Chapter 309 Drake
Faced with the sudden appearance of the unfamiliar man, Charles wasted no time and pulled out his black gold long knife, retrieving the orange-quality miracle drug that Colton had given him.
[Body Limitation Release Miracle Drug]
[Grade]: Orange-quality
[Description]: This is a special potion that, when consumed, can temporarily lift physical limitations, boosting strength by 1.5 to 3 times. It can only be used by a Level 6 Beast Master or below. Once the effect wears off, the user will be in a state of exhaustion for three hours.
At the same time, not far behind Charles, a figure quickly approached from a pile of rubble. It was Ruby, who had been secretly protecting Charles.
As a Level 7 Beast Master, she could sense that this unfamiliar man was likely an Level 8 Beast Master!
Even so, she did not hesitate to step forward, directly placing herself behind Charles and keeping a vigilant watch on the suddenly appearing man.
"Don't be tense, I mean no harm." Drake said, gazing at Charles with interest, his voice slow and deliberate.
Charles seemed to ignore everything he heard, maintaining his high level of alertness. He gripped the black gold long knife tightly, ready to drink the Body Limitation Release Miracle Drug at any moment.
"Why are you being so cautious? Aren't you the one looking for me? Now that I've shown up, you seem to want to run away." Drake said, slightly exasperated as he offered a brief explanation.
Having finally found someone who piqued his interest, he wasn't going to let the person leave easily.
"Are you the Level 8 Beast Master Mr. Drake? I have been commissioned to find something." Charles said, letting out a sigh of relief as he spoke loudly.
Upon hearing this, Alyssa's expression changed multiple times, especially when she realized that Charles was looking for Drake for a specific item, her gaze became even more piercing.
"Mr. Drake, we are from the Stellar Empire. We were commissioned by the crown prince of the Stellar Empire to undergo a trial." Alyssa added promptly.
To their surprise, Drake didn't even glance at them, he continued to focus solely on Charles and slowly said, "So you're Charles. Who sent you to find me?"
"The commissioner is Cecilia." Charles replied.
Upon hearing Cecilia's name, Drake slapped his forehead and sighed, speaking to himself, "That crazy old woman still hasn't given up, huh?"
"What did she tell you?" Drake continued to inquire.
Charles recounted the entire backstory and Cecilia's commission in detail.
After listening, Drake's expression turned somewhat grim as he sighed, "Cecilia is still as unreliable as ever, she doesn't provide any information and just sends you to find me."
Now that Charles had met Level 8 Beast Master Drake, half of Cecilia's commission was already completed.
He didn't know exactly what Cecilia was looking for, but he was very clear about one thing: if the subsequent events posed a high risk, he would not hesitate to abandon the mission.
He had already agreed with Cecilia that he could withdraw at any time if there was a significant risk.
"Alright, I understand your purpose for coming. That item can only be obtained by those who pass the trial, there will be no exceptions." Drake said, looking at the group.
He instinctively pulled out a bottle of strong liquor, and just as he twisted off the cap, he seemed to remember something and, with a hint of regret, inhaled the aroma of the liquor before putting it away.
"We are willing to accept the trial, Mr. Drake. Could you please tell us when it will begin?" Alyssa asked cautiously.
Drake looked down at the ground beneath him and replied slowly, "In three days, you will gather here, and then the trial will begin. Additionally, there will be other participants."
"Other participants?" Alyssa was quite surprised, she had always thought that only their group was coming to find Drake.
"That's right. The Golden Mountain Range will soon cease to exist. The volcano deep within the earth is about to erupt, and this is the best time to conduct the trial." Drake briefly explained without going into too much detail.
Upon hearing this, Charles glanced at the trembling Alloy Ant Queen and thought, no wonder they suddenly started migrating, it turns out it was because the volcano beneath the Golden Mountain Range was about to erupt.
"By the way, Charles, let your mystical beast out. At this rate, the Alloy Ant Queen might die." Drake said.
Charles hurried over to the massive form of the Alloy Ant Queen. It was clear that the size of the Alloy Ant Queen had diminished, it was no longer as large as it had been at the beginning.
"Little Gold! Come out quickly." Charles called out a couple of times.
Before long, Little Gold emerged from within the Alloy Ant Queen.
The Alloy Ant Queen shook violently, as if finally relieved, it didn't have time to celebrate before it started retreating frantically until it was a considerable distance away from Little Gold, at which point it finally stopped.
