After making his resolution, Lin Ke's mind cleared considerably. The anxiety he felt about the upcoming Beast Tamer Qualification Exam was swept away, replaced by a calm and focused determination.
He walked into the small kitchen. His apartment, provided by the Guild's welfare program, was not large, but it had everything he needed. He skillfully prepared two portions of food. One was his own simple breakfast of bread and milk. The other was a carefully measured portion of special pet food.
"Ji!"
The Rock Vole, smelling the food, immediately scurried over, its little eyes fixed on the bowl in Lin Ke's hand.
"Here you go, little guy," Lin Ke said, placing the bowl on the floor.
The pet food for a Rock Vole was a specially made mixture of powdered minerals and compressed nutrients. It was one of the cheapest battle pet foods on the market, yet it still consumed a significant portion of Lin Ke's monthly living expenses.
As he ate his own breakfast, Lin Ke opened his wallet and looked at the few remaining credits on his card. A sense of pressure settled on him.
"Let's see... a trace amount of 'Earth Gene Essence' costs 5,000 credits. One vial of 'Active Cell Culture Medium' is 3,000. I'm still short by about 1,200 credits."
This was the reality he faced. To fix his Rock Vole's genetic defects, he needed money. To unlock its hidden potential, he would undoubtedly need even more, rarer materials in the future.
His only hope was to pass tomorrow's exam.
Passing the Qualification Exam would grant him a "Junior Beast Tamer" license. With this license, he could accept simple, low-level tasks from the Beast Tamer Guild—tasks like gathering herbs from the city's outskirts or assisting in patrols. These tasks, while not glorious, provided a stable income.
This was the path for every grassroots Beast Tamer. A slow, arduous climb.
But for Lin Ke, it was different. As long as he could earn that initial sum to repair his pet's genes, he was confident he could achieve a meteoric rise.
After breakfast, Lin Ke sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. He didn't play games or watch videos. Instead, he opened the official database of the Beast Tamer Guild, a massive repository of public knowledge.
His fingers flew across the keyboard, searching for information on "Earth Gene Essence" and other related materials. He was like a scholar, meticulously gathering every piece of data, cross-referencing information, and formulating the most cost-effective plan.
He needed to be prepared. The Gene Editor provided the blueprint, but he was the one who had to execute the project. His knowledge from his past life as a biology student was now his second, invaluable asset.
"Ji...?" The Rock Vole, having finished its meal, hopped onto the desk and tilted its head, curiously watching the complex diagrams and data streams on the screen.
Lin Ke smiled and stroked its rocky back. "I'm looking up the recipe to make you stronger," he said softly.
He switched the screen to a video file. It was a recording from one of the city's battle arenas. The video showed a fight between two low-ranked Beast Tamers. One of them commanded a "Boulder Vole," the conventional evolution of a Rock Vole.
The Boulder Vole was clumsy and slow. It could withstand a few hits, but its attacks were weak and easily dodged. It was quickly defeated by its more agile opponent.
This was the future that everyone saw for his Rock Vole. A future of mediocrity.
Lin Ke closed the video, his expression calm. He didn't need to see any more.
He turned to his own pet. The little creature seemed to sense its master's gaze and the content of the video. A wave of dejection washed over it, its small body slumping slightly. Through the Gene Editor's interface, Lin Ke could clearly perceive its inner thoughts: a mix of sadness, frustration, and a desperate desire not to be so weak.
"Don't worry," Lin Ke said, his voice firm and reassuring. He opened his palm. "Their path is not our path."
He focused his mind, activating the Gene Editor. In his vision, a magnificent, complex DNA helix shimmered around the Rock Vole. He navigated the interface, past the grayed-out schematic of the clumsy Boulder Vole, and focused on another, far more complex and brilliant path, a path that pulsed with dark, powerful energy.
[Hidden Evolution Path: Obsidian Ruin Overlord]
This was his secret. This was their future.
"Our journey is just beginning," Lin Ke whispered, his eyes burning with an intense light. "And it will be a legend."