Beast Tamer: I Can See Evolution Paths

However, Asher didn't actually let down his guard in front of a stranger.

Wasn't Little Raven and Angel still by his side?

The two little guys were more than enough to protect him.

"Deep breath, relax your body, feel the darkness in front of you."

"Try to see the energy floating in the air."

"Are they little golden specks of light?"

"Try to make contact with them."

"Communicate."

"Absorb them into your body."

"Don't be greedy, relax when your body can't handle it."

Asher was momentarily speechless.

'Seriously? Isn't this way of communicating a little too simple and childish?'

'Are you sure there isn't a crucial step missing in between?'

Asher complained madly in his heart.

But he didn't say anything.

He just followed Amelia's instructions.

Closed his eyes.

Relaxed.

This was something Asher was already used to doing.

Every meditation session was a process of relaxation, of fully feeling nature and sensing energy.

Asher easily entered the state.

Beside him, Amelia looked at Asher with a surprised expression.

Too fast.

Not that Amelia was saying—

If she hadn't seen Asher look so utterly confused at everything she said, Amelia would have found it hard to believe that Asher didn't know anything.

He totally looked experienced.

'Or… is this actually talent?'

Amelia couldn't help but think.

She was starting to get curious what Asher's Goldheart Core would look like.

Asher had no idea what Amelia was thinking.

After entering a proper meditative state, Asher saw a wondrous sight he had never seen before.

It was like when he was a child, back in the countryside, looking up at the stars in the night sky.

Stars twinkling. Dazzling and extremely beautiful.

Asher instinctively held his breath, afraid to disturb these beautiful stars.

Golden star-like specks of light, upon noticing Asher's presence, circled around him curiously.

Each one looked like it couldn't wait to dive into Asher's body.

Asher was startled, and his first reaction was to reject them.

Amelia, sensing the rejection: "???"

Big wide eyes, big question mark.

"Seriously?"

"You're rejecting them?"

Amelia's tone was full of confusion.

"Accept them, absorb them, don't be afraid, don't resist," Fortunately, Amelia remembered her role as a "guiding teacher" and quickly said.

She figured Asher was seeing this for the first time and was scared.

Although she still didn't really get it, why be scared?

She had wanted to claim them as hers the moment she saw the stars. That's human instinct, isn't it?

Asher came to his senses.

Once Asher finally opened the gates of his body, the golden specks of light cheerfully held hands and rushed into his body.

Their speed was like floodgates opening.

So fast that Asher didn't even react in time.

Amelia's eyes also widened in shock.

It only took a single breath, Asher's whole body was rendered, shrouded in a layer of golden glow.

The energy he was emitting was so shocking even Amelia was stunned.

'What?'

'Seriously?'

'Is this real?'

"Calm down, calm down!" Amelia realized that Asher might not just be a newbie who could help her graduate—he might be a genius. She couldn't calm down anymore.

'Ahhhh— I am just a rookie! Why, why, why!'

'Teacher, save me!'

Unfortunately, her teacher far away at the alchemy workshop couldn't hear Amelia's cries for help, and she could only continue facing this crisis on her own.

"You have to control it!"

"Control it!"

"Don't suck everything into your body at once!"

Asher really wanted to curse.

It's not like he had a choice right now.

Otherwise, he would've said—

Is this something he wants or doesn't want?

Clearly it was the golden specks lining up to charge into his body.

Asher could feel it.

Every inch of his veins seemed to be filled with countless specks of starlight.

Yet the onrush from the air wasn't stopping.

If this kept up, Asher even felt like he might explode.

This was not the situation Asher wanted.

Deep breath.

Calm down.

Activate mental power.

Close the door.

Close the door.

No one gets in anymore.

His body isn't a public bathhouse.

You can't just come in and go as you please.

With Asher's strong willpower, he finally broke free from the starlight state.

The moment he opened his eyes, all of his senses returned to his body.

His limbs were weak.

Cold sweat drenched him.

Asher almost stumbled to the ground.

Thankfully, Little Raven and Angel rushed forward quickly, supporting Asher from left and right.

This made Amelia, who reacted just a second too late and had her hand awkwardly frozen midair, feel very embarrassed.

Luckily she was wearing a cloak.

Others couldn't see her embarrassment.

Amelia quietly retracted her hand.

It's not a big deal.

"You… okay?", Amelia looked at the sweat-drenched Asher and asked softly.

"That…", Amelia said awkwardly, "Your aptitude is even better than I thought. I didn't know…"

"Normally, when someone tries to communicate with the power of heaven and earth, it's always under the supervision of an alchemist, just in case of accidents."

"I… I…"

As she spoke, Amelia's voice grew smaller, her head drooping lower.

Finally recovering from his crash state, Asher waved it off nonchalantly.

"It's not your fault."

"It's just that I didn't understand enough, and you were a bit careless."

Hearing Asher's genuinely kind words, Amelia couldn't help but feel touched.

'What a good guy.'

Amelia looked at Asher with even more admiration.

'I must bring him back.'

'Introduce him to the teacher. The teacher must take him in.'

That'll count as her making it up to him.

"Can I try releasing that… Goldheart Core now?", Asher didn't know what Amelia was thinking. Otherwise, he definitely would've complained.

