"Kuh!"

I winced and knelt down, holding my leg. As expected, it was going to be difficult to fight a Diamondback Crocodile. Its armored scales were doing more damage to me than I was dealing to the d.a.m.ned beast.

"Oi! Are you all right?"

Ban Zhang called out to me from the side, having been forced to dodge when the Diamondback Crocodile charged at us. I threw a hand out to stop him from coming nearer.

"Yeah! Stay where you are! Don"t give the Diamondback Crocodile an easy target!"

"Right!"

Ban Zhang backed away, and both of us turned our attention back to the swimming Diamondback Crocodile, which didn"t look hurt at all. I gritted my teeth as I glared at the monster.

It"s best to retreat instead of trying to defeat this monster!

As the Diamondback Crocodile reared up in the swamp, I withdrew rapidly and tried to widen the distance between us. Ban Zhang followed my lead. As clumsy as it was, the Diamondback Crocodile was still pretty fast for something of its immense size. It burst out of the swamp, ready to dart at me like a speeding missile.

The d.a.m.ned thing had chosen me as its target instead of Ban Zhang. Well, that was fine. If it had launched and killed Ban Zhang, I would never be able to live with the guilt of dragging my friend into this mess with me.

"Fei Wu!"

"Ugh!"

When I tried to jump back, the pain in my foot suddenly flared up and hindered my movements. Dropping clumsily onto the ground, I stumbled back and watched as the Diamondback Crocodile swiftly approached. Looked like I had to give it another kick…but I would only aggravate the current injury on my foot…

Splash!

My jaw dropped when the entire s.p.a.ce froze in a moment. The Diamondback Crocodile, which was rapidly clearing the ground between us, was now blasted off its feet by a large current of water. Stunned, I turned around and watched as Ban Zhang directed a highly pressurized spray of water at the beast, forcing it back into the swamp.

"What are you waiting for? Get up and run!"

Ban Zhang scowled at me, even as he continued to pressure the Diamondback Crocodile. He gestured impatiently to urge me to move.

"I don"t know how long my Black Tortoise Hydrant Blast can hold it! It"s a Rank 4 magical beast! None of us is a match for it! It"s better to escape!"

As if to prove his point, the Diamondback Crocodile slapped the pillar of water with its tail, reducing much of the pressure. The Rank 4 magical beast was beginning to fight against the tremendous pressure exerted by the unending stream of water.

Time to beat it.

"Thank you!" I called out to Ban Zhang, but he was already moving away, disappearing into the forest. Sparing one last glance at the staggering Diamondback Crocodile, I quickly spun around and sprinted away, trying my best to ignore the throbbing pain in my foot.

*

I finally collapsed on the ground, unable to bear the pain. Closing my eyes, I rested against a nearby tree to catch my breath and circulate my qi to speed up the healing of my foot. I honestly doubted it was going to help much, but it would be better to rest for a bit and recover slightly than to hobble around recklessly with a half-broken foot.

"Ban Zhang?"

In the confusion, we got separated. We didn"t have a choice. With the Diamondback Crocodile pursuing us, we split up to confuse it. I was in no position to see where Ban Zhang went.

On the other hand, there was no sign of the Diamondback Crocodile, so I was safe. The magical beast had clearly chosen not to chase me.

"d.a.m.n…"

Despite the absence of danger, I couldn"t help but feel an unease in my heart. I could only hope that the Diamondback Crocodile didn"t choose to pursue Ban Zhang instead. I was the one who wanted to play hero and save Qing Xin Xia and the rest. But it wasn"t worth the life of my good friend to pull that sort of stunt.

But if I didn"t do that, Qing Xin Xia and the rest would still be in danger…

Moreover, even if I didn"t do that, I was certain Ban Zhang would have intervened anyway. He was that type of person after all

Stay safe, my friend.

Scratching my head, I took a deep breath and leaned against the tree. Closing my eyes, I extended my qi sense, but as I expected, I couldn"t detect Ban Zhang"s presence at all. We must have gotten pretty far away from each other. Furthermore, with my stamina and daily running, I often ran a lot faster than I believed myself capable of.

Gripping the roots of the tree tightly, I fervently prayed that Ban Zhang would be all right. Gulping, I waited a little longer, hoping against hope that he would show up and yelled at me for being reckless as he always did.

Ban Zhang never appeared.

Well, sitting around isn"t going to help either.

Once my foot felt a bit better, I stood up and began exploring the forest in hopes of locating Ban Zhang. Even with my eyes closed, I found myself surrounded by a maelstrom of living creatures" qi. Fortunately, I was still in a relatively deserted area, so I could sift out the human qi from the magical beasts" qi. Yet I could tell that several of them were cl.u.s.tered together. It seemed that a group of candidates had ganged up on a Rank 4 magical beast or something. Ban Zhang was not among them, and I was about to move my attention away when I realized an irregularity regarding that situation.

