Lu Ran ignored the excited General Ha in sunglasses mode.
Besides a weapon and a protective charm, he prepared some medicine, bottled water, snacks, and wilderness survival gear.
He did not know whether any of it would come in handy, but bringing it could not hurt.
It was a little too heavy... but that was no big deal. He could always throw things away in a pinch.
Time passed as Lu Ran continued his preparations and kept lecturing General Ha.
"Did you really understand?"
"The contract strengthened your body. Why does it feel like your intelligence didn't get the same treatment?"
Throughout this, Lu Ran watched the impatient General Ha with weary frustration, his head aching.
For example, he had said their next enemies might be creatures they had never seen before, so they needed to be careful. Yet General Ha kept looking disdainful.
What was that supposed to mean?
Lu Ran's heart sank.
He had a bad feeling, but with only a few minutes left on the countdown, there was no time to dwell on it.
"All right, that'll have to do."
"Come back for now." Lu Ran summoned the Black Card. He could now store it inside his body or summon it whenever he wanted.
With the transfer imminent, Lu Ran first recalled General Ha into the Black Card, then put the card away. That way, at least he would not have to worry about the teleportation separating them.
"Awooo!!" General Ha entered the Black Card, and Lu Ran closed his eyes to rest.
Even with his eyes closed, the countdown remained clearly visible before him.
Time kept ticking away...
Three... two... one... As the final second arrived, Lu Ran could not help growing nervous.
After all, he was only a high school student.
At that very moment, ripples appeared in space. The space around Lu Ran twisted like a whirlpool, rapidly warping until it swallowed him whole, and he vanished from the room.
However, although Lu Ran disappeared, the backpack on his back and the Iron-Slashing Sword clutched tightly in his hand were not teleported.
Apart from his essential clothing and the protective charm around his neck, every external item-even his food and water-was left behind.
Lu Ran felt as though his body kept alternating between crushing weight and weightlessness. He had never expected teleportation to feel this awful. Once the dizzying sensation faded, he discovered that he really had arrived somewhere new.
He opened his eyes.
A dim, dense forest greeted him.
Before he could examine it closely, the familiar text and voice appeared again.
[Teleportation complete.] [Current location: Demon Cat Forest (Newbie Trial Secret Realm)] [Difficulty: Easy] [Trial objective: Survive for one day.] [Secret Realm introduction: The Demon Cat Forest is a natural labyrinth formed by densely packed trees of many varieties. Rich in resources, it was once home to numerous supernatural creatures. Twenty years ago, a strange Black Rainstorm mutated the forest's creatures, which launched a beast tide against the surrounding towns. The Empire's Beast-Training Legion responded swiftly, suppressing the beast tide and eliminating the powerful mutated creatures in the forest. After twenty years of recovery, only the Demon Cat Tribe and a few weak supernatural creatures remain active here. The forest was also renamed the Demon Cat Forest. As a novice Beast Tamer, you have wandered into this place by mistake. Your most important task now is to survive and await rescue.] [Tip 1: This Secret Realm is a projection of the Demon Cat Forest. Its resources and creatures cannot be taken out, and its creatures cannot be contracted.] [Tip 2: Upon completing the objective, you may receive rewards of different grades based on your combat performance in the Secret Realm.] [Tip 3: If a participant enters a near-death state, the trial will be deemed a failure, and they will be forcibly returned.] [Tip 4: Participants temporarily gain the Eye of Data, allowing them to inspect information about resources and creatures within the Secret Realm.] [Enjoy your adventure. The trial begins!]
"I see." After reading Tip 3, Lu Ran felt that the Black Card's creator seemed fairly considerate.
But only a little.
Forcibly teleporting participants away when they were near death was thoughtful, but the problem was that they might not receive treatment even after returning, just like the person who had made that post. Moreover, there was an even greater chance that a participant would be killed instantly, without ever getting the opportunity to enter a near-death state.
The human body was fragile, after all.
And was this Secret Realm a projection of another world? A Black Rainstorm... a beast tide... Damn, this did not sound like a beginner dungeon.
He still needed to tread carefully. Enjoying himself was out of the question...
"Awooo!!!"
Lu Ran summoned General Ha again and said:
"The weapon and supplies didn't make it through." Lu Ran regretted that, though he had already prepared himself for the possibility that he would not be able to bring those things.
"According to the tips, every enemy and resource here is illusory. I wonder if we can find anything to eat. We can't take things out, but can we use them here?"
"Woof." Once released, General Ha emptied his mind. Rather than following Lu Ran's analysis, he happily started running around.
Lu Ran fell silent. Damn it, do something useful, General Ha! We're not out for a walk!
"Listen..." Lu Ran had just started to speak.
Rustle, rustle...
Suddenly, a sound interrupted his thoughts. His expression tightened, and he cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
"Grr." General Ha, who had been circling Lu Ran, also grew alert, as though he had picked up the scent of danger.
Something was approaching!
He quickly stopped, tensed his entire body, and positioned himself protectively in front of Lu Ran.
Their surroundings were incredibly dark, with only a few scattered shafts of sunlight falling through the leaves onto the ground. The rustling grew steadily louder in the eerily silent forest.
Standing on the slightly damp ground, Lu Ran tried to determine which direction the sound came from, but ultimately failed. General Ha, however, remained locked onto one direction, staring that way with a solemn gaze.
