"You guys probably haven't heard about this.", Compared to the shocked Kushim and Old Haines, Agnes's expression was ridiculously calm.
"Previously, in the Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon League, the champion was none other than Asher, and it even caused a bit of a stir afterward."
Kushim and Old Haines hadn't really paid much attention to this.
Even though the tournament was organized by Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon, it was just a freshman recruitment competition. Given their current status, they wouldn't normally care about such small contests.
It wasn't until today, when they saw Asher's name on the award list, that they realized how absurdly talented he was.
"I even specifically looked into it. Turns out, Asher isn't very interested in becoming an outstanding pet evolution professor.", Agnes's single sentence left both of them dumbfounded.
"With his talent, wouldn't it be a waste not to study pet evolution?", Old Haines's face turned serious, looking like an elder scolding a reckless youngster, "As long as he follows the proper path, he's a guaranteed future Master Damien!"
"Exactly, exactly!", This time, Kushim didn't mind standing on the same side as his longtime rival, "This kid was born for research!"
Agnes: "But he's just as strong in beast combat."
Silence.
Mutual silence.
"And from what I heard, the kid wants to become a Beast Tamer."
Kushim and Old Haines: "..."
Say no more. Say no more.
The award—
Must be given!
If Asher actually gave up on becoming a pet evolution professor because of them, they'd be sinners.
Big sinners!
———
After having a meal with June, Ivy, Vicky, Aeron, and Jessica, it was already dark by the time Asher returned to his dorm.
He patted the still-sleeping little white snake and suddenly thought of something.
"Uh… I don't think I saw Senior Sister Abella message me today?"
The shock from Asher taking the number one spot on the battle power rankings was far greater than when he won the championship in the freshman league organized by the TOP2 schools.
In just a few hours, his phone was flooded with messages.
Asher skimmed through them. Even the senior students he had met at Bluewind University sent their congratulations and expressed interest in teaming up with him.
Only the one who had first invited him to form a team—Abella—hadn't sent a message.
Thinking for a moment, Asher took the initiative to send her a question mark, asking what was going on.
Abella didn't reply right away. Seeing that, Asher put his phone down.
"You guys did great today.", Asher looked at the two little heroes of the day, Little Raven and Cat-Worm.
Little Raven: *proud*
Cat-Worm: *chest puffed up*
Their little faces were full of pride.
Being praised by their Beast Tamer, they were extremely happy.
"As a reward, you two get an extra meal today." ,Asher ruffled their heads with a smile.
Little Raven and Cat-Worm got even happier.
'Hell yeah!'
'Special treatment!'
.
.
.
With high spirits all around, after their routine two-hour meditation training, Asher went to sleep with Little Raven and Cat-Worm.
The little white snake remained curled up quietly in the corner.
The next morning—
Just as Asher woke up, he reached for his phone under his pillow, still half-asleep, intending to check the time.
Then, he abruptly jolted awake.
With a whoosh, he shot up in bed.
Little Raven and Cat-Worm, sleeping on either side of his blanket, got flung off.
Still groggy, Little Raven and Cat-Worm: "?"
Little Raven flapped its wings to stabilize itself, then glanced at Cat-Worm, who had rolled across the floor like a little tumbleweed.
A faint look of disdain appeared in Little Raven's eyes.
'Kid, you're weak.'
'The bird is the true backbone of this household!'
With its golden-red eyes, Little Raven was just about to fly into Asher's arms to complain when it saw his slightly serious expression.
Mid-flight, Little Raven hurriedly flapped its wings and stopped in midair.
'Beastmaster… seems to be dealing with something serious?'
Little Raven tilted its head, showing keen observational skills.
It decided not to interrupt. Instead, it casually flipped over Cat-Worm, who had also been about to rush into Asher's arms, and pinned it to the ground.
Cat-Worm, legs flailing: "?"
Its six little legs pedaled the air in confusion.
'What happened?'
'Where is it?
'Who is it?'
Little Raven: 'Stay put.'
Cat-Worm: QwO
Asher didn't notice their antics. He was staring at the message Abella had sent, his brows slightly furrowed.
