Tiger King

It was already evening. Sun Busong had received another mission from Captain Duo Lun, but going to the storage room, which was the secret underground base, at this hour wasn't a good idea.

The mine would be lit with candles at night, which would greatly hinder his movements, so he decisively abandoned the idea of going into the pit tonight.

The Tauren had left, and now he was alone. Since he was bored anyway, Sun Busong decided to ride his horse and enjoy the scenery of Stranglethorn Vale.

He hadn't gone far when Xiu Ma was being bullied!

"What's going on? Who beat you up like this?" Seeing Xiu Ma's current state, Sun Busong almost burst out laughing.

Its black wool coat seemed to have been burned by someone, and the skin on its tail was gone, revealing the bone.

"Come on, take me to see them, I'll get revenge for you!"

Xiu Ma was no longer as timid and fearful of death as it was at the beginning. Having died once, it was much braver now and knew to come back to its owner if it couldn't win.

A rain began to fall in Stranglethorn Vale in the evening, shrouding the tropical rainforest in a mysterious veil.

When Xiu Ma brought Sun Busong to the place where it had been beaten, Sun Busong took a closer look and discovered his own kin (it couldn't be helped; no one acknowledged him as human, no matter how tall he was or how much he resembled them). It was a group of Dwarves!

Since they were his kin, it wouldn't be easy to act. He should ask about the situation first!

"Who's there!"

Before he even reached the camp, a shout came from a nearby tree.

Sun Busong looked towards the source of the sound. A Dwarf Hunter, carrying a hunting rifle, was crouched on the tree, staring at him nervously.

"Hey! Can't you tell? My height, my build, my face, take a closer look!"

The other party wasn't pointing his gun at him, which meant he didn't have much ill intent.

"What do you need? My friend!"

Hmm, he confirmed that he had been recognized, and the tone had changed. He was definitely a Dwarf!

"Haha, I didn't expect to see my own kin here, so I brought some wine. How about it, are you welcoming me?"

Sun Busong always kept various types of alcohol in his backpack. This wasn't proof that he was mistaken for a Dwarf, but rather because both Old Man Hanyi and Master Hammer were fond of it.

"Hahaha, my dear brother, wait for me. I'll come down from the tree and take you to the camp to find them!"

In no time, this sentry was lured down by the wine, abandoning his post!

Barnir brought Sun Busong to the camp and began to introduce him.

"Welcome to Stranglethorn Vale! To our camp, you may not have noticed, but that Dwarf over there is the great Hero of the Alliance, the son of the top Hunter, Hemet Nesingwary. Like his father, he doesn't welcome strangers to this camp. However, you look like someone who has seen the world, Warrior. Go talk to him, perhaps he can teach you some hunting skills."

As he spoke, Barnir's eyes were fixed on Hemet. This wasn't an introduction at all; it was clearly flattery!

After sending Barnir away with a bottle of wine, Sun Busong went directly to Hemet's side.

"My name is Sun Busong. I apologize for the intrusion. I saw some of my kin here, so I came uninvited. I hope you won't be angry."

The person opposite him was wearing high-grade aiming goggles, looking like a very skilled Hunter.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sun Busong. It's been a long time since a Warrior has come here. I have only one purpose here: to hunt bigger and more cunning beasts. Since you are my kin, I am happy to let you participate in the hunt here, but first, you must prove your abilities.

I will teach you how to hunt Raptors. Ayek will teach you how to hunt Tigers. And Sir Elgadin is an excellent Cheetah hunter. After you prove your abilities, I will allow you to participate in this grand hunt."

Huh!

Things weren't developing as he had imagined.

"Oh, sorry, I'm not here to participate in your hunting tournament. I just saw my kin here and wanted to have a drink with you, and also introduce my pet, who was just beaten up by someone."

Sun Busong quickly explained, and also took out two bottles of wine, revealing Xiu Ma from its stealth state.

"Hahaha, I saw your lion a long time ago. This kind of pet is rarely seen here. It must have come from the continent of Kalimdor. Your family must be very influential to be able to bring back pets from there!"

Hemet laughed and greeted Xiu Ma, then casually took the wine from Sun Busong's hand without any hesitation or awkwardness.

He uncapped it and took a big gulp. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

"This wine is great! My brother, I haven't tasted the flavor of home in a long time!"

