fences that quickly surrounded the Stone Lurker, gradually immobilizing it.


    "They''re trapping it!" Taro exclaimed enthusiastically. "The turtle fixes the monster while the wolf distracts it with attacks from within."


    The stakes not only restricted the Lurker''s movement; each one began to glow with a greenish radiance, slowly absorbing the vitality of the stone beast. It was a slow and subtle but relentless process, like hundreds of thin stakes extracting the vital energy from the monster.


    But the girls didn''t intend to wait out the effect; they wanted to steal first place.


    Luna, Mayo, and Matilda emerged from the mist, their Elephant Bull spears in hand. Taking advantage of the immobilization and distraction caused by the wolf''s internal damage, they began to attack methodically, directing their weapons toward the points between plates.


    The audience watched, hypnotized, as the mist bird formed a small vortex, a donut of mist around the monster that the girls entered and exited at different points.


    It was a perfect combination of skill, tactics, and precise execution. The shadow wolf continued its fierce assault from within, emerging from increasingly numerous cracks to bite and immediately disappear, dodging the Lurker''s attempts to crush its snout.


    But it was still a battle against time, difficult to win against the huge vitality.


    Only 15 seconds remaining...


    10 seconds...


    5...


    Finally, a different noise cut through the mist: the unmistakable sound of a dying roar. The mist gradually dissipated, revealing the Stone Lurker motionless, pierced by stakes and with countless cracks from which "blood," the creature''s vital fluid, flowed.


    Luna emerged, her wolf materializing beside her with jaws stained with the same fluid. Mayo and Matilda joined her, their spears held with the precision of trained warriors.


    "Victory for Team Seven of Group B," announced Yang. There was a pause as he consulted the stopwatch.


    "Time: exactly two minutes."


    The initial silence gave way to an explosion of applause and exclamations. They had matched Klein''s record! They hadn''t beaten it, but neither had they fallen below it¡­


    A perfect tie!


    "Incredible," said Min, shaking his head in amazement. "Do you think we could do it if we tried to match on purpose? Finish in exactly two minutes?"


    Ren observed Luna as she leaned on her spear, her expression as inscrutable as ever. "No. And I think they just gave it their best. Two minutes is simply very close to the limit of what can be achieved against a Stone Lurker with their current beasts and the abilities of her team."


    "Either way," Taro interjected with a smile, "we''re looking at an impressive record. Two minutes. I wonder if we can match it."


    Both their gazes automatically turned to Ren with a mischievous smile.


    Ren''s mushrooms pulsed with a rhythm that his friends now recognized: it wasn''t anxiety, nor excessive confidence, but calculating calm.


    "Let''s focus on executing our strategy first," he finally said. "If we don''t mess it up..."


    From the upper stands, two pairs of eyes observed with particular interest. Kassian Goldcrest, whose expression had transitioned from bewilderment to contained frustration at seeing the perfect tie. And Selphira Ashenway, whose lips curved into an enigmatic smile while her gaze briefly drifted toward the boy with the luminescent mushrooms.


    The stage was set for the next confrontation, with the bar raised to heights that few could dream of reaching.

 Chapter 279 - 279 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 17 (Mushrooms Turn)

    The eighth team of group A presented a trio of plant-type beasts, a combination that on paper seemed ideal against the Big Stone Lurker.


    Many thought that perhaps this group would set a new record.


    The combined vines and roots managed to immobilize and gradually drain the vitality of the rocky monster.


    But in the end... Even with this elemental advantage, they needed a full four minutes to obtain victory.


    "It''s surprising," commented Taro as the auxiliaries prepared the arena for the next combat. "Even with three plant beasts, they couldn''t get close to Klein and Luna''s time."


    "The difference between advantage and execution," Ren responded. "Having the right elemental advantage isn''t everything; they won''t stand out if they don''t know how to maximize it¡­ Also, one water buffing the power of two woods is better output in my opinion."


    With each battle, the pattern had consolidated: conventional methods, even those formed with natural advantages, barely managed to finish in an acceptable time. Only those with innovative strategies or exceptional beasts managed to truly withstand out.


    And it seemed that the record would remain tied between Klein and Luna...


    Exactly two minutes.


    It appeared to be a testimony to the power of the great noble families.


    Since this test wasn''t part of the team or individual battles, there would be no official tiebreaker; they would remain as two first places for the count of final honors if no one did a better one.


    And the last team was¡­


    "Team Eight of Group B, prepare to enter," announced Yang.


    Min stood up, stretching his arms to relieve tension. "Finally, our turn."


    Taro nodded, breathing deeply to calm his nerves. "I still think we should have practiced more..."


    "Trust the plan," Ren responded calmly, rising last. "I thought a lot about the simplest way to do it so you wouldn''t need to worry."


    Ren, Min, and Taro reviewed their strategy one last time.


    They looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. They had traveled together a path short in time but long in events since their first awkward days as roommates.


    "You know what''s funny?" Min said suddenly. "Three months ago, I would have been terrified to face a Bronze beast. Now I''m looking forward to it."


    Taro laughed. "That''s because you''re crazy."


    "No," Ren intervened, his voice quiet but firm. "It''s because you''ve both grown. More than you realize."


    As they advanced toward the arena with only Ren''s first beast manifested in his body, they felt the gazes, hundreds of them, following every step of the Gray Wing trio.


    These weren''t looks of expectation or anticipation; they were looks of morbid curiosity, condescending compassion, and, in some cases, open disdain.


    "Is that the mushroom boy?"


    "The one with the spore? Is he really going to face that thing?"


    "This is going to be painful to watch."


    The murmurs weren''t subtle. Unlike some adults and part of the students from their class who had witnessed Ren''s growth and achievements during the semester, most of the academy only knew the superficial version of the story: an unfortunate child who had received the worst possible beast in the invocation ceremony had entered this prestigious school.


    For them, Ren remained the "Rotting Boy," a nickname that had survived for most despite everything.


    It couldn''t be otherwise...


    Rumors about the events during the attacks on the academy had circulated, of course, but as happens with rumors, they had become so distorted in the process that few gave them credibility.


    A child with a spore surviving a gold hydra and the attack of a Yino spy? Discovering an ancestral seed under the academy and becoming a double at age 10? A dragon of fungi in disguise?


    Absurd stories, obviously exaggerated.


    The only thing everyone accepted as true was that, more than a decade ago, someone had last attempted to cultivate the world''s weakest beast at this school. The result had been a costly disaster, a useless investment that had become a warning to all tamers.


    And now, that boy with the same beast and his Gray Wing companions were entering the arena.


    "Look at what he''s carrying," someone pointed from the upper stands. "What is that? A homemade spear?"


    Indeed, Ren carried a weapon that no one recognized. It didn''t have the characteristic style of the expensive noble materials that Larissa or Liora had used, nor did it seem to belong to a particularly powerful monster.


    It was a simple spear with a tip that resembled... a long black stake?


    "The first-years'' last battle," commented a sixth-year student in a bored tone. "It will be a pathetic conclusion to a day with so many teams with potential."


    In the center of the arena, Min, Taro, and Ren took positions. Unlike most previous teams, they showed no evident nervousness now, only serene concentration.


    "Weapons?" offered the auxiliary, presenting the standard arsenal.


    Min and Taro shook their heads; rope or chains wouldn''t work against such a heavy creature this time.


    Ren simply raised the strange spear he already carried.


    "Is that weapon functional?" asked the auxiliary, looking with bewilderment at the unconventional weapon.


    Yang approached, briefly examining the spear. "Where did you get this, Patinder?"


    "I made it myself," Ren responded simply. "It''s the proboscis of a deep assassin."


    "Those break easily. Are you sure you don''t want a metal one?"


    "I made this one different from those... If you''ll allow me, I''d like to use it."


    Yang studied the spear a moment longer, then nodded. "Permitted."


    That simple approval provoked a wave of surprised murmurs. Did he really want to use that trash?


    The new Stone Lurker waited in the center, identical to all the previous ones.


    Ren stepped forward, invoking his beast. To the surprise of many, what appeared wasn''t the pathetic spore they expected to see, but a completely different creature. A small hydra, still at iron rank, that few knew from books specialized in rare beasts.


    With just one head and a short neck, it could hardly be called a hydra yet.


    Its body was partially covered by a translucent armor in certain areas, while the rest showed bright blue reptilian scales.


    Murmurs of surprise spread through the stands.


    "What is that thing?"


    "Since when does the mushroom boy have a hydra?"


    "Were the rumors about the ruins and being a double tamer now true?"


    "Beginning in three, two, one..." Yang counted.


    The containment retracted.


    The situation was already strange for most, but...


    Even more disconcerting was the team''s strategy. Min and Taro remained still, without invoking their own beasts. They simply waited, apparently with no intention of participating.


    For a full five seconds, no one moved.


    The Big Stone Lurker slowly advanced towards them, but the hydra, Ren, Min, and Taro... remained motionless, like pieces on a board waiting for the first move.


    Then, Ren gave the order.


    "Forward!"


    The small hydra ran toward the Big Stone Lurker with surprising agility. The spectators exchanged looks of disbelief.


    "Has he gone mad?"


    "Is he sending that tiny creature against the Lurker by itself?" sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "He must think his hydra is too extraordinary because his fungus was garbage!"


    Yes, the hydra was a very rare and difficult to obtain creature that couldn''t be found in any random egg. But being rare and being powerful like Luna''s wolf were not the same thing.


    Not taking that into account... Ren ran after his beast, spear in hand, prepared to attack. His strategy seemed so absurd that some students couldn''t contain nervous laughter.

 Chapter 280 - 280 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 18

    In the reserved stands of the high nobility, three figures observed with radically different expressions.


    Kassian Goldcrest narrowed his eyes with disdain. "Pathetic," he murmured. "The mushroom boy sends his lizard to die and runs behind like an idiot. The commoner doesn''t even know the basics of beast combat... The spy I have following him is a waste of time."


    His fingers drummed rhythmically on the armrest of his seat. The ineptitude he was witnessing from the commoner with noble aspirations was personally offensive to him.


    It was a waste that such a subject had a second beast. The fungus in the first place didn''t count as a beast, so he was practically just a common tamer...


    ''What nonsense!''


    Several seats away, Sirius Starweaver observed with an indecipherable expression. Unlike the other noble who openly showed his disdain, Luna''s father seemed intrigued. He remembered the child with an unusual beast being interrogated that day, but his expectations had been betrayed...


    "Terrible tactical choice," he finally commented, his tone neutral but his eyes intensely fixed on the small tamer. "I wonder if I expected too much."


    Finally, Selphira Ashenway showed an enigmatic smile. Unlike her companions, she didn''t seem surprised or annoyed. Her eyes, sharp as a hawk''s, followed Ren''s every movement with interest.


    "The boy has guts and heroic desires," she said softly, almost to herself. "Or knowledge that we don''t possess."


    Her long fingers interlaced over her lap as she leaned slightly forward.


    "Either way," she added with a spark of amusement in her eyes, "this will be... revealing."


    ????


    Ren ran after his beast, spear in hand, prepared to attack...


    The enormous stone monster, detecting the small creature approaching, activated its attack mechanism. Using elemental control over earth and the brute force of its hind legs, it launched itself into the air, diving directly toward the small hydra.


    "It''s finished!" someone exclaimed from the stands. "The Lurker is going to bite that lizard!"


    Ren adjusted his position, preparing the spear. Many assumed he would try to throw it when the monster opened its mouth, but those who knew the Stone Lurker''s anatomy knew that would be useless; the beast palate was reinforced with a structure as hard as the external rock itself.


    Yet at that critical moment, Ren did something unexpected.


    With a quick gesture, he retracted his hydra, which transformed into a beam of light returning to his body and merging with him. Instantly, the transformation began: reptilian scales appeared on his skin, his muscles grew slightly, and the characteristic translucent armor materialized over his chest.


    But the most surprising thing was happening with the Stone Lurker in mid-air. Its trajectory changed abruptly, as if an invisible force was pulling it. Its head was thrown back, its mouth opened wider than normal, and...


    Its belly was completely exposed in front of Ren!


    "What the hell is happening?" Confusion was widespread among the spectators.


    The answer came an instant later, when the effort to hold onto the beetle broke the invisibility of Min''s amphibian. The translucent beast suddenly appeared on the shoulder of the Living Tunnel, Taro''s enormous beetle that had been waiting behind the Big Stone Lurker the entire time, invisible thanks to the amphibian''s ability.


    The beetle was pulling the monster''s head back forcefully, having reached its back during those initial five seconds of apparent immobility.


    "They were there the whole time!"


    "The amphibian made them invisible!"


    Now Ren had a direct shot at the Stone Lurker''s cloaca, the most vulnerable point of its anatomy that connected directly to one of its vital organs.


    With gritted teeth, he concentrated all his energy.


    The veins of light glowed intensely throughout his body, channeling maximum power to his muscles already reinforced by the hydra.


    With an explosive movement, Ren launched the modified proboscis. The projectile shot out with devastating force, cleanly piercing the Stone Lurker''s cloaca and boring all the way to its brain, which retained the same basic anatomy as its lower-rank counterpart.


    The Stone Lurker froze in mid-air, its body tensing completely before collapsing heavily. The lost glow in its eyes and the limpness of its legs signaled its total defeat.


    The silence that followed was absolute. The timekeepers verified their devices with incredulity.


    "Victory for Team Eight of Group B," Yang finally announced, his voice betraying a hint of amazement. "Time: fifteen seconds."


    For an instant, no one reacted. Then, a senior year student stood up.


    "Fifteen seconds?" The question resonated in a completely stunned stadium. "FIFTEEN SECONDS?"


    Chaos erupted in the stands. Shouts, exclamations of disbelief, amazed applause, all mixed in a cacophony of reactions to what they had just witnessed.


    Ren''s team had pulverized the previous record. They hadn''t matched it, they hadn''t surpassed it by a small margin...


    They had reduced it to an eighth.


    Min was the first to break composure. With a shout of pure joy, he jumped on Ren, nearly knocking him down. "WE DID IT! DAMN, WE DID IT!"


    Taro, normally the shyest of the trio, ran in circles with arms outstretched, his face illuminated by a smile so wide it threatened to split his face in two. "FIFTEEN SECONDS! FIFTEEN! TAKE THAT, SNOBS!"


    Even Ren, always the most controlled, couldn''t avoid an explosion of childish euphoria. He raised the spear over his head like a trophy, his armor shining with almost blinding intensity.


    "THAT WAS AMAZING!" shouted Min, hugging Ren and Taro simultaneously. "DID YOU SEE THEIR FACES?! EVERYONE THOUGHT YOU WERE CRAZY!"


    "PERFECT!" responded Taro, punching the air with his fist. "ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! IT WORKED EXACTLY AS YOU SAID, REN!"


    Ren, with his cheeks flushed with excitement, nodded between laughs. "PERFECT TEAMWORK!"


    In the first-year section, reactions were clearly divided between those who knew Ren and those who didn''t.


    Liora applauded with barely contained enthusiasm, her eyes shining with pride.


    Larissa, normally refined even in her most expressive moments, had abandoned all pretense of decorum. Standing, she cheered like a fan at a gladiator tournament. "THAT''S IT, REN! SHOW THEM HOW IT''S DONE!"


    And perhaps... Just perhaps... The girls'' reaction was greater than expected because they had been a little upset when Klein surpassed their team''s record...


    Luna, always more controlled, observed with intensity, her shadow wolf partially manifesting as a reflection of her surprise at a greater defeat than expected.


    But despite this, she had a contained but genuine smile, her eyes revealing a mixture of admiration and calculation. "Impressive," she commented softly. "Truly impressive." sea??h th§× n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Han, from his seat, nodded once.


    "I suspected it," he murmured, more to himself than to those around him. "He really is different."


    Roran and the others practically jumped in their seats, shouting congratulations that were lost in the general tumult. Mira had conjured small flowers that she threw into the air in celebration, while Jun applauded with fire in his eyes.


    The contrast couldn''t be more marked with another sector of the stands.


    Jin was pale, his fists so tight his fingers had turned white. "Impossible," he repeated mechanically. "It''s impossible. It has to be a trick. A deception."


    Kai, beside him, shook his head in disbelief.


    Cass, perhaps the most pragmatic of the trio, simply observed in silence, recalculating every assumption she had made about Ren Patinder and his useless spore. Perhaps that hydra was...


    But the most violent reaction came from Klein. The Goldcrest heir seemed to have been physically struck. His breathing was irregular, his face contorted into a mask of fury and humiliation. The record he had worked so hard to establish, that meant so much to his family, had been pulverized in an instant.


    And not by Luna, the Dravenholm or the Ashenway, that would have been understandable, maybe even acceptable... But by a nobody, a boy from the Gray Wing with a beast universally considered useless.

 Chapter 281 - 281 - Taming Assumptions

    For Klein, in practical terms, the honor of first place had slipped from his grasp.


    Even if he decisively won the two remaining team battles, he wouldn''t achieve it... He could change public perception to make it known that he was more powerful than the mushroom boy, but only if he could crush him.


    That was all.


    If Ren didn''t perform extremely poorly in the other two categories... Klein could only maintain the illusion of superiority, but the real honor... Was lost.


    And that meant much more than simple academic prestige.


    In the upper stands, Kassian Goldcrest watched the celebration with a coldness that contrasted with the storm in his eyes. The agreement with Sirius''s uncle, a marriage contract very useful for the Goldcrests'' ambitions, largely depended, according to what was agreed upon with the old fox, on Klein proving himself a worthy match, an exceptional tamer up to the prestige of both families.


    "This complicates things," thought Kassian, his mind already calculating alternatives, compensations, possible ways to mitigate the damage.


    Selphira, meanwhile, had abandoned all pretense of neutrality. A genuine smile illuminated her face as she watched the trio celebrate. Her eyes, as perceptive as always, caught something that few had noticed: Ren''s hydra wasn''t enough to increase his strength to such levels.


    In her youth, she had known someone with a hydra, and the lines of light weren''t a quality that could be attributed to it either... There was something more behind the boy''s power.


    "A fascinating strategy," she murmured, her mind working at great speed. "Absolutely fascinating."


    Sirius Starweaver had stood up, but not because of the commoner''s interesting victory; his eyes were fixed on Luna, evaluating her reaction to Ren''s triumph. The smile on his daughter''s face didn''t please him at all.


    While the stadium continued in chaos, while celebrations and recriminations mixed in the air, one truth had crystallized for all present:


    The world they believed they dominated and understood perfectly had just surprised them.


    And all thanks to a child who, just a few months earlier, had been universally ridiculed for having the worst beast ever recorded.


    ????


    The training field was empty at that late hour. Lin preferred this schedule; the silence allowed her to think clearly while exercising her combat techniques.


    Her fire panther-lizard adding power to her crane''s enhancements helped her execute new sequences of kicks against a specially reinforced training dummy, producing a sound of claws tearing through resistant material.


    It was an almost meditative ritual that she repeated every night after training Ren, and although her pupil was resting... She couldn''t take a break for herself; it was already her way of processing the day''s events.


    When she perceived the approaching presence, she didn''t interrupt her routine. The silent flight and subtle alteration in air currents had already revealed the visitor''s identity.


    "From your agitation," she commented without turning, "I imagine you''ve already heard."


    Zhao advanced until he was in her field of vision. There was something different about him, perhaps it was the new military tunic he wore, clearly designed for long-range missions, or maybe the thoughtful atmosphere that surrounded him before an important expedition.


    "Fifteen seconds," he responded, incredulity still present in his voice. "The director almost choked when he told me. I thought he would at least restrain himself from using the lightning that scared away the abyssal from our last gathering exam."


    Lin smiled, finally stopping her exercise to fully focus on her colleague.


    "No, he didn''t use it. I was there," she confirmed, reaching for a towel to dry her sweat. "Ren and his friends pulverized the record with the same simple strategy from his diagnosis exam against iron rank monsters. It was simple and at the same time... extraordinary."


    Lin explained the battle details...


    Zhao shook his head, still processing the information. "A single spear strike through that small opening? On the first attempt? That kid is going to steal my title as the most precise thrower when he grows up¡­"


    "I don''t think it''s gonna be just that," Lin specified, her voice instinctively lowering although they were alone. "Aunt Selphira already thinks he has the ring, probably Liora is giving her hints accidentally to... But she told me she wouldn''t inquire for now, though I don''t believe her too much."


    She sat on one of the side benches, indicating Zhao to do the same. "But that doesn''t worry me right now; if she wanted to make sure, she would have done it already... Although she refuses to accept it, Liora''s opinion matters too much to her since Laura''s death."


    Zhao nodded slowly, seeming to absorb every detail, categorize it, file it for future reference.


    "Are you leaving again right now?" Lin asked, pointing to his expedition attire.


    "Julius asked me to deliver something just some hours ago. He wants me to go look for his father one last time," Zhao confirmed, his tone mixing resignation and determination.


    Lin arched an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "So soon? It''s barely been a few months since the last attempt."


    "This time is different," Zhao lowered his voice even more, leaning slightly. "He has a secret weapon to convince him."


    He didn''t elaborate, and Lin didn''t press. Some things were better not knowing, especially when they concerned negotiations between a prince and the King.


    "It''s still dangerous for you," she observed.


    "Less than before," Zhao responded with a tense smile. "Thanks to a certain gift, I now have better concealment capabilities. And other useful skills... I''m still the best at avoiding impossible battles."


    "Still, be careful," Lin warned.


    Zhao nodded, "Watch over those mischievous kids while I''m gone, especially during their visits to the depths... There have been changes in the abyss since the last visit."


    "What kind of changes?" Lin looked toward the door, making sure again that they were alone. "Did Julius find out anything new about the triple tamers'' attack?" S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhao shook his head. "Not officially. But security in the lower parts of the abyss has increased considerably, and they discovered greater beast activity at lesser depths."


    He put his hand on his chin. "What they did discover while looking at that was also something interesting but expected. The abyss zone assigned to the Goldcrests was the entry point for Yino''s assets. They had a rather deep operation."


    "How deep?" asked Lin, genuinely interested. "Didn''t the beasts attack them when crossing?"


    "No... They had built a massive rope in the depths, generated by beasts from both sides. A braided structure that served as a transit route at Gold rank depth." Zhao''s voice distilled contempt. "They avoided the Blind Assassins using a pestilent hormone they developed specifically to repel them. Due to the depth at which they operated, the aerial patrol never detected the line."


