The Strongest Beast Tamer With the Strongest System-Chapter 17: The Old Man

Leonardo increased his speed, heading toward the dense forest that was difficult to traverse, forcing him to teleport repeatedly.

He finally arrived at the center of the forest—an open clearing with a small lake in the middle.

The reason he had come was simple. He suspected the grapes Ellie mentioned were the expensive kind—each fruit worth up to a thousand dollars.

If there were a thousand of them, that meant one million dollars.

Leonardo could use half to hire the best law firm and still have plenty left.

The moment he saw the lake, he spotted the grapevine at its edge.

It was large, heavy with crimson grapes hanging from its branches.

They weren’t just red—they shimmered faintly. Perhaps at night, they could even serve as a source of light.

Leonardo’s heart pounded.

Dragon Blood Grape. Just as he had suspected.

The grapes were delicious when eaten fresh, but their true value came when fermented into wine. The wine produced the most exquisite intoxication for lovers.

Even strangers who hated each other—if placed in a room together after drinking it—would fall deeply in love for as long as the effect lasted.

It didn’t matter if it was between an ugly old man and a breathtaking young woman.

That was merely the public effect.

There was also a secret effect tied to its name—Dragon Blood Grape.

If that secret became public knowledge, the price would skyrocket.

It was said that the wine sold on the market had already had the substance responsible for the secret effect removed.

Even if someone brewed it themselves and drank it immediately, they still wouldn’t obtain that hidden effect.

Leonardo didn’t care about that.

One million dollars was more than enough for him.

But just as Ellie had said, there truly was an old man standing in front of the grapevine.

Without seeing his face clearly, Leonardo already knew he was old—his hair was entirely white, his skin slightly wrinkled.

Leonardo felt he had seen him before, but couldn’t immediately recall where.

The man’s clothes were ordinary.

But upon closer inspection, Leonardo was stunned.

A Dimensional Ring on his finger.

A silver bracelet on his left wrist—clearly a powerful automatic defensive artifact.

And his shoes were unmistakably an escape-type artifact.

Full protection. The typical equipment of someone extraordinarily wealthy.

The old man plucked a few grapes and ate them casually. Then he slowly walked around the tree.

When he turned to the opposite side, Leonardo finally saw his face clearly—

—and froze.

That’s impossible... Level 10? Unless he has a twin. But the Association Head doesn’t have a twin.

That face.

The Head of the Awakener Association of City Z.

His appearances were rare, but Leonardo had once met him personally when he awakened as a Beast Tamer.

Seeing the old man’s expression, Leonardo had no doubt—it was truly him.

Perhaps he had some method of concealing his true level from others’ chips.

After all, he was far more formidable than many association heads elsewhere.

One of the oldest Awakeners still alive.

Even the Harvey Family—who could oppress almost anyone in City Z—feared him. They considered him a thorn in their side and secretly wished he would transfer elsewhere.

(Boss, what should we do about this old man? Should we try killing him? If we succeed, we’d gain a huge amount of EXP.) Ellie suggested.

(Even if I were insane, I wouldn’t do that,) Leonardo replied flatly.

But because he was the Association Head, Leonardo felt things might actually become easier.

He was the one person unlikely to help the Harvey Family. Their rewards wouldn’t tempt him.

Leonardo switched back to Normal Mode and stepped out from behind a tree.

He even removed his mask to reveal his face.

The old man noticed him immediately, surprise flashing across his expression.

"It seems I’ve seen you before," he said from a distance.

"I’m Leonardo Anderson. I awakened as a Beast Tamer at the City Z Awakener Association," Leonardo replied politely—a tone he rarely used with anyone except this man.

"Mr. Maxwell, I didn’t expect to see you here on Floor 1. Taking a walk?" Leonardo tried to open the conversation naturally.

He knew this old man could potentially help him.

He didn’t even expect direct assistance—just being allowed to take all the grapes would be enough.

"Ohhh, Anderson boy. I remember now. I thought you’d already been killed by that girl from the Harvey Family. It saddened me—after all, you were the only Beast Tamer to awaken this year. I didn’t expect you to still be alive... and seemingly doing quite well."

He smiled casually.

"I nearly died. That woman framed me to seize my Beast Tamer class. Fortunately, I escaped and encountered another stroke of fortune. But now I’m a wanted criminal under theft charges."

Leonardo recounted everything calmly.

Strangely, there was no visible emotion in his voice.

Even he was surprised. It was a tragic story—yet it felt like nothing more than a minor obstacle.

"Mr. Maxwell, I’m sure you don’t truly need these grapes beyond tasting a few. If you don’t mind, I’d like to harvest them and sell them. I need the money to hire a law firm and reclaim my freedom."

"And what makes you think I don’t want them?" the old man replied.

Leonardo stiffened slightly.

Then—

"Hahaha!"

The old man suddenly burst into laughter.

"Very well. I don’t mind yielding. The one standing before you is merely a clone I recently developed—brand new at Level 10. How about this: we fight."

He smiled, eyes gleaming.

"I don’t expect you to defeat me at Level 6. But if you can take ten grapes from this tree while I try to stop you, not only will I let you take them all—I’ll even contact a lawyer I know to handle your case. You won’t need to pay a law firm at all."