Chapter 15: Seeking Defeat

However, this competition takes place after the entrance exams, and the registration period hasn’t even started yet, making it impossible to participate now.

Other training grounds and arenas also have their own restrictions.

While underground beast battles, which exist mainly for gambling and entertainment, don’t require Beast Masters to reach a certain level, these matches are another matter entirely.

These underground matches have low entry barriers—an E-level Beast Master can participate—but those who do are often unsavory characters.

Before participating, one must sign a waiver, agreeing that life and death during the battle are of no consequence.

In legitimate competitions, when one side's beast can no longer fight, a referee steps in to end the match, and a medical team is on standby to treat the beasts.

In contrast, underground beast battles continue until one Beast Master concedes.

Participants in these matches are ruthless and often gamblers. Some have beasts that are no longer of any use to them, so they don’t care if they live or die.

Others are there to make quick money, and some are simply seeking the thrill of violence.

In any case, it’s no place for someone like Qiao Sang, a middle school student.

Fire fang dog is still too young, and Qiao Sang isn’t about to expose it to such brutal fights just yet.

Originally, Qiao Sang planned to train Fire fang dog’s speed and stamina after the entrance exams.

Once its basic training was complete, they would work on controlling special moves.

Her golden finger could help Fire fang dog gain points quickly through battles, but if its physical condition couldn’t keep up, it wouldn’t be able to harness the power it should have for its level.

Now, with limited time, they couldn’t afford to take things slow.

Only through battles could Fire fang dog rapidly increase its combat power.

Qiao Sang was looking for friendly matches, not deadly duels.

In addition to formal beast tournaments and underground battles, there are also training halls, clubs, and meetups in various regions where beast battles can take place.

Training halls only recruit twice a year, specifically to help Beast Masters train designated moves for their beasts, but it’s not the recruitment period now, so she can’t enter.

Clubs are all about money, but Qiao Sang doesn’t have the funds.

Meetups are attended by those who have made a name for themselves in official matches and have been invited to participate—Qiao Sang doesn’t qualify.

Most people usually practice beast battles with friends, but Qiao Sang’s friends haven’t even awakened their brain regions, let alone engaged in beast battles.

After summarizing all this, Qiao Sang found that there was no place in Hangang City suitable for Fire fang dog to fight properly.

What was she supposed to do, randomly challenge someone on the street to a beast battle?

If she ran into a Beast Master of D-level or higher, she might not even know how she died.

Qiao Sang paced back and forth on the street, deep in thought.

Five minutes later, she hugged Fire fang dog and headed home.

Back home, Qiao Sang changed out of her school uniform into regular clothes.

She then went to her room, wrote a few words on a piece of paper, tore it off, and put a roll of tape in her pocket. After that, she grabbed her backpack and headed out.

---

Near Hanggang City’s Thirty-Seventh Beast High School, at Nanhe Park.

“Student, want some barbecue?” An auntie running a stall called out at the park entrance.

Qiao Sang checked the time: 4:27 PM, about an hour before the Thirty-Seventh Beast High School let out.

“I’ll take 10 lamb skewers.” Qiao Sang said as she approached the stall.

“Want them spicy?” The auntie smiled as she busied herself.

“No, thanks.” Qiao Sang replied with a shake of her head.

“Are you from that school? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” The auntie chatted as she worked.

“No, I’m just waiting for someone." Qiao Sang answered.

“I thought so. If I’d seen such a pretty girl before, I’d surely remember,” The auntie laughed.

Qiao Sang smiled politely.

She’d been complimented on her looks so often that she’d become numb to it.

Five minutes later, Qiao Sang took the lamb skewers and handed one to Fire fang dog, who was practically drooling.

“Yip!” Fire fang dog barked happily, grabbing the skewer with its paws and digging in.

“What’s your beast called? I haven’t seen one like it before.” The auntie asked, unable to resist the curiosity.

There’s a chasm between Beast Masters and ordinary people that separates them into two worlds.

After nine years of compulsory education, their paths diverge entirely.

Although Beast Masters hold a higher status in society, ordinary people are also divided into different classes.

There are the powerful, the powerless, the wealthy, the poor, those who run small businesses, and those who work for others...

These distinctions of power and wealth are mostly determined by birth.

For those not born into privilege, it’s difficult for ordinary people to access information about extraordinary creatures after nine years of compulsory education.

Even though such information is widely broadcasted, ordinary people lack the time and energy to delve into it. Just making ends meet is hard enough.

The auntie before Qiao Sang clearly belonged to the lowest tier of ordinary society.

“It’s called Fire fang dog." Qiao Sang answered.

“Yip.” Fire fang dog barked, perfectly timed with its introduction.

The auntie laughed.

“It’s so well-behaved. My son’s in middle school, and when he graduates, I’ll get him one of these too.”

Qiao Sang hesitated.

Well, she wasn’t entirely wrong—apart from being a bit mischievous, Fire fang dog was indeed pretty well-behaved...

“Yap.”

Fire fang dog looked up at Qiao Sang.

Qiao Sang handed over another skewer from her stash.

Fire fang dog happily accepted it.

In the end, Qiao Sang ate three skewers, and Fire fang dog got seven.

Qiao Sang then moved to a nearby bench.

From this spot, she had a clear view of the entrance to the Thirty-Seventh Beast High School.

The location was perfect; students leaving through Nanhe Park would see her easily.

Qiao Sang took out the piece of paper and taped it to her backpack.

"Beast Battle—Seeking a Defeat"

There was also a small line in the lower right corner:

"50 Alliance Coins per match."

This was the best plan Qiao Sang could come up with after much thought.

If you were looking for F-level Beast Masters, high schools with beast-training programs were the place to be.

It takes at least 1-2 years to train a mid-level beast, so most first- and second-year students still have entry-level beasts.

The 50 Alliance Coins were just for fun; Qiao Sang didn’t actually expect people to pay to battle her.

She just wanted to catch their attention. For newly minted high school Beast Masters, this would be entertainment, and surely some would be willing to take her on.

As for why she chose the Thirty-Seventh Beast High School, it was the closest school outside her residential area.

She changed out of her uniform and left her neighborhood to avoid running into anyone she knew.

After all, standing outside a random school with a sign that says

Seeking a Defeat

was pretty embarrassing...

Qiao Sang sat quietly on the bench with Fire fang dog in her arms.

Although the Thirty-Seventh Beast High School hadn’t let out yet, there were already other people in Nanhe Park.

As they passed Qiao Sang, they couldn’t help but glance her way.

The content on her backpack didn’t seem to match her image.

“Yap!”

Fire fang dog bared its teeth and barked at the onlookers.

Well, with Fire fang dog included, it kind of matched now...