Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 220

"May I examine it more closely?" he asked, looking at Julius.

The prince nodded, though with certain caution. "Go ahead. The containment is secure, but keep your distance from its mouth."

Ren knelt beside the worm, his mushrooms pulsing in a pattern that seemed to momentarily synchronize with the creature’s weak movements. With precise but respectful movements, he studied the segmented rings, the subtle color variations in its skin, and especially the small lateral glands that rearrange the absorbed and processed earth.

"It’s completely normal," he finally confirmed, standing up. "A common lesser worm, near the first fusion cycle."

"That confirms my observations," Julius nodded. "The question is: how did it get so close to the surface?"

"Or rather," added Zhao, "why?"

Ren remained silent for a moment, his mushrooms pulsing slowly while organizing his thoughts, their glow fluctuating slightly with each pulse.

"If there are no signs of external manipulation or abnormal behavior," he began cautiously, "and if the spies’ tunnel is collapsed..."

"Then it got there by its own means," Lin completed, her brow furrowing.

"Which suggests it was expelled from its territory," Ren continued, "But that would have pushed it a maximum of between 50 and 100 meters up before going down... so it’s almost certain that subsoil mana is changing its distribution. Mana is rising."

The four adults exchanged significant looks, a silent communication passing between them.

"Precisely what we feared," Wei murmured, running a hand over his face. "The worst option."

"If this worm rose so high, it’s because there’s enough mana to sustain it at a nearby depth. Which shouldn’t be possible, not in this area," added Zhao, his voice tight with concern.

"The seed’s opening might have had broader effects than we calculated," Julius reflected, his expression becoming more serious. "The main arteries could be redistributing the flow."

"What implications would that have?" asked Wei, clearly worried about the consequences, his fingers drumming nervously against his thigh.

"Short term, ecological imbalances," Julius responded. "Depth creatures appearing in surface areas, alterations in migratory patterns..."

"Long term," added Ren, his mushrooms pulsing intensely, "it could mean a complete restructuring of the depth hierarchy and perhaps even that of the rings. If mana continues ascending, zones that are currently Iron rank could eventually harbor Bronze rank creatures, or even Silver rank if the mana rises too much. The city might not be safe."

The silence that followed was heavy, laden with implications that none dared fully express. The soft hissing of the oil lamps seemed suddenly loud in the quiet tent.

"We need more data," Julius finally concluded. "Systematic observations, concentration measurements at different depths..."

"Impossible to obtain all that during a gathering expedition," Wei pointed out. "We’d need specialized equipment, time, resources..."

"For now," Zhao intervened, "we must focus on immediate safety. If more worms are approaching the surface, they could pose a danger to the students."

"I’ll return to the depths to start measuring," Julius assured. "You can be certain no worm will cross while I’m patrolling. And I’ll seal any tunnel I find too close to the camp."

His gaze briefly rested on Ren. "And it seems we have an unexpected additional sensor."

Ren’s mushrooms pulsed once, as if responding to the recognition, brightening momentarily.

"What will we do with it?" Lin pointed to the captive worm.

"I’ll release it far from camp," Julius responded. "Preferably in an area with enough mana so it doesn’t feel the need to approach the surface again."

"We should mark it somehow," suggested Ren. "To identify it if it reappears."

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