Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

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As soon as he regained consciousness, he realized something was off.

'Isn't this a bit too arrogant?'

"I did it on purpose.", Old Rothschild smiled as he looked at Asher.

Asher's eyes widened for a moment. He touched his nose and smiled a little embarrassedly, saying, "Old Rothschild, this is really... actually, there's no need for this. As long as you and Dragontooth return, this news will spread sooner or later."

"That's different!", Old Rothschild waved his hand.

The occasion had to be grand.

Only then would the impact be different.

Confused Aeron: "?"

"Am I the only fool here? Otherwise, why do I understand nothing?"

Old Rothschild glanced at his little grandson, then at Asher, who stood beside Aeron, and finally let out a long sigh.

'Sigh!'

'Clearly, both young men are about the same age.'

'They even look similarly handsome.'

'But the difference between people… Forget it.', Old Rothschild refused to think further. It would only ruin his hard-earned good mood.

"Oh, right."

After bonding enough with his evolved Ancestral Dragon, Aeron hugged it and turned his head toward Old Rothschild with curiosity, "How did you manage to challenge three Dragon Kings in a row, and none of them actually killed you and Dragon Dad?"

Old Rothschild: "..."

Jargon Dragon King: "..."

Man and dragon both glanced at Aeron at the same time, silently thinking, 'Annoying brat!'

"What? Are you actually unhappy about it?", Old Rothschild shot a glance at Aeron, who was brimming with curiosity, and spoke in an irritated tone.

Aeron chuckled, "I'm just curious! Really curious!"

"I'm a little curious too.", Asher smiled, "The Flame Dragon King might be reasonable, but the Bone Dragon King and that Multi-Crystal Black Dragon King… do they actually go easy on humans in battle?"

"Haha… How should I put it? Luck played a part.", When faced with Aeron's curiosity, Old Rothschild responded with a punch; when answering Asher's question, he became patient and explained everything.

Aeron pouted at the side. Just as he was about to say something, he met Old Rothschild's murderous gaze.

Aeron: "..."

Silent as a chicken.

That's him, the handsome Aeron.

Seeing that his grandson finally shut up, Old Rothschild continued recounting the events to Asher.

"I chose to challenge the Flame Dragon King first because it was the easiest to deal with.", Old Rothschild didn't hide his thoughts, "It used to be a human's beast, so I figured it would be easier to communicate with."

"And that turned out to be true."

"When the Flame Dragon King learned of my intent, it no longer harbored killing intent toward me and Dragontooth. Instead, it agreed to let us challenge it once a day until we truly defeated it."

Asher and Aeron both nodded.

If that were the case, then the Flame Dragon King was really easy to talk to.

"Fighting the Flame Dragon King was incredibly difficult… but our progress was incredibly fast.", Recalling the half-month of battles with the Flame Dragon King, Old Rothschild's expression turned sentimental.

It wasn't easy.

Even looking back now, it was still far from easy.

"From initial fear of the Dragon King to gradually getting used to and adapting to its pressure, and finally being able to maintain my own advantage under its overwhelming presence…"

"When we finally defeated the Flame Dragon King, Dragontooth hadn't evolved immediately, but I could feel that the aura around it had changed drastically."

Old Rothschild struggled to find the right words, then simply said, "It's just… I could sense that Dragontooth had gained some of the Flame Dragon King's aura. Not just the aura of a King attribute, but another kind… the Dragon King's presence that comes from the Dragon's Domain."

Aeron's eyes lit up with excitement.

'Got it.'

'Noted down.'

If his baby dragon evolved into an Ancestral Dragon in the future and aimed to evolve further toward a Dragon King, he'd challenge the Flame Dragon King first.

"With that newfound presence, things went much smoother when challenging the Bone Dragon King and the Multi-Crystal Black Dragon King later on.", Old Rothschild, unaware of Aeron's thoughts, casually touched the tip of the Jargon Dragon King's lowered wings and continued, "Well… there is competition among Dragon Kings, but as long as territory isn't involved, their battles usually stop at severe injuries. They rarely fight to the death."

