9: Chapter 9 The Strength of Erhuo

The early morning light was like a greyish-white fish belly, seeping bit by bit through the gaps in the loosely drawn curtains. It slowly crawled over the legs of the old desk, climbed up the slightly peeling paint on the wall, and finally fell upon an orange-yellow figure curled up on the floor in the corner.

The Flame Claw Beast's eyelids twitched, and then it slowly opened its eyes.

In its deep green eyes, there was initially a layer of hazy mist from just waking up, reflecting the blurred texture of an unfamiliar ceiling.

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It lay still, only its eyeballs rolling as its gaze swept across the desk piled with books and sundries, across the various photos of pet beasts pasted on the wall, and across the faint light seeping in from outside the window.

Where is this?

It tilted its head, rubbed its eyes with its claws, and woke up completely.

Oh, right, this is Lin Chen's home.

Lin Chen also said that this was its home now too.

Home.

The Flame Claw Beast rolled over and sat up, shaking its head. Its orange-yellow fur took on a healthy luster in the brightening morning light.

It looked around the small room. Dust danced quietly in the pillars of light, there was a smell of paper mixed with old wood, and the sound of steady, calm breathing came from the bed.

Lin Chen was still sleeping.

The Flame Claw Beast blinked and stood up nimbly. Its paw pads stepped on the cool floor without making a sound.

It walked to the bedside and looked up at Lin Chen.

In the wild, at this time, the sun would have risen high long ago, and most pet beasts would have already started moving and foraging.

Pet beasts that slept in would only go hungry.

Humans were the same.

It thought about it and felt it was necessary to make Lin Chen follow a healthy lifestyle as well.

So, the Flame Claw Beast extended its two small claws, grabbed the edge of the quilt, and pulled down hard.

"Gagu!"

Wake up!

Accompanied by a clear cry, the Flame Claw Beast not only pulled off the quilt but also stood on its tiptoes and shook Lin Chen's shoulder vigorously with its claws: "Gagu gagu!"

"Ugh..."

Lin Chen was startled awake by the sudden cool air from losing his cover and a bout of world-shaking movement.

He snapped his eyes open. His pupils quickly focused after an initial half-second of blurriness. His brain was like a precision instrument being switched on; the lingering fog of sleep was instantly cleared away completely.

What came into view was the Flame Claw Beast's face pressed very close, and the brightening morning light behind it.

Lin Chen only paused for a very brief moment. His gaze swept over the Flame Claw Beast, then the quilt pulled to the foot of the bed, and then the sky outside, which was indeed already bright.

He first looked at the Flame Claw Beast in front of him, then at the quilt on the floor, and couldn't help but laugh.

This fellow was so cautious yesterday, yet this morning it seemed like a different creature.

Enthusiastic, cheerful, and lively blood indeed flowed in the Flame Claw Beast's bones.

He took a deep breath without the slightest delay:

"Alright, getting up."

With agile movements, he rolled out of bed and sat up, folded the quilt, and tidied the bedding.

He washed up and prepared a simple breakfast—fried eggs, bread, and prepared energy liquid for the Flame Claw Beast.

The Flame Claw Beast ate very quickly, its cheeks bulging, its eyes squinting in satisfaction.

To it, the stable food provided by this home was already an unimaginably luxurious treatment.

While eating, Lin Chen took out his phone to record the Flame Claw Beast's food intake to deduce its daily energy consumption and estimate the time for the next purchase of energy liquid.

After breakfast, Lin Chen walked to the Flame Claw Beast, knelt down, and looked it in the eye.

"Er Huo."

His voice was exceptionally steady: "From today on, we are officially beginning our training."

"Gagu?"

The Flame Claw Beast finished its last sip of energy liquid and tilted its head in inquiry.

"Yes."

Lin Chen explained patiently: "If you want to become stronger and evolve, you must undergo systematic nurturing and hard training."

Whether it was the Freshman Grand Competition he learned about last night or the Dark Crisis mentioned by the system, Lin Chen needed powerful strength.

Even putting those two things aside, if he wanted to change his family's difficult situation and live a better life, he had to become a more powerful Beast Tamer.

And nurturing and training pet beasts was the only way to become stronger.

But to give the Flame Claw Beast more motivation, Lin Chen changed his wording: "As long as we get stronger, we can earn lots and lots of money."

"Once we have money, you can do whatever you want."

"For example, those skewers from yesterday—you can have as many as you want."

"You don't want to go hungry every day, do you?"

The Flame Claw Beast's eyes suddenly lit up, and it nodded vigorously: "Gagu!"

Quick!

Let's train quickly!

Just then, the system's voice abruptly rang in his mind:

[Saving the world from crisis requires great strength. Please conduct no less than one hour of basic comprehensive quality training for Agumon.]

[Task Reward: 5 Exp, 1 double exp card]

Another system task had appeared.

But what were the trigger conditions for system tasks?

