Forest Guardian: I Really Don’t Want to Be a Beast Tamer

Huo Hong had never seen such a majestic Gale Hound.

A gentle breeze stirred, ruffling the Gale Hound's light brown fur, causing it to dance wildly, while its pair of azure eyes shone with intelligence.

Its slender limbs strode upon the ground, its fluffy tail swaying from side to side, its imposing presence captivating all who beheld it.

No, he had seen such a majestic Gale Hound on television.

It was a little over twenty days ago when Huo Hong, as a local Beastmaster from Baokun City, attended the Taibai Cup in person, witnessing the awe-inspiring battle between the Gale Hound and the Rockfall Giant.

That fierce battle remained unforgettable to him, and he was deeply immersed in the Gale Hound's valiant demeanor for a long time.

Taiwan Novel Network → 𝖙 𝖜 𝖐 𝖆 𝖓 . 𝖈 𝖔 𝖒

Unfortunately, he had already formed a contract with the Azure Hunting Hound; otherwise, he would have unhesitatingly chosen the Gale Hound as his initial pet beast.

Accompanying the Gale Hound was a swarm of dark shadows. Squinting, he quickly identified these figures as the street thugs of the forest—the Storm Swallows.

Storm Swallows are a type of pet beast that causes headaches for most Beastmasters.

Their level of difficulty is comparable to that of the Servant Bees. Their individual strength is mediocre, but they always come in groups, swarming upon their target.

To incur their wrath is to be subjected to endless pursuit.

"Are you alright?"

A voice rang in his ears, gradually drawing his wandering thoughts back.

Huo Hong raised his head and looked forward, only to see a very familiar figure enter his view. He exclaimed in surprise, "Instructor Chen!"

Chen Yuan was already quite unfazed by being recognized by others. He was about to respond when he heard Huo Hong's voice continue:

Chen Yuan's gaze passed over Huo Hong and landed on the pitted and uneven ground in front of him. He nodded thoughtfully.

The so-called bounty hunter is a recently emerging profession.

Simply put, they are Beastmasters who earn high bounties by completing tasks for employers.

Chen Yuan had specifically learned that low-level bounty hunters help find lost pet beasts or drive away wild pet beasts that steal food.

Chen Yuan had even heard that some employers specifically hired a bounty hunter with a tracking-type pet beast to help catch mistresses.

As for high-level bounty hunters, they may be involved in pet beast battles with a certain degree of danger, or even serve as the employer's bodyguard, venturing into the mountains together.

In short, as long as the money is sufficient, bounty hunters will do anything.

Provided that it does not involve illegal activities.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

The Storm Swallows hovering in mid-air were furious upon seeing the devastated ground, and their piercing screeches rang out in unison.

It was not until Huohua let out a cry that the Storm Swallows quieted down.

"This is Instructor Chen's Flame Cloud Falcon." Seeing that these noisy Storm Swallows obeyed obediently at Huohua's command, Huo Hong was filled with emotion.

"Woof."

Cola drooped its ears, realizing that this was another Beastmaster who was a simp for the Big Sister.

However, Huo Hong's next sentence made Cola suddenly raise its head.

"But compared to the Flame Cloud Falcon, I prefer your Gale Hound."

Chen Yuan and Cola looked at Huo Hong at the same time.

Huo Hong looked at Cola, who was close at hand, restrained his excitement, shifted his gaze, and looked at the Azure Hunting Hound lying on the ground, slowly opening his mouth: "As you can see, I am a Beastmaster who is passionate about canine pet beasts."

"And your Gale Hound is the strongest and most handsome canine pet beast I have ever seen."

Hearing these words, Cola's eyes showed joy, and the arc of its mouth could no longer be contained.

Cola raised its head high, subconsciously looking at the Big Sister hovering in mid-air, wishing it could immediately roar to let the Big Sister and the little friends on the farm know the news.

Woof, woof, woof!

Has someone finally discovered that I am the strongest and most handsome canine pet beast!

But Huo Hong's voice did not stop: "After becoming a Mid-Rank Beastmaster, I thought about contracting an equally handsome Gale Hound."

"But—"

"I searched for a long, long time, but no Gale Hound could compare to yours."

Chen Yuan subconsciously looked at Cola, only to see the latter jumping up and down happily in place, its fluffy tail like a blooming dandelion.

If Huo Hong had a favorability system, he would definitely be able to see Cola's favorability towards him rising rapidly.

"Let's talk business." Chen Yuan forcibly changed the topic, "You said there is a Wind-Skimming Vole here?"

