Wren, standing to the side: "?"
'That… actually makes some sense?'
'But why does it feel like something sounds a little off?'
The beast breeder enthusiastically stepped forward, reaching out to shake Asher's hand, "Hello, senior! My name is Kent Vik, you can call me Kent."
"You must have a very unique ability to be able to calm down the Silverfang Tiger so quickly."
"I just wanted to ask, how exactly did you determine that this Silverfang Tiger was being abused?"
As he spoke, Kent blinked his… not-so-bright large eyes, looking at Asher pitifully.
Asher: "…"
His eyes were seriously burning from that sight.
Still, he gave a simple explanation, "The Silverfang Tiger's behavior toward its Beast Tamer was clearly abnormal, and that man was acting suspicious, avoiding the topic entirely, not daring to reveal the truth about the Silverfang Tiger's condition."
"He must have done something terrible to the Silverfang Tiger."
Hearing this, Kent blinked.
Wren also blinked.
'That's it?'
'That's all it took to be sure?'
And looking at the situation… it really didn't seem like a misjudgment.
After all, that guy, they had already forgotten his name, was arrested just moments ago, and right after that, the Silverfang Tiger's condition visibly improved.
To say this had nothing to do with him being taken away… heh.
They wouldn't believe it.
Kent and Wren fell into deep thought.
Kent hadn't asked this question lightly.
He worked with many official competitions. Cases of pet beast abuse were rare, but not unheard of.
If he could master the skill of identifying such cases, it would surely help many pet beasts during competitions.
Asher, however, wasn't aware of Kent's thoughts.
But his method… wasn't something just anyone could learn.
As soon as he activated his innate skill, the Silverfang Tiger's mental state appeared as pure gibberish.
And all the text, which was normally black, had turned into an ominous, blood-red font.
Asher even suspected that if the system interface were more advanced, those letters would be dripping blood.
On top of that, the Silverfang Tiger was afflicted with several negative buffs.
From [Mental Exhaustion] to [Mental Chaos], then [Stress Response], [Collapse], [Irritability], [Berserk]… a whole string of negative labels.
Asher couldn't believe its Beast Tamer bore no responsibility.
Most importantly, their contract looked extremely unstable.
That indicated that both sides were instinctively rejecting their bond.
Putting all the evidence together, Asher immediately guessed what was going on.
Although he didn't know exactly what the Silverfang Tiger had done wrong, what problem had arisen, or if there was another reason altogether.
Its Beast Tamer was deliberately accelerating the Silverfang Tiger's death.
It wasn't easy for a Beast Tamer to dissolve a contract with a pet beast. The standard procedure required approval from the Beast Tamer Alliance.
Technically, if a Beast Tamer found their pet beast's potential or growth rate lacking, they could apply to dissolve the contract through official channels with the Alliance's assistance.
However—
That would leave a permanent record in their files.
Including the reason for their request.
Anyone with a bit of self-respect wouldn't want such a stain on their record.
This system encouraged Beast Tamers to be more careful when selecting and raising pet beasts. Unless absolutely necessary, they wouldn't abandon or release their partners.
But some people just refused to see their own faults.
They'd blame fate, blame the world, blame their pet beast. Anything but reflect on themselves.
So, if they didn't want a bad record but still wanted to get rid of their pet beast, what could they do?
A heartless person would always find a heartless method.
Abuse the pet beast, push it into a mental breakdown, torment it step by step toward death.
Once the pet beast died, the contract would naturally be nullified.
No need for reasons, no need for explanations.
They could immediately go pick a new pet beast to form a contract with.
Thinking of this, Asher let out a long breath from his chest, "I'll suggest the Alliance investigate this guy's history. Honestly, I don't believe this was his first time doing something like this."
Wren and Kent both nodded.
'Indeed.'
'That guy didn't look like any decent person.'
"Silverfang Tiger…", As a contestant, Lydia looked at the Silverfang Tiger nearby, listening to Asher's deduction that was already basically confirmed. Her gaze filled with deep sorrow.