After drinking the wine, Hemet explained Xiu Ma's injuries to Sun Busong.

It turned out that the creature had accidentally run into a trap set by others and gotten injured, and it was they who had released it.

As a team specializing in hunting beasts, they could distinguish between wild beasts and domestic pets at a glance. They didn't expect this little lion to complain and even bring its owner to cause trouble.

"Hahaha, I knew it, this guy would come to me for help."

Amidst the pleasant conversation, Sun Busong got drunk at the Hunter's camp.

The next morning.

"Brother, since you'll be staying here for a while longer, you can completely participate in our hunting tournament. The top three finishers get rewards!"

Hemet called out to Sun Busong as he was about to leave.

"Oh? And what are the rewards?"

"The reward is a map, showing the lairs and movement patterns of all the Rare Elite Monsters in Stranglethorn Vale."

Sun Busong's interest was piqued. A map marking all the Rare Elites was a tremendous reward. Xiu Ma needed to absorb the Soul Energy of Elite Monsters to advance.

He was determined to get this reward.

"Alright! Since you've so kindly invited me, I can't refuse. Here's my registration fee."

"Hahahaha, I knew you'd participate! Remember to bring back the bodies of all the beasts you kill. Otherwise, it'll be hard to tally the spoils!"

"Don't worry! I know what to do!"

After leaving the Nessingwary Expedition Team, Sun Busong returned to the Rebel Army camp.

"The mission isn't urgent, but you must prioritize safety and rest. However, once the mission is complete, you must come find me immediately."

The guy was clearly afraid Sun Busong would delay his future prospects.

Sergeant Yuwa saw that Sun Busong hadn't returned all night and thought he had died at Korson's camp.

"Yes, Sergeant! I will definitely complete the mission today!"

This mission required him to go to a secret base and kill six Korson elites and four Korson deputy leaders. When Sun Busong once again stormed the underground base, he discovered that these Korson elites and deputy leaders were all level 37. Furthermore, there were Korson shamans within the underground base.

The high risk involved in this slaughter also yielded a considerable amount of Slaughter Value.

Yesterday, he had destroyed a Korson barracks, killing 528 soldiers, and gained 4552 Slaughter Value, increasing his HP by 1056 points.

He converted all these Kill Points into Strength Attribute points. Now, his HP was 63391, and his Strength Value was 509!

Stranglethorn Vale was practically his paradise. Moreover, he had accepted Hermit II's hunting quests. By the time he finished things here, his HP would likely exceed one hundred thousand!

He once again fought his way out of the underground secret base. This time, Captain Duo Lun personally met him.

"You have proven your capabilities time and again, and your resourcefulness seems to rival even Korson's. If... if you are willing to dedicate yourself completely to the cause of fighting Korson... perhaps you could become the new leader of our resistance!"

"He is hiding deep within a cave called the 'Storeroom,' issuing commands. You must enter that cave, eliminate his bodyguards, and ultimately take down Korson and his adjutants. Go, Sun Busong! Our lives and hopes now rest entirely in your hands."

However, Sun Busong wasn't in a hurry to complete the mission this time.

Korson had to be eliminated. He had usurped the Imperial Guard's underground secret base, which also happened to be a massive Gold Mine.

But Captain Duo Lun had to die too!

He would put on a good show and make them both perish together!

However, such a matter required careful planning. Therefore, Sun Busong decided to first complete the Hunting Competition quests and eliminate the Rare Elites here, paving the way for Xiu Ma's advancement.

He would deal with the Gold Mine matter after Luffy and the others arrived in three days.

The first task of the Hunting Competition was to hunt leopards. These Black Panther Cubs were only level 30.

The rules of the challenge were that after the starting signal gun sounded, everyone would do their best, and the person who killed the most within two hours would win!

This was child's play for Sun Busong. He brought Xiu Ma and charged directly into the black panther's lair. He didn't care how many panthers there were; he killed them all. Only the cubs in the lair were the most numerous. It was too troublesome to find them one by one.

Two hours later, he took first place, having killed 220 Black Panther Cubs!

Next, he received a quest to hunt Stranglethorn Tigers. The competition rules remained the same: the person who killed the most within two hours won.

The Stranglethorn Tigers were a bit higher level; they were already level 33 beasts. Following the usual protocol, he directly stormed the tiger den.

This time, he killed 190 of them and still took first place!

