Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Victory Acknowledged
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[What?]
Hoja stared at the Palace Lord in disbelief when he warned him not to show any hostility toward Hae-jin.
But he knew the reason why.
[It's absurd... Enlightenment Realm?]
It couldn't be helped.
Even reaching the Supreme Master level made one a top-tier expert anywhere in the martial world.
Why?
Because the Enlightenment Realm itself was an exceedingly rare achievement.
In the modern martial world, there were ten individuals hailed as the "Ten Great Masters of the Martial World," and they were the absolute experts who had attained the Enlightenment Realm.
Yet, among all those countless martial artists, only ten had reached it.
Across the entire martial world, just ten.
As such, in practical terms, the Enlightenment Realm was considered "outside the norm."
That was why even Supreme Masters could be called the greatest experts.
But the Hae-jin he intended to oppose had reached the Enlightenment Realm.
And without a doubt, he had proven it with his Flying Sword Technique.
Hoja's mind was a whirlwind of complexity because of it.
Just as the Palace Lord said, he knew he couldn't turn Hae-jin into an enemy anymore.
But at that moment, someone overheard their telepathic exchange.
It was Hae-jin.
[The mood has shifted.]
In truth, Hae-jin had one lingering concern.
Even after revealing his Enlightenment Realm prowess, Hoja might grit his teeth and brand him an enemy of the Southern Savage Beast Palace, leading to the worst-case assault.
Of course, he did have a solution for that.
But it was a last resort he absolutely didn't want to use.
[Massacre most of the Southern Savage Beast Palace and subjugate the rest under me.]
After all, the survival condition for this Trial's Arena was, no matter what anyone said, to be recognized as a disciple of the Southern Savage Beast Palace.
There were various ways to earn that recognition.
One could be acknowledged positively, or negatively.
Overwhelming the entire Southern Savage Beast Palace faction with sheer force and making them accept him as the new Palace Lord was one such method.
The Palace Lord was part of the palace, after all.
Anyway, having overheard the telepathic exchange between the Palace Lord and Hoja, Hae-jin spoke up.
"I'm the winner of the Southern Savage Duel Arena. Now, Elder Hoja! Let's hear your opinion!"
His voice boomed like thunder.
Infusing his energy into a Lion's Roar, Hae-jin shouted.
Most of the disciples clutched their ears at the roar.
Hae-jin's Lion's Roar was so powerful that only experts of a certain caliber could endure it without covering their ears.
Even Peak experts could barely hold on, so lower-tier warriors didn't stand a chance.
In the end, only one person needed to respond to Hae-jin's words.
First Elder Hoja.
Hoja fell silent for a moment at Hae-jin's direct question.
"......"
In his silence, Hoja pondered.
[Facing a Palace Lord who's reached the Enlightenment Realm would cause massive casualties. Even the Palace Lord advised against clashing with him.]
But then, Hoja had another thought.
[The one who put that guy forward as Palace Lord was the Palace Lord himself. That means he knows full well about his skills. In that case...]
After much deliberation, Hoja reached a conclusion.
"I acknowledge it. You are the winner of the Southern Savage Duel Arena."
Even Hoja, who had opposed Hae-jin's victory, now recognized it.
But no one cheered.
No, it was more accurate to say they couldn't.
Every disciple of the Southern Savage Beast Palace thought the same.
[The Palace Lord and First Elder have backed down. Just how strong is that Palace Lord guy?]
Those who knew the Flying Sword Technique signified the Enlightenment Realm already realized Hae-jin was untouchable, but those without that knowledge could only assume as much.
They figured Hae-jin might be someone even the Palace Lord and First Elder Hoja couldn't recklessly challenge.
And so, Hae-jin's trial came to an end.
Having won the Southern Savage Duel Arena and received official recognition, he had fulfilled the survival condition of the trial.
Now, all he had to do in the thirteenth Trial's Arena was wait.
Wait until all 1,250 players in the current zone were recognized by the Southern Savage Beast Palace.
Of course, he had no intention of just sitting idle.
[Gotta go beast hunting.]
What was the point of just waiting?
He figured he might as well accumulate even the tiniest bits of experience in that time.
With everything wrapped up for Hae-jin, there was one person who worried him the most.
Kwon Na-ye.
[Will Na-ye manage to clear the hidden trial in this Trial's Arena?]
Among his party members, Hae-jin was most concerned about Kwon Na-ye.
In truth, surviving the trial wouldn't be hard for her.
Archers were masters of the hunt.
If she just took beast-hunting quests from the Southern Savage Beast Palace disciples and cleared them well, recognition would come quickly.
But the hidden trial was different.
The condition for the hidden trial in the thirteenth Trial's Arena was "winning the Southern Savage Duel Arena."
For mages like Lee Sang or Park Bo-young, it was actually better than for Kwon Na-ye the archer.
[I taught them how to wrap their bodies in magic for close-quarters combat. Anna and Manager Kim handled the melee training well.]
