Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

If she had previously regarded Asher as a naturally gifted junior, from this moment onward, both Asher and Little Raven had become true, evenly-matched opponents in her eyes, requiring her utmost vigilance and respect.

"I've been arrogant."

"This time, I'll use a fifth-rank advanced Violent Grizzly Bear to battle you."

Abella pressed her lips together, her expression solemn as she spoke.

Little Raven's rapid growth in strength left Abella both shocked and wary.

But rather than delve into how Little Raven achieved this, the pressing matter was—Little Raven had already done it.

Accepting reality and adjusting her mindset to face the challenge was the most rational approach.

Abella retracted the fourth-rank advanced Violent Grizzly Bear that had fallen earlier into her spiritual beast space. It wasn't gravely injured—after all, Little Raven hadn't even truly made a move. A bit of rest in the spiritual space would suffice for recovery.

Then, a far larger Violent Grizzly Bear appeared, its body adorned with black patterns—a fifth-rank advanced beast.

ROAR—Woo-ra!

Standing approximately four meters tall, its muscles were even more pronounced. The Violent Grizzly Bear thumped its chest gorilla-style, letting out a deafening roar toward the heavens.

"Bear One, don't underestimate them," Abella said gravely. "That Oriental Peacock hasn't even attacked, yet Bear Two's already down."

The Violent Grizzly Bear's gaze toward Little Raven grew more serious, filled with fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, Asher's attention was focused on... 'Bear One, Bear Two?'

'What was the fourth-rank low-level bear called? Bear Three?'

It made sense. Perfectly logical.

Aside from being a bit... embarrassing, there were no flaws in this naming convention.

"The names you've given your Violent Grizzly Bears are quite unique," Asher commented.

Abella nodded, completely missing the undertone in Asher's words. "Bear One was my first contracted pet beast, so it's ranked as the eldest. The others were named sequentially based on contract order."

Asher hadn't expected his offhand guess to actually be correct.

After coughing twice, the battle between Little Raven and the Violent Grizzly Bear began instantly.

Little Raven's golden-red eyes locked onto the Violent Grizzly Bear, her pupils narrowing and expanding like a raptor on the hunt.

With a flap of her wings, the surrounding temperature soared.

Without activating any skills, Little Raven instinctively exuded an oppressive aura and presence unique to combat mode!

ROAR— Wuu-ra!

The fifth-rank advanced Violent Grizzly Bear refused to be outdone.

Though the overwhelming heat seemed to suffocate it, the Violent Grizzly Bear roared to the skies, using its voice to match Little Raven's imposing aura.

Blistering heatwaves clashed against the grounded, massive Bear One in a confrontation of sheer presence.

It seemed evenly matched, neither side gaining the upper hand.

Abella's expression, however, grew even graver.

Starting from the fifth rank, the distinctions between sublevels became more pronounced. A beast nearing the sixth rank and one that had just entered fifth-rank advanced couldn't be easily compared. The latter might not necessarily lose, but a victory would typically require significant effort.

While Little Raven's exact rank—fifth-rank low, middle, or advanced—was uncertain, being evenly matched against Bear One, who had long been at fifth-rank advanced, was unprecedented.

This wasn't just about strength.

It was outright defying logic.

Especially since Abella knew Bear One had been at fifth-rank advanced for over a year. It only needed the right opportunity to naturally ascend to the sixth rank.

Normally, a beast that had just reached the fifth rank shouldn't be this composed in front of Bear One.

…Abella took a deep breath.

She already had a foreboding sense of impending disaster.

Abella refused to dwell on it further.

"Violent Grizzly Bear, use Slam!"

The Violent Grizzly Bear raised its massive arms, aiming to grab Little Raven mid-flight.

But was Little Raven so easily caught?

Even before her evolution, Little Raven's speed was maxed out. After evolving, her agility only became more pronounced.

Despite her nearly two-meter-long body, Little Raven moved with unparalleled grace and unpredictability, evading the Violent Grizzly Bear effortlessly.

Moreover, as the attack commenced, her passive skill activated, copying the Violent Grizzly Bear's most powerful technique, Mountain Crush, and using it back on the bear itself.

