You were given the authority to tame beasts, not to raise unspeakable animals.

Three days is but a fleeting moment.

Inside the Beast Taming Arena of Linjiang No.1 Middle School, the roar surged like boiling water.

Today is the assessment for new Beast Tamers.

This is a watershed moment. Crossing it leads to the path to top universities. Taking a step back means a mediocre life fading into obscurity.

The central screen flickered with light and shadow. A bolded list of match participants scrolled across the screen:

[Gao Hao (Fiery Dragon) VS Chen Mo (Unknown Soft-bodied Creature)]

"An unknown soft-bodied creature?"

Someone in the audience chuckled, pointing at the words as if watching a farce.

"What kind of scientific name is this? I think Chen Mo fished out a lump of mud from a stinky ditch; he can't even recognize it in a catalog."

"I heard Gao Hao went all out this time, feeding that dragon a berserk potion that's banned from the market. Tsk tsk, he's determined to wash away the shame from last time, leaving it no chance of survival."

On the arena.

Gao Hao raised his chin, basking in the gazes from all around him.

The fiery dragon beside him was clearly not in a good condition.

Beneath the dark red scales, muscles writhed wildly, as if snakes and rats were slithering beneath its skin. Its vertical pupils were bloodshot and swollen. Two plumes of scorching black smoke billowed from its nostrils, accompanied by heavy breathing.

The drugs destroyed its sanity, leaving only the most primal urge to kill.

"Chen Mo! Come up here and face your death!"

Gao Hao roared. His voice trembled with excitement.

At the other end of the arena, Chen Mo, hands in his pockets, strolled leisurely up the steps.

A lump of dark jelly was perched on his shoulder.

The thing was only the size of a palm. It lay limp and lifeless, swaying with Chen Mo's steps. It exuded a颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it conveys a sense of listlessness, apathy, and a lack of motivation) air, as if it were too lazy to even turn over.

"That's his tamed beast? I thought it was a mutated slime, but it's just a lump of coal?"

The commentator couldn't help himself. Laughter from the microphone echoed throughout the venue.

"It seems this match will soon come to an end. Let's congratulate Gao Hao in advance."

The referee's whistle tore through the air.

"The match begins!"

"Crimson Flame! Burn it to ashes! Exploding Fireball!"

Gao Hao gave him no chance to breathe. He started with a killing move.

The fiery dragon's throat swelled. Light surged from deep within its esophagus.

A massive fireball, a full meter in diameter, instantly took shape. The terrifying heat caused the surrounding space to ripple like water.

A collective gasp rippled through the audience.

This attack would melt even a steel plate into molten iron, let alone a soft-bodied creature.

That black lump of coal is doomed.

Facing the scorching heatwave that rushed towards him, Chen Mo didn't even lift his eyelids, nor did he adopt any defensive stance.

He simply turned his head and whispered softly to the languid black mass on his shoulder.

"Little Black, give them a smile."

The instant the command was given.

The black jelly that had been lying on Chen Mo's shoulder, pretending to be dead, suddenly perked up.

There were no dazzling elemental light effects. There were no earth-shattering energy fluctuations.

It simply and obediently opened a crack in front of the charging dragon and Gao Hao.

If that can be called a mouth.

The fissure pierced through its body without warning. It flipped open, top to bottom.

The once smooth black surface instantly revealed its interior: layers upon layers of fangs, as densely packed as the serrations of a meat grinder.

And at the bottomless depths of that mouth, a demonic eye radiating a scarlet glow slowly opened.

[Skill Activation: Unspeakable Whispers (LV1)]

[Effect: Causes mental pollution to hostile targets within the line of sight. Reduces Sanity (Sanity) and triggers deep hallucinations.]

"Hehehehe..."

An indescribable sound exploded.

It sounded like a baby crying in the dead of night. Or like countless fingernails frantically scratching on frosted glass.

The sound ignored the flames as a barrier, ignored the vibrations in the air, and went straight up the eardrums into the cerebral cortex, where it danced a tap dance on the nerve endings.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The massive fireball in mid-air suddenly dissipated, like a burst bubble, turning into countless harmless sparks with a soft "poof."