Was it his own strong desire for nurturing and training?

Or was there another reason?

And what did the basic comprehensive quality training mentioned by the system include?

Countless thoughts flashed by in an instant, but Lin Chen's expression quickly returned to calm.

Regardless, he had to go train first.

So he waved his hand: "Let's go, we're heading to the training ground."

This old residential area, built decades ago, had mottled exterior walls and greenery that was messy after years of erosion, but it didn't lack any of the necessary public facilities.

After passing several residential buildings of the same color, a relatively open area appeared before them.

The community training ground.

The ground was paved with worn but still thick anti-slip plastic, and several high-pole lights with steady illumination stood at the edges.

Some of the most basic public training equipment was fixed in the corners: weight racks of different heights, rope nets for climbing, hardwood posts for training claw and beak strikes, and a large grey steel plate covered in various marks.

The steel plate was made of some unknown alloy. Its surface was no longer smooth, covered in dense claw marks, beak imprints, scorched blackness from fire, rust from water soaking, and shallow pits left by energy impacts.

It was like a silent witness, recording the traces of countless Beast Tamers living here and their initial partners as they first broke a sweat and worked hard to become stronger.

Since it was a workday and still early, there were only a few scattered people on the training ground, each engaged in morning activities with their pet beasts in distant spots, not interfering with one another.

Lin Chen led the Flame Claw Beast straight to a quiet corner, right in front of that weathered steel plate.

"Warm up first."

Lin Chen was concise, taking the lead in performing a set of simple stretching exercises, moving his joints and stretching his muscles: "Follow me."

The Flame Claw Beast followed his lead. Although its movements seemed a bit comical due to its physical structure, it learned very seriously, twisting its neck, rotating its arms, kicking its legs, and even trying to bend its waist.

After a simple stretch, Lin Chen took out the energy cubes he had bought yesterday from his waist pouch.

"Eat this and chew slowly." Lin Chen handed one to the Flame Claw Beast.

The Flame Claw Beast leaned in to sniff it, its eyes lit up, and it swallowed it in one gulp without chewing at all.

"Gagu..."

Soon, the Flame Claw Beast felt a warm current rapidly spread from its stomach to its four limbs and bones. Its body, which had just been slightly loosened during the warm-up, felt as if every cell was letting out a comfortable groan, filled with power.

It couldn't help but wave its claws, feeling as if the tips were sharper than usual.

"Feel that?"

Lin Chen observed its reaction and nodded: "This is an energy cube. It can replenish and stimulate your physical stamina, making the training more effective."

"Alright, let's begin."

He took a few steps back to create some distance, his expression focused.

"First, let's test your current skill mastery. Flame Claw Beast, aim straight ahead and use Flame Breath Bullet!"

"Gagu!"

The Flame Claw Beast growled, its aura suddenly shifting.

It crouched slightly, its eyes brightly locked onto the empty space ahead. Its mouth opened, and points of orange-red light began to gather deep in its throat, the surrounding air temperature rising slightly.

After brewing for about two seconds, a fireball spat out from its mouth.

The center of the flame was a blinding orange-yellow, its edges carrying transparent ripples that distorted the air from the high heat. It crossed several meters, leaving a brief heatwave trail in the air, before finally making a "poof" sound as its energy was exhausted, dissipating into the air.

The residual heat made Lin Chen's cheeks feel a dry, searing heat.

The power was considerable.

The range was about ten meters, and the explosive power and speed were decent. As an initial skill, its lethality was completely up to standard.

"Very good, keep that feeling."

Lin Chen pointed to the huge steel plate in the corner of the training ground: "Use Sharp Claws to attack it with all your might!"

Without hesitation, the Flame Claw Beast moved its short legs and charged at the steel plate.

When it was just over a meter from the steel plate, it pushed off hard with its hind legs, leaping into the air, and its right front claw swung out fiercely.

The claw tips, which were originally just slightly sharp, suddenly lit up with a cold, sharp white glint at this moment.

Screech—!

The ear-piercing sound of metal scraping rang out.

The Flame Claw Beast landed lightly and looked back at its handiwork.

On that steel plate, which had endured countless attacks, three clear white scratches had appeared.

But they were only scratches.

The depth was very shallow, not even matching some of the deeper claw marks nearby; it had only damaged the oxidation and wear layer on the very surface of the steel plate, revealing the slightly newer metallic color underneath.

Compared to the small flame, the difference in power was obvious.

"Er Huo, come here." Lin Chen beckoned.

The little fellow ran back, looking up at him and waiting for instructions.

"Flame Breath Bullet is your main long-range attack method and must be practiced first. The goal is to improve firing speed, control, and power."

Lin Chen said clearly:

"Besides that, your own physical stamina, speed, endurance, and reaction—these basic qualities are the foundation that supports all skills, and they must also be improved with great effort."

Lin Chen pointed to the simple equipment on the training ground: "From today on, this is where we will come every day."