"Ugh, blast it, is this planet only eighteen hours long? Four in the afternoon—doesn't that mean it's almost dark?" Fang Senyan reached this conclusion immediately after a quick calculation.

He immediately aimed at the enormous cultivated beast before him and said, "Your name is now Ramtas. Yes, I like that name. Take me to higher ground right away, preferably a knoll! And make sure there are few creatures moving around nearby."

Ramtas, shaped like a massive boar-man, immediately **its enormous upturned snout, and several sticky droppings even splashed out, landing on the ground. It was even possible to see wisps of smoke or mist swirling faintly around its nostrils.

Fang Senyan's meticulous preparation had paid off.

Ramtas, crafted as a formidable elite through the fusion of Orc genetics, specialized concoction techniques, and animal essences—and because Fang Senyan had even added his own blood during its creation—had an exceptionally keen connection with him, achieving the effect of 'commanding it as if it were his own limb.' Furthermore, its strength was clearly a notch above the other cultivated creatures. For instance, as it ** its nostrils just now, it was instinctively utilizing a degree of natural force.

"Hill, safe, few, creatures, come, with me!" (A resonant boar grunt.)

With that, Ramtas signaled for Fang Senyan to follow. Its massive hooves had a large surface area, allowing it to move effortlessly over the soft soil. However, Android No. 1 suddenly interjected, "Forgive my presumption, Master, but I believe you might have forgotten something. The primary instruction from Command upon landing was for everyone to quickly move toward the rendezvous point."

"To hell with all of Command's instructions! As long as I complete the mission, the rest is dog excrement! Conceal the aircraft, and bring those damn instruments on your backs with us! I don't have time to waste," Fang Senyan shouted in fury.

All the androids obediently followed the order. They possessed the right to suggest but not the right to decide.

Ramtas snorted and trudged ahead. The bristles on its back occasionally stood on end, sensing the airflow. This fellow's signature move was to occasionally stab the ground ahead fiercely with its crude 'staff.' A faint, pale-green light would flash from the staff's tip, and then a surge of natural energy would flood into that area, stunning or blasting away any insects or creatures that might pose a threat.

These malevolent insects included, but were not limited to, large two-tailed scorpions, fat worms that looked harmless but spat venom, and ferocious beetles with sharp mouthparts. All of them were left flipping belly-up on the ground, struggling incessantly... Just by looking at their appearance, one knew these things were extremely unfriendly. Yet, the seemingly clumsy Ramtas was completely uninhibited, frequently bending down to clumsily scoop them up with hands bearing only three thick digits, tossing them into its mouth as if they were snacks, chewing with loud crunches and splattering juices.

This was the formidable nature of Fang Senyan's cultivated creatures. Not only could they adjust their abilities according to the environment, but the creatures themselves could also evolve based on the local ecology. Ramtas's current behavior looked no different from a native inhabitant of the Eplos planet.

The sky darkened with alarming speed, yet it wasn't completely black. The two ring-shaped meteor belts spanning the sky emitted a soft, earthy-yellow glow. From the ground, it resembled the fine texture of jade illuminated by lamplight, possessing an indescribable exotic charm.

On this desolate plain, sparsely dotted with trees, Fang Senyan, despite his immense power, couldn't help but feel the illusion of the vastness of the world contrasting with his own insignificance. But soon, the wind picked up. When it arrived, it carried a vicious aura, descending upon the plain as if intending to tear everything apart! The plain itself began to ripple like a sea of grass, exhibiting ceaseless waves.

Ramtas also halted, sputtering, "Enemy, coming, front." (A boar grunt.)

Fang Senyan narrowed his eyes. The Sun Staircase in his chest violently unfurled its branches, and immense energy instantly coursed through his blood to his entire body. The terrifying Viral Halo swished outward, instantly expanding to its limit! A surge of heroic feeling—that no place in the world was beyond his reach—flooded Fang Senyan's heart. Within the vision provided by his Type III Carbon-Based Lifeform Detector, five red dots were indeed advancing slowly in a fan shape six or seven hundred meters ahead, radiating the predatory menace of a wolf pack.

"How interesting. Let me see what kind of welcome Eplos has in store for me."

As the five red dots drew nearer, a foul, rank odor began to drift through the air. The smell reminded Fang Senyan of the odor resulting from the decay of the scent gland on a duck's rear end, only intensified tenfold.

