"Is this our child?" asked the Adamantine Duck from the left .

"Yes, it is . Look at how big its eyes are," the Adamantine Duck on the right replied, nodding .

Then their faces froze, as if they had just seen something horrifying .

Even with his human eyes, Gao Peng could see the fear on their faces .

"It has five toes! What a ghastly thing!" the Adamantine Duck on the left cried out .

The duck on the right widened its eyes and began shouting angrily .

The two then began quarrelling . The duck on the left wanted to dispose of their newborn, but the duck on the right stubbornly refused .

Half a month later, the duckling's siblings hatched from their eggs .

The siblings, too, gave the first duckling no relief from the stress .

It was, after all, a five-toed freak . It would usually be forced to eat the leftovers left by its brothers and sisters .

Sometimes, it wouldn't even get any food . It was normal for its parents to sometimes not be able to find enough food for everyone . The adult ducks needed to make sure they had enough sustenance in order to function as the backbone of the family .

As a result, the five-toed duckling sometimes had to starve for days inside its den .

Unlike the monsters at the top, low-level monsters like Adamantine Ducks had to worry about food all the time .

They could only grow up strong and healthy with proper nutrition .

One day, all eight Adamantine ducklings had to share a two-foot-long fish with each other .

This wasn't enough for all eight Adamantine ducklings, considering they were still growing .

The deformed duckling was pushed out, forced to watch its siblings eat . Maybe they would be kind enough to leave a few fish bones for it when they were done .

However, it had only had a bit of fish the day before . It was now extremely hungry .

Cautiously, it approached its siblings, hoping that they would let it have a bite .

"Don't come any closer!" said the duckling closest to it while kicking it away .

"Freak, back off . " Another duckling gave it a kick .

Suddenly, a purple light flashed across its body .

When the two adult Adamantine Ducks returned home, they saw duck feathers scattered across the ground and their children trembling in a corner . In the middle of the cave lay an Adamantine Duckling, seemingly pleased with itself after it had devoured the entire fish .

It was the five-toed freak .

The other ducklings began telling its parents about its cruelty and violence . Their parents' faces darkened .

The five-toed duckling was then chased out of its home . Its childhood ended at that point, before it could even begin .

Abominations like it were usually disposed of by by their parents right after they were born .

A minority of them were cast out and left to die . An even smaller number managed to survive in the harshness of the wild .

It might have seemed as if this strange duckling's childhood had ended right then and there .

In truth, its childhood hadn't ended . Thanks to its inherent ability, it would be able to overcome any danger it encountered .

Gao Peng reckoned that in order to deal with the Adamantine Duck, it would be best not to trigger its pa.s.sive ability multiple times . Otherwise, the duck would probably be out of his control .

This would explain why its quack had sounded off . It probably hadn't learned from its parents how to quack properly .

It was also why it had begun following Gao Peng after he had taught it how to quack like an actual duck .

Gao Peng didn't know whether to laugh or cry about this .

Being cast out by its own parents had also made it sensitive and somewhat unstable .

As the memory faded away, a blood contract slowly burned and dissolved in the duck's mental landscape .

No one had ever had the patience to listen to its story until now .

Gao Peng blinked and looked at the Adamantine Duck . He now felt a stronger connection with it .

"I'll call you Goldie, since your feathers are all yellow," said Gao Peng .

The duck didn't object to this . Rather, it seemed to be too lazy to give him a proper response . Signing a blood contract with Gao Peng mustn't have been such a big deal to it .

The Adamantine duck then waddled out of the tent .

Three days later, a slumbering consciousness abruptly woke up in Gao Peng's mind .

The earth beneath his feet suddenly shook, as if something was about to pop out of it .

Gao Peng stepped out of his tent and saw that the soil beneath him had bulged upward . Huge cracks had also appeared beneath him . The cracks began spreading out, then a black s.h.i.+eld-like fang burst out of the ground .

The other fang came out moments later . Both fangs were attached to an oval-shaped s.h.i.+eld . The two fangs were sharp on both ends and wide in the middle . They also seemed to be curving downwards .

A huge spider emerged, following its fangs out of the ground .

Its black and green exoskeleton glinted with a metallic light . It still looked almost the same as it had before, but its body had grown by a third .

Sharp, tiny barbs had also appeared on the joints of its legs .

Stripey excitedly snapped its pincers as it breathed in the fresh air .

[Monster Name]: Earth s.h.i.+eld Spider

[Monster Grade]: Epic

[Monster Level]: Level 25 (Commander-tier)

[Monster Attribute]: Earth

[Special Characteristics]: Earth Spirit (The Earth Spirit Core has replaced its heart, increasing its affinity with the earth element and making it lose its ability to merge with other elements . )

Pa.s.sive effect 1: Earth Mastery Level +1

Pa.s.sive Effect 2: It is under the earth's constant protection . As long as it is standing on solid ground, it will be able to absorb the earth's power and form an earth-elemental armor around its body . The armor's defensive power is determined by its Earth Mastery ability level .

[Monster Ability]: Earth Mastery Level 2

[Monster's current state]: Healthy (Happy)

Stripey had finally evolved and also gained a new ability . Gao Peng sighed in relief . The mission he had set out to complete in the mountains had been a success .