Then, thousands of spectators witnessed a scene that sent chills down their spines.

The fiery dragon, which had been driven to slaughter by the drugs, now seemed to be glimpsing a scroll of hell.

It let out a shrill, beast-like cry. Its neck twisted to an unsettling angle. It opened its jaws wide and bit down hard on its own tail!

Click.

The crisp sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.

It seemed to have lost the ability to feel pain. It frantically tore at its own flesh while digging at the ground with its limbs, desperately trying to squeeze into the hard cement cracks of the ring.

It seemed that as long as I buried myself in it, I could escape that gaze.

"No...don't look at me! Don't look at me! Where did all these eyes come from?!"

Gao Hao's situation was even more dire.

He gripped the dough tightly with both hands, his fingernails carving deep, bloody scratches into his cheeks.

In his view, Chen Mo at this moment was hardly human anymore.

It was clearly a pitch-black silhouette standing atop a throne of countless tentacles and eyeballs.

The sky was no longer blue. Instead, it turned into a writhing, pinkish-red intestine. The arena beneath their feet transformed into a viscous, churning sea of ​​blood.

Meanwhile, the inconspicuous little thing on Chen Mo's shoulder was swelling in the face of the storm, transforming into a gigantic maw capable of swallowing the sun and moon.

"Ahhh! I'm sorry! Don't eat me! I don't want to see! I don't want to see!"

Gao Hao's knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees in his own urine.

His eyes rolled back. Foam spilled from the corners of his mouth. His whole body convulsed violently like an electrocuted salted fish. His reason completely collapsed at that moment.

The vast arena fell into a deathly silence.

No one spoke. No one breathed.

The microphone slipped from the commentator's hand and hit the ground with a thud.

There was no smoke of gunpowder. There was no flying blood and flesh.

He just smiled.

One glance. The opponent went mad.

What kind of attack method is this? What kind of monster is this?

Chen Mo stood still, his expression unchanged.

He reached out and gently patted the top of the black mass, closing its excessively cracked mouth and reshaping it back into its harmless, jelly-like form.

"Referee, what are you waiting for?"

Chen Mo glanced at the stunned referee. His tone was gentle.

"My opponent's physical condition doesn't seem very good."

The referee shuddered at the sound. He had finally regained his senses.

He looked at Gao Hao, who was rolling on the ground. His voice was dry and trembling.

"The winner is... Chen Mo!"

Wow!

Only after the verdict was announced did the tension in the audience finally snap, erupting in belated gasps and panic.

The way people looked at Chen Mo had completely changed. The previous contempt had vanished, replaced by a deep, instinctive apprehension of the unknown.

Chen Mo turned and stepped off the stage. His back was etched with loneliness.

However, in the unnoticed shadows at the highest point of the stands...

A figure clad in a black robe and wearing a half-silver mask was staring intently at Xiao Hei on Chen Mo's shoulder from a great distance.

The old bronze compass in his hand was spinning wildly, making a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

Click.

The watch face glass shattered. Shards flew everywhere.

"Abyss reaction... S-rank?"

The man in black robes had a hoarse, rough voice. Every word he uttered carried an uncontrollable tremor and fervor.

"The prophecy... is true. The gods have risen again in this filthy world."

"We must report this to the church immediately... no, we must bring him back first. He is the perfect vessel!"

The black robe swayed. The figure, like melting ink, silently seeped into the darkness.

At the same moment, Chen Mo, who was descending the steps, paused slightly.

[Ding! Fanatic spying detected.]

[Triggering a long-term quest: The Revival of the Old.]

[Mission Objective: In this deceptive world of light, establish your own kingdom of R'lyeh.]

Chen Mo gently scratched Xiao Hei's soft chin with his fingertips.

There was no fear in his eyes. Instead, a hint of amusement appeared.

"Looks like things won't be too boring from now on. What do you say, Mr. K?"

"Chirp!" (Yay! Time to eat!)