Contract

At the roadside, Lu Ran held the black card, his heart racing.

He stared at the Black Card, feeling his whole body go numb, then hot.

How was this possible...

No, it was possible.

Lu Ran remembered the supernatural phenomenon he had experienced.

This world really was not as simple as it seemed.

Beast Tamer?

The profession sounded rather similar to being a Bug Fighter.

He was very interested.

Because of his parents' work, anything involving animals fascinated him, from bug fighting to paleontological research...

"Is there any connection between the superpower I awakened and this black card?"

"Judging by that forum poster's experience, more than one person has received a black card."

"So I'm not exactly some chosen one."

Then Lu Ran remembered his strange dream, and his expression froze. If supernatural powers really existed, could that have been a prophetic dream?

If the events in his dream really happened, wouldn't Blue Star be destroyed?

Even if stronger people stepped up when disaster struck, those with power could not possibly protect everyone.

Remembering his gruesome death in the dream, Lu Ran fell silent. He was actually quite attached to this world.

"I'll give it a try first."

Unable to reach any conclusions, Lu Ran could only keep studying the black card.

Tip ⑧: If the Novice Contract Card is not used within 24 hours, it will automatically disappear, and its holder will also lose the right to become a Beast Tamer.

From the tips that had appeared at the beginning, Lu Ran soon realized that he could choose not to use this so-called contract card. He only had to avoid undertaking the Novice Mission.

"Giving up is out of the question." After a brief silence, Lu Ran put away the black card and checked the forum again.

Having memorized all the tips, Lu Ran now wanted to add the poster as a friend and ask for more details.

Those tips were important, but they were not enough! He needed more information!

Full of anticipation, Lu Ran opened the link again.

The next moment, however, Lu Ran was dumbfounded.

"Where's the post???" He kept tapping the screen.

Lu Ran had only refreshed the page, and the post was gone.

The poster... who was it again? What was their username?

"The administrator deleted it. Which bastard deleted such an important post? Don't tell me Fang Lan reported it earlier."

Standing on the street, Lu Ran felt an especially bitter chill in the air.

"I can't waste time on this." Lu Ran quickly shifted his focus.

He only had twenty-four hours, so he needed to complete the mission as soon as possible. Still, he would have to keep watching the forum too, doing both at once to avoid missing any important information.

What he knew so far was that, after forming a contract with a pet beast, he would be transported somewhere dangerous.

Fortunately, even after going to that dangerous place, he would still have a chance to return.

Having played some video games, Lu Ran quickly connected mechanics such as the Novice Mission and the Novice Trial.

"If I'm going to be sent somewhere dangerous... then the animal I contract with needs to be a capable fighter!"

"Only then can I avoid ending up as badly off as that poster..."

Unfortunately, much as Lu Ran wanted to contract with a ferocious beast, finding a powerful one in a small city like this within a single day was nothing but a pipe dream.

Even with telepathy, he did not actually get along with every animal.

He had been chased down after trying to chat with stray dogs more than once or twice.

Lu Ran kept weighing his options and finally made a decision.

"To be safe, I should choose that one..."

With his mind made up, Lu Ran decided to head home first. His target was there.

His home was not far away, in a nearby upscale residential complex, just a ten-minute bike ride away.

After considering it from every angle, Lu Ran still decided to contract with an animal he knew well.

At least that fellow obeyed his commands without fail. That would eliminate the risk of his pet beast disobeying him somewhere dangerous.

Lu Ran quickened his pace.

Before long, Lu Ran arrived at his front door.

He unlocked it with a practiced touch of his finger, and the door opened.

Whoosh!

Seemingly alerted by the movement outside, a figure immediately darted out from inside Lu Ran's home and lunged at him as he entered.

"Woo..."

After pouncing on Lu Ran, the wolf-like creature stuck out its tongue and panted, as though expecting something.

It had a graceful build, a thick coat, upright ears, a brush-like tail, and blue eyes. Three white markings on its forehead resembled three blazing flames.

