Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“No one’s calling your bluff, friend,” said Gao Peng as he approached the man from behind and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
“What the hell are you talking about? Don’t think for a second that I’m afraid of eating my own familiar’s sh*t!” said the man angrily.
Gao Peng simply chuckled. He was impressed by the man’s stubbornness.
“There will be no sh*t-eating today. Besides, it’s quite inauspicious to do such a thing on our first day of business,” said Gao Peng reassuringly. “If you’re interested, do stop by our store for a bit. All our familiars are big and strong. I’m sure we have something to your liking.”
Hearing that he didn’t have to go through the odious ordeal of eating his familiar’s feces, the man sighed in relief. He had only said the things he said out of pride.
On the subject of owning a familiar, as a familiar was a companion for life. One always had to carefully consider one’s options before coming to a decision.
“I understand that some of you may have your doubts about the quality of our familiars, especially in terms of combat power, but rest assured, you will not be disappointed by our selection,” said Huang Ya, who dragged two monsters out of a cage.
One of them was an Icefall Bear, which was a common sight in the Arctic region. An adult Icefall Bear could reach between 16 to 22 feet tall. A calm and collected creature, it wasn’t given to violent outbursts. It was also an above-average familiar in terms of offense and defense. One might even say that the Icefall Bear was the most representative creature of the Arctic region.
At least 30 out of 100 people outside the store had an Icefall Bear as a familiar. It was a familiar that could be found almost anywhere in the Arctic region. Its popularity in the Arctic region also meant that its strength was widely acknowledged among the locals.
The Icefall Bear that was dragged out of the cage was equipped with various Arctic accessories. In order to bolster its defense, the Icefall Bear was fitted with an alloy helmet, claws, and a chest plate. All of this screamed virility, a trait usually sought out by the men of the Arctic region.
However, what made the Arctic locals frown was the fact that this powerfully-built 22-feet-tall Icefall Bear seemed like a timid schoolgirl that was too afraid to stray too far away from its cage.
Beside it was a grayish humanoid creature. It vaguely resembled the werewolves of western legends. Its hind legs seemed bent, giving one the impression that it was an incredible jumper. Its claws were sharp and fine, while there were six horns growing out of its head. Its eyes were yellow and cold like the night.
[Monster Name]: Six-Horned Dreadwolf
[Monster Level]: Level 30 (Commander-tier)
[Monster Grade]: Excellent
[Monster Attribute]: Blood
[Monster Ability]: Bloodlust Level 1, Sharp Claws Level 1
[Description]: It may look like a fearsome creature on the outside, but in reality, it has a heart of gold. Six-Horned Dreadwolves are said to help those lost in a blizzard find their way back home, and what better place to keep these lost souls from freezing to death in the cold than in their warm bellies? On another note, these creatures have a habit of guiding lost travelers to places they aren’t supposed to be taking people.
Huang Ya had brought with him a selection of Commander-tier creatures capable of withstanding the Arctic region’s harsh climate.
Only the sale of Commander-tier monsters would guarantee a steady flow of income for their store. They had come all the way from Yuzhou. Selling Normal and Excellent-tier monsters would most definitely not be able to cover their travel expenses.
“This is our store’s main attraction. It’s a Six-Horned Dreadwolf, a versatile familiar specialized in skirmishes and tracking. But why take my word for it? A simple introduction from me wouldn’t do this magnificent specimen justice, which is why I’m going to let it speak for itself,” said Huang Ya. A couple of Arctic onlookers nodded, ready to be dazzled by the Six-Horned Dreadwolf.
“Gao, is this the monster you’re going to sell here? It looks strong, but is it a match for the Icefall Bear?” asked Bunshaft skeptically. Not only had he brought along a couple of friends to liven up the place, as promised, he had also called a few major TV stations and reporters over to report the whole event.
“See for yourself,” said Gao Peng confidently. He was more than aware of the combat power of all the familiars that he had raised himself. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was trying to break into the Arctic familiar market, he wouldn’t even be out here advertising the Six-Horned Dreadwolf to the Arctic public.
As a monster raised personally by Gao Peng, the Six-Horned Dreadwolf ranked 17th among all the Commander-tier monsters in the Southern Sky Group’s supply chain.
The Southern Sky Group’s familiar supply chain ranking was carried out in accordance with a monster’s score, which was given by Gao Peng based on the versatility of its abilities. These monsters were ranked not only in terms of combat power, but by their overall value as well.
For instance, a monster might not be specialized in one-on-one combat, but its proficiency in other areas such as stealth and reconnaissance would still be able to add a few more points to its score.
A ranking system based on a monster’s strengths and abilities would be pointless, as it could bring about the awkward situation of a monster ranked number one being beaten by another monster ranked at number ten due to the former’s elemental attribute being weaker against the latter’s.
Not only was the Six-Horned Dreadwolf proficient in one-on-one combat, but it was also capable of healing itself by drinking the blood of others. It also had an extraordinary sense of smell. It was especially sensitive to fresh blood, making it the perfect hunting companion for tracking down prey in the wild. A trainer wouldn’t have to worry about losing their quarry in the vast wilderness of the Arctic region with the Six-Horned Dreadwolf by their side
Roar!!! The Six-Horned Dreadwolf was now exchanging blows with the Icefall Bear. It deftly avoided a swipe from the bear. Thanks to its slender shape, it was able to form a couple of slashes on the Icefall Bear’s body with its terrible claws.
Its claws tore through the bear’s helmet. Its armor proved useless in the face of the Six-Horned Dreadwolf’s relentless onslaught. Frenzied by the smell of fresh blood hanging in the air, the Six-Horned Dreadwolf was now moving and attacking the Icefall Bear even faster than before. Finally, it leaped forward and sank its claws into the Icefall Bear, which fell to the ground with a clatter.
“Look at how sharp its claws are. I saw them slice through the bear’s alloy armor like it was made of paper.”
“Its movements are incredibly agile, as well. The Icefall Bear couldn’t even land a direct hit on its opponent. The aftershock of its Ice-type attacks barely touched it.”
Everyone was impressed by the show that the Six-Horned Dreadwolf had put on. Standing among the crowd of spectators outside Gao Peng’s familiar shop were a couple of scouts from the base city’s major monster hunter associations.
They had all been invited by Bunshaft. Of course, said associations had sent their lower-ranking members to check out the store out of respect for Bunshaft.
These scouts had trained their senses to be keener than the average trainer.
Bunshaft’s companions were members of the elite households in the region. They were just as impressed by the Six-Horned Dreadwolf as everyone else. “Bunshaft, I hear you’re good friends with this Gao person here. Could you introduce us to him later?”
“Gao may be a bit busy today. Why don’t we check in on him later, when his schedule frees up a bit?” said Bunshaft, smiling. He then turned to look at Gao Peng.
Bunshaft was no fool. Even though his brother was the one who handled the family’s affairs, this didn’t mean that he was ignorant of everything else outside of familiar training.
Everyone seemed to have vastly different opinions about the Six-Horned Dreadwolf. However, this didn’t concern Gao Peng.
He only knew that the Six-Horned Dreadwolf could be brought to its full potential in the Arctic region. The only thing left to do was to gauge the Arctic public’s reception of the Six-Horned Dreadwolf. If demand for it far surpassed its supply in the next few days, this would mean that his business venture in the Arctic region was a success. At that point, Gao Peng no longer needed to oversee the subsequent steps of his business strategy. His men were more than capable of taking things from there.