"Over there?" Lu Ran looked toward a patch of black bushes about waist-high.
The rustling continued. Finally, as the sound grew clearer, the bushes before Lu Ran and General Ha were pushed apart.
The creature that suddenly emerged let out a series of low growls. Its red eyes fixed on Lu Ran and General Ha, unable to conceal their viciousness.
At the same time, General Ha's fur bristled, and he began barking loudly at the creature!!
"Woof!!"
It actually dared to threaten them. He would remember this.
This was...
Lu Ran's gaze sharpened. It was a painfully gaunt, dark-red feline creature with extremely long claws and what looked like long gray hair on its head!
A Demon Cat!
[Species]: Demon Cat [Attribute]: Unawakened [Species rank]: Intermediate Extraordinary [Growth level]: Level 2 [Description]: A bloodthirsty hunter of the dense forest. It enjoys tearing open its prey's body to drink its blood.
The Eye of Data that Lu Ran had temporarily acquired took effect.
As he stared at the Demon Cat, all its information soon appeared.
Species rank, as I understand it, means how strong a species is. Tigers are stronger than cats and dogs, and cats and dogs are stronger than small herbivores like rabbits. This Demon Cat has the same species rank as General Ha, so General Ha has no advantage.
Growth level is most likely tied to growth stages, like infancy and adolescence. The higher the level, the stronger all its physical capabilities. General Ha is only level 1, but this thing is level 2. Not good.
In an instant, Lu Ran determined that this creature would be tough to handle. It did not look remotely like a weak monster meant to give beginners some combat experience.
As the two sides faced off, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Lu Ran held his breath and examined the surrounding terrain, trying to stay as calm as possible.
If the Novice Mission was to survive for one day, there was no need to fight a creature like this head-on, especially immediately after entering the Secret Realm.
To last a day, his best option was to find supplies and a safe place, then hunker down for the day. He should avoid unnecessary fights, only battle when he had no choice, and conserve his strength.
Right now...
If he turned and fled, he might avoid a fight if things went smoothly. But if that triggered the creature's hunting instincts and it gave chase, whether he escaped or not, he would be at a serious disadvantage in this unfamiliar forest and waste plenty of energy.
At present, his best option was... to scare it off!
After careful consideration, Lu Ran made a move that left both General Ha and the Demon Cat utterly bewildered.
Staring gravely at the Demon Cat, Lu Ran abruptly spread his arms to make himself look bigger and roared at it!
"Ura!!!!" Lu Ran shouted, trying to scare it away.
His father, who often dealt with wild animals, had told him that when encountering a ferocious beast in the wilderness, it was best not to turn and run. Instead, he should face it head-on and project confidence. That way, at least he could die with a little more dignity.
And if he was lucky, and the beast knew little about humans, there was a tiny chance he could scare it away.
However, after going through his intimidation routine, Lu Ran felt that the atmosphere had somehow become even more wrong.
General Ha looked dumbfounded.
The Demon Cat's expression twisted, and it suddenly burst forward with a roar, lunging at Lu Ran.
Lu Ran could not help cursing. Which step went wrong? And my telepathy seems useless against this phantom!
The Demon Cat moved nimbly, but fortunately, Lu Ran had also been strengthened and could follow its movements.
At this point, Lu Ran abandoned his other ideas and decided to face the Demon Cat directly. It was just a cat. Over the past decade or so, he had handled more cats than he could count.
He had even picked up tiger cubs by the scruff.
No, that's wrong. He's a Beast Tamer now. He needs to get used to commanding his pet beast in battle, not fighting personally.
"General Ha! Save me!" Lu Ran shouted, remembering his role.
"Hold it down first! I'll find a weapon!"
Meanwhile, the bewildered General Ha's gaze sharpened as the Demon Cat moved, and he pounced toward the attacking creature.
The two figures collided in a flash. Lu Ran, who had stepped back to look for a stick, a rock, or some other weapon, heard only a scream.
"Mreeow!!!!" A piercing shriek mingled with low growls echoed through the forest, making Lu Ran quickly look over.
Then he saw General Ha pinning the Demon Cat to the ground, his jaws clamped around its throat. He growled domineeringly as blood sprayed everywhere.
The seemingly formidable Demon Cat had actually been killed in a single strike.
"Uh..." Lu Ran froze, unsure whether he should pick up the rock by his foot.
So what exactly had been the point of all his analysis and his battle of wits with the Demon Cat?
It seemed... he had misjudged both the strengthened General Ha's combat power and the Demon Cat's.
"Awooo!!!" General Ha, standing some distance away, turned his head and called out to Lu Ran, as though saying it had been a piece of cake. He looked every bit a god of war.
Lu Ran fell into thought.
He actually pulled off looking cool.
Something's off. Could there be significant differences even within the Intermediate Extraordinary rank?
And the gap between level 1 and level 2 isn't as big as I thought?
Judging by its size, this Demon Cat really was several notches below General Ha.
Sure enough, in nature, size determined combat strength to a considerable extent! All right...
"Impressive. Just what I'd expect from a warrior I trained," was all Lu Ran could say. He truly had not expected General Ha to be this fierce even in his normal state.
"Woof!" Hearing that, General Ha put on an expression brimming with wisdom. What are you saying? I don't understand.
Before you continue