Magical Beast - Shadow Rat

“A Magical Beast called a Shadow Rat? Grandpa Doehring, what is so special about a Shadow Rat, and what rank of Magical Beast is it?” Linley communicated with Doehring Cowart through their minds, looking at him expectantly.

Doehring Cowart smiled faintly. He deliberately coughed twice before answering at an unhurried pace through their mental link. “A Shadow Rat cannot be assigned a definite rank, because it is a race. Rat-type Magical Beasts are mainly divided into two kinds: Stone-eater Rats and Shadow Rats. But whether Stone-eater Rat or Shadow Rat, they are omnivorous. They eat stone, bone, and even meat.”

Linley nodded to himself.

He had just watched that black Shadow Rat gnaw on stone.

“Magical Beasts are mainly divided into nine ranks. First-rank Magical Beasts are the weakest. Of course, above ninth-rank Magical Beasts, there are also Saint-level Magical Beasts.” Doehring Cowart smiled at Linley. “Among Stone-eater Rats, the weakest are gray Stone-eater Rats. First-rank through third-rank Stone-eater Rats are all gray, differing only slightly in shade. Once they reach fourth-rank, their bodies become silver. At seventh-rank, their outer fur becomes gold. A golden Stone-eater Rat is at least a seventh-rank Magical Beast, and may be an eighth-rank one.”

“Linley, Stone-eater Rats are a terrifying race. Their numbers are simply too great, and their teeth are exceptionally sharp—far sharper than a Shadow Rat’s. If countless Stone-eater Rats swarm in, even an army of hundreds of thousands probably could not hold them back.” Doehring Cowart sighed.

He recalled a disaster from long ago.

Stone-eater Rats were slower than Shadow Rats, but their entire bodies were like steel. The higher their rank, the tougher their bodies and sharper their teeth. They might be small, but when they gathered in numbers, they became terrifying beyond measure.

“The weapons of army warriors cannot kill Stone-eater Rats, while the rats can easily gnaw the warriors to death,” Doehring Cowart said with a sigh.

Linley could not help imagining dense swarms of Stone-eater Rats pouring down from the mountains like a flood, engulfing an army and gnawing countless warriors to death. The thought made him shudder.

It was too terrifying.

“Of the two great rat-type Magical Beasts, Stone-eater Rats excel in extremely high defense, extraordinarily sharp teeth, and vast numbers. Shadow Rats also have considerable numbers, but far fewer than Stone-eater Rats.” Doehring Cowart was like an encyclopedia; he seemed to know everything.

“What about Shadow Rats? How formidable are they?” Linley urged.

There was a black Shadow Rat nearby, so he naturally wanted to know how formidable it was.

“While the weakest Stone-eater Rats are first-rank, Shadow Rats are different. Even the weakest Shadow Rat is a third-rank Magical Beast, with black fur. Once its fur turns green, it has reached fifth-rank. Once its body turns violet, it is at least seventh-rank, and may be eighth-rank.” Doehring Cowart explained everything clearly.

Linley nodded to himself.

In terms of rank, Shadow Rats were no weaker than Stone-eater Rats.

“Grandpa Doehring, according to what you said, Shadow Rats from third-rank through fourth-rank should have black fur, and only turn green at fifth-rank. Then this little Shadow Rat must be a third-rank or fourth-rank Magical Beast?” Linley asked, looking at Doehring Cowart.

“This black Shadow Rat is unusual.”

Doehring Cowart frowned. “Stone-eater Rats are known for their sturdy defenses and sharp teeth. Shadow Rats are known for extreme speed and sharp teeth. Speed is an excellent measure of a Shadow Rat’s strength.”

“It is very fast. It crosses more than ten meters in the blink of an eye. But since it is a Shadow Rat, should that not be normal?” Linley still remembered it vividly.

Doehring Cowart nodded. “Shadow Rats should be fast. But it is abnormal for a Shadow Rat still in its infant stage to move as fast as an adult Shadow Rat.” A faint smile appeared on Doehring Cowart’s face.

“Unusual?” Linley looked at him.

Doehring Cowart continued, “Correct. It is an infant, yet it moves as quickly as an adult fourth-rank Shadow Rat. Once it fully matures, it may reach the level of a seventh-rank violet Shadow Rat. I suspect... it is the child of a violet Shadow Rat.”

“The child of a violet Shadow Rat?” Linley was puzzled. “But its fur is black.”