    "The Yino people, always so... Inventive," Lin commented with sarcasm.


    "Victor took several earth and light experts to investigate under the pretext of a complete Yano territory review after the school attack, but in reality, he only inspected Goldcrest territory," Zhao continued. "He said it was interesting. The Goldcrests tried to divert them, guide them away from the exchange point with territorial excuses."


    A sardonic smile crossed his face. "But Victor prevailed. With the support of Ashenway troops, he concluded the investigation and found the damn line. They cut it, of course."


    "But that alone won''t be the end," Lin concluded.


    "No, not by a bit," Zhao confirmed. "They''ll probably make another one elsewhere or switch to an aerial route if they can keep avoiding the Blind Assassins. Our aerial patrol will no longer be sufficient as border protection if they can move easily down there."


    Lin remained thoughtful for a moment, drumming her fingers on her knee.


    "If they have many triple tamers as we suspect, they could move to the great natural bridge," she finally suggested. "It''s the logical route to send their assets to attack us instead of big aerial transit. We''ll see the war start there if they begin it soon."


    Zhao shook his head. "I don''t think so. The curious thing is that it seems they''re retracting, at least temporarily."


    Lin looked at him with surprise. "Don''t they have the advantage now with their triples?"


    "It seems it''s not so easy... Either making triples takes a long time, or they can''t make many, but they don''t seem to feel ready... Victor discovered several hideouts," Zhao explained. "All recently abandoned, quite some time before his arrival. The strange thing is the pattern of abandonment."


    "What do you mean?"


    "By the number of empty spaces, they must have had enough forces to face even the prince''s elite team and maintain resistance for a long time," Zhao leaned forward, lowering his voice even more. "But they withdrew, and from what we saw, in an orderly manner. It wasn''t a hasty flight."


    "Surely those Goldcrest bastards warned them," Lin spat.


    "They probably helped them cross and establish themselves in Yano, yes," Zhao conceded. "But in fact, they were brazen about it. They denied any cooperation and feigned absolute surprise that their jurisdiction had been ''invaded in such deep zones'' by the enemy ''without their knowledge''."


    He shook his head with evident disgust. "They even had the audacity to claim that the castle monopolizes too many earth elemental tamers, leaving them in a ''compromised situation'' in the depths."


    "Bastards," Lin murmured.


    "They are," Zhao nodded. "But I don''t think they affected this withdrawal. It was too clean, too organized. They didn''t leave anything useful, no documentation, no important equipment."


    His expression became more serious. "And I think what''s most revealing is that the withdrawal seems to have been planned even before Victor''s investigation began. By the marks and state of the hideouts, the evacuation started very shortly after the last attack on the academy."

 Chapter 282 - 282 - Taming Promises in the Shadows

    "The evacuation began very shortly after the last attack on the academy."


    Lin frowned, processing this information. "Do you think it has something to do with what they were looking for here?"


    "It''s possible," Zhao responded. "Julius suspects they found clues... or didn''t find what they expected and changed strategy. I believe what Selphira assumes might be part of that perception."


    He stood up, subtly stretching the tense muscles in his back. "In any case, with the Goldcrests scrutinizing this mystery, it won''t stop them forever. I must depart at dawn. The King must return, and with the current situation, any small perception that the King has moved will be crucial for them to think we''ve gained an advantage."


    Lin also rose, studying her colleague with poorly disguised concern. "Take care, Zhao. And keep your eyes open."


    "I always do," he replied with a smile. "Besides, I have a new trick up my sleeve thanks to our young genius, possible thief-guardian of artifacts."


    As Zhao walked away, Lin remained contemplating in the training field. Something about this entire situation seemed strangely connected by timing. Yino''s withdrawal, Ren''s disproportionate powers, the political movements of the noble families...


    All were pieces of a larger puzzle that was refusing to take shape, its final contours still remained in the shadows.


    ????


    Klein''s room was plunged into darkness. He had refused to turn on the lights after returning from the arena, preferring the shadows to hide the humiliation etched on his face. He hadn''t even allowed Astor and Feng to accompany him... their loyalty was valuable, but today he needed silence and solitude.


    Or so he had thought.


    The soft click of the door opening didn''t surprise him. He knew who it was without needing to turn. The characteristic scent of deep earth that always accompanied his older brother filtered into the room, preceding Kassian''s physical presence.


    Klein remained motionless, sitting on the edge of his bed, staring fixedly at the wall. He waited, almost with resignation, for the storm of cutting words that undoubtedly approached.


    But the silence extended.


    A full minute passed without either saying anything. The only sound in the room was Klein''s increasingly altered breathing. Waiting for the verbal punishment proved more agonizing than the punishment itself.


    He had sent Astor and Feng far away so they didn''t witness the humiliation¡­ but he was regretting it a lot now.


    Finally, unable to bear the tension any longer, Klein turned to face his brother.


    What he saw left him frozen. It wasn''t the cold anger he was accustomed to. It wasn''t the calculated contempt that Kassian habitually showed him.


    It was pure, absolute, and raw disappointment.


    Kassian Goldcrest, heir to one of Yano''s most powerful families, observed his younger brother as if contemplating something irreparably broken, something no longer worth the effort to repair.


    Klein instinctively retreated, still expecting the verbal attack that never came. The silence and that look were worse than any words Kassian had used before. Klein, for a second, saw his father in him¡­


    Anxiety grew in his chest, an oppressive sensation that threatened to suffocate him. His breathing accelerated, shallow and insufficient. The lion within him reacted to his distress, partially manifesting, claws emerging from his fingers, a slight golden glow tinting his skin.


    Klein clenched his fists so tightly that his claws sank into his palms.


    And just when it seemed that silence was the worst thing in the world... Kassian spoke.


    "It''s over," he finally said, his voice as cold and distant as if speaking to a stranger. "We don''t need you anymore."


    The words hit Klein harder than Ren''s fist knocking him down that day.


    "Forget about father ever speaking to you again," Kassian continued, each syllable perfectly articulated to maximize damage. "Never again."


    Klein fell to his knees, as if his legs could no longer support the weight of those words. The mention of his father brought with it the memory of the day when family attention had vanished.


    It wasn''t gradual. One day, simply, his father stopped speaking to him directly. His questions remained unanswered. His achievements, unrecognized. As if he had ceased to exist for the Goldcrest patriarch.


    The memory felt like acid corroding his mind. Unconsciously, Klein dug his manifested claws into his own thighs, piercing the fabric of his uniform. He should have felt pain, but his body was numb, disconnected.


    Kassian observed the self-harm with a calculating expression. His eyes registered the blood beginning to stain his brother''s pants, and something changed in his face. A barely perceptible smile curved his lips for an instant before being replaced by an elaborately compassionate sigh.


    "However..." he said, strategically pausing to capture Klein''s desperate attention, "perhaps there is a way."


    Klein looked up, his tear-filled eyes reflecting a flash of hope so raw and naked it was almost painful to witness.


    "I''ll help you eliminate the mushroom boy," Kassian declared, his voice adopting a conspiratorial tone. "So that the matter of first place honor becomes irrelevant before the interschool competitions."


    He approached, kneeling to be at his younger brother''s level. This gesture, which might seem fraternal to an unsuspecting observer, had the evil precision of someone perfectly manipulating the strings of a broken puppet.


    "But you must continue obtaining a good score," he continued, slightly hardening his tone. "And if possible, you or your allies must defeat him in the early phases of the competition... Make sure they accomplish it, whatever it costs them."


    Klein nodded frantically, clinging to every word like a shipwreck survivor to the wreckage.


    "Your beasts are Bronze," Kassian pointed out, placing a hand on his brother''s shoulder. "His is still Iron, no matter how much he''s become a double. You shouldn''t be defeated if you don''t let yourself be overcome by his tricks."


    He lowered his voice, although they were alone in the room. "I will take care of analyzing the commoner''s life, and prepare his... unfortunate accident afterward."


    The promise floated in the air between them, dark and tangible. Klein knew exactly what it meant.


    "Do you promise?" he asked in a barely audible voice, aware of how pathetic he sounded even as the words left his lips.


    Kassian smiled, and for a fleeting instant, Klein glimpsed something in that smile that should have alarmed him. Something predatory, something that transcended simple family''s honor ambition and entered more dangerous territory.


    But desperation clouds judgment, and Klein chose not to see what would have complicated his fragile hope. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "I promise," Kassian responded, his voice acquiring a warmth that never reached his eyes. "We are Goldcrests, after all¡­ Family."


    He rose with the feline elegance characteristic of his family, smoothing imperceptible wrinkles in his impeccable uniform.


    "Drink this and rest, little brother," he said, heading toward the door after placing a small vial on his hands. "Tomorrow the team battles begin. You''ll need all your strength."


    When the door closed behind him, Kassian''s mask of compassion vanished. His face regained the calculating expression that was natural to him, as his thoughts turned toward more important matters.


    Klein, meanwhile, remained kneeling in the darkness, his hands now holding the potion with as much gratitude as submission. Blood stained his uniform, but a trembling smile had replaced his expression of desperation.


    The mushroom boy would pay for his humiliation. He just needed to be patient. He just needed to keep trying.


    He just needed to trust his brother.

 Chapter 283 - 283 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 19

    The Gray Wing dormitory was quiet that night.


    Exhaustion after the day''s intense emotions had left most students deeply asleep as soon as they touched their pillows. However, in the room shared by Ren, Min, Taro, and Liu, excitement still kept them awake.


    Ren sat cross-legged on his bed, his mushrooms pulsing with a soft glow that dimly illuminated the room. The light was sufficient to distinguish the expressions of Taro and Liu, who looked at him with admiration and camaraderie.


    "So," said Ren, addressing Liu, "how was your battle? We couldn''t see it even though ours was short because it had also already ended when we arrived at the other arena."


    Liu smiled, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. He seemed very different from the bitter and distant student he had been at the beginning of the semester.


    "Twenty seconds," he responded with evident pride. "We were right behind you in the global time record. It was... incredible."


    "Twenty?" Taro whistled softly, impressed. "How did you manage it?"


    Liu leaned forward, instinctively lowering his voice. The excitement made his usual reserve fall away, his hands gesturing animatedly as he spoke.


    "I used what I saw from the sound specialist student, Zhou Liwei. Remember I went to observe his combat?" He looked directly at Ren. "Applying what you taught me about the synergies between the bat and the hyena, I was able to adapt his technique."


    Ren nodded, his mushrooms brightening slightly in response to Liu''s enthusiasm.


    Liu continued, still excited. "It wasn''t as precise as Zhou''s technique... he, I suppose, has years of practice and his beast is Silver 2. But my Big Stone Lurker was less problematic than the Stone Mountain he faced."


    "You managed to copy the technique of someone from seventh year?" Taro asked, surprised.


    Liu made a face, half guilt and half retrospective amusement. He put a pillow in front of him, slightly embarrassed.


    "My control wasn''t perfect," he admitted. "My teammates ended up with injured ears despite the earplugs. And a part of the audience too."


    "Oh," Taro contained a laugh. "Those screams must have been painful to hear then."


    Liu nodded, his smile growing wider. "Fortunately, the healers easily repaired the damage. It was minor, just temporary ringing and some disorientation. Very few bled..."


    "The important thing is that it worked," Ren pointed out. "And how do you feel about the hyena now?"


    "That''s the best part, I still can''t believe it and you''ll surely become insufferable, but now I adore it," Liu shook his head in disbelief. "From being the worst treated in my class, now they look at me as number one in potential. Everyone knows I''m a double thanks to you because they connected some dots and I didn''t know how to deny it... Sorry. But, the looks of amazement when we left the arena... Worth every second."


    He paused, as if still processing the change. "It''s like I stopped being the ''failed repeater'' overnight."


    He turned to Ren, his expression transforming into something more serious, almost solemn. The usual distance in his eyes was replaced by genuine gratitude.


    "I thank you, Ren. I truly thank you. And I always will."


    Ren shook his head, visibly uncomfortable with the intensity of the gratitude. He shifted slightly on his bed, the mushrooms dimming momentarily.


    "Don''t thank me," he responded simply. "Anyway..."


    A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he added: "Don''t think that just with that attack you''re going to beat me, or that I''ll go easy on you in the individual matches."


    Liu blinked, momentarily surprised, before bursting into laughter. "Is that a challenge, lucky shroom?"


    "It is," confirmed Ren, widening his smile. "In fact, I won''t go easy on any of you..."


    "You won''t win... against the best camouflage... stupid Klein..." Min mumbled just before beginning to snore softly. He was already lying in an incorrect position with his rear facing up on his bed, one arm dangling over the edge.


    Ren cast a glance toward Min, who continued to snore peacefully, completely oblivious to the conversation. "Though someone has already missed the warning."


    Taro let out a soft laugh. "You won''t have it easy either," he responded, accepting the challenge with good humor. "And I know Min feels the same, although he''s too busy dreaming about starring in battles right now."


    Ren laughed, a genuine sound that briefly resonated in the quiet room. The friendship that had grown between them over the months was evident in the easy way they ribbed each other.


    "Anyway, in the team battles we''ll work together," he pointed out. "The individual ones will just be a competition between us friends¡­ But I''ll win."


    His mushrooms pulsed with a more intense glow for a moment, as if reflecting his enthusiasm. "I hope you all go far so I can face you."


    An unexpected yawn interrupted his next thought, suddenly reminding him of the day''s exhaustion. His shoulders slumped slightly as the fatigue finally caught up to him.


    "But I think it''s time to sleep," he concluded, settling into his bed. "We need energy to overcome the other ninety-two students tomorrow." S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Taro and Liu nodded, each heading to their respective beds. Silence gradually fell over the room, interrupted only by Min''s occasional snores and the soft pulsing of Ren''s mushrooms.


    ????


    The arena for team combat was the same one used for battles against beasts. But the auxiliaries had transformed it, with a diversified floor that included small rocky, aquatic, and forested areas, providing multiple environments for each type of beast to maximize its potential.


    Of the thirty-two initial teams, sixteen would be eliminated in this first round. The tension was palpable as students waited their turns, studying their opponents with intensity after the previous day''s surprises.


    Liora, Larissa, and Maria''s team had started the day with a crushing victory against their opponents, a demonstration of elemental power that had left the audience open-mouthed. The precision of their coordination had been even more impressive than their battle against the Stone Lurker.


    The Group D team that had eliminated the Big Stone Lurker faster than them had turned out much less effective in battle as they didn''t give the damage dealer time to charge.


    It seemed that performance in the monster battle wouldn''t define the winner in the other categories. Raw power against a big stone wasn''t necessarily translating to tactical prowess against other students.


    "Team Ren from Group B against Team Jin from Group B," announced Lin, her amplified voice resonating throughout the stadium. "Prepare to enter."


    A murmur ran through the stands. Ren''s team, the new sensation from the Gray Wing, against Jin and his companions. Both had performed well against the monster, but would it be like the previous battle in which the time difference hadn''t been definitive?


    Everyone was eager to find out.

 Chapter 284 - 284 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 20 (Lightning Demolition)

    From his position, Ren exchanged a final glance with Min and Taro. They needed no words; they had discussed their strategy enough and knew each strength and weakness of their opponents. sea??h th§× n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jin, Kai, and Cass entered from the opposite side. Unlike the previous day, Jin didn''t display his usual arrogant confidence. His face reflected intense concentration, almost fierce, betraying how much this battle meant to him.


    "Remember the plan," Cass murmured to her companions as they took position. "Jin, neutralize Taro. Kai, take care of distracting the rotten one. I''ll keep an eye on Min; my eyes won''t be fooled by his camouflage if I see where he steps."


    Jin nodded, his eyes remaining fixed on Taro. The beetle represented the only Bronze beast on the opposing team, a tangible threat unlike Min and Ren''s ''weak'' Iron-rank creatures.


    Even so, he couldn''t underestimate Ren after what he''d seen the previous day.


    "His hydra will be problematic even without the spear," he calculated mentally. "But without his trap-setting tricks and without weapons, his new armor doesn''t represent a real threat to my ability. The spirit waves of my tiger will ignore any armor, no matter how resistant it is."


    "Both teams have proven their worth yesterday," declared Lin, positioning herself between the two groups. "So remember: the objective is neutralization, not unnecessary damage. Victory is declared when the opposing team is incapacitated or surrenders."


    She raised her hand, anticipation rising to almost tangible levels.


    "Begin."


    Jin immediately fused his body with the Greater Spirit Tiger. The markings covered his skin while his eyes adopted that characteristic blue glow. Kai invoked his green lizard externally, the creature considerably increasing its defense with stone scale armor, while Cass released her red eagle, which rose majestically over the field.


    On the opposite side, something unexpected occurred. Neither Min nor Taro finished manifesting their beasts when Ren partially manifested his hydra, the translucent scales appearing on his skin like natural armor.


    Also, Ren had already shot forward to the front, alone.


    "What is he doing?" murmured a confused spectator.


    Jin didn''t wait to find out. With a roar that combined human and animal, he also launched forward, his spirit claws glowing with energy.


    His initial target was Taro, thinking of eliminating the Bronze-rank threat first. But since the rotten boy had decided to play hero, he could teach him a lesson first about not trusting his new armor too much.


    This move should be optimal in his favor. A tamer fused with a Bronze 1 Greater Spirit Tiger against a student who had just acquired his new beast; the result seemed obvious.


    But Jin realized he wasn''t the fastest despite his supposed rank advantage.


    Ren moved with a speed that no one had anticipated. One instant he was still a dozen meters away, the next he had become a blur of movement that intercepted Jin before he could cover even a third of the distance between the teams.


    "Impossible," gasped someone from the stands. "How can he move like that with an Iron beast?"


    Jin, surprised but still confident in his superiority, directed his fist charged with spiritual energy directly toward Ren''s chest.


    His speed didn''t matter if the idiot was heading straight toward him...


    "Got you," he thought, sure of his victory.


    But Ren executed a movement that left all present astonished. Instead of blocking or dodging, he deflected Jin''s wrist with superhuman precision, using a combat technique from Lin.


    Jin''s fist passed centimeters from Ren''s chest, the spiritual energy failing to reach him.


    And then he counterattacked.


    Ren''s fist, reinforced by the fused hydra, impacted Jin''s jaw with demolishing force. The sound of impact resonated throughout the arena, a dry crack that made many spectators instinctively cringe.


    Jin shot backward, rotating once in the air before crashing against the ground. The hardness of his skin and muscles fused with the tiger had prevented serious damage, but the impact had left him instantly unconscious.


    "Jin!" shouted Kai, his lizard immediately accelerating until reaching an impressive speed to charge at Ren with its stone skin.


    Cass reacted simultaneously, her red eagle descending in a dive while generating air currents that concentrated around its wings like invisible blades.


    Ren now found himself between two simultaneous attacks.


    Any normal student would have been caught in this perfect pincer.


    Ren wasn''t normal.


    Instead of retreating or trying to dodge, he did exactly the opposite: he shortened the distance toward Kai with brutal acceleration, moving directly toward the attack as if intending to collide head-on.


    When only centimeters separated them, Ren executed a turn that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Rotating on his own axis, he dodged the attack from Cass''s eagle by millimeters while his fist, now shining with a diamond-like radiance, impacted exactly at the same point where he had hit Kai that first time.


    But this time he didn''t just deactivate Kai''s ability... This time, something more happened.


    The scaly armor of the green lizard, which partially covered Kai, not only lost its characteristic glow, it shattered like crystal under the impact of Ren''s "diamond fist."


    A sound of fracturing rock preceded the moment when Kai, like Jin moments before, was thrown backward.


    Cass''s eagle, still in full descent and momentarily distracted by the speed of the exchange, adjusted its trajectory. It concentrated energy in its claws, preparing for a direct attack on Ren''s exposed back.


    "Got you!" exclaimed Cass, sure of her advantage.


    She never saw what happened next with her supposedly enhanced eyes, distracted as she was with Ren.


    A sudden pull brought down her beast in mid-flight. Just when Cass''s legs had inexplicably become trapped in what appeared to be a living mineral formation that had emerged from the ground. Someone caught her by the neck, and wrapped around her beast was an aquatic serpent that she hadn''t seen materialize.


    Min appeared behind her, smiling as he deactivated his invisibility ability. Throughout the exchange, while attention focused on Ren, he had run silently to the perfect position.


    "Surprise," he said simply.


    Taro, meanwhile, had completed the support by immobilizing Cass and her eagle with even more mineral.


    Lin observed the scene for three seconds, ensuring that all three members of the opposing team were effectively neutralized.


    "Victory for Team Ren of Group B," she declared, her voice mixing professionalism with a tinge of genuine amusement.


    The stadium fell into absolute silence before erupting in an explosion of reactions. Some applauded frantically, others simply watched stunned, unable to process what they had just witnessed.


    In the honor stands, Kassian Goldcrest had gone rigid. The calculating expression had been replaced by something few had ever seen on his face: genuine concern.


    Near him, Sirius Starweaver observed with similar intensity.


    "That boy..." he murmured, low enough that only Kassian would hear, "is not just a prodigy. He''s a serious problem."

 Chapter 285 - 285 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 21 (Misunderstood Potential)

    Ren helped Cass to her feet once Taro deactivated the restraints. The girl took his hand with grudging respect and a hint of confusion in her eyes.


    "Your beast is Iron rank," she said, as if that statement alone should invalidate everything that had just happened. She brushed dust from her uniform, her gaze darting between Ren and her fallen teammates. "How is it possible that you defeated Jin like that...?"


    "Beasts are important," Ren replied as he deactivated the fusion with his hydra, the scales gradually disappearing from his skin, "but never underestimate the big difference that two bodies can have with the right training."


    A crowd of murmurs followed Ren and his team as the auxiliaries attended to the injured and everyone cleared the arena. Within a day, they had transformed from objects of ridicule to walking anomalies that defied all expectations.


    And for certain observers lurking in the shadows, this made them something far more dangerous: unpredictable variables in plans carefully crafted over decades.


    "Did you see that? One hit against a higher rank!"


    "The mushroom boy is a monster... Maybe there''s something wrong with the records about hydras."


    "But have you seen his original beast? It''s still a useless spore..."