Hearing this, Asher rubbed his chin.

'That makes sense.'

Wars between Dragon Kings… Even if they weren't world-shattering, they still wouldn't necessarily result in a clear victor.

Severe injuries were enough.

And since Ancestral Dragon, after defeating the Flame Dragon King, carried a similar aura, the Bone Dragon King and Multi-Crystal Black Dragon King might have found it strange but still saw the evolving Ancestral Dragon as a part of their "Dragon King Squad."

Fighting?

Sure!

Killing?

Nah, too troublesome.

For an Ancestral Dragon with a Beast Tamer, as long as it wasn't dead, all injuries could be healed, restored, or even reversed.

If the fight wasn't lethal—then just go all out

Keep challenging until all three Dragon Kings had been faced.

For Ancestral Dragon, losing a hundred times didn't matter. It only needed to win once, proving it could defeat a Dragon King. That was enough.

With all these factors adding up—this was how they finally achieved this result.

Hearing Asher's summary, Old Rothschild smiled and nodded, "Professor Asher truly deserves the title of a Beast Evolution professor. Your guess is spot on."

"I never thought I'd live to see Dragontooth evolve.", As he spoke, Old Rothschild's voice carried deep emotion.

It was close.

Too close.

These past three months had felt like walking on a knife's edge for him.

Especially at the start, when challenging the Flame Dragon King.

Not to mention the lack of mutual understanding between Beast Tamer and beast… There were times when Old Rothschild even felt Ancestral Dragon's evaluating, almost threatening gaze on him.

His emotions were incredibly complicated.

But he knew it wasn't intentional—it was just the natural instincts of a powerful creature, something it couldn't easily control.

He had to endure this pressure, navigating a "wolves ahead, tigers behind" scenario, knowing one misstep could send him tumbling into the abyss.

The presence of death was ever-looming—one mistake and he would be lost forever.

He had his doubts along the way.

But every time they defeated a Dragon King, through the bond of their contract, he could clearly feel Ancestral Dragon growing stronger, and the implicit threat in its gaze toward him gradually fading.

And when they finally defeated the Multi-Crystal Black Dragon King…

It was all worth it.

All thanks to Asher.

Without Asher, Old Rothschild dared not imagine what would have happened to him and Ancestral Dragon.

Asher—the Huo family's great benefactor!

His and Ancestral Dragon's great benefactor!

Old Rothschild had already told Asher everything that needed to be said—everything important, at least. Seeing that Asher still seemed busy, and considering that they were at a school where it wouldn't be good to disturb him too much, Old Rothschild exchanged a few more polite words, strongly expressing his respect and gratitude before taking his leave.

There were still many other matters waiting for him to handle.

For example… heading to the Bluewind University administration office.

'Cough! Cough!'

While Ancestral evolving into a Dragon King was undoubtedly great news, it didn't justify barging into someone else's school unannounced.

Now that the deed was done, an explanation was in order.

Fortunately, the old principal of Bluewind University and the other instructors were quite understanding. After all, Ancestral evolving into a Dragon King was a tremendous boon for all of the country. Not to mention, the first appearance of the newly evolved Ancestral King had taken place at their very own Bluewind University.

Just like that, an invisible bond formed between the two.

———

"That Ancestral King…", Iris gazed at Asher, who had come to her office to report in, and at Aeron, who was following closely behind him. However, her focus remained primarily on Asher.

At first glance, it might seem like Aeron, being Old Rothschild's grandson, would know more about the ins and outs of the whole situation.

But ultimately, Asher was her student.

Moreover, from the overwhelming rumors circulating in the past few months about Old Rothschild challenging the Dragon Kings with Ancestral, it was clear that Asher was deeply entangled in the matter.

"Jargon Dragon King," Asher replied calmly.

That's right.

During his conversation with Old Rothschild, they had already casually settled on a new name for the evolved Ancestral—Jargon Dragon King.

Iris nodded, having no particular objections to the name, though she did find it a little odd—after all, the other three Dragon Kings had simply added "King" to their original names upon evolving.

But this wasn't a big issue.