Huh…something"s wrong.

I blinked in confusion. For some reason, the humans were all running in my direction while the Rank 4 magical beast was chasing them.

"You"ve got to be kidding me…"

"RUN!"

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

"HELP!"

Screams and shouts rang across the forest as a group of students sprinted out from amidst the trees and into the clearing I now occupied. A gigantic white tiger about three meters in height bounded out, pouncing on a screaming boy and tearing him into shreds. Without missing a beat, it switched targets, lunging at a shrieking girl and swiping at her. She went down in a spray of blood, her body ripped apart.

"NOOOO!!!"

"Save me!!!"

Biting my lip, I raced forward and leaped at the Spirit Tiger, which was feasting on a poor girl. It glanced up hatefully, its snow-white jaws stained red and dripping with blood, and let out a fearsome roar.

That wasn"t going to scare me, you jerk.

Just as the Spirit Tiger reared up to pounce on a hapless boy who had tripped and fallen over, I kicked it right in the neck. The Spirit Tiger"s head snapped to the side and it staggered, but I flipped over and kicked its knee, sending it sprawling onto the ground. Snarling, the Spirit Tiger swiped at me, but I jumped back, staying out of range of its claws.

Good…if I stay out of its range, I might just be able to beat it…!

Even though the Spirit Tiger was a Rank 4 just like the Diamondback Crocodile, my attacks were going through. No doubt it was because the Spirit Tiger was not as armored as the Diamondback Crocodile.

At least that was what I thought, but…

"GUOOO!"

With a furious bellow, the Spirit Tiger lashed out, its claws disappearing into a blur. Its speed right now was incomparable to before, and it caught me entirely by surprise.

"Guh?!"

Blood spurted out of my arms as I tried to block its strike and was flung backward. Hitting the ground, I slid backward, coughing as blood dribbled out of my mouth.

What immense power!

Even though the Spirit Tiger wasn"t as armored as the Diamondback Crocodile, it was far faster, more agile and more powerful.

"RUOOOR!"

The Spirit Tiger sprang at me, lashing out with its claws vengefully. I helplessly lay on the ground, still stunned from the tremendous impact of its blow and unable to get up.

Now I understood why I managed to land a few hits in. Earlier, I had caught the Spirit Tiger completely by surprise. It wasn"t even fazed by my attacks, my kicks not even leaving a single mark. And even if I wasn"t stunned and helpless, I wouldn"t be able to avoid the pounce right now, given how fast the Spirit Tiger was.

"Yaaaah!"

The boy I just saved slammed into the Spirit Tiger"s side, knocking it over. I blinked when I saw him engulfed within a dense golden aura of yang qi, forming a pseudo-armor. The Spirit Tiger slashed at him, but he blocked its claws with his encased arm. Still, the magical beast was far too strong for the boy and he was sent tumbling backward.

"Gr…"

The Spirit Tiger growled as it turned to face him. The boy rose up shakily, but was otherwise unscathed. Watching the thick yang field around him and the amount of qi he emanated, as well as that familiar handsome face and spiky hairstyle, I suddenly recognized him.

"Zhu Jiao?!

"Eh?! What?!" Zhu Jiao paused and turned to stare at me. Then his eyes bulged, almost to the point that they might fall out of his sockets. "FEI WU?!"

"Hey, don"t shout my name like that! It sounds like you"re calling me trash!"

"Er…how?! You"re still alive?! Eh?"

"Focus on the battle first!" I ordered. Zhu Jiao blinked and then realized that I was right. Unlike him, the Spirit Tiger was not fazed by my appearance.

Shaking his head, he kept his eyes on the Spirit Tiger, which was pawing the ground and getting ready to pounce on him. Zhu Jiao then raised his hand and gestured at me.

"At my signal, run!"

"Eh? But…"

"This is a Rank 5 magical beast! Even if we join forces, we still won"t be able to defeat a monster like this!"

"Huh? Rank 5? Isn"t it Rank 4?"

"No! A Spirit Tiger is at least Rank 5!"

As if it was annoyed upon hearing the name that the humans labeled onto it, the Spirit Tiger agitatedly bellowed before pouncing on Zhu Jiao. Zhu Jiao didn"t respond with a punch. Instead, he slammed his foot onto the ground just seconds before the Spirit Tiger reached him. A cloud of sand billowed upward and pelted the Spirit Tiger"s face, blinding it and causing it to shriek and tumble over, clutching its eyes.

"Now!"

