Lyrus: By the way, where are the other Legend Rank Tamers?
(He asked Teo, who was busy grilling some meat.)
Teo: They'll be staying deep in the Wildlands. Normally, we don't return to this place once we enter the Wilderness, but we took a commission to escort those three interns from the academy. Even though I said we don't care about their safety, that's just a test—to see if they can follow safety protocols.
Lyrus: How about that Norton guy?
Teo: He's back in the city—to report your situation to your father. Haha. And another thing is, he thinks you'll be safe even without someone protecting you from the shadows. That guy might go back to the capital and rejoin the clan. You just shattered his pride as a strong Legend Rank.
Lyrus: I didn't do anything though.
Teo: That beast did. He protected everyone here at camp from that meteor attack that nearly obliterated half the grassland. Look at what you did—this place looks like the ruins of an extreme battleground now. And not just that, she also trapped his beast inside an indestructible aegis shield. Norton tried to attack her, but she had another aegis protecting her. He felt so weak—he's a Legend Rank with two Legendary Beasts, and yet he was defeated by one Overlord that's supposed to be weaker, but fought like an invincible opponent toying with him. Do you know how that feels? You just shattered his very pride.
Lyrus: (He was speechless. He didn't know such a thing happened. He knew Norton wanted to step in and save him, but Lanfer was only following his command to protect everyone in camp and not let anyone interfere.)
In normal cases, Gold Rank to Commander Rank beasts are already classified as first-class dangerous. Beast Lords and Beast Kings are considered disasters, while Beast Emperors are basically calamities. Overlords are catastrophic, and Legendary Beasts are generally apocalyptic in terms of destruction.
But over the years, humanity has tamed beasts and developed ways to use them as part of their power—especially in combat. What was once terrifying has now become routine. However, Legendary Beasts and Legendary Rank tamers are still out of reach for 80% of humanity. Only 20% can cultivate to Legendary Rank or beyond. They are considered national-level talents and elite fighting forces.
Teo was saying that Lyrus broke this norm again—and trampled it. A boy like him, without proper battle experience or wilderness exposure, just clashed with an unimaginable opponent and won without a scratch—and even tamed it.
Normally, high-rank beasts can't be tamed without expert assistance in bounding, but he just did it. That's questionable in itself. Most tamers can only tame from normal beasts up to Beast Kings. Overlords and Legendary Beasts are impossible, unless you're already Legendary yourself with a powerful soul and spiritual energy.
And Lyrus already had seven beasts bound to him—four of which were already Legendary Rank, and three were Overlords. That alone was a heavy burden on his spiritual realm. Most people can only tame around two beasts at most. Geniuses can tame more—but even they max out around six to ten. Everyone has a limit. Once that wall is reached, they can't tame any more unless they cultivate further.
Norton had been monitoring Lyrus since he was a baby. It was unimaginable that a child who had never cultivated in his life would have such a strong soul and spirit capable of taming beasts of that caliber. But he forgot—Lyrus is a descendant of a powerful lineage. That's why Norton left the city to report back. He might also return to the clan. Someone stronger may be sent to take his place. Norton could no longer protect Lyrus—he was already strong enough to fight multiple Legend Rank powerhouses alone. Such progress in an Eisien descendant must be reported to the clan. Norton would also earn great rewards for doing so.
Lyrus: This will get troublesome.
Teo: That's what you get for becoming high-profile. You've forgotten that you're always being monitored.
Howwwl. Hoowwl. Hoowwl.
Wolf beasts howled nearby.
Teo: Night hunters are roaming. Those are Darokes for sure.
Lyrus: Same as that Logan beast?
Teo: Yes. These wolves are native here. They always move in packs—mainly composed of Beast Lord to Overlord ranks. From the sound of it, they've found prey.
Swoosh.
A large owl beast flew overhead, carrying a large bull beast.
Bull: Ngaaaa!
(The bird beast flew over the camp.)
Teo: Hmm. That's a Magarowt—a Giant Owl Beast. This is why the night is dangerous—you won't know when they're coming. Especially that one. But it only targets large prey. It doesn't attack small beings because of its massive appetite.
In this area, Darokes are the most dangerous. You won't see them in daylight, but they move in hundreds at night. They can even hunt Legendary Beasts, despite being weaker. They overwhelm their strong prey with numbers.
Lyrus: Then, are we in danger?
Teo: I guess not. In the past, they attacked humans. But after retaliation—hunting and taming—they avoid making trouble with hunters. Beast Lords to Overlords are already intelligent. They learn from experience. If they attack a human, the next day more will come to hunt them down. Most people in Bulgaria also have Darokes. Maybe that's one reason.
(Then suddenly, around 20 Darokes passed near the camp toward the grasslands.)
See? They don't bother with us at all.
Lyrus: Hey, look at that one.