In fact, pairing this name with Ancestral's new evolved form gave off an imposing presence.

"Jargon Dragon King… No, wait. What on earth were you thinking back then, suggesting that Old Rothschild take Ancestral to challenge the three Dragon Kings? And how did Old Rothschild actually believe your nonsense?", Iris had been holding back this question for three whole months.

Seriously.

She was so curious.

Before, she hadn't asked because she was worried about discouraging Asher or accidentally hurting his pride.

But now?

Ancestral really evolved.

If everyone had been shocked three months ago, they were now even more dumbfounded.

Who could've predicted this?

What had seemed like a reckless, absurd move had actually resulted in an earth-shattering achievement.

If Ancestral weren't such a rare and difficult-to-contract beast, and if there weren't only a handful of Beast Tamers in all of the country who had even managed to contract a Baby Dragon—none of whom had yet evolved it into Ancestral—then people would have surely rushed out en masse to do exactly what Old Rothschild had done.

Old Rothschild succeeded.

So why couldn't they?

Speaking of which, Iris's expression grew even more complicated, "While there aren't many Beast Tamers who have contracted an Ancestral, there are still those with other dragon-type pet beasts. Among the circles I'm in contact with, I've already heard of at least three Rank-7 Beast Tamers, each with a fully evolved dragon-type pet, who want to take on the Dragon Kings now."

Asher: "…"

Aeron, who knew part of the truth: "…"

Both of them shared the same speechless, complicated expression.

"Wait… there are actually people who'd rush off to die like this without even understanding the situation?", Aeron looked like he'd just been choked.

The moment Iris saw his reaction, she knew it—the path of evolving into a Dragon King through challenging one wasn't a universally applicable route for all dragon-type beasts.

Since Old Rothschild's Ancestral had already evolved successfully, Asher saw no reason to continue hiding the truth.

In just a few sentences, he explained the situation as it had been back then.

"That's how it was.", Asher spread his hands helplessly, "I have to clarify—I really wasn't trying to cast a spell on Old Rothschild or anything. He only agreed to my method because he had no other choice."

"If we hadn't done it that way, Ancestral would've been doomed."

Iris's expression grew even more complicated after hearing the full story.

"Yes… Rather than waiting for inevitable death, it was better to take a gamble and go all in.", She crossed her hands and glanced at Aeron. She could now understand why Old Rothschild had made that decision.

A last-ditch effort.

But if mistakes could be eliminated for future generations, they could avoid following the same tragic path.

Trading death for rebirth…

Perhaps it wasn't such a bad decision after all?

Iris exhaled softly, her lips slightly parted, "At least the final outcome was good."

Old Rothschild was safe.

Ancestral had evolved successfully.

The only issue was… recreating this evolution path seemed just a little difficult.

Just a tiny bit.

"This kind of situation has happened before. Let me research it and get you an answer.", Iris said after a long moment of contemplation, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Then, her eyes turned sharp, "As for your credit, you deserve every bit of it!"

"Not to mention how long you were talked about because of this."

"Even though the outcome was good in the end, you were unfairly criticized before that. We can't just let that slide."

By the time she finished speaking, Iris's beautiful eyes burned with an intense fire.

Anyone who knew her would realize—she was ready to fight for Asher's recognition.

Anyone who didn't know her might think she was about to roll up her sleeves and start swinging fists.

Whether she could actually win in a fight was another matter.

"Is there anything I need to do?", Asher chuckled at Iris's enthusiasm. It felt good to have someone standing up for him. Since she was genuinely considering his best interests, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

"The usual—write a paper.", Iris waved her hand grandly, "Write about Ancestral. Pile on the data, the results, and its original evolution path. Let's see who dares to question you then."

Iris had been especially irritated by Stone in class today.

Stone reminded her of all those people who had openly and secretly slandered Asher, ridiculing him for leading Old Rothschild to self-destruction.

And he wasn't the only one.

Every time she encountered such people, Iris would counter them with her own sarcastic remarks.

But before Ancestral evolved, all she could do was talk back—she had no way to silence them entirely.