An unseen, immense force descended onto the Violent Grizzly Bear from above.

The bear straightened its back in an attempt to resist, but the downward pressure only multiplied. The ease with which the Violent Grizzly Bear used this skill to crush opponents now mirrored its current agony.

BOOM!

Amidst a thunderous crash and swirling dust, the Violent Grizzly Bear fell face-first to the ground, forming a visible bear-shaped pit as the earth caved slightly beneath it.

"…"

It was only now that Abella remembered Little Raven's passive trigger skill.

"Bear One, get up quickly!" Abella shouted anxiously as the bear struggled to rise, its lack of agility delaying its recovery.

"Little Raven, Solar Blaze!"

Little Raven understood immediately, soaring higher with such speed that only golden-red afterimages lingered in the air, making her seem omnipresent.

As Abella watched, she realized something was off.

The afterimages weren't illusions—they were strands of red mist entangling the entire arena's air.

It was Solar Blaze!

Little Raven had turned the entire arena into her domain!

The oppressive heat was everywhere!

The few staff members in the training grounds were startled by the sight and rushed over to investigate. They saw Asher and Abella battling within the arena.

"What kind of skill is this? It's covering the entire arena."

"Yeah! When did we get such a talented student?"

"Area attack! This has to be an advanced domain-level skill."

"Let me see! What extraordinary beast could do this?"

Their gazes were drawn to the vibrant, dazzling Little Raven.

No one doubted that the bird, radiant like a descending sun, was the Beast influencing the entire arena.

As they exclaimed, curiosity arose in their hearts: 'What species is this?'

They had never seen anything like it before.

Despite being experienced trainers at Bluewind University, they couldn't identify Little Raven.

Meanwhile, Little Raven flapped her wings, and a golden-red flame avatar identical to her emerged, shooting toward the rising Violent Grizzly Bear with blinding speed.

The fiery avatar pierced through the bear's body instantly.

"Bear One!" Abella called out, but the bear remained frozen mid-motion, like a solidified statue.

Abella grew anxious.

Yet, before the Violent Grizzly Bear could move again, Little Raven did.

She circled above once before landing gracefully on the bear's back.

Finally, Bear One collapsed entirely, limbs sprawling weakly.

There was no need to check its condition—Little Raven's carefree hopping on its back made it clear: the Violent Grizzly Bear was unconscious.

Abella: "…"

The surrounding staff: "…"

"Little Raven, come here." Asher smiled, breaking the collective silence as he waved at Little Raven.

The victory was overwhelming.

A crushing triumph.

One move! Little Raven had instantly defeated the massive Violent Grizzly Bear.

If someone didn't know better, they'd think the bear was the weaker one.

…Fine, even Abella wasn't sure anymore. Was her Bear One stronger, or was Little Raven?

"Could Little Raven already be nearing the sixth rank?" Abella approached the unconscious bear, perplexed at its lack of injuries despite being utterly defeated.

Asher: "No, senior, there's still a basic principle to leveling up. Little Raven's only at fifth-rank mid."

'Fifth-rank mid?'

Abella cast a reproachful look at Asher.

She glanced at the clinging Little Raven in Asher's arms and then at the downed bear.

Silence.

Where had it all gone wrong?

Her worldview felt thoroughly shattered.

After carefully examining from top to bottom and confirming that the Violent Giant Bear didn't have any fatal injuries, Abella returned it to the Spirit Beast Space within her mental sea.

"Go get treated."

With the help of the treatment device, the two big bears quickly regained consciousness.

Opening their eyes.

Bear One and Bear Two weren't discouraged in the slightest. On the contrary, they excitedly surrounded Little Raven.

"Woo-ra!"

'As expected of the rival destined for the bears!'

"Roar! Woo-ra!"

'No, no, no!'

'This is my rival!'

'You stay out of this!

"Woo-ra!"

'I knew them first!'

"Roar, roar! Woo-ra—!"

'I'm stronger!'

'We're the perfect match!'

"Woo-ra!"

