CHAPTER 166: RAW CHAPTER

He turned to Anne and whispered, pulling her a few steps aside. "What do you think of joining him?"

Anne frowned. "I don’t know. He’s confident. Forget about whether he is a friend or a possible enemy. But we don’t know whether he is truly capable. What if he’s just acting tough to use us later? Some people have large mana pools but can’t actually fight."

"But he is someone who passed Master Feng’s trial, just like us. He is sure to be strong."

"Not necessarily..." Anne shook her head in disagreement with her boyfriend, "If you remember it, he claimed that he was contracted with a Direwolf Queen. If that were the case, it shouldn’t be hard for him to clear those monsters during the examination."

Wang Jie thought for a moment before replying in a low voice, "Then let’s do one thing. We won’t fight. We will just observe him and only act when he needs a backup. If he’s truly strong, it’s better to have him as an ally. And if we were forced to help for even an Elite-tier monster, then he isn’t worth working together.

Anne stared at Lin Fang for a moment and then nodded reluctantly. "Fine."

Wang Jie turned back, putting on a faint smile. "If you’re heading out, mind if we come along? Don’t worry, we will take care of our own safety."

Lin Fang looked at them for a few seconds, reading their obvious intent of curiosity about his strength, mixed with suspicion.

He still smiled slightly. "Sure."

*

Meanwhile, far away from their location;

On the grasslands of Sector 17 stretched endlessly under the crescent moonlight, a battle was going on. Orbs of light spheres were hovering all over the place, illuminating the region in a way that everything in a 30-40 meter radius is as bright as dawn/dusk.

Amidst several carcasses, a massive Thunder Giraffon, a Lord Tier monster with skin as tough as iron bark and veins crackling with sparks of lightning, bellowed in agony. Its towering frame stumbled as it was being attacked on three sides.

Shkk!

A green blur streaked through the air. In that flash, the Flying Mantis, with scythe-like arms glimmering with razor-sharp edges, sliced across the creature’s neck. Blood sprayed into the air.

*Graaaa*

The Giraffon roared, its voice trembling the ground, only to be drowned out by a wave of dark flames that erupted across its wound.

From above, a Shadow Wyvern descended with its wings spread wide, releasing a torrent of dark flames that hissed as they ate into the creature’s neck.

Before it even got out of this, an electric arc slash sliced through the thick air, followed by a clean metallic sound — Zzzrrt! — as the Giraffon’s massive head rolled off its shoulders and crashed into the mud with a thunderous thud.

The battle was over in a matter of minutes.

The Wyvern landed with a heavy thump, folding its massive wings, while the Mantis perched beside it. Their riders, Bu Mokong and Li Ying, both in the black armor of the Dark Warrior Guild, leaped down gracefully.

Between them, standing casually and wiping blood off his curved daggers, was a pale, white-haired teenager with striking blue eyes, looking slightly exotic with mixed features. With a calm expression, as he stared down at the monster he finished off, Bu Mokong smirked and clapped once, "Ryan, your skills are impeccable as ever."

The teenager, Ryan Zhao, merely shrugged in indifference. "That goes without saying."

Li Ying brushed some blood from her cheek, "Heh, that thing was tough. I wonder..." She paused, her eyes distant as she commented, "How Lin Fang fares against monsters like this."

Both men froze at her odd comment.

Bu Mokong’s brows furrowed deeply. "Lin Fang?"

Ryan tilted his head slightly, curious. "Who’s that?"

Li Ying gave a soft laugh. "You don’t know? That Lin Fang. Li Xue’s ex-boyfriend."

That single phrase was enough.

Bu Mokong’s face immediately darkened, his jaw tightening at the mention of the name. "That bastard," he spat coldly.

Ryan blinked, mildly intrigued. "Wait... Li Xue’s ex? You mean Master Li Chengfeng’s disciple?"

"Yeah..." Li Ying nodded calmly. "Word is, Master Li passed on his legacy to Lin Fang before he disappeared. I confirmed it with my cousin, but too bad that they broke right after."

Ryan’s dagger paused in mid-cleaning, the corner of his lips curling upward. "He inherited Li Chengfeng’s legacy? Now that’s interesting..."

