A Velociraptor Appears

"Beautifully done, Squad Leader! You're a genius!"

Watching the powerful Wind Wolf leader get taken out with ease, Ende excitedly smacked Charles on the shoulder. Charles winced in pain.

"Ende, could you stop being so reckless and show a little restraint?"

Charles gritted his teeth against the pain as he complained. Even though he was long used to Ende's personality, he still couldn't help feeling exasperated.

"Hey, don't worry about it! Besides, we've already got you to be the sensible one. I'll just handle the reckless part."

Ende continued smacking Charles's shoulder without a care, as if he planned to beat him to pieces today.

"Ende, you idiot. That's enough."

Lia, the silver-haired girl, finally couldn't take it anymore. She smacked the back of Ende's head, making a hollow thump like she was hitting a watermelon.

"I'm just so excited, hehe. I never imagined the Gatling could be this powerful."

Ende rubbed his hands together. He didn't mind Lia's smack at all—it hadn't even hurt.

"You..."

Seeing him like that, Lia really wanted to smack him a few more times. But then she remembered he'd never learn his lesson, so she reluctantly lowered her hand.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. The truth was, Ende was just like that.

You could say he was brainless, but he could be pretty reliable when it mattered. You could say he had brains, but day to day, he was always acting like a reckless brute.

Charles and Lia exchanged a glance, both wearing rueful smiles. In the end, they could only shake their heads and say no more.

"Man, this thing really is powerful!"

Ende rapped his knuckles against the Gatling, his voice tinged with envy.

"Of course it's powerful. You've seen the goods Xuanshen Island has been selling these past few years. They're so dazzling, they make us feel like a bunch of bumpkins."

Charles rubbed his shoulder and answered irritably.

All these years on Xuanshen Island, this wasn't the only thing that had amazed them. At first, he'd been astonished. By now, he was used to it.

"These kids sure are energetic!"

In the air not far away, Adkins watched the scene with some amusement and remarked quietly.

"Young master, you—"

"Grandpa Bernas, I definitely wasn't like that when I was a kid."

Before Bernas could finish, Adkins knew what he was about to say and cut him off.

After living together for so many years, he immediately realized Bernas was going to say he'd been just the same as a child.

Adkins would never admit to that. He was so mature and composed—how could he ever have been that childish?

"Young master really hates to lose."

Bernas chuckled to himself. His young master was awfully concerned about his dignity in this regard, but he didn't tease him. He simply followed Adkins's lead and fell silent.

"Come to think of it, can a Gatling machine gun deal with a Velociraptor? The one to the southwest seems to be heading this way!"

Adkins didn't want to continue the previous topic, so he kept a straight face and changed the subject.

"Mm! That should be an eighth-level Velociraptor."

Bernas stroked his beard and nodded, letting the previous topic drop.

As a Saint Realm expert, he could easily sense an eighth-level magical beast.

The Velociraptor seemed to have heard the commotion and was racing toward them.

"Eighth-level Velociraptors are known for their powerful defenses. These students are still children, and I'm afraid the Gatling machine gun won't be powerful enough!"

Adkins continued. He had a decent idea of the Gatling's power.

These children could just about manage against the poorly defended seventh-level Wind Wolves with their Gatling formation. But they had no chance against a heavily armored eighth-level Velociraptor.

"Exactly. A weapon like the Gatling might work against an eighth-level magical beast with weak defenses, like a Wind Wolf, but it's not enough for a Velociraptor. However..."

Bernas paused. The support team for this expedition should have brought that thing, shouldn't they?

"You mean the Apache! It really takes me back. I still remember how it felt the first time I rode in that helicopter. Looking down at the whole city from the sky was absolutely breathtaking!"

Adkins looked lost in thought, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

A year ago, Adkins had still been working on the Steam Train and railway system when Huosi suddenly summoned him.

"Adkins, would you like to experience what it feels like to fly?"

Huosi asked mysteriously, excitement in his eyes.

At the time, Adkins was a ninth-level expert. He'd been completely baffled by Lord Huosi's question, unable to understand what was going on.

In the Coiling Dragon World, flight was the privilege of Saint Realm experts. Even ninth-level experts could only leap through the air, not fly.

That was why flying magical beasts were so precious: even low-level ones could sometimes leave powerful warriors helpless.

Of course, that was true for most people. Wind mages could use the Flight spell at level seven and cast Wind Wings at level eight.

However, Adkins cultivated the Laws of Light and Darkness and had no talent for wind magic. Naturally, he couldn't fly on his own before reaching the Saint Realm.

