"Who goes there? State your name. Say your name. Your name. Name."
The thunderous voice echoed through the empty palace hall, causing Iyas and Bai Jin to feel the urge to retreat.
No wonder Yang Yu was adamant that the Hani King was special—with such an appearance and aura, he truly possessed the air of a sovereign.
With a respectful bow, Yang Yu fearlessly greeted the Hani King, "Good afternoon, Your Majesty. It is an honor to meet you."
"Why are you humans here?"
The loud voice continued to reverberate in the spacious palace hall, but Yang Yu’s expression remained unchanged.
"To be honest, Your Majesty, my companion and I have encountered some difficulties and seek your assistance."
"Speak and let me hear."
Facing the Hani King, Yang Yu concealed nothing and conveyed his intentions to the Hani King.
"So, you wish to undertake the trial of the All Things Library and thus came to seek our help?"
"I am unsure of Your Majesty’s thoughts on this. If Your Majesty could allow a Hani to temporarily become my companion, I would be immensely grateful and would find a way to repay you."
Elizabeth III responded without much hesitation, "I would like to agree... but as you know, we, the Hani Clan, are immune to magic. We are usually the ones using magic against others, and other people’s magic is ineffective against us. Whether it’s unilateral or bilateral magic, it has no effect on us. Hence, the approach you mentioned, forming a contract and becoming partners, is simply not feasible."
It was truly an unfortunate outcome.
Although the All Things Library allowed Monster Tamers to participate in the Martial Arts Exam, it did not state that unregistered demons could also participate.
Of course, absence of a rule does not mean it’s not allowed.
Yang Yu had already decided; he wanted to seize many firsts from the All Things Library.
Now that there were no regulations, he would let himself become a catalyst for new rules.
In the future, when someone saw the clause "Unregistered demons cannot participate in the Library Martial Arts Exam," they would inevitably wonder, "Which eccentric brought a demon to the exam?"
Upon investigation, they would find Yang Yu’s name, and he would be thrust into the spotlight without needing to promote himself.
Topics like "What do you think about someone who brought an unregistered demon to participate in the Library Martial Arts Exam" or "The Library’s Martial Arts Exam is too difficult, he had no choice but to resort to this" would also become common discussion topics during leisure time.
"Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Even if we don’t form a contract, it’s fine. Please send a Hani to help me pass the exam."
The Hani King’s face, made up of three ovals, showed no emotion,
"Actually, it doesn’t have to be so troublesome. You are so honest and sincere, coming from afar, I have a better way to help you. However, getting my help won’t be so easy. If you can pass our Hani’s trial, I will acknowledge you and give you something that can help you pass the Library’s exam."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a new task popped up on Yang Yu’s panel.
[Task: [Friend of Hani]
In the mysterious forest, there lived a group of carefree and tranquil Hani, ruled by the Hani King. The Hani King appreciated your courage and honesty and accepted your request on the condition that you could complete the task he assigned, becoming a "Friend of Hani."
Task Requirement: Conquer the Underground Maze built by the Hani, reaching at least the fifth level.
Task Reward: Experience ????, Lottery Draws 0-9 times, Item "Shadow of Hani King."
Additional Reward for Completing the Underground Maze: Skill "Reflective Coating."
"Shadow of Hani King," a single-use consumable. It summons a tangible "Shadow of Hani King," which possesses 80% of the Hani King’s attributes, lasting for ten minutes. The summoner can control the "Shadow of Hani King" to attack using their own consciousness.
"Reflective Coating," an active skill, applies a special technique learned from the Hani to one’s weapon or shield, reflecting any number of single-target magic spells within ten seconds.
Seeing these two rewards, Yang Yu’s eyebrows raised; his intuition had indeed been correct.
The key to conquering the Martial Arts Exam in the All Things Library lay in Hani Village.
With the "Shadow of Hani King," it didn’t matter if it were a one hundred-level Mage or a two hundred-level Mage; none could stir a wave against the Hani King with absolute magic immunity.
"Reflective Coating" was also a skill Yang Yu had long dreamt of acquiring, unexpectedly also found in Hani Village.
He wondered, however, just how difficult it would be to obtain this skill.
Due to the Hani’s magic immunity, Bai Jin no longer counted as a combatant, making the conquest even more challenging.
If he failed to acquire it this time, Yang Yu wouldn’t force it. Now that he knew the location and method to obtain the skill, securing it was just a matter of time.
Furthermore, having the "Shadow of Hani King," he temporarily needn’t worry about dealing with Magicians in the Martial Arts Exam of the All Things Library. It was okay to be slow; he should probably gather other Racial Essences for self-improvement earlier, then grab the key skill.
After the task appeared, the Hani King did indeed talk to Yang Yu about the Underground Maze built by the Hani.
In the village of Hani, there were various Hani, including a number who, bored, decided they wanted to experience being monsters in the Underground Maze. In the misty forest surrounding Hani Village, they found a place and manually constructed an underground maze.
After its completion, they lingered in the maze, assuming the roles of monsters.
Rarely did anyone reach Hani Village, let alone find the Underground Maze built by the Hani.
Seeing them so lonely, waiting for others to conquer the maze, the Hani King couldn’t bear it.
Thus, whenever someone visited Hani Village, he would have them try to conquer the dungeon to relieve the boredom of those Hani.
However, because often there was nobody to challenge them, the Hani who considered themselves monsters would become ravenous at the sight of a conqueror, rushing all at once, eager to battle the challenger for three hundred rounds.
The Hani King casually narrated the situation of the Hani Underground Maze to Yang Yu and showed him the specific location of that underground city.
"I want to ask, is it okay if I smash all those Hani to bits?"
"Rather, it’s preferable to do so; they enjoy the sensation of their bodies breaking, and you don’t need to worry about them breaking permanently. Just give them a little time, and they will recover. Moreover, because they fully consider themselves monsters, they sometimes might hit unintentionally hard. If you can’t beat them, just run."
"Then there’s no problem! I will let them truly understand what a real conqueror is and make them completely give up on being monsters in the Underground Maze."
Having said this, Yang Yu took out a shield and sword from the system, a fearless smile on his face, and confidently led his team out of the Palace towards the Hani Maze.