C14 The Divine Might of the Authentication Technique!!
"Here, take this softening liquid," Corey explained. "Select a stone egg from the tomb, apply a drop to it, and you'll be able to easily peel away the tough shell with your hands."
"You have only six hours," he added.
Symas accepted the small glass bottle from Corey, tucking it into his pocket with a gracious smile. "Rest assured, Mr. Lowe. I shall return triumphant."
With those words, Symas stepped through the relic portal.
Once inside, the world around him seemed to twist and warp, the surroundings a murky gray as if he had entered a realm shrouded in dense, chaotic fog.
Gradually, his vision cleared.
He found himself overlooking the Level C battle pet tomb.
From above, it resembled a massive island dotted with towering tropical shrubs and stone eggs of various sizes scattered throughout.
The eggs were predominantly grayish-black, with many showing cracks in their shells. Through these fissures, one could glimpse the petrified remains of battle pets, some already broken into fragments.
Near the beach of this vast island, a three-meter-tall gate stood, from which a casually dressed young man emerged—it was Symas.
He surveyed his surroundings, noting that just a dozen steps from the shore, a dense white fog obscured the sea.
This marked the boundary of the pet relic space.
On the sandy beach before him lay numerous stone eggs, some half-buried in the sand. Symas approached and felt one; it was indistinguishable from an ordinary rock, cool to the touch, and unyielding to his knocks.
These stone eggs, nearly 1.5 meters tall, would challenge even an overlord tamer to see through them.
It seemed luck would be his only ally.
But Symas had recently acquired the black iron level authentication skill.
According to its description, this skill could reveal all there is to know about black iron level pets and materials.
"Let's give it a shot," Symas murmured, a glint of determination in his eyes.
He cast the authentication skill on the towering stone egg before him, watching as a white light, visible only to him, infused the egg.
In an instant, information about the stone egg flooded Symas's mind.
Stone.
Just one word.
Using the authentication technique hardly drained any psychic force. Symas proceeded to appraise every stone egg scattered across the beach.
Over 99% turned out to be mere stones.
Now Symas finally grasped why Corey had laughed at the idea of him entering the battle pet tomb.
Corey truly didn't believe Symas could find a pet within the battle pet tomb.
At last.
Among the stone eggs near the massive shrub, a black iron level pet was definitively identified.
It was merely a stone egg, barely twenty centimeters tall.
Black iron, three stars, a black poison butterfly.
At long last, it wasn't just a stone.
A three-star grade, matching his own Witchwood.
"Let's keep looking."
"Maybe I can find an elite grade."
Symas surveyed the stone eggs strewn across the ground amid the bushes. He placed a snapped shrub branch where he found the black poison butterfly, marking the spot before swiftly moving on to authenticate the next stone eggs.
The battle pet tomb was filled with countless stone eggs.
Two hours later.
Symas had appraised a quarter of the island, confirming thousands of stone eggs, yet only twelve were black iron grade battle pets.
Most ranged between three and four stars.
Comparable to the black poison butterfly.
Symas wasn't satisfied; he was determined to explore further. Although he couldn't cover the entire battle pet tomb in six hours, he had made significant progress.
Next.
His attention turned to a two-meter-tall stone egg before him, and he cast the authentication technique.
Unknown elite grade pet.
"Damn!"
"I've hit the jackpot."
A flicker of elation crossed Symas's eyes.
Even the least valuable elite grade pets were worth millions, and they were so rare that money alone couldn't secure their purchase.
While the authentication technique couldn't specify the species, it could confirm the presence of an elite grade pet.
"Keep going."
Symas marked the spot.
If no other elite pets turned up, he would focus on this stone egg with elite potential.
Energized, Symas resumed his work.
Identifying another elite grade pet could net him tens of millions in federal coins, a worthy investment for nurturing a Gold-Swallowing Beast in the Void Territory.
Having more federal coins was always advantageous. Even if Symas couldn't utilize the elite pet himself, he could easily sell it on the black market through Pet's Home.
An hour and a half later, Symas had explored three-quarters of the area and identified an unknown elite pet. Its star rating was indiscernible.
The second elite stone egg, standing thirty centimeters tall, appeared quite ordinary. There were even fine cracks visible at its base. Without the authentication technique's feedback, anyone would have assumed it was a nonviable egg.
"It's a shame I can't take both," Symas lamented.
Nonetheless, he planned to return in a few days to claim the other elite pet. The Tamer Association's regulations prohibited re-entry to the battle pet tomb within a seven-day period.
Symas then made his way back to the two-meter-tall stone egg, intent on revealing the Charmander during this visit to the tomb. The thirty-centimeter stone egg simply wouldn't suffice. If Corey were to investigate the tomb, the discrepancy between the Charmander's size and the stone egg would be immediately apparent.
Symas was not about to make such an oversight.
A drop of golden softening liquid fell onto the stone egg, merging with it as effortlessly as snow dissolves in the sun.
Moments later, with a gentle touch, the softened shell began to flake away with ease. As the shell came off, the elite pet within—a white, bone-like sphere with numerous black openings—came into view.
"What is this?" Symas was taken aback.
The elite pet inside the stone egg was beyond his expectations. He recalled various pet illustrations, but none matched what he saw before him.
Once the obstructing stone had completely softened and fallen away, the white bone sphere began to wobble, as if it were about to awaken from the influence of the outside world. Pets freshly awakened within a stone egg were at their most vulnerable; a single drop of blood could bind them in a contract.
Symas placed his hand on the white bone sphere and, with a thought, transported it into the Void Territory. He then summoned the Charmander from its nest in the small fire-type pet den to the battle pet tomb.
Typically, an elite pet that has been in a deep slumber, despite being quite weak upon awakening, retains the strength of one to two stars. This perfectly aligns with the current state of the Charmander, which has achieved the rank of black iron one star.
"Hmm?"
"What's happening?"
The slumbering Charmander, upon being summoned, face-planted onto the ground and immediately woke up, looking at Symas with a sizable question mark hovering over its head.
Symas shook his head.
He needed to make time to venture into the wild and hone the Charmander's combat instincts.
