章 3: Chapter 3: The Fire of Extreme Cold

The closer he got to the center of the plaza, the more ferocious the beasts became.

Not only were they chained with bucket-thick iron links, but they were also caged. Just passing by them, Charles could feel the chilling and ominous aura emanating from them.

The inner defense was even more stringent than the outer perimeter of the plaza, guarded not only by fully armed Lsengard defense squad members but also by several people in dark uniforms.

From the badges on their uniforms, Charles deduced that they must be from the Beast Master Guild.

One of the members, an elderly man with white hair and beard, was discussing something with a younger colleague, occasionally stroking his beard: "This year's senior high students really have some talent, huh? In just these two hours, I've seen no less than 100 awaken to their Beast Mastery abilities!"

"Yes, indeed! Especially from Lsengard Senior High School, I heard a student managed to form a contract with a Level 2, Bronze Division quality ferocious beast!"

"Level 2, Bronze Division quality, and just a senior high student! Did I hear that right? Such talent,

"It has been about ten years since Lsengard has seen such a talent," said the vice president.

"Absolutely! A talent like this must be recruited into our Beast Master Guild. We can't afford to let the hostile forces snatch them away!"

"Of course... wait, you are..." The old man paused, his voice trailing off as he suddenly noticed Charles nearby.

He sized up Charles, then approached him politely:

"Young man, the creatures confined here are not ordinary ferocious beasts."

"You are a student from Lsengard Senior High School, right? The level of these ferocious beasts might be too challenging for you. Perhaps you should look for something more suitable in the outer area!"

Charles stopped, reluctantly glancing behind the old man.

He shouldn't have looked.

Silver quality! There was a Silver quality ferocious beast right there!

——[Bluevine]——

[Attribute]: Wood

[Level]: 2

[Quality]: Silver

[Skills]: Vines Entwine, Paralytic Toxin

[Emotion]: Hatred

[Health]: Good

[Evolution]: One path

[Description]: What looks like a common roadside weed actually possesses tremendous control abilities. Both its rapid reproduction and its innate toxin make it a formidable opponent in battle.

What appeared to be an ordinary weed, now locked in chains, presented a somewhat eerie sight.

However, from the old man's cautious demeanor, it must have cost them greatly to capture this Bluevine initially.

Most students had subdued pets of the Black Iron level, and it seemed that only one had managed to obtain a Bronze Division beast.

"It has been about ten years since Lsengard has seen such a talent." This was the first time Charles had seen a Silver quality ferocious beast!

Moreover, both of its skills were area of effect (AoE) attacks, which could be very effective in limiting a large group of enemies.

However, there were also clear drawbacks.

Its abilities were more supportive/restrictive; it wouldn't perform well in solo fights and would need to be paired with a pet who had stronger attack capabilities to be fully effective.

This clearly did not suit Charles's personality!

Especially since he was alone in this strange world, not truly trusting anyone but himself. How could he possibly rely on someone else for his safety?

Just the sight of a Silver ferocious beast had piqued Charles's curiosity.

He unconsciously took a few more steps inside.

"Hold on, young man, you can't go any further. If you really want to try, you'll need to sign this document first," the old man said, handing Charles a document.

Charles glanced over it quickly; it was a sort of 'Life-and-Death Pledge'—if Charles insisted on proceeding and anything happened, the Beast Master Guild would not be responsible.

Without much thought, Charles signed the document.

After all, he could see the attributes of the ferocious beasts. If none were suitable, he could always go back to the outer area.

Just as he left, he heard a cold snort from the old man behind him: "Arrogant youth, likely to pay a price for his ignorance!"

But Charles did not heed this.

The number of pets in the center of the Beast Mastery Square was not large, and from what Charles could see, most were high-level but of poor quality ferocious beasts.

This meant that these ferocious beasts had a low potential for growth.

Charles felt somewhat disappointed.

From what he could see, the highest quality ferocious beast in the entire plaza was the [Bluevine] he had just seen, unfortunately, it was more supportive. A pet more suited to his combat style would likely be the[Double Sword Praying Mantis].

Just as Charles was about to turn away, a seemingly inconspicuous small iron cage in the corner caught his eye, presenting him with a surprise.

