CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: DANGER AND OPPORTUNITY COEXIST

Chu Chen and his four companions sat around the campfire, swallowing their saliva at the sound of the sizzling grilled meat.

"Skinny, I didn’t know you had such skills. This smells really good," Wang Lu said, patting him on the shoulder and smiling.

Skinny scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Don’t worry, the meat will be ready soon."

After resting during the day, the Angry Wind Elf and the Earth Rock Rat had recovered to their peak condition.

The Spring Tree Demon needed to heal the Iron Armor Giant Lizard and Lei Yao, so its Star Power had only recovered about fifty percent.

Lei Yao’s injuries had completely healed, and the aftereffects of using Frenzy were almost gone. It was believed that it would fully recover by tomorrow morning.

The Iron Armor Giant Lizard’s injuries had fully healed, but it was still extremely weak due to excessive blood loss. It would need at least a week’s rest to fully recover, though finding a Star Treasure to restore its vitality could lead to a rapid recovery.

The five of them ate the fragrant grilled meat and discussed their plans for the next day, looking quite comfortable.

Meanwhile, two City Defense Army soldiers stood a hundred meters away on the treetops, eating hard, compressed biscuits, their eyes filled with envy.

"These little guys really know how to enjoy themselves. That grilled meat smells delicious!" said a tall and skinny City Defense Army soldier, wiping the corner of his mouth.

"Hurry up and eat your biscuits. Once the mission’s over, I’ll treat you to some grilled meat," said the other soldier.

"Old Zhao, you’re the best. Let’s have a few more drinks then," the tall one replied eagerly.

As the sun rose and the clouds scattered, and the moon set at dusk, it was already the second day of the examination.

Chu Chen rubbed his sleepy eyes and, looking at the misty sky, said softly, "Gangzi, go get some rest. I’ll keep watch for a while."

Gangzi nodded, draped the sheepskin over himself, and fell into a deep sleep.

Even though they were at the forest’s outermost edge, there was still the possibility of encountering Star Beasts, so Chu Chen decided they should take turns keeping watch at night.

Chu Chen picked up some dry branches and threw them onto the dying fire, then reheated the unfinished grilled meat from the night before.

Soon, the aroma of grilled meat filled the air again, and the four companions woke up one by one, drawn by the smell.

After finishing breakfast, the five set off on their journey once more.

Lacking the Iron Armor Giant Lizard for transportation, the five noticeably slowed in their pace.

Chu Chen opened the ranking list and began to check it carefully.

At this point, his ranking was already 63rd, with 103 points, Wang Lu was 65th with 97 points, and Gangzi fell out of the top 100.

The top three at the moment were Ji Mingyue, Qian Jiadong, and Zhao Peng.

Their scores were 253, 249, and 242, respectively.

It was clear how intense their competition was from this.

Chu Chen clenched his fist, feeling the pressure. The point gap was considerable, making it extremely difficult to catch up.

Whether it was due to good luck or bad, in two hours, the group encountered only three solitary Star Beasts.

Thanks to their cooperation, they were able to take them down with almost no effort.

These isolated Star Beasts likely managed to escape from other examination groups.

The five Guardian Beasts also had a hearty meal, particularly the Iron Armor Giant Lizard, which had an astonishing appetite after its injury, consuming dozens of pounds of meat in one sitting.

Nonetheless, its condition seemed to improve greatly, no longer appearing as weak as before.

Gangzi was filled with joy upon seeing this, intending to use the Iron Armor Giant Lizard as a transportation tool again, but the others refused.

Chu Chen understood Gangzi’s intentions and comforted him, "Don’t feel burdened. The Iron Armor Giant Lizard got injured protecting us, and we won’t abandon you. Maybe we’ll find a Star Treasure to restore its vitality, and the Iron Armor Giant Lizard will fully recover."

