Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

Countless fiery gazes landed on Asher, as the Tier 4 advanced and Tier 5 low-level beast tamers' pets stared intently at this pitiful duo—a lone man and his bird—who had seemingly wandered into a wild beast zone. All of their faces showed the same gleeful excitement.

'Hehehe...'

"It's been so long since a new member joined the sixth floor."

"Even if we switch maps every day, this game's getting boring."

"Finally, we've got a newcomer."

"Though he looks like a complete newbie who just started out, it doesn't matter. We're strong enough to make up for it."

"Come on, junior. Step inside. Your seniors will make sure you and your little bird are thoroughly entertained."

The nearest senior brother and sister quickly grabbed Asher's shoulders from either side and dragged him into the sixth floor's interior.

The door behind them slammed shut with a loud "bang."

Asher: 'I want to escape... but I can't...'

For someone like Asher, who had been called the Demon King of the Novice Arena, and his bird Little Raven, who had crushed opponents both in school and on training grounds, never would they have imagined they'd so quickly be reduced to being seen as weaklings.

But if you asked Asher, this wasn't his fault at all.

"...I'm just a normal assistant teacher. Please, senior brothers and sisters, let me go." Asher clasped his hands together at his chest and spoke expressionlessly, his eyes lifeless.

Enough was enough.

He finally understood what Iris meant before she left.

After being forced into a survival game of Beast Tamers and their pets in a jungle setting, Asher and Little Raven were destined to be at the bottom of the food chain.

Every senior brother or sister who encountered them would toy with Asher and Little Raven with great interest.

The teasing included, but wasn't limited to, pointing out Asher's poor hiding spots or using just one skill and the special jungle terrain to overwhelm Little Raven. If someone allowed their pet to instantly defeat Little Raven in one move, that was already considered an act of mercy.

When the game finally ended, everyone gathered on the sofas, drinking beverages, eating snacks, and chatting around the new junior brother.

"Junior brother, you probably don't know this, but teachers don't give classroom access cards to non-students. Your lies won't work on us," the senior sister who had just used her three-headed magic dragon to defeat Little Raven explained with a smile.

The senior brother who had exposed Asher's hiding spot chuckled as well. "Junior brother, don't sell yourself short. You're actually quite capable. Your pet looks like it's only Tier 3, right? Probably not above Tier 4."

"But we all saw how your bird pinned that Earth Demon Dragon down earlier. We haven't forgotten."

Jack, weighing over 200 pounds and standing at 1.7 meters tall, immediately jumped up, yelling loudly, "That was me going easy on him. Do you hear me? Easy."

Everyone, including Asher, burst into laughter.

Still, Asher stepped forward and clarified, "That's because Little Raven has an attribute advantage over the Earth Demon Dragon."

First of all, just because the Earth Demon Dragon has "dragon" in its name doesn't mean it's actually dragon-type.

If anything...

Asher felt it should've been named "Earth Demon Worm."

Sure, it's big.

But Little Raven eats worms—three in one gulp.

Little Raven clearly agreed.

Among all the pets present, Little Raven had only managed to beat the Earth Demon Dragon. Perched on Asher's shoulder, it kept sneaking glances at the Earth Demon Dragon.

Another glance.

Jack, feeling provoked: "..."

'Damn it.'

Because his Earth Demon Dragon was the only pet defeated by the new junior brother, Jack didn't have much ground to stand on.

Then, someone fanned the flames: "Hey, according to sixth-floor rules, Jack, you're supposed to help the junior brother with a request."

Asher: "?"

Jack jumped up again, shouting, "That's only for the final winner, okay?"

Everyone gave him disdainful looks.

"What's your rank compared to the junior brother's? It's your fault for underestimating him and taking a fall." The senior sister with the three-headed magic dragon sneered, looking down on Jack. "A lower-ranked challenger beating a higher-ranked one should naturally be rewarded."

"If you lost, then act like a proper senior and stop whining. Be a man."

Jack: " … "

What else could he say? Seriously, what else?

