Chapter 202 - 3: Taming the War Rhinoceros and a New Paper

Chapter 202: Chapter 3: Taming the War Rhinoceros and a New Paper

The No. 7 Taming Room, where Mo Ning currently worked, covered a full 15,000 square meters—or 1.5 hectares.

Even for behemoths like the Iron-Horned War Rhinoceroses, which grew to over six meters in length, such a vast space was more than enough for them to move about freely.

And this was merely the War Rhinos’ "dormitory."

Their true playground was the sprawling jungle outside the Taming Center, an area covering more than ten square kilometers.

The No. 35 Taming Center housed over 300 Taming Rooms like this one. Among them were twenty even larger rooms, each a staggering ten hectares, bringing the combined total to over 700 hectares.

Yet the physical footprint of the entire Taming Center was less than 100 hectares.

The answer was obvious—this magnificent structure, like the other buildings at the academy, utilized Space Magic.

The widespread use of Space Magic had long since accustomed Wizards to squandering space with reckless abandon.

「Just then.」

Mo Ning followed the sound with his gaze and was immediately greeted by a rather comical scene.

On the muddy floor of the Taming Room, a big fellow was "bullying" a newcomer.

The former was, of course, the War Rhino Barce, while the latter was Andy.

This patch of damp, half-muddy ground was the exact kind of resting spot the War Rhinos preferred.

If it was too dry, the dust would irritate their noses and eyes. If it was too wet, the sticky mud would cake onto their four hooves, making it difficult to walk.

Andy kept backing away, shouting in terror, "Stay back!"

Meanwhile, the War Rhino Barce snorted—CHUFF, CHUFF—as it steadily closed in on Andy.

Its pair of dark yellow, bell-sized pupils clearly glinted with mischievous intent.

Poor Andy, standing before the War Rhino, looked for all the world like a shivering little chick.

Dozens of meters away, by a Dragon Scale Tree, two Apprentices were chatting in low voices, not sparing Andy a single glance.

Two silver threads were embroidered on each of their gray robes, signifying their status as Second Level Apprentices.

The Dragon Scale Tree, as its name suggested, had bark composed of countless densely packed, black, scale-like plates.

It had an unusually "stout" appearance; its diameter was comparable to a person, but its height was less than five meters.

Its wood was so tough that a full-grown man swinging an axe with all his might could only leave the faintest of dents.

The War Rhinos loved rubbing against the Dragon Scale Trees, and only these trees could withstand the repeated "scratching" from such behemoths.

The two Apprentices noticed Mo Ning’s arrival and turned their heads in unison.

Mo Ning smiled and greeted them. "Mr. Vincent, Mr. Rock, good afternoon!"

He knew the two were the designated tamers for the two War Rhinos in this Taming Room. They had been at the Taming Center for over fifteen years and had served as tamers for at least ten, making them true "veterans" of the place.

Vincent and Rock nodded in greeting, their faces breaking into smiles.

Though they had only interacted for a month, they already knew Mo Ning was someone special.

He had not only accomplished feats in the wilderness survival assessment that would challenge a full-fledged Apprentice, but he had also invented a flying apparatus called the Triangular Wing. Incredibly, despite being a newcomer, he had even published several academic papers. In short, he was one heck of a rookie.

That was why the two Apprentices were so courteous to him.

Mo Ning then turned to the War Rhino he was in charge of, greeting it with a wide smile. "Good afternoon, Kent!"

He was currently an assistant to Vincent, a Second Level Apprentice, and Kent was the War Rhino under his care.

At that moment, Kent was lying in the mud, enthusiastically watching its companion tease the unlucky newcomer.

Hearing Mo Ning’s voice, the massive creature snorted and gave its tail a mighty swing, slapping it against the ground with a dull THUD.

And the other newcomer, Andy, saw it all.

Jealousy and resentment instantly flooded his chest, filling every last crevice of his heart until it was fit to burst.

It was one part jealousy, one part hate.

The roots of his bitter resentment were numerous:

’I enrolled a whole year before him, so why is Mo Ning so much better than me?’

’I’ve been working in this Taming Room for five months, and Mo Ning has only been here for one. Why are the two Apprentices so friendly to him, while they give me the cold shoulder?’

’I work harder and more conscientiously. I take better care of the War Rhinos. Mo Ning is so much lazier when he works, so why do the rhinos seem to like him more?’

This growing sense of injustice festered in Andy’s heart, day by day, until his jealousy had finally curdled into deep-seated resentment.

KER-CHOO—!

The War Rhino Barce suddenly let out an exceptionally loud sneeze, which sounded like a low clap of thunder.

A torrent of yellowish, pus-like mucus erupted from its two fist-sized nostrils.

Caught completely off guard, Andy was splattered all over his head and face. A large patch even stained the chest of his blue robe.

"AHHH—"

The man let out a bloodcurdling shriek, as if he’d been stabbed.

He felt like he was going insane. He wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run, to flee as far as he could and never, ever return.

’Damn you, Barce!’

’Damn this Taming Center!’

But a final shred of sanity kept his feet rooted to the spot.

According to the academy’s regulations, abandoning his post during work hours would seriously impact his performance review, and his pay for the month would be cut in half.

That meant half a month of hard work would be for nothing, a loss he simply couldn’t afford.

By the Dragon Scale Tree, Vincent and Rock heard the commotion the War Rhino had caused. They merely glanced at the miserable-looking Andy before turning back to their conversation.

Young War Rhinos were generally mischievous, and pranks on the assistants were a common occurrence. The two Apprentices had long grown accustomed to it.