As Chang Long and her group continued walking, they encountered weapons, equipment, money, and various crystal jars scattered all over the ground. Although the gear and weapons were of mid-level quality, it was strange to see them littered across the area without any players, who should have been their owners, in sight.

"Wow, who hunted these beasts and left all this stuff behind? What a waste."

Kimhant exclaimed, quickly rushing to pick up the items and money with his eyes shining in excitement.

"Whoever it was must be really rich. They didn't even bother to take any of the loot,"

Chang Long said, frowning as she observed the abandoned items. She was curious who could be strong enough to gather so much loot but not take any of it. Little did she know, all these items were left behind because a massive herd of Bunabeest had stampeded through, trampling clueless players who were happily hunting. Those who did not escape in time were killed and sent back to the city in a flash of light, while the survivors were too scared to return to this area.

"You guys should help him pick up the stuff. It would be such a shame to leave it all here,"

Chang Long instructed her two pets while still holding Fluffy Head-chan, the little lion with a shattered ego.

After combining breakfast and lunch into one meal, Chang Long continued her search for the Albino Rhino. Once Fluffy Head-chan was given a large piece of fresh meat as an offering, it perked up and even volunteered to lead the way to the Albino Rhino. However, it insisted on one condition: that it would be the one to hunt and kill the rhino itself. Chang Long agreed without much thought, as Fluffy Head-chan was already at level 99, so there should no need to worry about letting it fight alone.

Before long, Fluffy Head-chan led Chang Long right to a lone Albino Rhino, without any players around to contest it like in the outer areas of the savannah.

"There it is!"

Fluffy Head-chan announced, crouching low beneath the grass, even though it was already smaller than the grass in the savannah. The others followed suit, assuming that Fluffy Head-chan, as the most experienced hunter in the savannah, knew best.

"Uh-huh, are you sure you want to take this on solo, Fluffy Head-chan? That thing is pretty huge,"

Chang Long asked one more time to be sure.

"Of course. In my true form as the Lion, I'm even bigger than that thing. Shut it and let's get on with what we agreed upon!"

Fluffy Head-chan replied, sounding irritated.

"Shut... it!"

Chang Long repeated, glaring at Fluffy Head-chan.

"Uh... I mean, stop talking, master. Ahem, I'm still getting used to being your lion... master's lion,"

Fluffy Head-chan explained quickly, though it still tripped over its words.

"Uh-huh. You, stand back. I'm about to use my skills,"

Chang Long said, preparing to assist Fluffy Head-chan in the hunt.

Chang Long responded with an unreadable smile. In truth, she did not think much of it, but she wanted her companions to get used to calling her master. After all, her status was that of their master, and if she could not control her pets or spirits, it would be quite embarrassing.

"You, uh! I mean, master, you need to stay downwind. Rhinos have poor eyesight, so quick movements and unfamiliar scents will make them attack right away,"

Fluffy Head-chan advised, walking away as instructed by Chang Long.

"Understood. Puppet Manipulation!"

Chang Long acknowledged and activated the Puppet Manipulation skill. Fluffy Head-chan's body expanded, transforming back into the majestic Lion. Five blue light strands, like threads, connected Chang Long to Fluffy Head-chan, representing the mana she needed to maintain the skill until she canceled it.

"What are these light strands!"

Fluffy Head-chan complained, drawing the attention and suspicion of the Albino Rhino that was grazing nearby. As it noticed the large movement and noise, the rhino immediately charged at Fluffy Head-chan out of instinct.

Boom!

The powerful impact sent Fluffy Head-chan, who was not prepared, flying a great distance. Quickly recovering, he ignored the intangible blue light strands and focused on the Albino Rhino, which was pawing the ground, ready to charge again.

Roarrrr!

