A few minutes later, Charles arrived at an old apartment complex.
The complex he rented had seen better days. The flowerbeds were overgrown with weeds, and large patches of the exterior walls were peeling off.
Charles's family wasn't wealthy. His parents were long-haul truck drivers who lived and ate in their truck. Despite this, the money they earned was barely enough to cover their expenses.
Pushing open the rusty iron gate, Charles placed the frost wolf on the bed and, feeling a bit excited, pulled out his phone.
If he told his parents that he had successfully awakened today and become a Beast Master, they would surely be very happy, right?
Just as Charles was about to dial the number, the little frost wolf let out a soft murmur, its body trembling slightly and appearing to be in great pain.
Seeing this, Charles quickly put away his phone.
Better not make the call yet; he should treat the frost wolf's injuries first.
Charles opened the "Pet" information tab on his light screen and selected "Diagnosis and Treatment," bringing up a panel.
Diagnosis Result: Previously injured by a bone-breaking ant, both hind legs are broken, and the body has been injected with toxins. If not treated promptly, the internal organs will rot.
Treatment Plan: Surgical treatment for the leg injuries; use one fire-element beast core to remove the remaining toxins; three spirit roots, five snake gallbladders, and thirty cryolite tablets for recuperation. The frost wolf will recover within a week.
"With my previous experience interning at a pet hospital, treating external injuries isn't difficult..."
Charles first cleaned the frost wolf's wounds, then opened his medical kit and began treating the frost wolf.
During the surgery, Charles inadvertently noticed that the frost wolf was female.
Her fur was white with a hint of light blue, her eyelashes pure white, and a touch of pink at the center of her brow. He had to admit, she was a very beautiful little frost wolf.
A fluffy tail trailed behind her. If she weren't so severely injured, Charles would have already been tempted to reach out and give it a rub.
Half an Hour Later, the Surgery Was a Success
Charles wiped the sweat from his forehead and, without stopping, left home to purchase the necessary recuperative materials.
...
By the time he returned to the apartment complex, it was already evening.
"Damn it! These merchants are such rip-offs. An ungraded fire-element beast core, selling for 1000 copper coins. And those snake gallbladders and spirit roots, all of them substandard, and they still charged me 500 copper coins?"
"No wonder those Beast Masters are so wealthy; this is practically daylight robbery."
Carrying the heavy bag of medicinal materials back to his place, Charles couldn't help but berate the situation. These materials had nearly drained his half-year's worth of living expenses.
However, complaints aside, to obtain these precious medicinal materials, one must venture into the ferocious beast mountains to hunt ferocious beasts. Such dangerous tasks could only be completed by Beast Masters, so the high prices were naturally justified.
"Now that I have the materials, how should I use them?"
Charles opened the system's light screen, which conveniently provided instructions on how to use the materials. For low-grade materials like these, simply boiling them with water would suffice. However, higher-grade materials seemed to require something called an alchemy lab.
Following the system's instructions, Charles spoon-fed the boiled medicinal liquid to the frost wolf.
As the liquid entered its body, a faint green glow enveloped the frost wolf, and its furrowed brow relaxed, looking less pained.
Half an hour later, under Charles's anxious gaze, the frost wolf slowly opened its eyes, its deep blue eyes meeting Charles's gaze.
Moments later, the frost wolf suddenly leaped into Charles's arms, its fluffy little head rubbing left and right against his chest, as if being affectionate.
[Ding! You have healed your pet's injuries. It is grateful for your life-saving grace. Loyalty +5.]
"Huh? Loyalty has increased?"
Charles recalled that the system had mentioned that close interactions with the pet or making it feel grateful could increase loyalty.
Knowing it was its master who saved it, the frost wolf seemed very happy.
Plop!
The frost wolf jumped to the ground and started circling around Charles, occasionally leaping onto him and licking his face with its tongue.
Charles had initially thought it would be a very aloof little she-wolf, but the more he looked, the more it seemed like a clingy little fox.
The frost wolf radiated cold air, and its little tongue felt cool on his face. Charles thought that cuddling with it on hot summer nights could save him a lot on air conditioning!