    The whispers spread through the stands as students rearranged themselves after a brief break. Ren''s team''s lightning victory had triggered an avalanche of contradictory comments, theories, and wild speculation.


    Ren walked between Taro and Min. They could feel the stares drilling into their backs, catch fragments of conversations that cut off abruptly as they passed, notice how some older students watched them with interest.


    "There must be some trick. Nobody with those beasts could possibly..."


    Min clicked his tongue in annoyance, adjusting his uniform while quickening his pace to catch up with Ren.


    "Did you hear that?" he muttered, leaning toward Ren so only he and Taro could hear. "After everything you''ve proven, they still think it''s just luck." His eyes flashed with indignation. "As if luck could knock out a Bronze-rank beast tamer with a single punch."


    Taro, walking on Ren''s other side, wore a more pragmatic expression.


    "Let them talk," he replied with a serenity that was surprising coming from him. "Their ignorance is their problem, not ours."


    Ren maintained his steady pace. His hydra was no longer fused with him; instead, the characteristic luminescent mushrooms rested on his head.


    "It''s more convenient this way," he finally commented, stopping to check the board displaying the next pairings. "Let them keep underestimating us."


    ????


    The battles continued throughout the day. One by one, teams faced off in the arena, some displaying impressive strategies, others succumbing to the tactical or elemental superiority of their opponents.


    Han''s team demonstrated flawless coordination against their adversaries. His weaver spider, combined with Jun''s monkey in Rage Mode and Sora''s deer, created an elaborate trap that immobilized their opponents in less than a minute.


    Luna and her companions showed their characteristic efficient style. Luna''s shadow wolf disappeared and reappeared between the shadows and mist created by her teammates, neutralizing each opponent separately.


    Klein, still visibly affected by his earlier defeat, fought with an intensity that bordered on alarming. His phantom claws, now executed with greater fury, shredded through his opponents'' defenses while Astor and Feng complemented his attacks with precise strikes of their own. The healers had their work cut out for them after that match, frantically treating the unfortunate team that had faced Klein''s wrath.


    When the first round finally concluded, sixteen teams remained in competition. The eliminated withdrew from the arena, some with dignity, others visibly frustrated by their early exit from the tournament.


    Ren approached the updated announcement board, studying the pairings for the next round.


    "Hector''s team," he murmured, identifying their next opponent.


    "We''ll be dealing with the Klein''s follower minotaur?" Min asked, peering over his shoulder. "With that speed of yours, he won''t have a chance to touch you."


    "Don''t underestimate them," Ren warned. "He''s been watching our movements. He likely won''t make the same mistakes as Jin, and they''re accustomed to sending their beasts to the front lines."


    Taro pointed to another pairing on the board with interest. "Look at this. Larissa and Liora against Luna in the next round."


    Indeed, by a cruel twist of fate, the noble cousins were in a nearby bracket and would face each other tomorrow. The will-o''-wisp and mineral fairy, two Tier 3 beasts in direct confrontation with Luna''s wolf of the same level.


    "That will be interesting," Ren commented with genuine interest. "Both contain half their abilities but have fascinating strategies... though I''d like to see them fight without restrictions..."


    His voice trailed off as his gaze drifted thoughtfully, imagining the clash between three powerful double nobles unleashed at their full potential.


    A group of fifth-year students passed by them, and Leopold Montclaire stopped to look directly at Ren.


    "So you''re after my prodigy title," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. He stood a full head taller than Ren, looking down with the confidence of someone who had never been seriously challenged. "They say what you did yesterday was impressive too, but I wonder how long your lucky streak will last."


    Min stepped forward but Ren stopped him with a subtle gesture.


    "My father says luck favors the prepared," Ren responded calmly, his eyes fixed on those of the older student. The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with an even rhythm, betraying no anxiety or intimidation. "Don''t you think we worked hard to be where we are?"


    The boy narrowed his eyes, clearly unaccustomed to first-years responding to him. His beast manifested fully, a Silver 2 Cockatrice of considerable power compared to Iron or Bronze beasts. Its scales shimmered with an opalescent quality that spoke of proper cultivation and care. Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s a shame," he continued, ignoring Ren''s question, "that all that talent is tied to a useless fungus and a hydra that can barely reach Silver 1. If you had a beast with real potential like mine, that could reach Gold..."


    "If I wanted advice on beasts," Ren interrupted with that tranquility that could be more irritating than any insult, "I''d look for someone who knows how to properly utilize their own. Your beast has a mutation in the energy pattern of its back and left wing that limits the use of two of its abilities. You should study your cultivation better before it''s too late and you fail to reach even the mediocre standard in the library''s technique..."


    The student paled, his eyes widening with surprise before narrowing with fury. The cockatrice''s manifestation flickered, as if responding to its tamer''s emotional turbulence.


    "What the hell do you know about¡­"


    "Enough, Leopold." Lin placed a hand on the boy''s shoulder, her sudden appearance startling everyone. "Tournament week is not the place for these disputes. The healers already have too much work."


    The newly arrived teacher looked at Ren with a cheerful expression that didn''t quite mask the warning in her eyes. "Go to your rooms and rest before you hurt your classmates."


    Ren shrugged and turned to leave with his friends.


    "Hmm... We didn''t intend to harm some novices," the older student nodded slowly, his pride somewhat recovered. "I''ll be watching your battles with interest, Ren Patinder."


    With that, he dragged his companions away from the scene.


    Lin shook her head, suspecting they would have been the ones getting hurt.

 Chapter 286 - 286 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 22

    The next day...


    The next round of combat would begin in thirty minutes. The three friends exchanged glances as they prepared themselves mentally for the challenge ahead.


    "Are you sure we don''t need to review the plan for Hector''s team?" Taro asked, his voice taking on that serious tone that only emerged when they discussed strategies.


    Ren began walking toward the arena, his friends flanking him on both sides.


    "Hector''s minotaur has considerable brute strength, but it lacks precision and weapons," he explained, his eyes forward. "Vern''s centaur is fast but predictable in its attack patterns. And Rosalind''s three-horned horse..."


    "That''s a problem," Min interjected. "All three creatures are Tier 2, all quite large. They outmatch us in raw power if we only account for Taro''s Living Tunnel."


    "But not in adaptability," Ren smiled. "Hector and his friends may have large beasts. But we..." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Have more beasts," Taro completed, a smile forming on his face as understanding dawned.


    "Exactly," Ren nodded. "And that will be our advantage... Just distract the beasts for a moment and give me a platform at the front as I explained last night."


    As they approached the arena, the murmur of the crowd grew louder. Hundreds of students had gathered to witness the second round of combat, and the level of anticipation had increased considerably after the surprising results of the previous day.


    Lin observed with pride and concern. Her pupil had progressed faster than expected, attracting attention that could prove as dangerous as it was beneficial.


    "Seems like your personal project is causing quite a stir," Yang commented beside her, his stone-covered arms crossed over his chest.


    Lin sketched an enigmatic smile. "This is just the beginning."


    The combat professor grunted, tightening his folded arms. "The boy has more talent than I thought, I''ll admit..."


    Ren finished preparing. His mushrooms pulsed with a steady, reassuring rhythm. As he adjusted his uniform, his mind traveled momentarily to a small house in the city''s outskirts, where two elderly people would probably be following the ritual he had taught them.


    With that renewed certainty in his heart, he headed toward the door that would lead him to his next challenge.


    ????


    The air in the arena was charged with expectation. The stands overflowed with students eager to witness the next confrontation of the team that had broken the Lurker''s record.


    Hector, Vern, and Rosalind positioned themselves now without the characteristic confidence of those who had never doubted their place in the academy''s hierarchy.


    "Remember our strengths," Hector murmured to his companions. "Our beasts are superior in individual power. Let''s not make Jin''s mistake; we''ll fight to tire them from a distance first."


    Vern nodded, his fingers drumming nervously against his thigh. "The rotten boy is fast, but our four-legged creatures more so... if we corner him..."


    "He''s not the only problem," Rosalind interrupted, her eyes fixed on their opponents. "The other two are also dangerous... Especially Taro."


    At the other end, Ren stretched his muscles. Beside him, Min and Taro displayed a calmness that would have been unthinkable months ago.


    "It''s almost poetic," Min commented, extending his arms above his head. "They''re the ones who fear us now..."


    "They''re right... We do have the advantage with Ren," Taro added, his gaze determined as he focused on their opponents.


    Lin approached the center of the arena, her fluid movements reflecting her own mastery in combat. "The rules remain the same: victory by incapacitation or surrender, and try not to overdo it like Klein; the individual matches are still to come."


    Her gaze briefly rested on Ren, a flash of professional curiosity in her eyes. "Begin."


    The reaction was instantaneous. Hector invoked his minotaur, the creature manifesting with an impressive size, almost two meters tall, muscles tense beneath jet-black fur. Vern''s centaur appeared at his side, agile and light in comparison, but no less threatening with its reinforced hooves ready for combat. Rosalind completed the trio with her three-horned horse, the creature neighing aggressively while pawing the ground, its horns glowing with energy.


    "This time they have much more advantage than with the Big Stone Lurker, almost unfair," someone murmured from the stands. "Three of the best Tier 2 Iron beasts fully manifested against some kids..."


    But Ren''s team had long since learned to ignore such expectations.


    Taro was the first to act, invoking his Living Tunnel with a relaxed gesture. The beetle seemed to have emerged from the ground itself. Its size surprised many; the growth since evolution was notable; it now measured almost three meters in height, larger than the beasts of the rival team.


    "Can you really distract it?" Vern exclaimed, momentarily thrown off balance.


    Hector regained his composure and nodded to Vern. "Go for the beetle!" he ordered, directing his minotaur straight toward the imposing figure of the insect. It was the logical decision: first distract the only Bronze beast on the opposing team and use the faster four-legged beasts to directly attack the tamers.


    The impact of the minotaur against the beetle resonated throughout the arena, a clash of titans. But to no one''s surprise, the Living Tunnel didn''t stagger an inch. Its legs anchored firmly, its carapace absorbing the blow while its remaining limbs closed around the minotaur''s arms.


    The minotaur roared, applying more force, but the beetle, though clearly under some pressure, maintained its position. It was a pure strength confrontation that it couldn''t lose.


    Seeing their leader in trouble, Vern and Rosalind exchanged a quick glance before executing their planned maneuver. The centaur advanced toward the right flank, while the three-horned horse circled to the left.


    "Now!" Vern shouted. "For their tamers!"


    It was a clever strategy. If they couldn''t defeat the beetle directly, they could attack Taro to force him to withdraw the invocation.


    But the centaur halted when Min''s water snake materialized before it. Simultaneously, Ren''s hydra appeared to support the snake in a 2-against-1 that balanced the field.


    "Where''s Min?" Rosalind murmured, confused to see the snake but not its tamer. She needed to take advantage of her horse being the only free beast now.


    "Charge at Ren first!" Hector warned, but too late.


    The mushroom boy had also disappeared, made invisible by the ability of Min''s amphibian.


    While Hector''s minotaur continued its struggle with the beetle, Taro was the only one in sight.


    But not unprotected.


    His body was covered by armor from his bug and atop that, living mineral, the byproduct of his beast''s evolution and its synergies. With only this additional protection, it seemed they had left him to his fate.


    Rosalind smiled, confident. "Bad decision," she murmured, directing her horse toward Taro. The creature lowered its horns, preparing for a charge that could pierce even metal armor.


    The impact made many in the audience narrow their eyes, but the result left them breathless. Taro, with his legs firmly planted and his mineral armor reinforcing his body, had stopped the horse after sliding only a few meters. His arms, also wrapped in living mineral, held the beast''s head while his muscles trembled with the effort.


    "Impossible," Rosalind gasped. "No one of lower rank stops a frontal charge from¡­"


    A shadow fell over them. Ren, who had been waiting for this moment, jumped from a mineral platform that the beetle had strategically created behind him. He lost his invisibility upon separating from the effect of Min''s amphibian, but gained the element of surprise as he descended directly onto Vern.

 Chapter 287 - 287 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 23

    Ren was too fast.


    He connected a precise punch to the face of the nearest boy.


    Vern fell unconscious, his centaur vanishing from the impact.


    But the victory was brief.


    Hector, seeing his companion fall, roared with fury. He instantly canceled the minotaur''s struggle against the beetle and fused with the beam of light that was his beast, his body transforming into a smaller human version with several features of the creature.


    He launched himself at Ren, who had barely landed after his attack on Vern.


    "I''ve got you!" he shouted, his transformed fist heading directly toward Ren''s side.


    The blow connected with a loud crack. Hector smiled, sure of his victory, until he noticed Ren''s expression as he rotated. There was no pain, only calm. And then¡­


    Hector was surprised, as he looked at his own fist.


    Ren''s hydra had also returned to his body in a flash of light just in time, fully fused, covering his torso with diamond-like armor.


    The translucent scales, supported by the power of the ring, gave him 140% extra defense and had absorbed the impact completely.


    But the most alarming thing for Hector wasn''t being unable to inflict damage¡­ it was the pain now climbing up his arm. His knuckles were dislocated, some bones clearly fractured from the impact against something much harder than expected.


    "My turn," said Ren, already executing his precise and devastating counterattack.


    He spun, channeling the momentum of Hector''s blow into his own movement, and connected a spinning kick that hit exactly on the jaw of the fused minotaur boy.


    Hector collapsed, unconscious even before touching the ground.


    Rosalind, the last one standing, assessed the situation with the characteristic coldness of her noble battle education. Her horse was still trapped by Taro, Min had reappeared behind her and now directed his snake toward her back, and Ren was turning in her direction with that calmness that was more intimidating than any battle cry.


    But what finally sealed her decision was seeing the enormous beetle, now free from its confrontation with the minotaur, approaching her horse to trap it in mineral formations emerging from the ground.


    With a sigh of resignation, Rosalind raised her hands. "I surrender."


    Lin observed for a moment longer, ensuring that the combat had definitely ended, before raising her arm.


    "Victory for Ren''s team!" she announced, her professional voice barely concealing a tone of satisfaction.


    The stands erupted in cheers and exclamations of amazement. What many had anticipated as a more complicated combat had again ended in less than a minute, a demonstration of effectiveness that few had seen in first-year students.


    From her privileged position, Selphira Ashenway applauded with elegance, her eyes shining with pride, though no one knew exactly why.


    Klein, observing from a secluded corner, clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. The ease with which the Gray Wing team had dispatched companions from his inner circle was more than humiliating; it was a direct threat to his honor.


    "Impressive coordination," Luna commented to no one in particular, though her tone suggested she was mentally measuring her own strategies against what she had just witnessed.


    In the arena, while medical auxiliaries attended to Hector and Vern, Ren and his friends gathered in a tight circle.


    "It worked better than I expected," admitted Taro, flexing his fingers to relieve the tension from resisting the charge. "Though I almost lost my grip when the horse charged."


    "Ren said its horns couldn''t pierce through the defensive synergy of your beasts even if you let go, don''t be such a whiner..." Min smiled widely. "Did you see their faces when we disappeared? Priceless."


    Ren, however, maintained his analytical expression while observing the battle marks on his companions. "The synchronization with the amphibian needs work," he pointed out. "I lost invisibility too soon when jumping. Taro could have damaged the horse with the mineral claws and..."


    "Don''t be such a perfectionist, you were the one who said we shouldn''t plan too much so we could learn to react," Min sighed theatrically, though his smile didn''t diminish.


    "Klein''s team, Larissa''s or Luna''s will be different," Ren remarked as they headed toward the exit. "Remember that we''ll need more than invisibility tricks against them."


    "A problem for another day," replied Taro, surprising his companions with his nonchalance. "For today, how about we enjoy this victory a little? Imagine Klein''s face..."


    Min burst out laughing, putting an arm around each of their shoulders. "That''s the spirit! Wait... Who are you and what have you done with our worrywart Taro?"


    The three walked away laughing, leaving behind an arena full of speculation about whether these boys with supposedly mediocre beasts could really make it to the end of the tournament.


    ????


    Ren and his team watched some other battles of the day since they didn''t need to be healed.


    Han''s team won theirs, and Min made a disgusted gesture, along with Taro''s complete disappointment one, when Klein''s team easily won theirs. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But the next battle...


    The murmur in the stands reached a new level when they announced the next pair of teams. It wasn''t just another match of newcomers; it was a battle that grouped three of the most powerful families in Yano, starring young heiresses who were also cousins and close friends.


    "Team Luna versus Team Larissa!" announced Yang, his voice resonating throughout the arena. "Prepare to enter."


    "This will be interesting," Ren commented, leaning slightly forward. "All three have similar combat styles and know each other''s weaknesses."


    Min raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think will win?"


    Ren didn''t respond immediately, his eyes studying the two teams entering the arena from opposite ends. Luna walked with her characteristic grace, flanked by Mayo and Matilda, both projecting serenity. From the other side, Larissa advanced with the almost innate elegance of the highest nobility, followed by Liora and Maria.


    "It depends on how much they''re willing to reveal," he finally answered.


    In the center of the arena, the cousins looked directly at each other, an almost palpable tension floating between them.


    "I didn''t expect to face each other so soon," Larissa commented, her voice maintaining aristocratic composure despite the situation.


    Luna sketched a slight smile. "Consider it an opportunity to demonstrate who has progressed more since our training days."


    "I suppose so," Larissa replied, and for an instant, a spark of something almost nostalgic crossed her face before the competitor''s mask settled back into place.

 Chapter 288 - 288 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 24

    Yang positioned himself between both teams, his expression as impenetrable as always. "The rules remain the same. Victory by incapacitation or surrender." He looked to both sides, evaluating the combatants'' readiness. "Begin."


    What followed was a display of speed that left many spectators open-mouthed. Luna invoked her shadow wolf, her body acquiring that characteristic spectral black outline as she executed a spatial jump, disappearing into darkness to reappear right behind Liora.


    But Liora had anticipated the movement. Her will-o''-wisp manifested in a spiral of blue flames that enveloped her just as Luna attacked, teleporting her out of range and pushing the Starweaver away.


    "Predictable as always, cousin," Liora smiled, flames dancing between her fingers. "You always attack first the element you consider most dangerous to your team."


    Meanwhile, Larissa had executed her own spatial jump, appearing next to Luna with her mineral spear prepared. The mineral fairy beside her shimmered with a golden radiance.


    Mayo reacted quickly, fusing with her cloud bird and projecting a thick mist that began forming around Luna, making visibility difficult.


    "That won''t work!" exclaimed Larissa, her eyes glowing with a golden tone. "I can see through your mist!"


    Her words were confirmed when her spear pierced the haze with precision, forcing Luna to execute an evasive maneuver within the shadows that barely saved her from a direct hit.


    The entire exchange had lasted barely a second...


    "Mana vision!" Taro exclaimed from the stands. "The cousins can see energy patterns directly!"


    Ren nodded. "All of them have it..."


    In the arena, Matilda had begun fortifying her position, her tree turtle creating a perimeter of stakes that emerged from the ground in defensive formations and giving Luna jumping points with the wood shadows. But she had barely completed the first line when Liora turned her attention toward her.


    "I don''t think so," she murmured, extending both hands.


    Her will-o''-wisp split into dozens of small flames that flew like independent projectiles toward the stakes. Upon contact, the wood instantly carbonized, turning to ash before they could serve as a barrier or anchor points.


    "Matilda, watch out!" warned Luna, trying to execute another jump to help her companion.


    But she was intercepted by Larissa, who appeared directly behind her. Luna''s shadow claws barely had time to stop the brilliant mineral stake. The clash of opposing energies when both collided right after teleportation created an energy wave that pushed both of them backward.


    "Your fight is with me, Luna," declared Larissa, her eyes fixed on her cousin''s as they both separated from the impact.


    Mayo tried to reduce the effect of Liora''s fire with her watery mist to save Matilda, but that distracted her...


    Maria had directed her attack against Mayo. With her reinforced armadillo shell, charged like a tank, unstoppable and precise.


    "Mayo, behind you!" shouted Matilda, but the warning came too late.


    Maria hit Mayo from a blind angle. The cloud bird tamer fell rolling several meters, her concentration broken and the mist protecting Matilda momentarily dissipating.


    "Defensive formation!" ordered Luna, trying to regroup her team.


    But Team Larissa''s coordination was flawless.


    While Luna was distracted directing her companions Larissa attacked her, Liora launched a barrage of will-o''-wisp directly toward Matilda, who was trying to rebuild her defenses.


    The blue flames surrounded the tamer, not attacking her directly but creating a burning circle that progressively tightened.


    ''I can''t breathe!'' thought Matilda, the oxygen rapidly consuming within the ring of fire.


    Liora maintained her concentration, her eyes fixed on her target.


    Luna tried to take advantage of that to attack Liora, but Larissa''s jumps behind her gave her no quarter.


    She knew Liora was the worst problem for her team with Matilda''s weakness against her fire element and the disadvantage of having 2 supports against the 2 attackers in Larissa''s group.


    For a moment she thought about using the cat Ren had given her but restrained herself.


    First, neither Liora nor Larissa were using theirs, so it felt like cheating. Especially when Liora had told them that her grandmother had implied certain freedom for her and still wasn''t using her Bashe.


    Unfortunately, Larissa''s team had put her where they wanted her, the matchup left Matilda at a complete disadvantage... Who moments later, fainted. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Luna, seeing her first companion fall, intensified her attack against Larissa. Her shadow wolf manifested in her at maximum output, creating a ghostly extension of her body that attacked in synchrony with her physical movements.


    The spatial jumps of both cousins followed each other at such speed that for some spectators it was impossible to follow the battle. They appeared and disappeared at different points in the arena, clashing their forces of light and shadow before vanishing again.


    "Incredible!" exclaimed Min, his eyes barely able to follow the flashes of energy. "They move faster than when they fought against the Big Lurker!"


    "They''re using more mana," Ren explained, his mushrooms pulsing with an accelerated rhythm that reflected the combat''s intensity. "Perhaps too much for Iron rank."


    Indeed, each new appearance showed signs of fatigue in both combatants. Their breathing became more labored, sweat beaded on their foreheads, and the intervals between jumps progressively increased.


    Meanwhile, Mayo had managed to recover to counterattack against Maria. Her cloud bird, fully manifested in her body, gave her advantages for her own hand-to-hand combat style against the armadillo.


    "Interesting concept!" acknowledged Maria, her voice calm despite the situation. "But your blows have always been too soft."


