What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

"Phew~"

In the bedroom, Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes.

He remained seated cross-legged on the bed, feeling the increasingly refined spiritual energy within him, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

"As expected of a triple experience card, this meditation speed is practically cheating."

"No, I was cheating all along."

Lin Chen muttered to himself.

The deep meditation I just had for over an hour was incredibly efficient thanks to the terrifying boost from the [Triple Experience Card].

The mental strength that usually requires painstaking effort to accumulate and refine is now being accelerated at an astonishing rate, as if it has been given the best accelerator.

The feeling of being able to clearly sense oneself becoming stronger every minute and every second, even though one knows it's a temporary experience brought about by cheating, is enough to make one's heart race.

As is well known, each Beastmaster has different talents, and their meditation speed also varies.

According to statistics from the Donghuang Beast Tamer Association, the average time for a trainee beast tamer to break through to the junior beast tamer is three months, while for a genius beast tamer it can be shortened to two months or even less.

There are also some exceptionally talented individuals who possess astonishing abilities in meditation, allowing them to skip the apprentice beast tamer stage and become a junior beast tamer upon awakening.

However, such monsters are extremely rare, with only one appearing in hundreds of thousands of people.

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Lin Chen took out his phone to check the calendar.

Today is Saturday, a mandatory rest day after an emergency mission.

After yesterday's hustle and bustle, my tense nerves definitely need to relax.

"Just stay home and rest for a day, and make the most of the triple experience card."

For Lin Chen, meditation to hone his mental strength was the best form of rest.

He roughly estimated that, based on the meditation efficiency boosted by the triple experience card, he felt that it would only take him about a week to break through to become a novice beast tamer.

"Once you become a novice beast tamer, you'll be able to form a contract with this little guy."

Suppressing his excitement, Lin Chen looked down at his chest.

Between his legs, which were crossed, a small, off-white figure was curled up like a sleeping glutinous rice ball.

The dog seemed to enjoy Lin Chen's scent and body temperature, curling up tightly in his arms, its little head resting on its front paws, its chest rising and falling slightly with its breath, and its ears occasionally twitching. It slept soundly and without any guard.

On the soft mat beside the bed, the Flameclaw Beast lay prone, emitting even, low purrs: "Hoo-hoo~"

This little guy must be exhausted after a long day.

Lin Chen reached out and gently brushed his fingertips across the soft fur on the top of Songsong Dog's head.

In its sleep, the dog seemed to feel a familiar touch, making a very faint purring sound in its throat. It unconsciously rubbed its head against Lin Chen's fingers, and the tips of its ears twitched.

Lin Chen smiled slightly, suddenly remembering the item rewarded after the dungeon ended—the Holy Ring.

With a thought, a circular, bracelet-like object appeared on his hand.

The sacred ring has a simple and ancient design, with a warm and bright light gold color throughout. The edges are surrounded by a halo of sacred runes, and mysterious patterns are engraved on it.

Lin Chen focused his attention, and brief information about the item immediately came to mind:

【Sacred Ring】

【Effects: ① Enhances the wearer's affinity and perception of light energy;】

② Increases the power of the wearer's light-based skills by 5%.

"The Sacred Ring..."

Lin Chen pondered the name, his eyes becoming somewhat strange.

If he remembered correctly, this Holy Ring should be the same kind of thing as the Holy Rings worn by Puppymon and Gatomon.

The Holy Ring is the Holy type identification mark for Puppymon and Gatomon. It can also be used to purify dark power and has an additional effect against Darkmon.

Although the Squirrel and the Puppy originally looked similar, there were some differences, with the sacred ring around its neck being the biggest difference.

But now that the system has rewarded them with a sacred ring, the similarity between the Pinepe and the Little Dog Beast has skyrocketed.

For a moment, Lin Chen's eyes flickered as he fell into deep thought: "With the Emblem of Light and the Holy Ring, how much damage will this child inflict on those Dark-type creatures once it evolves into Angewomon?"

In any case, the sacred ring is entirely beneficial to the Tsukumi.

Even if it hasn't mastered any light-based skills yet, wearing it in advance can subtly enhance its affinity for light-based energy, laying the foundation for future awakening and learning.

Just then, the sleeping dog, Songsong, groggily opened its eyes.

Its clear eyes initially held a hint of bewilderment, but when its gaze fell upon the pale golden ring radiating warmth in Lin Chen's hand, it instantly became clear.

It raised its head, looked at the sacred ring, then at Lin Chen, tilted its little head, and felt a strange longing welling up inside it.

Lin Chen held up the sacred ring and waved it in front of the Shosho dog: "This is a gift I prepared for you. Do you like it?"

The dog's gaze followed the sacred ring closely. Upon hearing the sound, it let out a soft whimper, its tail tip wagging involuntarily, its eyes becoming even more focused.

"Here, let me put it on you."

As Lin Chen spoke, he leaned forward slightly, getting closer to the Pinepe.

He lifted the little guy by the neck with one hand and used the sacred ring in the other to put it on the dog.

The distance between the person and the pet was shortened greatly because of this action.

The little guy seemed a bit nervous yet expectant, his body slightly tense, but as the sacred ring drew closer and the warm aura became clearer, he slowly relaxed.

Soon, Lin Chen put the sacred ring on the neck of the dog.

The pale gold ring fits snugly against the curve of the Shosho dog's neck, a perfect size that won't constrict it or slip off easily.

The ring's radiance seemed to have dimmed somewhat, no longer so dazzling, but its warm and sacred aura became even clearer, lingering around it.

At that moment, the dog clearly felt a gentle, warm current slowly seeping into its body from where the sacred ring touched its skin, flowing through its limbs and bones.

It felt like a kind of nourishment and resonance from its very essence, making it feel warm and comfortable all over, and even dispelling much of the fatigue and vague unease from waiting last night.

"Eek~~"

The dog let out a delighted whimper, looked up at Lin Chen, and its bright black eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight.

It even moved closer and gently nuzzled Lin Chen's hand, which he hadn't had time to retract.

"Gaku..."

But just then, the voice of the Flameclaw Beast suddenly rang out.

Lin Chen subconsciously turned his head and saw that the Flame Claw Beast had woken up at some point and was sitting on the ground, staring at him and the Pine Pine Dog with a blank expression.

The Flameclaw Beast's face remained expressionless; it simply watched quietly, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Chen felt inexplicably guilty.

Flameclaw Beast appeared calm, but was extremely angry inside.

Last night, we clearly agreed to have barbecue skewers when we got home, but Lin Chen fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow and completely forgot about it.

Now... now we're doing this kind of thing right in front of it!

That despicable Lin Chen!

Humans are all bad!

Lin Chen coughed lightly and extended his right hand to the Flameclaw Beast: "Why don't you come along too?"