Chapter 702: Public Outrage?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 702: Public Outrage?
During the League Hunting Exam.
No one knew exactly when it started, but a strange thread began circulating on the Zhiwang Hunting Forum. It all began when a candidate posted that following the wanted posters for Teaching Assistant Xiao Han always led to massive clusters of mutant beasts.
Soon, many other candidates who had shared the same experience began leaving comments, confirming the claim.
It seemed that from the second day of the hunt, they rarely caught sight of Teaching Assistant Xiao Han herself. All they ever found was her bounty tracking mark. If they followed that location, without fail, something "unexpected" would happen.
Mutant beasts that were usually impossible to find would suddenly appear in swarms. And don't think of these as easy points; a single stampede from one of those packs was enough to make a large team of dozens of people retreat to avoid the brunt of the charge.
Even some "geniuses" who tried to exploit this "feature" to hunt the beasts ended up being slaughtered by the swarms. The lucky ones barely escaped with their lives.
As time passed, Teaching Assistant Xiao Han moved closer and closer to the border of the Ninglan Territory, occasionally even crossing it. The number and strength of the mutant beasts there were terrifying.
Yet, despite the danger, Xiao Han remained highly sought after. After all... if you couldn't find any mutant beast swarms to hunt, following her would eventually lead you to some. Whether you could actually defeat them once you found them was a different story entirely.
Of course, if the only draw was stumbling into beast swarms, the hype wouldn't have reached such ridiculous levels. After all, if we're talking about "ridiculous," there were other TAs whose wanted posters hadn't been cleared for days, with accumulated bounty durations reaching triple digits!
That was truly ridiculous.
That person was practically a God of Killing in their own right—an existence most candidates now avoided at all costs.
However, that person never truly solidified the title of "God of Killing."
People soon discovered that this particular TA also avoided group hunts. When a hunting party of dozens or even a hundred people came roaring in, this "God of Killing" would retreat. Consequently, some users on the Zhiwang Hunting section claimed such a person didn't deserve the title.
That TA’s fame was short-lived.
But Teaching Assistant Xiao Han was different!
"Follow Xiao Han, get your fill of mutant beasts" was just a joke among the average candidates. What truly made the name "Teaching Assistant Xiao Han" legendary on the Zhiwang Hunting section was her behavior.
She was traveling across the entire Expansion Realm, seeking out the geniuses of various Transcendent Academies to challenge them.
As long as she deemed an opponent worthy, she would track them down for a duel—be it a one-on-one or a team fight where she took on several at once.
There was nothing wrong with enjoying a challenge, but the kicker was that she even challenged her fellow TAs!
Furthermore, when she encountered a TA and won, Xiao Han wouldn't kill them. Instead, she would turn them into a "meeting gift" for her next opponent. It was essentially handing over a free hundred points before inviting the next person to a duel!
And if they won that duel, they could net another hundred points!
Although no one on the Zhiwang Hunting section had stepped forward yet to claim they had actually won those hundred points from Xiao Han, the stories of her exploits had spread like wildfire.
Teaching Assistant Xiao Han instantly became the person everyone wanted to meet most. Encountering her meant another TA had fallen victim to her, and it meant you were recognized by her. If you were confident enough, you could potentially pocket two hundred points in a single encounter!
Even if your skills were lacking, you’d at least have the points from the defeated TA as a consolation prize. Even after deducting the points for death and resurrection, it was still a massive profit.
Moreover, Xiao Han didn't discriminate between academies. As the days passed, her list of challenged opponents grew to cover the Witch Academy, Wizard Academy, Afuhemi Academy, Holy Angel Academy, and several Beast Academies.
Not to mention that during this time, she wasn't just fighting candidates; the TAs she used as "meeting gifts" were also her opponents!
Many candidates had personally experienced the strength of the TAs; their power went without saying.
Under normal circumstances, a one-on-one victory was nearly impossible. Even against the TA with the weakest combat instincts, their physical stats and terrifyingly thick health bars made them impossible to beat alone.
And that was exactly why Teaching Assistant Xiao Han was so admired: fairness.
Xiao Han’s health bar looked normal. Even if she was hit by a sneak attack from a single arrow, her health would drop drastically. While her physical stats were still strong, they weren't "cheating" like the other TAs.
