"Demonic Beasts—so many Demonic Beasts appeared out of nowhere!" A greatsword-wielding warrior stared at the seemingly endless swarm of Locusts before him, his expression slightly tense.
His name was Thorn, and he was a professional adventurer.
Last year, he had formed his own team, making a living by hunting Demonic Beasts and collecting Magic Crystals.
His team had four members. Besides himself, a second-class Dragon Blood Warrior, the other three were all first-class professions.
They were a Fire Mage, a Rage Fist Master, and a Water Sage.
The three made full use of their respective professions, killing the Locusts that drew near.
"Thorn, you should be happy. The more Demonic Beasts there are, the more bounty we'll earn. Once we save enough money, we can undergo our second class advancement too and strengthen the team." The Rage Fist Master spoke as he casually shattered a flying Locust with one punch.
That Locust was an Elite Lifeform, level 13, yet it could not withstand even a single punch from the Rage Fist Master. Its body burst apart and dissolved into black mist.
A thumb-sized Magic Crystal fell to the ground. A little sprite summoned by the Water Sage at the rear picked it up and stored it away in the pack.
"Weak little Locusts—however many come, I'll kill them all!" The Fire Mage waved his staff and unleashed blazing flames, instantly burning dozens of Locusts into drifting ash.
Seeing his companions deal with the Locusts so easily, Thorn's worries eased somewhat.
Little did they know, high above them—
Han Wu was watching them.
The Eye of Detection saw through all the information of the four, forming an information panel suited to the current civilization. The panel had a white background.
Name: Thorn Evans Level: 37 Profession: Dragon Blood Warrior (second class) Equipment: Steel Slasher Greatsword (Divine Power Equipment), Protective Iron Armor (Faith Equipment)... Talents: Battle Intent, Greatsword Mastery, Dragon Blood Skills: Shattering Slash, Mighty Slash...
Han Wu also noticed that all four wore the same style of badge.
The difference was that Thorn's badge was made of silver, while the other three wore bronze badges.
This might be a key piece of information for distinguishing strength.
Han Wu analyzed every piece of information he could see.
The four below had already killed more than a thousand Locusts.
Yet the Locusts still swarmed in without diminishing, making Thorn feel that something was wrong.
"There are too many Demonic Beasts. We can't kill them all. Prepare to withdraw now!" Thorn shouted.
The three team members nodded in agreement and prepared to retreat.
But Han Wu, high above, could not let the four leave so easily. He still hoped to obtain more information about this civilization from them.
At once, Han Wu ordered a Hero Lifeform Locust Person beside him, "Go test their strength."
The Locust Person obeyed and swooped down, blocking the retreat path of Thorn and his group.
Feeling the suffocating pressure emanating from the Locust Person, Thorn cried out, "It's actually a third-class Demonic Beast! Run! Split up and run! I'll buy you time!"
As he spoke, Thorn charged forward, bringing the Steel Slasher Greatsword down with immense force.
It was one of his skills: Mighty Slash.
But against the level 60 Locust Person, Mighty Slash still lacked power. It only cut a tiny gash into the Locust Person's outer shell.
That did not even count as a light injury!
Thorn's eyes were filled with despair.
The Demonic Beast was too powerful. There was nothing he could do.
With a casual flick, the Locust Person sent Thorn and his Steel Slasher Greatsword flying.
The other three adventurers had not gotten far before the surrounding Locust People easily captured them.
After binding the four together, Han Wu appeared.
The moment Thorn and the others saw Han Wu, they all trembled as though they had seen some terrifying beast.
Han Wu frowned. He guessed that the image Thorn saw was probably different from his true appearance.
"Don't come any closer, ugly Demonic Beast! Stay away from us!" As Han Wu approached, the Rage Fist Master cursed aloud.
This only made Han Wu more curious. What exactly did he look like in the eyes of these natives?
"If you want to leave alive, answer my questions obediently. What do I look like in your eyes?" Han Wu asked.
"I won't answer a Demonic Beast's question!" the Rage Fist Master said defiantly.
Then he was gone.
Han Wu personally snapped his neck.
The Fire Mage and Water Sage were both girls. Seeing this scene, they were so frightened that their minds broke, and they began shrieking wildly.
Han Wu found them too noisy, so he gave them a quick death as well.
Watching his three teammates die before his eyes, Thorn's gaze held both fury and fear.
"Now answer me. What do I look like in your eyes?" Han Wu asked again.
Thorn answered in a trembling voice, "Big eyes, long antennae..."
From Thorn's description, Han Wu formed a rough image of himself in his mind.
That appearance was practically an enlarged Locust Person.
This was likely the local will deliberately uglifying the image of invaders.
"Very good. Continue answering my questions. What does the badge on your chest represent?" Han Wu continued.
Three hours later, Han Wu had asked every question he wanted answered.
To stay alive, Thorn answered them all.
The information he provided also gave Han Wu some understanding of this world's rules.
"All right, that's all I wanted to ask. You can go now." As Han Wu spoke, he untied Thorn.
Thorn seriously suspected that Han Wu was toying with him. Only after he had cautiously run a long way without seeing any pursuers did he believe that Han Wu had truly let him go.
While rejoicing that he had escaped with his life, Thorn also mourned his three dead companions.
If they had chosen to cooperate, the three of them would not have died.
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Thorn warned himself that now was not the time to mourn fallen friends. He had to report the news of the Demonic Beast army to the Adventurer's Guild as quickly as possible.
Little did he know that high in the sky beyond his sight, Han Wu rode an Extraordinary Lifeform Fallen Insect, watching the route he took.
Only after seeing that there truly was a town ahead along Thorn's path did Han Wu stop following him. He summoned the Fairy Shortbow and fired a fatal arrow at Thorn.
The process of invasion was cruel. A single misstep could lead to the annihilation of the entire army.
Before obtaining enough information about the enemy, Han Wu would not allow his own information to be exposed too early.
Before you continue