    With a precise movement, she sent a kick directly at Mayo''s leg, ignoring the blow to her face thanks to her armor.


    Mayo screamed when her leg was impacted, the pain from the armored strike transmitting through her body. But she didn''t give up and caught Maria''s arm and leg, throwing her hard against the ground.


    She couldn''t knock her out with her armor and increased defense, but she could contain her and...


    "Luna!" she called desperately. "I can''t maintain her for too¡­"


    Her words were interrupted when Liora appeared behind her, a ball of will-o''-wisp materialized in her hand.


    "I''m sorry," Liora murmured, placing the burning hand inches from Mayo''s neck. "It''s nothing personal."


    Mayo assessed her situation, although she had Maria trapped, she realized that Matilda was already out of combat, and closed her eyes, mixing frustration and respect for the superior tactics.


    Liora eliminated her.

 Chapter 289 - 289 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 25

    The combat had been reduced to three against one when Liora rescued Maria.


    Luna, sensing that her companions had fallen, executed a spatial jump wider than the previous ones, reappearing at the opposite end of the arena to gain distance.


    "It seems I''m at a disadvantage," she declared, her breathing labored but her posture still firm.


    Larissa, Liora, and Maria surrounded her, forming a perfect triangle.


    "You can surrender with honor," offered Larissa, though her tone suggested she didn''t expect Luna to accept.


    A defiant smile appeared on Luna''s face. "And miss the opportunity to defeat three opponents at once? Never."


    What followed was a display of skill and endurance that left the audience breathless.


    Despite having already used considerable mana, Luna moved like a force of nature, using her cousins'' shadows to jump, invoking her wolf and exchanging places to inflict some minor wounds.


    Each time Larissa, Liora, or Maria thought they had her cornered, she disappeared in a dark flash to reappear attacking from another angle.


    "It''s a desperate strategy," observed Ren. "She''s still using too much mana with each jump."


    Indeed, although Luna managed to keep her three opponents at bay, each new movement was visibly slower than the previous one. Sweat soaked her uniform, and her breathing had become laborious.


    Larissa was the first to take advantage of it. "Now!" she signaled to her companions. "Containment pattern!"


    The three attacked simultaneously, not where Luna was, but where she would appear according to the pattern they had been studying. Larissa with her spear, Liora with her fire, and Maria with her armor, converged at the same point just as Luna emerged from her jump.


    The Starweaver tried to change shadows at the last instant, but exhaustion diminished her precision. When she reappeared, she found herself directly in the path of Maria''s armadillo, which impacted her with sufficient force to knock her down.


    Before she could recover, Larissa was upon her, the tip of her spear already inches from her chest.


    Despite everything, she managed to melt into the shadow behind her just in time and emerge behind Larissa, attacking her back with shadow claws.


    But while striking, Liora attacked her with her will-o''-wisp, knocking her down again.


    Luna glanced for an instant to where her father was watching and tried to rise again, but her muscles protested, mana control almost impossible after so many consecutive jumps.


    Liora and Larissa made another jump to stand over her.


    For a moment, it seemed like she would attempt one last desperate attack, but finally she looked at her cousins together and let her head fall softly against the ground.


    "It seems together you''re too much for me... you''re better at coordinating than I remembered," she admitted with a small tear in her right eye and an exhausted smile. "I surrender."


    Yang advanced to the center of the arena, observing the combatants with his usual impassive expression, though those who knew him well might have noticed a flash of approval in his eyes.


    "Victory for Team Larissa!" he declared, his voice resonating throughout the stadium.


    Applause erupted, especially intense from the sections where supporters of the noble families were located. The battle had been spectacular, a display of skills that far surpassed what was expected for first-year students.


    Larissa leaned down, offering her hand to Luna to help her up. For an instant, the competitor''s mask disappeared, and genuine concern for her cousin reflected on her face.


    "Are you alright?" she asked softly, just for Luna. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Luna accepted the hand, rising with a tired smile and rubbing her eye. "My pride is more wounded than my body," she responded. "You all fought exceptionally well."


    "So did you," Larissa replied, and for a moment, the two cousins shared a look of understanding that transcended momentary rivalry. "Your wolf is impressive; I don''t know if I''d win one-on-one."


    "Your coordination was better than ours," acknowledged Luna. "I didn''t expect you could anticipate my jump patterns so precisely."


    Liora approached, her will-o''-wisp once again docile around her. "We''ve been studying your movements all semester," she admitted with a mischievous smile. "Though you''ve never been this fast."


    The three shared a brief laugh, before the formality of the tournament forced them to separate. As they headed toward their respective exits, Luna paused briefly to look toward the stands where Ren was watching.


    Their eyes met for an instant. A second that seemed to extend into a silent conversation.


    "It''s a shame we can''t face each other as teams," commented Ren. "Though perhaps I''ll have the chance to challenge her in an individual combat, if I''m lucky."


    A gleam illuminated Luna''s tired eyes before she disappeared through the tunnel.


    "That was the final match played early," sighed a sixth-year student, stretching his legs. "The princess''s team is probably too strong for the other competitors."


    His companion nodded thoughtfully.


    Now the entire academy knew that all three girls had jumping beasts.


    Ren observed the older students quickly updating their prediction boards at the edges of the stands. The revelation of the noble cousins'' ''complete'' capabilities was causing a stir, especially among those who enjoyed speculating on outcomes.


    A strong announcement interrupted the commotion.


    "Attention to all participants," Lin''s voice resonated throughout the arena. "Since today we had half the teams of yesterday and due to the efficiency of most combats, we''ve decided to advance some individual battles from the first round."


    This declaration provoked murmurs of surprise and excitement. Although it wasn''t uncommon for them to advance the exams as quickly as possible if they could, to give more space to the final battles in the last days.


    "Participants who haven''t suffered significant injuries during today''s team combats and are ready to compete, report immediately to the medical auxiliaries for evaluation."


    "Looks like they''re picking up the pace," murmured Min. "Who are you facing, Ren?"


    Ren checked his own combat. "Ron Blackfire."


    "The salamander boy?" asked Taro, genuinely surprised. "You said he was in your group at the southern temple during the invocation ceremony, right?"


    "Yes," confirmed Ren, as he stood up. "He was one of those I saw get their beast that day."


    Ren caressed the mushrooms on his head and released a bit of their glowy ''dust''. Though he had hated his beast that day, now he couldn''t imagine life without it.


    ''Sorry... And thank you,'' thought Ren, addressing the small chubby baby fungus resting inside him.

 Chapter 290 - 290 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 26

    Ren and his friends headed toward the preparation area, where medical auxiliaries were already organizing students selected for the advanced individual battles.


    An assistant in a green uniform handed them small pills after checking that they had no injuries and their mana veins weren''t too strained. "To restore your mana and stamina to optimal levels," he explained mechanically, as if he had repeated the same phrase dozens of times in the last few minutes.


    As Ren took his pill, he felt a presence beside him. Ron Blackfire was watching him with an expression that mixed curiosity and poorly disguised disdain.


    "Patinder," he greeted with a brief nod. "Almost six months have passed since your misfortune at the ceremony, eh?"


    Ren returned the gesture, studying the changes in his opponent. Ron was no longer the same child from the temple; he had become slightly more muscular, and the crimson scales only on the outer part of his arms indicated increasing control over his salamander.


    "Blackfire," he responded simply.


    An uncomfortable silence settled between them while the auxiliaries continued preparing the arena for individual combats. Finally, Ron seemed unable to contain what he really wanted to say.


    "It''s a real shame, you know?" he began, his voice mixing genuine condescension with a touch of envy. "When I heard you were a double tamer, I thought: ''well, the mushroom boy finally had some luck.''" He crossed his arms, the scales briefly gleaming. "But ending up with a hydra as a second beast... It''s almost as unfortunate as your first beast."


    Ren maintained his neutral expression, while Min and Taro suppressed their laughter.


    "It should have been someone like me who found that potion," continued Ron, now with more confidence as he interpreted Ren''s silence as resignation. "Imagine the synergy: my salamander and a phoenix, for example. Two powerful fire beasts complementing each other perfectly. It''s normal for a double to receive a beast with real gold potential..."


    "Your concept of synergies is inefficient," Ren finally responded, his voice calm but firm. "Fire with fire hardly has synergistic potential. Only earth has real retroactive capacity between similar elements." S~ea??h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ron blinked, momentarily disconcerted by the technical response. "Excuse me?"


    "But you''re right about one thing," Ren continued, ignoring his opponent''s confusion. "The potion would certainly be wasted on me considering my first beast..."


    This concession seemed to satisfy Ron, who regained his confident smile. "At least you recognize it," he said, turning to head to his preparation area. "See you in the arena, Patinder."


    When Ron was far enough away, Taro approached Ren with an expression of disbelief.


    "Why did you agree with him? You didn''t take the potion but..."


    "I simply said something that''s technically true. The potion would be wasted on me because I don''t need it," he reminded him quietly.


    Min and Taro exchanged glances and sighed before smiling too.


    "You''re twisted, you know that? Seems like Larissa''s rubbing off on you," laughed Min, giving him a light punch on the shoulder.


    "Individual combatants of the first group, to the arena!" announced an auxiliary, interrupting their conversation.


    Ren headed toward the arena entrance. His friends briefly stopped him again to give him encouraging pats.


    "Remember," said Taro seriously, "don''t underestimate your strength."


    "And don''t overdo it with your light magic," added Min. "Don''t kill our school''s students with your claws like you did with that poor dummy."


    Ren rolled his eyes but then nodded, silently appreciating how they were trying to reduce his concern before continuing on his way.


    The arena was repaired and ready.


    From the stands, hundreds of eyes watched with interest. Individual battles had a special appeal; they were pure, without the tactical complexity of team confrontations, but with all the combat intensity concentrated on just two participants.


    Ren entered with a confident step from one side of the arena.


    Ron entered from the opposite side, his scales now completely visible, covering his arms from shoulders to fingertips. Small flames danced between his palms each time he closed his fists, an impressive display of control for a first-year student.


    Lin positioned herself between them.


    "First round of individual combats," she announced. "Ron Blackfire versus Ren Patinder. The rules remain the same: victory by surrender, incapacitation, or leaving the marked area."


    She looked at each competitor, briefly evaluating them before continuing: "Are you ready?"


    Both nodded.


    "Begin."


    Ron wasted no time and extended both arms forward. A sphere of fire, the size of a melon, emerged from his palms and traveled through the air directly toward Ren.


    For any other student, dodging a projectile at that speed would have been a considerable challenge. For Ren, it was as if time slowed down.


    The mushrooms in his hair pulsed while his reflexes, enhanced by the hydra and the ring, captured every detail: the slightly curved trajectory of the sphere, the hotter core at its center, even the small particles of smoke it left in its wake.


    With a simple sidestep, he dodged the attack without even messing up his hair.


    "Don''t mock me!" growled Ron, visibly irritated by the ease with which his opponent had evaded the blow. His scales glowed with greater intensity, and this time he launched three fireballs in rapid succession.


    Ren moved with a fluidity that captured the attention of the entire arena. These weren''t the exaggerated movements of someone fighting for his life, but the economical precision of someone who knows exactly how much effort each evasion requires. A turn here, a tilt there, even a slight bend of the knees to let a sphere pass over his head, without even affecting the luminescent mushrooms.


    "He''s playing with him," murmured a third-year student loudly enough for several to hear.


    "Or calculating his capabilities," corrected another, more astute.


    Lin observed with pride. Her pupil was demonstrating precisely what she had taught him about economy of movement, but perhaps too obviously and mockingly. Although he was a child, she would have to correct him later...


    Ron, frustrated by his inability to connect a single blow, changed strategy. He firmly planted his feet on the ground, brought both hands together in front of his chest, and with a shout that resonated throughout the stadium, released a continuous torrent of flames.


    The fire roared like a living beast, extending in a wide cone that seemed impossible to dodge in the limited space of the combat circle.


    "Now let''s see how you dance, Patinder!" exclaimed Ron, a fierce smile forming on his face as he maintained the scorching stream.


    To the surprise of many, Ren didn''t try to dodge. Instead, his eyes flashed with a gleam as he studied the mana pattern in the flames. Thanks to his enhanced perception, he could see the fluctuations in the fire''s intensity, the points where the energy was weakest, the slight tremor in Ron''s hands that revealed the effort it cost him to maintain the wide attack.


    With a movement that seemed almost casual, Ren took a step forward... directly toward the flames.

 Chapter 291 - 291 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 27 (10% Fire and Earth)

    Ren took a step forward... directly toward the flames.


    A collective gasp arose from the stands.


    "Has he gone mad?!" exclaimed Roran, rising from his seat.


    But just when it seemed Ren would throw himself directly into the fire, he executed a fast jump to his right and slightly upward, rotating in the air with a spatial maneuver that Lin had taught him during their intense training sessions.


    In what felt like a long succession of events but had taken only an instant, Ren had approached to reduce the cone''s effective area and launched himself outside the attack from the side where he had detected the greatest weakness in the mana pattern...


    Ron''s left hand.


    Ren landed just two meters from his opponent, closer than the salamander boy would have wanted any opponent to be.


    "Impossible," he murmured, his eyes widening with disbelief. The surprise made him interrupt his continuous attack, but he quickly regained his composure. With a defensive movement, he created a wall of fire between himself and Ren, a burning barrier that waved forcefully, turning the air around it into a furnace.


    "Good control for Iron rank," acknowledged Ren, stepping back and speaking for the first time since the combat began. "But this level of control will cost you all your energy in a short time."


    "I don''t need even a full minute to defeat you!" replied Ron, though the sweat beading on his forehead and the slight tremor in his arms betrayed the truth of Ren''s observation.


    The fire wall expanded, forcing Ren to take another step back.


    From the stands, Liora analyzed the situation. Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Ron is good," she commented. "For an average Iron-rank beast and a first-year student, that fire wall shows great control."


    Larissa nodded, her eyes never leaving Ren''s figure. "But Ren is already several levels above that... He could have knocked him out quickly. I wonder if he''s playing with him because of some past grudge."


    Liora rolled her eyes, "I don''t think he''s as vindictive or devilish as you. It seems to me he''s measuring his capabilities compared to more normal people than Jin or Klein who have Bronze beasts, or us with Tier 3 beasts..."


    Larissa placed her hand on her forehead, pretending to be hurt, "How can you call me evil and vindictive... I just have a good memory and sense of humor."


    Liora narrowed her eyes...


    In the arena, Ren seemed to be considering his options against the wall of fire.


    "Ready to surrender?" asked Ron, his scales shining intensely while he aimed his next attack. "There''s no way you can get through this without getting burned... I warn you, it hurts a lot."


    A slight smile appeared on Ren''s face. "I could do it without suffering much damage but... I have no need to go through it."


    Before Ron could process these words, Ren crouched and pulled a lump of earth from the arena floor. His eyes glowed with a tone that combined the light of his hydra and something else, something that slightly resembled the earthy radiance of the mineral fairy.


    After all, their natures were similar.


    In his hand, the earth began to compact slightly, quickly forming a somewhat denser projectile the size of a fist.


    It was very poor elemental control, but it existed in his beast and Victor had prematurely awakened it.


    The earth projectile rose a few centimeters above his palm. Ren studied it for a moment, calculating angles and trajectories.


    Then, with a ''subtle'' wrist movement, he launched it.


    The compacted earth piece flew through the air in a straight line directly at the fire wall. Ron, concentrated on charging his next attack while maintaining his burning barrier, barely registered the projectile''s shadow as it passed through his barrier, hitting him precisely between the eyes before disintegrating.


    Ron staggered, his eyes momentarily unfocusing as control over his fire wall and the attack vanished. The flames diminished and then extinguished completely, leaving only wisps of smoke as witnesses to their existence.


    Ron tried to remain standing, his pride fighting against physics, but it was a lost battle. His knees gave way and he fell forward, unconscious before touching the ground.


    Astonished silence spread throughout the arena.


    Lin stepped forward to check Ron''s condition, quickly confirming that he was simply knocked out, without serious injuries. She looked up at Ren, admiration and reproach in her eyes.


    "Victory for Ren Patinder," she announced, her voice resonating in the sudden silence. "By incapacitation of the opponent."


    The audience remained in shock for a moment longer, unsure of understanding what had happened... But soon applause began to spread, first tentatively and then with growing enthusiasm.


    While the medical auxiliaries entered to attend to Ron, Ren allowed himself a moment of introspection. The battle had been more revealing than he had anticipated, not about Ron, but about himself.


    The small increase in earth and fire elemental control he had acquired, though still in its initial stages, promised possibilities and perception that even he hadn''t fully considered.


    Luna observed with intensity, her eyes narrowed in analysis. Her defeat in the team combat seemed forgotten as she studied each of Ren''s movements, every detail of his style.


    Selphira Ashenway smiled that enigmatic smile that made even the professors uncomfortable, as if she knew something that no one else could see.


    Ren headed toward the exit, his calm walk contrasting with the storm of speculation he had unleashed. Min and Taro were waiting for him at the entrance, their faces lit with triumphant smiles.


    "I thought you''d knock him out with a punch as usual, that was unexpected!" exclaimed Min.


    Taro, more versed in earth control and observant, looked at him with admiration and curiosity. "Since when can you manipulate earth like that?"


    "The hydra is light and earth... Though it should be more mature to demonstrate good control, but I''ve been practicing," replied Ren with a modesty that didn''t fool his friends.


    "Cheater," Taro gave him a light push, though there was no real accusation in his voice. "Now you''re stealing my identity not only as an armored fighter but as an earth element tamer too, what''s next, a long mouth?"


    "It makes sense," intervened Min, feigning seriousness. "The hydra lives in depths, it''s good at digging. But if tomorrow you tell us your fungus can control water and heal, then I''ll have to protest for identity theft too."


    Ren burst out laughing, giving a light playful tap on each of their heads.

 Chapter 292 - 292 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 28

    Ren and his team continued exchanging jokes while observing the development of the next individual battles.


    The combat between Klein and Roran was especially sad. The troll dog boy fought valiantly, using every ounce of the amplified strength his beast granted him. But Klein''s golden lion, now at Bronze rank, simply surpassed him in every aspect. To Min and Taro''s disgust, their friend ended up defeated after a battle that, although respectable in duration, was never really balanced.


    "Damn Klein," muttered Min when the Goldcrest raised his fist in victory. "I hope someone gives him what he deserves soon."


    Shortly after, Kai faced a student from group C whose name they couldn''t remember. His victory was equally unpleasant for them. The Gray Wing friends watched with grim expressions as Jin''s companion celebrated his advancement to the next round.


    The mood of the three improved considerably when Liu entered the arena to face Hector. Their roommate, now with much greater control over his sound beasts, didn''t even need to deploy his full arsenal. A single sound strike, precise and devastating, hit Hector in the center of his chest, causing the minotaur tamer to fall unconscious before even understanding what had hit him.


    "That was beautiful," sighed Taro with evident satisfaction.


    "Liu has been practicing," nodded Ren. "It took him fewer seconds than before to charge the attack."


    The next announced combat made them shift in their seats.


    Jin versus Taro.


    "Present yourselves in the arena in three minutes."


    Taro instantly turned pale, his gaze fixed on nothing as he processed what he had just heard. Jin, the same one who had humiliated him in that first combat class, would be his opponent.


    "It''s my opportunity," he murmured, though his voice trembled slightly. "I can demonstrate how much I''ve grown since then."


    Min gave him a strong pat on the back. "Of course you can! You''re no longer the same shy boy from months ago."


    But Taro''s real concern was evident in his eyes when he looked at Ren. "His spirit tiger is now Bronze. My beetle is too, but he has lots of love for individual combat and his ability is perfect for penetrating defenses."


    Ren placed a firm hand on his friend''s shoulder, his mushrooms pulsing with a reassuring rhythm.


    "Don''t be afraid," he told him with a certainty that admitted no doubts. "Jin is definitely the counter to your defensive style, but... You''re not just Bronze rank, you''re a double tamer. Use the offensive I taught you. The Living Mineral combined with the hunter bug isn''t just for defense, remember?"


    Taro''s eyes widened slightly. "But we''ve barely practiced it a couple of times and..."


    "It will work," insisted Ren. "You have more strength than you believe, and the beetle amplifies that... It is very powerful. Trust your instincts to advance and hit with everything, don''t try to only defend yourself, especially when he uses his Spirit Claw..."


    "You have to defend the honor of our Gray Wing double tamers team!" Min insisted.


    For a moment, Taro seemed to hesitate, but then a new determination illuminated his face. He nodded once, rising with a firmer posture.


    "I will," he affirmed, straightening his shoulders. "It''s time for Jin to learn that I''m not the same opponent he once easily defeated."


    As Taro headed toward the arena entrance, Min leaned toward Ren, lowering his voice.


    "Are you sure he''s ready for this? I thought he still had problems with the attack when you practiced."


    Ren observed his friend''s figure walking away, the mushrooms in his hair glowing with a constant and confident rhythm.


    "Sometimes," he responded, "we need a little pressure to discover what we''re truly capable of doing."


    In the arena, the technicians were finishing preparing the terrain for the next combat. Jin was already waiting in his position, his spirit tiger partially manifested, giving him a fierce appearance with those glowing eyes and translucent claws.


    Taro entered from the opposite side, his beetle not yet invoked but his presence already different from what it had been months ago. He no longer walked with his head slightly bowed; now his steps were firm, his gaze direct.


    When both competitors took their positions, Lin stepped forward for the final instructions. But to Taro, her voice sounded distant, almost irrelevant.


    His mind was fixed on a single thing: the technique that Ren had taught him, that movement that transformed defense into attack.


    "Begin," announced Lin, jumping back to start the combat.


    Jin smiled, his claws glowing with renewed intensity.


    "Ready for another lesson, insect?" he provoked, his voice loaded with contempt.


    For Jin, this combat was little more than a formality, a necessary step before facing truly worthy opponents. His mind reviewed the memories of that first combat class: Taro, unable to counterattack, eternally defensive while his beetle armor absorbed blow after blow without ever responding.


    ''Nothing has changed,'' thought Jin, his eyes evaluating the cautious posture of his opponent. ''Even in the team combats now, he has always been the shield, never the sword.''


