Beast Taming: Starting From Zero

Chapter 5: The Beast Mastery Codex

A minute later.

Her mother’s voice was slightly louder than usual, but her expression remained calm: “I’m going to the restroom.”

The staff member replied, “Turn left ahead, and then right at the end.”

Her mother nodded, lifting her leg to walk towards the right.

“Ma’am, it’s actually to the left,” The staff member reminded.

Her mother’s back stiffened for a moment, then she turned left as if nothing had happened.

Qiao Sang couldn’t help but be amused. She controlled her rising smile.

Mom, your strong and independent image just crumbled.

She turned her attention back to the Fire Fang Dogs.

Qiao Sang noticed that the Fire Fang Dogs were highly active and full of energy; not a single one was quietly sitting still.

It made sense that beginner Beast Masters often chose pets like the Fat Dove…

Unable to help herself, Qiao Sang asked, “Do you have any Fire Fang Dogs with a quieter temperament?”

The staff member tactfully responded, “Actually, we have many other pets in our facility.”

Qiao Sang understood immediately.

Though she lacked experience as a Beast Master, she was an adult at heart and didn’t think she would be as overwhelmed by a temperamental pet as a 15-year-old might be.

Since that was the case, she decided to focus on choosing a Fire Fang Dog that simply caught her eye.

“Can I see that one?”

Qiao Sang noticed that the Fire Fang Dog was persistently ramming into a tree—not in a random, reckless manner but with purposeful force.

She suspected its target was not the tree but itself.

After all, who would foolishly slam into a tree without a purpose?

“Of course,” The staff member said.

She blew a loud, piercing note on a metal whistle hanging from her neck.

All the Fire Fang Dogs stopped their activities and turned their attention towards her, ceasing their destructive behavior.

A few of them tilted their heads.

“Yah?”

Is it time for a meal?

With the flames no longer obstructing her view, the staff member entered the Fire Fang Dog area and picked up the chosen Fire Fang Dog.

“Yah?”

The Fire Fang Dog blinked its confused eyes, its flame-like ears twitching.

The Fire Fang Dog was placed in front of Qiao Sang.

It was a small-sized canine pet with flame-red fur accented by black stripes and a tuft of orange fur on its head.

The Fire Fang Dog before her stood about 60 cm tall and was noticeably smaller than the others.

It had a fresh bruise from its recent tree ramming, and its black pupils looked at her with a moist gaze that made one want to reach out and pet it.

Unlike the other fiery-tempered Fire Fang Dogs, this one seemed rather pitiable.

Qiao Sang’s mind automatically conjured an image of a weak Fire Fang Dog being shunned, its food taken, leading to malnutrition, and its struggle to improve through intense training.

The tree ramming was probably an attempt to practice some special skill.

Perhaps something like Flame Impact.

The staff member explained, “This Fire Fang Dog is the youngest at our facility, barely a month old.”

So it wasn’t weakness but youth…

Well, that’s good. Many Beast Masters prefer to raise their pets from the egg stage to build a strong bond and understanding with them.

Qiao Sang had considered buying a young pet egg before but quickly dismissed the idea.

After all, she still had school, and taking an egg to class would be both conspicuous and unsafe.

Leaving it at home while her mother was out working also made her uneasy.

Qiao Sang crouched down and gently stroked the Fire Fang Dog’s head. The Fire Fang Dog contentedly squinted its eyes, its red tail wagging involuntarily.

It seemed quite well-behaved.

Qiao Sang felt the soft fur in her hand, growing more satisfied.

She looked into the Fire Fang Dog’s eyes and smiled, “Are you willing to come with me?”

The staff member's expression was a bit odd. This Fire Fang Dog had a bad temper.

It took advantage of its youth to cause trouble and often got into fights with other Fire Fang Dogs.

Older Fire Fang Dogs saw that it had only recently been born, didn’t yet have any flame skills, and its claws weren’t fully developed.

So, they let it have its way, sometimes playing along and pretending to be defeated. It thought it was unbeatable and became increasingly arrogant.

As a professional receptionist, she had a good sense of what kind of pet the customer wanted and what their needs were.

This girl clearly wanted a Fire Fang Dog with a quieter temperament.

Should she say something?

There were no well-tempered Fire Fang Dogs in this facility.

She thought about the commission for this Fire Fang Dog and then about her son’s school district. Ultimately, she decided to stay silent.

The Fire Fang Dog understood what was meant by "come along."

Of course, it wanted to leave. It had no rivals here, and this human’s touch felt very comfortable… It was time to find new opponents!

“Yah!”

The Fire Fang Dog solemnly nodded and extended its chubby paw.

Qiao Sang was momentarily surprised but then shook its paw.

The process went more smoothly than she had expected…

Thus, an agreement was reached between the girl and the dog.

…

The contract between humans and extraordinary creatures is established through the Beast Mastery Codex.

The Beast Mastery Codex acts as a medium that closely connects the two parties. Generally, for a contract to succeed, both sides must be willing.

However, it is also possible to establish a contract after thoroughly defeating the extraordinary creature when it is defenseless.

The latter method carries many risks; without enough intimacy, the pet may become disobedient, which only high-level Beast Masters can avoid.

As long as the Beast Master’s brain domain is well-developed and the Beast Mastery Codex is strong, even if the pet resists, the contract cannot be broken.

At this moment, Qiao Sang was connecting to her brain domain.

The Beast Mastery Codex in her brain domain remained quietly still, though it was called the Beast Mastery Codex, it was as thin as an envelope with only a blank page inside.

From what Qiao Sang had read, the Beast Mastery Codex is white when it first awakens, containing only one page for contract space.

Once the brain domain develops to 10%, the Beast Mastery Codex turns gray, and the contract space expands to two pages.

With the hand gesture she remembered from the manual, Qiao Sang made a seal in front of her.

Soon, the Beast Mastery Codex activated in her brain domain, slowly opening to the single page.

A white light gradually gathered from all sides above the Fire Fang Dog’s head, forming a small circular star array.

There is actually a simple way to determine a Beast Master’s level: Whether during a contract or summoning, the color of the light on the pet indicates the level.

Just like the Beast Mastery Codex, the color of the star array that appears when summoning a pet reflects its level.

However, this is just a reference, as even if the Beast Mastery Codex awakens further, without a pet of corresponding strength, passing the Beast Master Alliance’s level examination is unlikely.

The star array’s light covered the Fire Fang Dog’s head. It curiously looked up at the array and did not resist.