Fortunately, Lu Ran had prepared for this situation. Captain Doofus pivoted, and as Lu Ran twisted around, he drew a poison-tipped crossbow.
In a flash, Lu Ran fired an arrow while Captain Doofus spun to unleash Wind Roar, expelling the last of its energy.
The gust of wind sped the poisoned arrow toward the Minotaur Boss. Oblivious to defense, the creature continued its relentless advance, dismissing the seemingly harmless arrow.
The arrow embedded itself through a chink in the Minotaur Boss’ magic energy armor and into its wound, yet the creature didn’t flinch. Seeing the arrow strike accurately but have little effect, Lu Ran and Captain Doofus continued to evade, unwilling to fight it head-on.
They relied on their speed, kiting like they were bullfighting.
Seeing its wounded enemies escape, the enraged Minotaur Boss swung its giant ax once more, unleashing another dark shockwave toward Lu Ran and Captain Doofus.
The black shockwave tore across the ground, leaving deep cracks that were seemingly scorched by black flames. As the wave rapidly closed in, Captain Doofus unfurled its Gale Wings, lifting them both into the sky.
Hovering over the crater below, Lu Ran aimed his crossbow again, this time targeting the Minotaur Boss’ eyes.
Good thing Captain Doofus mastered Gale Wings! he thought with a smile.
The next arrow pierced the Minotaur Boss’ eye, reaffirming Lu Ran’s precision as a hunter.
Even dogs can fly, Lu Ran thought as he watched the Minotaur Boss rage below, its magic energy armor reforming and dislodging the arrows.
Realizing that the Minotaur Boss was going berserk, Lu Ran held his fire. He patted Captain Doofus and commanded, “Run! Stall for time!”
Lu Ran wasn’t certain if Fang Lan’s poison would work. However, considering Captain Doofus’ tenfold storm slash with the Rare Frosty Sky Greatsword had merely injured the Minotaur Boss, he understood why few beastmasters could solo a Hell-difficulty secret realm. Even a four-person team would be hard-pressed to succeed.
From here, it was a test of endurance between the Minotaur Boss and Captain Doofus. However, they had the advantage of flight and a stock of restorative items.
As Captain Doofus flew, Lu Ran fed it iced honey tea to restore its strength. Below, the Minotaur Boss raged, its strikes creating shockwaves across the ground.
Each encounter brought Lu Ran and Captain Doofus to the edge of disaster, yet their rigorous training in the Blizzard Secret Realm allowed them to narrowly evade each hit. Otherwise, even with the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer’s healing, they would have been in dire trouble.
For around ten minutes, Lu Ran and Captain Doofus continued to evade the Minotaur Boss. Captain Doofus was exhausted, while the Minotaur Boss still seemed full of energy, making Lu Ran uneasy.
Just as he considered abandoning the challenge, a heavenly sound made him freeze.
[Congratulations on completing the secret realm mission!]
[You have received 800 crystal coins.]
[You have received an advanced resource: Shadow Ore.]
[You have received a special resource: Upgrade Card.]
[You have received a special resource: Trait Crystal (Weapon Control).]
The voice announcement left Lu Ran in shock. He patted Captain Doofus’ head and pulled at its fur, making Captain Doofus nervous.
Unable to understand Lu Ran’s excitement, Captain Doofus wondered, Wasn’t that just a failure? The Minotaur Boss made Captain Lu go crazy... I won’t forget this grudge!
Looking below, Captain Doofus finally seemed to understand. A wise expression dawned on its face.
The Minotaur Boss, which had been rampaging moments ago, was now frozen in place. As if all life had been drained from its body, its glowing red eyes dimmed.
Its final cry struck Lu Ran and Captain Doofus with an inexplicable sense of understanding.
“Moo... Treacherous intruder... poisoned arrow...”
Its gaze filled up with resentment as its massive body collapsed, shattering into fragments that drifted away in the wind.
