Chapter 23: A Little Shock Will Do

Half an hour later, the novice Beast Masters who signed the safety commitment followed the leadership of the Beast Control Army into the vicinity of Taize Lake, while many more Beast Masters returned, deflated.

"I'm really envious of these novices. I heard that this Secret Realm Tower is a trial type. Even if they only clear one level, they can still gain a lot of resources."

"Pfft, if you want to, become a novice Beast Master and see if the instructor will beat you to death. If you survive, you can go."

The instructor turned his head and gave a harsh glare at a few soldiers, saying, "Stop fooling around. Go to your positions. We don't want any casualties."

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers immediately donned serious faces. After all the novice Beast Masters entered the area around Taize Lake, they quietly trailed behind them.

Although the instructor's previous speech was meant to scare people, this training was indeed somewhat different from usual. Their orders were to secretly protect these novices unless absolutely necessary; they couldn't provide aid.

However, the novice Beast Masters inside wouldn't know what was going on.

…

Taize Lakeside.

The novice Beast Masters dispersed as soon as they entered the area around Taize Lake.

This time, their training concerned reservations for the Secret Realm Tower, no one wanted to waste time.

"Bai Qi, should we team up? We could look out for each other."

Gao Cheng's pet beast had already reached its first stage. Although it hadn't yet passed the Beast Master's professional assessment, handling this type of training was rather easy. As such, he didn't mind taking Bai Qi along.

"Thank you, but I'd rather try it on my own."

Bai Qi declined Gao Cheng's kind gesture. Points were important, but hunting beasts was just as crucial, moving together with Gao Cheng would certainly be inconvenient.

"Then be careful. Try to complete the mission as early as possible."

Despite being rejected by Bai Qi, Gao Cheng didn't mind. He summoned his Fire Armor Scorpion to advance deeper into the Lake region.

Although the training said that accumulating enough points was considered passing, there must have been a ranking, which might directly affect the order of entering the Secret Realm Tower.

After Gao Cheng left, Bai Qi quickly identified his own target.

[Name]: Crystal Alligator

[Race]: Crystal Clan

[Growth Level]: Zero Stage Eight Level

[Bloodline Level]: Mid-Level Elite

[Race Skills]: Crystallization, Bite, Rush

[Introduction]: Hiding in the lake, it launches sneak attacks on its enemies.

[Points]: 200

The Crystal Alligator might only be two levels higher than the Ice Ghost, but their points differ by a full 800. However, when compared to creatures like squirrels, who only bring in thirty or forty points, this monster was a jackpot.

However, Bai Qi chose the Crystal Alligator not because of its points, but because of its attribute.

The most common beasts in Gusu City were from the Wolf species and Ice clan. Although there was a recent trend for undead, it still couldn't shake the position of these two clans in Gusu City.

Finding a monster like the Crystal Alligator, which had a unique attribute, was a rare opportunity for Bai Qi.

"Let's go, let's go. Time to get into hunting."

After confirming his target, Bai Qi summoned Alpha, striding towards the Crystal Alligator's location. The reluctant Husky had no choice but to follow obediently.

As an important method of transportation and biological radar, Bai Qi wasn't going to leave it behind.

"Alpha, keep an eye on our surroundings. If any ferocious beasts show up, strike first," said Bai Qi.

This was his first time participating in a trial. Even though the hovering mechanical eye above him suggested there was someone looking out for him, he couldn't help but worry.

He had just activated his Golden Finger (a special ability or advantage). If he died now, it would be a huge loss.

He who strikes first, wins; he who strikes last, suffers.

Bai Qi understood this principle well.

...

At the lake.

The map in the points manual was very detailed, so Bai Qi and Alpha did not take long to arrive at the lake.

Along the way, they encountered several creatures. Bai Qi even ran into some of Alpha's kind, but most were not worth many points. Some were even worth none at all, and Alpha easily took care of them.

Bai Qi initially wanted to collect them all by abiding by the principle of waste not, want not, but after seeing the resentment in the husky's eyes, he chose to let it go.

Even though the mechanical limbs had almost entirely fused with the husky's flesh, it was still, after all, a disabled dog and overexploiting its labor seemed unethical.

"Found it!" Bai Qi exclaimed.

As they cautiously moved along the lakeshore, they spotted an enormous Crystal Alligator basking in the sun with its mouth wide open. The crystal clusters on its back shone with a rainbow of colors in the sunlight.

Roar!

The Crystal Alligator was highly alert. As soon as Bai Qi and his company approached, it detected them, let out a ferocious roar, and its aggressive eyes fixated on the unexpected enemies.

However, after a closer look, the Crystal Alligator seemed less interested.

It had thought that food had delivered itself, but instead, it found a pile of bones, which was quite boring.

But the dog and the human behind seemed to taste well.

Drool began to drip from the Crystal Alligator's mouth, and its short limbs started flapping at an astonishing rate, rapidly charging towards Bai Qi.

Rapid Charge!

Although the Crystal Alligator was bulky and normally moved slowly, it could dramatically increase its speed by using this special ability. Enemies usually didn't have time to react.

"Alpha, its body is extremely hard. Aim for its eyes!" Bai Qi quickly advised Alpha through their bond as he moved away.

The husky was even quicker to react, finding a large rock to hide behind.

Given the terrific size of the Crystal Alligator, its small eyes were practically insignificant, targeting them was a formidable challenge. And a careless move could lead to severe injury given the enormous force it carried while charging.

If this had happened earlier, Alpha might be running around aimlessly to deplete the Crystal Alligator's energy. But now...

Alpha swung the two Bone Daggers in its hands, the bones all over its body shining with a metallic luster. The Fire of Soul in its eyes flickered continuously, and it closely observed the oncoming Crystal Alligator.

In Alpha's perception, the Crystal Alligator's speed was comparable to a crawling turtle. It didn't move to dodge until the charging creature was almost upon it. Then it dexterously sidestepped and struck a dagger at its eyes.

Feeling a threat, the Crystal Alligator instinctively used its defensive skill, Crystallization. A transparent crystal spread out from the crystal cluster on its back, intending to envelop its whole body.

But Alpha was too fast. Before the crystal could reach its eyes, the dagger had already punctured one.

Having practised on the steel training dummy for so long, and with all the knowledge gathered from countless movies, Alpha's movements became more purposeful, and it finally managed to exploit its speed advantage.

The intense pain caused the Crystal Alligator to cry out in anguish and it opened its giant mouth, ready to snap at Alpha.

The Bone Daggers were relatively short, and Alpha wasn't able to hit the Crystal alligator's vital spot.

Just then, a stream of fine electricity suddenly erupted from Alpha's palm. It flowed through the metallic Bone Dagger and into the Crystal Alligator's body. The creature stiffened and stopped moving.

The strong current had forcibly destroyed the Crystal Alligator's brain.