Beast Taming: Start With A Dragon Legion

Chapter 13: The First Challenge

Knox and Venn stood on opposite sides of the stone platform as the barrier rose around them. The mana cores embedded in the five metal pillars glowed brighter, feeding power into the protection array. A faint shimmer spread across the transparent barrier.

Students gathered around the arena, pressing close to watch. They all probably wanted to see the lizard boy get crushed.

Marcus leaned against the railing with a grin. Noah watched silently from the back. Serena stood with her arms crossed, her Light Spirit Fox seated beside her.

Crane stood near the instructor station, notepad in hand, her expression unreadable.

Knox felt the weight of their attention, but he stayed calm.

He had already noticed Venn's desperation.

Venn released his aura.

Thick green mana wrapped around his body, far denser than Knox's faint glow. It reinforced his limbs, strengthened his stance, and pulsed with steady power.

Knox felt the pressure from across the arena. Venn was clearly stronger. The mana density and aura control made that obvious.

But if Venn had been at the academy for a while and still looked this desperate, that raised a question. Was advancing that hard, or was the academy simply that cruel?

Knox's jaw tightened.

He still could not trade blows directly with someone like that.

The assistant instructor raised his hand. "The rules are simple. A summoner wins if the opponent yields, leaves the arena, loses consciousness, loses bond control, or if the opponent's beast is disabled long enough for a ten-count. Killing is forbidden, but pain and injuries are real."

He looked at Knox. "This is a defensive challenge. If you win, your rank remains unchanged. If you lose, you will be demoted."

Knox nodded.

Defending Rank 487 would not help him climb toward Top 300, but losing would push him down.

If he had to defend, he would make the win count.

Knox glanced at Venn's grey sigil, at the older students watching from the sidelines, at the ranks displayed on the challenge board.

He understood now.

The academy had inserted provisional students into the existing ranking board on purpose. It gave them a taste of higher access, then opened challenges so stronger students could push them down if they did not deserve it.

Rank 487 was not a gift.

It was bait.

Knox looked at Venn again and saw the desperation in his stance. Venn wanted to beat Knox and return to Class C access, but Knox saw the flaw clearly.

If Venn took Rank 487 without real strength, he would only become the weakest target in Class C. He was not climbing toward power. He was panicking away from weakness.

Knox decided to capitalize on that mistake.

The assistant instructor dropped his hand. "Begin!"

Venn moved immediately.

He touched the bronze band wrapped around his wrist. A rune flashed, and a short spear slid into his hand from thin air.

Knox's eyes narrowed.

Storage band.

Venn had better resources. Knox had nothing but his bare hands and a drake most students still called a lizard.

Venn charged forward, green aura flaring around the weapon. At the same time, his Needle-Horn Goat lowered its head and launched toward Ignis with explosive force.

Knox and Ignis faced a two-front assault.

Knox separated the fight instantly.

Handle the goat, Knox thought through the bond. I'll deal with Venn.

Understood, Ignis replied.

The Needle-Horn Goat's horn glowed dull yellow as it charged. Ignis activated Burst Step.

Blue light flickered around his legs, and he shot sideways but a tad bit far.

Ignis rolled across the stone, barely avoiding the horn, and tumbled to a stop near the edge of the arena.

The crowd laughed.

"The lizard can't even dodge properly!"

"This is over already."

Knox sent calm through the bond. Stop trying to outrun it. Start baiting it.

Ignis pushed himself up and steadied his stance. Got it.

Venn pressed Knox with a thrust from his spear.

Knox dodged sideways. The spear tip whistled past his ribs, missing by inches.

The force of Venn's green aura made the air hiss where the spear passed. Knox's weaker aura could not stand against it just yet.

He had no weapon, reach or choice but to move.

Venn thrust again.

Knox angled left. The spear sliced through the sleeve of his training robe, cutting fabric but missing skin.

The crowd murmured.

Venn grinned and advanced. "Weak students should stop pretending they belong in higher access brackets."

Knox kept retreating. He made it look like he was barely surviving but his mind was on the all time high as he studied Venn.

Venn's green aura flared before every full thrust. His front foot planted hard before committed attacks and his spear shoulder tightened just before release.

Strong, but predictable.

Knox realised that Venn fought the same way as his beast: direct pressure, straight lines, and heavy mana use.

Another thrust came low, sweeping toward Knox's knee.

Knox pulled his leg back. The spear tip scraped the stone where his foot had been a second ago.

That was close, too close in fact as one clean hit could end the fight.

Knox started retreating in controlled steps, guiding Venn's attacks without appearing to. Venn grew more confident and poured more mana into his strikes.

Across the arena, Ignis followed Knox's intent through the bond and began luring the goat into repeated charges instead of clashing with it directly.

The goat charged.

Ignis dodged.

