A Single Sword

As the roar echoed, the people present had their expressions change instantly. One by one, they stood up quickly, gripped their weapons, and retreated away from the forest.

Leian and Derrick were naturally no exception, but while retreating, Derrick did not forget to say to Leian with a smile:

"You're in luck!"

Before Leian could ponder the meaning behind Derrick's words, two figures ran out of the forest in a panic.

The two were in tatters and looked terrified. Even after running out of the forest, they did not stop, sprinting wildly behind the crowd as if they had been scared out of their wits by the Magic Beast chasing them from behind.

A few adventurers who considered themselves brave couldn't help but sneer at the pathetic and unsightly state of the two.

Magic Beasts that dared to chase people out of the Youquan Mountain Range generally did not possess high intelligence, and low intelligence meant their strength could not be that great either.

Moreover, their group numbered over thirty, and most of them were Level 6 warriors; they would not even fear a Level 7 Magic Beast.

For the two to be so cowardly was truly contemptible.

There were many in the field who held this thought, yet when that mysterious Magic Beast truly appeared from the forest, everyone couldn't help but gape in astonishment.

It was a tiger-type Magic Beast, three meters tall and seven or eight meters long, with golden fur, a single horn on its forehead, and two lantern-like eyes glowing with a green light in the dark night.

"A Level 8 Magic Beast, a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger!"

Someone knowledgeable in the crowd recognized the origin of this terrifying Magic Beast at a glance. As the person's words rang out, everyone gasped in unison.

Then, some could not help but curse out loud.

"Damn it, what on earth did those guys do to provoke a Level 8 Magic Beast into chasing them all the way here!"

"Those two must have done it on purpose. They didn't say a word earlier just so we would buy them time to escape."

"Once this is over, I won't let them off!"

Angry curses rose one after another, but the smart ones had already begun to retreat to the sides. However, this Green-Eyed Horned Tiger seemed to have gone somewhat mad, treating everyone present as an enemy. With a single pounce, it bit into two Level 6 warriors.

"Ah--"

Blood and viscera were scattered across the ground in an instant. Screams and shrieks mingled together, and the scene was in total chaos. Just as the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger was showing off its might, Derrick said to Leian with excitement:

"What a great opportunity for practice, Leian. If you aren't going, I am!"

Leian glanced at Derrick, thinking that this was perhaps what he meant by the "atmosphere of the Youquan Mountain Range at night." To be able to fight a high-level Magic Beast before even entering the mountains was indeed a rare opportunity.

However, in the short moment Leian spent pondering, when he looked up again, Derrick was already charging forward with his giant axe. Clearly, his previous words were just a formality.

In fact, that was true. It was quite common for such Magic Beasts to chase people out, but usually, they were at most Level 5 or 6.

Once a Magic Beast reached Level 7, it possessed intelligence not inferior to an adult, and they would not easily step out of the Youquan Mountain Range.

This was the first time Derrick had encountered a situation where a Level 8 Magic Beast ran out. As a Level 8 warrior himself, his hands were itching, and he was incredibly excited.

At this moment, Derrick held his battle axe high. While charging, he pushed off with both feet, leaped into the air, and swung the giant axe, which carried a flash of yellow light, down heavily toward the head of the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger.

"Roar!"

The Green-Eyed Horned Tiger sensed Derrick's attack immediately. Amidst a roar, it raised its front body, and its massive front claws swiped at the axe blade without showing any weakness.

Bang!

In the dull thud, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger let out a painful hiss. Under the immense force, its massive body could not withstand the impact and retreated repeatedly. The front claw that had struck the axe blade hung slightly in mid-air, and its golden fur was already stained a bright crimson.

On the other side, Derrick was sent flying backward. When he landed, he was swaying, his face as pale as paper, and a line of blood even hung from the corner of his mouth.

"Good fellow, worthy of being a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger! This strength is no worse than an average Level 9 Magic Beast!"

Although he was injured, there was no trace of fear on Derrick's face. While marveling at the strength of the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger, his eyes shone with incomparable excitement.

The Green-Eyed Horned Tiger seemed to have been jolted into clarity by that strike. It no longer paid attention to the others, its cold eyes locked firmly onto Derrick.

Among Magic Beasts of the same level, lion and tiger types had always been top-tier existences. That Derrick could trade blows with the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger showed his strength was truly not bad.

The others in the field saw this and revealed expressions of having survived a disaster. With a Level 8 warrior present, he could at least hold it off for a while, giving them hope of escape.

However, the sight of a Level 8 warrior fighting a Level 8 Magic Beast was truly rare. Although they were retreating toward Natan City, their speed was not fast, and one by one, they couldn't help but turn their bodies back, staring wide-eyed to watch the battle.

The highly intelligent Green-Eyed Horned Tiger quickly saw through Derrick's weakness. It pressed one claw lightly against the ground, lunged forward with its whole body, and snapped its bloody maw toward him like lightning.

Affected by his injury, Derrick could not block in time and could only dodge to the side.

Just then, a flash of cunning—the look of a scheme succeeding—flickered in the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's eyes. It brought its suspended front claw down to the ground and twisted its hindquarters violently in the direction Derrick was dodging.

Instantly, the tiger's tail, thicker than a human thigh, whistled toward Derrick's waist like an iron rod.

With the strength of the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger, if this tail strike connected, Derrick would surely be snapped in two at the waist.

At the critical moment, Derrick let out a roar. Instead of retreating, he held his giant axe and swung it furiously at the incoming tail.

