Using magic beasts loyal to oneself in battle.
Was that really any different from what summoners did?
Ron rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Perica seemed to notice what Ron was thinking.
“A summoner can use their own mana to strengthen the beasts they summon.”
“A powerful summoner can double the strength of their beasts without much effort.”
“If an ordinary person just forms contracts with a bunch of beasts, they wouldn’t be able to compete with a summoner of equal level.”
Upon hearing this, Ron nodded thoughtfully, but didn’t give up on his idea.
After all, he still had that mysterious cheat ability — one whose authenticity was uncertain.
If his cheat ability was real…
Then the magic beasts he bought could evolve and level up, becoming a formidable fighting force.
And if the cheat turned out to be fake…
Then at the very least, the beasts could still serve as guard dogs to strengthen the defense of his estate.
Having made up his mind, Ron walked straight up to the first stall near the entrance and greeted the vendor.
“Hey boss, what kind of magic beasts do you have here?”
Seeing a customer approach, The vendor immediately stood up with enthusiasm and started introducing his stock:
“Hey, we’ve got a wide selection here!”
“Over here!”
“Weak ones like zero-rank Blueback Wind Wolves, and better ones like first-rank Greenback Wind Howl Wolves.”
“Look at the fur, look at the build!”
“We went through a lot of trouble to catch them without injuring them!”
“Now take a look over here!”
“Zero-rank magic beasts — White-Furred Fire Monkeys!”
“And this one’s a variant — Black-Furred Water Monkey!”
Unlike other vendors who judged customers by appearance, This stall owner was extremely enthusiastic in introducing his beasts.
Although the vendor was very friendly, And the beasts were indeed all fluffy, plump, and in decent condition,
Perica didn’t even feel the desire to look at them.
Ron was even more underwhelmed.
“Even the first- and second-rank ones feel weak.”
“These are mostly zero-rank…”
Ron looked conflicted.
The vendor seemed to sense Ron’s waning interest in buying.
So he hurriedly beckoned the two of them to follow him behind the stall!
As he led the way, he chuckled and said:
“You’re too kind, sir.”
“Let’s not even talk about how powerful second- and third-rank beasts are, or how hard they are to catch.”
“Just the cages strong enough to hold them — the cost is outrageous! One of these cages could buy a dozen zero-rank beasts!”
While defending his case, the vendor led them to a large cage.
The cage stood over four meters tall, covered by a red cloth.
From beneath the cloth came the sound of heavy, snorting breaths.
“Heh heh~”
“But you two came at the perfect time.”
“Our hunting team just captured a second-rank beast!”
“To capture it alive, we lost two apprentice magic swordsmen, one novice priest, and one novice mage.”
“God above… They were all in the prime of their youth, and now they’re gone, just like that. Sigh…”
At this point, the vendor wiped his eyes as if brushing away imaginary tears.
After this dramatic buildup, Ron and Perica were both extremely curious.
Just what kind of fearsome creature was inside this cage?
“Enough with the suspense.”
“Let us see what it is already.”
Ron urged impatiently.
The stall owner chuckled.
“Feast your eyes, you two!”
Rustle—!
With a dramatic flourish, the vendor yanked the red cloth away.
Inside the cage was a skeleton horse glowing with a faint blue light!
Well, calling it a “skeleton horse” wasn’t quite accurate.
It actually had flesh — but its skin was so translucent and gem-like blue that you could clearly see its bones and blood vessels through it!
Startled by the sudden removal of the cover, The blue horse trembled all over.
It tried to stand up but lacked the strength, and eventually remained lying down, its glowing blue eyes weakly staring at Ron.
“A second-rank magic beast — juvenile Bluecrystal Skeleton Horse!”
“Heh heh~”
“Now don’t let its rank fool you into thinking it’s nothing special.”
“Those in the know will understand.”
“This colt is only two years old.”
“When it matures at five, its power will be at least fourth-rank!”
“In fact, among its kind, reaching fifth-rank as an adult is usually no trouble at all!”
Hearing the vendor’s pitch, Ron’s eyes widened.
Fourth-rank?
By human adventurer standards:
Zero-rank magic beast ≈ Apprentice-level adventurer
Second-rank ≈ Trainee-level
Third-rank ≈ Entry-level
Fourth-rank ≈ Veteran
Fifth-rank ≈ Master-level
Perica herself was considered a master-level adventurer.
If what this vendor said was true, Wouldn’t that mean that once fully grown, this horse could rival Perica’s current strength?
Ron mulled it over and turned to Perica for help.
He had inherited the original Ron’s memories, But due to the original’s decision to drop out of school, he still didn’t fully grasp the world’s intricacies.
“It’s true.”
“That’s definitely a Bluecrystal Skeleton Horse.”
Perica replied calmly as she approached the cage and carefully inspected the beast’s teeth.
After examining the wear on its teeth, She confirmed everything the vendor had said.
“It’s indeed around one year old.”
With her confirmation, Ron was immediately tempted.
He really wanted to buy the beast,But on the surface, he put on a conflicted expression.
“Tsk, this magic beast is great and all…”
“But, uh…”
“It doesn’t look very spirited.”
“What if I buy it and it dies within a week?”
Hearing this, The vendor chuckled lightly.
“Relax.”
“This is a magic beast, not some kitten from a pet shop!”
The vendor saw right through Ron’s haggling tactic.
Seeing that this man wouldn’t be easy to lowball,
Ron gave in and asked directly:
“So how much are you selling it for?”
The vendor silently held up five fingers.
“Five hundred gold coins?”
Ron guessed conservatively.
To his surprise,The vendor actually nodded.
“Correct, five hundred gold coins.”
Ron was just starting to smile…
But the vendor continued:
“Plus five hundred bags of mana crystal stones with purity over thirty.”
Ron nearly choked on air.
Mana crystals were incredibly valuable.
Even as a ducal family, the Castrelleros only received around 3,000 bags of low-purity mana crystals per year from the royal treasury.
That was the entire family’s annual allowance.
And this guy just asked for five hundred bags like it was nothing!
Ron could spend gold recklessly, sure.
But mana crystals were a strategic resource —
Elenda would never let him squander them like that.
“Nope. Way too expensive.”
Face darkening, Ron turned on his heel and left!