Chapter 1: The Magical Beast ‘Shadow Rat’
“Magical beast ‘Shadow Rat’? Grandpa Delin, what’s so special about this magical beast ‘Shadow Rat’, and what level is it?” Linley communicated telepathically with Delin Kevort, while looking at him with hopeful eyes.
Delin Kevort smiled faintly, deliberately pretending to cough twice before slowly transmitting his voice: “The magical beast Shadow Rat cannot be clearly defined as a specific level, because it is a race. Rat-type magical beasts are mainly divided into two types: one is the Stone-Eating Rat, and the other is the Shadow Rat. But whether it’s the Stone-Eating Rat or the Shadow Rat, they are both omnivorous, eating stones, bones, and even flesh.”
Linley nodded inwardly.
He had just seen that black Shadow Rat gnawing on a stone.
“Magical beasts are mainly divided into nine levels. First-level magical beasts are the weakest, and of course, above the ninth level, there are Saint-level magical beasts!” Delin Kevort smiled at Linley. “Linley, the weakest among the Stone-Eating Rats are the gray Stone-Eating Rats. First- to third-level Stone-Eating Rats are all gray, with only slight differences in shade. When they reach the fourth level, their entire bodies turn silver. When they reach the seventh level, their bodies become golden! A golden Stone-Eating Rat is at least a seventh-level magical beast, and the highest could be an eighth-level one.”
“Linley, the Stone-Eating Rat is a truly terrifying group, mainly because of their sheer numbers and extremely sharp teeth—much sharper than those of the Shadow Rat. Once countless Stone-Eating Rats swarm in, even an army of hundreds of thousands probably couldn’t withstand them.” Delin Kevort sighed as he spoke.
Delin Kevort recalled a disaster from years past.
Stone-Eating Rats were not as fast as Shadow Rats, but their bodies were as tough as steel. The higher the level of the Stone-Eating Rat, the harder its body and the sharper its teeth. Despite their small size, when they gathered in large numbers, they became terrifying to the extreme.
“The weapons of army soldiers can’t kill Stone-Eating Rats, but Stone-Eating Rats can easily devour the soldiers.” Delin Kevort sighed again.
Linley couldn’t help but picture in his mind countless Stone-Eating Rats swarming out like a flood, covering the mountains and fields, eroding the army like a tide, and devouring countless soldiers. At that thought, Linley shuddered.
Too terrifying.
“Among the two types of rat magical beasts, the Stone-Eating Rat excels in high defense and extremely sharp teeth, and they are also extremely numerous. As for the Shadow Rat? Their numbers are also considerable, but far less than the Stone-Eating Rat.” Delin Kevort was like an encyclopedia, seemingly knowing everything.
“What about the Shadow Rat? How powerful is it?” Linley urged.
Not far away, there was a black Shadow Rat, so Linley naturally wanted to know how formidable it was.
“The Stone-Eating Rat starts at the first level. But the Shadow Rat is different! The weakest Shadow Rat is a third-level magical beast, with black fur all over! When its fur turns cyan, the Shadow Rat reaches the fifth-level magical beast stage. When its body turns purple, it’s at least a seventh-level magical beast. The highest could also be eighth-level.” Delin Kevort explained clearly.
Linley nodded to himself.
In terms of level, the Shadow Rat was no weaker than the Stone-Eating Rat.
“Grandpa Delin, according to what you said, third- to fourth-level Shadow Rats should all have black fur, and only at the fifth level do they turn cyan. So this little Shadow Rat is a third- or fourth-level magical beast?” Linley looked at Delin Kevort and asked.
“This black Shadow Rat is unusual.”
Delin Kevort frowned and said, “The Stone-Eating Rat is famous for its strong defense and sharp teeth. The Shadow Rat is famous for its extreme speed and sharp teeth! Speed… is a good measure of a Shadow Rat’s strength.”
“Its speed is very fast; it covers over ten meters in the blink of an eye. But since it’s a Shadow Rat, that should be normal, right?” Linley remembered it clearly.
Delin Kevort nodded and said, “A Shadow Rat’s speed should be fast, but for a Shadow Rat still in its ‘infant’ stage to reach the speed of an adult Shadow Rat—that’s not normal.” A hint of a smile appeared on Delin Kevort’s face.
“Unusual?” Linley looked at Delin Kevort.
Delin Kevort continued, “Yes. In its infant stage, it already has the speed of an adult fourth-level magical beast Shadow Rat. By the time it fully matures, it might even become a seventh-level purple Shadow Rat. I suspect… it is the child of a purple Shadow Rat.”
“The child of a purple Shadow Rat?” Linley was puzzled. “But its fur is black.”