The senior sister with the three-headed magic dragon turned sweetly to Asher. "Junior brother, do you need any resources? As long as it's not too rare, consider it this fatty's punishment."

Asher didn't refuse.

Seeing no objections from the others, Asher realized this rule wasn't a special exception for him—it was an established tradition.

As a newcomer, he had no intention of challenging the rules.

After some thought, Asher spoke. Jack watched him nervously.

"Well... I do have a question. Have you ever seen a pet successfully refine 'Refined Fire' before?"

Jack's tense posture relaxed. He glanced knowingly at Little Raven on Asher's shoulder. If he remembered correctly, that bird had used a fire-type skill to defeat his Earth Demon Dragon earlier.

Though Jack still didn't understand why a flying-type, dual-attribute beast would bother learning fire-type skills, he kept his doubts to himself.

"You're trying to help your Oriental Peacock refine Refined Fire?"

Asher nodded.

Jack thought the idea was absurd but didn't comment—everyone had their own way of raising pets.

"Well... among the Beast Tamers I know, I've only seen two pets successfully refine Refined Fire. But if you want to follow their methods, good luck—it's tough." Jack began explaining in detail.

"The two tamers were both peak Tier 1, about to reach Tier 2. Their pets were advanced Tier 5 fire-types, masters of their skills."

"One of them, I don't know how they did it. But I spoke to the other, who raised a Flame Colt. They lived and trained together at a volcanic crater for two months, letting the colt immerse itself in the essence of natural fire."

Asher caught an interesting term: "Natural fire?"

Jack seemed surprised that Asher was so perceptive and nodded, "Yes, that's exactly what he said."

Perhaps because of Asher's quick understanding and his non-aggressive questioning, Jack felt a little less embarrassed about his loss and was in a better mood to talk.

"This question of yours, I also asked him at the time. What's the difference between the natural fire and the fire elemental energy in fire-attributed minerals?"

The others around them grew curious.

"This is interesting. We don't usually delve into this kind of question."

"The difference is one has energy, and the other doesn't?"

"It's like the difference between an ordinary river and a crystal-laden lake. If you think about it carefully, there's bound to be some distinction."

Jack raised his eyebrows, "That's pretty much it."

"At the time, he described it in a grandiose and mysterious way, but I can't recall the exact words. If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have remembered it at all."

"But if I had to say..." Jack paused, shrugged, and continued, "The difference probably isn't that significant. The real key is the talent, strength, and battle experience of the Beast Master and their pet beast."

"Thank you, Senior," Asher said with a smile, expressing his gratitude to Jack.

Asher then proceeded to thank the senior with the three-headed demon dragon, as well as the other seniors who had "beaten up" him and Little Raven.

Regardless of whether they were just looking for fun, he had indeed gained something from the experience. Offering a word of thanks was no big deal for him and cost him nothing.

"Hehehe~ Junior, if you're really grateful to us, how about playing another round with us?" The senior with the three-headed demon dragon flashed a mischievous smile.

Jack, who had just been listless moments ago, suddenly perked up.

The sparkle in his eyes seemed to scream: It's revenge time.

The others chimed in enthusiastically.

"Sounds good, sounds good."

They were already tired of playing with familiar faces, but this junior was new. They could have some fun for a while longer.

The three-headed demon dragon senior, pretending to consider Asher's well-being, suggested, "Let's change to a volcanic map this time. It'll help your little bird experience a volcanic environment in advance."

Asher: 'Nope, goodbye, leaving now.'

Little Raven immediately burrowed back into Asher's mental sea and into his Beast Space. Everyone thought Asher had recalled him as a way to refuse their challenge. They sighed in disappointment. The fun junior and his violent little black bird were gone, leaving them old-timers to continue their dull love-hate battles.

———

In the following days.

Asher followed his routine: substituting classes in the lecture halls, battling on the first floor of the Bird's Nest, and training on the third floor. [T/N: Bird's Nest is the battle arena at Bluewind Academy]

As for the sixth floor? Asher never went back there.

