Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 285

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. _{freewebnøvel.com}

"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.

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.

"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.