Roran memohon.
Benar-benar memohon dengan keputusasaan seseorang yang melihat peluang emas terlepas dari genggamannya.
"Kumohon," ucapnya, kedua tangannya terkatup seperti sedang berdoa, harga dirinya sudah dibuang jauh-jauh. "Satu slot saja. Aku bisa berguna, aku bersumpah."
Teman-teman sekelas lainnya ikut bergabung dalam paduan suara permohonan itu. Tawaran kesetiaan abadi, janji utang budi di masa depan, bahkan ada satu orang yang mencoba menyuap Ren dengan pakaian dalam dari koleksi pribadinya, berkat rumor konyol yang disebarkan oleh kelompok Roran akibat kesalahpahaman.
Namun, hanya ada sepuluh slot.
Dan tim Ren sudah lengkap, diisi oleh orang-orang yang mendapatkan tempat mereka bukan hanya karena persahabatan bertahun-tahun, tetapi juga karena kemampuan yang terbukti.
Dan yang terpenting, sinergi.
Mereka memiliki tiga belas beast tingkat Silver, jumlah yang tidak masuk akal untuk tim beranggotakan sepuluh orang.
Tapi juga...
Living Tunnel milik Taro, keajaiban mineral dan kekuatan yang sempat menggemparkan saat berevolusi ke tingkat Gold 1.
Wolverine tanah emas milik Shizu, sangat besar, bulunya berkilau dengan kekuatan yang setara dengan milik Julius sekarang, meskipun menggunakan waktu dan investasi kristal kurang dari setengahnya.
Dan Night Ambusher tingkat Greater milik Mako, evolusi langka yang tidak pernah terlihat selama beberapa tahun terakhir, kini kembali dengan biaya 'murah' berkat bimbingan Ren.
Tiga beast di tingkat Gold saja sudah memberi mereka keunggulan di atas sebagian besar tim.
Belum lagi beast tingkat Silver Tier 3 yang mengisi daftar anggota mereka.
Hydra milik Ren, yang meski baru memiliki satu kepala, memiliki potensi yang membuat pengamat berpengalaman mengerutkan kening karena khawatir sekaligus tertarik. Serta Wolverine giok miliknya yang memicu rasa penasaran terhadap beast yang dianggap sudah dipahami oleh kebanyakan bangsawan.
Mantis dengan ilusi yang mustahil dideteksi bahkan oleh mata terlatih juga akan sangat berguna, tetapi Ren memutuskan untuk merahasiakannya dari sebanyak mungkin orang untuk saat ini.
Kelelawar dan hiena milik Liu yang bekerja secara tandem. Ular air dan Amphibian raksasa milik Min, keduanya beast langka yang juga sudah mencapai tingkat Silver 3. Para pelayan dengan beast mereka yang terspesialisasi dalam dukungan dan kontrol lapangan, peran yang sering diabaikan namun sangat penting untuk tim yang seimbang.
Belum lagi empat beast dari dua "putri" di tim tersebut, beast tambahan Tier 3, serta makhluk-makhluk yang mewakili kultivasi dan sumber daya yang tidak pernah dimimpikan oleh kebanyakan murid.
Itu adalah sebuah pasukan.
Dan Ren akan memandu mereka dengan pengetahuan seseorang yang memahami setiap kekuatan, setiap kelemahan, dan setiap kemungkinan sinergi antar makhluk yang bahkan tidak diketahui oleh orang lain bisa bekerja sama. Pengetahuan yang berasal dari pemahaman tentang beast yang melampaui apa pun yang bisa diajarkan oleh buku teks.
♢♢♢♢
Orang tua Ren tidak sepenuhnya memahami apa yang mereka lihat.
Arena pertempuran itu sangat luas, dan beast yang bertarung di dalamnya adalah makhluk-makhluk berkekuatan besar yang membuat tanaman yang mereka kenal seumur hidup tampak seperti tanaman hias biasa jika dibandingkan. Tetangga mereka dan mereka sendiri di masa lalu yang menyebut diri sebagai "penjinak" kini terasa tidak sopan.
Untungnya, tanaman dewasa mereka sekarang dan Black Turtle mereka tidak lemah sama sekali, yang membantu mereka lebih memahami tingkat yang sedang mereka amati. Namun, mereka tidak perlu memahami semua detail teknis untuk mengenali kebenaran nyata yang terbentang di depan mata mereka.