…Don't ask. Both he and Little Raven were left with deep psychological scars.

When Iris returned, Asher wasted no time in handing her back the teacher's access card.

Iris took one look at Asher's expression and laughed, "You've been to the sixth floor? Fun, wasn't it?"

"If you want to go back, I can lend you the card for another half-month."

Asher refused quickly and seriously, his expression solemn. "I think I need more down-to-earth training right now. The sixth floor… it's not suitable for me."

"Pfft—" Iris couldn't hold back her laughter. "I warned you, didn't I?"

Asher: 'Ha! Who's to say you didn't?'

But sometimes, curiosity gets the better of you.

With so many legends surrounding the sixth floor, it was only natural for Asher to want to explore it.

Faced with Iris's laughter, Asher remained calm and composed, showing no embarrassment.

He admitted he was currently too weak, but neither he nor Little Raven would remain at this level forever. They would grow stronger, to the point where even the sixth floor couldn't pose a threat to them.

Once Iris had laughed enough, she took back the card. Perhaps worried that Asher might feel too discouraged, she kindly offered an explanation.

"It's normal to think they're strong. The ones on the sixth floor are the prized students of the teachers specializing in combat-related fields. The weakest among them are fifth-tier Beast Masters, and one of the girls is close to breaking into the Sixth tier."

"The sixth floor is essentially a place for them to understand each other's strength better, so they can perform at their best in the triennial team Beast Master competition."

Iris glanced at Asher again. "Your strength, compared to others your age, isn't weak. In fact, you're among the top. Visiting the sixth floor is good—it gives you a direct sense of stronger Beast Masters, so your mindset won't drift."

Asher: ....

After seeing them, "drifting" was the last thing on his mind.

For anyone else, it might have been a huge blow to their confidence.

The strength displayed by those seniors on the sixth floor was enough to intimidate any unprepared trainee Beast Master.

But Asher was different.

Fear?

Inferiority?

Absolutely not.

Neither Asher nor Little Raven harbored such feelings.

Once Little Raven evolved into a Three-Legged Golden Crow, its potential and strength would soar to another level.

Little Raven was brimming with confidence in Asher.

Little Raven: 'My Beast Master is the strongest. No exceptions. None!'

Asher briefly updated Iris on the classes she had missed during her absence. Iris flipped through the attendance roster and casually set it aside.

The declining attendance was within her expectations.

Iris actually welcomed it.

But that didn't mean she would go easy on them—she was fully prepared for more than half the students to fail this course.

As Iris plotted her creative ways to deduct points, she suddenly heard Asher speak.

"Professor Iris, I'd like to request a month off. I've already prepared the PPTs and lesson plans in advance. Can you approve it?" Asher smiled warmly at her, his eyes blinking innocently.

Iris didn't even glance at the leave request.

"Give me a reason I can't refuse. Otherwise, I'll assume you're just freeloading... off the conveniences and benefits I've provided."

Iris paused dramatically, almost scaring Asher into jumping on the spot. Thankfully, she quickly added the rest of her sentence. Asher shot her a look of accusation.

He was certain Iris did this on purpose to scare him.

Iris, however, was completely unfazed.

Why should she feel guilty?

Clearly, Asher was the one who should feel guilty.

"I want to find a natural volcanic environment and train Little Raven there for a period of time. Adding the round trip and the stay duration, asking for a one-month leave isn't that long, really."

"Find a natural volcanic crater?" Iris glanced at Little Raven while speaking. "You want Oriental Peacock to cultivate Refined Fire?"

Asher was both surprised and not entirely so.

As a professor, it was normal for Iris to know more than he did.

Asher nodded.

For the first time, Iris seriously examined the small black lump perched on Asher's shoulder.

Its feathers were entirely black.

Some of the feathers had been burned off and hadn't regrown yet, giving Little Raven a somewhat scruffy appearance.

What Iris found most fascinating, however, was this—why were Little Raven's feathers black, its eyes also black, yet the two kinds of black felt entirely different?

