CHAPTER 53: TAMING

You can tame a beast the moment it stops thinking of you as its enemy. In your case, the Wyvern grew tired—it let its guard down, just for a heartbeat. That was enough for your power to take hold. And now," she pointed at the creature, "it’s one of your beasts."

Nolan looked back at the Wyvern, pride shining in his eyes. "Yeah..." he said softly. "Mine."

The Wyvern flew up to the other thirteen Wyverns and called out to them. Nolan kept watching closely as, one by one, they descended and bent their heads toward him in submission.

"It looks like as it evolved, it became larger," Nolan said in awe. "Wow... so it means now the fourteen Wyverns serve me."

In that moment, Nolan and the newly evolved Wyvern began to shine with a golden light. The thirteen older Wyverns lowered themselves even further, as if declaring him their master. Then, all of a sudden, they were tamed—without Nolan even using his skill directly.

"Wait... it looks like they are already tamed," Nolan said in surprise.

"It is one of your skills. You should know that," Lyra replied.

"But I am not sure they are going to evolve," Nolan said.

"You are right. They did not evolve," Lyra explained.

Nolan frowned. "But whenever I tame beasts myself, why do they always evolve? I do not understand that."

"It seems you still do not get it," Lyra said calmly. "No human, no demi-human, not even the former hero could ever tame a Wyvern. The only ones capable are demons, and even then, the Wyvern is the highest they can tame. They cannot tame a dragon. They cannot tame a behemoth like me. No one could—except perhaps an archangel or some deity in heaven."

"Go on," Nolan urged.

"Your mana capacity is what makes you scary," Lyra said. "I don’t know, but you might even surpass Michael when it comes to raw mana. That said, you are not as powerful as him. Even yesterday, in the dungeon, when you transformed to your level 100, I felt Michael’s presence like it was standing right there. That’s how powerful you are. But Michael is still stronger."

Lyra continued, "Everything you tame draws from your mana. They soak it up, and that’s what makes them stronger. That’s why they evolve. The more powerful you become, the more of your mana enters them. Some of them might reach their limit, and that is why a Wyvern can evolve from a normal one to a King Wyvern. It will continue evolving over the next few days. Even I, after you tamed me, absorbed a huge portion of your mana. That is why I transformed into a human. That is a lot of explanation, but it is the truth."

Nolan shook his head in awe. "Is that all for today?"

"No, that’s not all. We still need more training," Lyra said.

Nolan hesitated. "I don’t think I can. We need a proper house to stay in. It’s not easy sharing a room with the girls. It... it makes my heart feel like it’s going to jump out of my chest every time I’m in the same room with them. We should go get the house."

"Okay, we should go back. Let’s ride the Wyvern," Lyra suggested.

Nolan froze. "What? People are going to freak out. What are they going to say?"

Lyra laughed lightly. "It will cost a few talks, but people already know how powerful you are. It might take a while, but we can manage."

"Yes, you’re right. I’m actually starving," Nolan said.

Lyra smirked. "The only reason you even wanted to tame them is because they are not useful for food anymore. Back when you were in your behemoth form hundreds of years ago, you usually ate them. But last night, when you defeated one in your human body, you tried eating it and it tasted terrible."

Nolan chuckled. "Wait a minute. You came out to try and eat a Wyvern? Was that your main reason last night?"

"That is a story for another time," Lyra said.

Nolan walked toward the King Wyvern. He climbed onto its back while Lyra followed and sat beside him.

"Move. Take off," Nolan commanded.

The Wyvern flapped its massive wings, sending a cool breeze rushing past. Slowly, it lifted off the ground, soaring higher and higher.

"Wow, this is actually fun," Nolan said as they flew over the landscape.

They approached Sindra under the cover of night. "A Wyvern! A Wyvern is coming! We need powerful adventurers now!" one of the knights shouted, hitting the alarm bell.

As they looked closer, they saw Nolan, sitting on the King Wyvern’s back, waving his hand.

One of the knights shouted through a device that broadcasted his voice like a speaker. "Sorry! No one has been attacked. It was a mistake!"

The King Wyvern hovered above the entrance, staring down with an intimidating gaze.

"Hey, what is this? Aren’t you still... ranged? What are you doing on the back of a Wyvern?" a knight called out, trying to keep his distance.

"Get closer. Don’t be afraid. I’m a beast tamer. That’s my skill, and I tamed it," Nolan said calmly.

Another knight stepped forward, shocked. "What did you just say? You tamed a Wyvern? You must be kidding. And that isn’t just any Wyvern... that’s a King Wyvern!"

"Yes. I tamed it. That’s the only explanation," Nolan replied.

"I can send it away," the knight said hesitantly.

"Send it away?" Nolan asked. "I’m still not sure. I could disarm it to make it leave, or I could just tell it to go. It’s better if I handle it myself."

The knight nodded nervously as Nolan called out. "Now, go."

The King Wyvern turned and flew back toward the forest.

The knights were shaken. One of them gasped, "I thought we were dead even though I was just trying to stand my ground. My legs actually gave out. I’ve never been so frightened of a King Wyvern. That’s a powerful beast. Only heroes and rank A adventurers could hope to face it."