Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

”Chirp.” Shan Bao had somehow procured a tiny pair of sunglasses, giving off a vibe that was both thuggish and foolish.

”...Hahahahahahahaha!”

After a moment of silence, the crowd erupted in laughter.

Some of the people here had heard of Su Zhi, but most had never seen him battle. Others had seen him but paid no mind.

But at the very least, they were all Beast Tamers...

Yu Dian Dogs excelled at offense and defense, while Flash Gold Sparrows were masters of positioning—this was basic common sense. So in your world, the Warrior becomes a Mage and the glass cannon becomes a tank??

We have no grudge against you, so why are you treating us all like idiots?

Ke Yan’s face darkened. ”Is it April Fool’s Day? Are you just going to stand there and lie through your teeth? Start over, and do it properly!”

”But I’m telling the truth. This is how I raise my Pet Beasts,” Su Zhi said, blinking innocently.

As soon as he said that, the air in the Battle Hall instantly grew a few degrees colder. The groups that had just been laughing fell silent.

Ke Yan crossed his arms, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he stared at Su Zhi.

In truth, this wasn’t a matter of right or wrong. In front of a superior, what right to speak did a mere grunt have? If he said you were wrong, you were wrong. You had to take it, even if you were actually right.

But Su Zhi was interesting. He actually talked back.

His tone might have seemed light, but Ke Yan knew that the boy never once avoided his gaze.

It was a rare and valuable quality.

Forget kids his age; not even all the official Alliance Members of the Common Defense Alliance could manage that.

”I said, introduce them again.”

Ke Yan said, his face taut and expressionless.

The laughter from the watching students stopped abruptly. Every one of them felt their hearts begin to pound with nervousness.

Ke Yan was intimidating enough when he was shouting, but you could get used to that. When he deliberately lowered his voice like this, however, it was utterly terrifying.

Su Zhi was silent for a moment. He looked at Yu Bao and Shan Bao beside him, then turned his gaze back to the crowd.

”Hello everyone, I’m Su Zhi from Huai City First Middle School. This is my first Pet Beast, Yu Bao. Its Race is Yu Dian Dog, and it specializes in Control Field, non-contact combat, and mobile warfare.

”This is my second Pet Beast, Shan Bao. Its Race is Flash Gold Sparrow, and it specializes in defensive battles and defensive counter-attacks.”

Su Zhi stated, enunciating every word.

They were the exact same words as before, not a single one changed. His voice wasn’t any louder, but it sounded much more forceful.

By rights, there should have been a round of applause after his introduction, but only two or three scattered claps sounded, making the silence that followed feel even more desolate.

Most of the students didn’t dare to clap. A few were already offering a moment of silence for Su Zhi in their hearts.

”Su Zhi, what’s your problem? You think your Pet Beasts are so damn special?” Ke Yan folded his arms, his voice booming several degrees louder.

Su Zhi raised his voice to match. ”Reporting, Instructor! I’ve never thought we were special. We just want to walk our own path, that’s all!”

”Walk your own path, huh? Fine, I’ll let you walk until you’ve had your fill!”

Ke Yan sneered. ”Cadet Su Zhi, get your two Pet Beasts on the track!”

Su Zhi hadn’t even given the command, but Yu Bao and Shan Bao didn’t hesitate, immediately taking their places at the starting line of the Battle Hall’s indoor track.

”Twenty laps! No rest until you’re done! You want to be unconventional? I’ll let you be as unconventional as you can handle! Now, run!”

”Hiss...” The watching students all gasped.

This wasn’t a 400-meter lap on an athletics field... Given the size of the Battle Hall, one lap had to be at least a kilometer or two!

Yu Bao and Shan Bao didn’t make a sound, simply starting to run in unison.

Seeing Su Zhi get on the track as well, Ke Yan froze for a second before his expression tightened again. ”I told your Pet Beasts to run, not you. Even if you run with them the whole way, they won’t run a single lap less!”

”I’m their Beast Tamer.”

With that, Su Zhi said no more and started running in front of Yu Bao and Shan Bao.

The figures of the boy and his Pet Beasts gradually disappeared into the distance.

Ke Yan swept his gaze over the remaining students. ”The rest of you are dismissed! Assemble tomorrow at 6 AM sharp. Be one minute late, and you’ll run one more lap than him!”

The crowd scattered in a rush.

Chen Xinghao stared at the figures on the track, his expression shifting as he remained silent for a long time.

...

「Late that night, at a quarter past eleven.」

In the smoking area outside the Battle Hall, Ke Yan took out a lighter and took a deep drag from a cigarette.

His phone rang. An incoming call.

”Alliance Leader Qiao.” Ke Yan took the cigarette from his lips.