"...You need to understand one thing: for beasts capable of cultivating skills like Essence Fire or what we call Refined Fire, Essence Water, Divine Thunder, and so on, they must inherently possess the necessary conditions for cultivation. That is to say—their bodies must naturally have the attributes corresponding to the skill they wish to cultivate."

An beast with a water attribute might, due to some unique trait, learn one or two fire-attribute skills, but it could never cultivate Essence Fire.

This is because its body inherently lacks the conditions for such cultivation.

Similarly.

As a flying attribute with special attributes, Little Raven might learn more than one fire-attribute skill but could not cultivate Essence Fire because Little Raven's body lacked the necessary conditions for cultivating Essence Fire.

"No exceptions?"

"None." Iris shook her head with certainty.

Asher wasn't about to abandon his plans over a few words from Iris.

Compared to Iris, Asher trusted the data revealed by his innate skill more.

Since the evolutionary path provided by his innate skill stated that as long as Little Raven cultivated Essence Fire, it could evolve into a Three-Legged Golden Crow, then Little Raven must be capable of cultivating Essence Fire.

Asher pondered for a moment and, out of trust for Iris, revealed a small hint: "What if... I mean, hypothetically."

Asher reached out to hold Little Raven from his shoulder. Little Raven tilted its head upward, looking awkwardly at Asher, and after a moment, accidentally toppled onto Asher's palm.

"If Little Raven gains fire attributes after evolving, could it then potentially learn Essence Fire?"

Iris silently generated a question mark.

"What?"

Iris, who had been flipping through the attendance book absentmindedly, froze, her movements coming to an abrupt halt. The lens of her glasses glinted, and her sharp eyes locked onto Asher.

"Your pet beast is a Oriental Peacock, right?"

The question came out in a tone of certainty.

"Based on the current discovered evolutionary paths of Oriental Peacocks, none of them gain fire attributes after evolution, so you're saying...", 'Another new evolutionary path?'

The second half of the sentence stayed unsaid.

It was just... too absurd.

How long had it been?

How long had Asher been studying pet beast evolution?

And yet, how many new evolutionary paths had he already discovered?

The evolution of the Honeybug into a Fairy Butterfly was coincidence.

The evolution of the Little Fire Fox into a Fire Fox Queen was for the sake of researching affection levels.

And now, Oriental Peacock evolving to gain a new attribute—what was this about?

One must understand.

Beasts' attributes were fixed and determined by their innate skills. Most beasts were single-attribute, a minority dual-attribute, and to date, no three-attribute beast had ever been discovered.

Beastmasters unanimously believed that three-attribute beasts simply did not exist.

But now listen.

Listen to what Asher was saying—

The Oriental Peacock, already a dual-attribute creature, might gain a third fire attribute after evolving.

This was set to overturn the very foundation of beastmaster knowledge.

Iris was stunned, trying to calm herself.

"Yes, I have a new evolutionary path for Little Raven, and I'm in the process of exploring it with her," Asher said with a smile, completing the sentence Iris left unfinished.

Iris's chest heaved, waves rolling one after another. Thankfully, Asher's words didn't give her a heart attack.

"And what's your excuse this time?" Iris gave Asher a side-eye with mock annoyance.

She had realized something by now.

Every time Asher came up with a reasonable excuse.

She was curious about what he would say this time.

Another proof of affection levels?

"Um..." Asher hesitated for two seconds before flashing an innocent smile. "I did make a new discovery... like, perhaps, compatibility levels?"

Iris rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Go on, make it up. Keep making it up, kid."

After her initial anger, Iris eventually calmed down.

Given Asher's previous reliability—or rather, apparent reliability—Iris knew that Asher never spoke recklessly without some degree of certainty. With that in mind, it became difficult for her to deny his leave request.

"But one month is too long. I'll approve half a month. Even if Little Raven does gain fire attributes after evolving, cultivating Essence Fire in its current state... unless you plan to live directly in the volcano, there's no difference between a month and half a month."

