r18novel Chapter 17, The Three-Eyed Demon Wolf?
Chapter 17, The Three-Eyed Demon Wolf?
Zhan Kong's words caused a huge uproar among the students.
"All of them failed?!"
"Are you kidding me! That's a demon!"
"A defensive magical artifact..." A hint of longing flashed in the eyes of Xu Zhaoting, Mu Bai, and other top students.
But then he swallowed hard.
Even the lowest-level bounty is a real demon mission!
"Quiet!" Instructor Luo Yunbo shouted sharply, silencing the commotion. He unfolded the parchment scroll handed to him by Zhan Kong and read aloud: "Bounty: Retrieve the eagle claw ornament hanging at the entrance of an abandoned cave deep in Baicao Valley."
"Hundred Herbs Valley?" Teacher Zhang Jianguo frowned. "That's the roaming area of the One-Eyed Demon Wolf. Although most of the wolves there are lone slaves, it's still a safe haven for the students..."
"What, scared?" Zhan Kong sneered, his gaze sweeping over the young, tense faces. "That's good! Remember this fear; it can save your lives in the wild in a critical moment! Form groups of ten; you can form your own teams. Remember, your enemies aren't just demons, but also the terrain and your own weaknesses!"
At the command, the students immediately began to form teams in a chaotic frenzy.
Zhang Xiaohou immediately grabbed Mo Fan and Xiao Yu: "Brother Fan, Brother Yu, let's all three of us together! Who else should we grab?"
Then, Zhang Xiaohou set his sights on He Yu, who didn't have a team yet, and pulled her in.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yu pointed at the green tea man without hesitation.
Although Mu Bai doesn't usually get along with them, he is quite strong, and his ice magic is very useful for control and defense.
"???" Mu Bai saw Xiao Yu looking at him and instantly understood.
Okay, I don't have a team anyway.
Mu Bai pulled Zhao Kun San over.
Immediately afterwards, Zhang Yinglu joined the group with her best friend.
"One more is needed..." Zhang Xiaohou looked around.
"I'll do it." A crisp voice rang out; it was Zhou Min.
She raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on Xiao Yu, a clear challenge in her eyes, thinking to herself, "I want to see whether some people's summoned beasts are more powerful, or whether my flames are more practical."
Clearly, she still harbored resentment towards Xiao Yu for getting a perfect score by "luck".
Xiao Yu shrugged indifferently: "Welcome to the team, Zhou Min. But let me remind you, the wilderness isn't a training ground, and my summoned beasts aren't for competing with you guys."
"Hmph, mind your own business!" Zhou Min turned her face away.
Other teams have also been formed.
At Zhan Kong's command, led by several military mages, the student squads nervously and apprehensively left the heavy, cold steel gates of the Xuefeng Mountain Post Station.
They surged towards the vast and perilous mountains and forests outside.
The moment they stepped out of Anjie, a chilling, primal aura enveloped everyone.
The air was filled with the smell of decaying vegetation and a faint stench of blood. In the distance came the howls of unknown demons. The wind rustled through the withered grass, as if countless eyes were lurking there.
Zhang Xiaohou's Wind Track Swift Movement was executed haltingly, but he managed to maintain it barely, taking on the responsibility of scouting ahead.
The others followed closely behind, scanning their surroundings warily.
Xiao Yu lagged behind, seemingly casual, but his mind was highly focused. Through his special connection with Xiao Bai, he sensed the subtle changes in the surrounding environment.
At this moment, Xiao Bai was perched on Xiao Yu's shoulder, its powerful "auspicious" buff and "danger foresight" ability quietly covering the entire team.
The "auspicious" buff is not a panacea, but it can subtly guide the team to avoid some unnecessary troubles.
For example, there might be a seemingly flat patch of grass ahead that actually hides a deep pit, or a venomous python lurking in the treetops, ready to pounce on the passing wind mage Zhang Xiaohou.
Xiao Bai's mental warning allowed Zhang Xiaohou to sense the danger in advance, and he narrowly escaped with a clumsy roll.