'Don't you have your own destined rival?'

'Why are you trying to steal mine?'

'Tui! Stupid big brother!'

(*A spitting sound of disdain.)

Bear One and Bear Two began arguing over Little Raven, just one step away from breaking into a family feud.

Little Raven: (▼ヘ▼#)

'Do you all think this bird doesn't exist?'

'Get lost, every one of you!'

Little Raven spread its wings, smacking Bear One on one side and Bear Two on the other. Its philosophy was fairness: everyone gets hit equally, no exceptions.

Looking at the slapped Bear One and Bear Two, not only were they not angry, but they even showed Little Raven silly, adorable smiles—if you could ignore their massive, mountain-like bodies.

Little Raven, whose eyes felt burned from the sight, dove headfirst into Asher's embrace.

Little Raven: 'Beast Master is the best after all!'

"You two…" Abella hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

She probably never expected these two bears would one day fight for favor.

Abella couldn't understand it. Abella couldn't wrap her head around it.

Like Little Raven, Abella felt that the sight was an assault on her eyes.

She had always known that the Violent Giant Bear, whether in childhood or adolescence, had nothing to do with being cute or attractive. Abella considered herself someone who valued the inner qualities of Beasts over appearances.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have successively contracted three Beasts, all of them big bears.

But after witnessing this scene… Abella suddenly felt that appearance did matter, at least a little.

At the very least, when she saw Little Raven acting coquettishly toward Asher, she thought it was cute.

But seeing two giant bears acting coquettishly… she instantly felt the discordance of a monk sewing embroidery while crying.

Unable to bear it any longer, Abella decisively sent the two Violent Giant Bears back into the Spirit Beast Space within her mental sea to rest.

Spare her eyes, please!

With the sudden disappearance of the two massive Violent Giant Bears, the air seemed to become much smoother instantly.

"Asher, how did Little Raven improve so quickly? Do you have any secrets to share?" Abella asked curiously after exhaling deeply.

Asher: "It's evolution. After evolving, Little Raven's strength skyrocketed."

'Huh?'

Abella's face showed a contemplative expression upon hearing this.

"Little Raven's evolutionary path shouldn't be one of the two known Oriental Peacock evolution paths, right?" she stated confidently.

Although Abella wasn't a student majoring in pet evolution pathways, Bluewind University specialized in this field. She had taken several related elective courses and was familiar with the evolutionary routes of some common Beasts.

Oriental Peacock… Normal Oriental Peacock evolution doesn't look like this.

The two of them were sitting in the spectator area of the training ground. Since it was still the holiday, there was no one else around.

After thinking for a while, Asher decided not to hide it. "Hmm… Little Raven's evolution is considered a new evolutionary route for Oriental Peacocks."

This couldn't be concealed.

After all, Little Raven's evolved form was right there. Anyone who knew its original species would immediately notice something unusual.

"You… really are a genius," Abella said in surprise. "If I remember correctly, wasn't it half a year ago? About half a year ago, you discovered a new evolutionary route for the Little Fire Fox. And now, within a year, you've discovered another new evolutionary route for a Beast?"

If she didn't know how challenging it was to discover new evolutionary routes for Beasts, Abella would almost suspect this was an easy feat.

Hearing this, Asher smiled.

"There's some element of luck involved," Asher said half-truthfully. "Replicating Little Raven's evolution might be difficult. After all, finding another Oriental Peacock with the same disastrous mutation as Little Raven isn't easy."

Moreover, with normal Oriental Peacocks, Asher hadn't observed the [Three-Legged Golden Crow] or [Radiant Peacock] evolutionary routes.

This also indicated that Oriental Peacocks needed certain prerequisites to follow these two evolutionary paths.

Thinking about this, Asher rubbed his chin. 'If other Beasts also mutated, would they develop new evolutionary paths like Little Raven?'

Asher thought it was worth observing.

Abella nodded. "Makes sense. Situations like yours aren't unheard of."

As she spoke, Abella seemed to be pondering something. Finally, she asked, "Asher, what are you planning to do next?"

'Huh?'

