'Forget it,... The opposing Rainbow Scaled Koi can't use even more skills... Oh ho! Nice! Nice! Nice! One of that leading Banyan Fish's strongest skills, Wave Roar, is directly sealed. Nice! Nice! Nice!'
Sophia and Muller were getting more and more fired up.
Although the little jellyfish would sometimes accidentally injure allies in the middle of the fight...
The battle was truly exhilarating.
The enemy had a large number.
But they couldn't use their skills.
'Only the little jellyfish is suffering,' Muller and Sophia couldn't help but think.
Then, they turned around.
"Gu—"
"Lu~ Gulu~"
They saw a little jellyfish hiccupping like crazy.
'That is really the sound of a hiccup, right?', As they commanded four Pet Beasts at the same time, the thought unconsciously popped into their minds.
'Isn't that a bit strange?'
The little jellyfish's ability to devour skills was already absurd. Devouring a skill and sealing it for ten minutes? Double absurdity.
Now, the little jellyfish was hiccupping...
If not for the large number of Rainbow Scaled Koi still waiting for them to fight, keeping them too busy to get distracted, they would have been completely stunned.
Little Jellyfish: *Piece of cake~*
'Full.'
'I am too full.'
The little jellyfish swore that since the day it was born, it had never eaten this much before.
At first, it got full after eating five or six skills.
But looking at the "food" flying all over the place, the little jellyfish felt its stomach, which seemed to be completely full and unable to take in more... No, no, it couldn't let all this food go to waste!
Before, the little jellyfish had never been full, so it never dared to imagine eating even more.
But now, it was different.
'No need to imagine.'
'The food is right in front of me.'
If it didn't want to waste it, it had to expand its appetite.
[Gluttony] innate skill activated.
Little Jellyfish: 'Hungry! I can eat again!'
*Hurricane Inhalation*
Bit by bit.
As it frantically devoured, the little jellyfish continuously pushed the limits of [Gluttony], its appetite growing larger and larger, consuming more and more, its energy absorption soaring higher and higher.
Even Asher was shocked by the little jellyfish's seemingly bottomless hunger.
Little Raven was launching fireballs from high above.
Blazing pillars of fire dealt significant damage to the water-attribute Banyan Fish and Rainbow Scaled Koi.
Cat-Worm and Little White Snake, on the other hand, swam through the water like dragons.
For the first time, Asher witnessed Cat-Worm's exceptional swimming skills.
Despite its chubby body, its six tiny legs looking barely functional, and its solid body seemingly doomed to sink the moment it entered the water...
In reality.
Cat-Worm's movements in the water were incredibly agile.
Its six short little legs and stubby tail wiggled flexibly in the seawater, helping it maneuver its direction.
No matter if it turned left or right, shot up or dove down, it had no issues whatsoever.
It was even more agile than on land.
Little White Snake: "?"
Jade Silver Snake was inherently an extraordinary water-attribute creature. Though it had not interacted much with water since birth, instinct was something innate, etched into its very being.
The moment Little White Snake entered the water, it unleashed an overwhelming presence.
The faint Dragon King's aura surrounding it, along with the powerful presence of a dragon-attribute beast, made the opposing Banyan Fish and Rainbow Scaled Koi tremble.
But they still refused to leave the coastline, continuously attacking the Little White Snake, Cat-Worm, Little Raven, and the pet beasts of Muller and Sophia.
When the Beast Tamer Alliance rushed over at top speed, thinking they had to help defend the shoreline to prevent a complete collapse, they were met with this scene—
'Huh?'
'Isn't something off?'
"We didn't take more than five minutes to get here from the moment we received the message, right? Why does it feel like they're already wrapping things up?"
"Stop talking! There are still so many left! Everyone, charge!"
"Charge, charge, charge! Go, ducky!"
Although they had no idea what was happening or how such an unbelievable situation had occurred, charging was still the priority.
First, eliminate these beasts.
With the addition of more Beast Tamers, in less than half an hour, this section of the sea was finally cleared.
The beasts were gone.
The turbulent sea surface once again returned to calm.
Waves rolled back and forth a few times, and soon, the water returned to its original color, as if the Banyan Fish and Rainbow Scaled Koi had never appeared at all—if they hadn't captured this Banyan Fish.
