Beast Tamer Era: Capturing SSS-ranks with the Strongest Taming System-Chapter 109: Green Dragon’s Challenge

Green Dragon. A Black Gold rank demonic beast. Such a creature could bend reality through will alone. It could easily wipe the floor with Ray and kill tens of thousands of him with a thought, literally!

At the black gold rank, the soul was so strong, the magic power capacity number in the millions. Once all of it was released, it was like a tsunami. They didn’t need fancy move. Just by releasing all of their magic power, they could annihilate an army or destroy a city!

Thinking of the worst, Ray’s face paled. "If this challenge is about overcoming a green dragon," he muttered under his breath, tense beyond words, "then this tower’s setting is beyond ridiculous."

"Let’s hope that’s not the case," he sighed, hoping for the best.

The cave had no exit. He was in a confined space with a green dragon. His luck couldn’t have been worse.

Putting on his best behaviour, he stood cautiously in the confined space, smiling warmly while waiting for the Green Dragon to make its intention known.

It stared at Ray with a calm gaze that grew keener by the second. Its eyes were two vertical golden slits, each larger than Ray’s entire body.

The moment their gazes met, Ray felt as if he had been stripped bare, read like an open book.

While that wasn’t entirely true, the Green Dragon indeed looked past his mortal shell, discerning the rank and density of his soul.

"Impressive," it uttered, its voice rolling through the cave like thunder. "An iron-rank soul... yet tinged with the traits of bronze and silver. Rarely do I see such a thing in a human. In sheer volume alone, thy soul surpasses that of a fledgling bronze ranker. Tell me, little one, what did you consume to become so peculiar... and so intriguing?"

"Is it compulsory?" Ray asked.

"What?" the Green Dragon uttered in confusion.

"Do I need to answer your question?" Ray said, rephrasing his words in a way that could be easily understood.

"You need not," said the Green Dragon. "Yet before you make thy choice, thine should get this in that thick skull of yours. I preside over this trial. It would be unwise to earn my displeasure."

Its smile was hideous, its stare suffocating. Ray felt his skin crawl under the sheer weight of its gaze.

’Isn’t this a threat?’ Ray thought, realizing he would face an insurmountable wall if he failed to satisfy the creature’s curiosity.

He didn’t want to be stopped here, so he said, "I ate primordial essence."

Beggars couldn’t be choosers. To not die, he had to share his secret. He had already witnessed the cruelty of Black Gold rank experts. Garrick had killed a beauty like he was swatting a fly simply because she had annoyed him. Such beings had little regard for life.

"What relation dost thou bear to Tyrant One?" The Green Dragon’s loud voice rang out, laced with disbelief.

Upon hearing its words, Ray’s eyes narrowed in thought.

’Looks like it knows about the existence of the soul cultivation technique. The moment I spoke about eating primordial essence to enhance the quality of my soul, it connected the dots and assumed I’m tied to Tyrant One.’

His mind turned sharply.

And he saw an opportunity.

’If I play my cards right, I can abuse its misunderstanding to my advantage.’

The Green Dragon didn’t have the same all-seeing ability as Nameless—that much was certain. While it could sense fragments of truth, it couldn’t peer into the whole picture. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have needed to question him. He could attempt to fool it!

"You could say he is my mentor," Ray puffed out his chest proudly.

He didn’t know much about Tyrant One, only that he was feared and revered as the Primordial Hunter, and that according to the Greats Ones, he was the progenitor of tamers.

He had never met the man, yet he made it sound as though he had personally trained under him.

The goal was simple.

He wanted to plant the seed of hesitation in the Green Dragon’s mind.

If it truly believed he was the disciple of the Primordial Hunter, it would think twice before provoking him.

"He does have a habit of passing his knowledge about. He calls it performing the sacred duties of a Disciple of Truth," the Green Dragon said, lowering its massive head slightly, golden eyes narrowing in reminiscence. "He was ever fond of scattering seeds of wisdom among those he deemed worthy. It seems you may have caught one such seed."

Disciple of Truth? That was the first time Ray had heard about such a term. He had no clue what it meant. And it only added to the mystery surrounding the man whose techniques ended up in his hand due to a series of events.

The Green Dragon spoke up after reminiscent about the past,

"Your answers have been satisfactory. They reminded me of good old memories. I won’t intentionally make things difficult for you. Here’s the challenge."

Ray perked up his ears as it continued, "Three riddles bar your path. You must answer all three to pass this challenge. You may ask for a hint twice. But if you give even a single wrong answer, I will burn you alive where you stand. Any confusion?"

"None," Ray said, shaking his head. Tyrant One’s reputation wasn’t grand enough to stop the green dragon from doing its job.

"Good," the dragon’s grin widened slightly, sharp fangs glinting like polished blades. "Then listen carefully to the first riddle. I am trapped in a wooden cage from which I am never released so that I can be used by a select portion of individuals. What am I?"

"..." Ray almost raised his middle finger.

Was this dragon serious? There was barely any clue in that riddle. It was worse than trying to solve a school exam question written by a lunatic of a professor who wanted everyone to fail.

He folded his arms and thought hard, but the answer refused to appear.

After thinking for a few moments, he decided to play it safe as he didn’t want to get roasted alive! Who would even want that?

"I want a hint," he said.

"Go on," the Green Dragon rumbled.

"What is it used for?" Ray questioned.

"It’s used to convey one’s emotions without speaking."

Ray’s brow furrowed. Something trapped in a wooden cage... used by a select few... conveys emotion without speech...

The image of an artist sketching with a pencil suddenly came to mind. His eyes lit up. He gave his answer immediately.

"Are you sure?" the Green Dragon asked, its golden eyes narrowing with scrutiny. It was a look that would make one doubt their judgement. But Ray was none of it.

"I am certain," Ray said confidently. "It’s Graphite."

"Many backtrack on their decisions under pressure. It is good you are not an idiot like them," the Green Dragon said, letting out a low rumble of approval.

"Alright, time for the second riddle." It continued, "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"

"Footsteps," Ray answered without hesitation.

The Green Dragon’s nostrils flared in excitement. "Quick and correct. You may not have the wisdom of ages, but you do have wit and a sharp mind," it praised jovially.

"You think too highly of me," Ray said humbly.

Actually, he wasn’t as smart as the Green Dragon thought he was. It was just that he had hundreds of years worth of memories and he was from the common era where the spread of knowledge was so common it was hard to be ignorant and dull unless you were living under a rock. Due to the combination of these few factors, he could answer riddles that weren’t borderline unanswerable.

"Last one," it said slowly, lowering its massive head until its breath washed over Ray like a warm gale. "I have no mouth, yet I can sing. I have no wings, yet I can soar. What am I?"

Ray frowned, his eyes narrowing in concentration. He thought for a long moment before coming to an answer. Just to be safe, he used up his last chance to ask for a hint, "Does it blow?"

"It does," the Green Dragon replied.

"Wind," Ray said firmly.

"You are interesting, human. Far more than I first believed. Perhaps... the Disciple of Truth’s touch truly lingers upon you." The Green Dragon’s massive claws scraped against the ground as it leaned closer to Ray. He could see its enormous eyes glimmered faintly with respect as he forced himself to maintain eye contact with it so as to not seem rude. "You have answered all three riddles correctly and passed my challenge. You have earned the right to advance."

Ray exhaled, tension leaving his shoulders.

Deep inside, he couldn’t deny it. He felt a spark of pride. After all, he had overcome the challenge of a bonfire dragon. How many people could say that?!!!