Chapter 20: The Pet, Tuanzi

Led by Windchime, Zhang Shan and his companions soon spotted a rather unusual little monster. It was quite small, just a bit larger than a kitten, and looked completely out of place on the bear-filled map.

The tiny panda was chubby and round, with snowy white fur and large black circles around its eyes, exuding an irresistibly adorable charm.

Zhang Shan tried to check the panda's stats, but all he could see was its name and level.

Iron-Eating Beast, Level 1. No other information.

So you can't see the stats of a level-one monster either? Still, it didn't have any sign of being demonized, which suggested it could indeed be tamed.

“How do we tame it? Do I just use the taming skill on the panda?” Zhang Shan asked nervously.

“Logically, you should whittle it down to low health first; the chances of successful taming are higher that way. But this panda is only level one, and we can't see its stats, so we've no idea how much health it has. I'm worried that one blow might kill it, and it would be hard to find another. Just try using the taming skill straight away,” Windchime suggested after thinking it over.

Zhang Shan decided not to overthink it. After all, it was just a level-one monster—what’s the worst that could happen? If the taming failed, he could always try again.

He walked up and used the taming skill on the panda.

System: Taming in progress, 1%, 2%, 3%...

During the process, the panda cocked its head, giving Zhang Shan a curious look, seemingly unconcerned—neither attacking nor resisting the taming attempt.

“This must be a silly little creature. Is taming supposed to be this easy? Don’t tell me it’s a useless pet,” Zhang Shan quipped.

“It doesn’t matter if its stats are a bit low. It’s so cute! Even if it’s not much good for fighting, it’ll be nice to have as a companion. Too bad us Taoists don’t get the taming skill, only summoning. Otherwise, I’d spend whatever it takes to buy a taming manual and get myself such an adorable pet,” Windchime said, feeling a twinge of jealousy as Zhang Shan’s taming bar approached completion.

97%, 98%, 99%—taming successful.

System: Congratulations, you have successfully tamed the Iron-Eating Beast. Pet space unlocked.

Upon success, the panda turned into a streak of white light and merged with Zhang Shan, presumably entering his pet space. His character panel now displayed a panda icon.

“Quick, summon it and see! I wonder if the panda will change after being tamed by a player. Will it still be this cute?”

Zhang Shan tapped the panda icon and summoned his pet.

A lovable panda appeared at his side. After glancing at Zhang Shan, it waddled over on its short legs and circled his feet in delight.

“Wow, it’s so adorable! Let me hold it!” Without hesitation, Windchime scooped up the panda. Pets wouldn’t attack when not set to combat mode.

Zhang Shan checked the pet’s stats, his expression turning strange.

“What’s wrong? How are its stats?” Fengyun Tianxia asked curiously, noticing Zhang Shan’s odd look.

“Well, the stats are pretty good… but why does a tamed pet have a Luck stat? And it’s actually at ten! What’s with that?”

“No way, a pet with ten Luck? Is it meant for treasure hunting or something? I only have five Luck myself, and I’m outclassed by a panda!” Fengyun Yidao complained in frustration.

Everyone looked at the panda in Windchime’s arms with the curiosity of children.

Zhang Shan shared the pet’s stats.

Iron-Eating Beast (Liuguan Bodhisattva’s pet, unnamed): Level 1. HP 1,100; Attack 110; Defense 110; Luck 10. Skill 1: Combo. Skill 2: Thick Hide (Passive).

Combo: The Iron-Eating Beast can instantly attack seven times in a row after activating this skill, dealing damage seven times. Cooldown: 10 minutes.

Thick Hide (Passive): The Iron-Eating Beast's natural toughness reduces all damage taken by 50%.

Its base stats should be 1,000 HP, 100 Attack, 100 Defense. The extra comes from the taming skill, which boosts pet stats by 10% at level one.

“Damn, those stats are overpowered! A level-one pet with 1,000 HP and 100 attack and defense? How are other classes supposed to keep up?” Fengyun Yidao grumbled.

“It’s really strong. Even aside from stats, the skills are excellent. With Combo and ten Luck, there’s a real chance of landing the killing blow on a boss. I’m curious how much ten Luck will affect loot drops. This is getting exciting.”

“I wonder about its growth. How much does it gain per level?” Zhang Shan was eager to find out. With such strong base stats, its growth should be impressive.

“Doesn’t matter. Just level it up and see. Let’s get back to grinding. Oh, and we need to name the panda! We can’t just call it Iron-Eating Beast—that’s terrible. How about ‘Dumpling’? It’s just a little ball of fluff, really suits it,” Windchime suggested, even more excited than Zhang Shan.

Zhang Shan agreed, and after renaming the pet, its name became: Dumpling (Liuguan Bodhisattva’s pet).

He set the pet to follow and not attack, and the group continued leveling up on the bear monsters, with Dumpling rolling around Zhang Shan’s feet.

After three or four fights, Dumpling leveled up to two. Zhang Shan immediately checked its stats.

