The Adventurer's Guild—an organization found in every city.
Due to the unique nature of Awakeners, their roles extend beyond fending off large-scale Beastswarms. Most of the time, they form their own squads and work independently.
After all, Death Beasts didn't just sit quietly in their territory waiting to be hunted. Like all living creatures, they fought among themselves. The losers? Forced to migrate.
Around Haicheng, most powerful Death Beasts had long been wiped out. But occasionally, small groups would still stray near the outskirts.
That's where the Guild came in—offering rewards for Awakeners to eliminate the threat.
These missions were typically low-risk and low-reward, making them perfect for rookies to gain field experience.
"I'll take this one! The Rabbit-Type Death Beast Extermination Quest!"
After scanning the mission board for a while, Wang Tao finally locked in on an E-Rank task.
These rabbit-like Death Beasts weren't particularly strong—but they did come in large numbers.
Though technically F-Rank, their temperament was volatile, and they were highly aggressive. Speed and strength were high for their level, and careless adventurers could easily get hurt.
Because the pay wasn't great and the risk was annoyingly high, most people avoided them.
But Wang Tao wasn't as simple as he looked. He had his own clever logic.
"High attack? Pfft, my Turtwig's got high defense!"
"Let 'em charge. The harder they ram, the harder they bounce!"
"And with Turtwig's AoE move—Razor Leaf—we don't need massive damage. These bunnies are glass cannons!"
"With our endurance and a little patience, this mission's basically free money!"
The clerk at the reception desk—a fierce-looking young woman—glanced up at him, eyebrow raised.
"Wang Tao, E-Rank Awakener, taking on a mission to defeat a group of F-Rank Death Beasts solo. Confirmed?"
"Alright, you're registered."
"Want me to book a Water- or Grass-Type Healer in advance? There's a discount if you reserve now."
A newbie taking on a whole group alone? At E-Rank?
She shook her head slightly in pity. Most likely, he'd return limping—or not at all.
Wang Tao's mouth twitched.
"N-No need."
Healers were expensive. He could barely afford this mission, let alone healing services.
Besides, he didn't plan on getting hurt.
With the mission details in hand, Wang Tao puffed out his chest and stepped out—ready for his first-ever mission outside the city.
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It didn't take long to track the Death Beasts down, thanks to the provided location data.
"One… two… wait, thirty?!"
Wang Tao sucked in a breath of cold air.
"Damn! That's a lot!"
"What do you think, Turtwig? Can you handle it?"
Turtwig snorted, steam puffing from its nostrils. It nodded fiercely.
Of course!
A proud, Hidden-Ability Turtwig doesn't back down!
Wang Tao rubbed his chin.
"Alright, here's the plan. I'll stay at a distance. If it gets too hot, I'll recall you into your Poké Ball and we run, got it?"
"Alright, Turtwig—let's go!"
Turtwig might not have understood every word, but the gist was clear.
If it had understood everything, it probably would've rolled its eyes hard.
You chunky hypocrite—you're sending ME in alone?! Where's your sense of honor?!
Still, a Trainer's command was a Trainer's command.
With confident steps, Turtwig charged toward the pack of rabbit-like Death Beasts.
The grind begins now.
As expected, the Death Beasts immediately detected the intruder. Their eyes glowed red.
With wild screeches, the entire group bolted toward Turtwig at full speed.
Wang Tao clenched his fists, heart pounding.
"C'mon, buddy… we've fought wolfs before, but this is on another level!"
These Death Beasts weren't just fast. Their signature move? Reckless Charge.
"Turtwig, Withdraw!"
With a quick hop, Turtwig tucked in its limbs and head—sealing itself inside its shell.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
A series of muffled thuds rang out as beast after beast slammed into the sturdy green shell.
But Turtwig didn't budge.
Thanks to its Overgrow ability and natural defenses, plus the Withdraw move, the incoming attacks did little more than bounce off.
In fact, the Death Beasts were the ones dazed and dizzy!
Wang Tao's eyes lit up.
"Now's our chance! Turtwig—Razor Leaf!"
Turtwig popped its head out and gave a determined growl.
Bright green leaves materialized in the air around it, then launched forward in a spinning barrage.
The still-reeling rabbit-beasts were caught completely off-guard.
The leaves might not have been extremely powerful, but these glass-cannon enemies didn't have the bulk to survive even moderate damage.
The glowing leaf blades whipped through the pack like a green tornado, slicing and shredding.
Screeches erupted as the Death Beasts panicked, flailing and charging again.
"Now, Withdraw again!"
Wang Tao barked the order like a cheerleader.
Once more, Turtwig tucked in, letting the crazed beasts crash into it like a living punching bag—except it was they who ended up worse off.
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Out in the wilds near Haicheng, a bizarre sight unfolded:
A chubby teenager repeatedly yelled, "Razor Leaf!" and "Withdraw!" at a small green turtle, while a horde of bunny-like beasts ran themselves ragged in a loop of destruction.
Nearby, another group of adventurers caught sight of the scene.
"Yo! What the heck's that guy doing?"
The leader, holding a steel longsword, gaped in disbelief.
"What kind of contract beast is that? It's tanking all those attacks like nothing!"
Another teammate frowned.
"Those rabbit-types are no joke. For an F-Rank, their attack power's actually decent."
"But that little thing… is just brushing them off?!"
"And that cool-looking move—he called it Razor Leaf?"
"Man, I want a contract beast like that too!"
"Pfft, yeah right. You want it to slice off your finger with a leaf?"
"Contract Beast aren't always obedient, you know."
"Exactly. Just because it listens now doesn't mean it always will. If contracted beast were easy to control, this world would be ruled by Trainers already."
"Yeah… that's true…"
Wang Tao's unusual "grind strategy" sparked some chatter, but most people shrugged and moved on.
After all, rabbit-type Death Beasts were among the weakest threats.
Beating them didn't prove much.
Besides, to most Awakeners, Contract beast were still considered unstable companions.
Only one young man—still green around the ears—stood watching the battle with a thoughtful look in his eyes.