Chapter 14 - Dream Space

Edward looked out at the farm with a smile as he sipped a cup of coffee-like drink. The aroma of freshly brewed beans tingled his nose, giving him a sense of extreme satisfaction. "I'm finally getting used to living here." It had been five days since Edward had transmigrated, and he was finally comfortable with his new surroundings.

The peace and quiet of the farm was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the city from his past world. His days were mostly spent cultivating and reading all the books that he had gathered.

He had already finished the book about spells and specializations and learned many wonderful things. Not only could the Beast Tamer learn many spells that helped them in raising and training pets, but they could also master elemental spells, which were extremely useful in combat.

Each time a Beast Tamer broke through a level, they would open up a few spell slots. A tamer at the Iron Level only had three spell slots, with two more added for every level following it.

There were two types of specializations: Combat Master and Master Trainer. The Combat Master specialization was divided into three types: Enhancers, Tamers who choose spells that can boost and strengthen their pets; Armsbearer, Tamers who specialize in battling side by side with their pets and are generally equipped with spiritual treasures that allow them to bridge the physical gap between them and monsters; Spellslinger, Tamers who master long-ranged spells and generally stay away from the front lines, raining down spells on their enemies.

On the other hand, Master Trainers were the tamers focused on raising, breeding, and training monsters. Monster Breeders were the tamers tasked with mass breeding some type of very useful monster. Those monsters were generally raised to provide services to the cities, like the Flowing Stream Sprite, which was used to generate the water that cities used, or the Glutton Smile which was responsible for eating all the waste of a city.

There is also a second specialization for Breeders, the Monster's Evolutionist. A tamer who focused on researching the potential evolutions of a bloodline. This type of specialization wasn't too common, as it required a good amount of knowledge and resources to pursue. However, those who managed to become Evolutionists were highly respected among the tamer community, especially those who were successful in their careers.

Monster Raisers, more commonly referred to as Monster Ranchers, were the tamers who focused on raising creatures. However, unlike the breeders, they focused on the quality of the monster, always striving to give them the best foundation for growth through careful and planned feeding diets, stable environments, and extensive training.

The last of the specializations, Monster Trainer, was one of the most popular, although it was second only to the Evolutionist in terms of difficulty. A Monster Trainer was a tamer who specialized in teaching creatures how to fight. This could be through combat classes, enlightening them in terms of spiritual energy manipulation, or even teaching them skills.

To have the title of Combat Master, a tamer would need to reach the Platinum Rank and then challenge three tamers of a similar level. However, to be awarded the title of Master Trainer, a tamer would need to reach the Master Rank in two of the three training specializations.

Of the two types of specializations, Edward was more interested in those focused on training. A Battle Master's life appeared to be very tough and competitive, whereas a Master Trainer's life appeared to be more meaningful and rewarding.

Another reason Edward was drawn to the Master Trainer specialization was that it reminded him of his past life. He had always enjoyed being around animals, from caring for and raising them to simply observing them.

"Well, I think I could already be considered a Monster Rancher," Edward said as he appreciated his drink while observing Whitey playing with his siblings. "Hey! Don't bully them so much!" He couldn't help but laugh as he watched Whitey terrorize all the other rabbits.

Since his evolution, Whitey, who was previously the weakest member of the herd, had become a terrifying monster in the eyes of the other rabbits. Even when they all banded together, they still couldn't stand up to him.

After finishing his morning coffee, Edward went to his favorite cultivation spot, the backyard of the house where the two mysterious cherry trees were located. Not only did this place have the best density of Spiritual Energy, but it was also the calmest spot on the entire farm.

Whitey noticed that Edward had gone to cultivate and followed him, as he always did. In the past few days, the two of them had spent most of their time under the cherry trees, always cultivating diligently.

Edward cultivated without stopping until noon. The high spiritual density of the area, coupled with the spirit stones that he had brought, made him progress extremely fast. After each cultivation session, he could feel his spiritual sea expanding.

-"I'm getting stronger by the day, but there is still much distance for me to reach the Bronze Rank," Edward said, laying down on the grass and closing his eyes as he felt the cool breeze blowing on him. "Maybe I should take a nap before making lunch."

Cultivating always invigorated him, but the hours of silent meditation also caused him to feel quite sleepy, so he decided to take a short nap under the cherry trees. As he drifted off to sleep, the leaves of the two cherry trees suddenly began to tremble, and puffs of mist flowed out of them onto Edward's body.

Whitey swiftly rose and stared at the wisps of fog, baring his fangs towards it, but there was little to nothing that he could do. He tried to strike the fog once or twice, but no matter how much he tried to block the mist, it still continued to pour into Edward's body.

Edward was in deep sleep when he felt a strange light surrounding him and a warm energy flowing through his body. He opened his eyes to find himself in an open field surrounded by dense fog, and as he looked around, he realized that he was no longer under the cherry trees but in a completely different place.

"What the hell happened?" Edward rubbed his eyes, thinking that he was seeing things. "Wasn't I sleeping?" Edward paced around the strange place, trying to find clues to what happened to him.

He first went to check the wall of fog, as this was enough proof that his situation had something to do with the mysterious fog on the farm.

As Edward approached the wall of fog, an invisible force blocked his path, making it impossible for him to enter or touch the fog. After circling the open field, he became completely lost as to what to do. Outside the wall of fog, only grass existed in this strange world.

"Ugh, what should I do?" Edward finally gave up and lay down on the grass. There was nothing he could do other than wait to see if anything changed in his surroundings.

Outside the dream world, Whitey stared at the sleeping Edward. It had only been fifteen minutes, but there were still no signs of him waking up. "Edward…" Whitey tried to communicate through their bond, but his plea fell on deaf ears.

Realizing he needed a different approach, Whitey tried to wake Edward by hitting him on the head with his paws. At first, the hits were soft and weak, but they grew stronger as it became clear that Edward wouldn't wake up with just this.

"Sorry…" Whitey's face twitched as he approached Edward's arm and fiercely bit down.

Meanwhile, Edward stared at the sky, completely unaware of Whitey's attempts to wake him up. All that was left for him to do in the strange space was to stare at the sky and mutter to himself.

"I've slept so many times on the farm, but nothing ever happened." Edward looked around and finally realized what brought him to this strange space. "The cherry trees! It must be them!" However, just as he was about to stand up, a sudden burst of pain shot through his right arm, causing his vision to black out completely.