When Charles arrived at the entrance of Red Mansion, he saw a group of students clad in Isengard Secondary School uniforms, clustering around a young man like stars around the moon.
The boy was strikingly handsome with tanned skin from exposure to the sun, and Charles recognized him immediately as Thomas, who ranked third on the leaderboard. However, Charles had no intention of making his acquaintance; they had had a disagreement over a second-tier beast core in the Ferocious Beast Mountains.
Just as he was about to turn away, a charming figure suddenly broke away from the crowd and approached him: “Congratulations, Charles! With your trial points, you should easily get into one of the three major academies in the Imperial Capital at the enrollment ceremony.”
“Thank you,” Charles responded with a slight smile, recognizing Aurora from Squad 7.
Following her, several classmates crowded around him, giving him thumbs up in admiration.
“Charles, that punch you threw at Carlos, knocking him down—that was so satisfying! That guy used to bully us around in school, backed by Robert!”
“Two months’ time! Advancing a mystical beast to Lv19 and becoming a third-level Beast Master—you’re terrifying, Charles!!!”
“With this talent, you’re probably on par with the prodigy Grace. Man, Charles, you really showed those noble students!”
“Um… Charles, could I perhaps get your contact information…”
Soon, a crowd gathered, including classmates who usually had no contact with him, all trying to brown-nose and even a few female students asking for his contact details. Behind the crowd, a group of reporters with cameras rushed over, eager to interview him.
Seeing the commotion, Charles could only helplessly spread his hands towards Aurora, indicating that now was not the time for a private chat.
“Charles, are you free to visit the amusement park tomorrow? I happen to have two tickets,” Aurora asked, her cheeks tinting red, a shy look on her face as she held the tickets.
Amusement park tickets… Was this her way of asking him out?
Watching the girl’s cheeks flush with shyness, Charles seemed a bit hesitant.
While Charles was hesitating, a motorcycle sped towards him, showing no signs of slowing down, and executed a sleek drift to stop right in front of him.
“Wow, that’s a Triumph Bonneville, a high-end bike that costs hundreds of silver coins!”
“The rider is a stunning beauty! With that figure, she’s absolutely gorgeous and so cool—must be a motorcycle vlogger from some platform.”
As the Triumph Bonneville came to a halt, a statuesque beauty, standing 5 feet 8 inches tall with a sexy figure, positioned herself in front of Charles.
Dressed in a form-fitting sports outfit and yoga pants, she exuded a sultry and mature aura, starkly different from the youthful female students around.
The beauty tapped the back seat of the bike and then gave Aurora a slight smile: “Sorry, but Charles has some things to take care of tonight. If you have any questions about Beast Mastery, perhaps you can ask another day.”
This remark left Aurora slightly stunned. She considered herself one of the most beautiful in all of Isengard, but now she felt completely overshadowed by the woman before her, especially by her sexy figure, eliciting a hint of envy.
So… does Charles prefer more mature women?
The arrival of the motorcycle beauty instantly dimmed the allure of the other girls, many of whom had been about to approach Charles for his contact info, now abandoning the idea.
As everyone watched in astonishment, Charles got on the back of the motorcycle, and with the roar of the engine, they sped away.
The girls regretted not getting Charles’s contact, and the boys looked on with envy, especially Thomas, who had been the center of attention just moments ago.
As the first prodigy of Isengard Secondary, Thomas had long considered Aurora his betrothed, and Charles had once again shamed him in his presence, a direct insult.
Watching Charles become so popular, nearly stealing all his limelight, Thomas clenched his teeth in rage.
Watching Charles disappear into the distance, Thomas clenched his fists, his eyes flickering with a cold glint: “You little bastard, let’s see how long you can keep this up. I have a thousand ways to erase you from this world!”
…
The motorcycle raced along the riverside highway, with Charles’s dark hair fluttering in the wind, caressing his face with a faint scent.
Although she wore sunglasses and her outfit was completely different from usual, Charles recognized her instantly.
Gently embracing Lily’s soft waist, he shifted his gaze from the city’s neon lights back to the familiar yet unfamiliar face reflected in the rearview mirror. “Who would’ve guessed, you used to be a motorcycle girl, huh?”
Charles felt that Lily was there to protect him.
Around Red Mansion, Sly’s assassins must have been lying in wait, ready to strike the moment he left. By riding the motorcycle and speeding along the ring highway with him, Lily made sure any assassin would be left far behind.
