Pretending To Be A Boss

Chapter 46: Chapter 32: Pretending to Pretend to Be Human

Tang Xian, like many others, pondered why the mining area had suddenly emerged at the end of human civilization.

There were countless hypotheses for this question, and this world, which seemed like a replica plane, was obviously more complex than humans imagined.

For instance, Tang Xian did not know about the Wan Beasts Court. High-level beings capable of transforming into humans seemed to conceal extremely complex secrets within the mining area.

However, it was certain that mythical creatures existed in the mining area; the nine-tailed fox was one of them, so... it was highly probable that the Glutton, a creature known for its voracity, existed as well, right?

The Glutton had a fondness for food and therefore was represented on the lid of a cooking vessel. It was also said that the word for gluttonous is "Gourmet," which is why food connoisseurs were colloquially called "Gourmet." Tang Xian thought that if he had to pretend to be some boss, that would be it.

"Oh, I've heard about it. It's from the ancient Dragon Clan, no wonder I can't sense your kind. So the ancient Dragon Clan really does exist..."

Tang Xian nodded, his face wearing an expression that clearly said, "Yes, I truly exist."

He was somewhat concerned about the humans pretending to be dead around him, but they couldn't hear Qing JiuYu's voice in his own mind, so they wouldn't understand what he meant.

"Yes, it really exists, but it's very rare. Actually, I don't really like to talk about this topic."

"That's indeed an interesting piece of news. Consider it your compensation for today. Don't worry, I won't spread the word."

Qing JiuYu didn't feel particularly honored to have a member of the Dragon Clan riding on her back, driving her forward, but after learning Tang Xian's identity, she no longer felt humiliated.

However, she needed to find an opportunity to ride back one day. There were very few who had ridden a dragon, and even fewer were foxes.

Most of the time, Tang Xian was able to guess what others were thinking, but he didn't this time; otherwise, he would have sternly warned Qing JiuYu, "Female fox, your thoughts are very dangerous."

After selecting one of the more recognizable heads of a Cerberus and putting it into his prop bag, Tang Xian and Qing JiuYu left.

It was a long time after the self-talking man and the calamity-level boss-like creature left that the team pretending to be dead slowly rolled over and then stood up, dusting the dirt off their bodies.

They were still in shock.

"Can someone tell me if today's events... were real?" Their eyes were still unfocused.

"I don't know. Speaking of which, with the other two heads of the Cerberus, can we still exchange them with that wealthy client for ore?" The healer in the team seemed rather bold.

"I... don't know. The Soul Crystal was taken by that person just now." The crossbowman looked in the direction they had departed, still frightened.

"So that was the nine-tailed fox, truly terrifying. What exactly is the deal with that human?" the captain said.

"I don't know."

Every frame, every scene of what had just transpired was something they had never seen before.

So their answers always began with "I don't know."

"Was that person... talking to the monster?"

"I don't know. Oh my God, I'm baffled. Could it be that creatures in the mining area can be domesticated and tamed?"

"Should we... report this to the higher-ups?" the eyes asked cautiously.

"Idiot, they'll say we were scared out of our wits by the nine-tailed fox, even that our brains got frazzled," the captain rejected the idea.

He held the highest authority in the team and said in a grave tone, "We're lucky to have escaped with our lives today. That person just now... might have even saved us. In any case, today's events must not be spoken of. We'll never come to this forest again."

The eyes nodded in agreement; the captain's words made sense.

No one had seen the man's face. However, his voice was distinctive and had etched itself clearly in everyone's memory.

The crossbowman shrugged, "Nobody would believe us if we told them. A human riding a nine-tailed fox, that's truly a grand... fantasy."

...

...

Tang Xian found that riding a nine-tailed fox and observing the surrounding landscape was a quite unique experience.

Although he would certainly not post an article on a platform like B-Hu about what it felt like to ride on a cataclysmic boss, if he did, people would likely mock him as a dreamer.

This was like, over a thousand years ago, how many otakus fantasized Aragaki Yui and Rimi Ishihara were their wives.

This couldn't even be considered a dream, just an unrealistic fantasy.

At least within the known existence of humans, Tang Xian was the person with the most in-depth research on the mining area, without a rival. Even he himself thought that today's events felt somewhat surreal.

But beautiful dreams are always short-lived.

After returning to the sea of trees, the nine-tailed fox transformed into a human form.

No longer able to ride the fox, but facing a body with a charm rating of 99 was also quite enjoyable.

Qing JiuYu was curious, "Can you transform into your original form?"

"No," Tang Xian firmly believed that he must strongly refuse this request.

"Why? I've grown up hearing only rumors about dragons, and although I don't know whether I'm stronger than the ancient Dragon Clan, at least their original forms seem to be more majestic than mine."

Tang Xian said, "I'll draw you a dragon when I get a chance, and if there comes a day you can't see me anymore, you can quench your thirst by looking at the dragon."

"Hahaha… You're really funny," Qing JiuYu probably saw through Tang Xian's attitude.

"Alright, I won't press you on this, but why though? Your current form seems very weak to me," Qing JiuYu didn't understand.

"Actually, I'm pretending to be a human. I've infiltrated the human ranks, and in the future, I'll come to know many humans. In short... the humans that stay with me will be friends of the fox clan."

Tang Xian blurted out nonsense on the fly.

Although unclear if he was the only human able to communicate with creatures of the mining area, Tang Xian could roughly imagine what the future might hold.

He might be the type who would run between human and monster camps.

"Pretending to be a human? That indeed is interesting. But it's true that humans are full of schemes, and some long-lived beings have told us that humans once reached the pinnacle in another world. In that world, humans were definitely not a dominant force, yet they were able to cage creatures much more powerful than themselves."

"Who told you that?" Tang Xian suddenly became somewhat wary.

The mining area and reality are considered two different worlds, and they are not truly interconnected at the moment. At least creatures from the mining area cannot go to the real world.

That's humanity's greatest reliance.

But Qing JiuYu's words seemed to imply that a being from the mining area had been to the real world, or at least... knew what the real world was like.

"The Long-eared Ancient Apes. They are born with far greater intelligence than other creatures, and they also hold quite a high status among all beasts, although they are not powerful. Even the strongest warriors in their tribe are a bit inferior to the six-tailed members of my family. But they have long lifespans."

"They have caught some humans before, or rather, they put some humans under hypnosis, making them talk about things from another world. The Long-eared Ancient Apes have been weak, but their say in the Court of All Beasts is not low, considering their long standing."

Tang Xian nodded and relaxed.

He knew about the Long-eared Ancient Apes; some humans had hunted them, and the third-floor's creatures' museum even had their skulls, just elite-level creatures.

From the existing knowledge on primate creatures of the mining area, it is known that the IQ of Long-eared Ancient Apes is extremely close to that of humans. Fortunately, this species is very weak and rare.

Tang Xian no longer dwelled on it.

Watching Qing JiuYu's beautiful figure, he noticed that Qing JiuYu's current needs had changed.

[Bring Tang Xian to meet the children (55%)]