Asher was momentarily stunned. "Well… I haven't decided yet."

His original plan was to take Little Raven to a volcano for training and fire essence comprehension.

But unexpectedly, after attending a gathering with Iris, Little Raven had successfully comprehended refined fire and even evolved.

While thrilled, Asher now felt a bit aimless about what to do next.

After all, his goal of over 200 days had finally been achieved.

Maybe… take a break?

Before Asher could decide whether to go on a short trip, Abella spoke up, "There are still ten or so days before school starts. How about we take a trip to the Forbidden Zone in Bluestone City?"

"This season is just right for Waving Verdant Grass to flourish. The Forbidden Zone in Bluestone City is also open. We could plan a route and stay there for a few days, then return before school starts."

Abella proposed this smoothly.

Clearly, this was an itinerary she had already planned out. After acknowledging Asher's strength, she wanted to invite him along.

Asher didn't immediately decline but instead pondered the idea.

Waving Verdant Grass is a low-level medicinal herb. It's not rare, but it's a very useful, all-purpose herb.

No matter what other herbs or potions are being prepared, just adding a little Waving Verdant Grass can increase the original quality by 10–20%.

Alternatively, directly consuming Waving Verdant Grass can give Beasts a refreshing, calming, and mood-stabilizing positive buff. It's a favorite addition to food for Beasts in breeding houses.

Due to this property, during the two-month growth cycle of Waving Verdant Grass, 90% of the fierce Beasts on the periphery of the Forbidden Zone disappear. Only one or two stragglers remain, and even they give up fighting when they smell the overwhelming scent of Waving Verdant Grass.

If only this effect were retained in dried Waving Verdant Grass, it would undoubtedly become the most popular herb—bar none.

When dried and used as pillow stuffing, Waving Verdant Grass improves sleep quality, ensuring quick and comfortable waking every day. Even after staying up all night, there are no symptoms like splitting headaches.

All-purpose is truly all-purpose.

Everything about Waving Verdant Grass is great—except its short growth cycle and the laborious harvesting process.

It only grows for two months after the New Year. During these two months, the periphery of the Forbidden Zones in Bluestone City and farther in Mune City is covered with Waving Verdant Grass, spread across the mountains. It's so abundant that it's impossible to harvest it all.

Waving Verdant Grass doesn't require a delicate environment to grow, but if any machine is used for harvesting, the plant instantly withers on the spot.

Waving Verdant Grass: Mechanical harvesting is lifeless harvesting! Rejected!

Moreover, the harvester cannot be an ordinary person—they must at least be a Beast Master Trainee with an awakened Beast Master qualification.

Pet beasts can assist in the harvesting process.

Once the two-month growth period ends, the Waving Verdant Grass that was everywhere vanishes completely overnight, dissolving into the air without leaving a single trace.

As a result, during Waving Verdant Grass's growth period, the Forbidden Zones in Bluestone City and Mune City open harvesting permissions and are willing to purchase freshly harvested Waving Verdant Grass from Beast Masters at a reasonable price.

But for Beast Masters willing to put in the effort to harvest Waving Verdant Grass... there are some, but not many.

After all, harvesting Waving Verdant Grass is labor-intensive work that pays hard-earned money. Most Beast Masters would rather buy it ready-made.

The ones who do go are either struggling Beast Masters looking to make quick cash or those in urgent need of Waving Verdant Grass.

As for how the authorities gather enough Waving Verdant Grass… they mobilize the Beast Masters stationed in the Forbidden Zones during the last week of its growth season.

Fifth-tier Beast Masters: "..."

Don't ask.

When it's time to harvest Waving Verdant Grass every year, it's their nightmare season.

Thankfully, they can bring their pet beasts along.

Otherwise, they'd seriously want to quit during this period.

Thus, the Forbidden Zones genuinely welcome Beast Masters willing to harvest Waving Verdant Grass.

Thinking of this, Asher couldn't help but laugh: "I think harvesting Waving Verdant Grass should be a job for college students. If it earns them credits, I guarantee plenty of Beast Master students will be willing to do it."

Money wouldn't matter at all.

