After completing their dinner, the trio made their way to the abandoned Ice Hockey stadium. It had been renovated into a battleground for Tamers to duel. Around fifty people were standing in a long queue right outside the front entrance of the building.

Lang chi. "Why is there a line? Is there no space inside?"

A young woman around nineteen is standing at the end of the queue. She noticed their arrival and walked over to greet them with an excited look on her face. Rebecca recognized her and rushed forward to hug her.

Rebecca. "Viren? I haven't seen you since the UGP took over Seward."

Viren. "They sent me on a few recon missions in India. I just got back here today and decided to check out all the new stuff that popped up here while away."

Rebecca. "Why did you pick the Tamer Arena of all places?"

Viren. "You have no idea how tough the Beast Monsters are in India. They possess Human-level intelligence or something more advanced than that. They killed half my team because we were too weak, so I want to evolve and get more combat experience before sending me back."

Lang Chi. "Looks like we all came to the same conclusion. Evolution is the key to our survival, and fighting each other is the best way to learn how to fight against smart opponents."

Viren. "Umm... who is this guy?"

Rebecca. "My bad, I should have made the introductions. This is Lang Chi, representative of Zao and Sevire, a tamer from Canada. Guys, this is Viren. She was the one who recorded Zao in the battle of Rockville."

Sevire. "Oh! I watched that video several times. It made me want to become a Tamer, so thanks for that."

Viren. "It was dumb luck that I managed to record it. Didn't know how many people would get inspired by it."

Lang Chi. "Are you talking about the first time Zao killed monsters? He was just lucky that those bugs weren't anything special."

Viren leaned towards Rebecca's ear and whispered.

Viren. "Why does Zao's representative talk trash about him like that?"

Rebecca. "Ah... I will explain later."

Lang Chi. "You know I can hear you two from here, so stop whispering to each other like that. I can say what I want about him because I defeated him."

Viren. "This guy defeated Zao?"

Rebecca. "So he claims... he can literally turn into a ghost, so I can imagine Zao not being able to land a hit on him."

Viren. "A Ghost? Are there Tamers with that kind of skills now?"

Lang Chi. "I am no ordinary Tamer... I am Bane the Wolf God!"

Viren looked surprised and was about to ask a question when she was interrupted.

Sevire. "Just roll with for now. I am tired of explaining his back story."

Viren. "I see... Were you guys on a mission as well?"

Lang Chi. "We went to Texas, the home of the Cow Gods!"

Sevire slapped his face with his right hand.

Sevire. "How many times I have to tell you, it's the home of Cowboys! Not Cow Gods!"

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Lang Chi. "Didn't you say the Texans worship Beef?"

Sevire. "They worship roasted Beef on a plate!"

Lang Chi. "Didn't that Texan Tamer guy called Bison turn into a Bull God when he transformed?"

Sevire was about to correct his understanding when he reminded himself that it wasn't worth it.

Sevire. "Anyways, Viren! Do you mind telling us what's with the long queue?"

Viren. "A few hours ago, the Monster App started rewarding a currency called Duel Points or DP that can be traded with the Monster App Store to unlock hidden features."

Lang Chi. "Wait... wait! First of all, when did a store appear in the App?"

Viren. "If you manage to evolve your monster to the third form and win one duel with another Tamer of the same level, the store will appear in the App along with ten Duel Points for every victory you made so far."

Rebecca. "What do you get in exchange for these points?"

Viren. "Monster Chibi form mode will allow me to carry around my monster in my arms again."

Rebecca. "Apart from that?"

Viren. "The others give customization options for the App itself like a Battle Recorder, Monster Skill Analyzer, Basic Stat Analyzer, Item Storage space, VR Combat simulator, and more stuff that I can't be bothered to remember."

Sevire. "Don't they all sound like stuff you find in RPG games with monsters?"

Rebecca. "Especially the Item Storage thingy, it would be a dream to not have to carry my handbag into battle."

Sevire. "I still don't know how you convinced the Commander to let you fight with it today."

Rebecca. "I told him that I feel uncomfortable if I don't carry my dart gun and makeup. Plus, I am not a frontline fighter, so he said it was fine."

Viren. "Even if you want to have those features, they each cost around five hundred DP to unlock, which means you need fifty victories."

Sevire. "That's a lot of grinding, and getting consecutive wins in a row is highly unlikely."

Viren. "Exactly! Since lunchtime, most Tamers have been here grinding for those DP. I heard the building officials will start limiting Tamers to five battles a day in the arena to avoid letting a few people hog it the whole day from tomorrow onwards."

Lang Chi. "Damnit! Five battles a day will take forever to evolve!"

Viren. "That is the rule only for the Tamer Arena. We can still go into the woods and fight with each other however long we want."

Lang chi. "Then why are people standing in line here instead of doing that?"

Viren. "In the forest, there isn't anyone with authority to ensure that Tamers don't go crazy and kill each other. Though your monster partner can revive itself in the day if it is killed in a Duel. It would mean you are not capable of participating in missions or completing duties that need the help of your monster skills. So here we have officials from the UGP who call out the victor when it becomes obvious, and there is even a crowd to cheer you on."

Lang Chi. "There have to be some people willing to fight me in the woods, right?"

Viren. "Actually, I don't mind that as long as Rebecca is willing to play referee for us."

Rebecca. "It's getting pretty dark outside. Can't we do this during daylight?"

Viren. "When I fuse with my monster, I get night vision as a passive skill, so that isn't an issue. What about you?"

Lang Chi. "My senses are powerful, and my lightning can light up everything around me, so I have no problem."

Rebecca. "Why don't you two go on ahead and fight to heart's content."

Viren. "But without a referee, we might take things too far."

Lang Chi. "I swear by my immortal soul that I will stop when I know that I have won."

Viren. "Uh, ok... fine, I am done with waiting in this line. You better not try anything funny with me cuz my Angelica will rip your throat out.

She summons a Black Dire Wolf that melts into the ground and attaches itself to Viren's shadow.

Lang Chi. "Wait... you are a Wolf Tamer?"

Viren. "That I am, why?"

Lang Chi. "Then you should not threaten your Alpha."

Viren. "What did you say?"

Lang Chi. "I am a Wolf God, which means I am your Alpha."

Viren. "Screw you! I will beat the fuck out of you until you call me your Alpha."

Rebecca and Sevire slowly walked away as the Two wolf tamers argued towards the woods nearby.

Rebecca. "Do you think it was a mistake to suggest they fight each other alone?"

Sevire. "If you have the energy to babysit, then follow them. I am going back home to get some sleep."

Rebecca decided that he had a point and that her body was crying out for the comfort of her bed. She had no idea where Lang Chi had the energy to want to battle the night away. As the two of them neared the apartment building requisitioned for tamers, she noticed Dale and the others had already returned from their debriefing with the leadership.

Rebecca. "Dale! How did it go?"

Dale. "Well... they were happy with the mission being a success, but they got upset when I told them that my new armor is Red."

Rebecca. "Why is that a problem?"

Dale. "My Hero codename is the Black Phoenix... So now Zao has to come up with something else."

Rebecca. "Jeez, you would think they have better things to do."

Dale. "Oh, they do. Selvaria stayed back to talk about her requirements for her cooperation with them."

Rebecca. "Requirements? Like what?"

Dale. "Let's just say that there will be quite a few construction projects for your Ants."