I am Just an Average Tamer

As the final creature slumped to the ground, black ichor pooling beneath its crumpled form, silence once again fell across the shattered ruin.

Stromeon turned his horned head toward Kai, his eyes sparking with residual electricity.

His broad, scaled frame radiated heat and power, his body still trembling from the chaos he'd unleashed.

He let out a low, rumbling huff.

A signal.

Kai nodded, grimacing as he stumbled to his feet, blood trickling down from his temple and along his jawline.

He turned to the limp form of Vex, lying unconscious but breathing steadily near a crumbled pillar.

"Thanks, girl," he whispered, pressing two fingers to her forehead.

And she vanished into a flicker of mist, back into the soul space.

And then—

Stromeon moved.

Electricity surged violently across his body, dancing from horn to claw, tail to fang.

The temple groaned under the pressure, fractures webbing outward from the drake's claws.

His body stepped in front of Kai, shielding him like a living fortress.

The air grew dense.

The thunder grew hungry.

And without hesitation—

[<Tempest Surge>]

KRAK-KA-BOOOOOOM!!!

The entire chamber was consumed by a blinding sphere of crackling light, a dome of storm-force wrath detonating outward.

Pillars split and toppled.

Walls collapsed like paper.

The roof tore free, sent flying as arcs of lightning shredded the air.

Kai barely had time to shield his eyes before everything was swallowed in blue-white fury.

But behind the drake, he remained untouched.

And in that stillness—

He felt it.

A flicker. A slight disturbance.

Kai's eyes narrowed, and he instantly reached to his chest.

The Veil Step Necklace.

"I hope this works…"

He poured required amount of his essence into it.

Then—

WHOOSH!

Space twisted.

The temple vanished.

---

And he teleported back into the dirt path, with treeline and grass around him.

Sun hung high in the sky.

The glowing spires of Azurean Academy shimmered in the distance, not far away now.

And there.

Right there.

Thud!

Kai dropped onto his butt, panting, exhausted.

His back hit solid warmth of the drake.

Stromeon, crackling with faint static, lay beside him, tail curling protectively around them both.

Kai leaned against his scales, barely able to hold himself upright.

The drake lowered his massive head, tongue flicking out to gently lick Kai's face, as if to say, You did good, little human or little master.

Kai let out a small, breathless laugh.

"Yeah…" he whispered, hand resting against the thunder-scaled hide. "We survived."

His eyes fluttered closed, chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.

The his hand trembled as he pulled a slim potion vial from his storage bracelet.

The glass clicked lightly against his bloodied fingers.

He uncorked it with his teeth and gulped it down in one motion, sour and sharp on the tongue.

Then he grabbed another and turned to Stromeon, who sat beside him like a still, crackling statue.

"Here, drink this, buddy."

Stromeon tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly before lowering his snout.

Kai carefully popped the seal and held the container up.

The thunder drake licked the contents clean with one swift flick of his tongue, then let out a low growl of satisfaction.

Steam curled from his nostrils.

Kai slumped back, groaning as he felt the potion begin to knit his flesh and thread heat into his exhausted limbs.

He let his body sink against the cool grass for a moment.

Then he chuckled softly.

"Damn, Stromy... you've gotten way stronger. You leapt a whole rank in one evolution. From Early-Great Core to Early-Elite Core just like that." He huffed a mix of awe and disbelief. "I haven't even hit Peak-Advanced Core yet. You're making me look bad."

Stromeon just nuzzled him with his broad snout, snorting affectionately.

Kai grinned and gave the drake's jaw a few solid pats. "Yeah, yeah. I'm proud of you too."

Then he reached into his cloak and pulled out a small, bronze pocket watch.

His eyes scanned the dial.

"…Five minutes," he muttered.

He straightened his shoulders, jaw tightening.

Though still tired from all that beating, he stood up.

And wiped a smear of dried blood from his cheek, and pulled a cloak over his academy uniform, which was now torn.

"Was not a good idea going there like that."

He stepped beside Stromeon and gripped one of the spines along his armored shoulder.

"Alright. Let's move."

With a low rumble, Stromeon lowered himself, allowing Kai to mount.

Once he was on, the thunder drake surged forward into a smooth, controlled stride, silent for a beast of his size.

The distance to the academy gates was short.

Kai raised his hand and pressed against Stromeon's scaled flank.

"Good job," he whispered. "Get some rest."

With a shimmer of blue and white mist.

Stromeon vanished, returning Kai's soul space.

Then Kai exhaled.

He pulled his cloak tighter, squared his shoulders, and limped forward.

Each step sent sparks of pain up his leg, but he didn't falter.

The mission wasn't complete until it was reported.

And he wouldn't give the instructors the satisfaction of seeing him collapse at the gates.

He crossed the threshold of the outer courtyard, then made his way across the polished stone paths toward the Mission Hall, his boots scuffing slightly, leaving faint red trails behind him.

The doors of the Mission Hall loomed ahead.

Kai paused just before stepping in, shoulders hunched from fatigue.

He straightened his back slowly, rolled his neck, and forced the tension in his muscles to settle.

His steps gained rhythm, more confident, even if only for appearance's sake.

He wouldn't allow anyone to look at him and think he was another arrogant brat who'd bitten off more than he could chew.

He'd chewed it. Swallowed it. Survived it.

With a clenched jaw and stinging eyes, he stepped inside.

Kai headed to the leftmost counter.

The staff member, a bored-looking woman with copper-red hair tied in a bun, didn't even glance up as she asked, "Mission report?"

Kai reached into his bracelet and silently handed over his ID card and a small, faintly glowing artifact..

The woman took them without comment, tapped them against a crystal reader embedded in the counter, and waited as it scanned.

Ping!

She looked up then, eyes briefly scanning Kai's appearance, lingering on the dried blood on his shoulder.

"Mission's successfull. You'll receive your credit by the end of the cycle. Good job," she added, before sliding his ID back across the counter.

Kai nodded once.

He pocketed the card, turned, and walked out.

Ignoring the curious stares of a few students as they noticed the scuffs, the cloak, the faint scorch marks still left from the ruined temple's blast.

He headed down the garden path, past the library tower and training fields.

Eventually, he reached boy's dorms.

He climbed the stairs slowly, every muscle in his body stiff and sore, and entered his room.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind him,

he stripped off his cloak and outer uniform shirt in one fluid motion, letting them fall to the floor in a heap.

Then staggered toward the bed and dropped onto it like dead weight, the mattress sighing beneath him.

The cool fabric of the sheets pressed against his skin, pulling a long, exhausted breath from him.

He didn't bother pulling the blanket over himself.

Didn't even move to clean up.

His eyes fluttered shut, and in seconds, everything else, pain, blood, beasts, explosions, faded into nothing but silence.

Snoor!