Chapter 5 - Beginner Trial Secret Realm

Lu Ran didn’t pay any attention to the excited Captain Doofus and its shades. Besides the weapon and pendant, he also packed some medicine, bottled water, snacks, and some survival gear. It was a bit heavy, but it was better to be prepared. He could just ditch it if he was in danger anyway.

Time gradually passed as Lu Ran prepared and lectured Captain Doofus.

"Are you sure you understand? Even though you grew stronger physically, it doesn’t look like you became any smarter."

Lu Ran felt a headache coming as he nagged and examined Captain Doofus, who was waiting impatiently. He tried to make the husky understand what was going to happen and instill the need to be careful, but it just sat there with a disdainful expression.

What is it thinking?

Lu Ran felt a chill in his heart. He had a bad feeling about all this, but there were only a few minutes left in the countdown, so he tried to not overthink.

"Okay, that's it. Return to the card" Lu Ran ordered. After recalling Captain Doofus, he put the card away. This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about being separated.

Sigh.

Once Captain Doofus was in the card, Lu Ran closed his eyes to rest. Even then, he could still see the countdown clearly.

***

With the final seconds ticking away, Lu Ran couldn't help but feel nervous. He was just a high school student, after all.

Three.

Two.

One.

Ripples began to appear in the air as the space around Lu Ran twisted like a whirlpool. Soon, it swallowed him up and transported him to another dimension.

Except for the clothes on his back and the pendant around his neck, everything else, including the backpack, sword, and food, was left behind.

***

Lu Ran felt as if he were constantly shifting between being heavy and weightless. He never thought that teleportation would be so uncomfortable.

When his vertigo subsided, Lu Ran opened his eyes to a dense, dark forest. A message window popped up before him along with a familiar voice.

[Teleportation completed.]

[Current location: Demon Cat Forest (Beginner Trial Secret Realm)]

[Difficulty: Easy]

[Mission: Survive for one day.]

[Introduction: Demon Cat Forest is a natural maze formed by different trees. It is rich in resources and was once inhabited by many extraordinary creatures.

However, twenty years ago, a mysterious black rainstorm appeared and mutated the forest’s creatures. The resulting beast tide invaded the nearby towns, but the empire’s Beastmaster Corps swiftly suppressed it and eliminated the other powerful mutant creatures in the forest.

After twenty years of restoration, only the demon cat race and some weaker monsters remain active in the area. Hence, the forest came to be known as the Demon Cat Forest.

You have accidentally entered this place as a new beastmaster. Your main objective is to survive and wait for rescue.]

[Tip 1: This secret realm is a projection of the Demon Cat Forest. Its resources and creatures cannot be taken away or contracted.]

[Tip 2: Upon completing the mission, the trial taker will be rewarded based on their performance.]

[Tip 3: Falling into a near-death state will result in mission failure and ejection.]

[Tip 4: The trial taker will temporarily obtain the Eye of Detection, which can inspect the information of resources and creatures inside the secret realm.]

[The trial has begun! Have a great adventure!]

"I see."

The third tip made Lu Ran feel that the creator of the black card was a bit humane.

However, even though the trial taker would be teleported out of the secret realm, just like the OP of the post that he had seen a while back, they might not be able to get medical treatment. Enemies could also simply kill them in one shot, which would render the feature useless.

What did it mean by this secret realm being a projection of another world, though? Black rainstorm, beast tide... None of this sounded beginner-friendly. Prudence was key; it was too early to get excited.

Lu Ran summoned Captain Doofus. Soon after, he exclaimed, “Shoot! I couldn’t bring the sword and supplies.”

It was a pity, but he had already prepared for the worst.

"It seems everything in this place is just an illusion. I don't know if I can find food here. I can’t take anything away with me either, but can I at least use the resources I find while inside the realm?"

Captain Doofus appeared again and, with a blank expression, ran around energetically. "

Woof!

"

Lu Ran was speechless.

Damn it, can’t you be serious? You're not out for a walk!

"Hey—"

Rustle

...

The sudden noise interrupted Lu Ran's thoughts and made him blank out. Cautiously, he looked around.

Sensing danger, Captain Doofus stopped circling Lu Ran and stood on alert. It grew taut with tension as it prepared to protect Lu Ran. "

Ruff.

" Something was approaching!

The rustle coming from the unbearably silent forest was growing louder. To make matters worse, they were in a very dark area, with only a few scattered rays of sunlight falling through the leaves to the ground.

Standing on damp ground, Lu Ran tried to determine where the sound was coming from. However, he couldn’t seem to pinpoint it. Captain Doofus, on the other hand, had locked its intense glare onto a direction the whole time.

Following its gaze to waist-high bushes, he asked, "There?"

