Interstellar Beast Master

Chapter 33: Dance With The Devil IV

"Every 90 minutes, the artificial forest transforms—lush greenery becomes volcanic wasteland, then a frozen tundra, and finally a metallic storm biome where electromagnetic surges mess with both Beast and Beast Master. You’ll also want to watch out for Sentient Predator Drones: specialized adaptive units called Predex. These guys hunt participants and change their attack styles based on your tactics. They’re modeled after Entropic Beasts from actual Entropic Rifts and release fear-inducing pheromones just to get you all acquainted with what you might face in the future. Basically, just lots of fun stuff, right?!"

She was practically vibrating with excitement on top of her flaming bird, voice echoing across the floor like someone shouting through a firework show.

In Damian’s ear, Anastasia’s voice finally cut through—cold and clinical as ever.

"There’s nothing fancy you need to do for this first trial. Just survive. Maybe show off a little. The real test will be in the next trial—when you go toe-to-toe with one of the Trial Guardians."

Damian nodded slightly as he scanned his surroundings. His sharp gaze caught the figure hesitantly creeping closer. A young woman, blue-haired, clearly nervous—and not because of the deadly terrain. Her winged blue slime was bouncing on her head like a caffeinated marshmallow and practically dragging her toward him.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You know there’s a lot of forest out here, right?"

His tone was dry, borderline cold.

The girl jumped like she’d just touched a live wire and fidgeted with her hands.

"I... it’s not me. Little Bluey said he sensed someone like him and wanted to play. He is not normally like this...I’m sorry..."

Timid didn’t even begin to describe her.

Damian stared a second longer, mind already racing. She’d been sent by Guardian Flameborn herself. That alone was enough to pique his interest.

He let the cold edge in his voice drop, just a little, and nodded.

Maybe, maybe...she had information worth pulling. Her winged slime gave off the same uncanny vibe as Serena’s Serpent.

"Oh! And don’t let me forget," Guardian Flameborn piped up again, "every so often, Echo Pulse Waves will blast through. They’ll knock out Beast Link Synchronization for up to 30 seconds! You won’t hear your Beasts’ thoughts, and they won’t hear yours. So you’ll be relying on trust, training, and interpretive dance or whatever else you’ve got. Got it? Simple, right? Ever-shifting terrain, murder drones, and deafening silence for six whole hours. Group up or go solo—who knows what’s best? Hahaha, good luck! After these six hours, you will have the rest of your lives to look forward to..."

And with that... total silence.

Her voice cut out.

So did Anastasia’s, mid-sentence. "Six hours... I’ll finish backing up your files and try to—good lu—"

...!

And gone.

Just like that, a blackout dropped over the entire simulation floor.

Now it was just the dark forest. The trees towered overhead like sleeping titans, humming with artificial energy, and shadows danced across the ground like they had somewhere better to be.

The eleven other Beast Masters had already scattered into the trees, each determined to outlast or outwit the others. Trust wasn’t on the table. This was survival—and competition.

Only two remained near each other- Damian, and the blue-haired girl with the slime perched above her head like it had VIP seating.

The slime gave off a unique air of power and ferality at the same time!

"What’s your name?" Damian asked, his voice low. His silver-glowing eyes adjusted to the dimness like he’d been born in it. It was a quality from Kitsuul that he ass currently enjoying the most as the shadows of the artificial forest all felt supremely clear in his eyes.

She blinked up at him, visibly prepared herself, and squeaked out, "Lyra. Lyra Veyrin! And this is Little Bluey. Or Zephoo. He answers to both..."

It took every ounce of her bravery to get that out.

Lyra Veyrin looked like the kind of person who sat in the back corner of every room. Her soft blue hair fell like a waterfall over her shoulders, tucked behind one ear out of sheer nervous habit. An oversized gray cloak draped over her like she was trying to hide inside it. Her icy-blue eyes stayed mostly hidden beneath lowered lashes—but they didn’t miss a thing. Stackborne behavior. But her clothes screamed Glassblood.

She spoke in a voice as delicate as it could be.

And bouncing on her head? A Blue Slime. A winged blue slime made of shimmering translucent gel with streaks of silver light, tiny crystalline wings, and the boundless energy of a puppy on sugar.

As Damian observed her, she fidgeted again.

"What’s your name? And that cute little silver fox—"

She almost reached out to pet Kitsuul, who simply lifted her head high and ignored her and her Blue Slime entirely.

"Therion Dark," Damian said coolly. "And this is Kitsuul. You...don’t seem worried about the test."

He didn’t phrase it as a compliment. Just a quiet probe to see if he could obtain more information from this woman.

He began walking, his footsteps silent across the forest floor. Lyra followed, blinking wide-eyed and bouncing to keep up.

"All we’ve got are environment shifts and Predator Drones. Aunty Flameborn tested me on those before. Little Bluey can block all their attacks! So they’re nothing..."

She beamed like she’d just aced a pop quiz.

Then her gaze sparkled with curiosity.

"What about you? These drones are newer models. They can blend into night or day. Is your little fox strong enough to—?"

Was Kitsuul strong enough?

She didn’t get to finish.

Because Damian’s silver eyes sharpened.

In the shadows to their right—two red mechanical eyes blinked on.

Incoming.

"We’re about to find out," he said.

HUUM!

A loud mechanical hum broke the silence. A Predator Drone burst from the trees, smoke trailing behind it like toxic perfume. The barrel of its gun spun up and...

RATATATA!

...!

And the first trial truly began!