The most important thing is credits.

Not every Beast Master admitted to university can graduate smoothly. If they're not smart enough, they still fail their exams.

And some people only want to train and completely ignore elective courses.

But without credits, they can't graduate.

Harvesting Waving Verdant Grass for credits?

They'd definitely go.

Abella: "..."

Abella didn't want to say anything.

Because when she heard Asher's suggestion, she herself felt strangely tempted.

Cough cough... She was precisely the kind of Beast Master who, if possible, didn't want to attend elective courses. She'd rather spend that time training with Bear One, Bear Two, and Mimi.

"Let's not talk about this for now. If there's a chance, we can suggest it to the principal later," Abella shook her head, dismissing the idea. "Bear One, Bear Two, and Bear Three are all combat-type pet beasts. When breaking through to Tier 6, they might experience rage and emotional instability. I want to harvest some Waving Verdant Grass to prepare."

"See if you're interested."

"If you have time, you can consider preparing some Waving Verdant Grass as a precaution too, okay?"

Abella wasn't just saying it casually.

As pet beasts train and grow in level and strength, there's a certain chance they'll experience rage symptoms.

The more attack-focused the Beast, the higher the likelihood of such occurrences.

Remembering this, Asher fell silent.

He almost forgot about it.

After Little Raven's evolution into a fire attribute beast, it could face similar issues.

"Okay, let's go together," Asher agreed decisively this time.

Better to collect more.

Maybe sew a bird's nest for Little Raven.

Living in a Waving Verdant Grass-filled bird's nest every day would significantly reduce the chances of Little Raven experiencing such symptoms.

Abella smiled.

She initially planned to go alone since the Forbidden Zone's periphery isn't particularly dangerous this time of year. But with Asher, the chances of encountering trouble were even lower.

Asher sent a message to Iris, explaining his plan to harvest Waving Verdant Grass in Bluestone City's Forbidden Zone.

[Iris: Waving Verdant Grass? Pick more. I haven't prepared mine for the year yet.]

[Asher: ... Are you trying to freeload off my hard work?]

[Iris: How could you say that? I'm practically half your teacher. Helping me pick five or ten catties isn't asking too much, right?]

[Asher: Goodbye!]

Five or ten catties of Waving Verdant Grass?

A normal person harvesting manually for an entire day—eight hours—could barely gather two catties and would be utterly exhausted.

Asher was going to harvest Waving Verdant Grass, not become its slave.

Planning to harvest three or four hours daily over several days, Asher only intended to collect three to five catties—just enough to make a nest for Little Raven.

Anything more?

That would be pushing it.

Asher quickly bailed.

[Iris: Fine, fine. One catty should be enough, right?]

[Asher: ... We'll see.]

If there's extra, sure.

After replying, Asher packed lightly.

He transferred the plane ticket money to Abella, and they booked their tickets together.

Once everything was sorted, Asher placed Little Raven on its newly made bed, preparing to sleep himself.

To his surprise, just as he lay down, Little Raven snuggled up to him and, before he could react, flopped onto his chest like Mount Tai. Curled into a ball, it prepared to sleep happily.

Asher: "..."

"Little Raven."

Little Raven: zzz

"You can't do this."

Little Raven: zzz

"If you don't behave, I'll return you to the Beast Space."

Little Raven: "!"

Instantly, Little Raven could no longer fake sleep.

Its golden-red eyes sparkled even in the dark, full of grievance, as if asking:

'Am I not cute enough?'

'Does my Beast Master dislike me?'

'Why else can't I sleep with him?'

Asher now wanted to feign sleep too.

What could he say?

Back when Little Raven was tiny, sleeping on his chest didn't feel like much.

Most of the time, if Asher rolled over slightly, Little Raven would tumble off.

But now, evolved Little Raven sleeping on his chest... Asher didn't even want to describe the feeling. Mainly because saying it aloud might earn him a beating from Little Raven.

Evolved Little Raven had made one thing clear to Asher:

Every bite of food Little Raven had eaten had turned into its heavy body weight, pressing down on Asher's chest like a solid weight.

