Chapter 33: Chapter 32

-Prove your qualifications to become the king.

"...!"

Dun.

Suho's senses stat sensed an abnormality taking place in the forest.

The forest was agitated.

Suho stopped walking and looked at Rakan's Sword.

"Did you just say that?"

-It's not me.

"Does the voice sound the same?"

-It has to be. It was said by a being just like me in this sanctuary.

Suho tilted his head.

"Are they the same as you?"

-Yes. You probably didn't think that the king of beasts, the Fang Monarch Rakan, would only have one fang, right?

"Usually four."

-Two.

"..."

-It means that there are only two fangs made of holy material.

As Suho stared at him, Rakan's Sword hurriedly defended himself.

-I don't know if I said it, but to be precise, I'm Rakan's 'baby tooth'.

Baby teeth are those that fall out during adolescence.

-I am the one who received the tooth that Rakan lost as he grew up and made it into a sacred object for the lower tribes. Since the fangs I received back then were two, the holy relics were also two.

Then, again, the voice penetrated Suho's brain.

-Prove your qualifications to be the king!

Suho asked again.

"Then what the hell is this asking if I'm worthy to be king?"

-At that time, the lower tribes created me in hopes that a future monarch would be born from them. But now that Rakan is dead, it's finally time to elect a new king. The so-called 'Trial of the King' has begun.

"Oh."

Suho was then tempted to ask.

"So you're saying that if I pass the test, I can become the Fang Monarch too?"

-Of course it is possible. If you want to be a beast.

"Beast?"

-They were going to elect the king of beasts, shouldn't the candidate be prepared to become a beast?

"I kind of hate that."

At Suho's disgusted expression, Rakan's Sword giggled and continued.

-So, in the first place, you are not qualified. And that voice is not talking to you either. It's just a notice scattered throughout this sanctuary.

[Young Master.]

Just in time, Beru, who was flying around and scouting, returned to Suho.

[There are other hunters roaming around this field besides us. Each of them look...]

Thuck!

Listening to Ver's words, Suho stepped on a tree branch and jumped high.

From there, he looked down in the direction the commotion was coming from.

An interesting sight was unfolding there.

Strangeness appeared in Suho's eyes.

'They're choosing the king of the beasts.'

[... Everyone was using the beast transformation skill.]

'I guess this is what it means.'

Kyaoo-!

Thud!

Blag!

All over the forest, fighter hunters who fought by changing part or all of their bodies like beasts were fighting.

There was one with wings like an eagle on his back.

There was also a person who became furry like a bear and grew in size.

It was really diverse.

-Prove your qualifications to be the king!

Each and everyone were fighting an entire forest steeped in madness to prove their worth.

-Anyway, the holy relics here seem to have gathered all the beasts qualified to be king.

It was then.

Swish-!

Thuck.

Suho suddenly felt a presence under his feet and immediately turned around and jumped off the tree branch.

Swish!

Surprisingly, it was the tree itself that attacked Suho.

'Tree trunk?'

Even while jumping to the ground, countless tree trunks attacked Suho like a whip.

'Ruler's Power!'

The ruler's power was not enough to lift Suho's weight. However, it was possible to double jump, stepping on the air momentarily and leaping again.

Suho did somersaults avoiding the whip vines and landed safely on the ground.

The battle began in earnest.

Swish! Slash!

Plant-type monsters started attacking Suho from all sides.

Suho grabbed Rakan's Sword and Vulcan's Horns with both hands and hacked them to pieces.

-Prove your qualifications to be the king!

In the meantime, the voice continues to be heard.

Suho felt conflicted.

"No, I don't have the qualifications, so why are you making me take the test?"

-It's a matter of timing. It was because you entered the sanctuary and was caught up in the Trial of the King's ordeal. Or perhaps the ordeal has just begun because I, a holy relic, have entered this place.

"So that holy relic is the problem in the first place."

Suho decided to think simply.

"It's a test, and so we start looking for the examiner."

[Find it and destroy it. Who dares to test Young Master?]

Beru's eyes shone insidiously.

-This way.

The direction Rakan's Sword had been pointing to was the place where the examiner was.

Suho continued to cut down the plant-type monsters and ran to the place where the other holy relic was.

* * *

The deeper the jungle, the thicker the blue mist.

At first glance, it gave off a dreamlike feeling, but it was the beginning of a nightmare.

Swoosh-

"The ghost is coming."

The hunters, who were being tested for their qualifications as kings, hurriedly alerted their surroundings.

The chilling sound of the wind was blowing everywhere.

In fact, plant-type monsters aren't very strong if you look at them individually.

However, if you look at the forest as a whole, the risk level changes.

Regardless of whether the class is E or S, hunters are also human beings made of flesh and blood.

If a sharp tree trunk suddenly flies in and pierces the throat or heart, life can be lost in vain.

The forest was full of such creepy assassins everywhere.

In addition, now ghosts have been added.

"This is why this field is not popular."

"I know. There is only risk and nothing to be gained."

Until last year, there was a big city here.

It boasted a huge floating population, not only because it was home to a large number of people, but also because it had a sizable business district.

But one day, the gate suddenly opened in the said area, and a catastrophe occurred.

