Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 219

"Is it Julius?" asked Ren directly, his voice barely audible.

The surprise that crossed Zhao’s face was revealing. His eyes widened momentarily before he could control his expression. He quickly looked around, ensuring no one else had heard.

"Yes," he finally confirmed, placing a finger over his lips in a clear gesture for silence. "But you shouldn’t know that, and we definitely shouldn’t be discussing this here."

Without further explanation, Zhao took Ren lightly by the shoulder and guided him toward the professors’ tent. The guards appeared surprised but didn’t question the professor as both entered, the heavy canvas flap falling shut behind them.

The tent’s interior wasn’t new to Ren. Detailed maps covered a central table, illuminated by soft light crystals that cast a warm glow over the gathered faces. Lin and Wei were discussing in hushed tones when Zhao and Ren entered, their conversation halting abruptly.

"He felt the vibrations," Zhao explained without preamble. "And he’s already learned that Julius is here."

Lin didn’t seem particularly surprised. "Of course he felt them," she commented, studying Ren with an evaluative gaze. "The question is whether he has any idea what might be happening."

"I’m not sure," Ren responded, his eyes traveling over the maps spread across the table. "But I’ve seen strange behaviors from creatures at school. Especially near the seed..."

The three professors exchanged significant looks.

"Sit," Lin indicated, pointing to a chair near the table. "We need to talk about what you just witnessed."

Ren obeyed, his mushrooms pulsing softly while evaluating the situation. He hadn’t expected his simple decision to warn about an anomalous worm would lead to this impromptu meeting with the professors.

"Julius is here along with many more auxiliaries and guards as an additional security measure because of what happened on the first trip," explained Zhao, keeping his voice low despite being inside the tent. "His presence isn’t known to the students, and we prefer to keep it that way."

"We must be prepared," added Lin, leaning forward slightly. "We can’t afford another similar incident, especially with so many important students in the first year."

"The worm," Wei returned to the topic, his fingers tapping nervously against the table’s edge, "I don’t think it’s natural. At least, it shouldn’t be so close to the surface due to the mana distribution and..."

"I know," Ren interrupted. "What do you think it means, then?"

The three professors fell silent for a moment, apparently weighing how much they could share with a student, even one as exceptional as Ren.

"What we’re going to tell you must remain between us," Zhao finally said. "Understood?"

Ren nodded, his mushrooms pulsing with what seemed to be anticipation, their glow intensifying slightly.

"We suspect there are... explorers," Lin chose the word carefully, her expression guarded.

"Yino?" Ren asked immediately, cutting to the heart of the matter.

Again, the professors exchanged glances, but this time it was Wei who responded.

"Possibly," he conceded. "Although we don’t have concrete evidence yet."

But Ren shook his head. "I think that’s very unlikely... It seems to me that the subterranean mana structure has been gradually altered even before the seed’s opening. The slightly strange behaviors near the seed make more sense then."

"Which would explain why a worm might venture so close to the surface," Zhao completed, his brow furrowing in thought.

"Exactly," Ren nodded.

"Julius should return soon to give us information about what he found underground. But he’s also looking for signs of external intervention," added Lin. "Any evidence that someone might be trying to exploit these worm tunnels."

Ren remained silent for a moment, processing all this information. The implications stretched far beyond a single misplaced worm.