Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 112 - Guide Tamer Ren Patinder - 3

ʼAs if someone had poured hundreds of books into his head,ʼ thought the prince. ʼBut that doesnʼt make sense...ʼ

Records showed that Ren came from a modest family. Limited wealth wouldnʼt allow the kind of library needed to accumulate such knowledge. And although the academy had an impressive library, the boy hadnʼt been there even half a year.

Was he really some kind of genius or...?

”Tell me about your spore,” Julius said casually.

The mushrooms in Renʼs hair pulsed with nervousness. It was the question he had been dreading since this journey began.

But then, something changed in his expression.

”You know what, your highness? Itʼs not fair,” Ren stopped, turning toward the prince. ”You ask all the questions. How about I ask something too?”

Julius blinked, surprised by the sudden change in attitude. Then smiled, amused by the boldness.

”About my beasts, I suppose?”

”Exactly!” Renʼs mushrooms pulsed with genuine enthusiasm. ”Whatʼs it like having a Qilin? And whatʼs your other beast?”

The prince laughed softly. The boy was skilled at diverting attention... but perhaps if he played along it would make him relax...

”The Qilin is the beast of royalty as I already told you,” he began, watching Renʼs reaction. ”My father is the only one who has a platinum rank one. An impressive sight, truly.”

”And your siblings?”

”None have managed to take it beyond gold 3,” Julius sighed. ”I myself stalled at gold 2. The cultivation... failed after that and my Qilin matured.”

Renʼs mushrooms pulsed with curiosity. ”Why?”

”Thereʼs something different in my fatherʼs method,” the prince shrugged. ”Some detail we havenʼt been able to replicate. He insists itʼs simple, but...”

”Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to see,” Ren commented, surprising Julius with the depth of the observation.

”True. As for my other beast,” continued the prince, ”itʼs a rank gold 1 elemental wolverine.”

”The ones that can adapt to different elements?”

”Exactly, itʼs popular among nobility too. I have it attuned to the earth element, though changing its neutral element in juvenile stage isnʼt difficult. Most of my sisters prefer water, my brothers fire...” he stopped, a nostalgic smile on his lips. ”A shame both beasts are already mature. The decisions we make when young follow us all our life...”

Renʼs mushrooms pulsed more intensely. ”How... how do you manage to have two beasts?”

Julius smiled enigmatically. ”Sorry, but thatʼs a royal family secret. If I told you, Iʼd have to kill you.”

Ren froze for a moment, until he noticed the gleam of amusement in the princeʼs eyes.

”Just kidding,” Julius laughed at Renʼs expression. ”The method for obtaining two beasts isnʼt really a deadly secret. Itʼs just... impractical to replicate on a large scale.”

The mushrooms in Renʼs hair pulsed with curiosity while they continued advancing.

”Unlike Yino we donʼt have easy methods to cultivate double tamers,” the prince continued, his expression becoming more serious. ”According to our recent visitor, theyʼve found a way to make the process quite replicable. Theyʼre even experimenting with three beasts.”

”And is it true?”

”Seems so... but they have their own limitations,” Julius nodded. ”Their abyssal beasts seem to have the limit at silver 3. No matter how many they accumulate, if thatʼs the limit in their individual power…”

Ren processed this information while his mushrooms analyzed the tunnel ahead. The mana pressure was gradually increasing making it a bit difficult to advance, but he could still endure about 14 minutes more without major problems...

”Wouldnʼt it be better then...” he began without thinking too much, ”to share the method with Yanoʼs people? If Yino can give two or three beasts to their tamers, keeping the method secret seems like a disadvantage for the kingdom.”

Julius stopped, observing Ren with renewed interest.

”Itʼs more complicated than that,” he finally responded. ”The method has... implications that could affect the kingdomʼs economy and would be problematic for people to know for various reasons.”

♢♢♢♢

Renʼs mushrooms pulsed while pointing to another tunnel. This one showed signs of recent destruction, though local beasts had begun rebuilding it.

”The worms and beetles have been working,” Ren commented as they passed. ”They use their secretions to reinforce damaged tunnels. Itʼs fascinating how they incorporate crystal fragments into...”

”How do you know so much about the depths?” Julius interrupted. ”Not just the tunnels and beasts, but their behaviors, their habits...”

”There are many books in the academy,” Ren responded automatically.

”You read that much?”

”In the library of the...”

”You havenʼt been at the academy that long,” the prince cut him off softly. ”And your family... Besides I feel itʼs half lies...”

He stopped. Something in Renʼs expression had changed.

The mushrooms in his hair pulsed with a different rhythm while the tunnel opened into a wider cavern. The air here smelled different, like death.

”So this is where...” Ren whispered.

Juliusʼs Qilin illuminated the cavern with its radiance, revealing a scene of major destruction. The walls showed marks of battle, and in the center...

”The hydra,” the prince approached the corpse. ”Or whatʼs left of it.”

The beastʼs massive body had been practically consumed completely, only the hard parts of its armor remaining. Purple crystals sprouted from some of its wounds, creating a grotesque statue that glowed faintly under the Qilinʼs light.

”The attackerʼs abyssal energy I suppose,” Ren murmured, his mushrooms pulsing while failing to analyze the patterns. ”The crystals around, the mana, even the way beasts rebuild the tunnels is strange here...”

As they skirted the hydraʼs corpse Ren grew bold enough to ask...

”Your highness?” Ren stopped beside the hydraʼs crystallized corpse. ”Could I... could I collect some parts of the armor?”

Julius blinked, as if the idea hadnʼt occurred to him. ”The armor?”

”The diamond scales,” Ren explained while his mushrooms analyzed the most valuable sections. ”In the market, even a single hydra scale can be worth...”

The prince had probably never needed to worry about the market value of anything so he hadnʼt thought about it.

”Of course,” Julius smiled, understanding the situation. ”Take what you can carry. Just avoid the parts affected by abyssal energy.”

Renʼs mushrooms pulsed while identifying the best pieces. Some scales here, a tendon fragment there... each piece worth a small fortune.

”As for the rest...” the prince manifested his second beast.

The wolverine that emerged was massive. Its fur had an earthy tone and its body seemed to partially merge with the ground beneath its paws. Crystals and minerals sprouted from its skin like natural armor.

”Watch,” Julius commanded his beast.