I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 75: CP: I Would Like To Join You

[This is the final round for each of them. The HEART test. This is the big one.]

[Stone is being shown a scenario where he has to choose between personal glory and the tribe’s safety. This is his chance to redeem the earlier failures. Come on, angry nephew, surprise us—]

[OH NO. He chose glory. He CHOSE GLORY. That’s... that’s bad.]

Stone suddenly jerked back to awareness, his face flushed with anger and shame.

He looked at the stone, then at Granite, then at the ground.

"I failed," he bit out. "The trial showed me I would risk lives for reputation. I didn’t realize I was that selfish until the stone forced me to choose."

Granite’s expression was sad but unsurprised.

"Thank you for your honesty, nephew. Step back."

Stone did, his massive shoulders hunched with humiliation.

Three remained.

[Slate is facing a scenario about protecting someone weaker even at great personal cost. He’s... he’s sacrificing himself. Passing with high marks.]

[Boulder is dealing with LEGACY. What kind of leader does he want to be remembered as? He’s choosing ’one who served faithfully’ over ’one who was powerful.’ That’s... that’s really mature actually.]

[And Pebble—oh, Pebble’s trial is HARD. She’s being shown all the bears who doubt her. All the ones who think she’s too young, too female, too soft. And the trial is asking: "Will you lead them anyway? Even knowing they’ll fight you every step?"]

[She’s saying YES. She’s saying yes even knowing how hard it’ll be. That’s INCREDIBLE.]

All three candidates remained locked in their trials for what felt like an eternity.

Then—

The stone’s glow pulsed once, bright and final.

And all three candidates stumbled back to awareness simultaneously.

They looked at each other, then at the stone, waiting.

The Leadership Trial Stone began to hum—a deep, resonant sound that seemed to come from the mountain itself.

Then words appeared, carved in light across its surface:

CANDIDATES EVALUATED:

SLATE: STRONG IN PROTECTION. WEAK IN VISION. RANK: WARRIOR, NOT CHIEF.

BOULDER: STRONG IN SACRIFICE. STRONG IN WISDOM. RANK: TRUSTED SECOND, ADVISOR TO CHIEF.

PEBBLE: STRONG IN COURAGE. STRONG IN INNOVATION. STRONG IN HEART. RANK: SUCCESSOR. FUTURE CHIEF.

The clearing erupted.

Gasps, shouts, some cheers, some protests, all swirling together in a cacophony of shock—some bears celebrating, others arguing, a few looking genuinely upset that the young female had won over stronger males.

But Granite raised his hands, and silence fell.

"The stone has spoken," he said, and there was steel in his voice now. "Any who doubt its judgment doubt the ancestors themselves. Any who refuse to accept Pebble as successor refuse to accept our tribe’s future."

He looked around the gathering, meeting eyes, daring anyone to challenge.

No one did.

Even Stone—humiliated, angry—bowed his head in acceptance.

"I’ll serve the future chief," he muttered. "Even if I don’t understand why the ancestors chose her."

"You will," Granite said. "In time, you’ll see what the stone saw."

[System: Achievement Unlocked! "Successfully Secure A Heir For The Bear Tribe"

Reward: +200 SP

Current SP: 613 ]

He turned to face the entire tribe.

"Pebble will train for one full year," he announced.

"Learning leadership, strategy, diplomacy, everything required. At the end of that year, she will undergo a public trial—physical combat, to prove she has the strength to back up her wisdom. If she passes, she becomes my official heir."

Pebble nodded shakily. "I won’t let you down. I won’t let the tribe down."

"I know," Granite said gently. "The stone would not have chosen you if you would."

Granite’s expression shifted—something profound settling into his weathered features.

He turned to face the assembled tribe fully, standing tall on the platform beside the still-glowing Leadership Trial Stone.

"The stone has given us what we needed most," he continued, voice carrying across the silent clearing.

"A future. A leader who will guide this tribe with courage and innovation when I am gone."

He paused, and the weight of his next words seemed to press against the very air.

"Which brings me to my second announcement."

The tribe leaned forward collectively—sensing something monumental was coming.

"I have led this tribe for more than a hundred years,"

Granite said quietly. "Through harsh winters, through conflicts with neighboring territories, through the long, desperate search for a mate that would give us an heir. I have carried the weight of leadership with everything I had."

His hazel eyes swept across his people—warriors, elders, mothers with cubs, all watching him with rapt attention.

"But I am tired," he said simply. "Bone-tired. Soul-tired. The kind of tired that sleep doesn’t cure. And with Pebble chosen as my successor, with the tribe’s future secured..."

He took a breath. "I am stepping down."

The clearing erupted.

"Chief, no—!"

"You can’t just leave—!"

"What about the transition—?!"

Granite raised his hands, and the protests died to murmurs.

"I am not abandoning you," he said firmly. "I will remain for the full year of Pebble’s training. I will teach her everything I know. I will ensure the transition is smooth and the tribe is stable."

He looked directly at Pebble.

"By this time next year, you will be ready. The stone has seen it. I believe it. And the tribe will come to believe it too."

Pebble nodded, tears still streaming down her face, but her expression was determined now.

"I’ll work harder than anyone," she promised. "I’ll prove the stone was right."

"I know you will," Granite said gently.

Then he turned—and his eyes found Alex in the crowd.

And Alex felt his stomach drop because he knew, he knew what was coming next.

[OH NO. OH NO NO NO. HOST, HE’S GOING TO—]

"Honored guest," Granite said, and there was something almost vulnerable in his voice now.

"Alex. You are gathering the Seven Divine Artifacts. A quest that will take you across territories, through dangers, into places few have ever traveled."

He stepped down from the platform, moving toward Alex with deliberate purpose.

"You have proven yourself wise, capable, honest. You travel with two apex predator mates who clearly adore you. You’re building a family even as you pursue an impossible goal."

He stopped three paces away—close enough to speak intimately but far enough to be respectful.

I Would Like To Join You.