Before Asher could protest, Iris raised her hand, signaling for him to listen. "How about this: I'll give you half a month to experience it first, and you can decide whether to request an extension afterward. Deal?"

Asher hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Iris's suggestion.

He wasn't going to live at the volcano until after the college entrance exams anyway—that was still more than half a year away.

Both Little Raven and he couldn't handle that.

A half-month trial sounded reasonable.

"But I'll need some time to account for travel..."

"There's a dormant volcano on the outskirts of Bluewind University." Iris cut him off again.

Asher: "?"

His pupils trembled in disbelief.

'No way, seriously?'

'You're just a university—why even have something like that?'

Seeing Asher's confusion, Iris chuckled lightly. "Do you think Bluewind University's reputation relies solely on its battle training facilities? That's far from enough."

"Top-tier universities must have connections to beastmasters."

"The more talented beastmasters enroll, the higher the university's comprehensive evaluation."

"So how do they attract more beastmasters to apply?"

"Each university has its own unique recruitment methods."

Situated in Radiant City near NY City, Bluewind University had a brilliant idea—

"Incorporating a portion of the Forbidden Zone into its campus?"

"Yes."

Asher had even more question marks above his head.

'Seriously?'

'A Forbidden Zone incorporated into a university?'

"With conditions," Iris explained succinctly.

The Forbidden Zone was dangerous but also synonymous with abundant resources. Every Forbidden Zone was both a bloody battlefield and a massive natural treasure trove.

Through painstaking negotiations and significant support from city officials, Bluewind University ultimately succeeded in annexing a portion of the buffer zone.

"That's roughly the story. Bluewind students have free access to this area and are allowed to contract one beast from it annually."

"If you wanted to find an ice field, ocean, or aurora zone, I couldn't help, but a volcano? There's one right there," Iris said with a smile. "Every year, students try training there for a few days, but those who actually manage to cultivate Essence Fire..."

She shook her head.

"Few and far between."

"Half a month it is, then." Asher gave Bluewind University a thumbs-up in admiration.

It really was impressive.

No wonder Bluewind University was the top university in southern China.

With such a great geographical environment and a leadership team with foresight, it's no wonder other universities can't compete.

After the vacation request was approved.

Asher wasted no time investigating this area.

Why hadn't he noticed it on the map before?

After browsing through the campus forum, Asher understood.

The reason was—ultimately, this area was essentially part of the Forbidden Zone. This buffer zone alone accounted for 5% of the 35% explored Forbidden Zone area in NY City.

It wasn't something you could just ignore.

Even if it didn't seem to have any energy or value on the surface, it was still a part of the complete Forbidden Zone.

However, within this 5% buffer zone, Bluebird University students were free to enter and exit. Yet, unless faced with a life-and-death crisis, they were strictly prohibited from entering unexplored areas or the remaining 30% of the explored areas. Violators caught would face direct warnings from the school, with severe cases leading to expulsion.

"Let me see... What are the requirements if I want to go there..." Asher casually flipped through the forum and quickly found the requirements.

Not difficult.

Anyone officially recognized as a Beastmaster was qualified to enter.

If danger arose, they only needed to crush the alert device on their person, and the Bluebird University Guard Team would come to the rescue.

Asher: "..."

Everything seemed so reasonable.

No one was targeting him specifically, right?

Still just a trainee Beastmaster, Asher took out his phone—not for any other reason, just to thank Professor Iris.

Opening his contact list, Asher's eyes lit up upon seeing one particular contact.

If he couldn't go alone, wouldn't it work if he brought someone else along?

[Asher: Forbidden Zone buffer area, are you taking orders?]

A minute later, the other party replied.

[Lara: Yes, yes, yes. Boss, are you going to contract a pet beast? Leave it to me. I can even provide substitute combat services. I'll beat the beast to near-death for you, and then you can finish it off effortlessly. We charge very reasonably too, just...]

