Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Maeng Yeon
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"Hey, why are you suddenly doing th... Huh?!!"
Just as Baek Hyun was rejoicing over the fact that his matchup with his fated rival had been confirmed.
Jang So-ya suddenly ducked his head to check on Baek Hyun, who had bowed his head, but he couldn't continue speaking due to a presence he felt from behind Baek Hyun. He had no choice but to lower his head just like Baek Hyun.
His eyes rolled around endlessly, unable to find a place to look, while stealing glances at the front.
Sensing from that sight that another of his close friends had arrived, Baek Hyun tilted his head back to greet her.
"Seriously, I told you to cover up a bit when you go out. Your body is way too stimulating for boys your age right now."
"Cut the crap. Why didn't you come out to greet me? I told you I was coming today."
The dizzyingly beautiful woman, who didn't hide her explosive figure in the slightest, furrowed her brows.
Her jet-black hair seemed wrapped in the shadows of night, and her intense eyes burned like black flames.
Her bronze skin, tempered by harsh natural environments, exuded both health and wildness.
Her perfectly formed, firm muscles drew graceful curves along her waist, hips, and thighs, adding sensuality, while her minimally clad Southern Barbarian attire, designed not to hinder movement, only accentuated her breathtaking figure.
Her presence was like that of a proud tiger—intimidating beyond measure, yet irresistibly alluring.
"Not even going to try an excuse like you forgot?"
Maeng Yeon, the first possessor Baek Hyun had met, slowly tilted her head.
With that subtle movement, the two massive peaks that had grown dramatically over the past three years jiggled elastically.
"...Wow."
Baek Hyun momentarily forgot his earlier joy and could only stare at the overwhelming sight before him.
Maeng Yeon, displeased by his gaze, glared at Jang So-ya, who was peeking at her, and spoke up.
"Who are you? You got business with him?"
"N-No... I don't!!"
Overwhelmed by Maeng Yeon's aura, So-ya abandoned his half-eaten food and fled the spot. Maeng Yeon naturally plopped her rear onto the seat he vacated and claimed it for herself.
She then shot a fierce glare at Baek Hyun, who had calmly resumed eating.
"It's been six months since we last saw each other, and this is how you act?"
Her bold, intense gaze, like that of a top predator, pierced through Baek Hyun.
An overwhelming pressure that seemed to seize her opponent with her eyes alone.
Yet most prey, even captivated by her gaze, wouldn't dare refuse her.
As she drew closer, the air trembled, and her body scent brushed his nose.
A captivating fragrance like jungle poison flowers—mixed with the scents of various grasses, sweat, and an indescribably sweet aroma.
A tension that seeped into the skin, blended with an irresistible sweetness that clouded the prey's judgment.
But even inhaling that intensely potent scent right in front of him, Baek Hyun calmly moved his chopsticks and spoke.
"It's been way longer since I last ate with So-ya. Plus, yesterday and today were hectic packing... and above all, you can just come find me without me greeting you, right?"
Because she's here.
Baek Hyun glanced at the massive black silhouette that had subtly revealed itself behind Maeng Yeon.
Unlike its past size, which was still within tiger territory despite being large, it now boasted a size rivaling an elephant—a monstrous being of the ghost tiger lineage, Wehojiik.
"Har, you've gotten huge. How much do you eat a day to get like that?"
-Grrr...
The low growl, scraping at his eardrums, sent a strange pressure crushing his body, raising fine goosebumps.
A sensation similar to when he met the Three-Legged Crow or the Great Peng.
Har, who had diligently grown from a child into adolescence, now possessed power and presence on an entirely different level.
But as its tamer was who she was, the most significant growth was likely not raw power, but mastery over it.
The reason they had located them so quickly across the vast Starpoint Mountains was undoubtedly thanks to borrowing Har's power.
"Seeing how much Har has grown makes it seem like you've been pretty busy."
What have you been up to?
At Baek Hyun's belated inquiry, Maeng Yeon furrowed her brows even more and replied.
"You always try to brush it off like that... I always come out to greet you whenever you arrive. Don't you have any conscience? Especially since it's been half a year!"
"What, still mad? Can't be helped then. As an apology, I'll pet you, so bare your belly and lie down."
"Fuck, you asshole!!"
At Maeng Yeon's vehement refusal, Baek Hyun nimbly switched targets to his original prey.
"Then how about Har there?"
-Grrrrr...!!
But facing fierce resistance from the new target as well, Baek Hyun smacked his lips and withdrew his outstretched hand toward them.
All while vowing to one day ruffle that luscious black fur to his heart's content.
"Haa, seriously, one day I'm gonna catch you and give you a good thrashing... Ugh."
At Baek Hyun's playful attitude, Maeng Yeon let out a deep sigh but moved to sit right next to him and began the conversation.
"I roamed around fighting every monstrous being I came across near Yunnan Province. I'd already trained enough, so it was practical combat training."
Thanks to the exchange with Starpoint Sect improving Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's situation considerably, the Southern Barbarian tamers could now provide even more nutritious and abundant food to the monstrous beings than before.
