What happened... Where did this index come from?
Shi Yu's mind was in a daze as he received a great deal of information.
The information appeared in his mind in the form of images and text that were relatively easy for him to understand.
After a moment of dizziness, Shi Yu's expression froze.
The stone index that had appeared in his mind instinctively made Shi Yu aware of some of its functions.
Its function was a complete bug, comparable to a cheat.
The index was called the Skill Index.
It could copy the supernatural abilities of transcendent creatures and record them in the index. Shi Yu could freely teach the abilities recorded in it to transcendent creatures other than humans.
Transcendent creatures were powerful because they possessed all sorts of extremely special skills... Copying and teaching them sounded so unscientific. Could he even copy the abilities of mythical creatures and teach them to ordinary pet beasts?
According to the information from the index, three conditions had to be met to successfully copy another transcendent creature's ability.
1. He had to see the other creature use the ability with his own eyes.
2. He had to make physical contact with the creature.
3. From seeing the skill to contacting the creature, everything had to be completed within one hour.
Those were the conditions for copying and recording a skill.
Certain conditions also had to be met to teach a skill to another creature.
Depending on the skill's level, teaching it would consume a certain amount of the user's stamina.
Besides that, the recipient had to have a certain degree of compatibility with the skill...
There were quite a few restrictions, but Shi Yu still fell silent. Although he wasn't a Beast Tamer yet, he knew full well that this index, which copied, recorded, and taught skills, would make every Beast Tamer drool themselves to tears.
A Beast Tamer's strength depended not only on the abilities of their pet beasts, but also on three other closely related factors.
The first was the development of their own Beast Taming talent and abilities.
For example, the degree to which a Beast Tamer with the Flame Enhancement talent boosted the power of a pet beast's skills could vary depending on how far they had developed that talent.
The second was skill manuals.
The vast majority of pet beasts could only awaken the racial skills of their own species. The racial skills a pet beast could naturally awaken were an important basis for determining its racial level.
The strength of a pet beast's skills was a crucial factor in determining its combat strength.
Generally speaking, pet beasts had a hard time learning skills outside their racial skills.
Teaching a pet beast skills beyond its racial abilities was no easier than teaching a seven-year-old child to fly a plane. However, with certain special teaching methods, there was still a chance that a pet beast could learn other skills.
The teaching methods for such skills were like martial arts manuals in wuxia novels: precious things that could quickly improve a pet beast's strength.
If a Beast Tamer mastered the method of teaching a powerful skill and had their pet beast successfully learn it, the pet beast could even defeat opponents of higher species and levels.
The third was evolution methods.
The vast majority of pet beasts had the potential to evolve, but many evolution paths were extremely secret.
A Beast Tamer who knew an evolution method could raise their pet beast's racial level another notch, allowing it to awaken stronger racial skills.
Of these three factors, the first was a Beast Tamer's development of their own abilities.
The second and third were the accumulation of a Beast Tamer's knowledge and experience.
Shi Yu's Skill Index was almost equivalent to giving him mastery over a vast number of skill manuals.
The Skill Index...
Was this... a system? Or was it my second Beast Taming talent?
Rather than a vague, intangible system, Shi Yu preferred to believe it was his second talent.
But wasn't my Beast Taming talent Telepathy?
Besides, I've never heard of a Beast Taming talent that's a cheat on this level.
I've never heard of anyone having two Beast Taming talents, either...
Shi Yu's emotions surged.
In the space of a single second, he imagined countless possibilities.
But if it were me, maybe it was possible?
As a transmigrator, he wasn't normal to begin with.
Shi Yu's talent is Telepathy, but what does that have to do with me, Shi Yu? It's perfectly scientific for me, Shi Yu, to have a copying talent too, right?
"Anyway, calm down first-"
However he looked at it, this was a good thing. It seemed to be his transmigrator's golden finger...
His shock turned to joy, and Shi Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since realizing he had transmigrated, he had felt uneasy, as if something were missing. Now he finally felt at ease. A transmigrator's happiness was just that simple and unadorned.
"Oh no, it's getting late."
After spending a while immersed in the shock of awakening the Skill Index, Shi Yu suddenly realized it was already very late.
