The moment it touched the tongue, Po's body shivered, light bursting around it, filling the entire room like a bulb. Lin Fang shielded his eyes instinctively.
When the glow faded, the little panda grew. No, it didn't just grow… it grew huge.
Po was no longer the chubby baby he had cuddled with. Now, it stood nearly his shoulder height, standing on two legs.
*Ding!
[Po has been leveled up to 10]
[Po reached Normal Tier]
[Po received a new skill set]
"Po?" Lin Fang blinked in surprise.
*Yawn*
However, the Panda wasn't very receptive to his call. It yawned while its eyes dropped to closure, while Lin Fang received another notification on the screen.
Ding!
[Side Quest 2: Raise a monster to Level 10 – Completed!]
[Reward: 100 Coins]
And just as the Panda was about to fall to the floor, light flared again.
When it dimmed this time, the panda had returned to its baby form, eyes closed, rolling in delight once again, letting out a cheerful "Squee!"
Lin Fang gawked at the scene. "What the!"
He quickly inspected Po's profile.
Po
Species: Luminous Panda King
Level: 10
Status: Suppressed to Level 1
New Skill Unlocked:
[Mimic Baby Form] – Conceals actual level and strength by reverting to baby appearance.
[Radiant Veil] – Automatically generates a defensive light shield.
Lin Fang broke into a laugh, his head thrown back. "Po, you trickster!"
He scooped the baby panda into his arms, pressing his cheek against its soft fur and rubbing it gently. "I love this ability. Absolutely love it."
Po let out a happy squeal in return, its small paws wrapping around Lin Fang's wrist as it nuzzled closer, eyes closed, smiling like a satisfied cat.
For a long moment, Lin Fang didn't say anything. He just held it, enjoying the cuddling.
But after a while, he eventually pulled open his coin balance with a half-smile. With 100 coins received from the side quest, he now had 500 coins, just enough for either buying 5 Panda King eggs or x11 Lottery Draw.
His instincts are screaming at him not to do it. It's a wise option to pick the Panda King eggs as they generate sure revenue. On the other hand, the x11 Draw might not give him a satisfactory result.
He wanted to go for the safe route that he had already decided to follow in this life, but the appearance of an instant dungeon made him realize that he had a second chance at living his life. He should prioritize his life over business opportunities. Having two monsters and developing them would ensure security.
After much deliberation, Lin Fang chose not to purchase the Panda egg. Instead, he clicked on the lottery wheel.
Staring at the wheel, he took a long, steady breath. "I have 78 thunder eagle shards. I might be able to get it in one try, but right now, I would be more calm to have no coins in my hands rather than having those 500 coins. Let's leave this to fate… if I get atleast 100 coins, I will buy that one panda egg and put it up for sale at a higher price. If I don't, then I'll take a break and then use my money from the bank and buy an egg later."
Click.
The wheel lit up and started spinning. It spun and spun.
And then…
Ding!
*Thunder Eagle Shard x2*
*Coin x12*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x1*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x3*
*Coin x5*
*Blank*
*Coins x7*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x16*
*Coin x44*
*Blank*
*Thunder Eagle Shard x4*
*Ding! You have obtained: 26x Thunder Eagle Shards, 68 Coins
Lin Fang's eyes widened in surprise. "Twenty-six shards?!"
Monster: Thunder Eagle (Wind + Lightning Affinity)
Rarity: Epic
Assimilation Requirement: 100 shards
Progress: 104/ 100
He clenched his fist, joy bubbling in his chest. "I hit the jackpot tonight… I did the right thing. Haha…"
"Assimilate"
*Ding!
[Thunder Eagle Shard ×100 Assimilated]
[Thunder Eagle egg (Summon Token) has been added to your Inventory]
[Side Quest 1: Obtain a Second Monster – Completed! 300 Coins have been added to the Balance.]
[Thunder Eagle is detected to be from Lottery. Rejected from the Summoner's shop.]
[New Product Added: Blood Coagulation Pill]
[4 Remaining Thunder Eagle Shards dismantled. 40 Coins have been added.]
[Lottery Wheel has been refreshed]
As the string of notifications filled the screen, Lin Fang's eyes widened, taken aback in surprise. "Rejected?"
