The entire banquet hall fell silent, with everyone staring in disbelief at the astonishing results displayed on the large screen at the center of the venue. This lasted for a full minute.
Then, a chorus of gasps rippled through the room.
“hiss—”
“He’s… also a Level 3 Beast Master!” From the front row, in the middle, Matthew looked up at the words on the stage, recalling the scene of his daughter Grace and Charles signing the human contract, his heart suddenly trembling:
To rise two major ranks in just two months and reach Level 3 Beast Master—this indicated that Charles’s talent was no less than Grace’s, perhaps even greater!
If Charles really did defeat Grace in two years, would that mean she’d have to spend the rest of her life by his side, virtually a slave?
“Heh, who would have thought, the lad’s got quite the talent.” From a seat slightly to the right in the front row, Sly couldn’t help but cough twice, his lips twitching slightly as he looked at Charles on the stage.
At just eighteen, Charles had become a Level 3 Beast Master. Given more time, he might become unbeatable. Although there was no concrete evidence to prove that Robert was killed by Charles, Charles was undoubtedly involved. Allowing such an enemy to grow unchecked was exceedingly foolish!
With these thoughts, a trace of bitterness flashed through Sly’s eyes.
Not far from Sly, David, the head of the Smith family from the same prestigious Lsengard lineage, looked appreciatively at Charles and mockingly towards Sly: “Who was it just now who said my son Daniel was mingling with ‘riff-raff’? If such talent doesn’t catch Mr. Sly’s eye, I suppose everyone here, including the city lord, must also be ‘riff-raff’ in your view?”
David’s words drew muted laughter from those nearby, as they too looked admiringly at this bright young successor, already contemplating making his acquaintance.
Sitting in the first row were all shrewd individuals, well aware of the endless benefits of forging good relations with a high-level Beast Master before he fully came into his power.
Clatter!
The microphone fell to the ground again, and the host, too excited to remember to pick it up, roared with a strained voice:
“Charles, a senior student from Lsengard High, tied for first place in this trial, Level 3 Beast Master. His Beast Mastery qualities are Gold and Platinum, at level 19!”
He had hosted countless celebratory banquets after training sessions, and although he was well-versed and experienced, he found himself unable to control the excitement in his heart.
As everyone listened to the host’s impassioned announcement, they once again turned their eyes toward the composed young man on the stage, unable to stop marveling.
“Am I seeing things? Charles has actually advanced to a Level 3 Beast Master, and he’s already bound with a platinum-quality mystical beast?”
“What on earth has Charles been through in these past two months? The progress he’s made is something many could not achieve in a lifetime!”
“His mystical beast’s quality surpasses Grace’s. If he binds a third mystical beast and fights Grace fairly, he might actually win.”
“Holy shit! I’m in the same class as Charles, how did I never notice that his Beast Mastery talent was so incredible?!”
“…”
The venue buzzed with conversations about Charles, but most were too shocked to speak, especially those who knew him.
Daniel’s eyes widened, his jaw almost hitting the floor, unaware of the cutlery he had dropped.
Back in the ferocious beast mountains, when he saw Charles instantly kill the [bloodthirsty rhino], he had a vague sense that Charles was unfathomably strong, estimating his level to be at the peak of Level 2 Beast Master.
But his imagination fell short—Charles breaking through to Level 3 Beast Master in just two months was beyond even his wildest dreams.
Aurora, Lyra, and the other girls who had been in high school with Charles now looked up to him with admiration.
In the ruthless world of Beast Mastery, strength was everything, and every woman hoped to be protected by a man with great talent. Upon learning that Charles was still single, many harbored the idea of asking him for his contact details later.
Thomas’s expression, however, was quite a spectacle.
At this moment, he still couldn’t accept the fact that Charles was stronger than him. Known as the top Beast Mastery talent of Lsengard High and never having regarded any of his peers except Grace as a threat, he simply couldn’t believe Charles’s trial results. Yet, the outcomes now starkly contradicted his disbelief, effectively slapping him in the face. freewebnvel.com
After retracting Max and mousie back into the Beast Mastery space, Charles lightly leapt down from the stage. He glanced back at the big screen and, seeing mousie’s details displayed as [giant freshwater crocodile], he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled knowingly.
In the past few days, the rumors about him online and in chat groups had almost gone viral.