[Abella: "Congratulations on reaching the top of the battle power rankings, junior. But I might not be able to team up with you anymore. My Tier 5 Violent Bear suffered severe injuries and is still unconscious."]
[Abella: "If you're still planning to compete, I can recommend some trustworthy teammates for you. I've sent you a list."]
[Abella: [attachment: Team_List.docx]]
Asher frowned slightly but didn't open the file.
[Asher: "What happened? How bad is it?"]
Serious injuries?
How serious could they be?
With today's advanced medical technology, was there really an injury that couldn't be treated?
Abella took a while before replying.
[Abella: "Let's meet tomorrow to talk."]
[Asher: "OK."]
———
In the waiting area of the city's largest pet center.
"So what kind of deathtrap did you walk into?", Asher looked at the completely changed Abella, filled with confusion.
She used to have shoulder-length short hair, a healthy tan, and the crisp, capable aura of a valiant beauty.
But now, her hair was truly short—choppy and uneven like a dog had chewed on it, barely reaching her earlobes at its longest. There were several scars on her face, and a burn mark the size of a fingernail on her jawbone. She looked utterly battered.
"The forbidden area of Heavenly River City had parts of its mist disperse. My cousin, who's in the main city's expedition team, had an extra spot and invited me. I agreed.", Abella spoke expressionlessly, as if the wounds and bandages didn't exist.
"But after going in…", She paused, her expression complex, "…A lot of unexpected things happened. My Violent Bear was injured in the process."
"And the injuries are very strange. Medical instruments can't fully heal them. I…"
She didn't seem to care about her own injuries, but at the mention of Violent Bear, her gaze dimmed with self-reproach.
Asher sighed, "Can I take a look at Violent Bear?"
Upon hearing this, Abella's gaze flickered twice, and her expression became even more stiff. Her lips trembled twice, "I... Violent Bear..."
"After Violent Bear was seriously injured, it couldn't be retracted into the spiritual sea's beast space, so I temporarily placed it in the pet center."
Abella turned her head and glanced at the bright and clean pet center behind her. Asher also followed her gaze.
Although the pet center looked clean, compared to staying by a beast master's side... it was naturally not as good.
"Let's go take a look.", Asher sighed and said.
Abella nodded, silently walking ahead, leading Asher down the long, silver-white corridor at the back.
Passing through rooms with transparent glass that allowed a clear view of the environment inside, they noticed that there were not many pet beasts actually being fostered here. Soon, the two of them arrived at the room where Violent Bear was kept.
Asher immediately spotted the Violent Bear inside.
Just like Abella, the changes that had happened to Violent Bear were significant, even more than he had imagined.
Its once strong, muscular, and powerful limbs had become thin. Although it hadn't reached the point of being just skin and bones, it wasn't far from it.
The once thick and robust flesh on its torso had withered.
There were several wounds on its fur, dripping with blood, of various sizes, with raw flesh exposed. Bandages and treatment marks were visible, but they didn't seem to have helped much.
Violent Bear was half-lying on the ground, its tightly shut eyes constantly trembling, showing that it was in great pain.
Asher's gaze fell on the wounds on Violent Bear's body. He wasn't sure... whether those milky-white, faintly familiar wisps of mist were something only he could see or...?
"The wounds on Violent Bear's body can't be treated even with medical instruments. Did the doctors, the Alliance, or your cousin say anything?", Asher probed.
Abella didn't catch the probing intent in Asher's words, "The pet center's doctors have examined it more than once. Every time, the results come back normal, without any issues. The instruments can't detect the presence of injuries."
"My cousin... My cousin isn't in good condition either. She has fallen into a coma."
"If we were able to escape from the Heavenly River Forbidden Zone this time, it was all thanks to the Alliance's seventh-tier beast master arriving in time.", Abella sighed, "The Alliance hasn't encountered this kind of situation before either. They've already sent a seventh-tier beast master to lead a team into the Heavenly River Forbidden Zone."
"The investigation will take some time."
Asher could tell.
Abella's situation was much worse than he had imagined. If the Alliance was sending a seventh-tier beast master to investigate...