The third event of the hunting competition was to hunt level 35 Whip-tailed Raptors.

Unsurprisingly, Sun Busong was first again. This time, he killed 120 of them.

"Hahaha, I knew it! With your drinking capacity, you were bound to become the champion of this Hunting Competition!" Hermit greeted Sun Busong with a bear hug.

Drinking capacity was now a criterion for winning the Hunting Competition!

"Brother, I took first place in all the special events in today's Hunting Competition. When will you give me that map?"

Sun Busong was currently fixated on the map marking the Elite monsters.

"It's not that fast. Tomorrow is the final round. You'll drink with me tonight. Tomorrow, the organizing committee will issue the competition requirements, and then you'll know what to hunt!"

"There's a rule like that? You don't even know what we'll be hunting tomorrow?" Sun Busong thought he had already secured first place, only to find out there was another competition tomorrow.

"There will be ten contestants tomorrow. Even though I'm the organizer, I don't know what the target will be for tomorrow's hunt. But do you need to worry about that? First place is yours! Come! Drink!"

Another night passed.

"Everyone! You have now become hunters worthy of joining our hunting team. Whether it's the battlefields of Lordaeron or the perilous jungles, I have never seen anyone with such formidable combat prowess as you anywhere I've been."

"You have successfully slain Black Panther Cubs, Stranglethorn Tigers, and Whip-tailed Raptors. However, for the hunters of this jungle, the head of Tiger King Bangarash represents the highest honor. But the Tiger King is elusive and has no fixed abode, making him incredibly difficult to find. If any of you can kill Tiger King Bangarash, then you! Will undoubtedly be the most outstanding hunter here. You will be number one!"

"There are ten contestants this time. Whoever kills the Tiger King first and brings back its head will be number one! They will receive the map of all the Elite monster locations in Stranglethorn Vale."

"Now, please depart!"

When the other hunters heard the starting signal, they scattered with a whoosh. Only Sun Busong remained on the spot, utterly bewildered.

This put Sun Busong in a difficult position. Whether Tiger King Bangarash was hard to kill wasn't the problem. His current predicament was how to find the Tiger King! He didn't possess the tracking skills of those other hunters.

As he was struggling, Xiu Ma began to act unusually.

It tugged at Sun Busong's pant leg, wanting him to follow.

"Xiu Ma! Do you know where the Tiger King is?" Its abnormal behavior gave Sun Busong an uncertain intuition.

"Roar!"

Sigh. Since he couldn't find the Tiger King anyway, he decided to take a chance.

Sun Busong quickly followed behind Xiu Ma.

He hadn't expected Xiu Ma to actually find the Tiger King's location this time! This creature didn't rest every night, specifically seeking out dangerous places for prey. Its main targets were powerful Rare Elites that could help it advance. While the Tiger King wasn't considered a Rare Elite, its combat strength was by no means weak, which is how Xiu Ma stumbled upon its location.

It was a very tall stone mountain. When Sun Busong first arrived, he noticed several level 38 Stranglethorn Female Tigers lurking there. These tigresses were much larger than the Stranglethorn Tigers he had killed before.

He walked along the edge of the stone mountain, dodging as he went. He couldn't kill these tigresses right now. If the Tiger King sensed someone's arrival and the killing of its females, its first reaction would be to flee.

Don't ask why the Tiger King wouldn't avenge the female tigers; if you ask me, I don't know either!

Reaching the top of the stone mountain, Sun Busong immediately spotted the legendary Tiger King Bangarash.

It was a huge creature with black and white striped fur. A level 43 Elite, its HP reached a staggering 16,000. It was over a meter tall even when lying down, and about eight meters long. Its tail, as thick as Sun Busong's thigh, flicked about unconsciously.

Tiger King Bangarash was sleeping. Sun Busong drew his axe, preparing for a sneak attack. Just as he got within two meters of the Tiger King, its ice-blue eyes snapped open.

A tiger's roar shook Sun Busong's eardrums, causing them to ache. What followed was a battle of titans.

The Tiger King's attack power was terrifyingly high. Each strike dealt over 500 damage to Sun Busong's health. This was almost illogical, as Sun Busong's defense had reached nearly 2000. If it were anyone else, that single claw strike would have been fatal.

Thank you to all the readers for your support! I'd also like to ask for recommendation votes, collections, continued reads, and investments!