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

There was a massive frozen forest that loomed outside the walls of Frostspire Kingdom. The forest was as huge as the United States—this was the only way Nox could compare it after hearing how vast it was from Zara herself.

The frozen trees here were over a hundred metres tall, and their barks were as thick as two buildings joined together. The wide branches cast a natural shadow over the forest, shielding the powerful creatures that dwelled here from the sunlight.

Nox stood in a clearing. In his grasp was a map that contained the descriptions and landmarks of the forest. In the middle of the map, there was a wide red circle. Nox's gaze lingered on that spot for a while as he remembered Zara's words.

"No matter what, don't venture past that circle. The creatures there are much more powerful."

"But that's one of the reasons I'm heading there in the first place—to find powerful enemies to test out my skills," Nox raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I know, but it's for your own good, trust me. Father is the only one that's confident going there and coming back," Zara said, a serious expression on her face. She saw Nox's nonchalant expression, and a trace of annoyance couldn't help but flash past her eyes.

"See, let me tell you something. In the past, many curious people felt too confident and ventured there, and most of the time, they didn't return. Even the ones that somehow made it out were severely injured before succumbing and dying."

"So why hasn't the king done anything about it?" Nox furrowed his brows, and Zara's expression grew more annoyed. She felt like smacking him silly in the head but only exhaled and let out her frustration.

"If he could get rid of it, do you think he wouldn't have?"

"Is that so?" Nox murmured in a low voice, his eyes gleaming. So not even the powerful Legendary-tier king could get rid of the creature? Now I'm even more curious.

Of course, Nox didn't voice this out. A moment later, he said in a not-so-convincing tone, "Alright, I won't venture there. Happy?"

Zara narrowed her eyes, a trace of suspicion crossing her features. "Why do I have the feeling that you won't?"

In the present…

I'm definitely checking that place out, Nox thought as he continued dashing between the trees, looking for any monster to kill.

Seems I'll have to head deeper, he thought. The monsters in the outer perimeters are most likely all killed.

A day had passed since Nox claimed the skill. He had initially planned to test the skill after the Kingdom's competition, but the urge was just too strong. Fortunately for him, Drake had recommended this forest, filled with powerful monsters.

My mana pool is severely lacking. I need to level up, or most of my skills will just gather dust.

Nox was currently at Level 60, and his current mana reserve was [1,800]. For a normal Awakened with skills between the low and mid-tier, it would be more than sufficient for almost all fights.

However, Nox was an anomaly, because all his skills were at Ultimate Tier, and they mostly required absurd MP to activate. If he wanted to reach his full potential, he needed to increase his level as much as he could.

"Tch," Nox clicked his tongue, leaping atop a thick branch without so much as disturbing the snow layered on it. His golden eyes scanned the vast canopy ahead. Everything was too still. The monsters were hiding—or worse, gone.

Drake did say the Ancient Forest gets cleared by Adventurer Guilds every month… Maybe I'm just late.

Still, Nox didn't slow down. His body weaved between the towering trees like a shadow—light as air but faster than lightning. His boots barely touched the bark before he launched himself again.

Suddenly—crack!

Nox stopped mid-movement, landing softly behind a snow-covered boulder. His eyes narrowed.

A deep rumble echoed across the forest, like something enormous had just moved.

He activated [phantom Cloak], sinking into the darkness around him and becoming invisible to all but the most perceptive beings. From his hidden vantage, he peeked out from behind the boulder.

What he saw made his breath hitch for a moment.

A creature that looked like a cross between a Frost Wyvern and a mountain lion prowled through the snow ahead. Its body shimmered with icy scales, and four crystal-like horns curled backward from its head. Steam poured from its nostrils, freezing the air as it moved. Its footsteps left behind cracks in the ground—not footprints, cracks.

"Emperor Tier Lv. 8… I can make do with this." Nox's eyes gleamed with excitement as he deactivated [Phantom Cloak] and his body became corporeal once more. But he didn't outright use Celestial Starlight right away, as that skill consumed 1,000 MP and drained 200 MP per second.

So he decided to first of all stack experience points to level up by solely depending on physical skills.

Damn, who knew having so many Ultimate skills would come with such a drawback, Nox muttered as he approached the magical beast, his trusty dagger in hand.

The monster sighted him some moments later and began to approach. Nox didn't back off—he advanced forward, a confident gleam in his eyes. Stomping on the ground, he bolted forward.

BOOM!

The ice beneath his feet exploded. Arriving before the beast, his blade flashed—

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Some time later, the monster dropped dead.

[Ding! You've received experience points.]

Nox shook his dagger a couple of times, whipping the blood off its blade. One of the perks of being a Beast Master was that he could receive experience from any monster his tamed beasts killed.

It was the fastest way to increase his levels.

"All right, let's do this." Nox grinned as he proceeded to summon all his pets. "Until I reach Level 70, I won't leave this forest." He vowed, his voice filled with resolve, as he looked into the eyes of his beast army, whose gazes gleamed with eagerness to fight.

"Spread out!" Nox ordered, and one after the other, his pets spread out in every direction.

Meanwhile, deeper into the forest, someone else was busy fighting off a horde of monsters… and he wielded purple flames.