[🎉 Shoutout to Mythical_Jacob & Knight_204 for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]
If possible, Peter wished he could rewind time fifteen minutes.
So he could take back everything he just said.
That way, he wouldn't seem so foolish, and he could still maintain the image of a serious senior in front of Asher.
However...
Peter glanced at Jasmine on his left, then at Madam Henrietta on his right, and finally at the dense crowd of familiar and unfamiliar seventh-rank Beast Tamers seated below.
Peter chose to give up.
'Ha!'
'There is no time machine.'
'No going back.'
His serious senior image was gone.
Asher silently typed another question mark in his mind.
'Wait, what?'
'This is Mr. Peter... right?'
Asher looked at the man in front of him with uncertainty.
He didn't quite match the image of an eighth-rank Ace-level Beast Tamer that Asher had in mind.
At this level, both Peter and Madam Henrietta were no longer young. Talent was one thing, but years of experience were also an essential part of the process.
Becoming a Ace-level Beast Tamer in one's forties or fifties was already considered top-tier talent among Beast Tamers. Peter and Madam Henrietta still looked quite young.
Especially Peter, with his half-length ponytail, shaved sides, tanned skin, and clearly defined muscles, he looked full of energy.
But not the least bit mature.
Not to mention, this Mr. Peter was currently making some strange and indescribable facial expressions with a face that could still be considered handsome.
Well.
Asher could hear the sound of his mental filter shattering.
"Don't mind Peter, he's just a big kid," Madam Henrietta smiled warmly at Asher and said, "He's always thought of himself as a genius among geniuses, someone no one could surpass. And now that he's seen you..."
She shrugged, "Well, he's a bit shaken and doesn't know how to react."
Saying this, Madam Henrietta even winked at Asher, her tone full of teasing toward Peter.
Asher looked at this woman, who had such a gentle appearance but an absolutely ruthless way with words, and his understanding of Ace Beast Tamers deepened once again.
"Hey, hey!", Still mentally searching for a time machine, Peter exploded upon hearing this, "Don't talk bad about me right in front of my face!"
"Is that badmouthing?", Madam Henrietta spread her hands, looking completely at ease, "Everything I said is pure, unfiltered truth, isn't it?"
"Just admit it—this is exactly what you were thinking."
Faced with Madam Henrietta's not-quite-a-question-but-still-a-question, Peter stammered.
His pride wouldn't let him lie, but to openly admit that he was no longer the most talented...
Peter glanced at Asher, and suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Hmph!"
"This is different."
"Asher is a pet evolution professor. Our talents lie in different directions. Among Beast Tamers, the most talented one is still me!", Peter declared loudly and confidently.
Asher hesitated.
But after a moment of thought, he decided to say nothing.
Instead, Jasmine, standing beside him, showed no intention of sparing Peter's pride, "Asher is also quite gifted in pet battles. He's an excellent Beast Tamer himself."
She turned to Asher, "What rank are you now?"
"Ahem," Asher cleared his throat lightly, "Advance Beast Tamer."
Peter: "?"
Peter felt that when he typed this question mark in his mind, the problem was definitely with the person making him type it—not with himself.
'A third-rank researcher, soon to be Second Tier.'
'And also an Advance Beast Tamer?'
Peter scrutinized Asher up and down, almost as if trying to see through him with X-ray vision.
"What's with that look? You don't believe it?", Madam Henrietta asked with a bright smile.
To Asher, though, there was a certain instigating undertone in her words.
Asher really wanted to ask, 'Do these two have some deep-seated grudge?'
'And if so, can't they not use me as the battleground?'
Peter slowly shook his head, "No, I believe it. I'm just thinking."
'''Thinking about what?'''
Many people present wanted to ask. But Peter answered his own question.
"I'm thinking—was he studying in the womb? Or does he have 48 hours in a day? Maybe even 72? Otherwise, how did he manage to balance both?"
Even if he wasn't too familiar with the ranking system for pet evolution professors, Peter had enough self-awareness to realize just how much of a genius a 19-year-old Advance Beast Tamer was.
