Beast Taming: Start With A Dragon Legion

Chapter 14: The Price Of Progress

Knox stepped out of Arena C and looked at the ranking board.

Rank 487.

He had won, but he had not climbed. For a moment, the one-month deadline pressed against his chest like a weight.

So this was the academy's trap. It gave weak students a taste of height, then waited for stronger hands to drag them down. Knox had survived the first pull yes but that was all. He had not risen but stayed where he was.

Knox turned down a side path between two academy buildings. He needed to get away from the watching eyes before his legs gave out.

The moment he rounded the corner, his legs almost buckled. The double Echo Step against Venn had taken more from him than he admitted. His calves burned, his knees felt weak, and his breathing was heavier than it should be.

Ignis stretched on his shoulder slightly, but Knox could feel through the bond that Ignis was also tired. Ignis's Burst Step had been unstable, and every use burned stamina. His small body felt heavier than usual, like deadweight pressing down on Knox's shoulder. Knox realized they won, but only barely.

He stopped beside a stone wall and leaned against it. His hands shook slightly as he pulled up the system notification from the fight.

[Official Challenge Victory Recorded]

[Opponent Defeated: Venn Rusk — Common Rank 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 and checked his current status.

Dragon Points: 13

Academy Rank: 487

Mana: 11/55

Knox stared at the mana count.

Eleven out of fifty-five.

His mana pool was not just some abstract number on a screen. It was the reserve his body drew from every time he reinforced himself, activated Echo Step, or sent commands through the bond

Ignis’s Burst Step had its own cost too. The movement burned Ignis’s stamina first, but every unstable burst still tugged through the bond and scraped against Knox’s mana.

Now that reserve was almost empty.

That explained the shaking in his legs, the heaviness in his chest and the slight delay he felt whenever he reached for Ignis through the bond.

Mana would recover with rest, food, and proper breathing, but recovery was slow without pills, cores, or access to a cultivation room.

Knox looked at Ignis beside him. Ignis tried to act proud after the victory, but his legs trembled slightly on his shoulder.

"Your legs feel heavy?" Knox asked.

A little, Ignis admitted through the bond. Burst Step makes my body feel strange.

Knox pushed off the wall and started walking again. His legs still ached, but he could move.

The gap was obvious now. Venn had not even been rich by noble standards, yet he had pulled out a storage band and a training spear like they were ordinary tools. Knox had no proper weapon. No storage band. No recovery medicine. No mana pills. No beast feed. No cultivation room access. No sponsor. And above all, no offensive technique.

The academy was not fair. Students with family backing recovered faster, trained longer, and bought better equipment. Knox could win once through tactics, but if he kept fighting with no resources, he would eventually hit a wall. The fifty silver from the Swift-Horn Rabbit mission helped, but it was not enough as real growth cost money.

Knox thought about his current situation. Challenges raised rank, but challenges were dangerous when his mana was low. Missions did not raise rank, but missions gave the things he needed to survive challenges. Silver. Mana cores. Herbs. Beast materials. Recovery items. Growth opportunities. This was where Knox decided he could not only chase rank. He needed to build foundation first. He needed missions.

Knox arrived at the mission board near the training complex. The board glowed faintly with mana-etched text. Several students stood nearby, checking available missions. Knox scanned the listings.

Iron Ant Nest Inspection

Reward: 80 silver

Risk: Medium

Note: Team recommended

Training Yard Cleanup

Reward: 20 silver

Risk: Low

Swift-Horn Rabbit Follow-up

Reward: 35 silver

Risk: Low

Warmstone Greenhouse Pest Removal

Objective: Remove Tremor Moles from damaged Moonroot section

Reward: 50 silver coins, 3 low-grade mana core fragments, bonus pay for limited damage

Risk: Low to Medium

Knox first looked at the Iron Ant mission because it paid more. But he rejected it. Team recommended meant he'd need to split the reward. The Tremor Mole mission caught his eye next.

Warmstone Greenhouse Pest Removal

Objective: Remove Tremor Moles from damaged Moonroot section

Reward: 50 silver coins, 3 low-grade mana core fragments, bonus pay for limited damage

Risk: Low to Medium

The system flickered.

[Compatibility Detected]

No reward preview. No explanation but it got Knox's attention. The system had reacted once before during the Swift-Horn Rabbit mission, and that led to Burst Step and Echo Step. So he could not ignore it.

Knox reached out and accepted the mission. The board display updated.

[Mission Accepted]

Warmstone Greenhouse Pest Removal

Objective:

Remove Tremor Moles from damaged Moonroot section.

Minimum Success:

3 captured or driven out.

Full Completion:

5 removed with limited Moonroot damage.

Reward:

50 silver coins

3 low-grade mana core fragments

Bonus pay if Moonroot damage is minimized

Knox did not know what the compatibility meant. He only knew the system had reacted. The mission looked like dirty pest work. But the system had reacted. Knox adjusted Ignis on his shoulder and turned away from the board. If there was something buried inside this mission, he would dig it out.