Tiger King

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

The mine would be lit up with candles at night, which would seriously hamper his movements, so he decisively gave up on going into the mine that evening.

The Tauren had left, and now Sun Busong was all alone. With nothing better to do, he mounted his horse and went sightseeing around Stranglethorn Vale.

He hadn't gone far when Humar came back looking beaten up!

"What the hell happened to you? Who did this to you?" Seeing Humar in this state, Sun Busong could barely hold back his laughter.

Someone had burned off most of his black fur, and the skin on his tail had been torn away, leaving the bone visible.

"Come on, take me to them. I'll help you get revenge!"

Humar wasn't as timid and afraid of death as he had been at first. Having already died once, he was much bolder now, and he'd learned to come back to his master when he couldn't win a fight.

Rain fell over Stranglethorn Vale that evening, draping the tropical rainforest in an even more mysterious veil.

When Humar led Sun Busong to the place where he'd been beaten, Sun Busong took a closer look and was surprised to see his own people—or so he figured. After all, nobody accepted that he was human, no matter how tall he was or how much he looked like one. There was a group of Dwarves!

Since they were his own people, he couldn't just attack them. He'd better find out what had happened first.

"Who goes there?"

They hadn't even reached the camp when a loud shout came from a nearby tree.

Sun Busong looked toward the voice and saw a Dwarf Hunter crouched in the tree, a rifle on his back and his eyes fixed nervously on him.

"Hey! Can't you tell? Look at my height, my build, my face. Take a closer look!"

The other man hadn't pointed his gun at him, which meant he probably didn't mean him any harm.

"Can I help you, my friend?"

Well, that confirmed it. He'd recognized him, and even changed his tone. Sun Busong was definitely a Dwarf!

"Haha, I never expected to find one of my own here, so I brought some liquor. What do you say? Am I welcome?"

Sun Busong always kept all kinds of alcohol in his bag. That certainly wasn't because people mistook him for a Dwarf; it was because both Old Man Hanyi and Master Hammer enjoyed a drink.

"Hahaha, my dear brother, wait for me! I'll climb down and take you to the camp to meet everyone!"

It didn't take long for the sentry to be lured down by the liquor. He even abandoned his post!

After taking Sun Busong to the camp, Barnir began introducing him around.

"Welcome to Stranglethorn Vale! Welcome to our camp. You may not have noticed, but that Dwarf over there is the son of the Alliance's great hero and top Hunter, Hemet Nesingwary. Just like his father, he doesn't welcome strangers to this camp. But you look like a Warrior who's seen a lot of the world. Go talk to him. Maybe he can teach you a few hunting tricks."

As he spoke, the fellow kept staring at Hemet. That wasn't an introduction; it was outright sucking up to him!

After sending Barnir on his way with a bottle of liquor, Sun Busong went straight over to Hemet.

"My name's Sun Busong. Sorry to drop in uninvited. I saw some of my own people here, so I let myself in. I hope you don't mind."

The fellow across from him wore a pair of high-end aiming goggles. He looked like an excellent Hunter.

"Pleased to meet you, Sun Busong. It's been a long time since a Warrior came here. I have only one reason for being here: to hunt bigger and craftier beasts. Since you're one of my own, I'd be glad to let you join the hunt, but first you'll have to prove yourself.

"I'll teach you how to hunt raptors. Ayek will teach you how to hunt tigers, and Sir Elgadin is an excellent panther hunter. Once you've proven your ability, I'll let you join this grand hunt."

Huh!

Things weren't going the way he'd expected.

"Oh, sorry. I'm not here to join your Hunting Competition. I just saw some of my own people and wanted to come by for a drink and introduce you to my pet. Someone just beat him up."

Sun Busong hurried to explain, then took out two bottles of liquor and brought Humar out of stealth.

"Hahaha, I noticed your lion right away. You don't see pets like that around here very often. He must've come from Kalimdor. Your family must have a lot of influence to bring you a pet from all the way over there!"

