Legendary Beast Master: Starting with Contracting SSS Rank Dragon-Chapter 74: The Reckless Idea

The wind howled low and sharp, like the whisper of a blade drawn slowly from its sheath. The leaves rustled frantically above, trembling as if warning of something wicked tearing through the skies.

The Great Storm Tree, towering like a deity carved by nature itself, stood proud and unwavering at the heart of it all, its massive canopy rippling like a sea of green fire beneath the growing tension of the storm.

Kael stood before it, eyes narrowed, head tilted upward, feeling the charged air hum against his skin. His dark clothes fluttered, tugged by the wild wind.

The moon above was already veiled behind drifting clouds that thickened by the minute, and the stars, one by one, blinked out, like frightened children hiding from a monster.

His companions stood nearby, eyes cast toward the sky, their bodies tense. Even Jon and Seth, beings of monstrous size, had their ears folded and tails still.

Everyone in the Valoran Wilds knew about the tales of Great Storm Tree and every children was scared by them.

Kiona’s brows creased with unease, her hands clutched tightly in front of her chest as her eyes darted from Kael to the tree and back again.

Rias stood silently, her long jacket fluttering behind her. Her gaze was unreadable but sharp, tracking every activity in the surroundings.

Kael exhaled softly. The pressure in the air wasn’t just environmental, it felt like the heavens themselves had locked their gaze upon them.

"It’s almost here..." he murmured. "I just hope it’s not some Demi-God descending here."

The others looked toward him.

"What should we do?" Kiona asked, her voice tight, louder than usual to rise above the restless wind. "This feels different from the last one."

Kael’s lips curled into a smile, faint, but there. "That’s because this one is different. It’s coming for real this time. The last storm was just a flicker."

"Flicker?" Jon muttered behind him. "Then what the hell is this one?"

Kael didn’t answer because he didn’t know it. All he could feel were his senses tingling, sensing the impending doom from his Astral Projection.

Making up his mind, he walked toward the Great Storm Tree, each step slow but firm, his boots crunching against the mossy forest floor.

He stopped before the trunk. It loomed over him like the wall of a fortress, its bark thick and knotted with streaks of grey and pale blue running like veins through it—pulsing faintly with light.

This was the first time he was seeing the changes in it. It looked like an ordinary tree before, of course it was if he excluded it’s size.

Kael reached behind him and drew out one of the hunting blades they’d used earlier to debone the boars. They were the Flamingo Daggers they had gotten from the Nether world.

The tree was way too dangerous so he didn’t want to make a direct contact with it.

He steadied his breath, planting his feet firmly as he raised the blade.

"I’ll just shave off a piece, buddy" he muttered to himself. "That’s all. Nothing more. Just enough to conduct—"

The moment the blade touched bark, a crackling boom split the air.

Lightning.

It wasn’t even a full second before Kael’s body was blasted backward like a leaf in a hurricane.

The sky hadn’t even opened yet, but the tree had responded.

The bark around where the blade struck glowed violently, and arcs of blue lightning burst forth, dancing down the trunk in jagged patterns.

Kael crashed into the earth a dozen meters away, his back skidding against the dirt as the blade flew from his hand and landed with a clatter.

"Master!" Kiona screamed and rushed forward.

Seth and Jon immediately bounded to his side, and even Rias’s brows twitched, her body flashing forward like a phantom. Even she had failed to react in time, which showed the might of the tree.

Kael groaned, smoke rising from his jacket, his body twitching slightly as residual sparks clung to him. His fingers dug into the dirt as he slowly pushed himself upright, coughing once.

"...Damnation! That hurts!," he cursed, hair standing in all directions.

"Don’t move!" Kiona dropped to her knees beside him and tried to hold his shoulder.

But Kael brushed her hand away gently.

"I’m fine." He coughed again and shook his head. "My Storm Affinity, remember? If it weren’t for that, I’d be charcoal by now. Hmm, you could perhaps use it to cook more meat "

"Quit joking! You got hurt," Kiona insisted, glaring at him.

Kael flashed a tired smile. "This is nothing new."

He was really happy that she was showing so many of her emotions to him. It was a good step forward to their relationship. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Rias, standing just behind her, glanced at the tree again. "It reacted like a living defense mechanism. There is power sealed within the trunk itself. It’s not just a conductor, it’s perhaps guardian."

"I know," Kael nodded, exhaling. "That’s why we’re not touching the trunk again."

He would be a mad dog if he touched that trunk again.

He turned to the others, raising his voice as another low rumble rolled through the skies, closer now, angrier.

"Everyone, grab onto the roots. Stay grounded. That’s our safety net."

"Master—" Jon began.

"That’s an order," Kael interrupted, and his tone brooked no argument.

Kiona hesitated but then obeyed, moving to the visible roots snaking out from the base of the tree and wrapping her arms around one.

The others followed suit, and Kael, now steady on his feet, returned to the tree but this time, to its roots.

Unlike the trunk, the roots did not pulse with aggressive energy. They were thick, tangled, and even warm to the touch.

They did not resist him.

Using the same blade, Kael began carving a piece out of one of the exposed roots. The blade sliced through with effort but without resistance like before.

The energy here felt... filtered.

It made sense though as the roots acted as converters. The lightning that the tree absorbed was grounded and converted through these roots, making them the safest place to be during the storm. Or so Kael hoped.

He pulled out a thick segment, one about the length of his forearm and as wide as his palm.

Then, without wasting time, he sprinted several meters away from the base of the tree.

The wind was now howling like a banshee, tearing through the canopy with sharp, whistling screams. The sky had turned an eerie violet, laced with streaks of silver. Flashes blinked between the clouds as if the sky was showing it’s rage.

Kael slammed the root piece into the ground with all his might. He then held the chunk of bark he’d managed to pry from a smaller branch earlier and joined the two components together, wood and root together.

His fingers dug into the grain, fusing them temporarily with the help of his Storm Affinity.

Mana sparked between his hands as he forced the connection, acting as the conduit himself.

"Come on..." he muttered, sweat dripping from his chin. "Just work once."

And then the world screamed.

The clouds burst open.

The Storm was here.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel