Chapter 20: Smack Your Way to Skill Mastery

After an extended search online, Asher still didn't find the answer he wanted.

The answers he came across were a chaotic mix of ideas.

Basically, they all suggested the same thing: only high-ranking Beast Masters have a Spirit Space where pets can enter and exit at will.

And the reason?

No one really knew.

After all, how many real high-level Beast Masters would waste time answering this kind of question online?

"Guess I'll have to look for a proper book on this…"

Realizing how unreliable online answers could be, Asher opted for more professional sources.

But…

When it came to the Spirit Space and pet space, most of the content was highly specialized and buried in academic textbooks.

For now, he could only jot down the mystery and make a mental note not to reveal it around others.

"Keeping a low profile is always wise," he said with a sage-like nod.

What? His future was destined to be stormy? Well, he'd worry about that when the storm hit.

———

Life at the pet service center was pretty relaxed. Asher spent his days basking Little Raven in sunlight and getting it familiar with its newly learned skill.

Three days breezed by.

Then another three days.

When he received a message from June, Asher couldn't help but laugh out loud.

[June: ...Ugh! For two days in a row, I've reached the training site only to find Little Fire Fox nowhere in sight. Give me three more days. This time, I swear it'll master a new skill.]

[Asher: Sure.]

'As long as Miss Heiress is happy, that is all that matters.'

Asher kept the rest to himself, but he figured she was probably enjoying herself.

After all, how many Beast Masters get to experience the thrill of outwitting their own pet?

From what Asher had gathered so far, every time June tried training with Little Fire Fox, it either got itself hurt or suddenly felt unwell.

The first few times, June had been downright panicked, almost ready to hire an in-house vet.

Until she caught Little Fire Fox, who was suffering from heatstroke, secretly munching on a can of stolen meat.

Caught red-pawed, Little Fire Fox could only muster a helpless "Yip yip awooo~," hoping its cuteness would save it.

But after being duped three times in a row—and ghosted by Asher three times too—June decided enough was enough.

Training was non-negotiable.

With a determined June on one side and a lazy Little Fire Fox on the other, their battles of will were officially on.

Every few days, Asher got a front-row seat to this entertaining drama.

'Life is pretty sweet.'

"Hm… This time, it looks like Miss Heiress is serious. I'd bet she's about to make some real progress over the next three days." Asher chuckled, fairly confident.

Learning a new skill wasn't impossible for a pet, but it wasn't easy either.

Patience, perseverance, endurance, and talent—it took a bit of everything.

But the thing about progress was, the lower the starting point, the quicker the improvement.

Learning skills worked the same way for pets. If they only knew a few, there were plenty of common skills for them to pick up.

Adding these past few days together, it'd been nearly two weeks since training started.

Even Little Raven had fully mastered [Heart of Protection] by now.

[Heart of Protection: Forms a circular, transparent shield around the user, lasting 45 seconds. Provides immunity to all damage (with reduced effect from counter elements).]

'It is a reliable defensive skill.'

'Although Little Raven now have a basic survival skill, it still lacks offensive power.'

Asher glanced at Fairy Butterfly's recognition score, 'still a measly 30 points.'

He almost wanted to message Professor Iris and ask when they planned to make things official.

He really needed access to Fairy Butterfly's skills.

He wasn't asking for much.

Just the special skill [Blinding Flash] to dazzle opponents and disrupt their focus.

Fairy Butterfly: One of the hardest skills in the book? You're welcome to try.

'Ahem.'

With Fairy Butterfly's skills still out of reach and Little Fire Fox needing more time, Asher considered taking advantage of an upcoming day off. Maybe he'd bring Little Raven to the Beast Master Training Center for a few rounds.

Facing real opponents might even inspire Little Raven to pick up a new skill.

Lost in thought, Asher suddenly felt a tiny, sharp jab on his cheek.

Looking down, he found Little Raven gently poking his face with its yellow beak.

Noticing Asher's attention, Little Raven paused mid-peck.

Asher could almost see the guilty glint in its black, beady eyes.

He smiled internally but kept a stern expression on his face, trying to look as serious as he could.

Little Raven froze even more.

Its head bobbed a little, like it was debating whether to peck him again or not.

Finally, Asher couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

Little Raven's eyes widened in shock.

'How dare he. Deceiving a poor bird like me.'

Outraged, Little Raven resumed its pecking with full force.

"Hahaha!" Asher chuckled, reaching to pat the tuft of feathers on Little Raven's head. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. You must be hungry, huh? Let's get you something to eat."

Hearing this, Little Raven paused its woodpecker impression.

Asher reached into his pocket, rummaging around… and his face took on a guilty expression.

"Ah… I was in a rush this morning and totally forgot to bring your food."

He looked Little Raven in the eye, an expression of sincere regret on his face.

Little Raven just stared back, like it was trying to see if he was telling the truth.

"I'm serious, no joke. I forgot this time." Asher raised his hand, offering a small bag of bread. "Look, all I have is this bread. How about a few bites to hold you over? I'll grab your food as soon as I'm off work."

Seeing the bag of bread, Little Raven's frustration flared.

Peck! Peck! Peck! peck!

Transformed into an indignant woodpecker, Little Raven pecked Asher all over his face.

Mid-peck, however, both Asher and Little Raven froze.

'Wait… what just happened?'

For a split second, they both felt something click, a sudden connection that flickered and then vanished.

Not quite understanding what just occurred, Asher quickly activated his Eye of Insight to check Little Raven.

And there it was—a new skill had appeared under Little Raven's profile: [Peck Attack].

Asher: "…"

Little Raven: 0△0

Little Raven: If I say it was an accident, would you believe me?

Asher could practically read Little Raven's guilty plea in its round, panicked eyes.

Covering his face, he muttered, "What is this… An accidental crit to the teammate? Friendly Fire? Gaining new skills by assaulting me?"

"Ehehe~"

Sensing it might've gone a bit too far, Little Raven hopped onto Asher's shoulder, snuggling against him in a clumsy attempt to make peace.

'As if saying, Come on, master, let's snuggle. Don't be mad.'

What could Asher do but forgive his little bird?

Still, maybe thanks to this new skill, his face was now covered in all sorts of little red marks.

Handsome?

No, today he was a handsome guy with random blotches all over his face.

"Is this some sort of rite of passage for all pet owners?" Asher muttered, tearing off bits of bread to feed Little Raven as he sighed.

'Getting scratched by cats, getting pawed by dogs—those are pretty common, right?'

'If I got pecked by my bird, well, that isn't too strange.'

'And it even led to learning a new skill.'

'A mixed blessing, I suppose.'

Noticing Asher's grumbles, Little Raven gently nibbled his fingertip in what seemed like an apology.

The pecks were light, almost ticklish, making Asher laugh as he stroked the tuft on Little Raven's head.

"Nice texture," he commented. As a beast, Little Raven's feathers felt even softer than ordinary birds.

"Only thing is, your Peck Attack could use a bit more power."

With a thoughtful look, Asher rubbed his chin. "This level of attack won't get you far in a real battle… Looks like we'll need a lot more training."

Little Raven shot him a look of disdain.

'Low attack power?'

'I only held back because you are a fragile little human; otherwise, you'd be covered in bruises by now.'

Little Raven shook its head in resignation.

'Ah well...'

'What can I do? I can't just dump him as my Beast Master, can I?'

Guess it'd just have to wait for the day he'd finally see its true might.

With a proud tilt of its head, Little Raven gulped down the last bit of bread and thought, 'One day, you will learn who's boss.'

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