He remembered the basic information about this pet beast. It was clearly an Earth-type pet beast, but its name was out of place for an Earth-type.

Wind-Skimming, Wind-Skimming, it should be a Wind-type pet beast.

But he had heard his younger brother say that after a pet beast advances to the Morning Star quality, not only will its form undergo earth-shattering changes, but it will also gain an additional attribute, becoming a compound attribute.

For example, the Flame Cloud Falcon is now Fire-type. Once it advances to Morning Star, it is likely to gain a Wind attribute.

Or the Steel-Headed Groundhog, which lives deep underground. Chen Yuan guessed that it would likely gain an Earth attribute after advancing to Morning Star.

And the Wind-Skimming Vole in Huo Hong's mouth might gain a Wind attribute after advancing to Morning Star.

"Yes." Hearing Chen Yuan's question, Huo Hong's face instantly became serious, and he replied earnestly, "Instructor Chen, I have been tracking this Wind-Skimming Vole for a long time. It stole food near Nanhe Town some time ago, and I drove it away. Then it ran here to eat Wandering Wind Millet."

He pointed to the Wandering Wind Millet with the seeds eaten around him, and continued, "These Wandering Wind Millet are almost eaten by it."

Obviously, this Wind-Skimming Vole is the culprit that caused the Wandering Wind Millet to become less and less.

Hearing this, Chen Yuan could not help but raise his head and look at the Storm Swallows, his expression strange: "A Wind-Skimming Vole is eating Wandering Wind Millet here in broad daylight, and you didn't notice?"

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

The Storm Swallow flock was in an uproar, and finally, the Storm Swallow leader gave an explanation.

Their feeding time is in the morning, while the Wind-Skimming Vole usually feeds in the afternoon and at night, so they just missed each other.

In addition, the Wind-Skimming Vole lives deep underground, its tracks are hidden, and it is difficult to be discovered.

Over time, the Storm Swallows, unable to find the culprit, could only attribute the reason for the decreasing Wandering Wind Millet to various factors, such as bad weather, too little light, poor water quality, and so on.

Some Storm Swallows even suspected that there was a traitor among them, secretly eating all the Wandering Wind Millet when they were not paying attention.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

After learning the culprit, the Storm Swallow flock couldn't wait to fly into that dark cave, drag the hateful Wind-Skimming Vole out, and peck its butt hard with their sharp beaks.

But the Storm Swallows can fly, but they cannot enter the cave.

Then the next thing is very simple. Drive away this Wind-Skimming Vole, and the Storm Swallows with sufficient food will no longer snatch the Silver Pine Fruit.

In this way, the conflict between the Storm Swallow tribe and the Downy Owl tribe can be easily solved.

But before that, there is one more thing to solve.

Chen Yuan asked Huo Hong: "What is the specific content of your bounty mission?"

Faced with Chen Yuan's question, Huo Hong answered truthfully: "It is a task issued by a certain research institute. It is said that it is to study the relationship between the Wind-Skimming Vole's spiral digging behavior and the wind pressure energy conversion rate, and they need a Second-Order Wind-Skimming Vole for research."

Although he didn't understand the research content at all, Chen Yuan nodded.

Pet beast research is of course inseparable from the pet beast itself, but due to various factors, pet beasts used for research are in short supply.

Whether it is a Beastmaster academy or various research institutes and research units, they are actively seeking help from all sectors of society, or issuing related tasks, just to have more pet beasts join the research.

These pet beasts are different from the traditional meaning of lab rats. They often live very well, have no worries about food and drink, and there is no threat to their lives.

At most, they contribute a little blood and hair on time.

If the pet beast is willing, it may even be able to stay and marry and have children, and reproduce.

"I'll help you catch this Wind-Skimming Vole." Chen Yuan took the initiative to speak.

The Azure Hunting Hound fell to the ground, obviously defeated in the fierce battle with the Wind-Skimming Vole. Chen Yuan happened to take action to solve this matter.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

Hearing this, Cola hurriedly barked.

I'll do it, I'll do it!

It wants to use its heroic performance to completely conquer Huo Hong and the Azure Hunting Hound, and win over its first batch of loyal fans.

Hearing this, Huo Hong reminded, "Instructor Chen, this Wind-Skimming Vole is very cunning and will constantly fight in a roundabout way by digging holes."

"And it will also feign attacks." Recalling the previous battle scene, Huo Hong still found it incredible.

