Chapter 153: Complete Beast King

Right now was the busiest hour in the新手村, as players were logging in one after another, preparing to embark on their daily adventures.

Consequently, a considerable number of novice players witnessed the scene, and gasps of astonishment immediately erupted all around.

"What is that? Is that a pet?"

"No way, how could there be such a gorgeous pet!"

"Aww! Such a cute little puppy! It's cuteness overload~"

...

People swarmed in with a sudden rush. Had it not been for Lu Kuan's high-tier equipment that made him look rather formidable, some female players probably would have already lunged forward to scoop Demi into their arms.

A rogue player from the Flaming Sword guild, who had been standing nearby and watched the entire quest-turning-in process, stared at the cyan-black glowing little wolf. His expression was a mix of shock and rage.

Glaring fiercely at Lu Kuan, the rogue immediately flicked his fingers across his message manager interface, presumably sending a tip-off to the higher-ups of Flaming Sword.

Lu Kuan couldn't care less. He was in exceptionally high spirits right now, squatting down to inspect little Demi from top to bottom. He thought to himself: *You call this pretty? Once this little fellow grows up, that's when he'll truly be handsome!*

Demi wasn't in his fully-realized form yet, and none of his core skills were unlocked, but his base stats alone were already explosive.

All six primary attributes and growth rates were on par with an S+-tier pet, and the first unlocked skill was remarkably powerful—a 10% dual-attribute bonus, which was basically equivalent to permanently equipping two Epic items, fully living up to Demi's status as an S+-tier pet.

As the quest progression advanced, Demi's skills would be unlocked one by one, ultimately growing into a true S+-tier pet.

If the quest didn't go smoothly, unlocking Demi's skills would hit snags, and when he finally became the player's official pet, his tier might even drop due to the player's poor performance. Everything depended on the player's performance during the quest.

However, there was also good news: at least for now, Demi was no different from a normal pet, and all Beastmaster skills applied to him.

Therefore, Lu Kuan allocated a total of 10 skill points—accumulated from his previous leveling up and the Clearwater Village quest—into several Beastmaster-exclusive skills.

Enhanced Tamed Pet (Level 4): When the Ranger's pet belongs to the animal category, activating the pet increases both the player's and the pet's movement speed by 13%, and grants a +1.3 Intuition attribute bonus, lasting until the pet is dismissed.

Work in Harmony (Level 4): When the pet is active, the damage dealt by the player and the pet is increased by 13%, and the critical strike chance is increased by 1.3%.

Sturdy Companion (Level 3): The pet's maximum health is increased by 13%, armor is increased by 13%, and all damage taken is reduced by 3%.

Mind Link (Level 2): When the skill is activated, the pet and the master can share vision and hearing for 15 seconds. Upgrading the skill prolongs its duration, granting a permanent effect at level 10.

Loyal Guardian (Level 2, Passive): As long as the pet is alive, when the player takes fatal damage, the pet automatically shoulders 16% of that damage. If the reduced damage is no longer fatal, the player will not die. This effect does not apply to damage-over-time effects.
This effect can only be triggered once every 2 hours.

...

As a result, Lu Kuan's hard power skyrocketed instantly. His panel damage alone surged by 15%, and that wasn't even factoring in the speed, critical strike bonuses, and tactical flexibility gained from having a pet.

Most importantly was Demi's own damage—a pet with 9 Strength and 14 Agility, how weak could it possibly be in actual combat?

What's more, Demi's base attributes were exceptionally outstanding. Combined with his growth rate and 5 skills, he was entirely at the level of an S+-tier pet. The modest B+ tier displayed on his panel was simply due to his skills remaining locked.

"Haha~ Finally, I'm a complete man... no wait, a complete Beastmaster!" Lu Kuan laughed heartily, his face beaming with satisfaction.

The surrounding crowd of players grew larger, and the noise around Lu Kuan increased. Realizing he had shown off enough, Lu Kuan politely bid farewell to the old man, who had already closed his eyes and leaned back against the corner, waving dismissively at Lu Kuan with an impatient gesture.

"System Prompt: Congratulations on completing the quest 'The Beginning of the Southern Journey', reward: 50 Experience Points."

"You have accepted the quest 'The Buried Truth (A+)'"

Lu Kuan glanced briefly at the system notification, then turned to Demi: "Alright, let's go, Demi."

The little wolf looked at Lu Kuan, then cast one last lingering, reluctant glance at the old man. It let out a low whimper and trotted closely behind Lu Kuan.

The onlookers automatically cleared a path for Lu Kuan, their hands moving incessantly as they frantically snapped photos and recorded videos of Demi. The gazes of quite a few female players were overly enthusiastic, as if heart-shaped stars were about to pop out of their eyes at any second.

Looking down at Demi, Lu Kuan thought to himself that the only inconvenient part for now was the inability to store Demi into the pet inventory space.

Lu Kuan first headed to the weapon shop in White River Village to repair his equipment, which included his two near-broken short swords. However, as he was leaving the village gates, he spotted a few familiar figures.

Foremost among them stood John, the elderly foreigner, wearing a polite smile and maintaining the demeanor of a refined gentleman. Yet, his eyes remained locked onto the uniquely charismatic Demi until Lu Kuan walked right up to him, at which point he masked the fanaticism in his gaze.

"Mr. Lu, I'll cut straight to the point. I hope you believe in our sincerity,"

John smiled, accepted a few sheets of paper from the female rogue Triss standing beside him, and handed them to Lu Kuan: "If you are willing to sell this quest progress and the related clues, I am willing to offer a very sincere quote."

"No need, Mr. John,"

Lu Kuan didn't even glance at the papers. He looked straight into the man's eyes and replied with a smile: "Your offer definitely cannot buy my quest. A price high enough to buy my quest is one you certainly wouldn't be willing to pay."

Lu Kuan was speaking the absolute truth. If the other party offered twenty million to buy the quest, Lu Kuan would be a fool not to sell. S+-tier pets in the game weren't limited to just Demi; at twenty million each, Lu Kuan could just lie back and count money for the rest of his life.

Yet the other party was no fool either; their bid would never exceed the actual value of the quest by too much, because at the end of the day, this was business, which relied on the ratio of investment to return.

Seeing Lu Kuan put it so bluntly, John understood Lu Kuan's stance. He stared at Lu Kuan and said, "Does that mean we can only be opponents?"

Lu Kuan grinned and said indifferently, "Mr. John, don't take it personally, but at least in the game, neither you nor your subordinates are qualified to be my opponents—at least not yet."

With that, Lu Kuan called out to Demi and strode straight out of the village, quickly vanishing into the woods.

The old man John stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring unblinkingly at Lu Kuan's retreating figure, his eyes flashing.

"Boss, should we continue to intercept and kill him? Master Hong and the others are already lying in wait," Triss said, a trace of resentment flashing in her eyes as she spoke somewhat eagerly.

"Give it a try, but don't spend too much energy on it. Let's catch up on our quest progression first,"

Old man John appeared very calm, speaking unhurriedly: "Have our people in Torrentport set out in advance. If Old Lu wants to go to Torrentport, the Great Dam is the only way through."