Chapter 755: Opponent, Rune Master
Chapter 755: Opponent, Rune Master (Combined)
Half an hour later.
High above the open-air Beastmaster arena.
"Did you learn anything from today's match?" Birit asked.
"I did", Qiao Sang nodded. "I learned that a genderless familiar can cast Enchantment without any restrictions on the target."
Birit smiled.
"Fairy-type familiars are rare, and genderless Fairy-type familiars are even rarer. It's perfectly normal that you didn't know this."
He then began to explain.
"Generally, it's believed that Enchantment can only affect the opposite sex, which limits its effectiveness. As a result, in actual battles, few professional Beastmasters consider this skill. The uncertainty of the opponent's familiar's gender means there's a fifty percent chance the skill will be wasted, and it might even give the opponent an opportunity to counterattack."
Qiao Sang listened and quietly glanced at Fangy.
"But if you know the gender of the opponent's familiar in advance, I think this skill can still be very useful."
"Exactly", Birit nodded in agreement. "This skill isn't just effective on familiars; it works on any living being, as long as they are of the opposite sex."
"Does it work on humans too?" Qiao Sang asked.
"Yes, it does", Birit replied.
Suddenly, Qiao Sang found herself fantasizing about finding a Fairy-type familiar to experience the feeling of being Enchanted. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite imagine what it would be like to be Enchanted by a familiar.
Then, a thought struck her, and she asked:
"Can mental training help resist Enchantment?"
"Sure", Birit said. "In fact, the higher the level of a familiar, the harder it is for them to be Enchanted, which is related to this aspect."
As he spoke, he recalled the earlier battle scene, glancing at Flame Kiru, who was flying steadily. He smiled.
"Actually, I was quite surprised to see how quickly your Flame Kiru recovered from the Enchantment. Grot's Xianbao Butterfly is genderless, so he always uses Enchantment as his trump card."
"In the same level of familiars, his Xianbao Butterfly has had a one hundred percent success rate with Enchantment over the past two years. He even managed to Enchant a Royal Beast in public."
"If I'm not mistaken, his Xianbao Butterfly's Enchantment skill has likely reached Perfection, or even Mastery."
Hearing this, Qiao Sang felt a sense of pride for Fangy. She suppressed the corners of her mouth from curving upward and said:
"I didn't expect it, as this was the first time it fell for this Signature Move."
"Your Flame Kiru is quite resilient in terms of willpower", Birit observed.
Qiao Sang unconsciously turned to look at the position of Fangy's tail, her expression becoming complicated.
Usually, if someone praised Fangy, it would wag its tail immediately. But now, it was flying quietly, as if it hadn't heard anything.
After a moment of contemplation, she asked with a heavy heart:
"Will Wave of Peace leave any aftereffects on a familiar?"
Aftereffects? Birit thought for a moment and said, "No, once the skill's duration ends, everything will return to normal."
"How long does the duration of Wave of Peace usually last at each stage?" Qiao Sang asked, following up.
Birit, recalling Qiao Sang's worried expression as she looked at Flame Kiru, instantly understood her concern. He reassured her:
"Wave of Peace is a Trait of the Xianbao Butterfly. If Flame Kiru hasn't returned to its usual state, it's likely that this Trait is at least A-Class or higher."
He glanced at the time on his wristwatch as he spoke: "The effect of an A-Class skill lasts for an hour, so you just need to wait another ten minutes or so. An S-Class skill's effect lasts for a day. If Flame Kiru hasn't recovered after ten minutes, you can have Iceapura treat him."
Trait's level is actually this high... If Xianbao Butterfly had used Wave of Peace instead of Enchantment at the start, Fangy would have been completely overpowered... Qiao Sang felt a chill of fear.
Seeing Qiao Sang lost in thought, Birit couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about?"
"If Xianbao Butterfly had used Wave of Peace from the start, the outcome of this match would have been much harder to predict", Qiao Sang voiced her concern.
"Grot wouldn't dare take such a risk", Birit explained patiently. "Wave of Peace has a limited range, and its effect diminishes over distance. Moreover, this skill only weakens the opponent's hostility and fighting spirit. Many familiars simply follow the Beastmaster's instructions, and they don't have personal animosity or fighting spirit."
"Compared to the indiscriminate attack of Enchantment skills, this one is clearly not suitable for a first move."
