Hunting Demons / Slaughter ...

Examples like this were everywhere. Lu Jun had long since given up on wishful thinking. From the moment he crossed into this world, he'd been preparing for battle: build high walls, store plenty of grain, and claim the throne slowly!

Demon Hunting

While Lu Jun's thoughts were in turmoil, Lu Mei had already started negotiating. "I'm an Intermediate Mage. I won't venture too deep into demon territory."

Zhan Kong scoffed. "An Intermediate Mage? Can you use One Thought Star Track? Until you reach the High-Order, you'll always be vulnerable on your own. And what's with the boy beside you? He looks like he's still in high school."

Lu Mei wilted, feeling rather helpless. She hadn't expected the newly arrived Military Governor to be so conscientious, nor had she expected the first obstacle to their planned demon hunt to be getting out of the city.

She suddenly realized that Zhan Kong seemed to have a point. Her younger brother's maturity and hard work had made her forget, without even realizing it, that he was still a seventeen-year-old boy.

To be honest, Lu Mei regretted it a little. But when she looked at Lu Jun, she saw the determination in his eyes. Her heart softened, and she felt she couldn't let her own reluctance betray all the effort her brother had put in.

Whether it was the deadly work of hunting demons in the city or the extent of his progress in cultivation, he had become a reliable Mage.

Just as she was about to argue with Zhan Kong some more—

"Forget it." To her surprise, Zhan Kong abruptly gave up. The officer said sternly, "I can't be bothered with you. You're both adults. Make your own decisions and bear the consequences yourselves."

Lu Jun let out a breath of relief. If they couldn't even get out, all their grand ambitions would come to nothing.

As he followed his sister out of the city, he mulled things over. Zhan Kong was righteous and decisive, a man worth trusting. They could join forces before the Disaster of Bo City two years from now.

At that moment, Zhan Kong watched Lu Jun's retreating figure from afar, a smile tugging at his lips. The boy's magical aura was stronger than that of some veteran soldiers. His cultivation must be quite high. Interesting.

Another officer walked over. He had a refined, scholarly air about him. Instructor Bai smiled. "What's up, boss? Is there anything about those two we should keep an eye on? Should we send someone to follow them?"

"It's nothing."

Zhan Kong waved him off without elaborating. They could talk about the genius after he made it back alive.

Meanwhile, Lu Jun and his sister entered the Hilly Forest. Following the route on their map, they gradually reached their planned destination, an outlying area that had been cleared many times.

The South Ridge was vast, stretching across several provinces. The Bo City hunting teams scattered through it and vanished without a trace, like drops in the ocean, each searching for prey.

Lu Jun stepped over branches and fallen leaves as he made his way through the shaded forest. Wolves howled from every direction, keeping both of them tense. With no experience, they couldn't tell how many Magic Wolves there were, where they were, or whether they'd been spotted.

"Don't worry too much. Military Mages and hunters have cleared this area many times. The forest is probably making the howls echo, so there aren't actually that many."

In the dark forest, where sunlight couldn't penetrate, Lu Mei spoke with some tension in her voice. She had little experience herself; this was their first time out hunting demons.

"Should we put up Water Shield first? Like casting a buff before entering a dungeon."

At the sight of her, Lu Jun sighed. After a moment's thought, he controlled his stars and cast Water Element Magic. Pale blue mist gathered, forming two Water Windbreakers that draped over the siblings.

That way, even if they were attacked, they'd have time to react.

Normally, a Mage's magic energy was limited, so they had to conserve it when traveling. Even a Level Two Water Shield didn't last forever. There wasn't enough magic energy in the world to keep it protecting them twenty-four hours a day.

But their circumstances were different. They were only going out early and returning late to build up experience. If their magic energy ran low, they could simply head back to the city.

As Lu Jun cast his spell, the magical fluctuations spread out and caught the attention of the Magic Wolves nearby. The forest fell silent, filling with a quiet, oppressive tension.

Lu Jun's expression remained calm. He'd done it on purpose to draw the demons in. It was easier to deal with enemies when they were right in front of him.

Awooooo...

It wasn't long before the silence broke. Low howls came from the forest, drawing closer and closer. Branches swayed in the distance as one tall black figure after another emerged, surrounding the siblings from every direction. A foul, murderous aura spilled out.