Now, though?

It was time to publicize this victory.

To spread it far and wide.

Let's see who dared talk nonsense in front of her now!

Asher made an "OK" gesture.

"Exactly, Brother Asher. I support you too! Those people just have way too much to say.", Aeron, having been startled by Iris's outburst, immediately voiced his agreement.

'That is the way to go!'

Who was Brother Asher?

Brother Asher was their family's great benefactor.

Their greatest benefactor.

Just like how Old Rothschild couldn't imagine losing his partner.

After learning about how Ancestral first evolved, Aeron was even more panicked and terrified—he didn't want anything to happen to Dragon Dad, and he absolutely couldn't accept anything happening to his grandfather either.

Old Rothschild and Ancestral were among the most important family members in Aeron's life.

They held immense weight in his heart.

The suggestion Asher made was already the best one.

Yet, there were still people speaking ill of Asher in front of him?

Aeron: 'Watch me tear that mouth apart!'

Asher didn't know.

In front of him, Aeron acted all dumb and adorably clueless, but in front of others, he carried quite the domineering presence and had an air of authority about him.

After personally beating up a few people who badmouthed Asher, no one dared to do so in front of Aeron anymore.

At most, they would gossip in private—'Asher's voodoo skills are insane.'

Of course.

After seeing the evolved Ancestral, even more people envied Old Rothschild—

Damn it!

Why couldn't they have a chance for their dragon-type pet beasts to evolve into Dragon Kings?!

Dragon King!

That was a Dragon King!

———

The news of Old Rothschild returning with the evolved Ancestral spread across all of the country in just one day.

On one hand, many Beast Tamers were already following Old Rothschild's situation.

On the other hand…

It was because Old Rothschild ended up on Bluewind University's disciplinary notice.

The reason for the disciplinary notice, "Unjustified destruction of campus environment."

A Dragon King over dozens of meters in size…

Old Rothschild: 'Ahem!'

The photos of Old Rothschild and the evolved Ancestral were still displayed on Bluewind University's official website, explicitly named in the disciplinary notice.

Students from major universities who heard the news flocked over, leaving messages on the school's official message board.

"Hahaha! So this is our country's newly evolved Dragon King? So cool. It looks absolutely amazing."

"Absolutely badass! I really want to touch those black-and-white dragon scales. And that armor looks so sick too."

"You guys at Bluewind University don't even have a Bluewind on your homepage, and now you're putting a dragon there? This picture clearly belongs on our Jade Dragon University's website. doge.jpg"

"LMAO at the comment above! If you want it on Jade Dragon's website, you better ask if Old Rothschild agrees first."

"Actually, we at Flood Dragon University could use it too. A Flood Dragon (great swan) and a dragon pair pretty well, don't they?"

"Fu*k off! Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon can forget about it. This picture belongs to us at Bluewind. After all, none of you have Asher at your school. proud chest puff.jpg"

The students of Bluewind University jumped in.

Instantly crushing the competition.

What?

You want to see the new Dragon King?

Tch!

That's not even a big deal!

Plenty of Bluewind students saw it with their own eyes just yesterday.

'Sigh!'

Who told Asher to be at their school?

The fact that Old Rothschild and Ancestral were able to evolve, to achieve what they did today, had everything to do with Asher.

Other universities?

Just keep envying!

Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon University: "…"

The leadership at Jade Dragon and Flood Dragon, upon seeing this news, exchanged glances before collectively letting out a long sigh.

"This really is… one mistake leading to another, isn't it?", A high-ranking official from Jade Dragon University spoke with a tone of helplessness.

"Indeed. A year ago, who could have predicted this?", A high-ranking official from Flood Dragon University didn't look any better, "I still remember, around this exact time last year, the Alliance Headquarters asked which school was willing to offer this student a direct admission letter."

"You didn't want to do it, I didn't want to do it, and Bluewind happily took him in. I even recall some people mocking Bluewind back then."

After speaking, he looked around at his colleagues.

Oh.

Turns out some of them had been the ones making those remarks.

And now?

Just one year.