"Phew—good thing we had Professor Asher's little jellyfish to help, or capturing this Banyan Fish alive would have been nearly impossible," Muller wiped the sweat off his forehead and upper body, looking at the Banyan Fish trapped in a specialized container, sighing heavily.
Difficult.
It had been incredibly difficult.
Killing these Rainbow Scaled Koi wasn't hard; the real challenge was capturing them alive.
These Rainbow Scaled Koi seemed to have gone completely mad, preferring to die in battle rather than stop.
Fortunately, the little jellyfish had precisely devoured every skill the Banyan Fish attempted to use.
Among all the skills, the Banyan Fish's energy fluctuations were the most distinct.
Even its ordinary skills contained energy on par with the ultimate moves of the Rainbow Scaled Koi.
Not eating it?
That would be a waste!
The little jellyfish chose to chomp down.
"So… how exactly did you guys do it?", Staring at the now-calm shoreline, the other Beast Tamers who had arrived late and joined the battle looked at Muller in shock.
Muller felt slightly uncomfortable under their gazes, but mostly annoyed.
"What?", Muller puffed up his chest, showing off his solid muscles, "I'm your vice president. Are you saying you don't believe in my abilities?"
"""Nope."""
"Not at all."
"If you were really that strong, that 'vice' in your title would've been gone by now."
"Tch! We all practically live together, we know exactly how strong you are. One or two opponents? Sure. A dozen or twenty? Fine, if you and Sophia work together. But this many thousands…"
Did they think this was just fishermen netting fish?
Was this purely a test of endurance?
No, no, no.
It wasn't that simple.
So...
Eliminating all impossibilities, the only remaining answer, no matter how ridiculous, had to be the truth—everyone's gaze landed on Asher.
They instinctively recalled Asher's many achievements, his research projects, and all the other things they shouldn't talk about... ahem.
They used to think it was all nonsense.
But now...
"Stop overthinking," Asher rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to understand what was going on in their minds, but unfortunately, he already knew, "Throw out all those bizarre, unreliable thoughts. They're completely irrelevant."
He was an upright man.
The others: 'Hehehe~'
"Alright, alright, this isn't the place to talk. Let's take the Banyan Fish somewhere else to discuss," At this moment, Muller—who looked the least serious—stood up to mediate. He shook the Banyan Fish in his hand, and everyone immediately became serious again.
Move, move, move.
Move now.
It would be best if they could hear everything that had just happened, exactly as it was.
And then...
After listening to the story pieced together by Muller and Sophia, everyone turned to look at the thing lying in Asher's palm. It was being pinched and kneaded between his fingers, letting out soft whimpers like a pile of jelly. Their expressions became complicated.
'Wait, seriously?'
If only Muller or Sophia had said this, they definitely wouldn't have believed it.
The former had no credibility.
The latter had little public trust.
But when both of them told the same story, with largely the same details, they had no choice but to believe it.
In other words...
This was most likely the truth.
"Gulu..."
The little jellyfish lay in Asher's palm, its round body flattening as it drifted, its eight long tentacles hanging down naturally, swaying gently.
Asher was casually squeezing it here and there, mainly just... trying to help it feel better after overeating. But he had no idea where exactly the little jellyfish had stuffed itself full. So, he just kneaded all the squeezable spots—maybe that would help a little.
The little jellyfish kept whimpering, looking completely incapacitated.
Asher's face held a hint of amusement, "You stuffed yourself full. Guess you won't need to eat anything else today, huh?"
'With so much energy consumed... even with its innate skills, the little jellyfish will probably take days to digest it all.'
'Once it is done digesting, its strength should rise to another level, right?'
Asher: 'Now this—this is a real cheat skill, an actual game-breaking bug!'
Eat.
As long as it kept eating like crazy, the little jellyfish would just keep getting stronger.
Hearing Asher's words, the little jellyfish suddenly bolted upright from its sickly state.
"Gulu?"
'Not eat?'
'No, no, no!'
'That is absolutely impossible!'
'Even if I have to eat just a little less, I still have to eat!'
'Good food must never go to waste!'
