Now that Mia is only level 13, a single night should allow the projection of the mystical beast to help her level up.
Hale decided to head back for some rest, leaving Charles alone with Mia. He wanted to find a quiet spot to train her properly.
After some effort, they found a suitable location, but Mia stood still, her sharp eyes fixed on Charles.
It was as if she were asking, “Where’s my drink? Where’s my drink?”
Charles sighed, feeling somewhat helpless. She really is a little drunkard!
There was nothing for it; he had to rush to the academy’s convenience store before it closed to buy her a small bottle of fruit wine.
As soon as he opened it, Charles eagerly took a sip.
“Take it easy! No one’s competing with you. This is the first time I’ve seen a mystical beast that loves to drink,” he said, both amused and exasperated.
[Ding! Your pet Mia drank the fruit wine. She’s very happy, loyalty +1.]
— Wind Falcons —
[Name]: Mia
[Attribute]: Wind
[Level]: Lv13
[Quality]: Emerald
[Skills]: [Quick Travel], [Sharp Claw Strike]
[Weaknesses]: Abdomen / Lightning Attribute
[Hobbies]: Wine
[Emotion]: Happy
[Health]: Good freeweɓnovel.cm
[Loyalty]: 66
…
Originally feeling sad, Mia’s mood brightened after having some wine, and her loyalty increased to 66.
“Alright, you’re happy now, but it’s time to start training!” Charles didn’t wait any longer and had the projection create a lower-level mystical beast for Mia to help her level up.
[Ding! Your mystical beast Mia Lv.13 defeated Steel-Spiked Hedgehog Lv.12, experience +10!]
[Ding! Your mystical beast Mia Lv.13 gained growth during battle training, experience +8!]
[Ding! Your mystical beast Mia Lv.13 leveled up to Lv.14!]
…
The next morning, Charles stepped out of the bathroom, yawning repeatedly. After training all night, he had finally leveled up to Lv.16, and it left him utterly exhausted. If it weren’t for the leftover fruit wine, his loyalty might have dropped.
They only stopped training after finishing the fruit wine. After a whole night, Mia had only leveled up three times, which felt a bit slow.
But that was to be expected; after all, she was only at level 13 and still in her juvenile stage, so she had no advantage against higher-level mystical beasts.
After tidying up, Charles headed to the cafeteria at Cyber Academy. He found a private room and summoned Max, Mousie, and Mia. He ordered Max’s favorite, honey soy glazed meat, along with other high-protein, high-energy meats.
The three mystical beasts ate happily, and the meal cost quite a bit—10 silver coins in total! This was mainly because the meat Charles ordered wasn’t ordinary pork or beef; it was specially cultivated, rich in nutrients that could speed up mystical beast growth.
“Alright, you’re full now. We should have a competition later; it’ll be a good way to exercise and aid digestion,” Charles said as he walked toward the arena for the class competition.
Along the way, he overheard snippets of conversation.
“Hey, have you heard? There’s a high-level blacksmith among our new students!”
“Really? So they’re practicing Beast Mastery while also studying forging? Isn’t that distracting?”
“Maybe they’re a genius in both areas, and it won’t affect either!”
“I heard that person is going to take the high-level blacksmith certification test at noon; they might not even pass!”
“Exactly! Instead of focusing on Beast Mastery, they’re learning blacksmithing? Can a blacksmith be as powerful as a Beast Master?”
“I think so too. I doubt that person’s Beast Master skills are very strong; they might have already lost two matches.”
Charles calmly navigated through the crowd discussing this and arrived at the competition area, where Catherine, Jace, and Sadie were waiting.
Catherine’s strength needed no introduction; she was a level 4 Beast Master. As long as she didn’t face the top few competitors, defeating her opponents wouldn’t be difficult at all.
Jace and Sadie, however, looked less relaxed. They had each lost one match, making their records one win and one loss. The next opponent could very well determine if they would advance to Class A. If they lost, they would be stuck in Class B for a while before they could challenge Class A members to take their place.
If they won this match, it would depend on the performance of others to see if another battle would be necessary in the afternoon.
Soon, the matchups were announced. Catherine would face Zachary, while Charles was set to fight a familiar opponent—Lan!
“I’ve heard this guy is really strong; I finally get to have a proper fight! I’ve been cooped up for days!” Catherine’s demeanor shifted entirely, her earlier gloom replaced with enthusiasm.
“I’ve heard of him too. Rumor has it he’s a level 4 Beast Master, but who knows if that’s true?” Charles replied.
