King of Beasts

Chapter 74: The Crickets Revenge

Lu Ran wasn’t the only one benefiting from the wild resources of Green Sea City. Fang Lan was perhaps the greatest beneficiary aside from him.

For first-generation, second-generation, and third-generation beastmasters, those specializing in poison needed a substantial amount of resources for practice.

A deep understanding of various toxic plants and animals was essential to becoming a true master of poison techniques.

Presently, the whole domain of poison in Green Sea City was open to Fang Lan. Combined with the poison courses postal-mailed by Gu Qingyi and her own academic excellence, Lu Ran could already foresee the birth of an exceptionally formidable beastmaster.

Even without hands-on experience, she had already concocted a poison against the Demon Bull Commander. After practical learning, Lu Ran felt Fang Lan would be one of the most ruthless among fourth-generation beastmasters.

The divine beast leaderboard could hardly represent her true strength.

After all, when facing opponents in the arena, she had to hold back to avoid lethal outcomes.

Moreover, the true essence of poison lay in intelligence gathering, targeted poisons, assassinations, and so on…

…

Lu Ran and Fang Lan walked shoulder to shoulder in Maple Park. He intended to take her to meet the venomous centipede at the back mountain.

As they chatted and walked, they attracted many curious glances.

The reason was simple: Fang Lan was a well-known figure in Green Sea City!

The Holy Maiden of the Five Poisons Cult from Infinite City No. 3 was known by everyone.

Her striking purple hair was her best identifier.

Unlike Lu Ran, who kept a low profile, Fang Lan frequently mixed in the arena and was even more famous.

Plus, she was a beauty, and the stark contrast with her specialization in poison added to her fame.

An additional factor was that in the past seven days, Fang Lan had been actively resolving issues caused by various mutated beasts around Green Sea City, making her even more widely recognized.

“Isn’t that Fang Lan, the Holy Maiden of the Five Poisons Cult?!”

“Who’s the guy beside her? Her boyfriend?! Damn, someone actually managed to tame such a legendary figure.”

At the moment, Maple Park was bustling with people, many of whom were students from Green Sea University.

These student beastmasters often teamed up to capture mutated beasts. After all, helping to maintain public order while earning academic credits was the perfect way to satisfy their sense of justice and alleviate academic concerns—truly a win-win situation.

“Isn’t that Lu Ran, the previous Bug King of the Maple Park Fighting Bug Tournament?!”

Of course, there were still those who recognized Lu Ran. He actually had some popularity, not because of his Passerby A identity, but due to his title as the strongest Bug Fighter.

As for the fact that Fang Lan and Lu Ran were siblings, even fewer people were aware of that.

“It really is Lu Ran! Has he become a beastmaster too? It makes sense, though! But I thought he would contract with a bug, given his impressive bug fighting skills. So, it’s a lizard instead?!”

One of the seasoned bug fighters noticed the Sudden Death King following Lu Ran and exclaimed in surprise.

For the past week, Lu Ran had mostly been active in sparsely populated areas. So even though he had subdued numerous wild animals, only Officer Luo Shang and his official beastmaster team knew about his King of Green Sea status.

Civilian beastmasters, like the ones in Maple Park, were still out of the loop.

“Seems like we are both quite famous, and you’ve done a great job keeping your identity under wraps,” Fang Lan whispered to Lu Ran with a chuckle.

“Isn’t that just common practice? Can you honestly say that having your identity exposed so quickly hasn’t caused you any trouble?” Lu Ran asked.

“Don’t even mention it. I get pestered by at least a dozen classmates every day asking me for help. It’s incredibly annoying. And the worst part? Even in Infinite City, I can’t have a meal without being approached by strangers.” Fang Lan sighed deeply, feeling utterly exasperated.

Unlike Lu Ran, who could steal a wild Boss in broad daylight without anyone remembering what he looked like, blending into the crowd like a true Passerby A.

Now Fang Lan regretted her decision to dye her hair that eye-catching purple.

“Haha,” Lu Ran chuckled and said, “My classmates never bother me…”

“Lu Ran, is that you?!”

