Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 4: Requesting Leave

Her mother paused, "Isn't the Fire Fang Dog too aggressive?"

When choosing a pet beast, Beast Masters undoubtedly consider attributes, talent, and potential.

However, for a new Beast Master, the pet's temperament is the most important factor.

Pets like the Fat Dove, White Sand Fox, Short-Tailed Snake, Sand-Diggers, and Deepfur Turtle are popular choices for beginners mainly due to their gentle nature.

Not all pets bred at the pet centers have docile dispositions or are non-aggressive.

If an inexperienced Beast Master contracts a pet with a volatile temperament as their first, not only will they struggle to command it in battle, but they will also have difficulty even training it.

Last year, a boy from South City who had just finished his high school entrance exams contracted a Fire Sparrow.

Within a few days, the Fire Sparrow preferred to suffer backlash rather than continue the contract.

The boy's brain domain was severely damaged, and by the time he could return to high school, he had fallen significantly behind his peers.

Later, it was revealed that the problem started because the boy wanted the Fire Sparrow to strike a pose for his social media...

This incident even briefly made headlines.

Fire-type pets are typically crude and willful, and the Fire Fang Dog is no exception.

However, Qiao Sang didn’t share this view. She believed that not all Fire Fang Dogs of a species could be aggressive; There must be some with different temperaments.

Otherwise, a species with identical personalities would be incredibly uninteresting.

“Mom, you’ve said that I have talent for Beast Mastery. I think the Fire Fang Dog suits me,” Qiao Sang said.

The Fire Fang Dog is a fire-type pet with strong attack power, and it would definitely meet the criteria for her to become an E-grade Beast Master after one evolution.

Although the Fire Fang Dog is not as expensive as a superpower-type pet like the Bubble Bell, it is still significantly more costly than pets like the Fat Dove.

While a Fat Dove costs around 30,000, a Fire Fang Dog is priced around 100,000.

Qiao Sang understood the family's financial situation, and this amount was manageable.

“Alright then. I’ll take you to the pet center tomorrow morning,” Her mother agreed without further discussion.

---

The next morning, Qiao Sang was awakened by her mother at dawn.

Under her mother’s urging, she quickly got ready and had breakfast in just ten minutes, and they left the house by 7:06 a.m.

Throughout the process, Qiao Sang’s eyelids drooped, giving her a look of not being fully awake.

By the time they reached the Hanggang Pet Center, it was 8:31 a.m., just as the center opened.

Since it was early, they were the only ones there to buy pets.

No appointment was needed, and there was no line.

They were greeted by a female staff member who looked to be in her thirties.

“May I assist you with anything?” She asked with a professional smile.

“We want to buy a Fire Fang Dog.” Her mother stated directly.

“Okay, please follow me.” The staff member led the way.

She was evidently experienced, providing constant explanations throughout the walk, which helped avoid any awkwardness.

“At present, we have 27 Fire Fang Dogs in the center, all in excellent condition. Two are even on the brink of evolution. Among the remaining 25, 19 have learned Spark."

“Additionally, 7 have mastered Fireball. They are a few centimeters taller than their peers, and 5 more…”

During the introduction, they arrived at the area specifically for raising Fire Fang Dogs.

Before Qiao Sang could get close, a loud explosion suddenly rang out, and a burst of flame struck about five meters away from her.

Qiao Sang jumped in surprise. She turned towards the source of the flame.

Two Fire Fang Dogs, noticeably larger than the others, were facing each other with their teeth covered in flames.

The fiery teeth, known as Fire Fang, is a skill that most Fire Fang Dogs inherit.

The staff member remained calm and explained, “These two are Fire Fang Dogs close to evolution. They constantly fight to prove they are the strongest, but their battles usually end in a draw.”

As she spoke, another flame shot out and struck about four meters away from Qiao Sang.

Qiao Sang felt a shiver run down her spine.

The staff member pointed to some bushes not far to the left.

“The Spark you saw earlier was released by that Fire Fang Dog. Its power is quite impressive.”

Qiao Sang looked over and saw that the Fire Fang Dog was standing in front of another Fire Fang Dog, and the atmosphere seemed tense.

Sure enough, in the next moment, the two started to fight and bite each other.

The staff member continued explaining, “They are rivals fighting for the affection of a female Fire Fang Dog. However, it’s unlikely to lead to anything, as the female Fire Fang Dog prefers another one.”

Qiao Sang: “…”

After a moment of thought, she asked, “Where is the female Fire Fang Dog?”

The female Fire Fang Dog is likely to have a better temperament than the males.

The staff member smiled. “The one cheering them on during the fight is the female Fire Tooth Fang.”

Qiao Sang was taken aback. She looked again and saw a Fire Fang Dog with a cleaner and softer coat than the other two, excitedly barking from the bushes.

“Yah!”

“Yah!”

The staff member translated, “It seems to be encouraging the fight. Although it doesn’t like the fighters, it enjoys watching them fight for its attention.”

Qiao Sang: “…”

Qiao Sang was left confused, while the staff member noticed her mother hadn’t said anything and asked, “Do you have a preferred Fire Fang Dog? I can bring it over for a closer look.”

Her mother shook her head. “I’m here with my daughter. She’s the one looking to contract a Fire Fang Dog.”

The staff member realized. “No wonder. Your daughter must be a self-awakened Beast Master.”

Her mother looked pleased. “How did you know?”

The staff member explained, “Today is Friday, and your daughter is still wearing her Wen Cheng Junior High School uniform. She should be in her third year of junior high."

"The time for the annual unified awakening by the Beast Master Alliance isn’t here yet. If she wasn’t self-awakened, she wouldn’t be able to come here to contract a pet. And it’s not easy to get school leave at such a crucial time.”

These were just her guesses.

She was making assumptions based on a recent case where a girl from Wen Cheng Junior High School, who was also self-awakened, came to contract a pet with her parents.

It just so happened that she was the one who attended to them.

However, what’s with Wen Cheng Junior High? Two self-awakened kids from the same year?

She would definitely discuss getting a loan for a school district house with her husband when she got home; her son was already in fourth grade.

Her mother’s smile gradually stiffened.

Qiao Sang came back to her senses and asked, “Mom, did you call my homeroom teacher to request leave for me today?”

Her mother gave a forced laugh. “Haha, how could I forget?”

“I remember you requested leave for yesterday, but today…” Qiao Sang questioned.

“I already requested two days off for you directly yesterday!” Her mother’s voice unconsciously raised.

Qiao Sang said, “That’s good.”

She sighed inwardly.

She wondered if her mother had noticed that her voice always got louder when she was lying.

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