He got dressed and prepared to leave for his morning work, not even intending to eat breakfast. Of course, Shi Yu didn't want to work at the moment; he wanted to try out the ability he had just awakened and see if it was real.
Full of anticipation, Shi Yu quickly left the dormitory.
The Icefield City Pet Beast Breeding Base covered a vast area, encompassing lakes, grasslands, forests, snowy mountains... all habitats for different pet beasts.
To care for so many pet beasts, the breeding base had no shortage of employees. There was a huge staff area nearby, where various kinds of pet beast feed were also processed and transported.
A large number of breeders had gathered inside the base's feed plant, but because their duties differed, most of them had little to do with one another at the moment.
When Shi Yu arrived, he went looking for the feed he was supposed to transport, his objective clear. But once he got the feed, its quality exceeded his expectations.
"No wonder ordinary people can't afford to be Beast Tamers. These pet beasts eat better than people do."
As Shi Yu walked out carrying two heavy cooler boxes, he couldn't help thinking that to himself.
Inside the boxes were layers of fresh animal meat, at least seven or eight kinds. They looked like specially prepared, nutritionally balanced meals.
The room's floor was covered with more boxes like these, all of them breakfast for the pack of Snow Wolves he was about to feed.
"Shi Yu?"
"Are you going to feed the Snow Wolves?"
As Shi Yu carried the meat back and forth, someone saw the type of feed he was moving and suddenly stopped to tease him. "Those guys aren't friendly. Be careful."
"But then again, our breeding base's infirmary is pretty reliable..."
"Don't listen to his bullshit. With the wolf king there, there's no danger at all." Someone beside him also reassured Shi Yu.
"Just kidding, just kidding. We're done moving ours. Need a hand?" the first person asked again.
Shi Yu looked at the two of them, sorry that he had absolutely no memory of them. He could only reply with an awkward but polite smile, "Thanks, but no need. I'm almost done too."
After that, the three of them didn't continue chatting. They all still had work to do, after all.
After they left, Shi Yu remembered that, because of his personality resulting from what had happened to his family, his predecessor had liked being alone and disliked interacting with people. As a result, he hadn't made friends right away in his new workplace or joined any of the different little circles. He had always kept to himself, so his social connections were sorely lacking.
No wonder, even though they were fellow interns, he barely remembered the others and hadn't even memorized their names... He did remember quite a bit about the pet beasts at the breeding base, though.
Shi Yu shook his head. For now, there was nothing wrong with that, so he would leave things as they were. Still, autism with a Telepathy talent-he was really something...
In any case, the immediate priority was to slowly familiarize himself with this world. Socializing and the like could wait.
After finally spending some time loading a vehicle with meat feed, Shi Yu started the transport vehicle and went alone to an area of snowy mountains, the Snow Wolves' habitat.
After reaching his destination, he parked, got out, and started moving the meat, quickly getting to work.
During the process, afterimages flashed across the white mountainside in the distance, and dozens of giant wolves appeared.
"Awoo!!!~~~~"
"Awoo!!!~~~~"
Sounds that made his heart tremble rang out. Amid the howls, the snow-white giant wolves on the mountain ran toward him. They were fast at first, but gradually slowed to a walk.
Even walking, though, they were immensely intimidating.
"Awoo!!!~~~~"
Each giant wolf was two meters long and nearly one meter tall, and well developed. It was hard to imagine that these were merely "cubs."
They had long white fur all over, while their tails, backs, and limbs were covered in thick ice-blue fur.
As they approached, the giant wolves fixed their blue eyes on Shi Yu, their fangs bared and cold air spreading from their mouths.
[Name]: Snow Wolf [Attribute]: Ice [Racial level]: High-Level Transcendent [Racial skills]: Ice Shatter Fang, Ice Crack Claw, Snow Concealment, Frost Breath [Introduction]: A beast-type transcendent creature that evolved in snowy mountain regions. Its frozen fangs and claws can easily tear steel apart, and it excels at concealing itself and hunting in snowy, windy weather.
Shi Yu had a good store of knowledge, and the details of this pet beast immediately surfaced in his mind. Attribute represented the category of its abilities, while racial level represented a transcendent creature's growth potential, divided into low, middle, and high levels. As for skills, they were a transcendent creature's signature abilities and what Shi Yu intended to secretly learn...