Some said he had cheated to achieve such high scores, others claimed he used hacking techniques to manipulate the final results, and there were even rumors comparing him to Robert, accusing him of killing classmates to steal points. No one truly believed that he had secured first place in the trial through his own strength.
But now, this result was the best rebuttal to all those doubts!
“Congratulations, Charles!” Before he could even return to his seat, several former classmates, particularly the girls, came up to greet him, with a few bold ones even asking for his contact details directly.
However, Charles politely declined.
Rather than being the center of attention, he much preferred the days when he sat quietly at the back of the classroom by the window, unnoticed.
Accustomed to others’ cold remarks and mockery, he found it somewhat uncomfortable to hear their compliments now.
“The results are in,” announced the banquet host from the stage. “Of the 1050 students who participated in this trial from Lsengard, 219 have advanced to Level 2 Beast Master, earning eligibility for college admissions, and will participate in the admissions ceremony in half a month…”
As the host finished speaking, cheers erupted from the venue, especially loud from those who had qualified for the admissions ceremony.
The host cleared his throat to signal for silence and continued: “According to the rules, all students will be ranked based on their points, receiving a ‘trial score’. To gain admission to a higher educational institution for Beast Mastery, however, this trial score alone is not enough. They must also earn a ‘combat score’ from the admissions teachers during the ceremony.
Whether or not you can enter the college will depend on your performance in 12 days.”
“The celebration banquet concludes here. Those who wish to leave may do so now. Of course, you’re also welcome to continue enjoying the banquet or invite classmates to the central stand for a friendly spar as a preview for the admissions ceremony in 12 days.”
As the host’s voice faded, people began to trickle out of the venue.
Others invited classmates to the stands for a friendly match.
Watching the mystical beasts battle it out at the center of the arena, Charles finally understood why such a large central stand was needed for a dinner that was followed by sparring—it was the main event of the evening.
Evaluating a Beast Master’s strength involved more than just the level of their mystical beast. The beast’s skills, the synergy between beast and master, and practical experience were also critical factors.
Many students who scored high in the trials performed poorly after entering college, pejoratively termed ‘high scores but low ability.’ To avoid admitting such students, colleges had introduced the admissions ceremony, which accounted for 50% of the total score.
At the front rows of the venue, many important figures from prestigious families hadn’t left; they were keen to assess the practical abilities of the new generation and scout potential Beast Masters to recruit into their families.
Charles, however, wasn’t particularly interested. He had only attended to prove that his top score in the trials was earned through genuine skill.
More than sparring, he was concerned about the admissions ceremony in 12 days, which would be the real test of ability.
Although he had scored a perfect 100 in the trials, it didn’t guarantee his admission into any of the three highly competitive colleges in the imperial capital. A poor performance at the admissions ceremony could very well mean getting cut, so it was best he prepare in advance.
As Charles was about to leave, a few male students suddenly blocked his path, looking quite hostile.
“Charles, I’d like to challenge you to a match on the stage. Are you interested?” the leader of the group, a pale-faced young man with black hair, asked with a slight smile.
Charles intended to decline, but upon recognizing the newcomer, he tensed and clenched his fists.
It was none other than his classmate Carlos, who had been Robert’s top lackey back in school, always swaggering behind him and making Charles’s life miserable.
Although these events had occurred before Charles’s transmigration and technically had nothing to do with him, after merging with his predecessor’s memories, seeing Carlos ignited an inexplicable anger in him.
Seeing Charles hesitate, Carlos assumed he was scared and smirked, the corners of his mouth turning up: “Charles, you’re a Level 3 Beast Master, surely you’re not afraid to spar with me, are you? Are you just being considerate of our old friendship, not wanting to hurt me, or… do you actually dare not fight me?”
With Carlos’s taunt, more eyes turned towards them, filled with curiosity.
In Lsengard, there’s a banned drug called [strengthening pill] available in herbal shops, which temporarily enhances a Beast Master’s strength. In previous years, some students had used this method to try and deceive the detection devices.
However, this method, much like ‘bone-stretching’ for height enhancement, is merely for show and doesn’t hold up in real combat.
Clearly, more people were willing to believe Charles had taken a [strengthening pill] rather than accept that he could become a Level 3 Beast Master in less than two months.
“If Brother Carlos wishes to spar, then naturally, I am more than happy to oblige,” Charles chuckled. He relished such opportunities to stretch his muscles.
—