62: Chapter 62 Humans are all bad guys

"Phew~"

In the bedroom, Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes.

Maintaining his cross-legged position on the bed, he felt the increasingly condensed spiritual power within him, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"As expected of the triple exp card; this meditation speed is practically like cheating."

"Actually, I'm already using a cheat."

Lin Chen muttered to himself.

The hour or so of deep meditation he had just completed was incredibly efficient under the terrifying buff of the [triple exp card].

Spiritual power, which usually required slow and steady accumulation and tempering, now grew at an astonishing rate, as if it had found the ultimate accelerator.

That feeling of clearly sensing himself becoming stronger every second, though he knew it was a fleeting experience brought by the cheat, was still enough to set his heart racing.

As everyone knows, every Beast Tamer's talent is different, and meditation speeds vary as well.

According to statistics from the Donghuang Beast Tamer Association, the average time for an Apprentice Beastmaster to break through to a Primary Beastmaster is three months, while genius Beast Tamers can shorten it to two months or even less.

There are also some insanely gifted individuals with enviable talent for meditation who skip the Apprentice Beastmaster stage immediately upon awakening and become a Primary Beastmaster.

But such monsters are a tiny minority after all; it's hard for even one to appear among hundreds of thousands.

As these thoughts flashed by, Lin Chen took out his phone and checked the calendar.

Today was Saturday, and it was also a mandatory rest day following the emergency mission.

After yesterday's rushing around and combat, his frayed nerves indeed needed to relax.

"I'll just rest at home for the day and make the most of the triple exp card's effect."

To Lin Chen, tempering his spiritual power through meditation was the best form of rest.

He made a rough estimate: based on the meditation efficiency under the triple exp card's buff, he felt he only needed about a week to break through and become a Primary Beastmaster.

"Once I become a Primary Beastmaster, I'll be able to form a contract with this little guy."

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

Between his crossed legs, a tiny off-white figure was curled up into a ball, looking like a sleeping glutinous rice ball.

The Songsong Dog seemed to enjoy Lin Chen's scent and body heat, remaining tightly curled in his lap. Its small head rested on its front paws, its chest rose and fell slightly with its breath, and its ears twitched occasionally, sleeping peacefully and completely defenselessly.

Meanwhile, on the cushion on the floor beside the bed, the Flame Claw Beast lay prone, letting out steady, low snores: "Hoo... hoo..."

This little guy had been running around all day and was exhausted as well.

Lin Chen reached out and gently brushed his fingertips over the soft fur on the Songsong Dog's head, his movements tender.

In its sleep, the Songsong Dog seemed to feel the familiar touch. A very faint purr came from its throat, and its head unconsciously rubbed against Lin Chen's finger as the tips of its ears twitched again.

Lin Chen smiled slightly, suddenly remembering the item rewarded after the dungeon ended—the holy ring.

With a thought, a ring-shaped object, similar to a bracelet, appeared in his hand.

The holy ring had a simple, ancient design. It was a warm, bright pale gold throughout, with holy runic halos flowing around its edges and mysterious patterns engraved upon it.

Lin Chen focused his attention, and brief information about the item immediately surfaced in his mind:

[holy ring]

[Effect: ① Increases the wearer's affinity for and perception of light-attribute energy;

② Increases the power of light-attribute skills used by the wearer by 5%]

"holy ring..."

Lin Chen mulled over the name, his gaze turning somewhat peculiar.

If he remembered correctly, this holy ring should be the same kind of item worn by Puppy Beast and Gatomon.

The holy ring is a proof of identity for the holy lineage of Puppy Beast and Gatomon. It can also be used to purify dark power, providing an extra advantage against Dark Beasts, and so on.

Originally, although the Songsong Dog looked similar to Puppy Beast, there were some differences, with the holy ring around the neck being the biggest point of distinction.

But now that the system had rewarded a holy ring, the similarity between the Songsong Dog and Puppy Beast shot up.

For a moment, Lin Chen's eyes flickered as he fell into thought: "With the badge of light plus the holy ring, how much damage will this child be able to deal to those Dark Species once she evolves into Angewomon?"

Regardless, the holy ring had everything to gain and nothing to lose for the Songsong Dog.

Even though it hadn't mastered any light-attribute skills yet, wearing it early could subtly improve its affinity for light energy, laying the foundation for its future awakening and learning.

Just then, the previously sleeping Songsong Dog blearily opened its eyes.

Its clear eyes were initially filled with the daze of just waking up, but the moment its gaze fell upon the pale gold ring in Lin Chen's hand, which radiated a warm aura, they instantly became clear.

It looked up at the holy ring, then at Lin Chen, tilting its small head as an inexplicable longing surged within its heart.

Lin Chen held the holy ring and waved it in front of the Songsong Dog. "This is a gift I prepared for you. Do you like it?"

The Songsong Dog's gaze followed the holy ring's movement closely. Hearing him, it let out a soft whimper, its tail tip wagging unconsciously as its gaze grew more focused.

"Come, let me put it on you."

Lin Chen said, leaning forward slightly to get closer to the Songsong Dog.

He supported the little guy's neck with one hand and held the holy ring in the other, moving to slip it over the Songsong Dog's head.

The distance between the human and the pet became very close due to this action.

The little guy seemed a bit nervous yet expectant, its body slightly tense, but as the holy ring drew closer and the warm aura became clearer, it slowly relaxed again.

Soon, Lin Chen had placed the holy ring around the Songsong Dog's neck.

The pale gold ring fit the curve of the Songsong Dog's neck perfectly. The size was just right; it wouldn't choke the dog, nor would it easily fall off.

The ring's own glow seemed to have become more restrained, no longer so dazzling, but that warm and holy aura became even clearer, lingering around its body.

At this moment, the Songsong Dog clearly felt a gentle warm current slowly seeping into its body from where the holy ring touched its skin, flowing through its entire being.

It was like a form of nourishment and resonance originating from its very essence, making it feel warm all over and very comfortable. Even the exhaustion from last night's wait and the faint sense of unease were largely dispelled.

"Ying-wu~~"

The Songsong Dog let out a whimper of surprise and looked up at Lin Chen, its bright black eyes seemingly sparkling with starlight.

It even proactively leaned forward, gently rubbing its head against Lin Chen's hand before he could withdraw it.

"Ga-gu..."

But just then, the Flame Claw Beast's voice suddenly rang out.

Lin Chen instinctively turned his head and saw that the Flame Claw Beast had woken up at some point. It was sitting on the floor, staring expressionlessly at him and the Songsong Dog.

No expression could be seen on the Flame Claw Beast's face; it just sat there silently watching, quietly staring, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Chen felt inexplicably guilty.

Although the Flame Claw Beast appeared calm, it was actually extremely angry inside.

They had clearly agreed last night to eat skewers upon returning home, but Lin Chen had fallen asleep immediately, completely forgetting about it.

And now... he was even doing this right in front of it!

That hateful Lin Chen!

Humans really are all bad guys!

Lin Chen coughed lightly and extended his right hand toward the Flame Claw Beast. "How about you join us too?"