Fluffy Head-chan let out a thunderous roar. The Albino Rhino skidded to a halt, realizing what it was up against. However, instead of fleeing, the rhino became even more aggressive. It snorted loudly several times, its left front leg furiously kicking up dirt. With its head lowered, the massive horn on its snout and forehead was poised to deliver a severe wound if Fluffy Head-chan made a mistake, potentially causing grave injury.

"No wonder players always say you need a large group to hunt a Albino Rhino and to never let it escape the encirclement. So, this is what they meant,"

Kimhant muttered nervously, relieved that Fluffy Head-chan had volunteered to fight. Otherwise, he might have had to join in the hunt himself.

Despite the situation, Fluffy Head-chan found time for humor, mimicking Albino Rhino's every move before charging at the same time. However, at the last moment before impact, Fluffy Head-chan leapt high into the air, easily dodging the rhino's attack. The rhino, having missed its target, stumbled uncontrollably forward and crashed heavily to the ground.

When comparing a rhino and a lion, it was clear who would win in terms of agility and speed. Fluffy Head-chan swiftly turned around, slashing its claws at the side of the rhino, which had not yet fully recovered from its fall. The Albino Rhino let out a pained cry as its thick skin was torn by the claws, blood seeping from the wound. This was likely due to the rhino's level being only 55, significantly lower than Fluffy Head-chan's level, making the battle a one-sided affair.

Fluffy Head-chan did not wait for the Albino Rhino Beast to regain its footing. He slashed his claws into the previous wound again, causing the rhino to collapse to the ground. Despite this, the Albino Rhino did not give up its attempt to fight back. Fluffy Head-chan allowed it to rise and prepare for another charge, not wanting the battle to end too quickly. He did not want to return to his cub form, and he was eager to show off as the majestic Lion of the plains. However, he glanced over and noticed that Chang Long, Kimhant, her two pets, and her senior spirits were all chatting and laughing, not paying any attention to his fight.

"Oh... What the... Stupid master!"

Fluffy Head-chan exploded in anger. It slashed its claws across the charging level 55 Albino Rhino's face at just the right moment, causing the rhino's head to snap violently to the side.

Crack!

The rhino's face and neck bore deep claw marks, but what actually killed it was not the claws—it was the sheer force of the blow, which broke its neck. As the system announced the Albino Rhino Beast's death and notified Chang Long of her, Kitsune's, and Hulu's level-up, she walked over to the rhino's lifeless body, praising Fluffy Head-chan along the way.

(Chang Long's level went up to 67, Kitsune to 65, and Hulu to 53. Kimhant, who was not in the party, did not gain any experience.)

"Well done, Fluffy Head-chan!"

Chang Long applauded as she used the Sovereign Sword to cut off the rhino's horns and store them. She then canceled the Puppet Manipulation skill, causing Fluffy Head-chan to revert to its cub form.

"Tch! You didn't even watch my fight, master, and now you're praising me!"

Fluffy Head-chan grumbled, clearly unhappy.

"I didn't need to watch to know you'd win. Fluffy Head-chan is amazing, after all, right!"

Chang Long's compliment left Fluffy Head-chan speechless, both pleased and embarrassed, not knowing how to react.

"Haha, even lions can get embarrassed!"

Kimhant teased, earning himself another pounce from Fluffy Head-chan, though this time, it held back a bit.

"Let's head back to the Sky Palace. I need to finish this quest so we can finally go on that trip,"

Chang Long laughed, leading the way without much regard for direction.

"Uh... master, the Sky Palace is this way,"

Kimhant called out, pointing in the correct direction.

"Oh?"

Chang Long exclaimed, turning and heading the way Kimhant indicated, unbothered by her mistake. After getting lost so often, there's no point in feeling embarrassed every time!

"Miss Directional Queen,"

Hulu muttered under his breath, but everyone else was used to this by now, merely chuckling at their master's absentmindedness.

