The King of Beast Trainers

140  Chapter 98 The Annoying Breakthrough Secret Realm_2

[Secret Realm Matchmaking in progress…]

[Please wait…]

[Estimated waiting time: 3 minutes…]

Lu Ran had waited for approximately 2 minutes when he heard a voice once again.

[Match successful.]

[Type of Secret Realm: Multiplayer]

[Teleportation countdown 10…9…]

Ten seconds later, within Lu Ran's exclusive room, a flash of white light occurred, and his figure slowly disappeared.

Boom!

Darkness, coldness – Lu Ran's brain thundered, this teleportation was especially disorienting, but he still managed to open his eyes with difficulty. Before him stood an enormous tree of an unknown species, adorned with some mysterious red fruits.

He looked around; he seemed to be in a courtyard of ancient architectural style. The old-fashioned courtyard appeared quite luxurious, although the exact location was unknown. Nearby stood five individuals about his age, three men and two women.

By now, Lu Ran had opened his eyes, whereas these few people were still coming to their senses. Upon careful inspection, Lu Ran realized he recognized none of them; of course, this wasn't the key point. The crux of the matter was that they were all in the same location!

It was well-known that those matched in the Breakthrough Secret Realm would mostly be teleported to different locations, as they were competitors, after all.

What was going on this time?

Soon after, a young man dressed in a green explorer's outfit opened his eyes, only to see that Lu Ran was regarding him with a look of great interest.

"Where is this? What's happening?" he asked instinctively, clearly confused about their surroundings. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Lu Ran didn't speak and continued waiting for a prompt from Infinite City.

As the young man spoke, the other four gradually opened their eyes as well.

One of them was dressed in casual clothes and appeared to be a college student who was cautiously observing his surroundings after regaining consciousness, finding it quite bizarre that this group from Infinite City consisted of Beast Trainers.

A woman who looked to be in her late twenties was dressed like a successful professional; she wore a finely tailored black dress that made her seem like a sophisticated socialite.

While these two were difficult to pin down in terms of their occupation, the last two were easier to identify. One man was dressed in a white coat similar to a doctor's, which suggested he might be a veterinarian, but who would enter a secret realm in a white coat unless it was some sort of special extraordinary gear…

The last woman exuded a domineering presence, having entered wearing a suit of armor. The white armor only covered her chest, forearms, calves, and shoulders, leaving her thighs and smooth abdomen exposed, showcasing a very individualistic look, akin to a Valkyrie stepped out from an animation, her style could easily captivate any otaku.

Underneath her black short hair, her lively eyes were assessing the others; compared to the cautious looks of her peers, her gaze held more confidence, and only she and Lu Ran seemed to be relaxed.

Before the six had a chance to interact, a familiar voice resounded again.

[Teleportation complete.]

[Current location: Star-Moon Continent · Beast Training Empire · Tianlan Province · Ningchuan (Beginner Breakthrough Secret Realm)]

[Era Introduction: Not long after the Beast Training King of the first generation passed away, various races coveted the territory of the Beast Training Empire but refrained from any rash actions due to the deterrence of contingencies left by the First Emperor.

Without its top combat power, the Beast Training Empire, riddled with internal and external strife and bloody rise to power, seemed to have angered the spirits, leading to constant natural disasters. The Empire dared not wage large-scale wars anymore. Consequently, the Second Generation Emperor Yan Sizhen strongly promoted agricultural development to gradually stabilize the Empire's advancement.

In addition to agriculture, Emperor Yan Sizhen also vigorously developed the mining industry. Thanks to the prosperity of agriculture and mining, he created the 'Culinary Art System' and the 'Forging System', becoming the "Cuisine Ancestor" and "Founding Forger" of the Beast Training Empire.

Foods specially prepared through exquisite cuisine have the power to bring incredible strength enhancements to both Beast Trainers and Pet Beasts, while equipment made from specially forged minerals can arm them even more powerfully.