This move might not have much effect on others, but for Fangy, it would be a decisive blow... Qiao Sang nodded, her expression showing that she had learned something.
A few seconds later, she suddenly asked, "What if a familiar with full fighting spirit unfortunately gets hit by this move? Is there a way to quickly regain clarity?"
You're talking about Flame Kiru, aren't you... Birit didn't call her out but answered her question directly: "In theory, when a familiar loses its fighting spirit, it will still follow the Beastmaster's commands to attack, but its reaction time might be a bit slower than usual."
He paused and continued, "However, if it's the first time a familiar with full fighting spirit gets hit by this move, it might fall into a state of confusion. It's the first time experiencing this feeling, as if something has been stripped away from its body. Its mind, along with other aspects, will become dull."
"In this case, letting it experience Wave of Peace a few more times will help it adapt. In future battles, it will handle this situation much better."
So, it really is a mental issue... Qiao Sang felt a sense of "Damn, I knew it."
She pondered for a moment and asked, "Would using Healing Waves for practice have the same effect?"
For questions about skills, Birit could answer without much thought: "Healing Waves soothe aggressive emotions and allow the target to think calmly. It does share a similar effect to Wave of Peace, but in terms of weakening fighting spirit, Wave of Peace is more powerful."
Qiao Sang understood immediately.
If she wanted Fangy to react less strongly to this move in the future, it would be better to find a familiar that can use Wave of Peace for practice.
...
Twenty minutes later.
At the villa.
"Fangy..."
"Xunxun..."
Fangy and Treasure Seeker were huddled in a corner, their faces pressed against the living room wall, looking deeply dejected, as if enveloped in a heavy atmosphere.
"What's wrong with you two?" Qiao Sang asked, feeling a bit of a headache.
She could understand why Fangy was in this state.
Although it had been affected by Wave of Peace earlier, its memory remained intact. Now that it had recovered, it probably felt quite foolish upon recalling the incident. Getting hit by two of the opponent's moves with such significant effects would also be disheartening.
However, she couldn't understand why Treasure Seeker was like this.
The match had been spectacular, and it even managed to strike a pose at the end. It should have been in high spirits, so why was it so down?
"Fangy..."
Fangy turned to look at its Beastmaster with a dejected expression, about to speak.
Qiao Sang already had an "I understand" look on her face: "I understand how you feel. But to win against an opponent who had such a strong hold over you is already a remarkable achievement. Don't worry; I'll find a familiar that can use Wave of Peace to train you. Next time you encounter this in a match, you won't be as affected as you were today."
"Enchantment can be resisted to some extent by strengthening your Mental Power. From now on, take some time each day to practice Meditation and Sensitivity, which are skills related to Mental Power. How does that sound?"
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy was initially taken aback, then it pounced into its Beastmaster's arms, excitedly rubbing against Qiao Sang's cheek.
Great!
It felt great!
Qiao Sang held Fangy, a smile on her face.
Fangy's problem was easy to solve.
It just felt like it had performed poorly today, but once it understood that training could prevent this from happening again, Fangy's mood would improve.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy jumped out of Qiao Sang's arms, its expression serious.
It was going to train its Mental Power right now!
With that, dozens of identical small Flame Kiru appeared in the living room.
Half of them closed their eyes and began meditating on the spot, while the others found different objects to place their claws on.
Its initiative was impressive... Qiao Sang felt a wave of admiration.
"Steel Slash..."
Steel Treasure, watching Fangy use Clone, glanced at the Spirit Pattern on its body, then headed to the dedicated training room.
Qiao Sang's attention turned to Treasure Seeker.
Seeing Treasure Seeker still pressed against the wall, looking dejected, she sighed and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker turned its head to the side, calling out in a low, sad voice, indicating nothing was wrong.
"Nothing, then I'll leave." Qiao Sang said, taking a few steps to create the sound of her leaving.
"Xunxun!"
After just two steps, Treasure Seeker pouted, its face full of grievance, and turned around.
When it saw its Beastmaster still standing there, it finally couldn't hold back, tears welling up as it began to complain.
"Xunxun!"
"Xunxun!"
Someone said it had no charm!
Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Who said that?"
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker was trying hard not to let the tears fall.
After the match, the audience said it!
With that, it finally couldn't hold back, took out some tissues from its Ring, and began to cry, wiping away its tears and snot.
"Xunxun!!"