    A confident smile appeared on his face as he began to fuse completely with his Bronze Spirit Tiger. His arms were covered with black and blue stripes, his hands transforming into translucent claws that seemed made of pure energy. His muscles expanded slightly, and his eyes greatly increased that supernatural glow that characterized his beast.


    "This time I won''t have mercy," he announced, his voice acquiring a deeper, almost guttural tone. "Consider this a lesson in humility for your luck in becoming a double."


    Taro didn''t respond verbally. Instead, he invoked his Living Tunnel, the enormous 2-meter beetle materializing with a bronzy glow that caught the arena''s light. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jin wasted no time. With an explosion of speed, he launched himself directly at Taro, his spirit claws leaving trails of bluish light in the air.


    But Taro had already anticipated this movement. His Living Tunnel sank its enormous feet into the arena floor, channeling its natural affinity with the earth. The ground beneath the beetle began to transform, the sand and earth compacting and rising, gradually covering the beast.


    "Trying to hide behind more shields?" mocked Jin, without reducing his speed. "Coward as always!"


    The earth wasn''t just covering the beetle; it was also flowing toward Taro in a specific defense technique that they had practiced a little in the last few weeks.


    Meanwhile, the beetle continued its transformation. The earth adhered to its shell made it appear even larger, a mass of three meters that stood like a small mountain.


    The Living Tunnel was enormous and strong, but it was slow.


    Jin, confident in his big superiority of speed, easily dodged the slow stomp that the beetle tried to deliver. His movement was fluid, almost elegant, as if he were dancing around a clumsy and unworthy opponent.


    "Predictable!" he exclaimed, repositioning himself to attack Taro directly.

 Chapter 293 - 293 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 29

    Taro was wrapped in what seemed like a cocoon of earth, a formation that was rapidly solidifying around him.


    The Living Tunnel was slowly transforming the earth into living mineral.


    But that didn''t stop Jin. If anything, it reinforced his conviction that his opponent only knew how to defend.


    "Hide all you want!" he shouted, charging toward the cocoon with his fist surrounded by spiritual energy. "My Spirit Wave will penetrate any defense!"


    And he was right. The Spirit Tiger granted him the ability to ignore physical defenses, sending waves of spiritual energy that directly affected the interior.


    But what Jin didn''t know was that Taro no longer relied solely on his beetle for defense.


    Inside the earth cocoon, Taro had silently invoked his second beast. The Hunter Bug, the pre-evolution of the Deep Assassin, was considerably smaller than the beetle, barely the size of a large dog and still at Iron rank...


    But its value didn''t lie in its size, it was in its unique capabilities.


    "Trophy Collector," whispered Taro, activating the Hunter Bug''s passive ability.


    Just as Jin''s fist was about to connect with the cocoon, the living mineral that now formed it, generated by the beetle but now adhered to the Hunter Bug''s shell, underwent an instantaneous transformation.


    Instead of remaining a static barrier, it transformed into a series of long, sharp spikes that extended outward at a surprising speed.


    Jin, completely unprepared for this metamorphosis, couldn''t stop his attack. His fist crashed against the spikes, which not only stopped his momentum but inflicted acute pain when several points pierced his hand.


    "Argh!" he shouted, retreating with surprise and fury. "What the hell...?"


    The cocoon dissolved, revealing Taro, but not as Jin or any of the spectators had seen him before. He was now completely covered by living mineral armor. Most impressive were the extensions on his arms, which ended in long, curved claws, reminiscent of those Ren used in combat, but made entirely of living mineral instead of light energy.


    "Surprised?" asked Taro, his voice calm but firm, without a trace of the nervousness that characterized him. "I''m not the same as in our first encounter, Jin."


    From the stands, Ren observed with approval. The work they had done was bearing fruit. The symbiosis between the Living Tunnel and the Hunter Bug was perfect: the beetle provided the raw material and basic transformation, while the Hunter Bug''s Trophy Collector ability allowed much finer and faster control over the living mineral.


    "What''s happening?" Mira asked Ren. "I''ve never seen Taro fight like this."


    "Taro''s Hunter Bug, with its Trophy Collector ability, can attach anything to its shell and manipulate it as if it were part of its own body." Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Trent nodded, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "So the beetle provides the material and the Hunter Bug controls it. That''s brilliant."


    In the arena, Jin was recovering from the initial surprise. Blood dripped from his injured hand, but his expression showed more irritation than pain.


    "An interesting trick," he acknowledged, flexing his fingers while assessing the damage. "But you''ll need more than spikes and a pretty armor to defeat me."


    Taro didn''t respond with words. Instead, he adopted an offensive posture that Lin immediately recognized. It was one of the basic stances she had taught Ren: perfect balance, low center of gravity, arms positioned for both attack and defense.


    Jin let out a dismissive laugh. "Now you think you can attack? You''ve always been a defensive coward. You can''t change what you are from one day to the next."


    "People change," Taro responded simply. "Beasts evolve. And I''ve learned that the best defense..."


    Without finishing the phrase, Taro launched himself forward with a speed that surprised everyone present. His living mineral armor, instead of slowing him down as one might expect, seemed to flow with his movements, adapting to each movement and acceleration.


    "...sometimes is a good attack," he completed as his mineral claws headed directly toward Jin''s face.


    The tiger tamer dodged by pure instinct, his enhanced reflexes saving him from a blow that would probably have ended the combat right there. But even so, one of the claws stretched at the last moment and managed to graze his cheek, leaving a superficial cut that bled freely.


    Jin counterattacked immediately, his own spirit claws seeking to penetrate Taro''s helmet armor. But each time he approached, the living mineral stretched or reorganized instantly, pushing him away with an attack longer than expected or avoiding the impact of the spiritual energy.


    "This is impossible!" growled Jin, frustrated. "Armor shouldn''t move!"


    "Normally you''d be right," confirmed Taro, launching another attack with his hand transforming into a mineral sword. "But mine is a living armor."


    Jin retreated, reevaluating his strategy. The combat clearly wasn''t going to be the triumphant walk he had anticipated.


    With a roar that mixed frustration and determination, Jin channeled more energy to his claws, making them shine with greater intensity.


    "Let''s see if your little trick resists this!" he shouted, launching himself back into the attack.


    This time, his movement was more elaborate. He feigned a direct attack, only to abruptly change direction at the last instant, seeking Taro''s blind spot.


    "Mineral Trap," murmured Taro, activating the technique that Ren had taught him.


    Just as Jin''s claws were about to connect with his unprotected flank, the living mineral around Taro restructured itself. Instead of forming a solid barrier, it stretched from Taro and created a huge mouth that launched itself against Jin.


    "What is...?" Jin couldn''t finish the question.


    Jin''s expression changed from confusion to horror when he understood what had happened.


    He was trapped in minerals now.


    But he wouldn''t surrender so easily... He had more combat experience than Taro and he would prove it.


    Jin decided to invoke his tiger and sent it directly against Taro.


    The enormous tiger launched into attack against the inexperienced boy who had gotten rid of most of his armor.


    But what Jin hadn''t contemplated was that Taro had something better than experience: he had two beasts.


    The Living Tunnel, which had approached from behind Jin, finally arrived and charged the trapped boy, managing to catch the tiger in mid-flight and crushing it in a herculean grip.


    Jin received the charge with minor damage thanks to the mineral trap in which he was caught, but what damaged him more was the loss of his tiger, which exploded into light under the powerful embrace due to its low defense.


    Taro didn''t waste his opponent''s moment of weakness and confusion at losing the connection with his beast. With a fluid movement that denoted hours of practice, he counterattacked. His mineral-covered fist connected directly with Jin''s solar plexus.


    Jin doubled over, the air escaping from his lungs in an agonizing gasp. The blue glow of his eyes vanished completely as he fell to his knees, struggling to breathe.


    Taro stood firm, his mineral gloves positioned for a second blow if necessary. But it was clear to everyone present that it wouldn''t be.


    Jin collapsed, knocked out for the second consecutive day.


    Lin advanced to the center of the arena, briefly evaluating Jin''s condition before raising her arm in Taro''s direction.


    "Victory for Taro Terragon!" she announced, her amplified voice resonating throughout the stadium.

 Chapter 294 - 294 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 30

    Taro returned to the stands amid cheers and applause from his companions. Min was the first to pounce on him, putting his arm around his neck and messing up his hair. Ren followed with a more restrained but equally sincere congratulation; he was proud of his friend.


    What was surprising wasn''t just the congratulations from his roommates, but the small reception committee that had formed spontaneously. Roran and his group approached.


    "That was incredible!" exclaimed Trent, shaking Taro''s hand enthusiastically. "We insect tamers glimpse a new era with you. Also Kai looked like he was going to explode with rage!"


    Han''s team had also approached, though Han himself maintained a certain distance, observing from a few meters back with an unfathomable expression. Jun and Sora, however, showed no such reserve.


    "Good job," commented Jun simply, though the gleam of admiration in his eyes said more than his words.


    "It''s going to be difficult to overcome that new defense style," added Sora with a smile.


    Jun sighed dramatically, looking at Ren. "Though I suppose it doesn''t matter much what we do against it, considering we have to face you tomorrow in the team semifinals." He shook his head with feigned resignation. "It''s the end of the line for us, so we just ask for some mercy, oh powerful lord of mushrooms."


    "Hey, I''m part of the team too!" Min jumped in, feeling ignored.


    The joke drew laughter from the group.


    "It will be an interesting combat," Ren responded, with anticipation rather than arrogance.


    For an instant, his eyes met Han''s. Ren''s smile remained, but his eyes contained a different depth when looking at the distant boy.


    The moment passed as quickly as it had come, interrupted by the announcement of the next individual combat.


    The matches continued at a good pace. Min faced a tamer with a fire beast, winning easily thanks to a ''brilliant'' combination of invisibility and elemental advantage.


    Upon returning, he expected the same praise as Taro, but everyone looked at him with narrowed eyes because his confrontation had been too easy thanks to the elemental affinity.


    Finally, the turn that many had been waiting for arrived.


    "Liora Ashenway against Feng Zhao," announced Yang, his voice resonating throughout the stadium. "Present yourselves in the arena in three minutes."


    A murmur of anticipation ran through the stands. Feng, as Klein''s close companion and high-level noble, had a considerable reputation. His red cobra, now at Bronze 1 rank, had shown impressive capabilities in previous combats. But facing an Ashenway, especially after the demonstration of power that Liora and Larissa had offered in the team combats, was another level of challenge.


    "This is going to be interesting," commented Taro, still excited from his own victory. "Feng has attacks with a lot of range, but Liora..."


    "Has that annoying ability to jump through space," completed Min. "Not to mention that will-o''-wisp that seems to have a mind of its own and the same or greater range."


    Ren observed attentively as both competitors entered the arena. Liora walked with the natural grace characteristic of the Ashenways, her expression serene but alert. Feng advanced with aggressiveness.


    "Feng''s cobra is stronger and more resistant now, besides giving better enhancements," observed Ren. "His control over its venom is much more refined as well."


    Indeed, when Feng invoked his beast, the difference was immediately apparent. The red cobra, now almost two meters in length, presented more elaborate markings on its extended hood. Its fangs, visible when it opened its jaws in an intimidating display, dripped a liquid that seemed to slightly corrode the ground where it fell.


    Liora, for her part, kept her will-o''-wisp partially materialized, small blue flames dancing around her fingers as she studied her opponent.


    "Begin," indicated Yang, stepping back to give space to the combatants.


    Feng wasted no time. With a quick gesture, he directed his cobra to attack. The creature launched forward, but instead of attacking directly, it began to expel a cloud of toxic vapor from its mouth.


    "He''s developed the Poison Miasma ability," murmured Ren. "It''s a good way to control the field."


    The cloud expanded rapidly, covering a considerable area of the arena. It had a sickly greenish color, and where it touched surfaces, these began to hiss.


    "It''s a venom with acidic properties," Ren explained to his friends. "Doubly dangerous: it damages both by contact and inhalation."


    Liora, however, didn''t seem particularly concerned. With an elegant movement, she executed one of her characteristic spatial jumps, disappearing in a blue flash to reappear several meters beyond the reach of the toxic cloud.


    "Nice trick," she commented, her voice resonating with the confidence of someone who had control.


    Feng narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed by the ease with which his initial strategy had been avoided. He directed his cobra to expand the cloud more, covering an even larger portion of the arena.


    "You can jump all you want," he responded, an arrogant smile forming on his face. "But eventually you''ll run out of space or energy."


    Liora responded with her own smile, serene and slightly amused. "Or I could simply do this."


    With a fluid gesture, she extended both hands toward the toxic cloud. Her will-o''-wisp intensified, the small blue flames growing to form a burning wave that launched directly against the miasma.


    The result was spectacular. Upon contact with the will-o''-wisp, the poisonous miasma instantly ignited.


    "The will-o''-wisp isn''t common fire," explained Ren to no one in particular, though several nearby students listened attentively. "It consumes mana. It''s, basically, the perfect counter for any thin mana construction that isn''t based on the water element."


    Liora decided it was time to go on the offensive.


    "It''s been useful to verify the utility of my ability against a higher rank skill," she declared, executing a particularly wide jump that positioned her directly behind Feng. "But I think it''s time to end this."


    Before Feng could turn completely, Liora had sent a concentrated wave of will-o''-wisp.


    Feng returned and redirected the summon of his cobra to his back, without even turning, just in time to avoid the direct attack, but...


    The blue flames enveloped the creature, not burning it in the traditional sense, but consuming its energy. Liora pushed herself to the maximum to increase the output of her flames, and for a moment they became darker, but few noticed.


    The effect was too effective against the beast despite having a higher level.


    The flames began to overcome the cobra, which was disintegrating and ceasing to function as a shield.


    Feng screamed when the blue fire licked his arms and chest, a pain that temporarily paralyzed his mind. He fell to his knees, his concentration broken and his cobra vanishing in a flash of reddish light.


    "I... I surrender," he gasped, acknowledging his defeat.


    Yang approached to verify his condition before officially declaring: "Victory for Liora Ashenway!"


    The applause was immediate and enthusiastic, especially from the sectors close to Selphira and her supporters from other noble families. Liora accepted the ovation with an elegant nod.


    While the medical auxiliaries attended to Feng to neutralize any residual effect of the will-o''-wisp, the next combat was announced.


    "Larissa Dravenholm against Astor Blackwood."


    Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 295 - 295 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 31

    "I hope she eliminates another one of Klein''s followers," commented Min, following Larissa with his gaze as she entered the arena. "Do you think it will be similar to the previous match?"


    Ren studied Astor, who was advancing from the opposite side. The boy was considerably larger than Feng. His blue rhinoceros, also at Bronze 1 rank, was known for its extraordinary defense and had obtained its new devastating spinning horn attack.


    "It will be different," Ren responded after a moment. "Astor is much more resistant than Feng and doesn''t have an elemental or natural disadvantage. His defense could prove problematic for Larissa''s relatively low attack compared to Liora''s."


    The combat began with the same instruction as always, but the development was notably different, as Ren predicted.


    Astor, instead of waiting, attacked immediately by invoking his rhinoceros completely, the creature manifested with a roar that reverberated throughout the stadium. It was an imposing beast, almost as large as Taro''s Living Tunnel, with skin that seemed made of hardened sapphire plates.


    Larissa, studying her opponent, kept her mineral fairy partially fused. Small golden crystals adorned her skin, shining with inner light each time she moved.


    The first move was Astor''s. He sent his rhinoceros in a direct charge, the beast lowering its enormous head to aim its horn at Larissa. As it advanced, the horn began to spin, becoming a living drill.


    To no one''s surprise, Larissa executed a spatial jump, disappearing just before impact. What did surprise many was how close she allowed the rhinoceros to get before jumping. So close that some swore they saw the horn graze her.


    Larissa appeared in front of Astor, but the boy had already anticipated the situation, so he had returned his beast to his body to use its armor. Larissa''s attack barely left a scratch.


    Larissa retreated with another jump, and Astor launched his rhino to attack again.


    But each time, Larissa waited until the last moment to jump.


    "She''s playing with him," observed Min, narrowing his eyes.


    "It seems like a psychological strategy," deduced Ren. "Each time she dodges by such a narrow margin, she makes him pay attention to timing and increases Astor''s frustration."


    Indeed, after several failed charges by increasingly reduced margins, Astor''s expression began to tense. His orders to the rhinoceros became more abrupt, his calculations less precise.


    "You almost caught me that time," commented Larissa after a particularly tight jump. "One more centimeter to the right and it would have been my end."


    It was a deliberate provocation, and it worked exactly as expected. Astor, irritated by what he perceived as condescension, ordered his rhinoceros to execute a series of faster charges with its new activated abilities, each from a different angle.


    "A mistake," murmured Ren, watching how the strategy developed. "He''s exhausting his beast unnecessarily. That''s why Larissa isn''t attacking him with long jumps anymore and only throws small stones at him... She''s saving mana."


    Larissa continued her game of dodging by impossibly narrow margins with short jumps followed by attacks directed at Astor to force him to return the rhino to the starting point, occasionally adding comments that only served to increase Astor''s frustration.


    It wasn''t cruelty; it was pure tactics, designed to make her opponent spend mana.


    Finally, after almost ten minutes of this exchange with no apparent results, Larissa changed her approach.


    "It''s been fun," she declared, reappearing after her last jump in an offensive position, "but it''s time to see if that defense is as good as you think."


    With a fluid movement, she materialized her mineral spear. The weapon shone with golden light, a glow that seemed to use Larissa''s light element in a way similar to Ren''s style.


    Astor, recognizing the threat, absorbed his rhinoceros to adopt a purely defensive posture. The plates on his skin grew, acquiring a deeper blue tone.


    Larissa attacked with elegant precision, her spear seeking the points where the plates joined or had just finished expanding in the small openings of the formidable defense.


    To the surprise of many, possibly including Larissa herself, the rhinoceros''s defense proved even more formidable than it appeared. Even the adjacent skin was quite hard thanks to the enormous increase in defense, and the spear barely managed to leave marks and superficial cuts.


    "Impressive," acknowledged Larissa after several attempts. "Your defense is truly exceptional."


    Astor smiled for the first time since the combat began. "The Blue Rhinoceros has the best natural defense of almost all beasts at its level," he declared with pride. "Not even a tier 3 beast can damage it easily."


    "True," nodded Larissa. "I guess I''ll have to try something different."


    With these words, she changed her strategy. Instead of attacking the body, she began attacking the face and less defended parts, executing a series of quick spatial jumps so Astor couldn''t catch her after each blow.


    With each appearance, her spear connected with some soft point on the face, the side of the rhinoceros plates, just below its left shoulder, or even in the groin area, to the terror of male spectators.


    Despite everything, the damage was limited.


    Each impact was individually insignificant, but they were accumulating damage little by little.


    "She''s torturing him," explained Ren to his friends. "For some reason I feel that this is a ''very Larissa like'' style... but I think now she''s the one running out of mana."


    The strategy required patience and an extraordinary energy economy. Each spatial jump consumed mana, and Larissa was executing dozens of them to stay away from Astor''s counterattacks.


    "She can''t maintain this pace indefinitely," observed Taro. "You''re right... She must be near her limit."


    Indeed, although Larissa maintained her serene expression, subtle signs of fatigue began to manifest. Her breathing became slightly more labored, the glow of the crystals on her skin occasionally fluctuated.


    Astor, noticing these changes, smiled with renewed confidence. "Now you''re the one running out of energy," he declared. "Soon you won''t even be able to jump."


    Larissa didn''t respond verbally.


    Instead, she intensified her attacks.


    Her jumps, though less frequent now, were more precise and followed by 2 or 3 attacks instead of 1. Each appearance resulted in blows that penetrated a bit deeper than the previous ones.


    The mineral fairy fused with her began to manifest its power more visibly, sending discharges of earth and light energy through the spear with each impact. The crystals on her skin shone with new intensity, channeling all her remaining energy toward the tip.


    But Astor saw his opportunity in the increasingly easier-to-follow jumps of the princess, who had lost color in her face from fatigue.


    However, Astor wasn''t in better condition forcing his resistance. It was now or never...


    Right after a triple combo that sent waves of pain through his left side, he launched a kick to force her to jump and lunged forward to the new place where Larissa appeared. She couldn''t jump consecutively anymore; he was sure he could catch her now.


    Indeed, Larissa couldn''t jump anymore...


    But jumping wasn''t the girl''s only quality. It was time for those Lynx reflexes Ren had gifted her to shine.


    She planted the back of her spear in the ground, propelled herself upward, leaving the tip directed at Astor, who drove his shoulder into it during the charge, finally breaking his plate. Larissa invoked another spear with the last vestiges of her mana.


    The spear stuck in the ground broke along with the plate on Astor''s shoulder, and in his concern about missing the attack and having the princess on top of him, the boy forced his mana to grow another but failed as he didn''t have enough.


    Larissa put all her weight on the new spear as she started to fall and aimed it at the top of the now exposed shoulder.


    Finally, the rhinoceros''s defense gave way. The spear''s tip penetrated completely, reaching the vulnerable flesh beneath the hard skin.


    It wasn''t a mortal blow of course, as it was near the deltoid connection, but it was enough for the rhinoceros boy to roar in pain, momentarily unbalanced.


    Taking advantage of this single opportunity, Larissa executed a double kick to the back of Astor''s neck, knocking him down with her weight to end up barely standing on his back. Her spear, now glowing with the last drop of energy she had left, stopped inches from his neck.


    "It''s over," she declared simply, her voice slightly trembling from the effort.


    Astor assessed his situation, barely enduring the pain in his shoulder and the various cuts on his body. The spear at his throat made it clear that he had lost, but the noble girl had given him the option to declare his defeat honorably.


    "I surrender," he finally declared, both frustration and genuine respect in his voice. sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lin advanced to the center. "Victory for Larissa Dravenholm!"

 Chapter 296 - 296 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 32

    The applause was deafening, especially from the sectors where supporters of the royal family were located. Larissa accepted the ovation with grace, though anyone watching closely could notice that she remained standing more from pride than from her almost nonexistent remaining energy.


    As she withdrew from the arena, she exchanged a glance with Liora from the opposite entrance. The cousins shared a smile of mutual understanding: unfortunately, tomorrow they would have to face each other as their brackets were so close together.