The rustling grew clearer until, finally, a creature pushed through the bushes in front of Lu Ran and Captain Doofus. Its red pupils—filled with unconcealable ferocity—glared at them as it let out a series of growls.

Captain Doofus bristled up and growled loudly in response.

"

Grrr!

"

The creature dared to threaten them. Captain Doofus was sure to remember this as a grudge.

As the two faced off, Lu Ran's eyes widened.

This is...

The feline creature had a thin, dark red body, huge claws, and a long gray mane.

A demon cat!

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Staring at the beast, Lu Ran's Eye of Detection activated, revealing all information about it.

[Species: Demon Cat]

[Attribute: Unawakened]

[Species Rank: Intermediate-Transcendent]

[Level: 2]

[Description: A bloody hunter of the dense forests that enjoys tearing open its opponent and sucking their blood.]

"The species rank probably determines how strong the species is. Tigers are stronger than housepets, and housepets are stronger than small herbivores like rabbits. This demon cat’s rank is the same as Captain Doofus, so Captain Doofus shouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

"Its Level has to be linked to its power level. The higher the level, the stronger they are. Captain Doofus is only level 1, while that cat is level 2. This isn’t good."

Lu Ran instantly judged that it wouldn’t be an easy opponent. As the two sides confronted each other, the atmosphere became increasingly tense. Holding his breath, Lu Ran tried to calm himself down and observe his surroundings.

The beginner mission was just to survive for a day, which meant they didn’t have to go head-to-head with this creature. Moreover, considering the trial had just started, it would be far better to forage for supplies and find a safe place to hunker down for now. He needed to conserve his energy and only fight when absolutely necessary. Assuming he could escape right now, running away might help him avoid conflict.

On the other hand, though, fleeing could simply provoke the creature into chasing him. Trying to outrun it in an unknown terrain would put him on the back foot and waste even more energy.

Right now, his best bet was to scare the enemy off. Hence, after careful consideration, Lu Ran made a move that surprised both Captain Doofus and the demon cat.

Glaring at the demon cat, he suddenly spread his arms to make himself appear larger. He then roared at it to scare it away!

"

Raaaaaa!!!!

"

His father, who often dealt with wild animals, once told him that if he encountered a ferocious beast in the wild, it would be best to look it in the eyes and make a show of courage. If he were lucky enough for the beast to not know humans very well, he’d have a very small chance of scaring it away. Otherwise, he’d at least die with courage.

However, after acting all kinds of intimidating, Lu Ran felt that the atmosphere only began to get awkward. Captain Doofus looked confused, and the demon cat’s expression twisted. However, the demon cat soon roared back and pounced on Lu Ran.

Lu Ran couldn't help but curse.

Where did I go wrong?

Worse, his telepathy didn’t seem to work with this monster!

The demon cat’s movements were very agile. However, since he too had become stronger, Lu Ran could easily track its movements.

Lu Ran gave up on any other ideas and decided to just face the demon cat head-on. It was just a cat, and he had dealt with more than just a handful of felines in the last ten years. He had even picked up a baby tiger by the scruff of its neck.

No, this isn’t the right way to handle this.

He was a beastmaster now, and he had to get used to commanding familiars instead of getting involved himself.

"Captain Doofus! Save me!" Lu Ran shouted, stepping into his new role. "Keep it occupied while I look for a weapon!"

As he stepped back to look around for a rock or large stick, the confused Captain Doofus became alert again and pounced on the attacking demon cat. In a flash, the two animals collided. Right after, a shrill scream echoed across the dense forest, followed by a low growl.

"

Kkhiiiiiii!!!

"

Lu Ran quickly turned around, finding the demon cat pinned down on the ground under Captain Doofus’s claw. Its throat had been bitten out, and blood was gushing out of it like a fountain.

Captain Doofus growled domineeringly over the dying feline. It had killed the demon cat, which had looked so tough, with a single blow.

"Ummm..."

Stunned, Lu Ran wasn’t even sure anymore if he should pick up the rock at his feet or not.

Was my in-depth analysis and battle of wits and courage with the demon cat for nothing? Seems like I somewhat underestimated how Captain Doofus’ improved combat abilities would fare against the demon cat.

Captain Doofus, who stood in the distance, raised its head and howled like a god of war. It then looked at Lu Ran as if to say that it was too easy.

Lu Ran felt duped. Something wasn’t right here.

Could there be a difference even between similarly ranked species? Was the gap between level 1 and level 2 smaller than I thought?

The demon cat was certainly smaller than Captain Doofus. Sure enough, in nature, body size largely contributed to one’s combat power.

"Good work! You’ve proven yourself worthy to become my familiar!!" Lu Ran commented.

He didn’t really know what else to say. After all, he didn't expect that Captain Doofus could be so fierce in its normal state.

Captain Doofus put on a wise expression. "

Woof!

"

Oh stop, you’re making me blush!