[Asher: -_-||]

[Asher: No contracting. I need to stay at the volcano for half a month. Unless I can't handle a fight, I don't need your combat assistance. How much?]

[Lara: Huh? Never had a request like this before. Let me customize a quote based on your needs. For personal bodyguard service, let me see... I'm new, so I'll give you a discount: just 15,000. If it were a sophomore, they'd charge at least 35,000 to 50,000.]

Asher's hands froze mid-typing.

'Discount?'

'15,000?'

Asher really wanted to ask Lara if they were hiring because he was interested too.

Then again, considering he had to find someone to accompany him just to visit a Forbidden Zone buffer area… Better wait until next year when he officially enrolled.

In the end, Asher agreed.

[Lara: Great. My next half month belongs to you, Boss. When do we set out?]

[Asher: Tomorrow. Does it clash with your classes?]

[Lara: No worries, Boss. I guarantee it won't interfere with your plans.]

Having finalized the arrangement, Asher touched his soon-to-shrink wallet and sighed deeply.

"Should I be grateful that Professor Iris helped me apply for a stipend from President Robb?" Asher muttered with a sigh.

President Robb approved it quickly, directly transferring 100,000 yuan through public funds to Asher, asking him to make do with it for now. Once the Fire Fox Queen's evolution path was fully determined and the concept of favorability was indisputable, additional funds would follow.

At the time, Asher felt 100,000 was a huge amount. He thought he didn't have many expenses and would spend it sparingly.

Unexpectedly… a fifth of it was gone in an instant.

While sighing, Asher patted Little Raven's little tuft of feathers.

"Little Raven, oh Little Raven...", 'Two-legged money guzzler.'

Little Raven tilted her head, staring at Asher curiously with her black beady eyes: "?"

'What are you trying to say?'

Asher couldn't bring himself to say it.

'Sigh.'

'Let's not burden Little Raven with family finances.'

In the end, Asher took all the responsibility himself. After all, he was the Beastmaster, right?

Little Raven fluffed her feathers, withdrew her gaze, and continued eating.

Little Raven: ╭(╯^╰)╮

'Beastmasters are weird.'

'They keep calling my name without saying anything.'

'Oh well, maybe the Beastmaster misses me?'

Little Raven shyly flapped her wings.

'Oh my~'

'Who could resist my charm? Even the Beastmaster can't, right?'

———

Early the next morning.

After feeding Little Raven and himself, Asher placed Little Raven on his shoulder and left.

He had agreed to meet Lara at the entrance of the Forbidden Zone buffer area. By the time Asher arrived, Lara was already there.

Dressed in an odd combination of a long-sleeved shirt, short skirt, and Martin boots, Lara was squatting unceremoniously on the main road, taking large bites of buns while her eyes darted around to observe passing pedestrians.

As soon as she spotted Asher, she jumped up and waved enthusiastically in his direction, reminding him of an excited dog wagging its tail.

"Boss. Over here. Look at me." Lara called out, her mouth still stuffed with a bun. Despite the muffled voice, her volume was impressively loud.

The few people around all turned their eyes to Asher.

Asher: "..."

Confirmed: Lara was a social terror.

A social menace.

Ignoring the curious stares, Asher walked towards Lara.

True to her "social menace" title, Lara seemed entirely unfazed by the attention of those around her.

With two sharp tiger-like teeth showing, she smiled brightly,"Boss, eaten yet? I brought extra buns for you. Cabbage and pork, two yuan each—so pricey."

"I've eaten." Asher rubbed his forehead.

Lara didn't mind and stuffed the buns back into her bag. "No problem, save them for lunch then."

Having finished her last bun, Lara wiped her mouth carelessly.

"Shall we head in now, Boss?" she asked.

"Sure." Asher glanced at Lara's outfit. "But are you sure you'll be fine dressed like that?"

Though it wasn't fully winter yet, the December breeze was chilly.

"Don't worry, Boss. I'm reliable in this department." Lara patted her chest confidently.

Lowering his head slightly, Asher unintentionally caught sight of certain soft curves.

