STRIKER: Independent Beast Tamer

Special Base (4th Zone)

Jeremy decided to head back to his room. Not long after taking a couple of steps, he heard a shout:

”Stop!”

It was a loud voice from behind. Hearing that, he was a bit taken aback and turned around to look.

He wondered who had called him. Standing in front of him, he saw four Tier-7 Beast Tamers.

All of them were middle-aged men. They were glaring at him, which came as no surprise.

The four men showed greater hostility toward Jeremy than anyone else. It was because all four of their names had dropped out of the top 50 on the leaderboard rankings.

They had discovered that this happened right after Jeremy Night’s name was added to the list.

Their faces showed mild irritation, but fury was actually boiling in their hearts. If not for the current setting, they would have attacked Jeremy Night already. Not all of the senior members were clear-headed.

Some clearly felt their opportunity had been snatched away by the young man. A few of them harbored hatred toward the elders as well. There was no need for them to recruit a Tier-3 Beast Tamer.

Everyone shared the thought that the young man had years ahead of him. If he failed, he could get another opportunity in the future, but this was the last chance for many of the Beast Tamers gathered here.

Seeing that four members were confronting Jeremy Night, none of the onlookers stepped forward to mediate. It was happening a couple of hundred meters away from the training facility.

Second- and third-year students nearby had gathered to watch the situation with excitement. They wondered whether the seniors were going to fight the young man.

Jeremy, on the other hand, was a bit shocked by the development. Clearly, they were not here to praise him. He smelled trouble.

”Jeremy Night, why didn’t you ever greet us?”

”Are you looking down on us?” a black-haired, middle-aged man demanded.

A loud gasp sounded from the crowd. No one expected the seniors to pick this approach, though they did not really have any other grounds to target Jeremy Night.

”That’s right. We are your seniors, three tiers above you. Yet you fail to show respect,” a slightly muscular, middle-aged man added.

The other two beside him raised the same accusation. A considerable crowd had gathered, watching the scene with excitement.

Even a few first-years were present. Right then, Oscar Fletcher and his group of friends arrived. Sarah was among them as well. Her face showed no displeasure; she behaved as usual around her friends.

The commotion had attracted everyone. Once they drew near, they saw what was going on.

Sarah’s eyes flashed with a cold glint. She had not expected to see Jeremy Night here. When her gaze fell on the middle-aged men, she was shocked. They were all seniors and Tier-7 Beast Tamers.

Oscar Fletcher watched the scene as well. His lips turned up slightly, though he quickly regained a neutral expression. Right then, he and his friends learned what had happened from the onlookers.

Sarah was surprised. She felt the seniors’ pretext was hard to counter; no one could defend Jeremy Night in this situation. Even the elders would have no say in it.

She thought that if Jeremy Night apologized, he might escape the current predicament, but the odds of that seemed slim. The seniors were unlikely to let him off easily.

Oscar Fletcher, on the other hand, was rejoicing inside. He knew Jeremy Night had no real friends to step in and save him right now.

Meanwhile, the four seniors grinned. Sensing the crowd’s favor, their initial hesitation faded, their hostility fueled by the onlookers.

Jeremy Night clenched his fists. If this were the wilderness, he would have broken their jaws already.

[Let me out for a second.]

Jeremy heard Stella’s cold, angry voice. He was startled and quickly replied, ”Don’t worry, I can handle them with ease.”

If Stella appeared, she would slice them into pieces. He had no intention of becoming a criminal hunted by the Human Alliance.

The heavily built middle-aged man stepped forward. Assuming the young man was frozen in fear, the other three men stepped forward as well.

They had no intention of killing or seriously injuring him; they merely wanted to vent their frustration, but the sudden gathering of the crowd only stoked their anger.

”Why are you quiet?”

”Are you scared?” the heavily built man asked in rapid succession.

Jeremy Night’s mind worked through a plan. He wanted to avoid a confrontation. Glancing at the crowd, he noticed most of them were recording videos and taking photos with their handheld devices.

His eyes flashed with a glint. He decided not to take the initiative, it would only make things worse. With recruitment around the corner, he could not afford to ruin his chances over petty politics.

He abruptly turned around to leave.

The heavily built man froze in place, stunned. The three friends behind him were just as shocked.

The crowd gathered there was equally surprised. They had anticipated a fight and never expected Jeremy Night to simply walk away.

”Senior, he’s disrespecting you again! He’s looking down on you!” Oscar Fletcher shouted suddenly.

Hearing that, Sarah and the friends around him were shocked. Sarah was particularly taken aback; she had assumed Oscar had given up.

Seeing this, she realized he had only been waiting for an opening. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he seized it immediately.

At the same time, the heavily built man reacted. Stung by the perceived insult, a sudden fury surged through him. He raised a hand and lunged forward to grab Jeremy Night’s shoulder.

His three companions behind him were startled.

This was not part of the plan, yet their friend was losing his temper over a provocation from the crowd. The spectators continued snapping photos and recording video.

Finally, they were about to see some action. They are looking towards Jeremy Night with anticipation. They don’t know what’s he going to do next.