Earth Tyrant Bear

Nanmu Forest's Dark Gorge was the forbidden land closest to Hui Dun City within Nanmu Forest.

This forbidden land was divided according to the range of Platinum Rank Magic Beast territories. Magic Beasts were naturally stronger than humans, and what they cultivated were their own innate divine abilities, giving them a natural advantage over humans of the same rank in battle.

To drive them away or wipe them out at the Platinum Rank, at least several experts one or two ranks above them had to be deployed.

Yet Platinum Rank cultivators were already supreme powerhouses within their respective regions of the kingdom. Mobilizing so many experts just to kill a Magic Beast that would not disturb the towns was simply not worth it for the kingdom.

According to written records, a level-fourteen Titan Giant Python lived within this gorge, concealed by poisonous miasma and towering trees.

It could be said that because of this giant python's existence, this region had become one of the forest's forbidden zones.

Many Magic Beasts that depended on the Titan Giant Python lived around the outskirts of the gorge, and every one of them was exceedingly powerful.

If not for the fact that the giant python cultivated in the poisonous miasma year-round and remained at peace with the outside world so long as no one disturbed it, Hui Dun City would not be guarded by merely an ordinary garrison.

At this moment, Coles and his big fellow had arrived outside the gorge. The reason he dared come here was precisely because he had this big fellow at his side.

Back then, when his father had led people to capture this big fellow as his slave, it had been in this very region. His father had also guessed that the big fellow's clan could grow such enormous bodies because they were somehow connected to that Titan Giant Python.

The sacred relic of the big fellow's tribe was an incomparably enormous shed snake skin, and the reason their Lineage had been able to faintly suppress the neighboring Kekebor Family was also thanks to the resources exchanged for that snake skin.

But none of that was what he cared about now. He had not come here to uncover the secret between the big fellow's tribe and the Titan Giant Python.

Seeing the terror on the big fellow's face, Coles knew they had entered dangerous territory.

Perhaps the two of them were already standing at the edge of some powerful Magic Beast's domain. Otherwise, the big fellow would not have worn such a frightened expression.

Coles's heart began pounding wildly as well, and he suddenly regretted his impulsiveness.

Yet just as the thought of retreat arose in Coles's mind, he remembered Chen Cheng calling him a little dwarf.

As the son of a Baron, he had been humiliated by a slave before a crowd. Rage flooded his mind.

He gritted his teeth and directly ordered the big fellow beside him to go ahead and lure over a high-level ferocious beast.

Though the big fellow was terrified of that powerful Magic Beast's aura, years of slave training had driven the roots of servitude deep into his bones. He could only risk his life to lure out a ferocious beast.

As the big fellow left, a Magic Crystal engraved with high-level stealth magic appeared in Coles's hand.

His father had specially obtained this Magic Crystal as protection for his hunting class. It contained a Silver Rank stealth spell.

Though this spell was only Silver Rank, even ordinary Gold Rank super experts could not detect the aura of anyone protected by it.

This was the confidence that had made him dare come here.

Not long after the big fellow left, Coles heard an enraged roar. Then he saw the big fellow sprinting back like a rabbit with its tail on fire.

When the big fellow reached his side, Coles saw trees so thick that several people would need to link arms around them snapped cleanly at waist height behind him.

After that, an enormous black bear roared repeatedly as it swung its massive paws, slapping huge tree stumps out of the earth and sending them flying.

Coles recognized the black bear's species at a glance. A level-six Earth Tyrant Bear—a bona fide Silver Rank ferocious beast.

At the sight of the Earth Tyrant Bear, Coles's fear turned to excitement. He believed that if he truly led this giant bear to Chen Cheng and the others, that lowly slave who had humiliated him would certainly be dead.

He imagined Chen Cheng being torn apart by the Earth Tyrant Bear, Fini being swallowed alive, and Little Fatty, who had disregarded status to call Chen Cheng his brother, being smashed into a meat patty as well.

At the thought of all this, a twisted smile of delight spread across Coles's cute little face.

Coles leaped directly onto the big fellow's shoulder, then activated the stealth Magic Crystal in his hand. Their figures and auras instantly vanished before the Earth Tyrant Bear.

While the Earth Tyrant Bear went mad searching for their traces, the big fellow had already carried Coles and fled an unknown distance away.

Having lost all trace of its enemies, the Earth Tyrant Bear began venting the fury of being awakened from sleep. Many low-level Magic Beasts suffered for it; they were either slapped to death or swallowed alive.

At the same time, it sensed magical fluctuations within the forest.

Normally, this would have been nothing. Such faint magical fluctuations were quieter to it than the buzzing of mosquitoes. So long as they did not disturb its sleep, everything was negotiable.

But now it had been awakened, and the ones who had disturbed its slumber had vanished without a trace. That tiny magical fluctuation, along with the faint scent of humans drifting over, immediately drew its attention.

The students holding hunting classes in the outer forest were about to suffer. They still had no idea that a powerful Magic Beast beyond their control was charging toward them.

The Earth Tyrant Bear raced toward the magical aura it had sensed. Seeing that it was no longer pursuing them, Coles finally let out a breath of relief, then began angrily blaming the big fellow beneath him.

