Chapter Forty-Five: The Birth of Another Battle Companion (Part One)

“It’s settled then! You must never again pick such useless creatures as pets!” As we resumed our quest to help Yan Zhen find a suitable companion, Fei Yin earnestly lectured her elven friend. Yet, the way she lovingly cradled Rabbit Rara in her arms betrayed the firmness of her words, rendering them almost devoid of conviction.

“Mm, mm, mm…” Yan Zhen nodded repeatedly, promising over and over, “...This time, I won’t act so impulsively again.”

Truth be told, her expression—eyes gleaming and mouth watering at the sight of any animal—hardly inspired confidence.

“Roar…” As we were chatting, a wild roar suddenly echoed from ahead. Our relentless search for powerful battle pets had sharpened our senses to any sign of fierce beasts, and we quickened our pace, running toward the source of the sound.

The roar belonged to a massive lion. Its eyes were as large as bronze bells; its wide mouth was filled with gleaming fangs, and its body was cloaked in silvery-grey fur that shimmered like a suit of armor, marking it as something extraordinary: “Roaring Hunter Kiriel”—the name of this level thirty-three “Rage” class beast.

The great lion was not wandering the plains alone; across from it stood a pitiful sheep. The sheep, probably just grown, was not very large, its wool still fine and soft. The lush grasslands of Gemflower Plain had nurtured it well, and it was plump and round, with a foolish, docile look. But now, its right foreleg was bleeding, and it stood trembling, staring innocently at the lion, so frightened that it seemed incapable even of fear.

A lion attacking a sheep—such a scene was rather uncommon here. We had encountered many wild animals, some fierce and bloodthirsty, but they usually only attacked intruders, showing little hostility toward their fellow creatures. There was no irreconcilable enmity between pheasant and fox, nor mortal hatred between raccoon and wild mouse. In fact, trespassing into their shared territory might even provoke a united assault.

Yet this lion’s behavior was unusual. Hunger blazed in its eyes; its powerful claws scraped incessantly at the earth, as if it could barely restrain its urge to shred the sheep before it. Its name, “Hunter,” surely explained some of its aberrant conduct.

“Little Yan Yan, look! Look at its stats!” We watched the hunt unfold from a safe distance. Suddenly, Fei Yin shrieked, pointing excitedly ahead. Instinctively, I checked Roaring Hunter’s attributes:

“Roaring Hunter Kiriel, Level 30 (Rage), Attack Power 23, Defense Power 21, Life 972. Roar: 80% chance to weaken nearby creatures for twenty seconds; Heavy Strike: stuns enemy for five seconds; Soul Absorption: actively absorbs soul power, speeding up level progression…”

I let out a gasp. With such advanced attack and defense, immense vitality, and powerful skills, even a seasoned, well-equipped warrior would struggle to best it in close combat. Thanks to my four-level advantage, I felt confident I could defeat the beast alone, but not without considerable effort.

Moreover, this “Soul Absorption” was a skill I’d never heard of. It seemed Kiriel was driven by this innate ability to hunt weaker wild creatures on Gemflower Plain, thereby increasing its own strength. I didn’t know what level it had originally been, but judging by the scene, it must have gained its current level through repeated hunts.

“Tame it!” I couldn’t help but urge Yan Zhen. If she succeeded, our beastmaster friend would have a formidable battle companion, rivaling professional warriors, perhaps even holding her own in a fight against two foes.

“Are you sure about this?” Yan Zhen hesitated, glancing at us, still reluctant to act.

“Little Yan Yan, remember, you promised me! Besides, it looks so cool…” Fei Yin coaxed and threatened.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yan Zhen finally followed our advice, moving carefully forward. Xian Ge Ya Yi cheered loudly behind her: “Go for it, Miss Yan Zhen! You must catch it!”

The feeble prey seemed to bore Roaring Hunter Kiriel; despite all its roaring and claw-sharpening, it delayed delivering the fatal blow. Only when Yan Zhen crept close, ready with her beast-taming whistle, did Kiriel lumber over to the sheep, intent on murder.

Perfect—the prey held the lion’s gaze, leaving it oblivious to the approaching beastmaster. Yan Zhen was now within range for the whistle to work… Look, she’s raised it to her lips… Oh, she’s blowing—it emits a sound inaudible to us, but wild animals, with their keen hearing, can sense it and feel an affinity toward the whistler.

“Roar…” As Kiriel reached the sheep, it let out another thunderous roar, flaunting its strength, unaware that in moments it would become a docile companion, following our long-haired elf girl just like Rabbit Rara. As it raised its massive paw, poised to deliver the final blow to the sheep…

…The elf beastmaster had already finished her task, lowering the whistle…

…At the same moment, an orange halo flashed beneath Kiriel, enveloping the giant beast—we’d seen this before when Rabbit Rara was tamed…

“Wonderful, fantastic!” Fei Yin danced with joy, and Xian Ge Ya Yi and I, too, were genuinely delighted for the beastmaster’s triumph.

“Roar… roar, roar…” Suddenly, Roaring Hunter emitted several furious cries and lunged at Yan Zhen.

Perhaps it was just the newly tamed pet playing with its master. The trouble with big pets is that their play can be rather terrifying.

“Swish…” As we marveled, Kiriel swiped at Yan Zhen, and blood spattered from her head, her life force dropping sharply.

Huh?! We stared, dumbstruck—must one risk death to play with a pet?

Just then, the plump sheep, dazed and slow, ambled over, nuzzling Yan Zhen’s boots with its wool, meek and submissive.

A sense of foreboding struck me: Could it be…

“You’ll be called Sheepy!” Even faced with such a ferocious beast, Yan Zhen refused to fight it, retreating hurriedly while shouting.

The “Sheep” label above the plump sheep vanished, replaced moments later by a glowing “Sheepy” above its head.

Just as I feared…

“Ah, Little Yan Yan, how could you catch the sheep instead…” Fei Yin raged, and I began to wonder if lunch today might be hotpot.

“Hey, weren’t you all telling me to catch it?” Yan Zhen’s voice was innocent.

“We meant the lion, catch the lion!” Fei Yin shouted, nearly bursting a blood vessel.

“But…” As she fled, Yan Zhen glanced back at the trailing, chubby Sheepy, reluctant to part with it. “...Don’t you think it’s adorable…”

Adorable, perhaps. Compared to Rabbit Rara’s cleverness, Sheepy’s plump, sluggish demeanor was a different charm entirely—round as a cotton ball, wobbling after Yan Zhen, not so much running as rolling. To call it unlovable would be dishonest, but…

“…Adorable won’t fill our stomachs!” In my eyes, Fei Yin was nearly transformed into a fire-breathing dragon.

We all knew that, with Yan Zhen’s fondness for animals, she would rather be bitten herself than harm them. And when she was with us, we, too, were compelled to abide by this strange animal protection creed. Though Roaring Hunter Kiriel posed no fatal threat to us, before they drew near, we were ready to flee.

“Ah… ooh…” Suddenly, Kiriel sprang forward and sank its jaws into Sheepy’s neck. Only level three, Sheepy was already wounded and barely clinging to life; it could not withstand such a savage attack, and, without so much as a bleat, collapsed to the ground, legs twitching, neck askew.