"Alright, alright, stop messing around... Hey, you don't have a name yet!" Charles slapped his forehead. "Since you're a frost wolf, how about we call you Max from now on?"
"Sigh!"
Hearing Max's joyful bark, Charles smiled with relief. It seemed to like the name.
[Ding! You have given your pet a name. It likes it very much. Loyalty +3.]
"Loyalty increased again?"
Charles had only named it for convenience, but unexpectedly, it had boosted loyalty!
Feeling a bit excited, Charles checked Max's panel again.
[Frost Wolf]
[Name: Max]
[Attributes: Ice, Fire]
[Quality: Gold]
[Skills:
Ice Pick Throwing: A long-range ice attribute attack that condenses elemental energy into spears to throw at and injure enemies.Bone-Achingly Cold: A close-range attack with both ice and fire attributes. It burns with extremely cold flames, causing enemies to disintegrate between extreme cold and extreme heat. In extreme cases, the chaotic ice and fire energy can cause explosions.]
[Weak Points: Neck, abdomen/toxic attribute]
[Preferences: Honey soy glazed meat]
[Mood: Happy]
[Health: Injured (Recovering...)]
[Loyalty: 68]
[Evolution: Four routes]
[Description: Having just awakened from a coma, Max is not only healed but also sees its owner. It is very happy now. However, it hasn't eaten in a while and is feeling a bit hungry.]
"In extreme cases, [Bone-Achingly Cold] has a second release method?"
After reading the updated "Pet" panel, Charles increasingly felt that he had found a treasure!
Gurgle~~
Charles wanted to play with Max a bit longer, but his stomach suddenly growled.
He looked at Max with some embarrassment, "You're hungry too, right? Let's go get something delicious!"
Charles gently picked up Max and headed out.
Max's favorite food was grilled meat, and there happened to be a barbecue restaurant on the snack street not far from the apartment complex.
...
"Hey? Strange... why is the snack street so deserted today?"
On the snack street, Charles looked around curiously.
It was now 10 PM, the usual bustling time for the snack street, but the once lively street was now almost empty.
The few people he did see were fully armed Beast Masters, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Knock, knock, knock
Standing at the door of the burger shop he often visited, Charles knocked on the door.
"Who's there? We're closed for the day."
A shuffling sound of slippers could be heard. The window opened, and a middle-aged man poked his head out. Upon seeing that it was Charles, his expression became tense. "It's you, Charles. We're not doing business these days. You'd better go home quickly to avoid any danger!"
"Danger? What's happening, Mr.Bard?" Although he had a vague idea, Charles didn't mind getting more information.
"I heard the northern defense line was breached, and ferocious beasts have entered Lsengard!" Mr.Bard sighed, clearly terrified. "For decades, we've lived in peace with the ferocious beast mountains, with Larktown as the boundary."
"But recently, the ferocious beasts have suddenly become agitated, occasionally harassing Lsengard. I heard that some Beast Masters have already sacrificed themselves at the front lines."
"The northern defense line has a breach because of this, and ferocious beasts have entered Lsengard!"
As he said this, Mr.Bard shivered and waved his hand at Charles. "With such a big issue, staying safe is more important than doing business. You should go home quickly too!"
Mr.Bard pulled his head back in, and the window of the burger shop slammed shut.
On the deserted street, Charles was once again alone.
Ferocious beast riots, front lines collapsing, Beast Masters dying... The once peaceful Lsengard now had all the signs of an impending disaster.
"With ferocious beasts appearing even in the city, my parents being out there driving trucks is even more dangerous, isn't it?" Charles quickly pulled out his phone and opened the contact list.
Buzz—
[Sorry, the number you are calling is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later!]
Buzz—
[Sorry, the number you are calling is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later!]
No one answered several calls in a row. Worried that something had happened to his parents, Charles was anxious.
They weren't his real parents, but from his memories, they treated his predecessor quite well.
Clack, clack, clack!
As Charles dialed again, a clear metallic sound hitting the ground came from behind him.
Already on edge, Charles instantly went into combat mode, spinning around sharply!