When the first freshly prepared, intact Beast Soldier Rank Iron-Wire Snake carcass was placed in front of Lin Mo, he was filled with anticipation.
It was a monster about as thick as an adult's arm and nearly two meters long. Its entire body was dark gray, its scales densely packed and tight. Just as its name suggested, they seemed woven from iron wire, giving off a sense of toughness. Even after it had died, its body remained stiff and took some effort to bend.
'Iron Bone or Tough Skin? Come on! Become the first cornerstone on my path to evolution!' Lin Mo growled inwardly. He opened his jaws and activated the Devour Talent he had just begun to master. With the solemnity of a pilgrim, he sank his teeth into the snake's body.
"Crack... crunch..."
At the first bite, Lin Mo's face—if he could make expressions—nearly scrunched up.
Hard! Incredibly hard!
The meat was practically like beef jerky that had been left to dry for decades: tough and chewy, and it took a great deal of effort to tear off each piece. Worse, it tasted absolutely awful, with a strong earthy stench and an indescribable metallic bitterness. It was worlds apart from the tender monster meat he had eaten before!
'What the hell is this stuff?!' Lin Mo grumbled furiously to himself. 'No wonder the Bestiary says this thing tastes bad. Is this what they call bad? This is torture!'
But for the sake of a talent that might be in there, he endured it!
He chewed desperately, activating the Devour Talent and doing his best to refine the unpalatable "food." A surge of energy flowed into his body, far hotter and more mixed than the energy from ordinary monster meat. It strengthened his body, especially his bones and fur, and seemed to carry a trace of "toughness."
However, even after he had swallowed the entire Iron-Wire Snake, skin and bones included—he had made sure not to waste any of it—he received no special talent fluctuation or information fragments. His body had been strengthened a little more than usual, and that was all.
The Combat Devour Talent showed no reaction at all.
'Just as I thought... The odds are depressingly low.' Lin Mo sighed, looking at the empty food bowl. The nauseating taste of rust and fishiness still lingered in his mouth.
He had expected to fail, but going through it himself was still a little discouraging.
He glanced at the fragrant, ordinary Beast Soldier Rank meat Wang Keke had prepared for him, then at the empty plate that had held the Iron-Wire Snake. He was torn between two choices.
Should he keep enjoying tasty food and developing at a steady pace, or endure this "torture for the taste buds" for a slim chance?
After hesitating for only three seconds, his human foresight and grit won out.
'Damn it, I'm doing this! So what if it tastes bad? It won't kill me! You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs!' A fierce glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes. He knew that the stronger his foundation, the greater his potential. A powerful defensive talent could save his life at a critical moment!
He looked up at Wang Keke, who was watching him with some concern. With one paw, he firmly pointed again at the Iron-Wire Snake illustration in the Monster Illustrated Handbook. Then he raised his paw, showed five claws—although a cub only had four usable ones—and waved it emphatically.
Wang Keke's eyes widened. "Mimi? You... you want more? Five a day?"
Lin Mo nodded firmly, his eyes full of "determination"—though to Wang Keke, it looked like obsession and longing.
Although Wang Keke found it unbelievable and was even a little worried about Mimi's stomach, she chose to support him when she saw how "determined" he was. "All right... If you like them that much—or, uh, need them that much—I'll have someone prepare five fresh ones for you every day."
And so began Lin Mo's days of "suffering."
Every day, he had to face five rock-hard Iron-Wire Snakes that tasted utterly awful. They became his daily "homework," tormenting his will more than any physical training. He had to use his Devour Talent to its fullest to speed up digestion, just to manage to get through all five "iron rods" in a day.
Wang Keke watched him "relishing" the Iron-Wire Snakes every day—though in truth, he was gritting his teeth as he chewed. She felt both sorry for him and confused, but she also noticed that Lin Mo's fur seemed smoother and tougher, and his bones sturdier. In the end, she let him be.
As Lin Mo silently endured the Iron-Wire Snakes' "torment," desperately chasing that tiny chance, a storm was brewing over him at a meeting of the Wang Family's senior members.
In the ancient, solemn council hall, several of the Wang Family's core elders sat alongside Wang Keke's father, Wang Qingtian, the current head of the family. One of the topics was reviewing the recent resource expenditures of the family's core younger generation.
When it was Wang Keke's turn, the white-haired, stern-faced Third Elder adjusted his glasses and frowned at the report in his hands.
"Has this girl Keke been investing a little too much in her battle pet lately?" His voice was low, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Never mind the eighty-million purchase price. Just in the past twenty days, she's gone through specialized nutrient paste and carefully selected Beast Soldier Rank meat. And lately, five fresh Iron-Wire Snakes every day... All of that adds up to a considerable sum, far beyond the standard for raising the battle pets of other children her age."
He paused, looked around at everyone present, then fixed his gaze on Wang Qingtian. "Qingtian, we know Keke is a Spirit Reader genius, and that the family should give her more resources. But is it worth investing so many resources in a... Mutated Winged Tiger cub?"
"I've heard that, aside from growing quickly and developing two extra lumps on its back, the cub hasn't shown any particularly impressive combat ability. Wang Xiao's Iron-Claw Wolf can already tear apart targets at the mid-Beast Soldier Rank with ease."
The doubt in his words was obvious. He believed Wang Keke was wasting the family's precious resources on a "pet" that looked impressive but had little substance.
The atmosphere in the meeting hall grew tense.
Another elder, who was on friendly terms with the Third Elder, chimed in. "The Third Elder makes a fair point. The Pet Battle Tournament is coming up. If we invest so many resources only for her to fail to achieve a decent ranking, other families may criticize us, thinking the Wang Family is being... frivolous."
Wang Qingtian remained calm, lightly tapping his fingers on the table without answering right away. He knew his daughter and trusted her judgment, but in the face of the elders' reasonable doubts, he needed to give them an explanation.
Just then, the Fourth Elder, who was responsible for the family's intelligence and external affairs, spoke up in a milder tone. "I've heard some different news. Word from the family training base is that the mutant Keke chose seems to have... grown wings."
"Wings?" The Third Elder raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, but then continued, "Even if it is a Winged Tiger, its wings are of little use while it's young. At most, it can glide. And why is it eating so many Iron-Wire Snakes? What good are those low-level monsters, aside from tasting awful? Could it be that the cub has developed some strange craving?"
His doubts had not been fully dispelled.
Wang Qingtian finally spoke, his voice steady and firm. "Keke's battle pet was entrusted to her, so she has full responsibility for raising it. I trust my daughter's judgment. As for the resources, they're still within the allowance allocated to her. She hasn't exceeded it. We'll see the results at the Pet Battle Tournament. If it truly turns out to be a poor investment, we can discuss it afterward."
His words temporarily put an end to the dispute, but everyone understood that the Pet Battle Tournament three months from now would be a crucial test for Wang Keke and her "Mimi"—one they could not afford to fail.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo knew nothing about the controversy brewing in the background. He was in a corner of the training ground, struggling through his fifth Iron-Wire Snake.
He only knew that this fifth one seemed especially tough to chew.
'Damn it... I'm going to do this!' he thought fiercely, summoning all his strength and activating his Devour Talent as he bit down hard!
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