Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

On the other side, while Benjamin was inspecting the overall environment of the mine, he was also keeping an eye on Asher.

Although the lairs of beasts around the mine had been cleared out twice already, there was no guarantee that another one wouldn't pop out of nowhere.

Neither Asher nor Little Raven looked like they could fight.

If Asher were to accidentally encounter any trouble… Benjamin shuddered.

He would be in big trouble.

Fortunately, by the time they finished exploring the entire mine, Asher hadn't run into any issues. Benjamin let out a long sigh of relief.

The group gathered at the center of the mine. Benjamin patted the Gale Eagle, which had returned to his side. "Storm, good work today."

"Caw—!"

The Gale Eagle let out a long cry.

A look of confusion crossed Benjamin's face.

As someone who had been contracted to the Gale Eagle for over twenty years, he could usually understand its cries perfectly.

But just now… what did Storm say?

'...A big one and a small one playing with mud?'

Benjamin wondered if he'd misinterpreted it.

The high temperatures had left everyone looking like they'd been fished out of water—soaking wet, clothes alternately drying and rewetting, with sweat-drenched hair clinging to their foreheads.

Everyone was in such a sorry state that it was hard to spot anything unusual.

Benjamin gave up trying to figure it out. "We can head back to the city now."

Whatever it was.

He didn't know why President Robb had assigned Asher to their team, nor did he care to dig into it.

After all, whatever Asher did, President Robb was ultimately responsible for it. It didn't really concern their team.

"Thank goodness! This place is great, but it's way too hot." Pitou ran her hand through her hair, pretending not to notice Benjamin's earlier scrutiny of Asher, and laughed.

The results of their exploration were extremely satisfying.

As they returned to the city, the team's faces were full of excitement and smiles.

"I wonder when the mine will be open for use. I can't wait to bring my Drill Beetle here to train. The fire-element energy here is incredible." A team member spoke with anticipation.

These days, any Beastmaster with two or more contracted beasts—five out of ten of them had fire-element beasts.

After all, among the various elemental attributes, fire-element beasts had high offensive power, abundant resources, and were relatively easy to cultivate.

Attributes like light and dark might sound fancy, but in terms of resources for cultivation and skill acquisition, they were ridiculously difficult.

While they could become powerful, the initial investment was so high that ordinary people couldn't afford it. Finding resources for them was also a nightmare.

These beasts were the kind you should avoid unless you owned a gold mine.

They took a side gate back into the city because they had run into a slightly troublesome Tier 4 advanced Centipede Vine on the way. It had taken quite a bit of effort and time to defeat it.

Not wanting to waste it, they dragged its corpse back to the city with them.

By the time they arrived at the city gate, they were the only ones entering through the four side gates.

The entry procedure was relatively simple, mainly requiring them to register the items they brought back.

For Benjamin's team, it was straightforward—they carried back various materials from the beasts they hunted, including the whole Centipede Vine.

When it was Asher's turn...

As Asher pulled out a Twin Flame Condensation Grass from his bag, the two registration officers and the team members all held their breath, eyes wide open.

Seriously?

What were they seeing?

A... Twin Flame Condensation Grass?

'Is this a joke?'

"This is the certificate issued by Chairman Robb," Asher explained without elaborating further, silently producing a handwritten note signed by President Robb.

It essentially allowed Asher to take any resource out of the restricted area.

The staff who had been about to ask if he wanted to sell it immediately fell silent:

"..."

Great, the moment they saw the handwritten note from Chairman Robb, they knew there was no chance he would sell it.

After finishing the registration, Asher calmly put the Twin Flame Condensation Grass back into his bag in front of everyone, leaving them speechless.

They understood that Asher was being cautious, avoiding drawing attention to himself by keeping it concealed.

But his actions were so rough.

Wasn't he afraid of damaging the Flame Condensation Grass?

Oh.

The Flame Condensation Grass was famously resilient. As long as it had sufficient fire energy, it was even easier to maintain than a cactus—nearly impossible to kill.

Its only downside was how incredibly rare it was.

The tense silence persisted until Asher and Benjamin's team parted ways.

Even then, Benjamin and the others didn't ask a single question.

Asher smiled.

'Good. Everyone knew their boundaries.'

"We're heading home now," Asher said, smiling at Little Raven.

———

Back at home, he bathed Little Raven, placed it in a spot where it could bask in moonlight, and found the best location for the Twin Flame Condensation Grass—a spot bathed in sunlight from sunrise to sunset.

Only then did he clean himself up.

Asher kept busy until late at night, but he didn't forget to message President Robb.

With the confirmation that the mine was a dead mine and having secured the Twin Flame Condensation Grass, the rest of the matter was no longer Asher's concern.

The focus now shifted to June training with the little Fire Fox.

Their hard work and perseverance would determine the outcome.

So, as Asher resumed his daily grind the next day, June and the little Fire Fox began a grueling new training regimen.

Day 1:

June and the little Fire Fox were brimming with enthusiasm and determination.

Day 2:

They were sluggish and hesitant.

Day 3:

"I give up. I'm taking the little Fire Fox down with me." June burst into the house drenched in sweat, shouting dramatically, "This life is unbearable."

Limp as a noodle in her arms, the little Fire Fox whimpered in agreement:

"Yip yip yow~!"

'I second it!'

'Agreed!'

'Let's give up together!'

It really couldn't take it anymore!

Ivy couldn't help but laugh as she took the little Fire Fox from June's arms. "Go take a shower first. I'll clean up the Fire Fox for you. When you're done, dinner will be ready."

"I even made some sweet flower nectar tea for you," she said gently.

Her soft, soothing words comforted both June and the exhausted little Fire Fox.

After her shower, June sat on the couch, holding a cold, sweet cup of nectar tea. She let out a long sigh. "I'm so tired…"

"Ivy." June looked pitifully at Ivy. "I want…"

Before she could finish saying "to quit," Ivy handed her the freshly washed and fluffy little Fire Fox, now exuding a pleasant fragrance.

The smooth, shiny fur was so irresistibly soft that June couldn't help stroking it repeatedly.

"No quitting," Ivy said sweetly but firmly. "You promised to do this, and it's good for both you and the Fire Fox, right?"

"No slacking off. If you want to become an excellent Beastmaster, you must invest time, effort, and sweat."

Her smile was sweet, but her words were merciless.

June was left speechless.

"Besides, Asher went to great lengths to get you permission to train in a fire-element dead mine that hasn't even opened to the public yet. It wasn't easy for him," Ivy added. "You can't let him down."

June remembered how shocked she'd been when Asher called to inform her about this opportunity.

As a descendant of a family of Beastmasters, she hadn't managed to pull this off, but Asher had?

How did he do it?

Though she didn't know the details, she was aware of the effort Asher had put into helping the little Fire Fox evolve.

Clenching her fist, June declared, "Don't worry! Little fox and I won't disappoint you."

Yet by the third day, June was already on the verge of collapse.

"That place is just too hot. I feel like I'm trapped in a furnace, with flames licking at me from below." She shuddered at the memory of the mine's training conditions.

It was unbearable.

For someone who could barely endure summer without air conditioning, the mine's heat was like torture.

She felt like she was being steamed alive, with no clarity of mind left to train.

"From beginner to buried—that's exactly what's happening to me."

"But the Fire Fox is making great progress," Ivy observed. The exhaustion was evident, but so was the increase in its aura.

The little Fire Fox had indeed become stronger.

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