Chapter 256 - Rewards of the Real Secret Realm

“Amazing.”

Lu Ran was surprised to see Lin Yin’s all-girl squad successfully clear a Legendary secret realm. It had only been a few days, so the Queen Ant’s egg shouldn’t have hatched yet. Even if it did, it wouldn’t have reached a high level in just a few days.

In other words, the three of them cleared a Legendary secret realm without a King-rank familiar.

That’s actually quite impressive.

“It’s weird hearing you call someone else amazing,” Youxiong Anlin muttered beside him.

Lu Ran was confused.

“But those three really are skilled. Their team composition was nearly perfect,” Du Yuan said.

“The boss of Gourd Mountain was a Superior-King rank scorpion monster. It had Spirit, Grass, and Poison attributes. Not only could it use illusions, but it also controlled the vicious plants on Gourd Mountain. Its territory was also protected by hallucinogenic poison mist. If Youxiong and I had faced this secret realm, we probably wouldn’t have made it through.”

Youxiong Anlin couldn’t deny it.

“Lin Yin with special abilities handled the illusions, Five Poisons, Fang Lan, neutralized the poison mist, and Xia Ri, who mastered Solar Spear Intent, countered the vicious plants. Lin Yin must have considered the secret realm’s conditions when picking her teammates.

“I just wonder what rewards they got... Forget it. Let’s focus on evolving so we can challenge a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm before they catch up,” Du Yuan said.

When Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan tackled a level 1 Legendary Secret Realm, they had formed a three-person team. Their third teammate was a support-type beastmaster recruited from the raid team. Both his familiar fusion trait and beastmaster skills were purely used for enhancing teammates, making him highly sought-after in the raid team.

Since he wasn’t a combat-type beastmaster, he didn’t stand out in the Beastmaster University freshman competition. However, when it came to secret realms, geniuses from all over preferred teaming up with him over having another strong fighter.

For the level 2 Legendary Secret Realm, however, Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan wanted to attempt duo-clearing.

As for solo-clearing, it was out of the question for now unless one of them evolved their familiar into an Overlord.

“Good luck. I’m heading over first,” Lu Ran said.

“Alright, alright. I’ll take you there.” Youxiong Anlin sighed.

He had a strong feeling that Lu Ran would clear this trial secret realm with ease. Just thinking about Lu Ran walking away with a bunch of treasures from the Youxiong Clan’s secret realm made his heart ache.

And worst of all, he was the one who personally gave Lu Ran this opportunity.

What a tragedy.

***

During the first day of a Real Secret Realm’s activation, multiple challengers could enter. By the time Lu Ran arrived, almost all the visitors had already entered. Following Youxiong Anlin’s lead, Lu Ran stepped through the secret realm gate.

[Do you want to challenge the Unique Trial Secret Realm: Armor Island?]

There were no additional details—just a simple confirmation. Lu Ran clicked “Yes” without hesitation.

The next moment, he felt like he was being hurled through space. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing at the edge of a bamboo forest on an island.

Before he could react, three rodent-like creatures emerged from the bamboo forest. They were muscular and powerful, and even larger than lions or tigers. Their fur was short and had a metallic sheen, while their glowing green eyes held a savage gleam.

[Name: Vajra Rat]

[Attribute: Metal]

[Species Rank: Low Champion]

[Level: 30]

“Bamboo rats? Next stage.”

Before the three Vajra Rats could pounce, their eyes started to roll back. Then, they collapsed to the ground while foaming at the mouth. An invisible pressure wave had knocked them unconscious.

At the same time, Sudden Death King’s massive figure appeared behind Lu Ran. Perched on his shoulders, Dark Crow and Death Crow preened their feathers. On the other hand, Captain Doofus yawned and lazily appeared at Lu Ran’s side.

It had only taken a faint release of dragon aura from Sudden Death King. It didn’t even attack, yet these three Vajra Rats had fainted on the spot. They didn’t stand a chance against an Intermediate-Overlord dragon.

[Congratulations on clearing the first trial. The second trial’s beasts will now appear...]

There was no time to rest. Right after the Vajra Rats fell, four bamboo-armored ape-like beasts that were wrapped with vines emerged from the forest.

Captain Doofus merely glanced at them. A razor-sharp sword intent slashed through their minds and instantly shattered their spiritual will. Their eyes went blank, and they collapsed into shimmering illusions.

For a typical level 2 beastmaster, progressing stage by stage through these trials would inevitably lead to an intense battle. But with three Overlord familiars and one Superior-King familiar on his team, Lu Ran was practically steamrolling the trial like a player with cheat codes. With almost no effort, he reached the tenth trial.

In the ninth trial, he faced eight level 30 Superior-King Bamboo Dragons. These dragon subspecies appeared after participants had already endured eight rounds of battle.

