Beast-Tamer: Limitless Evolution
Chapter 87: Valid Concerns

Chapter 87: Valid Concerns

Valid Concerns

’... What in the overkill?’ Osho thought as he looked at the external supervisor who walked into the hall with purposeful steps.

It wasn’t just him as everyone within the hall seemed to freeze, the distinct sound of heels clacking against the floor filling the hall.

As for the reason for such a reaction among the students?

Well, the woman was an older woman, looking to be in her sixties by her appearance, but it was likely she was older.

She wore a pencil skirt and a blouse, her hair neatly tied into a bun with a hairpin keeping it in place. She had a pair of glasses as well as a tablet in her hands. She looked like the textbook definition of a strict teacher.

However, the most prominent thing, and the thing that probably made everyone react the way they did, was her beast.

It was a Phantom.

Not figuratively. No, it was a Phantom, an apparition that floated behind her silently.

’Weird, very weird.’ Osho did not like the thing at all. Not due to any bias or anything like that, no, it was due to its presence, or rather, lack of. It was as though his eyes were the only things that could perceive it, and his other senses told him there was nothing there. He debated using his Mana sense, but as soon as he had the thought, he had a very bad feeling and immediately thought better of it.

Moreover, the thing was at the Expert Rank.

(A/N: The external supervisors aren’t from their Citadel.)

As soon as they walked into the hall, the temperature seemed to drop even more, and not in a comfortable way as she walked to the front of the hall and swept her gaze across the hall, then she adjusted her glasses and spoke.

"I hope you have all prepared adequately for this exam. This will be the first time you are meeting me, and I meeting you. My name is Mrs Jocelyn, and I shall be your Supervisor today. I know my role here today, and I hope you know yours. I am not here to baby any of you or allow you to do as you please. Wrote your exams honestly and with a clear conscience. You will be caught if you attempt to perform any form of malpractice, and the consequences will be severe. However, if you respect me, I will respect you." She said calmly and looked at her watch.

8:59

With a nod, she looked back at them and spoke.

"Make sure to read the instructions carefully. If there is anything you do not understand, you may call my attention. The moment the allotted time for each exam has elapsed, your tablets will automatically submit your answers, so even if you plead with me for more time, the result will be the same. You may begin." As soon as she finished, the tablets unlocked themselves and the students could now answer.

Now, one must know, not all the questions were the same for each student. There were specializations students could pick to study when they entered a college. As such, they studied subjects related to these specializations and were given questions based on these subjects, and as per the number of exams they needed to write, that was three subjects.

Osho had naturally chosen the route of Beast Evolution. Though, it wasn’t called that and was instead called Beast Engineering & Evolution, with Beast Evolution being a sub-path one could follow if they wanted.

He briefly glanced back up and was surprised. The Phatnon was gone.

He looked around and he couldn’t see the thing anywhere, a notion he wasn’t a huge fan of. It was hard to explain how uncanny it was when you knew there was something in the vicinity, yet none of your senses could detect it.

Gale seemed to notice his unease and blinked.

’It’s there.’ Osho paused and looked at the bird with surprise.

’You can see it?’ Gale nodded and started aiming his beak in different directions.

Confused, Osho decided to share his vision with Gale’s and, oh lord.

Now he understood why Gale was pointing in multiple directions. The Phantom had split itself! Instead of one, there were dozens of smaller Phantoms, each of them silently mulling about through the hall and observing the students like, well, Phantoms.

It was uncanny, and now Osho knew why the woman was so confident that no one could cheat. How would you cheat when there were dozens of invisible observers watching you, and you wouldn’t even know they were there until it was too late.

However, Osho was more surprised by something else.

How could Gale see them?

He was aware that the bird possessed incredible perception. After all, if he didn’t then he wouldn’t be able to keep up with his own speed. But while it helped in allowing him to handle his speed, how did that translate into him being able to see the Phantoms? As far as Osho could tell, they barely existed.

’That’s not important right now.’ He chastised himself and focused on the exam in front of him

There was a theory and an objective section, with there being 120 questions for the objective and ten questions for the theory with him needing to answer seven.

He cracked his knuckles.

’Let’s get started.’

___

Mrs Jane stood at the entrance of the hall with her arms folded. Her Salamander was just running across her arms with no obvious goal in mind, and she looked almost bored.