Asher: "..."
'Fine.'
What else could he say?
As long as the little jellyfish was happy.
And so...
Asher followed them all the way back to the Beast Tamer Alliance, the place they had only recently left.
"Professor Asher," Marina, who had returned a step later, had already heard about what happened.
A sudden crisis.
But resolved at an incredibly fast speed.
So fast that even the coastal residents hadn't noticed a thing before it was already over.
Marina glanced at Asher, her misty gaze carrying even more appreciation for him. Both his hard and soft strengths were truly impressive.
"I need a lab and research equipment. I want to examine what's special about this Banyan Fish," Asher wasted no time in stating his request.
Marina had no objections and agreed without hesitation.
After briefly greeting the people who had come with him, Asher took the Banyan Fish and walked straight into the laboratory that Marina had prepared for him.
All the necessary equipment was there, and a few researchers had even volunteered to help.
On one hand, they genuinely wanted to assist their hometown, Spirit City, in finding the source of the marine beasts mutations.
On the other hand...
Their gazes, filled with curiosity, kept falling on Asher.
'Professor Asher is so young!'
'But he carries such an imposing presence—it's kind of intimidating.'
'I can feel the same kind of aura my mentor has coming from Professor Asher! It's terrifying!'
'Let's watch Professor Asher's research process carefully—maybe there's something we can learn!'
They exchanged glances.
Some were simply curious about Asher, but none of them doubted his abilities.
There was simply too much evidence right in front of them.
There was no need to question it, better to focus on figuring out how to assist him instead.
Meanwhile, Asher placed the special container holding the Banyan Fish onto the lab table and began the analysis.
———
[Outside the Lab]
Sophia, who had finally processed everything: "?"
'Huh?'
'Wait a second.'
'Why was I even here again?'
Sophia looked left and right.
Aside from Marina, she suddenly realized that she was surrounded by a bunch of burly men.
Sophia: "…If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
She turned to leave immediately.
Muller grinned and leaned in, "No need to rush, Sophia!"
Sophia rolled her eyes and didn't want to talk to him.
Rush?
Just from Muller's tone, she could tell, whatever he was thinking about was definitely not normal.
Ridiculous.
There was no way she could leave.
"Look, you know Professor Asher, and it seems like you get along well with him…", Muller had a sleazy expression, rubbing his hands together.
Sophia almost thought he was about to say something indecent.
But then his tone suddenly shifted, "Here in Spirit City, except for the president, the rest of us are all big, burly men. Standing next to Professor Asher, we'll definitely make him uncomfortable!"
"And since you're on break right now anyway, why not take on a little part-time job? While Professor Asher is in Spirit City, could you be in charge of hosting him?"
Sophia: "…"
She looked around again.
Just as Muller had said, the Spirit City Beast Tamer Alliance was a testosterone-filled place. If not for President Marina, they probably wouldn't even need a women's restroom.
And standing among this group of men...
Although, sure, she knew Asher wasn't weak, there was still this weird little white rabbit straying into a pack of big bad wolves vibe going on.
"…Fine, but only for Professor Asher's sake."
What else could Sophia do?
Spirit City's crisis was still waiting for Asher to resolve it.
She agreed.
The burly men immediately erupted into cheers.
They had been worried that their imposing presence might unintentionally intimidate Professor Asher.
Now that there was a considerate girl to take care of him, they were completely at ease.
"I could do it too," Marina suddenly spoke up, lightly touching her chin with her slender fingers.
The men, who had just been cheering: "…"
'Never mind.'
'President, please have some self-awareness.'
'You are really not suitable.'
Unanimously shot down, Marina didn't say anything more. She simply patted Sophia's shoulder.
"If Professor Asher has any special needs that he can't handle himself, feel free to contact me anytime," she said kindly.
Then, looking toward the closed lab doors, as if she could see Asher through them, Marina's voice carried a deep curiosity, "If only the timing were right, I'd love to learn more about that little jellyfish of his."
A jellyfish that could devour the skills of other beasts and seal them away?
That sounded very interesting.
———
[NY City]
After trying to contact Asher several times, June and Ivy found that Asher was always busy. They felt a bit helpless but also understood.
"Sigh!"
