"Access is open already? Wasn't it said that ruins and Secret Realms like this are full of treasure, and that everything you find is yours to keep?"
"Heh, no wonder that woman surnamed Lu said I might get in even without an Eleven Bureau identity. This doesn't look like they're handing out treasure at all. It looks more like they're recruiting cannon fodder."
"There might not even be any treasure inside. Maybe there are only monsters."
Shi Yu keenly sensed that something was off.
To gain access, he still had to pass the wilderness combat training organized by the association. So entrants needed a certain amount of practical combat ability?
What would happen if they didn't have any practical combat ability... Did that even need saying? They'd probably die in the ruins.
"That's a biiig trap."
Just as Shi Yu was looking for more information about the Secret Realm ruins, a "Grrrgle~" suddenly came from beside him.
"Rrrr-"
Eleven staggered over, woozy and swaying from side to side, and asked when it was time to eat.
Meanwhile, the Green Silkworm lay limp in its birdcage like a spent worm. It really didn't have a single strand of Worm Silk left!
"We've got a feast today. Don't rush, I'll go make it right now."
Shi Yu checked the time. Good grief, it was already that late.
When he meditated, every day felt like a year and time crawled by. Yet he'd only been on his phone for a little while, and it was already almost dark.
If a phone could evolve into a mechanical life-form, it would probably awaken a racial skill for controlling time... like Shaniu.
Eleven wasn't the only one who was hungry. Once Shi Yu realized it, he felt a little hungry too, so he hurried off to prepare their food.
A little while later.
Eleven's Iron Bamboo stalks, bamboo shoots and leaves, and ironheart wood.
Shi Yu's stir-fried flatbread with cabbage and tomato-and-egg soup.
The Green Silkworm's vegetable leaves.
The three of them each took their food and began eating.
As they ate, Shi Yu asked Eleven, "Interested in some wilderness combat training?"
Ever since returning from the battle venue last time, Shi Yu had been thinking about taking part in wilderness combat training.
Of the things he currently had access to, this was probably the only one that could put pressure on Eleven.
Although it was wilderness combat training, their safety was reasonably well assured throughout. After all, the Beast Tamer Association had organized it for the local apprentice Beast Tamers.
If Shi Yu were to enter the Secret Realm ruins to explore right now, he was honestly still a little scared. After all, he didn't even know what it was like inside.
But if it was this wilderness combat training, taking part and having a look didn't seem like a problem.
For one thing, he and Eleven could continue honing their practical combat abilities. For another, he could use the opportunity to see what connection this training assessment had to the Secret Realm ruins.
"Roar!!!"
Eleven raised both arms high. Charge! Charge! Charge!
Its eyes shone as it declared that of course it wanted to participate.
If all that hard training wasn't meant to show its results, it would be meaningless.
That Ice Armor Beast and that group of Earth-Burrowing Rats simply couldn't let it show the full results of its training.
The only one that had put it under some pressure was the Wind Demon Lion, but Eleven had some sense of its own limits and knew it definitely couldn't beat it.
The Wind Demon Lion was at least Commander Level. The pressure a Commander Level creature exuded was still very strong for a growing cub like Eleven.
The pressure a Monarch Level creature exuded could even instantly kill low-level creatures.
Once a pet beast's growth level reached Monarch Level, it could awaken the ability of Intimidation on its own.
That was also why the Intimidation skill Shi Yu had copied was said to grant the "qualifications of a king" once mastered.
Mastering a Monarch Level special ability ahead of time meant having the "qualifications of a king."
"Then let's take part together and see."
Shi Yu nodded, then looked at the Green Silkworm in its birdcage. "You're coming too."
"Chirp??"
The Green Silkworm, called out by name, looked bewildered and innocent.
"As far as I know, um, from what I found on my phone, the assessment scores for wilderness combat training are basically based on what creatures you defeat or what rare resources you gather."
"Fighting is naturally Eleven's job, but when it comes to gathering things, your Worm Silk can get twice the result with half the effort." Shi Yu smiled.
He couldn't be bothered to pick plants growing on sheer cliffs, for instance. Leaving those to the Green Silkworm would be easiest. And for resources guarded by groups of creatures, stealing them would definitely be more efficient than fighting.
"Chirp!" The Green Silkworm buried its head in what it considered its "last supper."
The next day.
Lu Qingyi came again.
She brought the identification that showed Shi Yu was a reserve member of the Eleven Bureau.