"Come on, let's go back . "

. . . . Is this our child? asked the Adamantine Duck from the left . Yes, it is . Look at how big its eyes are, the Adamantine Duck on the right replied, nodding . Then their faces froze, as if they had just seen something horrifying . Even with his human eyes, Gao Peng could see the fear on their faces . It has five toes! What a ghastly thing! the Adamantine Duck on the left cried out . The duck on the right widened its eyes and began shouting angrily . The two then began quarrelling . The duck on the left wanted to dispose of their newborn, but the duck on the right stubbornly refused . Half a month later, the ducklings siblings hatched from their eggs . The siblings, too, gave the first duckling no relief from the stress . It was, after all, a five-toed freak . It would usually be forced to eat the leftovers left by its brothers and sisters . Sometimes, it wouldnt even get any food . It was normal for its parents to sometimes not be able to find enough food for everyone . The adult ducks needed to make sure they had enough sustenance in order to function as the backbone of the family . As a result, the five-toed duckling sometimes had to starve for days inside its den . . . Unlike the monsters at the top, low-level monsters like Adamantine Ducks had to worry about food all the time . They could only grow up strong and healthy with proper nutrition . One day, all eight Adamantine ducklings had to share a two-foot-long fish with each other . This wasnt enough for all eight Adamantine ducklings, considering they were still growing . The deformed duckling was pushed out, forced to watch its siblings eat . Maybe they would be kind enough to leave a few fish bones for it when they were done . However, it had only had a bit of fish the day before . It was now extremely hungry . Cautiously, it approached its siblings, hoping that they would let it have a bite . Dont come any closer! said the duckling closest to it while kicking it away . Freak, back off . Another duckling gave it a kick . Suddenly, a purple light flashed across its body . When the two adult Adamantine Ducks returned home, they saw duck feathers scattered across the ground and their children trembling in a corner . In the middle of the cave lay an Adamantine Duckling, seemingly pleased with itself after it had devoured the entire fish . It was the five-toed freak . . . The other ducklings began telling its parents about its cruelty and violence . Their parents faces darkened . The five-toed duckling was then chased out of its home . Its childhood ended at that point, before it could even begin . Abominations like it were usually disposed of by by their parents right after they were born . A minority of them were cast out and left to die . An even smaller number managed to survive in the harshness of the wild . It might have seemed as if this strange ducklings childhood had ended right then and there . In truth, its childhood hadnt ended . Thanks to its inherent ability, it would be able to overcome any danger it encountered . Gao Peng reckoned that in order to deal with the Adamantine Duck, it would be best not to trigger its pa.s.sive ability multiple times . Otherwise, the duck would probably be out of his control . This would explain why its quack had sounded off . It probably hadnt learned from its parents how to quack properly . It was also why it had begun following Gao Peng after he had taught it how to quack like an actual duck . Gao Peng didnt know whether to laugh or cry about this . Being cast out by its own parents had also made it sensitive and somewhat unstable . As the memory faded away, a blood contract slowly burned and dissolved in the ducks mental landscape . No one had ever had the patience to listen to its story until now . Gao Peng blinked and looked at the Adamantine Duck . He now felt a stronger connection with it . Ill call you Goldie, since your feathers are all yellow, said Gao Peng . The duck didnt object to this . Rather, it seemed to be too lazy to give him a proper response . Signing a blood contract with Gao Peng mustnt have been such a big deal to it . The Adamantine duck then waddled out of the tent . Three days later, a slumbering consciousness abruptly woke up in Gao Pengs mind . The earth beneath his feet suddenly shook, as if something was about to pop out of it . Gao Peng stepped out of his tent and saw that the soil beneath him had bulged upward . Huge cracks had also appeared beneath him . The cracks began spreading out, then a black s.h.i.+eld-like fang burst out of the ground . The other fang came out moments later . Both fangs were attached to an oval-shaped s.h.i.+eld . The two fangs were sharp on both ends and wide in the middle . They also seemed to be curving downwards . A huge spider emerged, following its fangs out of the ground . Its black and green exoskeleton glinted with a metallic light . It still looked almost the same as it had before, but its body had grown by a third . Sharp, tiny barbs had also appeared on the joints of its legs . Stripey excitedly snapped its pincers as it breathed in the fresh air . [Monster Name]: Earth s.h.i.+eld Spider [Monster Grade]: Epic [Monster Level]: Level 25 (Commander-tier) [Monster Attribute]: Earth [Special Characteristics]: Earth Spirit (The Earth Spirit Core has replaced its heart, increasing its affinity with the earth element and making it lose its ability to merge with other elements . ) Pa.s.sive effect 1: Earth Mastery Level +1 Pa.s.sive Effect 2: It is under the earths constant protection . As long as it is standing on solid ground, it will be able to absorb the earths power and form an earth-elemental armor around its body . The armors defensive power is determined by its Earth Mastery ability level . [Monster Ability]: Earth Mastery Level 2 [Monsters current state]: Healthy (Happy) Stripey had finally evolved and also gained a new ability . Gao Peng sighed in relief . The mission he had set out to complete in the mountains had been a success . Come on, lets go back .