Beggar Cultivation System

The roar echoed inside the venue, causing the audience to look around.

"There!" someone shouted, pointing toward the open ceiling of the mountain where the moon shone brilliantly. However, their focus wasn't on the moon; their eyes were locked on a creature standing atop the mountain, staring down at them.

"W-what the hell is that?!"

"That's a monster!"

Hearing the shouts, the audience soon fell into disarray. It didn't take long for panic to set in, with some people immediately running toward the exits. They pushed and shoved, trying to escape as quickly as possible. Those with cultivation used their strength to rush ahead of the normal people.

Monsters. They were creatures that almost all ordinary folks dreaded. If they could help it, they'd avoid ever seeing one.

A monster meant destruction. Klown City had already endured several monster attacks that had killed hundreds, if not thousands. The trauma lingered, keeping the citizens constantly on edge, always fearing that one day, monsters would strike again.

Thankfully, Cultivators often stepped in to slay these beasts. But that didn't erase the fear. It was a deep-rooted terror, one hard to shake off, driving people to flee at the slightest sign of danger. Moreover, the monster standing on the mountain was clearly no ordinary creature. Even those without cultivation could feel the pressure emanating from it.

As shouts filled the venue, the person pretending to be unconscious on the two-football-field-sized platform couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Sht! This is so frustrating!* Apollo wanted to stand up and flee with the crowd, but that would blow his cover! Should I wait longer? Someone should be getting me out of here by now! There's no way they're just going to leave that monster here, right?

With that thought, he decided to keep playing unconscious. Suddenly, the platform vibrated as something massive landed on it.

A wave of killing intent radiated out. It was so overwhelming that Apollo's breathing became labored. It felt just like when Mathias, a Core Creation Cultivator, unleashed his aura! No, this time, it was stronger—piercing straight to his heart!

Apollo shivered as he felt a powerful gaze fall upon him. He could hear a low, deep growl coming from behind. He didn't know how close it was, but the sound seemed as if it was right next to his ear.

Where is everyone?! Can someone please come and save me?!

The monster roared again, its voice making the entire mountain tremble. Small rocks even fell from above.

Sht! Sht! With no other choice, and probably out of curiosity to see the creature, Apollo opened his eyes, moved his head slightly, and took a glance.

Tall! It had to be at least 20 meters in height! Its dark fur looked like shadows, with ten tails swaying behind it as though they were alive. And those eyes! They were so red they resembled blood.

Suddenly, the Alphadusk Shadowtail locked eyes with him, and Apollo's body felt like it had been electrocuted.

One gaze—that was all it took for Apollo to know he couldn't defeat this monster!

I fcked up, Apollo thought before his expression turned serious. But I won't back down without a fight!

He stood up slowly, his body 'shaking' from the 'injuries' he'd sustained in the previous fight. Still pretending to be hurt, Apollo shook his head, looked around, and then tilted his head to the side.

"What's happening?" Of course, Apollo knew exactly what was happening. He turned around and looked at the creature again.

As their eyes met, the Beggar couldn't help but gulp. This is it! It's either fight or run! Raising his tree branch in front of him, he squinted at the Alphadusk Shadowtail.

He had a plan in case he ever encountered this monster, but to pull it off, he needed to get close to the creature—without getting killed first.

The two stared each other down for a moment before the Alpha roared! However, halfway through its roar, something flashed in Apollo's eyes, and in the next moment, the Alpha's head was knocked to the side. The creature stumbled, taking a few steps backward from the force.

A person landed beside Apollo, holding a giant sword and shield that almost matched their two-meter height.

"You should go back, kid," Elmo said, glancing at the small masked man with a smirk. "Let the old fogies handle this monster."

Hearing this, Apollo, who had been prepared to risk his life to kill the monster, widened his eyes in surprise. Then relief washed over him. Finally, they came—and it's even the Headmasters! There's no way this wolf can kill me now!

