Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 164 - Taming the Ancient Ruins - 14

”I donʼt want to be noble!” Taro flailed his hands frantically. ”I can barely remember which fork to use for each dish at my auntʼs house!”

”They canʼt do this to us!” Ren joined the protest, his face a mask of panic. ”We just wanted to explore!”

”Will I have to wear those ridiculous hats?” Min looked ready to faint.

”Will we have to learn to dance?” Taro turned pale as a ghost.

The guards watched the spectacle with expressions that oscillated between exasperation and reluctant amusement. Larissa simply laughed, finding their reactions absolutely adorable.

”Itʼs the law,” she explained between giggles. ”Besides, itʼs not something bad... Now, the fact that the door opened for you...”

”It was Ren!” the other two protested in unison, pointing at their friend.

”Then Ren is the leader of this ʼexpeditionʼ,” Larissa smiled. ”Welcome to nobility, gentlemen.”

♢♢♢♢

When the three boys finally calmed down and accepted what they thought was their ”sad” fate...

”Could you free us now?” Larissa asked, though her tone was more amused than demanding.

Ren remained thoughtful for a moment, studying the three girls trapped in crystal. ”You wonʼt attack us again? Because if you do, Iʼll have to...”

Larissa let out a little giggle. ”Youʼll have to what?”

”Heʼs threatening to kill us,” the injured guard muttered, still distrustful. ”Like the trained agent he is, surely he has no problem with…”

Ren remembered the moment he struck the guard and clapped a hand over his mouth, his face turning pale at imagining a more lethal scenario.

Larissa laughed harder. ”I donʼt think Ren would do anything like that. In fact, Iʼm quite sure heʼs not even trained for it.”

”Itʼs true,” Ren admitted, still looking a bit green. ”Iʼd probably throw up... but...”

He turned serious for a moment. ”But if I have to defend my friends...”

”It wonʼt be necessary,” Larissa interrupted him, smiling. ”Right, girls?”

The guards looked sideways before reluctantly nodding, mumbling promises not to attack.

”Good,” Ren turned to Taro. ”Then...”

Before he could finish, Larissa disappeared in a flash and reappeared free of the crystal.

”You already gave me permission,” she smiled at Renʼs surprised expression. ”And my circuits arenʼt blocked anymore.”

Ren scratched his head, confused.

”I accept the deal,” Larissa continued. ”I wonʼt say anything if you donʼt say anything. Although...” she looked toward the entrance, ”it will be hard for this to go unnoticed when we leave. But at least I wonʼt be the one to expose you.”

While Taro cautiously freed the guards, who maintained tense but non-hostile postures, Larissa turned to Ren with curiosity.

”But then tell me why you have two beasts? Itʼs supposed to only be possible with the artifacts...”

”It was my beast,” Ren began to explain.

”How?” Larissa asked, intrigued. ”I only know the mana potion method for…”

She stopped when Renʼs mushroom suddenly manifested itself.

Renʼs light dimmed as the little one appeared like a light bulb with legs.

The tiny creature, with its chubby baby face, looked toward the corridor that led deeper into the ʼseedʼ and, without warning, took off running in that direction.

Everyone stared at the scene with dumbfounded expressions.

”Hey!” Ren shouted, taking off after his rebellious beast. ”Come back here!”

Larissa burst into laughter before running after him. ”Thatʼs the cutest thing Iʼve ever seen in my life!”

Min and Taro exchanged resigned looks before following them, the guards bringing up the rear with expressions mixing concern and curiosity.

♢♢♢♢

The metallic corridor they chased the little mushroom through gradually widened until the group emerged into a chamber that took their breath away.

It was a perfect spherical room, the metal gleaming with a soft light that seemed to emanate from the walls themselves. Eleven pillars rose from the floor in a circular pattern, ten surrounding a central one, each emanating a gentle pulse of energy.

”What is this place?” Taro whispered, his voice echoing slightly in the chamber.

Renʼs mushroom ignored the ten potions glowing on the outer pillars, each contained in a crystal vial that seemed to float above its pedestal. Instead, it ran directly to the central pillar, where a metallic ring floated in the air, slowly rotating.

The tiny creature began jumping, its little arms extended trying to reach the ring, but its diminutive size made the task impossible.

”Itʼs so tiny and adorable,” Larissa commented, laughing softly at the mushroomʼs attempts.

The mushroom stopped, its cheeks puffing up with indignation at being called tiny. With an audible ”hmph!” it disappeared back into Renʼs body.

Min and Taro approached the outer pillars, their eyes fixed on the glowing potions floating above them.

”Those are the transformation potions,” Larissa explained. ”The ones that convert a normal tamer into a double tamer.”

Taro held his breath. ”Like the high-ranking nobles and the men of the royal family?”

”Exactly,” Larissa ran her fingers near the crystal of one of the potions, without touching it. ”They regenerate approximately every thirty-three years, though that number is only based on the time it took for them to reappear in the only other two ʼseedsʼ in our kingdom...”

”There are only 3 seeds?” Ren asked, turning his attention away from his mischievous mushroom.

”As far as we know, yes... Well, Yino has another three, just like us,” Larissa explained, her expression growing more serious. ”In fact, we believe they altered some of their potions to create the abyssals.”

Min and Taro exchanged amazed looks. The possibility floated literally before them, the power to control a second beast.

”The ring...” Larissa approached the central pedestal, her eyes gleaming with recognition. ”Itʼs one of the 3 keys believed necessary to enter the kingdomʼs central ruins. My father has one, and the Starweavers have another.”

”The rings are keys?” Ren asked, also approaching.

”They also give power to the bearer,” Larissa explained. ”A hundred percent increase in all statistics.” She turned to Ren. ”As expedition leader, technically it would belong to you...”

”My lady!” one of the guards protested. ”You shouldnʼt reveal that information if he didnʼt even know about it!”

”Itʼs only fair,” Larissa shrugged. ”Though obviously you wonʼt be able to keep it... but Iʼll make sure you receive appropriate compensation.”

Ren was about to ask how much something like that could be worth when he felt a familiar movement in his head. The mushroom manifested again, appearing atop his hair.

Before anyone could react, the tiny creature leaped toward the central pedestal. This time, instead of trying to reach the ring, it simply opened its tiny mouth, now way bigger than it seemed and...

Swallowed the ring in one bite.

”NOOOOO!” the collective scream resonated through the spherical chamber while the mushroom chewed contentedly.