Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 363

Wei wanted to continue interrogating him to find some way to reduce or avoid the risk, but the resolution on Ren's face was immovable.

Reed observed his son, the turtle mirroring his thoughtful posture.

How much had Ren really changed in this year?

Or had he always possessed this hardness, just waiting for circumstances to manifest it?

Fern still struggled to process everything that had occurred in the last few hours. The loss of their home, the attack, the transformation into double tamers... and now her son, barely emerged from childhood, was planning to venture into the deadly outer forest.

"Are you sure you must do this?" she asked, her voice betraying her fear. "We've already lost so much today..."

Ren took his mother's hands between his own. His touch was gentle but firm, the contrast between his child-sized hands and his adult-like resolve making the moment more poignant.

"But I made sure you won much more, right? Trust me. I'm not the same frightened kid who ran away a year ago. Now it's not a desperate decision, now I have the power to protect myself."

Fern searched her son's eyes for some trace of the child she remembered, but what she found was a determination that went beyond his years.

"You've become so strong," she murmured, both pride and sadness in her voice. "So different..." Her thumb traced small circles on his hand, a maternal gesture that felt both familiar and somehow out of place now.

"I'm still me," Ren responded with a smile that finally showed something of his former innocence, the expression momentarily transforming him back into the boy they remembered. "I just... know a bit more."

Reed observed the exchange in silence, his mind processing an unsettling reality: his son no longer needed his protection. On the contrary, now Ren was the one protecting them.

The role reversal was as natural as it was painful, a necessary evolution that nonetheless carried the sting of obsolescence.

While Ren returned to the work of digging, Reed and Fern exchanged looks. _{frёewebηovel.cѳm}

Their lives had changed irrevocably, but what most disconcerted them was how easily they accepted all this. Was it an effect of the gifts? Or simply the natural consequence of seeing their son transformed into someone so strong and mature?

No, it wasn't the gifts. It was the understanding that their world had changed, and they must change with it or be left behind.

"We must be strong for him," Fern whispered to her husband. "He has done all this for us." Her eyes reflected determination to rise to this new challenge.

Reed nodded, his hand finding hers, their fingers interlacing as they had countless times through decades of shared struggle. "We can no longer protect him as before. But we can support him."

The hole was almost finished when a sound... Footsteps. Many footsteps, approaching Chen's house. The distant rhythm carried the unmistakable cadence of military discipline.

"More patrols," Yang whispered, his enhanced perception of vibrations in the earth catching what the others were just beginning to notice. "And more than before."

Wei cautiously peered through a small crack in the wall. "At least a dozen. And they seem more... methodical this time."

"The hole," Ren indicated with urgency, his voice dropping to a tense whisper. "Everyone inside. Now."

There was no time to argue. Reed and Fern were the first to descend, gently pushed by Ren, followed by Wei and Lin. Ren and Yang lowered the unconscious bodies of the patrollers, then joined the group.

The earth closed over them, leaving no outline to mark where the opening had been.

♢♢♢♢

The children exchanged looks. The storehouse was their favorite play area. They knew every corner, every possible hiding place, every loose board and creaky beam. If anyone was hidden there...

The patrol methodically ransacked the storehouse, throwing sacks and moving piles of firewood. Dust motes danced in the slanting afternoon light as they worked, occasionally punctuated by the crack of wood being broken or the thud of heavy objects being overturned.

Finally, the commander seemed convinced that there was nothing suspicious. His frustration was evident in the tightness around his eyes and the way his leopard spots had dimmed to a sullen glow.

"Stay alert," he warned Chen before departing, his finger jabbing the air between them for emphasis. "And remember, the offer remains open. Those crystals could help a family like yours a great deal." The threat beneath the offer was thinly veiled, the implication clear.

When the patrol finally moved away, the children waited several minutes before sneaking toward the storehouse. Curiosity burned too intensely to be ignored, their young minds filled with questions about their old playmate and the mysterious events unfolding around them.

"Do you think he's really still hidden here?" Li asked, pushing open the storehouse door with exaggerated caution. The hinges creaked softly, the sound unnaturally loud in the tense silence.

"I don't know, they searched for a good while," Tao responded, his eyes scanning the interior for any sign of disturbance beyond the patrol's destruction.

The inside was a mess, with torn grain sacks and piles of firewood scattered everywhere. The children advanced cautiously, inspecting each corner.

"There's nobody here," Li declared after a superficial search, disappointment evident in his slumped shoulders. "I told you he wouldn't be here, they must have left before."

"But I saw grandfather bring them, and they didn't want to be seen outside," Tao insisted, pushing aside a larger pile of straw. "They have to be somewhere."

They continued exploring, moving debris and checking behind the larger piles. Li walked directly over the center of the storehouse when he felt something grasp his ankle.

The boy froze, color draining from his face. His mouth opened to scream, but before he could make any sound, the floor beneath him opened and swallowed him. A hand emerged to cover his mouth, stifling any potential outcry.