"Asher is really getting busier every year!"
Thinking back to this time last year, they could still go to the training ground together and challenge others.
And this year?
From New Year's until now, they hadn't even caught a glimpse of Asher.
But when they checked the latest news, it seemed like Asher was everywhere.
During this unusually long holiday, Harry and Jane, who were staying at home, couldn't help but show a look of deep emotion upon hearing this.
Yeah.
Who could have thought?
Just last year, they had to help introduce Asher to others, connect him with other Beast Tamers, and vouch for him to build some credibility.
And how long has it been since then?
Asher was now already standing at the same height as them.
No, no, no.
The height Asher had reached was definitely higher than theirs.
Age.
Achievements.
Potential.
Stack all those together, and anyone with eyes could see that Asher's future was boundless.
Turning to look at their own two kids… Oh, Harry and Jane had already subconsciously started treating Ivy as their own child.
But even if they tied these two kids together, they wouldn't match a single strand of Asher's hair.
Harry and Jane cast disappointed looks at the two of them.
June and Ivy: "…"
"Wait, are you guys serious?"
'Comparing us to Asher?'
'Even if you tied up all the kids in NY City together, we still wouldn't match a single strand of Asher's hair!'
What's the point of comparing?
Is there even any basis for comparison?
No!
Not at all!
Harry and Jane: *Blind. Can't see.*
June and Ivy: "…"
If they had known that knowing Asher would earn them the "other people's child" treatment… Forget it, it was still worth knowing Asher.
During this festive season, countless second-generation and N-generation children in NY City were once again plunged into hardship because of Asher.
Asher: "Achoo—"
'Maybe I caught a cold?'
'No big deal.'
'Keep researching.'
———
[Spirit Cat Welfare Home]
["You have no idea… After being abroad for the past few years, coming back and experiencing the changes here… It's impossible to describe in just a few words."]
Levi was chatting with a few friends who were still overseas in Blue Nation.
Talking about the changes in the country, Levi's expression was full of emotion.
He couldn't help but think of Asher again.
Countless new evolution routes.
New evolution methods.
New evolution tools.
The miraculous things Asher had brought were just too many.
Just looking at Asher, Levi even felt that Blue Nation's achievements in pet evolution research weren't all that impressive anymore.
'Calm down, calm down.'
'There's still a difference between one person and an entire country,' Levi told himself this in his heart.
But when talking to younger students who were studying abroad, he still couldn't help but reveal a few hints of his thoughts.
["You're exaggerating, right?"], A plain-dressed young man said in surprise, ["The country… I'm not saying it's not strong. There are definitely many powerful Beast Tamers. But in pure academia, how could it compare to Blue Nation?"]
["Are you feeling too much of a gap after returning and trying to trick us into going back with you?"]
["Hahaha! That actually sounds quite possible!"]
["Regretting it, huh? Back then, the professor said you could go straight into the research institute. With your degree and background, plus the professor's recommendation, if you just stayed for a few years, your academic status might not skyrocket, but at least you wouldn't be unknown in the field anymore. In five to eight years, you might even be leading your own team."]
["Yeah! We never had such a great opportunity. We were all so jealous when we heard about it. And you actually left without looking back?"]
["In recent years, the country has been placing more and more importance on pet evolution professors. But when it comes to academic achievements and research… Well, there are pros and cons."]
["But for pure academic research, I still think Blue Nation is stronger. I might not get the same treatment as you when I graduate, but I still want to stay here, work on bigger projects under my mentor, and make a name for myself in the field as soon as possible."]
The small group of four or five people laughed and discussed the topic.
Hearing this, Levi's expression dimmed slightly.
But he didn't say much to them.
After all.
Everyone had different pursuits.
Some sought a purer academic environment; some stayed because Blue Nation was a powerhouse in beast research and offered more opportunities; and some simply stayed for fame and fortune.
Levi, on the other hand, genuinely wanted to return home.
Yes, in pet evolution research, the country was indeed a step behind Blue Nation. Its achievements weren't as dazzling. But so what?
Soren's scientific research achievements were still ranked among the top three internationally.
And Soren's Beast Tamers' raw strength was undeniable.
