I am Just an Average Tamer

Kai added after a beat, "And you've grown colder now, huh?"

Lira didn't hesitate. "I'm not."

Kai raised a brow, a hint of amusement returning to his voice. "Oh really? Then what about the—"

"Just shut up, Kai," Lira cut in quickly, her eyes narrowing.

But before he could even react, she added, quieter this time, almost like an afterthought, "I already told you I'm sorry."

That stopped him.

His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. He simply stared at her for a second… and then looked away, jaw tightening.

'The fuck's wrong with me…' he cursed inwardly, fingers curling slightly around his cup.

He exhaled and finally, spoke, quieter now. "Yeah. I'm sorry too. For yelling like that."

Lira didn't respond right away. She just gave a small nod, her gaze fixed on her cup, as if her tea suddenly became the most fascinating thing in the world.

Then after finishing their tea in silence, the two stood in sync, as if neither wanted to be the first to break the moment.

Kai slid his hands into his pockets, shoulders slightly hunched as he exhaled.

The soft evening air greeted them as they stepped out of the canteen.

Lira walked beside him, her posture composed, arms folded gently behind her back.

Then she turned her head slightly and spoke, almost hesitantly, "You didn't come to today's class…"

Kai blinked, "Ah… yeah. I was on a mission. Couldn't make it in time."

Lira gave a small nod.

Their steps slowed naturally as they crossed near the garden.

From there, their conversation began to wander, slowly, to here and there stuff.

As they walked in silence, the familiar path lead them toward the dormitories.

The air had cooled by now, carrying with it the faint scent of evening dew and blooming nightflowers that lined the academy gardens.

They came to a stop near the fork, the path that split off toward the boys' and girls' dorms.

Kai shifted slightly, glancing ahead. "Well… I'll go now."

He turned and began walking away.

Lira stood there, watching his back as he walked off.

He lifted a hand lazily in a half-wave. "Bye," he muttered, without turning his head.

But just as his hand began to come it, the glow of the light caught something on his wrist, a glimmering shimmer of blue.

Her eyes widened a little.

A soft smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Her hand rose instinctively and gently clutched the shape of her necklace through her blazer.

She stayed there for a moment longer, then turned and made her way toward the girls' dorms.

Kai then headed to the top floor and stepped into his private training room.

The door clicked shut behind him, locking out the rest of the world.

He didn't bother changing into his training clothes and walked into the center of the room.

He exhaled slowly and raised his hand.

"Come. All of you."

Three white summoning circles flared to life before him.

From the left emerged Stormoen, he had shrunk in his previous size.

On the right, Vex padded out, tail flicking, though her form was now shrunk to the size of a house cat.

Vael came out last, directly in front.

Kai studied them in silence for a moment.

They looked better. Still recovering though.

Without a word, he reached into his storage bracelet and, the contents he'd picked earlier shimmered into existence beside him.

Advanced Beast Care Kits.

The Standard Kit.

Standard feed bags.

And Essence-Infused feed bags.

He crouched, popping open one of the recovery kits and setting it before Stormoen, then another for Vael and Vex.

The kits emitted a faint herbal scent.

Vex sniffed it first, nose twitching, before licking the contents cautiously.

Stormoen tilted his head at it, then began eating more assertively.

Vael simply inclined his head in thanks before starting on his.

Kai sat back, arms resting on his knees, watching them quietly.

"You three always eat like you're pretending I don't matter."

Vex flicked her tail in response and let out a soft...

Mrrrp.

Stormoen huffed.

Vael didn't react at all.

Kai cracked a small grin but it faded quickly.

He leaned his head back against the wall and exhaled long and slow, eyes half-closed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better... back there."

None of them answered, they didn't need to.

"I'll do better."

[<Huff!>]

Kai blinked.

'What's that?'

[<Nothing.>]

Kai raised a brow but didn't press further. His eyes drifted to Stormoen, who was now lounging with one paw draped dramatically over the nutrient container, clearly full.

'Status'

{Basic Information}

Name: Kai

Race: Human

Age: 17

Class: Beast Tamer

Sub-Class: Rogue

Rank: Mid-Advanced Core

Affinity: Dark, Poison

{Attributes}

Strength: D+

Agility: A+

Endurance: D+

Charm: B+

Intelligence: B-

Mana Capacity: B

Soul Essence Capacity: B

{Skills}

Active: Ghost Steps, Phantom Slash, Stealth, Beast Synchronization, Falcon's Sight, Warding Veil, Beast Merging,

Passive: Mana Regeneration.

{Tamed Beasts}

-Dual-Heart Kitsune—Luna (Evolution stage) Mystic

Rank: Peak-Intermediate Core

Skills: Fireball, Ice spear, Icicle barrage, Illusionary Viel, Foxfire

-Phantom Lynx—Vex Rare

Rank: Mid-Advanced Core

Skills: Phantom slash, Ghost Steps, Stealth, Shadow Ball

-Windsight Falcon—Vael Uncommon

Rank: Early-Advanced Core

Skills: Sonic Dive, Falcon's Sight, Echo Ball

-Thunder Drake—(Stromeon) Exotic

Rank: Early-Elite Core

Skills: Thunder Roar, Groundbreaker Slam, Thunderclap, Static Field, Thunder Lancer, Tempest Surge

Kai frowned slightly, staring at the "Exotic" which he missed when he checked his stats last time.

'Wait a sec… how the hell did that change? I thought rarity classifications were determined at birth, regional or inherited, not something that just evolves on its own.'

[<Did you forget about that dragon girl you met?>]

Kai narrowed his eyes, 'Ah... you mean...'

[<Yes, her. When she pushed her core essence into your little creature, she subconsciously fractured the original limiters of his bloodline. That... changed everything.>]

'So, you're saying her draconic essence… mutated him?'

[<It awakened hum.>]

'Wait… doesn't that mean his bloodline advanced?'

[<Exactly. His base lineage was already rare, but latent. That core essence acted like a spark, pushing it beyond the ordinary evolutionary ceiling. He could even evolve into a true dragon.>]

Kai's eyes widened.

'You aren't playing with me, right?'

[<Why do I need to?>]

Gulp!

'You mean, if everything goes right, I'll soon have a true Thunder Dragon?'

[<Unfortunately, yeah.>]

His eyes sparkled with a childlike excitement who got his favorite candy.

Then he looked at Stormoen, more intently this time.

'Hehe... soon I'll be the first student to ever have a true dragon. I can't wait.'

Kai chuckled and leaned his head back again.