“Let’s hope it is!” Catherine found herself praying. While others hoped for weaker opponents to secure victories, she desired a stronger one. Such battles were meaningful and would enhance her combat experience and strength!
“It looks like I’m up first. It shouldn’t take long,” Charles said, hearing the referee call out. After exchanging a few words with Catherine, he turned and entered the competition arena.
Across from him, Lan appeared incredibly energized!
In just a few days, Charles definitely hadn’t had time to contract a third mystical beast! Moreover, he had regained his confidence through the matches in the last two days.
While others were busy getting to know their fellow students and familiarizing themselves with Calivia, he had spent a hefty sum to hire an experienced level 5 Beast Master to improve his combat skills.
The results were evident; with consecutive victories, he was no longer trembling at the thought of facing Charles, no longer unable to look him in the eye!
“Charles, this time I will wash away all the humiliation! I will defeat you!” Before the match began, Lan said earnestly and with determination.
Charles didn’t even glance at him, seemingly ignoring his words. Instead, he turned to Catherine outside the arena and said, “I’ll finish up here quickly. You should be starting soon, and I’ll come watch you.”
Catherine nodded and walked over to prepare at her own competition area.
“Damn it, Charles, I’m talking to you! We can’t use weapons today; let’s see how you can win against me!” Lan was furious. He was giving it his all, yet his opponent was blatantly disregarding him; it felt like an insult!
“Referee, I’m ready. Can the match begin?” Charles asked.
The referee nodded and announced, “The match starts now!”
Before the referee’s voice even faded, Lan immediately summoned three Gold-quality mystical beasts, quickly positioning them in formation. His level 5 Beast Master had already helped him analyze this, ensuring that the arrangement was targeted. He couldn’t forget the scene from their previous encounter when Charles easily dodged his mystical beasts’ attacks.
That image replayed in his mind, even haunting his dreams at night.
“This time, I’m not that weak! Charles, it’s your turn to taste defeat!” Without hesitation, Lan commanded his three mystical beasts to unleash their skills, covering the entire area!
Facing such an onslaught, Charles remained calm. He cast an [Ice and Fire Barrier] around himself, withstanding one of the attacks before instantly using [Quick Travel].
In the blink of an eye, he had broken through all the attacks and appeared right in front of Lan!
“What? How is he so fast? It’s like he just teleported!” Shock flashed through Lan’s mind as he tried to activate [Beast Mastery]. Unfortunately, Charles didn’t give him the opportunity!
A tremendous force from Charles’s fist struck Lan’s stomach, sending him flying backward like a shrimp, arching his back as he went.
“The match is over. The winner is Charles, earning 1 point!” The referee announced the results.
There was no doubt that Lan had been easily defeated by Charles once again. Lying on the ground, he stared blankly at Charles’s retreating figure, tears silently streaming from the corners of his eyes.
Charles didn’t notice Lan’s state. He quickly estimated the time; from the start to the finish of the match, it had only taken a little over ten seconds.
This was largely thanks to Mia’s [Quick Travel], which enhanced his speed and agility, allowing him to defeat Lan in such a short time. He couldn’t help but wonder what skills Mia would gain next; he was quite looking forward to it.
Catherine’s match should still be ongoing. Her opponents were pretty strong today—except for Lan, of course!
As Charles approached Catherine’s competition area, he overheard some chatter.
“Who do you think is stronger, Catherine or Zachary?”
“Definitely Zachary! He’s the son of a general, so he’s bound to be stronger!”
“I think Catherine will win. She hasn’t lost yet, and she hasn’t really fought at full strength!”
Listening to the discussions around him, Charles looked into the arena and saw that Zachary was indeed a level 4 Beast Master. He had four mystical beasts of good quality: one Gold and three Platinum, all of them Earth attribute.
Earth attribute mystical beasts generally have better recovery and endurance compared to Gold attribute beasts, which typically have higher attack power!
“Charles, who do you think will win?” Jace, having just finished his match, approached Charles with a worried expression.
Without hesitation, Charles replied, “Zachary will lose!”
“Charles, I don’t know… Zachary seems pretty strong. He might have some hidden tricks up his sleeve,” Jace scratched his head, looking uncertain.
Charles responded, “Zachary has tricks up his sleeve, but so does Catherine, and she’ll be even stronger! You’ll see.”
He didn’t elaborate much; he was confident in Catherine’s abilities to secure a victory!
At that moment, someone exclaimed, “Look! It’s [Beast Mastery] activation!”