The Ten-Tailed Alphadusk Shadowtail shook its head for a moment, its eyes locking on the big brute standing beside its prey. The Alpha opened its mouth, but in the next second, fire erupted from beneath it! The monster's roar turned into a howl of pain!

At the same time, another person landed beside the Beggar, and Apollo instinctively turned to look—but immediately regretted it. Just before the person landed, Apollo's eyes caught sight of the forbidden fruit!

"Haha, or you can stay and watch us kill this motherf*cking creature!" Master Popo grinned at the small masked man. "You know, in my school, we don't want students to be restricted by order. They should be fiery and brave—just like real fire! So, what do you think? Isn't it great?"

Elmo stared at the headmaster of the Fire Shrine Cultivation School with an incredulous expression. How shameless of this old man! Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"Ahem! Can Deez, that's your name, right? Stay if you want, but you should be able to protect yourself. In the Sword and Shield Martial School, we teach all kinds of offensive and defensive techniques, not just raw destruction that doesn't discriminate between friend and foe."

"You!" Master Popo glared at Elmo angrily, but Elmo only sneered.

I'm more than happy to get out of this place, Apollo thought, smiling bitterly. "I think I should go back."

The two headmasters didn't pay him any more attention and began their battle.

Taking this chance, Apollo jumped off the stage and started running toward the exit. However, he slammed into something and fell on his bottom. Shaking his head, he saw a dark, translucent barrier where he had collided.

"A barrier?" Apollo stood up as the monster roared once more behind him. This time, it was interrupted for the third time as one of its tails was cut off, but he didn't bother looking back. He raised his hand and punched the barrier. His fist bounced off while the barrier only rippled. "What sh*tty luck!"

Then Apollo remembered that his Simple Sword Technique could make any object sharp. He had even used it to cut through techniques before. He took out his tree branch and slashed at the barrier. However, instead of breaking the barrier, his tree branch shattered.

"No!" Apollo held the broken stick in front of him, disappointment evident in his eyes.

"It's not going to work, kid," someone said. Hearing the voice, Apollo turned around and saw the Headmaster of the Great Serpent Cultivation School. Meanwhile, the other two Headmasters were still busy berating each other as the Alpha remained trapped inside the hellfire.

"But why? I could cut through all the techniques before!" Apollo asked, genuinely confused. He didn't bother hiding information, as the other party seemed to know what he could do with his tree branch.

Axton turned around and stared at the small masked man. "I could tell you, but you're not one of my students. If you want, my school is open to you."

Apollo frowned. These guys... why are they promoting their schools when there's a monster right behind them?

Suddenly, a great pressure descended, causing Apollo to cough. At the same time, the wolf howled into the air and began absorbing the fire surrounding it through its nose and mouth.

"Watch out!" Master Popo shouted before disappearing from his spot. Elmo didn't hesitate either, vanishing just as quickly.

Axton dodged as well, as a massive wave of fire shot toward where they had all stood moments before. The temperature increased so much that the air began to boil.

Apollo clearly saw what happened. The Alphadusk Shadowtail had absorbed the intense fire and then fired it back at the Headmasters. The spot where they had been standing was now melting, the heat even reaching the ground floor.

If that attack had landed on me, I'd be dead, Apollo thought, gulping nervously.

Elmo reappeared on the left side of the two-football-field platform, Axton on the right, while Master Popo floated in the air. No one was bothered by his aerial display as they were too focused on the monster.

"I thought they already killed this monster?" Master Popo couldn't help but ask.

Axton squinted at the Alphadusk Shadowtail's back and saw the tail he had cut off regenerating rapidly. He counted the tails and understood what was happening.

"They did kill the Alphadusk Shadowtail, but that one had nine tails. This one has ten. All this time, there were two Alphadusks," Axton explained, his voice serious.

"I knew it!" Elmo said. "I read about this in a book once, but I only remembered now. There's a case where two Alphas can rule one forest—a male and a female. If they're the same gender, they'll fight to the death. I think this one is the male!"

"Oh, I see," Master Popo nodded, a confident smile on his face. "Then I'll take the back. You guys handle it head-on!"