All the other tamers, excluding Reid and Scrappy with their respective forged beasts, froze in place upon hearing the roar.
Reid turned his head to face the beast that was slowly walking toward him.
The beast was a lizard about the size of a Komodo dragon, with red scales and glowing magma-like veins running through its body. The tips of its claws and tail burned faintly, like embers.
"What a way to flaunt your ability," Reid muttered. Even without Evo's scan, he could already tell the giant lizard had fire-related powers.
The beast was flaring its Silver-tier aura, making everyone weaker than it freeze in fear.
From his peripheral vision, Reid spotted Scrappy moving toward him to help.
"It's fine, old man. I'll take this one on myself," he said. "Just be sure to jump in when I'm about to die."
"You do you, kid," Old Man Scrappy replied and turned to finish off the few remaining beasts.
If he was being honest, he actually wanted to see more of Reid's skills—to make a decision.
What decision? Only Scrappy knew.
Alex was gritting his teeth in anger—both at the fact that he was frozen by fear, making him useless in the fight, and also at the fact that Reid, the one he'd labeled useless, was facing a beast he'd never dare approach.
Using all his willpower, he forced himself free from the paralyzing fear—but after he broke free, he didn't move to help Reid. He sat down, watching closely, determined to see every trick Reid had up his sleeve.
"Alright, Rusty, Nyx, let's jump this reptile," Reid said, spinning his metal bat and pointing it at the lizard.
[Beast identified]
[
[Beast Type: Flame Lizard]
Beast Name: The Infernal Ravager
Rank: Silver-tier
Abilities: Eruption, Molten Shield, Lava Lash, and Flame Breath.
Useful Parts: Flame Core, Claws, and Hide
]
Evo displayed the beast's stats before Reid could attack.
"A name?" Reid was surprised. "Why didn't the other beasts have names?"
[Only beasts at Silver-tier and above can have names. The names usually relate to their reputation among other beasts.
From this one's name, I'd guess it's infamous for causing large-scale destruction with its flames,] Evo explained.
"Beasts can gain reputation?" Reid was genuinely shocked. "What's next—beast politics?"
[Kind of. But focus on the enemy in front of you first.]
As soon as Evo said that, a large flame tornado erupted from the ground, seemingly engulfing him.
Old Man Scrappy's eyes widened in shock.
Had his eagerness to see what the kid could do just gotten him killed?
The flames receded, revealing Reid's charred jacket lying on the floor beside a pile of ash.
The Infernal Ravager looked smug, clearly satisfied at how easily it had taken down its opponent without giving him a chance to fight back.
It was about to turn toward the other tamers to finish them off when suddenly—
Wham!
A metal bat slammed into its side, sending it flying.
"That was one of my favorite coats, you dipshit," Reid said, standing in the lizard's previous position with his bat in hand.
He looked completely unharmed, the same as before—except for his missing jacket.
At the last minute, Rusty had teleported him away, but for some reason, his jacket hadn't come with him.
"I'm gonna make a new one from your skin," he threatened, pointing his bat at the recovering—and now furious—lizard.
[You can't,] Evo said in a neutral tone.
'I know,' Reid thought, 'but I said that to look cool. I mean, look at Alex's face—even he thinks it's a cool line.'
Alex wasn't listening to the line. He was too busy being stunned that Reid had survived and reappeared out of nowhere.
The lizard roared in rage, flames licking the ground around it, and unleashed a stream of fire.
Reid dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast.
Rusty used [Skip], appearing beside the lizard and slashing its side with its claws, making it screech in pain.
The lizard tried to turn its attack on Rusty, but Rusty activated [Delayed Reaction], slowing it down significantly. That gave Reid—teleported nearby by Nyx—the chance to land a hit on its head with his bat.
Relentlessly, the trio attacked from all sides, teleporting back and forth to dodge its strikes and flank it repeatedly.
The Infernal Ravager grew furious. It let out a deafening roar—and then exploded. Literally.
The explosion would have incinerated Reid if not for Nyx's [Nullification] skill. Smoke filled the area, reducing visibility to zero.
Before he could react, something hot slammed into him, burning his clothes and sending him flying.
Nyx caught him midair and teleported him away from the smoke. Rusty also retreated, using [Rewind] to heal the burn on Reid's chest.
"What the f*ck?" Reid spat, coughing.
They'd been dominating the fight just seconds ago—so what the hell changed?
"Okay, kid, I'm stepping—" Scrappy began, but Reid quickly interrupted.
"I can finish it, old man. The beast just got a lucky hit," Reid said.
He knew it wasn't luck. The Infernal Ravager was starting to use its head—and more of its power.
"Alright, guys," Reid said, catching his breath. "Let's get ready for round two."
He waited for the smoke to clear—and when it did, the sight made him grit his teeth.
The lizard stood there, flames now covering its entire body. Its molten veins glowed like lava.
[Silver-tier beast has entered Rage Mode. All abilities and stats are doubled for the next 3 minutes.]
"Now this is interesting," the mysterious man spoke, still seated on his throne.
In front of him, a holographic screen displayed the ongoing siege in real-time.
"Has the failure finally become something more?" he mused. Although the beast siege hadn't gone as he'd hoped, he was satisfied with the entertainment it had provided.
On his lap rested the head of a large lion-like beast, it was not a forged beast, but a real primal, which he was calmly petting.
"We'll meet soon, Reid," he said with a dark smile.