Chance Encounter, Qin Yuan: Killed Him Casually

Around three in the morning.

Qin Yuan was still wandering around Snow Peak Mountain, occasionally grabbing a demonic beast to practice on, enriching his close-combat abilities.

He didn't have to brawl, but he couldn't afford not to know how.

"Awoo..."

"Grrr..."

"Ow ow..."

Within a single hour, many Servant-level Demonic Beasts had taken a beating from Qin Yuan, under the fine-sounding name of 'training'.

With this move, Qin Yuan was clearly treating Snow Peak Mountain as his own 'Training Ground'.

Watching the sky gradually brighten, it was nearly six o'clock.

Qin Yuan finally left Snow Peak Mountain and headed toward the Posthouse Small Stockade. The rugged mountain path was like flat ground beneath him as he sprinted at breakneck speed.

"Hm?"

Qin Yuan halted mid-step, suddenly spotting a squad of uniformed Military mages not far ahead. "A patrol, huh."

The Military mages at the Posthouse Small Stockade patrolled the vicinity every morning, scouting the situation to prevent demonic beasts from drawing near.

Qin Yuan slowed his pace, about to slip away unnoticed.

But just as he was about to avoid the patrol, he caught sight of a familiar figure among them.

"Bai Yang?"

Qin Yuan paused for a moment, a sudden idea popping into his head. "Why not just take him out?"

Bai Yang was a member of the Black Vatican.

Rather than wait for him to harm others, it was better to make him disappear while the chance was here.

Qin Yuan thought it over for a long time, then decided: "Since we've run into each other, I'll kill him."

This patrol squad of Military mages had only six people. Judging by their uniform ranks, they should all be Beginner Mages.

There weren't many Intermediate Level mages in Bocheng—let alone a hundred, whether there were even fifty or sixty was questionable.

Qin Yuan crouched on a large tree, quietly observing the situation of the six-man patrol.

He was waiting, waiting for a chance when Bai Yang was alone.

As long as Bai Yang was isolated, he could take him out without anyone knowing.

"Awoo!"

A wolf howl rang out. It was a lone One-eyed Demonic Wolf, already approaching the Posthouse Small Stockade.

As a patrol squad, their mission wasn't just to scout for demonic beasts, but also to deal with any stray ones along the way.

"Let's move!"

Among the patrol, a slightly older Military mage waved his hand and led the five men toward the direction of the howl.

"Opportunity's here."

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Qin Yuan's mouth as he followed closely behind.

On a relatively open lawn.

Six Military mages were locked in a standoff with a One-eyed Demonic Wolf.

Bai Yang, being a Summoning System mage, was originally the squad's main force. But unfortunately, the higher-ups' approval process hadn't gone through yet, and without an auxiliary magic tool, he couldn't subdue a new summon beast for the time being.

So, Bai Yang could only stand guard on the sidelines.

"Hm?" Bai Yang frowned, suddenly feeling a bad premonition. "My right eyelid keeps twitching—could there really be bloodshed coming my way?"

"Bai Yang, don't zone out! Remember to watch the surroundings!"

The older Military mage barked.

When hunting demonic beasts in the wild, what people feared most wasn't often the beast being too strong, but another one suddenly appearing out of...

"Ah!!!"

Suddenly, Bai Yang let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The five Military mages were instantly startled, instinctively turning their heads to look. One glance, and their pupils sharply contracted.

"Bai Yang!"

The five cried out in shock.

At some point, a Giant-eyed Starry Rat had appeared on Bai Yang's body.

"Urgh!!!"

Bai Yang's chest was clamped tightly in the Giant-eyed Starry Rat's jaws, its fangs and sharp teeth tearing through flesh and blood.

The five men moved to rescue him.

"Awoo!"

The One-eyed Demonic Wolf charged again, forcing them to abandon the rescue and continue dealing with it.

"Save... save... save me..."

Bai Yang lay on the ground, reaching out toward the five Military mages.

"Puchi!"

The Giant-eyed Starry Rat bit down on Bai Yang's neck, severing his head from his body. He was dead beyond dead.

