Picking Up Attributes From Today c1-406

by Panda Reunion, 团圆小熊猫

  “Is this thing really the Titanic Dragon-Ape’s infant?”

  After he got a good look at the little beast’s true appearance, Meng Lei now held a rather distrustful attitude toward life. Wet and wrinkly, this was clearly a soft and tender naked gorilla with wings!

  The kind that had just been born, no less!

  Which part of it had even a shadow of the Titanic Dragon-Ape’s mighty aura?

  Weak, helpless, and pitiful!

  Weren’t these just describing that thing over here?

  “This is the Titanic Dragon-Ape’s infant, no doubt about that.” Ol’ Amos floated in mid-air, twisting his beard with a smile as he said, “Don’t look down on it. Once it gets past its weak stage that lasts two days, it’ll be on par with a Fifth-Grade Magical Beast. Ripping apart tigers and leopards with its bare hands and devouring jackals and wolves will be a cinch.”

  “Is this thing really that powerful?”

  Meng Lei curled his lip, a million doubts in his mind. He wasn’t judging a book by its cover. It was just that this miniature version of the Titanic Dragon-Ape in front of him now was honestly a little too big of a wuss. It looked just like a newborn kitten, the kind that even a chopstick could suppress.

  “Stop being so goddamn pretentious and set up a contractual magic circle to contract it at once!” urged Ol’ Amos in dry amusement. “Remember, sign an equal contract, not a master-servant one!”

  “Why should I sign an equal contract?”

  Meng Lei frowned, somewhat reluctant. “Isn’t a master-servant contract better? Getting it to become my servant and bow to me completely, commanding it with ease so that it’ll do whatever I say, isn’t that a better idea?”

  “Meng Lei, you must understand this.” Ol’ Amos shook his head. “A magical pet is the trusted right-hand man of us Magicians and is also the closest partner of us Magicians. It’s even more so a friend and support that’s worth our utmost trust!

  “While getting it to become your servant can certainly give you great assistance when its master completely controls a Magical Beast’s mind and consciousness, it’s no different from a puppet during battle. The rapport between the two is too poor.

  “The chemical reaction is terrible, and 1+1 equates to less than 2.

  “But an equal contract is different.

  “After you enter into an equal contract, the Magical Beast and its master are on equal terms. They rise to glory together and fall to disgrace together. When a Magical Beast has its own mind and consciousness, and its heart is closely linked to its master’s, they can coordinate with each other with great rapport and achieve an effect where 1+1 equates to more than 2!”

  “Oh, I see!”

  Meng Lei nodded slightly, as if deep in thought.

  “There’s also something else that you must understand—when one enters into a master-servant contract, they are usually forcibly subduing a Magical Beast. This is a contract that the Magical Beast signs in a situation where it’s resentful and unreconciled to its fate. But now?”

  Ol’ Amos sighed and said, “The Titanic Dragon-Ape infant is still young and is oblivious and ignorant of the outside world. If you raise it, it’ll see you as its one and only kin.

  “In a situation like that, unless you’re suffering from brain damage, why would you enter into a master-servant contract that’ll turn it into a puppet?”

  “Ol’ President, you’re right. That makes a lot of sense!” Meng Lei agreed wholeheartedly. Then, he scratched his head and said in embarrassment, “But I have a problem... I don’t know how to set up the contractual magic circle for an equal contract!”

  “I’m gonna faint!”

  Chapter 75: Besieged By Magical Beasts, A Great Army Invades

  “You don’t even know how to set up a contractual magic circle for an equal contract? Who taught you your magic basics? Even someone like you can become the top freshman?” Ol’ Amos was very dissatisfied with Meng Lei, and he criticized him sternly. “A qualified Magician... Not only must he... but he must also...”

  “Ol’ President, can we leave all that for later and deal with this Titanic Dragon-Ape infant first?”

  Meng Lei was rendered rather speechless. Was this old geezer once a Department Head of the Moral Education Department? Hence the terrible work habit of being fond of criticizing and lecturing others?

  “Hmph!”

