Chapter 9: Click Click Clack

After returning to her room from the training field, Mu Huiyue recalled her little skeleton into her Beast Space, and her consciousness followed suit.

A towering tree stood in the center, surrounded by a desolate wasteland. The only structure in the Beast Space was this World Tree. Its leaves had the ability to rapidly heal her contracted beasts. The number of leaves seemed to be tied to Mu Huiyue’s own life force. After her recent foray into the secret realm, the tree had almost gone bald, but over the past few days, it had regrown significantly.

Two leaves fluttered down and turned into dark orbs of light, enveloping the little skeleton. It had sustained some damage during their recent battle, but as soon as it entered the Beast Space, the leaves’ healing properties were automatically triggered.

Meanwhile, Mu Huiyue opened up her game panel for Elf Rancher’s Story.

The first battle mission was completed, and she was rewarded with four drops of “Spirit Spring Water.” Combined with what she had saved earlier, she now had enough for a ten-draw.

Finally, the moment she’d been waiting for—the thrilling card draw!

Mu Huiyue opened the draw interface for the Spirit Spring Shrine, taking several deep breaths but still hesitating.

…After all, she was the type of gamer who could blow half a month’s salary on a “casual” game—and always had terrible luck.

Sure, there was a guaranteed pull after ten tries, but what if she ended up with something completely useless?

After much internal debate, just as she was about to muster the courage, the little skeleton finished its healing and plopped down beside her. Without thinking, she scooped it up.

“Why don’t you do the honors, Ellen?” Mu Huiyue smiled, holding the skeleton close and turning its gaze to the floating game interface.

“Click click?” (What am I supposed to do?)

“Just tap here.” She pointed to the ten-pull option on the screen.

“Click?” Ellen tilted its head, confused. Why was its Beastmaster so nervous about such a simple action?

“There are… other reasons… just help me out, okay?” Mu Huiyue nudged it forward.

With a tiny bony finger, Ellen tapped the button.

Ten drops of Spirit Spring Water shot out from the interface, plunging into the spring below. The calm surface of the shrine’s spring rippled, and then—boom!—a radiant explosion of color.

A rainbow glow!

Mu Huiyue’s eyes widened as she held her breath. It wasn’t the golden light of a guaranteed SR, but a brilliant rainbow, signifying at least one SSR in her draw!

Excited, she hugged Ellen tightly. “You’re amazing, Ellen!!”

“C-crack… clack…” (My ribs… they’re cracking…)

Quickly releasing her little companion, she gave its head an affectionate pat and eagerly examined the results.

Four low-tier physique fruits, all N-rank.

Mu Huiyue had fed Ellen two of these before, but there hadn’t been much change. It made sense—if a couple of fruits could make a significant difference, they wouldn’t be such common N-rank items.

She decided to feed more later to see if they made any impact.

Next up were three new fruits of different attributes, still N-rank.

【Attribute Fruit: Dark】

【Slightly increases the energy of dark-type contracted beasts.】

Aside from the dark fruit, there were two fire attribute fruits. Mu Huiyue gave all the new fruits to Ellen. The little skeleton showed particular interest in the dark fruit, happily munching it down.

Although there was no immediate noticeable effect, just like the physique fruits, Ellen described it as incredibly delicious. While skeletons didn’t need food beyond emotional satisfaction, this time Ellen seemed to want more.

Next came an R-rank skill book, and Mu Huiyue eagerly opened the details.

[C-rank Skill Book: Will-o’-the-Wisp]
Attribute: Fire
Description: A ghostly blue flame conjured by undead creatures. Once learned, it can be summoned as an attack.
Status: Available for instruction

Mu Huiyue’s eyes lit up. Ellen was lacking attack skills, and while Will-o’-the-Wisp was fire-based, it was perfectly suited for undead-type beasts. This was just what Ellen needed!

Then, she opened a golden SR-rank chest.

[Dark Crystal Grass Seeds]
Attribute: Dark
Description: Once fully grown, it yields dark attribute crystals of varying quantity and quality.
Status: Unplantable

Crystals of different attributes were typically rare materials found in secret realms, useful for enhancing pets, helping them learn skills, or even serving as evolution materials. Dark attribute crystals were definitely something Mu Huiyue would need in the future, though this “unplantable” seed probably meant it could only be used once she unlocked a ranch or farmland facility in her Beast Space.

Finally, the crown jewel of her ten-pull: the SSR prize. Mu Huiyue opened the dazzling rainbow crystal box to see what awaited her.

[Holy Spirit Crystal]
Attribute: None
Description: A crystal infused with the essence of the Holy Spirit. Can be used to unlock or upgrade facilities in the ranch.
Status: Usable

It was an item to unlock a new facility! Mu Huiyue held the crystal, feeling a mix of emotions.

Back in the mobile game version of Elf Rancher’s Story, SSR draws were mostly character cards of various elves, along with plenty of strengthening items. It seemed like the character cards had been removed from the pool here, leaving only the upgrade items. Mu Huiyue wasn’t sure if she’d be able to draw SSR-level pet eggs in the future, but she was hopeful that at least S-rank skill books would still be obtainable.

As for this Holy Spirit Crystal, in the mobile game, most ranch facilities beyond the basics required real money to unlock. Now, it seemed like SSR items served that same purpose. But in her current Beast Space, the only facility was the World Tree, making her feel like a clueless newbie set up by the system.

