Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 837 - Taming the Fifth Year - Biggest Eater - 2

For all those reasons, the Bashe was an extremely rare thing to see in Yano or even in elite circles where exotic beasts were occasionally exhibited.

It didnʼt extend the level of absolute rarity of a hydra like Renʼs, which hadnʼt reached Gold rank as anyoneʼs beast in either city in literally hundreds of years, setting aside its extravagant jade mana as well. That was an almost impossible standard to match.

The Bashe wasnʼt so unknown. It had been the beast of some high command officers in Yino in relatively recent history, according to Selphiraʼs recollection.

As recently as 80 or 100 years ago, there had been distinguished tamers in Yino who possessed Bashes cultivated to remarkable ranks and used them effectively. Sheʼd met one such tamer during a diplomatic visit, watched the serpent demonstrate techniques.

But the exchange between Yino and Yano being what it had been for decades, practically nonexistent during prolonged periods, meant that for the present audience it was basically the same as an absolute rarity.

So when Liora manifested the Bashe and its miasma made the air feel heavier for a moment, the expectation was considerable.

The atmosphere shifted noticeably. Even those in the furthest sections of the stands felt it, a subtle pressure. Spiritual weight pressing down on material reality.

Murmurs ran through the stands as everyone leaned forward to see the legendary creature that rumors had built to almost mythical proportions.

”Is that it?” someone whispered.

”Isnʼt it supposed to be huge,” another voice responded, tinged with uncertainty.

”The stories said it could swallow its same rank Bull Elephants whole...”

The energy of manifestation swirled, obscuring clear vision. The crowd held its breath.

And yet... when the serpent materialized completely and its form became visible without transition energy clouding vision...

It felt less spectacular than expected in a way that was almost disappointing.

Because the ”famed” giant serpent wasnʼt as large as rumors had suggested.

It had to be admitted that it wasnʼt small in absolute terms. Any serpent some dozen meters long and as thick as 5 human torsos together qualified as impressive by ordinary standards. It was bigger than any silver rank snake, certainly bigger than anything non-Gold-Rank-tamers would have.

But many people in this audience had seen the Red Royal Cobra of the now-punished and deposed former leader of the Zhao family, a beast that had been exhibited many times during public ceremonies before its owner fell from grace.

And that cobra had been massive in ways the Bashe simply didnʼt match, fell short of.

Legendary? It was just... big. Not legendary. Big.

Gold-rank 1 serpents in possession of different noble house leaders werenʼt uncommon to see during important events where power was displayed as demonstration of status. Several of those serpents were even superior in size to the Bashe now positioning itself opposite the wolverine.

Or even worse in comparison with Selphiraʼs own massive White Serpent, though that was a slightly unfair evaluation since it was a beast of higher rank than Lioraʼs Gold 1 Bashe.

But it was a comparison that came naturally to mind because although seeing it wasnʼt common, Selphira had manifested it during the war a few years ago. And her serpent had been easily 2× more ”giant” than this supposed Bull Elephant devourer.

The disappointment rippled through sections of the crowd in visible waves. Shoulders slumped. Excited chatter died down. Some people actually sat back, apparently deciding this wouldnʼt be as interesting as anticipated.

Lioraʼs Bashe had a dark purple color that was disturbingly similar to the tone of corruption many had seen in infected creatures, and the miasma emanating from it didnʼt help that impression.

For those with superstitions about meanings of beast colors, and there were many such people in any crowd, they saw it as a ”bad color” suggesting corrupt or dangerous nature in ways that generated instinctive distrust.

Purple like bruised flesh. Purple like poisoned blood. Purple like the corruption that had ate at Yinoʼs edges and slowly spread despite all efforts to contain it.

”That thing doesnʼt look right,” someone muttered.

”Unnatural,” their companion agreed. ”It shouldnʼt exist.”

Additionally, the aura of spiritual miasma the serpent constantly emanated, slightly visible haze that floated around its body like a personal cloud, didnʼt help improve the initial impression.

The mist moved wrong. Not flowing with air currents but following its own logic, curling and twisting in spiral patterns that had nothing to do with wind or temperature… It clung to the ground, then it reached upward and it did both simultaneously in ways that hurt the brain to watch too closely.

And its face, which wasnʼt as conventionally serpentine as the audience would expect, was considered ”terrifying” by several spectators who murmured comments about the creatureʼs unnatural appearance.

But that was largely superstition without foundation in rational threat analysis.

The relatively long, undulating ”hair” of the serpent and horn-like structures growing from its head that didnʼt exist in ordinary serpents, made it strangely resemble a demonic woman with a mouth permanently open in a creepy smile displaying considerable fangs.

Not a snakeʼs face at all, really. Something else wearing a snakeʼs body…. Something that looked at you and saw prey or plaything or both.

And the spiritual glow in its eyes, a luminescence that didnʼt come from light reflection but from internal energy, were the only things truly different from a conventional serpent beyond cosmetic peculiarities.

It was still tangible, a solid physical body occupying space in the material world in ways the wisp hadnʼt.

The Bashe couldnʼt yet turn intangible as the spirit had demonstrated during its battle with the wolverine. Its spiritual power wasnʼt so deeply rooted in its fundamental nature yet, that would require more cultivation before unlocking capabilities that blurred the line between physical and ethereal completely.

Perhaps at Gold 3, when its spiritual essence had matured sufficiently. Perhaps not until Platinum rank, when the transformation from primarily physical to primarily spiritual would accelerate dramatically.

So yes, it was a rare beast that generated interest through the novelty of seeing it. But it wasnʼt as visually impressive as some had expected after hearing rumors about ”the largest serpent” that supposedly could swallow a Bull Elephant of the same rank easily, a feat no other comparable serpent could achieve.

It didnʼt look capable of that no matter how wide it opened its mouth, demonstrating 180-degree jaw amplitude that would be impressive in any other context. Especially when other serpents of similar rank were slightly larger and also couldnʼt execute such an act.

”Maybe itʼs exaggerated?” someone whispered in the stands.

”Has to be. Look at it. Itʼs big, but not that big.”

Perhaps it was an unfounded rumor from Yinoʼs inhabitants who hadnʼt seen the ”true” giant serpents of Yano, a story that had grown in repetition until it became accepted ”fact”?