”Good evening, Ke Yan. How’d it go? Did you see Su Zhi at the Shanyou Province training camp today?”

The voice on the other end was Chopper’s. His friendly, big-brother-next-door vibe was a stark contrast to Ke Yan.

”I saw him.”

At the mention of Su Zhi, Ke Yan grinned. ”Don’t worry, I did just as you said. I’ll be sure to take ’good care’ of Alliance Leader Qiao’s little darling.”

”Mm, thanks for your hard work, then, Ke Yan!”

Chopper chuckled. ”What’s your impression of him?”

”Not bad! He looks quiet and scrawny, but I didn’t expect him to talk back to me in front of everyone, and even glare at me. No wonder you all like him! Hahaha.”

Ke Yan roared with laughter, a stark contrast to his reaction in the Battle Hall.

”That said, I really can’t make heads or tails of it. How did he manage to raise his Pet Beasts in such a bizarre way? There’s no way you can connect a Flash Gold Sparrow to being a tank... Damn it, I have to see how he pulls it off in the Pet Beast Battle in a couple of days.”

”We can’t figure it out either. That’s what makes Su Zhi so formidable—he always finds unexpected ways to unlock his Pet Beasts’ potential.”

Chopper’s laughter was also tinged with emotion.

”Well then, I’ll leave him in your hands for the next few days. Training these kids is your official duty, but on a more personal note, I’d like to ask you to take good care of him.”

”Honestly, I don’t think he needs me to look after him. He has a mind of his own... Is creating obstacles for him like this really ’taking care’ of him? Isn’t it just getting in his way?”

”Deliberate obstruction is its own form of ’care,’ isn’t it? Isn’t that one of the tenets of the Cui Feng Alliance? I certainly experienced it back when I was with them.”

Chopper gave a soft laugh. ”Don’t worry about hurting him. Su Zhi is far stronger than you think.”

”Alright. With your say-so, I won’t hold back.” Ke Yan cracked his knuckles. ”Anything else?”

”One more thing. The Divine Strategy Alliance recently detected some abnormal Energy fluctuations in the waters near Pearl Harbor. It’s still unclear if it’s related to the Abyssal. As you know, the Purity Abyss Alliance over at Pearl Harbor already strengthened their patrols two days ago.”

Chopper continued, ”It’s not a huge deal, and even if action were needed, it wouldn’t be your turn. But according to feedback from the Divine Strategy Alliance, besides the most obvious energy source, there are several smaller ones that the Purity Abyss Alliance might have missed. Your training camp is pretty close to the sea, so have the students be on the lookout.”

”Alright, that’s no problem. I’m hanging up then.”

”Mm, thanks again for all your hard work!”

...

After finishing his cigarette, Ke Yan stuffed his hands in his pockets and ambled back into the Battle Hall.

The spotlights were still bright, and the boy and his Pet Beasts were still running on the track. At their current pace, this was already their thirteenth lap.

Su Zhi ran in the lead, with Shan Bao and Yu Bao following behind him. With Su Zhi breaking the wind for them, Yu Bao and Shan Bao were clearly having a much easier time.

The strides, pace, and rhythm of the one human and two pets were perfectly synchronized, their footfalls like a melody.

More and more sweat pooled on the track. Before the sweat from the previous lap had even dried, Su Zhi would run past again, covering the track with a fresh layer.

Even with the physical conditioning of a Beast Tamer, running over twenty kilometers was no easy task. Su Zhi was getting tired, his gait gradually losing its form.

”Woof!” Just as he was hitting a wall, Yu Bao’s encouraging bark came from behind him.

’Don’t give up! Perseverance is victory!’

”Chirp!” Shan Bao, who was rapidly churning its two little legs, also nodded in encouragement.

’You can do it, Beast Tamer!’

Su Zhi didn’t respond, but his renewed, tightened pace was the best response he could give.

Suddenly, a flash of bright white accompanied by a soft TAP TAP TAP entered his peripheral vision.

Su Zhi turned his head. A girl was looking at him with azure eyes.

”Brought you some takeout.”

Shao Ya said softly, matching his pace with her own clear, rhythmic steps to help him find his tempo.

With a flick of her slender, pale fingers, a Bluetooth earbud spun through the air a few times and landed perfectly in Su Zhi’s ear—

”HEART HEART MUST BE SO STRONG”

”SO TOUGH TOUGH TOUGH”

”STAY BEAUTIFUL”

The incredibly stylish music washed over him, dispelling the exhaustion of both his body and spirit.

”Hang in there! Let’s do our best together!”

”...Yeah!”

·

·

Note: The ending lyrics are from ”STAY BEAUTIFUL.” It’s an old song from ten years ago that’s still incredibly stylish today. Highly recommended.