The party members Hae-jin had with him were constantly training in close combat under Damian's swordsmanship lessons, Anna, and Manager Kim's expertise in interpersonal combat.
Thanks to that, mages like Lee Sang and Park Bo-young could fight in melee enhanced by magic.
But Na-ye was different.
Sure, he'd taught her various skills and techniques, so she could handle close quarters better than average archer-type players.
[But against Southern barbarians, it won't be easy.]
So, Hae-jin had advised Na-ye.
『Winning a duel against the Southerners won't be easy. I won't stop you if you want to try, but surrender immediately if it looks like you're going to die. The hidden trial reward isn't worth dying over, so focusing on survival is fine too.』
Now that they'd switched to casual speech, that's how Hae-jin told her.
Na-ye replied.
『No, I don't want even that small gap between us. So I'll give it a shot.』
She showed firm resolve.
Her eyes made it clear she wouldn't be dissuaded.
In the end, all Hae-jin could do was...
[Cheer her on. I wonder how Na-ye's doing?]
[Thirteenth Trial]
Content: Receive recognition from the Southern Savage Beast Palace.
- Zone 166 Participants: 2,482
"Ah, there it is."
Na-ye spoke.
She first glanced ahead.
"Just keep going straight, right?"
Na-ye already knew exactly how to reach the Southern Savage Beast Palace.
Hae-jin had explained the thirteenth Trial's Arena to all his party members.
With that, Na-ye activated her skills and dashed forward.
['Wind Walk, Blessing of the Wind.']
[Skill: 'Wind Walk' used.]
[Wind boosts the caster's movement speed.]
[Skill: 'Blessing of the Wind' used.]
[Wind boosts all of the caster's speeds.]
Boosting her mobility with the two skills, Na-ye sped ahead.
Midway, she sensed a presence.
[Beasts?]
Hae-jin had told her the monsters around the Southern Savage Beast Palace were the fierce beasts inhabiting the surrounding jungles.
Sure enough.
"Graaah!"
A massive black creature roared and lunged at Na-ye as she raced toward the palace.
Seeing it, Na-ye used a skill.
['Backstep!']
[Skill: 'Backstep' used.]
Whoosh!
Backstep.
A skill that pulled her body backward.
An evasion skill faster than normal movement.
Using it, Na-ye's body instantly retreated.
The black beast landed right where she had been.
Boom-!
Its front paw tore up the ground.
Na-ye identified the beast that had gouged the earth.
"A black panther."
The black panther charged at Na-ye again.
"Graaah!"
Seeing it lunge, Na-ye used another skill.
['Wind Jump.']
[Skill: 'Wind Jump' used.]
[Wind aids the caster's jump.]
Whoosh!
Na-ye soared extraordinarily high.
She landed on a tree branch.
Naturally, the panther that missed her just clawed the ground.
Splat-!
In that moment, Na-ye grabbed her bow and arrow mid-jump, landing on the tree and firing simultaneously.
['Power Arrow!']
[Skill: 'Power Arrow' used.]
Fwhoosh-!
The arrow Na-ye fired quadrupled in length and thickness, transforming like a spear and embedding into the panther's skull.
Crack-!
"Grurk!"
The black panther collapsed from a single Power Arrow.
Na-ye flashed a satisfied smile.
"One-shot. Nice."
Pleased, Na-ye quickly returned to the fallen panther.
She picked up the dropped item, then resumed her dash toward the Southern Savage Beast Palace.
Other beasts ambushed her along the way, but they met the same fate as the panther.
Pressing straight ahead while hunting beasts, Na-ye finally spotted it.
"Is that the city where the Southern Savage Beast Palace is?"
A massive city nestled in the jungle like ancient ruins.
It matched Hae-jin's description of the "Southern Savage Beast Palace" perfectly.
At the entrance, hulking guards in animal-hide garb stood sentry, petting their leopards.
Na-ye approached them directly.
The guards sensed her and stopped playing with their leopards.
Normally, they would have gone on alert and demanded identification.
"Who are you?"
"I've come to become a disciple of the Southern Savage Beast Palace."
"You wish to become a disciple?"
"Yes."
"Then you must prove your strength... We'll see if you're worthy."
The guards' test was only to gauge potential for discipleship.
Passing it didn't mean full recognition as a disciple.
It merely confirmed if visitors seeking recognition had the qualifications to enter the city housing the Southern Savage Beast Palace.
And Na-ye already knew how they checked that.
['Inventory.']
At the guard's words, Na-ye opened her inventory and dumped out all the beast remnants she'd collected on the way.
Rattle-rattle-rumble-!
Having emptied every beast carcass from the Southern jungle, Na-ye smiled brightly at the guard.
"That good enough?"
The guards gaped at the pile, jaws dropping.
One of them, who had just declared he'd check her qualifications, stammered.
"You pass—ack!"
At the guard's shout confirming her worthiness to become a disciple, Na-ye stowed all the remnants back and asked.
"So, can I go in now?"
The two guards welcomed her.
"Enter!"
"Welcome to the Southern Savage Beast Palace!"