    "The girls are really something special," commented Min as they watched Larissa disappear through the tunnel. "If they hadn''t faced each other, they all could have reached the final, right?"


    "It''s very likely," answered Ren. "But I suppose luck is also an important factor... I myself didn''t want to face Taro so soon, but tomorrow..."


    "Will you have mercy on me?" asked Taro, his voice betraying a bit of concern.


    Ren observed his friend for a moment.


    "Not a bit," he finally responded. "If I''m careless, you''ll kick my butt..."


    Taro laughed.


    "...I''ll try to last longer than Jin at least."


    ????


    The next day of the tournament dawned with a different energy. Of the thirty-two first-year teams that had started the competition, only eight remained.


    The stands were even fuller than the day before, with some students from other years who had been defeated deciding to watch the quarterfinals of the new and less-known students.


    "Look at that," Min pointed out as they entered the stadium. "Even some people from other academies have come."


    Indeed, a group of adults with uniforms of different colors was located in a special section. Official observers, sent to evaluate emerging talent for the interschool competitions as they did every year.


    Today they would face Han''s team, a confrontation that, on paper, should be relatively simple. Bronze beasts and double tamers against common Iron beasts.


    However, something in Ren''s expression suggested that he didn''t consider this match something simple... Though not because of the power or difficulty of their opponents.


    The team had been preparing... Jun and Sora practiced synchronized movements while Han, more distant, meticulously adjusted the threads of his weaver spider.


    In the stands, spectators were beginning to take positions. Individual combats would continue afterward, but four rounds remained to complete them. In contrast, the team battles were entering their critical phase, with only three confrontations remaining before crowning the first champions.


    "Team Ren versus Team Han," announced Lin, her voice resonating throughout the stadium. "Prepare to enter the arena in three minutes."


    As they headed toward the entrance, Min gave small jumps, unable to contain his energy.


    "This time I want to do something spectacular," he declared, his amphibian jumping on his shoulder to emphasize the point. "In the last combat I barely participated."


    "Each one fulfills a specific role," Ren reminded him patiently. "Your invisibility was very useful for surprising Hector."


    "But it was you and Taro who had the heroic moment!" protested Min. "I want my own epic moment. Maybe I could..."


    "Focus on the strategy we agreed upon," interrupted Ren, though a slight smile softened his words. "You can do your heroics in the individual combats afterward."


    Han''s team entered from the opposite side. Despite their previous words about the inevitability of defeat, their posture showed genuine determination. They wouldn''t surrender without a fight.


    "Both teams have demonstrated exceptional strategies in previous rounds," commented Lin, positioning herself between the groups. "I remind you: victory by incapacitation..."


    She briefly studied the competitors before continuing: "Ready?"


    Six heads nodded simultaneously.


    "Begin."


    Han was the first to act. His weaver spider manifested completely, its eight legs moving with precision as it began to weave a complex web that took advantage of the rocky formations in the arena.


    Jun invoked his monkey, partially fusing with it. His body acquired a reddish fur and his muscles swelled slightly, while his movements became more agile and less predictable.


    Sora completed the initial formation with her deer, the creature manifesting beside her with elegance, its antlers shining with a slight green luminescence.


    "Standard strategy," murmured Ren to his companions. "They''re setting up a trap with the threads while preparing a coordinated attack."


    "Do we proceed as planned?" asked Taro, his Living Tunnel already invoked beneath his feet, creating small undulations in the ground.


    Ren nodded, but his eyes never left Han.


    The Gray Wing team deployed their own formation. Min and his amphibian began to generate their invisibility field, gradually extending it to cover all three. And Ren, keeping his hydra fused, prepared for direct combat.


    The first seconds were an elaborate game of tactical positioning. Han''s spider extended its web with the help of its companions, creating a trap both visible and invisible.


    But Ren''s mana vision and Taro''s Living Tunnel''s ability to attack from below the ground were too advantageous against the team''s tactics.


    Han frowned, concerned about the Gray Wing''s ability to identify the real threads from the decoys. His spider intensified its efforts, now weaving threads on the ground.


    But by then, it was already too late. Ren had located and invisibly reached the nodal point of the web, the center from where the entire structure was controlled. With a fluid movement, he materialized his characteristic light claws and precisely cut that point.


    The effect was immediate. The threads, deprived of their central source of control and mana flow, lost tension and began to fade.


    "Plan B!" shouted Han urgently.


    Jun and Sora responded with impressive coordination. Jun''s monkey channeled its rage ability, its fur becoming more intensely red as its strength increased considerably. Simultaneously, Sora''s deer began to emit a greenish aura.


    It was a good backup strategy, but not enough against the level that the Gray Wing had reached.


    What followed was almost anticlimactic.


    Han ordered his spider to generate a defensive barrier of threads, but the effort seemed superficial, as if he knew it was useless.


    Ren destroyed it and seemed to be waiting for something... he positioned himself in front of Han. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "It''s enough," declared Han, his voice perfectly controlled as he looked directly into Ren''s eyes. "We surrender."


    Jun and Sora, seeing that their leader had surrendered and dominated by Taro and Min''s 4 beasts, followed his example. The combat had ended in less than 1 minute.


    "Victory for Team Ren!" announced Lin.

 Chapter 297 - 297 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 33

    Min seemed particularly discontented.


    "Was that all?" he protested, deactivating his invisibility with an irritated gesture. "I didn''t even have time to do anything spectacular! Why did Han surrender so quickly?"


    "I guess he recognized they had run out of options," Ren responded, though his tone lacked conviction. "It''s an understandable decision."


    Taro observed Ren curiously. "It seemed like you were waiting for something to happen," he commented.


    Ren simply denied it with a vague gesture, without elaborating.


    The following matches proceeded without significant surprises. A team from group A defeated another from group C in a relatively balanced battle. Then, a team from group D defeated another from group A in a combat that extended almost twenty minutes.


    And finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.


    "Team Larissa versus Team Klein," announced Lin, provoking a wave of anticipatory murmurs in the stands. "Prepare to enter the arena."


    For many spectators, especially newcomers or those unfamiliar with the Gray Wing''s true power, this confrontation represented the true final played in advance. The two most powerful families of the academy, the Ashenway/Dravenholm against the Goldcrests, in a battle that symbolically transcended the simple school tournament.


    "This will be interesting," commented Ren, his eyes following Klein as he entered the arena with his characteristic confidence.


    "Klein''s team has only Bronze rank beasts," observed Taro. "And the girls have significant special abilities... They won individually, but I wonder if Klein''s addition could ruin things."


    "They have two tamers capable of executing spatial jumps," added Min, still slightly resentful about his own unspectacular combat. "That ability is ridiculously showy and advantageous... Not like mine... I don''t think they''ll disappoint us, right?"


    "It''s not an invincible ability," replied Ren, his mushrooms pulsing as he analyzed both contenders. "Every technique has its weakness, even one as versatile as the spatial jump. Larissa won yesterday by a very small margin..."


    Lin positioned herself between the teams, her professional expression perfectly masking any personal preference.


    "The rules remain the same. Are you ready?"


    Six heads nodded. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Begin."


    Klein, confident as always, wasted no time deploying his characteristic strategy: the paralyzing roar that had unbalanced so many opponents.


    His chest expanded while his golden lion manifested its presence with more intensity. The veins in his neck tensed and his eyes acquired that supernatural glow that preceded the attack.


    "Get ready!" shouted Larissa, alerting her companions.


    The three reacted instantly, bringing their hands to their ears despite having them covered by plugs specifically for this confrontation. It was a defense that had significantly reduced the effect for some teams, especially those who had received advice from Ren.


    Klein''s roar resonated throughout the arena, a wave of sound and magical energy that shook the air. Despite the girls'' precaution, the effect was immediately visible. Their beasts, though not paralyzed, suffered a significant impact: Maria''s armadillo staggered slightly, Liora''s will-o''-wisp fluctuated, and Larissa''s mineral fairy seemed to momentarily reduce its brightness.


    "His roar has gained strength," observed Ren from the stands, his mushrooms pulsing with analytical interest. "It''s not just sound; it has a magical component that affects lower-ranked beasts especially well compared to the emitter''s."


    Min nodded, impressed by the ability''s utility despite his antipathy toward Klein. "I feel the shock wave running through my entire body, not just my ears... it gives me goosebumps."


    The effect was brief but sufficient for Klein''s team to take the lead. But their strategy wasn''t what many expected.


    "What are they doing?" murmured Taro, confused. "Feng is positioned as if he were the spearhead, but he''s the most vulnerable of the three."


    To everyone''s surprise, Feng invoked his beast and began attacking Maria directly instead of Liora. His red cobra rose, extending its threatening hood while spitting its venomous attack. Simultaneously, Klein advanced to flank him, but not as offensive support.


    He was protecting him.


    "They''ve reversed the roles," understood Ren, his eyes capturing the emerging pattern. "Klein defending, and Astor..."


    As if confirming his analysis, Astor directed his rhinoceros directly toward the front, forgetting about his armor and adopting a purely offensive posture. The beast''s horn began to spin, becoming a living drill as it also charged against Maria.


    Liora was capable of ignoring Astor''s defenses, was extremely effective against Feng, and Klein couldn''t resist a direct hit from her fire either. The most logical approach would have been to attack her, but Klein seemed to have refused to follow such a plan.


    The cousins had planned to defend Liora but quickly reacted to this unexpected strategy. Larissa projected an emerging crystalline barrier from the ground to defend Maria.


    Liora, following the original plan, tried to attack Feng when she saw he wasn''t well defended, her will-o''-wisp concentrating in a burning column that shot toward the cobra. It was her opportunity to eliminate the team''s beast most vulnerable to her attack.


    But this is where the true ingenuity of Klein''s plan became evident. The Goldcrest intercepted the fire with a fluid movement, his spirit claws shooting out and cutting through the flames, dispersing them before they reached their target.


    "Phantom Claw Dispersion!" he exclaimed, the elaborate and ''slightly'' exaggerated name of his technique resonating through the arena as his claws created a pattern in the air that effectively diverted the attack before the mana could be consumed by the flames.


    "Impressive," acknowledged someone near Ren. "He''s managed to combat the fire."


    Meanwhile, Feng''s cobra launched continuous jets of acidic venom against Larissa''s barrier. The crystalline wall resisted, but it began to show signs of erosion where the acid made contact.


    "I''m not containing it well!" warned Larissa. "Fall back!"


    Then the key moment arrived. Astor''s beast found the perfect angle.


    The impact was devastating. The rhinoceros''s rotating horn pierced the crystalline barrier as if it were paper, sending bright fragments in all directions. The defense crumbled, leaving Maria momentarily exposed.


    "Maria!" shouted Liora, trying to attack Astor to cancel his beast.


    But Klein intercepted her again, his phantom claws blocking her advance while Feng and Astor concentrated their attack on Maria.

 Chapter 298 - 298 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 34

    "They''ve studied every movement pattern of the cousins."


    Indeed, each jump, each rescue attempt, seemed anticipated by Klein''s team. They moved with a coordination that suggested hours of analysis and specific preparation for this confrontation.


    Maria tried to resist, but the combination of the cobra''s acid and the rhinoceros''s piercing impacts was too much. The armadillo finally gave in, vanishing in a flash of light.


    Maria fell to her knees, stunned by the broken connection.


    "No!" exclaimed Liora, her concern for her friend momentarily overcoming her discipline.


    That instant of distraction was all Klein needed.


    "Being emotional," he murmured, a confident smile on his lips as he launched an attack. "Is a bad idea in battle."


    Liora retreated with a jump just in time to avoid being severely injured, only a small scratch on her shoulder, but the situation had changed dramatically. With Maria out of combat, the numerical advantage clearly favored Klein''s team.


    "Let''s regroup!" ordered Larissa, executing another spatial jump to reunite with her cousin.


    The two positioned themselves back to back, a defensive posture that acknowledged their new disadvantage. Three against two, with Klein and his team now controlling the rhythm of combat.


    "You must admit it," commented Klein, advancing confidently while his companions flanked him on both sides. "We''ve taken a weight off your shoulders... That girl isn''t at the level of our blood."


    Larissa didn''t respond verbally, but her expression hardened.


    In the stands, spectators observed with renewed interest. What many had anticipated as a more even battle had quickly tilted in Klein''s team favor.


    "Do you think they can recover?" asked Min, his antipathy toward Klein evident in his concern that the girls who had won individually might lose and in his childish grimace of disgust. "Won''t his bragging get much worse if everyone thinks that only thanks to him the situation went completely different?"


    Ren studied the situation in the arena, his mushrooms pulsing as he analyzed the situation.


    "It''s still possible for them to win," he responded after a moment. "Larissa and Liora still have hidden resources... But although I hate to admit it, Klein has accomplished something important..."


    "He''s countered the fire that seemed unavoidable," added Taro. "Without that advantage..."


    The battle continued below. Liora tried to keep Feng controlled by eliminating his venom with will-o''-wisp, while Larissa used defensive spatial jumps to avoid the rhinoceros''s charges and move away from the group''s advance to avoid being near Klein''s claws.


    Klein maintained a central position, coordinating his team to keep them together while his phantom claws tried to reach the cousins or cut any significant attack they might launch.


    "Without that advantage they''ll run out of mana, plus..." Taro began.


    "Plus the boys are three and have higher-ranked beasts," completed Ren. "But Liora''s fire could be unstoppable again..."


    The battle had entered its decisive phase, with the balance of power clearly tilted toward Klein''s side. Two nobles cornered against three opponents of similar level.


    And as the combat continued, in a discreet corner of the stands, Kassian Goldcrest observed with a barely disguised smile. His younger brother was finally demonstrating something at the level of the true heirs of their lineage... And he still had a new secret card to demonstrate.


    ????


    Liora and Larissa were forced into a purely defensive strategy, keeping themselves in constant movement to avoid being cornered.


    "We can''t continue like this," murmured Larissa during a brief moment of respite, her eyes evaluating the enemy formation. "They''re too close together."


    Klein still directed his team in a very tight formation. The three moved as a single entity, always maintaining a maximum distance of 2 steps between them, as the effective range within which Klein could intercept any attack with his phantom claws was only 3 meters.


    "Watch out!" warned Liora, executing another spatial jump to avoid a jet of venom from Feng''s cobra.


    Larissa followed her an instant later, reappearing beside her at the opposite end of the arena. Both already showed slight signs of fatigue; spatial jumps consumed a considerable amount of mana, and the frequency with which they were forced to use them was quickly depleting their reserves.


    Astor''s rhinoceros charged periodically, always aiming at Larissa to keep her on the defensive, but carefully avoiding getting too close to Liora, whose will-o''-wisp could quickly neutralize it. Feng, meanwhile, maintained constant pressure with his venomous distance attacks, forcing Liora to spend mana on invoking her fire.


    "They''re trying to exhaust us slowly," observed Liora, breathing heavily. "And it''s working too well."


    Larissa attentively observed her opponents while dodging another rhinoceros charge at the last moment. Her mind worked frantically, looking for a way to separate the impenetrable enemy formation.


    Together they had the perfect amount of capabilities to counter them, but separated they couldn''t defend against Liora''s fire. At least not Feng and Astor...


    And then she saw it. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Klein," she murmured, a spark of understanding illuminating her eyes. "He''s the only one capable of neutralizing the fire."


    Liora immediately caught the implication. "If we could separate him from the others..."


    Larissa jumped near Liora in the next evasion and quickly revealed the secret part of the plan that had just occurred to her, her voice barely audible as they executed another coordinated jump to avoid being surrounded.


    Liora nodded with a gleam of determination in her eyes, immediately understanding the plan. It was risky, almost suicidal, but in their current situation, audacity was their only hope.


    From the stands, Ren detected the subtle change in the posture and mana flow of the cousins.


    "They''re going to try something desperate," he commented, leaning slightly forward.


    "What have they seen?" asked Taro, closely following the movement of the combatants.


    "The key to Klein''s strategy," replied Ren. "It''s as could be expected from him, Klein himself... He is the central point of the defense. Without his phantom claws..."


    Events unfolded with vertiginous speed.


    Larissa, in a reckless turn, executed a spatial jump that placed her directly in the center of the enemy formation. Her mineral spear, materialized during the jump, aimed directly at Klein.


    Yes¡­ She didn''t intend to separate him from the others, space was her advantage anyway. If she was always close, then attacking the problem directly also worked.


    The reaction of Klein''s team, which was completely alert to the jumps, was instantaneous¡­ and precisely what Larissa had anticipated.


    But Astor, faithful to his protective role, retrieved his rhinoceros to manifest the armor and intercept the attack, placing himself between her and Klein in an instant.


    What they didn''t anticipate was that Larissa would continue her attack despite the intervention. Her spear clashed against Astor''s chest, with her center of gravity lowered and all the strength of her legs pushing him, generating an imbalance in the now more voluminous boy that momentarily destabilized everyone present.


    But Klein would have none of this; he recovered his balance first, had already charged his phantom claws, and didn''t delay in counterattacking.


    "Pathetic attempt!" he exclaimed, launching a devastating cut that connected directly with Larissa''s side.


    A collective gasp ran through the stands. Larissa was thrown 2 meters outside the formation by the impact.


    To all present, it seemed the end of the cousins'' resistance.


    All except Liora, who had disappeared during the chaos.


    "Klein, behind you!" warned Feng, but it was too late.


    Liora materialized behind Klein, her will-o''-wisp concentrated in a sphere of intense blue power. Her eyes shone with fierce determination as she launched the most powerful attack she had shown so far in the tournament.


    The blue flames advanced toward Klein, who was completely unprotected, his attention barely shifting focus from Larissa.

 Chapter 299 - 299 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 35 (Secret Power)

    Liora''s blue flames advanced toward Klein, but Feng, in an act of pure loyalty, threw himself in front of his leader. His red cobra was used to directly intercept the attack''s trajectory, absorbing the impact first with its body.


    The collision was devastating. The cobra writhed in agony as the flames consumed its magical essence, a sharp shriek escaping its throat before vanishing in a burst of reddish light. The remaining flames also slightly burned the now beastless tamer, who fainted.


    "Feng!" exclaimed Klein, shocked by his companion''s sacrifice.


    Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, Astor directed his rhinoceros in a vengeful charge against Liora. The Ashenway, exhausted by her last attack, barely managed to execute another spatial jump, avoiding the worst of the attack but receiving a glancing impact that made her stagger when she reappeared.


    Larissa, meanwhile, was getting up after the claw attack. What appeared to be a serious wound on her side turned out to be less severe than it seemed; she had reinforced that area with a thick layer of mineral, anticipating Klein''s counterattack.


    Even so, the impact had been considerable, and her breathing was irregular as she assessed the situation.


    "Two against two," she murmured. "We can still do this."


    But something was changing in Klein. His expression had transformed, a cold fury replacing his usual arrogance. His eyes fixed on Feng, who had collapsed unconscious after losing his connection with the cobra.


    The adaptation potion began to show its effect...


    The markings of his golden lion intensified, acquiring a deeper glow. His muscles tensed, his mane grew, and for a fleeting instant, a shadow imperceptible to almost everyone seemed to dance around his silhouette.


    "Abyssal energy," understood Ren, his eyes narrowing as he perceived what others couldn''t. "Just a pinch, but..."


    An increase of barely 10% in his capabilities, calculated by Kassian to avoid any detection but significant at a critical moment. It was supposed to be discreet enough to go unnoticed by most, but the distinctive abyssal tint that only Ren, and perhaps Han, with their unique perception, did detect.


    "Liora!" warned Larissa, noticing the change in Klein''s intensity although without completely understanding its nature.


    Klein moved with increased speed, heading directly toward Liora. His claws seemed more defined as he pursued the Ashenway, who clearly showed signs of mana circuit exhaustion.


    "She won''t be able to jump again so soon," commented Ren. "She''s used too much mana."


    Cornered against the arena''s boundary, Liora prepared to try to dodge the direct attack. The last desperate option with minimal chances of success.


    Klein smiled, his claws prepared for the final blow.


    "No!" shouted Larissa, intercepting the attack with a spatial jump at the last second.


    She placed herself between Klein and her cousin, her body covered by a hastily reinforced mineral armor. Klein''s claws connected with devastating force, and this time, empowered by the potion''s effect, they penetrated the mineral defense.


    Larissa gasped, an expression of surprise and pain crossing her face as the phantom claws perforated her protection and reached her back.


    "Larissa!" Liora''s cry resonated throughout the arena as her cousin collapsed in front of her, out of combat.


    Something changed within Liora as she saw Larissa fall. Her expression hardened, aristocratic determination giving way to intense rage. Her eyes, normally light blue, seemed to darken as she made a decision she had clearly been avoiding.


    "I won''t hold back anymore," she murmured, more to herself than to her opponent.


    A change began to manifest in her. Her will-o''-wisp, always characteristically light blue, began to gradually darken. The flames acquired a deeper, more intense tone, an almost midnight blue that increased the power to the next level.


    "She''s using her second beast," observed Ren, his voice mixing surprise and fascination at seeing his recommended synergy in action. "She didn''t manifest it completely, but at least she made it enhance her will-o''-wisp."


    The demonic Bashe, her hidden beast, remained in her body, but its influence became evident to Ren in the fire''s transformation. The flames didn''t just change color; their very essence seemed to alter, becoming denser, hungrier.


    Astor had wanted to take advantage of the last standing rival''s moment of distraction... but he had chosen a bad moment to launch his beast.


    When Liora directed this enhanced fire toward the front and the rhinoceros was hit, the effect was devastating. The dark blue flames engulfed the beast, which had no chance to resist.


    Not even its charge''s momentum managed to reach Liora... The rhinoceros vanished with an agonizing roar, leaving Astor on his knees, his connection abruptly severed.


    "Impossible," gasped Klein. "No fire could... So quickly."


    He had no time to complete his thoughts. Liora, with her mana repowered by the Bashe''s influence, executed a spatial jump with a speed that surpassed her previous movements and avoided a claw attack.


    She reappeared directly behind Klein, who barely had time to turn to face her. His phantom claws deployed instinctively as Liora launched another wave of her darkened fire.


    What followed was a spectacular clash of powers. Klein''s claws, empowered by the abyssal potion, tried to cut through the flames.


    But Liora''s enhanced fire had a quality that the claws couldn''t completely counter: it consumed the mana of whatever it touched twice as fast. Every time the claws touched the flames, they lost their potency after a few centimeters.