"So, what should we do now?", Lydia felt heartbroken for the Silverfang Tiger, and for herself.
'That damn bastard Beast Tamer!'
'Because of him, my match got disrupted!'
'Because of him, the Silverfang Tiger is in such a terrible state!'
Wren was stunned for a moment before remembering that this was still a competition, "Alright, I'll quickly arrange for you to receive another pet beast for treatment."
"As for the Silverfang Tiger…", Wren showed a rather troubled expression.
'Right.'
'What should we do about the Silverfang Tiger?'
Wren, Kent, and Lydia all instinctively turned their gazes toward Asher.
Asher, being stared at: "…"
"You guys haven't dealt with this kind of situation before?",.Asher asked helplessly.
He had only spoken up because he couldn't stand watching a Beast Tamer abuse their pet beast while acting like they were untouchable.
He thought that exposing the truth would be enough to resolve the issue.
Who would've thought they'd expect him to clean up the mess too?
Seriously?
Aren't there other beast breeders and pet evolution professors around?
"Uh… well, I'm not really good at this," Wren blinked, speaking sincerely, "I'm just an ordinary Level 4 researcher."
Kent chuckled dryly, "I mean… yeah, same here, not my specialty!"
Everyone glanced at Asher.
Great.
Without needing to say a word, Asher instantly understood what they meant.
He was just a Beast Tamer. Could they really expect an average, non-specialized Beast Tamer to do anything?
Asher took a deep breath.
Asher closed his eyes, then opened them again, "How did you handle this before?"
Wren and Kent exchanged glances but remained silent.
Instead, Lydia, who hadn't been very vocal, spoke up, "First, experienced caregivers intervene. If the pet beast's condition improves, the Alliance takes them in."
"But if there's no improvement, or if things get worse…", She lightly bit her lip and trailed off.
Asher understood what she meant.
Psychological issues couldn't be cured by medical devices alone.
If intervention worked, great.
If not—then the only option was elimination.
Asher: "…"
'Trash!'
'This is doomed!'
Asher took a deep breath.
Asher sighed.
He didn't think a pet beast with so many negative buffs could be easily rehabilitated.
Unless some special talent skill was involved.
But even then, it wouldn't be easy.
"Senior, do you have experience?", Kent looked at Asher and, for some reason, suggested, "Since you spotted the Silverfang Tiger's issues at a glance, could you… give it a try?"
Desperate times call for desperate measures?
Asher: "…"
What nonsense.
The Silverfang Tiger wasn't dead yet.
But in the end, Asher still nodded.
"I'll give it a shot."
Faced with a pet beast covered in layers of negative buffs, yet still fighting to survive, resisting its Beast Tamer without harming others, Asher found it hard to just walk away.
With that, he strode toward the Silverfang Tiger.
Kent, Wren, and Lydia were all startled by his sudden movement.
'Wait, he's just going up to it?'
'No protective measures or anything?'
'What if the Silverfang Tiger suddenly loses control and goes berserk?'
No one could be sure what was going on in the mind of an abused beast. The contract between a Beast Tamer and their beast certainly couldn't restrain it.
But Asher wasn't worried at all.
[Power of Accord]
His innate skill came with MAX affinity, making the Silverfang Tiger wary of everyone else but inexplicably friendly toward Asher.
Of course—
Unlike those beasts that initially felt indifferent toward Asher but, once the innate skill was fully activated, would practically cling to him for dear life, sucking in his presence.
The Silverfang Tiger, having suffered abuse from its own Beast Tamer, still bore psychological scars.
Even in front of Asher, there was still a flicker of wariness in its eyes.
Seeing this, Asher sighed.
"This is really...", If it were left to professional caretakers, the chances of soothing and healing the Silverfang Tiger would be very slim.
Asher squatted down about a meter away from the Silverfang Tiger, maintaining a safe distance while also appearing more intimate.
"Hello, I mean no harm. Can I touch you?", Asher spoke gently while slowly extending his hand toward the beast.
Like a human encountering a stray kitten, carefully letting the kitten sniff their scent first to get familiar.
