Aurum North High School.Tiered lecture hall.Cole was slouched in a hard wooden chair, spinning his pen out of sheer boredom.Every Monday afternoon was the same “career planning” lecture—perfect for catching up on sleep or sneaking in some homework.Up on the stage, the grade director was hyped as usual, voice booming: “Students, today we have a very special guest! A proud alumnus from the Class of ’15—Senior Zane Kirk!”Cole yawned and stared out the window. Perfect sunny weather for a nap.Then the entire lecture hall erupted into cheers.…Zane Kirk was that popular?Confused, Cole glanced up—and the sleepiness vanished in an instant.The door swung open. A young man in a sharp navy-blue uniform strode in, the insignia on his shoulder flashing cold light.The moment he stepped inside, the floor trembled.No way that skinny guy weighed enough to shake the ground.Because right behind him, squeezing awkwardly through the doorway with its shoulders hunched and head lowered, was a god

“I’ve gotta find a chance to catch that thing!”Cole made the call instantly.But things didn’t go quite as he expected.After the two phantom beasts tore into each other, the Fire-Spray Rat​ ended up sprawled on the ground, its neck torn open. It wasn’t breathing anymore.The Glimmer Beetle, on the other hand, was covered in wounds. Its belly shell was cracked, green blood everywhere, legs twitching weakly, tail light flickering like a dying candle… but it was still clinging to life.Cole hesitated for a second, then stepped out of the bushes.His shoes squelched in the wet mud as he cautiously approached the battlefield. The air smelled faintly of burnt.“Didn’t see that coming… the trash beetle actually won?”He crouched down and examined the half-dead little guy, emotions all over the place.According to every textbook and forum post ever, Glimmer Beetle​ was absolute garbage, while Fire-Spray Rat​ had real potential. Yet here we were—the “garbage” had outlasted the promising one

First things first: patch up the Giant Beast Mantis.Cole and Glowbug zipped through the swamp edges, farming five Tier-1 crystals in no time. Bigger, badder beasts needed more juice to heal—simple math.Fun fact: even after evolving into a sleek Tier-2 Glimmer Beetle, Cole still called it Glowbug.Crystal energy poured in, and right before his mind’s eye, the mantis’s cracked shell sealed up, shredded organs knit back together, and torn muscles rebraided themselves.Once it was good to go, Cole summoned the big guy back out.Nearly three feet of pure nightmare fuel. Giant murder-bug vibes hit like a freighttrainWith his jacked-up stats, Cole felt like the undisputed king of the swamp fringes. Untouchable.And yeah, the next few fights proved it: total stomps.Glowbug scouted ahead, harassed targets, and tanked hits when needed—basically a flying, glowing auto-shield with attitude.Cole and the mantis? Pure offense. Spiked club for the finisher, scythes for the flair. Crystal farmin

A cool, refreshing aura wafted from the cave entrance along with that faint glow. Just breathing it in cleared the mind.Cole cautiously descended the slippery slope covered in pale-green moss.The deeper he went, the brighter the light became, eventually illuminating the entire underground chamber.At the bottom was a natural cavern—not huge, but breathtaking.Right in the center, growing straight out of a spring, was a glowing plant.The whole thing shone softly, lighting up the cave.That faint glow at the entrance? All from this single plant.It was only about a foot tall, translucent pale-gold, shaped like a coiling baby dragon climbing upward.At its very top hung a single crystalline golden fruit the size of a dragon’s eye, radiating star-like halos.“What… the hell is that?!”Cole immediately scanned it with his wrist device.【??? Suspected Dragon Saliva Fruit…】【Note: An exotic fruit said to be infused with true dragon essence. When used during a phantom beast’s evolution, it

The first thing Cole did when he materialized was instinctively pat his pocket.He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The Dragon Saliva Fruit was still there, bulging comfortably against his side.Thank god.“COLE!!! BRO!!!”Cherry shrieked first, half-laughing, half-crying, jumping up and down while shaking Kinsley’s arm like a ragdoll. “My brother’s alive! He’s a Beast Master now! A real Beast Master!”“No way… that skinny dude actually survived? Damn good luck,” Kinsley muttered, genuinely impressed—but her feelings were complicated. Her cousin was a Beast Master, but she herself wasn’t. Who wouldn’t be jealous? Now Cherry was definitely going to strut around school like she owned the place. The more she thought about it, the more sour Kinsley felt.“This kid’s way too clean…” Principal Grant scanned Cole with narrowed eyes, suspicion rising. “Did he just find a safe cave and hide the whole time?”“I remember this guy,” Vivian, the senior from the Beast Mastering class, murmure