Free Web NovelChapter 30: Chapter 30: A Chance for a Comeback... What’s This?
Meanwhile, Duan Fei and Yue Hua left the rental apartment and began to wander aimlessly.
Well, "aimlessly" wasn’t entirely accurate. After all, Duan Fei had a purpose.
He was searching for a suitable source of biological DNA.
The Biological Culture Medium could fuse the DNA of up to three creatures and grow them into a fully formed being within half an hour.
Of course, the resulting creature would likely be disobedient, requiring a certain amount of strength to subdue it.
In Abyss, there was no limit to the number of pets a player could keep. However, a pet’s upkeep required certain conditions, such as food worth three hundred Abyss Coins per day, the master’s fresh blood, and so on.
Therefore, without sufficient strength and resources, raising pets was an exhausting and troublesome affair.
But if raised well, a pet was like a second pair of hands—a major asset in Abyss.
This was a fantasy-themed instance, so it was filled with numerous Phantom Beast Species—creatures from myths and legends.
Dragons, Phoenixes, Griffins, Hydras... you could find their original forms here. If not, even a subspecies would do.
But after wandering the streets for a while, the only thing Duan Fei saw that even resembled a Phantom Beast Species was a cat with a horn on its head. The other creatures were basically no different from ordinary animals.
When he mentioned his question to Yue Hua, she had a sudden realization. "And here I was wondering why you, Duan Someone, were staring so intently at all the pets. I thought you were some kind of perverted furry."
"Believe it or not, I can end your Holy Grail War right here and now."
"...Alright, alright, I was just joking! I don’t want to make my dear Little Duanduan mad."
"Stop acting cute and just tell me why."
"Because of climate change, the Phantom Beast Species are no longer suited to living in the open. But if you want to see them, you can go to the Phantom Beast Paradise. I know the way; we can walk."
"Why walk? Is it close?"
"No, because I’m broke and can’t afford the fare."
In that moment, the look Duan Fei gave Yue Hua was one of utter pity.
’This girl is so broke, it’s pitiful enough to make you cry.’
Fortunately, the Phantom Beast Paradise wasn’t too far away. The two of them walked for half an hour and reached their destination.
Perhaps because it was a weekday, the Phantom Beast Paradise wasn’t very crowded.
The entire park was free to enter, and visitors could even pick up a bag of breadcrumbs from the security office at the entrance to interact with the Phantom Beasts.
Yue Hua naturally grabbed two bags. As soon as they were past the monitored area, she tore open a package, stuffed a large handful into her mouth, and said to Duan Fei, "Want some? I think the breadcrumbs here are the best."
"...How can a Magician like you be in such a sorry state!"
"I don’t want to work. I just want to live off my parents or be kept by a cute loli. After a while, you just end up like this."
"...If you want to be a kept woman, you at least have to leave the house!"
"...Oh, right!"
While Yue Hua was lost in the realization of ’no wonder no one’s ever offered to keep me,’ Duan Fei had already followed the marked path and begun his search.
Choosing the right biological traits was a delicate art.
Duan Fei saw himself as an intelligence-based player, so his pet could be a damage dealer or a support. Ideally, it should also have some Reconnaissance and counter-Reconnaissance abilities. That would be perfect.
If it also had strong Growth potential, that would be even better.
He hadn’t been walking down the path for long before he spotted his first ideal creature.
It was an Eye Demon.
An Eye Demon was a creature with a massive eye and fleshy wings that allowed it to fly. Though its body was relatively fragile, it possessed excellent Magic abilities.
Its eye could shoot various rays—death, aging, slow, paralysis—each with a different effect upon impact, making it a very popular pet.
After reading the description outside the Eye Demon’s enclosure, Duan Fei took out the Biological Culture Medium and gently tapped one of the creatures with it.
The process was almost painless. The Eye Demon merely gave Duan Fei a puzzled look before turning and flying off.
’Got it. Now for the second one.’
Before long, after making a full circuit of the area, Duan Fei had managed to acquire the DNA of all three of his ideal creatures: the Eye Demon, the Bullet Bird, and the Phoenix.
The Eye Demon’s traits were self-evident. The Bullet Bird was a Phantom Beast that could turn its feathers into bullets and fire them rapidly.
The Phoenix, on the other hand, possessed extremely strong regenerative abilities, and its blood had healing properties, making it an excellent creature as well.
’Alright, now that I’ve collected all three DNA samples, I hope you won’t disappoint me. Begin fusion!’
After selecting "Begin Generation," Duan Fei watched as the Biological Culture Medium began to release a large amount of bubbles. The three DNA strands started to merge inside the container. Each fragment was broken down and supplemented, then the most suitable sequences were selected for expression.
During this process, sequences certain to fail were automatically purged, leaving only the viable DNA expressions to be cultivated into a final form.
The thirty-minute countdown had begun. Now, all that was left to do was wait.
Just as the time was about to run out, Duan Fei heard a scream.
Whipping his head around, he saw Yue Hua pinned to a nearby bench, a fresh cup of bubble tea in her hands.
A Magician who looked to be about Yue Hua’s age was sitting beside her, smiling and waving at Duan Fei.
"What are you doing?" Duan Fei asked, rubbing his head in confusion.
"They’re contestants from White Tiger. I’m being forced to sit here and watch you two fight."
"Then why are you enjoying a drink?"
"This young lady here bought it for me. No idea why, though."
Duan Fei was about to ask something else when a playing card whizzed past, grazing his cheek.
Without a word, his opponent flung another volley of cards. Each one was like a razor’s edge, and the attack instantly shaved off a third of Duan Fei’s health bar.
’This guy’s throwing-card skill has definitely reached Minor Success.’
Seeing that he couldn’t dodge, Duan Fei decisively rushed toward Yue Hua and the other Magician, leaping behind them in a desperate attempt to use the two as a shield against the next wave of cards.
But to his surprise, the playing cards actually curved in mid-air, then unerringly struck him behind the bench, taking off another third of his health bar.
’Damn it! It’s Great Success!’
The opponent was probably a master of throwing things in real life, and his Level in the game wasn’t low either. No matter how he looked at it, Duan Fei had no chance of winning.
As the third wave of cards approached, Duan Fei simply activated his Spiritual Armor. Using the extra three points in Attributes it provided, he quickly leaped away, grabbed the now-finished Biological Culture Medium, and released the creature within.
’Come on! This is my chance to turn the tables!’
But when he saw what came out, Duan Fei felt he was completely screwed.
’What the hell is this thing?!’
