Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 448 Spirit Fish Appear, Duck Shows Its Power!

Ripples suddenly appeared on the calm lake surface.

An unimaginable, terrifying force, like a charging bull, suddenly surged along the fishing line.

Xiao Zhao felt a sharp pain in the web of his hands, and the fishing rod, which was too thick and long for him, was lost and flew out of his hands.

He was propelled forward by the immense force, staggered, and was about to plunge headfirst into the bottomless lake.

"careful!"

The male beast tamer who had been standing guard nearby reacted extremely quickly. His expression changed drastically, and almost instinctively, he lunged forward, grabbing the end of the fishing line that was about to be dragged into the water at the last second.

Even so, he was pulled back by the terrifying force coming from underwater, nearly being pulled down.

The beast tamer was horrified. The muscles in his arms tensed instantly, veins bulged, and his feet were nailed to the muddy lake shore as he engaged in a thrilling tug-of-war with the underwater creature.

He quickly shouted to the terrified Xiao Zhao, "Quickly step back to a safe place, leave this to me!"

Little Zhao was still in shock when Teacher Li, who had rushed over, pulled her behind him.

His face was deathly pale, but he stared intently at the taut fishing line that was emitting a mournful buzz, and at the huge shadow beneath the lake that was churning wildly and creating murky waves.

The male beast tamer was completely focused, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He stared intently at the water, judging his opponent's movements based on his experience. Sometimes he would loosen the fishing line to deflect the impact, and sometimes he would suddenly exert force to try to wear down his opponent's stamina.

Excitement gleamed in the male beast tamer's eyes. He lowered his voice and said excitedly, "This commotion, this power, it's definitely a spirit fish, and most likely a level two one."

Although not as rare as the level three spirit fish, level two spirit fish still fetch a considerable price on the market, enough for an ordinary beast tamer to make a fortune.

He steadied his breathing and began to use his skills to deal with the rare spirit fish.

The commotion here had already alerted the entire spring outing group.

The children stopped playing, the teachers looked tense, and the other beast tamers quickly gathered around, spreading out in a fan shape to protect the children behind them, watching the lake surface warily.

"what happened?"

"Did Little Zhao catch a monster?"

When they learned from Xiao Zhao and Teacher Li that they had caught a super-sized spirit fish, their fear was quickly replaced by curiosity and excitement. Some of the bolder children even started waving their little fists to cheer on the male beast tamer.

"Go, Uncle! Pull it up!"

Hearing the children cheering him on, the male beast tamer took a deep breath and became even more focused.

However, the underwater spirit fish possessed extraordinary strength and struggled fiercely, nearly dragging him into the water several times.

After a brief standoff, the male beast tamer caught sight of pairs of expectant eyes out of the corner of his eye. He steeled his resolve and commanded the Firefly Hound: "Firefly Hound, Flame Surge!"

"Wang!"

Upon receiving the command, the Firefly Hound suddenly opened its mouth, and scorching sparks quickly gathered within.

Just as tensions were rising, a loud, urgent, and angry duck call suddenly rang out from the edge of the woods behind the crowd.

Everyone turned around in astonishment and saw a plump duck with glossy feathers, swaggering around, charging aggressively with its pigeon-toed gait.

Its round eyes burned with fierce anger as it stared intently at the lake, constantly croaking, "Gaga gaga gaga!"

Spirit fish!

My spirit fish!

Duckling's Spirit Fish!
"Huh? Where did this Runrun Duck come from?" A beast tamer chuckled upon seeing it. "It looks like it was attracted by the spirit fish. This guy has a pretty keen nose."

"This Runrun duck seems to be a size bigger than the regular Runrun duck."

Another sharp-eyed beast tamer said with slight surprise, "And the water-based energy fluctuations emanating from it seem to be a little bit strong."

However, despite the surprise, no one really got nervous.

Runrun Duck is known as a Zen-like creature in the pet world. It is gentle and its greatest hobbies are sunbathing and taking baths. It is almost non-aggressive, let alone has any desire to fight.

That's why, despite their endearing and cute appearance, very few beast tamers choose to form contracts with them – who would want to take an old man who does nothing but act cute and lie down on an adventure?
The stalemate by the lake was not broken by the arrival of Runrun Duck.

Just as the Beastmaster saw the Firefly Hound poised to attack and was about to give the order, another unexpected event occurred.

Wow! ! !
The waters where the spirit fish was struggling suddenly erupted into a huge spray.

The lake water seemed to be pressed down hard by an invisible hand, instantly creating a huge vortex, followed by a powerful suction force.

"not good!"

The male beast tamer exclaimed in surprise as he felt the power at the other end of the fishing line suddenly disappear.

It wasn't that the fish got off the hook; rather, something swallowed it along with the hook.

The next second, to everyone's astonishment, a slender figure covered in dark blue, slippery scales leaped out of the water like a ghost from the center of the whirlpool.

It is nearly four meters long, with a streamlined body full of explosive power, webbed toes, and a muscular tail like a ship's rudder.

What is most striking is its long, narrow head and the two rows of sharp teeth in its mouth that gleam with a cold light.

