Chapter 35: Surprise, Motherfucker!

Larper Forteza stared at the white-haired Soldier standing before him.

For several seconds, he genuinely wondered whether the bastard had deliberately insulted him or simply possessed such an extraordinary degree of stupidity that he couldn’t recognize the danger of his current situation. He was a Level 99 Beast Tamer, a Corporal of the Kingdom of Degenerates, and someone who had personally subdued creatures capable of tearing ordinary soldiers apart.

And yet, this Level 50 brat had just suggested that the beasts obeyed him because they considered him family.

Zishan, meanwhile, was becoming increasingly pleased with himself. Judging by the young Corporal’s expression, his response had apparently inflicted considerably more damage than any of his previous sword attacks.

’HAHAHAHA! LOOK AT HIS FACE! THAT ONE DEFINITELY HURT!’

[The System recommends that the Dumb Host stop celebrating before his opponent removes his head. It is not over yet.]

’CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I’M WINNING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE?!’

Larper moved before Zishan could continue arguing with the System.

His curved blade swept upward from an angle that Zishan had not anticipated, forcing him to abandon the attack he had been preparing and raise his own weapon.

Their swords collided with enough force to send a painful shock through his arms, but this time, Larper didn’t withdraw his blade. He stepped closer, twisted his wrist, and used the curved edge of his weapon to drag Zishan’s sword out of position.

The next attack came directly toward his exposed shoulder.

"FUCK!"

Zishan threw himself backward, narrowly avoiding it.

But the tip of Larper’s blade still caught his uniform, slicing through the reinforced fabric and leaving a shallow wound beneath it.

He had barely regained his footing when Larper attacked again.

The young Corporal was no longer dividing as much of his attention between Zishan and the surrounding beasts. Several pale Mana threads had already withdrawn into his body, and the concentration of Mana gathering around his weapon was simply insane!

Zishan attempted to deflect the next strike, only to discover that Larper had deliberately left an opening for him.

His sword moved toward the bastard’s exposed side, but Larper changed the direction of his attack halfway through the movement and struck Zishan’s weapon with enough force to send him stumbling across the damaged ground.

’WHAT THE FUCK?! WAS THAT OPENING FAKE?!’

His answer arrived when another attack came dangerously close to his throat.

Zishan twisted his upper body and raised his sword again, managing to intercept the curved blade before it reached him.

The impact drove his own weapon backwards until its flat side nearly struck his face. Gritting his teeth, he pushed against Larper’s blade. But Larper stepped forward and kicked him in the abdomen.

He was thrown several meters backward before crashing onto the ground.

For a moment, the air seemed to abandon his lungs entirely. His stomach hurt, his injured shoulder was burning, and the bastard was already approaching him.

Larper’s slow steps felt like death was upon him.

’FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! THIS ISN’T HOW YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO REACT TO A JOKE!’

[The Dumb Host fails to understand that the person you’re facing is someone who’s been ordered to kill everyone in his way.]

’I KNOW! I KNOW! I AM—’

[DING!]

[SUB-EMERGENCY QUEST UPDATED]

[The Western Stampede!]

[Additional Objective Unlocked: Defeat Larper Forteza!]

[Target: Level 99 Beast Tamer]

[Completion Possibility: 0.12%]

[ADDITIONAL REWARDS — LARPER OBJECTIVE]

[Appraisal Mastery: Perfected]

[Beast Taming Affinity]

[Skill: Beast King’s Authority]

[Tier: Sovereign]

[Dragon Egg of Unknown Origin ×1]

[System Section: Tamed Beasts]

[PRECEDENCE AVAILABLE]

[Available Claim: The Western Stampede! — Larper Objective Rewards Only]

[Claim Additional Rewards Before Completion?]

[YES / NO]

Zishan’s eyes widened.

’A DRAGON EGG?! WHAT THE HELL?! THE REWARDS FOR THIS IS ACTUALLY SO GENEROUS! THERE’S ALSO THE SOVEREIGN SKILL AGAIN! MAN... I’M GETTING TOO ABNORMAL...’

’But can I even defeat that Degenerate Bastard? That’s a 0.12 completion possibility... that’s basically death for me!’

But he had been expecting the System to issue something ridiculous eventually. However, acquiring a Dragon Egg while being beaten half to-death by a Beast Tamer was an exceptionally wonderful development.

