Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 407 - Tamers War - Ensuing Seedlings (1/2)

The weight of Lioraʼs words settled over Ren like a stone slab.

The war had begun.

His parents, neighbors, and teachers, who had seemed safe after the rescue, were in danger again.

”How do you know?” Ren asked, wanting to deny it even though he could see the truth in Lioraʼs mana patterns.

”Grandmother Selphira told me not to leave the castle under any circumstances,” Liora responded, her voice losing some of its earlier tension but gaining a gravity that made her sound older than her eleven years. ”She took some of the best soldiers who are always stationed here. And Larissa has been sending me messages...”

Liora knew. If Selphira was mobilizing her elite forces, the situation was far more serious than a border skirmish.

Renʼs parents exchanged one of those wordless looks that only couples who had weathered decades together could share. His mother moved closer to him automatically, that protective instinct activating without conscious thought.

”Son,” his father began carefully, his weathered hands clasping together, ”if thereʼs a war...”

”Weʼll be safe here,” Ren interrupted quickly, but it was a lie that fooled no one in the room.

His mind was already racing through other possibilities. His parents were secure for the moment, but what if the situation deteriorated? What if they needed to flee?

It was then that the mushroom in his hair pulsed gently, and a single word whispered in his mind like a barely audible breeze: ”Fusion.”

Renʼs eyes widened as understanding flooded through him.

Of course. The ability he had used with Lin could be extended to other people. First, he could give them that trump card which might mean the difference between life and death if they found themselves in real danger.

”Listen,” Ren said suddenly, causing everyone to turn toward him. ”I think... I think this could help us.”

”Help us how, my child?” his mother asked, moving closer with that expression she adopted when preparing to protect him from whatever dangerous idea he might be harboring.

Though it seemed it would be very difficult to stop him now. He had grown too much, too fast.

”My mushrooms,” Ren gently touched the small creatures glowing in his hair, their bioluminescence pulsing in response to his excitement, ”can do something special. It can temporarily fuse beasts, making them much more powerful and allowing them to be used both inside the body and manifested outside simultaneously.”

Liora straightened immediately, her eyes sparkling with genuine interest.

But Renʼs parents seemed confused, uncertainty clouding their features as they tried to understand what their son was proposing.

When Ren was about to manifest his small mushroom for them to touch...

ʼWe donʼt need them to hold me for several seconds one by one like the time with the sadistic woman,ʼ his mushroom communicated directly into his thoughts. ʼIf you yourself can make physical contact with them...ʼ

ʼI see,ʼ Ren nodded. ʼBut theyʼre going to end up very tired, right?ʼ

ʼI can deactivate it immediately, but first they must receive the capability and feel the activation so they can trigger it themselves when needed.ʼ

Understanding flooded through Ren. It was like installing an emergency system… and they needed to experience it once to know how to access it later.

He approached his parents, extending his arms with a smile that carried both affection and determination.

”Could you... give me a hug?”

The request was unexpected, but so apparently innocent that his parents didnʼt hesitate. His mother arrived first, enveloping Ren in one of those embraces that made him feel completely secure, her familiar scent of herbs and warmth surrounding him.

His father joined a moment later, creating that familiar circle of warmth and protection that Ren had known his entire life. But this time, while embracing them, Ren communicated mentally with his mushroom.

ʼDo it.ʼ

The small mushroom extended its influence, creating strong connections between his parentsʼ beasts. The Black Turtle and the plant, both Iron-rank creatures with relatively similar power levels, thanks to the plants being mature, responded immediately to the mushroomʼs expert manipulation.

Ren felt the exact moment the fusion activated.

His parents tensed slightly in his arms, their breathing becoming deeper as renewed energy flowed through their bodies. It was like watching two separate streams merge into a rushing river, the combined power greater than the sum of its parts.

”What did...?” his father began, but his voice was lost in wonder as he felt the combined power of both beasts flowing through him.

His mother straightened slightly, her eyes shining with amazement. The sensation was clearly overwhelming, decades of living with modest Iron-rank abilities suddenly replaced by their streng approaching mid Silver-level power.

”Ren, this is... itʼs incredible. I can feel so much power...”

”It only lasts five minutes,” Ren explained quickly, ”and it will tire you out a lot, so my mushroom is going to deactivate it now.”

