"Today, everyone should be ready with a stretcher. Even if we have to carry him back, we will!"

Everyone wore a look of silent mourning.

If it were anyone else daring to provoke Black Whirlwind like this, they'd definitely be considered mentally unstable.

But for Chen Shu, acting a bit off was just normal.

"So, what's going on?"

Li Yuan sat down in his office chair and lit a cigarette.

"Mr. Li, I might be having some mental issues lately."

"You've used that excuse twenty-three times already, try another one."

Chen Shu: "I..."

Li Yuan took a light puff of his cigarette, squinting slightly as he looked at Chen Shu.

"Did you really not know how to solve the problem on the blackboard today?"

Although Li Yuan looked burly, he was very attentive and could see the confusion on Chen Shu's face at the time.

That problem was basic, something even elementary students could solve.

"Teacher, I really didn't know. I don't even know what a Spirit Master is now."

He had just taken a nap in class, and the world had completely changed.

The familiar subjects like math and language were gone, replaced by all sorts of bizarre Beast Master Knowledge, and he had awakened some inexplicable system.

"Well, today is Saturday, and tomorrow's the weekend. Go home and rest for a day."

Surprisingly, Li Yuan didn't make things difficult for Chen Shu.

Though he seemed hot-tempered, he was soft-hearted, and besides, he knew Chen Shu's father.

"Thank you, Mr. Li."

Chen Shu picked up the leave slip from the desk and turned to leave.

He really needed some time to adjust.

After just one nap, he felt like his entire worldview had... collapsed.

***

"Today is a good day; everything I wish for will come true."

Chen Shu whistled as he looked at the empty school.

It was class time, so naturally, there were no students around.

Although the world had changed, the familiar people hadn't.

Chen Shu naturally decided to make the best of it, especially since he had awakened a system, which was obviously a good thing.

"Hey, student! It's class time, why are you wandering around the school?" a teacher called out to the wandering Chen Shu.

"I'm sick."

"......"

Watching his spirited back, the teacher's tone was filled with pride and admiration.

Fang Ke muttered, "Seems like he's quite sick."

***

Chen Shu rode a shared bike and quickly returned home.

"Son, are you okay?"

Find the original at " pa𝑤read.com ".

As soon as he got home, Chen Shu's mother asked with concern.

It was obvious that homeroom teacher Li Yuan had called ahead.

"Mom, I'm fine, just a bit confused."

Chen Shu returned home and suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Mom, is it 2025 now?"

"What are you talking about? It's the year 980 of the Revival Calendar."

"Looks like I haven't fully recovered."

Chen Shu rubbed his temples and turned back to his room.

Although the world had changed, technology hadn't. To understand the world, the internet was the best choice.

Chen Shu skillfully turned on his computer and made himself a steaming cup of coffee.

"I need to see what the world has become."

Chen Shu kept browsing the news online.

He thought he was prepared, but he was still a bit overwhelmed.

"Shocking! A celebrity Beast Master has been caught in a huge scandal, leading to a downfall."

"Beast Glory has started a new season, waiting for you to join the battle!"

"A new Dimensional Realm gate has appeared at Qingyuan Mountain in Beili City, with wind-attribute ferocious beasts inside. All Beast Masters are welcome!"

"Hot news! The CEO of Feixun Group has advanced to King-Level Beast Master, with a new SS-level Absolute Ice Emperor Penguin as the Contracted Spirit!"

Chen Shu moved the mouse with his right hand and rubbed his temples with his left.

Damn, my head hurts!

***

After several hours, Chen Shu's worldview kept collapsing and rebuilding.

Finally, he had a basic understanding of the world.

The world had changed drastically, with Dimensional Realm gates randomly appearing in cities.

In China alone, there were hundreds of these gates, filled with various ferocious beasts, posing extreme danger.

But humanity had a way to cope: Beast Masters.

Everyone could undergo an Awakening Ceremony at the age of fifteen.

If they could awaken a Beast Talent and form a contract with a creature from another world, they had the potential to become a Beast Master.

Powerful Beast Masters could command their Contracted Spirits in battle, guarding the Dimensional Realm gates and protecting humanity.

This naturally gave Spirit Masters a high social status.

"Son, come out for dinner."

Chen Shu, holding his coffee, wobbled out.

"What's wrong with this child?"

His mother touched his forehead, asking with concern.

Just then, his father, Chen Ping, came home from work.

"Son, I heard you're sick? I bought you a big gift pack, just in time for the pharmacy sale."

With that, he tossed a big bag of miscellaneous medicines onto the sofa.

"Dad, can you be more reliable? It's not like buying snacks."

Chen Shu twitched his mouth. There were all kinds of medicines in that pile, but none could cure his problem.

"By the way, Mom and Dad, are you Beast Masters?"

He suddenly thought of something.

After hours online, the term Beast Master left the deepest impression on him.

"Of course, your dad works at a Beast Unit."

His father, Chen Ping, looked proud, taking out a red gift box.

"Here, this is a reward from work, a Low-Grade Flame Elixir."

Chen Shu looked at the red liquid in the exquisite bottle, then at his own red coffee.

"Is this elixir valuable?" he asked, swallowing hard.

"Of course, the Flame Elixir can permanently enhance a Contracted Spirit's fire attribute. A bottle like this is worth thousands."

Chen Ping carefully stored the elixir.

"Of course, we can't use it, so we'll sell it to cover some household expenses. Son, what are you drinking that's so red?"

Chen Ping suddenly noticed the red coffee in Chen Shu's hand.

"Nothing, nothing."

Chen Shu downed the coffee in one go.

He didn't expect the system's reward of Low-Grade Flame Elixir to be so expensive.

He had only answered a multiple-choice question to earn a few thousand bucks.

Unfortunately, there was no hot water at home in the afternoon, so he used it to make coffee...

No wonder Chen Shu felt warm all over.

"Dad, is it okay for people to drink this?"

"Why would anyone drink that? That's just crazy."

"......"

Chen Shu was speechless, but since his body felt warm with no side effects, he didn't worry.

"Dad, since you're a Beast Master, you must have a Contracted Spirit, right?"

"Of course, that's my Contracted Spirit."

His father pointed to the fish tank in the living room.

Inside, a small red fish was swimming around.

Chen Shu: "......"

The fish they'd had for years was actually his father's Contracted Spirit?!

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan