Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!

On the Royal balcony, King Dracos shifted uncomfortably on his seat, his eyes gleaming with a rare sight.

Anxiety.

King Dracos' fingers repeatedly tapped on the handle of his seat, and soon the other monarchs present on the balcony started to notice that something was wrong with the Frost Monarch who was supposed to be joyful, as he had secured the resources of all seven kingdoms to himself for the next ten years.

The first person to speak was Thomas, the Light Dragon Monarch.

"It seems there's something King Dracos knows that we don't," he voiced out in a neutral tone, yet a mischievous smirk tugged at the side of his handsome face.

Dracos ignored the Light Monarch. He was an old man, several hundred years old, and in his lifetime, he had come to realize that ignoring people did more good than harm.

Suddenly, another person chimed in as well. This time it was the Dragon Monarch of the just defeated Inferno Kingdom.

"Could it be that the noble Frostpire Kingdom cheated, perhaps lied about the identity of that boy?" The Inferno Dragon Monarch's eyes lit up. What he said was wishful thinking, but he hoped deep down inside him that it could be true, as the Frostpire Kingdom would be easily disqualified and the Inferno Kingdom would be announced the winner.

"I think that might be it. If not, why would the Supreme Court suddenly pick an interest in that boy? Dracos, I say you start spitting everything you know; maybe we can put in some words for you for the court to ease your punishment," a sweet feminine voice belonging to the beautiful Shadow Monarch with long obsidian dark hair voiced out.

The Light Monarch Thomas narrowed his eyes, and the suspicions he had about Nox since the beginning became even stronger. His mind briefly went back to his conversation with his daughter.

At that time, Lumi had told him that Kawl had prevented her from seeing him use some skill by erecting an ice wall to block her vision.

It was rather strange, as dragons usually showed their elemental skills proudly. For him to do that, he was definitely hiding something.

Yet despite his loss against Frostpire, the Light Monarch didn't hold any grudges against Kawl. He was just a curious person by nature and had a terrible knack for solving mysteries.

If anything, Thomas was grateful to Kawl for not killing Lumi like he did with the others.

Dracos Frostpire remained quiet for a while, his elegant fingers swirling the granulated monster core-infused wine. He sipped some more nonchalantly, an act that irritated some of the monarchs who were eager for his answer.

Taking a final gulp, the Ice Monarch stood up, and without sparing a glance, he moved from his spot. His sheer speed was so fast that it made it seem as if he disappeared, leaving nothing but frost and chilling wind in his wake.

"And he's gone."

"I tell you, he's definitely hiding something."

King Dracos moved deeper into the city, disappearing amidst the mist of the confused crowd.

'I need to do something very fast,' he thought, his mind racing.

Meanwhile, back in the private chambers, which had a huge open curtained wall overlooking the arena, a tension filled the space.

Nox remained calm, his breathing steady, but this was just on the outside. Each one of these eight dragons was at the Legendary Tier; unless his patron god Terra decided to descend herself, if a fight were to break out here, he didn't see himself surviving.

So yes, he was restless inwardly—very restless—but managed to project a misleading calm exterior.

"Kawl Frostpire, what is your story again?" Zhun'Var spoke, his voice holding a bit of warmth as he leaned forward by propping his head with an arm.

"I'm an orphan. My father is royalty, and my mom is a commoner," Nox said calmly, his tone steady, not missing a beat in the slightest.

"It's very rare to see a half-royalty like you possess such fine ice control. I'm impressed."

Then Zhun'Var's eyes narrowed slightly as he said in a deep voice, "After all, you're a hybrid."

Silence descended in the hall, and Nox's heart skipped several beats. He forgot to breathe, his head swirling with several thoughts. Although he didn't know what a hybrid meant to the netizens of the Dragon Realm, it seemed to be an abomination—at least from what he had discerned from Valkor's reaction in the Ancient Forest.

Nox was about to make an escape when the elder dragon chuckled once more, his laugh strangely unsettling.

"Sorry, my bad. What I meant to say is that you're something akin to a hybrid," Zhun'Var said, and Nox sighed in his heart. "Because of your mixed bloodline."

"Hehehe, that said, the reason we called you here is becaus—"

Before he could finish, a thunderous boom shook the chamber. The very floor trembled as if an earthquake had struck. The crystal lanterns on the walls flickered. One of the tall stained-glass windows depicting an ancient dragon shuddered, cracks spidering across it. Gasps and cries of alarm came from outside the chamber, most likely from the citizens.

"What now?!" one of the elder dragons snarled, turning towards the noise. Another rumble followed; this time it was unmistakable. It was an explosion, and the doors of the chamber rattled on their hinges.

A young court attendant dashed into the room without waiting for permission, terror on his face.

"E-elders! News from the west gate—the city is under attack!" he blurted out while shaking like a leaf in the wind. "Creatures... creatures from the Marked Zone are swarming the walls!"

The court members reacted with shock and disbelief.

"Impossible! The Marked Zone is sealed!" cried one of them, a slender elder dragon with spectacles.

Swiftly, all the elder dragons disappeared from their spots, leaving only Nox, whose heart was pounding, standing there.

His own heart was pounding for a different reason now—the Marked Zone. Wasn't that the place Zara and Drake warned him about? Wasn't that the place not even the king liked venturing to?

If creatures were attacking from there, it meant something had gone horribly wrong.

Meanwhile, on the distant walls, the robes of the Ice Monarch billowed in the wind as he stared at the mass of creatures approaching.

Several minutes of silence later, he murmured with a subtle, warm, tender smile on his face:

"It seems even if she has lost her mind, she's still helping us unconsciously."