The Wind-Skimming Vole deliberately made noises underground, causing the Azure Hunting Hound to jump aside, and as a result, it fell into the former's trap, drilling out of the soil and taking the opportunity to defeat it.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

Chen Yuan had not yet responded, but Cola had already strode to the dark hole, looked down, and saw no sign of the Wind-Skimming Vole.

It stood in place and barked for a while, but the Wind-Skimming Vole still did not come out.

"Woof, woof!"

Cola was immediately annoyed, and slapped the ground with its paws, but it was helpless.

It is not a Iron Head, unable to drill underground, let alone find the Wind-Skimming Vole's tracks.

If Iron Head was here, that would be great.

Chen Yuan also fell into contemplation: "Now it is not a question of how to defeat the Wind-Skimming Vole, but how to lure the Wind-Skimming Vole out."

Staying underground all the time, except for Iron Head, no one can do anything about it.

Or master powerful Earth-type moves, bombard the ground, causing a major earthquake, maybe it can stimulate the Wind-Skimming Vole out.

But... the Meteorite Horned Beast is only First-Order and has not yet mastered this kind of move.

This is a major advantage of Earth-type pet beasts, being able to drill underground, making the opponent helpless.

It's the same reason that Huohua can fly. Once flying high in mid-air, the opponent's attacks are difficult to hit.

Cola is good, it can neither fly nor drill into the ground, it can only watch stupidly and make incompetent barks.

"It seems that we have to ask for outside help." Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he decided to let Huohua return to the farm to call Iron Head over.

Faced with the Big Sister's request, Iron Head, who has always worshiped the Big Sister, could not refuse.

It had to repeatedly urge Yaya and the Electric Flying Cat to guard the farm well and not let any strange pet beasts sneak in.

By the time Iron Head came to Chen Yuan's side, it was already half an hour later.

Considering that once Iron Head leaves, the farm's security forces would face the risk of paralysis, Chen Yuan looked around and decided to let the Meteorite Horned Beast return to the farm first.

After this little guy came to the farm, his life was moist, he ate and drank his fill every day, his body size was two circles larger, and his strength had also made a qualitative leap, gradually approaching Second-Order.

In addition, with the Second-Order strength of Runrun Duck and the Electric Flying Cat, even if Iron Head is not there, it is not a problem to guard the farm well.

In addition, this place is not far from the farm, and Huohua can fly back at any time.

"There is a Wind-Skimming Vole underground, you go down and drag it out." Chen Yuan issued an order.

“Clang!”

Iron Head Kid nodded heavily, his face serious and resolute.

It had to act quickly and return to the farm as soon as possible to fulfill its duties.

Huo Hong hesitated, “Advisor Chen, that is a Wind-Sweeping Vole with Second Order strength.”

His words revealed a lack of confidence in Iron Head Kid's strength.

It was understandable, as everyone knew that Chen Yuan's two contracted pets were the Flame Cloud Falcon and the Wind-Seeking Hound.

Since this Steel-Head Groundhog wasn't contracted by Chen Yuan, its strength naturally couldn't be that great.

However, out of trust for Chen Yuan, Huo Hong didn't completely dismiss it.

What if this Steel-Head Groundhog had also received Chen Yuan's meticulous training?

Chen Yuan smiled slightly, "Prove your strength with action."

There was no mistake in his words!

It was perfect timing, as Iron Head Kid needed a real battle to test its current strength after advancing to Commander quality.

Yesterday's battle with Duck Duck was just a friendly spar, and neither side fully unleashed their power.

In fact, Iron Head Kid didn't care about Huo Hong's words at all.

It was quietly thinking about how to quickly end the battle and return to the farm as soon as possible.

The distrust of others was insignificant compared to guarding the farm, and didn't even cause a ripple in Iron Head Kid's heart.

Iron Head Kid walked with steady steps to the dark cave entrance, carefully examined it, and then burrowed into the cave.

In an instant, Iron Head Kid's figure disappeared.

Huo Hong suddenly explained, “Advisor Chen, I didn't mean it that way just now.

I meant to say that this Wind-Sweeping Vole is very cunning and powerful, and we may need to consider a long-term plan.”

After speaking, Huo Hong wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.

How close! Luckily, I explained in time, or I would have left Advisor Chen with a bad impression.

Chen Yuan's smile remained unchanged, "It's okay.

Maintaining skepticism is actually a good thing.

We shouldn't have stereotypes about any Beastmaster.”

Hearing this, Huo Hong nodded subconsciously, “Yes, yes, that's what I think too.”

As he spoke, Huo Hong suddenly realized something was wrong, and his voice became softer and softer.

