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Dominic, locking eyes with Asher: "..."
'Understood?'
'Isn't this obvious?'
'Just look at the evolved War Blood Lion Emperor.'
'Envious?'
'Want it?'
'Sigh!'
âThen you should know what to do!'
Thinking about how he still needed to cling to Asher's thigh and beg him to continue his research. And ideally, have this evolution path promoted to other Beast Tamers in their Fourth Legion....
Dominic, who was seeking help, assessed the situation clearly and decisively shifted the focus of the commotion away from Asher, rolling up his sleeves to take action himself.
Miles, who clearly saw the under-the-table deal between Asher and Dominic: "?"
'Good heavens.'
'So Dominic can understand human speech after all.'
'He can even read eye signals now.'
Thinking about how much he had worried about Dominic, how much hair he had lost over him, Miles clenched his fists.
"Heh!", With a cold laugh, Miles looked at Dominic, his gaze filled with killing intent, "Alright."
"But before that, let's have a one-on-one duel first."
Dominic: "Huh?"
Dominic was utterly baffled, 'How did the commotion end up targeting me?'
"I think that's a great idea," Griffith, watching the drama unfold, nodded enthusiastically in agreement, fully supporting Miles's suggestion.
Dominic: "âŠI don't think so."
"It's not about what you think. It's about what I think," Miles dismissed him outright.
Soon.
Upon hearing that the regiment commander and vice commander were going to duel, the soldiers swarmed in.
Layers upon layers of them, nearly packing the training ground to bursting.
"The vice commander's little lion beast evolved?"
"Holy crap! So domineering!"
"This must be the legendary aura of a true king!"
"Look over here! Look over here! The vice commander's evolved little lion beast, just look at those eyes!"
"Damn! If Professor Asher had chosen me, I could've done it too!"
"Those guys hogging resources and doing nothing still haven't evolved yet? They've completely wasted Professor Asher's trust in them!"
"Professor Asher, look at us! Pick us! We can do it too!"
The gathered soldiers chattered noisily.
Since it was free time, not the usual strict training, the atmosphere remained relatively relaxed.
Buzzing discussions filled the air.
Most were talking about Miles's newly evolved lion beast.
Expressing envy, jealousy, and longing, wishing they could take its place.
If they had their phones, they'd be snapping pictures like crazy by now.
Don't say men don't like taking or sharing photos. Context matters.
Taking forced pictures of their girlfriends and photographing a one-meter-long fish they just caught, those are two entirely different moods.
Right now, their urge to photograph the War Blood Lion Emperor was definitely the latter.
Yet, amidst all the chatter, there was one thing no one questionedâ
'What?'
'Beating up the regiment commander?'
'Sounds good!'
'Vice commander, mighty and strong!'
'Vice commander, go for it!'
'Vice commander, you got this!'
Asher: "..."
Looking at Dominic and Miles facing off in the arena, Asher found himself speechless.
He had always known Dominic wasn't very reliable, but just how unreliable did he have to be for so many people to get so excited upon hearing that Miles was about to beat him up?
Miles stood shoulder to shoulder with the War Blood Lion Emperor, his gaze calm and composed as he looked at Dominic.
"Are you ready to get beaten up?"
"Old Miles, a man shouldn't be too overconfident. Just imagine, saying something like this in front of so many people, what if I accidentally turn the tables on you?"
Dominic put on a sincere, advising tone: "Usually, our battles are fifty-fifty, or maybe sixty-forty. I'm the six, youâ"
"ROARâ"
Before Dominic could finish speaking, the War Blood Lion Emperor, full of fighting spirit, let out a furious roar.
'Pah!'
'Shameless!'
'What's a battle of attrition supposed to mean!'
"Little Lion," Dominic brushed back his wind-blown hair, messed up by the lion's roar, and wiped away what seemed like spittle?
Even though he wasn't the War Blood Lion Emperor's Beast Tamer, thanks to years of combat experience, Dominic precisely interpreted its meaning.
"Tactics. It's all tactics, get it?"
"If you want to blame someone, blame your dad. Why did he only have one of you? This is the downside of being an only child."
