Beast Taming: Starting from Transmigration and Starting with a Cheat Code

"How exactly should we arrange our troops for tomorrow's final outcome, Captain?" The person who asked the question had red hair and his eyebrows were furrowed so deeply they looked like knots.

The man, dressed in a long robe and exuding a composed demeanor, sighed and remained silent for a long time.

Five people were sitting in the meeting room. A field map was spread out on the long table, with several areas marked on it in charcoal, the lines were messy, and there were many signs of repeated revisions.

The captain was a young man in his mid-twenties, with a handsome appearance, high brow bones, and a calm and composed demeanor.

He stared at the map for a long time, tapped a certain area with his finger, then withdrew it, without saying a word.

Someone, unable to bear the redhead's questioning any longer, asked, "What are you thinking?"

The person speaking sat to the right of the captain. He was rather thin and wore a pair of glasses with spiritual energy enhancement on his nose. There were faint array patterns flowing on the lenses.

An open rulebook lay before him, covered with numerous annotations in fine handwriting.

The red-haired man barely suppressed his anxiety. "That's why I asked, I just couldn't think of anything."

"Ugh, I really don't understand why the faculty advisors made our year participate. This never happened in previous years!"

"Perhaps they're worried we've neglected self-discipline and are using this competition to remind ourselves," the person who spoke said, sitting in a corner, their voice soft and their tone calm.

He was on the heavier side, holding a dozing feline spirit beast in his arms, stroking its back fur with his hand.

From their conversation, it's easy to see their attitude towards winning or losing: it's not that they don't want to win, but rather that after objective assessment, the odds of winning are too low.

The captain glanced at the map again and finally spoke.

"Although our cooperative formation integrates offense and defense, it can also continuously increase the power of our main battle spirit beast by 30%, which puts us ahead of any other team."

"But we are at a disadvantage in terms of the number of spirit beasts that can be deployed. The standard configuration for combat-type characters is one person with two spirit beasts, and some of the main team members can command three at the same time. On our side, apart from Zhou Yan and me, who can reliably command two, the rest of us only have one."

"In addition, their combat experience is also somewhat lacking," the bespectacled team member added, speaking in a very objective tone.

"Our spirit beasts are not bad in terms of skill proficiency, but in actual combat, their judgment of timing is indeed lacking compared to those in the combat department who spend every day in the training grounds."

"And these are things that cannot be changed in the short term."

After the two finished speaking, the conference room was silent for a few seconds.

The team member holding the spirit beast sighed again. "Captain, this isn't our fault. We've tried our best. From the preliminaries to the final rounds, every match we've fought through has relied on our formations to anticipate and utilize the terrain. Getting this far has already exceeded our expectations. Let's not worry too much about the outcome."

"We can't give up before the war even begins," the captain said firmly. "Let me think about it some more and see if there's anything we can do with the rules."

He rubbed his temples and pressed his fingertips on his brow bone repeatedly.

If only I had a teammate with outstanding combat skills.

But as soon as the idea popped into his head, he realized it was unrealistic.

The way the formation system participated in this faction competition was quite strange.

In previous years, students from the Formation Academy also participated, but mostly as support personnel in other teams.

The most common combination is a main attacker from the combat system paired with a support from the formation system.

Detection formations locate opponents, detoxification formations deal with environmental threats, and supply formations extend combat endurance. An excellent formation master can increase the overall combat power of a team by at least several times.

Therefore, in previous years, students majoring in formations were highly sought-after by all teams.

But this year is different.

The academy officially participated in the competition under the name of the Formation Academy, without affiliating with the Combat Department or inviting outside help, forming its own team.

At first, the captain thought this was an opportunity to showcase the prowess of the formation system.

But after a few games, it became clear that forming an independent team came at a high cost.

Without a main attacker at the front, even the most ingenious formation takes time to unleash, and combat-type spirit beasts won't give you that time.

The combat faction isn't faring much better. Lacking the support of array masters, their detection range is reduced, they rely entirely on potions for detoxification, and they can only tough it out for supplies.

Several strong combat teams were worn down by the complex terrain, reducing their combat power by half, and were eventually eliminated.

But even if the combat-type characters are suffering, they still have the strength to fight.

Being suppressed by force upon first meeting someone using formation techniques, with little chance of even retaliating, is incredibly frustrating.

Their ability to advance in these rounds is not due to how many head-on battles they have won, but rather to their accurate assessment of the surrounding environment.

Confirm the movements of the strong teams, avoid their strengths and attack their weaknesses, then specifically move to the safe zones on the field.

But as the competition progressed, the safe zone shrank. The final round's playing area was only a quarter of that in the qualifiers, making head-to-head confrontations unavoidable.