Later, someone on Zhiwang explained that the TAs' massive health bars were related to their life force. The stronger the life force, the stronger the self-healing ability of their bodies—a trait known as "immortality."
The story of the weak overcoming the strong is always the most celebrated. Xiao Han, who seemed to be on their level, fought against TAs they considered "broken" and won every single time. What story could be more popular than that?
Although some on Zhiwang rumored that Xiao Han didn't win every single fight against a TA, no one listened to them. Besides, the fact remained that no one had actually seen her lose!
Given her current popularity, even if there were concrete proof of a loss, she would still have a massive following. Because the TAs' abilities were so unfair, it was only natural for her to lose occasionally. But in her battles, she mostly... won!
Looking at the discourse on Zhiwang, Xiao Han had seemingly become a "third faction" in this League Hunting Exam, separate from both the "candidates" and the "TAs," completely cutting herself off from the other TAs.
* * *
"Alright, time to go."
I looked down at the half-orc at my feet. This guy was a Little Beast King from the Beast Academy, equivalent to a TA from the Witch Academy and worth a hundred points. I’d seen his kind many times now; since there were so many Transcendent Academies under the Beast Academy's umbrella, catching them was the easiest way to gather points.
Although half-orcs have slight physiological differences from humans, the method to knock them out without killing them is essentially the same.
The battle was over.
I used a Wound Cleansing Spell to clear the filth from my injuries, then tilted my head back to down a healing potion. After all, I hadn't reached the level of possessing immortality yet.
While Little Beast Kings from the Beast Academy were common, it didn't mean they were weak. The Beast Academy was a place that emphasized "bestial nature" above all else. Their curriculum stressed the law of the jungle and the rule of might.
From what I had gathered, combat was their most common form of social interaction. Academy regulations even allowed for brawls on campus, and students were encouraged to compete.
In the Witch Academy, students were only allowed to fight on the arena stages. But in the Beast Academy... I heard you could find a duel every few steps. While that might be an exaggeration, it reflected the reality of their environment.
Furthermore, from my experience, the close-quarters combat instincts of the Beast Academy TAs were stronger—much stronger—than some of the TAs at the Witch Academy.
While the Witch Academy still dominated overall, in my opinion, it was only because the Beast Academy suffered from the limitations of their specific Transcendent system.
I looked at the wounds I’d sustained during the fight. Just as I was about to pull out another potion for topical application, I suddenly sensed an incoming arrow. My Cognitive Time Sense triggered instinctively.
A blurred visual frame showed a cold, glinting arrow whistling toward me, enchanted with concealment and silencing runes from Elven Magic.
In an instant, I predicted that the arrow wasn't aimed at my life. Its target was the potion bottle in my hand!
Having reached that conclusion, I didn't move. I allowed the arrow to pierce the glass bottle, which shattered with a sharp crack.
"Who's there?"
Only then did I look around, seemingly realizing what happened late, and called out a challenge.
Since the attacker didn't go for a killing blow but instead destroyed the item I was about to use, it was undoubtedly a taunt—or perhaps a declaration.
It also implied they weren't afraid of me escaping, which meant I was likely already surrounded.
In that split second, my mind raced as I tried to sense any hidden presences in the vicinity.
The League Hunting Exam had been going on for many days now, and my exploits had likely spread far and wide. Therefore, this couldn't be a case of an opponent being overconfident.
They had absolute certainty.
This confidence could stem from their own strength, or perhaps from the team backing them up.
"Yang Yuehan, don't you think you've gone too far?"
Two hulking figures emerged from the distance, walking toward me. They addressed me by name, their voices low and thick with suppressed rage.
"Little Beast Kings from the Beast Academy? Strange. I thought your lot believed in the rule of might above all else. They were inferior to me in both skill and strength... Are you here to seek justice for those losers?" I looked at the two of them, somewhat surprised.
Two Little Beast Kings... and that was far from all of them. Judging by the precision of the shot earlier, the archer was likely a genuine Elven student, not just an orc who had chosen the Ranger profession.
"No! They deserve what they got for losing. But you shouldn't have used them as your stepping stones! A beast may be killed, but not insulted!" As he spoke, a terrifying surge of power erupted from him as he charged toward me.