Immediately, the mushroom severed the fusion connections. His parents blinked as the additional power faded, but the memory of the sensation remained clearly etched in their expressions.

”My son,” his father took him by the shoulders, his eyes shining with pride and amazement, ”how did you discover something like this? This ability... itʼs extraordinary.”

”Your little mushroom,” added his mother, gently touching the luminous creatures in his hair, ”is much more special than I ever imagined!”

The tiny organisms pulsed brighter under her touch, as if pleased by the recognition.

Ren blushed under the attention, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

”It was just luck, really. I discovered I could do it by accident on the last trip, and...”

”Luck nothing!” his father interrupted forcefully. ”Exploration in the wilds for this kind of discovery requires deep understanding and tremendous effort.”

”Itʼs true,” his mother nodded, embracing him again. ”Weʼre so proud of you.”

The warmth in their voices made Renʼs chest tight with emotion, but also acutely aware of the attention focused on him.

”You can stop hugging me now,” Ren muttered, now genuinely embarrassed by all the attention. But his parents seemed reluctant to let him go, as if the demonstration had reminded them of how precious and remarkable their son truly was.

”Not a chance,” his mother said firmly. ”You just gave us an incredible gift. A few extra hugs is the least we can do.”

Ren looked toward Liora for help, but she had developed a blush that rivaled his own and was staring determinedly to one side, as if the window curtains were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only a couple more minutes, Ren managed to free himself from his parentsʼ grateful embrace.

”I need you to bring the teachers,” he said, trying to recover some dignity while straightening his rumpled clothes. ”I want them to communicate with the castle and activate all the doubles I can before... well, before things get worse.”

His parents exchanged another of those silent marital communications.

”Of course,” his father nodded with newfound respect in his voice. ”Weʼll go find them immediately.”

As his parents headed toward the door, Ren turned toward Liora, who still seemed to find the curtains extraordinarily interesting.

”Liora,” he began, his voice taking on a businesslike tone, ”are there more people with double beasts in your faction too? The more people who have access to this...”

”Yes, of course, but only four besides grandmother,” she responded quickly, also heading toward the door with what seemed like nervous hastiness. ”Iʼll go immediately to...”

”Wait,” Ren stopped her with a gentle but firm voice. ”Before you go, I want to activate your fusion too.”

Liora froze mid-step, her body going rigid. The memory of Ren embracing his parents seemed to replay in her mind with uncomfortable clarity.

”Your Bashe and your Will oʼ Wisp will be very synergistic,” Ren explained, approaching casually, completely oblivious to her distress. ”It will increase their compatibility even more. The fusion should be especially effective in your case.”

The technical explanation should have been reassuring, but Lioraʼs face only grew redder. Her Will oʼ Wisp began to manifest unconsciously, tiny lights dancing across her skin like anxious energy made visible.

”Ah,” Liora said, her voice sounding strangely high-pitched. ”Thatʼs... that sounds very useful.”

”Exactly. So come here and Iʼll activate it for you.”

But when Ren took a step closer, Liora took a step back, her movements sharp and defensive.

”Actually,” she said, retreating slowly with the uneasiness of someone avoiding a predator, ”maybe we could do this later...”

Ren frowned, confusion evident in his features. ”Why later? Itʼs better to do it now while weʼre here.”

”Itʼs just...” Liora continued backing away, her words tumbling over each other, ”Iʼm a little... Iʼm not completely ready for...”

”Ready for what?” Ren moved closer, genuinely perplexed by her strange behavior. In all their months of friendship, he had never seen her act so skittish. ”Itʼs just making contact with your beastsʼ mana to activate the fusion.”

Lioraʼs blush intensified to an alarming degree, and Ren could see how her eyes flickered toward his arms and then quickly darted away, as if she had seen something that made her panic.

”No!” she said suddenly, her Will oʼ Wisp manifesting more strongly with small dancing lights that betrayed her agitated emotional state. ”I mean... itʼs not necessary that...”

”Liora, stay still,” Ren said, now completely bewildered by her erratic behavior. He took another step forward, extending a hand with the patience of someone trying to approach a spooked animal. ”I just need to...”

”NO!”

In a flash of azure light, Liora used her Will oʼ Wisp to perform a ”luminous jump”, appearing on the other side of the room near the window. Her hair had become slightly disheveled and her breathing was accelerated.