Being Freyan has several advantages, one being that you are terribly good at smelling things from a distance. "Young demon king ... I smell no demon within your kingdom. What's going on?" Meldor inquired, his face confused.
Although confused, Meldor was not particularly worried. If the demon king in front of him decided to break their mutual deal of prosperity, he would have had an ambush to kill the entire Freya race right there and then. However, the fact that not a single demon could be seen, or rather smelled, made Meldor wonder.
A teary-eyed Jin slowly looked up at Meldor. His pitiful gaze was somehow reminiscent of a lost fawn on a cold, rainy day. Although Jin reawakened with a rather new, different consciousness, he still remembered the time he spent with the people of his kingdom. Those memories, although made in a game world, still felt genuine for him. Nobody could change the fact that the past happened, and they were real.
"Y — Are you crying!?" Meldor was caught off guard by the sudden change in the atmosphere; one second they talked casually with each other, the next second, the other party is suddenly on the brink of shedding tears. It was an awkward scene all in all — Meldor approached the sobbing Jin gently, tapping his back lightly to comfort him.
…
Pieces of shattered iron, once part of the Priyan Kingdom gates, littered the entrance. Kicking them all aside, Jin, whose eyes were still a little red from crying, made his way into the city. "Everything's still a mess ... I hope you don't mind all this."
After recalling the events — the raid that led to the death of everyone in the Priyan Kingdom — to Meldor, Jin felt much better, even more comfortable. Finally, someone to talk to after having no one to talk and console during such tragic events.
"It's okay," Meldor replied briefly, he then invited the people behind him to get into the city. Since everything was a mess, it was natural for them to clean things up. Besides, nobody wants to live in a dump, even if it wasn't really their home. Although most Balks act and speak like savages, they were actually clean and well-organized; they went and cleaned the place immediately even before Meldor could instruct them.
…
It did not take long before the kingdom was spotless. One would not have guessed that there was a tragic event that occurred if it weren't for the emptiness of the kingdom— It would be as if nothing had happened. Jin felt grateful that the Freya race was much more cooperative than he initially thought. They were indeed an intelligent group of people; no less than humans and demons.
Jin thanked everyone for their help, but it would only be one of the more favors he would need from them. He was left with just four days to complete his first quest. At this pace, it would be impossible for him to finish all thirteen before the timer ends. "Meldor... I've got to talk about something with you."
---
The forbidden forest, south of the Priyan Kingdom, was once again infested with wild beasts and creatures, ready for Jin's taking — his much-awaited "experience point grind." Jin wasn't alone this time. Leading a group of fifty Heaths and a dozen Corus, including Meldor, he was much more prepared, ready for the worse. With his stat points reassigned, Jin was pretty confident about his chances of winning against the hidden boss of the forbidden south forest.
"Just immobilize those beasts for me, I'll do the dirty work myself," Jin instructed. Although the Heaths were barbaric in size and strength, they are, in fact, gentle giants. They do not hurt other living creatures as much as possible; ironic being how fearful they look. The group that hunts others for food are mostly the Balks, while the Heaths are left to guard Meldor and the cavern paths, besides doing hard work such as construction.
However, Jin was not particularly concerned about the moral codes of the Freya race; he just wanted to monopolize as much experience points as he could. He tried and tinkered through his status page to have the others join him and form a "party." However, it was simply impossible because they, the Freyans, were still undeniably monsters. Jin was a monster too, only because of the S.P.C. was he different than them.
The group of Heaths nodded in agreement as they sheathed their clubs back to the attached piece of cloth on their backs. On the other hand, Meldor drew a very thin staff, different from what he usually uses. "This is a low-grade enchanted staff. With this, I could cast multiple low-level spells at once. It would serve best in situations such as this one."
Jin was speechless about how much Meldor could put up in various situations, 'Truly a person worthy of leading such a diverse group of people. It would require a true professional to handle them at such a level," — Jin could only nod in recognition. With the help of Freyan's, King Bushwolf's spawning requirement would be a piece of cake.
---
[You defeated a 'Gray Hare']... [You received 100 EXP]... [15,450/17,650 EXP to LV 19]
[You defeated a 'Shrub Snake']... [You received 1 EXP]... [15,451/17,650 EXP to LV 19]
[You defeated a 'Shrub Snake']... [You received 1 EXP]... [15,452/17,650 EXP to LV 19]
[You defeated a 'Silver Viper']... [You received 50 EXP]... [15,502/17,650 EXP to LV 19]
...
The ground trembled from every step of the Heaths. With a single swipe, they could grab a dozen creatures without receiving any kind of retaliation; they were so strong that not even a LV 10 creature could react and fight against them. Throwing them aside for Jin to finish off— the quest to reach LV 20 was approaching. In addition to meeting the first quest's requirement, it would not take too long for the King Bushwolf to spawn.
*Pak!*
A thunderous noise resounded. With a single strike from such a small staff, Meldor evoked a multitude of low-grade paralysis spells. The echoing thunders resonated throughout the forest, engulfing every creature on its way. With the demonic sword Seyna closely behind, Jin slaughtered every crippled creature that the spells reached.
*Pak!* *Pak!* *Pak!*
The rest of the Corus followed. Although they do not have the same enchanted staff as Meldor, they were at least capable of conjuring single, low-grade paralysis spells. They hit their staff on the ground, creating terrifying ripples that could cripple anything nearby. Although they were spells under the category of "area of effect," they do not trigger when in contact with higher class creatures, which means that the spells invoked by the Corus could not affect the Heaths and Jin.
With how fast and efficient everything was, it certainly wouldn't take long before Jin could meet the 20,000 kill-spawn requirement. In fact, he was counting mentally since the beginning.
"18,900...19,000...19,500...19,900" —
The appearance of the hidden boss would not take too long. Like pulling weeds in an untrimmed garden, Jin killed the last few hundred creatures he needed before leveling up and spawning the boss…
A chilling atmosphere immediately swaddled the surroundings, a familiar feeling for Jin. As if an ominous person lurking in the shadows had locked his eyes on his target; a creeping sense of danger prowled towards Jin. But a thick nebula suddenly swallowed the forest in the next moment— the jacket dissipated and revealed a majestic creature.
[Ding! Player has successfully triggered a (Hidden Boss Area)]
…
'King Bushwolf' LV 50
Monster Type: Monarch Forest Beast
Monster Class: Pseudo-Legendary
Rarity: Hidden Boss
…
HP: 275,000
MP: 0
Fatigue: —
..
"We meet again, majestic guardian of this forest… however, now isn't the time for greetings. I came to finish what I started, and this time, I came prepared…"