She also handed Shi Yu the bank card with the ten million in savings he'd been thinking about. As for the Bamboo Stone Dojo's letter of recommendation, it was nothing compared to the first two.
"With this identification, you have permission to explore the vast majority of ruins directly. For example, you can enter the Ping City ruins directly with it."
"And the Ice Dragon Ruins on the snowy mountain... but I suggest you wait until you have professional-level strength before exploring the mountain. Otherwise, even in cold-weather clothing, your constitution definitely won't be able to withstand that temperature."
"Can I get a bodyguard?" Shi Yu asked.
"You can apply for a bodyguard at the Ice Dragon Ruins on the snowy mountain, but probably not for the one you caused to descend. Like I said before, these ruins are rather special, so unfortunately, no." Lu Qingyi smiled.
Shi Yu's eyelid twitched. "So what exactly is going on inside these ruins? You might as well just tell me."
The big stone statue that had cracked was still waiting for him to uncover the truth, but if it was too dangerous, he could only say he'd definitely do it next time.
"There's no harm in telling you beforehand."
"The space of a Secret Realm ruin used to be a Beast Tamer's Beast Taming Space. You know that, right?"
Shi Yu nodded.
"First, the space in these ruins is very unstable. According to tests, only apprentice Beast Tamers can enter normally. If a Beast Tamer's level is too high, their Beast Taming Space will undergo a spatial repulsion reaction with the ruins' space when they enter."
"Of course, we could force our way in, but that could easily cause the space to collapse. The loss wouldn't be worth the gain, since the ruins themselves are the most precious thing."
"I figured. Otherwise, the Ping City association wouldn't be preparing to grant so many apprentice Beast Tamers access to such important ruins," Shi Yu said.
"Next, these are challenge-type ruins. That Beast Tamer probably modified them later to train the new generation of Beast Tamers in their tribe."
"After entering, Beast Tamers arrive at separate environments at random. No one can meet anyone else. Elemental creature clones appear within each environment, and only by defeating them can one enter the next environment."
"It's rather like a series of challenge stages. Some Beast Tamers from the Ping City Beast Taming Corps have already entered to explore, but as for their results..." Lu Qingyi shook her head.
Ping City's apprentice Beast Tamers were still too weak. Even though no Transcendent Level creatures had appeared in the ruins so far, no one had managed to clear all the stages.
Apprentice Beast Tamers from some of the big cities could certainly uncover the ruins' secrets faster.
But the ruins had appeared in Pingcheng District, after all, so Ping City naturally had priority in exploring them, followed by Icefield City's other districts and counties. Only if they still couldn't solve the mystery would multiple cities develop them together.
"Is it dangerous inside?" Shi Yu asked the question he cared about most.
"According to those who came out, those elemental creatures' primary goal is only to defeat their opponents, not kill them. But if a challenger is too weak, there's still danger."
"Wait a moment. I'll give you a website and an invitation code. You can use your ten million in starting funds to buy cultivation resources there at a discount."
"Make good use of these ruins and the ten million, then study at the Bamboo Stone Dojo for a while. I believe you can become a professional-level Beast Tamer very soon."
"In any case, don't focus on the Ice Dragon Ruins for now. Make these ruins your primary object of investigation first."
Shi Yu said, "It still sounds a little dangerous... My Iron-Eating Beast is only level five. Even the Beast Tamers in the corps who are skilled in practical combat couldn't beat them, so it'd be pointless for me to go."
"If you want to investigate the truth of Icefield City's history, you don't necessarily have to clear every stage. There should be clues in each separate environment, and your Listening Talent should be very useful then," Lu Qingyi said. "These ruins appeared because of you, after all. Of course... you should still have the basic strength to protect yourself."
"Go to the Bamboo Stone Dojo with your Iron-Eating Beast and learn two new skills. That should be about enough. Having only Hardening is still too much of a stretch."
"All right." Shi Yu nodded.
He'd keep developing for a while, then.
He didn't plan to enter directly as a member of the Eleven Bureau. There was no benefit to it, and it would only draw more pointless attention.
As expected... he should take part in the training assessment organized by the Beast Tamer Association first. Entering through that route would put him more at ease.
The passing standard for the assessment should indicate whether someone could survive safely inside the ruins.
If his own results couldn't even meet a satisfactory standard in that assessment, he shouldn't go to the ruins at all. Staying alive mattered more.
Shi Yu gradually worked out a plan for himself, then quickly realized something was wrong. Damn it, hadn't he agreed not to touch ruins in this life? What was with this sense of anticipation and excitement...