Beast Taming In The Apocalypse

Chapter 7: Four Strangers

Kingdom clicked on the Beast Warrior class. Nothing happened for a few seconds. He was starting to wonder if he'd done something wrong.

[Kingdom Graham has chosen the Golden Class: Beast Warrior. Requirements to acquire this class are as follows.]

Time Limit to Complete Mission: 1 Month.

Failure to Complete Mission: Absolute Annihilation (Death).

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"...My death?!" Kingdom couldn't help but shout in shock.

"What the hell is this?! This better be worth the death threat!"

After panicking for a few moments, he finally forced himself to calm down. Looking at the requirements, he saw he had already completed two of them. He only needed one more to get the life-threatening class.

It seems that stupid cow I killed was more than five levels above me. No wonder it could use fire. Now, how do I get Basic Mastery in a weapon? Especially a sword? The internet is down. I can’t d******d basic sword training from YouTube, and I can’t find a teacher in all this chaos.

He thought about it deeply. Finally, one idea stood out as having a chance. He would keep fighting monsters with his sword. Maybe through life-and-death battles, he could refine his skills and achieve Basic Mastery.

"Okay, Chaser. Time to get back on the road."

Woof!

With that, he and Chaser continued their journey through the strange new forest, killing any goblins and other beasts that attacked them.

Chaser's level continued to climb, while Kingdom's stayed the same. Even though his level didn’t change, he was still improving. He wasn't as awkward with his sword as he had been at first. His movements became smoother with each fight. He slowly learned to minimize wasted energy, making each stroke count, going only for critical strikes and avoiding pointless movements.

Watching Chaser finish off a few more goblins, Kingdom felt a pull of curiosity. He wanted to check his friend’s stats.

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Name: Chaser

Level: 17

Species: Wolf

Vitality (VIT): 20

Strength (STR): 25

Dexterity (DEX): 23

Agility (AGI): 20

Intelligence (INT): 3

Loyalty: 100%

Skills: None

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"What the...!"

Chaser's stats made Kingdom's jaw drop.

He was over twice as powerful!

Kingdom noticed Chaser's Intelligence hadn't increased and wondered how to raise it. It would be much easier to hunt if he could give Chaser more complex commands.

Pushing the thought aside, Kingdom still hadn't gained the sword skill he needed for his class. He had a month—well, 29 days now—but the pressure was already there.

He didn’t for a second believe the system was bluffing. A system created by a being who wiped out the weak, the old, and the young in the first minute of the apocalypse? It definitely wouldn't care about a small fry like him. He’d just be another number added to the billions already dead.

They reached a small, clear stream. Kingdom asked Chaser to scout the area for danger. Watching the wolf take off, Kingdom finally approached the gently flowing water. He looked down at his reflection and let out a hollow laugh.

His usual short dark hair was a wild mess, caked with dried blood, mud, and who-knows-what-else. His green eyes were still bright, but they were set in a face splattered with grime. The creek was shallow. Stripping off his filthy clothes, Kingdom jumped in and started scrubbing himself clean.

As the filth washed away, he felt a wave of refreshment. Chaser, having made sure the area was clear—the only dangers being three goblins he’d already dealt with—rushed back and leaped into the water too, playing and splashing around.

"I thought as a wolf you'd lose your playfulness. You know, gain some elegance and a strict, noble look?" Kingdom laughed, relaxing for the first time since the world went to hell.

But as you know, this is the apocalypse. Peace doesn’t last long.

While Kingdom and Chaser were playing in the water, four men were moving toward them.

They were all filthy, wearing clothes closer to rags. They carried crude goblin clubs, the wood stained with old blood. The leader of the group had pounded sharp nails and spikes through his club, making it look like a deadly, primitive mace.

He was bigger than the other three, and the others seemed to fear him.

"Hey, Scarface. You hear what I hear?" the leader spoke to the smallest man, who had a fresh, hideous cut across his cheek.

"Sounds like someone, or something, is in the water. Let me check it out," the small man said. His class was Thief, and he excelled at stealth. He melted into the trees.

"We might have new prey, fellas," the leader said, giving the remaining two a cruel smile.

The other two laughed wickedly. If you looked past the dirt and blood, you could see they looked very similar. They were brothers from a nearby town who had broken out of jail during the initial chaos.

"I hope it's a girl again. Too bad the last one died so quick. Too weak to handle four men," Jacob, the younger brother, complained with a grin.

"This time, I go first. You were too rough with your sadistic crap and ended her before it was my turn, you dumb fuck!" Esau, the older brother, cursed. His younger brother just shrugged, not bothered at all.

"Enough, you two," the leader scolded. "We're low on food. That's more important than you being horny, you idiots!"

Says the man who’d be the first to salivate at the sight of a woman and take the first round... and the second, Jacob thought inwardly with disdain, but his face stayed carefully calm.