"How is the British Snow Dog recovering? Will it be able to fight next time?" the captain asked.

The team member wearing glasses opened the spirit beast status record sheet, his gaze lingered on the top sheet, he looked up at the captain, and shook his head.

"Captain, I just asked Yinglun. The Snow Dog was seriously injured in the last match, and forcing it to play might cause problems. The school clinic recommends at least three days of rest."

The Snow Hound is the only defensive spirit beast in the team. It is of the ice attribute and can activate a shield to withstand a wave of impact, buying time for the formation to unfold.

If he can't play, the team's defense will be vulnerable.

The captain tapped his forehead. "How's the communication with the replacement candidates going?"

The substitute was another student from the Formation Department who had signed up for the competition, but was placed on the waiting list due to limited spots.

His main battle spirit beast is an earth-attribute pangolin. Although its level is not as high as the Snow Hound, it can still hold its own for a while.

The team member wearing glasses looked somewhat troubled. "After seeing the Snow Dog's injuries, he didn't want to fight anymore."

"Ridiculous." The captain's voice turned cold. "Does he have any sense of team honor? Where is his fighting spirit? What will he do in real combat in the future? He can't even take a hit!"

The team member wearing glasses hesitated for a moment, but still repeated what he had said.

He said he would hire more bodyguards in the future and would not go out unless absolutely necessary.

The captain opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.

Almost forgot. Most of the families at the Array Formation Academy are well-off. Those who can get into the Array Formation Academy either come from families with a strong academic tradition or are exceptionally talented and receive special training from the academy.

Regardless of the type, they have no shortage of resources. Hiring bodyguards is not just empty talk for them.

The other party's willingness to sign up may just be a momentary burst of enthusiasm; the formation department is forming an independent team to bring glory to the academy.

But this enthusiasm came quickly and faded even faster. Seeing the Snow Dog's injuries, the excitement died down.

The captain didn't say anything more; it was neither appropriate nor possible to force him. If things went wrong at a crucial moment, they wouldn't have the ability to cover for him.

The meeting room fell silent once again.

Just when they were at their wits' end, there was a knock on the door.

Three regular, unhurried strokes.

Then the door was pushed open.

Everyone in the meeting room looked up simultaneously. During tactical discussions, each team's arrangements needed to be kept confidential, and entering without an appointment was considered a highly sensitive act within the unspoken rules of competition.

The team members sitting near the entrance had already placed their hands on the array plate, their spiritual energy partially activated. As long as the person making any unusual movements, the binding array would be activated immediately.

The spirit beast at his feet also stood up, its ears perked up, and it emitted a low warning growl from its throat.

The others also went on high alert. The captain's spirit beast had not yet appeared, but it could be summoned at any time. The cat-like spirit beast in their arms also opened its eyes, its pupils narrowing.

"Who goes there?" the captain asked in a deep voice.

Despite the partially activated array inside the room, the spirit beast that had already appeared, and the five wary gazes, Qin Ming did not show any signs of vigilance.

He shrugged innocently. "They should be teammates, right? Old Xian said I could join."

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Teammate?" The bespectacled teammate was the first to react, frowning. "You weren't even on the roster to begin with—"

His voice paused, as if he had suddenly remembered something. His gaze lingered on Qin Ming's face for a moment, then matched it with a name from his memory.

"Wait, are you Qin Ming, the one who's been taking up our spots but never actually shown up?"

Two months ago, when the formation department finalized its roster for the competition, there were five main positions. When the roster was announced, everyone noticed one name—Qin Ming.

It wasn't any of the familiar formation students, nor was it a veteran who had participated in previous faction competitions; it hadn't even shown its face before. Yet, its name occupied a prominent position.

At first, everyone thought it was a secret weapon arranged by the academy. But a week passed, then two weeks, and this person still hadn't shown up.

Before anyone could make inquiries and confirm the news, the academy went into martial law again. Amidst the tense atmosphere, no one could say for sure what was going on.

However, the position remained open because the rules stipulated that once the roster was submitted, it could not be changed unless the player voluntarily withdrew or was unable to play due to injury. Thus, Qin Ming continued to occupy a position.

"If there are no duplicate names and you are indeed from the formation system, then it's highly likely that's it." Qin Ming rubbed his nose.

The people in the conference room had different expressions; most of them sneered and looked down on them.

Although they have no hope of winning the championship, they might as well try their best and fight for a ranking.

They only arrived now, so young and unaware of their own danger, just to pick the peaches?

Someone tried to make a sarcastic remark, but was interrupted by the captain. He was the one who had gone to find the person in the first place, and now he had guessed some of the inside story, so he stared at Qin Ming for a few seconds.

"Close the door and come in."