“Click click?” (What was in the last box? What was it?)

Ellen, too short to see the interface, was hopping up and down trying to get a look.

Mu Huiyue picked it up and showed the results. “Ellen, you really did great! Almost everything we got this time will be useful.”

“Click!” The little skeleton proudly patted its hollow chest.

Mu Huiyue fed Ellen the physique fruits and taught it the Will-o’-the-Wisp skill. The dark crystal grass seeds would stay in storage for now, waiting until she could plant them. They joined a pile of other items, including a mysterious blue petal Ellen had brought back from the secret realm, which she still hadn’t figured out how to use.

As for the Holy Spirit Crystal…

Mu Huiyue clicked the “Use” button. Immediately, the game interface displayed the available areas for upgrades.

The World Tree icon was glowing, signaling it could be upgraded using the crystal. The rest of the facility icons were locked and grayed out, though about half of them were marked as unlockable.

There were facilities for training skills like the Training Ground, growing resources in the Farm, providing living spaces for pets with the Resting Cabin, storing items in the Warehouse, and crafting materials in the Workshop.

Some facilities required two or more Holy Spirit Crystals to unlock, such as the Marketplace for trading goods, and the Mine for gathering resources.

Mu Huiyue weighed her options carefully, ultimately deciding to unlock the Training Ground.

The other facilities would yield returns over time and with investment, but she didn’t need high-tier resources just yet. After all, even if she managed to pull an S-rank skill book, Ellen, as a low-tier elite species, wouldn’t be able to learn it for now. It was already impressive that it could learn two C-rank skills, making it a standout among its kind.

Besides, as the daughter of a legendary Beastmaster, Mu Huiyue had access to resources far beyond what ordinary people could dream of. Her father, Mu Tong, demanded much from his daughters but never deprived them of material support.

Right now, her priority was to strengthen Ellen in preparation for the upcoming school entrance exams and the professional Beastmaster certification test.

She tapped the Training Ground icon, and the Holy Spirit Crystal merged into it. A beam of bright light descended into the Beast Space, and when it faded, a brand-new facility stood proudly next to the World Tree.

The newly constructed training ground was as large as an official battle arena, with a semi-transparent energy barrier surrounding it. It even looked more majestic than the dojo at Mu Huiyue’s home, more like one of the grand arenas seen in famous competitions.

Ellen was awe-struck by the vast space. It clattered over to the edge of the arena, already imagining itself fighting there, its excitement palpable.

“Click click!” (Huiyue’s Beast Space is so amazing!)

“Let’s give it a try,” Mu Huiyue said, stepping into the training ground behind Ellen. “Ellen, use Will-o’-the-Wisp!”

“Click!”

The little skeleton stretched out its arms, and nine ghostly blue flames appeared behind it, merging into one before hurling forward.

The flames left scorch marks on the field, their power evident.

Mu Huiyue stroked her chin, tapping twice on the control panel. Three targets popped up at different positions in the arena.

“Ellen, let’s try again. Aim for the targets this time.”

“Click clack—!”

Ellen leaped forward, unleashing Will-o’-the-Wisp three more times. Two hits were spot-on, while the third was slightly off.

“Click…” Ellen paused, a bit disappointed.

“It’s okay, you’ve only just learned the skill. Your accuracy is already impressive,” Mu Huiyue reassured, kneeling down to pat its skull. “With some practice, you’ll be hitting bullseyes in no time!”

“Click!” The little skeleton, Ellen, perked up with renewed energy.

Mu Huiyue set up more moving targets, allowing Ellen to practice Will-o’-the-Wisp on its own while she opened the game interface.

The training ground didn’t just provide a space for practice. It also offered real-time feedback on the contract beast’s performance directly to the Beastmaster’s senses. For example, Mu Huiyue could vividly perceive the power behind Ellen’s Will-o’-the-Wisp, its casting efficiency, and even Ellen’s state while using the skill—almost as if she were casting it herself.

This feature didn’t just train the pet; it deepened the Beastmaster’s understanding of their companion, greatly enhancing their synergy. In competitive battles, where the Beastmaster issues commands and the pet follows them, this bond is critical. The stronger their connection, the better they perform—a key aspect of any professional Beastmaster’s experience.

It reminded Mu Huiyue of an old Pokémon cartoon she had seen, where a certain move, “Dodge,” was constantly mocked. No matter how intense the battle, whenever the trainer called out “Dodge,” their partner seemed to have a miraculous chance of avoiding even the most devastating attacks.

In real-world terms, however, dodging was a true test of a Beastmaster’s skill—understanding the opponent’s power, knowing your own pet’s abilities, and predicting when to give the command for the best chance of success. With the training ground, Mu Huiyue was confident that she and Ellen could soon reach a level of synergy where they could perfectly execute such precise maneuvers.

The second thing that thrilled her was that Ellen wouldn’t experience any exhaustion in the training ground.

In reality, every skill used, every battle fought, drained a pet’s stamina and mental energy. Fighting could even lead to injuries, which slowed down the training process. Replenishing these resources required significant investment.

But with the training ground, all of that was solved. As long as Ellen stayed within the Beast Space, it could train endlessly without the usual fatigue or resource drain. It gained experience without any cost, making the whole process far more efficient.