“Finally found you!” Before Lu Ran could finish his sentence, a boy in shorts came running after them, shouting. Both Lu Ran and Fang Lan turned around at the sound of his voice.

“Hey, I sent you so many messages in private chat, and you didn’t reply at all. Turns out you were on a date… Whoa, the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden!” The boy in shorts, now closer, was visibly shocked upon seeing Lu Ran and Fang Lan together.

“Yang Xishuai?” Lu Ran recognized him and looked equally perplexed. This was his high school classmate…

About half a month ago, Yang Xishuai also became a beastmaster.

He’d even boasted about it in their class group chat.

Lu Ran was also aware of another layer to Yang Xishuai’s identity—that he was the grandson of the old man who lost to Lu Ran in the previous fighting bug tournament.

Hearing Yang Xishuai’s words, Lu Ran remembered all those times when this guy kept pestering him, asking if he had become a beastmaster and wanting to have a rematch to honor his grandfather…

Unsurprisingly, Lu Ran had completely ignored him. Who would’ve thought he’d get nabbed in real life today?

Just moments ago, he had been telling Fang Lan how he never got harassed by classmates, and now this—classic example of jinxing himself!

“You… you two know each other?” Yang Xishuai looked incredulously at Lu Ran and Fang Lan walking side by side. Fang Lan was a well-known figure in Green Sea City, someone who had even been featured in the newspapers several times!

She was hailed as the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City.

A true beauty of Green Sea City.

Although, a poisonous flower at that.

And Lu Ran knew such a goddess?

“Fang Lan is our senior. We’re from the same school. Is it that strange for us to know each other?” Lu Ran responded, “What’s up?”

Yang Xishuai quickly glanced at the Sudden Death King trailing behind Lu Ran.

The Sudden Death King also sensed something ominous and eyeballed him in return.

“Beastmaster duel, what else!” Yang Xishuai exclaimed, “Your lizard is well-raised; it’s quite big. What species is it? So cool.”

“But you don’t have a strong will. You didn’t contract a bug species. Look at me, I not only contracted an insect but also leveraged it to pass the novice trial!”

“A middle supernatural species, Cricket Warrior. Impressive, right?”

Yang Xishuai boasted but felt somewhat insecure internally, because he knew he had cheated his way through the trial.

After the beast taming era began, the Xia Country government started selling a resource called “stinkweed.” When this weed was crushed and smeared on the body, it caused most supernatural beings to feel nauseous and repelled, thereby significantly reducing the chances of being attacked by supernatural beings within a secret realm.

Needless to say, with the advent of stinkweed, the odds of novice beastmasters surviving the 24-hour novice trial through cunning means drastically increased.

Yang Xishuai was one of the first beneficiaries of purchasing stinkweed.

Thanks to acquiring this resource and his years of experience with bugs, he firmly chose insects as his pet beast.

In the end, his luck was pretty good. Most crickets are of the lower supernatural species level, but after contracting with him, his cricket not only reached the middle supernatural species level, but they also encountered a secret realm where the stinkweed’s special effects could be perfectly utilized. It was smooth sailing for him.

“Anyway, do you want to have a beastmaster duel? My Cricket Warrior versus your lizard!”

Yang Xishuai said, “Based on species level, you still have the advantage. What do you say?”

“What nonsense is this? Why did you really contract a cricket?” Lu Ran was exasperated and was about to refuse, but Fang Lan smiled and said, “Sure, I’d like to see the Sudden Death King’s current strength.”

Meanwhile, she looked at Lu Ran smugly, thinking, ‘Didn’t you say your classmates never bothered you? This one’s even more enthusiastic than mine!’

“Well… fine,” Lu Ran conceded reluctantly. Since it had come to this, he might as well deal with Yang Xishuai once and for all to stop him from pestering him every day.

How did it escalate from fighting the senior to now dealing with the junior? This didn’t make sense.

“I’ll fight you, but just this once.”

“Haha, great!” Yang Xishuai was excited, rubbing his hands together in preparation.

Sudden Death King: ???

The Sudden Death King was on the verge of tears. Its second master sure knew how to find trouble. It could tell that Lu Ran had no intention of accepting the challenge!

Even though it had heard the opponent’s pet beast was a cricket—previously just food for it—it still felt uneasy.

