Chapter 81: An Elemental Beast?

As if the flaming torment wasn't enough, the Ant King saw the panda bringing the fire close to his mouth.

'What is this panda up to?' The Ant King flinched back and stood guard, expecting an attack at any moment.

Soon it happened.

The panda opened his jaws wide, and a roaring sound like that of a rushing river with a fierce current was heard. The ants inside panicked, thinking they were being attacked.

Fortunately for them, before anything could happen, Nox's voice cut through the air. "Time's up! Thirteen, stop!"

[Huh? Already? But I haven't even started fighting yet!] the Ant King bellowed with frustration evident on his face. Meanwhile, the panda closed his mouth and gulped noisily.

Nox sighed. If he had been too late, Thirteen would have used Oceanic Torrent, destroying the ant nest. He had strictly instructed the panda to delay the fight for just one minute since there was no reward for continuing beyond that time.

[Hmph!] Thirteen sneered as he threw away the flaming stick. He hadn't actually planned to use Oceanic Torrent; it was merely to scare the Ant King, and it had worked.

Although Thirteen wanted to go all out against the Ant King and test how far he would go against a King Tier Beast, he decided against it as it was an order from Father... and Thirteen was very obedient; he wasn't unruly like a certain fat cat.

Inside the taming space.

[Sneeze!]

Fluffington, who was having a lavish feast, suddenly felt that someone was talking bad about him.

[Must be that brat or that stupid panda!]

[Panda not stupid!] Thirteen retorted, overhearing Fluffington. Was this cat picking a fight with him? Thirteen had tolerated the cat for some time, but now that he was stronger, it was high time he put the lazy cat in his place.

Though the Ant King was angry because he hadn't given his best in the fight against the panda, he still reluctantly agreed to Nox's demand. After sorting out some things with the Ant Queen, Nox and Thirteen left the cave shortly after.

[My Queen, would the outcome of the fight be better if I had gone against the human instead?] the Ant King said to the queen when they were alone in their chamber.

The Ant Queen remained silent, and the Ant King got his answer. His wife was stronger than him, and even she had lost four years ago; of course, the outcome wouldn't have been any better.

[But I'm curious, how did you get so strong in four years? Before I left, I remembered you were at the Intermediate Tier.] S~eaʀᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[It was all because of Master.] The Ant Queen smiled and proceeded to tell the Ant King about how Nox had used beast cores to increase her overall strength and everything he had done for the colony.

'Maybe... just maybe he isn't like the others,' the Ant King thought, but he wouldn't jump to conclusions so soon. He intended to learn more about Nox's personality before he made any decisions.

***

"What! An elemental creature has been spotted?" Nox exclaimed.

"Didn't you hear me the first time?" Eve replied with a frown.

After leaving the ant nest, Nox was informed by Skully that his mistress had summoned him. Though he was confused because she was the one who had given him a break in the first place, now that he had arrived and heard this news, Nox was glad he had quickly rushed over.

Since learning about the existence of elemental creatures, Nox had been actively searching for one. He needed its beast core to transform his pets into elemental beasts and unlock all evolution paths and benefits.

With his search yielding no results, Nox had planned to travel beyond the Barony and explore other locations. This was why he decided to check on the ant colony one last time before leaving.

He didn't know how long this journey would take, so he wanted to tie up every loose end... he had even instructed the Ant Queen to remain with her colony to watch over them. The only ones that would follow him were Thirteen and Fluffington.

Initially, he had no leads on where to search and had planned to roam the Vermilion Kingdom aimlessly. However, Eve's news now provided a clear lead.

"Where can I find it?" Nox voiced out, unable to contain his excitement.

"According to my intel, the beast has been spotted in Snowhelm Kingdom."

"The Snowhelm Kingdom?" Nox's excitement dwindled. "Isn't that the kingdom the one fighting with the Vermilion Kingdom over the level four dimensional rift that appeared on the border?"

Nox had overheard his grandpa and his friends discussing this dispute and how the two kingdoms that were once close allies had become worst enemies because neither side wanted to give up ownership of the dimensional rift to the other.

There were even rumors that the Snowhelm and Vermilion Kingdoms had prohibited each other's citizens from entering their nations. If a citizen of the Vermilion Kingdom was found in Snowhelm, they would be arrested by the authorities or killed.

Having been in seclusion training, Nox didn't know much about the ongoing conflict, but he knew the situation was dire, with some people even speculating about war.

With all this going on, how was he supposed to hunt the elemental creatures in their territory? Nox felt an intense headache coming.

"Master, do you have any genius plan?" Nox turned to Eve. "Maybe a way to sneak me in?"

Eve narrowed her eyes. "I can, but if they find out that you're not from their kingdom, things might get very difficult for you. Are you sure you want to do it?"

"Yes," Nox replied in a heartbeat. He didn't mull over his thoughts because he had been desperately looking for an elemental creature for four freaking years; now that he finally found one, he wouldn't let some stupid war between nations get in his way.

'This war could end much faster if they just shared the resources 50/50,' Nox thought. His expression changed slightly as he considered their own situation.

The dimensional rift in the Luminary Forest clearly belonged to them, but the Armstrong Duchy was hellbent on snapping it away from them, even resurrecting a tournament that had long been forgotten.

Nox thought the same thing could be happening between the two kingdoms.

Eve sighed. She had expected Nox's answer, but she'd hoped that warning him about the dangers would make him reconsider. Regardless, she didn't plan to let him wander in enemy territory alone. She already had a plan.

Eve proceeded to explain the plan to Nox, and when the next day arrived, Nox prepared to leave for the Snowhelm Kingdom.

***

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