Bang!

"Roar!"

Amidst the sound of a massive collision, Derrick spat out blood and was sent flying, rolling to a stop several meters away.

At the same time, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger let out a shrill roar. Its massive tail hung limply behind it, and trickles of tiger blood flowed down along the tip of the tail.

In pain, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger went into a frenzy. It pushed off with all four claws, wrapped in a foul wind, and lunged toward Derrick, determined to kill the human who had wounded it under its claws.

Derrick felt his breath hitch, and sensing the approaching stench of blood, he stared wide-eyed and roared, "Leian, have you seen enough? Are you going to strike or not!"

Leian had long since arrived behind Derrick, heavy sword in hand. Hearing the man's plea for help, he couldn't help but curl his lip.

Given this guy's habit of reckless, head-on brawling, it was a wonder he had survived until now.

Thinking this, he vaulted over Derrick and swung his pitch-black heavy sword toward the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger.

Thunderbolt!

As a ninth-rank warrior who had long ago grasped the concept of "lifting the heavy as if it were light," it was effortless for Leian to replicate Linley's Thunderbolt.

Opposite him, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger looked at the human who had suddenly appeared before it, a trace of disdain flashing in its cold eyes.

The momentum of this sword strike was even weaker than the previous man's; it posed no threat!

As this thought crossed its mind, it raised its other uninjured front paw and swiped at the incoming heavy sword.

Puff!

"Crack!"

Amidst a faint snapping sound, a look of disbelief suddenly appeared in the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's eyes.

The moment the pitch-black heavy sword struck the tiger's paw, the thick limb snapped at a right angle on the spot, yet the heavy sword continued its momentum unabated, landing squarely on the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's forehead.

The next moment, a teeth-grinding sound of breaking bone rang out. The Green-Eyed Horned Tiger shuddered, and from its massive head, blood mixed with white brain matter gushed out from its mouth, nose, and eyes.

Then, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's massive body collapsed heavily to the ground as if its bones had been pulled out.

One strike, and the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger was dead!

Behind him, Derrick stared, witnessing this scene, unable to believe everything he was seeing.

As for the other adventurers who had retreated further away, they were all frozen on the spot.

The surroundings were deathly quiet!

At this moment, Leian was still caught up in the excitement of his first Magic Beast hunt and didn't notice the change in his surroundings. Looking at the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's massive body, he enthusiastically pulled out a dagger and walked over.

He first cut off the single horn on the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger's forehead, then dug a cyan crystal the size of a fist out of its head.

The most valuable parts of a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger were its magic core and the horn on its forehead. While the body could sell for a few gold coins, it was completely insignificant compared to the value of the first two.

Just as Leian was packing up his spoils, Derrick finally came to his senses. Watching Leian's clumsy movements, the corner of his eye twitched, and he couldn't help but ask:

"You, are you a ninth-rank warrior?"

Hearing this, Leian turned his head to look at Derrick and smiled, neither denying nor confirming it.

Although Derrick had a belly full of questions, he didn't know where to start. Seeing that Leian had no intention of speaking, he could only bite his tongue, close his mouth, and begin circulating his Battle Qi to tend to his injuries.

Not far away, the group of adventurers looked at one another. They wanted to come over and strike up a conversation, but they were afraid of causing a misunderstanding, and for a time, they didn't know how to act.

After this delay, the horizon had already begun to turn white. Seeing that Derrick's complexion had recovered somewhat, Leian waved a friendly goodbye and stepped into the woods alone.

Derrick watched Leian's gradually disappearing back, suddenly shook his head with a smile, stood up, picked up his heavy axe, and headed toward Natan City.

It would take some time for his injuries to fully recover, so he had no choice but to go to Natan City to recuperate.

With the two main parties gone, the group of adventurers finally couldn't help but run toward the corpse of the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger.

They had never seen the fresh carcass of an eighth-rank Magic Beast before. They were all beyond excited, and right then and there, they began to stroke the tiger's body while chatting amongst themselves.

"That lord just now was a ninth-rank warrior, right?"

"Definitely. By the way, what was that lord's name?"

"It sounded like 'Leian'. I heard the lord with the axe call him that earlier!"

"Leian? I don't recall any ninth-rank powerhouse in the empire by that name."

"Hmph, of course not. To kill a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger with one strike—with that kind of strength, I think this Lord Leian must be a Saint-level powerhouse!"

"A Saint-level powerhouse? That's impossible, right?"

Leian, who had already entered the Youquan Mountain Range, did not know that his feat of killing an eighth-rank Green-Eyed Horned Tiger with a single strike would soon stir up a whirlwind in Natan City.

Furthermore, as time passed, the rumors would blow all the way to the Imperial Capital.

In the Imperial Capital of Maple Leaf City, inside a secret room on the third floor of the Youquan Trading Firm, the manager Gregg stood quietly, a scroll already spread out on the desk in front of him.

At the top of the scroll was a portrait. If Leian were here, he would certainly recognize that the person in the portrait was none other than himself.

At this moment, a few lines of text had been added below the portrait:

Leian, born in the year 9852 of the Byron Calendar, from Qingshi Town, Hashan County, Southwest Province of the Empire. Ninth-rank warrior, practices Destruction Battle Qi.

Settled in the Imperial Capital, Maple Leaf City, on April 27, 9882 of the Byron Calendar.

On June 12, 9882 of the Byron Calendar, killed an eighth-rank Magic Beast, the Green-Eyed Horned Tiger, with one strike outside Natan City.