Gangzi’s eyes immediately grew moist at these words, wiping away tears, he choked up, "It’s all my fault. I should have spent the money to teach it the Iron Armor Skills earlier."

The Iron Armor Giant Lizard’s skill "Iron Armor" was still at the Entry Realm, which was why it was so severely injured. If it could reach the Skilled Realm, its injuries would have been reduced by at least thirty percent.

Chu Chen patted his shoulder with a smile, "Alright, let’s keep moving."

An hour later, Chu Chen suddenly stopped.

Seeing this, Wang Lu and the others stopped as well and looked at Chu Chen.

"Hurry up, or we’ll miss out completely," Wang Lu said anxiously.

After an hour on the road, they had come across only one Star Beast, and it was merely a Fourth Rank cub.

Chu Chen did not immediately respond but pointed ahead and said, "On our way here, we’ve passed at least a dozen or so battlefields left by others. If we go on like this, it’ll be hard to catch up with others, let alone overtake them."

"Exactly, that’s why we need to hurry and grab those Star Beasts," Wang Lu replied seriously.

Chu Chen shook his head and said, "Don’t forget, our examination zone is in the forest’s outer area, and a whole day has passed. The teams ahead might have already reached the restricted zone."

"So what do we do? Are we just going to feed on their leftovers?"

"The outer area is vast; they can’t possibly have explored every corner. We can move sideways or diagonally; this way, our chances of encountering Star Beasts increase significantly."

"Alright then, it seems that’s our best option," Wang Lu said reluctantly.

"Skinny, let’s have the Earth Rock Rat scout diagonally, and let’s pick up the pace," Chu Chen said firmly, patting Skinny on the shoulder.

"Don’t worry. I’ve got this," Skinny assured.

After altering their route, the group soon encountered a small pack of Gale Wolves, only eight of them, all Servant Level at the Fifth or Sixth Rank. The battle lasted merely two minutes before the small pack was annihilated.

After working with the pack, the group had developed a certain level of tacit understanding; sometimes, a mere gesture from Chu Chen was enough for them to know what to do, much to Chu Chen’s relief, allowing him to spend more time observing the battlefield.

This battle saw minimal consumption for the five Guardian Beasts. They resumed their journey immediately after a brief rest.

The Gale Wolf Pack had lifted their spirits, filling the group with motivation.

When engaging in an endeavor, if you can’t see any hope, most people will choose to give up. Conversely, when you can see hope, it fills you with drive.

An hour later, Chu Chen stopped again, his eyes flickering with a somber light as he gazed into the forest ahead.

"Why have you stopped?" Cold Face asked, puzzled by Chu Chen’s halt.

Frowning, Chu Chen replied solemnly, "Don’t you think something feels off here?"

Cold Face shook his head, "Nothing seems off to me."

Wang Lu and the others shook their heads in agreement.

Chu Chen finally spoke candidly, "We’ve walked for ten minutes and haven’t found any traces of Star Beasts, and it’s incredibly quiet here; even the usual insects and birds have gone silent."

The four immediately showed signs of realization but quickly grew solemn again.

"There can’t be something terrifying here, right? We should leave quickly," Skinny suggested, concerned.

Chu Chen shook his head and said, "The only reason for such a situation is that there’s a dominant presence in this area. The surrounding Star Beasts either changed their habitats or became food. And such a dominator falls into two categories: one is an individual with terrifying strength, and the other is a vast group."

"Neither is something we can afford to mess with. I think we should get out quickly," Gangzi said gravely.

Chu Chen shook his head again and stated, "Hold on, listen to my analysis first. If the school arranged for us to be examined here, it implies there wouldn’t be excessively strong Star Beasts. So the dominator here is a large group, and their individual strength wouldn’t be too formidable. Danger and opportunity coexist. I think we should investigate first; if it gets dangerous, we’ll retreat immediately. What do you all think?"

The four hesitated slightly but ultimately agreed, realizing the temptation was too great; a large group would mean a wealth of points.