(A young Daroke stood near the camp like a dog. It was young, but already almost 3 meters high and 5 meters long.)
Teo: They're still dogs. When they smell food, they linger. This beast is good—it can grow to Legendary Rank, at least.
(Then another big Daroke—around 6 meters high and 11 meters long, like Logan—walked into the camp in front of Lyrus and Teo, who were grilling meat.)
Lyrus: What the hell? You said they avoid people.
(Lyrus was alarmed.)
Teo: Relax. I just told you—most residents of Bulgaria have Darokes. This one is Ruan, my other Legendary Beast. This guy prefers the wild, so I always leave him here. And Darokes always mingle with each other. That's also why Darokes don't attack humans anymore—most of the Darokes in this region have already been tamed and released into the wild by their tamers.
Ruan: Roaar.
Teo: Here.
(He threw a big chunk of meat he grilled, and Ruan caught it.)
Some more Darokes moved into the camp and mingled with Teo's employees. It seemed like each of them not only had Tarfollios, but also some Darokes.
Mike: Oh, you big baddie. You still know how to get back to your master, huh? Hey, stop that!
(His Daroke was licking him all over the face.)
Lyrus: So this is the reason why their numbers are so large.
Teo: Yes. The previous City Lord encouraged the residents of Bulgaria to tame Darokes and leave them here in the Wildlands. Those with collars have owners. This is also a good thing because Darokes constantly hunt beasts in this region, preventing possible beast hordes.
(The small Daroke was also given food by Lyrus and was eating near Ruan.)
Lyrus: (He thought the previous City Lord was an amazing person.)
That's a brilliant move from the previous City Lord. It's a perfect example of "two birds with one stone." He let the people tame a pack of hunters that could have endangered the city, and left them to hunt in the wilderness, thinning the beast population and preventing a potential outbreak. Did he just create a perfect army that roams the Wildlands without using any resources? What a genius.
Teo: Haha. This practice isn't just done in this region. Most cities have adopted this concept already. Major clans also form their own beast legions that roam their territories. That's the wisdom of human intelligence. But this is only possible for beasts that move in packs or are part of a group.
Lyrus: Hmm. Can I try taming this beast?
Teo: Sure. But you already have quite a lot of high-ranking beasts. Isn't that tasking to your soul? And you just tamed that Creatops.
Lyrus: I'm perfectly fine. Don't worry.
(Teo didn't know that Lyrus wasn't using his soul to bind beasts—but his White. Then Lyrus gave another chunk of meat to the young Daroke.)
Lyrus: Hey little guy. Do you want to be my beast companion?
(The Daroke took the food, and Lyrus's hand became filled with White, which integrated into the young Daroke.)
Lyrus: Hmm.
(It was a successful bond. Taming young beasts was easy.)
Teo: This...
(That peculiar White ability of Lyrus made him tame the beast. But Teo was bewildered—there were no signs of spiritual or magical energy during the process.)
This kid has so many secrets.
(He kept the thought to himself, knowing too much might endanger him if the Eisien clan got involved.)
Sigh.
Lyrus: Hey Uncle, can I take a blood sample from Ruan?
Teo: Sure. But what are you going to do with it? Hmm...
(He saw Lyrus's faint smile and silence in response to his question.)
Not for free. Give this guy a boost as well.
(He wasn't stupid—he knew this kid's peculiar beast evolutions had something to do with him.)
Lyrus: Sure. But keep this between us.
(He said seriously, then handed a syringe to Teo.)
Teo: Sure.
(If he wasn't friends with Lyrus's mother, this kid might have denied or refused. In the capital, scientifically boosting a beast using new methods existed, but it cost quite a lot. Ruan had already reached the end of his evolutionary line. Darokes could only grow barely into Legendary Rank, and most—especially females—could only reach Overlord. Most beasts on the Tevera Continent could only evolve up to Beast Lord or Legendary Rank. It was extremely rare to find a beast in the wild capable of growing further. Only the big clans had the opportunity to capture or breed such powerful beasts.)
Lyrus: Young one, from now on, your name is Maverick.
(He patted its head. He had to look up just to do it—even though it was young, it was already huge. Fortunately, the pack was domesticated. Otherwise, taming would have been much more difficult. This little guy was already a Beast King. Normally, young Darokes didn't leave their dwellings, but this one must have already become independent from its mother and grown stronger by following the pack. Lyrus also observed in the distance that some Darokes the same size as Maverick were helping hunt herbivores. Most of the strong Darokes would hop in the distance, letting the young do the hunting. It seemed like they were training their own kin.)
Teo: In this area, Darokes don't really hunt a lot of beasts. The City Lords emphasized to the tamers not to let them overhunt the grassland, because we still need meat sources. The grassland is just a gathering place for them early in the night before they leave to hunt deeper in the forest. But they also use this area to leave the young Darokes to train before heading out.