Even a single Superior-King Bamboo Dragon would have been a nightmare for most participants. Eight at once? It was almost impossible.

After all, with Overlords practically absent from Blue Planet, Superior Kings were already at the top of the species hierarchy. Yet, for Dark Crow, a single curse was enough. The eight Bamboo Dragons instantly lost their minds and tore each other apart.

[The final trial’s beast is about to appear...]

“This is too easy.”

From the moment Lu Ran entered, it had only taken him a few minutes to wipe out wave after wave of trial beasts. It was completely boring for him.

“

RAWR!

”

At last, a ten-meter-tall bear-like beast appeared. Its fur was rock-like, and it radiated sheer brutish power.

[Name: Mane Rock Armored Beast]

[Attribute: Rock]

[Species Rank: Low Overlord]

[Level: 30]

But the moment it appeared, Sudden Death King stepped forward. It pounded its chest,m and gestured at it.

Come on. Hit me. Give me your best shot.

The Mane Rock Armored Beast was confused. The next instant, Sudden Death King’s tail whipped across its face, sending it crashing to the ground.

“

RAWRRR!

”

The Mane Rock Armored Beast roared in fury and charged back, launching into a brutal clash with Sudden Death King. But soon, the sound of battle shifted from blows landing to thunderous impacts and the beast’s agonized screams.

“Not a challenge at all.”

A moment later, Lu Ran, Dark Crow, Captain Doofus, and a dust-covered Sudden Death King dusted themselves off. At the same time, a system notification rang in Lu Ran’s ears.

[Congratulations on completing the secret realm mission!]

[Score: SSS]

[You have received a Rare resource: Vajra Grass]

[You have received a Rare resource: Beryl Water]

[You have received a Rare resource: Armor Bamboo]

[You have received...]

[You have received a beastmaster skill: Armor]

[You have received a trait crystal: Super Hibernation]

[You have received a secret realm card.]

To be honest, Lu Ran had been looking forward to the rewards of the Real Secret Realm. Even though the challenge itself had been ridiculously easy, the final boss was still a Low Overlord. It was practically on par with a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm.

The rewards for solo-clearing a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm were usually incredibly valuable, often equivalent to ten or more Treasure-grade resources.

But when Lu Ran perfectly cleared the Real Secret Realm, he froze. It was because the realm had only dropped nearly ten different Rare resources for him. Every single one was only Rare grade. There was not a single Treasure-grade resource.

“Huh? Did I just get unlucky, or is this secret realm a complete scam?”

Staring at the pile of resources, Lu Ran almost wanted to curse. But then, as he browsed through the rewards and saw the Secret Realm Card, his frustration eased.

[Name: Secret Realm Card]

[Description: A unique item with an extremely low drop rate for those who achieve the highest score in a Real Secret Realm. This card allows the user to create a smaller version of the Real Secret Realm with dense natural energy.]

A secret realm card? So this was a thing?

Lu Ran realized that he hadn’t lost to bad luck. In fact, he had actually hit the jackpot. Thinking about it, it made sense. Since Real Secret Realms could be challenged multiple times, the rewards couldn’t be too excessive even with high difficulty. But if it only gave out a bunch of Rare-grade resources, that would be too cheap.

Now, with the secret realm card, Lu Ran finally understood the true strategic value of Real Secret Realms. The secret realm card was its unique drop. And he was probably the first beastmaster in modern times to obtain one.

“Which means... With this, I can create my own independent space in Green Sea City, right? A private base or even a training ground for familiars?” Lu Ran rubbed his chin.

“I could use it to cultivate high-potential Green Sea battle familiars and accelerate their growth...”

***

Outside the Real Secret Realm. After sending Lu Ran into the secret realm, Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan chatted a little longer before preparing to enter themselves.

They weren’t particularly focused on the rewards as their real goal was to train for the guardian. But before they could step inside, Lu Ran reappeared in front of them.

Both of them were stunned. “Huh?”

Lu Ran had only been gone for a few minutes, yet he was already out. Youxiong Anlin was stunned.

“You two still haven’t gone in? I already cleared it.”

“What? You cleared it?” Du Yuan was dumbfounded.

In just a few minutes?

“Yeah. It wasn’t as hard as I expected. It’s about as hard as a Legendary Secret Realm, but the rewards are far worse. The only good part is that it seems like you can keep re-challenging it.” Lu Ran smiled.

But to Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan, that smile felt like a punch in the guts.

“Fuck you. Can you act more like a normal person?” Youxiong Anlin groaned. “Tell me, what were the later trials like? I only made it to the fifth trial before getting wrecked.”

“

Rawr!

”

Before Lu Ran could answer, a massive shadow rushed toward them. The Guardian Panda had sensed something and appeared instantly.

“Guardian, listen to this. This guy went in for just a few minutes and completely cleared the trial secret realm! How is that even humanly possible?” Youxiong Anlin complained.