1: Chapter 1 The Chosen Children

"Student, you may come in."

A gentle voice came from the doorway. Lin Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the slight nervousness and anticipation in his heart, and followed the breeding house attendant inside.

A fresh scent of vegetation wafted over him, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the streets outside, instantly refreshing his mind.

This was the largest public pet breeding house in Qinglan City and the first choice for the vast majority of new Beast Tamers.

Not only did it simulate the natural habitats of various pets to keep them in peak condition, but more importantly, the pricing was transparent with no hidden costs, making it extremely friendly to new Beast Tamers from ordinary families.

This last point was exactly what Lin Chen valued.

Upon entering, a vibrant Wood-type pet breeding area came into view.

The breeding area was separated by a transparent energy barrier, simulating an environment where grasslands and forests intertwined. Lush green grass covered the ground, and leafy trees stood tall and straight. Dappled sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, falling onto several small and nimble pets.

"Student, look over here."

The attendant smiled and gestured, her tone friendly:

"This is the Green-Patterned Rabbit, a Wood-type pet with a Low-Level Extraordinary racial rank. It has a gentle temperament and is good at sensing energy fluctuations, which can help warn you of danger in the early stages."

"It's very easy to raise, requiring only ordinary spirit grass fodder. It's perfectly suited for a new Beast Tamer's contract."

"Furthermore, its evolution path is clear; it can later evolve into the Jade Shadow Rabbit, a Low-Level Elite racial rank pet with respectable combat power."

Lin Chen looked in the direction she pointed. He saw a palm-sized rabbit squatting under a tree, nibbling on spirit grass. Its body was covered in fine bluish-white fur, with several faint jade-colored patterns on its back. Its long ears twitched from time to time, making it look quite adorable.

It was so cute while alive; if it were seasoned with various spices, stir-fried over a high flame, and garnished with green and red peppers, it would surely be even more eye-catching.

Lin Chen subconsciously remarked, "Rabbits really are cute."

The attendant nodded repeatedly. "Indeed, it's a pet many new Beast Tamers dream of..."

Before she could finish, Lin Chen muttered to himself, "I just wonder how it actually tastes?"

The attendant froze, then cast a wary glance at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen secretly swallowed his saliva and quickly changed the subject. "Could you please take me to the Fire-type pet breeding area?"

Choosing a Fire-type pet as his starter was the result of long and careful consideration.

Fire-type pets are generally passionate and lively, with lower breeding difficulty. Moreover, their early-stage combat power is more prominent than other types of the same rank, offering great value for money, making them the top choice for new Beast Tamers.

More importantly, he had already chosen his target—the Fire-type pet, the Flame-Fire Dog.

This was a common Fire-type pet with a Mid-Level Extraordinary racial rank. Not only was the cost of raising it low, but its price was also significantly cheaper than other pets of the same rank.

At this thought, Lin Chen couldn't help but sigh softly.

In the blink of an eye, a year had passed since he awakened the wisdom of his past life.

In his previous life, he was just an ordinary white-collar worker. He thought he could use his past knowledge and perspective to improve his family's situation, but reality dealt him a heavy blow.

The technology in this vastly different world was more advanced than in his past life, with smart devices permeating every corner of existence. His knowledge from the previous life was almost useless here.

In this world, Only by becoming Beast Tamer Only then can one obtain a higher social status.， Only then can you earn enough money， Only then can the family's predicament be truly changed.。

Lin Chen had no choice but to set aside his unrealistic ideas. He poured all his effort into studying theory related to beast-taming and honed his mental power day after day, all to awaken his beast-taming talent as soon as possible and become a Beast Tamer.

Fortunately, his efforts paid off. Not only did he get into a top-tier beast-taming academy in the Donghuang Federation—Qiming Beast-Taming Academy—with excellent grades, but he also recently succeeded in awakening his mental power, becoming an Apprentice Beastmaster.

And now, as long as he contracted a pet of his own, he would truly become a Beast Tamer recognized by the Donghuang Federation.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, and his pace quickened.

But just then, a cold, mechanical voice rang in his ear without warning:

[Congratulations, Chosen Child, on successfully arriving in the world of Digimon Grand Evolution...]

Lin Chen's footsteps came to a sudden halt. He instinctively looked around—the attendant beside him was still smiling and introducing the pets along the way in a friendly tone;

Not far away, the Green-Patterned Rabbit was still nibbling on spirit grass, and a few small Wood Beetles were darting and playing among the branches. Everything was exactly as it was a moment ago, as if the voice had been a mere hallucination.

Was it an auditory hallucination?

Lin Chen frowned, suppressed the doubt in his heart, and continued following the attendant.