Almost comparable to himself.
That alone wasn't too shocking.
But Asher also had achievements in pet evolution.
This meant—Asher had only spent half of his time and effort on being a Beast Tamer, yet he was already catching up to Peter's level.
Peter: 'Impossible!'
'Unbelievable!'
But the truth was right in front of him.
And the person was standing right there. Whether he believed it or not, he had to admit it.
Yes.
It was real.
The rising tide of the new generation was about to overtake him, crashing him onto the shore.
Peter, who hadn't felt pressure in a long time, now, for the first time in ages, felt the weight of being chased down when he met Asher's gaze.
'No.'
'I need to work harder.'
After a rapid shift in mindset, Peter's gaze toward Asher was no longer as dismissive as before, it was now extremely serious.
Madam Henrietta, noticing the shift in his attitude, chuckled softly.
'Ha!'
'As expected.'
'Peter is just that kind of person.'
While he looked down on everyone equally, he was also extremely respectful and serious toward those he truly acknowledged.
As for why Peter had been pestering her all this time... Madam Henrietta sighed. She hadn't wanted it either, but what could she do?
At least now, with Asher around, she could shift some of Peter's attention away from herself.
Thinking this, Madam Henrietta's gaze wavered slightly.
'Hmm... I should prepare some compensation for Professor Asher when I get the chance. Otherwise, I'd feel really bad.'
"Let's get to the main topic," Jasmine glanced around at the strange atmosphere in the training ground. Although she really didn't want to be the one leading the meeting, and for the 108th time in her heart, she regretted not bringing Charlotte, she still had to step forward.
As a member of the Inspection Team, Jasmine barely managed to hold the atmosphere in check among the Beast Tamers who were all stronger than her.
"The situation is very bad, and time is extremely tight. We need to quickly assign personnel and begin exploration inside the Red Soil Forbidden Zone."
"As for the route, we will follow the path taken by the Red Soil exploration team that lost contact."
"We must completely simulate the original circumstances to determine exactly where the problem occurred."
As Jasmine explained, she pulled Asher into the discussion.
There was no other choice.
After all, it was Asher who discovered the high-fever patients in Crimson City.
Facing the gazes of a group of high-rank Beast Tamers, Asher… Well, to be honest, he didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
If he had to name the most nerve-wracking, hair-raising moment of his life, it had already passed.
Could human stares ever be scarier than a semi-mythical creature that failed its evolution?
No, absolutely not.
They weren't even on the same level—there was no need to make such a comparison.
So, under the scrutiny of the Beast Tamers, Asher remained perfectly calm.
Many Tier 7 Beast Tamers were surprised.
'As expected of a genius!'
'It seems like he is another person, just like Mr. Peter—completely unconcerned with others' opinions and extremely self-centered.'
'Sigh!'
They started to worry about the future environment they'd have to live in.
These little troublemaker-type geniuses were truly…
The Tier 7 Beast Tamers shook their heads in their hearts.
Asher whose reputation just got randomly slandered: "???"
'Wait!'
'I haven't even done anything, right?'
'Why is my reputation suddenly taking such an odd turn?'
Nearby, Madam Henrietta smiled at Asher. She hadn't misunderstood him—perhaps because she had spent so much time being chased by Peter for battles, she could easily tell the difference between Asher and Peter.
At a glance, they seemed a bit similar.
But in reality, Peter and Asher were completely different people.
Peter was an arrogant, self-centered troublemaker.
Asher was simply indifferent, unconcerned, and had his own natural way of thinking.
Still, Madam Henrietta hadn't expected the other Beast Tamers to mentally create an image of Asher similar to Peter, and for that image to spread among them like wildfire.
After finishing what he had to say, Asher turned around—only to meet a bunch of weird gazes.
"?"
The Tier 7 Beast Tamers who had been staring at him silently withdrew their gazes.
Asher was completely confused and couldn't understand what was happening.
Fortunately, none of that mattered.
Everyone had recognized the severity of the situation and had started organizing their actions.
