Chapter 27: Taming

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Taming

Vili wasn’t sure. Perhaps it had just been his imagination.

Perhaps it was static from the cub’s fur, but static electricity shouldn’t be that intense. Still, he couldn’t have actually gained control of Thunder Power just because Vili had named him Volibear.

Vili hesitated for a moment, then tried to pick Wally up again.

This time, nothing happened. Vili only felt the soft fur of the white bear cub.

’Was it really just my imagination?’

A trace of regret surfaced in Vili’s heart. Sopps had once said that the "Knights" of this world possessed power beyond mortals—what Vili inferred was Extraordinary Power. When the Title Attribute Panel notified him that he’d captured a mutated white bear cub, Vili had wondered if Wally might also possess this power due to its mutation.

However, after feeding Wally for a few days, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about the cub, so the idea had faded. The thought only resurfaced because of that faint electric shock.

’Forget it. Even if you don’t have any strange powers, I’ll still raise you to be...’

Vili was still mid-thought when a prickling numbness suddenly shot from his fingertips and through his entire body. He tossed Wally away on pure instinct.

Wally let out a high-pitched, cub-like squeal as it hit the ground with a THUD. Its head landed first, its chubby hindquarters quivering from the impact. With some difficulty, it righted itself and swayed on its feet, staring at Vili with a wide, disturbingly human-like grin.

The paralysis quickly faded. The moment Vili saw Wally’s expression, he understood. This little white bear could actually generate electricity.

’Mutated creatures really are something else!’

Vili also finally understood why Wally had come looking for him in the middle of the night. The electric current must have excited the cub, causing it to instinctively seek him out. After all, Vili had a high affinity with young animals.

"Can you control your electric current?"

Vili crouched down and tried to communicate with Wally verbally. What if this mutated creature could actually understand him?

But things didn’t go as Vili hoped. The little white bear showed no reaction to his words. It just kept swaying, trying to rub against him again.

Vili had no desire to get shocked again, so he backed away from Wally.

"You can’t attack me with your electricity!"

Vili’s face was stern, his expression serious.

He knew the little cub couldn’t understand his words, but it could perceive his emotions and read his facial expressions.

This was a common animal training technique in his previous life. At aquarium and circus shows, animals appeared to obey their trainers’ verbal commands, but it was actually specific physical cues and facial expressions that prompted them. This required repetitive training to instill conditioned reflexes.

Vili placed his hand on Wally’s head again. Sure enough, he got another shock.

Vili repeated the command, then grabbed a wooden stick from the corner and gave Wally’s little bottom a few sharp smacks to make it associate the shock with pain.

Wally whimpered pitifully but didn’t run away, its attachment to Vili overriding the sting.

Vili looked at the pitiful cub but felt no sympathy. If he didn’t solve this problem now, Wally might end up killing him by accident one day.

He reached out to touch Wally and, as expected, was shocked again. And just like before, Wally received its punishment.

The process was repeated five times, and Wally finally stopped attacking Vili with its current.

It had dimly begun to understand the connection between the electric shocks and the punishment.

"Good."

Vili picked Wally up, carried him into the kitchen, and took out the leftover rabbit meat. He chopped it up and mixed it with wheat porridge to make a simple meat gruel.

Vili figured that releasing the electric current must have consumed Wally’s own Energy, so the cub needed food to replenish it.

Sure enough, Wally showed a much stronger appetite than usual. It eagerly pawed at the rim of the bowl, lapping up the food inside. It didn’t stop until the bowl was licked clean, then it trotted back over to Vili’s feet.

Vili was very pleased with the little cub’s response. At least after his combination of discipline and reward, it was still just as attached to him.

This didn’t mean Wally’s shocking habit was gone for good, though. By morning, its instinct to discharge might take over again. Vili would need to continue the training for the next couple of days.

"You can sleep in my room tonight."

Vili moved Wally’s small den into his room and placed the cub inside.

With Vili right beside it, the sense of security helped the little cub quickly drift off to sleep.

Watching the sleeping Wally, Vili fell into deep thought. He had no idea what kind of impact an electricity-wielding white bear would have on this world. According to Sopps, this world had Knights with powers beyond mortals. If that was true, then there must also be mutated beasts that surpassed ordinary animals. Wally probably wasn’t a unique case.

He was grateful to Sopps for planting the seed of the "Extraordinary" concept in his mind. The Title Attribute Panel had also tipped him off that Wally was a mutated species. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how to react to the fact that his cub could generate electricity.

’Either way, it’s best not to reveal Wally’s ability to discharge electricity for the time being.’

Vili was already wondering how he would explain this to Vilia. He couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t get a shock while looking after Wally.

’If I get the chance to see Sopps, I have to ask him about this world’s Extraordinary Power in detail. He should know something.’

Vili mused.

Of course, he never expected to meet his older brother for the first time the very next day.

Normally, after the wheat harvest between summer and autumn, the family’s main task would be foraging for wild vegetables on the outskirts of Morse Forest to meet their daily food needs. They also had to store some frost-resistant food in preparation for winter.

But Vili had changed all that. The family now had enough meat to last for quite a while. Even without foraging for vegetables, they could trade meat for them with their neighbors, who would be more than happy to do so.

Mrs. Shaven and Lake had spent all of yesterday grinding the wheat into flour. After a hard day’s work, they decided to take a day off.

At noon, shortly after lunch, Vili and Vilia were in the courtyard helping Wally practice walking. The cub could already move quite smoothly and even break into a run, though its steps were still a little unsteady.

The temperature was still high, and Vili felt thirsty. He was just about to head inside for a drink when he heard footsteps approaching the courtyard—fast and powerful.

Vili and Vilia both turned to look at the gate.

"Vili, Vilia, I’m back!"

A tall, well-built young man appeared at the courtyard gate.