Delin Kevort laughed. “Linley, whether it’s a purple Shadow Rat or a cyan Shadow Rat, the baby Shadow Rats they give birth to are all black. Only as their strength increases does the fur color gradually change! Fur color is a symbol of strength!”
Linley suddenly understood: “So that’s how it is.”
“Grandpa Delin, according to what you said, this Shadow Rat’s speed is truly astonishing. Right now, this Shadow Rat’s speed feels a bit faster than Uncle Hillman’s, yet you say it’s only equivalent to an adult fourth-level Shadow Rat. A fourth-level magical beast Shadow Rat can match the speed of a sixth-level warrior…” As Linley said this, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly again.
Delin Kevort also smiled. “Linley, if it weren’t like this, would it still be called a Shadow Rat?”
A Shadow Rat of the same level, when running, could instantly leave a human warrior of the same level far behind.
“The Shadow Rat is a rare magical beast, especially the ‘purple Shadow Rat,’ which is at least a seventh-level magical beast. Many mages want to tame a purple Shadow Rat, but purple Shadow Rats are too fast. Adult purple Shadow Rats are precious, but they are hard to tame. However, the infant Shadow Rats that can become purple Shadow Rats are easier to tame. But encountering a purple Shadow Rat infant alone is rarer than once in a thousand years.” Delin Kevort smiled at Linley.
Linley could imagine it.
A purple Shadow Rat is at least a seventh-level magical beast, meaning it’s at least on the same level as a ‘Swift Raptor.’
“Linley, the purple Shadow Rat is the king among Shadow Rats, capable of commanding a large number of Shadow Rats. Although the number of Shadow Rats isn’t as terrifying as the Stone-Eating Rats, it’s still a lot. The infant of a purple Shadow Rat, before it matures, will be protected by many Shadow Rats.”
Delin Kevort glanced at the black Shadow Rat in the distance, which was still gnawing on a stone.
“To be this strong at such a young age, it’s ten to one that it’s the infant of a purple Shadow Rat. I really wonder how it ended up in your family’s old mansion, with no adult Shadow Rats around to protect it.” Delin Kevort said with some amazement.
Linley also agreed with what Delin Kevort said.
“Linley.” Delin Kevort’s gaze toward Linley suddenly became a bit strange, and he spoke in a tempting tone, “No matter why this purple Shadow Rat infant is here, do you want to tame this little Shadow Rat? Shadow Rats grow relatively fast. Even for a purple Shadow Rat infant, it will probably fully mature within ten years. By then, you’ll have a seventh-level or even eighth-level magical beast.”
Linley’s heart raced with excitement upon hearing this.
Seventh- and eighth-level magical beasts are very hard to tame. But taming them in their infant stage is much easier.
When taming in the infant stage, you also have to consider the type. Some magical beasts grow quickly, others slowly. For example, the dragon race—some dragons take a thousand years to mature. Ordinary humans can’t wait that long. The Shadow Rat belongs to the fast-growing category.
But encountering a purple Shadow Rat infant is extremely rare.
After all, the more powerful a magical beast, the more it protects its young. Although Linley didn’t understand why this little Shadow Rat had come to his family’s old house, the fact was that a purple Shadow Rat infant was right in front of him.
“Linley, by owning a purple Shadow Rat, you essentially own a Shadow Rat army!” Delin Kevort smiled at Linley. “This is also what makes the purple Shadow Rat more precious than other seventh- or eighth-level magical beasts.”
Delin Kevort kept tempting Linley.
And Linley, who was only eight and a half years old, couldn’t resist.
“Grandpa Delin, how do you tame a purple Shadow Rat?” Linley asked Delin Kevort with some excitement.
Delin Kevort felt a surge of joy inside: “If little Linley can really tame this Shadow Rat, I can be a bit more at ease in the future.” Delin Kevort knew well that he himself was just a soul spirit body, without a trace of magical power. A Saint-level grand mage without magical power had no offensive capability.
He couldn’t protect Linley.
And after half a year together, Delin Kevort, who had come to regard this simple, persevering child as his own grandson, naturally wanted to find ways to improve Linley’s own abilities.
“Linley, stay calm.” Delin Kevort said seriously. “Even if it’s a purple Shadow Rat infant, its speed is comparable to an adult fourth-level Shadow Rat. Even your Uncle Hillman can’t catch it. You have no ability to forcefully tame it, and you can’t set up the ‘soul contract’ magic array either.”
Linley was stunned.
His heated mind suddenly cooled down, and he said bitterly, “I remember now. To tame a magical beast, first you have to make it truly submit, and second, you have to set up a soul contract magic array. And that magic array requires at least a seventh-level mage to achieve.”
Linley felt a bit disappointed.
Alas, with such weak strength, even if he was lucky enough to encounter a purple Shadow Rat infant, he had no ability to tame it.