"Come on, come on, come on, let's hold hands! Come on, come on, let's go together..."
On the bus, a muscular, dark-skinned boy stared out the window and shouted excitedly, not caring in the slightest that the faces of the people beside him were growing darker by the moment.
"Ende, can you shut your mouth!"
Beside him, a silver-haired girl shouted in exasperation, barely suppressing the urge to punch him twice.
"Come on, this is our first time going out on a bus! We'd never seen anything this amazing back home."
The boy called Ende didn't care in the slightest and continued excitedly.
Although they were all young masters and princesses in their respective families, the vehicles they rode in were mostly horse-drawn carriages or carts pulled by powerful magical beasts.
In the Material Plane, ordinary people got around mainly by walking or riding in horse-drawn carriages and the like.
Those with a little more strength might ride magical beasts such as leopards, or use magical beasts to pull their carts.
Even emperors were no exception. Of course, an emperor would generally have some flying magical beasts nearby.
Cultivation was the mainstream in the Coiling Dragon World, and technology and entertainment were still scarce in the Material Plane. These young masters were very interested in new things.
There were some means of transportation in the Divine Plane, such as Metal Lifeforms, but they were beyond anything the people of the Material Plane could imagine.
"These kids sure are lively!"
In the bus's driver's cabin, Adkins couldn't help complaining.
Of course, he wasn't the driver, just a leader sitting in the cabin.
The cabin wasn't a cramped little space; it was fully equipped for comfort and rest.
At that moment, Adkins and Bernas were sitting on the sofa, while the driver drove alone a short distance away.
"Young Master was actually like this back then, too—cheerful and lively!"
The old man Bernas spoke with a fond smile, his tone a little wistful.
"When was I ever that mischievous? Grandpa Bernas, don't make things up. You'll ruin my image."
Adkins rolled his eyes and couldn't help retorting.
"I was just reminiscing about the past. Besides, when the automobile was first built, you were just as shocked as these kids."
Bernas didn't mind Adkins's attitude and chuckled.
"Well, of course! I never expected Lord Huosi could design something so peculiar."
Adkins spoke with admiration, then glanced at the driver.
The driver acted as if he hadn't heard a thing and simply kept driving. As a subordinate, he knew it was best to pretend not to hear his superiors' private conversations.
The two of them could tease each other all they liked, but if a mere driver dared join in, things probably wouldn't end well for him.
Seeing that the driver knew his place, Adkins pursed his lips and said nothing more.
In truth, there was no need for someone of Adkins and Bernas's standing to protect the students on this training exercise. They both had their own work to do.
Besides, they were only a few students, and they had teachers accompanying them. Why would they need Saint Realm experts to step in?
However, this was the Gatling's first real-world application, and Adkins, its principal developer, wanted to observe it up close.
These mechanical creations were useless to someone as powerful as him, but he was still interested in some of the principles behind them.
As the old saying went, even the most delicious food couldn't do without the cheapest table salt.
So Adkins had come along, and Bernas had nothing else to do, so he'd come along too.
"Several of these kids are children of the Empire's great nobles, and others are descendants of the major merchant guilds. We'll need them to send us money in the future!"
Adkins considered what lay ahead as he looked over the boys and girls behind him.
In the past, Adkins hadn't cared about money. As a former noble, money had been nothing more than a number to him.
If he wanted something, all he had to do was say the word. He'd never considered money useful for anything.
Even during the years they spent fleeing, they hadn't really been short of money. They'd brought along a little of the wealth their family had accumulated over the years, which was more than enough to spend freely.
Of course, having money was one thing; being fugitives who couldn't show their faces in public or buy things in bulk was another. The two had nothing to do with how much money they had.
But his lord had once said that money could sometimes wield a power no less than force.
Adkins still didn't quite understand that, but he had always supported Lord Huosi's decisions without question.
So over the years, the Research Department had developed many products and given them to the students for free.
These included new kinds of food and drinks, automobiles for getting around, and all sorts of elegant ornaments.
They were planting seeds in the students' minds. In the future, these products would surely become lucrative ventures.
"My lord, we've reached the outer core area of the forest."
The driver's reminder interrupted Adkins's thoughts. Adkins nodded slightly, then looked behind him.
Through the glass, one of the teachers leading the group quickly stood up and spoke in a stern voice:
"Listen up, you brats. This is your first trial. From here on, you'll be facing real magical beasts."
"Although your teachers will be following behind, we'll only step in if you're in genuine mortal danger."
"If you're not careful, you'll suffer for it. You're the academy's finest students, so don't disgrace the school—or yourselves!"