Doehring Cowart laughed. “Linley, whether they are violet Shadow Rats or green Shadow Rats, their young are all born black. As they grow stronger, their fur changes color. Fur color is a symbol of their strength.”

Understanding dawned on Linley. “So that is how it is.”

“Grandpa Doehring, by your account, Shadow Rats truly are amazingly fast. The one before us seems slightly faster than even Uncle Hillman, but you say it is merely as fast as an adult fourth-rank Shadow Rat. A fourth-rank Shadow Rat is faster than a sixth-rank warrior...” As he spoke, Linley could not help marveling again.

Doehring Cowart smiled. “If it were not, why would it be called a Shadow Rat?”

A Shadow Rat running at full speed could leave a human warrior of the same rank far behind in an instant.

“Shadow Rats are rare Magical Beasts. In particular, many magi want to tame a violet Shadow Rat, which is at least seventh-rank. But violet Shadow Rats are too fast. Adult violet Shadow Rats are precious, but difficult to tame. An infant Shadow Rat capable of becoming violet is easier to tame, yet encountering one alone is rarer still—perhaps once in a thousand years.” Doehring Cowart smiled at Linley.

Linley could imagine it.

A violet Shadow Rat was at least seventh-rank, meaning it was at least on the same level as a Raptor.

“Linley, violet Shadow Rats are kings among Shadow Rats and can command large numbers of them. Shadow Rats are not as numerous as Stone-eater Rats, but there are still plenty. Before a violet Shadow Rat’s child reaches adulthood, many Shadow Rats protect it.”

Doehring Cowart glanced at the black Shadow Rat in the distance, still gnawing on stone.

“It is so strong while young that it is most likely the child of a violet Shadow Rat. I truly do not know how it came to your clan’s estate, or why no other adult Shadow Rats are protecting it.” Doehring Cowart sighed.

Linley agreed with him.

“Linley.” Doehring Cowart’s gaze suddenly became strange as he spoke in a tempting tone. “Regardless of why this infant violet Shadow Rat is here, do you want to tame it? Shadow Rats grow rather quickly. Even an infant violet Shadow Rat should fully mature within ten years. At that time, you will have a seventh-rank or perhaps eighth-rank Magical Beast.”

Linley’s heart immediately began to pound.

Seventh-rank and eighth-rank Magical Beasts were extremely difficult to tame, but it was much easier to tame them while they were infants.

Even then, it depended on the type. Some Magical Beasts matured quickly, while others took far longer. Dragons, for instance, could require a thousand years to reach adulthood, and ordinary humans could not wait that long. Shadow Rats were among the quicker-growing kinds.

But it was truly too difficult to encounter the child of a violet Shadow Rat.

The more formidable a Magical Beast was, the more it valued protecting its young. Linley did not understand why this little Shadow Rat had appeared in an old house on his clan’s estate, but the fact remained: the child of a violet Shadow Rat was before him.

“Linley, possessing one violet Shadow Rat is the same as possessing an army of Shadow Rats.” Doehring Cowart smiled at him. “That is what makes violet Shadow Rats more precious than other seventh-rank or eighth-rank Magical Beasts.”

Doehring Cowart kept tempting Linley.

And how could eight-and-a-half-year-old Linley resist?

“Grandpa Doehring, how do I tame a violet Shadow Rat?” Linley looked at Doehring Cowart, slightly excited.

Doehring Cowart was inwardly delighted. “If little Linley can truly tame this Shadow Rat, I will be able to worry a little less in the future.” He knew that he was merely a spiritual body. Without Mana, even a Saint-level Grand Magus had no real offensive power.

He could not protect Linley.

After half a year together, Doehring Cowart had come to regard this simple, determined child as his own grandson. Naturally, he wanted to find every way to increase Linley’s strength.

“Linley, stay calm,” Doehring Cowart said sternly. “Even an infant violet Shadow Rat moves as fast as an adult fourth-rank Shadow Rat. Not even your Uncle Hillman can catch it. You have no ability to tame it by force, and you cannot arrange a Soul Contract Magic Formation either.”

Linley froze.

His overheated mind immediately cooled, and he smiled bitterly. “I remember now. To tame a Magical Beast, first you must make it genuinely submit. Second, you must arrange a Soul Contract Magic Formation, and only at seventh-rank can a magus arrange that formation.”

Linley felt disappointed.

Alas, he was too weak. Even if luck brought a violet Shadow Rat infant before him, he had no ability to tame it.