Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 767 - Taming the Fifth Year - Everything Goes in Love and War - 4

Renʼs mantis wasnʼt physically stronger than other beasts here, actually way weaker in terms of pure base statistics... The distinction mattered significantly for understanding combat dynamics.

In theory, a Silver 1 beast was approximately five times stronger than a Bronze 2 in terms of base power metrics. The bonuses that tamers received didnʼt differ as dramatically when comparing a Bronze 2 fused tamer versus a Silver 1 fused tamer... that progression was more gradual in how it affected human combat capability.

And that was Yanoʼs model of combat: A chivalrous knight-like style where the tamer of higher rank threw away their biggest advantage, their beastʼs raw overwhelming power, to instead use their ʼsmallerʼ advantage of personal enhancement bonuses.

Fighting fused with beast rather than commanding it separately was a cultural preference that ʼdisadvantagedʼ higher-rank tamers in some ways.

But when discussing the beast itself in direct combat... physical strength, SIZE, natural resistance... Those differences were substantial and couldnʼt be ignored.

Especially the size differential that came with a full rank advancement.

And in situations like this exam where cultural preference for fighting fused with beast didnʼt apply due to the rules requiring beast-versus-beast combat, those rank advantages became significantly more pronounced.

A Silver 1 beast should always, theoretically, dominate a Bronze 2 in direct combat even with elemental disadvantage when accounting for the five-times stronger body, or what could be considered a 5x ʼmultiplierʼ in base stats.

Should be… In a situation that assumed all other factors equal.

But there were other factors like abilities, tiers, if the beastʼ species was of slow growth and fast growth at the end or fast growth and slow growth at the end… and also the quantity and quality of the stat increases beasts had accumulated in combat relevant categories. Not to mention that double tamers had even more increases to count when calculating effective combat power.

And if discussing doubles, there was someone worse than that... 4 beasts despite having one inactive.

All that…

Plus Renʼs mantis wasnʼt an ordinary beast by any measure of normal development.

The multiple elemental control sheʼd developed through fusion was an enormous advantage that negated traditional matchup planning. The accumulation of bonuses itʼd received, approximately five times her base statistics and even more in certain effects through shared bond mechanics, at this point put her in parity with Silver 1 beasts and even some Silver 2 opponents.

But that wasnʼt everything that made it dangerous.

Abilities like invisibility that made it nearly impossible to track. Rapid movements that bordered on speed impossible to follow with normal perception. Capacity to almost fly for escaping or repositioning that gave it three-dimensional combat options many beasts lacked.

All of that made his mantis a nightmare opponent for any low Silver beast that relied on traditional combat approaches.

In theory they would have similar power levels when comparing pure statistics.

In practice, the mantis had creator mode activated through mechanisms even Ren still didnʼt fully understand but had learned to utilize.

There was a reason the beast had reached the Gold 3 ring during its previous mission serving as Renʼs eyes in that dangerous territory.

”Our first opponent is Team Three,” Ren announced after verifying the bracket board that showed tournament progression. ”I need to see their composition before deciding our battle order.”

♢♢♢♢

FIRST ROUND

Team Three had an interestingly diverse distribution.

Two fire beasts in low Silver rank that would be dangerous against wrong opponents. Two water beasts, also low Silver, providing defensive options. One earth beast at Silver 2 that would be their strongest fighter. One wood beast at Bronze 2, likely their weakest link. Three wind beasts providing mobility and harassment. One neutral element that could adapt to different situations.

Ren analyzed the list mentally while his team waited for instructions that would determine their strategy to the first battle.

The composition told him several things about Team Threeʼs likely strategy and what counters would be most effective for securing victory without exposing his own capabilities more than necessary…

”Hereʼs what weʼre going to do,” Ren began.

His team leaned in, ready to listen to the leader whoʼd proven time and again that he understood combat dynamics better than most people twice their age.

”Ron, youʼll go first,” Ren decided after studying Team Threeʼs composition and calculating probability matrices in his head.

Ron blinked with surprise that was evident in his expression and body language. ”Me? Donʼt you want to go at the start to crush everyone and show off your dominance?”

”I donʼt like to ʼshow offʼ without reason,” Ren responded with a tone that came from a genuine philosophy rather than false modesty. ”I donʼt want to reveal all my cards unless itʼs necessary for victory. They have three wind beasts in their lineup. High probability theyʼll put one at the start thinking itʼs advantageous against the 3 water beasts in our team composition. Your salamander can handle the wind element effectively… also they have two fire beasts, which neutralizes elemental advantage in those matchups. And your control is better than average for your rank.”

Ron nodded slowly while processing the reasoning behind the decision, comprehension dawning as he worked through the strategic implications.

”Bolo, youʼre second,” Ren continued while building the complete battle order in his mind like chess moves planned several turns ahead. ”If Ron loses, youʼll probably face a water or earth beast theyʼll want to use as a counter to your fire. Your wood element Treant has advantage against both elements.”

”Trevor, third position. Your earth element is perfect for what comes after. If Bolo loses there, itʼs likely against fire or wind that exploit woodʼs weaknesses.”

Iris was assigned fourth position by the same logic, wind against probable wood or water opponents that would follow natural progression...

He continued assigning order based on probability calculations rather than simple power rankings. It wasnʼt exact science, couldnʼt predict perfectly what the opposing team would do given human unpredictability. But there were patterns that emerged from how people thought about combat. And Ren had learned from his sleeping friend to follow those patterns even when they seemed to not be there.