That meant no one had noticed the strange aspects of Violent Bear's wounds?
Asher: "?"
So... had he mutated again?
After thinking for a moment, Asher activated his talent skill.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Pet Beast: Violent Bear]
[Attribute: Fighting]
[Breed: Intermediate*]
[Level: Third-tier, Low-rank*]
[Skills: Hammer Strike, Body Slam, Mount Tai Fist, Mighty Blow... Gravitational Momentum]
[In a special state, temporarily unable to evolve*]
[Innate Skill: None]
[Bloodline: None]
[So hungry... So full... So painful... So much pain... Feels good... Itchy...]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Asher glanced at Violent Bear's eyeballs rolling around under its eyelids, then looked at its jumbled thoughts. He rubbed his chin, feeling even more confused about Violent Bear's current state.
Hmm... It didn't seem like his imagination?
The milky-white mist surrounding Violent Bear's wounds didn't seem as harmful as he had initially thought?
Asher then tapped on the asterisks.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Breed*: May fall out of the extraordinary category or has a certain chance to break through]
[Level*: May continue to decline or has a certain chance to return to its peak and break through]
[Special State*: Erosion of Primal Energy]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Asher: 'Huh?'
His gaze landed on the [Special State] section.
'Primal Energy?'
'What is that?'
Asher tapped a few times, trying to see if he could get a more detailed description.
Unfortunately, nothing happened. It wouldn't respond.
Asher could only rely on his own reasoning.
'Primal Energy...', Asher looked at the milky-white mist lingering around Violent Bear's wounds, 'That should be referring to this.'
'Its effect...', Asher thought of the faint mist in the unexplored area of the Forbidden Zone.
It couldn't be dispersed, and entering it required extreme caution.
Asher rubbed his chin and turned to look at Abella, who was staring at Violent Bear with a heavy and melancholic gaze, "Can I go in and take a look?"
Abella: "?"
"Go in and take a look?", Abella looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected Asher to make such a request. After thinking about it, she didn't refuse, "It's fine. Before, the Alliance's beast masters, cultivators, and pet professors all examined it."
"If you're hoping to find some clues from Violent Bear, the chances are slim."
Asher nodded.
He didn't know why others couldn't see the mist around Violent Bear's wounds, but since he could, it probably meant he had something special about him, right?
An adventurous idea formed in Asher's mind.
'...Should I try?'
'Try it!'
It wasn't that Asher was reckless. It was mainly because he sensed the eager anticipation from Little Raven and Cat Worm in his spiritual sea's beast space. If he hadn't suppressed them, they would have already charged out.
Asher: 'Stay calm, stay calm, I'm going in now.'
Little Raven: 'Hurry!'
Cat Worm: 'Go go go!'
The two little ones were practically screaming in his mind.
Pushing open the door, Asher immediately smelled the faint fragrance of flowers mixed with a bitter scent, followed by the bloody stench from Violent Bear's wounds.
The combination was strange. Smelling it for too long made his head feel dizzy.
Asher took a deep breath at the doorway before stepping inside, walking steadily towards Violent Bear.
He didn't deliberately soften his footsteps, moving firmly and steadily. After all, the room was small—there was no avoiding Violent Bear even if he tried.
Hearing Asher's approaching footsteps, Violent Bear's ears twitched but it didn't move, obediently letting Asher walk up to it.
Abella, standing outside, was visibly shocked.
'Huh?'
'Violent Bear actually have a well-behaved side?'
'No way!'
Before, when those cultivators and pet professors examined it, Violent Bear wasn't exactly ferocious, but it would at least growl in pain and caution.
During wound inspections and bandaging, it had always displayed extreme wariness and aggression, baring its teeth frequently.
After all, every check-up and touch would worsen its pain. Since the wounds never healed, the pain never faded.
After repeated instances, Violent Bear had grown increasingly irritable towards those who examined or treated it.
Yet now... it was calm?
This was rare.
Too rare.
Abella stared intently at Asher, a strange thought surfacing in her mind... What if, just what if, Asher had some special ability?
