Condensing Wind Hound

"Little Chen, Little Chen, my pig refuses to eat anything. What should I do?"

"Little Chen, Little Chen, why has my sheep turned black?!!"

"Little Chen, Little Chen."

As a staff member at the wildlife rescue station, Chen Yuan's work was usually fairly easy, so he often doubled as a veterinarian and helped villagers solve various problems.

But the problems he encountered today were far more troublesome than usual.

That afternoon,

Chen Yuan returned to the office drenched in sweat. After resting for a moment, he gulped down a cup of water.

"The world really has changed." He sighed again, then turned to Spark on his shoulder. "Don't you think so, Spark?"

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Spark fluttered its wings, its deep blue eyes quietly watching Chen Yuan.

The enormous changes brought by the Spiritual Tide filled every corner of the world, and all living creatures had inevitably been affected.

Although Uncle Zhao's sow refused to eat, it had become plumper and sturdier. Its snores rumbled like muffled thunder, its skin was like steel, and it was evolving toward an Extraordinary Creature known as the Gray-Armored Mountain Pig.

Although Aunt Liu's sheep had turned black, its eyes burned brightly like flames and its body was light and graceful. It was evolving toward an Extraordinary Creature known as the Youyou Sheep.

"Looks like a small number of animals in the village have already begun evolving."

"Before long, Xuanhe Village will be full of Extraordinary Creatures."

I just hope they don't cause too much trouble, Chen Yuan thought.

In his view, Extraordinary Creatures possessed considerable intelligence and supernatural powers, so they were bound to have many conflicts with humans.

Perhaps over food, perhaps over territory.

When conflicts became frequent, how humanity should treat Extraordinary Creatures and coexist with them would be an unavoidable question.

As he pondered this, his phone began vibrating incessantly. He opened it and saw messages from his university class group.

At the same time, Spark lowered its head and stared curiously at the glowing phone screen.

Class Group, Class 5, Animal Medicine Major, Class of 2018:

"Holy crap, a huge snake breathing out cold air appeared near me yesterday. It nearly scared me to death."

"That's nothing. One of my coworkers ran into a moving tree in the mountains. It swung its branches and knocked him unconscious."

"Huh? Where the hell did this dump me? Is this still Blue Star?"

"You'll understand if you follow the news more closely. After this rainstorm, creatures all over the world have undergone mutations."

"Quick! Click this link. The authorities are answering these questions collectively."

Chen Yuan clicked the link and was redirected to an official livestream. An official representative in formal attire was speaking eloquently to the camera:

"We understand that many netizens are concerned about the recent hot topics. Our department is actively contacting relevant personnel to further investigate these incidents. Any news will be announced immediately."

Hearing those familiar words, Chen Yuan's mouth twitched.

What was the difference between saying that and saying nothing?

After saying this, the refined-looking official suddenly became serious. "Society is constantly changing and developing. So is the world."

"We cannot avoid these changes. We can only face them."

"It has always been this way."

The official livestream then ended. Only a dense flood of comments continued sweeping across the screen as Chen Yuan sank into thought. "That last part was practically an open hint."

"Perhaps once the authorities have made sufficient preparations, they'll fully disclose information related to the Spiritual Tide."

Chen Yuan understood the principle that one small move could affect the whole situation, so he understood the authorities' caution.

As one of the few citizens who knew part of the truth, Chen Yuan decided to make the most of this time gap and give himself enough ability to protect himself.

After closing the livestream, Chen Yuan played on his phone for a while longer before realizing that the internet was flooded with news about the world's mutations. Nearly every trending topic was related to it.

Some claimed to have seen a flying tiger in Changbai Mountain, its roar like thunder. Others said that a three-meter-tall humanoid monster had appeared deep within Shennongjia, moving through the dense forest. Still others reported that raging flames had risen from Flame Mountain in the northwest, flames that would not go out even when doused with water.

In addition, the authorities arranged for several experts and scholars to give scientific explanations for the recent rainstorms, while urging all citizens to remain calm and trust the authorities.

"Phew, I can't get addicted to this."

After a long while, Chen Yuan let out a long breath and forced himself to put down his phone.

"Chirp chirp chirp!!!"

However, Spark, which had been lowering its head and staring motionlessly at the phone, immediately became unhappy. It jumped in front of the phone and tried to poke the screen with its sharp beak.

"Stop!"

Noticing Spark's actions, Chen Yuan hurriedly stopped it and moved the phone away.

"Chirp!"

Spark turned toward Chen Yuan, its blue eyes filled with eager desire and confusion.

Chen Yuan was spiritually connected to Spark and could clearly understand what it was thinking. "You want to keep playing on the phone?"

"Chirp!"

Spark nodded.

"You're done for. You're addicted to phones." Chen Yuan silently complained, then fell into thought about how to solve the problem.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "How about this? Every time you practice Flame Surge once, you can use the phone for one minute."

"Once you've practiced sixty times in total, I'll let you watch for a full hour straight."

"Chirp?"

Spark blinked, looking thoughtful, then nodded. "Chirp!!!"

One minute per time. Easy!

"Very good." Seeing Spark brimming with fighting spirit, Chen Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

Although he had the system and could continuously improve through Origin Points, he also had to fully encourage his pet beasts' initiative, allowing them to gain the satisfaction of growth through diligent daily training.

"Woof woof woof!"

Just then, loud barking came from outside the office. A gentle breeze followed, rushing toward him and brushing over Chen Yuan's body.

He looked up and saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure approaching. In a short time, it arrived before him.

It was a dog the size of a calf, covered in light brown fur. Its two ears stood high, white fluff circled its neck, and even its tail extended into a tuft of fluffy white fur. At that moment, it was staring at Chen Yuan with round azure eyes.

"Woof!"

The next second, the dog lunged into Chen Yuan's arms, stretched out its tongue to lick his cheek, and wagged its tail nonstop.

Chen Yuan subconsciously patted its head, and a data panel appeared before his eyes:

First time collecting Condensing Wind Hound. Origin Points +1

Species: Condensing Wind Hound (Collected)

Attribute: Wind

Level: 1 (Tier 1)

Favorability: 84

Skill: Wind Blade (Basic Mastery 0.1/3) +

Quality: Common

Conditions to unlock promotion to Elite quality: Insufficient Origin Points (1/5)

"Condensing Wind Hound!"

Seeing the pale blue screen before him, Chen Yuan's eyes lit up and his expression turned excited.

It was Cola!

Cola had successfully evolved!

Its name was Condensing Wind Hound!