Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Rogue Beasts and the Elder Council's Decision
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"Hmm, shall we do that, then?"
The palace lord reacted after hearing Hae-jin's story.
Hae-jin nodded at the response.
"Yes, that seems like the best approach."
"Hmm, your opinion as palace master doesn't sound bad at all, so I'll bring it up at the elder council first."
"Understood. In the meantime, until the meeting takes place, I'll hunt down the ferocious beasts that have escaped the control of the nearby Beast Palace disciples."
Beast Palace.
The "southern barbarian" in Southern Barbarian Beast Palace referred to uncivilized foreigners, but it wasn't something to say in front of the palace lord, so he omitted it.
Anyway, what Hae-jin had just referred to as "ferocious beasts that have escaped the Beast Palace's control" were these:
The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace warriors fought using their inherently robust physiques unique to the southern barbarians born and raised there from ancient times, but their innate affinity for animals allowed them to keep pets.
As a result, Beast Palace disciples emphasized bare-handed combat alongside coordination with their loyal pets.
However, not all animals near the Beast Palace were friendly.
Those were precisely the ferocious beasts that had escaped the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's control, as Hae-jin had described.
When Hae-jin offered to deal with the beasts threatening the Beast Palace disciples while the elder council deliberated, the palace lord tapped his foot.
Tap, tap.
He was waking the large white marten that had been sleeping at his feet.
The marten stirred and rose as the palace lord nudged it awake.
As the freshly awakened marten looked up at him, the palace lord swung his hand toward Hae-jin.
The marten that had risen beside the palace lord then charged straight at Hae-jin.
It leaped onto his feet.
Pabababat!
The marten swiftly climbed up Hae-jin's body and descended just as quickly.
Hae-jin knew exactly what this meant.
*He's applied the Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent.*
Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent.
It was a fragrance that allowed tracking by scent from a thousand miles away.
The palace lord's marten could detect that scent, and after applying it to Hae-jin, the marten returned to the palace lord.
The palace lord spoke as the marten came back.
"Once the elder council concludes, this one will come find you, Palace Master. Just return then."
"Understood."
"See you later, then."
"Yes."
Having finished his conversation with the palace lord, Hae-jin headed straight into the jungle near the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.
To survive this Trials' Arena, one needed recognition from the Beast Palace lord and disciples, but rankings in this Trials' Arena were determined by the degree of that recognition.
The highest score came from winning the Southern Barbarian Duel Arena and becoming palace master, but there were various ways to rack up points until the end of this Trials' Arena.
One was conversing with and befriending Beast Palace disciples, then completing the quests they offered.
Another was hunting the ferocious beasts not under the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's control.
Of course, there were ways to score even higher.
*Completing quests makes it more advantageous, sure.*
Some Beast Palace disciples offered quests to hunt beasts and bring back their corpses or capture them alive.
Naturally, fulfilling those quests while hunting beasts near the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace yielded even higher scores.
But Hae-jin skipped the quests.
The reason was simple.
*If I get stuck with pointless quests, I won't have time to hunt the beasts...*
With that thought, Hae-jin spread his twin swords like wings on either side and shot forward.
Extending his sword aura long along both sides.
In an instant, a section of the jungle near the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace fell to the two streaks of sword aura.
Every ferocious beast in the vicinity perished as well.
[Your level has increased!]
Seeing that his level had risen, Hae-jin noted it.
Hae-jin was already about twenty levels higher than the average player, thanks to monopolizing so much.
For even him to level up meant he had slain an enormous number of ferocious beasts in the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's jungle.
Hae-jin felt satisfied upon seeing his level rise.
"This is what it takes to level up?"
For others, catching just a few beasts in the Beast Palace jungle would grant significant levels, but Hae-jin had thought he might not even gain one level here.
Seeing his level actually rise confirmed he had massacred an insane number of beasts in the Beast Palace jungle.
As he said that, Hae-jin glanced around.
"Hmm, should I summon Terry too?"
Terry.
That referred to the lich, Hae-jin's third Chaos soldier.
Normally, when he hunted like this, he had Q and Kyo handle the drop collection, but since he'd wiped out so many in one go this time, even the two of them were struggling to keep up—grunting and hustling back and forth despite their enlarged sizes.
Seeing that, Hae-jin decided he had no choice and summoned Terry.
"Terry, come out."
Whoooosh-!
A whirlwind erupted from the shadow in front of Hae-jin.
Terry Prisoner emerged from it.
[Hmm? What brings you to summon me?]
Hae-jin rarely brought out Terry Prisoner normally, as he was even worse at picking up drops than Q and Kyo, which only frustrated everyone.
Two were plenty anyway.
But this time, Q and Kyo were struggling more than expected, so Hae-jin figured he should put Terry to work too.