It was a Snowfield Dog, a husky breed from the snowy plains, commonly nicknamed a Silly Husky. This was Lu Ran's pet dog.

Since Lu Ran had raised the Silly Husky from puppyhood, they were very close. After his training, it could carry out all sorts of actions exactly as he instructed, following orders even better than a police dog.

"Go on, General Ha. Stand in the corner for a while."

"Woof???"

The Silly Husky looked utterly bewildered!

Though it had no idea why, it still turned away resentfully at Lu Ran's command. But it would remember this grudge!

As the Silly Husky stood majestically in the corner, Lu Ran sat down opposite it and studied it seriously.

This Silly Husky...

Lu Ran had found it after gaining his superpower, when it was still a puppy.

Lu Ran could not tell whether it had been abandoned or had run away on its own.

He had taken it in because, although Lu Ran was already quite proficient with his superpower at the time, he still could not communicate normally with this fellow.

In theory, simple communication with relatively intelligent animals like cats and dogs should not have been very difficult with his abilities back then...

But this fellow seemed to have a screw loose.

To train his superpower, and out of concern that a puppy like this would never survive outside on its own and might end up as an ingredient at a dog-meat restaurant, Lu Ran had brought it home.

Adopting this Silly Husky had also marked the beginning of Lu Ran's hellish life. This fellow... had far too erratic a temperament.

Even with telepathy, Lu Ran had taken a long time to tame it.

At first, it had been extremely vicious and combative. Only after Lu Ran tamed it had it become what it was today.

In short, it was a real oddball. It had perfectly inherited a Silly Husky's intellectual shortcomings while fully retaining the fierce, wolfish nature in its blood.

Lu Ran felt that its personality was rather like Yazi, the second of the legendary Nine Sons of the Dragon...

Ancient historical records described Yazi as bloodthirsty, fond of fighting, and fierce in temperament, always avenging even the smallest slight. Yazi was also depicted glaring angrily with a treasured sword in its mouth, and its likeness was carved onto sword pommels and guards to enhance their power.

Like Yazi, the husky loved fighting and held grudges. Unlike Yazi, however, it forgot those grudges after a nap. A good attitude was its defining trait.

Of course, it had its good points too. It always repaid even the kindness of a single meal. Once it understood that Lu Ran was the benefactor who had saved it, it obeyed his every word. At least it was no ungrateful wretch.

"General Ha."

Sitting on the couch, Lu Ran looked straight at General Ha, who was still standing in the corner, unsure where to begin.

General Ha was the nickname Lu Ran had given it because it had been so overbearing as a puppy, like some domineering canine CEO.

General Ha, in turn, called Lu Ran "Boss Lu."

"It's complicated."

According to the black card's tips, once a Beast Tamer formed a contract with a pet beast, both would evolve to varying degrees.

The Beast Tamer would become superhuman, while the contracted beast, no matter how weak it had been before, would gain the strength of a fierce beast!

Clearly, what this black card offered its holder was a path toward supernatural evolution!

Lu Ran did not know whether taking General Ha down this path would end well or badly...

"Woo!!!" General Ha tilted its head and stared with its blue eyes, baffled by Boss Lu's indecision.

"Forget it. I won't discuss it with you. With your IQ, you wouldn't understand anyway." Lu Ran smiled, then grew serious. He would form the contract first and worry about the rest afterward.

Though General Ha was only a dog, Lu Ran had great faith in its fighting ability. After all, it had been trained by him, someone with superpowers.

Besides, this fellow was currently the animal he shared the deepest bond with... He really might not feel comfortable entrusting his life to any other pet beast.

Most importantly, General Ha was a battle maniac, so there was no need to worry about whether it could adapt to fighting enemies. It was the best choice available.

Lu Ran took out the black card and flicked it like a playing card. In the next instant, the glowing black card flew swiftly toward General Ha. As it approached, its white glow intensified, leaving General Ha wide-eyed and dumbstruck. Frightened, it turned to flee, but the dazzling light swiftly engulfed it anyway!