Treacherous? It’s called tactics! Lu Ran thought, laughing. Ecstatic, he hugged Captain Doofus, who immediately braked, letting him savor the victory.
At that moment, Lu Ran wanted to pull Fang Lan over and hug her, thinking she was his personal goddess of fortune. He doubted he and Captain Doofus could have outlasted the Minotaur Boss without her poison. After all, Captain Doofus was a whole species grade below the creature, and while Captain Doofus wielded a Rare weapon, so did the Minotaur Boss.
Lu Ran was already thrilled enough to clear the secret realm, but to his amazement, he also achieved an S Rank score despite the Trait Crystal (Weapon Control) drop rate being only around 5%.
Was this the spirit of luck?
Back in the Mantis Jungle Secret Realm, even after obtaining an SSS Rank score, Lu Ran hadn’t encountered such a drop in a week of attempts. This led him to believe that he was unlucky. Now, he thought his luck had finally turned.
Or maybe the previous losses were paving the way for today’s success?
Lu Ran couldn’t contain his joy. “To think I actually got an S. Unbelievable. Captain Doofus, you’re ready to begin your first evolution stage! Are you excited?”
Captain Doofus initially looked surprised. However, it soon realized, This was luck? Lu Ran really pulled it off!
That day, Limitless City #5 was abuzz. In Beastmaster Square, the beastmasters stared in astonishment at the updated rankings.
[Regional Announcement: Heavenly Familiar Rankings, Transcendent Species Rankings Updated]
[Heavenly Familiar added]
[Species: Golden Lightning Eagle]
[Attribute: Lightning]
[Species Rank: Superior Transcendent]
[Reason for Inclusion: Evolved from Golden Hawk, awakened the power of lightning, fused the trait Golden Lightning, and heavily injured a level 10 Low-Champion Species, Dead Crocodile with an electric strike in the Hell-difficulty Beginner Secret Realm, Lake of Death]
[Ranking set at first place of the Transcendent Heavenly Familiar Rankings!]
“Who is this ‘Pluto’!?” someone exclaimed.
“I do! He’s the number two in Limitless City #3. Seems he couldn’t get first place there, so he came to our city for an easy ranking.”
“Why choose Limitless City #5 of all places?”
“It’s because we’re generally weaker...”
The beastmasters of Limitless City #5 were indignant, furious that Pluto had come to snipe their leaderboard. Among them, several local prodigies were particularly offended, feeling Pluto’s achievement was a personal affront.
“Don’t blame me,” Pluto muttered, mingling in the crowd.
He genuinely didn’t care about the ranking, nor did he need crystal coins. His visit to Limitless City #5 was purely for practical reasons—his older brother had requested it.
Their guild was planning to expand operations into the Qiong Province, and he was simply here to build some recognition. Though Pluto wasn’t particularly attached to the ranking, seeing himself back in the #1 spot still brought a smile to his face.
It was a reminder that his inability to reach the top in Limitless City #3 wasn’t due to his own weakness but rather because that bastard Pedestrian A was just too strong.
Besides Pedestrian A, no one is better than me!
Limitless City #5 was still buzzing with excitement—which Pluto used to regain his confidence—when they received another notification.
[Regional Announcement: Heavenly Familiar Rankings, Transcendent Species Rankings Updated.]
[Heavenly Familiar added.
[Species Rank: Intermediate Transcendent]
[Beastmaster: Pedestrian A]
[Reason for Inclusion: Evolved from the husky species, awakening the power of the storm with exceptional comprehension. Severely injured the Intermediate Champion Species level 10 Minotaur Boss in the Hell-difficulty Beginner Secret Realm: Abandoned Laboratory.]
[Ranking set at first place of the Transcendent Heavenly Familiar Rankings!]
At that moment, just like before, the excitement that had filled Limitless City #5 suddenly fell silent. Pluto, who had been brimming with pride, froze as if time itself had stopped.