They were creatures with powerful hind legs, resembling wolves in some ways. They stood upright on two legs, their single eyes fixed on the siblings, their bodies three meters tall. They were far more imposing than Giant Eyed Rat Demons.

Lu Jun looked at them without the slightest hint of emotion or fear. If he had to compare One-Eyed Magic Wolves to anything, they were like Western gnolls, only bigger and stronger. Their combat strength was that of standard Servant-level demons.

Seven or eight had come. If a hunting team of a dozen or so Elementary Mages ran into them, they'd likely lose several people before taking them down.

But the siblings breathed a sigh of relief. Seven or eight Servant-level demons were nothing. One Intermediate Magic spell would badly wound every one of them. No wonder this area had been cleared; there weren't many powerful demons around.

The moment the One-Eyed Magic Wolves appeared, Lu Mei controlled her stars and cast the Primary Level Three spell [Wind Track Shadow].

Whir, whir, whir!

Soon, pale green winds and deep blue water swirled around Lu Jun. He felt that familiar, floating sensation again. He controlled his Metal Element stars, and a flash of platinum light appeared as he summoned a Magic Tool. He gripped the Black Heavy Sword in both hands.

The Metal Element's distinctive sharpness and killing power burst forth. His blood began to boil, and he could barely contain his eagerness. After half a year of hunting demons, he'd grown increasingly accustomed to killing.

Roar, roar!

The seven or eight One-Eyed Magic Wolves growled and advanced step by step, their feet crunching over branches. They tried to surround and intimidate the siblings.

Lu Jun didn't hesitate. He stepped onto the Wind Track and charged. The already fearsome Heavy Sword in his hands swelled as he activated his Metal Element Primary Level Two [Size Change]!

In a flash, the sword grew three times its original size, nearly four meters long. He raised it high, the blade towering as high as a two-story building and thirty centimeters wide. It whooshed through the air with such force that anyone watching would have trembled.

More importantly, the sword's weight increased for his enemies too, reaching a thousand jun. But to Lu Jun, it still felt just as it had before. No matter how heavy it was, he wielded it as easily as his own arm.

Rumble!

With his speed boosted by the wind, Lu Jun swept the Heavy Sword across, leaving a trail of afterimages. He spun like a giant blue-green top with an eight-meter diameter, cutting wildly. The fierce wind stung the skin; sand billowed, stones flew, and the ground trembled again and again. Deep furrows were left wherever he passed.

Lu Mei had already retreated the instant the battle began, their teamwork honed over the past six months. One of them charged in to draw the enemy's attention, while the other stayed safely behind and prepared an Intermediate Magic spell.

Yet even she couldn't help staring in shock. Since Lu Jun's Metal Element reached the Elementary level, he hadn't shown off like this. Was this power already brushing against the threshold of Intermediate Magic?

Even with the support of Wind Element Magic, which would be weaker if used alone, it was still extraordinary.

In this state, Lu Jun was untouchable to the seven or eight One-Eyed Magic Wolves around him. They couldn't even get close. One after another, they backed away, keenly aware of the immense force packed into the sword wind.

Spurt! Spurt!

But Lu Jun was too fast. In seconds, he darted into the middle of the pack. His four-meter Heavy Sword swept through them, severing limbs and crippling bodies with every blow. The strongest strikes split demons in half, killing them on the spot.

Slaughter

In the dense forest, Lu Jun cut through the demons with ease, charging straight out of their encirclement and scattering the Magic Wolves' formation.

With the pressure ahead gone, he stopped swinging wildly and planted his sword in the ground. He took a deep breath, panting heavily. The Magic Tool's weight might not change for him, but an ordinary human body could only swing a sword so many times.

When Lu Jun turned around, he saw a field of corpses behind him. One dead Magic Wolf had been split in half, blood gushing out and pooling on the ground.

Three others were badly wounded, missing arms or legs. The rest had all suffered some injuries. The place looked like a slaughterhouse: limbs lay in pools of blood, and the stench of blood hung thick in the air.

Even Lu Jun was taken aback. Making the sword three times bigger consumed a lot of magic energy. In just that short time, half the energy in his Metal Nebula had been used up, but the damage he'd dealt was tremendous.

