The presenter headed over to the pangolin and checked its sack.
"Travis candidate’s beast has five rare plants."
The audience widened their eyes in surprise at Travis’s achievement.
"You see?! Five rare plants... damn it."
"His beast is the best species when it comes to plant affinity I’ve ever seen... mine hasn’t ever found even a single rare plant."
Another audience member clicked his tongue.
"Don’t compare yourself to that beast, you’ll never grow. It’s on another level. And don’t forget—he’s a potential prodigy of the Plant Association."
Whispers spread through the stands.
Byron, one of the ten grand plant scholars, smiled quietly.
"That boy has potential... We should invest in him."
Theodore said, lifting his chin.
"It’s not the right thing to do. We shouldn’t invest too much in members of the great Clan."
Byron smirked and pointed at Rocky.
"So you mean that trash is a proper person to invest in? Thanks to your stupid idea, we could lose a year of the organization’s income for that trash."
Theodore snorted.
"I’m not investing in him. I’m investing in his master."
To avoid adding more tension to the conflict, one of the grand plant scholars spoke gently.
"You guys should relax."
Suddenly, the presenter screamed in fear, drawing everyone’s attention.
"I-IMPOSSIBLE!... 30 RARE PLANTS!"
Scarlet’s beast chuckled smugly as it ran back to its master. It hoped Scarlet would pet it again.
"You did well, Amber." Scarlet smiled brightly while petting her beast.
The chatter burst out again in the stands.
Travis narrowed his eyes when glancing at Scarlet. A clear sign of jealousy flashed in his eyes, yet he merely shrugged his shoulders.
"Not a big problem. After all, she’ll be mine sooner or later... I should be proud of my fiancée."
One of the grand plant scholars sighed in regret.
"Her beast has the highest affinity with plants among beasts in the last hundred years. If only she weren’t a member of the Great Clans."
The other grand plant scholars sighed in agreement. Scarlet possessed a beast full of potential. If she walked the right path, becoming a grand plant scholar was only a matter of time.
A few minutes later, the other candidates’ beasts proved far less impressive than Scarlet’s and Travis’s. They only collected common plants. At best, there was a single rare plant.
As for the last candidate, everyone burst into laughter when they saw Rocky’s beast dragging a small shark out of its sack.
"A shark? What the fuck? This is the most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen in my life." One audience member chuckled.
"Yeah... you know what? I guess beasts from the black zone can still do one thing. They’re not as useless as we thought,"
He added in a mocking tone.
"They’re good at comedy acts."
"Hahahahaha! That’s totally right. I agree."
Countless mocking words echoed through the stands.
Travis chuckled as he spoke to Rocky, who still hid his face beneath a black hood.
"Hey, dude. I think you should quit this career. A circus would suit you and your beast... If you want, I can even introduce you to a famous circus I know. Don’t refuse my kindness."
His voice was filled with pure mockery and scorn.
Scarlet’s face darkened. A killing intent surged toward Travis, freezing him in place. Then she glanced at Rocky and clenched her fist in worry.
The presenter’s expression twisted in irritation. After all, Rocky was the dirty face of the Plant Association in front of the world.
At that moment, he had no idea what to say. He glanced at a senior plant scholar, who clearly felt the same. It seemed he was waiting for help from someone higher up.
In contrast, the grand plant scholar’s face remained cold. Someone even smirked... not in mockery, but out of interest in Rocky’s beast.
Rocky nodded, gesturing for Bobby to act... it was time to smash those ignorant people who dared to mock him.
A black knife quickly materialized from the void in Bobby’s hand. With practiced movements, Bobby gently opened the shark’s skull and slowly revealed a greenweb-covered brain.
He then lifted the greenweb-covered brain high into the air, his intention crystal clear.
(Widen your eyes and see, arrogant humans.)
Someone in the audience frowned and spoke up.
"What is that? It looks like a plant species? A plant feeding on a shark’s brain?"
At that moment, Theodore began to speak. His voice rang throughout the arena.
"That is a parasitic plant species. They feed on an animal’s brain. It shouldn’t have been possible for any beast here to ever find it. After all, it’s a noble plant, one that can only be sensed by a unique beast of at least level 300."
The audience froze in disbelief at the grand plant scholar’s explanation. Still, they had no choice but to accept it.
"A beast from the Black Zone can do something like that?"
...
"It’s hard to believe... It seems it’s a unique species from the Black Zone."
...
"Tsk! I think it was set up in advance. They arranged that shark from the beginning for that trash beast. I’ll never believe an inferior beast from the Black Zone is capable of this."
"I think so too. It’s definitely a setup."
...
Under the arena, most of the candidates shared the same thoughts.
Travis snorted.
"What trash. Turns out your beast already knew about that plant from the start."
He shrugged and shook his head.
"But it can’t be helped. The reputation still needs to be protected... using a rubbish beast to prove that even those at the bottom can find a noble plant. It’s the best kind of marketing."
"Do you agree, my fiancée?" Travis smirked as she asked Scarlet.
Scarlet ignored Travis completely. Her gaze shifted to a grand plant scholar, whose expression was serious.
She knew very well what kind of organization the Plant Association was. After all, it had to maintain a fair image in front of the world to recruit geniuses from everywhere.
Moreover, based on what she had overheard from a grand plant scholar—thanks to her skill, Dragon’s Super Hearing—she became even more certain of her thoughts.
(Rocky’s beast must be a unique species from the deepest Black Zone... It seems next time, I’ll have to ask him about his experience reaching that place.)
A/N: I hope you enjoy this novel. Support by adding to your library and giving a power stone or two. Thank you.
I will also appreciate a review to keep me motivated.