Lyrus: Interesting.
Teo: It is.
After a while, Lyrus left Maverick near Zakhar and Lanfer 2. Now, the three of them were sharing the giant beast carcass and devouring it raw. Beasts preferred raw meat over cooked. The beast carcass was from a Legendary Beast, so it was high-quality feed.
The three interns also asked Teo for help taming new Darokes, and some of the old employees offered to assist.
Meanwhile, Lyrus returned to his tent and set up his laboratory equipment—specifically, a DNA analyzer to view the genetic composition. Even though he could do it with White—by magnifying and projecting data through his power—using a machine helped generate more systematic readings.
Lyrus started analyzing the DNA of the Creatops and Daroke.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest...
They had encountered a Dehedra (Seven-Headed Draconic Serpent) and were engaged in battle. The serpent was gigantic—even bigger than Vasha. It was already a seven-versus-one, but they still hadn't brought it down.
Horus: Get out of the way!
(He was in the sky, flying. Between his gold and crimson horns, a crimson-black energy converged—growing larger and larger.)
Take this!
(A crimson-red and black mega cannon of destructive energy fired toward the Dehedra, completely vaporizing one of its heads—the red one.)
Then two of its other heads fired back—one with a black cannon, the other with a violet cannon.
Vigil teleported them just in time, though they were almost caught. He then conjured webs using his six extra flying arms and smashed both of the attacking heads into each other.
On the other side, Vasha and Lanfer were hit by the serpent's giant tail and sent crashing through the forest, destroying trees along the way.
Then, Titus successfully landed a strike on its back. He jumped from high above and delivered a punch that slammed the Dehedra into the ground.
One of its heads had already been frozen by Ishvel, who was now fighting another head constantly spewing flames at him. Suddenly, Sedestro smashed the frozen (gray) head to bits, then kicked the flaming head. Ishvel took this opportunity, conjured a frost sword, and decapitated the black head.
Dehedra: Roooooaaaar!
(The other heads roared, and a massive energy burst erupted from its body, releasing powerful waves in all directions, causing wide-area destruction and sending everything flying. A massive crater was created. Four energy lights also converged from its other heads, then fired four red cannons. Horus and Vigil successfully dodged them midair. Titus dodged as well, but Sedestro was hit. Though he defended himself, he was sent flying and crashed far into the distance.)
Lanfer: Fuck!
(She conjured a massive golden shield for both her and Vasha and successfully defended them.)
Meanwhile, the cannon aimed at Ishvel was countered by him by conjuring a mountain of thorny ice boulders. The Dehedra's other previously decapitated head had now successfully regenerated.
Dehedra: Roar!
(Now, all seven remaining heads aimed energy cannons at each and every single one of them.)
Ishvel: Fuck! Everyone retreat!
(All of them hurriedly fled in different directions. After a while, they regrouped at a distance.)
Sedestro: Argh...
(He was injured but was slowly regenerating and healing.)
Vania and Logan arrived. They had just witnessed the fight from a distance.
Vania: I thought Teo had engaged the Dehedra.
(They saw Vasha together with Lyrus's beast companions, so they assumed Teo had been fighting it. But when they arrived, it was only the beasts engaged in battle.)
Logan: Teo just replied—he's at the camp.
(He looked at his phone. They arrived at the location and saw that all seven beasts were exhausted but still fine and already recovering.)
Vania: Did they just fight that Dehedra? That's the lord of this region. Despite being a Legendary Beast, each of its heads is considered a peak Legendary Beast. Paired with its instant regeneration and vitality, it's undefeatable at the same rank.
Logan: That beast is already considered Mythical Rank. Its firepower is much stronger than two Mythical Beasts combined—despite still being a Legendary Beast.
(He knew this because a City Lord who was a Mythical Rank powerhouse—with one Mythical Beast—joined forces with another Mythical Rank in a different region to hunt it down, and still failed.)
But luckily, they all survived.
The gigantic Dehedra in the distance had already fully recovered and now began leaving, traveling deeper into the Wildlands.
Lanfer: That beast can absorb energy from the surroundings, making it an enemy with unlimited firepower.
Vigil: We still got three of its heads. That's not bad for a first fight—even though it already regenerated. What a shame.
(She was observing the Dehedra as it left. It was too massive to miss.)
Sedestro: I will get stronger, and I will defeat that serpent.
(His arm had been destroyed but was already slowly regenerating and reconstructing.)
Ishvel: Let's hunt some easier opponents and recover first.
Horus: I will go back to the camp. Let's take some spoils to Master.
(Horus flew toward the direction of the decapitated Dehedra heads.)
Ishvel: Lanfer, Sedestro—take the other two heads back to Master as well. You both need to recover. You're injured.