He remembered that to kill a Servant-level demon with a single Primary Magic spell, a Mage had to cultivate it to Level Three and have a top-grade Spirit Seed.

Awooo, awooo...

As he stood there, momentarily stunned, the remaining One-Eyed Magic Wolves howled wildly. The scent of blood seemed to bring out their savagery, and a dark, blood-colored sheen covered their bodies as their aura surged.

The nearest Magic Wolf lunged at him, charging like a bulldozer. Its impact was as forceful as a speeding van.

Whoosh!

Lu Jun stepped onto the Wind Track and calmly dodged at the last possible moment. He weaved through the pack, occasionally turning to swing his Metal Element Magic Tool. By then, his Vibranium Heavy Sword had returned to its normal size, but its killing power remained formidable. It left deep, bone-revealing gashes with ease, sometimes crippling its targets.

After all, Level Two Size Change was a burst technique. He had to conserve his magic energy once that first attack was over.

The fight dragged on for several minutes. Lu Jun made a few mistakes along the way, and the shimmering blue Water Windbreaker grew dim. Fortunately, the Water Shield held up well, letting him withstand several claw strikes without dying.

At last, only three Magic Wolves remained. The demons finally grew afraid and tried to scatter, but Lu Jun pursued them along the Wind Track and cut them down one by one. Their corpses dragged bloody streaks across the forest floor.

When it was over, Lu Jun stared at the gruesome battlefield, unable to believe what had happened. He'd killed seven Magic Wolves all by himself. His Water Element Nebula still had some magic energy left, but his Metal Element was completely depleted.

Lu Mei came over, her expression stunned. During the battle, she'd meant to back her brother up, but when she saw him fighting like a god against seven enemies, she decided there was no need to interfere. It was better to use the fight to gauge his strength.

So she'd held her Intermediate Wind Element spell [Wind Disk] at the ready, prepared to step in if needed.

But the battle ended without Lu Mei needing to cast a spell. She couldn't help saying, "Your Metal Element is incredibly powerful. Looks like I underestimated you. The two of us are as efficient at hunting demons as a whole Demon Hunting Squad."

This was really a matter of matchups, like a game of rock-paper-scissors. The Metal Element was incredibly effective against enemies like Magic Wolves, who had only one way to fight: close combat. But against a team of human Mages with a wide variety of spells, it would be far less effective.

By contrast, a Demon Hunting Squad was most afraid of being charged by a group of thick-skinned demons. Without a decisive way to kill them, they'd likely be thrown into chaos.

After this fight, Lu Jun's confidence grew. From hunting demons in the city to fighting in the wilderness, his presence had grown more and more formidable. A sword's sharpness came from being honed.

The Black Heavy Sword in his hands was stained with dark blood and seemed sharper than ever. He was getting closer and closer to Metal Element Primary Level Three.

Besides that, Lu Jun looked at the corpses scattered across the ground. Seven faint points of light rose up and gathered in the White Tiger Pendant around his neck. Disappointingly, they were all Remnant Souls, worth around ten thousand dollars.

There was no telling whether he'd get an Essence Soul. The odds were one percent.

Lu Jun couldn't count on it. He could only kill more demons, then combine a hundred or so Remnant Souls into an Essence Soul.

"Quick, collect the Exotic Blood and Bones before the smell attracts more demons."

Lu Mei called to her brother and started cutting up the corpses.

After a busy stretch, the value of what they'd gathered, including the Remnant Souls in the White Tiger Pendant, came to less than two hundred thousand. Without the Remnant Souls, it was barely over a hundred thousand.

It might sound like a lot, but they'd risked their lives for it. Compared to the resources Intermediate Mages needed, which could easily cost millions or tens of millions, it was nothing.

And that was split between two people. For a Demon Hunting Squad, it would be a loss-making venture. But they wouldn't be as reckless as Lu Jun. They'd choose an ambush site in advance and set traps, killing the demon pack with as little effort as possible.

He looked at the sky as it gradually darkened and sighed. "It's getting late. My Metal Element magic energy is depleted, so we should head back."

Lu Mei nodded. She hadn't cast a spell and her Intermediate Mage strength was still more than enough, but she didn't push their luck. "Let's go back now."

