Chapter 49 Meatball and Broken Tooth

Xiao Jie was speechless, thinking to himself if that was even how the beast speech skill was supposed to be used.

Although he could indeed ask them, these dogs didn't understand anything about stats or skills; they would probably just brag about how awesome they were.

After dealing with animals many times, he gradually figured out their traits: they had no concept of modesty whatsoever, acting somewhat like immature children.

"No need to go through all that trouble. I can tell which ones are good just by looking at them."

"Brother Feng, you even know how to evaluate dogs?"

"A little bit."

Of course Xiao Jie didn't know the first thing about evaluating dogs, but he had the Beast Identification skill, which allowed him to see a dog's basic stats. Naturally, this made it easy to pick out his ideal hunting hounds.

He immediately went down the line and checked them one by one.

Scar: Bite LV3, Sprint LV1, Tracking LV1. HP: 90. Level 4.

Golden Tiger: Bite LV2, Sprint LV1, Tracking LV1. HP: 90. Level 4.

Fortune: Bite LV1, Sprint LV1, Tracking LV3. HP: 80. Level 4.

Lightning: Bite LV1, Sprint LV3, Tracking LV1. HP: 80. Level 4.

Broken Fang: Throat Lock LV1, Sprint LV1, Feral Frenzy LV1. HP: 90. Level 4.

Meatball: Bite LV2, Toughness LV2, Bark LV1, Tracking LV1. HP: 108. Level 4...

Oh? These two are quite interesting.

Although these hounds had various skills, Bite, Sprint, and Tracking seemed to be standard equipment. Most of them had these three skills, just with different focuses—some ran fast, some bit fiercely, and some were better at tracking.

However, two of them were slightly different.

One was Broken Fang, and the other was Meatball.

Broken Fang's offensive skill wasn't Bite, but Throat Lock. Looking at the description, it seemed to be an upgraded substitute for Bite, allowing it to clamp onto the target's throat, dealing higher damage and potentially inflicting a silence effect.

Feral Frenzy LV1: Increases damage by 30% for 15 seconds and grants immunity to fear effects.

It seemed this Broken Fang was a special breed born specifically for combat.

Meatball, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.

Toughness LV2 (Passive): Increases maximum HP by an additional 20%.

Bark LV1: Emits a harsh dog bark, distracting surrounding enemies and preventing them from maintaining focus, with a certain probability of attracting nearby enemies to attack you.

This skill combination was wild. This guy didn't run fast and didn't have a sharp nose, but it would make a qualified meat shield.

Xiao Jie explained the skills of these hounds to I Desire Immortality.

I Desire Immortality's eyes lit up instantly, looking at Broken Fang and Meatball with excitement. These were practically top-tier pets.

"Which one do you want, Brother Feng? I think that Broken Fang looks pretty good." Meatball was a big yellow dog; although it was plump and sturdy, it somehow lacked a bit of deterrent presence. Broken Fang, however, was a black-gray wolfhound, which was definitely more eye-catching purely based on appearance.

Xiao Jie nodded, "Alright, then I'll choose Meatball."

Meatball: You made a great choice, a great choice! I am super reliable when it comes to fighting.

Scar: What kind of taste do you have? Meatball is totally useless; all he knows how to do in a fight is howl.

Lightning: Exactly, exactly! Choose me. I run super fast, absolutely top-notch at catching rabbits.

The hounds all scrambled to pitch themselves. It seemed that dog food hadn't been fed in vain.

Xiao Jie remained unmoved. Running fast didn't mean much; if danger arose, the pet's job was to cover the rear. Thick skin and flesh were the ultimate truth—being able to take a few more hits meant he could run a bit farther himself, not to mention having the Bark skill to draw aggro. Meatball was definitely a top-tier pet.

I Desire Immortality's train of thought was completely different. In his view, output was king, and besides, Broken Fang looked cool too.

Both of them were quite satisfied with their respective hounds, so it was time to start today's leveling journey.

After restocking the supplies they consumed yesterday, the two set off.

Having pets felt completely different. With two hounds leading the way and the two humans following behind, their sense of security shot up instantly—at least they wouldn't have to scout the path with their faces anymore.

Xiao Jie had made up his mind: today he would stay out in the field the entire day and grind fiercely.

He aimed to gain a couple of levels and farm a few pieces of equipment before returning.

Moving with practiced ease, the two headed straight for the farm.

After a night away, the scarecrows in the wheat fields had respawned.

Those crows were chased into the sky, circling helplessly.

Seeing the two coming with dogs, they immediately looked as if they had met their saviors.

"Humans, caw caw caw, quick, kill the scarecrows, caw caw caw, want to eat!"

"Got it, but you guys have to help me check if there are any other monsters around? Or maybe some demonized men?"

"Caw caw caw, got it, got it!" Probably eager to eat the wheat, the three crows didn't say another word and immediately split up, flying in three different directions. After circling the farmland, they flew back a moment later.

"Caw caw, only scarecrows."

"Caw caw, no demonized men."

"Caw caw, I saw a few big rats, right near the east barn, caw caw."

Big rats? Xiao Jie looked toward the east and immediately spotted the towering barn.

Aside from the Tian family estate, this farmland was surrounded by a few dilapidated wooden houses, stables, and a huge barn, which should have been used for storing grain.

Those wooden houses and stables were already dilapidated beyond repair, lacking even doors, but the barn still looked intact.

When the two walked near the barn, they indeed saw a few giant rats wandering around.

[Giant Rat (Beast)
HP: 60.
Level 3.
Skills: Gnaw LV2, Plague LV1.]

These rats were as big as piglets, with scarlet eyes. Seeing people approach, not only did they not run away, but they charged straight at them.

Xiao Jie didn't dare to lower his guard; not a single monster in this game was easy to deal with.

"Meatball—charge!"

"Broken Fang—charge!"

At their command, the two hounds bolted forward.

Simultaneously, Xiao Jie and I Desire Immortality each loosed an arrow.

The giant rat running in the front became their shared target, and a dual volley instantly took it down.

The two giant rats following behind were intercepted by the hounds. After a fierce flurry of bites, the hounds clearly gained the upper hand.

"Finish off that remaining one!" Xiao Jie shouted, releasing another arrow.

After two rounds of arrows, the second one was also laid flat.

Only then did the two switch to melee weapons and finish off the two rats whose HP had been whittled down to a sliver.

"Haha, this combat is way too easy. Having dogs really makes a difference," I Desire Immortality said excitedly.

Xiao Jie agreed. Setting aside how much combat power these hounds actually had, just the fact that they helped draw fire made them entirely worth the price.

Too bad the drops from these giant rats were terrible—just rat skin and rat meat.

Looking around, they couldn't find any more giant rats. They tried pushing the barn door, only to find it firmly locked.

Well, better get back to farming scarecrows.

When the two started farming scarecrows again, they realized an awkward problem.

The dogs' health was too low. Meatball was fine; with 108 HP, it probably wouldn't get one-shotted. But Broken Fang only had 90 HP, and if it got caught by Flame Embrace, it would likely be a gander.

These hounds were purchased at a high price by the two of them. Like humans, these hounds only had one life; if they died, they were gone.

Moreover, only the first dog was free. If it died and they wanted another one, they would have to pay to buy it.