Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: The King of the Plains
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“……”
“……”
“……”
A single bead of sweat formed on the gray beard of one spectator in the crowd.
The scene unfolding before their eyes was undeniable reality, no matter how many times they rubbed their eyes and looked again.
No warrior from the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace had placed any hope on the eldest princess's leopard.
Unlike the others, who raised their savage beasts aggressively in line with the palace lord's directives, he had cherished his leopard like a dear friend, pouring affection into its upbringing.
Thus, no one had ever witnessed it battling another beast—until now, when they finally laid eyes on it for the first time.
Yet who could have imagined it would mercilessly pierce straight through an adult specimen several times its own size?
“Is this truly happening?”
When Geum Pyo had dashed into the jaws of the Twin Poison Dragon Snake like a shooting arrow, everyone had scoffed.
It's walking right into the predator's maw.
Going off to meet its own death.
No chance of winning, so it's giving up early.
They had sneered at the leopard—and at the eldest princess—harboring such thoughts.
But the actual outcome was the complete opposite.
Thus, they could only stare at the result in stunned silence.
And the palace lord and little palace lord were no different.
Something they hadn't even considered a contender had produced a staggering upset.
If the opponent had been some ordinary beast, it might not have mattered, but this was the Twin Poison Dragon Snake—a king among serpents that had bulldozed through hundreds in the qualifiers.
Now, it was nothing more than a gutted heap of snake meat, its innards torn to shreds.
They couldn't tear their eyes away from the gruesome sight.
Then, at that moment.
“What will you wager?”
At the sound of Hyeok Mulin's voice, the palace lord and little palace lord snapped their gazes back to him.
Suri Tae narrowed his eyes sharply at Hyeok Mulin and spoke.
“So you had something to rely on after all.”
“Why else would I bet a thousand nyang of gold?”
Hyeok Mulin replied matter-of-factly, prompting Suri Tae to furrow his brow and stare at Geum Pyo for a moment.
Soon after, he parted his lips.
“Very well. I'll wager a thousand nyang of gold as well.”
Ho.
Even after witnessing that, he's still confident?
As Hyeok Mulin shot him a glance, Suri Tae added an explanation.
“It's certainly an eye-catching beast, but my Number One Tiger ensures it can't claim victory.”
Number One Tiger.
What a half-hearted name.
Not a shred of affection from the palace lord himself seeped through in it, leaving Hyeok Mulin to let out a hollow chuckle.
He had half-expected the palace lord wouldn't back down here.
This was a matter of pride for him as palace lord.
Fine, that's him sorted…
Hyeok Mulin and Suri Tae's gazes now shifted to Suma Geon.
The man curled his lips and slowly opened his mouth.
“You both seem brimming with confidence. But I'm no different.”
No one yet knew what beast he would unleash from his hand.
As eyes converged on him in response.
“Therefore, I…”
Suri Tae smirked, raising one corner of his mouth as he continued.
“…will wager the position of little palace lord.”
“……!”
At those words, a flicker of emotional turmoil crossed Suri Tae's face for an instant. He immediately turned to Suma Geon and demanded.
“Is that truly your intent?”
“What reason would I have to lie here? I have the confidence, so I'm wagering accordingly.”
Putting up the little palace lord position.
It was tantamount to declaring he was forfeiting his claim to the next palace lord seat.
They knew he had prepared something for the Fierce Beast Championship, but to display such unwavering self-assurance?
Suri Tae stared at him intently before finally turning his head away.
“You'll regret those words.”
His voice dripped with the unshakeable confidence of a palace lord.
As if no matter what the man brought forth, defeat was impossible.
This is getting interesting.
Watching their psychological standoff, Hyeok Mulin turned his gaze back to the arena.
Cheers and applause gradually erupted from the crowd, and Geum Pyo, bewildered by the unprecedented welcome, glanced around in confusion.
Suddenly spotting Hyeok Mulin, it flinched.
For a split second, its body shuddered.
Then Geum Pyo quickly averted its eyes, pretending not to notice.
Hyeok Mulin chuckled softly at the sight before looking over at Sua Rang.
Her hands clasped tightly over her chest, she let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Geum Pyo unscathed.
Feeling his gaze, she turned toward him, and Hyeok Mulin sent a transmission.
『See? What did I tell you? No need to worry, right?』
A transmission promptly returned from her.
『How could my heart be at ease, throwing my baby into the arena like that?』
From friend to baby now, was it?
He recalled her saying she'd raised Geum Pyo since it was a cub.
He understood the affection, but not the anxiety. Hyeok Mulin hadn't entertained the notion of defeat even once from the start.
Even if it's a beast, one trained by me won't lose.
Hyeok Mulin gazed fondly at Geum Pyo.
It had seemed awkward at first, but now it appeared to be subtly enjoying the crowd's adulation.