  Ol’ Amos snorted, greatly dissatisfied with Meng Lei’s attitude. Regardless, he still taught him how to set up the contractual magic circle for an equal contract anyway. Meng Lei got the hang of it right away and mastered it after just one round of explanation from Ol’ Amos.

  He successfully set up the contractual magic circle after that.

  Bzzz!

  A dreamy, colorful glow enveloped the Titanic Dragon-Ape infant in the little nest, and the little fellow, which was sound asleep, slowly opened its eyes. There was a confused, lost, naive, and adorably silly look within them!

  Meng Lei squeezed out a drop of blood and successfully signed the contract. The way the little fellow looked at Meng Lei instantly became a lot more affectionate. It leaned over and rubbed its head against Meng Lei’s hand affectionately as it called out in a babyish voice.

  “Wah~ Wah~”

  “Haha, it already sees you as its closest companion!”

  Ol’ Amos twisted his beard and broke into a smile, a hint of gratification coming over his face.

  “Ol’ President, how do I take care of it when it’s so young?”

  Meng Lei also broke into a smile, raising the question as he stroked the little Dragon-Ape’s head. The little fellow wasn’t actually that small. It was about the same size as an adult gorilla. It just seemed small and inconsequential relative to an adult Titanic Dragon-Ape, that was all.

  “Magical Beasts are tough and ferocious by nature. They’ll grow to become strong and robust in an extremely short time after they’re born. In this respect, we humans have no hope of even competing with them.”

  A smiling Ol’ Amos stroked his beard and explained, “You need only to wait for it to pull through its two-days-long weak stage. After that, it’ll become just like any other Magical Beast and feed on raw meat and mature on its own.”

  “I see!” Meng Lei clicked his tongue in wonder. “To think that Magical Beast infants don’t actually feed on milk. This particular characteristic of theirs is very similar to non-mammalian animals. How amazing!”

  “Non-mammalian animals?” The old academy president stared blankly at him for a moment.

  At that moment, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly rang out. Meng Lei looked over to see a Fire Cloud Mercenaries member running in. “S-sir! T-this is terrible, Magical Beasts have come attacking!”

  “Magical Beasts?”

  Meng Lei’s pupils contracted, and he ran out of the cave in a flash.

  ...

  Hiss!

  Rustle, rustle!

  Thump, thump, thump!

  Strange, peculiar sounds rang out in the thick, dense forest. Trees shook and weeds broke. The whole forest within five kilometers ahead of them was shaking!

  This unusual activity added a hint of creepiness to the usually quiet and dead silent forest. The Fire Cloud Mercenaries members gripped their weapons tightly, their countenances were awfully somber.

  The assassins standing guard on the periphery had reported an invading wave of Magical Beasts. Their numbers were unknown, and the targets were making a straight line for this area!

  This situation was exceedingly abnormal and completely strayed from the usual workings, but this was what made it even more terrifying instead. One must know that they were currently in the far depths of Magical Beast Forest—even a random old Magical Beast around here was a high-grade one!

  Besieged by high-grade Magical Beasts? Just the thought of it alone made one’s scalp tingle!

  “Captain, what do we do?” a member asked nervously as he gripped his weapon.

  Their leader was calm and r
ational and stayed composed even in the face of danger. He replied, “No need to fear! With Lord Saint Domain around, what can a mere few Magical Beasts amount to?”

  “That’s true!”

  The mercenaries nodded one by one, their fear lessening slightly. A Saint Domain expert could destroy the heavens and earth. How would typical Magical Beasts possibly be a match for them?

  “Where are the Magical Beasts?”

  Meng Lei walked out of the cave at this point.

  The captain hastily answered respectfully, “Sir, they are currently closing in on us!”

  He’d only just spoken when a Magical Beast dashed out of the forest.

  It was a wolf species of Magical Beast. Its body was ten meters long and fully covered in steel needle-like fur. Its contours were well-proportioned, its muscles sharply defined, and it was full of a physical strength kind of aesthetic.

  The strange thing was that this particular wolf-type Magical Beast had two heads—one white and one black—and this color division continued throughout its whole body, which was also half-white and half-black. The color division was clear and distinct, just like the national treasure[1]!