"But hey, now that you've grown up, your dad can start planning for a second child soon."
War Blood Lion Emperor: "..."
Miles: "..."
Veins throbbed on both their foreheads.
'Damn it!'
'What nonsense is this guy spewing?'
"Enough talkâtake your beating!"
"ROARâ"
Miles and the War Blood Lion Emperor's voices rang out simultaneously.
Immediately, a chorus of cheers erupted.
"Take the beating, take the beating! Commander, don't chicken out! Face him head-on!"
Asher and Griffith stood side by side, watching the lively scene, finding themselves somewhat caught up in the excitement as well.
"What's Commander Dominic's beast?" Asher asked curiously.
Griffith, ever composed, explained: "The commander has three beasts: a Swift Leopard and two War Blood Lion Kings. While their strength is slightly inferior to Old Miles's lion beast, their average power is at the seventh tier. As long as it's not a one-on-one fight, he has a solid advantage in a battle of attrition."
Asher noticed that the legion's Beast Tamers didn't seem to have that many contracted beasts.
Not even meeting the minimum requirements of a first-tier Beast Tamer.
Even though their average strength was high, by the usual standards, a first-tier Beast Tamer needed at least four contracted beasts.
Curious, Asher asked.
Upon hearing, Griffith's glasses glinted, his eyes revealing an unreadable expression.
"The human mind has limits," Griffith explained, "Professor Asher, you're exceptionally talented in beast research, and as a Beast Tamer, you also have great potential. Then you should know, the more beasts one has, the less time can be devoted to each one."
"If there isn't enough time for training and nurturing, their abilities and strength won't keep up."
"So, the legion's requirements for Beast Tamers are a bit different from those outside."
Simply put: They only cared about the strongest.
Rather than dividing time evenly among multiple beasts, they preferred focusing more on a single beast.
"Typically, a Beast Tamer is only allowed to contract another beast once their strongest one reaches the sixth tier."
'Sixth tier...'
Asher subconsciously sighed, 'That is a pretty high standard.'
A third-tier Beast Tamer's strongest beast usually only reached the sixth tier.
But Griffith's reasoning made sense. Training different beasts for different purposes required different standards.
The requirement wasn't excessive; it was for the best interests of both the Beast Tamers and their beasts.
Asher nodded.
Then he thought about how Dominic had three beasts, all at the seventh tier, and was planning to use them to wear down Miles's lion beast.
'Uh.'
'That may not work now.'
'Especially the two War Blood Lion Kings.'
'Two of them.'
'Considering the War Blood Lion Emperor's innate skillsâŠ', Asher hesitated.
He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Seeing it firsthand would be more convincing than any explanation.
And thenâŠ
"Come out, War Blood Lion King!", Dominic struck a stylish pose, one hand on his hip, the other pointing skyward, summoning one of his War Blood Lion Kings from his spiritual beast space.
The next second.
"Awwoooâ"
The War Blood Lion King, which was a whole circle smaller than the evolved War Blood Lion Emperor, didn't even have the will to fight. Like a stone lion statue, it obediently crouched on the ground.
Dominic: "?"
The rowdy soldiers: "?"
'What just happened?'
"âŠHuh?", Dominic also blinked, looking completely bewildered.
"War Blood Lion King, charge!"
"Do you see that? That's your opponent. Little Lion, don't you remember the one you've been beating up since you were little?", Hearing Dominic's words, his War Blood Lion King showed no reaction.
Instead, the opposing War Blood Lion Emperor was rubbing its claws together, glaring at Dominic with hostility.
War Blood Lion King: *giving up*
'Can't fight, not even a little bit.'
"Tsk!", Dominic clicked his tongue in frustration, then immediately released another War Blood Lion King.
The same scene played out again.
The two War Blood Lion Kings crouched on Dominic's left and right, just like a pair of guardian lion statues at the entrance of a grand mansion.
They looked incredibly steady.
As immovable as a mountain.
No matter how much Dominic urged them, they didn't budge.
"ROARâ"
At that moment, Miles's War Blood Lion Emperor let out another angry roar, 'Listen to me, fight him!'
The two War Blood Lion Kings: "âŠ"
''Are you messing with us?''
