Chapter 76: A Lone Tamer's Resolve
Leon stepped into the cold night air, the towering structures of Blackthorn City stretching into the sky. The streets were alive with the hum of activity—tamers walking alongside their beasts, traders haggling over rare materials, and shadowy figures moving through the alleys, watching, waiting.
He was alone now.
No faction. No allies.
Just him… and his beasts.
Exactly how he wanted it.
But he wasn't foolish.
He had made enemies tonight.
The Guildmaster had let him walk away, but Leon knew the truth—his decision had painted a target on his back.
The Eclipse Order didn't take rejection lightly.
And neither did the others who wanted what he had.
An independent Beast Tamer with an Epic-grade beast?
He might as well have declared himself prey to the hunters of the world.
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A Warning in the Shadows
As Leon walked through the dimly lit streets, his senses sharpened.
Footsteps.
Soft, calculated—following him.
He didn't react, didn't turn, but his grip tightened slightly.
Then—a voice.
"You made a mistake."
Leon stopped.
The alley beside him was cloaked in shadows, but he knew someone was there.
A figure stepped forward, dressed in dark robes, a beast sigil gleaming on their chest.
A hunter.
One of Gareth's men.
Leon smirked. "Is this the part where you try to scare me?"
The man's lips curled into a faint smile. "No. This is the part where I tell you that walking alone won't last forever."
Leon's eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight. "Is that a threat?"
The hunter chuckled. "A warning. The world isn't kind to lone tamers."
Leon tilted his head. "I survived twenty years in this game."
The hunter's smile faded slightly. "...Game?"
Leon didn't bother explaining.
Instead, he turned and walked away, leaving the hunter standing in the darkness.
If they wanted to come after him… let them.
He had survived one lifetime already.
And in this one—he would reign.
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The First Hunt Begins
Leon reached the outskirts of the city, the open wilderness stretching beyond the towering walls.
The true world of beast tamers wasn't in the cities.
It was out there.
Where the real monsters roamed.
Where legacies waited to be claimed.
Where power was earned through blood and battle.
Leon smirked as he stepped forward, the night wind brushing against his cloak.
He had one year before the game's release.
And he wasn't going to waste a single second.
The hunt had begun.
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