Under the faint glow of the meteor belt known as the "Eplos Belt" in the sky, one could see the tall grass undulating like waves in the wind. A strange and intense crisis was emerging from the darkness.

Fang Senyan continued to advance steadily, showing not the slightest fear. This was the confidence of a top-tier MT. If he were to stumble easily in a place like this, what hope would he have of suppressing others to complete the mission?

Moreover, according to the experience he had crammed, the fiercer the creature, the more arrogant it would be, absolutely unwilling to share territory or food with other lifeforms, much like a monarch who rules a domain alone!

The simultaneous appearance of these five unknown creatures, while seeming to suggest superior numbers, inadvertently exposed many flaws.

Suddenly, a giant black shadow leaped out from the sea of grass five or six meters to Fang Senyan's right, issuing a strange cry like a rooster's crow, and lunged toward him.

One could clearly see a bizarrely shaped beast. Overall, it appeared to be a large avian creature, possessing the head and neck of a rooster, the bare, fleshy wings of a bat, and the long tail of a lizard. All its feathers were puffed out, making its apparent size much larger.

At this moment, the creature's wattles, comb, and eyes were bright red, its beak was yellow, and the long feathers at the tip of its tail had a slight greenish tint. Likely for better survival in the grass sea, its plumage was grayish-white mixed with green.

The weapon this beast used to attack Fang Senyan was, in fact, its pair of claws. These claws were much like common chicken feet, but they were much larger when spread, and the ends were far from friendly like those of domestic fowl or turkeys. Sharply curved talons, over twenty centimeters long, even emitted a cold, faint sheen in the darkness.

In the real world, anyone who has tried to hold a rooster knows that when a ten-plus-pound cock furiously kicks its sturdy long legs, even an adult might lose their grip if not careful. How could this monster's size and power compare to an ordinary rooster? Once it lunged at Fang Senyan, a full-power double-kick from its legs, combined with its incomparably sharp grappling hooks, would surely disembowel an adult bear struck squarely on the belly! Even if struck elsewhere, deep lacerations and tearing away large chunks of flesh would be unavoidable.

However, since Fang Senyan was already on high alert and had prior awareness from the Type III Carbon-Based Lifeform Detector, he handled the situation with confidence. He smoothly drew his +7 West and brought it down in a slashing motion!

The monster’s grappling hooks scraped against the metal surface of the West, producing a harsh "grating" sound. In the darkness, sparks even flashed where the hooks tore at the metal. But before the claws could strike Fang Senyan, its fragile neck was severely cut by his swing. Feathers flew everywhere, accompanied by a screech like a severed throat, and its entire body was flung backward.

Fang Senyan then tried using the helmet's Chelen Miller Pulse Detector. Unexpectedly, after merging with the Type III Carbon-Based Lifeform Detector acquired in the previous world, its detection capabilities had significantly improved, feeding a series of data points onto his retina: Cockatrice (Cockateice) Health: Moderate Defense: Weak Speed: 6m/sec, Flight Speed: 10m/sec, sustained flight only for short distances. Attack Power: Moderate (with biological exotic abilities) Biological Traits: Immune to Petrification Attribute: Strength 45 / Agility 55 / Stamina 30 / Intellect 30 / Spirit 15 / Charisma 60 / Perception 50 Habitat: May exist in all temperate and warm plains or forests. Grouping: Small packs (4~10 individuals) Value: Bird Beak. Biological Exotic Ability: Not successfully collected. Possible Loot: Possible, as they like shiny objects, their nests often contain many glass shards and pebbles, and sometimes ore and gemstones. Description: A grotesque and repulsive creature mixed with the genes of a lizard, rooster, and bat. Its special exotic abilities are notorious. The Cockatrice's flying ability is poor, much like a chicken's, but because its flying speed is three times its running speed, it often flies to attack enemies in combat. However, after flying for 1–3 turns, it must rest for one turn. Do you wish to pay 5000 universal points to immediately obtain its biological exotic ability data via the online database? Yes/No?

Fang Senyan looked at this stream of data with a hint of delight, but he casually and decisively refused the request for payment—an action as contemptible as the way Quill habitually walked away after sampling free food at the supermarket...