King of Beasts

Chapter 3: The Contract

On the street, Lu Ran held the black card in his hand, his heart pounding rapidly.

Looking at the black card, he first felt numbness, then a rising heat.

How is this possible…

No, it might be possible after all.

Lu Ran recalled the supernatural phenomena he had experienced.

This world was indeed not as simple as it seemed.

Beastmaster?

The occupation sounded similar to that of a bug fighter.

He was intrigued.

Due to his parents’ professions, he was extremely interested in anything that involved interactions with animals—from bug fighting to ancient biology research…

“Does my awakened superpower have anything to do with this black card?”

“Judging by the situation of the poster, I am not the only one who received a black card.”

“That means I’m not some chosen one.”

Then, Lu Ran’s expression stiffened as he remembered that strange dream. If the supernatural really existed, could it be a premonition?

If the events from the dream were to happen, Blue Star would be doomed.

Even if the sky fell, there would be tall ones to hold it up, but even the capable couldn’t possibly protect everyone.

Thinking of the tragic death he had seen in his dream, Lu Ran fell silent. He was actually quite fond of this world.

“Let’s see what happens if I try to engage with it.”

Lu Ran couldn’t be sure; he could only continue to study the black card.

Prompt 8: If the novice contract card is not used within 24 hours, it will automatically disappear, and the holder will lose the qualification to become a beastmaster.

From the initial prompt that appeared, Lu Ran quickly understood that the so-called contract card could be abandoned by simply not undertaking the novice mission.

“Abandon it? That’s out of the question.” After a moment of silence, Lu Ran put away the black card and glanced at the forum again.

Now, having memorized all the prompts, he wanted to add the poster as a friend to ask for more details.

These prompts were crucial, but not enough! He needed more information!

Lu Ran reopened the link with great anticipation.

However, the next moment, he was stunned.

“Where’s the post???” He jabbed at the screen repeatedly.

Lu Ran had only refreshed the page, and the post had vanished.

The poster… Who was it again? What was the name?

“The admin must have deleted the post. Which jerk deleted such an important post? Could it have been Fang Lan who reported it just now?”

Standing on the street, Lu Ran could only feel the chill in the air.

“I can’t waste time on this.” Quickly, Lu Ran shifted his focus.

With only 24 hours available, he had to start on the mission as soon as possible. However, he still needed to keep an eye on the forum, to not miss any crucial updates. He had to manage both tasks concurrently.

The information he had so far was that after forming a contract with a pet beast, he would be teleported to a dangerous place.

Fortunately, there was still a chance to return after going to this perilous location.

Having played some video games, Lu Ran quickly associated the mechanics of novice missions and novice trials.

“If I’m going to be sent to a dangerous place… then the animal I contract with must have decent combat abilities!”

“Only by doing this can I avoid ending up like the poster from earlier…”

Regrettably, even though Lu Ran wanted to contract a fierce beast, finding one with combat capabilities within a day in a small city like this was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Even with telepathy, he didn’t necessarily mesh well with every animal.

Being chased after chatting with stray dogs wasn’t a one-off incident for him.

After a thorough analysis, Lu Ran made his decision.

“To be safe… I’ll choose it…”

With a plan in mind, Lu Ran decided to head home first; his target was there.

His home wasn’t far from here, located in a nearby upscale community, just a ten-minute bike ride away.

After much thought, Lu Ran decided to contract with an animal he was familiar with.

At least it would follow his commands 100%, eliminating the risk of the pet beast being disobedient in a dangerous location.

Lu Ran quickened his pace.

Before long, he arrived at his front door.

With practiced ease, he unlocked it with his fingerprint, and the door swung open.

Whoosh!

It seemed the movement at the door had been detected from inside, as a figure immediately darted out towards the entering Lu Ran.

“Woo…”

The creature, resembling a wolf, pounced on Lu Ran and immediately stuck out its tongue, panting as if expecting something.

This creature was elegantly built, with thick fur, erect ears, a tail like a brush, and two blue eyes. On its forehead were three white marks, resembling three burning flames.