After all, the bug king was also a cricket, and it was incredibly terrifying.

“Let’s go.” Lu Ran shrugged and said, “Let’s find an open space.”

In the beginning, beastmaster duels were not allowed within the city. But as spiritual energy revived, it became crucial for the public to cooperate with official forces to eliminate mutated beasts. Battles in the city were inevitable, and such regulations naturally fell by the wayside.

As long as people weren’t deliberately disturbing the peace or destroying public property, the authorities generally turned a blind eye to most private duels. It also became more acceptable for beastmasters to walk their large pet beasts around outside.

Soon, Lu Ran and Yang Xishuai arrived at a grassy field, preparing for their beastmaster duel.

The commotion quickly attracted passersby.

Seeing a beast tamer duel about to begin, a curious crowd quickly gathered.

“Hey, someone’s having a beastmaster duel! Let’s check it out!”

“Isn’t that the guy walking with the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden?”

“Hey, isn’t that old Yang’s grandson?”

The surrounding crowd grew larger.

Both Yang Xishuai and Lu Ran ignored the bystanders.

At this moment, the Sudden Death King had already crawled into the grass, sighing repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Yang Xishuai confidently pulled out his black card to summon his pet beast.

“Come out, my warrior.” With his words, a summoning circle appeared on the grass. Accompanied by a radiant light, a massive golden cricket, about half a meter long, flew out from the circle!

Its armor was incredibly lustrous, with long antennae, thin yet shiny wings, plus six stout legs and two sharp mandibles. This cricket looked like a seasoned warrior, well-bred to a commendable level.

“Screech——” The cricket’s battle cry was filled with fighting spirit as it raised its wings, showing its determination to fight. Its aggressive nature was quite apparent.

The Cricket Warrior eyed the Sudden Death King with a composed demeanor, completely unbothered by the fact that insects were typically just food for lizards. After all, it had taken down at least ten predators over these past days if not a hundred!

“Honestly, old Yang’s grandson really raises some top-tier crickets. No wonder they’re from a family renowned for battling bugs.”

“If they had another fighting bug tournament that allowed supernatural insects, he’d definitely take first place.”

“No, no, no, the other day I saw a cricket as big as a person. That was absurd…”

People started debating again.

“Wow ka. (Gold species…)” Meanwhile, seeing the Cricket Warrior, the Sudden Death King swallowed nervously, even more worried now. After all, the bug king was also a metal species. What to do, what to do?

Although the Cricket Warrior was much smaller compared to the bug king.

But what if small packages really did mean more concentrated power?

Especially seeing the confidence exuding from both Yang Xishuai and the Cricket Warrior, the Sudden Death King couldn’t help but feel apprehensive.

“Wow ka wow ka wow ka.”

“Wow ka wow ka.”

The Sudden Death King kept making noises, voicing its concerns.

[Wow ka ka, what terrifying mandibles, if they bite me, I’ll definitely die instantly.]

Looking pitifully, the Sudden Death King sought Lu Ran’s help.

“What is it saying?” On the other side, Yang Xishuai, curious about Lu Ran’s chatty pet beast, asked.

Only a beastmaster could understand such things, unless the Sudden Death King someday mastered abilities like telepathy to directly communicate with others.

“Are you sure you want to know? ‘What terrifying mandibles, if they bite me, I’ll definitely die instantly…’,” Lu Ran mimicked the Sudden Death King’s tone quite accurately.

“Damn.” Even though the statement was one of weakness, Yang Xishuai felt that Lu Ran and his lizard were mocking them in a cynical way, subtly ridiculing them.

“Heh, don’t get too cocky just yet. You’ll see its power soon enough!”

“Attack!” Waving his hand dramatically, Yang Xishuai commanded, and the golden Cricket Warrior leapt forward like an airborne general, charging straight at the Sudden Death King.

Seeing this, Lu Ran decided not to give any specific commands, planning to let the Sudden Death King handle it on its own.

The Sudden Death King was startled. It wanted to activate its Thunder Armor to protect itself, but due to the size of the field and Yang Xishuai not following any etiquette by attacking without warning, the Sudden Death King couldn’t get its armor up in time and was hit.

