STRIKER: Independent Beast Tamer

Special Base (4th Zone)

Jeremy Night returned to his room. He changed his clothes before heading into the special practice room. Since Elder Sandra wanted him to stay here, he would do as the elder instructed.

Inside the special practice room, after the door closed automatically behind him. He walked over to the console and switched on the controls.

The next second, the lights came on. Natural energy began to flow out from the inlet. It did not take long for the room to be filled with dense, rich natural energy.

He walked to the center of the room and sat cross-legged on the ground. Closing his eyes, he began to run his inner healing method.

The natural energy drifted toward his body. As the energy entered him, he began guiding it along the proper pathways.

The pure, rich natural energy flowed along its course. Along the pathway, his cells became activated and began absorbing it.

As the cells digested the pure, rich natural energy, Stella became active inside his mental zone as well.

She began to absorb the natural energy. It manifested inside the mental zone before disappearing into the wings of the beautiful butterfly.

Her wings drew the natural energy toward them. Stella was completely focused. Jeremy Night noticed her, and seeing that she was engrossed in practice, he did not disturb her.

He simply continued repeating the process.

Outside

A statement was released from the elders’ office. They had stopped issuing new missions, and those who had accepted missions earlier were instructed to return immediately.

If they failed to complete their missions, it would not be recorded as a black mark against them. The elders had decided to grant exemptions for the upcoming event.

The upcoming event was no ordinary occasion; it was a special event. When the notice reached the members’ device everyone was surprised.

They knew something significant had happened, but they did not know the reason. Naturally, they were eager to receive further clarification from the elders.

The elders’ office did not keep them waiting long and soon released another announcement:

[Representatives from the Beast Taming Associations of the top three human zones will arrive in one to two days for recruitment. All beast tamers, along with their lifeline beasts, are requested to be in top condition.]

The news brought immense delight to the Beast Tamers, but it shocked them as well. Normally, representatives from all external factions jointly recruited candidates from the special base.

That was what had happened last year, and it had remained the same for the past several years. Yet this time, something had changed. The Beast Tamers were all curious, though none of them knew the reason.

Still, this was not the time for them to be confused. Since the event was going to take place in just one or two days, they had to prepare.

In particular, the second and third-year students decided to stay inside the base. They refused to even venture into the wilderness for leisure.

This was going to be a tremendous opportunity for them to catch the attention of the representatives. If there was a chance, a few of them might actually be recruited.

Their lives would change completely if they entered the top three zones. Because of this, the second and third year students waited eagerly for the representatives to arrive.

It did not take long for the news to spread across the entire special base. Beast Taming teams returning from their missions heard the announcement the moment they arrived.

They sighed in relief that they had made it back in time. However, there were some groups of friends where only a few members were back at the base while the rest remained out in the wilderness.

Those at the base were deeply worried about their companions. Some of those assignments were week-long missions, and those members might be hiding in safe spots to carry them out.

No one knew whether the news would reach their ears in time.

Meanwhile, the same problem was being discussed by the elders. Several elders volunteered to head out into the wilderness themselves to track down and bring the teams back.

The notification had come far too suddenly. Had the representatives informed them even a week earlier, they would have had plenty of time.

Right now, time is limited. The elders were hoping to bring everyone back within two days.

City A

The news from the special base reached City A in the 4th Zone as well. The information was not kept hidden, largely because most base members hailed from the 4th Zone.

In particular, a large number of members were from City A itself, where their families resided. When the news reached these families, they were overjoyed.

The family elders and clan heads were especially thrilled, as they knew full well what it meant to enter the top three zones.

Even if just one of their members managed to settle inside the top three zones, it would be a monumental achievement. Under normal circumstances, getting a permit to enter the top three zones was nearly impossible.

Obtaining residency there was even more difficult. The top three zones were exceptionally rich in resources and heavily populated.

Unless one was a powerful Beast Tamer or someone blessed with extraordinary talent, no one could enter any of those zones.

Even influential Beast Tamers within the Human Alliance could not easily pull strings to recommend someone for entry.

This demonstrated just how significant the opportunity was. The Beast Tamers recruited from the special base would receive permanent residency in one of those elite zones.

Recognizing this, the Beast Taming factions across City A held emergency meetings to discuss the situation. They decided to gather valuable cultivation resources and dispatch them immediately to their family members at the base.

With these resources, their members would stand a much better chance during the selection trials.

The Beast Tamers at the special base were all geniuses handpicked by the elders; most possessed S-Grade talent, and a few held A-Grade talent.

All they needed now was one final push to increase their strength. At the same time, the families were acutely aware of the perils in those zones. Full-scale wars against Corrupted Beasts were a common reality there.

...

Special Base

When night fell, a special transport flight from City A landed at the base. Earlier, another transport flight from the 5th Zone had already arrived.

The resources from City A had now reached the special base, alongside several batches from the 5th Zone.

Both shipments were brought to the administration building to be sorted and handed over to their respective Beast Tamers.

The elders were not surprised. They knew the forces across both zones would react the moment the news reached them.

Among the elders present, Elder Smith was there as well. One of the elders spotted a large storage container, and when he read the recipient’s name on the parcel, he was taken aback.

”Elder Smith, come over here. There’s a resource package for Jeremy Night,” one of the elders called out.

Hearing that, the other elders standing nearby were surprised as well.

Elder Smith raised his eyebrows and walked over to the container. His gaze fell upon the storage crate, and he read the name on the manifest.

The resources had been dispatched by an organization called the Red Moon Chamber.

The senders listed were two individuals: Head Harold and Head Neil. Harold was the head of the main organization in the 5th Zone, while Neil was the head of the branch division.

Both had sent resources specifically for Jeremy Night. Elder Smith raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise.

Just like the elders themselves, the two leaders clearly believed that Jeremy Night had a strong chance of entering one of the top three zones.

Elder Smith collected the storage container and placed a call to Jeremy Night.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Night was resting in his room, lying across the sofa in a half-asleep state. He had turned off the large display screen only a minute earlier.

Buzz!

Just then, his communication device vibrated. Jolted from his light slumber, he sat up and reached for the device.

Seeing that the caller was none other than Elder Smith, he answered immediately.

From Elder Smith, he learned that a parcel had arrived for him from the Red Moon Chamber, sent by Head Harold and Neil Moon.

Jeremy Night smiled. He replied that he would come over right away to collect the container. After ending the call, he stepped out of his room.

He headed straight for the administration building. Along the way, he passed other members who were also excitedly discussing the sudden arrival of family resources.

After his daytime session in the special practice room, he had been resting in his quarters and had taken some time to browse the online news. He already knew that various families were rushing supplies to their members.

Still, he was curious about what the two leaders had sent him. He had not expected them to send anything, but the delivery had arrived at the perfect time. Now, he could share the resources with Stella.