Putra mereka mendominasi.
"Apakah itu...?" sang ayah memulai, menunjuk ke arah lapangan di mana beberapa beast masif merespons perintah Ren seolah-olah itu adalah milik mereka sendiri, menunjukkan pemahaman mendalam yang tampak seperti hasil latihan bertahun-tahun.
"Semuanya miliknya dan teman-temannya," sang ibu melengkapi, meskipun nadanya menyiratkan bahwa dia hampir tidak bisa memercayai kata-katanya sendiri. "Lihat betapa banyaknya mereka. Dan mereka semua mematuhinya seolah-olah..."
"Seolah-olah dia sudah melakukan ini seumur hidupnya," sang ayah menyimpulkan, kagum pada kemustahilan yang menjadi nyata di depan matanya.
Mereka menyaksikan dalam diam saat Wolverine giok Ren melompat melintasi medan perang dengan kecepatan yang meninggalkan jejak cahaya di udara. Sementara Hydra, yang saat itu masih memiliki satu kepala, berkoordinasi dengan Living Tunnel milik Taro untuk menjebak seluruh tim dalam manuver tanah yang tampak mustahil, jenis taktik yang membutuhkan waktu sempurna dan kepercayaan antara beast serta penjinaknya.
"Anak itu," gumam sang ayah, menggelengkan kepala perlahan saat pemahaman mulai muncul. "Anak yang lima tahun lalu bahkan hampir tidak sanggup membawa sekarung tepung."
"Anak yang menangis karena terkena spora," tambah sang ibu, suaranya lembut namun penuh emosi yang nyaris meluap. "Yang mengira hidupnya sudah berakhir sebelum benar-benar dimulai."
"Sekarang memimpin sebuah pasukan..."
Itu bukanlah kata-kata yang paling fasih, kurang memiliki puitisme yang mungkin layak untuk momen seperti itu. Namun, mereka tidak perlu menjadi fasih. Karena pada saat itu, sementara Ren mengarahkan beast-nya dengan gerakan tenang dan suara tegas, orang tuanya memahami sesuatu yang mendasar yang melampaui kata-kata.
Putra mereka telah melampaui semua ekspektasi.
Bukan hanya ekspektasi masyarakat yang menganggapnya tidak berharga.
Tetapi bahkan harapan mereka sendiri, impian mereka sendiri tentang akan menjadi apa dia nantinya.
Dia mengambil titik awal yang paling buruk dan mengubahnya menjadi sesuatu yang luar biasa.
Dan mereka ada di sana untuk menyaksikannya, duduk di kursi yang dihadiahkan oleh bangsawan, melihat putra mereka menjadi seseorang yang tidak pernah mereka bayangkan sebelumnya.
Kebanggaan tidak cukup untuk menggambarkan apa yang mereka rasakan.
Vindikasi tidak menangkap kepuasan itu.
Tidak ada kata-kata dalam kosakata mereka untuk menggambarkan apa artinya melihat anakmu membuktikan bahwa seluruh dunia salah.
Roran had begged.
Literally begged with the desperation of someone who saw opportunity slipping through their fingers.
"Please," he’d said, his hands pressed together as in prayer, dignity abandoned. "Just one spot. I can be useful, I swear."
Other classmates had joined the chorus of pleading. Offers of eternal loyalty, promises of future debts, even one had attempted to bribe Ren with underwear from his personal collection, thanks to a ridiculous rumor that Roran’s group had started through misunderstandings.
But there were only ten slots.
And Ren’s team was already complete, filled with people who’d earned their places through years of friendship too, but also proven capability.
And most importantly, synergy.
They had thirteen Silver beasts, an absurd quantity for a ten-person team.
But also..
Taro’s Royal Living Tunnel, a marvel of minerals and power that had caused a sensation when it evolved to Gold 1.
Shizu’s Golden Earth Wolverine, enormous, its fur gleaming with power comparable to Julius’s one now despite using less than half the time and crystals investment.
And Mako’s Greater Night Ambusher, a rare evolution that hadn’t been seen in several years coming back ’cheaply’ thanks to Ren’s guidance.
Three beasts at Gold rank alone gave them superiority over most teams.
Not to mention the Tier 3 Silver beasts filling out their roster.
Ren’s Hydra, still with only one head but with potential that made knowledgeable observers frown with concern and interest at the same time. And his Jade Wolverine that sparked curiosity for a beast most nobles thought they understood.
