I am Just an Average Tamer

A green-haired boy strolled through the forest like he owned the place, hands in his pockets, whistling in a lazy tune.

Behind him, a Flame Serpent slithered gracefully, its molten scales shimmering with heat.

Riven spun two tokens between his fingers with a smug grin before slipping them into his pocket. "Too easy," he muttered.

But then—

CRACK!

The air behind him snapped like lightning.

A voice rang out, cold and distant.

"Hand over the tokens."

Riven stopped. Blinked once.

Then slowly turned, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Really? You're robbing me?"

From behind the trees, a figure emerged—a boy in a black mask, his cloak fluttering with the wind.

Riven chuckled. "You want my tokens? You're gonna have to earn 'em, freakshow."

He cracked his neck and dropped into a fighting stance.

The Flame Serpent let out a low hiss, flames curling along its body, ready to strike.

The masked figure didn't flinch. Instead, he raised a hand.

A magic circle blazed to life beside him.

But... nothing came out.

Riven blinked. "...That's it? All that drama for nothing?"

He laughed.

But then—

The boy's shadow twitched.

Flick!

Then it flickered.

Riven's eyes widened.

As something moved from beneath the masked boy's feet.

And Riven realized—

He was in real trouble.

******

Kai held two glowing tokens in his hand.

Around him lay the battered bodies of several defeated Duskrats—rodent-like magical beasts with shadowy fur and glowing yellow eyes.

Though low in rarity, they'd attacked in swarms. The ground was scorched, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood.

Beside him, Drakelet let out a low growl, its scales bristling as it padded closer.

Then—

A rustle.

Kai's head snapped toward the noise.

Standing atop the body of a large Moss Bear, a crimson-colored wolf with burning amber eyes stared down at him.

Its coat shimmered with heat, as if it had just stepped out of fire.

A loud, cocky laugh rang through the forest.

"Looks like someone's been having fun."

A towering boy emerged from the shadows.

Probably 6'1, broad-shouldered with messy brown hair and matching eyes.

His expression was smug as he walked forward, cracking his knuckles.

"So you're the one making all the noise. Thought I'd find someone strong... guess I was wrong," he taunted, sizing Kai up.

Kai didn't answer.

He just stared, calm and still.

The boy cracked his neck and crossed his arms.

"Name's Darell," he announced, loud full of arrogance. "Remember it. 'Cause I'll be at the top when this is over."

Kai blinked once. "...Congrats?"

Darell grinned, then pointed straight at him. "Now hand over those tokens."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"

Darell scoffed. "Don't tell me you're clueless. You really don't know how this works?"

Kai gave a shrug. "They didn't say we could take each other's tokens."

A smirk tugged at Darell's lips. "They didn't say we can't, either."

He snapped his fingers.

The crimson Saberwolf leapt from the bear, landing beside Darell with a snarl—its fangs dripping with leftover blood, eyes locked on Kai like it had already claimed him as prey.

Kai didn't flinch.

At his side, the Drakelet crouched low, growling deep in its throat.

For a moment, time stilled.

Then—

ROOOOOAAARRR!

The forest trembled.

A massive gust of wind tore through the clearing, howling between trees, kicking up dirt and leaves like a storm. An unseen pressure settled over them.

Both of them froze.

Their instincts screamed to run.

Both Kai and Darell turned, eyes scanning the trees.

Something big was out there.

Very big.

Darell clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch. Looks like you got lucky this time."

He shot Kai a glare before calling back his Saberwolf.

Then disappeared into the shadows between the trees.

Kai exhaled slowly, patting Drakelet.

He cast one last glance toward the source of the roar—whatever it was, it wasn't something he wanted to deal with right now.

But before he could move, something caught his eye—a faint, pulsing glow from a nearby bush.

He narrowed his eyes, stepped closer, and brushed aside the leaves.

Lying there, half-buried in dirt, was a silver token. Untouched. Unclaimed.

He blinked. Then grinned.

"Jackpot," he muttered, slipping it into his pouch.

But then, a faint whimper reached his ears.

Kai's expression shifted.

He turned toward it, moving through the underbrush in near silence.

Then he saw it.

In a patch of crushed grass, a trembling creature lay injured.

No larger than a housecat, it resembled a lion cub—but with streaks of glowing azure across its fur, and tiny horns curling from the sides of its head.

Its paws were bleeding, and one eye was shut tight in pain.

"Hang in there, little guy."

Without hesitation, Kai gently lifted the injured cub into his arms. It let out a weak growl but didn't resist.

He whistled softly. In a flicker of wind, Vael appeared at his side.

"Scout ahead," Kai ordered.

Vael vanished again, leading the way through the forest.

Kai followed its trail.

Soon, the trees thinned. The mist cleared.

He stepped out of the forest's edge—and there they were.

Officials in guild uniforms stood beside glowing magic circles, checking off names and counting tokens.

Kai approached them.

The nearest official looked up. "Tokens?"

Kai nodded and handed them over. The official scanned each one, nodded in approval, then gestured.

"Step onto the circle."

Kai shifted his grip on the injured cub, then stepped forward.

In a shimmer of light—

WHOOSH!

He vanished.

---

He blinked as he appeared in a large, well-lit room filled with far fewer contestants than before.

Clutching the cub, Kai walked over to the nearest official, where the announcer stood with a clipboard.

"I found this beast injured in the forest. Thought someone should know."

The announcer blinked in surprise, eyes widening. "A Mystic...?"

He quickly took the creature, already summoning a healer with a snap of his fingers. "Good work. Thank you for bringing it in. That was... brave."

Kai just nodded back and turned away.

He found a quiet corner and slumped down, choosing to rest for a while.

A few minutes passed.

Then—

A flash of light.

Another contestant appeared on the circle.

Darell.

He stepped out with a grunt, Saberwolf close behind, a single fresh cut across his cheek.

Their eyes met.

Darell stared at him for a beat.

Kai didn't move.

Didn't smile.

Didn't speak.

He just leaned back, eyes closing.

Phase one was done.