Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 200: Shadow Steps

Under the binding oath of its Beast Master, the Water Snail once again set off for Room 1705.

As it approached the courtyard, it carefully peeked its head around the corner of a wall.

Sure enough, the massive creatures from the morning were nowhere to be seen.

"Drip~"

Relieved, the Water Snail turned its gaze toward the nearby pond.

At the same time, Little Treasure removed his VR headset, looking rather glum.

Forced offline again...

"Xun..."

Little Treasure pouted, glancing at the sleeping Qiao Sang and Yabao.

Looks like he’ll have to find some ants to practice hypnosis on.

Being action-oriented, Little Treasure drifted right through the door, heading outside.

Floating into the courtyard, he spotted an insect-type pet beast crawling toward the pond.

His eyes lit up, suddenly feeling energized.

This was the first time he had seen an awake pet beast in the house at night.

"Xun!"

Little Treasure disappeared on the spot.

In the next second, he reappeared in front of the unfamiliar insect-type pet beast, grinning widely with a friendly smile.

"Xun!"

Hearing the voice and sensing the looming shadow above, the Water Snail’s expression turned horrified. Its eyes widened, and cold sweat broke out across its body.

After a moment, it mustered the courage to look up.

"Drip!!!"

Seeing the ghost-type pet beast in front of it, mouth open wide, the Water Snail shivered and let out an ear-piercing wail before it passed out completely.

"Xun?"

Little Treasure tilted his head in confusion.

Before he could figure out why the other had fainted, he noticed a faint white glow surrounding the insect-type pet beast.

Little Treasure was quite familiar with this light.

It was the same glow Yabao emitted when his Beast Master placed him back in the Beast Codex.

Almost instinctively, Little Treasure extended a short toe, connecting his shadow with the Water Snail's shadow.

The white light faded.

The Water Snail remained on the spot.

Outside Room 1705, the chubby security guard crouched under a palm tree, frozen in his summoning stance, every hair on his body standing on end.

What the hell?

What’s going on?!

Why can’t he summon it back?! …

Qiao Sang awoke from the feeling of suffocation.

Opening her eyes, she found Little Treasure’s big face staring right at her.

Her drowsiness vanished instantly.

"Why are you pinching my nose?" Qiao Sang sat up, rubbed her eyes, and muttered in frustration.

If she kept getting scared like this, she’d end up with a nervous breakdown.

"Xun!"

"Xun!"

Little Treasure held up the still-fainting insect-type pet beast to show his Beast Master.

Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment. Looking closer, she realized it was a pet beast she had never seen before.

"Are you saying someone sent it into our home?" Qiao Sang asked with a slight frown.

"Xun!"

Little Treasure nodded vigorously.

A sudden thought struck Qiao Sang. She quickly got out of bed, put on her shoes, turned on the light, and headed to her desk to check her bag in one swift motion.

Seeing her wallet with all her cards and a small amount of cash intact, she let out a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness… everything’s still here…

If her cards were lost, replacing them would be a minor issue, but if someone used her ID card’s photo to have a Phantom Water Baby shapeshift and impersonate her for facial recognition, that would be a real problem.

Even though current identity verification systems are more rigorous, including iris recognition, the unique abilities and skills of pet beasts make it hard to predict what methods others might use for fraud.

"Where did you find it?" Qiao Sang asked as she returned to the bed.

"Xun."

Little Treasure pointed toward the door.

The courtyard?

Qiao Sang blinked, wondering if there was anything valuable in the courtyard.

Or maybe the intruder hadn't acted yet and had been caught by Little Treasure as soon as they got inside?

A sense of unease stirred in Qiao Sang’s heart. Beast Masters generally hold themselves to a certain standard, and anyone sneaking into someone else's home like this wouldn’t be a decent person.

Nowadays, it’s not just bad people to be wary of, but bad people who also happen to be Beast Masters with unknown backgrounds.

After a moment’s thought, Qiao Sang took out her phone and snapped a photo of the unconscious insect-type pet beast, uploading it for a quick search.

It didn’t take long to get information on the pet beast.

The Water Snail, a low-level water-type pet beast from the Ancient Guwu Region, has a maximum evolution level of high-grade.

Among pet beasts, it’s fairly unremarkable, though still sought after by some business-oriented individuals.

The primary reason for this is its ability to help drink alcohol.

Strictly speaking, it transfers alcohol from a human’s body into its own through skin contact with its breathing pores.

For those with low alcohol tolerance or allergies, it's practically a lifesaver.

Qiao Sang wasn’t particularly interested in this ability. Her attention was fixed on the phrase Ancient Guwu Region.

To be honest, encountering someone from the Ancient Guwu Region in the neighborhood could be chalked up to coincidence, but a pet beast from that area sneaking into her house in the middle of the night?

That was far more than coincidence.

This must be aimed at Water Luriana… Qiao Sang quickly came to a conclusion.

Pet beasts from outside their native regions are rare sights. Encountering one is as uncommon as running into an ex on the street, something worth mentioning online.

"Can your Shadow Control still hold?" Qiao Sang asked, looking at Little Treasure.

"Xun... Xun!"

Little Treasure glanced at his shadow link with the Water Snail, first tilting his head before nodding to indicate he could handle it.

Shadow Control not only allows for controlling others through shadows, but it also grants abilities similar to the Shadow Step trait.

Among all traits, Shadow Step is one of the most dreaded. It prevents any non-ghost pet beast from escaping if they lack the trait themselves.

It’s also a counter to teleportation.

The Water Snail was restrained by the advanced Shadow Control, which possesses a similar but stronger ability than Shadow Step, making it impossible for it to be summoned back.

Who’d have thought Little Treasure could maintain a high-level skill like Shadow Control for so long?

Qiao Sang mused. It seems that while some advanced skills can be used for extended periods by reducing energy output, others simply cannot.

For instance, Yabao’s Meteor Rain, even with its current level, can’t be cast more than a few times in a row due to energy limits.

Should I report this…? Qiao Sang wondered, looking at the unconscious Water Snail.

A Beast Master’s pet beast trespassing into someone’s home in the dead of night was more than enough reason to call the authorities.

If she reported it, she’d have the Water Snail as evidence to track down its Beast Master.

But if the Beast Master exposed Water Luriana’s existence, the patrol team would definitely take Water Luriana away.

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T/N: Yay! 200 chapters in! By the way, I'm going back from updating 2 chaps tomorrow!