It took nearly a full day for Chang Long and her group to return to the Sky Palace. In truth, it was not hard to find the palace even without map and compass—it was visible from every direction, gleaming gold in the sky. Kimhant was excited to join Chang Long on this trip to the Sky Palace, having received the invitation scrolls from her after she looted four of them from the mummies. While he did not expect to receive a quest, he was eager to photograph the beauty of the Sky Palace for The Reaper's Whisperer newspaper.

On their way to the entrance leading up to the Sky Palace, Chang Long's group noticed a crowd of players gathered around something, laughing and clapping enthusiastically. It was clear that some sort of performance was taking place in the center of the crowd. Unable to resist his curiosity, Kimhant squeezed through the crowd to see what was going on, while Chang Long's spirits and pets had better ways of observing from a distance.

What Kimhant saw excited him greatly—a circus act featuring a sleepy-looking animal trainer with short, wavy blue-silver hair, directing five white sea otters that appeared to be a happy little family. The otters were performing various tricks to the delight of the audience, and the smallest one was walking around with a wide-brimmed hat, collecting money from the spectators.

With their naturally adorable appearances, the otters drew even more players to watch the show, especially female players who wanted to pet them. However, the otters seemed protective and only allowed their trainer to touch them. Kimhant eagerly snapped pictures with his camera until he was satisfied, then waved over the small otter to give it some money. Afterward, he returned to find Chang Long, who was listening to Alice-chan talk about how cute the white sea otters were.

Soon after, the performance ended, and the players dispersed with smiles on their faces, having enjoyed the charming show. Seeing that it was getting dark and they had no tents or shelters left, Chang Long led Kimhant to the dock where boats would take them up to the Sky Palace, deciding it was the best place to stay for the night.

"Are you guys heading up to the Sky Palace?"

A voice called out from behind, causing the group to turn around. It was the animal trainer from the circus act they had just watched.

"Uh-huh…"

Chang Long nodded in response.

"Great. I've been looking for someone to go up there with!"

The trainer said, approaching them with a sleepy smile.

"I'm Cat-Faced Angel. Nice to meet you. I've always wanted to check out the Sky Palace, so I went and hunted some mummies and got lucky with an invitation scroll. But I didn't really want to go up there alone, so I was waiting to see if anyone else was heading up that I could join,"

Cat-Faced Angel explained as they walked together toward the dock.

"Come to think of it, you don't see many other players up on the Sky Palace,"

Chang Long replied, pondering.

"Are you hoping to get a quest up there?"

Kimhant asked. Most players who wanted to go up to the Sky Palace were after quests because the rewards were usually quite valuable. Almost every quest available at the Sky Palace offered high rewards.

"Yeah, I'm hoping to get the Cave of Million quest. They say it offers a lot of good stuff and a lot of variety too. I'm aiming for a large tent as a reward so I can set up my own circus. Even though you can buy something similar at the Circus Association, which is the player association for beast trainers, the reward items from quests are usually way better!"

Cat-Faced Angel explained to Kimhant,

"But I've never heard of anyone actually getting the reward from that quest. People say it's really hard and has some special conditions compared to other quests."

Kimhant furrowed his brow, curious, since he had also heard rumors about this quest.

"That's right. Once you take on the quest, you don't have to turn anything in. If you die, the quest is considered over. The reward is a treasure chest hidden somewhere in the cave—one of a million, in fact. The chests vary in size, from tiny ones as small as your thumb to massive ones that need ten people to open. Each chest contains a single item, but the difficulty lies in finding them. Plus, there are undead monsters and bats constantly harassing you. No one who's attempted this quest has found more than three or four chests. Even the Circus Association, which sent a huge team, only managed to find a little over twenty chests."

Cat-Faced Angel's eyes sparkled with excitement as she talked about it, losing the sleepy look he usually had.

"That sounds interesting!"

Chang Long nodded in agreement, leading the way onto the boat while deep in thought. Hulu, Kitsune, Kimhant, and Cat-Faced Angel followed behind. Seeing Chang Long's interest, Hulu eagerly urged her to take on the quest as well. Maybe they would even find a chest with its favorite elemental gems!

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