Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 241

The caravan carts advanced heavily along the dirt road, their wheels creaking over occasional stones as they left the gathering territory behind.

The sky stretched in an intense blue above their heads, with just a few scattered clouds offering moments of welcome shade in the midday heat.

The gathering had been abruptly interrupted, to the disappointment of many students. As a concession, the professors had reduced the approval requirement to six thousand crystals in total value, an adjustment considered fair given the lost time.

But for Ren's group, this change was irrelevant. They had exceeded even the original requirements several times over.

In one of the carts, sitting tightly packed between piles of gathered materials, Klein Goldcrest maintained a tense conversation with his followers. His expression oscillated between frustration and cold determination as he mentally calculated his next moves.

"A minimum of one hundred and fifty thousand points for the lowest member of that enormous group," Astor murmured, remembering the official announcements. He shook his head in disbelief. "The mushroom boy's group has shattered any first-year record. Possibly of any year."

Klein clenched his fists on his knees. The semester honor, that recognition he had planned to obtain as a first step toward platinum student status, seemed to be slipping through his fingers like fine sand. The legacy he had promised to uphold for his family name was being overshadowed by a brain rotted commoner with fungi growing from his head.

"It's only the first unit," he replied, his voice controlled but charged with tension. "There are still four more. I just need to surpass him in three."

Feng, seated across from him, nodded with a somber expression. "Especially in battle. When your lion reaches Bronze 1, you'll tear him to pieces."

"Exactly," Klein smiled, though the gesture didn't reach his eyes. A cold calculation resided there instead. "This is just a setback. A stroke of luck that won't be repeated."

Another cart, in contrast, overflowed with energy and animated conversations.

The atmosphere was light despite the recent dangers they had faced, a celebration of survival and success.

Too many students had crowded into it, clearly exceeding its recommended capacity, but no one seemed willing to separate from the main group.

Their shared experiences had forged bonds that none wanted to break, even temporarily.

Ren sat between Taro and Min, with Han facing them, his leg extended on an improvised bench of backpacks. Luna, Liora, and Larissa occupied the nearby space, while the maids and the rest of the students accommodated themselves wherever they could, creating an organized chaos of bodies and materials.

Min, whose water serpent healer still had enough energy to continue working, had attended to the minor injuries that persisted in several of his companions. His fingers, surrounded by a faint bluish glow, traced small bruises, accelerating their healing.

"Hold still!" he ordered Han while examining his fractured leg, now almost completely recovered thanks to previous treatments.

Ren nodded, "Listen to Min... There are still small cracks in your bone that need to seal."

"I can't believe you missed almost all the action," Min continued, unable to contain a mocking smile. "Knocked out while Ren fought an abyssal abomination. What bad luck!"

Han merely laughed, though something in his gaze revealed an underlying tension that only Ren seemed to notice.

"Bad luck, indeed," Han responded with forced lightness. "But I'm grateful that Ren saved me. Though I'm sure you would have been trembling in a corner, probably wetting your pants."

"The only one who doesn't control his bladder here is you!" Min exclaimed indignantly, remembering the frequent pauses for "relief" that Han always requested during their expeditions.

A wave of laughter swept through the cart, momentarily alleviating the tension accumulated from recent events.

Liora, who had remained unusually quiet, looked up at the clear sky. Her normally serene face held a shadow of regret.

"I can't help but regret it," she said softly. "We couldn't be of help. We didn't manage to get out of the underground by ourselves."

Her comment brought a brief contemplative silence to the group. The memory of being trapped, of walls crumbling and shadow stalkers advancing, hung heavy in the air.

"If it hadn't been for Julius..." Maria began, leaving the sentence incomplete, but the message was clear to everyone.