Fierce Battle

In the end, Wattster tacitly accepted Gilkunis's decision. The two dragons remained quietly in the sky, watching Sordil and Zeref put on their performance.

"You're awake?" Sordil said in delight when he saw Zeref open his eyes. He slowly approached Zeref, then pointed at the dark shapes in the sky and the herds along the Merologet River. "Do you know what races these creatures belong to and what their habits are?"

Hearing Sordil's question, Zeref stared at him with black lines practically hanging over his head. Then he asked, "Don't tell me you only just remembered that you need to understand their habits before making a plan—and that you know absolutely nothing about them?"

"Hehe! Sorry, I forgot to ask you guys earlier. Old man Gilkunis and the others were nowhere to be found, so I had no choice but to wait until you woke up before deciding anything." Faced with Zeref's question, Sordil scratched his head sheepishly and gave him an embarrassed grin.

Upon hearing Sordil's answer, Zeref collapsed to the ground with a thud. Even the giant dragons high in the sky nearly fell from sheer speechlessness. After resting for a while, Zeref finally recovered. By now, though, he had gained a profound understanding of Sordil's usual lack of brainpower, so he pointed at the distant beasts and began explaining.

"That sturdy, ox-like creature is called a Fire Rhino. It has strong defenses but lacks offensive power. It is mild-tempered and generally does not attack other creatures."

"That one is called a Flying Spirit Sheep. It is extremely fast, with average attack and defense, but it is exceptionally timid. At the slightest disturbance, it immediately flees."

"That larger creature with sturdy limbs and tusks is a Jie Leopard. Jie Leopards are vicious by nature and incredibly fast. They survive by preying on other creatures."

"The smaller, agile creatures following closely behind the Jie Leopards are Get Foxes. They are not very aggressive, but they are extremely cunning and often follow other predators to steal their prey."

"Those that appear in packs are Wind Wolf Packs, the most terrifying creatures on the Morot Grassland. They know how to cooperate in battle and possess powerful attacks. They can even hunt Jie Leopards."

"The ones flying in the sky should be Silverback Iron Eagles and Two-headed Vultures. Silverback Iron Eagles live by hunting Flying Spirit Sheep and Get Foxes, while Two-headed Vultures prefer feeding on corpses and remains and generally do not attack proactively."

"The ones fluttering and hopping through the grass are Dodo Birds. They are not aggressive, but they are partners of the Wind Wolf Packs, helping them keep watch for Silverback Iron Eagles and Two-headed Vultures in the sky, as well as Jie Leopards and Get Foxes on the ground."

"The ones on the backs of the Fire Rhinos are Tongming Birds. The two also share a symbiotic relationship. The Tongming Birds are responsible for keeping watch and removing foreign objects from the Fire Rhinos' mouths, while the Fire Rhinos protect them."

After Zeref finished introducing all the creatures on the grassland, Sordil felt that he really should have watched Animal World in his previous life. Then he could have exploited their habits to make them attack one another, letting the two of them reap the benefits. But now, they were completely in the dark and could only hope that Zeref, the top student, had remembered everything correctly. Otherwise, the two of them could just wait to die gloriously! After briefly organizing the information in his mind, Sordil quickly formulated a strategy. He whispered a few words into Zeref's ear, and the two split up to make preparations.

Sordil's strategy was actually very simple: he would first use Quality Magic to infiltrate the beast herd and stir up chaos, then the two of them would take the opportunity to sneak into the Merologet River and seize the Mirror Crystal. Dreams were full, but reality was cruel. Just as Sordil slipped into the outskirts of the beast herd, a dark shadow suddenly shot out of the grass and lunged at him. At the same time, Zeref suffered the same attack. In his panic, Zeref used magic and alerted the nearby Wind Wolf Packs and Jie Leopards. Worse still, the Silverback Iron Eagles in the sky began to move as well. In an instant, the two were trapped in a sea of beasts.

Seeing that he had already been exposed, Sordil immediately dispelled Quality Magic and returned to his original size. He cast an acceleration spell on himself, then rushed toward Zeref at top speed. But the shadow that had pounced on him pursued relentlessly, clinging tightly to his back. Sordil answered with a wind blade, slicing it in two. Twisting around for a look, he found that it was an extremely slender little snake. Even after being severed in half, its body continued to writhe on the ground.

Unlike Sordil, Zeref was surrounded by dozens of Wind Wolves, while several Jie Leopards and Get Foxes waited for an opening around the outer perimeter—not to mention the Silverback Iron Eagles overhead. As Sordil reached the beasts surrounding Zeref, he flung out several Wind Sickles, instantly killing several Jie Leopards. The Get Foxes vanished without a trace. At that moment, the Dodo Birds around the Wind Wolves began crying out loudly. Several Wind Wolves immediately turned and charged at Sordil, while the Get Foxes that had just disappeared came rushing back. On top of that, the little snake Sordil had shaken off began attacking him again.

Danger sprang up from every side. Forced back again and again, Sordil finally flew into the air to escape the immediate threat. Unfortunately, before he could even catch his breath, a pair of iron-hook-like talons clawed at his face. Sordil instantly shifted away from his original position, narrowly evading the strike. But this Silverback Iron Eagle had thoroughly enraged him. Sordil used the same move he had used against the Phoenix Perching Giant Bird. In an instant, the Silverback Iron Eagle was dragged down from the sky and thrown into the wolf pack, where the Wind Wolves tore it to pieces. However, killing one Silverback Iron Eagle did nothing to help the situation. The numbers of wolves on the ground, eagles in the sky, and Two-headed Vultures did not decrease at all. Instead, they gradually increased.

Taking advantage of a brief opening, Sordil finally reached Zeref. After helping Zeref onto his back, Sordil flew toward the Merologet River at his fastest speed. Zeref, on his back, dealt with the attacks around them. Corpses littered their path—Wind Wolves, Silverback Iron Eagles, Two-headed Vultures, and Get Foxes. Of course, most of them were the Strange Snakes that had ruined their plan.

The two stumbled and staggered their way to the skies above the Merologet River at last. Without the slightest hesitation, they splashed into the river and swam toward the bottom. After swimming for a long time, Sordil looked back and saw the wolf packs and Silverback Iron Eagles lingering above the water, yet not a single one dared enter it. Even the Strange Snakes merely flicked their tongues from the shore. Sordil's heart sank. Though he had not mastered animal habits well in his previous life, there was one thing he remembered clearly: snakes could enter water and remain there for a short time. There was only one explanation for the current situation—the water was far from simple. There might be danger lurking within it.

Unfortunately, before Sordil could tell Zeref his suspicion, a sudden change occurred. Dark shadows shot up from the riverbed and attacked the two of them.