The Rapids Otter is a water-type pet that is born with an elite quality.

The rapid otter leaped out of the water, opened its huge mouth, and chewed up the level-two spirit fish that had been giving the male beast tamer a hard time, along with the fishing hook and line, and swallowed it whole in a few bites.

Under the sunlight, the scales reflected a cold luster, exuding a fierce aura.

"Damn it, my spirit fish!"

The beast tamer, who had worked hard all day, was furious when he saw his spoils stolen. "Firehound, Flame Surge, teach this robber a lesson!"

"Wang Wang Wang!"

The Firefly could no longer contain itself; the sparks gathered in its mouth instantly transformed into a blazing pillar of fire, blasting towards the Rapids Otter that had just fallen back to the water's surface.

However, the ripple otter merely glanced at it dismissively, and a seemingly thin water curtain shield instantly appeared around its body.

The scorching fire pillars crashed against the water curtain, emitting a hissing sound and billowing up large plumes of white mist, but ultimately failed to break through the defense, and the energy was completely neutralized.

"What?!" The male beast tamer's pupils shrank sharply.

The tidal otter seemed enraged by the provocation. It suddenly turned its head, flicked its long neck, and a condensed water arrow shot out like a bullet towards the velvet hound on the shore.

puff!

The Firefly had no time to dodge and was hit squarely in the abdomen by the water arrow. It let out a miserable cry, its whole body was soaked, and the flames instantly dimmed.

Although it wouldn't be directly defeated, it had already suffered heavy losses due to its attribute disadvantage and level difference.

"Tier 4! This is a Tier 4 Rapids Otter!"

Another experienced beast tamer cried out, his face instantly turning extremely grave, "Quickly, Teacher Li! Quickly lead all the children back and retreat to a safe distance! Hurry!"

They had sent their pets to investigate potential risks at the bottom of the lake, but they had not found this fourth-tier rapid otter.

Where did this guy come from?

The teachers, finally snapping out of their shock, hurriedly organized the children to retreat: "Quick, quick, get to the woods! Hurry!"

The children, who were initially curious, finally felt real fear, screaming and crying as their teacher pulled them away.

But there were also a few daring children. For example, when Little Zhao was being held in the teacher's arms, he twisted his head vigorously, staring wide-eyed at the lakeside, his face full of excitement.
"Teacher, I'm not afraid. I once chased away a bad beast with Brother Chen Yuan."

Without turning her head, Teacher Li slowly said, "I heard about this from your father. He said your bottom hurt for three whole days."

Little Zhao fell silent.

Amidst the chaos, Runrun Duck was not scared away. Instead, it became so angry that it quacked loudly and strode straight to the lakeside, glaring at the rapids otter.

Damn it!
Damn robbers!
That was the spirit fish that I, Duck Duck, first took a liking to; it's my afternoon tea treat!

This is intolerable!

At that moment, the duck's little chest heaved violently with anger.

The beast tamers who were about to attack the Stream Otter paused upon seeing this scene, exchanging strange glances.

"What is this duck doing? Is it trying to attack the surf otter?"

"Runrun Duck versus Rapid Otter? I've never seen anything like this before."

"Can it handle it? Does a pet like Runrun Duck really have combat power? And this is a fourth-tier Rapid Otter." Even in the Qinling Mountains, where there are countless powerful pets, this Rapid Otter can be considered a local overlord.

Its fourth-tier strength and ferocious nature are enough to make it dominate this area.

In the instant they hesitated, the rapids otter in the lake was clearly angered by the scurrying duck.

Although it sensed a strong fluctuation of water-based energy from Runrun Duck, it completely disregarded the plump duck in front of it.

He casually opened his mouth, and another jet of water shot out swiftly, as if casually swatting away an annoying fly.

However, instead of dodging the water arrow, Runrun Duck raised its head and looked angry: "Quack quack!"

You forced me to do this!
I didn't want to fight!

All I want is a spirit fish!

Runrun Duck opened its beak, and a water arrow, far surpassing the Rapids Otter's water arrow in terms of its condensation, speed, and energy, suddenly burst forth, arriving first and precisely colliding with the Rapids Otter's water arrow.

Bang!
With a soft thud, the rapid otter's water jets dissipated instantly like bubbles.

The duck's water jets continued their momentum, whistling sharply as they hurtled through the air, heading straight for the surf otter's face.

"hiss?!"

The ripple otter then realized something was wrong, a look of astonishment flashing in its eyes. Fortunately, thanks to the agility of a fourth-tier pet, it instinctively turned its head, and the water arrow grazed its cheek, drawing out thin streams of blood that stung painfully.

"Wow——!"

A gasp of disbelief erupted from the crowd watching from afar on the shore.

"Did I see that right? It was the same water jet, but Runrund won?"

"What's the background of this Runrun Duck?!"

The rapid otter was completely enraged.

It let out a sharp cry, its slender body suddenly swayed, and the lake water around it instantly surged as if boiling.

The next instant, the whitewater otter surged with fierce currents, carrying an aura of tearing everything apart, and charged toward the ducks on the shore.

