Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 935 - Taming Rationing

On Renʼs side, the situation had deteriorated considerably as time advanced from when the initial defense had been established.

What had begun as a coordinated effort by hundreds of combatants had now been reduced to resistance sustained by fewer than one hundred defenders. Attrition having removed those with lesser reserves or whose beasts had been incapacitated by cumulative damage.

Not many dead, mostly just exhausted beyond ability to contribute. But the effect on the defensive capability was the same.

And the mutants kept coming... Endless. Like a tide that never retreated. Just wave after wave breaking against the defensive line that grew thinner with each assault.

Only the highest power levels remained active in relevant combat capacity.

The Silver-rank students whoʼd contributed valiantly during the initial phase were now mostly withdrawn. Exhaustion forcing them to positions where they could recover under the protection of those who still had energy to continue.

Theyʼd done their part. Had fought until they literally couldnʼt anymore. Until their beasts refused manifesting because there was no mana left to sustain them.

Now they huddled in the upper stands. Trying to meditate, to recover even fragments of their spent reserves. Knowing that if the defensive line broke, theyʼd be defenseless and unable to fight. Just targets waiting for slaughter.

But even among those who remained fighting, efficiency was degrading as fatigue made techniques theyʼd normally execute perfectly become less precise, more costly in terms of mana spent for result achieved.

It was like trying to write with numb fingers. The knowledge was there, the skill existed, but the body wasnʼt responding correctly. Every technique took longer to manifest, required more concentration and consumed more energy because the channels werenʼt flowing smoothly anymore.

Ren was beginning to feel the toll from the prolonged battle against Min that had preceded this massive assault.

The Wolverine, which had fought consecutively against the Amphibian and then the serpent without rest between confrontations, was running out of energy, making its effectiveness fall notably.

Ren could feel it through the bond. The creatureʼs frustration and its determination to keep fighting despite exhaustion. But determination didnʼt create mana from nothing…

Willpower couldnʼt sustain combat indefinitely.

Luna had taken the lead in eliminating corrupt beasts.

Her wolf and tiger working in coordination. They moved like extensions of her will, covering weaknesses and operating with synchronization that made them deadlier than their individual capabilities suggested.

And she was being effectively supported by Liora and Larissa. The three forming a resistance core that was already better than Ren alone. They kept their defense sector functioning when others were collapsing under pressure.

It was an impressive coordination. Three powerful tamers working as a unit. But some of it came at a cost. Lioraʼs Bashe had especially exploited the absorption ability to maintain itself considerably more active than other beasts depending solely on their own reserves.

The capacity to steal energy from mutants it eliminated provided constant supply extending sustainability beyond what would normally be possible. It was a tactical advantage that had permitted Liora to contribute at levels exceeding what her power level alone would justify.

Every mutant the Bashe killed became fuel. Mana reclaimed from corruption and converted into power that could kill more mutants... It was beautiful efficiency. A self-sustaining cycle that shouldʼve let her fight indefinitely.

Shouldʼve… But there was always a catch.

The corruption impregnating the energy the Bashe absorbed was beginning to affect it in worrying ways.

Contamination appearing as distortion in the beastʼs aura and as interference in Lioraʼs mana channels that transported energy between tamer and creature. The channels that shouldʼve been clear spiritual conduits were turning dark. Murky... Like clean water becoming polluted.

It wasnʼt a problem yet. But it was deterioration accumulating with each additional absorption. A warning that the technique that had been so effective had hidden costs that could eventually result in serious consequences.

Liora could feel it. A wrongness... Like drinking water that tasted slightly off, like something foreign in her system that didnʼt belong, something her ʼmana immune systemʼ was trying to purge but couldnʼt quite eliminate.

And it was getting worse. Each absorbed mutant added more corruption. Larissa insisted with growing urgency upon seeing the blackened channels in her sworn sisterʼs skin that she shouldnʼt do it anymore.

The channels were visible now. Dark lines running under Lioraʼs skin like bruises. Spreading from where the Basheʼs bond connected to her cultivation base. Creeping outward with each absorption. Getting darker and wider.

”We donʼt know what corruption can do to you long-term,” Larissa argued with a worried voice carrying the trauma of having seen Ren covered by corruption and attacking his allies in a situation sheʼd arrived almost too late to reverse.

That memory haunted her. Renʼs eyes vacant and his power turned against those he cared about. Corruption had gotten into his system and hijacked his control.

She wouldnʼt let that happen to Liora... Couldnʼt, the risk was unacceptable regardless of present benefits.

”Itʼs not worth the risk when we donʼt completely understand the consequences,” she continued. Trying to make Liora see reason. ”You could be permanently damaging yourself.”

Liora acceded momentarily. Withdrawing the Bashe from active absorption mode and limiting techniques to those depending only on internal reserves.

But she maintained with determination admitting no debate that sheʼd have to do it again if the defense fell even further. If the situation deteriorated to the point where immediate survival mattered more than concerns about long-term health.

”If the alternative is permitting everyone to die because I was too cautious, then Iʼll accept those contaminationʼs consequences.”

It was a declaration that Larissa couldnʼt honestly refute without denying the reality of the desperate situation they faced.

So she simply nodded with reluctant acceptance, communicating continued disagreement but understanding of the underlying logic. Sometimes you had to choose between bad options and worse ones. And watching everyone die to preserve your own health was definitely worse…

But she didnʼt have to like it and sheʼd be watching. Ready to pull Liora back the moment the contamination became critical. Even if it meant fighting Liora to save her from herself.

Luna, beside them during the exchange, said nothing verbally but analyzed her own situation with attention coming from recognizing worrying similarities.

The elemental absorption of her wolf had also evolved. The capacity refining itself to the point where now it stole energy from anything touching the shadows it projected.