Beast Taming Starts with Ground Mushrooms

Chapter 7: Heroes Cherish Each Other

"Senior, this is the one."

Lin Yi pointed at the little Puji and turned to look at Chen Shiqi.

He decided to take the little guy in.

As he smiled and turned to see the little guy's excited expression.

But the little creature looked terrified, staring at Lin Yi as if he were a demon.

"Senior, how could this happen?" Lin Yi asked, puzzled. Why do I look like a villain?

Little one, look closely, I'm a beast tamer.

Look at me properly. I am a beast tamer. I am here to make a contract with you. I am the God who can change your destiny. What's with that expression?

Lin Yi thought to himself, and then moved even closer.

"Don't scare it."

Chen Shiqi quickly stepped forward, a hint of tenderness melting in her eyes: "Just as I said, its intelligence is higher than that of ordinary mushroom-type pets. Because of this, it has some flaws in its personality."

Lin Yi was slightly taken aback. Chen Shiqi had indeed said that earlier, but he hadn't paid attention to it. However, he now realized something was amiss: "Senior, why don't you explain in more detail?"

After a moment's thought, Chen Shiqi began to explain to Lin Yi.

It turns out that the culprit behind all this was the little guy's amazing intelligence.

With an innate intelligence far exceeding that of its kind, it had long realized that it was a mushroom-type pet, one of the weakest groups in the world... No beast tamer would contract with them.

Those companions who were tricked by humans ended up as mere decorations on the dinner table.

"Ever since one of our men accidentally let slip in front of it, this little guy immediately understood his situation. He must have thought you were the executioner on the dinner table too."

This little guy has clearly lost faith in humans and knows that no one is willing to make a contract with them.

However, this alone is not a flaw.

The real flaw was that after that, Little Puji never recovered. The inherent weakness of its race, coupled with the fact that its mushroom-type skills hadn't awakened, led to...

"Inferiority complex? Lack of self-confidence?"

Lin Yi and Wen Tao spoke almost in unison, their eyes filled with disbelief.

It's unheard of for a Level 2 evolved ground-shroom to experience such a complex human emotion as 'inferiority complex'.

This little guy is really... somewhat special.

"Senior, it's only at the second stage of evolution!" Wen Tao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Isn't it a bit too much intelligence?"

While a pet's intelligence gradually increases with its evolution level, it's quite surprising that a level 2 evolved beast would develop a sense of inferiority.

"So, Lin Yi, are you sure you still want to choose it? The temperament of a pet can affect the progress of its training to some extent," Chen Shiqi asked, directly pointing out the flaws of this little Puji to Lin Yi.

Feeling inferior is one thing, but lack of self-confidence is the real problem.

How can a pet beast that lacks self-confidence evolve into a powerful being?

Lin Yi also hesitated subconsciously. The reason he recognized the little guy at first glance was because of his very human-like eyes.

The eyes do not lie; a single glance reveals their intelligence, which far surpasses that of their kind.

Although she was slightly hesitant, she bent down and examined it again: "Senior, does it have a name?"

"Mushroom baby".

Very good, very nice.

The name is as cute as the person, even a little adorable.

"Mushroom Boy." Lin Yi met Mushroom Boy's gaze, trying to appear as sincere as possible: "Mushroom Boy, don't misunderstand, I'm a beast tamer, I'm here to choose a beast pet, not to buy groceries."

To observe some clues, the first step is to let the little guy know your purpose, so that he will lower his guard.

Mushroom Boy: (•ω•?)

Chen Shiqi, who was standing to the side, seemed to know what Lin Yi was thinking, and said softly, "Little Mushroom, this human brother is my sister's brother. He is a spirit plant-type beast tamer. He is here to form a contract with you. Would you like to become his beast pet?"

With Chen Shiqi's voice, the fear on Gu Zai's face lessened somewhat, but she remained wary.

"Little Mushroom, if you don't believe me, I can form a contract with you on the spot and then take you away. You know how precious the contract slots for Beast Tamers are." Lin Yi showed his utmost sincerity.

As Lin Yi spoke, his eyes were fixed on the little guy.

Having dealt with those little guys at the breeding base for many years, Lin Yi was absolutely confident that no one was more meticulous in this regard than him.

Especially when he heard that Mushroom was "inferior" and "insecure" because he knew about his weak identity and that he couldn't awaken his racial skills, Lin Yi couldn't help but think of the feeling of his cheeks burning when he pushed his shopping cart through the crowded campus.

He understood how the little mushroom felt.

Perhaps this is what it means for heroes to appreciate each other.