Afterward came a pause to clear the arena completely.
The Twin Poison Dragon Snake's massive body took extra time to remove.
Bang Tara then announced the next matchup, and a gate swung open.
The moment a familiar black tiger stepped into the arena.
“Waaaaaaaaah—!”
Cheers exploded so fiercely they might have echoed beyond the palace walls.
A tiger covered head to toe in pitch-black fur.
Suri Tae's Black Tiger.
Number One Tiger had made its entrance.
Even just prowling the arena, its naturally imposing presence drew gasps of awe from the spectators.
“Truly the beast closest to victory.”
“Impressive showings from the Black Iron Ape and Geum Pyo, but I can't see them beating Number One Tiger.”
Suri Tae had frequently demonstrated Number One Tiger hunting prey in the past.
At times, it even hunted down fleeing warriors who'd committed crimes, so the crowd knew its ferocity better than anyone.
Now, what would it face?
As eyes turned to its opponent.
“That’s…!”
“No way…!”
The crowd's eyes bulged at the beast emerging from the opposite side.
Another iron gate creaked open, revealing the contender.
Its identity was none other than.
“A tiger?!”
Just like the Black Tiger, it was a tiger.
A cross-shaped scar around its eye lent it a savage glare.
Though not quite as massive as Number One Tiger, it dwarfed any ordinary tiger, leaving everyone wondering where on earth it had come from.
“Tiger versus tiger.”
“This'll be thrilling.”
Those who had predicted an easy win for Number One Tiger now watched with keen interest.
A tiger of that caliber and size was a rare sight, one worthy of matching Number One Tiger.
“……”
Amid the murmurs, Number One Tiger silently stared down its foe.
The rival tiger growled menacingly at Number One Tiger and began circling it slowly.
Moving behind it, the tiger suddenly leaped like lightning from the blind spot.
The instant it aimed to clamp onto Number One Tiger's scruff.
Thud!
Number One Tiger slammed its front paw down on the tiger's head.
Pinned to the ground, the tiger thrashed desperately to rise.
But Number One Tiger didn't budge.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Like playing a game of digging holes, Number One Tiger lightly lifted and smashed its paw down repeatedly.
Yet with each playful strike to the head, the tiger's struggles grew feebler.
BOOM!
Finally, with a thunderous impact.
Splat—
The tiger's head was utterly crushed, its body going limp.
Number One Tiger stood tall atop it in silence.
Its eyes seemed to declare.
Tiger or not, you're no match for me.
An overwhelming victory for Number One Tiger, beyond question.
“…As expected of the palace lord's Black Tiger.”
“I had my doubts, but a legend lives up to its name.”
“Even if I charged it, I doubt I'd win.”
The crowd admired Number One Tiger while nodding as if the result was a foregone conclusion.
The palace lord felt much the same.
Before facing the little palace lord, nothing else would catch his eye anyway.
Suri Tae accepted the win without a flicker of emotion, as if it were only natural.
And the matchup that truly piqued his interest had been the one after from the start.
“Finally, I get to see it. The reason for all that confidence of yours.”
Suri Tae glanced sideways at Suma Geon.
But he merely smirked and kept his eyes fixed on the arena.
“Now announcing the final semifinal matchup.”
Bang Tara's voice rang out, accompanied by the grinding of an iron gate opening.
From the left side, a lone wolf slowly padded into view.
A wolf with a silvery back that gleamed, its body roughly twice the size of an ordinary wolf.
Bang Tara nodded toward it and raised his voice.
“This is the Silverback Wolf, which topped the qualifiers with the finest record!”
His announcement boomed even louder.
In truth, the Silverback Wolf was Bang Tara's own beast.
As a neutral announcer, he had no need to intervene in beast-versus-beast bouts, allowing him to enter his own contender.
Having excelled through the qualifiers to reach the main tournament, he couldn't help but feel proud of his wolf.
“So that's Bang Tara's wolf.”
“I've heard it's a fearsome fighter.”
“Rumor has it it hunts tigers.”
“If that's true, this should be a good one.”
“But its opponent…”
Gazes turned to the opposite gate.
Though the door had opened, no beast had yet emerged.
Still, the crowd was certain whatever appeared wouldn't be ordinary.
This was the beast the little palace lord, who had eagerly awaited this day, had prepared.
How could it be anything less than extraordinary?
As anticipation peaked.
Thud.
With heavy footfalls, a beast entered the arena.
The instant it appeared, the crowd couldn't help but goggle.
It far exceeded all expectations.
“That’s…!”
Sua Rang in the stands stammered in shock.
Its magnificent mane flashed brilliantly in the sunlight.
A beast rarely seen even in the wilds.
Hyeok Mulin, upon sighting it, murmured slowly.
“……A lion.”
The sovereign that conquered the plains.
As the lion stepped into the arena, even the spectators' breaths grew shallow.