Little Gold now looked very different from before, its original length of over one meter had nearly reached two meters!
Not only had its size increased dramatically, but the dorsal fin on its back had also become more robust and sharper, glinting coldly in the sunlight.
[Ding! Little Gold has absorbed the metallic juice from the Alloy Ant Queen, gaining an increase in power. It is very happy, loyalty +5. ]
Charles glanced at the notification, which showed that Little Gold's loyalty had reached 83, enough for communication.
A strange voice appeared in Charles's mind, "Master, I'm still not full!"
Charles kept a straight face but couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth as he replied in his mind,
"That's enough, look at how scared the Alloy Ant Queen is. If you eat more, it will die."
"Alright then, Master, I think I'm a bit tired and want to rest." Little Gold said, immediately losing its energy upon hearing it couldn't continue devouring.
"Okay, you can go back and rest." Charles said. After settling Little Gold's matter, he finally looked up at Drake.
Drake stared thoughtfully at the disappearing figure of Little Gold and remarked:
"A diamond-quality special metallic mystical beast, Charles, you really are quite lucky."
Upon hearing Drake's words, Alyssa, Dante, and Asher were shocked.
Although they had started to believe what Mountain Rabbit had said before, they still felt astonished at the affirmation from a Level 8 Beast Master.
It turned out everything was true, Charles was indeed a genius blacksmith and alchemist, having contracted with both emerald-quality and diamond-quality mystical beasts!
He had completed self-created combat techniques and had challenged the "Reaper's Scythe!"
"Is this even human? Even with support from a powerful family, it's hard to achieve something like this." Dante murmured.
Asher thought of something different and slowly asked, "Is there a major family with the surname Chu in Genosha? I haven't heard of it."
"No, Charles might be a disciple of some high-ranking Beast Master. That's the only explanation that makes sense, a full effort from a Level 8 Beast Master should be about right." Alyssa replied.
The group communicated quietly, expressing their shock regarding Charles.
Drake looked at the calm-faced Charles with great interest, his purpose for being here was Charles, and he hadn't encountered such a talented young man in a long time.
"Charles, will you participate in the trial in three days? That item can only be obtained by passing the trial." Drake said slowly.
To his surprise, Charles replied straightforwardly, "I still don't know what that item is."
"I forgot, that guy Cecilia definitely didn't tell you." Drake said, tapping his head in exasperation.
He briefly explained, and only then did Charles realize that what Cecilia and Alyssa were looking for was actually an orange-quality item!
It was called the "Golden Devouring Enhancement Stone." which could devour various types of metals to absorb their metallic energy and enhance a Beast Master's physical attributes.
Although it was an orange-quality item, its special function made it comparable to a typical gold-quality item.
No wonder even the crown prince of the Stellar Empire sent someone to search for it.
Charles had a rough idea, according to their agreement, this item was to be handed over to Cecilia once found, and he couldn't use it for himself.
Moreover, according to Drake, there would be other participants coming in three days, making the competition fierce and inevitably dangerous.
So, Charles decided that he would observe how the trial unfolded. If it didn't pose too great a risk, he would complete the task as agreed.
"I will participate." Charles replied.
Drake smiled with satisfaction and said, "Good, I'm really looking forward to your performance."
After saying that, his figure vanished without a trace.
In the canyon, only Charles, Ruby, Dante, Asher, and the guide Mountain Rabbit remained.
Alyssa looked at Charles and the Level 7 Beast Master Ruby behind him with a complex expression.
It was surprising to realize that there had been a Level 7 Beast Master secretly protecting Charles from the very beginning, this meant that even if they wanted to take action against him, Charles would be safe from any unexpected incidents.
Moreover, there was no need for the Level 7 Beast Master to intervene, Charles alone could kill them all!
The surrounding Bloodthirsty Alloy Ants were not to be taken lightly, if they swarmed, no one would leave alive.
"Charles, let's put our grudges to rest here, I'll see you at the trial in three days." Alyssa said cautiously, her eyes fixed on Charles and Ruby.
Her current wish was for Charles to overlook them and let them leave unharmed.
Charles paid no attention to the group, his mind was entirely focused on finding the [Golden Stone] and completing Little Gold's advancement.
Just as Alyssa breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the matter was settled, Ruby, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up.
"Stop right there! Who said you could leave?" Ruby said with evident displeasure.