Treasure Trove

Looking carefully at where the Blue Heart Grass grew, the two of them used Levitation Spells to fly down toward the bottom of the valley.

They soon reached the Blue Heart Grass. Linley excitedly grasped it. It felt cold to the touch, and he carefully pulled it up and put it in his backpack.

"Let's look around and see if there's any more," Garen suggested.

"Sure. There should be more than one."

As he spoke, Linley looked around.

The two continued descending.

"There are lots of high-level magical beasts down below. Be careful."

Garen spotted dozens of red dots appearing on the System Map and warned him.

Just then, a huge green python came racing along the cliff wall nearby, mist billowing from its mouth.

"It's a Seventh-Level Magical Beast, a Green-Veined Giant Python."

Linley tensed as he looked at the python, which was as thick as a barrel.

"Hrr..."

Seeing the two humans, the Green-Veined Giant Python let out an excited, strange cry.

In an instant, more magical beasts were drawn to the area. Seven or eight Green-Veined Giant Pythons rushed closer, dozens of Winged Dragons flew over from above, and the ground trembled with the thunderous pounding of countless land-bound magical beasts charging in from afar.

"Let's head up first."

Garen swung his blade, and its shadow flashed.

"Swish!"

The head of a Green-Veined Giant Python that had rushed close was severed.

Garen put the python's head into his Space Ring. The Magic Crystal Core of a Seventh-Level Magical Beast was worth fifty thousand gold coins—it would be a waste to leave it behind. The snake's body fell straight off the cliff.

Ding! You killed a Seventh-Level Magical Beast, Green-Veined Giant Python. Gained 380 experience.

Before the other Green-Veined Giant Pythons could get close, the two had already risen more than a hundred meters.

"Caw, caw, caw..."

Dozens of Winged Dragons swooped down.

Sixth-Level Fire-style Magic.

"Flame Slash!"

Eight flaming blades, each dozens of meters long, slashed through the air with astonishing force.

More than a dozen Winged Dragons were badly injured as they approached. A few unlucky ones were struck in the head or wings by the flaming blades and fell straight into the valley.

Taking advantage of the Winged Dragons' moment of confusion, the two quickly flew out of the valley.

"Linley, look out!"

Seeing dozens of huge fireballs hurtling through the air, Garen shouted urgently.

After a brief moment of confusion, the more than twenty Winged Dragons spat fireballs and swooped toward them.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

The fireballs spat by the Sixth-Level Winged Dragons were as powerful as Fifth-Level spells. Garen didn't dare take them head-on in human form. He transformed into a Tiger-Striped Warrior, his speed surging. With a quick sidestep, he was a hundred meters away, clear of every fireball. Then he took out his Purple Dragon Bow.

At the same time, Bebe grew larger and swung his claws, sending out countless claw shadows to block several fireballs for Linley. Then he flashed forward and leaped onto the back of a Winged Dragon dozens of meters in the air.

"Winged Dragons are huge, but their defenses are weak. Ordinary alloy arrows and Gale Arrows won't kill them in one shot. I'll need Explosive Arrows."

Garen formulated a plan in an instant.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

He fired arrow after arrow with pinpoint accuracy. As each Fire-style Explosive Arrow neared a Winged Dragon's head, it detonated, blasting a gaping hole through its skull and scattering its brains. One by one, the Winged Dragons came crashing down.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

In only a few seconds, Garen had used up all his magical mental energy. More than a dozen Winged Dragons had been blown to death.

Bebe leaped among the Winged Dragons, springing onto one's back and slashing with his claws. A few swipes were enough to kill it. Then he jumped onto the nearest one. Before long, he had killed three Winged Dragons.

"Caw, caw, caw..."

The dozen or so Winged Dragons left were terrified by the sight. They quickly circled upward, then fled toward the valley.

Garen walked over and collected the Winged Dragons' Magic Crystal Cores.

Bebe, the little miser, started digging out the Magic Crystal Cores too.

Linley came over from nearby.

Looking at Garen and the dozens of huge Winged Dragons, Linley felt his emotions roil.

"Little Linley, what's wrong? Lost confidence in yourself? Having doubts? Feeling like you're holding us back?"

Doehring Cowart was a shrewd old man. He immediately guessed what Linley was thinking.

"Grandpa Doehring, I..."

Linley felt a little dejected. Garen was about his age, and Linley had been training hard every day. His mental strength had also been advancing rapidly as he studied stone carving, and his confidence had soared.

He hadn't expected Garen to be not only a powerful Tiger-Striped Warrior, but also a mage whose level was still one above his.

When they faced a truly formidable enemy, Bebe could fight too, while Linley couldn't help at all.

"Linley, remember this: no matter what happens, face it head-on and keep the heart of a strong person fixed on moving forward. That's how you'll go further."

Doehring Cowart advised him patiently.

"Mm, I understand. When we first entered the academy, Garen and Dixie were far ahead of me in talent. Through hard work, I've caught up with Dixie. As long as I face every difficulty, keep cultivating, and continue to surpass myself and my limits, I'll surely reach the very top."

Linley quickly recovered his composure and spoke with confidence.

He wasn't jealous of Garen's greater strength. He blamed himself because his own abilities weren't enough for him to contribute in battle.

"Good. You're quick to learn."

Garen had no idea Linley was having such a complicated train of thought.

In fact, while Garen put Linley under tremendous pressure, Linley also put Garen under tremendous pressure.

Garen knew how the story went. Linley was incredibly strong in character, luck, and comprehension. If Garen didn't make use of the system and get ahead early on, he was afraid Linley would leave him far behind later.

This kind of healthy competition was good for both of them. After all, pressure brought motivation and helped them improve faster.

After collecting the Winged Dragons' Magic Crystal Cores, Garen walked over.

"Linley, what do you think? Were my rapid-fire Explosive Arrows awesome or what?"

"Badass!"

Linley beamed and gave him a sincere thumbs-up.

"Come on, let's look for more Blue Heart Grass."

As Garen spoke, he headed toward Mist Valley.

"Wait."

Linley called after him.

"What's wrong? Don't want the Blue Heart Grass anymore?"

"Garen, I've thought it over carefully. I'm not going into Mist Valley for now. When we flew up just now, I took a quick glance below. The whole valley was crawling with high-level magical beasts, all Sixth-Level or higher. It'd be extremely dangerous for me to go down there at my current strength, and I'd probably only hold you back. I've already gained a lot from this trip to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, so I'm going back to the academy. I'll train for a few more years, then come back with you for another adventure."

Garen remembered that this was about the time Linley would meet his first love, Alice, on the way back to the academy. After the heartbreak, Linley would have an epiphany while working on the Dream Awakening Sculpture, entering a ten-day-and-ten-night trance and advancing his mental strength from Level Six to the late stages of Level Seven. Garen couldn't let a few stalks of Blue Heart Grass interfere with such a huge opportunity.

"Mm, all right. Go back to the academy first. I'll scout ahead on my own. Next time, we'll come back together and conquer Mist Valley."

Linley left, and Garen entered Mist Valley once again alone.