After a week of rest, they returned to their routine.Rhys, Maeve, and Laura accepted several missions in succession, spending roughly half the month outside the academy and the remaining days absorbing the monster cores they had collected.As promised, Raya also delivered the rest of the Elite Class cores.Combined with everything they had earned during the missions, the cores were more than enough to strengthen his familiars even further.Anubis and Nidhogg both reached the ten-thousand Mana mark.In truth, Rhys had ended up exceeding the goal he originally set for himself.The increase wasn’t overwhelming, and he knew he could have gained even more if he had conserved his Mana during the mission with Grace instead of summoning his fourth familiar.Still, he had never regretted that decision.He had chosen the path he believed was right.That alone was enough.By the end of the month, every one of his familiars possessed at least ten thousand Mana.His own Mana reserve had also clim

“A man. Thirty-one years old… Geiza. Tall. Long beard. Black hair. Black eyes. He has a scar running across his forehead from one side to the other. He isn’t particularly muscular, but he’s well built.”Rhys rubbed the bridge of his nose as Wyatt continued listing names and descriptions.By the time the interrogation reached its end, they had gathered the identities of eleven people.Seven were Wyatt’s fellow operatives.One was his direct superior.The remaining three were members of the mysterious Ten Hands.Unfortunately, the information stopped there.Names.Ages.Basic appearances.Nothing substantial enough to track them down easily.Rhys let out a quiet sigh.This is frustrating.There are less than one percent of humans who become Beast Tamers. You’d think every kingdom would’ve created some kind of worldwide registry by now.Just like those hunter novels I used to read.Even with all this information, finding them is going to be like searching for needles in a haystack.He fo

The banquet was held inside one of Valaris Academy’s largest buildings.Although it wasn’t the biggest structure on campus, it housed the academy’s grandest reception hall, making it the perfect venue for an event of this scale.Across all three academic years, the academy had a total of one hundred and ninety-eight students.It sounded like a large number, but the hall was spacious enough that even with everyone present, it still wouldn’t feel crowded.Since the banquet was organized primarily for the students, the academy only hired a small number of butlers and maids to assist with serving food and keeping everything running smoothly.Students gradually arrived throughout the evening.Not everyone intended to attend, though.The banquet existed to help students build relationships and strengthen connections, but participation wasn’t mandatory. Even so, a large portion of the academy still chose to come.Standing near the entrance was someone almost everyone expected to see.Thalia

“Are you enjoying the banquet so far?”Grace greeted him with a cheerful wave.Rhys let out a helpless laugh.“Enjoying it?”He looked around the hall before turning back to her.“The banquet only just started.”“If you came back after I’d had time to meet a few people, I could probably answer that.”Grace laughed.“Hahaha.”“Fair enough.”She folded her hands behind her back.“Still, you’re one of tonight’s most important guests.”“After all, you’re the one who helped solve the academy’s biggest crisis.”Malman stepped forward with his usual serious expression.“Has Maeve…”He paused briefly before correcting himself.“…the vice president already explained the purpose of tonight’s banquet?”Rhys nodded.“She did.”“There are some things I don’t mind sharing.”“But there are also things that have to remain confidential.”“That’s enough.”Malman lowered his head politely.“We appreciate your willingness to help.”“I know your knowledge is one of your greatest advantages, so asking you

As the conversations gradually settled down, gentle music began flowing through the banquet hall.The guests naturally stepped aside, leaving the center of the room open for the dancers.One pair after another walked onto the floor, their movements slowly matching the elegant rhythm of the music.Rhys, unfortunately, had no chance to relax.The moment the dance began, several girls gathered around him, each hoping to claim the first dance.The constant invitations quickly became overwhelming.Fortunately, two familiar figures came to his rescue.“So…”Maeve slipped her arm around his.“It’s time.”She looked as though she intended to drag him onto the dance floor before anyone else could.Rhys couldn’t help smiling helplessly.“You finally decided to show up?”“After leaving all those people for me to deal with?”He let out a small sigh.“At this rate, I’m going to be exhausted before the night is over.”Maeve smiled.“Don’t worry.”“I’ll handle everything else.”Then, to Rhys’s surpr