Chapter 404: A Small Price To Pay

After returning to the fortress, Gundar prolonged his conversation with Leone for one more hour before bidding farewell.

Mid-discussion, the great shaman shared that the tribes had sent scouts to monitor any suspicious moves that might come from the territory of the Aurelion Empire.

Then, moving on from that topic, he reminded Leone to be careful and to have guards accompanying him at all times when entering the city.

"Most warriors residing in Eden still look down on the Aslan Tribe," Gundar added. "They’ve heard stories about what happened during the battle against the Monster King, but since they hadn’t been there to witness it, they all choose to believe that the Aslan Tribe owes their survival to the assistance of the other tribes present during the Monster Stampede."

Leone didn’t really mind if the people in Eden looked down on his tribe. Now that Eden was his territory, he could "evict" them anytime he wanted.

But he wasn’t that petty.

He was someone who could look at the bigger picture.

Now that Gundar had finally returned to the city, Leone asked Jason to follow him inside the fortress.

There, Daedalus created an arena, away from the prying eyes of those who were curious about the Aslan Tribe’s representatives.

"Jason, I know you’ve trained extremely hard, so I believe you will do well in the tournament," Leone said in a serious tone.

"However, it’s best to assume that the other chieftains will play some tricks in this tournament. Since that is the case, I’ve decided to cheat—errr, provide you with equipment that will help you perform better."

Jason looked at his Great Chieftain calmly. He had full faith that whatever Leone did was right.

Even if he did something wrong, in Jason’s eyes, Leone would still be right.

"With the position of the Barbarian King at stake, we cannot treat this tournament as part of a tour in Eden," Leone stated. "Also, you want to marry the Oracle of the Warclaw Tribe, don’t you? So winning should be our priority."

Leone opened the Arcane Store and bought a piece of armor that was worth 200,000 BP.

The armor was called Beowulf Armor, which was of the Epic Grade.

————

[Beowulf Armor]

Armor Type: Lightweight Beast Hide Armor

Grade: Epic

Physical Defense: +850

Active Skill: Speed Burst

Passive Effect:

— Increases Physical Defense by 30% when fighting against Monsters and Beasts.

— Increases all stats by 30% when fighting against Monsters and Beasts.

— Increases Movement and Reaction Speed by 30% when fighting against Monsters and Beasts.

— These passive effects will also activate when fighting against Demihumans.

Description: An armor crafted from the hide and bones of a mighty beast, bearing the legacy of the legendary warrior that faced monsters without fear. Its rugged construction grants its wearer both the resilience of a beast and the courage of a hero.

————

[Speed Burst]

— Increase speed by 100% for 15 seconds.

Skill Cooldown: 10 minutes.

————

At first, Leone wished to buy a Legendary Armor. However, that armor would have cost him one million BP.

An amount that he didn’t possess right now.

Still, the Beowulf Armor was a perfect match for the situation. After all, Jason would later face opponents who could also transform into a beast.

"Wear this armor for your fight in the tournament," Leone declared. "As you can see, it grants passive boosts once certain conditions are met.

"Jason, I know you are a noble warrior. You’re someone who wants to fight fair and square against any opponent. But the only ones who have the right to fight like that are the truly strong. You have trained a lot in your dreams, so you should understand what I mean."

Jason agreed with Leone’s statement because he had indeed experienced such things in his dreams.

On the battlefield, there was no such thing as honor. It was either kill or be killed. It didn’t matter what method you used. What mattered most was to live another day.

Also, he wasn’t naive.

He was certain that the chieftains of the other representatives would also bestow upon them magical artifacts to ensure their victory.

"Today, you will train with your familiar, Fenn," Leone stated. "I will also borrow Russel from Kael so you can fight the two of them in battle. Get used to the effects of your armor. That way, you can perform properly in the tournament."

"Yes, Great Chieftain." Jason bowed respectfully.

The Beowulf Armor then flew toward Jason, automatically equipping itself onto him in seconds.

He then summoned Fenn, and soon, the two engaged in combat.

At first, Jason fought normally, wielding both the spear and shield. He wanted to gauge his boosted strength in his new armor while fighting normally.

Ten minutes later, he stored his spear and shield away, then transformed into the White Wolf Sovereign.

His speed and explosive power drastically increased after his transformation, allowing him to win against Fenn in less than half a minute.

"Amazing..." Jason could truly feel the changes upon equipping the Epic Grade Armor Leone had gifted him.

However, when he looked at Leone, his Great Chieftain didn’t seem impressed.

Little did he know that Leone and Daedalus were discussing something through telepathy.

’Should we buy the Belt of Giant Strength for an extra boost in strength?’ Leone asked Daedalus.

’We could.’ Daedalus agreed. ’We can even throw in the Gauntlets of Ogre Power for that extra oomph!’

’How much would those two items cost, though?’

’100,000 BP.’

Leone frowned. He had already spent two hundred thousand BP on the Beowulf Armor.

If he added another hundred thousand to his BP expenses, his total expenses would add up to three hundred thousand BP.

Of course, the young chieftain didn’t mind investing in Jason. If the latter won, the seat of the next Barbarian King would be his.

Still, spending too much BP made Leone feel reluctant.

Seeing his hesitation, Daedalus decided to give him its opinion about the upcoming tournament and give Leone that little push.

’If Jason loses the tournament, you will be forced to acknowledge whoever becomes the next Barbarian King,’ Daedalus commented. ’If the Darkmane Tribe and the Sandreaver Tribe won, we could still accept the outcome. However, if the Grimhowl Tribe wins... Hagen will either kill you or treat you as a convenient tool.’

Hearing those words, Leone stopped hesitating.

Soon, he purchased both the Belt of Giant Strength and the Gauntlets of Ogre Power.

’I would rather spend BP than let Zorren and Hagen win this tournament,’ Leone thought with grim determination.

In fact, he even pestered the grimoire if there were any other items he could buy to guarantee their victory.

Daedalus happily gave a few more recommendations. Before he knew it, the young man had spent 400,000 BP in total.

He even bought the Anklet of Speed and the Earring of Concentration.

The grimoire treated the tournament more seriously than anyone.

If Leone became the King of the Borderlands, then he would unlock a special achievement that would make the expenses he made today look trivial.

The rewards he would receive would not only make the Aslan Tribe stronger but also benefit all the tribes in the Borderlands.

For Daedalus, BP was only BP.

It was certainly a precious resource, and Leone didn’t have an abundance of it. However, BP could still be earned every day through various means, including the completion of missions.

An opportunity, on the other hand, was something else entirely.

Once lost, it might never come again.

And if winning this tournament could determine the future of the entire Borderlands, then spending a few hundred thousand BP was a small price to pay.