Lily’s disguise was entirely different from her usual appearance, clearly a lot of thought went into his safety.
“It’s been years since I’ve ridden one. Ever since becoming a lecturer, I rarely ride motorcycles.” Stealing a glance at Charles through the rearview mirror, Lily’s face lit up with delight, “I just saw from a report in Lsengard that you’ve become a third-level Beast Master now. That breakthrough speed… it’s just terrifying, isn’t it?”
“It’s all thanks to Miss Lily’s great teaching! Otherwise, even ten years wouldn’t have been enough for me to become even a second-level Beast Master.” Charles replied lightly, his casual smile eliciting a gentle laugh from Lily.
His words were light, but his heart was heavy with emotion. Achieving such a breakthrough in just two months had been perilous, and the hardships were known only to him.
After demonstrating his prodigious talent as a Beast Master, many factions that wanted to recruit him and classmates who normally had no contact with him, including some who had previously looked down on him, now crowded around, eager to deepen their connection.
He had anticipated the cold indifference of the Beast Mastery world, but the speed at which people changed their faces around him still chilled his heart.
However, if there was one thing that hadn’t changed, it probably was Lily—this woman seemed to have had purely physical intentions towards him from the very beginning!
The Triumph Bonneville sped through the night, eventually arriving at a luxurious villa by the river.
Charles had just returned to his room and hadn’t even had the chance to rest when a knock came from outside his door: “Charles, your sister has prepared mutton soup for you, along with roasted lamb kidneys, beef kidneys, and pork kidneys. Come and try them while they’re hot?”
Charles was taken aback by the menu—these dishes all sounded like potent tonics, perhaps even aphrodisiacs?
Eating this could mean going non-stop for hours!
…
Three hours later, amidst almost wail-like moans, Lily passed out.
Exhausted, Charles climbed out of bed, covered Lily with a blanket, and then made his way to the bathroom. Before closing the door, he glanced back at Lily on the bed: “This physique, it’s really too much! Damn it, I should think about moving out. If I stay any longer, this woman might just drain me dry.”
After filling the bathtub with water, Charles relaxed in the cool bath, feeling the heat gradually dissipate from his body. He sighed deeply and his gaze involuntarily drifted to the dark red mark on his left hand.
[Remaining Time]: 1 year, 364 days, 11 hours
This was a high-stakes gamble. In two years, if he couldn’t defeat Grace, he would lose his free will and become a puppet by her side—an outcome he could not accept under any circumstances.
The past two months had made one thing increasingly clear to him: in this world, power was everything.
Being a Beast Master was a profession that heavily tested one’s talent. Although Charles felt his understanding was above average, he was not among the elite.
Even here in Lsengard, Grace was clearly much stronger. In just two months of trials, Grace already had three mystical beasts, one of which seemed to be a familial legacy mystical beast called ‘Crystal Spring Sword’.
Even Thomas wasn’t far behind him.
With so many prodigies just in Lsengard, not to mention the whole of Genosha and beyond in the Abyssal Depths, there were countless talented individuals.
To stand at the pinnacle of this world and glimpse its profound truths, Charles could already foresee the multitude of difficulties awaiting him.
Charles shook his head, clearing all the distracting thoughts from his mind as he rose from the bathtub. Despite his efforts, the image of Grace’s haughty face and her condescending demeanor involuntarily came to mind. Her disdainful attitude made him feel a fire burning in his chest:
“Grace, you look down on the common folk, don’t you? In two years, I’ll make you regret your actions today. Just give me some more time, and I’ll show you if the gentry really do have ‘blue blood’ or not!”
He clenched his fists tightly as he stood up from the bathtub.
For some reason, just thinking about Grace filled him with determination.
With 12 days left until the enrollment ceremony, Charles had no intention of sitting idle. Whenever he could, he planned to hunt ferocious beasts outside the city to train, even though low-level ferocious beasts offered little experience—they still counted for something.
Moreover, Charles’s most urgent task was to gather the materials needed for Max’s advancement to the second tier!
To avoid exposing Mousie, with only one mystical beast allowed in combat, advancing Max to the second tier would alleviate a lot of pressure at the enrollment ceremony.
“First, I’ll check the Beast Master Guild for the right materials. If that fails, I’ll have to look in the black market.”
After getting dressed, the sky outside the window was gradually lightening. Charles glanced around the bedroom where Lily was still sound asleep.
After locking the door, Charles made a slight disguise by putting on a mask and a baseball cap before heading towards the Beast Master Guild…