Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Her fingers closed around the small crystal vial. Warm to the touch, humming faintly with concentrated energy.

Diamond-rank recovery potion. One of the few remaining in the entire kingdom. Worth literal fortune, an irreplaceable treasure…

And she was about to drink it like cheap wine. Burn through resources that could save the future from moments that might be even more critical than this one. Another gamble, that this was the moment that justified the expense.

She pulled it out and consumed it without ceremony.

The liquid absorbed rapidly. Components beginning work on systems that recognized them and directed them where they’d be most effective.

It wasn’t like normal healing. Wasn’t gradual restoration or slow regeneration. It was like every cell in her body simultaneously remembered what perfect health felt like and snapped back to that state.

Mana reserves flooded from depleted to full in seconds. From less than ten percent to one hundred percent so fast it was almost painful. Like a dry sponge suddenly immersed in water. Absorbing everything at once until filled beyond normal capacity.

And it didn’t stop there. The potion continued working clearing out accumulated mana toxins she hadn’t even realized were there. Smoothing blockages in channels that had developed over the last 3 years.

She felt stronger. More alive, this was why Diamond-rank potions were priceless. Not just because they restored, but because they improved… Left you better than you’d been before consuming them.

And she’d just burned one to let herself ‘fall into the trap’ of following Orion.

But she needed to be ready for whatever he had planned. Needed to be at absolute peak condition. Needed every advantage she could possibly secure.

Because if this went wrong, if she’d misjudged the situation, she might not get another chance. Win here and Victor lives, kingdom stays stable, Orion’s rebellion can be crushed. Lose here and everything collapses.

No pressure.

She turned to see the army behind her again. Observing how soldiers maintained positions but didn’t attack or move aggressively.

And she noted that the mutants Orion had diverted toward her position no longer surged from the ground. Having been redirected back to the main torrent continuing to flow toward the city beyond when not stopped by Arturo.

So the attack on her had been indeed deliberate. That every element of this crisis was orchestrated rather than opportunistic.

Which meant he had more capabilities than she’d seen.

Walking into this was insane. Every instinct she possessed was screaming warnings. But Victor was family. And you didn’t abandon family just because saving them was dangerous.

Selphira sighed deeply. An exhalation carrying the weight of recognizing the bitter irony of the situation.

She’d never thought she’d make this much effort to save the worst of the three brothers. But here she was committing resources and risking herself for someone who honestly bothered her considerably more than Julius or Arturo.

Victor had always been the problem child. The entitled and spoiled prince who’d had everything handed to him.

Julius was responsible and dutiful. Carried the weight of his position with appropriate seriousness even if it made him stiff and overly formal.

Arturo was intelligent, passionate and committed. Genuinely cared about people even if his methods were sometimes too statistical.

But Victor? Victor was just… Strong. Yet causing problems through negligence or arrogance. Never quite crossing the line into being bad but never quite being super helpful either.

She’d never favored him much… And yet here she was. She began following Orion toward the building, but maintained considerable distance because she didn’t trust that he’d respect the implicit truce their negotiation suggested.

She remained attentive to the barrier Orion kept manifested at all times. Ready to exploit any moment when he’d have to cancel it. Mental preparation permitting instantaneous reaction if sudden attack became permitted.

So she watched… And waited…

And followed.

They walked quietly through the last small piece of Goldcrest territory the rebel faction controlled.

Orion continued walking ahead with confidence communicating this was his domain. And Selphira followed with caution coming from recognizing each step took her deeper into terrain where the enemy had preparation advantage.

They entered the small castle that had been built specifically to guard the ruin’s entrance.

A structure that was considerably more unassuming than other fortresses of nobility typically occupied. But that served its functional purpose effectively.

Maybe even maintaining that modest appearance to deflect attention. Making it seem less important than it actually was.

The corridors they advanced through were wide. Designed to accommodate movement of large beasts that high-rank tamers would regularly manifest.

And curiously empty of guards or soldiers you’d expect to see patrolling an installation of importance.

It was an absence suggesting Orion had deliberately cleared the area. Preparation that could indicate he’d expected allowing Selphira to advance to the innermost point from the beginning.

No obstacles, no defenders and no delays. Just a clear path straight to wherever he wanted her going. Like a corridor in a slaughterhouse leading livestock to the killing floor.

And she was walking it anyway. Because Victor was at the other end. And she couldn’t abandon him no matter how obvious the trap became.

Neither of them spoke during the walk.

The silence remained tense in a manner making each step resonate louder than physical acoustics would justify. Their footsteps echoed. Victor’s body scraped. The barrier hummed faintly. But no words… No threats or negotiations yet. Just a quiet march toward a different kind of confrontation both knew was coming.

Selphira felt growing annoyance seeing Victor being dragged the entire way.

The semi-crystallized body scraped against the stone floor and probably causing additional pain even if Victor wasn’t sufficiently conscious to process it. But she said nothing. Recognizing it was probably Orion’s deliberate strategy to bother her more. Provocation designed to make her react more emotionally.

Make her angry… Classic manipulation. And it was still working despite her recognizing it for what it was.

Because watching a family member being dragged like garbage wasn’t something you could just intellectually dismiss. Even knowing it was tactic didn’t stop the fury building with each scrape of crystal against stone. Each bounce of Victor’s head on steps. Each casual demonstration of contempt for a life she was trying to preserve was another small thorn in her side.

Finally they descended several floors into the underground.