Nations might not go to war, but behind the scenes, there were always underhanded smear tactics—such as attacking Soren's soft power, pet research, and pet breeding.
They always said Soren couldn't compare to Blue Nation or Eastern Nation…
There were always people who, in the name of pursuing pure academia, were convinced and chose to stay in these "stronger" countries.
Levi: "?"
'Is that really necessary?'
'Is it really that serious?'
Pet evolution research and pet breeding—Soren might not be number one, but it was always in the top three.
And with its unshakable hard power.
Not going home? Now that would be dumb.
Levi had no doubts about this.
And after returning and meeting Asher… Levi's belief became even stronger.
Not coming back would be truly brainless.
Asher's research on evolution routes—from the seemingly hopeless Honeybug to the latest Ancestral Dragon evolving into a Dragon King…
'Tsk! Tsk!'
'The country is really good at keeping secrets.'
Only the top professors had caught wind of some things. Everyone else?
Completely clueless.
They still believed Blue Nation was the undisputed leader in pet evolution research.
But in reality… Levi felt that the only thing holding Asher back was his age. If he were just a few or even ten years older, the changes he would bring to Soren would be far greater than what they were seeing now.
A single person capable of shaking a whole nation—that was Asher.
Shaking off these unreliable thoughts from his mind, Levi's expression remained largely unchanged as he grinned and said, ["Anyway, I think the country has changed quite a lot these past two years. Coming back home to develop is absolutely worth it."]
["Besides, I've already decided where I'm going to work next."]
As the others curiously pressed for details, Levi this time said nothing at all.
Where to?
Of course, Asher's research institute.
Clinging to a golden thigh.
Even if he had to cry and beg, he had to get in.
Following Asher meant a bright future.
Levi glanced at his fellow overseas students once more and sighed lightly in his heart: Hah! Considering they were all fellow countrymen, he had already said everything he could. If they refused to believe or listen… then that was no longer his problem.
But if he could manage to trick a few of them into coming back with him…
Hehehe~
A smug little expression appeared on Levi's face. He would bring them all into Asher's lab together.
Being a little minion for Asher was definitely better than doing unpaid labor for some professor, wasn't it?
Even though he hadn't even secured a formal position himself yet, Levi was already thinking about how to become Asher's HR and recruit more talent.
———
[Spirit City]
Asher was completely unaware of Levi's little schemes over in NY City's Welfare Home
He was fully focused on researching the elusive Banyan Fish they had finally captured.
With a single injection of a specially formulated anesthetic for beasts, the aggressive Banyan Fish instantly fell into a deep sleep, allowing Asher to conduct his research more effectively.
However, the entire research process did not go smoothly.
Asher rubbed his forehead and once again opened his talent ability to examine the Banyan Fish's status panel.
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
[Pet Beast: Banyan Fish]
[Attribute: Water ~ ?]
[Species: Intermediate ~ ?]
[Level: Tier 4 Advanced (?)]
[Skills: Water Jet, Ocean Wave Cannon, …, Fury of the Sea]
[No Evolution Path Available]
[Innate Skill: ——]
[Status: Corrupted (Persistent and Irremovable)]
[Corruption: An ominous energy element has invaded the Banyan Fish's body, causing a dramatic transformation. It has become volatile, irritable, extremely aggressive, stubborn, and will fight to the death.]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Asher's gaze fell on the final status entry.
Another special phenomenon he had never seen before.
It was giving him a headache.
He had heard of the term [Corruption] before.
But why could beasts also exhibit corruption?
More importantly, since it stated that [an ominous energy element had invaded the Banyan Fish's body], then this ominous energy element had to have a source, right?
Where was it coming from?
The ocean?
But the Tranquil Inland Sea was vast.
If it was really out there in the sea, trying to find an unknown source in an unknown location was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.
Headache.
Asher really had a headache.
He rubbed his forehead helplessly and placed the Banyan Fish's blood, scales, and hair into specialized instruments for analysis and research.
To ensure better comparisons, Asher also requested samples of blood, hair, and scales from Muller's Banyan Fish to generate reference data.
Fortunately, the instruments did detect the ominous element within the oceanic Banyan Fish's body.
However, on the instruments, this element was marked as "composition unknown".