"Awoo!!!~~~~"
"Awoo!!!~~~~"
At this moment, the giant wolves stared at Shi Yu with drool dripping from their mouths and their eyes shining.
I really can understand them.
As for Shi Yu, who was being watched by the pack of Snow Wolves, he found it all quite novel.
Although he didn't have to think to know that the wolves were hungry and wanted to dig in, Shi Yu really had heard them say it.
The feeling of knowing what they were saying... was both reassuring and a pain in the ass.
It was reassuring because it felt like they were on the same wavelength, and a pain in the ass because one wolf had said it wanted to have a taste of him.
Damn it...
What kind of crappy job is this?
Did I come here to be a breeder or an emergency food supply?
"Where's the wolf king?"
Shi Yu tried not to pay attention to their trash talk and looked farther into the distance, searching for the big thigh he could rely on.
"Grrwooo!!!~~~~"
After the Snow Wolves arrived, they all stood obediently in a row, not daring to act rashly. It wasn't because they were afraid of frightening Shi Yu, nor because they were polite, but because their boss hadn't come over yet.
A more intimidating roar rang out, and the pack parted to make way. A much larger Snow Wolf walked through, over three meters long and at least 1.6 or 1.7 meters tall.
"Grrwooo!!!~~~~"
The Snow Wolf pack's king slowly emerged, its gaze fixed on Shi Yu.
The other Snow Wolves all looked at their king with fear and respect.
Snow Wolves were an extremely social transcendent species, and the wolf king commanded supreme authority.
Some wolf kings could even awaken an Intimidation skill that created a sense of pressure, using it to lead their packs.
This wasn't a basic racial skill of the Snow Wolves, but an advanced ability that could only be awakened later under extremely demanding conditions.
Under that intimidating presence, the Snow Wolves were all exceptionally well behaved and orderly, not daring to act rashly.
Clearly, the reason trainee breeders like Shi Yu could safely come and feed these Snow Wolves wasn't their ability to communicate through Telepathy, but the wolf king's intimidating presence.
This Snow Wolf king was the pet beast of a Beast Tamer at the breeding base, responsible for helping manage the pack.
Now, Shi Yu wondered whether the Snow Wolf king's owner was secretly watching from somewhere on the scene, grading his performance...
However, that person held a very high position throughout the breeding base, and this wolf king was only one of the pet beasts they left to roam freely. Surely they wouldn't be bored enough to pay attention to a bunch of interns like them.
Could this wolf be the one grading me? Shi Yu's expression turned strange.
Next, the Snow Wolf king walked indifferently toward him, step by step, until it reached his side.
Shi Yu felt a jolt of nervousness and looked at the majestic giant wolf with an unusual gaze.
The pressure this wolf king gave him was on a completely different level from that of the ordinary Snow Wolves.
A single glance from it, and the intimidating presence it revealed was enough to make Shi Yu's heart pound.
The wolf king was also looking at Shi Yu. It didn't eat right away. Instead, with cold air swirling around its body, it continued approaching him.
Then it brushed past Shi Yu, touching him with its head.
As was customary, the wolf king would leave its scent on trainee breeders, imbuing them with its own unique intimidating presence. That way, the Snow Wolves would behave much better while being fed.
Feeling the chill at his side, Shi Yu understood that he had been marked by the wolf king.
So that's how it leaves its scent?
Not bad. Much more civilized than marking me with urine.
As Shi Yu reflected on this, his Skill Index suddenly took effect.
The wolf king had subconsciously released its Intimidation just now, and it had also come into contact with Shi Yu...
The extremely dramatic and smooth process left Shi Yu bewildered for a moment. He had been wondering how to find a chance to copy a Snow Wolf's skill, yet it had turned out to be that easy?
And it was even the wolf king's advanced skill.
The index opened to its first page, with an image of the Snow Wolf king at the top.
Below it was a block of text.
[Skill]: Intimidation [Skill level]: Advanced [Introduction]: A mental-type skill that can use presence to intimidate, overawe, and command. It can also cause creatures much weaker than the user to faint. It is a symbol of possessing the "qualifications of a king." [Status]: No suitable recipient for teaching at present