Beast Tamer Era: Capturing SSS-ranks with the Strongest Taming System-Chapter 132: Road to the Silver Rank

Ray hadn’t been holding back when it came to using the Devour skill. As a result, he had gained a great deal of wisdom. His knowledge about Heaven and Earth far surpassed that of most Silver Rankers, perhaps even rivaling early Gold Rankers.

Because of that, he knew there was only one thing in existence that looked like Snow Ginseng but was far superior to it, overflowing with rich medicinal essence. And it was something so rare that even Gold Rankers would kill for it.

"Is this... the Heavenly Moon Ginseng?" Ray lifted his gaze to Arthis, shock flashing in his eyes.

Arthis nodded in response to his inquiry. "Your eyes do not deceive you."

That confirmation made Ray’s breath hitch in his throat.

The Heavenly Moon Ginseng was a rank-6 Heaven and Earth Treasure, belonging to an entirely different class than rank-7 and rank-8 Heaven and Earth Treasures.

While Heaven and Earth Treasures below the sixth rank were useful primarily for Iron Rankers and Bronze Rankers, with only a handful of them holding some value even in the eyes of Silver Rankers, rank-6 Heaven and Earth treasures were on a whole other level.

They were incredibly useful not only for Silver Rankers but also Gold Rankers, capable of outperforming dozens of lower-ranked H&E treasures combined.

The Heavenly Moon Ginseng, being a mid-rank Heaven and Earth Treasure, was dozens of times more valuable than Celestial Grass, a rank-9 Heaven and Earth Treasure. And for good reason.

If taken by an intermediate-stage Bronze Ranker, it could propel them to Silver Rank instantly. And if consumed at the peak of Bronze Rank, it would push them directly into the intermediate stage of Silver Rank—a leap very few could ever dream of achieving in their lifetime.

"This is the reward for ranking first on the leaderboard for the fastest clear time in the Trial of the Fifth Sector amongst your peers. You deserve it. Accept it," Arthis said, closing the box and holding it out to him.

"Thank you, Floor Manager." Ray accepted the jade box without any needless modesty.

He was expecting to be rewarded with something on the level of the Monster Palace for his achievements. Although the Heavenly Moon Ginseng wasn’t quite comparable to that, it wasn’t far off either. And it was exactly what he needed right now. So he was genuinely pleased to have received it.

Hearing Ray’s words, Arthis shook his head lightly. "You don’t need to thank me. I hold these competitions to identify exceptional newcomers to the Tower and accelerate their growth. In other words, it was through your own efforts that you earned this opportunity. My peers do the same. Each of us are aiming to push exceptional Seekers further along the path of power."

The Tower was created with a clear purpose in mind.

The ultimate objective was to stop the spread of the Demonic Creatures that sought to become the masters of the universe.

The way these abominations were trying to achieve that goal was through chaos and destruction.

It was as insane, ruthless, and cruel as it sounded.

They scouted resource-rich planets, carefully planned ways to invade them, and then descended like a plague, slaughtering their natives or enslaving them if they were deemed useful. Once a world was conquered, if deemed uninhabitable they stripped it bare, hoarding every mineral, essence, and drop of energy it contained. If they liked it and it was inhabitable, they colonize it, turn it one of their many tell what spread across the cosmos.

Their end purpose was to monopolize all the resources in existence for their own kind, to create an eternal empire built upon the death and destruction of not only countless civilization but also planets and stars.

These crazy bastards had to be stopped before it was too late!

But that was easier said than done.

The reason they could act so fearless and deranged was because they had something that restrained the other powers from confronting them head-on.

It was something ancient and powerful that even Gods in mortal forms The Overlords dared not challenge directly.

The only way to rein in these unruly dogs was to find someone capable of replacing the Dying Light, the ancient guardian whose power once held the darkness at bay.

Waiting for such a being to appear on its own, however, was a fool’s dream.

As a result, the Tower was seeking to forge one, to bring such an existence into being through cultivation, trials, and personality modification, but creating that kind of being wasn’t easy.

If it were, the Tower, with all its endless riches and knowledge, would have accomplished it long ago.

What it needed was time.

Time to cultivate, guide, and strengthen potential candidates.

And to gain that time, the Tower extended its hand to those wronged by the demonic creatures, offering them a chance to grow stronger, to take revenge, and to protect others like them.

Every trial, every reward? It all existed to mold these Seekers into weapons capable of standing against the coming darkness and buying time for a potential successor to the Dying Light to rise.

