Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!

Zhun'Var, the Supreme Elder, stared at the pulsing core for a while. Then he dipped his hands into the pockets of his robe, producing the fist-sized core he had shown the Others.

This core was fake, and Zhun'Var had only presented it to the court for them to place their hopes on it. The real core was the one hovering before him, emitting a dreadful aura.

He turned away from the core and walked toward the far end of the room, where a single mirror stood. He gazed into it—and what looked back wasn't his reflection.

It was the Alpha—a vague silhouette that was indecipherable. The only thing that stood out were the cold blue eyes with red veins, which seemed to peer into Zhun'Var's very soul.

Zhun'Var bowed his head slightly, then spoke again in a voice filled with reverence. "They trust me. Even now. The Elders. The Monarchs. They all believe I was born to protect this realm."

He chuckled softly as the core pulsed violently behind him, as if reacting to those words.

"The seal will weaken. The corrupted cores are maturing. And once I sow enough dissent, enough despair…"

He turned slightly, just enough for the blood-veined cracks in his neck to glow.

"…the dragon realm will welcome their true god-king with open arms."

Zhun'Var smiled once more.

Then the illusion returned.

After adjusting his collar and straightening the cuffs of his robe, the elder calmly walked toward the sealed exit, as if he were just another old dragon preparing for another Council meeting.

---

Elsewhere, in his room in the Supreme Dragon Court temples, the Frost Elder was pacing back and forth, his arms placed behind him and a thoughtful look crossing his features.

The conversation he had with Nox resurfaced in his head.

"So you're saying the Supreme Elder is hiding something?"

The Frost Elder clenched his jaw. "I knew he was hiding something, but what could it be?" the elder muttered to himself as he moved toward the window.

He hated doubt—especially toward someone like Zhun'Var. But even worse than doubt… was the realization that certain details didn't exist.

Before even being tamed by Nox, the Frost Elder, in his doubts, had searched the Court's private archives and discovered baffling information the others probably didn't know about.

Zhun'Var, the oldest living Elder—perhaps the most powerful—had no recorded origin. No place of birth. No parent's lineage. All they knew was that he was a Light Dragon.

Every other elder had scrolls, ancestral ties, records of their rise through the ranks.

But Zhun'Var?

It was as if he had emerged from thin air.

The Frost Elder's gaze narrowed. While watching the clouds, he thought back to how Zhun'Var had become the Supreme Leader.

Before Zhun'Var, the Supreme Elder of the Dragon Court had been an Earth Dragon known as Rhundo. He was strong, wise, and fair. He had led the Court for over a hundred years.

But then came the first Scourge attack.

And after that… Rhundo vanished without a trace. Rumors said he was killed by the Alpha itself.

Zhun'Var assumed leadership within the same year.

At the time, the elders—who were far younger and not that experienced—had accepted it. After all, everyone had.

Zhun'Var was charismatic, strategic, and impossibly skilled in both fighting and diplomacy. He was just too good for the people not to accept. Moreover, he had also been instrumental in the second attack against the Scourge Beast. Not only did he win the hearts of the elders, even the citizens came to revere and respect him—even some Monarchs.

But now that he thought back—

No Rhundo body was ever found. No tomb was ever built. And most importantly—no public mourning.

Everything had happened so fast, and then came the start of new rules.

The Frost Elder stopped pacing.

He stared out the window toward the horizon, where clouds gathered like waiting monsters.

"I knew something didn't add up," he muttered. "But why didn't I see it before?"

He turned and walked out of the room and arrived at the library of the temple.

He walked toward the old wall safe beside his study desk. With a touch of mana, it opened, revealing old scrolls and several crystals.

He pulled one out—the last Council Roll signed by Rhundo, dated over seven years ago.

His eyes scanned through the document before they fell to the bottom, where there was a signature:

Rhundo, Earth Monarch – Supreme Court Elder of Order

But right beneath it…

There was a faint second mark—one that shouldn't be there.

Z.V.

It hadn't been visible the last time he checked.

Or had it? The Frost Elder narrowed his eyes. Has he been altering the archives?

Suddenly, at that precise moment, a familiar voice—soft and authoritative—sounded behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

A chill passed through the Frost Elder's spine and he froze, his danger senses flaring as he recognized the voice. For a moment, it seemed as if he was paralyzed. He tried to move his limbs, but they felt distant, as if they didn't belong to him.

What's happening to my body? he screamed internally as he forced his head to move slowly and mechanically.

And there he was.

Behind him stood none other than—

...Zhun'Var.

There was no smile on his face, just silence, which made the elder's heart thunder in his chest. His instincts screamed at him—flee, attack, do something—but he stood rooted like stone.

"I asked you a question," Zhun'Var said again, his voice eerily quiet.

"I was… only reviewing the old records," the Frost Elder said, forcing the words past his lips. "Cross-referencing Rhundo's—"

"Rhundo is dead," Zhun'Var interrupted with a yawn. "Has been for several decades now."

"Yes, but…" the Frost Elder stepped back slightly, clutching the scroll. "His mark—this isn't supposed to—"

"I know what you saw." Zhun'Var took a step forward. Just one. And it was enough to steal all the warmth from the air. "I put it there."

The Frost Elder's eyes widened. "You... what?"

Zhun'Var tilted his head. "I put the mark there because I was the one who killed him."

The scroll in the Frost Elder's hand fell to the floor.

Zhun'Var continued walking forward, slow and deliberate, like a man taking a stroll—not a murderer approaching his victim.

"He begged, you know," he said softly. "Rhundo. Right before I tore out his core and fed it to the Alpha."

"Y-You… you're not…" the Frost Elder stumbled back, horror distorting his face. "You're not even one of us."

"No," Zhun'Var agreed. "I never was."

The Frost Elder opened his mouth, maybe to scream, maybe to summon help—

But even before he could turn around—

His head and his body separated.

---

Inside the ancient forests:

[Ding! Your pet has died]