But in the next second, the sound of static crackled in his ear again, crystal clear.

This was definitely not an illusion.

Lin Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and his fingertips instinctively tightened. However, he remained composed, his expression calm as if nothing had happened.

"Plane anchor lost, data lost, worldview reshaping, reinstalling system..."

The static lasted for about half a minute. Just as Lin Chen was about to lose his composure from the shock, the mechanical voice spoke again:

[Congratulations, Chosen Child. You have successfully arrived in a fantasy world before it is shrouded in darkness. The dark crisis follows like a shadow; the world awaits your salvation.]

[Go forth, Chosen Child, and please save this world that is about to fall.]

[You shall become the sole savior.]

Wait a minute.

What do you mean by "Chosen Child"?

At that moment, Lin Chen suddenly remembered something, and his pupils dilated—in his past life, he had been obsessed with a game adapted from Digimon called "Digimon Grand Evolution."

The game's setting involved Chosen Children taking Digimon to save the Digital World from being eroded by darkness.

Could this sudden voice be his system?

But what the hell was a Digimon? He had clearly transmigrated into a beast-taming world full of fantasy elements!

Lin Chen's thoughts raced. Before he could figure it out, the mechanical voice spoke once more:

[Beginner Quest: Obtain your first Digimon to officially take the first step toward saving the world.]

[Quest Rewards: Exp x10, double exp card x1, Small Blast Move Learning Machine x1.]

Exp?

double exp card?

Small Blast Move Learning Machine?

Lin Chen suppressed the confusion in his heart. With trembling fingertips, he instinctively thought of opening his status panel. A pale blue virtual panel, visible only to him, instantly appeared:

[Player: Lin Chen]

[Rank: Apprentice Beastmaster]

[Skill: Telepathy]

[Pet: None]

[Items: None]

[Distributable Exp: 0]

For a moment, Lin Chen looked around at the various pets and fell into a long silence.

In this beast-taming world, where was he supposed to find a Digimon?

What was the point of this system appearing?

Lin Chen let out a shallow breath, preparing to head home and study this sudden system. But just then, the sound of intense fighting and the whimpering of a pet came from ahead, breaking the tranquility of the area.

Lin Chen instinctively looked up. His gaze passed through several energy barriers and landed on the Fire-type pet breeding area not far away.

He saw a stout, dog-like pet covered in orange-red fur being pummeled by another orange-yellow pet.

"A Flame-Fire Dog and... a Flame Claw Beast?" Lin Chen narrowed his eyes, recognizing them.

The canine pet was indeed the Flame-Fire Dog that Lin Chen had planned to contract. They could be found all over Donghuang and were extremely common Fire-type pets, beloved by many new Beast Tamers.

As for the Flame Claw Beast beside it, this was the first time Lin Chen had seen one.

This pet's habitat was usually in low-latitude, high-temperature regions. They were fierce by nature and rarely seen in the northern regions.

The Flame Claw Beast was covered in orange-yellow skin, had a triangular head with round deep-green eyes, stood on two legs, and had sharp claws.

The attendant noticed the commotion, her expression changing. She quickly ran over, shouting urgently as she went:

"Stop fighting!"

Hearing this, the Flame Claw Beast, which was currently straddling the Flame-Fire Dog with its claws pinned to the latter's head, finally stopped and slowly released its grip.

The Flame Claw Beast raised its head, casting a condescending glance at the Flame-Fire Dog, then looked curiously at the two people approaching.

The attendant swiped her card to enter the breeding area, and Lin Chen skillfully slipped in with a nimble sidestep.

"Awoo..."

With its fur in disarray and several scratches on its body, the Flame-Fire Dog let out a pitiful whimper and scrambled to its feet.

Trembling all over, it hid behind the attendant, timidly peeking out but not daring to look at the Flame Claw Beast, its tail tucked tightly between its legs.

Seeing the Flame-Fire Dog's behavior, Lin Chen was momentarily speechless.

According to the latest edition of the Donghuang Pet Encyclopedia, Flame-Fire Dogs are brave and fearless, with a passionate temperament, and they take the initiative to attack stronger opponents.

But what was with this bullied appearance before him?

An outsider pet bullying a local one?

Then, as Lin Chen looked at the fierce-looking Flame Claw Beast, the system's cold voice rang in his head again:

[Wild Agumon discovered. Player, please obtain it as soon as possible to complete the Beginner Quest.]

Lin Chen was stunned.

A wild Agumon?

Where? Where?

When the corner of Lin Chen's eye caught the Flame Claw Beast right next to him, his mouth hung open, and he didn't speak for a long time.

System, you call this an Agumon?

System, look at me!