Under the rule of Emperor Yan Sizhen, the Beast Training Empire, plagued by natural and man-made disasters, did not decline but instead grew even stronger.

Now, it's the 265th year in the Beast Training calendar, and many years have passed since the death of Yan Sizhen. To commemorate his remarkable contributions, the Beast Training Empire has established the "Culinary Hunter Association". With the saying, "All are inferior, only the chef stands superior," many Beast Trainers have become adept in culinary arts, being capable of enhancing the nutritional value of their hunted ingredients through dream-like cooking skills.

The Empire controls the mining veins and the entire forging system, while the culinary arts thrive among the people, making the Gourmet Hunter the preferred profession for Beast Trainers.]

[Breakthrough Task: Pass the special assessment for chefs by the Culinary Hunter Association.]

[Hint ①: Chef and cuisine levels in the Beast Training Empire are divided into Ordinary, Advanced, Special, and World's Rare.

Ordinary Cuisine: Ingredients are processed to improve taste without the loss of nutritional value.

Advanced Cuisine: Ingredients undergo techniques which not only improve taste but also enhance nutritional value.

Special Cuisine: With ingredients processed and paired, one can significantly enhance both the taste and the nutritional value. To create special cuisines, either high-quality ingredients or superb culinary skills are a must.

World's Rare Cuisine: Currently, only a very few chefs can cook these dream-like dishes. World's Rare dishes possess the 'Spirit of Food' and can bring unimaginable benefits to those who consume them.]

[Hint ②: This Secret Realm is a projection of history; beings within cannot be brought out or contracted.]

[Hint ③: The Secret Realm will close in 30 days. Based on the completion rate of the trialist's tasks, different levels of rewards can be granted upon return.]

[Hint ④: Trialists temporarily gain a legal local identity, fluency in the human language of the current world, and their clothing and pet beast races will not arouse suspicion.]

[Hint ⑤: Beginner's luck, trialists temporarily gain Data Eye, which can scout for resources and biological information within the Secret Realm.]

[Hint ⑥: …]

After a series of hints, Lu Ran and the others all showed bewildered expressions.

They hadn't misheard, had they??

The breakthrough task was actually to become a special-ranked chef???

What a joke.

Lu Ran and the sexy armored woman, who had been full of confidence due to their strength, suddenly looked stunned.

"Damn it! I've prepared for so long!" the armored woman said irritably, "How the hell did we end up in a breakthrough Secret Realm designed for lifestyle-oriented Beast Trainers!!"

"Shit." The man in the white lab coat was also surprised, "Does that mean we don't have to compete with each other in this Breakthrough Secret Realm, and as long as we complete the task, everyone can pass? That's not right either, what if there's a limited number of spots for special-ranked chefs..."

"Miss, are you the number one on the Divine Pet List from Infinite City number five..." The mature woman with a socialite's air spoke softly to the armored woman, feeling that she looked familiar. Could she be Sister White Tiger from Infinite City number five?

"This is insane, I thought it would be some tough task like hunting a BOSS, but it turns out I'm here to cook. I can only stir-fry shredded potatoes and egg fried rice." The young man in adventurer's gear was also lost for words, "Ah, wrong, I can barbecue too? But it often turns out burnt, probably doesn't even count as ordinary cuisine..."

As they all spoke in baffled confusion, Lu Ran was also at a loss for words. Great, was he following the same old path as Master Lin?

He remembered that Master Lin was originally a combat-oriented Beast Trainer, but somehow ended up in a Secret Realm designed to forge equipment, and here he was... in a Secret Realm meant for becoming a chef.

This is absurd, he had also been hoping to exceed the breakthrough task and get some extra rewards... Now what?

As the reigning Green Sea King, the top of the Divine Pet List, and a genius officially endorsed by the First Generation big shots, he wasn't about to fail in a beginner's Breakthrough Secret Realm, was he...?