He had actually lured over such an unpredictable ferocious beast in one go. Fortunately, this stealth Magic Crystal worked well.

But now, he had no idea whether that ferocious beast could find Fini and the others, or whether Fini and the others could find it.

As he thought this, Coles did not forget to land two heavy punches on the big fellow's head, venting the terror he had just felt.

Meanwhile, Chen Cheng's group of three had only caught two or three wild chickens and rabbits along the way because of the Beast Repellent Pill. Fini was somewhat irritated and wanted to head deeper into the forest to take a look.

Seeing that she was about to cross deeper into the safe zone designated by the academy, Chen Cheng immediately spoke up to stop her.

"Fini, we can't go any deeper. It's plenty fun just hunting wild chickens and rabbits out here. If we really run into danger deeper in, Akasto the fatty might truly be unable to run away."

However, Fini looked at the few wild birds in her hands and said irritably:

"I came here to hunt, to test my magic.

I'll only go a little farther. I absolutely won't cross beyond the safe zone the teachers marked out for us. If that won't work, then I might as well put away this Beast Repellent Pill."

At last, Fini looked at Chen Cheng with a somewhat pleading gaze.

The innocent-looking Little Fatty beside her was completely and gloriously ignored.

After some thought, Chen Cheng felt that there should not be any powerful ferocious beasts in the forest outskirts. Otherwise, if these noble children truly died here, that Count would likely not have an easy time of it either.

Moreover, Fini was right. She was a genius to begin with, and the Wind Magic she had comprehended needed to undergo battle, becoming familiar with and mastering it in combat.

"Then let's do this. We'll head outward a little farther, then put away the Beast Repellent Pill. We've gone a little too deep now. It's still somewhat dangerous."

However, Fini, this genius magician, had long been unable to hold herself back. She looked around and felt that they had not gone very far, so she directly wrapped up the Beast Repellent Pill tightly and put it away.

Without the Black Dragon aura on the Beast Repellent Pill, they soon encountered several low-level Magic Beasts.

Although these Magic Beasts were not high-level, at most level one or two, they appeared in fairly frequent numbers and waves.

If not for Fini and Chen Cheng, two Bronze Rank magic apprentices who had already inscribed magic, ordinary students carrying Magic Crystals truly would not have been able to handle them.

After collecting the body parts of their prey that could serve as proof, Chen Cheng suggested heading back.

Fini was not someone who refused to listen to reason. The seven or eight low-level Magic Beasts they had killed this time had already satisfied her need for battle, so she agreed to retreat.

Little Fatty had purely come to make up the numbers and build a sense of cooperation with Chen Cheng. Their glasses business had made him a fortune this time.

His focus was not on becoming a powerful magician. What he wanted most was to become the richest man on the entire continent.

The three tidied up and buried the Magic Beast corpses, then prepared to head back.

Yet perhaps the God of Misfortune had favored them. By sheer coincidence, Fini's group of three was spotted by the Earth Tyrant Bear, which was still nursing its waking fury.

Seeing the fallen trees, Chen Cheng immediately told Fini to take out the Beast Repellent Pill.

However, the Beast Repellent Pill, which had always been invincible, lost its effect at this moment.

Already boiling with waking fury, the Earth Tyrant Bear became even more violent when it sensed the Black Dragon's aura. It charged straight at the three of them without a care for anything else.

Seeing this, Chen Cheng's heart sank.

Samlet had told him about this situation before. The ferocious beast had entered a berserk state, and in such circumstances, there was only one outcome: either it died, or they died.

Chen Cheng gritted his teeth and said:

"Fatty, take Fini and run. Neither of you look back. Go report to Teacher Melinda and the others at the camp immediately. I'll draw this big fellow's attention.

"Don't worry. Don't forget, I grew up in the woods. It won't catch me anytime soon."

As he spoke, Chen Cheng went to Fini's side and tore the Beast Repellent Pill hanging around her neck away in one pull. That thing had now become the target of the berserk Earth Tyrant Bear's pursuit.

Then Chen Cheng vanished from their sight.

Only then did Fini snap out of her terror, and she immediately wanted to chase after Chen Cheng.

But at that moment, Little Fatty Akasto, sweat beading across his forehead, grabbed hold of Fini.

His small eyes had turned exceedingly serious as he said:

"Go! We can't stay here and get in his way. We have to find the teachers now. Only the teachers can save him."

Fini was not a brainless fool. Her reaction just now had been instinctive. Now that she had calmed down somewhat, she knew they had to find the teachers immediately.

Fini chanted the incantation for her Wind Magic. As she recited it, a small green Magic Array Pattern emerged. Then a fierce wind wrapped around her and carried her swiftly toward the camp outside.

At that moment, Akasto's eyes casually flicked toward the bushes beside them before he too ran toward the camp.

After the two left, Coles emerged from the bushes, wearing an expression of triumph as he watched the three depart in different directions.

He had not expected that the God of Light would favor him so greatly this time. Through a mistaken stroke of luck, he had truly sent Brown to his death. At last, he would avenge the humiliation he had suffered.

Still, he could not help feeling somewhat regretful that Fini and Akasto had not been left behind.