The Shamed Bastard Son Who Tamed a Forbidden Angel

Chapter 9: The Hunt Begins

The Secret Realm pulsed with primal energy. Dense forests gave way to rocky canyons, which opened into misty swamplands. Magical beasts prowled every corner—some cautious, others aggressive. Most candidates moved carefully, hunting the weakest prey first.

Harry and Rose moved like a storm.

"Level 2 Shadow Panthers ahead," Harry said calmly, studying the system markers in his vision. "Three of them."

Rose hefted her hammer, eyes gleaming. "Easy."

The panthers never stood a chance. Rose's Hammer of Judgment crashed down with devastating force, obliterating two instantly. The third tried to flee, but Rose's agility—now enhanced to 16 after leveling up—allowed her to close the distance in seconds. One swing. Done.

[Experience Gained: Shadow Panther Level 2 × 3]

[Points Earned: 90]

[Total Points: 1,240]

Harry grinned. They'd been in the realm for barely an hour.

"Let's keep moving," he said. "We need to find stronger prey."

Miles away, in a tower overlooking the Secret Realm, a dozen examiners sat before crystalline viewing screens. Each screen displayed different candidates, tracking their progress through magical surveillance.

Professor Walsh monitored the main display, which showed aggregate statistics. Suddenly, his eyebrows shot up.

"Someone just hit 1,500 points," he announced.

The other examiners looked up sharply.

"Already?" A woman in pristine white robes—Examiner Catherine Moore from the Imperial Royal Beast Academy—leaned forward. "Show me."

The screen shifted, focusing on a familiar figure. John Klein stood triumphantly over the corpse of a Level 3 Ironback Bear, his Legendary angel hovering behind him. His five-person team celebrated around him.

"Ah, the Klein heir," Catherine said with satisfaction. "Excellent progress. A team of six with a Legendary beast leading them—exactly the kind of student the Imperial Academy seeks."

"Impressive," agreed another examiner neutrally.

But Professor Walsh frowned, studying a different screen. "That's odd."

"What is?" Catherine asked.

"This candidate here." Walsh pointed to a secondary display showing Harry and Rose. "His score just jumped to 1,650. He's alone except for his contracted beast."

Catherine's expression soured immediately. "That's the expelled Klein bastard, isn't it? The one with the unranked trash creature?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then he's clearly cheating," Catherine interrupted sharply. "There's no possible way someone with an unranked beast could accumulate points faster than a team with a Legendary angel. He must be exploiting some loophole in the scoring system."

"That's a serious accusation without evidence," another examiner said—an elderly man in plain brown robes. His badge identified him as Examiner Richard Stone from Holy Mountain Beast Academy.

Catherine's eyes flashed with irritation. "Are you defending him, Stone? How typical of Holy Mountain—always coddling the weak and making excuses for mediocrity."

"I'm defending fairness," Richard replied calmly. "The system tracks kills automatically. It can't be fooled or manipulated. If his score is rising, he's earning it legitimately."

"Impossible," Catherine snapped. "An unranked beast couldn't kill anything above Level 1. The math doesn't work."

"Perhaps the beast isn't unranked," Richard suggested.

"Oh please." Catherine's laugh was cruel and dismissive. "Next you'll tell me she's secretly Mythic-grade. Face reality, Stone. Your academy has been declining for decades precisely because you accept this kind of mediocrity. Meanwhile, the Imperial Academy maintains standards. We would never accept a cheater like this boy, regardless of his methods."

"The Imperial Academy also turned away the Three Heroes of the Northern Campaign before they became legends," Richard said mildly. "Standards can blind as easily as they guide."

Catherine's face reddened. "How dare you—"

"Enough." Professor Walsh's voice cut through the argument. As chief examiner, his word was final. "There is currently no evidence of rule violations. We will continue monitoring. If actual proof of cheating emerges, we'll act. Until then, both candidates proceed normally."

Catherine's jaw clenched, but she nodded curtly. Her eyes remained fixed on Harry's screen, filled with suspicion and disdain.

Richard Stone said nothing more, but a small smile played at his lips as he watched the expelled boy and his "trash" beast tear through a pack of Level 3 Flame Wolves.

[Rose has leveled up! Level 2 → Level 3]

[Rose has leveled up! Level 3 → Level 4]

[Rose has leveled up! Level 4 → Level 5]

The notifications came rapidly. Each kill brought more experience, and Rose's growth was exponential. Harry checked her status panel as they moved deeper into the forest.

[BEAST STATUS PANEL]

Name: Rose

Current Level: 5

Rank: Immortal

Attributes:

Strength: 27

Agility: 25

Spirit: 19

Constitution: 32

Intelligence: 20

Skills:

[Hammer of Judgment] - AOE damage increased. Cooldown reduced to 20 seconds.

[Divine Bloodline - Dual Activation] - Duration increased to 90 seconds. Cooldown decreased.

[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: Crushing Blow] - Single-target attack dealing 300% weapon damage. Guaranteed critical hit.

"Master, I feel amazing," Rose said, flexing her fingers around the hammer's handle. "I'm getting stronger so fast."

"That's because you're fighting enemies above your level," Harry explained, remembering game mechanics from his previous life—wait, no, from... strategy books? The memory felt strange, but the knowledge was solid. "Defeating higher-level beasts gives bonus experience."

[Total Points: 4,780]

They'd long since passed John's team without even trying.