Many died, and those who were lucky enough to survive lost their livelihoods.

The ghosts of the dead still haunted the land.

Aaaaaaah-!

"Damn it! It's Banshee"

"Everybody cover your ears!"

The Ghost Species Beast Banshee.

Banshee's wailing is disorienting.

It was the worst for the hunters who were already wandering in the jungle.

Besides, all the hunters there now had their hearing developed using the Beast Transformation skill.

In the end, there were even a number of people who vomited.

-Prove your qualifications to be the king!

A voice that whips them even at this moment.

When the voice stuck in their heads while temporarily losing sight and hearing, the hunters finally realized the truth of this test.

'I get it.'

Smell.

There was a smell calling them from somewhere.

It was the smell of magic that could only be felt by maximizing wildness.

"Right! It was a smell!"

Hunters focused all their nerves on their sense of smell.

But there was a tree trunk that squeezed through that gap!

Slash-!

"Chuck!"

As they tore the vines stuck in their thighs, their eyes were blazing wildly.

'I must find it.'

'I'll find it and become the king!'

Not knowing who could become the king, they were blindly taking the test as if possessed by something.

"... Something is off."

Thud.

Baek Miho suddenly stopped walking.

The Baekho Guild hunters who were following her made puzzled expressions.

"Vice President, what's the problem?"

Baek Miho looked somewhat displeased.

Even in this chaotic situation, the 'Eye of the Beast' was watching from far away.

She already knew that there were quite a few other hunters roaming around in this forest.

They were also in the process of moving competitively to find the same place using the Beast Transformation skill like herself.

Baek Miho having a wild nature is just the same.

From the moment she stopped walking, she felt something, saying that this was not the time.

That part touched Baek Miho's pride.

"I feel like I'm being played by someone. I don't like it."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"For now, our Baekho Guild will retreat from this mysterious test."

"...!"

Her sudden declaration shocked the members of the guild.

When they entered the forest yesterday, they couldn't understand why the vice president had gone there.

After the King's Trial began, the worries disappeared.

They don't know what awaits at the end of the test, but the power of the word 'King' spurred their desire.

However, Baek Miho suddenly stepped on the brakes and stopped their momentum.

"It makes me feel dirty to be seduced by such unknown desires, as if I had become a real beast. It's not like I'm a dog in heat that gets swayed by some kind of pheromone."

Baek Miho clicked her tongue and even glared with the eyes of the beast.

"Are we going back now?"

"No."

It was a no-brainer to fight with others without knowing the purpose.

But, she wanted to see with her own eyes who would be the final winner.

"Move and search high terrain with an open view."

"Alright."

The subordinates follow her decision without any words.

But then.

"Grrr."

There was a group of werewolves who appeared in front of the guild while moving past through the bush.

"Hmm?"

In an instant, Baek Miho's eyes changed when she recognized their identity.

The Baekho Guild was the most famous guild in Korea for its Beast Transformation skill.

As a result, they had separate lists of hunters with beast transformation skills from other guilds. The purpose was, of course, to offer a scout someday.

So she was well aware of the identities of the werewolves she encountered.

"The remnants of the Hyena Guild."

They said that there were some guys who hadn't been caught by the police yet, and it seemed that they, too, were enticed by the king's trial and came into the forest.

However, the problem was that their nature was evil, and they understood the king's test better than anyone else as they had served Broki for a long time.

'There is only one king!'

Growl!

The moment they accidentally encountered Baekho Guild, the werewolves showed their teeth.

They launched an attack without hesitation.

"Kill them!"

"Grrr!"

The Baekho Guild was the most likely candidate for the title of king.

If they don't get killed now, they will take the throne.

However, the blatant intent to kill by the werewolves rather awakened the wildness that Baek Miho had been barely suppressing.

"... Tsk."

'One-day old puppies who don't even know what they're doing.'

Tick.

At that moment, her hair tie broke off.

Growl!

Baek Miho's hair, which protruded like a lion's mane, was bleached white.

'Beasts!'

Half-human and half-beast.

Baek Miho's claws, revealing her true power, rip off the heart of the leading werewolf.

-Prove your qualifications to be the king!

"... Ha?"

A voice seemed to rejoice at the slaughter made by Baek Miho.

-Kill more!

-Those who survive to the end are truly strong!

"Was it like this?"

Baek Miho realized what that voice really wanted.

"It's a battle royale."

She didn't really like it.

Forcing people to kill each other.

In addition, because of the five senses maximized by the Beast Transformation skill, screams of dying and killing could be heard from all over the forest.

A battle royale was already taking place elsewhere.

"I really don't like it."

Baek Miho gnashed her teeth with a disapproving expression while fighting the Hyena Guild members.

All of a sudden, she noticed a person walking far away.

His carefree appearance, walking around with two swords in each hand, was so foreign to her.

'Why is that person alone?'

'Could it be that he killed all of his teammates and survived alone?'

'If so, he was the worst human being.'

'Blinded by the king's power, he even killed his comrades!'

... But.

Sniff Sniff.

'He doesn't smell like blood.'

'Didn't he kill someone? Then, why is he alone?'

Baek Miho kept glancing at him even while fighting.

He kept walking until she could no longer see him.