I am Just an Average Tamer

Serena's blade met his daggers mid-swing, knocking him back. He skidded a few steps back.

She smiled like a fox who just cornered a rabbit.

"How weak are you, pretty boy?" she teased, twirling one blade.

"Even a cute and harmless girl like me is tougher than you," she added, tossing him a wink.

Kai clicked his tongue and launched forward like a shadow unchained.

[Ghost steps!]

He vanished mid-sprint.

The girl's smirk faltered. Her eyes darted left, then right, panic flickered across her face.

'He's fast.'

Before she could get ready to counter, Kai was already repositioning for a strike from her blind side.

But just as he raised his dagger—

[Icicle Barrage!]

A shrill voice rang out. From the distance, several icy projectiles whistled through the air toward him.

Kai twisted, about to dodge, when—

Crack!

The projectiles shattered midair as another barrage of icicles collided with them from the opposite side, neutralizing the attack completely.

From behind a large root, Aria stepped out, brushing a leaf off her shoulder with a casual smirk.

"Don't forget me," she chirped, her Frostpine Hare crouched like a sentinel in front of her, ears perked and eyes glowing with cold light.

Rashira growled in irritation. "Go, Kivel!"

Her Midnight Wolf, sleek and dark as shadows, shot forward with a chilling growl, fangs bared, straight toward Aria.

But Aria didn't flinch.

"Ivy!" she called.

Her Ironfang Panther burst from the underbrush, intercepting the Midnight Wolf with a low growl. The two beasts collided with a crash of fur and fangs, rolling into the brush, locked in combat.

Aria's fingers snapped.

"Freeze them, Frosty!"

The Frostpine Hare opened its tiny maw. Cold mist swirled outward, curling like ghostly tendrils. The air grew sharp, and ice crystals began forming in midair, gathering into a spinning, unstable orb of frost.

Rashira's eyes narrowed.

"Vaendra!" she commanded.

The Riverwake Serpent slithered forward with a hiss, muscles rippling under its scaled skin. It launched like a whip, aiming straight for the hare to interrupt the spell.

But Frosty, with a high-pitched squeal of frustration, hopped upward and kicked the serpent square on the snout, causing it to reel back slightly.

HISSS!

Vaendra coiled and snapped its fangs wide, preparing to devour the tiny beast whole.

But before its maw could close—

Frosty vanished.

A blink later, it reappeared behind Vaendra, sinking its teeth into the serpent's tail.

HISSS!

Vaendra screeched, tail thrashing wildly. It slammed the ground, sending up dirt and leaves as Frosty was flung off like a snowball.

The Frostpine Hare landed hard, squealed in pain, then quickly righted itself and vanished again, hopping into mist.

Silence—

HISSS!!

The serpent shrieked as frosty claws raked down its back, leaving glowing blue slashes across its scales.

"Vaendra!" Rashira shouted, voice tight with both anger and concern. She turned to assist, but two more contestants lunged at her from behind.

She spun around with a snap of her wrist, unleashing a blast of green-blue energy that sent both assailants flying.

While chaos erupted inside the forest, the stands were an entirely different kind of storm.

Cheers thundered like a rolling tide. Elves hoisted banners high, beast families bellowed their support, nobles sat at the edges of their enchanted seats, some too captivated to even blink. The magical viewing artifacts floated across the field, each one displaying high-speed battles, strategic duels, and incredible displays of elemental might.

Then—

"AHEM!"

The announcer, dressed in bright azure robes woven with glowing glyphs, raised the gleaming sound artifact to his lips again, his voice booming across the stands.

"And with that—"

He paused.

"The top 200 students have officially been selected to enter our prestigious Azurean Academy!"

The crowd erupted.

Roars, applause, cheers, even magical flares lit up in the sky in celebration. Names were shouted, families beamed, sect elders nodded with approval. Entire sections of the crowd began chanting the names of their representatives.

But the announcer wasn't finished.

He grinned.

"But this… this is far from over."

He turned slightly, gesturing to the floating scrying artifacts that were still showing active battles from deep within the forest.

"Now begins the true trial. The race for the top ten—those who will stand above the rest, those who will receive personal mentorship, elite resources."

Gasps spread across the stands, quickly followed by even more wild cheers. The atmosphere grew electric, like lightning was being bottled and passed from soul to soul.

Yet within the forest—

None of the contenders had heard the announcement.

Well, it wasn't meant for them to be heard in first place.

