Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!

No one knew the reasons for the Duke's habit of staying behind the paper, but there were rumors that it was because he had sustained terrible injuries that resulted in his face being permanently disfigured to the point where not even the healers could fix it.

Right now, all the important Awakened were looking at the Duke, waiting for him to start the meeting.

"It seems someone has decided to mess with us," the Duke said, and a black card flew out from the other side and effortlessly pinned itself to the ground.

"By hiring an assassin from the Silent Whisper Guild."

"Silent Whisper Guild? Aren't those guys expensive?" Hushed whispers immediately filled the room. The Silent Whisper assassin guild resided in the Capital and was among the top three assassin guilds in the Vermilion Kingdom. They were notorious for always finishing the job when assigned to them.

If they didn't finish it, they'd definitely try again until it was finished, which was the case 99 percent of the time.

This made the others wonder if the assassin had purposely provoked the monsters to attack their Barony to distract everyone while they attacked.

"Damn true to their reputation, the Silent Whispers are truly not to be messed with," a high-level Awakened nodded, feeling his scalp go numb. He knew if the assassin had come for him, he would be gone.

"Since the Silent Whispers would never reveal their clients, our two major suspects are Nathan Cromwell and Mike Landon," the Duke stated. If one looked closely, they'd notice that the Duke was injured in his chest. The assassin had nearly got him; it was thanks to his skills that he was even able to survive.

'The assassin was a fierce one…too skilled for an assassin from the Silent Whisper Guild.' Touching his ribs, the shadow groaned slightly. 'He could have killed me and known my secret, the secret I have hidden well all these years…but even his fighting style seemed familiar. However, for some reason, I can't remember it.'

The shadow paused and clenched his fist. 'Where did I see it? Why is it so hard to remember this body's memories?'

The Cromwell Barony, outside the wall.

Under the anxious eyes of several parents, the flying carriages had returned with the 40-plus kids. The reason for their anxiety was because of the selective nature of the class patron gods. They were scared that their children would not be able to awaken their class.

As they watched the carriage slowly descend, their heartbeats only increased. Standing in front of the adults was Nathan. The baron had personally come out to receive the kids.

Just like the citizens, Nathan furrowed his brows. 'Even if it's just twenty, they'll be able to participate in the tournament…'

Nathan didn't pray much to his patron god, the god of magic and war, but today he silently offered one, praying that more than twenty children would awaken their class.

There were so many stakes in line. Awakening class not only guaranteed that a child would be able to protect themselves in the future against other Awakened and Magical Beasts, but if they failed to awaken, they'd forever live mundane lives and be overshadowed by the Awakened and their bigger-than-life deeds.

It was a harsh reality which many people had come to accept.

Then there was the tournament. They couldn't possibly allow non-Awakened to participate; not only would they lose, but the children could also be fatally injured.

Finally, the door of the carriage opened, revealing all the kids who had solemn expressions. Even Hans and Gordon, who had accompanied them, had similar expressions on their faces. This made all the adults panic.

Did they all fail the awakening? Why did all of them look sad? The people who had this thought were the classless mundane, as for the Awakened like Nathan and Celine, their lips were twitching because they could clearly see that…

[Nyx-Lv0]

[Serana-Lv0]

[Rab-Lv0]

[Matt-LV0]

"Hurray! All of them awakened!" Nathan roared, his entire bony body shaking with excitement! Not a bright move because moments later he started coughing seriously.

"Here, take water." Celine handed a bottle of water from her inventory with furrowed brows.

"Thank you, Celine." Nathan accepted the water, not able to conceal the wide smile on his face.

Even the mundane also jumped in jubilation, while some of them held the ears of the children, berating them for trying to trick them. While the Duchy was in turmoil, the Cromwell Barony was filled with excitement and jubilation!

"All 40 kids awakening is a really rare situation," Celine commented with a smile.

"They really deserve it. After all, they have sweat and bled in the past months to get here. Though there is still that childishness, they don't look that chubby and naive again, a very good development if you ask me," Nathan responded.

"I don't know what that Hendix was hoping to achieve by beating everyone, but he should be prepared for a rude awakening," Hans chimed in. Because he had personally trained the children, he knew their strengths and weaknesses. He knew what they were capable of. He knew they had the determination, resilience, and zeal to win this tournament.

… though he wouldn't say that aloud, considering the prodigies in the Duchy. Most of their kids attended the Vermilion Royal Academy in the capital with top-notch instructors, so they were not to be trifled with.

"This brings us to the next phase of the plan," Nathan said. "The tournament requires only five participants from each town." Nathan brushed his beard that was turning grey.

"This means we'll have to conduct a mock tournament, then the top five would be the ones to participate in the tournament. What do you think?"

"I don't think it's bad. We could narrow down our focus that way and train them accordingly." Celine nodded her head.

"It's decided then." All of them came to an agreement.

However, before they departed from the entrance of the town, Celine still had something she needed to do. Pulling out her Communication Crystal, she called someone.

"Mom, how are you?" A feminine voice came from the other side.

"I'm fine, my darling. I need you to come home. Remember what we discussed about the other time? The second phase has just begun…I need you to..."

There was a moment of silence; eventually, a reply came.

"Yes, Mom, I'll be there. I'm also curious to see this Nox you wouldn't stop telling me about."