After death, Bai Yang's eyes bulged like copper bells, their gaze seeming to catch a familiar figure on a large tree not far away...

"Heh."

The corner of Qin Yuan's mouth curled into a smile as he quietly watched Bai Yang die.

That Giant-eyed Starry Rat was one he had caught himself, then, taking advantage of Bai Yang's inattention, he flung it directly onto him—a 'bonus meal' for the Starry Rat.

Bai Yang might have had a Black Beast Demon, but against such an unexpected 'ambush', he simply couldn't react in time.

Qin Yuan stood there a while longer, waiting until he saw the other five Military mages successfully deal with the One-eyed Demonic Wolf and the Giant-eyed Starry Rat before he left.

"Bai Yang!"

Only the mournful cries of the five Military mages echoed through the mountain forest.

A few days later.

Snow Peak Mountain Post Station, central square.

After training under Zhan Kong, the members of the Elite Class finally had a bit of a mage's bearing about them, no longer so frail.

"This is good too. When the Bocheng Catastrophe comes in the future, you'll have a better chance of surviving."

Qin Yuan watched from the side, murmuring to himself.

Having spent two years with these people, there was certainly some classmate affection between them, so he still hoped they could live on.

"Hoo hoo hoo..."

A clear breeze swept in, carrying a fragrant scent.

Qin Yuan knew who it was without looking. He chuckled lightly and called out, "Sister Tang Yue."

"Mm."

Tang Yue sat down beside Qin Yuan, following his gaze toward the Elite Class students, and said, "Mo Fan's talent isn't bad either. His fire element has reached Elementary Level Two."

"Barring any surprises, that defensive Magic Tool of yours is going to be taken by Mo Fan."

"If he can take it, that's his skill."

Qin Yuan shrugged, then asked with a hint of 'curiosity', "Sister Tang Yue, why haven't we seen Instructor Bai Yang these past few days?"

Bai Yang was also one of the training instructors for the Elite Class.

So, asking this question wasn't out of the ordinary.

"I'll tell you in secret."

Tang Yue thought for a moment, leaned close to Qin Yuan's ear, and whispered, "Bai Yang died in the line of duty during a patrol mission a few days ago."

"Died in the line of duty?"

Qin Yuan showed just the right amount of 'shock', then put on a 'guilty' expression. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't killed the Ghost Wolf Beast, Instructor Bai Yang wouldn't have died."

Seeing this, Tang Yue felt something was a bit off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what.

She could only comfort Qin Yuan, speaking softly, "Little Yuan, this isn't your fault."

"According to the descriptions from the several instructors on duty at the time, Bai Yang was distracted during his watch and was ambushed and killed by a Giant-eyed Starry Rat hiding in the shadows."

"...Can I go see Instructor Bai Yang?"

Qin Yuan asked, 'grievously'.

"This..." Seeing this, Tang Yue still nodded and went with Qin Yuan to find Zhan Kong.

After explaining their purpose to Zhan Kong, he nodded, showing understanding.

"Qin Yuan, Bai Yang's death in the line of duty isn't your fault. You don't need to blame yourself." Zhan Kong led the way while offering comfort.

"Mm."

Qin Yuan responded, appearing 'low-spirited'.

Seeing this, Tang Yue and Zhan Kong let out a light sigh.

Qin Yuan... was a good kid with a kind heart.

"Since I've got nothing better to do anyway, I might as well confirm once more whether Bai Yang is really dead." Qin Yuan muttered to himself.

Under Zhan Kong's lead.

Qin Yuan successfully saw the 'Several Bai Yang'.

He stood still, appearing to be mourning, but in his heart he muttered: "Not leaving you with a complete corpse was my mistake, but I imagine you have no objections."

After watching for a while, Qin Yuan left with Tang Yue.

Returning to the square, Qin Yuan continued watching the several instructors drilling the Elite Class.

Time passed like this. Over the next month, Qin Yuan either cultivated or sneaked out of the Waystation, using Snow Peak Mountain as his Training Ground.

In one month, although Qin Yuan had yet to successfully depict the Ice Star Chart, his overall strength had already achieved some minor success.