"Alright, as long as you know what you're doing. Let's go register," Asher said, waving her off and striding towards the entrance.

As part of the Forbidden Zone.

Even though the buffer zone allowed unrestricted access to Bluewind University, this area still had city walls. What was special about it was that there was a separate city gate specifically for Bluewind University students to enter and exit.

Unlike the complex registration process at the main city gate.

Asher and Lara only needed to swipe their assistant lecturer card and student card, display their contracted beasts, and prove they had self-defense capabilities to enter.

Asher had only contracted Little Raven.

Little Raven's displayed strength was only Advanced Stage of Tier 3.

There were no additional contracted beasts released.

The teacher in charge of registration at the gate gave Asher a surprised glance, then another look.

"Your situation…" The teacher looked at the assistant lecturer card Asher swiped, confirmed that the person registered on the card looked exactly like Asher, and verified it was a newly issued card this year. Only then did he reluctantly dismiss the suspicion of forgery.

"Alright then… Your case is really unusual. In all these years, this is the first time I've seen something like this." The teacher muttered as he spoke. His gaze shifted to Lara. "Release your contracted beast."

"Got it." Lara responded loudly, "Ha."

The next second.

Two fluffy, drooping white-and-purple mixed ears appeared on top of Lara's head.

Behind her, a fluffy, wildly wagging white-and-purple big tail appeared.

Asher: "?"

Teacher: "?"

"This is…" The teacher stared dumbfounded at the ears on Lara's head and the tail behind her. His mouth hung open, unable to form a coherent sentence for a while.

"Teacher, my talent skill is Symbiotic Fusion." For the first time, a slightly embarrassed smile appeared on Lara's face. She curled her index finger and tapped her cheek twice. "I can't control it very well yet. Every time I summon Blazing Star Dog, I end up fused with it… Anyway, that's how it is."

The teacher nodded in understanding. "I think I've heard about this. This year, someone with the talent skill of 'Beast-Eared Girl' was admitted… Ahem."

Lara laughed heartily and nonchalantly.

"Ah. Everyone says that. Teacher, there's no need to feel awkward. I've already gotten used to it."

What's that saying again?

As long as you don't feel awkward, the awkwardness belongs to others.

Even Asher was momentarily shocked by Lara's appearance.

Good heavens.

He had previously, unconsciously, always imagined Lara as a big dog and often visualized a nonexistent big tail wagging behind her.

Asher had almost started reflecting on whether his mind was too inappropriate to conjure such thoughts.

Unexpectedly, Lara turned out to be a genuine beast-eared girl.

A big-dog-type beast-eared girl.

Asher had to admit that this image matched Lara's temperament perfectly. The subtle sense of mismatch he'd felt about her before completely disappeared with the appearance of those big ears and that big tail.

Moreover, Asher now understood why Lara wore a short skirt.

Of course… it was to make it easier for the tail to show.

Asher swore he absolutely wasn't curious about where exactly Lara's tail emerged from.

However, because Lara was fused with the Blazing Star Dog, testing her strength was a bit more complicated. Eventually, the machine displayed her strength as Mid Stage of Tier 4.

"I always feel there's something wrong with this machine. Every time it tests my strength, it shows a little less than my Blazing Star Dog's true strength." Lara pouted. "My Blazing Star Dog is clearly at Advanced Stage of Tier 4, okay."

Just a little more, and she could lead her Blazing Star Dog to break through to Tier 5.

"It's normal. Beast tamers with fusion talent skills all experience this." After seeing Lara's strength, the teacher's gaze softened considerably. "This is because when your contracted beast fuses with you, part of its strength is used to enhance your body. So, the test results tend to be slightly lower; it's perfectly normal."

"But as long as you break through to Tier 5, you'll be able to fully control this talent skill and contract new beasts." Facing a talented student, the teacher, who wasn't particularly busy this early in the morning, kindly offered a few extra words of encouragement.

"Take your time, don't rush. What you need to do is stabilize and break through to Tier 5."

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