Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 165

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."

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.

"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.