King of Beasts

Chapter 4: Pet Beast Profile

When someone holds a contract card, they can establish a special connection with it. To put it simply, the cardholder gains the ability to infuse their mental intentions into the black card.

This is the key to capturing a pet beast!

To contract a pet beast, there are three steps involved.

First, hold the contract card in hand.

Second, identify the target creature, reinforce the impression of it, and pour the intense desire to contract it into the card.

Third, bring the contract card close to the target creature.

As the contract card, carrying the beastmaster’s mental power, approaches the target creature, it begins the capture process.

Successful capture signifies the completion of the contract.

“Ugh—”

At this moment, Lu Ran successfully completed these three steps with ease. Under the envelopment of a white halo, General Ha seemed to sense the unique aura belonging to Lu Ran within the white light and offered no resistance.

Amidst its confused cries, enveloped by the white glow, it vanished on the spot, as if transformed into a beam of light, absorbed by the black card.

It was then that Lu Ran’s brain thundered suddenly, feeling a warm and comfortable sensation all over, completely recovering from the mental fatigue caused by the earlier infusion of mental power!

What was particularly remarkable was that he felt a closer connection than ever to both the contract card and General Ha!

“Magical.” Lu Ran’s pupils traced a line of light, and with a mere thought, the fallen contract card vanished instantly, reappearing in his hand as if it had teleported.

He had not possessed such an ability just moments before.

It was only upon completion of the contract that he and the contract card became fully bound!

In addition, at this time, the appearance of the contract black card had changed somewhat.

On one side, in the upper half, there appeared an image of Erha, replacing the original solid black.

This was clearly General Ha…

Beneath the image, there was a stack of white text, introducing the details.

Species: Snowfield Dog

Attribute: Unawakened

Species Level: Middle Supernatural

Growth Level: Level 1

Skills: None

“It’s like a game card,” Lu Ran observed the image and information emerging on the black card, his curiosity about its origin and purpose deepening.

What kind of person created such a thing, and what was their aim?

However, what concerned Lu Ran more than these developments was the disappearance of the series of prompts he had seen when he first received the black card, replaced now by a mysterious countdown timer that appeared before his eyes.

“Novice Trial Secret Realm teleport countdown 59:59,” Lu Ran remained silent, unsurprised by the arrival of the 59:59 countdown.

Was the poster referring to this very stage?

Novice mission completed, indeed it’s the novice trial, pretty much what was expected.

“General Ha, come out.”

“Err-woo—” With the black card in hand, Lu Ran had a thought, and General Ha was summoned forth once more.

On the floor, a large circular summoning circle appeared first, followed by an eruption and dissipation of light from the circle, revealing General Ha, now an entire size larger than before, atop it.

Through this entire process, General Ha was continuously stunned, immediately starting to run in circles, sizing up its enlarged self, somewhat unable to comprehend the changes it had undergone.

It could clearly feel that it had grown stronger; its strength, vision, and sense of smell had all improved. Most importantly, its appetite had likely increased.

It was famished at this moment, and after turning a couple of circles, its stomach started growling… then it looked towards Lu Ran with a pitiful gaze.

“Let’s eat first, we still have plenty of time,” said Lu Ran.

About to enter a dangerous place, indeed it was essential to let General Ha have its fill first.

Lu Ran immediately went to prepare food, getting General Ha’s dog food ready.

Pig trotters, minced meat, vegetable scraps, meat and vegetable soup…

Today’s menu was rather simple, mainly due to the lack of time to make anything too complex.

“Awoo!” General Ha let out an excited howl before eating, then plunged its head into the food bowl.

As General Ha was gobbling down its food, Lu Ran observed it. General Ha, previously a medium-sized dog, now had a stature that rivaled large breeds.

No wonder the pet beasts he had seen before had such large bodies; after being strengthened, pet beasts clearly became more robust in size!

Good!

“I’ve also grown stronger.”

“It’s just that I don’t seem to have gotten taller.”

During General Ha’s mealtime, Lu Ran weighed himself and measured his height. Then, he went to his room to fetch a one-handed sword and swung it a few times, feeling it was much more manageable than before.

Lu Ran came from a rather privileged background.

His parents were well-known zoologists.

This favorable environment not only sparked Lu Ran’s interest in various animals but also allowed him to pursue other hobbies.

For instance, like many teenagers, Lu Ran was interested in swords and firearms, and his parents fully supported his diverse interests. As a child, he was sent to a renowned swordsmanship dojo and even accompanied his father to Hawaii during vacations to learn shooting.

These previously useless hobbies now seemed somewhat useful. About to be teleported to the Trial Secret Realm, it might be wise to carry a weapon for self-defense.

In the past, even though General Ha was fierce, Lu Ran armed with a weapon was confident he could easily subdue it.

But now, he had a vague sense that after the contract enhancement, General Ha’s combat abilities had surpassed the concept of an “ordinary dog.” Its strength was comparable to that of fierce beasts like lions and tigers, marking it as a supernatural canine species.

In comparison, although he also received some enhancement, the extent was not as significant as that of his pet beast. His new abilities were mainly a stronger control over General Ha.

Under such circumstances, having a suitable weapon for self-defense seemed very important since he couldn’t rely entirely on his pet beast. However, it was uncertain whether weapons could be teleported along with him.

“And this… should be brought along as well.” Lu Ran set down his custom-made iron-slashing sword and opened a drawer, from which he took out a piece of jewelry.

It was a pendant, shaped like a broken antler, white in color, and strung on a cord, appearing rather ancient.

It was said to be an heirloom amulet from his mother’s family, passed down through generations. As something left by his mother, Lu Ran now regarded it as a form of spiritual support.

Thinking of his parents made Lu Ran somewhat melancholic. They had died overseas while investigating an undiscovered rare animal. Their bodies were never found, leaving only a recording of their anguished screams as they were attacked and torn apart…

Lu Ran has never accepted that his parents are gone for good, always wanting to venture into that rainforest himself to search for them. When Fang Lan heard that Lu Ran was interested in hunting, he thought Lu Ran was considering heading out into the wilderness again. But as Lu Ran pointed out, if he were to go into such dangerous territory, why would he rely solely on General Ha as a hunting dog? It would be like serving up his own head on a platter. Wouldn’t it be better to hire a professional team with money?

But now…

With the antler pendant secured and the iron-slashing sword in hand, Lu Ran returned to the living room. By this time, General Ha had finished devouring a bowl of food and was lazily lying on the floor…

On seeing Lu Ran emerge, it glanced over and then got up, panting and smiling.

“Woof!!”

Lu Ran was at a loss for words.

Because the dog was implying it enjoyed the sensation earlier and was keen on another round!

It seemed… it wanted to become even stronger.

“You’re really greedy, you know. That’s it for now, but there will be plenty of fights coming up for you.”

“If you can defeat your opponents and return safely, maybe you can become even stronger.”

“Whoo?” General Ha looked puzzled for a moment, then adopted a sharp expression, walked a few steps, and put on the sunglasses that were under the coffee table on its face, starting to exude an air of dominance.