Chapter 495 - Taming Synergies
Chapter 495: Chapter 495 – Taming Synergies
Ren knew too much about beasts.
It was both a blessing and a curse. With the expanded knowledge his fungus provided, he could see the potentialities and evolutions up to platinum rank of practically any creature.
There were so many fascinating options that thinking about which one he wanted had been difficult since acquiring complete knowledge.
But since the day he had chosen the Hydra as his first beast, he knew why he had done it.
It hadn’t been the immediate abilities or how cool it might look in the short term. He had deliberately rejected the possibility of flying at early levels, teleporting, or even cool abilities like becoming invisible or controlling sound… capabilities he had suggested to his companions when helping them choose.
“I’m betting on the future,” he had told himself at that moment. “On the best possible synergies at higher ranks…”
And now that he had the jade seed and an amplified elemental control, he already knew which of his next two beasts he would take first…
The Mantis would make him fly upon reaching Silver, though it wasn’t the best flying creature available at that level. Its illusion control, enhanced by light synergy and diamond plates, would be better than even Min or Zhao’s specialized abilities. It was fast and agile with great attack power, perfect for combat.
But Ren knew he wasn’t ready to fight on the front lines yet.
He wasn’t ready to make a decisive difference in direct combat. He had to grow more, develop his power base further, and the best way to do that wasn’t through combat but through acquisition and processing of resources.
“The best beast for elemental processing and obtaining resources is the Wolverine,” he had concluded after deep consideration.
Flying or being fast wouldn’t help him if he couldn’t obtain large quantities of higher-level resources, manipulate and process them effectively.
The Wolverine was perfect for that.
It wasn’t the only beast with internal space, but it was the one with the most ample and versatile. Since seeing Julius use it for the first time, he had been convinced it was the right choice for his long-term strategy.
He had taken time thinking about what element would be best to specialize it in.
Between Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Wood…
Earth had the largest storage space, would have good synergy with his Hydra, and could work better underground to extract rare resources.
The practicality was undeniable.
But things had changed upon obtaining platinum-level knowledge.
Ren realized there that there was a route to create a Light or Darkness Wolverine. The Darkness one had more space than the Earth one and better synergy with his two Light creatures.
It was a more difficult line to develop and no one knew it until now, but it was worth the extra cost for the unique advantages it would provide.
“Of course, that would have been without the jade seed,” he murmured to himself, thinking about how his plans had evolved once more.
Upon obtaining the seed and deepening his knowledge, he found an even rarer variant with greater potential. The Elemental Wolverine’s moldable capacity came perfectly with the elemental power Ren had obtained and the unique properties of the seed.
The Jade Tree Wolverine could control all elements to a lesser extent than specialists, but thanks to Ren’s fungus that wouldn’t be a problem in the end…
All elements would integrate at a much higher level.
’And the synergies of Earth, Light, and Darkness would give utility to both the fungus and the Hydra,’ he calculated mentally.
Most tamers focused on straightforward power progression, but Ren was constructing an interconnected system where each component amplified the others in ways that created exponential rather than additive improvements.
He was investing in a true coalescence… a true fusion.
♢♢♢♢
“The Wolverine,” Ren declared in response to Luna’s question.
Several in the group seemed to understand immediately. It was a popular beast among high-level nobles, known for its elemental versatility and development capabilities up to Gold Rank.
For those who didn’t know he already had the egg, some even thought about offering to get it for him.
“It’s a solid choice,” Dragarion commented with approval. “The Wolverine’s versatility will complement your support approach well…”
The girls momentarily felt a missed opportunity, recognizing they could have had the same beast as Ren.
On the other hand, Julius and Arturo had silly smiles on their faces, clearly pleased that someone else had recognized the virtues of their own beasts.
“I already have the egg,” Ren declared. “It should arrive soon…”
Dragarion had planned to offer him the egg but stopped, surprised by the news. The boy seemed increasingly capable; obtaining one of those specific eggs wasn’t cheap or easy.
“Yang, Wei, and Lin are coming with it,” Ren continued. “I want Yang and Wei to become doubles, and Lin simply to evaluate the damage to her cultivation from sleeping too much.”
Zhao straightened with interest.
The kid explained that her Crane’s cultivation had been interrupted by the mishap.
“Lin will surely have to restart the thousand-day cultivation,” Ren told him at the end.
The maturation process was delicate, and interruptions could require starting from zero, but perhaps the effects could be reduced somewhat with more advanced techniques.
The king immediately became interested in this aspect.
“What exactly does that maturation method you speak of imply?” he asked.
Ren explained the system’s fundamentals, the required materials, the dedication times, and the potential improvements that could be obtained according to the beast’s final level.
However, for the king, the calculated cultivation cost turned out ridiculously high in terms of resources and time.
“I’ll set it aside for now,” he decided with a true royal attitude. “First we’ll use the new crystals in the city, and after counting them we’ll see if they’re enough for my personal projects…”
It was a sensible decision that prioritized the kingdom’s needs over personal improvements, no matter how impressive they could be.
They needed power in their King, but in 1000 days he very probably wouldn’t get it in time.