Wasn't nodding in agreement now admitting that he was full of disbelief in the Steel-Head Groundhog's strength?

So he quickly shook his head, “No, no, what I mean is…”

His thoughts were so chaotic that he couldn't organize his explanation in an instant, and his voice stopped abruptly, finally helplessly covering his forehead.

Damn it, I really left Advisor Chen with a bad impression now.

Bang!

Suddenly, the ground not far away trembled slightly.

In the instant that dust flew up, the slender Wind-Sweeping Vole darted out.

“Clang!”

Iron Head Kid followed closely behind, and a steel blade pierced out from underground, directly stabbing at the Wind-Sweeping Vole.

The Wind-Sweeping Vole quickly landed on the ground, and the forked blades at the end of its tail rotated at high speed, immediately stirring up a dust storm.

Gravel was swept up, obscuring vision.

“It's that move again…” Huo Hong's eyes narrowed.

Earth-type skill, Spiral Drill Assault.

Based on the Wind-Sweeping Vole's physical characteristics, the drill-like front paws and the fan blades on its tail can be linked together to dig tunnels at the fastest speed, or create sand and dust whirlwinds to interfere with vision during surprise attacks and escapes.

The Wind-Sweeping Vole had previously easily avoided Azure Gale Hunting Dog's [Azure Vine Bind] with this move.

But this dust whirlwind seemed to have no effect on Iron Head Kid.

Iron Head Kid curled up its body, used [Steel Spike Roller] and turned into a spinning top, crushing all the way, breaking cracks in the ground wherever it passed, and directly broke into the dust whirlwind.

Bang!

The next moment, the Wind-Sweeping Vole's body flew out of the coverage area of the dust whirlwind and fell heavily to the ground.

“The attack worked!”

Seeing this, Huo Hong exclaimed excitedly.

“Woof woof woof!”

But seeing Iron Head Kid taking the advantage, Kele was anxiously jumping around.

I only let you lure out this Wind-Sweeping Vole, why did you steal my thunder?!

Seeing the Wind-Sweeping Vole landing, Iron Head Kid's eyes were sharp, adhering to the basic principle of ending the battle as quickly as possible, its figure suddenly rushed out, and [Charge Blade] launched a stab.

In the next instant,

the sharp blade in front of it accurately hooked the forked blades at the end of the Wind-Sweeping Vole's tail, and with a sudden force, it grabbed the latter's tail and slammed it heavily to the ground.

The Wind-Sweeping Vole was slammed so hard that its scales were almost shattered, and shallow bloodstains seeped from its sand-yellow fur, making a slight whimper.

“So simple?” Huo Hong was stunned.

His Azure Gale Hunting Dog was being played by this Wind-Sweeping Vole, but the Steel-Head Groundhog was beating the Wind-Sweeping Vole violently.

Then how big is the gap between the Azure Gale Hunting Dog and the Steel-Head Groundhog?

But... Advisor Chen didn't even contract this Steel-Head Groundhog.

For a time, Huo Hong's thoughts surged, and he even began to doubt whether he was suitable to be a Beastmaster.

But soon, Huo Hong figured it out.

“What's the point of comparing myself to a freak Beastmaster like Advisor Chen?”

“I can't find a few Beastmasters in the entire Baokun City who can be Advisor Chen's opponent.”

“I'm afraid only Zhuang Jianbai, the champion of the Taibai Cup, can compete with Advisor Chen.”

After his thoughts were clear, Huo Hong continued to look forward.

The Wind-Sweeping Vole did not lose its fighting ability because of this.

It endured the pain and slowly got up, its spiral front claws quickly digging into the ground, and the sand and dust rose with it, once again disappearing into the ground.

Iron Head Kid followed closely behind, entering the ground again.

After that, the two could clearly hear slight fighting sounds from underground, mixed with the Wind-Sweeping Vole's painful wails.

Chen Yuan turned his head to look at Huo Hong and suddenly said, “Do you know why Azure Gale Hunting Dog is not Wind-Sweeping Vole's opponent?”

Faced with the sudden question, Huo Hong felt as nervous as when he was asked by the teacher in class.

He subconsciously straightened his back, started a brainstorming session, and then cautiously replied, “Because Azure Gale Hunting Dog can't dig into the ground?”

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, “That's part of the reason.”

After a slight pause, he continued, “Your Azure Gale Hunting Dog shouldn't have mastered any powerful attack skills, right?”

In his impression, Azure Gale Hunting Dog belonged to a functional pet, with a keen sense of smell, outstanding tracking ability, and excellent lurking ability, but it lacked a high-attack skill that could seal the deal.

