STRIKER: Independent Beast Tamer

Special Base (4th Zone)

Jeremy Night saw the natural treasures in the box.

The twenty different types of natural treasures looked distinct, and their grades were naturally higher, ranging between Tier-7 and Tier-8. He was touched.

He knew it was not easy to get these higher-level resources. Even the second- and third-year students would be jealous if they found out.

Still, he could tell that both heads wanted him to enter either of the top three zones.

At the same time, Stella saw those treasures. She felt even stronger energy. She liked it.

[This box is even better.] She said.

Jeremy heard Stella’s voice. Just like last time, she picked the treasures, and they disappeared from the storage box. All twenty different natural treasures reappeared inside the mental zone.

They hovered in front of the beautiful six-winged butterfly as Stella began to absorb their energy.

Pure, rich natural energy drifted toward the butterfly’s wings.

The wings drew the natural energy inward. Seeing that, Jeremy was not surprised; he was not worried about the Grade-7 energy being overwhelming.

He had seen her absorb far more special energy before, and that was while she was still in her unknown beast egg form.

He believed she had been even more powerful in her original form. As time passed, he watched her finish the absorption process.

Once it was complete, he saw her resting on the floor. Stella seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. If this continued, he might reach the second rank sooner than expected.

...

City A (4th Zone)

By now, all the factions knew the news, including the City Governor’s Office, the Beast Taming Association, and Central University 4.

However, because of the ongoing situation in the wilderness, the city’s beast tamers were occupied-especially the higher-tier tamers, who were busy keeping watch over the wilderness border.

Otherwise, the news about the special base would have become a trending topic.

Meanwhile, Sarah’s family learned about the request she had made.

Fortunately, the family head and the elders were cooler-headed. They had already tried once and failed; now, Jeremy Night had gained more fame and grown stronger.

It would be foolish for them to interfere. The special base operated under the Human Alliance, which governed not just this base, but all the others as well.

Any rash action could anger the alliance elders. Since the young man was actively displaying his talent, the other elders were bound to favor him.

Therefore, the family elders decided not to act. They also resolved to warn Sarah: if she took any action without their approval, there would be severe consequences.

...

3rd Zone – City A

The environment around the 3rd Zone was grim. Gloomy clouds covered many of its cities. The picture is in contrast to lower zones.

Everywhere is a battle. But the top three zones have things going on, on a different scale.

It was not only the massive City A facing danger; several other cities in the 3rd Zone were facing threats as well.

Normally, the population of the 3rd Zone was far larger than that of the lower zones.

The people here were self-sufficient. Whenever a threat from corrupted beasts arose, they possessed enough higher-tier beast tamers to resolve the problem on their own.

They had never required help from other zones, including the 1st and 2nd Zones.

Whenever a crisis occurred, they relied on other cities within their own zone.

If City A faced a shortage of beast tamers for a special mission or during an invasion battle, tamers from City B would step in.

Similarly, when City B ran into trouble, City A and City C provided support. Every city sent aid whenever an emergency arose in another.

All of this was possible because of their rich territories, which held high concentrations of natural energy. Unlike the lower zones, the top three zones occupied lands abundant in natural resources.

The beast-taming factions, alongside the Human Alliance, were steadily expanding their borders.

Many unclaimed territories were packed with natural resources, so much so that even corrupted beasts had yet to discover them.

However, corrupted beasts were also scouting these areas. Many intelligent, higher-tier beasts lived in packs and constantly searched for new habitats to expand their numbers.

More often than not, this led to violent confrontations between the beast packs and human tamers. The clashes escalated to the point where both sides began targeting each other’s settlements.

Right now, the situation was similar across all three zones: everyone was racing to claim resource-rich ground.

If the Human Alliance discovered a territory superior to the current 1st Zone, that new land would replace it as the premier zone.

...

Beast Taming Association

The city boasted many skyscrapers. One among them stood out: a tall, bluish tower with turquoise glass windows that gave it a distinct look amid the surrounding skyline.

This prominent structure was the headquarters of the Beast Taming Association. Inside, vital work was being carried out on every floor.

On one of the upper levels, a meeting regarding the upcoming recruitment drive was underway, led by elders who were Tier-9 Beast Tamers.

More than ten elders were present, yet only one of them would be sent to the special base in the 4th Zone. Each of them had pressing duties to manage.

If not for direct orders from the higher-ups, none of them would even consider traveling down to the 4th Zone.

The elders reviewed the reports with grave expressions. Too many incidents were unfolding along the border. Corrupted beast packs were not just targeting City A; they were threatening other settlements as well.

The marked wilderness territories surrounding each city were vast. Although the cities held large populations, cultivating the next generation remained an urgent priority.

For now, the elders had yet to decide who would visit the special base in the 4th Zone.

Their visit would be no mere formality; they needed to personally recruit exceptional S-grade talents for the Beast Taming Association.

Throughout the meeting, A-grade and B-grade candidates were not even considered.