Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 802 - Taming the Fifth Year - Immovable - 14

There were only 8 teams left to finish the last interscholastic war exam of the year…

So the audience was getting really big.

Todayʼs fight wasnʼt a rivalry exactly. There was no animosity between them. They didnʼt compete for position or recognition in a manner that implied personal conflict.

But they were two of the strongest students in the entire fifth year. Two who represented the best of what this generation could produce.

And now they would finally face each other directly.

Both had rested appropriately after their previous battles. Ren had enjoyed a complete afternoon and night to recover fully. Larissa had a similar recovery time.

Their beasts were fresh and ready. Their reserves replenished to full and their minds clear and focused.

It was a confrontation in optimal conditions for both participants.

And everyone wanted to see who would prevail in this matchup.

Zhao announced the next pairing after Taro and Lioraʼs Team had stomped their rivals once more… while Larissa listened with slight tension in her posture.

Her team versus Team Five.

Renʼs team.

Larissa felt something tighten in her stomach at the announcement. Not fear exactly. More accurately... nervous anticipation.

Because she knew how this was going to end ultimately.

Sheʼd watched Renʼs battles without missing any during the past years. Had observed how heʼd handled Liu in the last round with ease that bordered on casual dismissal. How his hydra had demolished its opponent without apparent effort.

And Larissa...

Larissa was strong. Gold rank in her best beast. Excellent training and refined control over three elements.

But she wasnʼt Ren Patinder.

Nobody was Ren Patinder except Ren himself.

Larissa sighed softly. The tension in her stomach increasing again slightly with each thought.

Because honestly...

This would probably end like Liuʼs match had.

She would give a decent battle. Show improvement from her training. But wouldnʼt push Ren sufficiently to make him truly exert effort.

Losing easily at the end despite her best efforts.

Because she had specialization in wind element primarily with decent competence in two other elements. Ren had absolute elemental versatility across the entire spectrum.

She possessed agile beasts that were difficult to catch in combat. Ren possessed the fastest beast in the entire tournament.

She had two powerful beasts at Gold rank. Ren had three, four actually…

Ren had... everything she possessed but more of it.

It wasnʼt a question of effort. It wasnʼt that Larissa hadnʼt trained sufficiently hard. It wasnʼt lack of talent or dedication on her part.

It was simply the mathematical reality of their present capabilities.

The odds werenʼt in her favor by any objective measure.

But Larissa smiled slightly anyway despite those thoughts.

Because even if she lost decisively...

She would learn something valuable. Would see something new. Would understand better exactly where she stood compared to the standard that Ren represented.

And at least sheʼd do it with dignity. With complete effort. Without regrets about not having tried hard enough.

So, she needed to try her absolute best. Needed to give an appropriate battle so as not to disappoint him. Demonstrate that the training sheʼd received was worth the political investment.

And primarily...

She needed to not reach Ren in an exhausted state.

Because if her team was eliminated too quickly through poor matchup management without leveraging elemental advantages, and she had to face Ren with low mana reserves, with tired beasts, without fresh resources...

It would be a massacre. No chance of a battle.

Larissa began calculating strategies mentally with the focus of a general.

Her teammates were mid-Silver rank on average. Renʼs teammates were low-Silver.

If she arranged the matchups well...

If she positioned her strongest members against Renʼs team in the correct order...

Perhaps she could force Ren to actually work before she had to enter the arena herself.

And then...

Then she would have to face Ren directly.

With everything she had learned.

With all the power sheʼd cultivated.

With the techniques heʼd taught her turned against him.

The irony wasnʼt lost on her.

She would be fighting Ren using methods Ren himself had shared.

Like a student testing themselves against their teacher.

Except Ren wasnʼt her teacher in any formal sense.

He was... what exactly?

Friend seemed insufficient for her...

Benefactor was too cold and transactional.

Someone whose approval she desperately wanted to earn.

Someone she wanted to prove herself worthy of.

Some… thing that she didnʼt feel brave enough to say the words for…

Larissa shook her head slightly to clear those distracting thoughts.

Focus. The battle was approaching.

She needed her mind sharp, not wandering into complicated emotions that served no tactical purpose right now.

Her teammates were gathering, looking to her for direction.

”Listen carefully,” Larissa said with a voice projecting confidence she didnʼt entirely feel. ”Weʼre going to win this part of the deal at least. Iʼll arrange the order based on our elemental advantages now.”

She began outlining a strategy, ready to position each teammate where theyʼd have the best chance.

Knowing that even perfect positioning probably wouldnʼt be enough.

But trying anyway.

Because thatʼs what you did when facing overwhelming odds.

And if you lost, when you lost… at least you lost knowing youʼd done your absolute best.

Larissa looked across the field to where Renʼs team was preparing.

Ren stood calmly, not looking particularly concerned about the upcoming battle.

That confidence should have been annoying.

Instead, it made her more determined to surprise him.

Larissa looked toward her teammates who looked back at her with expectation. Trusting she would organize them appropriately. That sheʼd maximize their collective chances.

Deciding the order in which her members would fight... One against one in sequence.

It was the strategic part of the exam that many overlooked. But Ren didnʼt.

You needed to predict what your opponent would do. Anticipating their decisions. Placing your members against theirs in a manner that maximized advantages while minimizing weaknesses.

Ren was good at it too, but…

It was scheming. Social intelligence.

And Larissa was exceptionally good at that particular skill.

Sheʼd lived in noble society her entire life. Had grown up navigating court politics where every word mattered. Where understanding what opponents were thinking was a question of survival.

Ren was brilliant tactically. Better combatant. Better tamer in terms of pure capabilities.

But in this specific aspect...

Larissa held the advantage.