In simple terms, they knew it existed, but they didn't know what it actually was.
Asher sighed again.
This was what you called progress, but barely.
Looking at the dark sky outside and the thoroughly examined Banyan Fish, Asher walked out of the lab and reported the results to Marina and the sturdy men waiting for him.
"…That's basically the situation," Asher explained the entire process in detail, "Right now, although we don't know what this component actually is, it appears to be an unknown, undiscovered pollutant."
"It invades the Banyan Fish's body, contaminating both them and other Rainbow Scaled Koi, which is what caused their drastic behavioral changes and led them to attack the coastline."
"For more information… I'll need some time," Asher said.
Hearing this, Marina turned to look at Asher. Her misty gaze locked onto him, "Professor Asher, whatever you need, we can provide. Please, you must uncover the true source of this substance."
Asher nodded.
Since he had taken on this task, he would do his best to complete it.
"I want to go out to sea tomorrow," Asher voiced the request he had already decided on.
Muller: "?"
Sophia: "?"
The other brawny men: "?"
"Professor Asher, going out to sea at this time… isn't that a bit unsafe?"
"Exactly, if we accidentally run into an beast at sea… that could be really dangerous."
"The deeper you go into the ocean, the more you encroach on the beasts' territory. It was fine before, since most oceanic beasts were lazy, but in this current environment…"
No one supported the idea, and no one understood Asher's intention.
Asher: "I have to go."
The information from the Banyan Fish was limited.
To understand more about the cause of [Corruption] and its source, they had to actively approach the ocean and the corrupted beasts.
"Alright," Marina didn't ask further questions.
Seeing that Asher had made up his mind, she agreed to his request without hesitation.
Muller: "…"
What else could he do?
One of them was his Guild President, and the other was the pet beast professor they had specially invited. He couldn't afford to offend either of them.
Muller silently turned his head away.
Forget it.
He would just pretend he didn't hear anything.
Sophia remained silent.
"I'll go with you," After much consideration, Sophia spoke up, "I know you're strong in combat, but since you're heading out to sea with a specific purpose—to investigate something—it's better to have a few strong Beast Tamers with you."
"I'm very familiar with the Tranquil Inland Sea, and my pet beasts are too. I can at least serve as a bodyguard and guide."
"Eh?", Muller suddenly came back to life.
"Sophia, you're only a Tier 1 Beast Tamer. If anyone's going, it should be me, a Tier 2 Beast Tamer!"
"Bullshit! I'm the strongest in this guild. I'm a Tier 3 Beast Tamer."
Sophia: "Shut up. If you want to come, just come. It's not like the boat can't fit more people. The more people we have protecting Professor Asher, the better."
Others: "…"
'Oh!'
'Almost forgot this was an option!'
Got a little too heated over the 'TOP' battle.
Just got a little too into it.
.
.
.
Unfortunately.
Due to special circumstances, after careful consideration, they decided not to use water-type pet beasts as transportation but opted for a regular boat instead.
"Special situation, special situation," Muller stood beside Asher, grinning, "Since that substance could contaminate beasts, it's better to be cautious. If our pet beasts accidentally got polluted…"
Crying wouldn't be enough.
Asher felt a little regretful, but he also understood the reasoning.
"It's fine, as long as we can set sail smoothly."
'Besides....'
'This boat is anything but ordinary.'
'Isn't this just a private luxury yacht?'
'No?'
'Are all you coastal folks this rich?'
Asher used his eyes to express his confusion.
Before he came, Spirit City was practically crying about being poor… Well, not exactly crying about being poor, more like making sure every penny was spent where it mattered most.
So, maybe they're not actually short on money.
"This, uh…", Muller glanced left and right, confirming no one was paying attention, then leaned close to Asher and whispered gossipingly, "This is our president's yacht. Her personal one! She lent it out for this trip."
"It's super comfortable!"
"And the defense shield is top-notch. As long as we don't run into an eighth-tier or above beast, the yacht's defenses are practically unbreakable."
"Of course, other than our president, no one in Spirit City would waste money like this."
'I mean.'
'Island turtles—aren't they amazing?"
'Other beasts that can carry people—aren't they amazing?'