"My lord, are you planning to take me somewhere?"

Adkins asked. He didn't know what was going on, but he had a good idea that his lord had come up with another invention and wanted him to try it out.

"Not me. Him!"

Huosi patted the steel machine behind him, gesturing for Adkins to climb aboard.

Only then did Adkins take a good look at the strange object before him. Its body was dark green, covered in numerous precision parts, and had an understated look overall. There were a few blades on top, too. Propeller blades, right?

Adkins's mind raced, but he didn't hesitate. He walked straight inside.

"Ready for takeoff!"

Huosi followed him in, closed the cabin door, and spoke to the pilot.

"Yes, sir!"

The pilot responded quietly. The helicopter's rotor began to turn, speeding up until it was moving too fast for the naked eye to follow. The aircraft shot into the sky.

"W-what is this?"

Adkins's eyes widened in disbelief as he asked.

Adkins had experienced flight before. Grandpa Bernas was a Saint Realm expert and had taken him flying.

And the last time, when Lord Huosi had rescued him and Grandpa Bernas from Ryan, he'd flown them all the way back. That had been the flight of a god-level expert, far faster than Grandpa Bernas.

But those had been flights powered by their own abilities—Grandpa Bernas as a Saint Realm expert, Lord Huosi as a god.

This hunk of metal, however, was being controlled by a mere sixth-level pilot. And judging by how easily he handled it, Adkins thought even a third-level warrior could use it.

"This is an Apache Helicopter, one kind of aircraft being developed for future air transportation. It's also one of the weapons I envision for the air force. What do you think?"

Huosi glanced at the bewildered Adkins and asked.

"My lord, it's amazing! This Apache Helicopter is a great invention that could change the world!"

"You know, on the continent, humans can only fly by taming flying magical beasts, unless they're Saint Realm experts or a handful of wind mages."

"If something like this were used by the military alongside guns and cannons, it could overwhelm and defeat enemy forces!"

Adkins spoke with barely contained excitement. On the continent, battles between nations were mostly fought by ground forces.

Only a very few legions had flying magical beasts and could form small air units.

And now, here was something that could take the place of flying magical beasts. Adkins could tell it was even more reliable.

"The Apache is only one of the aircraft we're developing so far."

Huosi smiled as he watched Adkins talk animatedly.

"There'll be more aircraft in the future. Large passenger planes, together with trains and cars on the ground, will completely transform transportation around the world. Do you remember what I told you? The economy needs to circulate."

"I remember. I remember every word you've ever said, my lord."

Adkins nodded at once and continued:

"You once said, 'If you want to get rich, build roads first.' Once agriculture on Xuanshen Island took off and we had enough grain, we began developing transportation in earnest."

"You also said that money is meaningless when it's out of circulation. It can only serve its purpose when it circulates through society."

"Exactly. So keep at it. I'm sure you'll perfect the Steam Train soon!"

Huosi patted Adkins on the shoulder in encouragement.

"Yes, my lord. I'll make sure I don't disappoint you."

Adkins answered, his face alight with excitement.

Back to the present.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. The vibrations came in a steady rhythm, as if some enormous creature were drawing closer.

"Scouting team, what's going on?"

Charles shouted at once, sensing trouble.

"Squad—Squad Leader, it's a Velociraptor! A magical beast—a Velociraptor! It's definitely an eighth-level one!"

A member of the scouting team spoke, his voice wavering.

Velociraptors were powerful magical beasts. Most were seventh-level, while a few were eighth-level. Though a very rare few might even reach level nine or the Saint Realm, such cases were exceedingly uncommon.

The Velociraptor before them was clearly an eighth-level magical beast, and they were thrown into a panic.

"A Velociraptor? This is bad! Everyone, fall back! Gatling machine guns to the front!"

Charles immediately realized how serious the situation was and shouted an order without hesitation.

The group moved quickly, and their formation took shape just as fast. Everyone else pulled back, leaving only the Gatling guns facing the direction of the tremors.

Twenty seconds passed before the huge figure causing the tremors slowly came into view.

"Damn, it's huge!"

The eighth-level Velociraptor before them stood as tall as a three-story building and measured over thirty meters from head to tail.

The students had seen some magical beasts at home and at school, but they'd all been low-level ones. They'd rarely even seen anything above level five.

They'd only ever seen creatures like Velociraptors in their textbooks, never in person. For a moment, they all froze.

An eighth-level magical beast—a Velociraptor—left the young men and women in a panic. Even Charles, usually so composed, had sweat beading on his forehead.

A heavily armored eighth-level magical beast was far beyond their ability to handle.