In just a single year, the entire situation had flipped 180 degrees.

Now, even if they begged Asher to come, he probably wouldn't even consider it.

The university leadership: "…"

Sigh.

Another sigh.

"This kid is basically a super genius monster, isn't he? His level of talent… it's beyond what words can describe. All I can say is, Professor Asher was born for this era—to elevate and advance it."

"A talent like this… Even in five hundred or a thousand years, we might not see another one like him."

If Asher's previous achievements only made them think of him as a true genius,

Then the fact that he helped Ancestral evolve into an Jargon Dragon King… was enough to prove just how revolutionary and defiant of the natural order he was.

"By the way, you all know that Bluewind University submitted Asher's name for this year's 'Dia's beast Evolution Professor Award,' right?" A professor from Jade Dragon University suddenly spoke.

Jade Dragon University's leadership, "?"

Flood Dragon University's leadership, "?"

Both sides were visibly shocked.

Jade Dragon's leadership, upon realizing that even their own professors were unaware, suddenly relaxed a little.

Heh!

At least Jade Dragon had more flexible intelligence networks.

Even if the leadership didn't know, someone under them did.

That was enough.

Flood Dragon University's leadership: "…"

Damn it!

He immediately saw through his rival's smug thoughts, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Both were university heads, with equal standings. They had fought over resources plenty of times before, so there was no fear or intimidation between them.

All he could do was shoot a resentful, disappointed glare at his own professors.

The look in his eyes screamed: Look at them!

Now look at you!

Why couldn't you get this bit of information too?

The professor from Flood Dragon University: "…"

Feeling immense pressure.

"The 'Dia's beast Evolution Professor Award'… Uh, nominating Asher, wouldn't that be… a bit…", The professor from Flood Dragon initially wanted to say that nominating Asher might be unfair to other pet evolution professors.

But before he could finish, he realized—

Unfair?

Wasn't Asher just a new pet evolution professor?

A fresher than fresh newcomer.

He had only been in the field for barely a year.

And the 'Dia's beast Evolution Professor Award' was specifically for professors who had been in the industry for one to three years, held at least a Level 5 Researcher title, and had made a significant, widely recognized contribution by December of the selection year.

Asher had entered the field last September.

He was the first to propose the concept of "affection levels."

Although it wasn't initially eye-catching, it was later recognized as groundbreaking after Damien Sr. pointed it out.

Then, Asher kept delivering achievement after achievement.

He earned the title of Level 5 Researcher in no time, then rose to Level 4 in less than six months.

And now, with the credit of evolving Ancestral into a Dragon King in his hands…

Applying for Level 3 Researcher would just be a formality at this point, right?

Yet he was competing for a newcomer professor's award…

How others felt, they didn't know.

But they sure felt complicated. No—very complicated.

You're making a Level 3 Researcher compete with professors who have only been in the field for one to three years?

That sounds downright insane.

But what if this Level 3 Researcher is actually a rookie who only got the title less than a year ago?

Speechless.

Completely lost for words.

Alright, can't continue that thought.

In short, this is ridiculous.

The school leaders of Jade Dragon University rubbed their temples, their faces carrying an indescribable exhaustion.

"I don't know why... I clearly know that Asher has only been in the field for a short time, and he's even just a student right now, a freshman in college. But for some reason, putting Asher in this competition feels incredibly unfair to the others."

Forget the teachers at Jade Dragon— even the school leaders and professors from Flood Dragon University across from them were nodding like crazy after hearing that.

'Yes, yes, exactly!'

'It's a complete massacre!'

It feels like throwing Asher into this list is like dropping a giant depth charge into a beginner's fishing pond.

Instantly, bodies everywhere, not a single fish left alive.

Big fish, small fish—all floating belly-up.

Resist?

They don't stand a chance.

"Stopping him... We can't stop him anymore.", The school leaders of Flood Dragon wiped their faces deeply, sighing.

"Whatever happens, happens. What else can we do now except be jealous?"

"Seriously, what can we even do?"

Nothing!

Everyone could only sit here and stare blankly.