    "It''s a battle of attrition," commented Taro, unable to look away from the spectacle. "Whoever runs out of energy first..."


    The exchange intensified, Klein launching claws at a dizzying speed while Liora maintained her dark fire attack. Both showed obvious signs of extreme exhaustion: Klein sweating profusely, his movements gradually losing precision and receiving some burns; Liora pale as a ghost, her fire fluctuating slightly with each pulse of energy.


    Finally, the decisive moment arrived.


    Klein fought valiantly, his claws cutting through the flames until the last moment. But finally, the connection with his lion failed, the beast''s manifestation vanishing with a final roar.


    However, Liora''s fire had also been exhausted. S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Both combatants remained motionless for a moment that seemed to go on forever. Liora, pale and trembling, struggled to remain standing until.


    Her knees gave way until the floor.


    Or that would have happened, but in an act of pure will, she bit her lip hard and managed to stabilize herself and stand again just before touching the ground.


    Klein, covered in magical burns that released a subtle bluish smoke, looked at Liora face to face one last time. His eyes, filled with tears and disbelief, met Liora''s before rolling upward and turning white.


    He collapsed forward, unconscious.


    The silence in the arena was absolute, broken only by Liora''s labored breathing. Yang advanced toward the center, evaluating all the fallen before confirming the result.


    "Victory for Team Larissa!" he announced, his voice resonating in the silent stadium.


    Gradually, applause began to spread through the stands, growing in intensity until becoming a thunderous ovation. What they had witnessed wasn''t simply another tournament combat; it had been a demonstration of will, strategy, and hidden powers that few expected to see in first-year students.


    From his seat, Ren observed thoughtfully as medical auxiliaries entered the arena to attend to the fallen combatants.


    "Did you see the same thing I did?" asked Min, his voice unusually serious.


    Ren nodded slightly. "Liora used her Bashe in front of everyone."


    "Liora... Will she be okay?" began Taro.


    "She only enhanced her will-o''-wisp''s fire," commented Ren. "Surely many don''t know what the reason for the color change was."


    The three friends exchanged meaningful glances. If they won the next matches... the Gray Wing team would face Larissa''s team. It would be a confrontation between two teams with double tamers, each with their own unique synergies.


    "It''s going to be interesting," murmured Ren, a slight smile forming on his lips.


    At the top of the stands, Selphira Ashenway observed with a poorly disguised expression of satisfaction. Her granddaughter had proven her worth, although she had revealed more than she probably intended in the process.


    And several seats away, Kassian Goldcrest slowly rose, his face an impenetrable mask. His eyes, however, weren''t directed toward his defeated brother, but toward the girl who had shown an unexpected ability.

 Chapter 300 - 300 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 36 (Friendly Rivalry)

    The team battles ended with enough time for Lin to announce the continuation of individual combats, just like the day before.


    Of the initial 96 students, only 48 remained in competition, and this number would be reduced by half again after this next round.


    "The following confrontations will determine the 24 finalists of the individual tournament," Lin explained, her voice carrying across the arena with authority.


    Kai managed to advance to the next round, much to Min and Taro''s visible displeasure, as did Cass. But not all was bad news¡­ Luna and Liu also succeeded in moving forward.


    The battles involving Larissa, Liora, and Klein would be postponed to allow their complete recovery.


    ????


    Min, fresh from his own victory, rejoined Ren and Taro at their usual spot in the stands.


    Although he had won using his now "classic" invisibility strategy against a wind element tamer, his expression suggested a certain dissatisfaction.


    "Another boring victory," he muttered, dropping onto the bench beside his friends. "I couldn''t even show off much, and almost nobody applauded. Being invisible is..."


    But his apparent bad mood transformed instantly into genuine concern when the next combat was announced:


    "Ren Patinder versus Taro Terragon. Present yourselves in the arena in three minutes."


    "Wait, so soon?" Min looked alternately at his two companions, eyes widening. "Today? But that means..."


    "That one of us will advance and the other won''t," Taro completed, resignation but also determination in his voice. His hands flexed unconsciously, the subtle markings of his beetle shifting across his skin.


    Ren remained silent. His thoughts about this confrontation were complex; he knew Taro''s capabilities better than almost any other opponent, but that worked in both directions.


    "Don''t be too hard on me," commented Taro with a slight smile as he stood up. "Though my defense might surprise you."


    Ren nodded, returning the smile. "I won''t underestimate you. In fact..."


    As they walked toward the arena, Ren mentally evaluated the situation. Taro''s defense was formidable: a 90% increase with each layer of his dual armor effectively meant 180% protection. This was superior even to the 160% strength that Ren could generate with his hydra, his fungus, and the ring together.


    Taro''s advantage didn''t end there. His synergy between the Living Tunnel and the Hunter bug was more versatile and adaptable than the single standard defensive structure of Ren''s hydra, which, although enhanced by the light of his mushrooms, had more limited options in terms of physical manifestation.


    Of course, he had a powerful option, but...


    Firing the light beam against Taro would be excessive and potentially dangerous in a friendly combat. His best option was to try to overcome that formidable defense with his increased strength of 160%, with his attack of 140% and depending significantly on the ring to match Taro''s capabilities.


    The arena was ready, freshly repaired after the earlier battles.


    Lin positioned herself between them, her professional expression barely disguising the genuine interest in this particular confrontation.


    "The rules remain the same. Are you ready?" S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Ren and Taro nodded simultaneously, their eyes meeting in a moment of mutual respect.


    "Begin."


    There was no hesitation from either of them... both immediately invoked their respective armors.


    Ren''s body was covered with the characteristic translucent armor of his hydra, a bluish glow that reflected the internal light of his mushrooms. His hands transformed into the now-famous light claws, sharp and precise, extended as natural extensions of his arms.


    Simultaneously, Taro deployed his double protection. The living mineral from the Living Tunnel formed the outer layer, while the Hunter bug provided an inner armor that controlled the outer one with fluidity. The result was an impressive crystalline carapace with a predominantly yellow tone, complemented by mineral claws made of polished crystal.


    "Impressive," commented someone from the stands. "They look like different versions of the same technique."


    For a moment, both remained motionless, studying each other. Then, as if responding to an invisible signal, they launched into the attack simultaneously.


    The first exchange was an explosion of movement. Ren''s claws traced arcs of light while Taro''s responded with crystalline refraction. Each blow, each parry, revealed a deep knowledge of the other''s style. The sound of light striking crystal created an almost musical accompaniment to their combat dance.


    Ren clearly dominated the offensive. His superior strength allowed him to press constantly, forcing Taro to maintain a defensive posture.


    "You weigh much more than you appear!" gasped Taro, blocking a particular downward strike that made his arms tremble despite the protection. "Or at least your blows do!"


    "Muscle from my hydra combined with mine," replied Ren, without diminishing his attack rhythm. "I don''t just overlap it, I integrate it."


    The combat continued for a while in balance. Ren attacked, Taro blocked. Ren''s blows had enough power to shatter stone, but barely managed to leave superficial damage on Taro''s resistant mineral armor. Each impact sent small crystalline shards flying, but the armor reformed almost instantly.


    Taro tried to trap him several times but Ren was too fast, with his 120% extra speed compared to Taro''s 30% extra. Each attempt to ensnare Ren in crystalline bindings ended with the hydra tamer slipping away at the last moment.


    From the stands, Min observed with pride and a little envy. "That''s it," he murmured, as if witnessing the culmination of something he had been waiting to see for a long time. "They''re showing what they can really do... That''s what I want to do!"


    After several minutes of this exchange, Ren began to reconsider his strategy. Direct blows, however powerful, weren''t managing to penetrate Taro''s defense. It was time for a different approach.


    ''The joints,'' he thought, recalling Lin''s lessons. ''Or an impact against the ground. The armor protects against penetration, but concussion damage might...''


    With this new perspective, Ren changed his tactic. Instead of continuing with frontal attacks, he began to look for openings for grips and projections. His movements became more fluid, less direct, as he circled Taro looking for the perfect opportunity.


    Taro noticed the change, his eyes narrowing as he anticipated the new strategy. "You''re going to try to take me down," he guessed, adjusting his posture for a lower center of gravity. His armor thickened subtly around his ankles and knees, preparing for the coming assault.


    "Let''s see if you can avoid it," replied Ren, his mushrooms pulsing with a rhythm that suggested intensified concentration.


    Ren launched an apparently direct attack toward Taro''s face, forcing him to raise his claws to defend his head. But instead of completing the blow, Ren spun at the last moment, positioning himself perfectly for a waist hold.


    Taro, recognizing the feint too late, tried to step back, but Ren was already attached to him like a second skin. With a fluid movement that showcased the hours of practice with Lin, Ren executed a perfect projection: he lifted Taro over his hip and launched him in an ascending arc that momentarily seemed to defy gravity.


    The audience held their breath as Taro reached the highest point of the trajectory, almost two meters above the arena. For an instant, he seemed suspended in the air, his mineral armor gleaming under the stadium lights, catching the sun in a dazzling display of crystalline reflections.


    Then, gravity reclaimed its right.

 Chapter 301 - 301 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 37

    Taro descended in free fall, but Ren wasn''t satisfied with that...


    He captured him in mid-flight and pulled to increase his falling speed, directing him head-first toward the ground with brutal force.


    The impact would have knocked any normal opponent unconscious, but Taro had an ace up his sleeve.


    Just before his head struck the ground, he channeled his beetle''s elemental control, instantly softening the earth. His head and part of his torso sank into the modified terrain, considerably cushioning the impact.


    "Ingenious!" exclaimed Min from the stands, impressed by his friend''s adaptation.


    But Taro didn''t stop there. While partially buried, his mineral armor began to transform rapidly, sharp spikes emerging from its surface in all directions like a defensive hedgehog. The crystalline protrusions glinted in the arena light, forming a deadly barrier around his body.


    Ren jumped back just in time to avoid being impaled, but his expression showed more satisfaction than frustration. "I knew it wouldn''t be that easy," he murmured, as Taro freed himself from the ground with a powerful elemental push that sent dirt flying in all directions.


    Without giving Taro time to completely stabilize, Ren counterattacked. This time, he covered the surface of his feet into something similar to diamond. The kick connected cleanly with Taro''s side, breaking several of the spikes and sending him flying several meters through the air until he landed heavily.


    "That..." gasped Taro as he got up, small cracks now visible in his armor where the reinforced foot had impacted. "Hurt a bit."


    Ren observed how Taro''s armor regenerated while he circled him cautiously, evaluating his strategy. The blows were effective in destabilizing Taro, but not enough to overcome his extraordinary defense. The Living Tunnel''s minerals reformed almost as quickly as they were damaged, flowing like liquid before hardening again.


    He needed something more decisive.


    Taro had completely recovered, so Ren decided to change tactics again. He launched himself forward as if he were going to repeat the previous attack pattern, but at the last instant he slid under Taro''s guard, aiming directly at one of his joints.


    With another technique learned from his teacher, Ren caught Taro''s right arm in a perfectly executed lock. Using his superior strength, he began applying pressure, seeking to force a surrender without causing real damage.


    "Surrender!" Ren urged, increasing the tension.


    Taro grunted with the effort of resisting, but he had another resource. His mineral armor, controlled by the hunter bug, began to flow like a liquid, trying to envelop Ren and trap him in a crystalline embrace that would harden around his limbs.


    "Too good of a defense!" Ren freed himself with an explosive movement, moving away just before the armor could solidify around his extremities. "I think I shouldn''t have given you such a problematic beast combination."


    Taro smiled, his breathing labored but his determination intact. "Ready for another round?"


    Ren studied him for a moment, his mushrooms pulsing as he made a decision. He had been avoiding a certain tactic considering it potentially unfair to Taro, but his friend''s resistance left him no alternative.


    "Sorry about this," he murmured, more to himself than to Taro.


    With an explosion of speed that surprised even those familiar with his capabilities, Ren launched himself forward. In a movement almost imperceptible due to its rapidity, he swept Taro''s legs with a perfectly executed circular kick so fast that it didn''t give his friend even time to transform his armor.


    Before Taro could even fall, Ren positioned his back on the ground, both feet coated with diamond protection to avoid damage from the forming spikes. With a coordinated push of his legs, he catapulted Taro upward.


    "Again with the throws!" exclaimed Taro as he rose higher this time, mentally preparing to modify the ground again and cushion his fall. sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But elevating Taro wasn''t Ren''s final objective. While his friend reached the highest point of his trajectory, Ren was already in motion. He launched himself running at maximum speed, perfectly calculating the point where Taro would begin to descend.


    Then, in a maneuver that drew collective gasps from the audience, Ren jumped with the accumulated momentum and executed a perfect dropkick, his reinforced feet connecting directly with Taro''s side in mid-air.


    The impact was brutal and resonated throughout the arena, sending Taro flying in a new trajectory, completely out of his control. He spun several times in the air before landing heavily and rolling several meters by inertia, leaving a trail in the arena''s dirt.


    Ren landed gracefully and rose immediately.


    To everyone''s surprise, Taro stood up again. His armor showed significant cracks where the impact had occurred, but the damage was still minor and already regenerating. He staggered slightly, evidently dazed by the spins he took, but his posture indicated he was ready to continue.


    "That..." he murmured, shaking his head to clear his vision. "That was good."


    Ren advanced a few steps, for what Taro thought would be another exchange, but then something strange happened. He stopped abruptly, bringing a hand to the back of his neck with a remorseful expression.


    "I''m sorry, Taro," he said loudly enough for his friend to hear.


    Taro looked at him confused, not understanding why Ren was apologizing again in the middle of combat. "What are you going on about?"


    It was then that Lin advanced to the center of the arena, her professional expression carrying a flash of amusement in her eyes.


    "Victory for Ren Patinder!" she announced. "By opponent''s exit from the combat area."


    Taro blinked in bewilderment and then looked at his feet. Indeed, Ren''s powerful impact had sent him completely outside the marked circle that delimited the official combat zone. He was standing in the neutral space between the arena and the stands, disqualified without even realizing it.


    "Oh," was all he could say, between surprise and resigned laughter. "I should have seen that coming."


    The applause was immediate and enthusiastic, rippling through the stands.


    Ren retracted his claws, offering his hand to Taro. "That double armor of yours is ridiculously resistant," he commented, a genuine smile on his face. "You forced me to use dirty tricks."


    Taro accepted the hand, acknowledging his defeat with a small tinge of disappointment. "You hit as if you were triple your size," he responded, returning the smile. "I was a fool to think I could hold out until you got tired. You always find some solution, not dirty, creative..."


    As both headed toward the exit, the crowd continued applauding. It wasn''t just a demonstration of skill they had witnessed, but an exhibition of true camaraderie, where respect and admiration transcended the competition itself.


    Min was waiting for them at the entrance, his expression reflecting pride and a bit of envy. "That armor battle," he declared, putting an arm over each one''s shoulders, "was the coolest thing I''ve seen in the entire tournament. And that includes myself."


    The three laughed as they walked away.

 Chapter 302 - 302 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 38

    Klein Goldcrest observed his reflection in the mirror while a medical auxiliary applied the final treatment to the burn marks that still persisted on his arms.


    Liora''s darkened flames had left scars that were taking time to completely disappear, but his general condition was remarkable considering the intensity of the combat he had faced.


    Kassian''s words resonated in his mind like an inescapable mantra, each syllable etched into his consciousness.


    "At least your image won''t be completely ruined," his brother had told him during his visit to the infirmary, his tone mixing contempt with a hint of reluctant approval. "Your strategy against the Ashenway and the Dravenholm was decent this time. I suppose father would be... less disappointed than usual."


    Coming from Kassian, that almost qualified as praise.


    "But now," he had continued, leaning in so only Klein could hear him, his breath hot against Klein''s ear, "you must prove your individual worth. You cannot afford another failure. The Goldcrests do not accept mediocrity, do you understand?"


    Klein had nodded, the weight of family expectations bearing down on his shoulders again with greater intensity as he felt minimally supported.


    "Don''t worry, brother," he had responded with confidence. "Kai will be barely a minor obstacle."


    Now, as he prepared for his individual combat, Klein mentally reviewed his techniques. The additional power of the adaptation potion still circulated through his system, a subtle but significant reinforcement that made his muscles feel denser, more responsive.


    "Would you like to be a double too?" Kassian had murmured when Klein opened his eyes wide. "But all in good time, little brother. All in good time."


    The roar of the crowd from the arena broke his reflections.


    It was time.


    ????


    From the stands, Min and Taro observed with evident interest, both animated by the prospect of seeing one of Jin''s followers or Klein eliminated, regardless of who emerged victorious it would be a gain.


    "Who should we support?" asked Taro, though his tone suggested the question was merely rhetorical. His fingers tapped nervously against his knee, still feeling the phantom impacts from his earlier battle with Ren. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Whoever loses," replied Min with a mischievous smile. "Personally, I hope they somehow eliminate each other."


    Ren, seated between them, maintained his usual analytical expression while observing Klein enter the arena with a slightly strange countenance.


    "Klein will win easily," he commented, surprising his friends. "His beast is not only of superior rank, but his technique has improved considerably from what we saw in his previous team encounter."


    "Are you praising Klein?" asked Min, feigning horror. "Are you feeling alright?" He dramatically placed a hand on Ren''s forehead as if checking for fever.


    Ren sketched a slight smile. "Recognizing an opponent''s capabilities isn''t praising them, it''s basic knowledge."


    The combat began with Lin''s signal. Kai, evidently nervous about facing Klein, immediately activated his green scales. His skin acquired that characteristic stone texture while adopting a defensive posture.


    Klein, in contrast, seemed almost bored. He partially fused with his golden lion, his eyes acquiring that supernatural glow while his hands transformed into the now-feared claws that could launch phantom cuts. His posture was relaxed, confident¡­ the stance of someone who considered the outcome a foregone conclusion.


    "I hope you haven''t forgotten the hierarchy of our groups like your friend Jin did upon reaching bronze this semester by pure luck," commented Klein. "Though I suppose you haven''t increased rank so the success hasn''t gone to your head... Being still iron this will be even quicker though."


    Kai didn''t respond verbally. Instead, he activated his lizard''s speed ability as he darted to the side in an attempt to flank his opponent.


    It was a strategy that might have worked against some opponents, but Klein seemed to perfectly ignore it.


    Klein also roared...


    Without even fully turning, he extended his left hand backward, his phantom claws connecting with the scales of a paralyzed Kai who had tried to circle around to attack. The sound wave had momentarily frozen Kai''s muscles, leaving him vulnerable at the worst possible moment.


    The attack was devastating. The claws'' ability penetrated Kai''s physical defenses as if they didn''t exist. The green scales cracked in several places, and most were momentarily destabilized by the lack of others for the mana flow that Ren had once explained the functioning of.


    Before Kai could recover, Klein fully turned, his second claw heading directly toward his opponent''s solar plexus. The blow connected on target, and Kai collapsed, his breathing ragged as he struggled to maintain consciousness. His scales dimmed, losing their vibrant green color as his connection to his beast faltered.


    A stunned silence fell over the arena. The entire combat had lasted less than a minute.


    "Victory for Klein Goldcrest," announced Lin, her professional expression unaffected as such an outcome was easy to expect.


    From the stands, Min let out a low whistle. "Well, that was... quick."


    "I told you," commented Ren. "Klein had quite an advantage... We''ll see how he does in upcoming matches against tougher opponents though..."


    "Like against you," observed Taro, catching the implication. His eyes darted between Ren and the retreating figure of Klein, imagining the potential matchup.


    Ren nodded slightly, his eyes following Klein as he left the arena without even glancing at his defeated opponent.


    "Exactly."


    ????


    The next combat generated a completely different expectation. The battle between Liora and Larissa wasn''t just another tournament confrontation; it was a clash between cousins, friends, and most importantly¡­ Representatives of two of the city''s most powerful families.


    "I expected this to happen later in the tournament," commented Larissa as they entered the arena together, her tone full of resignation.


    Liora nodded, a tense smile on her lips. "Bad luck with the pairings. But don''t expect me to hold back." Her will-o''-wisp flickered around her fingers, the blue flames casting dancing shadows across her face.


    "I never would," replied Larissa, returning the smile with one of her own. "In fact, I''d hate it if you did."


    Lin, perceiving the unique tension of this confrontation, studied them briefly before giving the usual instructions.


    "Begin," she announced finally, stepping back to give space to the combatants.


    Unlike most confrontations, neither immediately launched into attack. Instead, they began to circle slowly, studying each other with the intensity of someone who perfectly knows their opponent''s capabilities. As if in a dance they had practiced countless times.


    Liora was the first to move, her will-o''-wisp manifesting in a sky-blue flash. She executed a quick spatial jump, reappearing behind Larissa in a blur of blue light.


    But Larissa, having anticipated the movement, was no longer there. She had executed her own jump, materializing exactly behind where Liora had reappeared. The golden glow of her transport lingered for a moment where she had been, like an afterimage of pure light.


    "They know each other too well," observed Min, genuinely fascinated by the dynamic. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to follow the rapid spatial jumps.

 Chapter 303 - 303 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 39

    The first seconds of combat continued with this pattern: perfectly timed spatial jumps, attacks that found only air, defenses that anticipated movements that hadn''t yet begun. It was a demonstration of profound mutual knowledge, each cousin moving with the anticipation that comes only from years of training together.


    "Shared experience is a double-edged sword," commented Ren, looking at Taro. "You know your opponent''s weaknesses, but they also know yours. Without a clear advantage..."


    Despite the recent battle against Klein''s team, neither cousin showed signs of mental fatigue. Their movements were intense, each seeking the single opening that could unbalance the combat. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What was particularly interesting to Ren was how Liora seemed to be containing part of her power. Her will-o''-wisp maintained that characteristic sky-blue tone, showing no indications of the darkening she had exhibited in her combat against Klein.


    "She doesn''t want to use the Bashe," murmured Ren. "She''s respecting Larissa''s decision to keep her second beast secret."


    "Do you think Larissa will never show her second beast?" asked Taro.


    "I''m not sure how bad it really is for her to show it," murmured Ren, feeling a bit guilty again for having forced her to do what she seemed to desire in her subconscious.


    In the arena, the balance began to subtly tilt. Despite having a much more powerful offense, Liora was finding it very difficult to connect a single significant attack. Larissa, with much less attacking power but a more defensive and calculating style, employed her spatial jumps with absolute economy.


