Demon Claw Forest

Fan Lang took Butcher Girl to Dou Bin and demanded the money that was rightfully his, saying that he did not want to fight anymore today.

Dou Bin had a guilty conscience, but he could not say so. To protect the Underground Arena's hard-earned reputation, he could only obediently pay up.

As they were leaving, Dou Bin said to Fan Lang, "The Underground Arena welcomes you anytime. If you want to make money, just come."

"Heh heh." Fan Lang sneered and said nothing more.

He could not possibly feel any goodwill toward a place that had secretly poisoned him. Even if he came again, it would definitely be to cause trouble, not to be a gladiator!

Fan Lang and Butcher Girl left the Underground Arena. Looking up, he saw that it was still early, and on a whim, he decided not to return to the City Lord's Mansion just yet. Instead, he would go somewhere else to level up.

"Butcher Girl, I plan to go outside and hunt demon beasts and demons. You have to come with me and help me." Fan Lang's tone carried a hint of command.

"Fine." Butcher Girl agreed without hesitation.

Fan Lang liked that kind of decisiveness.

Before setting out, they needed to make some preparations. Fan Lang went to a shop to buy some necessities, along with two Storage Cards for their luggage. The tiny cards contained their own space; even stuffing a house inside would not be a problem.

A man and a woman together made leveling less tiring.

Traveling light, the two hired a carriage and left through the East City Gate. The reason they took a carriage instead of buying horses was that ordinary horses had no ability to protect themselves. Riding them there would only mean becoming food.

The carriage raced eastward for forty li without incident. Then the driver suddenly pulled the reins and stopped.

"Esteemed guests, Demon Claw Forest lies ahead. It is far too dangerous, and us errand-runners do not dare enter. If you wish to continue, please get out and proceed on foot," said the driver.

"This is far enough. Here is the fare we agreed on." Fan Lang jumped down from the carriage, took out a Currency Card, and lightly swiped it across his hand. Several silver ingots appeared in his palm out of thin air, and he paid the driver.

The driver beamed after taking the money, offered a couple of auspicious words, then turned the carriage around and left.

Fan Lang and Butcher Girl continued on foot. The farther they went, the more desolate the surroundings became. Weeds overran the road, dense forests surrounded them, and shadows occasionally flashed past at high speed.

Their destination was called Demon Claw Forest. Not only did demon beasts run rampant there, but demons also lived within it. It was extremely dangerous; even Mystic Spirits might enter and never return.

The world of the Magic Martial Era contained demons and monsters. Monsters referred to demon beasts, while demons referred to the demon race. There were certain differences between the two.

Demon beasts generally lacked intelligence and were much like wild animals, while demons were far smarter, their intelligence no less than that of humans. Aside from intelligence, they also differed in special abilities, methods of attack, reproduction, and other aspects.

At times, demons were even more dangerous than demon beasts.

After traveling roughly ten li farther, they finally entered Demon Claw Forest. The woods were gloomy, with many dead trees resembling ferocious ghosts baring their fangs and claws. Black currents of air drifted through the sky, blocking out the sunlight and casting the forest in shadow.

The ground was riddled with broken patches, an abnormal sight. This was because a dangerous plant known as the Earth Demon Claw grew here.

Earth Demon Claws were companion plants of demons and only grew in places where demons appeared. They normally hid underground, only bursting from the soil when living creatures passed overhead. Their claw-shaped flower heads would swallow creatures in a single bite. Their hunting habits were very similar to those of man-eating flowers.

Demon Claw Forest was named after them.

There were many Earth Demon Claws, and they were lethally dangerous, but they were not the greatest danger here.

"Butcher Girl, you have Spirit Eyes. Your vision is better than mine, and you can see more carefully. Keep an eye on the ground. It will hurt badly if an Earth Demon Claw bites you," Fan Lang warned.

"Fine, leave it to me." Butcher Girl answered, roused her spirits, and stared sharply around her. Her fierce eyes glimmered faintly.

She had always lived a life without daylight. Coming so far from home today made her inexplicably excited—perhaps even more excited than Fan Lang.

After trudging onward for a while, Butcher Girl suddenly stopped and said sternly, "There is movement in the ground ahead. An Earth Demon Claw may be hiding there."

"I'll poke it and test it." Fan Lang's eyes sharpened. Raising his hand, he flung out the Flame Blaze Sword, stabbing fiercely at the ground ahead. Scarlet sword energy tore through the air and blasted open the earth.

Hiss!

A strange cry came from underground, and a bizarre flower roughly two meters across emerged. Its petals were made of hard keratin, five in total, their edges covered in sharp teeth. When the petals opened and closed, viscous fluid stretched between them.

Any child who saw that flower would be scared to tears.

Stepping on an Earth Demon Claw was no different from stepping into a trap.

Fan Lang attacked with his sword, slashing twice in rapid succession. Using only the Flame Blaze Sword's own fire-wielding ability, he cut the Earth Demon Claw into burning fragments.

Congratulations, player. You have killed 1 Earth Demon Claw and gained 600 Experience Points.

The Earth Demon Claw dropped 2 Sharp Tooth Petals and 10 points of Magic Essence.

The player is fighting alongside a companion. The friendliness between the two is above 10, meeting the requirements to form a party. Form a party?

The other party is an NPC. After forming a party, all Experience Points will belong to the player.

A string of system notifications appeared.

The first two notifications were ordinary, merely the usual prompts for killing monsters. The latter two were different—they concerned forming a party.

Fan Lang was stunned at first, then overjoyed. He could form a party with Butcher Girl! And after forming a party, all the experience would belong to him!

With two people killing monsters and farming experience together, their efficiency would definitely be higher, allowing him to level up faster.

Butcher Girl was a level-six Mystic Spirit with considerable strength. She could help him earn a great deal of experience.

"Haha, saving this girl wasn't for nothing!"

Fan Lang was thrilled, and he felt even more motivated to grind monsters.

The two continued onward, slaughtering everything in their path. Besides Earth Demon Claws, they killed some demon beasts as well.

Butcher Girl wielded a pair of twin blades. She fought with ruthless sharpness, every strike aimed at a vital point.

His Experience Points continued to rise. Fan Lang soon leveled up, reaching level-six Mystic General.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. Fan Lang had already prepared himself to fight in Demon Claw Forest for several days and had no intention of returning to the City Lord's Mansion.

They fought until night fell before Fan Lang finally stopped, still not fully satisfied. He cleared an open patch in the forest, set up a tent, and rested while they ate.

There was ready-made food in the Storage Cards. Their main meal was meat sandwiches, and Fan Lang had long since grown hungry. He ate with great relish.

Butcher Girl was bold and uninhibited in battle, and she ate the same way. She took off her evil ghost mask and ate in huge mouthfuls.

After eating until he was half full, Fan Lang suddenly remembered something and asked, "What is your real name? Butcher Girl was your nickname as a gladiator. Now that you are no longer a gladiator, calling you that does not feel appropriate. It also makes us seem distant."