With a thought, Roya dismissed the status panel and simultaneously sheathed Engetsu.
Although he had occasionally tested the strength of his flames before, testing them could never compare to experiencing them in an actual battle.
After this fight, Roya finally had a rough idea of just how strong he was.
After sheathing Engetsu, Roya glanced at the corpse of the Brownback Giant Ape and prepared to leave in search of his next prey.
However, before he could take two steps, the bushes beside him suddenly began to shake.
A commotion came from within, as though something was about to burst out.
“Huh?
Again?!”
Roya stopped and revealed a surprised expression.
Even if the creatures on this island were densely concentrated, it shouldn’t be possible to encounter three of them in such a small area one after another.
Under Roya’s gaze, the bushes suddenly parted.
But instead of a ferocious beast, a young woman with a graceful figure and pink hair stepped out.
It was none other than Hina—the same Hina who had specifically warned Roya earlier because he hadn’t brought a firearm, only to become furious when Roya completely ignored her advice.
Hina had happened to be nearby.
After hearing the commotion, she had immediately come over.
Holding a gun in each hand, Hina emerged from the bushes with a vigilant expression.
The moment she saw the Brownback Giant Ape lying on the ground, burned into what looked like a massive piece of roasted meat, she froze for a moment before revealing an expression of shock.
This was…
the Brownback Giant Ape, one of the strongest creatures among the Level One beasts?!
Unlike Roya, Hina had learned about the contents of the practical combat examination beforehand.
She also had a general understanding of the ranking system for the ferocious beasts on the island.
She might not remember all the lower-level beasts, but she naturally remembered the strongest Level One beasts extremely well.
Although the Brownback Giant Ape had been burned until it looked like a piece of roasted meat, Hina still recognized it at a glance.
Without a doubt, this was one of the strongest creatures on the entire island!
Yet a Level One ferocious beast that ruled this island like a king had actually been burned into this state.
Moreover, looking at the surrounding area, it appeared as though the entire region had been scorched by flames, leaving it looking almost like charcoal.
Hina was utterly shocked.
It took quite some time before she finally recovered.
Because all of her attention had been focused on the Brownback Giant Ape’s corpse, Hina only noticed Roya standing nearby after she had come back to her senses.
Her small face immediately revealed a look of surprise.
“Why are you here?”
“…”
Roya stared at Hina with a speechless expression.
He had been standing there this whole time, yet she’d only noticed him now.
Just how low was his presence?
The corner of Roya’s mouth twitched.
He gave Hina an exasperated glance.
“Why can’t I be here?”
Hina came back to her senses.
Hearing Roya’s reply, she immediately snorted.
“You’re really lucky.
Somehow, this Level One ferocious beast—the Brownback Giant Ape—was burned to death.
Otherwise, if you’d encountered it alive, you wouldn’t have made it out of here alive.”
Hina believed that even she would have no choice but to retreat if she encountered a Level One ferocious beast.
Her chances of winning in a direct confrontation would be extremely low.
And this one was the notoriously troublesome Brownback Giant Ape.
In her eyes, Roya was extremely fortunate not to have encountered it while it was still alive.
However, after hearing Hina say all this, Roya was already speechless inside.
He didn’t show it on his face, though, nor did he bother explaining.
Instead, he put on his trademark harmless smile and looked at Hina.
“By the way, what exactly do you mean by a Level One ferocious beast?”
“You don’t even know that?”
Hina stared at Roya strangely, but she still answered.
“The creatures on this island are divided into five levels.
Level Five is the weakest, while Level One is the strongest.
This should be a Level One ferocious beast—the Brownback Giant Ape.”
“I see.
So that means the Brownback Giant Ape I just killed should be worth the highest number of points, right?”
Roya wore a thoughtful expression.
So this Brownback Giant Ape was already among the strongest creatures on the island.
Come to think of it, that made sense.
If there were creatures another tier above the Brownback Giant Ape, they would practically crush and slaughter the recruits.
There would be no training value in that at all.
Hina was still examining the Brownback Giant Ape’s corpse.
Hearing Roya’s words, she subconsciously nodded.
“That’s right.
The Brownback Giant Ape you killed was a Level One ferocious beast, so naturally its score would be—”
Her voice abruptly stopped.
At that moment, Hina suddenly realized what Roya had just said.
Her eyes instantly widened as she turned toward him.
“What did you just say?!”
Seeing Hina’s reaction, Roya smiled and nodded.
“Nothing.
Since the Brownback Giant Ape I killed is practically the strongest creature on this island, I can rest easy now.”
Since he had been able to kill the Brownback Giant Ape so easily by using his flame ability, Roya figured there shouldn’t be any ferocious beast on this island capable of threatening him.
At least, that was what he thought.
However, after hearing Roya’s words, Hina fell silent.
After a moment of silence, she walked directly over to Roya and suddenly placed her fair hand against his forehead.
“What are you doing?!”
The gesture instantly made Roya lose his composure.
Hina looked at Roya with the expression one might use when checking on someone who had clearly lost their mind.
“Um…
Hina thinks that if you have a fever, you can ask for leave.”
Pfft!
Those words nearly made Roya cough up blood.
Fortunately, in his previous life, he had often traded sarcastic remarks with a group of mischievous friends, which had cultivated a slightly dark sense of humor in him.
So he was still able to maintain his composure.
“There’s no need to ask for leave.
I still have to find more prey.
See you.”
After saying that to Hina, Roya decisively turned around and left.
Watching Roya leave so decisively, Hina’s mouth twitched.
She was completely at a loss.
How could someone like this even exist?
If Roya weren’t Vice Admiral Garp’s nephew, she wouldn’t bother with him at all.
However, just as Hina was preparing to turn around and leave as well, she suddenly noticed that Roya, who had just walked into the bushes, was coming back!
Hina froze for a moment.
She looked at Roya even more bewilderedly.
“Why are you back again?”
Roya answered with an extremely serious expression.
“Waiting for prey.”
Roya had just remembered something.
He had burned the Brownback Giant Ape until it was practically roasted.
The smell of cooked meat would soon spread through the area, and it would probably attract a large number of ferocious beasts.
With his ability to add flame damage to his attacks, Roya wasn’t afraid of fighting multiple enemies at once.
Once he unleashed his flames, whether three, five, ten, or eight beasts came at him, they would all end up as roasted meat.
Unless they were creatures capable of resisting flame damage, they would basically have no means of resisting his power.
Since he could simply wait here, why waste the effort of searching for prey?
“Waiting for prey?
Wait!
Are you crazy?!”
Hina wasn’t stupid.
The moment she heard Roya’s words, she immediately understood what he was planning.
Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell open.
In a forest filled with ferocious beasts, if the smell of roasted meat continued spreading, how many beasts would it attract?
It would definitely be far more than one or two!
Roya actually intended to use the corpse of the Brownback Giant Ape as bait.
This wasn’t waiting for prey.
He was practically waiting to die!
If he were surrounded by a large number of ferocious beasts, he might not even have time to escape.
Hina couldn’t even understand how Roya’s brain worked.
How could he possibly come up with such a suicidal idea?!