Chapter 243 - 241
Chapter 241
"Huh? I see... A King-rank beast? That’s insane!" The bulky instructor shouted in shock after listening to Van narrate the harrowing story of what they had encountered in the underworld.
It took the crowd several minutes to process the information as the other Aspirants listened attentively, their faces pale with a growing sense of horror.
Van explained everything—from being dragged down by the roots to nearly being smashed into the earth and reduced to a bloody pulp.
He vividly described the terrifying encounter with the Minotaur that had awaited them in the darkness.
However, he carefully omitted the details regarding Ray and Felix’s transformations.
He also kept quiet about their realization that Berg had been the mastermind behind the entire ordeal, sabotaging them from the start.
Van knew that the instructors would be incredibly skeptical about a group of Aspirants taking down a King-rank beast on their own.
After all, even Sergeants—who were typically Grade 5 Metas—would struggle immensely against a monster of that caliber.
With this in mind, he decided to feed the Captain a calculated lie: the beast had already been severely injured before they arrived.
What had actually wounded the creature?
They claimed to have no idea.
Since the subterranean world remained completely uncharted by the military, the officers couldn’t be sure if something even more powerful than a King-rank beast was lurking in the depths.
Captain Jake nodded slowly as the seven Aspirants rose to their full height, though a flicker of doubt remained etched on his face as he scrutinized them.
"Are you absolutely certain that what you faced was a King-rank beast?"
The group cast a brief, nervous glance at one another before their eyes settled on Ray.
The Tribrid let out a quiet sigh, dug his hand into his pocket, and retrieved a beast core from his system inventory.
Holding it up, he presented the shimmering prize to the Captain.
Seeing the intense glow and the significant size of the object, Jake took it from the boy’s hand to examine it.
The sheer radiance and density of the core told him everything he needed to know.
This was, without a shadow of a doubt, a King-rank beast core.
He held it up to the scanner on his wrist bracelet, logged the data, and then returned it to the Tribrid.
Ray hastily snatched it back, exhaling a heavy sigh of relief; for a moment, he had genuinely feared the officer might confiscate it.
After observing them for another beat, Jake turned his back on the group.
"The expedition has been called off."
Trish’s eyes widened in sheer horror. "Wait! Called off? Why?"
The Captain continued walking away, though his voice drifted back over his shoulder.
"If there is an entire hidden ecosystem beneath this planet’s surface, it is far too hazardous for you all. We have no way of knowing how many more of those strange tree trunks are waiting to snatch people up. We must exercise extreme caution."
Trish was not about to let it go.
"Bu—but, what about those who are currently at the bottom of the rankings? Don’t we deserve another chance to prove ourselves?"
’What is her obsession with being at the top? What is she trying to prove, and to whom?’ Ray wondered, tilting his head as he studied the girl’s desperate expression.
Jake paused mid-stride and slowly turned around to glare at her.
"The expedition has been called off, and that is final. I will hear no more arguments on the matter," he stated with cold finality.
He turned to leave once more, but hesitated for a second before glancing back at the seven weary Aspirants.
"Also, the leaderboard has been updated."
He looked toward the bulky instructor and ordered, "Show them."
The crowd of Aspirants quickly shuffled closer as the instructor tapped a sequence into his bracelet.
Immediately, a large, yellow translucent screen projected into the air, hovering with enough clarity for everyone to read the displayed data.
The pupils of Ray and his group dilated in shock.
Even the other Aspirants stood with their mouths agape at the sight.
"Thi—this..." Kai stammered, unable to find the right words to describe the visual before him.
Moving up from the fourth position, Ray’s group had skyrocketed to the number one spot, surpassing everyone else with a massive margin of points.
This pushed Berg’s group down to the second spot, stripping them of their hard-earned number one position.
The Legacy’s jaw tightened immediately, his facial muscles twitching with suppressed emotion.
Eyes burning with a primal, white-hot rage, he turned to stare venomously at the Tribrid and his companions.
"Yes. That beast core effectively secured your place at the summit. So, congratulations, Squad Kai; you have officially won this expedition. Your prize? You simply get to keep that beast core of yours," Captain Jake uttered, his voice echoing across the quiet field.
He paused for a brief second, his sharp eyes scanning the group before adding,
"... And I am well aware that there is one more core."
The group instantly broke out into nervous sweats, their hearts hammering against their ribs, before the Captain dismissively waved his hand.
"I don’t actually care about the secondary one. Whatever you scavenged down there belongs to you."
Then, he shifted his gaze toward Chloe, who was still clutching the bow she had borrowed from him earlier in the mission.
"And that bow is now yours. Consider it a gift for having the sense not to die in that hellhole."
Chloe’s eyes lit up instantly with a mixture of shock and joy.
She quickly straightened her posture and saluted with newfound energy.
"Thank you, sir!"
With a curt nod, Jake turned around and began heading back toward the gate, which continued to shimmer a short distance away.
Trish, meanwhile, was beaming intensely at the scoreboard as it began to flicker and fade out.
This was the first time Ray had ever seen her expression shift from its habitual, icy coldness to something genuinely delightful.
’And beautiful...’ he thought, briefly distracted by the change.
"Come on now! In a straight line!" Jake shouted, taking his place beside the pulsating gateway.
The Aspirants all saluted in unison as they rushed to organize themselves into a disciplined queue.
Berg continued to stare daggers in Ray’s direction, his aura practically vibrating with malice.
Feeling the weight of those eyes on him, the Tribrid turned his head to meet the stare, looking icily at the Legacy heir.
His teeth ground together in a slow, rhythmic clench.
’I will pay you back in kind for what you did. Don’t worry. A time is coming when I will have my revenge.’
Soon, the line began to move, and the Aspirants started walking into the gate with a brisk, rhythmic pace.
One by one, the ranks thinned as students disappeared into the light.
The queue moved significantly faster than they had anticipated; eventually, Berg’s frame vanished into the glow, and right behind him was Ray.
’... Soon. But for now, I just need to rest.’
The Tribrid and his squad stepped forward, vanishing into the shimmering gateway as they left the planet’s surface behind.