  “That’s the Seventh-Grade Magical Beast, Sun-Moon Double-Headed Wolf!” A mercenary called out its name.

  “A Seventh-Grade Magical Beast has actually scared all of you this badly?”

  Meng Lei stared at the Sun-Moon Double-Headed Wolf, rendered somewhat speechless.

  “Sir, there are more!”

  The captain let out a wry laugh.

  At this point, a second Magical Beast dashed out of the forest. It was as large as a truck container and had eight legs. This was a spider species of Magical Beast that was fully blood red in color, but it had a human head and looked incredibly horrifying.

  It was the Seventh-Grade Magical Beast, Man-Visage Demon Spider!

  Then, it was followed by the third, fourth, fifth...

  As the trees shook, Magical Beasts dived out of the forest one after another like mushrooms sprouting after rain. They came in a variety of sizes and species, carrying with them an astounding might and cold and vicious looks in their eyes.

  “Seventh-Grade Magical Beast, Tri-Eyed Poisonous Toad!”

  “Sixth-Grade Magical Beast, Iron-Armored Crocodile!”

  “Seventh-Grade Magical Beast, Raptor!”

  “Seventh-Grade Magical Beast...”

  “Oh my Dragon God!”

  “Why are there so many high-grade Magical Beasts?!”

  The sight of so many high-grade Magical Beasts caused every Fire Cloud Mercenaries member’s legs to shake, and fear and panic came over their countenances.

  Too many!

  Too many high-grade Magical Beasts were showing up!

  Were there 50 of them? Or 100?

  But what made them despair the most was that an endless stream of high-grade Magical Beasts was still arriving one by one. How were they supposed to fight them all?!

  “S-sir, what should we do?”

  Blood drained from the captain’s face. He gazed at Meng Lei, having already placed all his hopes on him. A ferocious tiger was hardly a match for a pack of wolves, much less a group of high-grade Magical Beasts?

  Besieged by this many Magical Beasts, even if the Fire Cloud Mercenaries was strong and had wonderful coordination, they still didn’t have even a shred of hope!

  They’d be ripped apart and become food in those Magical Beasts’ bellies!

  Everyone else from the Fire Cloud Mercenaries also stared hard at Meng Lei, their despairing and fearful faces full of hope.

  Now that things had come to this point, Meng Lei was the only one they could rely on!

  “Ol’ President, why are there so many Sixth-Grade and Seventh-Grade Magical Beasts congregating here when everything’s perfectly alright?”

  Meng Lei didn’t pay any heed to the Fire Cloud Mercenaries members. Instead, he frowned and raised a question. Every high-grade Magical Beast had their own territory, and they usually fought and went at one another’s throats. Why would they show up here together?

  “It’s probably because of the Titanic Dragon-Ape.”

  A glint flashed across Ol’ Amos’ eyes as he pointed at the Titanic Dragon-Ape carcass. “A high-grade Magical Beast’s flesh and magic core hold lethal attraction to Magical Beasts of lower grades. If they can devour and feed on it, it’ll boost their strength and might even help them to level up.

  “When they were battling and dismembering the Titanic Dragon-Ape earlier, its vital energy dissipated into the air and drifted out. This ended up attracting the Magical Beasts here.”

  “So that’s what happened!”

  Meng Lei nodded slowly. “Those guys’ noses sure are sharp! But this is just as well. Saves me the trouble of going around like a headless chicken to look for them.”

  “What do you intend to do?” Ol’ Amos raised his eyebrows. “I have to remind you, dealing with this many Magical Beasts won’t be easy. If you really can’t handle it, then you’d better run. You aren’t their target anyway.”

  “Run? That word doesn’t exist in my dictionary!”

  [1] Refers to the panda, China’s national treasure

  Chapter 76: Flame Inferno, Annihilation

  Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  A Magical Beast could already be considered a high-grade one at seventh-grade.

  Not only were they astonishingly intelligent, but they also possessed strong, domineering combat power.

  It was very tough for a human to defeat a Magical Beast of the same grade, especially when their numbers increased to form a beast tide. Their level of destructiveness could be said to be terrifying at that point.