"Right, get ready for battle!"
"Yes!"
The students answered in unison. They had rehearsed similar drills countless times.
"Then get off the bus and move out!"
At the teacher's command, the students, all dressed in green camouflage uniforms and carrying AK47s, filed off one by one.
At the rear, a few students carried a Gatling machine gun, following the main group.
"So this is the Dragon God Forest? It doesn't look like much. And where are the magical beasts?"
The muscular boy Ende was the first to rush off the bus. He quickly scanned the surroundings and muttered, sounding a little disappointed.
"Ende, don't go running off. Spread out in the formation we practiced!"
A steady-looking young man with narrow eyes reminded him.
"I know, Charles!"
Ende pursed his lips but said nothing more. Charles had plenty of authority as class monitor, and Ende usually listened to him.
"Everyone, follow my commands. The scouting group, use the wind-element Levitation spell to get airborne, then use your binoculars to survey the area!"
"Defense group, spread out and make sure there are no blind spots where magical beasts could launch a surprise attack."
"Support group, get the handcart and Gatling set up. We need to make sure we have enough firepower!"
With each command, the students quickly sprang into orderly action, looking almost like a well-trained army.
Not far away, the teachers watching from the shadows nodded to themselves. The children's training had paid off. Under their class monitor's direction, they quickly got to work.
"Report: Wind Wolves spotted one thousand meters to the southwest. Fifteen in total, with a Seventh-Level Magical Beast leading them."
The clear voice wasn't loud, but it carried accurately to everyone's ears.
Among magical-beast wolf packs, Wind Wolves were powerful. Some of the stronger packs even had an Eighth-Level leader. And because Wind Wolves were so agile, even Eighth-level Warriors were reluctant to fight them.
Of course, Wind Wolves were also among the best targets for warriors to train against.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
At class monitor Charles's shout, everyone took up their positions and tightened the defensive line, forming a battle formation as they waited quietly for the enemy to come.
No one knew how long passed before a pair of glowing green eyes appeared at the mouth of the thicket. A Wind Wolf gradually emerged into view.
"Come on, you beast!"
Ende, at the very front of the line, cursed and raised his AK47 toward the wolf.
"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!"
Flames burst from the muzzle and poured toward the two wolves up ahead. One let out a scream, and blood stained the grass.
"Holy crap, this thing's that powerful? That was a Fifth-Level Magical Beast!"
Ende wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, still shaken.
They had all trained with firearms, but this was their first time witnessing their power firsthand. The guns were every bit as strong as Fifth-Level magic, and they didn't consume any mana.
Even ordinary Wind Wolves, though only Fifth-Level Magical Beasts, took a Fifth-Level mage some time to kill.
After all, a Fifth-Level mage couldn't cast Fifth-Level spells instantly. They had to put some distance between themselves and the target before preparing a spell attack.
"Awoo! Awoo!"
With a chorus of howls, one Wind Wolf after another raced toward them, surrounding their leader.
The deaths of their two companions hadn't frightened them. If anything, it had stirred their bloodlust, and their eyes filled with killing intent.
"Come on, you pack of beasts!"
Ende fearlessly continued firing into the pack, looking ready to wipe them all out by himself.
But Wind Wolves had a certain amount of intelligence. After a brief pause, they began racing in from multiple directions, quickly scattering to avoid the gunfire.
That wasn't even the worst part. The most terrifying thing was that the leader charged straight at Ende, apparently unharmed by the gunfire.
"This thing's defense is terrifying!"
Watching the bullets bounce off it one after another, Ende couldn't help frowning.
"Ende, fall back!"
"Got it."
When Charles called out, Ende retreated at once, thinking that a Seventh-Level Magical Beast's defenses really were on another level.
"Gatling team, get ready! Target: the Wind Wolf leader!"
Class monitor Charles kept his eyes on the front and shouted the command.
Ten steps. Five steps. One step.
"Fire!"
"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!"
The next moment, the Wind Wolf leader suddenly felt a pang of dread and instinctively tried to retreat.
But it was too late. Three Gatling machine guns opened fire.
"What is a Gatling machine gun? Why are these First-level Warriors so powerful when they use one?"
In the final moments of its life, the Wind Wolf leader couldn't help wondering.
It couldn't understand why these people could kill them when even the strongest among them only seemed to have the aura of a Fifth-Level fighter.
Especially those few using Gatling machine guns. They were only First-level Warriors, yet they could take its life.
But it had no chance to understand. It felt the Underworld calling to it, and then its last shred of consciousness faded away.
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