Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Episode 008 (5)
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“Assemble, assemble!”
“We’ll now distribute the rewards for those who passed the second exam!”
“Rewards will be handed out based on your performance, so step forward when your name is called!”
As Kuhn had anticipated, the items in the cart turned out to be rewards for safely completing the second exam.
And not just any rewards—these were gear crafted from the very same beast cores the children had hunted.
That was the meaning behind the announcement of differential rewards based on exam results.
‘So, they give worthless trophies to those who hunted weak beasts, and superior spoils made from stronger cores to those who brought back the tough ones?’
It was a brutally merit-based reward system.
Kuhn smirked as he read the Lion’s Den instructors’ intentions lurking beneath it all.
The items distributed to the children varied wildly in quality.
Chain armor made from vine moth shells or leather armor from low-grade beast hides—
Leather Armor
—those were actually on the better end of the spectrum.
“Th-this is...?”
“It’s solidified oil made from sulfur rat secretions. Rub it on to mask your scent, or use it to start a fire if you need to.”
Not all the so-called rewards were utterly useless, but plenty were impractical for combat.
The faces of the kids handed sulfur rat oil twisted in disappointment.
But they had no one to blame but themselves.
Sticking to the outer edges of the Redbone Mountains to hunt weaker beasts had been their own choice, after all.
Meanwhile, the few who’d bagged decent prey chattered excitedly.
Right on cue, the Silver siblings received their rewards and piped up cheerfully.
“Sniff! This looks like a solid sword.”
“Yeah. And this fur hat’s not bad either, even if the design’s a bit off. Still, it’ll do...”
Lui Silver swung the sword in his hand this way and that.
His sister, Lua Silver, shrugged while adjusting the fur hat draped over her shoulders and head.
‘A sword forged from sabertooth tiger fangs, and a hooded cape from its fur?’
Saber-tooth tigers were infamous for fangs over a meter long in full adults.
A sword made from tusks that could shatter solid rock wouldn’t be anything less than formidable.
And besides...
‘Unlike regular saber-tooths, the sabertooth subspecies is known for breathing powerful flames.’
Its fur and hide were equally renowned for fire resistance.
Wearing that hood would let you move through an inferno that swallowed buildings whole.
As for Taylor Rosetta—
‘A gauntlet from giant black mamba hide—’
To be precise, a single one-handed glove covering from the palm up to halfway along the forearm.
Hand Glove
The giant black mamba was notorious for its innate toughness.
Infuse it with a bit of aura, and it could deflect swords, axes, or arrows with ease.
A few more kids received their rewards after that.
Finally, Kuhn’s name—or rather, his alias—was called.
“...Next up, Ethan. Ethan, come forward and claim your item!”
Not his real name, but a pseudonym.
What Kuhn received was five daggers sheathed in a long leather belt harness.
Thinner and shorter blades than usual, with an aerodynamic shape perfect for slicing through the air—they were clearly specialized for throwing at a glance.
Recognizing them instantly, Kuhn’s eyes lit up.
‘Throwing knives. Throwing swords.’
(投劍)
The blades gleamed faintly red whenever they caught the light.
The two senior instructors handed over the belt and explained as they did.
“These daggers contain traces of blood metal. They haven’t been used yet, but with blood metal in them, they’ll grow harder the more blood they absorb.”
“The leather belt’s lining has been packed with elastically processed mine prospector beast remains, so you can unfurl it as a whip if needed.”
‘A whip?’
Sure enough, he could feel something tough and springy inside the belt.
Even his fingertips picked up the taut elasticity.
Kuhn nodded faintly at the sensation.
‘So that’s why it took a full month to distribute the rewards.’
Unlike byproducts from other beasts that could be pre-crafted, no gear from blood-metal-eating mine prospectors existed beforehand.
They’d had to process part of the giant specimen Kuhn hunted and forge it directly into a weapon.
Of course that would take time.
Once all items were distributed, the two senior instructors addressed the still-assembled children.
“That wraps up the item distribution.”
“Now, we’ll explain your third exam!”
It had been just a month since the second exam.
Murmurs rippled through the kids at the announcement of a third so soon.
The instructors pressed on with sly grins, unperturbed.
“Your third exam...”
“Is practical training.”
.
.
‘Practical training, huh...’
Despite the grandiose name, it wasn’t anything elaborate.
Just like regular Jordic knights or knight orders, they’d head to an assigned location and carry out their mission. That was it.
For the trainees of the third and fourth dens, the mission was bandit subjugation.
‘Subjugate the bandits occupying and raiding villages in the Mongrashe region?’
Mongrashe region.
As a northern continent locale, it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to him.
And even if it were, he had ways to learn more.
‘...Like sifting through the memories lingering in this body...’
Steep terrain and limestone soil.
Low rainfall, abundant sunlight, cool climate.
Fragmented info swirled in his mind, piecing together a picture of Mongrashe.
As Kuhn organized this from his body’s residual memories—
“Practical training? For real?”
“We’re finally leaving the Lion’s Den?”
“Does that mean we get real missions?”
Nearby trainees buzzed with excitement.
Their voices brimmed with uncontainable thrill.
Kuhn chuckled inwardly as he half-listened.
‘Can’t blame them.’
Most here dreamed of graduating the Lion’s Den to become Jordic knights roaming the north.
Not graduated yet, but a mission felt like being a full knight already.
The buoyant mood continued—until Kuhn’s eyes darkened as he reviewed the instructors’ words.
Whoosh—
‘One thing nagging me: the explanation’s still incomplete.’
Mission details and destination were covered, but one crucial piece was missing.
Not something to hide intentionally—it was essential for the mission.
They’d explain it soon enough.
‘Hmm.’
While Kuhn pondered, the senior instructors watched him discreetly from nearby.
‘It was supposed to be the fourth exam originally. Third was inter-den sparring to set the pecking order...’
‘But orders came from above to swap and make practical training the third.’
A brief glance exchanged.
They nodded, eyeing Kuhn amid the trainees.
The vibe around him explained the command to skip sparring and jump to the fourth.
‘Makes sense. This Lion’s Den class might not even need a hierarchy fight.’
‘Leaders and squad captains for the mission are basically set.’
‘Not just third and fourth dens—first and second are the same.’
‘Even so, who’d have thought the young master would survive this long and lead the third and fourth dens.’
‘Unimaginable.’
‘Mm.’
Ending their silent exchange, the instructors addressed the children again.
“Oh, right—we almost forgot to mention...”
“...?”
The kids, mid-celebration, snapped to attention.
Whenever the instructors dropped a cryptic line like this, vital info followed.
The third and fourth den trainees knew it well.
The instructors locked eyes with Kuhn amid the group.
“Leading the third and fourth dens for this practical training will be Ethan. Ethan.”
“Lion Vanguard, for convenience. Temporary or not, congratulations on becoming captain—no, vanguard leader, trainee Ethan.”
Thus, the thirty-odd trainees from the third and fourth dens formed a single temporary unit.
And Kuhn ascended to vanguard leader of the Lion Vanguard.