This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange-Chapter 627: True and False

It wasn't just a matter of following leisurely behind her rival.

Serena was biding her time.

She knew that whatever test lay ahead would be the moment Soreia was most vulnerable. Distracted. Focused on survival, not on guarding herself.

And Serena? She had no qualms about striking from behind.

In fact, she was counting on it.

The corridor eventually opened into a cavernous space—a vast underground chamber with jagged black walls that pulsed faintly with veins of gold. Across the chamber, there were multiple pathways leading deeper into the ruins, each branching off and descending into darkness.

And through the acidic mist that clung to the ground, Serena saw it— Only one path showed signs of recent passage.

Still fresh.

She walked to the edge and paused.

The air here was heavier, the acidity more concentrated. Breathing felt like inhaling razors. She calmly drew spiritual energy into her lungs and limbs, forming a tight, invisible barrier over her skin and within her body. The corrosive atmosphere hissed against her defenses, but it was manageable

After doing so she could feel her spiritual power rapidly being consumed—not that this was an issue for her.

Fortunately, this didn't seem to be one of trials relics that prevented the use of spiritual power—Serena still couldn't release her contracts, but she had unimpeded access to her spiritual power.

And unlike most, hers had no limit.

This hereditary gift to form a never ending spiritual power 'storm' being the origin of her family name—the presence of her gift made her even more confident in her ability to defeat her opponent.

This trial might erode the others. But not her.

She stepped into the mist and continued following the 'crumbs' left behind to go down the correct paths.

The tunnel twisted sharply.

What had once been cold lifeless stone gave way to something more... organic. The walls became uneven, textured, pulsing faintly with golden light that resembled capillaries beneath skin. It didn't feel like she was walking through ruins anymore.

It felt like she was being digested.

As she moved deeper, faint etchings began to appear on the walls. Half-dragon figures stared down at her in silent agony, their eyes gouged out or dripping with gold. Serena ran a finger across one of the carvings, tracing the image of a child holding what looked like a molten heart—dark blood dripping between its fingers.

Then the path split again. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

But this time, no tracks.

Serena's lips pressed into a thin line. 'Did she sense something?' she wondered. She wouldn't be surprised. Clairvoyant gifts were common in the Eyeris family—Soreia might've caught on to being followed.

Serena knelt beside the forking point, brushing a gloved hand along the acidic residue coating the stone. The left path reeked of stronger mist but bore no visual clue. The right path had a disturbed layer of ash, but not the same footprint Soreia had left earlier.

Serena's eyes emitted an intense silver glow as she activated a spiritual skill, and began to scan both paths.

Sustaining a faint barrier of spiritual power to prevent the acidic mist from destroying her lungs was already enough to eliminate most competitors. But using another spiritual skill to find any hints of the path taken would have been impossible for pretty much anyone else below 7-stars.

There. A faint pulse of spiritual pressure—not a lot, just a sliver—but it was like catching a glint of light off the edge of a blade for a fraction of a second.

The light in her eyes faded as she got the hint she needed.

Serena went left.

'I'm surprised she could even walk this far…' Serena thought in surprise as the corrosive mist continued to thicken. She knew that Soreia didn't have a gift similar to herself, so she had no idea how she could persist for so long.

She stepped into the next chamber—and paused.

A staircase spiraled downward, and without pausing Serena silently followed it downward.

She paused at the final step and pressed herself against the stone. Then carefully, she peered around the corner.

There she was.

Soreia.

She was holding a small sphere that was flickering with energy that felt it could sputter out at any time. From that sphere, a faint film seemed to be covering Soreia and protecting her form the mist. Finally, the answer of how she had survived up to this point was answered.

'Where did she get that?' Serena thought in puzzlement. After all, while they could both use gifts and spiritual skills—contracts and space rings seemed to be blocked by some force.

Perhaps it was a gift given that could be picked up around the entrance when you first entered? But she took the only one…

But Serena didn't buy that excuse that the trial would just gift an object that could help to repel the mist.

Regardless of the mystery, finally she had found her target. Soreia stood motionless before a colossal obsidian statue—one of a giant humanoid creature that looked part lizard—no, dragon. Based on its features, Serena was more inclined to believe that it possessed dragon's blood.

Gold lines ran down its face like tears, and before it floated a jagged crystal, pulsing with the same angry rhythm as the golden veins in the stone.

Soreia did not seem to have touched or interacted with the statue yet. She was still, mouth frozen in an expression of shock.

---------------

When Soreia stepped into the Thar'Ameth inheritance trial, her only thought had been about how fortunate it was that she'd acted first. With Kain gone, the path ahead would be hers alone.

She was practically guaranteed to succeed.

She had played the game the smartest, and she would be rewarded for that.

Even Cassian and the Holy Son, above her in status, would be competing against one another. One of these high-profile figures may even die—but not her.

Because she was smart.

After all, she had to be to fake being a member of the Eyeris for so long…