18: Chapter 18 Chen Hao and the others' shock: This is a mosquito?!

"Th-that... what is that thing?!" Chen Hao's voice was slightly distorted. He pointed at Chu Sheng, his eyes wide like copper bells.

The few classmates beside him also had looks of utter disbelief on their faces, rubbing their eyes vigorously.

"Holy crap! Isn't that Gu Yuexi's contracted beast? That mosquito?"

"How... how did it get so big?! And this appearance... pitch black all over, wings like razor blades—is this f*cking a mosquito?!"

"This is a monster! Wasn't it only as big as a fingernail yesterday?!"

Chu Sheng's current appearance was simply too shocking!

Ten centimeters in body length, shimmering with a metallic luster all over, filled with a sense of power and danger—it was completely a different species from the "oversized mosquito" in their memory!

Chen Hao suppressed the shock in his heart, walked forward two steps, stared fixedly at Chu Sheng, and asked Gu Yuexi: "Gu Yuexi, is... is this your contracted beast? How did it..."

He wanted to ask "how did it become like this," but felt the question was too stupid.

Chu Sheng, perched on Gu Yuexi's shoulder, took in their shock, feeling incredibly satisfied.

"Heh heh, small scene, keep your shirts on!"

"This is nothing! Just wait until I evolve a few more times and turn into a giant mosquito that blots out the sky; won't that scare your eyeballs right out of your sockets?"

He deliberately vibrated his blade-like wings, emitting a "buzzing" sound full of metallic texture, scaring those few classmates into taking several more steps back.

However, Gu Yuexi's reaction was as calm as ever.

She just glanced indifferently at the shocked Chen Hao, couldn't even be bothered to speak, and turned her head directly to continue waiting in line, as if they were just a bunch of country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

That "keep away" attitude made the smile on Chen Hao's face stiffen.

Being ignored in public, and for the second time!

The gazes of the surrounding classmates also became somewhat strange, the feeling as if they were saying: "See? You got snubbed again, didn't you?"

"Hmph!" Chen Hao snorted heavily, his internal anger flaring up instantly.

He forced himself to calm down, his brain racing as he tried to save face.

Shock was one thing, but he was, after all, a top student in Beast Master Class 8, and his foundational knowledge was solid.

Soon, Chen Hao said coldly: "Everyone, don't be scared by its appearance! This mosquito is most likely a 'variant' mentioned in books, it just happened to evolve, which is why it became like this!"

Once he said this, the surrounding classmates who were originally suspicious and uncertain immediately showed expressions of sudden realization.

"Oh—! So it's a variant!"

"I was wondering, how could a mosquito grow like this? So it mutated!"

"A variant... I've only seen it in books. It's said that its potential is hard to say; some are very strong, while others are not even as good as ordinary spirit beasts."

For a moment, the gazes everyone directed at Chu Sheng changed from the shock and fear just now to mere curiosity.

That sense of mystery and oppression instantly disappeared for the most part.

Chen Hao curled his lip and continued: "Variants sound impressive, but don't forget, its base form is just a mosquito! The foundation is too poor! I just carefully sensed it, and its internal blood-qi is at most forty or fifty points. It looks intimidating, but it's actually just an empty shell!"

He proudly patted the head of the Wind Blade Wolf beside him and boasted: "My Wind Blade Wolf is a legitimate intermediate bloodline; its blood-qi was close to eighty points at birth! Its potential is huge, and it's guaranteed to be a Grade 5 spirit beast in the future!"

"And this mosquito? Even if it's a variant, its evolutionary potential has limits. At most, it can evolve three times, and at best, it'll just be a peak Grade 1; it won't even be able to touch the threshold of Grade 2!"

"So, in this lifetime, Gu Yuexi will never be able to become a Grade 5 Beast Master, nor will she be able to contract a second spirit beast! The path of a Beast Master is completely over for her!"

Chen Hao's well-reasoned analysis made the surrounding classmates nod in conviction.

"Brother Hao makes sense!"

"Indeed, the base bloodline is too poor; even if it mutated, it's limited."

"Looking at it this way, this mosquito is just scary-looking, it's actually nothing special."

The looks everyone gave Gu Yuexi turned back into pity and sympathy.

Chen Hao regained his confidence, his face once again wearing that smile he considered "mature and steady," and he stepped forward again, speaking in the tone of someone with experience:

"Classmate Gu Yuexi, don't misunderstand, I don't mean anything else."

"I just wanted to remind you that the Black Forest is very dangerous. Although your contracted beast looks... um, very special, its strength is ultimately too weak."

"How about this, our team happens to be going to the Black Forest too, and we've accepted a D-rank mission to hunt Iron-Skin Pigs."

"If you don't mind, you can come with us; it'll be good to have some support on the way! Don't worry, we won't let you tag along for nothing; we'll share a bit of the mission reward with you when the time comes!"

He spoke with a sincere face, as if he were truly thinking of Gu Yuexi.

And this time, Gu Yuexi couldn't even be bothered to turn her head. The line had just reached her.

She walked directly to the counter, handed over her student ID, and said in a cold voice: "Register, accept a mission."

The staff member took the student ID, glanced at it, looked up at her, and finally, his gaze landed on the ferocious-looking "monster" on her shoulder, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

But he still maintained his professional demeanor and quickly operated the system.

"Gu Yuexi, Jiangcheng Spirit Martial High School, third-year Beast Master student, Grade 1 initial-stage martial artist, entry-level Beast Master."

"Contracted beast... hm?" The staff member looked at the data displayed on the computer and paused for a moment, "Aedes albopictus mosquito?"

He subconsciously glanced at Chu Sheng again, then looked at the data on the computer, his expression becoming incredibly colorful. This... is this f*cking an Aedes albopictus mosquito?! You call this thing a mosquito?!

"The data is incorrect, does it need to be updated?" the staff member asked tentatively.

"No need." Gu Yuexi spat out two words indifferently.

She couldn't be bothered to explain; explaining was too much trouble.

"...Alright." The staff member's mouth twitched, and in the end, he didn't ask any more questions, "What mission would you like to accept?"

"D-rank mission, hunt three Grade 1 initial-stage Iron-Skin Pigs."

"Alright, the mission has been accepted, this is your mission voucher."

Gu Yuexi took the voucher, didn't even glance at Chen Hao behind her, and turned to walk towards the gate of the Spirit Martial Hall. From beginning to end, it was clean and efficient, without a single word of unnecessary nonsense.

That cool back view, in Chen Hao's eyes, left a bad taste in his mouth. The smile on his face couldn't quite hold, finally turning into a trace of helplessness and annoyance.

"Brother Hao, this... isn't she too arrogant?" a classmate beside him whispered.

"Exactly, you even said that, and she still goes alone, isn't she afraid of dying in there?"

"Yeah, a Grade 1 initial-stage martial artist, bringing a contracted beast that isn't even a spirit beast, to hunt three Grade 1 initial-stage Iron-Skin Pigs? This... is she brain-damaged?"

Chen Hao took a deep breath, shook his head, and said with feigned generosity: "Forget it, to each their own. Since she has her own choice, we shouldn't force it! I hope she has good luck in the Black Forest!"

That's what he said, but he didn't think Gu Yuexi could actually complete that D-rank mission. Spirit beasts of the same rank are stronger than martial artists. How could she, a Grade 1 initial-stage martial artist with a mosquito, possibly complete it? When the time comes, it'll just be a matter of watching the joke!