Beast Taming Patrol Chapter 3: Chapter 1 Lin Su (Seeking Investment, Seeking Followers)

"Boss, I need a hundred arcade tokens."

The owner of the arcade had been enjoying the sight of a young girl, barely five or six years old, weeping as she struggled to win a plushie. Upon hearing the request, his body went rigid. He looked up to find a slender student, whose handsome features could rival any webnovel protagonist, standing at the counter. With a look of pure agony, the owner groaned, "No more exchanges!"

"Lin Su, you can't just keep shearing the same sheep until it's bald! Why don't you try your luck at the arcade across the street for once?"

"I'll make sure to head there next time," Lin Su replied with a straight face.

"Fine, fine..." Boss Li sighed, reluctantly taking the cash and sliding over a plastic basket brimming with a hundred coins. "Take it easy this time, alright? Have a heart!"

"I will."

A short while later, Boss Li stared in sheer disbelief as Lin Su returned, huffing as he lugged back a literal mountain of stuffed animals. "Is this your idea of showing mercy?!"

"I used a hundred coins and caught eighty-seven toys," Lin Su explained calmly. "That means I showed mercy exactly thirteen times."

Boss Li: "???"

In what world does that count as showing mercy?

"The usual arrangement?" Lin Su asked, brushing his hand over the pile of plushies in the large box.

"Yeah, three yuan each for the buy-back," Boss Li said, rolling his eyes in frustration. "Eighty-seven toys comes to two hundred and sixty-one yuan. I’ll just give you two hundred and sixty and call it even!"

"No need for that." Lin Su sifted through the pile and pulled one out. "I'm keeping this one. I'll sell you the other eighty-six, which makes two hundred and fifty-eight yuan. Let's just round that up to two hundred and sixty."

Boss Li: "???"

So, you're telling me I have to give you one for free and pay extra?

Looking like he had just suffered a personal tragedy, Boss Li counted out two hundred and sixty Alliance Yuan and shoved them toward Lin Su. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his gaze sharpened. "Wait, aren't you a senior this year?"

Lin Su glanced back. "What of it?"

"Tomorrow is the day the public schools in Zone 32 hand out the initial beast pets..." Boss Li’s tone turned serious. "Do you have enough funds, kid? You don't want to be stuck with just a free Bright Light Group contract. If you're struggling, your uncle here can lend you a bit of cash."

"Don't sweat it," Lin Su said, his eyes drifting to the creature sitting beside the owner. It looked like a glowing rice ball the size of a pillow, emitting a soft radiance from its fluffy coat. "You should worry about your Bright Light Group getting offended—after all, you did just call it a freebie."

Boss Li: "???"

I’m trying to be helpful, and you’re trying to start a fight between me and my pet?

Do you ever plan on being a decent person?!

"I'm not worried about you at all!" Boss Li snapped, rolling his eyes again. "I just want you to become a real Beast Tamer and find success so you can leave this dump and stop ruining my business every day!"

"Understood. I'm off." Lin Su turned to leave. As he passed the sobbing little girl, he handed her the plush toy he had kept.

"Stop crying. Here, this is for you."

The girl’s wailing ceased instantly.

...

Lin Su walked down the quiet street, clutching a neatly wrapped paper bag.

Only when he was alone did a faint smile finally touch his lips.

His bond with Boss Li wasn't close enough for him to feel comfortable taking handouts, which was why he had turned down the loan.

As for the money from the claw machines...

That was simply Lin Su—or rather, the legendary 'Arcade-Bane'—earning his living through pure skill.

Before long, Lin Su reached the end of the road and stopped.

A sign hung from a rusted, vine-choked gate that read "Autumn Leaves Children’s Welfare Home." Even though the gate was weathered, the name remained legible.

"Phew..." After staring at the sign for a moment, Lin Su pushed through the unlocked gate and stepped inside.

Two centuries ago, Blue Star was struck by a cataclysm like no other.

At that time, human progress was at its zenith. Technology and industry had flourished to the point where the Human Alliance had replaced individual nations. Peace and progress were the norms of the era.

It was during this golden age that mysterious crystals known as Ghost Energy Stones began appearing across the globe.

The strange radiation from these Ghost Energy Stones triggered radical mutations in plants and animals, and even breathed life into inanimate objects. These mutated beings grew more intelligent and developed various supernatural abilities. These new entities, born from the influence of the Ghost Energy Stones, were known as "beasts."

As their intelligence grew, so did their ambition.

The beasts refused to be dominated by humanity. They grew resentful of humans controlling the best parts of Blue Star and eventually formed massive beast tides, launching violent assaults on human settlements.

Humans, being the only species untouched by the Ghost Energy Stone mutations, were initially helpless. High-tech weaponry crumbled before supernatural might. City after city fell to the onslaught. Human territory shrank as the beast tides advanced, leaving countless dead and families shattered in the wake of the disaster.

Just as humanity faced total annihilation, they unlocked a supernatural power of their own.

They discovered a hidden dimension within the human mind. By using specific techniques, humans could form contracts with beasts, housing them within this internal space and commanding them in battle. Through Cultivation and meditation, they could expand this mental space, allowing them to contract more powerful and numerous beasts.