Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 829 - Taming the Fifth Year - Spirit of the Torch - 5

That massive serpent Liora had deliberately saved for the end, knowing it would pose the most serious threat when her opponent was already worn down and running low on options. The beast that could absorb mana from fallen creatures and strengthen itself exponentially as the battle progressed.

And Ren would have to face it with only a single beast, after having lost both the hydra and the mantis in battles that had pushed him harder than anything else during this exam had managed.

The silence in the stands was absolute as everyone processed what they had just witnessed. Ren Patinder, who had seemed invincible throughout the entirety of the exams, was now in a position where defeat wasnʼt just possible but probable if Liora executed properly with her final beast.

Renʼs parents clenched their fists at the growing tension. His motherʼs breathing had become shallow, each exhale measured and controlled as if she could somehow channel calm to her son through sheer force of will. His fatherʼs jaw worked silently, muscles twitching beneath his weathered skin.

Taro watched from his recovery cot, the healers having at least dulled the worst of his pain. His expression mixed genuine concern for his friend with a hint of satisfaction at having contributed to creating a situation where his victory wasnʼt guaranteed. Heʼd done his part. Now it was up to Liora to handle what came next.

Min was biting his fingers, supporting Liora… Funnily enough his ʼpartnerʼ Luna wanted Ren to win even if she wanted to support Liora too.

Larissa was the same as Luna, but a bit more invested in Ren for her own silly small discourse about 2nd place draw. Liu had thought of it too, but now was happy about not having said it outloud.

Most of Renʼs friends were Liora friends too… Everyone was invested.

Throughout the arena, whispers began to spread like wildfire through dry grass. The noble families leaned toward each other, speaking behind raised hands and fans. The commoner sections buzzed with speculation and debate. Betting odds were being frantically recalculated in the back rows.

The end was approaching.

And nobody could predict with certainty how it would go…

♢♢♢♢

Renʼs wolverine was still at Silver 3. Heʼd been cultivating it at that level for more than three hundred days already, with approximately three additional months required before it would finally reach Gold rank.

It was a calculation Ren had made many times recently with anticipation, because the wolverine would ascend on the exact same day the mantis would reach Silver 1. That synchronization wasnʼt completely accidental but rather the result of obtaining it just as his mushroom reached Gold, exactly one hundred days before promoting his wolverine to Silver 3. This meant they would share advancement dates in the future, making it easier for Ren to keep track of the countdowns.

Three months from now, heʼd have three Gold-rank beasts and one Silver beast. The costs and waiting times were becoming quite lengthy indeed.

Ren missed the lower levels where the base of one hundred days wasnʼt yet multiplied by the achieved Mayor ranks. In those early times when his beasts were in Iron or Bronze ranks, progress had been relatively swift and the necessary resources manageable even for someone without extensive wealth.

But reaching Silver rank required double the base duration, two hundred days instead of one hundred. And now in Gold it doubled again, four hundred days of continuous cultivation for each level within the rank.

It was the essential reason why maintaining high-level tamers operating effectively became increasingly expensive. It wasnʼt just a question of time but of resources consumed during those extended periods, specialized materials and controlled environments for their processing that accumulated costs exponentially as beasts ascended.

Materials and mana that already cost ten times more resources when advancing to the next major rank.

Some noble families had even bankrupted themselves trying to cultivate too many tamers in upper ranks without the economic infrastructure to sustain it. That had been far more common in the past, before Renʼs infallible cultivation methods. Back then, the waits and expenses could reach around double the cost with no guaranteed reward.

At least Ren would never fail, and he no longer lacked wealth... Not even counting the rewards heʼd practically already earned and the compensation that would come with that achievement.

While he would have liked more time, that was a constant in any serious tamerʼs life… There was never enough time for everything you wanted to accomplish. You could only prioritize appropriately and execute with maximum possible efficiency.

His wolverine at Gold rank would be considerably more powerful than the hydra, at least until the hydra developed more than three heads and unlocked the additional capabilities that came with that evolution. Simply because the wolverineʼs elemental control was twice as improved as the hydraʼs, something that came from the fundamental nature of the species.

Wolverines were renowned for improved elemental manipulation rather than raw power, though they didnʼt lack that either, along with resistance… But few beasts lacked strength as they grew, and wolverines didnʼt stand out excessively outside their elevated tenacity, something that could be underestimated since they had no shells or armor of any kind. Their skin was surprisingly resistant though.

But being a complete rank below the hydra as it currently was, they were quite comparable in terms of overall combat effectiveness. The wolverine compensated for the difference in raw strength and resistance with superior elemental versatility and more precise, powerful execution of complex techniques. It was a balance that made it difficult to predict which beast would have the advantage in direct confrontation without knowing the specific battle context.

Liora wouldnʼt be easy to defeat now, especially with the Bashe still waiting after the wisp was handled. But Ren smiled as he prepared the manifestation of his third beast, an expression that communicated something beyond simple confidence in victory.

Because in a certain way, this was more fun like this. A battle where the outcome wasnʼt guaranteed, where he had to push limits and execute with perfect precision to win.

Besides, Ren had saved ”the best for last.” While the wolverine might be lower rank than the hydra, it was still slightly better for the moment.

And he was about to demonstrate exactly why.