"Hahaha~~"
"Stop licking! Stop! Stop~~"
Having fallen to the ground, Lin Yu was surrounded by the wolf pack, and his laughter rang out from their midst. The wolves were acting just like huskies, wagging their tails while affectionately licking his body.
Tickled by their licking, Lin Yu quickly reached out, trying to push them away.
When he touched one of the Forest Wolves, a string of information sprang into his mind:
[Name]: Wilderness Forest Wolf
[Quality]: Excellent (Green)
[Level]: 2/30
[Attack]: 40
[Speed]: 70
[Defense]: 20
[Health]: 200
[Description]: A free-spirited Forest Wolf. One day, it came to a territory that made it feel incredibly comfortable. The Forest Wolf sensed a supreme ruler within the territory ("Natural Dominator" in effect), so it decided to make its home here and submit to the territory's lord.
This meant that these Forest Wolves now belonged to Lin Yu, like soldiers he had personally recruited. They would obey his commands.
Now Lin Yu finally understood why the Pea Shooters hadn't attacked the wolf pack. After all that, it turned out they were on his side.
"Can you understand what I'm saying?"
Lin Yu asked the leading Wolf King.
The black Wolf King nodded and let out a soft, "Awoo~"
"You're so dark and fast. I'll call you Phantom!"
Phantom was thrilled, leaping about to express its joy.
Lin Yu was thrilled, too. He hadn't fully understood the effects of "Natural Dominator" at first, but he never expected it to be so ridiculously powerful. Beasts that other contestants had to struggle to clear out had become a source of troops for him.
Now, he could truly search for treasure chests within his territory without a care.
"Phantom, bring your brothers and come with me!" Just in case, Lin Yu decided to take the wolf pack with him.
"AWOO~~" Phantom nodded.
"Alright, let's go."
And so began the much-anticipated field trip.
Along the way, he encountered several other types of beasts: wild boars, crocodiles, various kinds of snakes, monkeys, and of course, different types of birds and reptiles.
Without exception, under the influence of "Natural Dominator," all these animals submitted to Lin Yu, becoming his loyal followers.
Lin Yu spent the better part of the day exploring the territory outside the novice protection shield.
In the end, he found five gray chests and two white chests.
He placed all of these chests into his personal storage space.
Along the way, he also discovered a green chest stuck right on the edge of his territory, just one step outside his domain.
Faced with a treasure chest that posed no danger, he felt it would be rude not to help himself.
However, when he brought the chest into his territory, he discovered the green chest had turned white.
He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and put the chest back outside his territory. Unfortunately, the chest remained white; it didn't change back to green.
After that, he found a white chest at the edge of his territory. The moment he brought it inside, the white chest permanently turned gray.
This made him realize that if he wanted good treasure chests, he had to search for them outside his territory. Otherwise, he would only get downgraded chests. It was safe, sure, but the rewards would be drastically lower.
'Looks like I have to hurry up and explore that place.'
While exploring his territory, he had seen faint glimmers of golden light on a small hill not far away.
It was very close, less than 500 meters. In another two days, that area would naturally be absorbed into his territory.
If there was a high-grade chest there, it would be a huge loss for it to get downgraded then.
After stepping outside his territory, Lin Yu became cautious again. Phantom also seemed to sense the danger beyond, sending a Forest Wolf to scout ahead while it hung back with Lin Yu and the other wolves.
"OINK—OINK—"
He hadn't gone more than a few steps when a strange cry, accompanied by a sudden RUMBLE, erupted from the side. A large wild boar leading a group of smaller ones burst out of the tall grass.
The boar paused upon seeing the wolf pack, clearly taken aback.
However, when they saw Lin Yu, for some unknown reason, their eyes instantly turned crimson. They entered a state of rage, bared their tusks, and charged recklessly toward him.
As the old saying goes: first the boar, then the bear, then the tiger. Nothing's fiercer than a wild boar.
This boar was thick-hided, covered in a layer of mud armor, and possessed immense brute force. Once it started charging, even the fiercest beasts of the mountains would give it a wide berth.
The wolf pack hastily dodged. A few Forest Wolves that couldn't evade in time were sent flying by the impact, crashing against a large tree. They lay motionless on the ground.
"AWOO~~"
Seeing this, Phantom let out a loud howl, commanding the pack to surround the boars and intercept their attack on their lord.
"Wait, Phantom, call them back!"
Lin Yu knew the wolf pack stood no chance against a charging, enraged herd of boars. Even if they succeeded in stopping them, it would come at a terrible cost.
Besides, in a few days, when his territory expanded to this area, this herd of boars would naturally become his subordinates.
To prevent his new and future underlings from getting hurt, he decided to make a strategic retreat.
With that, Lin Yu turned and mounted Phantom.
"Phantom, retreat!"
Phantom turned and galloped away, the rest of the pack close behind.
"Wait, don't head back just yet. Let's go to the edge of the territory first."
An idea suddenly struck Lin Yu, and he decided to test a theory.
Soon, the wolf pack stopped at the border of his territory.
Behind them, the herd of boars charged forward, but they seemed to sense something and screeched to a halt.
Then, they slowly advanced toward Lin Yu and his wolves, as if to intimidate them, or perhaps to test something.
Just then, Lin Yu also noticed a slight movement.
A Pea Shooter, which had been quietly sunbathing in the woods behind them, slowly raised its launch tube and aimed at the approaching boars.
'Hm! It looks like these boars have learned their lesson. The Pea Shooters haven't been idle, I see.'
With a thought, Lin Yu ordered the Pea Shooter to stand down. The plant immediately lowered its launch tube and went back to sunbathing.
The boars began to move faster. Seeming to notice that no Pea Shooters were firing at them, they grew much bolder.
They charged viciously toward Lin Yu and the wolves again.
This time, Lin Yu turned and led the wolf pack into his territory.
Without the slightest hesitation, the herd of boars charged in after them.
The moment they crossed into Lin Yu's territory, the boars slammed on the brakes, kicking up clouds of dust.
The look in their eyes as they gazed at Lin Yu transformed from ferocious to docile and fawning.
"Haha, just as I thought!"
"This 'Natural Dominator' is just insane!"
"When it comes to beasts, I have nothing to worry about."
"Hahahaha~~"
Lin Yu burst out laughing.
'Should I order the outermost Pea Shooters not to attack enemies outside the territory?'
'When I get back, I'll check the Territory Core. If it's possible, I'll change the setting.'
'Otherwise, I'm afraid the Pea Shooters will kill all my future underlings.'
After confirming that the boars were truly no longer hostile,
Lin Yu walked over to inspect their information.
[Name]: Savage Wild Boar
[Quality]: Excellent (Green)
[Level]: 5/30
[Attack]: 50
[Speed]: 65
[Defense]: 80
[Health]: 550
Compared to the Forest Wolves, this herd of boars was higher level. In terms of stats, besides having lower speed, all their other attributes were much higher than the Forest Wolves'.
Of course, the Forest Wolves were only level 2. If they also reached level 5, their attack and speed would far surpass the boars'.