Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Your familiar really likes you,” said Xu Qingzhi, smiling. The scene before her was one she was all too familiar with.
Gao Peng tried to push Da Zi aside. “This little fellow got a little too excited after completing its evolution. All right now, get off of me,” he said, patting Da Zi’s wings.
Xu Qingzhi covered her smile with one hand.
She had a feeling that there was more to Da Zi’s current form than met the eye.
“I’ve tidied up the Freezing Chamber. Is there anything else you want me to do?” she asked.
“Get me some black arrow peach, the venom glands of a poisonous fruit frog…” Gao Peng began naming various types of ingredients to her.
Xu Qingzhi nodded and turned around to retrieve Gao Peng’s ingredients from the Freezing Chamber.
Gao Peng used the ingredients to concoct a bottle filled with a black mixture. When everything was finished, he placed the final product inside a box and stepped out of the laboratory.
“We’re done for today. You can go back to your post… Also, should I pay you for your services today? asked Gao Peng awkwardly.
Xu Qingzhi raised a brow. “The Group will be doing that. Of course, you can still give me a tip if you would like.”
Gao Peng coughed and began striding away with his hands clasped behind him. “Da Zi, we’re leaving.”
During his experiments, Gao Peng had remembered the Dark Dodder that he had captured a while ago in the underground sewer. He had kept it inside a container for half a month, so it must have calmed down by now.
The container was kept in the villa’s basement. Gao Peng climbed down a ladder into the basement, which was cluttered with all kinds of things. The container was sitting in a corner of the basement.
Whatever was inside it didn’t weigh much. Gao Peng figured he could carry it out of the basement by himself.
He lifted the whole thing out of the villa and opened it beside the lake.
Here, Gao Peng felt that he could take on the Dark Dodder if it tried to do anything funny. Inside the container, lay a vine as long as a rope.
“Are you dead?” Gao Peng shouted at the Dark Dodder.
It didn’t budge.
Gao Peng was stunned. However, he didn’t try to touch it. Despite being a plant-type monster, it was still a monster, and he knew better than to provoke wild monsters like that.
“Da Zi,” shouted Gao Peng.
A streak of lightning flashed out from the pine trees nearby. Da Zi appeared beside Gao Peng, its wings filling the air with a whirring sound.
Da Zi curiously approached the container and eyed the Dark Dodder inside.
“Chirp?”
“You can eat it if you want,” said Gao Peng.
Da ZI shook its head. The dead vine-like thing inside looked unpleasant.
“I’ll take you out for a walk if you eat it.” Da Zi’s eyes lit up.
It bit into the Dark Dodder without any hesitation.
Without warning, the motionless plant lashed out at it. Da Zi quickly took a few steps back and glared furiously at the writhing plant.
Most monsters tended to extremely aggressive when they were startled.
The Dark Dodder slithered out of the container like a snake. Its leaves had bundled together on its body like sharp blades.
Da Zi swooped down at it. The plant’s blade-like leaves grazed against Da Zi’s body, giving off a grating sound.
Then Da Zi sank its teeth into the Dark Dodder. Only then did Gao Peng order the centipede to stop its attack.
Wild monsters like the Dark Dodder were usually difficult to tame. Without using such a heavy-handed approach, Gao Peng probably would not have been able to subdue it. Plant-type monsters were also known for their extraordinary self-regenerative abilities. Most of them could grow back a broken limb in less than two days.
The Dark Dodder was now trembling like a leaf. It hurriedly slithered away as it saw Da Zi moving towards it.
Gao Peng frowned. At first, he had thought about taming the Dark Dodder to become part of his team. In his opinion, a good team was one that covered all aspects, such as drawing enemy fire, aerial support, and long-range firepower.
Right then, Gao Peng didn’t think the Dark Dodder was even worthy of a place in his team. It was just too weak compared to his other familiars, in terms of level or grade.
Still, Gao Peng believed that he could draw out the Dark Dodder’s potential. He just needed to tame it.
“I guess we’ll just keep it as test subject for now. Once it’s tamed, I’ll let Grandpa give it to someone else,” he said before ordering Da Zi to chase the Dark Dodder back into the container. He locked the container back in the laboratory inside a chamber.
That night, Dumby came home from the slaughterhouse. Gao Peng noticed that its bones were now gleaming, as if someone had polished them.
He was also surprised to see that Dumby had reached Level 33.
So this is how much a familiar can level up with the right method, he thought.
However, not everyone could level up their familiars the way Gao Peng did. After all, most people didn’t have access to a slaughterhouse like he did.
“At this rate, Dumby will be able to hit Lord-tier before the World Youth Trainer Championships…” Gao Peng began feeling excitement bubbling inside him.
The day of the Championships was drawing close.
It was a few minutes past six in the evening. Gao Peng suddenly realized that he hadn’t slept in his university’s dormitory in quite some time. Most of his nights had been spent in his grandfather’s villa.
Grandfather had not returned home yet. He had been called away on urgent business to Yuzhou that afternoon, and he had even brought the White Dragon along with him.
Gao Peng decided then that he would sleep in his dormitory that night.
It would be a waste of money to not sleep in his dormitory at least once considering that he had already paid for it.
Gao Peng went to the garage. The garage door slowly opened, and a light flickered to life on the ceiling, revealing rows of expensive-looking cars left untouched in the garage.
He decided to drive a black all-terrain car out of the garage. Just as he drove past the villa’s gates, a figure appeared in front of it.
Goldie stood solemnly before Gao Peng’s car, clad in a yellow feather coat.
He poked his head out of the window and said, “Goldie, what are you doing here?”
Goldie’s quack echoed in Gao Peng’s head. “Master, stop!”
