Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 292 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 28

Ren and his team continued exchanging jokes while observing the development of the next individual battles.

The combat between Klein and Roran was especially sad. The troll dog boy fought valiantly, using every ounce of the amplified strength his beast granted him. But Kleinʼs golden lion, now at Bronze rank, simply surpassed him in every aspect. To Min and Taroʼs disgust, their friend ended up defeated after a battle that, although respectable in duration, was never really balanced.

”Damn Klein,” muttered Min when the Goldcrest raised his fist in victory. ”I hope someone gives him what he deserves soon.”

Shortly after, Kai faced a student from group C whose name they couldnʼt remember. His victory was equally unpleasant for them. The Gray Wing friends watched with grim expressions as Jinʼs companion celebrated his advancement to the next round.

The mood of the three improved considerably when Liu entered the arena to face Hector. Their roommate, now with much greater control over his sound beasts, didnʼt even need to deploy his full arsenal. A single sound strike, precise and devastating, hit Hector in the center of his chest, causing the minotaur tamer to fall unconscious before even understanding what had hit him.

”That was beautiful,” sighed Taro with evident satisfaction.

”Liu has been practicing,” nodded Ren. ”It took him fewer seconds than before to charge the attack.”

The next announced combat made them shift in their seats.

Jin versus Taro.

”Present yourselves in the arena in three minutes.”

Taro instantly turned pale, his gaze fixed on nothing as he processed what he had just heard. Jin, the same one who had humiliated him in that first combat class, would be his opponent.

”Itʼs my opportunity,” he murmured, though his voice trembled slightly. ”I can demonstrate how much Iʼve grown since then.”

Min gave him a strong pat on the back. ”Of course you can! Youʼre no longer the same shy boy from months ago.”

But Taroʼs real concern was evident in his eyes when he looked at Ren. ”His spirit tiger is now Bronze. My beetle is too, but he has lots of love for individual combat and his ability is perfect for penetrating defenses.”

Ren placed a firm hand on his friendʼs shoulder, his mushrooms pulsing with a reassuring rhythm.

”Donʼt be afraid,” he told him with a certainty that admitted no doubts. ”Jin is definitely the counter to your defensive style, but... Youʼre not just Bronze rank, youʼre a double tamer. Use the offensive I taught you. The Living Mineral combined with the hunter bug isnʼt just for defense, remember?”

Taroʼs eyes widened slightly. ”But weʼve barely practiced it a couple of times and...”

”It will work,” insisted Ren. ”You have more strength than you believe, and the beetle amplifies that... It is very powerful. Trust your instincts to advance and hit with everything, donʼt try to only defend yourself, especially when he uses his Spirit Claw...”

”You have to defend the honor of our Gray Wing double tamers team!” Min insisted.

For a moment, Taro seemed to hesitate, but then a new determination illuminated his face. He nodded once, rising with a firmer posture.

”I will,” he affirmed, straightening his shoulders. ”Itʼs time for Jin to learn that Iʼm not the same opponent he once easily defeated.”

As Taro headed toward the arena entrance, Min leaned toward Ren, lowering his voice.

”Are you sure heʼs ready for this? I thought he still had problems with the attack when you practiced.”

Ren observed his friendʼs figure walking away, the mushrooms in his hair glowing with a constant and confident rhythm.

”Sometimes,” he responded, ”we need a little pressure to discover what weʼre truly capable of doing.”

In the arena, the technicians were finishing preparing the terrain for the next combat. Jin was already waiting in his position, his spirit tiger partially manifested, giving him a fierce appearance with those glowing eyes and translucent claws.

Taro entered from the opposite side, his beetle not yet invoked but his presence already different from what it had been months ago. He no longer walked with his head slightly bowed; now his steps were firm, his gaze direct.

When both competitors took their positions, Lin stepped forward for the final instructions. But to Taro, her voice sounded distant, almost irrelevant.

His mind was fixed on a single thing: the technique that Ren had taught him, that movement that transformed defense into attack.

”Begin,” announced Lin, jumping back to start the combat.

Jin smiled, his claws glowing with renewed intensity.

”Ready for another lesson, insect?” he provoked, his voice loaded with contempt.

For Jin, this combat was little more than a formality, a necessary step before facing truly worthy opponents. His mind reviewed the memories of that first combat class: Taro, unable to counterattack, eternally defensive while his beetle armor absorbed blow after blow without ever responding.

ʼNothing has changed,ʼ thought Jin, his eyes evaluating the cautious posture of his opponent. ʼEven in the team combats now, he has always been the shield, never the sword.ʼ

A confident smile appeared on his face as he began to fuse completely with his Bronze Spirit Tiger. His arms were covered with black and blue stripes, his hands transforming into translucent claws that seemed made of pure energy. His muscles expanded slightly, and his eyes greatly increased that supernatural glow that characterized his beast.

”This time I wonʼt have mercy,” he announced, his voice acquiring a deeper, almost guttural tone. ”Consider this a lesson in humility for your luck in becoming a double.”

Taro didnʼt respond verbally. Instead, he invoked his Living Tunnel, the enormous 2-meter beetle materializing with a bronzy glow that caught the arenaʼs light.

Jin wasted no time. With an explosion of speed, he launched himself directly at Taro, his spirit claws leaving trails of bluish light in the air.

But Taro had already anticipated this movement. His Living Tunnel sank its enormous feet into the arena floor, channeling its natural affinity with the earth. The ground beneath the beetle began to transform, the sand and earth compacting and rising, gradually covering the beast.

”Trying to hide behind more shields?” mocked Jin, without reducing his speed. ”Coward as always!”

The earth wasnʼt just covering the beetle; it was also flowing toward Taro in a specific defense technique that they had practiced a little in the last few weeks.

Meanwhile, the beetle continued its transformation. The earth adhered to its shell made it appear even larger, a mass of three meters that stood like a small mountain.

The Living Tunnel was enormous and strong, but it was slow.

Jin, confident in his big superiority of speed, easily dodged the slow stomp that the beetle tried to deliver. His movement was fluid, almost elegant, as if he were dancing around a clumsy and unworthy opponent.

”Predictable!” he exclaimed, repositioning himself to attack Taro directly.