Chapter 298: Beast Taming Player

Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Beast Taming Player

Simon Holt awoke.

He rubbed his head, which still felt a bit fuzzy.

When he looked up, he met Seraphina Sullivan’s calm gaze.

Recalling the bizarre experience of being jabbed with a needle by a chicken the night before, he couldn’t help but shoot her a resentful glance.

Seraphina Sullivan completely ignored his silent accusation.

She got straight to the point. "Since you’re awake and have recovered, it’s time to get to work. Use your Talent to find the next location that might have supplies or is worth exploring."

’I want to see if I can still get a system reward, or some other benefit, by eliminating another radiation source.’

Simon Holt opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed the question he had about the Anesthetic.

He stretched and was surprised to find that the terrible, festering wounds on his body had mostly healed, leaving only faint scars and new pink flesh. He also felt better than ever before.

This was, of course, the result of Seraphina Sullivan treating him with a powerful salve from her [Medical Treasure Box].

Simon Holt didn’t dare to delay. He immediately focused, preparing to activate his Map Talent.

However, just as he closed his eyes to concentrate, he suddenly felt a scorching, greedy gaze lock onto him!

He snapped his eyes open and saw, to his horror, a terrifying, massive Cannibal Flower covered in Sharp Teeth. A clear, unknown liquid dripped constantly from the large mouth at its center.

It was tilting its "head," staring intently at him with eyes that weren’t there.

It was so close he could almost smell the unique, pungent scent of a plant!

"AHH—! Wh-what is this monster?!"

Simon Holt, scared out of his wits, scrambled backward, his voice cracking in terror.

Watching Flora’s deliberate, frightening prank, Seraphina Sullivan sighed in exasperation. "...Don’t be afraid. This is my pet. Her name is Flora. Don’t worry, she won’t actually eat you."

Simon Holt’s eyes widened in utter shock. "!!!"

He stared at the Cannibal Flower’s Sharp Teeth, which opened and closed as if chewing the air, and at the "saliva" that was dripping into a steady stream. Inside, he was screaming:

’Is this for real? I don’t believe it!’

’The way it’s looking at me, you’d think I was a walking steak!’

’It’s literally drooling over me!’

’Help me!’

Seraphina Sullivan: ...

Flora: ...

Simon Holt forced himself to calm down.

He took a few deep breaths, bringing his racing heart under control.

He quickly rationalized the situation.

’This must be one of Seraphina Sullivan’s Player Abilities.’

’After all, Player Talents were incredibly diverse. He’d heard of Players who could control mutated creatures or summon pets.’

’Considering those two abnormally ferocious, fat chickens she had, adding a Cannibal Flower to the mix... maybe it wasn’t so hard to accept?’

Simon Holt successfully convinced himself that Seraphina Sullivan was a powerful Player who specialized in Beast Taming.

Meanwhile, Flora paid no mind to Simon Holt’s inner turmoil. She was excitedly conveying her thoughts to Seraphina Sullivan:

"Master, this world really is different! The air is filled with a faint yet ubiquitous Energy, especially the sunlight..."

As she spoke, she carefully extended a vine out of the cave where they were hiding, exposing it to the sunlight.

"The sunlight is destructive and has a strong burning sensation, but after being exposed to it, I can feel my body absorbing a strange kind of Energy... As long as I Control the duration and don’t get burned, I feel like I can get even stronger!"

Hearing Flora’s firsthand account, Seraphina Sullivan finally understood.

For her pets, which had either been mutated or were already unusual, the various types of radiation in this Aberrant Radiation instance were indeed a double-edged sword.

It was harmful, but it was also a special kind of Energy that promoted their Evolution and growth. Overall, the pros outweighed the cons.

"Well, since it’s good for you all, you should ’enjoy’ this special environment,"

Seraphina Sullivan encouraged, patting Flora. "As for the aberrant monsters outside, if you can handle them, you can eat your fill!"

"Really, Master?! That’s wonderful!" At these words, Flora’s massive flower-head shot up, her personified eyes glowing with intense excitement.

The clear fluid from her mouth dripped faster, landing on the ground with a faint SIZZLE.

Watching from the side, Simon Holt felt the goosebumps he’d just managed to suppress prickle his skin again. He subconsciously shuffled a little further back.

He didn’t dare watch any longer. Hurriedly, he focused on activating his Talent and quickly made a discovery.

"Boss Sullivan, to the south, about five kilometers from here, I’m sensing a fairly strong Energy signature. It seems... like a small settlement, but something’s a little different about it. There are a lot of monster signals entrenched in the area, too."

Simon Holt used his Ability to mark the exact location on the holographic map.

"Good. We have our target. Let’s move out!"

Wasting no more time, Seraphina Sullivan made her decision.

...

Meanwhile, in another part of the instance, the situation for Samson Sharp, Larry Olsen, and Charlotte Carter was nothing short of disastrous.

Terror still etched on his face, Samson Sharp fled for his life, cursing under his breath. "Dammit! Why are the Native People in this instance so twisted? It’s like they haven’t seen a woman in several lifetimes!"

Charlotte Carter, carried on Larry Olsen’s back, was deathly pale. She clung tightly to his neck, her body still trembling uncontrollably as she spoke, her voice choked with tears.

"Mr. Olson, I’m so scared... They already took Lily Holloway. Am I going to be next? I don’t want to be taken away by those freaks!"

Larry Olsen was panting himself, but he still forced a comforting tone. "Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. We have to trust Mr. Sharp. He’ll definitely get us out of this!" But even to his own ears, his words lacked conviction.

In his head, Samson Sharp was cursing Larry Olsen to high heaven.

’If this brat hadn’t gotten Simon Holt killed out of jealousy, the team wouldn’t be missing its crucial "living map" and early-warning system. They might have noticed something was off with those Native People sooner and avoided this whole disaster.’

Their original five-person team had first lost Simon Holt, who they believed was "dead." Then, they’d had the "good fortune" to encounter a group of Native People with unnaturally pale skin and completely bald heads.

They had thought they’d found a local faction to ask for help. They never expected that the moment the others saw the two women in their group, Lily Holloway and Charlotte Carter, their eyes would fix on them, their expressions filled with unconcealed greed and possessiveness.

Before they could even react, the group moved to snatch the women!

Lily Holloway was subdued and dragged away in an instant.

They tried to fight back, only to discover in despair that these Native People were individually powerful, and some could even Control the surrounding aberrant monsters!

They had to use all their strength just to barely escape with Charlotte Carter. As for Lily Holloway’s fate... they didn’t dare to imagine it.

However, the crisis they faced was far from over.