Chapter 31

“Uncomfortable?”

The little one looked around in confusion, not understanding why it should feel ‘uncomfortable.’

Though now appearing about five years old and slightly taller than before, the little one’s face was still chubby, with a pair of beautiful teal eyes brimming with curiosity.

“Wow, Tongtong! You’ve grown up!”

The young cub had probably forgotten the experience of suddenly transforming into an adult form; all it knew was that it had just grown a bit taller and was overjoyed.

“Yoyou ate plenty, so grew taller!”

The joyful cub was completely unaware of the troubles of Warrior King System 001. It happily spun around in the palm of the Beast God’s colossal statue, utterly delighted.

Watching this cub, the system had countless questions but could not bring itself to ask. After all, the things it wished to understand were far beyond the cub’s comprehension—such as what race Su You truly was, what it relied on to grow, or why it temporarily transformed into an adult form.

Or perhaps…

What kind of sustenance had Su You consumed in that narrow space devoid of any food that caused it to become so full it triggered a temporary transformation, thereby attracting the system’s perception?

This tiny cub carried too many secrets, inscrutable and unfathomable.

***

Meanwhile, after System 001 withdrew the protective shield, the gray wolf warrior Wolberly and the golden lion Beriman, who had been stationed at the edge of the Bandasia Divine Shrine plaza, along with the half-orc Salvador, System 098, and others, immediately fixed their gaze on the cub nestled in the palm of the Beast God’s giant statue.

Upon confirming the cub was safe, Wolberly and Beriman inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

Yet, even after relaxing, Wolberly still found it hard to believe that this lively little cub was truly the Beast God’s successor, inheriting the divine will.

Legend held that the Beast God’s scepter atop the colossal statue embodied the supreme will of the Beast God and contained immense power—when the successor took up the scepter, it meant inheriting both the will and strength of the Beast God.

Wolberly didn’t know exactly how immense the power stored within the scepter was, but he understood that it was at least enough to help someone break through the threshold of S-rank high-level beasts and advance toward the sacred beast realm.

***

Yet, in the hands of the cub before him, this mighty Beast God scepter seemed to show no change whatsoever.

No—there was indeed a change. At least the cub had grown a little taller, from the size of a tiny bean to slightly bigger now…

Still, the strong gray wolf warrior Wolberly felt his spirit shatter. What kind of creature was this seemingly harmless cub?

Power enough to elevate him to super-S-level sacred beast status had only resulted in the cub growing a small bit taller?

The silent gray wolf warrior spun painfully on the spot, then sighed helplessly, gazing from afar at the cub in the Beast God’s palm, stunned by the day’s extraordinary events.

***

At this moment, aside from the beast clans on the Bandasia continent who truly understood what had occurred, even the spiritual forms of the viewers inside the main universe’s virtual livestream orb could not grasp the full truth.

But if anyone was most bewildered right now, it was the remaining 98 Warrior King candidates who had ventured deep into the Bandasia jungle, seeking to uncover the whereabouts of candidates 001 and 098, as well as the sudden surge of beast tides.

When they heard the complete report from their systems, all those deep within the jungle were momentarily perplexed.

They doubted their own ears.

What had candidate 001 done? Had they tamed twelve sacred beasts at once? Had they captured an unknown number of S-rank, A-rank, and B-rank beasts?

In the Bandasia jungle, the mighty hybrid winged warrior Silverando felt a roar inside his mind.

Although the system’s words were delicate, Silverando already grasped the true meaning—candidate 001 had, in fact, conquered all the beast clans on the Bandasia continent.

The S-rank high-level beast Silverando had recently tamed had just now broken free from his mental control.

The powerful hybrid winged warrior had no idea how any of this was possible; it seemed like a miracle only a deity’s arrival could produce.

Yet, as a candidate in this ‘Warrior King Challenge,’ Silverando knew clearly that, no matter how strong candidate 001’s system was, it could not bind a true god.

So then, how had candidate 001 achieved all this?

With that thought, the stubborn hybrid winged warrior cast a glance over the beasts crouching and gazing deep into the jungle. He stopped hiding, flapped his wings, and surged forward at full speed deeper into the forest.

***

Unwilling to give up, even if defeated by candidate 001, he was determined to learn what talents and powers candidate 001 possessed to make every beast on dimension 12768 bow to him simultaneously.

The mighty hybrid winged warrior beat his wings, bearing down against the ever-growing pressure deeper in the jungle, racing toward the Bandasia Divine Shrine.

But just then, the main system’s voice sounded again—

[Judgment rendered: dimension 12768 no longer meets the requirements for the Warrior King elimination contest. As of this moment, this round of the Warrior King elimination contest is officially over. The system will evaluate all surviving candidates’ performances, convert them into points, and select those advancing to the next round of elimination.]

[Thank you to all Warrior King candidates for your brilliant performances in dimension 12768. We look forward to your growth in the challenges of the next dimensional world!]

Caught off guard, Silverando heard his bonded System 002 calmly open a new dimensional transmission channel for him—

[Congratulations, you have passed the first round of the Warrior King preliminary elimination with excellent results. You will now face higher-level dimensions and challenges. Please enter the transmission channel to begin your journey!]

Unwilling to stop, Silverando still wanted to push deeper into the Bandasia jungle, but System 002 replied coolly, [Host, are you certain candidate 001 will remain at the same location when you arrive?]

After hearing this, Silverando gritted his teeth and gave up exploring the forest further. As for candidate 001…

Wait and see. Perhaps candidate 001’s racial talents gave him a vast advantage in dimension 12768, but Silverando did not believe that in the next elimination round, candidate 001 would be able to claim victory so quietly again.

With this resolve, the mighty hybrid winged warrior Silverando clenched his teeth and stepped into the new elimination round’s transmission channel.

***

Meanwhile, before the Bandasia Divine Shrine plaza, System 098 fell into a strange silence after checking its host’s ranking in this elimination round—

Its host, who had almost been devoured by that gray wolf-shaped wild beast at the start, had ultimately qualified for advancement with the third-highest total points in the first elimination round?!

…So this was the result of its foolish host finally clutching onto a powerful ally?

Of course, that terrifying and indescribable cub really counted as a powerful ally.

With this thought, System 098 glanced again at the ‘total points first place’ occupant nestled in the palm of the Beast God statue nearby.

Once a staunch materialist, System 098 now found it difficult to imagine what strange form this variety show called the Warrior King Challenge would eventually take…!