Chapter 38: Art is... Explosion!

"No way… Even a High-Tier Transcendent-Grade Gale Wolf lost, and he's sending in this?"

"Is that really a battle pet? It looks more like a showpiece."

As the little golden monkey stepped onto the battlefield, the defeated candidates in the audience broke into murmurs.

Their comments fit their role as nameless background characters perfectly.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field, the white-haired elder narrowed his aged eyes as he examined the tiny figure facing off against the Silver Spirit.

Despite his old age, his spiritual power as a Four-Ring Beastmaster allowed him to see beyond what these low-level contestants could perceive.

"A newly ascended Commander-Class pet… That means its master must be a High-Tier Three-Ring Beastmaster?"

"To think we had such an exceptional talent among the younger generation…"

His gaze shifted to the black-haired youth lounging nearby, casually playing with a small snow mink on his shoulder.

"Xaya Egut."

As someone who spent decades guarding the Silver Spirit habitat, the elder rarely paid attention to the family's younger members.

Aside from Sylvia, the infamous "disaster incarnate", he barely recognized anyone in this year's coming-of-age ceremony.

But he knew Xaya's name.

Not because he followed the younger generation—

But because his fellow elder, Norton, had personally informed him to look out for this outsider.

However, judging by what he saw now,

This young prodigy didn't seem to need any special favors.

"Impressive."

The elder nodded approvingly toward Xaya.

"Among this batch of newcomers, you are the most outstanding."

"You don't need to take the combat trial. With your abilities, you're already qualified to contract a Silver Spirit."

These weren't just empty words—they were his genuine thoughts.

Even though Elder Norton had spoken on Xaya's behalf, he wouldn't have bent the rules just for that.

High-tier species like the Silver Spirit were rare and difficult to breed.

Every contract had to be carefully considered.

It was his duty to eliminate any mediocre candidates.

But for a seventeen-year-old High-Tier Three-Ring Beastmaster?

This entry barrier meant nothing.

After all, the last person in the Brunestadt family to reach Three Rings before adulthood

Had been the current Duke himself—

A Six-Ring Titled Beastmaster on the verge of legendary status.

The moment the elder finished speaking,

Some of the failed candidates stiffened, their expressions darkening.

They were clearly itching to protest the "unfairness" of it all.

But before they could react—

The first to object wasn't them.

It was the golden monkey standing in the arena.

"Kiki! Kiki!" (I'VE BEEN WAITING FOREVER FOR THIS MATCH!)

"Kiki! Kiki!" (DON'T TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME!)

Xaya sighed, then turned to the white-haired elder with an apologetic look.

"My pet has been looking forward to this fight for a long time. If I don't let it fight, it might start wrecking my house tonight."

"Besides—"

"I also want to personally assess something."

"I need to determine whether the Silver Spirit species is worthy of becoming my third soul contract."

"..."

"Assess…?"

"Determine whether our family's guardian species is even worthy of being contracted?"

For a brief second, the elder's face darkened in irritation.

But he quickly calmed himself.

"Fine."

"He's an outsider. It's only natural that he doesn't understand the significance of the Silver Spirit."

"Talented individuals deserve certain privileges."

After a moment's pause, he sighed and nodded.

"Very well."

"I permit it."

The battle began.

Within three breaths, countless silver-white motes of light began gathering around the humanoid Silver Spirit.

Then—

They erupted outward in a storm of energy.

The Silver Spirit was a metal-attribute elemental lifeform.

This unique dual-attribute granted it extraordinary versatility.

As an elemental creature,

It possessed natural attunement to elemental forces,

Making it highly adaptable to various spellcasting pathways.

If nurtured in the magic discipline,

It could evolve into forms such as the "Silvercloak Phantom" or "Silver-Eyed Sage."

Alternatively, if one focused on its "metal" properties,

It could be enhanced with abilities like "Sharpen" and "Harden,"

Developing into a physical powerhouse.

The Trial Elder's Silver Spirit had developed a hybrid fighting style, balancing both spellcasting and physical prowess.

However, its primary focus was still on magic-based attacks.

At this moment, an overwhelming silver-white storm filled the arena.

Countless streaks of radiant light descended like falling meteors, creating a spectacularly destructive display.

This was the high-tier spell—"Silver Meteor", mastered to "Perfect" proficiency.

For most previous challengers, both them and their pets had failed within mere seconds, completely crushed by this one attack.

But this time—

Just as those countless silver meteors were about to strike Shiny…

The tiny golden monkey's figure suddenly shattered like an illusion—vanishing without a trace.

A moment later—

Shiny reappeared behind the Silver Spirit, completely unharmed.

"Kiki! Kiki!" (Have you ever been kicked at light speed?)

A massive boulder smashed into the Silver Spirit's back, causing it to stagger forward slightly.

But that was all.

Despite the direct hit, the Silver Spirit remained unscathed.

After all—It had been physically reinforced, and given the huge rank difference, Shiny's "Rock Throw" combo wasn't nearly strong enough to break its steel-like defenses.

In response, the Silver Spirit immediately launched a counterattack—

A sharp silver blade of energy cut through the air, slashing straight toward Flash's position.

However—

The moment it struck—

Shiny had already disappeared again.

Throughout the battlefield, elemental energy clashed with giant boulders, but even after twenty seconds of fighting, neither side had inflicted any real damage.

The white-haired elder finally spoke up.

"That's enough."

By this point, he had completely acknowledged Xaya's capabilities.

Not only was Xaya an incredibly young Three-Ring Beastmaster, but he had also cultivated an exceptionally rare space-attribute pet.

Before reaching King-tier or acquiring specific countermeasures, spatial teleportation was simply unfair in battle.

It didn't matter if there was a huge difference in power—

If your opponent kept dodging every attack, it was infuriating beyond measure.

If this were a life-or-death fight, the elder might have adopted a pressuring strategy, since every teleportation consumed mental energy—and eventually, the opponent would run out of strength.

However—

This was merely a family trial, and the battle only needed to last thirty seconds.

The elder was about to officially end the match when—

Xaya suddenly interrupted with an apologetic smile.

"Wait a second... The fight isn't over yet, right?"

"Stopping now feels a little unfair."

The elder frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Xaya rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"You see… Back when I was experimenting in the Alchemy Academy, I kept failing to create explosive talismans."

"But—"

"I did find an alternative with a similar effect."

A strange foreboding feeling suddenly rose in the elder's heart.

Xaya smiled and continued—

"I call it… Detonating Clay."

The elder's pupils shrank slightly.

His gaze immediately snapped toward the battlefield.

There—

The Silver Spirit had just finished another close exchange with Shiny.

The thrown boulders had left traces of dirt clinging to its metallic body.

And—

Shiny had once again teleported a significant distance away.

At first, the elder assumed those were just dust particles left behind from impact.

But upon closer inspection—

After several consecutive hits, the light gray clay-like substance had spread across the entire Silver Spirit's body.

Even more suspiciously—

The clay was positioned in a strangely symmetrical formation—

As if strategically arranged for maximum effect.

The elder's heart sank.

Just then—

Xaya's calm voice echoed in his ears.

"Elder—"

"Have you ever heard of this phrase before…?"

The elder's eyes widened slightly.

Xaya grinned.

"Art—"

"Is an explosion."

BOOOOOM!

A blinding inferno erupted, engulfing the entire battlefield.

The colossal Silver Spirit was instantly swallowed by the raging flames.

The ground trembled violently beneath the sheer force of the blast.