The school leaders and professors of Jade Dragon: "..."

Sigh.

Question life.

Face life.

Accept life.

The brightest and most dazzling star of this era has emerged, shining brilliantly.

What else can they do?

Just live peacefully under that starlight.

And contribute whatever they can to it.

After all, in the end, they'll still get to bask in the light of that star, won't they?

———

[Star City]

[Beast Tamer Alliance Headquarters]

The silver-white building gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.

Inside, people were moving non-stop, working tirelessly.

[18th floor]

A number that didn't sound very friendly.

Yet, this floor was one of the busiest in the entire Beast Tamer Alliance.

Because—verifications of Beast Tamer rankings, confirmations of Breeder achievements, validations of pet evolution professors' accomplishments, and the assessment of various awards within the Alliance all had to go through the Special Verification Department on the 18th floor.

The entire floor belonged to the Special Verification Department.

Everywhere you looked, you could see piles of documents and people buried in work.

Pink, round, plump, floating like inflated balloons, but with two triangular cat-like ears on their heads—these pet beasts drifted mid-air. Their faces wore an incredibly cute, well-fed expression.

If anyone reached out a hand, they would obediently snuggle into their arms, allowing themselves to be squished, rolled, and kneaded however they pleased.

This was the scene Jasmine walked into—a hellish workplace at its peak.

She passed through the exhausted workstations filled with resentment and stopped at the door of a separate office.

Pushing it open, she saw her friend sprawled lifelessly on her desk, rubbing a pink cat beast in her hands, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"...How long have you been stuck at your workstation?", Looking at her friend's hastily gathered messy bun, makeup-free face, and the huge dark circles under her eyes, Jasmine couldn't help but ask.

"Ah... I don't even know...", Charlotte had a look of impending death, "I think my exhaustion has probably fed at least ten Pink Cats by now..."

Jasmine was stunned, "Ten Dream-Eating Cats? Are you trying to die?"

Dream-Eating Cat.

Also known as Pink Cat, a Fairy + Light-attribute beast. It looks adorable and feeds on the drowsiness of other beings.

If you ever find yourself inexplicably unable to sleep in the wild, full of energy no matter what—you might have encountered a Pink Cat, which has devoured your sleepiness.

Sounds like the perfect pet for office workers, right?

With just one Dream-Eating Cat, you can achieve the ultimate "as long as you don't sleep, you don't have to get out of bed".

And if you don't get out of bed, you can pretend you're not working overtime.

However—

Having your sleepiness devoured isn't without consequences.

When the next wave of drowsiness hits, you'll experience double the exhaustion.

The more sleep a Dream-Eating Cat takes from you, the longer you'll need to sleep later to recover.

Even so, for many office workers—especially those in the Special Verification Department, who were so busy at year-end that they wished every minute lasted two—

Pink Cat were their gods.

Without them, they wouldn't survive in this cold, cruel world.

"You need to go to sleep. If you keep working, you really might drop dead.", Jasmine stepped forward and gently took the clearly overfed Dream-Eating Cat from Charlotte's hands, her soft voice tinged with helplessness.

"N-No, it's fine!", The moment the soft, fluffy cat was taken away, Charlotte immediately snapped awake.

She raised her hands, struggling to sit upright.

"Little Thousand, report the next task."

["Leader Jiang, your next task is to verify and screen this year's candidates for the 'Dia's Beast Evolution Professor Award.'"]

A mechanical voice rang out.

Jasmine and Charlotte remained unfazed.

Little Thousand, Full name: Thousand Machine.

Its true form was only palm-sized. Initially classified as an Electric-type, later reclassified as Electric + Special-type beast.

[TL/N: To imagine his mechanical voice I am using square brackets around Thousand Machine's dialogues]

A creature capable of freely navigating local networks, functioning almost like an artificial intelligence assistant.

Its power varied based on strength, determining the size of the network it could control and how long it could stay inside.

But it was incredibly useful.

Especially for office workers.

Unfortunately—

Back in the pre-internet era, ancestors occasionally discovered colonies of Thousand Machines.