They were too deep into the blood-rushing adrenaline of their fights. Spells whistled through the trees. Fangs clashed with claws. Daggers met elemental shields. Their hearts pounded. Muscles strained. Strategies changed by the second.

No one wanted to be the one who slipped up now.

From above, magical drones and orbs floated silently, capturing every movement. Professors, observed and made notes. Elders whispered among themselves, sizing up future threats or potential apprentices.

And meanwhile, back in the battleground—

The once chaotic forest had started to thin out.

Where there had been nearly a hundred contenders just moments ago, now only less than thirty remained.

The countdown had begun, even if they didn't realize it yet.

Every clash of blade, every roar of beasts, every burst of elemental power was now more than just survival—it was a race for the summit.

Rashira's eyes flicked back toward Vaendra, who now coiled defensively, glowing wounds bleeding frost mist from its back. Frosty was gone from sight again, likely lurking in the haze it had summoned earlier.

"Damn that rabbit…" Rashira muttered. Her long green hair fluttered around her face as she channeled energy. "Enough stalling."

She raised her staff, runes glowing along its shaft.

"Hailstorm Spiral!"

The skies darkened in an instant. Swirling winds formed above her, and with a sharp thrust of her staff, a spiral of icy shards and freezing mist came crashing down toward Aria's side of the battlefield.

Aria clicked her tongue. "Gleamy, Barrier Wing!"

From the treetops, her third beast—Skygleam Wyverling—burst forth. Its sapphire scales shimmered under the swirling clouds, wings spreading wide as radiant energy gathered at its tips. With a powerful flap, it conjured a dome of shimmering wind and light over Aria and her beasts.

The hailstorm clashed with the barrier midair—CRACK!—explosions of frost and force echoed through the clearing. Shards rained down, scattering across the ground like glittering knives.

Aria emerged from behind the fading barrier, eyes sharp.

"I'm done playing defense."

She pointed toward the Riverwake Serpent.

"Frosty, Gleamy—Combo Blitz!"

Frostpine Hare appeared atop a tree stump, its body pulsing with icy energy, while Gleamy dive-bombed from above.

Frosty unleashed a Frost Jet, a focused beam of freezing mist, while Gleamy swirled behind it, adding its Wind Spiral Slash, slicing through the mist and accelerating the attack into a spiraling frost-cutter.

Vaendra tried to dodge—but the attack struck its flank. The serpent screamed, its entire side now frozen over with a thick sheet of ice.

"Now, Ivy!" Aria snapped.

From the brush, her Ironfang Panther leapt out with a roar and struck the frozen spot. CRACK! Ice shattered as claws dug deep.

"Vaendra!!" Rashira called out, throwing her hand forward.

"Mist Veil!"

A fog of aqua light exploded outwards from her palm, engulfing her wounded serpent. As the mist surrounded it, Vaendra vanished within—protected for now.

But Aria wasn't done.

"Frosty, bind her!"

The tiny hare, still high on its burst of frost energy, landed on the ground and opened its paws.

Glacial Snare.

Ribbons of icy vines burst from the ground around Rashira's feet, trying to lock her legs in place.

Rashira spun, hands dancing.

"Gale Pulse!"

A powerful blast of wind exploded outward, snapping the vines before they could harden and knocking Frosty backward again.

The battlefield stilled for a breath. Both girls were breathing hard, faces damp with sweat and frost. Their beasts were marked with cuts, bruises, and scratches. But neither was backing down.

Then Rashira narrowed her eyes. Time to end this.

"Kivel!" she snapped.

Her Midnight Wolf, having just broken off from its stalemate with Ivy, lunged back toward Aria. Its body shimmered with dark light as Rashira shouted—

"Lunar Howl!"

A surge of moonlit magic burst from Kivel's maw as it leapt, forming a crescent slash of silver wind aimed straight at Aria.

But Aria didn't retreat.

She simply whispered, "Now, Gleamy."

From above, Gleamy let out a sharp cry and dropped something—a small orb of condensed ice and wind.

Aria caught it midair, then pressed it into her Frostpine Hare's back.

"Frost Overdrive."

Frosty's eyes lit up like twin suns. Its entire body surged with overflowing frost energy. The ground beneath it cracked with forming permafrost.

The Hare vanished.

Then—

A trail of blinding blue light zigzagged forward, intercepting Kivel mid-leap. The impact was violent.

FWOOSH!

The Midnight Wolf was blasted mid-air by a sphere of pure frost energy, its Lunar Howl exploding harmlessly as it was knocked aside, crashing into the underbrush.