Chapter 38: Art Is… Patrick Star!

Hate Me, Witch!

“No way… Even a High-Tier Transcendent Gale Wolf was defeated, and he’s sending out a pet like that?”

“Is that really a Battle Summoned Beast? It looks more like an Ornamental Pet to me.”

As the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey entered the arena, the defeated spectators began murmuring their nameless, background-character complaints.

On the other side of the forest arena, the white-haired elder narrowed his aged eyes as he observed the small monkey facing off against the Silver Spirit.

Though old, he was still a Fourth-Ring Master-Tier Beastmaster, and his perception was far deeper than that of the First- and Second-Ring Beastmasters taking the trial.

"Early Commander-Tier… So its master must be a High-Tier Third-Ring Beastmaster?"

"To think such a talented individual would appear among the younger generation of the family…"

His gaze shifted toward a certain black-haired youth, who was casually toying with the Little Snow Ferret on his shoulder, looking utterly uninterested.

"Xia Ya Egut."

As someone who had spent years overseeing the Silver Spirit Habitat, the elder was largely unfamiliar with the younger generation of the family.

Apart from Sylvia, the notorious daughter of the Grand Duke, he barely knew any of the participants in this year’s coming-of-age ceremony.

The only reason he knew Xia Ya’s name was because Elder Norton, the acting head of the family and a fellow elder, had specifically mentioned him—

asking the white-haired elder to "pay a little extra attention to this outsider."

But now, it seemed like Xia Ya hardly needed any special consideration.

"Not bad—"

The elder nodded at Xia Ya.

"You are the most outstanding talent in this batch."

"There’s no need for a combat trial. At your level, you already qualify to contract a Silver Spirit."

This wasn’t favoritism—it was simply the truth.

Even though Elder Norton had put in a word for Xia Ya, the white-haired elder wouldn’t have rigged the trial just for that. He was an elder of the family as well, and he didn’t fear Norton’s dissatisfaction.

The higher a Summoned Beast’s species rank, the harder it was to reproduce. The Silver Spirit population had always been small, so contract candidates had to be carefully selected. It was his duty to filter out the mediocre.

But that so-called harsh standard meant nothing in the face of a Seventeen-Year-Old High-Tier Third-Ring Beastmaster.

The last person in the Branstat Family to reach Third-Ring before their coming-of-age ceremony had been the current Grand Duke, who was now a Titled-Tier Sixth-Ring Powerhouse.

And given his prime age, he might even have a shot at ascending to Legendary-Tier.

As the elder spoke, some of the defeated candidates stirred, ready to challenge the fairness of the test…

But before they could, the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey was the first to protest.

“Squeak squeak squeak! (I've been waiting forever for my first battle!!!)”

“Squeak squeak squeak! (No way, don’t take this away from me!!)”

“I’m very sorry, Elder…”

The black-haired youth—Xia Ya Egut—finally spoke up.

“My Summoned Beast has been looking forward to this fight for a long time. If it doesn’t get to battle, it’ll probably wreck my house tonight.”

"Besides…"

"I actually want to use this battle to test something."

"To see if the Silver Spirit is even worthy of becoming my Third Soul Pact."

…

Testing whether the Branstat Family’s Guardian Species was worthy of a contract?

The elder felt a flicker of anger but quickly suppressed it.

After all, Xia Ya was an outsider. It was normal for him to lack reverence for the Silver Spirit.

Geniuses always had special privileges.

"Very well."

The elder nodded, saying no more.

Three breaths later—

A storm of silver-white light particles began gathering around the Argent Humanoid.

Then—

They shot out like a meteor shower.

The Silver Spirit was an Elemental Lifeform with a Metal Attribute.

This rare combination of dual attributes allowed it incredible versatility.

As Elemental Lifeforms, Silver Spirits had extreme elemental affinity, allowing them to adapt to most Elemental Magic Skills. Those who followed the Spellcasting Path could evolve into "Silver Phantom Spirit" or "Argent Eye".

Those who specialized in Metal Attributes could refine traits like Sharpness and Hardening, becoming Physical-Type Evolutions.

The trial elder’s Silver Spirit was a hybrid of both paths but leaned more toward Spellcasting.

The dense silver lights fell like shooting stars—an overwhelming spectacle.

This was Silver Meteor, a High-Tier Skill perfected to "Flawless" Mastery.

Most of the previous trial participants and their Summoned Beasts hadn’t even lasted five seconds against this move before being utterly defeated.

However—

Just as the Silver Meteors were about to reach Shiny…

The Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey’s body suddenly shattered like an illusionary mirage.

A moment later—

Without any warning, Shiny reappeared behind the Silver Spirit.

“Squeak squeak squeak! (Have you ever been kicked at lightspeed?)”

A massive Rockfall crashed against the Silver Spirit, making it stagger slightly.

But that was all.

The Silver Spirit had reinforced Physical Defenses and a higher tier. Its Steel-Like Body wasn’t something Rockfall + Throw could break through.

It countered with a sharp Slash aimed straight at Shiny—

but it hit nothing but air as Shiny Blinked away.

Within the battlefield, elemental surges and stone impacts clashed endlessly.

But after more than twenty seconds, neither side had landed a decisive blow.

"...That’s enough."

The elder looked at Xia Ya, fully acknowledging his capability.

Not only had he reached Third-Ring at such a young age, but he had also nurtured an extremely rare Spatial Attribute Summoned Beast.

Until one reached Monarch-Tier or acquired specific countermeasures, Spatial Jump was purely broken.

No matter the power difference, if your attacks couldn’t hit the target, it didn’t matter.

In an actual life-or-death battle, he could use relentless pressure tactics, forcing Shiny to burn through its Mental Energy until it ran out.

But this was just a family trial, limited to thirty seconds.

However, before the elder could officially call the match,

Xia Ya’s voice—tinged with faint apology—interrupted.

"But we haven’t even decided a winner yet. Calling it off now wouldn’t be fair, don’t you think?"

"Actually… back when I was in the Alchemy Academy, I failed at making Explosive Talismans—but in the end, I found an alternative with nearly the same function…"

"I call it—Detonating Clay."

A sudden, inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in the white-haired elder's heart.

He turned his gaze toward the battlefield—only to see the Silver Spirit and the Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey clashing once more.

The Rockfall thrown earlier had left some sand and dust clinging to the Silver Spirit’s body, while Shiny had Blinked away again.

But this time, the distance Shiny had retreated… seemed a little too far.

The elder's sharp eyes fixated on the patches of clay scattered all over the Silver Spirit’s form.

At first, he had thought it was just dust from the impact of the stones—

But now, after several exchanges, he realized that the gray-white clay had already coated the Silver Spirit's entire body.

And strangely, the placement of the clay was highly ordered, arranged in a pattern that seemed engineered for maximum efficiency.

The elder’s pupils contracted slightly.

Then—

He suddenly heard Xia Ya’s voice ringing in his ears.

"Lord Elder, have you ever heard this phrase before…?"

"Art—"

"IS AN EXPLOSION!"

In the next instant—

A sky-piercing fireball erupted, engulfing the Silver Spirit entirely in a blinding inferno.

The entire battlefield—

shook to its core.