But as humanity fully entered the digital age, their numbers dropped drastically—now barely in the double digits.

And as for how Thousand Machines reproduce...?

Sorry, research hasn't figured that out yet.

Not even the Beast Tamer Alliance Headquarters had more than five of them.

Two of which were stationed on the 18th floor.

Because they were too busy.

Without more assistants, this floor would be littered with corpses.

"Initial screening. Cross-check with the Alliance database. Identify any discrepancies or disqualifications.", Charlotte instructed efficiently.

Even if it wasn't common, you could never be too sure.

Some people always tried to slip through.

Some exceeded the three-year eligibility limit and still gave it a shot.

Others engaged in various shady tactics.

There's no limit to what people can imagine.

But there's nothing Charlotte couldn't catch in the system.

Thousand Machine acted swiftly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In an instant, it compared over a thousand candidates against the database.

About ten names were flagged.

Seeing these ten names, Charlotte's face revealed a sneer, "Heh, I just knew it!"

"So annoying! Do these people have any self-awareness? Can't they just give me a little less workload?", Charlotte loudly complained, "If I hadn't shamelessly clung to the president's thigh this year and applied for an extra Thousand Machine, I would've died sorting out these ten names."

Thousands of names, cross-checking each one with the database's personal achievements, then filtering out those that didn't meet the requirements or had falsified records—wasn't this just asking for her life?

"Report them! Report all of them for me!"

"I have to put their names on the front page of the Alliance website. Let all Beast Tamers and peers know exactly what they've done."

Jasmine watched her friend, who was flailing around in madness, and quickly stepped forward to press her shoulders down, speaking in a soft, soothing voice, "Calm down, calm down, your mental state doesn't seem very good right now."

"These people do have problems, but you should at least take a look first.", Jasmine sighed helplessly.

Charlotte sneered, "Look at what? I think my mental state is great! Absolutely wonderful! I could ascend to the heavens at any moment."

Jasmine: "..."

"Little Thousand, report on these individuals.", Ignoring Charlotte's opinion, Jasmine directly addressed the Thousand Machine inside the computer.

["Beep—Identity confirmed, Inspection Team Intern Inspector Jasmine, identity verification passed. Little Thousand will now report the list to you."]

["Level 5 Researcher, Rodrigo, achievements do not correspond with Beast Tamer qualifications, possible falsification.

["Level 5 Researcher, Olivia, achievements do not correspond with Beast Tamer qualifications, possible falsification."]

.

.

.

["Level 5 Researcher, Amelia, years as a pet beast professor exceed the limit, suspected data fabrication."]

["Level 3 Researcher, Asher, number of achievements exceeds the 'Dia's Extraordinary Biological Evolution Professor Award' criteria, suspected data fabrication, possible falsification."]

At first, Jasmine didn't think much of the first few names.

They did seem to have some problems.

But when she heard the last name, the confused expression on her face became so strong it was practically leaking out.

Charlotte, still sitting in her chair, was mumbling to herself, "Level 3 Researcher? Does this Level 3 Researcher have a brain problem? If he managed to reach Level 3, he must have some actual skills. Does he not realize how much falsifying records would affect his future?"

"Now that I think about it, this name does sound a little familiar…", Charlotte muttered.

"Wait? Asher? That Asher?", Jasmine couldn't be bothered to think too much—she immediately asked.

["Retrieving the basic profile of Level 3 Researcher Asher for Intern Inspector Jasmine. Beast Tamer registered in NY City, Asher, 18 years old, freshman at Bluewind University…"]

"Little Thousand, stop right there!", At this moment, Charlotte finally snapped awake.

Not a trace of fatigue remained in her eyes.

Level 3 Researcher.

Hmm.

That's normal.

18 years old?

Did she mishear?

Freshman at Bluewind University…?

Charlotte was dumbfounded.

Charlotte was shocked.

Charlotte no longer dared to underestimate the seriousness of this situation.

She quickly sat up straight, pulled up Asher's file, and carefully read it from beginning to end. Her expression cycled through every color of the palette.

"Asher… so it really is that freaking Asher?"

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