All Chapters of Beast Taming: Start With A Dragon Legion: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
80 chapters
Chapter 21: Tremor Palm
Knox's heel touched the arena boundary line. The spear point remained steady in front of him, while the Hooktail Lizard crouched low to his side with its hooked tail ready to sweep again. There was no clean path forward, no clean path sideways, and no safe room for Echo Step. Ignis was ready through the bond, but Knox kept him restrained because one wrong burst would end the match. The crowd grew louder as Knox's heel neared the boundary line. "He is boxed in." "There is nowhere left to move." "Tobin is picking him apart." This time, the words did not sound like mockery. They sounded like a verdict. Knox had 41/60 mana remaining. Enough to keep fighting, but not enough to waste. He also knew Tremor Palm could only be used once, and it needed direct palm contact. Tobin stepped forward carefully, using the spear to shrink Knox's space instead of rushing him. His expression remained calm, but there was something colder in his eyes now. "You have done well for a provisional stude
Chapter 22: Resonance Merge
Knox stared at Tobin's transformed body with growing dread. Green scales crawled over his arms and neck. His pupils had narrowed into reptilian slits. His fingers had sharpened into claws. A hooked mana tail unfurled behind him and scraped across the arena stone with a harsh scraping sound.Knox had a dry, bitter thought that of course the academy had one more way to make his life miserable.Then he remembered what he had overlooked. Provisional students were only candidates who had passed the basic suitability test. Real academy students were expected to master Resonance Merge, a state where a summoner synchronized with their Core Summon and used the beast's combat form, instincts, and unlocked skills. Knox had been so focused on surviving the fight, reaching Top 300, and using Tremor Palm as his only opening that he had forgotten.He remembered too late.Tobin attacked before Knox could think further.Tobin's merged form moved faster than before. His spear, claws, tail, and body
Chapter 23: Mana Resonance
The timer reached zero and the system flashed.[Emergency Keeper Mission Complete][Reward Processing…][Hidden Attribute Requirement Met][Fulfilling System Attribute…]The screen completed.[System Attribute Fulfilled]Attribute: Mana ResonanceState: IncompleteEffect: Temporarily synchronizes the Keeper’s mana rhythm with his bonded beast.Duration: 6 SecondsWarning: Mana drain increases during activation.Knox stared at the screen, and for one stupid second, he wanted to curse the system out loud. He had survived Tobin’s merged assault for sixty seconds, expecting something that could actually save him. Instead, the system gave him an incomplete attribute that did not look like an attack, a defense, or a direct counter. Six seconds. That was all he got.Tobin saw Knox pause and assumed he had finally reached his limit. He moved forward, his hooked mana tail rising behind him. His spear pointed toward Knox’s chest. His merged body carried the confidence of someone who thought th
Chapter 24: Shameless Patient
“Severe mana depletion, muscle strain, and bond shock,” the nurse said. “His Core Summon was forced back to the Other Side when his mana emptied. His channels have reopened, but they are barely holding mana.”Crane’s voice followed, calm but sharp. “He broke through after the match?”“Yes,” the nurse said. “His capacity expanded to Level Two range, but his current mana is almost empty. Expansion and recovery are not the same thing.”Crane asked, “How long before he can move safely?”“At least a day,” the nurse said. “And no combat. If he forces another skill or summon too soon, he may damage his channels.”Meanwhile Knox stared at the screen from the infirmary bed. He won. His body felt like it had been run over by a summoned beast twice, but he won.The nurse finished checking his vitals and gave him one last stern look.“Rest,” she said. “No combat, no training, no summoning, and no trying to prove whatever foolish thing you young men keep trying to prove.”Knox gave a weak nod. “Th
Chapter 25: See You Around, Morales
Knox's eyes moved across the infirmary room.Tobin stood just inside the doorway with three students behind him. Two wore academy badges near Tobin's rank range, but the third badge had a sharper silver band that caught the light.Rank 298.The Rank 298 student stepped forward before Tobin could speak. He was tall, neat, and moved like someone used to being obeyed. His academy robes fit perfectly, his dark hair was combed back, and his expression was calm, almost bored.He stopped near the foot of Knox's bed."Darius," the student said simply.No family name. No title. Just Darius, like Knox should already know who he was.Knox remained lying against the pillow, exhausted and weak. His mana sat at negative four, his body ached everywhere, and Ignis pressed close to his side, tense and alert.Knox gave them a tired look. "Did you come to deliver flowers or excuses?"Tobin's jaw tightened. One of the other students smirked while Darius did not react at all.That lack of reaction made hi