"Summon your minions and collect all the dropped items around."
[Huh? Don't you usually leave that just to Q and Kyo?]
"Look over there."
[Hmm?]
Hae-jin pointed to one spot with his index finger, and Terry Prisoner looked.
Seeing it, Terry Prisoner spoke as if grasping the situation.
[Ah, you've wiped out so many even those two seniors can't handle.]
"Yeah, so hurry up and collect them."
[Understood. Rise!]
Terry Prisoner extended his staff forward and commanded.
As if ordering his undead legion to rise.
Skeletons and corpses scattered around began to stir and stand.
Having raised his undead legion, Terry Prisoner issued orders.
[Collect every item around!]
Kikigik-.
Groooar-.
Skeletons and zombies of all sorts moved in response to Terry Prisoner's command.
Watching Terry Prisoner's undead legion mobilize, Hae-jin said,
"Then I'll keep hunting, so you all gather every drop."
[Understood.]
"Got it."
With drop collection now entrusted even to Terry Prisoner, Hae-jin relentlessly hunted the ferocious beasts in the jungle near the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace without pause.
In the midst of it, Hae-jin sensed a presence.
From an area he'd already swept clean, a lifeform was rapidly approaching on four legs.
Hae-jin closed his eyes, sensing the distant presence.
*Something four-legged is bounding this way. It's that marten from earlier, huh?*
The palace lord's marten, capable of tracking the Thousand-Mile Tracking Scent applied to his body.
That marten was pursuing Hae-jin's location.
Q, Kyo, and Terry Prisoner—and even the undead legion—were encountering the marten for the first time, but Hae-jin gave them no combat orders, only drop collection.
Thus, the marten leisurely slipped past the three Chaos soldiers and the summoned undead legion, approaching Hae-jin.
*That guy's fast.*
Hae-jin had carved through the jungle district by district in a flash, putting considerable distance from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, yet the marten closed the gap tirelessly.
Its speed was impressive—no sports car, but easily matching a decent sedan.
Soon, the palace lord's marten reached Hae-jin.
"Kiyot!"
Emitting a peculiar screech, the marten jumped and landed on Hae-jin's shoulder.
Thud!
Hae-jin asked, looking at the settled marten.
"Did the palace lord send you to fetch me?"
The marten nodded as if understanding human speech at Hae-jin's question.
Nod, nod.
Any animal the palace lord kept was likely a spirit beast.
So it wasn't strange that it understood words.
Hae-jin spoke at the marten's response.
"Alright, then we'll head back—once all the items are collected."
"Kiruk?"
The marten tilted its head at Hae-jin's words about waiting for item collection before returning.
Hae-jin stroked its head and waited.
For his minions to sweep up the surrounding drops.
After about five minutes, everyone gathering drops converged.
Hae-jin received them, then reverse-summoned everyone.
Pababat-!
"Kiruk?"
The marten startled as all the summons vanished.
Hae-jin chuckled, looking at it.
"Alright, let's head back."
With that, Hae-jin immediately used Shadow Blink.
Sssrrk-!
Hae-jin and the marten melted into the shadows.
Moments later, they arrived at the palace lord's chamber in the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, now markable as a waypoint.
Whoooosh-!
Hae-jin emerged in the palace lord's chamber.
The palace lord eyed him with interest.
"Oh ho, so the palace master can travel through shadows? Are you from the Shadow Sect?"
The palace lord asked if he was from the Shadow Sect upon seeing him burst from the shadows.
"No, not exactly—just happened to pick it up."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. So, what did the elder council decide?"
"The conclusion just came down. They agreed to actively incorporate your opinion, Palace Master. The elders thought it sounded amusing too. Especially since the proposal came from a palace master without patronage from any of them—they took even more interest."
Sponsored palace masters.
Among the hundred palace masters, some had elder sponsorship.
Some were rough gems polished and promoted for their potential, and since some elders had palace master bloodlines, sponsorships were inevitable.
As the palace lord described, had one of those sponsored palace masters made the proposal, Hae-jin's might not have passed.
Hae-jin understood why.
*Right— a sponsored palace master saying he'll crush the others would drive a wedge between sponsoring elders.*
But Hae-jin was a palace master with no elder backing.
From the elders' perspective, it was almost infuriating.
A non-sponsored palace master boldly claiming he could beat the others.
So they must have thought:
*This is a chance to crush the insolent one and, thanks to this unsponsored proposal, avoid rifts among ourselves while boasting whose sponsored palace master is strongest—they couldn't resist.*
That was why Hae-jin was certain his proposal would pass the elder council.
Hae-jin smirked upon learning it had indeed passed.
*But oh well—what can you do? None of those sponsored palace masters will win this Southern Barbarian Duel Arena anyway.*
The winner was Park Hae-jin, after all.