It felt like he might break a rib at any moment.

"How about... I hold you while we sleep?" Asher offered helplessly.

These words couldn't be spoken aloud.

If he said it, neither of them would sleep tonight. Asher had to change tactics to distract Little Raven.

All Little Raven wanted was to sleep close to him, right? The position didn't matter.

Hearing this, Little Raven's golden-red eyes shone even brighter.

(^▽^)

'Yes, yes!'

Little Raven happily snuggled into Asher's embrace.

Asher hugged Little Raven and turned over, his voice full of resignation: "You're a grown bird now. You need to learn to sleep alone, okay?"

Little Raven: zzz

'You can't wake someone pretending to sleep, nor can you wake a bird pretending to ignore commands.'

Little Raven: 'If I didn't hear it, I can pretend it doesn't exist!

Next time, same plan!'

*Firmly refusing to change!*

The two of them set off in the morning and arrived at the Forbidden Zone of Bluestone City just after 1 p.m.

As soon as they got off the plane.

The moment Asher turned on his phone, a stream of "ding-ding-dong-dong" notifications came flooding in. Glancing at the screen, he suddenly had the urge to mimic Little Raven from last night—pretend nothing happened and ignore it all.

"What's wrong? Are those messages from your friends?" Abella noticed Asher's attempt to put away his phone and asked.

Asher rubbed his forehead. "…You could say that."

In truth, they were messages from Jessica and Aeron. There were even two from Kerson, the vice president of the Breeders' Association.

Asher had no idea how they managed to find out he had come to Bluestone City in the Noctern Province, but the messages poured in one after another.

It wasn't that Asher disliked them.

It was just that… Jessica and Aeron's enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming for him.

And as for Kerson, Asher couldn't figure out what was wrong with the vice president. For some reason, over the past few days, the man had been showing him care and concern that far exceeded normal levels. If it weren't for the age difference, Asher might've suspected… cough, cough.

He was overthinking it. Definitely overthinking it.

"They're from Noctern Province. Somehow, they found out I came to Bluestone City and insisted on meeting up," Asher sighed.

Abella seemed unfazed. "Are they Beast Masters? If their strength is decent, letting them join us might not be a bad idea."

"They're Apprentice Beast Masters," Asher replied objectively and without emotion. "But their pet beasts do have good potential. One has a Baby Dragon, and the other has a Rock Turtle."

"A Baby Dragon and a Rock Turtle? That's not just decent potential; that's exceptional." Abella's eyes lit up at the mention. "Ask them if they're interested in joining us to gather Waving Verdant Grass. If nothing else, they should at least be capable of self-defense."

"Maybe we can even spar with them a bit."

She only wanted him to ask them because she wanted to battle them, right?

Abella's battle maniac tendencies were no secret to Asher.

Before she lost to him, she used to challenge him every few days. And when she wasn't battling him, she was either training or on her way to another battle.

Training and fighting were the cornerstones of Abella's life.

Abella grinned sheepishly at Asher, blinking her slender, almond-shaped eyes without saying a word.

Asher couldn't tell whether it was the pet beast resembling its Beast Master or the other way around, but somehow, he saw the same silly expression on Abella's face that he'd often see on her Violent Giant Bear.

…It had to be his imagination.

Meanwhile, Jessica and Aeron continued sending him messages.

Looking at Abella's eager expression, Asher reluctantly sent out a quick inquiry to the two.

[Asher: At the Forbidden Zone in Bluestone City. Interested in gathering Waving Verdant Grass?]

[Jessica: Yes, yes, yes! Give me two hours. I'm on my way now.]

[Aeron: You need Waving Verdant Grass? I have plenty and can get you more. I'll deliver it to you right away.]

Both were equally enthusiastic, though Aeron's passion seemed to go a step further.

Of course, Aeron wouldn't admit he was concerned about Asher. Instead, he claimed it was perfectly normal to care about Little Raven, given that they'd once gone through a crisis together.

Seeing that both of them were determined to come, Asher and Abella decided not to rush into the Forbidden Zone just yet.

