"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Christopher sat on the ground, breathing heavily. Blood stained not only his face, but body, and hands. He glanced to his right, watching the two Beasts devour the bats they had killed.
After a deep breath, he stood and walked to the twentieth bat, tearing open its belly and extracting a glowing blue core. He returned to his spot and sat down, the core in his hand.
"Hahhh..." he sighed deeply, looking at the thirty cores laid out before him.
'Low-level Tamers would kill for these.' He thought. 'Cores can be sold on the black market or to Tamer Enterprises for money. They can also be absorbed to increase one's life force, which enhances fighting abilities and strengthens the body. That's why cores are so valuable to Tamers. To some, they're even more important than money. You can sell cores, but you can't buy them. That's the unbreakable rule. As for me...'
He began absorbing the cores, stopping after the fifth one.
'Damn it! I can't absorb more than five cores!' He thought, frustrated.
'This body's physique is too weak. Even if he becomes a Tamer, he won't get far ... But I'm different, as the supreme tamer, I know all the ways to increase my physique, and strengthen my life force... But, all these takes time.'
Christopher sighed. This realization only strengthened his resolve to obtain the Mythical Beast's tears.
'All this fighting must have alerted the guardian... That Mythical-stage beast would be waiting for us.' He thought, annoyed.
He gathered the remaining twenty-five cores, dug a small hole in the ground, and buried them.
"Are you two finished eating?" he asked the Beasts.
They turned and nodded.
"Good. Let's move on."
He stood up and began walking, the two Beasts following him.
[Valhalla Family Mansion]
"Son! You've been in there for hours. Come down and have dinner with the family!" Amara called, pressing her ear against the door.
Amara jumped back, startled. She turned to see Leyla standing there, looking confused.
"Oh, it's just you, Leyla. Why isn't my son answering me?" She asked, after composing herself.
Before Leyla could reply, Katherine approached, her spider Beast, now in its non-combat form, perched on her shoulder.
"What is it, dear?" Amara asked.
"Spidy told me big brother came into my room and took his car keys," Katherine said.
"Car keys?" Amara asked, her confusion growing.
She turned to Leyla, who spoke. "Master Christopher left the house around 11:00 this morning. He hasn't returned."
"WHAT?!" Amara's voice echoed through the house, surprising everyone in it. She turned back to Leyla. "Since "morning"? It's 8:00 PM! Where could he have gone? What about his bodyguards?"
"They're still here, Madam," Leyla replied calmly. "Master Christopher left without them."
"Those fools! If he left without them, why didn't they take another car and follow him?! They'll all hear about from me! And Leyla, you're his personal assistant, and close friend! I put you there to keep an eye on him! Don't you know where he is?"
"I'm sorry, Madam," Leyla said, lowering her head. "I... I don't know."
"Calm down, Mum," Katherine said. "Maybe he's just out partying."
"No! Your brother has changed. He's not partying anymore! Oh, no!" Amara exclaimed, her voice filled with worry. "What if he's in danger?!"
The two girls' expressions changed.
"I have to tell your father!" Amara said, her voice rising. "They have to find him!" She rushed toward the stairs.
"Mum! Slow down!" Katherine called, nodding to Leyla as she hurried after her mother.
'The Madam surely loves Christopher.' Leyla thought, with a soft smile on her lips.
While the whole city prepare to search for him, Christopher was driving toward the lair of an enraged Mythical Beast, a creature that even Elite and Legendary Tamers feared, let alone with only two Perfect-stage Beasts.
Christopher and the two Beasts stopped in a wide, cavernous space. They looked up, seeing a massive Black Widow Spider asleep on a giant web suspended above a natural spring.
Christopher whispered, placing a finger to his lips. He took a deep breath and slowly walked toward the spring, his eyes fixed on the sleeping Mythical Beast.
He reached the spring and carefully took out the vial, filling it with the shimmering liquid. Christopher smiled at the vial. No one knew where the tears came from, but they would be invaluable.
Christopher's eyes widened hearing the noise. He swiftly turned to see the two Beasts, and raised an eyebrow seeing them pointing and gesturing frantically at the spider, trembling with fear.
Confused, He looked back at the spider. His face turned paled as a Blood Bat flew toward it.
'Seriously?! Is this payback for killing its kind?!' He thought.
Christopher didn't try to stop the bat. Instead, he touched his ring, recalling the cat and centipede. He pocketed the vial and took off running.
The bat collided with the spider's head. And instantly; The spider's eyes snapped open. It snapped its jaws, instantly killing the bat.
The Black Widow, with its distinctive red markings on its steel-like carapace, turned its gaze on the fleeing human.
Christopher exclaimed, stopping abruptly as the Black Widow landed in front of him.
He took a step back as the Beast advanced.
'Fuck!! Mythical-stage beasts are exceptionally knowledgeable, and formidable... And even without seeing the Vial, it already knows I took it, and I'm not planning on handing it back... Furthermore, this bastard is a Darkness Bloodline beast!' He thought inwardly.
"Calm down." Christopher said nervously. "I'm just here for the tears. Nothing more. If you'll just let me leave—"
<"What makes you think you can enter my cave and steal my treasure?!"> The spider hissed.
Christopher wasn't surprised. Mythical and Divine Beasts were highly evolved and capable of human speech.
"Can't we make a deal?" he yelled.
<"I don't make deals with weak humans!">
Christopher sighed. He gripped his dagger tightly.
"If I can't bargain with you." he said, "I'll have to kill you."