Make it up to him?

Sure about that?

Anyway, Asher didn't say anything.

He simply looked at Amelia, waiting for her answer so he could proceed.

"You can," Amelia nodded quickly.

"Imagine gathering the energy in your body and releasing it—"

Before she could finish, she saw Asher's palm already hovering with the Goldheart Core.

Unlike her own hexagon, Asher's was close to a sphere, but each surface was clearly flat.

It wasn't a sphere.

It was a polyhedron.

Amelia: "..."

*breath stopped*

Asher: "?"

Asher looked at Amelia, then looked at the polyhedron in his hand and curiously poked it.

Visible, but untouchable.

Interesting.

Asher smiled.

"Oh right," Asher looked at Amelia, "Why is my Goldheart Core different from yours?"

Asher asked seriously.

One's a hexagon, and, Asher glanced at his core.

He had no idea how many sides it has.

Amelia was silent.

Amelia opened her mouth.

Amelia's soul was almost out of her body.

"You… you you you…", Amelia pointed at Asher with a trembling finger and couldn't say a full sentence.

Asher pointed at himself helpfully and said, "What about me?"

Amelia took a deep breath.

She really didn't want to talk.

"Everyone's Goldheart Core is different," Amelia sniffled and said quietly.

Asher: "?"

'Why does it sound like she's about to cry?'

Amelia sniffled again and continued, "Alchemists with ordinary talent have Golden Cores with one or two sides; the rest are open."

Asher: Hm?

'Interesting. Generally, a six-sided cube is needed for a closed, solid shape.'

Like Amelia's Golden Core.

"The more sides the Goldheart Core has, the better the aptitude."

"A six-faced Golden Core is the minimum requirement to become a true independent alchemist," Amelia had always been very proud.

When her peers only had two or three sides, hers had six.

A full cube.

She was the most talented of them all.

So for a long time, she bathed in the envy and jealousy of her peers and later apprentices.

After all, most people would remain apprentices for life.

But she, with enough effort, could become an alchemist with her own workshop.

That gap was huge.

Being envied was only natural.

But Amelia had a hard time facing those gazes.

She habitually wore a long cloak to hide from the world's eyes.

In short, she was proud, and socially anxious.

But what she never expected was, one day, she would witness a talent far beyond hers, right in front of her.

Amelia instinctively held her breath and was speechless.

The look she gave Asher was full of feelings she couldn't understand.

And then she realized.

It was envy, longing, resentment.

The same looks others once gave her.

Now she was giving them to Asher.

She couldn't help taking a step back.

Asher looked down at his core, "So that's how it is."

He nodded. Tone very calm.

Didn't care at all about Amelia's strange reaction.

Why? Because Asher was already used to it.

Let them be shocked.

It wasn't a big deal.

Amelia: "?"

'Isn't this a bit too calm?'

'Shouldn't he be jumping with joy at finding out his talent is amazing?'

Asher seemed to sense Amelia's confusion and smiled, "Maybe because I'm not very attached to the identity of an alchemist?"

"Not long ago I was still thinking about how I'd survive," He nodded again.

'Yep, no lies.'

He really was just thinking about survival.

Suddenly arriving in some strange world, unfamiliar with everything.

Amelia, meanwhile, connected Asher's story to something else and looked at him with even more sympathy.

"Your talent is really good. As long as you're willing, any alchemist from any workshop would gladly take you in."

"I suggest you go to the Alchemy Workshop in Tana Town. That's the closest one run by naturalist alchemists."

Asher smiled: "Okay. Thanks for the recommendation."

Whether or not he joins, that's up to Asher.

Compared to naturalist alchemists, Asher was more interested in the mechanical faction.

He wanted to meet the kind of alchemists who could make "Ultimate Weapons" that were even considered mythical creatures.

And he wanted to know, if it was possible to restore Angel to her full form.

That level of combat power was a completely different league.

Amelia didn't know what Asher was thinking. She enthusiastically continued, "If you think Tana Town is too small, you could go further to Ander City, it's the biggest city nearby."

"Ander City has more alchemy workshops, so you'll have more choices."

"You can pick the alchemist who gives you the best offer."

"Your master will teach you everything about alchemy."

As a half-baked apprentice herself, she wouldn't keep showing off.

"Have you decided where to go?", Amelia asked sincerely, "I can go with you."

Asher thought for a moment, "Do you have other business here?"

Amelia hesitated and didn't answer.

Asher immediately got it.

He smiled.

"I'll be fine on my own."

"I'm already grown."

Asher spread his arms and spun in a circle.

He was already 21, the word "youth" barely fit him now.

He was a young man past the age of saving the world.

"I want to look around," Asher smiled innocently.

"If I can find someone who knows my brother…", Asher didn't mention his parents.

Amelia understood what he meant.

After thinking, she pulled out a palm-sized, golden-brown pouch.

"Take this."

"There are a lot of things inside that you can use. I hope they help you."

"If you go to Ander City, maybe we'll see each other again."

Asher coughed, a little embarrassed, but he still accepted the pouch.

A nonexistent conscience pricked a little.

Seriously?

She had zero guard up?

Made Asher feel slightly guilty about his plans.

"Okay, thank you," Asher nodded at her, "I hope we can meet again too."

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