I didn"t need telling twice. I hastily followed Zhu Jiao as he sprinted into the forest. Behind us, the Spirit Tiger thrashed about wildly, bellowing and shouting in rage as it slashed at the air around it. As we ran further into the forest, its howls gradually grew softer and softer.

"Phew…we somehow survived that. Thanks to you, I managed to calm down and think of a plan to escape that Spirit Tiger."

Zhu Jiao shook his head and turned to me as he slowed down. He smiled and grabbed both my shoulders, shaking me roughly.

"Where the f.u.c.k have you been the past two months?! We thought you were dead!"

"Well, you know…" I shrugged. "I was busily trying to survive in Sen Lin Forest."

"You son of a gun!" Zhu Jiao shouted, laughing as he continued to shake me. His actions were making me dizzy. "I don"t believe it! You have no idea how glad I am to see that you"re all right!"

"Yeah, I"m so glad to see you too," I agreed. Under any other circ.u.mstances, I would be sobbing from raw emotion, but unfortunately, we were still stuck in the forest and couldn"t let our guard down. "Oh, I need to find Ban Zhang. Last time I saw him, he was being chased by a Diamondback Crocodile."

"Huh?! What?! Why would Ban Zhang be…?!"

I quickly explained to him what had transpired since my reunion with the students of Wu Ling Academy.

Zhu Jiao shook his head.

"You"re crazy, you know that?"

"I know."

"Anyway, wait here. I think I might know how to contact Ban Zhang." He fished his cellphone out of his pocket and I gaped at him.

"Wait, aren"t we not allowed to bring cellphones during missions?"

Zhu Jiao grinned at me conspiratorially. "What the teachers don"t know won"t hurt them, right? And Ban Zhang brought his cellphone too, so this is the easiest way to get in contact with him."

"…right."

I had no answer to that. Sighing, I shook my head but left Zhu Jiao to it. This was better than worrying endlessly over the fate of Ban Zhang.

"Oh! Ban Zhang! Yeah, it"s me, Zhu Jiao. Are you all right?" Zhu Jiao paused and listened. "Yeah. Yeah. I know. That"s good. I heard that you were chased by a Diamondback Crocodile…" there was a burst of noise, and then Zhu Jiao chuckled. "Yeah, that"s right. I ran into Fei Wu. Don"t worry, I"ll take care of him. You take care of yourself. I"ll take charge of bringing him back to Teacher Jiao." Another blurt from the other end. "You focus on your test. Leave Fei Wu to me, okay?"

Then he hung up and showed me a thumb"s up.

"Ban Zhang"s all right," he a.s.sured me. "He lost the Diamondback Crocodile. Apparently they don"t like traveling too far inland. They need to stay close to the water. So he"s safe. Furthermore…" Zhu Jiao glanced at the time display worriedly. "We don"t have much time before the time ends. We need to get a Rank 3 monster core."

No, you needed to get a Rank 3 monster core. I didn"t. But I wasn"t the type to leave my friend in the lurch, so I nodded.

"I"ll help you."

"Help me? What about you?" Zhu Jiao stared at me blankly.

"Dude, you do realize that I was lost in Sen Lin Forest for almost two months, right?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "My first course of action is to report to the teachers. The test is the least of my worries right now. I don"t think the teachers would even recognize my partic.i.p.ation in it."

"Oh, right!" Zhu Jiao nodded. "Ban Zhang told me. I"m supposed to escort you to Teacher Jiao immediately."

But…he looked reluctant, because he knew that meant he would fail this test. I almost felt sorry for him.

"Don"t worry, I"ll help you with your test first. Then we can go report to the teachers. It"s on the way, anyway, so we"ll grab a Rank 3 monster core and then look for Teacher Jiao."

"Really?" Zhu Jiao brightened up. "You have any idea how to find a Rank 3 magical beast?"

"Uh, well…I guess we"ll have to walk around until we find one?" Zhu Jiao stared at me, stupefied by what he thought sounded like a stupid suggestion. I glared back. "What other methods are there?"

"…you"re right." Zhu Jiao sighed, resigned. "Well, if we run into a Rank 4 magical beast, we"ll have to run. Don"t be too reckless."

"Yes, sir."

I didn"t mention that he was the one who needed to pa.s.s this test, not me.

The two of us began scrounging through the forest in the hopes of finding a magical beast that we could easily deal with. As we went deeper into the forest, the sunrays were slowly being blocked out by the dense canopy.

"Whoa…are we going the right way?" I asked nervously. Zhu Jiao glanced around and smiled fearlessly.

"Of course! I might look dumb, but I have a pretty sensitive intuition for these things, you know! Follow me and I"ll lead you to a treasure trove of magical beasts!"