The onlookers were all holding their breath, internally breaking into a cold sweat for Asher.
'The Silverfang Tiger looks terrifying.'
'And this young guy in a mask, is he really that brave?'
'He actually darea to do this?'
Asher: (•‿•)
Perhaps because Asher exuded an overwhelming sense of harmony, bringing not even a trace of threat—
The Silverfang Tiger clawed at the ground a few times, then slowly lowered its head, twitching its nose as it sniffed the scent wafting from Asher.
Faint.
Comforting.
Even the throbbing pain in its body seemed to ease.
Under everyone's disbelieving gazes, the Silverfang Tiger lowered its head and forcefully rubbed against Asher's palm.
"Roar...", Its low growl no longer carried the rage from before. Instead, it sounded more like... a child murmuring grievances?
The others hesitated at the thought.
But Asher, who could actually understand what the Silverfang Tiger was saying, blinked in surprise.
'What does it mean by "you smell really good and tasty"?'
'Smells comfortable?'
'Wants more?'
Asher blinked again.
His first reaction, 'Have my innate skill evolved to give me a natural fragrance?'
'Ahem!'
'That's off-topic.'
Then, Asher quickly realized, 'It definitely isn't some vague body scent. The Silverfang Tiger must have sensed a special kind of energy.'
Asher's expression turned odd.
'Hmm...'
If he had to say what he was carrying, Asher reached into his pocket, fumbled around, and pulled out a small red mineral. A condensed energy crystal formed from the blood of the Three-Legged Golden Crow.
"Is it this?", Asher placed the crystal in his palm, showing it to the Silverfang Tiger.
The tiger's purple eyes froze, staring unblinkingly at the energy crystal in Asher's hand.
Its entire body radiated one clear message, 'Want! Need!'
Yet no matter how much the Silverfang Tiger craved it, all it did was swallow nervously, rather than pouncing on Asher to devour the energy crystal that made its drained mental energy feel alive again.
"Go ahead and eat it," Asher, seeing the tiger looking as hungry as a child about to cry, patted its head and spoke softly.
"Roar?"
'Really? You're really giving this to me?'
The Silverfang Tiger's voice carried hesitation and disbelief.
Asher didn't quite understand why, but he still nodded, extending his hand again: "Eat."
One word.
Firm and decisive.
The Silverfang Tiger finally couldn't hold back, nor did it need to anymore. It extended its long, barbed tongue and swallowed the energy crystal in one gulp.
Then, it lowered its head and nuzzled against Asher's palm.
The last trace of wariness in its eyes vanished completely.
Caution?
What caution?
Silverfang Tiger had never been cautious around this person.
Asher, fully understanding the tiger's thoughts: "..."
'This is... sigh, forget it.'
Asher activated his innate skill again, checking the Silverfang Tiger.
And was shocked to find—
Not only were its previous negative buffs, [Mental Chaos] and [Mental Fatigue], rapidly improving at a visible rate—
Asher: "?"
'The Three-Legged Golden Crow is this miraculous?'
Looking closer—
Among the numerous negative status effects, Asher spotted a single red-colored positive buff.
[Divine Flames: Purifying all negative energy with scorching fire]
Asher was astonished.
'This is... a special application of the Three-Legged Golden Crow's blood crystal?'
While Asher was still surprised—
The surrounding people were even more shocked.
"Uh... what did he just do? It feels like the Silverfang Tiger's condition has improved a lot?", Lydia blinked, then blinked again.
It wasn't that she didn't want to focus on the match, it was just that what was happening with Asher and the Silverfang Tiger was far beyond her expectations.
If, at first, they could still attribute the tiger's non-aggression to Asher's special innate skill—
Then afterward, when Asher took out something for the Silverfang Tiger to eat, and the tiger's emotions softened, even actively rubbing against him. This was completely outside their predictions.
Let alone a contracted Silverfang Tiger that had suffered human abuse.
Even Silverfang Tigers raised in breeding centers were all incredibly proud.
Turning into a docile kitten?
Were they underestimating how sharp a kitten's claws could be?
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