Alas! Larper appeared to have absolutely no intention of giving him enough time to appreciate it.

"YES! YES! GIVE ME EVERYTHING!"

[ADVANCE CLAIM CONFIRMED]

[Processing Additional Rewards...]

[Appraisal Mastery upgraded to Perfected!]

[Beast Taming Affinity Awakened]

[Skill Acquired: Beast King’s Authority]

[Tier: Sovereign]

[Mastery: Beginner]

[Perfected Glimpse: ACTIVE — Beast King’s Authority]

[Dragon Egg of Unknown Origin Acquired!]

[System Section Unlocked: Tamed Beasts]

[Additional Objective Rewards: PROVISIONAL]

A considerable quantity of unfamiliar knowledge suddenly entered Zishan’s mind. He understood how Taming Mana could establish a connection between a Beast Tamer and a suitable magic beast, how an existing bond could be strengthened through repeated interaction, and why attempting to dominate a beast stronger than himself was generally a terrible idea.

Larper’s raised blade snapped his attention back to the fight.

Zishan rolled sideways as the curved blade struck the ground beside his head. He scrambled back to his feet and retreated several steps, barely managing to place his sword between himself and the next attack.

’FUCK! I GOT A DRAGON EGG, BUT I’M GOING TO DIE BEFORE I EVEN GET TO SEE IT!’

[The Dumb Host has also received Perfected Appraisal and Beast King’s Authority.]

’I KNOW! STOP DISTRACTING ME!’

Larper attacked again, forcing Zishan to retreat toward a section of the battlefield littered with the remains of several Ridgefang Hounds. A damaged barricade lay nearby, and beyond it, the sounds of fighting continued as the Olmost soldiers took advantage of the horde’s deteriorating coordination.

Zishan glanced toward the battlefield before concentrating on the bastard approaching him, wondering how there was no single Corporal or higher military officer helping him. Perhaps the beasts were too overwhelming for them.

It was actually nuts how someone like Larper could control so many beasts while fighting him at the same time. Absolutely nuts!

’So this is a genius in this world, huh? He’s surely strong at Level 99...’

There was no longer any point in pretending that he could defeat Larper through enthusiasm and offensive remarks alone. The difference in their combat experience remained substantial, and now that the Corporal had withdrawn so many of his Taming connections, even Battle Pulse was having difficulty keeping Zishan out of trouble.

Fortunately, he possessed another excellent solution.

’HAHAHAHA! I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT MY ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN POINTS!’

He opened his Status Panel while retreating, nearly stumbling over a dead Ridgefang Hound when Larper suddenly accelerated toward him. Zishan raised his sword to intercept the incoming attack before directing his attention toward the available distributable points.

He had originally intended to save them for an even more ridiculous emergency. However, considering that he was currently fighting a Level 99 bastard who seemed determined to cut him into several pieces, he decided that it was time. Otherwise, he’d die before someone could reach them and help him.

[Distributable Stat Points: 147]

[Allocate Stat Points?]

Zishan briefly considered placing everything into Strength. The thought of punching Larper hard enough to send him flying was extremely appealing, especially after the bastard had nearly ruined his beautiful hair.

Then, he remembered that punching someone generally required surviving long enough to even get close to the guy.

’FINE! I’LL BE REASONABLE FOR ONCE!’

[STR +40]

[VIT +30]

[AGI +45]

[PER +12]

[WIL +20]

[Distributable Stat Points: 0]

[Allocation Confirmed!]

The effect was immediate.

Zishan felt his muscles tighten as the newly acquired Strength spread through his body. The aching sensation in his arms became considerably easier to tolerate, while his surroundings appeared sharper and more distinct as his enhanced Perception began processing the movements around him.

More importantly, when Larper launched another attack, Zishan discovered that his body could finally respond as quickly as he wanted it to.

He raised his sword and intercepted the curved blade before it reached his shoulder. Although the impact was still powerful enough to make his arms tremble, he managed to maintain his footing this time.

He pushed against Larper’s weapon, forcing the young Corporal to adjust his stance when Zishan unexpectedly matched more of his physical strength.

Larper’s expression changed.

Zishan grinned.

"HAHAHAHA! SURPRISE, MOTHERFUCKER!"