"Xunxun!!"
Qiao Sang: "..."
Qiao Sang was silent for a moment, then her face suddenly showed a righteous indignation:
"That's really a lack of taste! What exactly did they say?"
"Xunxun!"
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker wiped its tears and called out twice.
They said something about Grocy being the coolest, and if it came to charm, Snow didn't lose!
After saying this, it blew its nose.
That was it? Just that? Qiao Sang internally rolled her eyes but showed a look of realization:
"The people who said that are probably Grocy's fans. You know, fans only see their own idol, and they wouldn't think the same about others. Think about it, how many people actually said that?"
After the match, she had heard some of the audience's comments, but nothing about charm, which meant very few people were talking about it.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker was taken aback, stopping its tears.
It seemed like only one person had said it...
Seeing Treasure Seeker's expression, Qiao Sang seized the opportunity to say:
"Don't worry, you have plenty of fans too. When we participated in the match, didn't we introduce your works during our debut? And don't you remember how everyone cheered for you at the Blue Star Match?"
"Xunxun~"
Hearing this, Treasure Seeker's spirits lifted, its eyes growing brighter.
Qiao Sang added one last sentence:
"In my eyes, you are far more charming than the Snow Lion King."
"Xunxun~"
Upon hearing this, Treasure Seeker fully recovered its vitality and even happily circled around its Beastmaster.
Finally, it's back... Qiao Sang felt a sigh of relief at the sight.
After resolving Fangy and Treasure Seeker's emotional issues, Qiao Sang returned to the room, washed up quickly, and sat cross-legged on the bed. She began making the seal gestures, trying to improve her hand speed.
As long as she didn't communicate with the Beastmaster Codex in her brain domain during the seal, the Star Array wouldn't appear.
Qiao Sang repeated the seal gestures.
She keenly noticed that with practice, her hand speed had indeed improved slightly.
Time ticked by, one minute after another.
After an unknown duration, the door opened, and Fangy, looking drowsy, walked in.
Qiao Sang stopped the seal and glanced at the clock on the desk: 11:02 PM.
"Fangy."
Fangy jumped onto the bed, found a comfortable position, closed its eyes, and quickly fell asleep.
Seeing Fangy's sleeping face, Qiao Sang thought of something. She picked up her mobile phone, opened the Yulinton University website, and posted a mission to find a familiar that could cast the Wave of Peace spell.
After posting, she set a reminder and was about to turn off the screen when a message came through from the mission backend.
Qiao Sang opened it to see:
"Is this Qiao Sang?"
Qiao Sang paused for a moment and replied: "Yes."
Almost immediately, the other party sent two messages in quick succession:
"Since it's you, I'll take the mission!"
"However, I won't be able to find you until the day after tomorrow. I won't be on campus tomorrow."
So, being famous has its perks... Qiao Sang checked the other party's profile: a fourth-year student from the Coordination Department, Class 3, Lamar Skirva.
"Alright, I'll wait for you the day after tomorrow."
...
The next day.
6:30 PM.
Qiao Sang arrived just in time and sat down with Birit in the audience stands.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Beastmaster Celebrity Match!" the Announcer said.
Despite many Star Beastmasters being eliminated, the audience stands were still packed.
After the Announcer finished the introductions, the screen displayed the contestants' photos, which quickly alternated.
"Who will put on a spectacular battle today?" the Announcer asked, and the photos froze.
Qiao Sang saw her opponent, a woman with black hair and black eyes, and a face typical of the Dragon Nation.
C-Class Rune Master, Tao Jun.
"Tao Jun, a C-Class Rune Master, 28 years old, can draw two different Spirit Patterns on a familiar to enhance different effects", Birit explained.
Qiao Sang suddenly thought of a serious question:
"If a Spirit Pattern is drawn on a familiar, and a part of the fur or skin where the pattern is drawn falls off, will the effect of the Spirit Pattern still remain?"
Birit paused for a moment. "It probably won't. However, it's said that high-level Rune Masters can engrave the energy of the Spirit Pattern into the familiar's body. Even if the surface pattern is damaged, it won't affect the effect."
Qiao Sang looked thoughtful. "A C-Class Rune Master probably can't do that, right?"
Birit paused again and nodded. "Yeah."
To be honest, he was already feeling sorry for the Rune Master named Tao Jun.
(End of Chapter)
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