Beast Taming: My System is Bugged-Chapter 45 - 44: Misplaced Duel Challenge

Gu Ming returned to school after finishing his midday training.

The classrooms for Class One and Class Two were right next to each other. As he walked past Class Two, he happened to run into the boy he’d seen earlier that day.

Cyan Treasure reacted immediately. Its eyes widened in anger as it stared at the boy, its forked tongue flicking in and out. The scales on its body began to emit a faint cyan glow.

The boy jumped back, startled, thinking the Little Cyan Snake was about to attack him.

The Pet Beast he had just contracted leaped out to protect its master.

It was a Red Fang Dog pup, only about two months old. It bristled at the Little Cyan Snake’s challenge, its fluffy tail puffing up. Its two sharp fangs turned from white to red, and heat began to rise from its body. This was a Fire Attribute Pet Beast with Four-star Potential.

Gu Ming held Cyan Treasure’s head down, and Wang Zidong did the same, restraining the Red Fang Dog at his side.

Students with conflicts could initiate a Pet Beast duel at the training hall.

Short of a life-or-death feud, there was nothing a duel couldn’t resolve.

Fighting was forbidden in the academic building. Anyone caught by the student council or a teacher would receive an immediate demerit, staining their permanent record.

The two of them stopped before things could escalate. They hadn’t come to blows, but a silent clash had already taken place.

Wang Zidong, who was normally arrogant, was surprised to see Gu Ming’s Cyan Treasure suppress its battle lust instead of lunging at him. ’He’d underestimated its self-control.’

’Normally, these basic Snake Pets are low in intelligence and driven purely by instinct. I can’t believe Gu Ming trained it so well.’

That was the extent of it, though.

Wang Zidong didn’t regret disparaging the Little Cyan Snake’s potential back at the store. He was merely stating a fact.

"You really didn’t contract a second Pet Beast?"

Wang Zidong couldn’t believe that the former top student of their year would settle for mediocrity.

He tilted his head back slightly, attempting to look down on his rival and intimidate him. However, he seemed to forget that he was ten centimeters shorter than Gu Ming; the upward tilt only served to diminish his presence.

"No. Right now, I only have the Little Cyan Snake," Gu Ming said, shaking his head.

Wang Zidong’s eyes gleamed. "Meaning you have a second Pet Beast you’re preparing to contract?"

"If I’m lucky, I’ll contract a Grouper Fish next," Gu Ming said honestly.

As the two spoke, nearby students slowed their pace, straining to overhear the conversation.

Gu Ming was something of a celebrity at school. He’d once had a dazzlingly bright future, with countless people betting on his success.

But contracting the Little Cyan Snake had sent his public image plummeting.

Like Wang Zidong, many people suspected Gu Ming had an ace up his sleeve.

’And this was it?’

A Grouper Fish was just a One-star Fish Pet—the lowest of the low, even worse than a Little Cyan Snake.

They were easier to raise than a Little Cyan Snake, which was another way of saying they were even cheaper.

But few students in the honors class at Qing Lake High School would ever willingly contract a low-tier Basic Pet Beast.

Wang Zidong was amused. He couldn’t believe Gu Ming had given up so completely. ’It seems I misjudged him after all.’

’And to think I considered him a rival. Now he’s no better than a stray dog on the street.’

"I’m out."

Wang Zidong had no desire to speak with Gu Ming any further. This month, he would pump his Red Fang Dog full of supplements and train it relentlessly to fight for a spot in the year’s top ten.

As for Gu Ming, the gap between them would only widen, and he would fall further and further behind.

Even if the Little Cyan Snake managed to break through to the One-star Realm this month, it would only delay Gu Ming’s inevitable decline.

The real competition was for the results a few months from now—that was the true Fish Leaping the Dragon Gate moment.

The surrounding students, having lost interest, began to disperse.

They lost interest in Gu Ming.

Cyan Treasure flicked its tongue, feeling the stares of those nearby. It was annoyed, but it remembered Teacher Zhang’s words.

’Channel that grief and anger into motivation.’

’I have to cultivate hard! I can’t let my master be humiliated!’

Meanwhile, the system’s text display updated with a new plot point.

