Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

[T/N: New year BONUS chapter 🥳🥳]

Adam successfully coaxed Old Damien into the cafeteria.

While picking out his meal, Old Damien grumbled loudly, "I'm not even hungry right now. Working another two hours before eating wouldn't kill me. And you insisted I eat before you'd tell me what was said at that academic conference. Is this how a student behaves?"

"You ungrateful disciple."

The staff near the cafeteria's serving counter avoided Old Damien's booming voice, steering clear for fear of being noticed while he was in a bad mood.

It wasn't that Old Damien was difficult to deal with—it was just that, as a leading figure in the field of Beast evolution, Damien Hohn had dedicated his entire life to his beloved research.

In 30 years, he had discovered 56 new evolutionary paths for Beasts and identified 42 simplified evolutionary routes for existing species.

He refused to retire because he hoped to achieve a lifetime goal: to exceed 100 combined new and improved evolutionary discoveries.

Preferably, he wanted to find two more completely undiscovered evolutionary paths for Beasts.

Only then would he feel at peace with his life's work.

The "Ultimate Defense" project, established in March of this year, was a heavyweight research initiative aimed at pushing the defensive capabilities of certain Beasts to their theoretical limits.

In theory, Beasts with "ultimate defense" or "strongest attack" capabilities should exist, similar to the universally acknowledged "ultimate speed" creature—the Lightyear Dragon Rider. Its unmatched speed could traverse the globe in just 30 seconds.

Nations worldwide believed Beasts with "ultimate defense" and "strongest attack" were likely out there, waiting for their evolutionary forms to be discovered.

The rise in popularity of the Beast evolution field as a career over the past century was closely tied to this concept of "extremes."

Whichever nation discovered a new "extreme" creature and mastered the keys to its evolution would gain substantial resources.

Previously, many domestic research institutions had dabbled in "extreme" studies but achieved little. The government had remained silent on the matter until this year, when, for unknown reasons, it launched a dedicated project team and invited Damien Hohn to join.

The moment Old Damien heard the offer, he agreed without hesitation. A dual invitation from the nation and the official alliance, coupled with unlimited resources? There was no way the ambitious Old Damien, eager to contribute two more evolutionary discoveries, could say no.

Not only did Old Damien hold himself to high standards, but he also demanded the same from everyone around him, including the project team members.

This rigorous approach bore fruit. In just half a year, the project team had made significant progress, selecting four Beasts with outstanding defensive capabilities as their primary research targets.

Old Damien declared that by the end of the year, they would identify at least one new evolutionary path for these creatures.

While the team's enthusiasm and drive were commendable, the relentless pace was exhausting. Twelve-hour workdays with intense mental exertion left everyone drained.

The only person capable of keeping up with Old Damien's demands while still finding extra time for himself was his prized disciple, Adam.

"Mm-hmm, everything you say is right. I'm listening," Adam replied nonchalantly, earning admiration from his colleagues as he deftly handled Old Damien's temper.

"Go ahead and talk, but I'll do things my way. If you don't want to hear about it, you can leave now. Since you don't do livestreams or social media, if I don't tell you, there's no other way you'll find out."

Old Damien glared at him but had no choice.

Work and professional breakthroughs were his only interests in life, so when his disciple had him cornered, he could only comply.

Grumbling under his breath, Old Damien ate most of his meal—two meat dishes, one vegetable, and a soup—before slamming his chopsticks down on the table. "Is that enough for you now?"

Adam glanced at his plate. "Passable. I'll let it slide this time."

Before Old Damien could bang the table again, Adam began recounting the highlights of that day's academic conference.

"The new evolutionary path for the Fire Fox, leading to the Fire Fox Queen, supports the theory that emotional bonds play a significant role in evolution," he summarized.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Adam added with a smile, winking at Old Damien. "Oh, and you know the young man who presented this theory? He's the same one—Asher—who was publicly thanked at Professor Iris's conference last month."

