Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 221: Chapter 221 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 12

The group began preparing while Ren finished his breakfast and quickly organized his equipment. In less than half an hour, they were already heading toward the northern zone.

Unlike the previous day, today's expedition had a more relaxed air. Having vastly exceeded the exam requirements, they felt no pressure to rush.

"Why specifically large bark stalkers?" asked Liora as they advanced along a wooded path guided by Ren.

"Their bodies contain abundant vitality," Ren responded. "I need their blood and flesh to process the tentacles you helped me obtain."

"And those processed tentacles serve for...?" Larissa left the question hanging, curiosity evident in her voice.

"For insane advanced cultivation techniques," Taro completed before Ren could respond. "From what I've seen Ren do... It's super dangerous and I wouldn't recommend you ever try it."

Ren shot him a look of appreciation for having paid attention. "Exactly... But he's exaggerating about the danger."

The others looked at Taro and Min who were shaking their heads intensely. Clearly it wasn't something to try lightly, their expressions conveying more warnings than words ever could.

As they approached the Bronze ring's boundary, the mana concentration in the environment subtly increased, creating that characteristic pressure sensation students had learned to recognize as a warning thanks to their incursions in the mines.

But it was a more gradual difference and much gentler, rather than the abrupt change they experienced underground.

"This is where the exam zone limit ends, and this is as far as Iron students would normally go," commented Lin, pointing to a natural rock formation that served as a visual boundary about 2 kilometers away, its jagged silhouette stark against the clear sky.

Ren guided them along the exam terrain's boundary, his eyes attentive to signs that would go unnoticed by others: scraped bark on certain trees, specific patterns of flattened vegetation, small accumulations of processed organic residue.

Finally, after about 20 minutes of meticulous tracking, Ren signaled them to stop, his hand raised in a gesture that had become familiar to the group.

"There," he whispered, pointing toward what appeared to be simply an earthy mound among the forest debris.

The rest of the group narrowed their eyes, trying to distinguish what Ren saw.

"I only see earth and rocks," Taro admitted after a moment, squinting in confusion.

"Exactly," Ren smiled. "That's what it wants you to see."

"And how will we eliminate them?" asked one of the guards.

"The Bronze-rank beasts will have to handle it," Ren responded, looking toward the guards and the 'students' accompanying the nobles. "They're very close to Bronze and are creatures with high defense, so Iron attacks will do very little to them. Those who can use mana vision can already distinguish them..."

Ren looked at the cousins who were now channeling mana to their eyes.

The large bark stalker's silhouette revealed itself to their gazes, a massive creature, the size of a small shed, perfectly camouflaged under layers of vegetation, stones, and earth accumulated on its carapace. Its outline pulsed faintly with the mana it had absorbed from the surrounding area.

"Impressive," murmured Liora. "How did you know it would be here, did you use mana vision all the way?"

"No, can't keep it on that long… It was the feeding marks around it," explained Ren, pointing to some clues around the mound, torn foliage, unusual scratches in the soil, trails of dried sap on nearby trees. "They move very little, but leave traces when they leap to attack."

"What's the plan to take it down?" asked Min. "That thing is enormous."

"Since we don't need to capture it alive," Ren clarified, "we can kill it and dismantle it right here."

"Should I send my beetle to hit it?" Taro was ready to act, his beast partially manifesting.

Ren studied the group, quickly evaluating their capabilities. "Shizu, Taro," he pointed to both, "you can flip it over with earth elemental control. Their carapaces are too hard for Iron-rank beasts, but not for Bronze ones so..."

Shizu, one of the guards with earth control, nodded understanding the plan.

"Once flipped," Ren continued, "Mako's night ambusher and Kira's giant goat can attack the belly from the rear, away from the pincers. It will have no way to counterattack until it turns over and uses its legs, which will take time due to its weight. Taro and Shizu can keep it trapped and prevent it from flipping while the two beasts strike it."

"Even if iron rank, Trent's fire ant has an elemental advantage, wouldn't it be fine to just burn it?" observed Mira.

"True," Ren nodded, "but it would damage the materials with excessive heat. I'd prefer the carapace herbs and certain internal organs to remain intact."

Ren didn't mention that Liora's will-o'-wisp would also be effective in this case, keeping her still secret beast for some, secret. Nor did he suggest using Luna's wolf, despite the fact that theoretically it could infiltrate through the soft parts, the damage would be low and there was no point taking the risk when the already mentioned four Bronze beasts could achieve it without problems.

♢♢♢♢

"Everyone ready?" he asked, receiving confirmatory nods.

The group positioned themselves strategically around the bark stalker. Taro and Shizu placed themselves on opposite sides, preparing to coordinate their earth control.

At Ren's signal, both activated their beasts simultaneously. Taro's living tunnel manifested completely, creating a deep wedge under one side of the monster, while Shizu's earth wolverine generated a mound that pushed from the other end.

The effect was immediate. With a cracking sound, the enormous bark stalker began to tilt, its balance compromised by the sudden alteration of the terrain beneath it. Clumps of dirt and vegetation fell from its carapace as it struggled to maintain its position.

"Now!" shouted Ren.

Taro and Shizu made their beasts intensify their efforts, their beasts working at their limits to overcome the monster's enormous mass. Finally, with a thud that shook the ground, the bark stalker flipped completely over, its legs thrashing helplessly in the air like an overturned beetle.

Without losing a second, Kira and Mako launched their attack. Mako's night ambusher slid under the carapace and began tearing at the monster's exposed belly. Kira's giant goat charged, generating a loud crack, its horns penetrating the weak points Ren had indicated.

The bark stalker emitted a deep screech, its front pincers waving uselessly, trying to reach attackers who were out of its range. Its powerful legs tried to push against the ground to flip itself over, but the damage to its belly was already too extensive.

"That's enough," Ren indicated when he saw the creature stop resisting. "We don't want to damage the organs any further."

The group backed away, observing how the huge monster finally became motionless after a few small involuntary tremors. The strategy had worked perfectly, and in less than a minute of battle they had defeated a creature that would normally represent a significant challenge for teams their age.

"Now comes the important part," Ren approached the body, extracting his new dagger. "I need to dismantle certain parts with precision."

With methodical movements, Ren began working on the bark stalker. His approach was surgical, carefully separating the multi-layered carapace while discarding the parts he didn't need. The others helped arrange things on the wooden platform again, organizing the harvest according to Ren's instructions.

"Why does it seem like you know exactly where to cut?" asked Han, watching with fascination.

"I know the anatomy," Ren responded without stopping, his hands moving with practiced efficiency. "The systems always maintain certain proportions, regardless of the specimen's size."

In less than twenty minutes, Ren had extracted all the valuable components. After checking the ground for strange vibrations and feeling none, he addressed everyone.

"I need two more like this one," he announced while closing his backpack, its contents now significantly heavier but also more valuable.

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