C11 Stop Messing Around You Have to Take the Pet Breeder Exam!
The following day, early in the morning, at the entrance of the Littlewell Beast Tamer Association, one of the city's most impressive structures stood, constructed entirely of massive black boulders. The boulder walls were adorned with dark green vines bearing striking scarlet fruits, making them quite conspicuous. These vines, a type of wood-based battle pet, were of an elite level or higher. Anyone brazen enough to force their way into the Beast Tamer Association would likely be ensnared and strangled by the vines before even reaching the gate.
The gate of the Beast Tamer Association towered at about two meters high, with numerous formidable battle pet statues carved upon it, so lifelike they seemed poised to burst forth.
Despite the early hour, a steady stream of demon hunters had already begun to arrive, each one appearing travel-worn. At that moment, Symas, clad in a black casual outfit, stood before the gate, drawing curious glances from passing beast tamers. They gave him a cursory look but refrained from engaging, preoccupied with their own unfinished tasks.
Symas proceeded inside, making his way to a secluded corner to the counter designated for breeder examination registration. The counter was manned by a young woman in a black beast tamer uniform, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, and a small black iron badge with the number two affixed to it, denoting her as a 2-star black iron beast tamer.
"I'm here to take the black iron breeder's test!" Symas announced.
"Don't be ridiculous. The pet breeder examination costs 10,000 federal coins. This isn't something to take lightly," she replied with a hint of skepticism.
Undeterred, Symas presented his bank card. "I'm serious about taking the test."
"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Absolutely. I've studied extensively on the subject. I believe I can handle the black iron level pet breeder examination," Symas confidently affirmed.
Loralie shook her head; she had seen her fair share of blindly confident individuals, but someone as young as Symas was a first for her. In Littlewell base city, breeders were scarce, and most were over the age of thirty. It was not uncommon for some to obtain their breeder certificate in their forties or even fifties. This clearly indicated that earning the breeder certificate was no simple feat. "Teaching this kid a lesson might do him some good," she mused to herself.
After 10,000 federal coins were deducted, a 20-centimeter-long firefly emerged from a glass bottle on the counter, its abdomen faintly glowing with white light. This was a black iron level one star assistant pet, the King Firefly, with the Illumination Technique as its skill. Its abdomen could emit a bright white light, similar to a flare.
"Have him take you to the assessment room on the third floor. Wait there for a bit; the association is currently arranging for a mentor to administer your exam," she instructed.
"Understood," Symas replied, nodding. He then followed the King Firefly, making his way up the wooden staircase to the third floor. Along the corridor walls, finger-thick vines could be seen, but they remained still, subdued by the presence of the King Firefly.
Meanwhile, on the ninth floor of the Tamer Association, President Corey noticed a new breeder assessment mission in the internal mission system, targeting a sixteen-year-old boy. "A teenager attempting the breeder exam? That's intriguing. I'm curious to see what he's capable of," Corey thought, accepting the task and heading straight for the third floor via the elevator.
Inside the examination room, a space of nearly three hundred square meters was divided into three sections. The first challenge was to concoct a black iron level tempering potion, requiring precise control and timing for the ingredients to be mixed successfully within a specific potency range.
The second challenge tasked the candidate with identifying at least ninety out of a hundred black iron level materials within a ten-minute timeframe.
The third and most challenging assessment involved creating a black iron level potion using materials from the previous test. The type of potion was irrelevant; the goal was simply to successfully produce it.
The difficulty lay in the fact that the black iron materials for the second assessment were randomly drawn from the Tamer Association's inventory by a computer system, eliminating any chance of cheating.
Symas had only just arrived when Corey hurried in.
"Mr. Lowe."
Symas was taken aback upon seeing Corey; he hadn't anticipated that the president of the Tamer Association, Corey, would be the one to administer his test.
"Symas."
"Yes!"
"Alright, then. Are you ready? We can begin the assessment now!"
"Yes."
Symas nodded.
"You seem to have a good temperament," observed Corey, admiring the composed Symas. He was looking forward to the assessment, having already accessed some information about Symas using his authority. At Patriot School, Symas was a student who had recently passed the Summoning Ceremony and consistently ranked first in his class in theoretical knowledge. His battle pet was a Witchwood with a black iron three-star rating.
Corey also knew a bit about Symas' family background.
Becoming a breeder was no easy feat. Despite the plethora of information available online, it barely scratched the surface. Passing the three-part assessment with such limited knowledge was akin to climbing a mountain.
With that, Corey cleared his mind of any distractions and concentrated on Symas' performance.
For the first stage, Symas approached the stone table set up for crafting the black iron level tempering potion. The hefty black stone table held three sets of ingredients for the potion. The 10,000 federal coins deducted earlier were for these materials.
The tempering potion was designed to enhance the physique of black iron level battle pets. On their first consumption, the potion could boost their physical condition by 5% to 10%. However, the effect diminished with subsequent uses, becoming negligible after the tenth time. A black iron level one-star tempering potion typically sold for about 50,000 federal coins, while the ingredients—three-leaf clove, black iron red fruit, and Frost Fluid—cost only 5,000 federal coins, yielding a tenfold profit margin.
The true power of a pet breeder's wealth was indeed formidable. Naturally, concocting potions was never a guaranteed success. Some black iron breeders faced error rates of fifty percent or higher when making potions. Achieving a thirty percent error rate was considered quite impressive, while a mere one to two percent error rate would practically be unheard of in potion making. The tempering potion was among the most in-demand potions on the market.
At that moment, within the Hall of Assessment, Symas surveyed the three sets of ingredients laid out on the black stone table. Satisfied that everything was in order, he ignited the flame beneath the alchemy apparatus. The bottom of the black glass vessel turned a dark red as heat radiated from it. This vessel was essential for refining the potion.
With the flames flickering, Symas poured in the Frost Fluid, which caused the rising temperature to plummet. Moments later, he deftly picked up the black iron scarlet fruit with his right hand. The fruit, the size of an apple and a glossy red, dissolved upon contact with the Frost Fluid, vanishing instantly.
Once a balance was struck between the opposing forces of ice and fire, Symas introduced the Three-leaf Grass into the mixture. The three components achieved a delicate equilibrium. The result was a pale white liquid that Symas carefully decanted into a tall glass test tube. The concoction was perfectly measured to fill a single tempering potion vial.
"Finished," Symas declared, gazing at the pale potion and exhaling a deep breath. The refining process had required intense concentration, as the swift integration of the potion's powers demanded meticulous attention to detail.
Corey, observing from the side, watched Symas with an expression of astonishment. "He's actually crafted the potion."
