Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 220: Chapter 220 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 11

"May I examine it more closely?" he asked, looking at Julius.

The prince nodded, though with certain caution. "Go ahead. The containment is secure, but keep your distance from its mouth."

Ren knelt beside the worm, his mushrooms pulsing in a pattern that seemed to momentarily synchronize with the creature's weak movements. With precise but respectful movements, he studied the segmented rings, the subtle color variations in its skin, and especially the small lateral glands that rearrange the absorbed and processed earth.

"It's completely normal," he finally confirmed, standing up. "A common lesser worm, near the first fusion cycle."

"That confirms my observations," Julius nodded. "The question is: how did it get so close to the surface?"

"Or rather," added Zhao, "why?"

Ren remained silent for a moment, his mushrooms pulsing slowly while organizing his thoughts, their glow fluctuating slightly with each pulse.

"If there are no signs of external manipulation or abnormal behavior," he began cautiously, "and if the spies' tunnel is collapsed..."

"Then it got there by its own means," Lin completed, her brow furrowing.

"Which suggests it was expelled from its territory," Ren continued, "But that would have pushed it a maximum of between 50 and 100 meters up before going down... so it's almost certain that subsoil mana is changing its distribution. Mana is rising."

The four adults exchanged significant looks, a silent communication passing between them.

"Precisely what we feared," Wei murmured, running a hand over his face. "The worst option."

"If this worm rose so high, it's because there's enough mana to sustain it at a nearby depth. Which shouldn't be possible, not in this area," added Zhao, his voice tight with concern.

"The seed's opening might have had broader effects than we calculated," Julius reflected, his expression becoming more serious. "The main arteries could be redistributing the flow."

"What implications would that have?" asked Wei, clearly worried about the consequences, his fingers drumming nervously against his thigh.

"Short term, ecological imbalances," Julius responded. "Depth creatures appearing in surface areas, alterations in migratory patterns..."

"Long term," added Ren, his mushrooms pulsing intensely, "it could mean a complete restructuring of the depth hierarchy and perhaps even that of the rings. If mana continues ascending, zones that are currently Iron rank could eventually harbor Bronze rank creatures, or even Silver rank if the mana rises too much. The city might not be safe."

The silence that followed was heavy, laden with implications that none dared fully express. The soft hissing of the oil lamps seemed suddenly loud in the quiet tent.

"We need more data," Julius finally concluded. "Systematic observations, concentration measurements at different depths..."

"Impossible to obtain all that during a gathering expedition," Wei pointed out. "We'd need specialized equipment, time, resources..."

"For now," Zhao intervened, "we must focus on immediate safety. If more worms are approaching the surface, they could pose a danger to the students."

"I'll return to the depths to start measuring," Julius assured. "You can be certain no worm will cross while I'm patrolling. And I'll seal any tunnel I find too close to the camp."

His gaze briefly rested on Ren. "And it seems we have an unexpected additional sensor."

Ren's mushrooms pulsed once, as if responding to the recognition, brightening momentarily.

"What will we do with it?" Lin pointed to the captive worm.

"I'll release it far from camp," Julius responded. "Preferably in an area with enough mana so it doesn't feel the need to approach the surface again."

"We should mark it somehow," suggested Ren. "To identify it if it reappears."

Julius considered the suggestion for a moment. "A good idea. Any specific recommendation?"

"The dorsal scales of the third segment," Ren pointed out. "They're the least sensitive and most durable. Even if it fuses, the mark will remain for at least a year."

With a fluid movement, Julius extracted a golden dissection dagger and, following Ren's indications, made a distinctive mark on the indicated scales. The worm barely reacted, as if the area was indeed less sensitive, just as Ren had suggested.

"Good," Julius sheathed his dagger again. "I'll take care of our marked friend and continue surveillance. I suggest everyone try to rest a bit before dawn."

His gaze fell on Ren again. "And I appreciate your discretion in this matter. The fewer students who know of these anomalies, the better."

Ren nodded, understanding the responsibility he now shared. Knowledge always came with a price, and in this case, the price was secrecy again…

As he prepared to return to his rest area, Ren couldn't help but wonder what other surprises these changes in subterranean mana would bring.

♢♢♢♢

Ren stealthily returned to his rest area, his mushrooms barely pulsing to avoid illuminating his path back. As he settled again among the skins, he left one hand with his fingertips on the ground and kept part of his consciousness alert to any abnormal vibration.

For almost an hour he remained like this, listening attentively to the depths. Occasionally he perceived distant movements, but nothing close to the surface. Julius must have been patrolling deeper areas, beyond the reach of his perception.

Finally, fatigue overcame him and he slipped into a deeper sleep than he had planned, his body surrendering to exhaustion despite his determination to stay alert.

Morning arrived with Taro's voice shaking him from his sleep.

"Still alive?" his friend joked, giving him another push. "Come on, you never sleep this late."

Ren opened his eyes, surprised that dawn had broken without him noticing. He felt unusually drowsy, his mind still heavy from the previous night, like a fog that refused to dissipate.

"What time is it?" he asked, sitting up quickly.

"Almost everyone's already had breakfast," Min responded, who was finishing organizing his equipment for the day. "Luna asked about you, she tried not to seem concerned though… Or so Larissa said."

Memories of the night's conversation returned vividly. Had something else happened while he slept?

By instinct, Ren lay down again and placed his hand on the ground, concentrating briefly. 

Nothing. 

The vibrations had returned to their normal pattern, with no signs of unusual activity.

"Too comfortable in the skins?" Taro asked with a smile. "What's the plan for today?"

"We were waiting for you to wake up and tell us," added Han, who had approached with a small food package for Ren. "But after eating we got tired of waiting and decided to wake you up."

Ren accepted the food with a gesture of thanks while considering the options. They could simply finish collecting the skins, but he feared Klein's team could find the best bark stalker specimens if they were left searching for too long.

"Bark stalkers," he finally announced. "The largest ones."

"The large ones?" Min arched an eyebrow. "They're notoriously difficult to find. Not for nothing they've grown so big, you know..."

"I know," Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing while he quickly chewed his breakfast. "But being so large also means they're close to evolving, so they must be closer to the boundary with the Bronze ring. I'll use their recent feeding activity to find them quickly and still leave us time for the shadow stalker cave."

"How can you know that?" asked Mira, who had joined the group along with the noble cousins.

"The tracks," explained Ren. "Large bark stalkers move very slowly, but their passage leaves distinctive marks due to their enormous carapace. The largest must feed more, so they must have been feeding at least a week ago, it hasn't rained so the tracks should still be intact."

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