Faced with this terrifying attack, Duck remained as steady as a mountain, and even took a step forward.

It was this seemingly simple step that allowed its body, which should have sunk into the water, to stand steadily on the surface of the lake.

It felt as if the ground beneath my feet was solid earth, not churning water.

The next moment, a glint flashed in Duck's eyes as it recalled Cola's many battle experiences from the farm:
"Awooo!" (In battle, the key is to press your advantage and strike relentlessly until your opponent is knocked unconscious!)

In the blink of an eye, with the duck as the center, the entire lake surface seemed to have been hit by a bomb.

A colossal wave surged up without warning, rising several meters high, like a tsunami, crashing down on the rapids with overwhelming force.

The surging otters were instantly swept away and swallowed up like children's toys in the face of this colossal wave, which was as powerful as heaven and earth.

Bang! ! !
A dull, loud thud suddenly rang out. The rip otter was as if it had been hit by a high-speed train. Its slender body twisted and rolled in the water, and it was so dizzy from the impact that it almost passed out.

The duck, not one to back down, took a deep breath and unleashed a powerful jet of water, several times thicker and as solid as a high-pressure water cannon.

puff--!
The water cannon accurately hit the wader still struggling in the water, sending it tumbling through the water for more than ten meters like a kite with a broken string before it finally came to a stop.

The giant wave subsided, and the spray fell.

The lake gradually returned to calm.

Everyone looked up and saw that the ferocious fourth-tier rapid otter from before was now floating motionless on the water, belly up, eyes rolled back, clearly unconscious.

It collapsed just like that?
A seemingly harmless, plump duck actually defeated a level 4 Rapid Otter in just two short exchanges.

The entire shoreline fell into a deathly silence, with only the sound of the wind blowing across the lake and the incredulous gasps of the crowd.

"Am I hallucinating? Is Runrun Duck really that fierce?"

"Is there really such an amazing Runrun duck in this world?"

"Not only are his skills extensive, but his proficiency is also very high. This guy has obviously fought a lot and is a warmonger among Runrun Ducks!"

"This is absolutely the king of all ducks! The king of ducks!"

However, Duck didn't care about everyone's shock at all.

With a stern face and still seething with anger, it quickly swam to the unconscious surf otter.

The next moment, Runrun Duck vigorously flapped its wings against the head of the Rapids Otter: "Quack! Quack quack!"

Soul pale!

Wake up!
Give me back my spirit fish!

Seeing no response, Duck became even angrier, especially when she thought of that plump spirit fish, her heart ached.

It opened its mouth directly at the tidal otter's face and launched several small water jets, weakened but highly insulting.

puff!puff!puff!
The stinging pain and suffocating sensation on its face finally brought the rapid otter back to consciousness.

As soon as it opened its eyes, it saw that terrifying Runrun Duck staring at it with angry eyes, which made it shudder and almost faint again.

"Gah?! Gah gah gah?"

Where is my fish?

Give it back to me!
The tidal otter was so frightened by the fierce-looking Runrun duck that it almost lost its soul. It let out a weak cry, hesitated, opened its mouth, and spat out a small piece of its bitten-off fish tail.

This was the final part of that level-two spirit fish.

"Huh?!?!"

Duck looked at the pitiful fish tail, its eyes blazing with fury.

Its mouth began to gather terrifying water energy once again, preparing to teach this despicable fish thief a lesson.

"Fizz!"

The rapid otter sensed a deadly danger at that moment and screamed in terror.

Don't kill me! Don't kill me!
I also have a spirit fish!
So many!

Duck paused, squinted, and scrutinized the rapids otter, seemingly trying to determine the truth of its words.

To save its life, the surf otter struggled to its feet and led the way ingratiatingly, gesturing for the duck to follow it to its nest at the bottom of the lake.

Duck thought for a moment, barely suppressing its anger, and nodded: "Quack quack~"

I'm kind-hearted by nature, so I'll give you one last chance.

And so, under the stunned gazes of the crowd on the shore, the fierce surf otter, leading the plump Runrun duck, dived into the deep lake and disappeared.

The lake returned to calm, as if the mind-blowing battle had never happened.

After a while, only when they were sure there was no further unusual activity did they dare to cautiously approach the lake again.

They first tended to the injured Firefly Hound, then began to discuss the battle that had just taken place.

"Where did this amazing Runrun duck come from?"

"Duck God!!!"

Time passed second by second, and just as everyone was wondering whether Runrun Duck had perished together with the Rapids Otter or had been tricked, ripples appeared on the lake again.

Amidst a multitude of complex gazes, Runrun Duck's plump figure leaped out of the water.

It held a shimmering silver fish firmly in its mouth, which was constantly thrashing about.

In addition, Runrun Duck's wings are like a briefcase, holding a slightly smaller but equally plump spirit fish on each side.

One can support three!

The duck landed steadily on the shore, head held high, striding with an arrogant and domineering air as it looked around, heading towards the camp on its own.

At that moment, the entire lakeside was completely silent.

(End of this chapter)