Finally reaching the moment of taming their first beast was a big day for any youngster of the Hidden Leaf Village. The day when the Goddess arrived in the village was also that kind of day for a certain young man.
Everything seemed to be perfect.
He stood in the middle of the arena and extended his arm to the beast he found a month ago— a black wolf with a unique berserk ability. That day was supposed to be the one when he finally tamed his beast, which would allow him to join the hunting squad for the first time.
The moment his chosen wolf licked his palm, fully accepting him as its owner, he was overjoyed. Tears of happiness gathered in his eyes, forcing him to close them for a short second.
Everything changed in that short time. His wolf suddenly escaped from his grasp as if pouncing on him before feeling a warm, stinky breath burst out into his face.
He knew this smell already.
"Bolo…?" The youngster asked as his eyes snapped open, finding out his head was in the middle of Bolo's maw, ready to bite on his head. Sharp teeth were right in front of his face.
Ahh!
His sister's scream mixed with his own.
His breath momentarily stopped, and his knees turned weak, making him drop to the ground while staring at the wolf with his body trembling. The wolf wasn't moving one bit to chase after him, frozen mid-air instead.
The youngster was still in shock, not knowing what just happened when his sister's voice resounded once again, this time followed by a tight hug around his neck.
"Brother! You are alive!"
"Lil sis… What are you doing here?" the youngster asked in confusion, before panicking. "You cannot be here! It's dangerous!"
He stood up swiftly despite his legs wobbling and placed his sister behind him with its eyes on the wolf.
"I came with the Goddess to save you, dummy!" The little girl called out without worrying at all, and only then did the youngster realize there was someone else next to them.
When he saw who that was, he froze on the spot.
White, fabulous wings spread wide, golden hair waving gently in the wind and soft smile that struck him like lightning. Her cherry-sweet lips, cute pointy ears, and crystal blue gaze that could see through his soul— she was perfect.
"G-goddess…"
When he tried to speak, his voice cracked, making him blush. Seeing the wolf was still and the Goddess unbothered by it, he finally figured out what exactly happened.
"Thank you for saving me…" the youngster acknowledged with a bow, embarrassed by his mistake. If not for her, he would already be dead.
"It's okay, it's not your fault," Yiren replied calmly and looked above at the Village Leader. "It's the fault of your elders who didn't teach properly."
Yiren turned around to the black wolf and pressed on its maw, closing it with ease.
"Sometimes, some beast have domineering and crafty personalities. One method won't work for all types of beasts. You need to adapt. You can't expect an alpha to treat you with respect only because you feed it. He can get his food, so it doesn't matter to him," Yiren taught out loud. "For each type of beasts, you have to adopt a different strategy of taming them."
Click.
Yiren snapped with her fingers, and the black wolf regained its freedom of movement. It dropped back to the ground while closing its mouth and instantly jumped back.
Awuuu!
The wolf howled before growling at Yiren. It seemed like it knew the real enemy was Yiren instead of the young man.
"In this world, there are only two types of beasts: Good beasts and naughty beasts who are yet to become good. This one here is a bad, bad boy who deserves some punishment," Yiren explained as a sudden Air Qi Whip materialized in her hand.
Snap!
Yiren showcased the power of the whip with a simple move, causing the wolf to take a step back.
"When we meet a bad boy like him, there is only one method that will work on them. I like to call it, 'beat them until they listen to you.' Good boys deserve cuddles, and bad boys only get to taste my whip," Yiren muttered, snapping at the wolf as fast as a flash of lightning.
Auu!
The wolf yelped as he got struck on its side without any chance of resistance. The difference in strength was just too much. The Wolf didn't yet reach the God Stage to face Yiren on even grounds.
"How does it feel like? How does it feel to taste your own medicine?" Yiren called out angrily, changing from a cute Goddess into an evil Demon.
Awuu!
Wolf howled in pain, this time limping on a front leg as the whip struck again.
"You like the pain? Isn't that what you wanted to do to that boy? Killing him like an idiot? What Alpha are you to be this stupid?! Do you think they would let you live if you killed the boy? They would kill you as well and then eat you! Is that what you wanted?!" Yiren scolded loudly, confusing everyone gathered.
Did she really scold a beast?
Outside the arena, Lisa was gazing at the scene while shaking her head, recalling how many times Drakos got punished. Only now did she realize why Drakos was so afraid of Yiren this whole time.
"Poor Drakos…" Lisa muttered with a sigh, feeling bad for him.
Everyone thought the wolf in the arena would stay stubborn, fighting till the end like the Alpha would usually do, but contrary to everyone's thoughts, the wolf's expression changed. It stopped glaring its eyes at Yiren, calming down instead.
Au-woof!
The wolf bark-howled at her as if he was replying to her question, to which Yiren nodded satisfied.
"Good! So at least you are smart enough to admit to your mistake!" Yiren called out and pointed at the youngster behind her. "The boy you just tried to kill is your only chance of survival, but at the same time, your only chance for the bright future! Don't you want to become stronger and be the strongest wolf?"
The wolf's eyes brightened as he barked once again, shocking the Hidden Leaf Village.
"She is a real Goddess! She can even talk with beasts!" Someone called out, amazed to which everyone else nodded eagerly.
"Times have changed! Beast Race is no longer the kings of this land. If you want to reach the top, you need to adapt! Only with a human partner can you succeed. They can do what you can't, and you can help them with what you can do the best— hunting!" Yiren announced and pulled out a pill from her storage Ring.
"Eat this healing pill that will treat your wounds and join hands with your partner to become one of the greatest in the world or turn around and get back in the cage. The choice is yours."