'Why waste money like this?"
Oh.
Given the current situation in the ocean, this money isn't wasted at all—it's a very necessary expense.
Asher listened to the gossip, then turned to bring Sophia, Muller, and another slightly older, darker, and sturdier Tier 3 Beast Tamer—the one who had spoken earlier.
"…This part is really unnecessary," Muller, hearing Asher's description, commented speechlessly.
The darker, sturdier Tier 3 Beast Tamer burst into hearty laughter, "Muller, if you're jealous of me, just say so!"
"Jealous? What's there to be jealous of? That you're still single at your age?", Muller chuckled coldly and went all in, "I'm not jealous. I already have a girlfriend, and if things go well, I'll be getting married soon."
"So tell me, who's really jealous of who here?"
Tier 3 Beast Tamer: "…"
His grip on his torch tightened silently.
Ahem!
Seeing the other man's fierce, almost murderous gaze, Muller knew when to back off. He quickly changed the subject, looking at Asher, "Let me introduce you. This is Tuco Garcia, the strongest Beast Tamer in our city's Beast Tamer Alliance."
"Tuco Garcia?", Asher repeated the name, his gaze shifting to Sophia.
'Same surname… but they don't really look alike.'
"I'm from the same village as that girl. She has to call me 'Uncle'," Tuco's hair stood on end, and his demeanor was rough and unrestrained, but when facing Asher, he still did his best to be polite, courteous, and cautious.
Asher found it amusing and accepted the gesture of goodwill.
"Then I'll call you Uncle too," Asher boarded the yacht and briefly explained his requirements for their course, "We don't have a fixed destination. Uncle, Brother Muller, you two can decide the route."
"But preferably somewhere with more beast colonies… ones we can actually handle."
At the end, Asher added this clarification.
Ahem!
He did want to help Spirit City investigate the problem.
But that didn't mean he was going to risk his own life.
"Now that I understand," Both Muller and Tuco exchanged knowing smiles.
"Don't worry. We know these seas like the back of our hands!"
They grew up here.
Make a living here.
They had a clear grasp of what level of beasts were in which areas.
Since there was no fixed destination, but they needed to encounter as many beasts as possible… they had to carefully plan a safe route.
The voyage officially began.
The yacht had a dedicated pilot, and Tuco occasionally went below deck to ensure they were staying on course.
For someone who rarely came to the seaside, looking at the ocean for a while was interesting—stunning, even. The vast sea and sky blending together was a sight unlike any other.
But after a while.
Breathing in the salty sea air.
Even though Asher didn't get seasick, he still started feeling a bit bored.
Sensing his boredom, the energetic Little Raven, Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, and Little Jellyfish, who had been running all over the yacht, gathered around him.
"Professor Asher, your pet beasts are all really well-raised," It was Tuco's first time seeing Asher's pet beasts, and his gaze naturally landed on them.
Unlike others.
The first thing he noticed was their mental state, their aura, and their overall condition.
To put it bluntly, Little Raven, Cat-Worm, Little White Snake, and Little Jellyfish were in the best state he had ever seen.
Anyone could tell at a glance that Asher had put a lot of effort into raising them.
And remembering what everyone said yesterday about Asher's Little Jellyfish being able to devour skills… after seeing these pet beasts, Tuco had zero doubts left.
"Professor Asher," Muller popped up out of nowhere, squeezing into the conversation between Asher and Tuco, "Heh heh heh… So, uh… do you think any of our pet beasts have a higher chance of evolving?"
Asher was the youngest pet beast professor in Soren.
Although it was a bit embarrassing, if he missed this chance to consult with Asher about pet beast evolution and possibly get some private guidance, Muller would regret it so much he'd slap himself awake thinking about it in the middle of the night.
So.
Ignoring Sophia and Tuco's disapproving looks, Muller bravely pushed forward.
The president wasn't here right now anyway.
No big deal.
Asher recalled the pet beasts he had seen yesterday belonging to Sophia and Muller. He stroked his chin…
"Professor Asher, you don't have to entertain this guy," Seeing Asher's expression, Tuco thought he was feeling awkward. Without hesitation, he reached out an arm and put Muller in a chokehold.
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