    "They''re on opposite sides of specialization," observed Ren. "Liora has devastating offensive power, but relatively weak defense. Larissa possesses extraordinary defensive control, although her attack capability is more limited."


    "So who wins in a confrontation like this?" asked Min, curious.


    "Larissa has less damage but it''s not low; a single well-executed attack would eliminate Liora too... In theory, whoever connects the first significant blow will win," replied Ren. "Liora only needs to connect once in the same way to break Larissa''s high defense and the combat would end almost instantly... They''re evenly matched due to the rules specific situation."


    As if hearing Ren''s analysis, Larissa executed a maneuver that risked all her mana to achieve that single direct attack. After several spatial jumps that seemed random but followed a specific pattern, she created crystalline formations that dispersed light in a peculiar way, generating multiple reflections of herself. The mineral constructs shimmered throughout the arena, each one a perfect mirror image of Larissa, poised and ready to strike.


    Liora, who could see her opponent''s mana, wasn''t concerned about the situation and activated her mana vision, forcing her eyes to avoid confusion with the reflections. Her gaze sharpened as she scanned the crystalline duplicates, searching for the true signature of Larissa''s power.


    Larissa, who had been waiting precisely for this decision, appeared instantly behind one of the mirrors.


    Liora was confident that Larissa couldn''t use this to hide from her attacks that could be guided, so she launched her fire spirits to surround the crystal, but Larissa didn''t intend to use the crystal as defense.


    Her mineral fairy projected a powerful flash of golden light, in the style of Ren''s kidnap from that day, which reflected off the crystal and blinded Liora, who had her eyes wide open using mana vision.


    Larissa jumped just as Liora closed her eyes and appeared with her mineral spear right beside Liora. She didn''t stab her... she just struck her hard in the head with the handle.


    The impact was clean and decisive. The will-o''-wisp vanished in a blink of blue light, and Liora fell to her knees while struggling to maintain consciousness, her connection to her beast momentarily disrupted by the strike.


    "You tricked me," she declared, staggering. "Well played, cousin." She said just before the lights went out.


    Lin advanced to the center of the arena. "Victory for Larissa Dravenholm!"


    The applause was immediate and respectful. Despite its relative brevity, the combat had shown a level of speed and technique that impressed even older students.


    Larissa approached Liora while an auxiliary healed the possible contusion before it could generate permanent damage. "Your fire is still terrifying," she commented with a genuine smile. "If I had lost concentration for one second..."


    In the stands, Selphira Ashenway observed the scene with a neutral expression. Her lips tensed briefly before letting escape a barely perceptible sigh. It wasn''t the victory she would have preferred, but at least there was a consolation.


    "At least Liora can still win the final with Larissa in the team section," she murmured to herself, her fingers gently drumming on her seat. "Larissa had better win the individuals too. Only then will Liora have lost to the number one."


    Her gaze momentarily shifted to another sector of the arena, where a boy with luminescent mushrooms in his hair attentively observed the combat. Her eyes narrowed slightly before returning her attention to the central arena.


    The rest of the day''s combats transpired without particularly memorable incidents. Some students showed promising techniques, others confirmed expectations, but none generated the level of interest that the battles between members of Group B had provoked.


    ????


    The next day began with the semifinals of the team combats. Ren''s team faced a trio from Group D that had surprisingly advanced far thanks to a combination of compatible beasts.


    However, the Gray Wing proved to be vastly superior. The victory was clear and quick again, their strategy dismantling their opponents in less than one minute.


    The second combat pitted Larissa''s team against a trio from Group A.


    The cousins, along with Maria who had completely recovered, deployed a defensive strategy that systematically frustrated each attempt at approach by their opponents. Larissa and Liora''s spatial jumps, combined with the solid defense of Maria''s armadillo against a team that didn''t have the firepower of Klein''s, resulted in a victory that made clear why they were considered favorites by many.


    The teams final ended up entirely in the hands of Group B. Team Ren versus Team Larissa, in what promised to be an exceptional confrontation.


    It wasn''t just a clash between talented students; it was a collision between different philosophies of power, between aristocratic talent and the new lucky ones of the supposedly "mediocre wing".


    With enough time before the end of the day, Lin announced that they would continue advancing in the individual tournament.


    "To select the eight finalists among the twenty-four qualifiers," she explained, "a system of ''byes'' has been implemented based on previous performances and accumulated scores."


    The announcement generated some confusion among less familiar first-year spectators with the tournament procedures. Lin quickly clarified:


    "Participants with the highest scores in previous battles will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the rest must compete to obtain the remaining places."


    The list appeared on the stadium''s giant screens, provoking a new wave of murmurs. Ren Patinder, Larissa Dravenholm, Klein Goldcrest, and Luna Starweaver had qualified directly to the quarterfinals thanks to their exceptional previous performances.


    The qualifying combats determined the four remaining students: a single student from each Group A, B, C, and D.


    At the end of the day, when the pairings for the quarterfinals were announced, new expectations arose among the audience:


    "Larissa Dravenholm will face Luna Starweaver. Klein Goldcrest will match with Ren Patinder. Both combats will take place tomorrow, after the teams final."

 Chapter 304 - 304 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 40 (Teams Final)

    For Ren and his friends, the announcement meant that tomorrow would be the most important day of the tournament. Ren would individually face Klein in what they considered an implicit rematch, payment for their first ''friendly'' encounter in combat class.


    "An intense day," commented Taro as they returned to the dormitories.


    "But we should be grateful," smiled Min, his usual energy barely diminished after a full day of competition. "We could be completely out of the tournament."


    Ren walked in silence... Tomorrow would not only determine who the strongest first-year students were; it would also establish hierarchies and expectations that could endure throughout their education at the academy.


    "Klein isn''t the same one we faced in the middle of the year," he finally said, his voice quiet but firm. "But neither am I."


    Min and Taro exchanged glances, recognizing the determination in their friend''s voice.


    As the sun set over the academy, the eight finalists prepared in their own way for the decisive battles of the next day, most aware that the tournament wasn''t simply a school competition, but a declaration of intentions and capabilities before a world that was watching them attentively.


    ????


    The dawn of the decisive day arrived. The entire academy full with anticipation as the final preparations for the tournament''s culminating battles were completed. In the hallways, rumors and informal bets proliferated; in the rooms, the finalists reviewed strategies one last time.


    The Gray Wing team was now heading toward the preparation area when they crossed paths with Larissa''s team in one of the less traveled corridors. The casual encounter created a moment of silence as both groups studied each other. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was Larissa who broke the ice, advancing with that aristocratic grace that seemed as natural to her as breathing.


    "Ren," she greeted with a slight nod. "I wanted to thank you again for everything, especially the guided visits to the depths and your help during the final collection exam." A fleeting smile crossed her face. "Although that last one got quite out of control, it wasn''t your fault so..."


    Ren returned the gesture. "It was nothing. We all learned from those experiences."


    "I also wanted to ask you to forgive me," continued Larissa, her voice adopting a more formal tone. "I''ll go all out today, but without making obvious my use of the lynx. I''ll understand if you consider that as discourteous and..."


    Ren gently shook his head. "For me, you could use it to the fullest, but my mother always says we should put ourselves in others'' shoes so it''s your decision. If you need to keep it hidden, I won''t take it as an insult or implication that you''re underestimating me."


    "I, on the other hand," intervened Liora, stepping forward with a challenging smile, "will use my power to the maximum of what I can extract. So I apologize in advance if you end up a little scorched..."


    "I appreciate the warning," replied Ren with a slight smile. "But don''t think it will be so easy."


    Min visibly shuddered, slightly pulling at Ren''s sleeve. "Don''t provoke them," he murmured loudly enough for everyone to hear. "My ability works against almost everyone, but not against them and their cheating mana eyes. Wait, you also have cheating eyes... Traitor!"


    The tension dissipated amid shared laughter, a moment of genuine camaraderie before the inevitable confrontation.


    "I guess we''ll see each other in the arena," concluded Larissa, stepping back to rejoin her team.


    "May the best win," responded Ren as both groups resumed their paths.


    ????


    The stadium was almost completely packed. All finals had been arranged at slightly different times for the convenience of external visitors.


    Not a single seat remained empty in the stands, and the side corridors were occupied by students who hadn''t secured a place but refused to miss the event. Expectation had increased even among the academy; several professors who had been in charge of managing other arenas could now attend.


    In the box, Selphira Ashenway maintained her usual composure, though an attentive observer might notice certain tension in her elegantly interlaced hands. However, the most unusual thing was the presence at her side: Julius Dravenholm, dressed in an impeccable official uniform, had made room in his tight schedule to witness the final upon learning of Larissa''s participation.


    It was an expected event... As her brother, he knew that few could defeat that astute girl. But even expecting it, pride couldn''t help but emerge from him.


    "I envy you, Selphira," commented Julius with that light tone he used for apparently trivial conversations. "Being ''semi-retired'' has its advantages. I can''t afford these kinds of luxuries very often."


    Selphira barely turned her head, her expression perfectly controlled as she responded: "It''s not entirely by choice, my child. And it''s not as good as you think." An almost imperceptible smile briefly softened her features. "Although on occasions like this, it certainly seems like a blessing."


    Their conversation was interrupted by the official announcement. Lin''s voice resonated throughout the stadium:


    "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final of the team tournament! Today we will witness the confrontation between two teams that have demonstrated exceptional capabilities throughout the competition."


    The teams entered from opposite ends of the arena.


    Ren and Taro took position at Min''s sides at one edge of the arena. Across from them, Larissa, Liora, and Maria deployed in triangular formation, their stances revealing the countless hours of training they had undergone together.


    "Combatants, prepare," indicated Lin, positioning herself where she could observe the entire confrontation. "Victory will be for the team that incapacitates all members of the opposing team or receives surrender from the leader or last member standing. Thirty minutes is the time limit."


    An expectant silence fell over the stadium as both teams made their final preparations. The air seemed to thicken with tension as spectators leaned forward in their seats.


    "Begin."


    Lin''s order unleashed a burst of activity. Larissa''s team moved first, executing what appeared to be an improved version of the strategy they had used against Klein''s team.


    Larissa and Liora performed simultaneous spatial jumps, disappearing in flashes of light to reappear in flanking positions. Maria, meanwhile, advanced directly toward the front, her armadillo fully manifested, like a small mobile tank.


    To the surprise of many spectators, Ren''s team didn''t adopt the defensive formation that might be expected.


    Ren remained perfectly still as his eyes followed the cousins'' movement patterns.


    "What is he doing?" someone murmured from the stands. "He''s letting them take the initiative!"


    Liora, interpreting the apparent passivity as an opportunity, prepared a concentrated burst of will-o''-wisp, her flames gradually acquiring that darker tone that indicated the Demonic Bashe''s influence. Blue fire coalesced around her hands, deepening to midnight as she channeled her second beast''s power.


    "Min, now!" exclaimed Ren at the exact moment Liora charged her attack.


    And at that point, Min finally got his time to shine.

 Chapter 305 - 305 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 41

    What happened next left a large part of the audience impressed. The water from Min''s two creatures combined, forming a spiral, and didn''t even manifest as a simple elemental counterattack. Instead, it acquired an ethereal quality, very similar to that needed to execute healing, as it collided with Liora''s flames.


    Instead of generating steam and dissipating, the water seemed to combine with the fire, neutralizing it in a way that defied conventional physics. The flames extinguished as if the sum of the two energies equaled zero.


    The fire and water simply disappeared.


    "Impossible!" Liora exclaimed to Ren, her surprise evident. "You said my fire couldn''t be extinguished with water!"


    "I said black fire could not be extinguished with ordinary water," replied Ren, allowing himself a brief smile. "But your fire isn''t completely black yet, and I taught Min a trick to attack the ''negative spiritual properties'' of black fire."


    Liora''s expression changed from surprise to irritation and then reluctant respect. "Clever," she murmured, preparing for another attack.


    But the moment of confusion had cost Larissa''s team their initial advantage. Taro had already directed his Living Tunnel to expand its area of influence, creating minerals in the ground. The earth rippled and shifted as crystalline structures began to form on the surface.


    Min, now visibly the central part of the strategy as the group''s defender, maintained his control over water with a precision that nobody had seen him demonstrate previously. His amphibian and water snake worked in perfect harmony, their powers amplifying each other in ways that made the water move like a living entity.


    Although perhaps the show of water figures in the air was not necessary for the fight...


    "Plan C!" Larissa indicated to her team, quickly adapting to the situation where they had expected Ren to surprise them and Liora''s fire wasn''t as relevant as they had anticipated.


    Larissa tried to counteract Taro''s mineral formations with her own control, attempting to prevent the construction of a defensive structure that would give them an advantage. Golden light flashed from her hands as she manipulated the earth to push back against Taro''s influence.


    But the Gray Wing team seemed to have anticipated this too. Taro, instead of defending his structures that were beginning to rise, allowed Maria and Larissa to destroy them or return them to the ground, only to focus on expanding the affected area even further around them.


    Larissa realized that Taro was enlarging the area with a bias toward Liora... They wanted to trap her to make some weird move that Ren had developed, no doubt. Or so she thought. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    On the other hand, the girls had to finish Min somehow.


    Larissa activated Plan C first, the ''Charge'' plan... And she launched herself in a direct jump against Min. If she could take him down, it would be exactly like the situation with Klein''s team.


    However, Ren was a much bigger problem than expected, one that could only be understood by experiencing it.


    Ren''s senses, enhanced to more than double, and his super-sensitive mana eyes calculated almost perfectly the final location of the jump. If not for Larissa''s lynx and its almost full mana pool for generating a second jump out of range almost instantly...


    Ren''s almost instantaneous attack would have knocked her out of the battle. Eliminating Min would be much more difficult than expected.


    But it was that Min himself who truly shone in this combat. His water control, empowered by the synergy between his amphibian and his snake, allowed him to create formations that not only counteracted Liora''s fire but also hampered the opposing team''s movements with constant distance attacks.


    "That can''t be Min!" exclaimed Mayo from the stands. "Since when can he do all that?"


    As if mocking the doubts, the boy answered in the form of an impressive spectacle. Min, centralizing all his liquid, created a series of water spears that rose like serpents before converging toward a single point. The combined impact directly hit Maria, who had been focused on destroying another of Taro''s mineral formations approaching Liora.


    The armadillo armor absorbed much of the impact, but the force was enough to send Maria rolling several meters across the arena floor, leaving a trail in the dirt.


    "Maria!" exclaimed Larissa, momentarily distracted.


    That second of distraction was all Ren needed. With supernatural speed, he launched directly toward Liora, his light claws manifesting in full movement, trailing luminescent streaks through the air.


    But Liora and Larissa instantly realized that error...


    Ren had been too confident and hasty in leaving Min alone. An instant before Ren reached Liora, both cousins jumped next to Min.


    But Taro hadn''t prepared his enormous amount of crystals for nothing. While Liora could melt them and Larissa cancel them, the structure wouldn''t fall instantly. Taro sent all his energy to the ground the instant Ren jumped and, as they had planned, suddenly raised the mineral.


    The slow formations from before had been only Ren''s planned deception. They could be way faster¡­


    The mineral quickly covered Min, and in the trajectory of Ren''s jump, a stalagmite appeared. Ren propelled himself with it and destroyed it with the powerful thrust of his legs. The rebound returned him to Min''s side in what could be, at short distance, almost as fast as the girls'' jumps.


    Trying to take advantage of the moment to finish Min, the girls didn''t expect Ren to arrive in less than a second. When they felt Ren next to them, it was already too late.


    Ren covered Larissa''s eyes before they could execute another jump and stretched his hand to reach Liora too, but her jump with the new fire was faster.


    Taro covered Larissa with mineral and earth, trapping her in a crystalline cage.


    Liora, seeing that Min was inside the mineral defense, redirected her attack from a few meters away while Ren was busy containing Larissa so she would be completely trapped with her eyes still closed.


    Liora''s fire tried to embrace Ren, but Taro covered him just in time. However, Liora''s wide attack razed a complete section of the field.


    Taking advantage of all this, Maria had gotten up and launched herself against the crystal prison containing Larissa and Min, who were together. Ren finally could release Larissa, as she was fully trapped now, and launched to stop Maria¡­ but when he caught Maria in a hold, reluctant to knock her out abruptly, the maid separated from her beast and sent her armadillo to break the prisons.

 Chapter 306 - 306 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 42

    For a moment, it seemed that the Gray Wing team was about to lose their hard-won advantage.


    Min''s prison was the first to break under the onslaught, crystalline fragments scattering across the arena floor as the armadillo''s powerful charge connected.


    Liora concentrated fully, preparing for the moment when Min would emerge from his hiding place. Her hands tensed, blue flames flickering between her fingers as she readied a an attack.


    Not only that, Larissa would be freed too.


    But then, Taro revealed his own ace up his sleeve.


    His hunter bug slid from the ground intercepting the armadillo. The creature, until now used primarily to control formations, emerged completely from the ground. Its chitinous body gleamed as it positioned itself between the armadillo and its target.


    Simultaneously, Min didn''t appear...


    Completely taken by surprise, Liora realized she hadn''t been using her mana vision because Min had remained visible. When she tried to activate it, it was already too late.


    Taro had made a tunnel right below the crystal prison that protected the water tamer.


    Min ''appeared'' behind Liora and directed a powerful water attack in a heavy torrent against the girl. The impact wasn''t very strong, but with the elemental disadvantage, it was enough to almost completely consume the energy of her fire.


    Taking advantage of the general confusion, Ren moved instantly toward Maria. His fingers, guided by the deep knowledge his mushrooms provided, found a specific point in Maria''s abdomen. It was a technique he preferred to avoid in normal combat due to its complexity, but with the girls almost dominated, the time was sufficient and the risk was acceptable.


    With a precise touch, Ren altered small gates of the mana flow connecting Maria to her armadillo. The effect was immediate: the beast blinked several times before completely vanishing, leaving Maria gasping from the sudden loss of connection.


    Only Liora remained in the combat, though Min''s blow had considerably weakened her position. Her will-o''-wisp fire mana had extinguished, but the Demonic Bashe remained at her disposal. The determination in her gaze made it clear she wasn''t ready to surrender as she began to rise. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But before she could fully recover, Ren launched toward her with a speed that surprised the girl. With agile movements, he took Liora''s wrists and immobilized them against the ground, effectively blocking without causing harm, and looked closely at her face.


    Taro, observing the scene, couldn''t help a slight blush coloring his cheeks.


    "Hey," joked Min, now more relaxed. "This is not the time to bring Player Patinder to the surface again!"


    From the stands, the wolf tamer observed the scene with an expression difficult to decipher, something that made her father slightly furrow his brow.


    Ren completely ignored his friends'' nonsense, keeping his attention on Liora.


    "It''s over," he said in a calm but firm voice. "Better surrender to avoid getting hurt more or having your mana blocked for a while."


    Liora looked away, slightly puffing her soaked cheeks in a pout of frustration. She saw Maria holding her abdomen and Larissa trapped in a mineral statue from which only her mouth and nose were free... For a second that felt quite long, she considered her options. Finally, she exhaled a resigned sigh and looked back at Ren.


    "Bouncing on Taro''s crystals so quickly and saving the counter to the fire you gave me for yourself is too big a disadvantage," she commented, with a bit of irritation. "But I can''t be angry with you when you avoided knocking us out... unfortunately you''re too strong now and we would surely lose even without that. I''m sure you''d find another unusual way to win."


    A small smile formed on her lips as she added: "It''s hard not to admire you. I surrender for today." Then, in a weak murmur, she added: "And thank you for being careful not to hit us hard in the face like with the other boys even though it made winning harder..."


    Lin, who had been observing attentively, advanced to the center of the arena. "Victory for Team Ren!" she announced, her voice resonating throughout the stadium.


    Applause erupted like a storm, quickly growing in intensity. The stands vibrated with excitement as spectators rose to their feet, cheering for the unexpectedly easy outcome.


    What they had just witnessed was much more than a simple students combat; it had been a battle of doubles with quite promising capabilities. The most outstanding was in turn the one with, as they thought, had the least potential as a double, but his capabilities continued to surprise many.


    Ren carefully released Liora from the hold, offering his hand to help her up. She accepted it with dignity and a bit of that admiration she had confessed moments before. But...


    "Next time won''t be so easy," she warned.


    "I''m counting on it," replied Ren, his mushrooms pulsing with a calm rhythm.


    While the Gray Wing team celebrated their victory... Julius Dravenholm observed with an expression that contrasted with Selphira Ashenway''s enigmatic smile. His fingers drummed thoughtfully on the armrest of his seat as he reassessed his earlier judgments.


    For now, however, Ren allowed himself to enjoy the moment. Min, radiant for having finally demonstrated his ''cool side'', couldn''t stop relating his "master move of distracting figures" with increasingly elaborate gestures. His hands traced water patterns in the air as he reenacted his moment of glory.


    The team battles had concluded, but the day was far from over. In a few hours, Ren would face Klein in individual combat.


    For now, however, he would allow himself this moment of shared triumph with those who had begun as simple dormitory companions and were now much more: a true team that had redefined what it meant to have "mediocre beasts" in a world obsessed with prestige.


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    Ren, maintaining his serene expression, offered his hand to Larissa to help her out of the now open prison. "A fun combat," he commented.


    Larissa accepted the hand, walking with her dignity intact despite the defeat. "It was," she acknowledged.


    "Min was the real star today," added Ren, looking toward where his friend received Taro''s enthusiastic embrace. "He had been perfecting that figure technique in secret for weeks."


    "The figures were useless, weren''t they?" commented Larissa, a slight smile forming on her lips.


    "They served their purpose," replied Ren, his eyes meeting hers with a smile as well.


    From the box, Julius observed the scene. "Interesting," he murmured, more to himself than to Selphira. "Much more than I expected."


    Selphira said nothing immediately, her eyes fixed on Ren while he celebrated with his teammates. When she finally spoke, her voice had a tone that Julius had rarely heard in her:


    "I think we haven''t seen anything yet, Julius. That boy seems to have the bearing and confidence of someone with still much to prove."


    The individual battles would begin in a few hours and perhaps they could gain a little more insight into the boy who seemed to have an infinite bag of surprises.