Chapter 9: Infinite City
"I choose... Infinite City!"
Infinite City.
Majestic. Sacred.
It stands as though wedged between the cracks of the world, severed from the mundane realm.
The sky, a deep silken blue, is adorned with dazzling diamond-like stars. Starlight cascades down in torrents, painting the ground in a luminous glow.
Beneath this celestial radiance, rooftops of ashen gray rest in solemn silence, exuding an ancient and enigmatic aura.
At this moment, within a chamber in the southern quarter of Infinite City, a brilliant white light flickered—gradually revealing a figure.
That figure was none other than Lu Ran, who had only moments ago completed the novice trial.
Scanning his surroundings with wary eyes, he hadn't expected that the return would present him with two choices.
Faced with the options, he hadn't hesitated—choosing, without a second thought, to come to Infinite City, the gathering place of Beastmasters.
Perhaps here, he could uncover answers to his lingering questions.
Yet, what intrigued him most at this moment were the rewards he had just acquired.
After all, these were the fruits of a day's arduous effort alongside Ha Zong.
A nine-tier rating system ranging from SSS to F—he had secured an S-rank evaluation.
Though not the highest, S-rank was far from ordinary—an achievement unattainable for most.
Only he and Ha Zong knew the extent of what they had endured within the secret realm that day.
To describe it as a weasel raiding a henhouse would not be an exaggeration…
Most participants, merely struggling to survive for a day while evading danger, would likely receive only an E or F rating.
In contrast, his success owed much to the pendant. Without the Divine Deer Pendant, he and Ha Zong would never have made it as far as they did.
Unfortunately, despite possessing a powerful healing artifact, Ha Zong's species level remained too low. Before evolving, he was, after all, just a husky—his combat efficiency was far from optimal.
Had another Beastmaster contracted a tiger or a polar bear, disregarding injuries, their killing efficiency would have been far more brutal.
But it didn't matter.
Ha Zong had the potential for limitless evolution.
As long as they worked together, surpassing species boundaries—one day rivaling or even exceeding the might of mythical dragons—was not beyond reach.
The wonders of the secret realm had convinced Lu Ran of this possibility.
For now, he was simply grateful for the Divine Deer Pendant, which had granted them a promising start and a handful of valuable rewards.
He retrieved his identity card—one of the treasures he had obtained from the secret realm.
It bore a resemblance in both material and appearance to the Contract Black Card, except this one was white. It seemed to function as a storage medium, holding all the resources he had acquired.
On its surface, the following information was displayed:
[Name]: Lu Ran (Renamable)
[Beastmaster ID]: 9528
Beneath these basic details were four options: [Communication], [Team Up], [Inventory], and [Teleportation].
His inventory contained the 10,000 crystal coins and three resource items he had just earned.
Among them, the Beastmaster Skill existed in the form of a card—a Skill Card, one might call it.
As for the crystal coins, they had no physical form, merely displayed as a digital value—functioning much like online banking. From this, Lu Ran deduced that crystal coins were likely the universal currency of Infinite City, probably used via card transactions.
He surveyed the room. Aside from basic furnishings, only a few items stood out, chief among them a pedestal that immediately caught his attention.
Atop it was a slot—one suspiciously designed for card swiping.
Lu Ran approached it, and in the next instant, a holographic screen materialized before him, displaying a dense array of images and text.
"This is…"
[Name: Spider Cavern]
[Secret Realm Tier: Novice]
[Difficulty: Easy]
[Entry Fee: 200 Crystal Coins]
[Name: Boar Valley]
[Secret Realm Tier: Novice]
[Difficulty: Normal]
[Entry Fee: 500 Crystal Coins]
[Name: Behemoth Forest]
[Secret Realm Tier: Novice]
[Difficulty: Hard]
[Entry Fee: 700 Crystal Coins]
The screen displayed fundamental details of various secret realms along with their entry costs. It seemed that accessing these realms required purchasing a ticket.
The first page alone listed ten secret realms. Flipping through, Lu Ran realized he could view five pages in total—which meant there were over forty novice-tier secret realms available to him.
Continuing his search, he came across something particularly alarming—Death Lake.
[Name: Death Lake]
[Secret Realm Tier: Novice]
[Difficulty: Abyss]
[Entry Fee: 1000 Crystal Coins]
"…Seriously?" For a moment, Lu Ran was at a loss for words.
The secret realms appeared to be categorized by difficulty: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Abyss.
Their entry fees ranged between 100 and 1000 crystal coins.
With his current funds, he could afford multiple attempts.
However, Lu Ran found himself uninterested—for now.
The novice trial he had just completed, The Forest of the Phantom Cat, had already left him utterly exhausted—even with the assistance of an epic-tier artifact. He had suffered numerous injuries along the way.
As for Normal, Hard, or even Abyss-tier realms… without understanding their nature, recklessly diving in would be suicidal.
Besides, the Communication and Team Up functions on his identity card suggested that high-difficulty realms were likely meant for team-based challenges.
Apart from these dungeons, Lu Ran also discovered one safe secret realm—listed under a separate category.
[Name: Training Realm]
[Secret Realm Tier: Novice]
[Daily Activation Fee: 1 Crystal Coin]
An extremely affordable price—likely just a simple training ground.
"I should first analyze the resources I've acquired. Strengthening Ha Zong and myself takes priority."
Stepping away from the pedestal, Lu Ran noticed that the holographic screen automatically faded from view. He then turned his attention to his inventory.
Within the secret realm, he had briefly gained temporary access to the Eye of Data.
Now that he had cleared the trial, it seemed he could use it permanently, even outside the secret realm.
However, it was merely a basic version—far from the fully functional one he had before.
The original had allowed him to inspect the attributes of other creatures.
This new version, however, was far more limited—only able to analyze himself, his contracted beast, and low-tier resources.
[Name]: Meteorite Iron Ore
[Grade]: High
[Description]: A rare ore born from the power of falling stars. Possesses excellent energy conduction and amplification properties. Ideal for crafting weapons and equipment.
[Name]: Grass Attribute Awakening Fruit
[Grade]: High
[Description]: Can awaken latent grass-elemental abilities in creatures with compatible potential.
Meteorite Iron. Awakening Fruit.
The former needed no explanation—Lu Ran regretted not bringing a weapon into the trial. He suspected that conventional weapons, even firearms, couldn't be carried into the secret realm.
Only artifacts imbued with supernatural properties—like the Divine Deer Pendant—could be brought in.
If the Meteorite Iron was classified as a special resource, then weapons forged from it might circumvent this restriction.
As for the Awakening Fruit, it was an exciting find.
During his time in the secret realm, he had encountered countless extraordinary creatures—yet none had displayed any elemental attributes.
This struck him as highly unusual.
Elemental forces like wind, thunder, water, and fire should exist.
So why had none of the creatures possessed them?
It seemed that unlocking elemental abilities required external catalysts—and the Awakening Fruit was likely one such method.
Now, he just needed to determine whether Ha Zong had grass-elemental potential.
…Unlikely.
While Ha Zong certainly enjoyed eating vegetables, Lu Ran couldn't fathom a husky aligning with the grass element.