The goat turned and charged again.

Ignis barely slipped away.

Each time the goat missed, it needed a breath to turn. Its charge was terrifying in a straight line, but once committed, it belonged to the direction it had chosen.

The crowd thought Knox was losing.

But Crane's pen paused over her notepad, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

Venn was wasting mana without noticing.

Venn lunged forward with another spear thrust, and Knox dodged just barely. Venn's frustration grew.

Knox smiled faintly. "I understand why you're desperate to escape Class D. But beating the weakest-looking student will only make you the weakest target in Class C."

Venn's face went red. "Shut up!"

He attacked harder, his green aura flaring brighter as he thrust the spear toward Knox's chest.

Knox stepped back.

The spear cut through empty air.

Venn's breathing was heavier now. His movements were still strong, but Knox noticed the recovery gaps getting longer between attacks.

The goat's horn glow was dimming also.

Knox's plan was working.

He guided Ignis toward the edge of the arena through the bond, near one of the mana-core pillars where the barrier felt strongest. Ignis stood in the goat's line of sight and waited.

The Needle-Horn Goat pawed the ground, its yellow horn glowing brighter.

It lowered its head and charged.

Ignis did not move.

The crowd all murmured when they saw this.

At the last instant, Ignis used a short Burst Step.

Blue light flickered and he shot sideways.

CRASH!

The goat slammed into the barrier at full speed. The protection array absorbed the impact, but the rebound threw the goat backward. It stumbled, shaking its head, legs buckling slightly.

Dazed.

Venn spared a glance toward his summon for half a second but that was all Knox needed.

Knox moved the instant Venn’s attention shifted.

Echo Step activated.

His body blurred one meter to the side, and Venn’s spear stabbed through empty air where Knox’s ribs had been a heartbeat earlier. Venn had expected Knox to rush in recklessly after the opening.

Instead, Knox avoided the counter first.

Knox's leg burned, but he could not stop.

If he paused, Venn would recover.

Knox activated Echo Step again.

Forward.

Pain tore through his legs and his knees lost strength mid-burst.

The movement was not clean.

Knox crashed into Venn shoulder-first instead of landing smoothly inside his guard.

Both of them stumbled.

For a split second, it looked like Knox had messed up.

But Knox adapted almost immediately.

The crash ruined Venn's spear advantage. At close range, the weapon became awkward.

Knox hooked Venn's spear arm with his left hand and drove his shoulder into Venn's chest. He stepped behind Venn's planted front leg and used Venn's forward momentum to throw him off-balance.

Venn fell.

Knox went down with him, turning the fall into control. He trapped Venn's spear arm under his body and pressed the blunt shaft across Venn's throat, pinning him to the stone.

Venn struggled, his aura flickering.

The Needle-Horn Goat shook off its daze and tried to return to Venn.

Ignis intercepted it.

Ignis darted across the goat's vision, snapping near its front legs, forcing it to turn. The goat was built for straight-line charges, not tight turning which meant every feint cost it seconds.

Ignis stole time.

The assistant instructor began the count.

"One."

Venn struggled harder under Knox. His green aura flared once, trying to push Knox off.

Knox tightened the hold. His legs shook beneath him, the effect double Echo Step still burning through his muscles.

"Two."

The spear shaft pressed harder against Venn's throat.

"Three."

Venn's face twisted with anger and humiliation.

"Four."

His green aura dimmed.

"Five."

The Needle-Horn Goat almost broke past Ignis. Ignis used another short Burst Step, cutting off its path again.

"Six."

Knox's arms strained. The hold nearly slipped.

"Seven."

Venn stopped struggling, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Eight."

The arena went dead silent.

"Nine."

Venn's eyes closed.

"Ten."

The assistant instructor raised his hand. "Winner: Knox Morales."

The barrier began to lower.

The challenge board flashed and updated.

Defensive Challenge Result:

Winner: Knox Morales

Rank: 487

Challenge Status: Recovery Lock

Venn Rusk

Rank: 521 — Class D Access

Knox stood slowly and stepped back. His legs almost buckled from the double Echo Step, but he hid it.

Venn pushed himself up, his face red with shame. He recalled his Needle-Horn Goat without looking at Knox and walked out of Arena C.

Knox took a slow breath.

He had won, but his rank had not moved.

Defensive victories protected him, but they did not help him climb.

Then words appeared before his eyes.

[Official Challenge Victory Recorded]

[Opponent Defeated: Venn Rusk — Level 3]

[Defensive Challenge Won]

Rewards Granted:

Dragon Points +5

Agility +1

Echo Step Proficiency +5%

Burst Step Proficiency +3%

Combat Adaptation Recorded

Knox dismissed the notification. Ignis hopped back onto his shoulder, exhausted but steady as they planned their next move.