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

Although he hadn't activated [Divine Velocity] yet, Nox's speed wasn't lacking.

He moved swiftly, relying purely on his monstrous physical stats, his boots crunching softly over the frozen ground as he darted between the trees, some standing while others crumbling.

The cold mist curled around him, and his breath formed fleeting white clouds in the air. Nox kept low, his senses sharp, constantly probing the surroundings for any hint of danger.

But something… felt off.

As he headed deeper into the ancient forest, he began to notice it.

The corpses.

Scattered everywhere.

Dozens of dead Scourge dragons littered the frozen clearing ahead.

Nox's sharp eyes narrowed. He slowed his steps and approached cautiously, stopping beside a particularly massive fallen beast whose black blood stained the snow.

He crouched down, examining the body.

Long gashes stretched across the creature's chest—deep and clean, with frost still clinging stubbornly to the torn flesh.

"This..." Nox muttered, frowning slightly. He placed a hand over one of the wounds, feeling the lingering elemental energy. It was cold—without a doubt, it was the work of a Frost Dragon.

"But all the Frostpire defenders are at the city walls..."

"Could it be someone dared to charge headlong into the Ancient Forest?" he murmured, glancing around the silent battlefield.

The thought was almost laughable.

Even the veteran Emperor-rank dragons avoided this part of the woods.

He didn't know a single fool—or monster—who would dare venture this far alone.

Not unless… they were either incredibly strong or incredibly reckless.

Nox clicked his tongue. I need to be careful, then.

Now that there could be another unknown presence within range, he couldn't freely unleash all his skills like before. If whoever it was caught a glimpse of his true abilities, it could complicate things—especially with the Supreme Court already sniffing around.

A moment later, Nox continued to charge into the ancient forest.

But...

Suddenly he had to come to a stop when he saw a familiar figure in the distance.

Nox narrowed his eyes. His steps slowed, and unconsciously, he held his breath.

There, amidst a mountain of shattered, frost-coated Scourge corpses—like a god of winter's judgment—stood King Dracos Frostpire.

The Ice Monarch himself.

The man who had single-handedly slaughtered several hundred Scourge dragons himself.

And in that instant, Nox truly understood why the Dragon Realm feared the rulers of the eight Dragon Kingdoms.

BOOM!

A massive Scourge Dragon lunged at the monarch, its wings spread wide, corrupt flames spewing from its open maw. Its body radiated a monstrous aura that would have made even veteran Awakened crumble in fear.

Yet Dracos didn't even lift his gaze.

With a single effortless step forward, the ground beneath him froze instantly, spreading like living veins of pure, primordial ice. In the next heartbeat, the frost surged upward, forming hundreds of massive crystalline spears.

Before the Scourge Dragon could even react, the frozen lances impaled it midair—piercing through its scales like paper—nailing it to the earth with a thunderous crash.

BOOM!

The beast didn't even have time to roar. It was dead the moment it entered the Ice Monarch's domain.

Nox's eyes widened slightly.

"...Monarch..." he muttered under his breath, awe dripping from his voice.

The air itself around Dracos was different—the chill was thicker, as if reality bowed in deference to him. Snowflakes hung swirling in unnatural patterns, obeying an unseen will. His presence alone created a blizzard, swallowing all the corrupted beasts foolish enough to approach.

Another Scourge Wyvern charged at him, its scales glowing with sickly red veins, the power of a peak Emperor-ranked beast radiating from it.

Dracos merely turned his head slightly—and then, with a flick of his wrist—

The Wyvern froze mid-flight, its body transforming into a perfect, glistening ice sculpture. For a second, it even looked... beautiful.

Then—

CRACK!

With a casual backhand, the Ice Monarch shattered the frozen beast into a billion sparkling shards that scattered across the battlefield like falling stars.

Nox stood still. His breath misted heavily in the cold air. His heart pounded—not from fear—but from sheer exhilaration.

So this is the strength of a true Monarch... he thought, his fingers tightening unconsciously around Oblivion Edge.

Power so overwhelming... it turned even the mightiest Scourge Dragons into nothing more than scenery.

After a moment, King Dracos lowered his hand, surveying the frozen battlefield. Dozens of corrupted bodies lay sprawled across the earth, encased in pure ice.

Yet—

Nox caught it.

A fleeting shadow that crossed the Monarch's usually emotionless face.

Regret.

For a brief second, King Dracos Frostpire looked at the slaughtered dragons with something akin to mourning.

Then he turned, his silver cloak fluttering against the chilling winds, and without a word, he moved deeper into the ancient forest.

Nox watched him go, the monarch's figure slowly swallowed by the swirling mist and snow. He was left confused.

"...Regret, huh..." Nox murmured. His gaze lingered for a moment longer.

Why did the Ice Monarch look at the corrupted beasts who were trying to overtake the city with regret?

It didn't make sense, and he was left pondering about it for a while before eventually something else caught his attention.

The spirits of the dead Scourge beasts—he could see every one of them.

It was time.

Nox didn't waste this opportunity and immediately activated his [Spirit Tamer Subclass].

The world shifted.

All around him, the lingering remnants of the Scourge Dragons' slain souls began to stir.

Shadows flickered.

Whispers howled.

The corrupted spirits, once furious and wild, twisted toward Nox like moths drawn to a flame.

They spiraled around him, forming a terrifying yet magnificent cyclone of spectral energy.

Dark mist and ghostly shapes wrapped around his body—dragons with torn wings, beasts with missing eyes, wyverns with broken spines—all coalescing into a spectral army.

Nox stood at the center of it all. He wanted to fuse all of them to create a single champion like he had done in the past in order not to fill up his spirit taming slots.

But this time, he decided to do something different.

Nox's eyes gleamed under the cold sky.

A cold smirk played on his lips.

"Let's see..." he said in a low, deadly voice that carried across the frozen battlefield, "how these corrupted dragons will fare... against one of their own."