"Watch out!" Zhang Xiaohou shouted, still shaken.
"I see it." Zhou Min reacted extremely quickly, the star trail connection was completed instantly, "Fire Sizzle - Burn!"
A ball of blazing flame struck the venomous python's protruding head with pinpoint accuracy, burning it so that it hissed and its scales were charred.
Guided by the auspicious buff from Xiaobai and the team's own caution, they luckily avoided some small demons and arrived safely at the Hundred Herbs Valley area marked on the map.
"I thought demons would be so powerful, but they're actually this weak!" Zhao Kunsan stood at the front of the group, looking at the valley entrance with his hands on his hips and said smugly.
"We should be the first team to arrive here," Zhang Xiaohou said.
Xiao Yu couldn't help but frown.
How did Old Hei fall asleep?
"Let's be careful," Xiao Yu advised.
"I don't need you to remind me," Zhou Min said irritably.
This guy was just slacking off the whole time, not putting in any effort at all. How dare he even speak?
The vegetation in the valley was exceptionally lush, almost half a person's height.
The air was filled with a strong herbal odor mixed with another fishy smell.
"This should be it. The target cave should be deep in the valley," Zhang Xiaohou said in a low voice, referring to the simple map.
"Be vigilant, some demons like to ambush in these bushes," Mu Bai warned.
Carefully parting the dense grass, they ventured deeper into the area.
Suddenly, a chilling creaking sound came from behind the earthen slope ahead, accompanied by a strong, fishy stench.
"Oh no! It's the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat!" Zhang Xiaohou's expression changed.
Behind the earthen slope ahead, three gray-black giant rats, each the size of a small calf and with a huge single eye, were gathered together, gnawing on the remains of several unidentified animals.
Startled, their single eyes flashed with a greedy and ferocious red light, and they all turned towards Mo Fan's team!
"Prepare for battle!" Mo Fan's hand flashed with fire.
Zhou Min and Mu Bai immediately connected to the star track.
Xiao Yu's eyes narrowed, and his fingers moved slightly behind his back, completing the connection of the Chaos System Star Orbit.
"Roar!" One of the largest giant-eyed rats let out a sharp screech and pounced on the other with two of its minions at an astonishing speed!
"Ice Vine - Condensation!" Mu Bai took the initiative to try to slow down the giant-eyed blood rat's impact.
"Fire Sizzle - Burn!" Zhou Min and Mo Fan's star trails were now connected, and flames crashed down on the three giant-eyed blood rats.
The three giant-eyed rats attacked together with tremendous force!
The ice vines slightly froze the head rat, while Mo Fan and Zhou Min's fire blasts knocked over the second one.
But the third one was completely unharmed!
The target rushed straight towards Zhou Min.
At this critical moment, a bizarre scene unfolded!
Just as the giant-eyed rat's claws were about to touch its target, it seemed to have struck an invisible, twisting wall, causing its attack trajectory to deflect in an incredible way!
One of them suddenly missed its target and plunged headfirst into the nearby bushes.
He hit a rock and immediately passed out.
"???"
This sudden turn of events left everyone somewhat bewildered.
After dealing with the giant-eyed rats, three more squads followed one after another.
Before long, the four teams arrived at the entrance of a cave.
Above the cave entrance, there appears to be a small, metallic, eagle-claw-shaped object hanging from a protruding rock.
Mu Bai, Zhou Min, and Xu Zhaoting exchanged glances, the atmosphere tense.
Mo Fan's eyes lit up: "Monkey, hurry up and get the things!"
Zhang Xiaohou had already prepared the wind tunnel and was the first to rush to the bottom of the cave entrance.
He leaped up and reached for the hanging eagle claw ornament.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the ornament...
"roar--!!!"
A roar several times more ferocious than that of the giant-eyed blood rat suddenly erupted from the depths of the cave.
A stench and oppressive atmosphere swept over us, and the vines at the cave entrance swayed wildly.
It instantly blew Zhang Xiaohou back.
Zhang Xiaohou fell heavily to the ground and instantly lost consciousness.
"monkey!"