Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 218 - Taming the Finals (Unit 1) - 9

Though there shouldnʼt be anything beneath them in this area.

The conversation drifted toward plans for the following day. The boysʼ voices gradually lowered as fatigue from the dayʼs exertions settled in their bodies.

Gradually, the conversation died down, replaced by deep breathing and occasional snores. The night silence was only interrupted by the distant sounds of local fauna and the crackling of the central fire that remained lit all night.

Ren was about to fall asleep but still awake, his mushrooms pulsing softly in a slow and constant rhythm.

It was then that he felt it.

A subtle vibration, almost imperceptible, transmitted through the skins. So slight that anyone else would have confused it with their own breathing, or perhaps with the movement of a nearby companion.

But Ren managed to distinguish it.

This vibration was different: deep, rhythmic, and above all, impossible.

His mushrooms pulsed with greater intensity while he processed what he was feeling.

It was a...

It was a...

A...

A lesser worm?

It was undoubtedly the characteristic movement of a lesser worm, but there was something fundamentally wrong with it.

Worms shouldnʼt be able to come so close to the surface, not in this area.

Ren mentally reviewed the subterranean geography he knew from the information that had never failed him.

Mana in the subsoil was and wasnʼt distributed uniformly at the same time.

It wasnʼt a simple sphere of mana that behaved the same throughout the world. It was more like an icosahedron from which one of the points originated in the cityʼs castle, with distribution lines that followed specific geometric patterns.

The main mana arteries, those major veins that transported energy from the depths, followed predictable trajectories based on the points of this geometric figure.

Between these arteries, the figureʼs lines connected in a straight and direct manner, but because the earth is a sphere, the subsoilʼs mana was distributed in a gentle but constant slope as it moved away from the points.

Surface mana, on the other hand, radiated from the light abyss crack and acted as a force field, like an atmosphere that lost its strength as it moved away from that crack. Like a belt for the planet...

An incomplete shield.

At the current depth Ren could perceive it, so close to the surface of the iron ring, there shouldnʼt be enough mana to sustain a worm for long, not even a lesser one.

The closest point with the appropriate concentration would be about two hundred meters underground, a considerable distance for a displaced worm… even if it was being pursued, it wouldnʼt have gone that far.

Or at least not a big chance to be escaping perfectly vertically for more than 50 meters.

Those 200 meters should also always be free of mana, without exception.

Environmental mana neither rises nor falls, doesnʼt invade spaces; when in the environment, it behaves like radiation and only at certain concentrations and pressure does it become a resistant crystal.

The shadow stalker caves, while deep by human standards and able to descend between 20 and 30 meters, barely scratched the surface in geological terms.

They didnʼt remotely reach the natural territory of worms. The two species simply didnʼt overlap in their habitual distribution.

ʼUnless...ʼ Ren sat up slowly. ʼWhat if the mana distribution is changing?ʼ

The idea was disturbing. The structure of subterranean mana had remained constant for millennia according to what his knowledge whispered.

The recent opening of the seed certainly qualified as a slightly disruptive event, but its effects should have been localized, concentrated primarily in the immediate area 300 meters below the academy. This gathering site was too far from that to be affected.

Ren placed his hand directly on the ground, eliminating even the layer of skins to obtain a clearer sensation. The vibration continued; he hadnʼt imagined anything. The cool earth beneath his palm seemed to tremble with a rhythm.

He considered waking the others, but what exactly would he tell them? That he had felt a vibration suggesting the impossible presence of a worm near the surface? That he suspected the fundamental structure of mana might be altering?

ʼI need more information before causing an uproar; itʼs not trying to reach the surface anyway,ʼ he decided, remaining alert and focused on the movement.

His mind began analyzing other possibilities. Perhaps it wasnʼt a natural worm. It could be the vibrations of a tamer simulating a lesser worm with great precision, though that would raise the question of who and why someone would be digging so close to the camp.

There was also the possibility that it was a natural phenomenon unrelated to worms. But extremely coincidentally similar to worm movement.

But none of these explanations made much sense. The patterns were too perfect, too organic to be mechanical, and too deep for someone trying to spy or seeking to invade...

Finally, he decided that, without more information, it was best to alert Zhao. If something really was altering the subterranean mana distribution, it wasnʼt a matter to be taken lightly.

Carefully, so as not to wake his companions, Ren silently rose. Min mumbled something in his sleep and turned over, but didnʼt wake. The others continued sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the anomaly Ren had detected.

As he headed toward the professorsʼ section, Ren kept his steps light and calculated, avoiding any sudden movements that might alert the subterranean creature. His mushrooms barely pulsed, reducing their glow to a minimum to avoid drawing attention in the campʼs dim light.

The teachersʼ tent was guarded by two assistants who watched the small fabric entrance.

Before Ren could explain the situation, the door opened from within and Zhao emerged, his tense expression revealing that something had already alerted him.

”Professor,” whispered Ren, approaching cautiously. ”Thereʼs something moving under the camp. A vibration pattern similar to a wormʼs, but impossibly close to the surface.”

Zhao studied Ren for a moment upon finding him awake, surprise briefly flickering across his features. ”Weʼve felt it too,” he confirmed in a low voice, guiding Ren a few steps away from the guards. ”But weʼve already sent someone with earth specialty to investigate. It shouldnʼt represent an immediate danger.”

Instead of feeling relieved, Ren frowned. Something in the explanation didnʼt match the vibrations he had felt. If they had already sent someone, he should have detected a second presence, not just the wormʼs movement.

So surely that someone had just set out.

Following his impulse, Ren knelt and placed both hands directly on the ground, closing his eyes to focus completely on the sensations transmitted through the earth.

Now he could clearly distinguish two entities: one with the unmistakable pattern of a lesser worm, moving erratically as if fleeing, and another significantly larger and faster that pursued it with relentless elemental earth control.

Finally, the larger entity reached the worm. There was only a moment of struggle before everything became strangely still.

Ren slowly opened his eyes, finding Zhao and watching him intently.

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