It was unmistakably a Snowfield Dog breed, a Husky, commonly known as an Erha. This was Lu Ran’s pet dog.

Having been raised by Lu Ran since it was a pup, the Erha had developed a strong bond with him. After training by Lu Ran, it could execute commands with more precision than a police dog.

“Go, stand in the corner for a while,” Lu Ran commanded.

“Woof???” The Erha looked utterly confused.

Though it didn’t understand why, faced with Lu Ran’s order, the Erha turned its head resentfully, but it took note of this slight!

Meanwhile, Lu Ran, watching the Erha’s imposing stance in the corner, sat down opposite it, observing it seriously.

This Erha…

Lu Ran had found it after he acquired his superpower, back when it was still a young pup.

Whether it had been abandoned or had run away on its own, Lu Ran couldn’t say for sure.

He decided to take it in because, at that time, his superpower had already become quite proficient. However, he was still unable to communicate normally with this particular fellow.

In theory, with his ability, simple communication with higher intelligence animals like cats and dogs shouldn’t have been difficult…

But this one, it seemed as if it was missing a screw in its head.

To train his superpower and out of worry that such a young dog wouldn’t survive on its own—likely to end up as meat in a dog meat shop—Lu Ran brought it home.

Adopting this Erha marked the beginning of what could only be described as a hellish life for Lu Ran. This creature’s temperament was just too unstable.

Even with telepathy, it took a long time for Lu Ran to tame it.

Initially extremely aggressive and belligerent, it only became docile after being tamed by Lu Ran.

In short, it was peculiar. It perfectly inherited the Erha’s intellectual shortcomings and retained the fierce wolf nature of its lineage.

Lu Ran felt that its personality had a striking resemblance to Yazi, the second son of the Loong from legend…

Ancient historical texts recorded that Yazi was fond of killing and fighting, with a fierce and unyielding character. The smallest grudge had to be avenged. It was always depicted with a treasured sword in its mouth, glaring with rage, carved on knife rings and sword hilts to enhance its power.

Much like the mythical Yazi, it had a penchant for combat and holding grudges, but unlike Yazi, its grudges were short-lived, forgotten after a good sleep, showcasing a rather positive attitude.

Of course, it had its merits. It never forgot a kindness, repaying any debt of gratitude. Once it understood that Lu Ran was its savior, it was obedient and loyal to him, at least not an ingrate.

“General Ha.”

Lu Ran sat on the couch, gazing at General Ha, who was standing in punishment, feeling somewhat at a loss for words.

General Ha was a nickname Lu Ran had given his pet because of its domineering nature as a pup, reminiscent of a bossy canine executive.

And in turn, General Ha referred to Lu Ran as “Boss Lu.”

“Things are complicated.”

According to the prompt on the black card, a beastmaster and their pet beast establish a contract, both undergo varying degrees of evolution.

The beastmaster would become superhuman, and the contracted beast, no matter how weak it was before, would gain the power of the fierce beast!

Clearly, this black card endowed its holder with a path to supernatural evolution!

Lu Ran was uncertain whether leading General Ha down this path would result in good or bad outcomes…

“Woof!!!” General Ha tilted its head, its blue eyes wide with confusion at Boss Lu’s indecisive actions.

“Forget it, no point discussing it with you; you wouldn’t understand with your smarts anyway,” Lu Ran chuckled, then his expression turned serious. Best to form the contract first and then see.

Though just a dog, Lu Ran trusted General Ha’s combat abilities, as this was a creature trained by a superpower user like himself.

Moreover, this was the animal he felt the closest to… Choosing another pet beast to entrust with life and death decisions, he wouldn’t be as reassured.

Most importantly, General Ha was a battle enthusiast; there was no need to worry whether it would adapt to fighting enemies. It was, therefore, the optimal choice at present.

Lu Ran took out the black card and flicked it like tossing a card. In the next moment, the black card, surrounded by a halo of light, flew swiftly towards General Ha. As the black card neared, a bright white halo erupted, leaving General Ha stunned, scared enough to turn tail and run. But the dazzling light quickly enveloped it!