“Not bad, it gained ten percent across the board—now it has 1,200 HP and 120 attack and defense.”

“Man is outclassed by beast!”

Laughter.

“Let Dumpling help with the fighting. With 120 attack, it should be fine. Let it use Combo every ten minutes and test that ten Luck effect,” Windchime suggested hopefully.

Zhang Shan switched the pet mode to follow and attack. Whichever monster Zhang Shan targeted, Dumpling would attack as well.

Dumpling’s 120 attack only managed about 30 damage per hit to the bears, and its attack speed was painfully slow—like watching paint dry.

“This is like having a grandma on the team—how can its attack speed be so slow? I get in three or four hits before Dumpling lands one,” Zhang Shan complained.

“That’s normal. If pets had stats as strong as players and the same attack speed, that would be overpowered. This is a fair balance. Yours even has a seven-hit combo—other hunters will be drooling with envy.”

“Come on, most other hunters can’t even get a pet this cute, let alone one with skills.”

“How many hunters do we have in the guild, anyway? How many know the taming skill?” Zhang Shan asked.

“We’re short on hunters—just Fengyun Huopao, Desert Sharpshooter, and now you, three in total. If we’d known earlier about the hunter’s Headshot skill, we might have had more. Hunters are really important for boss fights—a group of hunters can keep triggering Headshot to interrupt bosses’ big casts. If there aren’t enough hunters, other classes have to use their crowd-control skills, but manual timing is riskier,” explained Fengyun Tianxia, a bit frustrated. Who would have thought that Hunter would have a Headshot skill? Even if it only stuns for 0.05 seconds, a stun’s a stun. It’s enough to break a boss’s cast, and with enough gunners, it can be triggered repeatedly, which is much better than relying on active stuns.

“It’s not a big deal. In small teams, you can’t bring too many hunters anyway—you need tanks, healers, and control. Three hunters is usually the upper limit. For larger raids, we’ll just recruit more when the guild expands—focus on finding good hunters at that point,”

Windchime said reassuringly. Boss fights are always about teamwork and coordination between classes. No single class can dominate the toughest bosses; a balanced team and skilled players are the key.

When a bear’s health dropped below two hundred, Zhang Shan had Dumpling use Combo. Dumpling lashed out with its paws seven times in quick succession, felling the bear in a flash of light that dropped into Fengyun Tianxia’s inventory.

“Wow, it really dropped something! Is ten Luck really that magical?” Zhang Shan could hardly believe it.

“Tianxia, quick, what did you get? If it’s a top-tier axe, that’d be awesome,” Fengyun Yidao fantasized.

“Dream on. Mobs like these usually only drop common gear—getting a green item is lucky.”

Fengyun Tianxia checked his loot and said, “Yidao, you got lucky—it’s actually something you can use. Not equipment, though, but a skill book: Charge, usable by both Guardian and Berserker Warriors.”

He handed the book over.

“Haha, watch my charge!” Fengyun Yidao learned the skill and immediately charged a bear, closing the gap in a flash and striking with his axe, inflicting a three-second slow.

“Now I finally feel like a real warrior! Otherwise, I was just a walking target.”

Charge is a signature warrior skill—without it, closing in for an attack is almost impossible. No player stands still to be hit, and with the slow effect, you can land a few more blows or unleash follow-up skills. If a squishy class gets charged, they can easily be taken out.

Only Guardians and Berserkers can learn it; Magic Swordsmen can’t. They probably have their own mobility skills.

“Thanks to Dumpling for this! Liuguan, want me to send you a red packet?”

“No need—whoever can use it should have it.”

“Heh, sorry about that. This skill book was up for auction just now—starting bid at a hundred thousand gold!”

“Just your luck! Besides, most items in the auction house aren’t selling anyway—no one has that much gold yet.”

“So, how late are you all planning to grind tonight? It’s past midnight—I’m thinking of heading to bed,” said Windchime, the beautiful young woman.

“Let’s grind a bit more and then log off. Today’s goals are basically met. There’s no way to hit level eleven tonight. Better to get some sleep and continue tomorrow,” Fengyun Tianxia agreed.

“I’d like to grind a bit longer. Any suggestions for what monsters I can solo? I’d rather not fight bears—they’re too slow for soloing,” Zhang Shan asked.

“If you’re going solo, there’s a type of level-thirteen Demon. They’re not demonized beasts anymore, but ordinary demonfolk—they attack on sight and throw rocks from a distance, which is pretty annoying. But with your pet tanking, you should manage. Just bring plenty of healing potions, or a demon might spawn right next to you before you can get Dumpling to tank, and you could get killed. I’ll mark the spot on your map—head over after we log off,” Fengyun Tianxia said after thinking it over.

“OK, I’ll try them after you all log off.”

“Remember to buy pet food for Dumpling. If its happiness drops, it’ll automatically return to the pet space,” Windchime reminded him.

Got it.