Reading the notification again, Lin Fang murmured. "So, the monsters I gain in the lottery wheel cannot be added to the Summoner's shop, eh?"
Taking a deep breath, he came to terms with it quickly as he already had six different types of Panda anyway. Well, it would be nice to have a different monster, but it is fine. Or at least, that's what Lin Fang convinced himself of.
"Anyway, let's check with the new item."
"Summoner's Shop, Open."
He scrolled down through the Summoner's Shop, eyes narrowing as he scanned the listings again.
As he went past the two existing items, his eyes fell on the third one.
Item: Blood Coagulation Pill
Price: 3,000 Coins
He blinked, taken aback.
"Three thousand! Uhh… what's with this inflated price, all of a sudden?"
He clicked on it instinctively.
A window popped open, elegant and dark red, describing the product:
A rare pill-based elixir that converts the essence of one's blood into mana, temporarily unlocking the ability to form a spirit bond with a monster.
Duration: Lasts for 60 minutes
Side Effects: Dizziness, iron deficiency, nausea, and extreme fatigue for 12–18 hours.
Lin Fang's brows furrowed. "A pill that lets even a plainfolk become a monster tamer or a hunter…" He leaned forward. "No wonder it's expensive. It's perfect for someone like me. But the side effects are a bit much, and the price… even from the store earnings point of view, for one hour and such side effects for the rest of the day, who would be willing to spend 300,000 credits? But…"
He glanced toward the baby panda again. For a second, the joy from his earlier earnings seemed thinner and fragile now.
"Forget about selling it, I can't even have the guts to purchase one of them and list it in the market." He muttered. "For now, let's keep it aside, just like the Growth Pill."
"Lottery Wheel."
As Lin Fang proceeded to look at the changes the Lottery Wheel had undergone, he spotted a new image that now occupied the spots that once belonged to Thunder Eagle.
The image is that of a majestic white lion with angelic wings, its body sleek, and its eyes glowing.
He clicked on it.
Winged Lion
Grade: Epic
Attributes: Fire, Wind
Potential: Level 40.
"Okay, another dual-attribute creature with Lord Tier potential. But judging by its image, it is suited for aerial battles like the Thunder Eagle and ground battles like Po. Seems good but…"
Lin Fang's eyes flicked toward his coin balance again, 388 coins, which is just enough to give him 7 more tries.
"Nah, I had enough for the night. We can aim for this when I have more money," he whispered. But a second later, he lay on his back and groaned. "I need more and more money to get things I want in the Summoner's Shop, and earning more money makes my heart anxious. Ugh… it feels so pathetic. Anyway, let's be done with this thing."
He got up again and went back to the Summoner's Shop.
*Ding!
[Purchased: Blazing Panda Egg. 100 coins have been deducted.]
[Purchased: Electral Panda Egg. 100 Coins have been deducted.]
[Purchased: Terran Panda Egg. 100 coins have been deducted.]
He returned to his NovaMart dashboard and adjusted his listings. The remaining two are kept unavailable, while these three were listed as only 1 product available.
Blazing Panda Egg – Price: 40,000 Credits
Electral Panda Egg – Price: 40,000 Credits
Terran Panda Egg - Price: 40,000 Credits
"Let's see how far this market stretches."
Upon raising their prices further and closing down the laptop, as if remembering something he had forgotten earlier, he opened the inventory, where a Thunder Eagle summoning token was resting, waiting for him to hatch it.
He clicked on it.
[Hatching the Egg]
*Ding!
An instant light exploded from the inventory, filling the room for a second.
Even Po stirred and opened its eyes, blinking its large eyes as a quiet screech echoed in their ears.
His palm-sized, fledgling eagle emerged from the inventory. its feathers already shimmering with sparks of electricity, except that the electrical sparks aren't bluish white but golden in color.
Its wings were even bigger than Lin Fang's arm, quite larger than its body size, a bit unusual to look but the eagle fledgling managed to curl its wings in a perfectly normal way.
Meanwhile, a notification appeared.
[You have successfully hatched: Thunder Eagle]
[Please assign a Name.]
Lin Fang swiftly inspected its details.
Unnamed
Species: Thunder Eagle
Grade: Epic
Potential: Level 40 (Lord Tier)
Element: Lightning, Wind
[Please assign a name.]