They wandered around the outskirts of Bluestone City's Forbidden Zone and completed their identity registration.

"This place feels a lot like NY City's Forbidden Zone," Asher said, observing the towering walls and the bustling activity within.

"The more you visit, the more you'll realize most cities' Forbidden Zones are quite similar. The differences lie in the Beasts at the stalls and the environments inside," Abella explained while passing by lively vendors. "For example, NY City's Forbidden Zone leans towards fire attributes, with limited jungle coverage."

"I heard they discovered a new fire-attribute mine there late last year. It might open to the public this year."

Asher nodded in agreement.

With volcanic landscapes, fire-attribute mines, and abundant rocks, NY City's Forbidden Zone indeed leaned towards aggressive, fire-based traits.

Abella continued, "Bluestone City's Forbidden Zone, on the other hand, focuses on wood, special, fairy, and dark attributes. The environment is much more complex."

"To date, only 21% of Bluestone's Forbidden Zone has been explored due to its challenging terrain."

"Fortunately, we're only exploring the outskirts this time. No need to go deep, so we don't have to overthink things."

Asher nodded again.

It already sounded complicated enough.

Among those attributes, only wood was somewhat straightforward. The others—special, fairy, dark—sounded like they were piling on buffs.

That reminded Asher of Vicky.

Hadn't Vicky's dragon lizard encountered issues in Bluestone's Forbidden Zone?

Uncertain, Asher sent Vicky a message.

[Vicky: That's right! Little Drogo's abnormality occurred after visiting Bluestone's Forbidden Zone. What's up? Are you planning to avenge me, good buddy?]

[Asher: Just happened to be here. Thought of you and decided to ask.]

[Vicky: I knew it! You heartless guy. You'd only remember me if you had something going on—]

Before finishing, Vicky's messages abruptly stopped.

Asher immediately realized what had happened.

At this time, Vicky was probably in class but had been sneaking replies on his phone… likely caught by the teacher.

'Amen.'

Hopefully, it wasn't Old Man's class.

Otherwise, Vicky could kiss his phone goodbye until the college entrance exams.

Offering a silent prayer for Vicky, Asher looked up and saw Jessica sprinting enthusiastically toward him, with a disgruntled Aeron trailing behind.

"Why are you running so fast?" Aeron grumbled, struggling to keep up while dragging two suitcases.

"Ha! Asher, you're so inconsiderate. Coming to Bluestone City without giving me a heads-up." Jessica ran straight to Asher, her white hair almost reflective under the sunlight. She was dressed in a simple, practical down jacket.

Even Abella took a moment to confirm that she was a girl.

"Hello," Abella greeted her proactively.

Jessica curiously looked at Abella, and the two girls, who shared a similar vibe, locked eyes. A mysterious connection seemed to form instantly… cough, cough.

An immediate camaraderie.

Neither Asher nor the panting Aeron could decipher their silent exchange.

"Why did you bring so much stuff?" Asher asked Aeron. "Carrying all that into the Forbidden Zone will be a hassle."

Still catching his breath, Aeron's face lit up with pride. "You don't get it! My luggage is packed with essentials. You'll see once we get inside."

Hearing this, Asher decided not to press further.

The Forbidden Zone's outskirts weren't dangerous at the moment. Even if the luggage turned out to be cumbersome, it wouldn't lead to serious problems.

Once everyone had introduced themselves and gotten acquainted, the four proceeded to a smaller gate to complete the registration process.

Name, identity, and as much detailed information as possible, followed by the planned duration of their stay.

"How about a week?" Jessica suggested. "The Waving Verdant Grass takes a while to mature. We could explore the entire outskirts. It's a rare opportunity."

Aeron hesitated. "But don't we have limited leave from school?"

"Just text Uncle Greg and ask him to talk to the teachers for us."

Both Jessica and Aeron were seniors in high school. While they should technically have resumed classes, their private school emphasized extracurricular and field activities over traditional lessons.

A weeklong tour of the Forbidden Zone's outskirts could arguably qualify as an outdoor course.

Listening to their conversation, Asher couldn't help but smile wistfully.

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