Bu Mokong’s eyes burned with disdain, his voice low and sharp. "Master Li must’ve lost his mind to give his heritage to a nobody ike him. I bet the Li Family pressured Master Li to do this so that Li Xue would leave him and marry the boy of their choice."

Ryan chuckled quietly, sliding his daggers back into their sheaths. "Once we finish this trial..." his eyes glinted with predatory amusement, "I’ll go meet this Lin Fang myself."

The wind blew across the empty plains, carrying the faint scent of blood all over the place.

At the same time, elsewhere, the sound of rushing water echoed faintly as Lin Fang, Wang Jie, Anne, and the two Direwolves trudged through the muddy path, under the guidance of Alpha’s spirit.

"Just ahead," Alpha murmured in his mind. "I sense a herd of Commander and Elite-tier beasts. This will do."

Lin Fang nodded slightly, keeping his pace calm. Behind him, the two Direwolves padded softly, while Wang Jie and Anne followed cautiously, each clutching the torchlight. So far, they have yet to meet a monster. That gave the couple a sense of relief, but alarming at the same time.

After about thirty minutes of steady movement, the sound of water grew louder. They emerged near a broad stream. But what drew Anne’s eyes wide open were the red boards planted along the banks — each carved with symbols and glowing faintly with warning sigils.

The words on them were simple but chilling:

Danger Zone — Sector 37

Anne froze. "We can’t go there," she said immediately, pointing to the signs. "This is a restricted zone! Sector 37 borders a King-tier boss region! Master Feng clearly warned us not to enter danger zones without veteran hunters around."

Wang Jie’s brows furrowed, scanning the dark forest beyond the stream. "It’s also too quiet here... that’s not a good sign."

Lin Fang frowned slightly and muttered under his breath, "Alpha... why are you leading us here?"

Alpha: "Because this is exactly what you asked for — a herd, Commander-tier minions, and quick gains. You said you wanted to clear your debt fast, didn’t you? Then this is your best chance."

Lin Fang narrowed his eyes, whispering internally, "You misunderstood. I wanted something efficient, not suicidal. I’m not alone now — I can’t drag them into a King-tier domain."

Alpha: "Kiddo, just because it is ruled by a King Tier monster doesn’t mean there are King Tier monsters around. The powerful ones always stay deep in their lair. Moreover, what better place to hunt than a savanna? You can find all kinds of animals that live in a pack. If you intend to earn coins and clear the debt as fast as possible, it’s better to hunt down monsters that live in packs than to search for solitary ones. And since you are too afraid to lead them, you can just stick to the outer perimeters. How about sticking to the edges of this river? I’m sure you could find a herd of Water Buffalo Demons. They’re territorial, but their defense is lower than other Commander-tier species. You could handle them while protecting these two liabilities that you brought with you. But first, you either have to push them away or make them trust you. Hesitation will only lead to unnecessary consequences."

Lin Fang exhaled, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease slightly as a thought came to his head. "That sounds more reasonable."

He turned back toward the two following him. Wang Jie was scanning the treeline nervously while Anne stood beside him, clutching the torch tighter, her Direwolves low and cautious.

"Lend me a hand, Alpha..."

He then looked at Wang Jie and Anne, but without any reply, he continued to walk to the shore and stopped.

Anne and Wang Jie stood still at the edge of the stream, the torchlight flickering between them as if unsure whether to shine forward or retreat into the dark. Lin Fang, however, didn’t hesitate. He crouched down near the water and stared at it.

"What’s he doing?" Anne whispered, clutching the torch tighter.

Wang Jie frowned. "I don’t know... maybe testing the current?"

But then, Lin Fang extended his right hand and slowly dipped it into the cold water. Ripples spread outward as mana poured into the waters.

Then, suddenly—

ZAAAP!

The entire stream erupted in a blinding storm of light as bolts of electricity danced violently across the surface, illuminating the darkness for tens of meters on both sides.

Anne gasped and stumbled back. "W-What the hell!"

Her Direwolves growled, fur standing on end as faint sparks cracked over their bodies from the ambient energy. Wang Jie squinted his eyes against the light, shielding Anne instinctively. Meanwhile, fish type and many other monsters began to float up to the water surface one after another.