Seeing the other Beast Tamer trapped inside that blood barrier made his chest tighten. Things were slipping out of their control. Gaelion’s sudden surge in strength had not been part of their plan at all. “It doesn’t matter!” he shouted, forcing his voice to stay steady as he raised his hand and signaled forward. “We can still win if we hold on!” His familiars responded immediately. The minotaur and the gargoyle rushed ahead, heavy steps shaking the ground, while the fallen angel lifted into the air and began gathering power. The Beast Tamer himself stayed back for a moment, scanning everything, trying to keep track of too many moving pieces at once. “ Sasha!” Rhys called, pointing straight at the gargoyle. She didn’t hesitate. She dashed forward and met it head-on, her claws clashing against its hardened body. The two locked into a brutal close fight, neither giving ground. At the same time, the minotaur stepped directly into Gaelion’s path, raising its hammer, while the fallen

It didn’t take long for Mirova’s team to arrive. They had clearly been searching for a while. Their expressions gave it away, especially Gunther, who looked far more tense than the rest. He seemed to be the one pushing everyone forward, and now that they had finally found Rhys, the relief on his face was mixed with worry. The moment they saw Gaelion and Anubis, several of them froze. There had been rumors about a Beast Tamer who controlled beasts as familiars, but seeing it in person was different. It didn’t take long for them to connect the dots. Rhys was that person. Gunther’s face turned pale as the realization sank in. Not only had they underestimated him earlier, they had also placed him in danger by sending him off like just another student. “Are you alright?” Gunther rushed forward, checking their condition. “We need to get you to the camp immediately. You need proper treatment!” Rhys reached out and grabbed him by the head, stopping him mid-sentence. His expression was

Rhys let out a dry, almost helpless laugh. “Ehm… Can I take back my words?” The Dragon King raised a brow, clearly amused. “So now you want to refuse my generosity? If I take that personally, even your teacher won’t be able to help you.” His grin widened. “She seems quite invested in you, strengthening your body like that.” “Huh?” Rhys blinked, genuinely confused. As far as he knew, Wyndia had not done anything like that. The Dragon King studied him for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. “Wait… don’t tell me she’s been doing it without you noticing.” He crossed his arms. “From the looks of it, it’s probably some kind of medicinal enhancement.” Rhys froze. Pieces started falling into place one after another. The meals were normal, nothing unusual there. But the water… the water in his room was always available. He drank it every day without thinking twice. That meant… Wyndia had been mixing herbs into it from the very beginning. There had been no change in color or taste, so he

Rhys and Maeve kept walking until they were far enough from the others that even raised voices would not carry back. The distance gave them privacy, but it also made the silence between them feel more noticeable. “Ehm…” Rhys hesitated, unsure how to start. He felt like he should explain something, but at the same time, he was not even sure what needed explaining. Maeve broke the silence first. “Do you like women that much?” Rhys glanced at her, choosing his words carefully. “I think most guys do.” She studied his face for a moment, then asked directly, “Then do you like me?” The bluntness caught him off guard. He opened his mouth, but before he could answer, she continued. “You don’t have to answer that,” she said. “What I actually want to ask is… do you want to make a deal with me?” “A deal?” Rhys raised a brow. “You’re not about to ask me to pretend to be your boyfriend to scare people away, are you?” Maeve shook her head. “No. After that fight… I realized something. My bigg

“Does this look right?” Rhys asked as he stepped back to take in the summoning circle. He sounded a little unsure, but there was also a hint of satisfaction in his voice. Considering he had never drawn anything like this before, the result was far better than he expected. The lines were not perfectly smooth, and some curves looked rough, but the structure itself was clear and complete. Maeve studied it for a moment. “I think it’s correct.” Still, both of them turned toward the Dragon King for confirmation. He walked closer, scanning the circle carefully. “Yes. This is a proper summoning circle.” He pointed at several sections. “The beacon is in place. The coordinates are aligned. The contract and the call are both correctly formed. It’s not perfect, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that everything connects properly.” He straightened up. “It will work.” Rhys let out a quiet breath. “What about the size?” “That’s not an issue,” the Dragon King replied casually. “I’ve seen