The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

Yaine couldn't figure out what had happened. Ever since that big shot Bumigake heard that they had cleared all the jobs on the board, he had been overly friendly toward them.

The guild staff no longer doubted whether their captured quarry had been "taken" from someone else either.

However, they still needed to find a buyer for the giant lizard. While the Hunter's Guild had a storage facility for live creatures, renting it temporarily was both cumbersome and expensive.

As they sent out messages to potential buyers, the Hunt King, Bumigake, enthusiastically invited the three of them for a drink in the hall. Since he had just helped them out, and given that the lizard showing up had been peculiar, Yaine didn't refuse the offer and brought Guoguo and Liu Ji along.

Bumigake led the trio through a bustling hall to a small private room on the side and was greeted by others all the way.

Hunters generally disliked private rooms, preferring the rowdy atmosphere of the main hall. Therefore, private rooms were usually empty unless people needed to discuss important matters. After such conversations, they would return to the hall to continue eating and drinking.

Bumigake chose the private room not only to get to know this mysterious group who had cleared the job board but also, more importantly, to address the issue of the lizard they had brought back.

After ordering some food, Bumigake shut the room door and turned to the trio. "I hope you won't take this the wrong way," he began, "but… Gnarled Lizards have never been seen in the nearby mountain forests. I must ask you to verify once more—are you absolutely sure that's where it was encountered?"

"I've said it a dozen times already." Yaine frowned. "And besides, I have no reason to lie about some weak lizard. Even if ten of these lizards—or a hundred—showed up, I could still handle them."

"I'm certain we didn't." Yaine shook her head. "Like I said before, we were collecting crimson flowers there. Based on the task information you provided, that type of flower grows mostly in the nearby forest."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean that forest is the only place where it grows," Bumigake responded. "I just want to double-check in case there was some kind of mistake."

"Hmm…" Yaine sensed a headache coming on as she watched this strong hunter rubbing his forehead. "Why do I get the feeling… No, let me ask straight up. Is it a big deal if Gnarled Lizards show up in that forest? A big enough deal for you to be so eager to prove it's all just a misunderstanding?"

Bumigake hesitated for a moment before sighing resignedly. "Well… it could just be a coincidence, but…"

"But?" Yaine sat up a little straighter.

"Gnarled Lizards are cave dwellers. Their main habitat is the Shallow Valley Stone Forest to the east of the city," Bumigake explained. "That area is full of jagged rocks and natural caves formed in the crevices, which most of the lizards call home."

"Maybe they just ran out of space there?" Yaine jested.

"If only that were the case." Bumigake sighed. "The thing is, their habitat has been expanding steadily. New caves form every, and old ones are regularly abandoned, so overcrowding is unlikely…"

"Maybe it was just hunting nearby… No, forget it. Let's stop beating around the bush. What is it that you are really worried about?" Yaine asked solemnly.

Bumigake fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking, "You know that Mir City's hunting industry thrives mainly because of the valley to the east, right?"

"Yeah." Yaine nodded. "It's in the introduction. The valley is home to powerful beasts rarely seen elsewhere."

"Exactly. That's why hunters from all over the world come here," Bumigake continued. "They come to make friends, hone their skills, and one day, to conquer the valley and hunt its most formidable beasts. But for over two hundred years, despite the booming industry, no one has ever declared they've conquered the valley. Do you know why?"

Yain shook her head, urging him to continue.

"Because, deep within the valley, there sleeps a beast no one has been able to defeat," Bumigake said gravely. "The last time it awoke, it triggered a beast tide that nearly destroyed Mir City.

"And the first creatures to exhibit strange behavior during that event were the Gnarled Lizards."

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Atop a tower peak outside Mir City stood a woman. Her dark hair and white cloak billowed in the wind as she gazed down at the bustling city below.

"Interesting…" she murmured to herself.

"Seems that this side of the world also has warriors who could stand in my king's way."

Her eyes were fixed on the Mir City Hunter's Guild.

Then, she turned her gaze toward the deep valley in the distance.

Her gaze pierce through the mountains and forest, seeing through layers of leaves and branches, reaching far into the valley.

There.

Within the dark gorge, a colossal beast opened its eyes.

Its golden irises that gleamed like burning stars locked onto the distant peak.

Just that there was no longer anything on the peak.

The beast let out a long, slow breath, its gaze shifting in another direction. After a moment, its eyes closed once more.

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"Hey? What's the matter? Are you alright?" Yaine waved her hand in front of Bumigake's face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry…" Bumigake muttered with a shake of his head. "Strange, I felt like something was watching me just now…"

"There might be quite some things that are watching you." Yaine pointed under the table. "Like them, for example?"

Bumigake was taken by surprise and glanced down, finally noticing the bunch of potato younglings beneath the table, staring up at him and chattering in their incomprehensible language.

It was fortunate he couldn't understand them, because Liu Ji, who could, was frozen in shock. The potatoes were discussing how long it would take to stew Bumigake's muscular calves until they were tender.

For some reason, these little things had recently become obsessed with discussing food and, if they couldn't find a suitable topic, would make one up.

As a result, their conversations had grown increasingly bizarre.

Just as Bumigake and the potatoes were locked in a staring contest, a commotion erupted outside the room.

Moments later, a familiar, cocky voice rang out.

"Hey, brothers! We've caught that dragon! And quite a few big lizards too! So, can anyone tell me—are these lizards worth anything?"