System's POV
chapter-109

Just as they planned, Rianna's Hunting Party focused on hunting in the desert, while Thirteen's Hunting Party went to explore the Warsor Plains, located just Northeast of Gronar City.

Both teams had bought their own horse-drawn wagons to make their journey easier and faster.

Cristopher was the one manning the wagon because only he had experience with this, which he learned from the time he and his mother lived in the countryside.

The two Tigerkin Ladies were with him on the coachman's seat, serving as his Protectors.

Their names were Jasmine and Ariel. Both of them were in their late twenties and had been captured by the Barbarians when they raided the Tigerkin Village near the border of the Sumatran Kingdom.

Both the Tigerkins and the Barbarians would often raid each other and capture slaves from both sides.

The Tigerkins were a very aggressive Tribe.

After they managed to conquer the Valbarra Kingdom, they set their sights on new frontiers and clashed with the Barbarians just ten years after they defeated the Valbarraian Army.

They thought that they were strong enough for another conquest, but they had underestimated the Barbarian's savageness and fighting prowess, making them have a better understanding of a race of Humans who took fighting as their main profession.

But that was not all.

The Barbarians and Orcs were also in an alliance, so whenever they attacked one side, the other would stab them in the back, making expansion more complicated.

The Barbarians and the Orcs knew this as well, so whenever they had an opportunity, they conducted joint raids and enslaved as much as they could manage to capture.

This was their way of preventing the Tigerkins from developing rapidly, forcing them to leave the territories near the borders of their newly established kingdom for safety.

Thirteen planned to travel near the border where the two sides often engaged in skirmishes.

He wanted to know just how serious the conflicts were, and which side had a higher chance of winning.

Percival, Jasmine, and Ariel felt conflicted after learning about this plan.

The three of them wanted nothing more than to return to their Kingdom and reunite with their families.

But after becoming Slaves, they lost their freedom, and the only way for them to return to their Kingdom was to get rid of the slave tattoo on their foreheads or beg their new Masters to free them.

"Jasmine, Ariel, I promise to free the two of you after I finish my mission of Lighting the Beacon of Hope," Cristopher said. "So until then, serve me well, and I promise that I will not harm either of you."

"Understood."

"I'll do as you say."

"Thank you. Also, I will set the time limit of your slavery for two years. If I still haven't finished my mission by then, your Slave Tattoos will automatically disappear, ending your slave contract.

Cristopher had no idea how long it would take before his mission ended.

Since that was the case, he just gave a two-year deadline for the two Tigerkins by his side.

The Slave Tattoo could last up to five years. After that, it would automatically disappear, setting the slave free.

If one wished to renew this slave contract, one would need to find a Slave Master who would perform the ceremony.

The two Tigerkin Ladies used to think that the moment they were sold as slaves, they would have to live their lives as the plaything of their new Masters.

So they were quite surprised to see that the one who bought them was a chubby teenage boy, who treated them well.

The most Cristopher did was ask the two ladies to hug him to sleep at night.

When they asked why he wanted something like that, the boy simply said that he usually slept beside his mother and that he was not used to sleeping alone.

Of course, that wasn't the case.

Although it didn't show on his face, Cristopher was a very lonely person.

His grandparents and his father were dead, while his mother was always in the hospital.

Although he had lived in the houses of his relatives, he still felt lonely because he never felt welcomed by them.

So when he was given the opportunity to have slaves, Cristopher bought the two ladies who were the oldest among the group of slaves that were still in the Slave Market.

Also, Cristopher wouldn't admit it, but he liked Beastkin Girls very much.

The ones he liked most were Cat Girls, Bunny Girls, and Fox Girls.

However, since these two races weren't available for sale, he bought the only option he had, which was Tigerkin Ladies.

"Remember this, Taiga—you're not allowed to land the killing blow on the Monsters," Thirteen ordered. "Cristopher will be the one to give the last hit regardless of the circumstances.

"Yeah, yeah, you've told me that thrice already," Percival replied in an irritated tone. "Also, stop calling me Taiga. My name is Percival."

"Sure thing, Taiga."

"Tsk!"

Suddenly, the wagon came to a halt, making Thirteen frown.

"What's wrong?" Thirteen asked as he went to the coachman's seat, to see if there was trouble.

"There is a herd of deer in front of us, Young Master," Cristopher replied. "And their Alpha Male is looking in our direction. I have a feeling that if we continue to advance, the herd will attack us."

Thirteen glanced in the direction of the herd that numbered at least a hundred individuals.

The Alpha Deer stood three meters in height, and its antlers were at least half its body size.

Although the other deer had light-brown fur, the Alpha Male had silver fur, which matched the data in Thirteen's database.

"That is a Rank 6 Alpha Monster called, Quicksilver Deer," Thirteen said, which almost made Cristopher pee his pants. "The reason why it's looking at us is because we are traveling with Ogres. For now, don't do anything rash.

"Although these deer are not aggressive by nature, they will not hesitate to attack if they feel threatened. Give your orders for the two of them to stay put and keep their lips shut tightly so that we don't spook them."

The two Ogres, whose names were Ator and Devar, were both Rank 3 Monsters.

Thirteen had considered buying many Monster Slaves so that he could form his own elite unit after Cristopher had returned to Pangea so that he could continue his remaining Trials.

However, he put this idea on hold because taking care of too many Monsters was a hassle.

For this reason, he decided to just focus on Percival's progress because he believed that raising a Hero was better than raising a group of Beasts.

After half an hour of waiting, the Herd of Deer finally left, allowing them to continue their journey.

However, this encounter led Thirteen to make changes in their formation.

Earlier, Ator and Devar were traveling alongside them, but now, he decided that having the two Ogres in close proximity to them was a bad thing.

There was a chance that they would find other groups of Monsters in the plains that would not ignore the presence of Ogres and take the initiative to attack.

In order to prevent this from happening, Thirteen asked Cristopher to order the two Ogres to follow them from a distance.

The chubby boy didn't hesitate to obey the younger boy's words and did as he was told.

He would soon know that his Young Master had made the right choice because two hours after they resumed their journey, they would meet with another group of Monsters,who were well-known for attacking anything they perceived as a threat to their herd.