The siblings slung their bags over their shoulders and started back. Soon, they spotted two mountains in the distance and, between them, the city at the end of the narrow valley. The Military Mages were there, too. They breathed a sigh of relief, their tense bodies relaxing as they entered the Snow Mountain Outpost.

Zhan Kong happened to be on patrol. Seeing Lu Jun and Lu Mei return with such a haul, he asked in surprise, "Huh? You're still alive?"

"What kind of thing is that to say?" Lu Jun was speechless. He grumbled, "Were you hoping we'd die?"

"Not exactly." Zhan Kong rubbed his chin and looked at the sixteen-year-old boy in front of him. Then he suddenly invited him, "So, once you graduate from high school, why not skip university and come work for me?"

"Give me two years, and I guarantee I'll turn you into an expert. You can be a Military Governor guarding a place of your own at twenty. Easy."

Lu Jun could tell Zhan Kong wasn't boasting. Not to mention his ties to the Zu Family, Zhan Kong himself had caught the attention of Leader Hua, one of the most powerful people in the country in both cultivation and position.

So Lu Jun thought that keeping another option open couldn't hurt. He didn't reject the offer outright, merely waving it off. "We'll see. I still have a long way to go before graduation."

Zhan Kong smiled. "No problem. My door is always open to you."

Inside, Zhan Kong was cheering about having found a treasure. What kind of person went out to hunt demons at sixteen? Even the top students at the elite universities in the capital and Magic City didn't have that kind of courage and experience in their first year, let alone in high school.

A Mage's strength wasn't always just a matter of cultivation. If they panicked in battle, even a High-Order Mage could easily be killed by an Elementary Mage.

After saying goodbye to Zhan Kong, Lu Mei asked as they walked, "Do you plan to join the military in the future?"

She hadn't said anything earlier in case she affected the big shot's opinion. Now she asked Lu Jun what he planned to do, knowing that her brother had a mind of his own.

"I'd rather go to university. I'd have more freedom."

Lu Jun answered frankly. After a year of training and honing his skills, his confidence had grown. He also knew the original story well and had a clear plan and goal for the future. He intended to compete for the pinnacle of the world of Magic!

Then he paused and added quietly, "Besides, if I join the military, what will happen to you, sis?"

Lu Mei first felt relieved. When she heard that, she pressed her lips together, unable to deny that it warmed her heart a little. But she only gave a soft snort. "Forget it. I'd have a much easier time without you weighing me down."

Once the siblings were back in the city, they went their separate ways. Lu Mei headed to the Hunter Alliance to handle the demons' remains, while Lu Jun went home to meditate and recover his magic energy.

The Wonders of Magic

Before they knew it, a week had passed.

The siblings went out early and returned late to hunt demons in the wilderness. But aside from their first day's good haul, they only encountered another pack of wandering demons in the days that followed.

They'd earned just over two hundred thousand in seven days. At that rate, even two months of summer vacation would only earn them a little over a million. They wouldn't even have enough to rent a Nebula Magic Tool for the remaining two years.

Lu Jun felt they couldn't go on like this. They needed to take more risks and be more aggressive.

In the living room, Lu Mei frowned. "You want to go deeper into the South Ridge Wilderness?"

"Exactly." He nodded. "We're building up money too slowly this way. We need to take the initiative. And you saw for yourself that I can handle seven or eight Magic Wolves alone without any trouble. You haven't even used your Intermediate Magic yet."

"Working together, we can wipe out an entire den of Magic Wolves. A standard pack of Servant-level demons has fifty, plus a few old, weak, or injured ones."

"That's a crazy idea." Lu Mei fell silent, lost in thought. Her second element, Earth, was stuck at Primary Level Three, and she urgently needed to rent a Nebula Magic Tool long-term to break through the bottleneck.

The killing they'd done over the past few days had given her confidence. She made her decision without hesitation. "Fine, then we'll head deeper into the wilderness. But if we're hunting down an entire den of Magic Wolves, we'll need to stay out there for several days. Let's get ready."

The siblings wasted no time. At first light, they packed their camping gear and set out from the Snow Peak Mountain Outpost.

Over the past seven days, Lu Jun had grown familiar with Zhan Kong. He'd obtained a more precise demon distribution map from the military, one far better than anything available on the market or even to most small hunting teams.