  Everywhere they passed through, lands turned barren, and nothing would be left alive.

  That was why the Fire Cloud Mercenaries were scared witless when facing a siege by so many Sixth- and Seventh-Grade Magical Beasts. If it weren’t for the fact a “Saint Domain” was standing right next to them, they’d have fled for their lives a long time ago.

  Man-Visage Demon Spider, Golden Lightning Python, Iron-Armored Crocodile, Sun-Moon Double-Headed Wolf... The Magical Beasts were savage, bloodthirsty, and vicious. As they stared at the Titanic Dragon-Ape carcass lying on the ground, their snouts constantly twitched, and drool dripped from their jaws, their eyes brimming with greed.

  Devour it!

  Devour the Titanic Dragon-Ape!

  Once they devoured the Titanic Dragon-Ape, they’d benefit tremendously! The day where they’d level up and break through... wasn’t far off anymore!

  All the Magical Beasts became restless and agitated for a while there. They pounced toward the Titanic Dragon-Ape one after another, for fear that other Magical Beasts would get there earlier than them should they be a step too slow.

  In this instant, all of them had gone berserk!

  “S... Sir, w-what do we do?!”

  The mercenaries screamed and shouted in fear as they trembled like leaves in the wind.

  “What are you panicking for? Step back!” Meng Lei snorted, displeasure coming over his features.

  “Yes, yes!”

  The mercenaries hastily hid behind Meng Lei. To their backs were the cliff and precipitous rock walls, as well as the waterfall. The Magical Beasts couldn’t launch attacks from there. Thus, the area behind them was safe.

  “You just had to seek your own ruin, didn’t you?” Meng Lei’s voice was loud and sonorous. “Just as well that I round up all of you in one go and turn you into money in my pocket, then!”

  Meng Lei moved in the very next instant!

  Boom!

  The ground suddenly began to shake. It was as if a magnitude 9.0 earthquake had broken out. The ground shook, and the mountains trembled, while trees swayed from side to side. Fissures appeared out of nowhere in the ground, and earth spikes abruptly emerged!

  Splurt!

  Splurt!

  The sudden attack caught the frenzied Magical Beasts off
-guard. Some fell into the fissures, while the earth spikes impaled some. For a moment there, they looked somewhat in a pathetic state.

  However, they were Sixth- and Seventh-Grade Magical Beasts, after all. A magic attack of this scale evidently couldn’t take their lives. After leaping out of the fissures and crushing the earth spikes, the Magical Beasts charged forward once more.

  The nearer they got to the Titanic Dragon-Ape, the stronger the stench of blood became, and the Magical Beasts became increasingly restless, frenzied, and bloodthirsty!

  Yet, just as they reached the point ten meters away from the Titanic Dragon-Ape, a mighty and imposing fire dragon suddenly descended from the sky and came crashing toward them. It exploded with a thunderous boom...

  Roar!

  Howl!

  Sparks flew everywhere, and shrieks and cries rose and fell in succession.

  “Great!”

  “Fantastic!”

  The mercenaries were overjoyed upon the sight of this, and they raised their arms in cheers.

  “Sixth-Grade Spell, Fire Dragon Meteor!”

  Ol’ Amos twisted his beard and broke into a smile. “Pretty impressive might it has! That attack can already cause some damage to Sixth- and Seventh-Grade Magical Beasts. A large-scale spell like this is exceptionally taxing on one’s magic power, though. You’d better take it easy!”

  “I know that!”

  Meng Lei didn’t say much about that. Instead, he drew out all the magic power inside him in a furor and gathered it above him. Upon being summoned, all the Fire Elements within a radius of 100 meters came converging toward him.

  In a split second, a gigantic fireball of diameter over 60 meters soundlessly formed. Like the scorching sun, it gave off astonishingly high heat.

  “That’s...”

  When the mercenaries felt the scorching heat above them, they all raised their heads and looked up one by one. Astoundment surfaced in their eyes. The mighty aura of a fireball over 60 meters wide was simply too astounding. However, the even more fearsome thing was that an endless stream of Fire Elements was still converging toward it and strengthening it!

  Expand, expand, and expand!