Chapter 437: Showing the Trophies, SSS-Rank Quest
[You have received the S-Rank Quest: "Prove your Worth #3"]
[Objective: Showcase to the Hunter that you are a strong fighter by presenting the trophies you have collected from worthy foes across the domains.]
[Reward: Access to the Hunter’s legendary quests.]
[Penalty for failure: Permanent rejection from the Hunter.]
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The Hunter gestured to himself, his voice filled with a hint of pride.
"As you can see, I carry the remains of the monsters I’ve slain. Each piece tells a story of battle and victory."
He opened his massive backpack, revealing dozens of monster heads and materials from creatures so powerful that even their bones seemed to radiate menace.
"I’ve hunted across the domains for centuries. Only the strongest foes are worth keeping."
Leon’s grin widened as he heard this, his excitement barely contained. "Funny you should mention that," he said, his voice calm but eager.
The Hunter watched Leon, a flicker of doubt crossing his weathered features.
’This is where most fail,’ he thought to himself. ’They never keep the trophies. They see them as worthless junk, never understanding their true value. And even if they did, only the truly worthy monsters yield these marks of victory.’
But then Leon, with a confident smile, reached into his [Storage Space] and began pulling out his collection one by one, laying them on the ground before the Hunter.
[Elemental Dragon Head (Trophy): Proof that someone has defeated the guardian of the "Primordial Egg of Chaos" inside the "Elemental Temple"]
[Undead Scourge Head (Trophy): Proof that someone has defeated the "Undead Scourge" special boss.]
[Forsaken General Head (Trophy): Proof that someone has defeated the "Forsaken General", one of the three "Forsaken King’s" guardians.]
[Spider Mother Head (Trophy): Proof that someone has defeated the "Spider Mother" in the "Forsaken City"]
[Forsaken Minotaur Head (Trophy): Proof that someone has defeated the "Forsaken Minotaur", one of the three "Forsaken King’s" guardians.]
[Frostmaw Head (Trophy): Proof that someone has conquered the "Frostbite Caverns"]
At the sight of these trophies laid out before him, the Hunter’s eyes widened, and then he couldn’t help but let out a loud, genuine laugh that echoed through the rocky landscape.
"Incredible, Celestial," he said, his voice filled with newfound respect. "It seems like I have made the right choice to approach you."
It seemed like the Hunter was actually impressed by the trophy that Leon had pulled out, his weathered face breaking into a genuine smile of approval as he examined each one with the practiced eye of a seasoned collector.
"Six of them," The Hunter nodded, his voice carrying a note of genuine surprise, "That is a record, I only had two people worthy of my quests before, and they each only had two trophies, but you brought triple that amount, truly remarkable."
"I like hunting monsters," Leon said smoothly, his voice calm and confident, "So I kept them in my [Storage Space] to showcase them whenever the opportunity arose."
"I can see that," the Hunter replied, his eyes still fixed on the trophies laid out before him.
Leon placed each trophy on the ground, allowing the Hunter to inspect all of them up close and appreciate their significance.
"The [Primordial Dragon of Chaos], I have heard of the legends about it, but to think it was protected in the Elemental Temple by the [Elemental Dragon].." he mumbled, his voice filled with wonder, "The [Undead Scourge] is also fairly powerful for players of the same level, though he appears very rarely and is difficult to track down."
The Hunter continued, but his eyes twitched even more as he stood before the three trophies from the Forsaken City, his expression shifting to one of disbelief.
"You..." the Hunter looked at Leon, his voice dropping, "You’ve been in that city?"
"Yeah," Leon confirmed simply.
"What about the Forsaken King?"
"Dead," Leon replied, his tone matter-of-fact, "The trophy didn’t drop though because..."
Leon stopped himself from saying because he flattened his body with a meteor.
He was more so surprised that the Hunter actually knew about all these locations and monsters, how could that even be possible given their secrecy?
Did he ever enter the Forsaken City too? But that didn’t make sense, it was a God-Rank assessment after all, and outsiders weren’t supposed to know about it...
"And finally, the Frostmaw," the Hunter nodded, his voice softening, "You brought it, even though many others would simply throw it away thinking it was worthless."
"Yeah," Leon agreed.
"Or perhaps..." the Hunter expression grew darker, his eyes narrowing, "Perhaps you already knew that all of this would happen, that these trophies would be needed someday."
For the first time, Leon didn’t reply, even with a faint nod or word, he simply stared at the Hunter with a neutral expression that gave nothing away.
"But that would be illogical," the Hunter laughed, breaking the tension, "There’s no such thing as doing things all over again, the only one with such power would be the Heavenly One!"
"...Sure," Leon’s pupils trembled slightly, a momentary crack in his composure.
The Hunter’s intuition was truly no joke, he could hunt the most powerful things in the [Higher Domains] with ease, his instincts honed over centuries.
And with 30 million combat power, almost nothing in the [Eternal Battlefield] could even come close to matching him as well.
The only thing he’d have to worry about was whatever awaited in the [Eternal Domain], the realm of the gods themselves.
"Well, I guess we can confirm that," the Hunter snapped his finger, and a panel appeared before Leon, glowing with golden light.
Ding!
[You have completed S-Rank Quest: "Prove your Worth #3"]
[You are fully proven your worth to the Hunter, he is ready to acknowledge you as a true hunter.]
"Good job, human, you completed the tutorial part of this, one that only two others reached," the Hunter grinned devilishly, his eyes gleaming with a hint of challenge, "But now comes the real challenge."
Leon had a faint bad feeling about this, but he was ready for anything that came his way.
"Unfortunately, among the other two disciples I got, one of them died while trying to complete this, and another gave up," the hunter sighed, his expression turning somber, "So don’t disappoint me."
And at that moment, an explosion of light erupted around Leon as a singular panel appeared, glowing sharply with an intensity that made his eyes water.
Ding!
[You have received the SSS-Rank Special Quest: "Ultimate Hunter"]
[Objective: Hunt the "Heretic King", "Abyss Wyvern" and "Lord of Souls" across the many higher domains.]
[Time Limit: 6 Months.]
[Reward: Decided by Hunter (Above Divine-Rank)]
[Penalty for Failure: The Hunter disappears permanently.]
"Incredible," Leon’s eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat.
This was an SSS-Rank Special Quest, the only one Leon had ever heard about, meaning it must be one a completely different level of difficulty than anything he had faced before.
Even the Level 6 Monster Tide quest was only SS-Rank, and yet the Hunter’s quest was even higher, a testament to its importance.