"As long as they aren"t Rank 4 and above," I muttered, but I obediently followed him without further complaint.

Unbeknownst to us, there was a slender and huge quadruped beast that had been lurking close by, its dusky, black silhouette camouflaged within the dark canopies of the tall trees that towered over the forest.

We hadn"t noticed its presence at all. So stealthy was the magical beast that it soundlessly jumped from treetop to treetop, gracefully perching itself atop thick branches as it stalked the two of us. Its golden eyes shone brightly as it tracked our movements.

Despite me cautiously reaching out with my qi sense and attempting to read the presences of every nearby magical beast, I had completely missed its movements.

The streamlined figure was about the size of an Ironback Wolf, but its fur was silky and highly priced. The color of its black fur, especially, matched that of night, giving a ghostly impression and allowing the creature to melt stealthily into the shadows without being seen.

I was only aware of this later, but this was a nightmarish hunter…a Rank 5 magical beast, the Shadow Leopard.

So deadly was the beast that the moment it revealed its claws and fangs, its prey would most likely be dead. It was the top predator in the peripheries of Sen Lin Forest…and even deep within the forest itself, not many high-cla.s.s magical beasts dared to challenge it unless absolutely necessary.

And it was this monster that sprang at us out of nowhere, its killing intent flaring up as brightly as if it was day.

"!"

I could barely react in time, crossing my arms as I parried the Shadow Leopard"s metallic claws. Despite blocking the attack, the momentum and tremendous force behind the Shadow Leopard"s pounce was enough to throw me off my feet.

"Gah!"

"Fei Wu!"

"Stay back!" I shouted as Zhu Jiao made to move forward.

I could barely defend myself in time as the Shadow Leopard struck again. Breathing heavily, with several trails of blood dripping down ragged tears on my face and arms, I yelled at the panicking Zhu Jiao.

"Run away! I"ll buy as much time as I can!"

"You"ve got to be kidding me! I"m not leaving you behind!"

Zhu Jiao had activated his golden field of defensive yang qi and rammed against the Shadow Leopard. The mighty predator gave a grunt as it was rocked off its feet, but it slashed Zhu Jiao, swatting him away.

"Kuh!"

The claws were so sharp and deadly they penetrated the dense field of yang qi and sent spurts of blood out of Zhu Jiao"s arms. The blond-haired boy was sent flying into the trees.

"Kyaaah!"

"Whoa!"

A group of students who were running away from another magical beast was startled when Zhu Jiao landed within their midst. They skidded to a stop, panicking when they saw the Shadow Leopard. They turned a complete 180 to run, only to see the gigantic Skull Jackal bound upon them, slavering ravenously.

A Skull Jackal…a Rank 4 magical beast, which was slightly smaller than the Shadow Leopard, but almost as agile.

However, when even the Skull Jackal spotted the Shadow Leopard, it skidded to a stop. The two mighty predators stared at each other, then the smaller Skull Jackal suddenly turned around and fled with a whimper.

Even though they"re of similar rank, the Skull Jackal is afraid of the Shadow Leopard?! Then again, the Skull Jackal is only Rank 4 and the Shadow Leopard is Rank 5…

The group of students froze as the Shadow Leopard"s murderous gaze flickered toward them.

"Hey!" I shouted to them. "Grab Zhu Jiao and get out of here!"

"…eh?"

"Ah…"

"Just do it! I"ll distract the Shadow Leopard!"

"Huh? How?"

I didn"t bother to reply. I was already running toward the Shadow Leopard. The night-colored predator slashed at me, but I dodged under its paws and kicked its jaw, annoying it. The Shadow Leopard snarled and raked its claws through my body, leaving another three huge red lines across my torso.

"Gaaaah!"

I stumbled and crashed into the ground, my mind blanked out by the pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Even though I was the one being hurt, the other students were screaming way louder and more fearfully than me.

"Shut up and run!" I hollered at them. "NOW!"

Mustering every ounce of fury I had in my voice, I struggled back to my feet and gestured toward Zhu Jiao"s unmoving body. The spiky-haired protagonist-if-this-was-another-story rose weakly and protested.

"No, wait…"

"Just do it!"

The other students were evidently more afraid of me than him, and they hauled him up to his feet and fled the way they came from. I hoped the Skull Jackal had ran further away from here or they might end up meeting it again. Even if that was the case, it would still be safer than staying here with a Rank 5 Shadow Leopard.

The Shadow Leopard lazily turned toward their direction, but I staggered to put myself between the vicious predator and the escaping group of first year students.

"Your opponent is me," I spat through b.l.o.o.d.y lips, and adopted an aggressive stance.