Asher: (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
Basic operation.
This was fundamental.
Talent skills were just that useful.
Effortlessly walking up to Violent Bear, Asher hesitated for a second before placing his palm over one of its wounds.
Outside, Abella: "!"
She widened her eyes in shock, her body tensing instantly—almost rushing in to pull Asher away.
And then...
Violent Bear didn't roar.
It didn't bare its teeth.
It didn't lash out.
Abella: "?"
Asher ignored Abella, who was outside experiencing emotional ups and downs like riding a roller coaster. He was fully focused on resisting the milky-white mist at the Violent Bear's wound—Primal Energy.
He wouldn't have known if he hadn't checked.
The moment he touched it… Asher immediately realized its potency.
Fierce.
Intense.
Far more exhilarating than the mist he had encountered in the Forbidden Zone.
Just by lightly placing his hand on the wound and making a small contact with the milky-white mist, Asher felt half of his body go numb.
Not just simple numbness.
It was like… a tingling pain mixed with comfort, numbness interwoven with pleasure, and an ever-present itch seeping into his very bones. Asher's mind went blank for a moment.
He completely understood the Violent Bear's mental state.
Just as Asher was about to instinctively pull his hand back, all the comfort and discomfort brought by the milky-white mist vanished without a trace.
Asher: "?"
Closing his eyes, he saw the strange phenomenon occurring in his mental beast space.
The once calm mental beast space was now like a real ocean, with towering waves and surging tides. Silver-white mental power churned violently, crashing back and forth.
Little Raven and Cat-Worm, residing in the mental beast space, weren't scared at all. Instead, they happily jumped in sync with the waves.
Little Raven and Cat-Worm: 'Let's have fun together, let's get hyped!'
'Mental Sea Disco!'
'Oh oh oh—!'
Excited!
Thrilled!
An unprecedentedly joyful experience.
'Come on, neighbors, join in!'
Little Raven and Cat-Worm were getting livelier by the second, competing with each other in enthusiasm.
Asher: "…"
Dizzy.
The turbulent mental sea sent back its sensations to Asher. For the first time, he realized—he actually got seasick.
Yet, a special mental force was supporting him, preventing him from swaying uncontrollably or collapsing.
The milky-white mist at the Violent Bear's wound had been completely absorbed by Asher, and the mist from other wounds was beginning to gather there.
The Violent Bear, who immediately noticed the change in its wound: "!"
Oh—
The Violent Bear's eyes snapped open, its round eyes filled with shock and disbelief. It turned its head and locked eyes with Asher.
Asher raised his other hand and smacked the Violent Bear's head, "Shut up and stay put."
'Absorb and digest whatever you can.'
Asher didn't say the last sentence aloud, but he didn't need to. The Violent Bear wasn't an idiot.
The two worked together.
Asher's mental sea waves rose higher and higher, Little Raven and Cat-Worm got even more hyped, and the Violent Bear's expression gradually improved.
Visibly, the milky-white mist at the Violent Bear's wounds decreased, with Asher absorbing the bulk of it, leaving only a small portion for the bear.
Although the sensation within his mental sea was quite overwhelming, Asher still spared some attention, keeping his talent skill active and monitoring the Violent Bear closely.
Staring—
Still staring—
Finally.
Asher's panel changed.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Beast: Violent Bear]
[Attribute: Combat]
[Species: Mid-tier, High-rank*]
[Level: Sixth-tier, Low-grade]
[Skills: Hammer Strike, Slam, Mount Tai Fist, Heavy Blow… Gravitational Potential]
[Not yet meeting evolution conditions]
[Innate Skill: Pending Activation]
[Bloodline: Pending Activation]
[Stuffed, comfortable, feeling sleepy zzz—]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Before Asher could examine it further, the Violent Bear had already started snoring, falling into a deep sleep.
Asher then opened the bear's evolution path to check.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Sky-shaking Bear] [Ancient Bear Monster]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Asher: "?"
Something seemed off about these two evolution paths.
Where was the Violent Bear's original evolution path, [Earth-splitting Violent Monster Bear]?
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