"What a flimsy excuse~"
I made a snide remark and used my superior agility to maneuver. Beneath his feet, plant vines extended silently—my third skill, the crowd-control Plant Entanglement.
Against an orc with immense brute strength, the effect of such a spell was usually negligible. However, I had developed a new way to use it. An orc might be strong, but their limbs are at their weakest during the initial phase of a movement. As a Body Cultivator, I had done my research on physical mechanics.
The orc’s plan to give me a "show of force" failed. He stared at the vines that should have snapped with a single tug, yet they stubbornly hindered his movements. He could have broken them with just a bit more effort, but in those critical moments, his rhythm was constantly disrupted. His steps faltered, and his punches couldn't even graze me.
After just a few brief exchanges, he lost due to his own recklessness and lack of thought.
As his balance broke and I slammed him to the ground with my book, I didn't have the chance to follow up with a finishing blow. He still had a companion by his side.
Moreover, there was still an Elf hiding in the shadows, ready to fire a black arrow at any moment.
I wasn't in peak condition to handle every attack; I was currently limited to using the Power Network and basic Body Cultivation strength.
To deal with the unknown, I had to maintain at least a fifty percent margin of reaction time to handle unforeseen dangers with composure.
"Impressive. Taking down a Little Beast King in just a few moves... I suppose the rumors on Zhiwang about you not fearing a duel with anyone are true."
"And who are you? Stepping out from behind the scenes and calling it 'impressive'... usually, that's followed by a slow clap to complete the cliché. Where's your applause?" I said, looking at the figure.
"Fine, I'll grant you your final wish." The female figure began to clap—clap, clap, clap—though it sounded entirely perfunctory.
"Oh, an Elf. Were you the one who fired that cold arrow and shattered my potion bottle?" The figure dropped her shadow concealment, revealing herself. Only then did I recognize her as an Elf; Elven Rangers are exceptionally skilled at hiding themselves.
"Regrettably, it wasn't me."
"It was me."
Another figure dropped down from a tree, admitting it bluntly with the characteristic arrogance of the Elven race.
"Listen to you, so confident. Care to give me an encore?" As I spoke, I pulled out another potion bottle and waved it between two fingers at the Elf.
"Elven archery is not a performance for your amusement! It is the art of the hunt!"
"Tch~ so you just don't want to perform." I put the potion away, taking the opportunity to mock their attitude.
But internally, I had confirmed one thing: I was in a trap.
I glanced at the "Little Beast King" lying on the ground nearby. No wonder he had been so obviously alone; despite his considerable strength, this had been a premeditated setup.
Wait!
Something clicked. I looked at the wound I had treated earlier.
That previous Little Beast King had been obsessed with scratching me rather than defeating me... that was the main reason I had been injured. I had thought he was just getting smarter...
Just as the realization hit me, a curse rune suddenly manifested on the spot I had treated with the Wound Cleansing Spell!
"Oh? You noticed? That Little Beast King has some skill, though not much. He traded being subdued just to give you one tiny scratch."
"The Wizard Academy... you guys really think highly of me, don't you?"
My relaxed demeanor vanished as more figures emerged.
This was a curse ability from the Wizard skill tree, using a specific medium.
I tried to use a Magic Protection Spell to boost my magic resistance and fend off the corrosive effect of the curse, but it wasn't very effective. Even the physical resistance from Stone Skin only slowed the curse's progression.
"Of course we think highly of you. If we didn't, would we need this many people to ambush you?"
At this point, those hiding in the dark stopped concealing themselves and stepped forward. A quick glance revealed more than a dozen people!
This was more than I had initially detected when I first realized I was being ambushed. It seemed there were indeed plenty of geniuses from the various academies.
"Yang Yuehan, we've let you run wild for long enough. Did you really think you were the only genius among all these Transcendent Academies?"
"Did you really think every competition was just a stage for you to show off?"
"Don't you know that the hardest-working actor on a stage is usually just a clown? Just like you. You've spent these past few days in the spotlight, but so what?"
"Do you have any idea that your actions over these past few days have provoked public outrage?"
"Public outrage?" I let out a soft laugh, acting as if I wasn't the one cornered in a desperate situation. "This so-called 'public outrage' is nothing more than your own bruised egos."