Novel Full Chapter 479: Parting Ways
Chapter 479: Parting Ways
Moon glanced at the Surpasser standing a few meters away, his eyes lingering on the man for a brief moment.
’I can’t copy his skill. That’s disheartening. It would have been an amazing upgrade to my Beastmaster.’
The truth was, the reason Moon had been so certain a beast would arrive at the starting site wasn’t just observation of body language.
It was something more specific. He had activated Eye of Truth on the Surpasser the moment he noticed the man hadn’t left with the others, and what came back had confirmed his theory completely.
[Class: Beast Tamer]
[Order: Second]
[Skills: Beastmaster II <Epic>, Subdue II<Rare>, Beast Buff <Rare>, Beast Sense<Rare>]
A Surpasser with a beast taming class staying behind alone after every other Evolver and Surpasser had scattered.
The conclusion wrote itself. A Beast Tamer at the starting site could only mean one thing. The Association was bringing a beast here, and this man was the one assigned to handle it.
Once Moon saw the class, the rest had been simple.
The only issue was that Moon couldn’t copy any of the man’s skills.
He had attempted it earlier, the moment the Surpasser had walked into view, hoping that he might steal Beastmaster skill and stack it onto his own. The result had been a notification he hadn’t seen in some time.
[Class Slot activation failed.]
[Target’s classification exceeds skill’s threshold.]
The first time he had seen that notification was when he tried to copy from a crazy man named Jonathan, back when he had been trying to subdue an elk. To this day, he still didn’t fully understand why he had been unable to copy from the man.
He had a working theory, though.
The most obvious reason for a copy failure was a difference in Order classification. As an Awakener, he couldn’t copy from an Evolver.
As an Evolver, he couldn’t copy from an Ascender.
But Evolvers and Surpassers were technically in the same Order classification. Both were considered First Order beings. The only structural difference between them was that Surpassers had formed a connection to the River of Paths. Evolvers hadn’t.
’That has to be it.’ Moon thought. ’Their connection to the River of Paths. That’s the threshold the skill is failing against, even if we’re nominally in the same Order.’
It made sense. It also meant his copying ability had a clear ceiling. He couldn’t reach above evolver status, not without crossing into Surpasser territory himself.
Moon wasn’t worried about it. Once he became a Surpasser, the limitation would dissolve. And given his trajectory, that future wasn’t far off.
’Plenty of other people to copy from. I’ll find one in the bracket.’
He turned his attention back to the present.
"What’s your plan now?" Moon turned to Selene.
Selene looked at the paths leading away from the starting site, then offered him a soft smile. "We part ways. I can’t keep relying on you, can I?"
"You didn’t rely on me." Moon said simply, shaking his head. "I needed your help to bring that thing down."
Selene shook her head, the smile still on her lips. Then, she turned to walk away. Her elemental wolf trotted to her side, lowering itself so she could mount.
"See you around, Moon!"
"See you."
She climbed onto the wolf’s back and took off, the elemental wolf carrying her swiftly across the open ground in the direction of her next assigned section.
As the wind passed through her hair at high speed, Selene couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
’He’s trying to reassure me. So I don’t feel bad about myself.’ She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a faint warmth rising in her cheeks.
"So cute."
The truth was, she knew exactly how much of the fight had been carried by Moon.
His blue fire had peeled the beast’s defenses. His purple lightning had finished it. Her contributions had been meaningful, the area control, the dragon’s breath, the combinations they had pulled off together, but if Moon hadn’t been there, the Elephantos would have killed her.
And if she wasn’t there, Moon would have killed the Elephantos.
Rather than making her feel like a burden, Moon made her feel like she was truly a part of the team, and that was something she loved about him.
She allowed herself a small smile and focused on the path ahead.
Klein gave Selene’s departing figure a quick glance before turning back to Moon.
"I would be careful if I were you. Behind every lioness, there is a hungry lion."
The Ascender’s voice was casual, but Moon could feel the underlying threat in his tone.
With that, Klein rose back into the air, his body lifting effortlessly until he was once again hovering high above the starting site.
Whatever had kept him grounded at this location was clearly no longer present. The Fourth Star beast was dead. His curiosity about the two who had killed it had been satisfied.
He turned and drifted away, heading deeper into the zone to oversee other parts of the tournament.
Moon watched him go.
’Behind every lioness is a lion.’ He frowned slightly. ’Does he mean Selene’s brother? Or her father?
Both were possibilities. He recalled that Selene’s brother had a fearsome reputation, and Moon had been planning to meet him eventually.
Their father, whoever he was, must be equally formidable given that he had raised two children capable of competing at this level.
Either way, Klein’s warning carried an undertone of something Moon hadn’t given much thought.
Selene wasn’t just the same girl he knew. She was attached to people who would notice, and react, to anyone who got close to her.
Moon remained silent, still in his place, thinking about it.
"It seems like I have some homework to do."
With that said, he decided to focus his current energy on winning the tournament, with his points, he was guaranteed to pass, but that wasn’t his only goal.
’Time to start looking for classes to copy, and skills to master.’