Hemet greeted Humar with a laugh, then took the liquor from Sun Busong without the slightest hesitation or awkwardness.

He popped the cork and took a swig. "Mmm!"

"This liquor is fantastic! My brother, I haven't tasted the liquor of my homeland in ages!"

After taking a drink, Hemet explained how Humar had been injured.

It turned out Humar had carelessly wandered into someone's trap and gotten hurt. The group had let him out afterward.

As a team that specialized in hunting beasts, they could tell the difference between a wild animal and a domesticated pet at a glance. They hadn't expected the little lion to tattle, then bring his master over to pick a fight.

"Hahaha, I knew it. This fellow even came to me to plead his case."

After a pleasant chat, Sun Busong got drunk and passed out in the hunting camp.

The next morning.

"Brother, since you'll be staying here a while, you might as well join our Hunting Competition. There are prizes for the top three!"

Hemet called out to Sun Busong as he was leaving.

"Oh? What are the prizes?"

"A map showing the dens and routes of all the Rare Elite Monsters in Stranglethorn Vale."

Sun Busong perked up as soon as he heard that. A map marked with every Rare Elite was an incredible prize. Humar needed to absorb the Soul Energy of Rare Elites to advance.

He was determined to win it.

"All right! Since you're so graciously inviting me, I can't refuse. Here's my entry fee."

"Hahahaha, I knew you'd join! Remember to bring back the bodies of every beast you kill, or we won't be able to tally the spoils!"

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

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

"No need to rush the mission. Be sure to stay safe and get some rest, but as soon as you finish it, come find me!"

The fellow was afraid Sun Busong would ruin his prospects.

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

"Yes, Sergeant! I'll finish the mission today!"

The mission was to kill six Korson Elites and four Korson Subchiefs in the secret base. When Sun Busong fought his way into the underground base again, he found that the Elites and Subchiefs were all level 37, and there were Korson Witch Doctors there too.

The high-risk slaughter yielded a substantial number of Slaughter Points.

The day before, he'd dismantled a Korson barracks and killed 528 soldiers, earning 4,552 Slaughter Points and increasing his Health Points by 1,056.

He'd converted all those Kill Points into Strength Attribute points. His Health Points were now 63,391, and his Strength Value was 509!

Stranglethorn Vale was practically paradise for him. And he'd also accepted a hunting mission from Hemet the Second. By the time he wrapped things up here, his health would probably exceed one hundred thousand!

Once again, he fought his way out of the underground secret base. This time, Captain Duo Lun received him in person.

"You've proven your ability time and again, and your resourcefulness seems to rival even Korson's. If... if you're willing to devote yourself fully to the struggle against Korson... perhaps you could become the new leader of our Rebel Army!"

"He's hiding deep in the cave called the 'Storeroom,' where he gives his orders. You must enter that cave, take out his bodyguards, and finally eliminate Korson and his deputies. Go, Sun Busong! Our lives and hopes are now entirely in your hands."

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

Korson had to die. He'd occupied the Imperial Guard's underground secret base, and it was also a gold mine with enormous reserves.

But Captain Duo Lun had to die too!

He'd put on a good show and make the two of them take each other out.

But that would take careful planning, so Sun Busong decided to complete the Hunting Competition first, killing the Rare Elites here to pave the way for Humar's advancement.

He'd deal with the gold mine after Luffy and the others arrived in three days.

The first event of the Hunting Competition was to hunt panthers. The Black Panther Cubs were only level 30.

The rules were simple: after the starting pistol went off, everyone had two hours to do their best. The person who killed the most won!

For Sun Busong, this was child's play. He took Humar and charged straight into the Black Panther den. No matter how many panthers there were, he killed them all. The den had the most Black Panther Cubs, so searching for them one by one would've been a hassle.

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

Next, he was assigned to hunt Stranglethorn Tigers. The rules were the same: whoever killed the most in two hours won.

Stranglethorn Tigers were a little higher level, at 33. As before, he went straight into the tiger den.

This time, he killed 190 and still came in first!