Maeng Yeon actively utilized this to thoroughly train Har in various techniques and combos that they hadn't practiced properly before due to poor fuel efficiency.
Thanks to that, she too had achieved a tremendous increase in combat power matching Baek Hyun's.
And the capstone of that was the battles over the past six months.
"I tracked down every big-shot monstrous being around Yunnan Province, and Har devoured them all. Thanks to that, the entire surrounding area has become Har's territory. There's no one left to rival us in Yunnan now."
"Oh, you finally did a proper spec farm run?"
Humans could gain power from monstrous beings by obtaining inner cores and such, but it was incomparable to the growth a monstrous being achieved by devouring another of its kind.
Being the same type, it could fully absorb the unrefined energy the monstrous being held in life.
Thus, among Southern Barbarian Beast Palace build players aiming for the top, sweeping the fields to hunt monstrous beings was considered standard practice.
"Perfect timing. Why don't you come along to the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly this time? You can't participate, but you can at least watch."
Having farmed all the monstrous beings around Yunnan Province, the next step was touring the nation to hunt those in various regions.
But that stage was for the story's final act or post-ending PvP, so she had nothing much to do for a while.
In that case, heading to Hubei Province together was an option.
As a later-generation expert from the unorthodox martial world, not the righteous sects, she couldn't directly join the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, but her mere presence as a companion held significant meaning.
Since who knows what might happen there.
Three years had passed since the last main chapter, so it was about time for a new one to start.
Moreover, the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly was one of the biggest events in all of Dominating the World.
It had a high chance of being a main story branch point.
In such a situation, her presence—having grown tremendously over the past three years—would undoubtedly be a huge help.
Plus, he could reconnect with the other possessors sure to gather there, making it a win-win.
"The Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, huh. It does seem like it'd be good for me to tag along in many ways... but I'll pass this time. Got something to do."
"What? But if something major like a main chapter pops off there, having even one more possessor is always better..."
At Baek Hyun's undisguised disappointment, Maeng Yeon made a wry expression and continued.
She fully understood why Baek Hyun wanted to bring her to the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, but this time, she couldn't yield even if she wanted to.
"...If a main chapter really does trigger there, I might have to freeloading this time. Who knows when I'll get another chance if not now."
The chance to tame a new one.
'!!'
Realizing Maeng Yeon's purpose belatedly, Baek Hyun quickly shook off the disappointment from his face.
For any other reason, maybe, but showing disappointment when she couldn't join because of that reason was something a gamer simply couldn't do.
"...Come to think of it, your partners are still just Har, right?"
"Yeah, it's about time to adopt the second one."
Southern Barbarian Beast Palace build players could tame up to three monstrous beings to fight alongside them.
More was possible, but it would ruin the organic coordination and linked skills between tamer and beasts, so three was the hard limit.
Maeng Yeon currently filled two slots.
One was her current sole partner, Har.
The second was Son Mu, who would fully revive later via the 'Emperor's Tomb' effect.
Thus, one precious slot remained.
And who would fill that invaluable final slot was obvious.
The reason she was called the 'Calamitous Bird'—her signature, the Emperor of the Skies.
The Great Peng.
However, taming that supreme being, ranked 5th among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts, was no easy feat.
The Peng lived as a larval 'Kun'—in fish form—before fully maturing.
Once transformed into the giant bird form of the Great Peng, it possessed lofty intelligence and overwhelming power, making taming nearly impossible. Only as a 'Kun' was it feasible.
The problem was that the Kun's sole habitat was the cold, dark 'North Sea' region.
In modern terms... Siberia.
Yes, that Siberia.
The insanely cold Siberia, virtually untouched even in modern times!
An extreme environment completely opposite to her native Southern Barbarians, where mere survival would be challenging for her.
And the distance from here in Yunnan Province was beyond imagination.
A grueling journey that would humble even seasoned travelers, taking months just to reach Hubei.
Maeng Yeon had essentially declared her intent to throw herself into that hellish place.
How could he throw a tantrum over something so uncertain?
As she said, this might be her only chance to tame the Great Peng.
If not now, when the Wheelbreaker Cult wasn't fully active yet and she had decent specs.
She might never get another shot in her lifetime.
"If I'm lucky, I'll be back in a few months. If not, maybe never. Might be better to look for another monstrous being... but I have to go anyway."
Without the Great Peng, I wouldn't be the Calamitous Bird.
With those words, she rose from her seat and leaned her upper body toward Baek Hyun beside her, continuing.
"How do you feel? You might never see me again."
"Well, obviously..."
"I'm really sad."
Thinking about not seeing you.
It feels like I'll go insane.
"Why don't you look as sad as me? It's annoying."
Maeng Yeon's hands firmly grasped Baek Hyun's flustered face.
The face that had shed its youthful innocence over the past three years, now that of a proper man.
A face that always smiled playfully, yet held eyes more resolute than anyone's.
Damn, it's annoyingly handsome, Maeng Yeon thought.
"Consider this... a gift from me."
-Mmwah
Their lips met.