(Lanfer and Sedestro didn't argue with Ishvel—normally, they would quarrel. Then Vigil opened another gate. Vasha went in first, followed by the three, along with the three gigantic heads of the Dehedra.)
Back at the camp, Teo was alarmed when Vasha returned to the grasslands voluntarily. Normally, it stayed deep in the wilderness. Now, it looked exhausted—clearly just out of a hard battle. Following her were Horus, Lanfer, and Sedestro, flying while carrying the three heads (red, gray, and black draconic serpent heads) of the Dehedra. Teo was even more surprised to see them.
Teo: Vasha, did you just poke that serpent? I told you not to go into its territory.
Vasha: (It coiled its massive body near the camp.)
Rooarr. (A weak roar, then it closed its eyes—it was exhausted and needed rest.)
The Darokes were alarmed when the four returned and started becoming wary, especially the Overlord-rank pack nearby.
Teo: Ruan, calm the Darokes.
Ruan: Rooooaaaar.
Zakhar also flinched and stopped eating. He looked at those who had just arrived, then continued eating again. This meant he could already recognize familiar energy from them—he knew they were also his Master's beasts, thanks to the shared memories upon being bound.
Maverick, on the other hand, was sleeping near the tent, beside Lanfer 2.
Lyrus, meanwhile, was still inside his tent. Beforehand, he had already instructed Lanfer 2 to put an invisible aegis around the tent to prevent sound from coming in—ensuring that nothing would disturb him.
Teo: (Phone ringing.)
Logan.
(Teo answered and was briefed on what had happened.)
Teo: Oh, I see. Just leave them be—they're intelligent enough. Let's focus on meeting this week's quota.
Logan: One more thing. That Dehedra wasn't in its territory—that's why they encountered it. Something's not right in this region. A lot more powerful beasts are appearing. Just today, we've already encountered nineteen. Luckily, we had Lyrus's beasts assisting us, or else we couldn't have taken down this many high-ranking beasts.
Teo: I noticed that too. Be careful out there. Give me an update if anything odd comes up.
Logan: Sure.
(They hung up.)
Teo: Hopefully, this is just a bad hunch...
Normally, there were only about 8 to 10 Legendary Rank beasts in the entry region of the Wildlands here. But this time, they had already encountered far more—and hunted some. The Dehedra had even left its own territory. The only reasons for that monster to move would be: Hunting for food (but it normally hunted deeper in the Wildlands). Or being forced out by something stronger beast or maybe looking for a mate.
If the Dehedra had left its domain, it meant that other Legendary and Overlord beasts would flee their own areas, too—since that creature was a threat capable of endangering them.
Vania: I think we need to report this oddity to the Watchers.
Logan: No. Do you remember some people came a month ago and went deep into the wilderness?
Vania: The Nebelius Clan... hmm. They're still in the forest. I see. One of those guys is Mythical Rank.
Logan: We can't afford to mess with one of the Council of Eighth. Let's just stick to our quota.
Bulgaria is located in the Western Region territory of the Eisien Clan, and it's near the Southwest Region, which borders the Nebelius Clan's territory. So, it's normal to see both Eisien and Nebelius Clan members in this city from time to time.
The Culvary Nation spans about 245 square miles, with the Western Region having around 46 square miles of territory. There are over 36 cities with millions in population. The Western Region alone has around 700 million citizens, while Culvary's total population is around 5 billion.
(The vast nation of Culvary is governed and balanced by the powerful Council of Eighth, a coalition of the most dominant Clans and Sects spread across its territories. In the Southwest Region, the cunning and enigmatic Nebelius Clan oversees its lands, while the noble and prestigious Eisien Clan commands the Western Region. The resilient Everlast Clan rules the South Region, known for its enduring legacy. In the East Region, the ethereal Sky Cloud Palace, a formidable Sect, stands amidst the skies. To the Northwest, the militant Black Hammer Sect maintains a firm grip, while the strategic Trinity Tower Sect governs the North Region. The ancient and reclusive Archedus Clan dominates the Northeast, and the ambitious Redilla Clan holds power in the Southeast. At the heart of Culvary lies the Center Region, home to the Council's seat and the grand Capital, where decisions that shape the entire nation are made. Each territory plays a vital role in maintaining the equilibrium of Culvary's vast and powerful domains.)
The Culvary Nation is located in the southwest of the Tevera Continent, near the Western Wildlands that stretch toward the Black Sea. The Western Wildlands themselves are much larger than the combined territories of the southern nations. Over the years, Culvary has continued its expansion westward, and the clans that benefit from this growth are the Eisien Clan (Western Region), the Nebelius Clan (Southwest Region), and the Black Hammer Sect (Northwest Region). The Everlast Clan (Southern Region) is also expanding into the Southern Wildlands of the Tevera Continent, as is the Redilla Clan, which is currently in conflict with the Tandema Nation, another power seeking to expand its territory southward.