Chapter 32 – New Pet?

It was like that person was not afraid of Su Mo breaking his promise. Su Mo looked back a few times, and each time, that person was still on his horse where he had been originally, looking like a statue.

Looking at his resolute figure, Su Mo thought of a certain phrase, "I'm going out to buy some cigarettes; I'll be back soon."

After getting back to Partridge Camp, the relaxed-looking old Beast Tamer immediately stood up when he saw Su Mo. He then sat down again in a dignified manner as if he thought that he had looked too eager.

Su Mo took out the sealing scroll and gave it to the old Beast Tamer.

He thought that he would see a touching moment of the owner and pet hugging and crying, but after the big snake appeared, she sent her owner flying with a Tail Whip.

The old Beast Tamer furiously glared at her and took out a sharp knife, looking as if he was going to have a snake banquet tonight. However, after the two of them faced off for a moment, he suddenly sighed and waved his hand, putting Green Kingsnake Marsha away.

"I've incurred your ridicule. When I'm angry, I really want to kill her, but I just can't do it," the old Beast Tamer said after he calmed himself down.

"Err, your pet has quite the personality." 

What else could Su Mo say?

"I'm getting old, and it has been almost five years since I've let her out, so she ran away. It was my fault. She once went exploring with me everywhere, and we had wonderful and exciting days."

"You can let her out to play when there isn't much going on." Just as Su Mo had expected, there was a reason for the pet running away.

Well done, Marsha!

"I run this camp and receive travelers and mercenaries, while Marsha is a poisonous snake; if I let her out, things will be quite difficult." 

Old Beast Tamer Partridge sighed and said, "But what you said is right. As long as I say so, there won't be a problem. I think it's my fault—perhaps when I see Marsha, I'll think back to when I was young and strong, which is something that my aging self doesn't want to face."

"No one can stop time; I think you should treasure every second and minute," Su Mo said comfortingly.

"Thank you for bringing her back. In actuality, I regretted giving that bounty at the start. Luckily, no one found Marsha. Here's your reward as my thanks."Old Beast Tamer Partridge took out a scroll and gave it to Su Mo.

"Thank you." After getting the Taming Scroll, Su Mo felt incredibly pleased.

Now, he had a pet slot and a Taming Scroll. Everything was ready, and he now only needed to find a suitable pet and beat it up so he could tame it.

"What kind of pet are you looking to tame? I'll give you some pointers as thanks." 

The Old Tamer laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "Even though I haven't accomplished much, I've been to many places. Don't look down on me just because Marsha's only Level 20."

This was not the case—Su Mo knew the outcome of a pet running away in New World.

After running away, a pet's level would fall until it was the same as when it had first been tamed. This meant that the old Beast Tamer had tamed Marsha when he was quite young, when she was only Level 20.

"I want to tame a meat shield-type pet; I need someone to tank damage for me when fighting," Su Mo said.

"A punching bag pet costs a lot of money to raise," the old Beast Tamer said.

"I've prepared myself."

Su Mo understood everything that the old Beast Tamer was saying. When pets tanked damage, apart from losing HP and stamina, they would also lose Loyalty. As such, they had to provide pets with food that they liked to eat. This was not a big deal once or twice, but long-term, it was a large figure.

"Since you're so determined, have you decided on a type yet? If you get one and feel it's not suitable, even though the pet slot won't disappear, you'll have to get another Taming Scroll if you want to change pets."

"I understand. I'm preparing to pick a bear, tortoise, or orangutan." Su Mo had already done his research.

"They're all high HP high Defense pets." 

The old Beast Tamer nodded in satisfaction before saying, "However, they all have their own weaknesses. Bears can't stably draw aggro, tortoises are slow, and orangutans don't have enough Magic Defense, so I advise you not to choose any of them. I know of a pet that is called a divine beast, and as an extra reward, I'll give you information on it."

"Eh, does it not have any weaknesses?"

"Well, it does, just that they are not as severe," the old Beast Tamer said as he sank into his memories.

This was from many years ago, when the old Beast Tamer was not as old but already had plans to retire. During a battle, he had encountered a pet that only existed in ancient legends.

The Iron Eater!

It had high Defense, and whether it was Physical Defense, Magic Defense, or other resistances, it was almost at the same level as tortoise-type pets, and it was more holistic than tortoises.

Its Attack was also decent. Even though it could not compare to Attack-type pets, it was better than most Defense-type pets.

As for Movement Speed, it looked like it would not be much faster than the slow tortoises, but the old Beast Tamer soon found that just like the ancient records, this thing could move like black and white lightning.

The only problem was that it was quite lazy, and if one wanted to put them to work, they had to give them good food and drink.

If their Loyalty was below Faithful, one would only be able to watch it fight in slow-motion.

However, once its Loyalty reached Unwavering, its speed became abnormal and could even rival tigers and wolves.

Its ability to stably draw aggro was also one of its special traits. In the Hunter legends, Iron Eaters were the king of tanks, and were the ultimate dream for most Hunters.

It was a pity that these creatures did not breed much and were gradually forgotten in the river of history.

"Did you catch it back then? Let it out and show me." Su Mo felt quite excited. He was not an NPC and naturally did not know the legends surrounding the Iron Eater.

"I couldn't." 

The old Beast Tamer shook his head and said, "If it was a few decades earlier, I would have risked everything to tame it. However, I didn't have my strength or courage anymore; what would be the point in taming it?"

"Where can I find this Iron Eater?" Hearing the old Beast Tamer say this, Su Mo became resolved to tame an Iron Eater.

"The Twilight Forest. Take out your map and I'll show you the rough location. I hope their race has survived."

The old Beast Tamer did not make things difficult for Su Mo and drew out where he had encountered the Iron Eater. He was not sure if these Iron Eaters still existed; after all, so many years had passed.

"If you can't find one, don't force it, just tame a tortoise to tank. Over my decades of exploring, whenever I needed a tank, I always used a tortoise."

"Don't worry, I won't obsess over it too much." Su Mo understood this.

"Also, one Taming Scroll might not be enough. I have two more, but you should understand that I can't just give them to you. According to the market rate, one scroll is 300 gold, so I'll sell them to you for 550 gold coins. Do you want them?"

Pshaw, so he just wanted to sell him things.