Two academic conferences in one month, in Radiant and NY respectively, were now intriguingly connected.

Old Damien, who had listened to Professor Iris's presentation afterward, had acknowledged the value of her findings on the Honeybug's evolution.

Now he began pondering the concept of "emotional bonds."

"Not bad, not bad," Old Damien murmured, his expression shifting as inspiration struck.

Adam recognized the familiar look and stayed silent, letting Old Damien dive into his thoughts.

Moments later, Old Damien sprang to his feet, eyes gleaming with excitement even behind his reading glasses.

"Ha! I've got it."

Without another word, he dashed out of the cafeteria toward the research lab.

Adam, startled, scrambled to catch up. "Wait, wait! Slow down!"

But who could have guessed that even at over 60 years old, Old Damien could run faster than a young man like Adam?

For Old Damien, nothing else mattered in that moment except the realization of his plan.

"This Asher… a genius." he thought as he rushed back to write out his ideas and arrange to contact the young man immediately.

———

"Achoo!" Asher sneezed.

Startled, his little pet, Little Raven, fluttered into the room, circling him nervously.

"I'm fine," Asher reassured it. "Probably just caught a chill in the woods the other day. A cup of hot water, and I'll be good."

Little Raven, with its shiny black bead-like eyes, gave him a stern look before reluctantly believing him.

He couldn't help but feel a little helpless about this.

Ever since Little Raven got stronger, it had developed a strange protective instinct toward him.

Asher: 'Truly, such a heavy burden of love.'

Last night, Asher had taken Little Raven to a nearby grove, hoping to find a suitable opponent to test its new skill.

But after wandering around for quite some time, he couldn't find a single bird-type beast.

Not even an ordinary bird.

The grove was eerily empty.

While Asher was speechless, he also had a pretty good idea why this was happening—the King's Aura Little Raven had unleashed a few days ago.

After searching for over an hour, Asher barely managed to find an injured sparrow, one whose wing was hurt.

Asher: 'Feeling guilty, but there's no better practice target around.'

"Once we've tested the skill, I'll take you to the service station and pay for your treatment myself." Asher clasped his hands together apologetically, his face full of guilt.

Sparrow: 'Tui! Get lost, get lost, get lost!'

And then… that was it.

Little Raven's new skill's passive effect was truly powerful.

Under Asher's guidance, as soon as Little Raven showed any intent to attack the sparrow, the passive skill [King's Eye] was triggered.

A wind blade slashed toward the sparrow, causing it to faint instantly.

Asher carried the sparrow to the service station for treatment, but as soon as the bird recovered, it acted like it had encountered some terrifying beast, flapping its wings frantically as it fled without a moment's pause.

Thinking back to Little Raven's expression at that moment, Asher still felt like laughing.

Little Raven had tilted its head, its tiny black bead-like eyes staring at him, as if it knew what he was laughing about.

Asher coughed twice.

'Ahem.'

Little Raven wasn't about to become sentient—it already was.

As long as a pet beast wanted to, it could be incredibly understanding.

Little Raven: 'Look into my eyes and tell me what you're thinking.'

Asher: "..."

Asher stretched out a finger and gently pushed Little Raven's head away, putting on a serious face. "Could you help me check if anyone's coming? Please, Little Raven."

Little Raven: 'The Beast Master just entrusted me with something.'

In an instant, Little Raven forgot about everything else and flapped its wings as it flew toward the door.

Before it could fly outside, a loud voice sounded from beyond the door.

"ASHER—" Vicky shouted as he pushed open the service station's door.

His sudden entrance caught both Vicky and Little Raven off guard.

Little Raven flapped its wings, trying to stop mid-air, but having only recently learned how to fly, it ended up crashing straight into Vicky's face.

"Whoa!" Vicky yelped in shock as a bundle of black fluff smacked into him.

Reaching out instinctively to grab Little Raven, he only caused it to struggle more violently.

The scene descended into complete chaos.