This kind of pet is very disadvantaged in one-on-one battles.

“Yes.” Huo Hong nodded.

“Have you contracted a second pet?” Chen Yuan asked again.

Huo Hong: “I'm still struggling.

I originally wanted to contract a Wind-Seeking Hound, but with such a great example before me, I can't find a satisfactory one.”

“Woof ~”

Kele vaguely understood this idiom and grinned.

“I suggest you contract a Firefluff Hound.” Chen Yuan gave his opinion, “Firefluff Hound is very cost-effective, the Fire-type skills it masters are very powerful, and it has a gentle temperament, making it very suitable for cooperating with Azure Gale Hunting Dog.”

As one of the new pets strongly recommended by the association, Firefluff Hound has an advantage that cannot be ignored—the cultivation cost is low.

Huo Hong is a bounty hunter, and his economy is obviously not wealthy, so the pet he recommends must meet high cost-effectiveness.

Huo Hong nodded thoughtfully, his eyes constantly flashing, and then couldn't help but ask, “Advisor Chen, actually, compared to contracting a second pet, I want to ask you something more.”

“Tell me.”

“Even if I contract other pets in the future, I only want to treat this guy as my main pet.”

Huo Hong stroked Azure Gale Hunting Dog's head, with a smile in his eyes, “I want to know how to cultivate Azure Gale Hunting Dog to be as powerful as Steel-Head Groundhog.”

Huo Hong didn't say Flame Cloud Falcon or Wind-Seeking Hound, he knew that with his ability, it was impossible to cultivate Azure Gale Hunting Dog to that level.

But if it was Steel-Head Groundhog, maybe there was a little hope.

Chen Yuan fell into deep thought all of a sudden.

He couldn't possibly say that he fed it some spiritual plants and a spiritual fish from time to time, right?

After careful consideration, Chen Yuan gave his answer: “Give full play to the pet's subjective initiative, let them train actively and become stronger actively.”

“And let them know why they are becoming stronger.”

As soon as these words came out, Huo Hong fell into deep thought for a long time.

“Clang.”

At this moment, Iron Head Kid dragged the unconscious Wind-Sweeping Vole out of the ground, and it walked slowly to Chen Yuan with a calm expression.

“You did a great job.” Chen Yuan smiled.

“Clang?”

Iron Head Kid just nodded lightly and asked if there was anything else it needed to do?

After Chen Yuan shook his head, Iron Head Kid nodded to Chen Yuan and Big Sister and said goodbye, then rushed towards the farm at the fastest speed.

“Advisor Chen, what is it doing?” Huo Hong looked puzzled.

“This is related to the subjective initiative I just talked about.” Chen Yuan explained, “This guy is responsible for guarding the gate in my farm, and it regards this as its duty.”

“In order to guard the gate better, it chooses to train hard day and night.”

“This is its subjective initiative.”

Hearing Chen Yuan's explanation, Huo Hong's expression was particularly complicated, and his first thought was—is such a fierce pet only used to guard the gate in Advisor Chen's house?

The thought flashed through his mind, and he fell into deep thought.

Is giving play to subjective initiative really useful?

He suddenly realized one thing.

Since he contracted Azure Gale Hunting Dog, although he had been making training plans and Azure Gale Hunting Dog had been executing them well, the two of them never knew why they were training.

He thought for a long time and could only give one reason—to earn more money.

Huo Hong carefully said the reason for his and Azure Gale Hunting Dog's hard training, feeling uneasy in his heart, very worried that Advisor Chen would dislike him for this reason.

But Chen Yuan just smiled lightly, “There is no more real reason than this.”

“Then you two should take earning more money as your goal, and you can extend it to becoming the most powerful bounty hunter, and start training with this as your motivation.”

“I believe that it won't be long before you make great progress.”

Speaking of this, Chen Yuan joked a little, “Maybe one day, you will become the most powerful bounty hunter in the world.”

At this moment, Huo Hong looked at Chen Yuan in front of him, and a sense of admiration arose in his heart.

Such selfless teaching, such moral character, such strong strength.

Perhaps only Advisor Chen can bear the title of the number one Beastmaster in Baokun City.

Huo Hong squatted down, looked directly at the Azure Gale Hunting Dog in front of him, suddenly clenched his fist, and smiled, “From now on, let's take Advisor Chen and Wind-Seeking Hound as our role models, and move forward towards the goal of becoming the world's number one bounty hunter.”

“Woof!”