“Clack!” The Cricket Warrior, with its metal energy overlay, struck with its antennae that were as sharp as metal spears, hitting the Sudden Death King directly.

Just as the Sudden Death King was about to scream in pain, there was a “Screeeeech!” sound. The metal antennae of the golden Cricket Warrior, as if striking something incredibly hard, made the Cricket Warrior recoil in pain.

“Shhhh—-,” the recoil force pushed the golden Cricket Warrior back, making its head buzz and feel dizzy, leaving the Sudden Death King dumbfounded.

Even Yang Xishuai’s eyes widened in shock.

“No way, no damage at all?” Onlookers also started talking among themselves, “That lizard’s defensive capabilities are really strong.”

“The opponent’s metal energy overlay attacked with such force that cutting through stone would have been easy. Yet, it couldn’t even scratch the lizard’s original skin.”

“As expected, the friend of the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden is also a formidable beastmaster.”

“Impossible!” The various voices around him were echoing in Yang Xishuai’s ears, making it hard for him to accept. He continued to command, “Bite him!”

By this time, the Sudden Death King finally reacted. Small sparks of electricity began to course over its body. Unfortunately, it was just a basic energy overlay and not the fully formed Thunder Armor, as the Cricket Warrior launched another ferocious attack, further terrifying the Sudden Death King.

In an instant, the Cricket Warrior made contact with the Sudden Death King, which was now covered with thunder energy. The Cricket Warrior shivered, black smoke rising from its body, and collapsed twitching on the ground.

The Sudden Death King, looking at the Cricket Warrior lying beside it, was once again left dumbfounded.

Huh?

What just happened? The opponent’s attack speed was so fast.

It hadn’t even fully formed the Thunder Armor, and had only just applied the thunder energy overlay to its body, yet the Cricket Warrior… how did it fall down so quickly?

The Sudden Death King stared at the Cricket Warrior, deep in thought, unsure whether it should continue forming its Thunder Armor.

“Wow ka. (I haven’t even fully activated my defensive skill, and you’ve already collapsed.)”

The Sudden Death King was utterly shocked. It had braced itself for a fierce fight with the Cricket Warrior, but it turned out the opponent couldn’t even break through its basic defense!

“Looks like it’s over.” Lu Ran said, “It’s just a mild paralysis. No big deal. Just take it to rest for a bit, I’m heading out now.”

The fight ended swiftly and decisively. Fang Lan, standing by, couldn’t help but remark, “Its defense is really strong.”

“In terms of defense, it indeed has a talent. When it first awakened, its scale defense was already comparable to wild boars several levels higher with rock energy overlays. And now…” Lu Ran smiled and continued walking with Fang Lan, the Sudden Death King hesitating briefly before quickly following along.

The Sudden Death King had leveled up multiple times by now, having benefitted from General Ha’s resources and consumed a lot of Heart of the Bug to increase the hardness of its scales. Its scale defense was already beyond formidable.

If it activated its Thunder Armor, Lu Ran estimated that even if it just stood there, without counter-attacking, it could still counter-defeat a bunch of wild level 10 creatures.

Of course, Lu Ran was also aware of the Sudden Death King’s weakness; its reaction time was still a bit slow, and it couldn’t activate its Thunder Armor instantly. This was a drawback of not mastering the energy flow technique, and it was also related to the fact that the Sudden Death King hadn’t practiced repeatedly switching its Thunder Armor on and off. It seemed more training with General Ha was necessary, specifically the kind where the Sudden Death King wasn’t given any advance warning.

At this moment, the Sudden Death King was also self-reflecting. Perhaps it should just keep its Thunder Armor on at all times… In dangerous situations, there might not be enough time to put it on! From now on, maybe it should even sleep with a thick layer of armor!

Lu Ran and Fang Lan walked away.

However, Yang Xishuai was left standing there, stunned.

His Cricket Warrior… couldn’t even break through the opponent’s defense and got knocked out from the rebound shock!

How could this happen!!!

Feeling the stares and whispers from the surrounding onlookers, Yang Xishuai felt a wave of darkness before his eyes. How could Lu Ran be so strong?!!