"There's no need for both Rank 8 Beast Tamers to enter the Red Soil Forbidden Zone. It's better to keep one as a contingency plan," Jasmine said, glancing at Peter, who had been silent for a while now.
Yes.
She was talking about Peter.
Originally, the Alliance had sent Madam Henrietta alone to handle the situation in Red Soil City. Peter had invited himself along, insisting on coming.
His main goal? Finding an opportunity to challenge Madam Henrietta.
Ace-level Beast Tamers had significant freedom.
As long as they completed the minimum tasks assigned by the Alliance each year, they could use the rest of their time as they pleased—unless a major incident occurred, like what was happening in Crimson City now.
However, no matter how extravagant the Alliance was, they hadn't considered sending two Ace Beast Tamers to Crimson City.
After all, the situation didn't seem that severe.
But then…
If an Ace Beast Tamer insisted on coming, the Alliance wouldn't refuse either.
Of course.
Having two Aces had its benefits.
Both the situation inside the Red Soil Forbidden Zone and the situation in Crimson City were extremely important. With two people, they could each oversee one side.
Now, Jasmine was stuck with a dilemma—should she send Peter to oversee Crimson City, or should she let him lead the exploration team into the Red Soil Forbidden Zone?
Thinking about Peter's personality, Jasmine felt that no matter what she chose, there would be some problems.
"What do you think?", After going over it multiple times without finding a better solution, she finally threw the decision back to Peter.
Before Peter could speak, Jasmine added, "You and Madam Henrietta must be stationed separately, one inside, one outside, to ensure stability in both Crimson City and Red Soil City."
Peter, who had been about to say he wanted to go with Madam Henrietta, suddenly choked on his words.
"…Hmph!", Peter let out a heavy snort, feeling a little annoyed, but logically, he understood Jasmine's reasoning.
Now wasn't the time to be reckless.
Since there was no immediate chance to fight Madam Henrietta, Peter shifted his gaze directly to Asher.
Asher, having been targeted, suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Are you staying outside to continue your research, or are you going in?", Peter asked, but his tone made it sound like a statement.
The bad feeling came true.
"I'm going in," Asher sighed helplessly, "There's no new progress in Crimson City for now. I want to try entering the Red Soil Forbidden Zone—maybe I can uncover something new."
Peter nodded knowingly, "Alright, then you'll come with me. I'll protect you."
He said it with absolute confidence.
Jasmine sighed for Asher.
Fortunately, Asher didn't mind Peter's apparent interest in him.
If Peter wanted to fight him… Haha.
Asher glanced at his own contracted beasts. That wouldn't be very friendly.
After all, their power levels were just a tiny bit different.
Asher trusted that, as a Ace Beast Tamer who seemed battle-hungry, Peter wouldn't actually challenge him.
.
.
.
Soon, the tasks were assigned.
Peter, along with six Tier 7 Beast Tamers and Asher, entered the Red Soil Forbidden Zone.
Besides Asher, the other seven members were all top-tier experts.
As long as they didn't recklessly push too deep into the forbidden zone, staying near the misty edges to explore should be fine.
Madam Henrietta and Jasmine, along with the remaining four Tier 7 Beast Tamers, stayed behind to ensure the safety and stability of Red Soil City and Crimson City for the next thirty hours.
And then…
Following Peter's lead, Asher got a taste of what a "speedrun" felt like.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!WHOOSH!
In less than ten minutes, Asher had gone from the entrance of the Red Soil Forbidden Zone to the misty edge of the forbidden zone.
The whole process was ridiculously fast.
The only issue was… Asher was sitting on the back of the Snow Wolf King, clutching its fur tightly as the scenery blurred into massive streaks of color.
Behind him, he could hear the sounds of people trying not to throw up.
And before they actually did, the Snow Wolf King casually tossed them all to the ground.
The only two left still riding were Asher and the Snow Wolf King, who turned its head and met his gaze.
Snow Wolf King: "Awoo?"
'Huh? A human actually held on?'
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y