The color of the flames conjured by the fox had changed and along with it the intensity of the attack.
Liam's own conjured flame was not that dark in color. It was only a lighter shade of crimson.
He looked at the little fox who now wore a contented blissful smile on its face as it had successfully grasped his attention.
"Good job, but how did you do this? Hmm…"
The beast didn't know how to answer him so it continued its silly smile.
"Heh. I am guessing it must be your innate ability since you are a fire type spirit beast."
Liam couldn't help but feel that the deeper he delved into the game, the more he didn't know. Perhaps in his last time around, players only barely scratched the surface of the tutorial.
So when the truly monstrous things emerged into reality, there was instant chaos and mayhem everywhere and people were massacred left and right.
"I need to do things faster. This is not enough." He stood up and the two of them then walked back into the city, to the beast association octagon.
Liam had a thought that he wanted to confirm.
When several things were unknown and unclear, it was best to return back to the basics and play the game just like everyone else.
He searched for the same instructor and walked over to her. She seemed to be chatting with another player, but as soon as she saw Liam, she waved him over.
"Oh! Your spirit beast successfully evolved. Congratulations." She beamed and once again picked up the fox.
The little thing's face paled and what it dreaded immediately happened as it was behind hugged to death.
The other player glared at Liam as his own session had been interrupted, but Liam did not pay any attention to him.
"Ma'am, if I may trouble you… could you please tell me a bit more about my beast? I don't seem to know enough about it and I want to make sure that I nurture it in the best way possible."
Liam's words made the young woman's eyebrows shoot up and she looked visibly surprised.
"It is very rare to see a young man concerning himself with his beast pet's welfare. Good. Good."
"Most often I am only asked about methods of how to improve battle strength, power, or health, but young trainers fail to understand that a beast is also a living and breathing soul."
"If you treat your beast as a friend, it will fight for you with its life on the line. If you simply treat it as a resource, then your return will also be poor."
Liam nodded, patiently listening to the woman. He was not sure if this was going to go anywhere but he decided to give it a shot before leaving Yleka city again.
Seraphina continued her rant, talking about random things for a while before she finally reached the point which piqued Liam's interest.
"Hmmm… the thing is… your beast is a special type of beast. Spirit beasts are rare and very few actually manage to evolve beyond a certain level."
"I can probably guess what the beast needs for the next evolution but it's best if you come to visit me when it's ready."
"Then I will have a better idea."
"And regarding nurturing it well… if you really want to treat your beast well, I have heard rumors about a village in the east… Javi village…"
"Your current level is not enough to pay a visit here. It is on the border of the Kingdom and its terrain is rough."
"Not to mention strong and powerful creatures have completely taken over the village."
"But a long time back, I heard that the villagers who used to live there worshipped a flame that kept them warm in endless terrifying blizzards."
"If you want to find something that could properly nurture your spirit beast, that place could be your only option to find some clues."
Liam thanked the instructor and then walked out of the beast hall. His hunch had been correct.
If there was something that he didn't know, all he needed to do was follow the trail of bread crumbs, and sooner or later, he was bound to stumble upon the answer, well provided that the time permitted.
And thanks to his two pets, he was now going to save a lot of time.
As he stepped out of the city, Liam placed his thumb and index finger in his mouth to let out a low whistle.
A couple of players near him looked at him, wondering what he was up to.
Nothing seemed to happen but after a second, loud whooshing sounds echoed and the next instant a big bird landed in front of them.
It was the size of a dire wolf and had sharp metallic feathers that glinted in the sunlight.
"What the heck is this?"
"Ah! A field boss! This is a field boss right?"
The couple of players were not able to see any of its details, so they quickly jumped to the conclusion that it was some sort of mysterious elite monster.
They didn't dare approach it or start attacking it as they didn't want to die tragically. Special elites needed at least a group of five players to take down.
So they quickly began sending out messages to their friends and guilds but abruptly stopped as they witnessed the unbelievable scene that happened next.
While they were all hesitant to go near the bird, one person standing near them casually strolled towards it.
Not just that… but the person then nonchalantly placed his hand over the bird, also jumping up and landing on the bird's back in one swift move.
"What the hell?"
"Is that a friendly NPC?"
Everyone was confused until someone finally pointed out the obvious. "That guy is riding the bird!"
"So that's a mount?"
"Fuck! He already has a flying mount?"
"He is using his beast pet as a flying mount!"
"Hey! Wait a second. Can we try attacking that thing?"
"Oh! You are right. If we attack the bird, then the person would simply drop dead, falling from that height!"
"He He He. Let's do it."
"Idiots, look up. He already left!"
The few players realized that they were already too late as Liam's figure along with the wind ripper's silhouette had disappeared into the distance.