Upon further observation, perhaps due to his long-term interaction with mushrooms, Lin Yi gleaned crucial information from the mushroom's clear eyes.

I understand.

That wasn't inferiority complex at all, it was despair.

Of course, his lack of confidence is real, but for others, this might be a flaw. However, for Lin Yi, who has a cheat-like ability, confidence is not something that cannot be regained.

The "inferiority complex" he read in Gu Zai's eyes was a desperate desire to become stronger, a despair born from a deep awareness of one's own shortcomings.

Lin Yi became even more convinced.

It's true that heroes appreciate each other.

Once you find the reason, you'll naturally have a starting point.

So, under the questioning gazes of Chen Shiqi and Wen Tao, Lin Yi leaned his entire body over the glass cover and uttered something astonishing.

"Little Mushroom, do you want to become stronger? Do you want to become an extremely powerful beast pet?"

Sure enough, this statement came to fruition.

The mushroom seemed to have been touched on something, and its cap involuntarily rose a few more degrees.

Little guy: (✧ω✧)

When the mushroom cub heard the words "become stronger," its clear eyes lit up instantly.

Lin Yi pressed his advantage: "Little mushroom, come with me. I'm a graduate student in the interspecies field of spiritual plants. Come with me, and I can make you stronger, really, really strong."

"Pfft?"

Really?

A very, very strong mushroom?

Although the little guy didn't understand what a cross-species graduate student was, seeing the determination in the big guy's eyes, it knew that this might be its only chance in this life.

So, are you willing to come with me?

Lin Yi continued to apply pressure, fearing that the effect would diminish.

From Chen Shiqi and Wen Tao's perspective, which was hard to understand, Gu Zai hesitated for a moment before nodding sheepishly.

Lin Yi laughed, while Chen Shiqi and Wen Tao were dumbfounded.

This guy, with just a few words, made Xiao Puji's eyes sparkle with a kind of light that Chen Shiqi had never seen before, and he also successfully gained the other party's approval.

"As expected of a graduate student in the Department of Spirit Plant Cultivation and Research, how did you manage to enter the inner world of Mushroom Boy in such a short time?"

Chen Shiqi was genuinely a little shocked. She knew that Lin Yi had been working part-time in the Department of Spirit Plant Cultivation and Research for the past six months, dealing with a group of Puji every day, but even she was ashamed of her own subtle insight. She had always thought that Gu Zai was insecure and lacked confidence.

"The more we interact, the more we naturally develop a mutual appreciation," Lin Yi said with a smile. "Senior, you wouldn't mind if I formed a contract with Mushroom Cub right now, would you?"

"Of course I don't mind."

Not only did they not mind, they were even somewhat pleased.

Because of the mushroom seedlings' unique characteristics, Chen Shiqi paid much more attention to them than to other free-growing mushrooms, and over time, she developed a slight affection for them.

Now that Mushroom Boy has been contracted into a pet by Lin Yi, at least it has escaped its fate as a dinner table and has a guarantee of long-term survival.

Of course, even if no one contracts with the mushroom, Chen Shiqi never thought of selling it as a vegetable. With her financial resources, she could definitely afford to raise the mushroom even if it continued to evolve.

"Little mushroom, come here."

Lin Yi opened the skylight at the top of the glass dome and stretched his palm out in front of the little guy.

The mushroom first glanced at the big guy, then looked down at the palm in front of it. After pausing for a moment, it stood up and leaped, landing steadily in Lin Yi's palm.

Without hesitation, Lin Yi lifted it up and placed it in front of his eyes, then slowly closed his eyes and recited the contract star language.

At this moment, within Lin Yi's sea of ​​consciousness, a mysterious and ancient door covered with star patterns opened, revealing a white-glowing space behind it, with a star map flickering on the ground inside the room.

Lin Yi had eleven such doors in his sea of ​​consciousness. Each door represented a beast-taming space, which was also a contract position.

Contracting with beast pets is a compulsory course for beast tamers in high school, so Lin Yi naturally knew how to contract with beast pets.

As the Beast Taming Space lit up with star patterns, the Spirit Plant Beast Pet Zone outside also lit up with a faint blue light. A transparent array pattern that looked exactly the same appeared at the feet of Mushroom Cub, and its radiance enveloped it.

The sudden appearance of the azure star map startled many spirit plant-type beasts, who all turned to look.

When they saw that the contracted creature was actually a ground mushroom, the pets all showed a hint of resentment.

Looking at the almost transparent array at its feet, Mushroom Baby subconsciously lowered its head and moved its short legs.

Mushroom Boy: (•.•?)