The Mantis with its illusions impossible to detect even for trained eyes would have been useful too but Ren decided to keep it known for as few people as possible for now.
Liu’s Bat and Hyena working in tandem. Min’s water Serpent and enormous Amphibian, both rare beasts that had already reached Silver 3 too. The maids with their beasts specialized in support and field control, roles often overlooked but essential for a well rounded team.
Not to mention the four beasts from the two "princesses" on the team, extra Tier 3 ones, and creatures that represented cultivation and resources most students couldn’t dream of accessing.
It was an army.
And Ren would guide them with the knowledge of someone who understood each strength, each weakness, each possible synergy between creatures that others didn’t even know could work together. Knowledge coming from an understanding of beasts that went beyond what any textbook could teach.
♢♢♢♢
Ren’s parents didn’t fully understand what they were seeing.
The combat arena was vast, and the beasts fighting in it were creatures of power that made the plants they’d known all their lives seem like decorative herbs in comparison. Their neighbors and them in those times calling themselves "tamers" felt disrespectful now.
Thankfully their own mature plants now and their Black Turtles weren’t weak by any measure, which helped them better understand the level they were observing, but they didn’t need to understand all the technical details to recognize the obvious truth unfolding before them.
Their son was dominating.
"Are those...?" the father began, pointing toward the field where multiple massive beasts responded to Ren’s commands as if they were his, showing a deep understanding that seemed like years of practice.
"All his and his friends’," his mother completed, though her tone suggested she could barely believe her own words. "Look how many there are. And they all obey him as if..."
"As if he’d been doing this his whole life," his father finished, marveling at the impossibility made real before his eyes.
They watched in silence as Ren’s jade Wolverine jumped across the battlefield with speed that left glowing trails in the air. While the Hydra, still with only one head at that moment, coordinated with Taro’s Living Tunnel to trap an entire team in an earth maneuver that seemed impossible, the kind of tactic that required perfect timing and trust between beast and the tamer.
"That boy," the father murmured, shaking his head slowly as understanding dawned. "That boy who could barely carry a sack of flour five years ago."
"That boy who cried because he had gotten a spore," his mother added, her voice soft but full of emotion that threatened to overflow. "Who thought his life was over before it began."
"Now commands an army..."
They weren’t the most eloquent words, lacking the poetry that such a moment might deserve. But they didn’t need to be eloquent. Because in that moment, while Ren directed his beasts with calm gestures and firm voice, his parents understood something fundamental that went beyond words.
Their son had surpassed all expectations.
Not just those of the society that had dismissed him as worthless.
But even their own hopes, their own dreams of what he might become.
He’d taken the worst possible starting point and turned it into something magnificent.
And they’d been there to witness it, sitting in seats gifted by royalty, watching their boy become someone they’d never imagined he could be.
Pride didn’t begin to cover what they felt.
Vindication didn’t capture the satisfaction.
There were no words in their vocabulary for what it meant to see your child prove the entire world wrong.
♢♢♢♢
In the stands where nobility observed, several faces lost their color.
The nobles from opportunistic factions, those who’d been whispering about Ren’s "unnatural", "artificial", and "suspicious" rise, watched with growing horror as the team assembled on the battlefield.
Their comfortable theories about limitations and natural order were crumbling with each beast that appeared.
"Impossible," one murmured, voice carrying the tremor of someone whose worldview was shattering. "More than half those teenagers are multiple tamers... As if they grew on trees. And women are getting more disrespectful by the day, that old woman wasting resources on these neophyte ideas."
"Maybe it’s not luck... If Selphira and Julius had so many potions to waste on kids and women at that, it has to mean something," another agreed, his voice shaky with implications he didn’t want to consider. "They didn’t give them away randomly. That Patinder kid... nobody has that kind of luck. Nobody surrounds themselves so easily with..."
"No, no... Maybe it’s that technology," a third interrupted, his tone conspiratorial, grasping for explanations that made sense to his limited understanding. "It has to be. Selphira and Julius obtained multiple beast technology from the corruption in Yino. It’s the only explanation."
The theory was delusional, of course. Ren’s and the others’ ability to form multiple bonds were completely legitimate outside corruption, and weren’t something that could be replicated or transferred artificially the way Yino had obtained it. But fear made people believe absurd things, made them construct elaborate conspiracies rather than accept uncomfortable truths.
And this team was very frightening to those who’d bet against it.
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