For the past month, Garen had spent most of his time practicing the basics of swordsmanship. Great towers rose from the ground up; without a solid foundation, hoping to comprehend higher realms later was pure fantasy.
After the rat swarm chased him to the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Garen had no choice but to make his way back toward its depths.
He hadn't gone far when he spotted a Cat-Bear sprawled across a thick branch on a tree not far away.
When the Map Function had picked up the red dot, Garen hadn't paid it much attention. He'd assumed it was another Level Three or Four Magical Beast and had been about to walk away. He hadn't expected to run into a Level Nine Magical Beast out here.
When Garen spotted the Cat-Bear, it spotted him too.
The Cat-Bear's fur was disheveled, and several bloody marks marred its body.
"Could this Cat-Bear have been chased here by the Stone-Slaying Rat swarm too?" Seeing how battered it looked, Garen guessed what had happened. After all, the Stone-Slaying Rats were famous for their sharp teeth.
Given the Cat-Bear's strength, the only thing in the Magical Beast Mountain Range that could have left it in such a state was probably the Stone-Slaying Rat swarm. In a one-on-one fight, a Cat-Bear and a Stone-Slaying Rat of the same level should be evenly matched, each with its own advantages.
Though the Cat-Bear's name included "Bear," it had a cat's agility and speed. And though its name included "Cat," it had a bear's strength and explosive power. It was one of the most powerful Level Nine Magical Beasts.
"Roar..."
Perhaps trying to vent its frustration after being chased by the rats, the Cat-Bear let out a roar and charged straight at Garen.
Garen didn't dare let his guard down. He transformed into a Tiger-Striped Warrior, drew his long blade, and swung it at the beast.
Its paw collided with the blade, which cut a bloody gash into it. But the paw's force was so great that Garen and his blade were sent flying. He crashed into a tree and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The Cat-Bear was much like the Tiger-Striped Warrior: both were fast and powerful attackers. But the Cat-Bear was at the peak of Level Nine, while Garen was at the peak of Level Eight. Their foundations differed by more than tenfold. They weren't even in the same league.
Seeing the Cat-Bear charge again, Garen didn't hesitate to use his spare Primary Experience Card. He needed only a little over a hundred more points to level up, and his Warrior Level immediately rose to Level Seven.
Power surged through his body, and his speed increased again. He pushed off hard with his foot and dodged the beast's ferocious pounce.
Battle Qi surged through Garen's body. His strength and Battle Qi soared tenfold, drawing a tigerlike roar from him.
"Roar..."
With his strength increased tenfold, Garen's confidence surged. He clashed with the Cat-Bear once more.
"Roar..."
"Boom!"
The Cat-Bear's paw was slashed open, leaving a deep wound, and it cried out in pain.
Garen was sent flying again. The injuries that had begun to heal after he leveled up were once more severe.
Only after he'd been knocked away did Garen come to his senses. He was only at the early stage of Level Nine; he was still far weaker than the Cat-Bear at the peak of Level Nine.
He flipped back to his feet.
The man and beast watched each other warily, neither daring to act recklessly.
The Cat-Bear was a solitary Magical Beast. If it were badly injured in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, it would be in a very dangerous position, perhaps even at risk of death. After all, Level Eight Magical Beasts could absorb a Level Nine Magic Crystal Core and had a chance of advancing. A badly wounded Level Nine Magical Beast would be the prime target for every Level Eight Magical Beast around.
The atmosphere suddenly grew strange. Neither dared to make the first move.
After they'd stood off for more than ten seconds, the Cat-Bear suddenly turned and ran.
Garen was actually terrified, but he knew that animals instinctively preyed on the weak. If he ran first and showed weakness, the Cat-Bear might press the attack instead.
"Phew."
Once the Cat-Bear had disappeared into the distance, Garen let out a sigh of relief. If they'd fought to the end, the God-Slaying Blade might have let him badly wound the Cat-Bear, but he'd probably have died in the process. A few more blows like that, and he wouldn't have been able to take it. A Tiger-Striped Warrior's defense was far stronger than an ordinary human's, but only slightly stronger than that of a Magical Beast of the same level.
His realm was still too low. If he could master Weightless Strength, he should be able to defeat the Cat-Bear with ease. If he could master Momentum, he might be able to kill it with a single slash. He'd leveled up too quickly, leaving his foundation too weak. He still had a long way to go before perfecting his basics.
Judging by his condition, it would take him at least half a month to recover from his injuries.
"The Stone-Slaying Rat swarm must have driven plenty of high-level Magical Beasts from the central region to the outskirts. To be safe, I'd better return to the academy and recover. If I run into another Level Nine Magical Beast, I'll be in real trouble."
Garen made his way back to the academy cautiously. With the system's Map Function, avoiding fights was easy enough.
He was just thirteen, a Level Seven Warrior and a late-stage Level Six Mage. He'd already advanced remarkably fast. He could return to the academy, learn some basic magic, spend a few years consolidating his gains, and work on bringing his swordsmanship fundamentals to perfection.
As soon as he returned to the academy, Garen contacted Linley and the others and invited them to the Wald Hotel for a good meal.
They were all curious about the Magical Beast Mountain Range and kept asking him questions. Garen smiled and answered them one by one. He hadn't spent long in the mountain range, but he'd been through quite a lot and killed all kinds of Magical Beasts—things they could only read about in books at the academy.
The other three listened as if he were telling a story, but Linley had the heart of a strong fighter, and the tale made him long for the Magical Beast Mountain Range even more.
Of course, Garen couldn't tell them everything or reveal the full extent of his strength. It was best to keep a few cards up his sleeve at all times. Besides, they were all still teenagers. If one of them let something slip, it could cause him a lot of trouble.
He knew that when Linley became a Level Seven Mage, the Dark Alliance had tried to kill him after failing to recruit him.
If the Light Alliance learned how strong Garen really was now, then unless he joined them, he'd be killed.
After the meal, Garen insisted that Yale take back two Level Seven Magic Crystal Cores. He said he'd gotten lucky and found them in the remains of a beast's victim.
The others envied his good luck. None of them imagined he'd killed the Level Seven Magical Beasts himself. No one could imagine a thirteen-year-old killing a Level Seven Magical Beast.
A Level Seven Magic Crystal Core was worth fifty thousand gold coins, so he'd fully paid back what he owed for the Purple Dragon Bow.
And so, Garen resumed his peaceful life at the academy. He practiced Tiger Blood Battle Qi in the morning, attended Fire-style magic class in the late morning, practiced swordsmanship at noon, attended wind magic class in the afternoon, and meditated to refine his magic power at night.
Every day was fulfilling. Though his rate of advancement had slowed considerably, he continued to improve steadily.
Time passed. Spring gave way to autumn, and two years went by in the blink of an eye.
One day, after fully consolidating his Level Five Mage cultivation, Linley came to see Garen.
"Garen, I've reached Level Five as a Mage and applied to the academy for permission to train in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. What do you think? Would you like to come along?"
Garen was a little surprised that Linley had invited him to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. But over the past few years, they'd often eaten, drunk, and chatted together, and their friendship had grown stronger than ever. The two of them shared the same ambition: they both wanted to become strong.
Besides, Garen had been to the Magical Beast Mountain Range two years ago and had plenty of experience. It would be good for them to look out for each other.
(The End)
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Buzz Book 69
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