But when Lin Chen calmed down and carefully examined the Flame Claw Beast, the figure before him gradually overlapped with the image of Agumon in his memory.

Come to think of it, the Flame Claw Beast really did look somewhat like an Agumon.

They were roughly the same height, and even their skin color and form were seventy to eighty percent similar. Even the claws were identically sharp. If one had to find a difference, it was that the Flame Claw Beast's facial expression and eyes were fiercer, while Agumon leaned more toward the "clear-eyed stupidity" of a college student.

At this moment, Lin Chen was confused.

Could this fellow really be an Agumon?

Or perhaps it had some inextricable connection to Agumon?

Lin Chen took a shallow breath to clear the cluttered thoughts from his mind. He recalled the beginner rewards mentioned by the system, and his gaze sharpened.

Even if he followed his original plan and contracted a Flame-Fire Dog, he could see his future at a glance.

In this world, with just an ordinary Flame-Fire Dog, it would be difficult to become a powerful Beast Tamer while lacking resources, talent, and family background.

As for the Flame Claw Beast.

Lin Chen focused, searching his mind for basic information about the Flame Claw Beast.

Flame Claw Beast, Fire attribute, Mid-Level Extraordinary racial rank. Currently, there are two stable evolution paths:

The first is evolving into the Flame Ridge Beast, a Mid-Level Elite Fire-attribute pet.

The second is evolving into the Ember Rock Armored Tyrant, a High-Level Elite Fire and Rock dual-attribute pet.

In terms of evolution diversity and potential, the Flame-Fire Dog and the Flame Claw Beast were evenly matched. In terms of breeding difficulty and cost, the Flame Claw Beast was slightly more demanding.

Furthermore, the fact that the Flame Claw Beast could be a bully meant its combat power and performance were superior to the Flame-Fire Dog.

Most importantly, the system had vouched for the Flame Claw Beast.

Sorry, Flame-Fire Dog, maybe we'll meet again if fate allows.

Gathering his thoughts, Lin Chen looked at the attendant who was comforting the Flame-Fire Dog and asked, "Can I learn more about this Flame Claw Beast?"

He watched the fierce Flame Claw Beast and asked curiously, "I recall that there are no Flame Claw Beast habitats around Qinglan City."

The attendant stood up, her expression complicated, and sighed. "This one's situation is a bit special."

Lin Chen perked up his ears and listened carefully.

"Two weeks ago, our breeding house imported a batch of pets rarely seen locally from the south. This Flame Claw Beast was one of them."

After a brief pause, her expression became even more complex. "But this child has a bit of a rebellious personality and is obsessed with fighting. In just two weeks, it has already injured five pets."

"However, there are currently no vacant individual breeding rooms, so we had to house it here for now. It's just been hard on the other pets staying with it."

"So, I wouldn't recommend a new Beast Tamer contract it."

Lin Chen nodded in realization.

So it was a "problem" pet.

This situation isn't uncommon among pets; most are caused by their upbringing or special experiences, which lead to extreme personalities.

Thus, the already fierce Flame Claw Beast had become a bully in the breeding house.

His thoughts passed in a flash. Lin Chen looked at the Flame Claw Beast, which was watching him warily, and smiled slightly. "It's fine. I'm actually quite interested in this child."

"Besides, there are Pet Psychologists who specialize in solving these kinds of issues."

The attendant nodded and added, "By the way, I heard it was the same at its previous breeding house—constantly looking for other pets to battle."

At this point, she paused significantly, her tone hesitant. "They speculate that this child might just want to improve its strength through battles and is working hard to become stronger."

Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully.

He looked at the Flame Claw Beast ahead, stepped forward slowly, and curved his lips into a smile. "Hello, I'm Lin Chen."

"Gagu!"

Seeing Lin Chen approach, the Flame Claw Beast became even more alert. It raised its sharp, glinting claws while opening its mouth, where a faint flame was brewing.

Lin Chen remained unfazed and continued forward.

This was a breeding house with full security measures. It was impossible for a pet to attack a customer; that would ruin their reputation.

If the Flame Claw Beast showed clear aggressive intent, the security pets hidden in the shadows would stop it immediately, and the pet would be locked in a dark room or even expelled from the house.

Seeing that its intimidation wasn't working, the Flame Claw Beast looked up and instinctively took half a step back.

He advanced, it retreated.

Until it had nowhere left to retreat, the Flame Claw Beast backed into the fence and plopped down on its bottom.

It quickly realized its reaction was a bit unsightly. It stood up, raised its head, bared its teeth, and roared, "Gagu!"

The smile on Lin Chen's lips deepened.

He squatted down, maintaining eye level with the Flame Claw Beast, and spoke slowly: "I heard you want to become stronger?"