Asher wanted to intervene but had no idea where to start.

After a chaotic mess of flailing limbs and feathers, Little Raven and Vicky finally separated.

Asher held the frightened Little Raven in his palms, feeding it sweet honey water to calm it down.

"Don't be scared, don't be scared. Vicky didn't do it on purpose," Asher said softly, his gentle tone gradually soothing Little Raven's ruffled feathers.

Meanwhile, Vicky, sitting on a chair with messy hair and a few thin scratches on his face, sipped from a cup as he watched the scene unfold. His expression twisted into one of mock pain.

"I have to say, are you raising a pet beast or a wife?" Vicky teased, wincing dramatically.

"I'm raising a daughter."

Asher shot him an unkind glare. "And don't exaggerate. Little Raven's claws aren't that sharp—who are you trying to fool?"

Vicky: "Nonsense! Look at my handsome, dashing, extraordinary face—it's been scratched so badly it's almost ruined."

"Stop rambling. Tell me what's going on with your big fat grandson."

Once Asher had finished comforting Little Raven, he didn't bother bantering with Vicky and went straight to the point.

Vicky, who had been spouting nonsense just moments ago, suddenly froze.

"Well… uh… about that…" Vicky stammered, his eyes darting everywhere, avoiding Asher's gaze.

Asher stayed silent, simply staring at him.

Little Raven followed suit, fixing its black bead-like eyes on Vicky.

Sweat began to bead on Vicky's forehead. "It's, um, kind of a long story… maybe we could skip…"

"Either summarize it or tell me everything in detail," Asher said firmly.

Realizing he couldn't dodge the issue, Vicky finally began to speak in a low, hesitant voice, explaining the situation bit by bit.

"Little Drogo was fine before. Whether it was training with me or going out for practice, he was a spirited young guy, always full of energy.

"But ever since we returned from the Forbidden Zone a month and a half ago, Little Drogo's changed.

"He's lost his appetite. He can't sleep. No motivation for training. Completely gives up during battles. His spirit and energy have visibly plummeted."

"You didn't take him to the service station?" Asher frowned.

"I did," Vicky said. "Of course I did. But it was no use."

Vicky slapped his thigh in frustration.

"I went to more than one service station, and they all told me Little Drogo wasn't sick—that he was perfectly healthy."

But the fact that Little Drogo's condition hadn't improved remained undeniable.

Vicky grew more agitated as he spoke. "At the last service station I visited, they even accused me of abusing Little Drogo, not feeding him, and filed a report against me."

"How could I be abusing Little Drogo? I only took him for treatment because he wasn't eating or sleeping properly."

Vicky was on the verge of tears.

'It is tough. Incredibly tough.'

"My reputation's in shambles, and worse yet, Little Drogo's condition is still unresolved." Vicky's face darkened. "He eats so little now that his physical strength is barely holding up after a month or two. But if this keeps up…"

Even though Little Drogo was a dragon lizard, he wouldn't last.

The more Asher thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

'What exactly have happened here?'

"Can you summon Little Drogo? Let me take a look."

Vicky nodded.

He had come to Asher hoping he'd have a solution. If Asher couldn't help, Vicky didn't know what else to do.

A dragon lizard, over a meter long and somewhat resembling the mythical Chinese dragon, appeared before Asher.

Before Asher could be amazed by its appearance, he saw—

[Pet Beast: Dragon Lizard]

[Species: Mid-Level Extraordinary, High Tier]

[Level: Stage 3, Mid-Level]

[Skills: Cloud Breath, Dragon Roar, Constriction, Swipe]

[Evolution Path: Winged Dragon Lizard, Shadow Tyrant Dragon]

[Current Evolution Conditions Not Met]

[My lovely dragoness. My lovely dragoness. Sob, sob—hic—too full, a bit bloated—sob, sob, I miss you so much, my lovely dragoness.] [T/N: 🤣]

Asher: "?"

"You're sure…?"

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