Those who couldn’t turn into these weapons were mercilessly cut off. The tower wasn’t a charity nor were they warrior of justice. They were willing to do anything necessary to stop the universe from being dominated by the demonic creatures as it would truly mean all hope was lost.

Anyways.

Ray was the one Arthis had placed his bet on.

But he wasn’t the only one.

There were others, scattered across the cosmos, all being tempered, tested, and pushed to their very limits so they would grow faster.

Each of them carried a fragment of hope.

Each of them was being sharpened so that one day one of them would become the blade meant to cut through the darkness and replace the Dying Light.

"I see," Ray said.

Arthis froze for a moment, the faint smile on his face faltering. He hadn’t expected those words—not from anyone, and certainly not from someone as young as Ray. Recognition was the last thing he’d ever sought. For centuries, he had simply done what needed to be done. No more, no less.

He was not a hero, not a savior. Just a loyal knight carrying out his master’s final wish. He was working endlessly to find and nurture the one who could replace the dying light.

Upon hearing those words, a quiet warmth stirred within his chest, something he hadn’t felt in ages. Duty had long dulled his emotions, turning each victory and failure alike into mere steps on an endless path. But now, hearing Ray’s words, it felt as though the burden he had carried all this time had momentarily lightened.

For the first time in a very long while, Arthis allowed himself a small, genuine smile.

’So this is what he looks like when he’s genuinely happy. Like a kind old man,’ Ray thought, watching Arthis smile.

"I wish you the best in your future endeavors, young man."

With that, Arthis turned and walked away, his coat fluttering slightly with each step before vanishing into the busy crowd.

Ray watched him leave for a moment, then made his way toward a corner of the bustling main hub on the Tower’s first floor.

After sitting down, he stored the jade box in his inventory and accessed the Tower’s highly advanced marketplace interface.

He tapped the holographic screen a few times, and a notification appeared in front of him:

[You are trying to purchase a Blue Spirit Fruit for 50,000 Enlightenment Points!]

[Confirm your purchase? Y/N]

Ray tapped [Y], confirming his purchase.

Instantly.

[-50,000 Enlightenment Points]

His accumulation of nearly a hundred thousand points dropped by slightly more than half.

[You have purchased a Blue Spirit Fruit!]

A ripple spread across the air in front of him and a faint spatial fluctuation occurred before a translucent orb of light materialized before his eyes. The light dispersed, revealing a glossy azure fruit the size of his fist, hovering in the air.

He grabbed it without hesitation and bit into it.

A surge of refreshing sweetness spread through his mouth, followed by a rush of warmth that spread through his body, coursing through his every vein and muscle before vanishing in the expansive area inside his head. The medicinal essence flowed into his Niwan Palace, refining and strengthening his soul at an astonishing pace.

[You have devoured a Blue Spirit Fruit!]

[You have broken through to Bronze Rank 3!]

[Your Soul Quality has increased from 3870 → 11610]

[You have received the following enhancements:]

– Niwan Palace expanded.

– Soul Force capacity increased.

– Magic Power Regeneration improved.

[Your Soul Force capacity has increased from 53.7 units → 161.1 units.]

[Your Magic Power Regeneration has increased to 83 units per second.]

Now his status screen looked like this.

Name: Ray

Race: Heavenly Being (Nascent)

Racial Trait: Sixth Sense

Level: 30

Total EXP: 2,000,000

EXP Required to Level Up: 350,000

Rank: Bronze Rank 3

Beast Taming Seal: Mutated Eclipse Devouring Seal (1-star)

Strength: 16

Stamina: 17

Agility: 50

Soul Quality: 11,610

Soul Force: 53,700mp

Magic Power Regeneration: 83 units per second

Stamina Regeneration: 1 unit every hour

Debuffs: None

SP: 0

Skills: Beast Taming (Lv.3), Pact of Equivalent Exchange, Purple Empyrean Winds, Black Flames of Annihilation, Living Weapons Refinement

Traits: Lightning Step, Passive Stamina Recovery, Consecutive Lucky Shots

Supernatural Discipline: Sacred Art of Rune Smithing

System Functions: Inventory, Skill & EXP Sharing

Battle Companions: Muri (Bronze Rank 1), Fairy Trixie (Peak Bronze Rank)

Slave: Flying Serpent (Peak Bronze Rank)

Subordinated Monster Tribe: Serpent Tribe (Reputation: Neutral) (200/5000)