The third event of the Hunting Competition was to hunt level 35 Whip-tailed Raptors.

As expected, Sun Busong took first place again, killing 120 this time.

"Hahaha, I knew that with your drinking skills, you'd be able to take first place in this Hunting Competition!" Hemet came over and gave Sun Busong a bear hug when he saw him.

So being able to drink counted as a qualification for winning the Hunting Competition now!

"Brother, I came in first in every event today. When do I get the map?"

All Sun Busong could think about was the map marking the Rare Elites.

"Not so fast. The final round is tomorrow. Tonight, you'll drink with me, and tomorrow the competition committee will announce the requirements. Then you'll find out what you have to hunt!"

"So that's how it works? You don't even know what we'll be hunting tomorrow?" Sun Busong had thought he'd already won, but there was still another event tomorrow.

"Ten contestants will compete tomorrow. Even as the organizer, I don't know what the target will be. But why worry? First place is yours for the taking! Come on, drink!"

Another night passed.

"Everyone! You've now become qualified Hunters for our hunting team. Whether on the battlefields of Lordaeron or in this dangerous jungle, I've never seen anyone with combat abilities as powerful as yours."

"You've successfully killed Black Panther Cubs, Stranglethorn Tigers, and Whip-tailed Raptors. But for the Hunters of this jungle, nothing brings greater glory than the head of Tiger King Bangarash. Unfortunately, the Tiger King is elusive and wanders from place to place, making him very difficult to find. If one of you can kill Tiger King Bangarash, then you will undoubtedly be the finest Hunter here. You'll take first place!"

"There are ten contestants this time. Whoever kills the Tiger King first and brings back his head takes first place and wins the map showing the locations of all the Rare Elites in Stranglethorn Vale."

"Now, get going!"

The other Hunters scattered as soon as they heard the starting signal, leaving Sun Busong standing there in a daze.

Sun Busong was in a bind. Killing Tiger King Bangarash wasn't what worried him; he was stuck on how to find him! He didn't have the Hunters' tracking skills.

While he was fretting, Humar began acting strangely.

He grabbed Sun Busong's trouser leg and tried to lead him along.

"Humar! Do you know where the Tiger King is?" His unusual behavior gave Sun Busong a hunch, though he wasn't sure.

"Roar!"

Well, he couldn't find the Tiger King himself, so he might as well give it a shot.

Sun Busong quickly followed Humar.

To his surprise, Humar really did find the Tiger King! He never rested at night, instead seeking out dangerous places and prey. His main targets were powerful Rare Elites that could help him advance. The Tiger King wasn't a Rare Elite, but his combat strength was nothing to scoff at, so Humar had stumbled across his location.

A towering stone mountain stood before them. As soon as Sun Busong arrived, he spotted several level 38 Female Tigers of Stranglethorn Vale prowling there. These tigresses were much larger than the Stranglethorn Tigers he'd just killed.

He crept along the edge of the mountain, keeping out of sight. He couldn't kill the tigresses just yet. If the Tiger King sensed someone approaching and realized the tigresses had been killed, his first reaction would be to run.

Don't ask why the Tiger King wouldn't avenge the tigresses. I don't know either!

When he reached the top of the mountain, Sun Busong spotted the legendary Tiger King Bangarash at a glance.

The massive beast had black-and-white stripes and was a level 43 Elite. His Health Points were a staggering 16,000. Even lying down, he stood over a meter tall. He was eight meters long, and his tail, as thick as Sun Busong's thigh, swung idly back and forth.

The Tiger King was asleep. Sun Busong drew his axe and prepared to strike from stealth. Just as he crept to within two meters, those icy blue eyes snapped open.

A tiger's roar left Sun Busong's eardrums aching. Then the two clashed in a battle of equals.

The Tiger King's attacks were terrifyingly powerful. Every blow took more than 500 Health Points from Sun Busong, which made little sense. Sun Busong's defense was nearly 2,000. Anyone else would've been done for after a single swipe.

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