Chapter Two

After forming the contract, Cheng Yuan set the little tiger on the ground, letting it entertain itself. In just two days, the new school term would begin, and this was the pivotal senior year. In this world, universities held great prestige—each possessing their own unique dungeons or domains, differing only in number and strength. The accumulation of resources and experience at university would also have a profound impact on future careers.

Switching on his computer, Cheng Yuan paused for a moment at the desktop. This world had the same "Origin" as well—so he launched it. Meanwhile, the little tiger had returned to drink its milk; halfway through, it had been summoned for the contract, so now it resumed drinking on its own. Cheng Yuan’s father, Cheng Fu, was explaining the current situation to his own monster—a great white tiger. The big tiger nodded, and when it saw the little white tiger bounding toward it, it promptly grabbed the cub by the scruff of its neck. The little tiger’s limbs instantly relaxed.

Soon, the little tiger was happily smacking its lips over the milk. At that moment, the big tiger let out a low growl. The cub looked up, its eyes still a little dazed, then gave a small roar in response. After a brief exchange of sounds, the big tiger gathered gold elemental power, and a massive golden pillar, three meters long and a meter in diameter, appeared out of thin air. The little tiger began to sharpen its claws on the pillar, and soon, its claws started to glow with a golden light.

The big tiger nodded in satisfaction and then closed its eyes for a nap. "For my little master’s sake, so he won’t be bullied, I’m giving this my all," it seemed to think. At first, the cub was impatient with the claw-sharpening, especially since the big tiger’s tail swayed enticingly not far away. Compared to the unmoving golden pillar, the swishing tail was far more tempting. Nevertheless, sharpening claws and infusing them with gold elemental magic became a repeated process—the cub’s eyes fixed on the tail, its claws working at the pillar.

Suddenly, the tip of its claw pierced the pillar a little deeper than before. The little tiger lifted its paw, surprised—everything seemed fine, but something about the sensation felt off. Its attention shifted back to its own claws, and it started to focus more intently on the sharpening.

An hour later, the little tiger gazed at the golden pillar now etched with several claw marks. "I might actually have some talent for this," it thought, "but I’m exhausted." After an hour, its paw pads were sore. With a yawn, it rubbed against the pillar, then tried biting it. No matter how it tried, it couldn’t leave a mark—until it infused its bite with gold elemental magic. The pillar suddenly felt a bit softer.

Half an hour passed, and the big tiger woke from its nap. Glancing over at its cub, it suddenly roared in anger, "Are you trying to break your own teeth?" With a swipe of its huge paw, it knocked the little tiger, who was chewing on the golden pillar, aside. The cub crashed into the wall, looking utterly confused, and then burst into loud, genuine tears. Pearly tears streamed down, its wailing drawing the family’s attention.

Cheng Yuan, who had been exploring the great virtual world, set down his mouse, "What’s wrong, little one?" Cheng Fu, who was cooking in the next room, heard the crying. He put down his knife, washed his hands, and picked up the sobbing cub, cradling it and rocking it gently. "Why are you crying?" Cheng Yuan wiped away the little tiger’s tears. The moment it saw Cheng Yuan, it kicked off and pounced into his arms, both big paws clinging to the back of Cheng Yuan’s shirt.

Meanwhile, Cheng Fu and the big tiger were having a conversation. A few minutes later, Cheng Fu’s expression became somewhat exasperated: "Nana, is it possible that your kind’s teeth can grow back if they break—and besides, these are just baby teeth?" The big tiger quickly realized it had overreacted. In Cheng Yuan’s mind, the little tiger sobbed, "It hurts… my body hurts… Mama doesn’t want me anymore…"

Cheng Yuan gently patted the cub’s back. Soon, the big tiger let out a low growl, and the little tiger whimpered in response, quickly calming down. Through the cub’s thoughts, Cheng Yuan pieced together what had happened—the big tiger was admitting its mistake. Setting the little one on the ground, the big tiger immediately approached and began licking the cub.

Seeing everything had returned to normal, Cheng Yuan and his father let the tigers be. None of them paid any attention to the golden pillar, now covered in claw marks and bite impressions.

Before they knew it, two days had passed in a flash. Cheng Yuan placed the little tiger in the front basket of his bicycle. "Time for school." Just then, a playful girl’s voice called from behind, "Cheng Yuan, how about giving me a ride?"

He turned to see a lively girl with twin ponytails, her school uniform cleverly concealing her figure. Her eyes were as bright and clear as the moon, and her energetic aura made her seem the very picture of youthful vitality. She was hugging a large red alligator snapping turtle, and smiling at him.

Cheng Yuan waved her off. "Don’t you have your own bike?"
"It’s broken! Give me a lift, or I’ll be late."
He rolled his eyes. "No."
She suggested, "How about a monster battle? If I win, you give me a ride. If you win, I’ll give you one."
Cheng Yuan hopped on his bike. "No!" And with that, he sped away. The girl blinked, her turtle letting out a grumble. "Strange, he’s not falling for it today?"

After walking a few steps, she pulled a pink bicycle from the side.

Ten minutes later, Cheng Yuan entered classroom 303, found the seat labeled with his name, and glanced at the seat beside his—labeled Wang Ningning. "As expected, it’s her again. Twelve years, and nothing’s changed."

Soon, the girl carrying the alligator turtle entered, sat right next to Cheng Yuan without even checking the name.
"Aren’t you worried about sitting in the wrong seat?"
"It hasn’t changed in eleven years—this year won’t be any different."
Cheng Yuan remarked, "If you weren’t my boyfriend, I’d almost think we were fated in a previous life—twelve years as desk mates."
Wang Ningning paused, then looked at Cheng Yuan with surprise. He’d never talked like this before. She placed her turtle under the seat, sat down, and propped her face up with both hands. "Twelve years as desk mates—a boy and a girl, no less. Should I break up with Xu Hao and date you instead?"

Cheng Yuan held the little tiger’s paw. "What are you thinking? This will probably be the last year. By the way, have you decided which university to apply for?"
"Mount Rong University in Kunzhou. Lots of fire-type dungeons there. You?"
"I haven’t decided yet—depends on my scores. The written test isn’t a problem, but for monster battles and dungeon exploration, it’ll depend on this little one."

Wang Ningning said, "By the way, I heard that in the senior year there’s a monster battle exam."
Cheng Yuan glanced at his little tiger, who was pawing the air but couldn’t reach anything. "It’s not looking good."
She nodded. "I agree. I thought you’d pick a water type. Didn’t expect you to stick with it—are you prepared to never beat me?"
"Winning and losing isn’t everything."
"Oh, my Cheng Yuan is all grown up now."

Cheng Yuan looked up, gently caressing the little tiger’s forehead. "Soon, you’ll have to fight. Don’t lose too badly."