"You seem bored." Mrs Jane looked up and saw Timothy approaching her with his signature warm smile, his hands grasping two cups of coffee.

Mrs Jane offered a small smile and took the cup of coffee when he gave it to her.

"Maybe a little." She said as she took a sip of the drink, cream and sugar, just as she liked it.

"Not surprised. With everything that has been happening recently, being able to just stand and not do anything might be a bit jarring." Timothy leaned against the wall as well and stared up.

"Then again, that isn’t exactly the worst thing. It’s nice to sit back and not worry about potentially getting attacked every few seconds, wouldn’t you agree?" He said with a small smirk and Mrs Jane resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Maybe, but the world has become so desensitized that the idea of not fighting is just odd." She took another sip of her coffee and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence.

"So, are you worried about Osho?" Timothy suddenly asked and Mrs Jane lingered for a while before nodding.

"To a degree. While I’m happy to see just how much he is capable of, I fear that he may attract unwanted attention with the potential he has. The number of Legendary Rank Beast Tamers is less than a hundred, and each one can be seen as a strategic entity, not just an individual, but someone who can change the tide of virtually any situation they are in." She said softly, her words seeming to carry an almost tangible weight.

Timothy regarded her for a moment before saying thoughtfully. "You’re not wrong. With that sort of potential, it’s hard to see him as just a student. In the eyes of the world, he is either a savior to be exalted, after factor to be accounted for, or a threat to be eliminated. Either way, the significance of his potential goes beyond just being strong." Mrs Jabe nodded slightly.

"Exactly. All eyes will be on him, not just colleges. Different Citadels. Especially the ones of higher tiers, will also be interested in him. Some will want to recruit him, some will want to control him, and some... might want to get rid of a potential problem to whatever plans they have." Timothy’s face darkened slightly, but he let her continue.

"And then there’s him," She sighed. "Osho is sharp, but he’s young. He doesn’t flaunt his power or his potential, but I can tell that he’s still keenly aware of it, what he is capable of, and the weight he carries. Self-awareness is good, but for him to be THAT self-aware at his age could be... dangerous. Either it will keep him grounded, or twist something that shouldn’t be twisted over time." Timothy rubbed his chin.

"You think he’ll become arrogant?" He offered, but she shook her head

"No, but that’s the issue. I feel that he’ll become overly calculating. Too logical. He’s already more logical than a teenager should be. What happens when that logic turns cold? What if he stops seeing people as people, and more like chess pieces on a board to be used?" She stared up.

"Even if he doesn’t run the risk of doing it himself, what if he gets pushed in that direction by my previous points? That to protect himself and his loved ones, he sees people as merely a means to an end? That’s what I’m worried about. This world is cruel and unyielding. I just don’t want him to become cruel with it." Her words were sincere and her worry was genuine.

Timothy stared at her for a while before chuckling and reaching over to pat her head.

She didn’t resist and just kept staring forward, her eyes furrowed slightly.

"You’ve grown quite a bit." He said, causing her to look at him, but he continued.

"I remember when you were younger, you were so distrustful. You believed that with your talent, virtually everyone was a threat, and you started closing yourself off even without anyone doing anything to you." He chuckled.

"Breaking through that shell of yours sure was a hassle, but I’d say it was worth it. Otherwise, I highly doubt the you from then would be so worried about how someone’s mental state might change due to their potential." Now Mrs Jane blatantly rolled her eyes, which made Timothy laugh even more.

When he settled, he stared at her with a calm assurance.

"Your worries are valid. In fact, I’ve seen people become the way you fear from far less. So it’s a realistic possibility." He glanced at the entrance as though he could see through it and look at his students.

"But something tells me he’ll be just fine." Mrs Jane blinked, surprised.

"How can you be so sure?" Timothy just nodded.

"Well, they say the eyes are the window you the soul, and I’ve seen the look in that boy’s eyes." His smile turned a bit sad.

"They remind me of someone who made a mistake and realized it was a mistake much too late, and is determined to never do something like that ever again. It may seem odd to hear considering his age, and even I feel like it may be overkill. It’s hard to imagine someone so young going through something like that. But eyes don’t lie, and I know what I saw. Trust me when I say, that boy will be alright."

Mrs Jane stared at Timothy for a while, then her gaze softened as she nodded meekly.

"... Alright."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.