On one side, there was a Lion Emperor who had awakened its bloodline and overwhelmingly surpassed them in both ability and strength.
On the other side, there was their Beast Tamer.
They gave up.
They surrendered.
Whatever happens, happens.
The two War Blood Lion Kings lowered their heads, struggling to cover their ears with their paws, burying their heads tightly between their forelimbs.
Pretending they couldn't see or hear anything.
Dominic, who suddenly lost two reliable battle companions: "âŠ"
"Uh⊠so⊠this isâŠ", Dominic's voice stuttered slightly.
Looking at his own War Blood Lion Kings' behavior, then at the evolved Little Lion Beast sharpening its claws while staring at him, Dominic finally realized that things weren't looking good.
The evolved Little Lion Beast seemed to have an overwhelming suppression over the same species of War Blood Lion Kings.
Dominic had only heard of this happening with certain dragon-type beasts.
War Blood Lion King and Asher's newly researched evolution form.
"Captain, if these two beasts of yours can't fight, don't you still have one more?", Before Dominic could figure things out, Miles's devilish voice echoed across the training field.
Thinking about his only remaining beast, his Swift Leopard, which was only at the low tier of rank seven, and how it would have to fight alone without teammates to wear down the opponent's stamina, Dominic suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
"Old Miles, look at the situation⊠I think we can still talk this out, right?", As he spoke, his mouth was already filled with a bitter taste.
'Sigh!'
'A rank seven fighting against a rank eight. How can that not be hard?'
"We agreed that today you'd take a beating, so I won't let you run away," Miles smiled calmly, showing no intention of leaving Dominic an escape route.
Dominic: "âŠ"
Confirmed.
There was no escaping this beating.
The surrounding crowd, after a brief shock from the bloodline suppression of the War Blood Lion Emperor, quickly snapped out of their silence and became even more excitedâ
This evolution path is so strong!
They wanted it too.
Maybe they could use it as well.
Who wouldn't be excited about this?
What? There are requirements?
That's nothing.
As long as there was hope, they would go for it.
"Hahaha! Serves you right, Captain!"
"Vice Captain, go for it!"
"Lion-lion, charge! This is your home ground today!"
âââ
["Senior Levi."]
Levi received a call from a foreign number. When he answered, his expression was slightly confused. After hearing the voice and how the other person addressed him, Levi instantly reacted.
"Oh, it's you, Junior Eliana! What's up?"
["Uh⊠Senior, last time you mentioned that things in the country have changed a lot, right?"]
Hearing this, Levi was stunned.
'Hmm?'
'Why does this sound like�'
"Junior, are you thinking of coming back?", Levi's voice was filled with surprise and a bit of excitement.
Junior Eliana's full name was Eliana Taylor. She was a year below Levi in school but was actually four years younger than him, considered a well-known young genius.
Even before graduating, Eliana had already received internship invitations from several top-tier laboratories.
The last time Levi had called his overseas classmates, Eliana had been among them, but she barely spoke during the conversation. Levi never expected her to consider returning.
She had stayed in Blue Country.
It was obvious to anyoneâ
She was recognized by major top laboratories.
Her future and career prospects were incredibly bright.
Most importantly, she had a terrible relationship with her parents. So bad that even outsiders advised against her returning.
Levi had thought about persuading a few classmates to return and join Asher's research institute with him, but Eliana⊠he hadn't even considered it.
["Yeah, I'm thinking about it."], Unexpectedly, Eliana had the thought herself.
"AhâŠ", Levi opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Maybe it was because of Eliana's awful family background.
Maybe it was because of her promising future.
In the end, Levi sighed.
"The country has indeed changed a lot. I think returning would be better and more worthwhile than staying abroad."
"If you come back and see how things have changed this academic year, you definitely won't regret it."
"But make sure you really think it through."
At the end of his words, Levi couldn't help but add this sentence.
["Thank you, Senior Levi. I'm still a bit hesitant, but⊠I think I do want to return to my homeland. I'll think about it some more."]
They chatted a little longer before ending the call.
Eliana stood in front of the psychological clinic for a while, as if contemplating something, before finally leaving without looking back.
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