Chapter 26: Mission List Updated
Knox stared at the academy communicator beside his bed.[Mission List Updated]He touched the smooth surface, and a pale green screen unfolded above it. The light was soft, almost pleasant compared to the harsh system notifications from the Dragon Vault.This was the academy’s official mission board, linked to every student’s sigil. To Knox, it felt like a magical version of an online job board from Earth, except instead of part-time delivery work and bad office listings, it showed dangerous academy assignments that could get students bitten, burned, or buried for silver coins and resources.The screen displayed:[Academy Mission Board]Student: Knox MoralesCurrent Rank: 472Access Bracket: Class CMission Eligibility: Class C Missions AvailableKnox scrolled through the available missions.Most of them were useless for his current goal.Archive Sorting AssistanceReward: 20 silverRisk: NoneTraining Yard Equipment ResetReward: 35 silverRisk: LowHerb Garden Pest SweepReward: 60
Chapter 27: Basic Resonance Merge
Students whispered before Crane arrived.Some were talking about Tobin’s Resonance Merge. Others were talking about Knox surviving it, winning, and collapsing after the match. A few still insisted Tobin only lost because Knox used some strange trick.Knox sat down with a quiet groan. His body was functional after a night of rest, but not perfect.He checked his condition.Mana: 50/100He silently counted the days since his bet with Crane. Around four days had passed, leaving him with roughly twenty-six days to reach Top 300.He thought about the Tobin fight. He had won, but the risk of that challenge still stung. If Tobin had been sharper or if Mana Resonance had failed, Knox would have lost badly.And now Tobin’s name was on the Hollowvein roster.Two other names had appeared with him.Lyle Brent.Cassa Rook.Knox did not know them. But he could swear they were the same two students who had stood behind Tobin in the infirmary.He did not want to think that way.Because if that was t
Chapter 28: The Weak Tunnel
Tobin Marr stood at the mission hall entrance with Lyle Brent and Cassa Rook.Knox looked at Lyle and Cassa properly this time, and his stomach tightened.He did not know them personally, but he recognized their faces.They were the two students who had stood with Tobin in the infirmary.His fear was right.The mission roster was not coincidence.Serena noticed Knox’s reaction and quietly asked, “Something wrong?”Knox kept his voice even. “Tobin probably still hates losing.”Serena assumed the tension was about the arena match, so she simply nodded.Tobin simply smiled.The mission clerk appeared behind the counter and gestured for the group to approach. She was an older woman with sharp eyes and academy robes marked with the mission hall sigil.She pulled out a worn map and spread it across the counter.“Hollowvein Mine,” the clerk said. “Class C difficulty. Ordinary cave animals have absorbed mana from the ore veins and mutated into low-grade mana beasts.”She tapped three sections
Chapter 29: Behind the Wall
Knox and Serena focused on the cracked wall Ignis had found. Warm air slipped through the crack, and faint mana light glowed behind the stone. Knox pulled out his cheap utility knife and scraped at the weak seam, chipping away loose rock while Serena held the light stone close. Small fragments fell away with each scrape, revealing a deeper crack underneath. Serena helped clear the loose rock with her hands, prying pieces free and tossing them aside. Ignis clawed at the lower part of the crack, his movements restless and focused. His claws scraped against stone with sharp, insistent sounds. SCRAPE. SCRAPE. The tunnel went quiet except for their work. But then the noise woke something. A heavy scraping sound came from the side wall near the entrance. Knox stopped and turned his head toward the sound. Three large Oreback Beetles crawled out from cracks in the stone. Knox had expected to be fist size but they were all but that. Each one was shield-sized, with mineral-hard shells
Chapter 30: Prism Ore
Serena stood at the broken wall, staring into the hidden cavern.She stepped closer with the light stone, and the rainbow fragments on the cave wall brightened. The pale crystals hanging from the ceiling reflected the light in sharp, prismatic colors that shifted with every angle.Her Light Spirit Fox went completely still, its three tails lowering.Serena’s voice was quiet. “It is Prism Ore.”Exactly what she had come to Hollowvein for.Knox let her have the moment.For once, Serena’s calm mask cracked slightly. She did not smile fully, but her relief showed in her eyes and the way her shoulders loosened. Her fingers brushed against one of the pale crystals near the wall, careful not to damage it.Knox watched her quietly, then turned his attention to the rest of the cavern.Knox and Serena cleared the opening enough to slip inside.The cavern was larger than Knox had expected. The ore veins ran thick across the walls, glowing with warm, steady light. The air was warmer here, almost