"At fifty years of age, you encounter a twelfth-generation descendant of the Wang Family."

"Wang Shidong never imagined that someone from his father’s generation would be back at Qing Lake High School, repeating a grade."

"Looking at you, he recalls how his father, Wang Zidong, was mercilessly crushed by the Iron Gall Lone Dragon, and his eyes turn red."

"’Gu Ming! Thirty years the river flows east, thirty years it flows west!’"

"’I will fulfill the dream my father never could!’"

"’Just you wait! In the March monthly exam, my Demon Flame Fang Dog will knock all of your Cyan Treasure’s teeth out!’"

"Wang Shidong issues a challenge for a wager on the monthly exam. If you defeat him in the exam’s duel, he will pay you Spirit Stones. The reverse is also true."

However, Gu Ming’s expression turned strange as he read the system’s plot summary.

’This is ridiculous,’ Gu Ming thought. ’The system is mistaking this guy for his own future descendant again.’

In reality, Wang Zidong was completely disappointed in him and had already written him off as a rival.

According to the system, however, Gu Ming was destined to dominate Wang Zidong all the way to the college entrance exams, leaving the other boy with deep-seated psychological trauma.

The trauma was so profound that even his son knew about it, carrying the grudge thirty-two years into the future.

Gu Ming hadn’t wanted to escalate the situation; he’d been content to let it go.

There was no serious animosity between him and Wang Zidong, just petty squabbles.

At best, it was a rivalry between peers. At worst, it was utterly insignificant.

The guy didn’t even care about him, so why should he go out of his way to propose a bet?

However, the words "Spirit Stones" were just too tempting. And since he was going to aim for first place in the year anyway, he gave in to his impulse. "Hey, wait!"

Wang Zidong frowned. He stopped and turned back, the Red Fang Dog still in his arms. "What now?"

"Let’s make a bet for the March monthly exam. If my Cyan Treasure beats your Red Fang Dog, you have to apologize to me. Do you dare take that bet?"

"Huh? Are you kidding me? This is a Red Fang Dog, a Pet Beast with Four-star Potential! What are you going to fight me with? That snake?"

Wang Zidong laughed. He couldn’t believe Gu Ming was this delusional, thinking he could rely on a Little Cyan Snake to compete for a top-ten spot.

"I don’t care about anything else, but I won’t let you look down on Cyan Treasure’s background."

"If I win, you apologize to Cyan Treasure and pay for emotional damages. If I lose, I’ll pay you double. Do you dare take the bet?" Gu Ming challenged.

’He was really putting it all on the line for those Spirit Stones.’

Spirit Stones couldn’t be bought on the open market; they were an item from the future.

Besides, competing with the Wang Family was technically within the rules.

The monthly exams included a Pet Beast dueling component. Since they were in different classes, there would be segments for both Pet Beast duels and cultivation contests, testing both a pet’s combat and development.

With the Wang Family’s influence, they could easily get a teacher to change the matchups and place the two of them in the same bracket, guaranteeing the duel would happen.

Even if Gu Ming didn’t believe in Cyan Treasure’s innate potential, he believed in the Cultivation Techniques and resources from the future. With all that, Cyan Treasure could at least reach the One-star Realm by March.

’A One-star versus a Zero-star. The advantage is mine.’

"Fine, fine, fine! You’re on! I can’t wait to see how I’m going to beat your precious Cyan Treasure senseless."

Wang Zidong was thoroughly amused. He couldn’t believe Gu Ming had the audacity to issue a challenge. There was no way he’d back down.

"You have accepted the challenge. A duel is set for the March monthly exam."

The system’s text flashed and disappeared. Gu Ming instantly felt a sense of relief.

Gu Ming calmed Cyan Treasure down and went back to his classroom.

Inside Class One, word of the conversation between Gu Ming and Wang Zidong was already starting to spread.

Within a single class period, news of Gu Ming’s choice for a second Pet Beast and the bet he’d made for the monthly exam had spread throughout Class One and Class Two.

Wang Teng fed his Dumb Flower a Spiritual Energy Pill to help it continue its Cultivation, then looked over at Gu Ming.

"You have a problem with the Wang Family?"