——[The Frost Wolf]——

[Attribute]: Ice, Fire

[Level]: 5

[Quality]: Gold

[Skills]: Bone-achingly Cold, Ice Pick Throwing

[Emotion]: Hatred, Fear

[Condition]: Extremely Weak [Severe internal and external injuries, may not survive the night without treatment] [View treatment methods]

[Evolution]: 4 paths

[Description]: This is a Frost Wolf, a rare ferocious beast with dual attributes of ice and fire. These opposing attributes coexist peacefully within it, but if the balance is disrupted, it can unleash terrifying energy!

"This is a Gold quality ferocious beast!"

Despite the excitement in his heart, Charles remained outwardly calm. Having lived two lives, he understood the importance of not flaunting one's wealth.

He had entered just to take a look, with a try-and-see attitude, but unexpectedly stumbled upon a great deal!

Forming a contract with a ferocious beast is a very dangerous affair, especially with a beast of such quality and level, which was not something Charles could currently handle.

But it was in a state of extreme weakness, presenting a good opportunity to approach.

"I want to form a contract with it!"

Hearing this, two staff members stepped forward, opened the cage that held the Frost Wolf, and then unlocked the chains.

As the man unlocked it, he advised Charles:

"Just to let you know, we found this Frost Wolf in the valley already severely injured, and it's likely not long for this world."

"Moreover, this Frost Wolf is rather small and lean, and its combat capabilities are not strong."

"Beast Masters have a 100% success rate taming their first pet, which is a very rare opportunity. To waste such a precious chance on a nearly dead creature..."

"Are you sure you've thought this through?"

Charles nodded without hesitation.

He had interned at a pet hospital in his previous life, and the screen had already provided a treatment plan. He was confident he could heal this little frost wolf.

Despite Charles's insistence, the man sighed, a look of pity on his face, and then walked away.

After the man left, Charles pricked his left palm with a knife.

A drop of blood welled up and then slid down between his fingers.

As the blood landed on the frost wolf's forehead, a golden hexagram appeared beneath them.

[Ding! You have successfully formed a contract with the frost wolf [Female, Lv5, Gold quality].]

[You have acquired the skill of the frost wolf: bone-achingly cold.]

"It's strange, it's a frost wolf, but why does it use the power of fire?"

Curious, Charles stretched out his hand to try out his newly acquired skill. A pale flame burst forth from his palm!

The pale flame danced between Charles's fingers, emitting a strange glow.

Despite the flame burning in his hand, Charles felt no warmth. What was even more bizarre, though it was summer, the ground around him began to frost over!

"So this is 'bone-achingly cold,' my first skill..."

After deactivating the skill, Charles noticed that his screen, under the tabs for [Personal Info] and [Pet], now displayed a little red dot.

He shifted his gaze to [Personal Info], and the screen quickly popped up a panel.

[Charles]

[Level]: Lv1

[Pet]: the frost wolf

[Items]: None

[Skills]: bone-achingly cold

[Emotion]: Excited

[Health]: Good

After taming the frost wolf, Charles's personal information was updated.

He then clicked on the nearby [Pet] tab.

——[The Frost Wolf]——

[Name]: None

[Attribute]: Ice, Fire

[Quality]: Gold

[Weaknesses]: Abdomen, Neck

[Likes]: Honey soy glazed meat

[Emotion]: Hatred, Fear

[Condition]: Extremely Weak [Severe internal and external injuries, may not survive the night without treatment] [View treatment methods]

[Loyalty]: 60 (Below 60, the pet may flee during combat)

[Evolution]: 4 paths

[Description]: A newly tamed female frost wolf, still wary of humans, loyal only to its master. Severely injured, requiring immediate medical attention.

Seeing the text on the screen, Charles's lips curved into a smile.

In this completely unfamiliar world, Charles had finally become a Beast Master, with a reliable companion.

Now, if attacked by a ferocious beast, he also had a means to defend himself!

After reading the text on the screen, Charles sincerely praised the system's capabilities.

After taming the pet, more information about it was unlocked, even detailing its dietary preferences.

The system was also incredibly thoughtful, laying out four potential evolutionary paths for the frost wolf, allowing Charles to simply refer to the panel for guidance.

However, more pressing than this, Charles was concerned about the frost wolf's health.

"You're so badly hurt; you're lucky to have met me!"

"I just wonder if there's a pet hospital in this world?"

Gently picking up the frost wolf, Charles quickly headed towards the outskirts of the plaza...