Magical Beast Mountain Range

July, 9995th Year of the Yulan Calendar.

The first summer vacation after the end of the fourth year.

Akes stood outside the east gate of Fenlai City, gazing at the faint silhouette of the Magical Beast Mountain Range in the distance, and took a deep breath.

He had wanted to come here two years ago, but his strength had been insufficient back then; entering the mountain range with the level of an early-stage fourth-rank mage would have been pure suicide.

"One month," he calculated. "That should be enough."

He turned to look at the few people who had come to see him off—Yale, George, and Reynolds were all there, while Linley stood slightly further away with Bebe perched on his shoulder.

"Third brother, are you sure you don't need me to send a few men to follow you?" Yale asked, unusually serious. "The Magical Beast Mountain Range is no place to play around."

"No need," Akes shook his head. "Too many people would only be a nuisance."

George nodded. "Then take care of yourself. We'll see you when school starts."

"See you at the start of the term," Reynolds waved. "Don't come back missing any arms or legs."

Akes smiled. "Don't worry, if anything is missing, it'll be someone else's."

Linley didn't speak, merely nodding toward him.

Akes nodded in response.

This was how they interacted—offering reminders and concern when necessary, but never being overly sentimental. Everyone had their own path to walk; brothers weren't meant to be tethered, but to be trusted.

He turned, took a step, and began walking in the direction of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Yale's booming voice came from behind: "Come back alive! I'm buying the drinks when school starts!"

Akes didn't look back, simply raising a hand to wave.

The outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the second day.

Akes crouched behind a massive boulder, watching the magical beast thirty meters away.

A Bloodthirsty War Boar, a fifth-rank magical beast, fire-attribute, thick-skinned, and short-tempered. A blood-red horn protruded from its nose, and it was currently rooting through the ground, searching for something.

"Fifth rank," Akes calculated internally. "A perfect target to test my hand."

He raised his right hand and began to chant.

The Fallen Heart Flame pulsed slightly within his body, and the surrounding fire elements gathered rapidly. He did not use the Five Spirit Wheel to absorb them at full capacity; the disturbance would be too great and would alert his target.

A fire snake darted from his palm, heading straight for the back of the Bloodthirsty War Boar.

"Roar—!"

The Bloodthirsty War Boar felt the pain and spun around violently, its blood-red eyes locked onto Akes's position. It let out an angry roar, pushed off with all four limbs, and charged like a heavy war chariot.

Akes did not dodge.

He was waiting.

Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters—

Just as the Bloodthirsty War Boar's horn was about to pierce him, he moved.

He side-stepped and slid, simultaneously slamming his right palm into the boar's flank.

Fallen Heart Flame, activated at full power.

Milky-white flames instantly invaded the body of the Bloodthirsty War Boar. The interior of this fifth-rank magical beast was far more fragile than its exterior; the flames spread along its bloodstream, surging straight toward its heart.

"Roar—!"

The Bloodthirsty War Boar let out a shrill, miserable scream. After charging another dozen meters, it crashed to the ground, its limbs twitching a few times before it went still.

Akes walked over and looked at the carcass of the magical beast.

"Fifth rank, not bad."

He drew his short blade and skillfully cut open the beast's skull, digging out a fiery-red magic crystal core. A fifth-rank magic core was worth at least two hundred gold coins on the market.

"A good start."

After stowing the core away, he continued deeper into the mountain range.

The fifth day.

Akes encountered his first target of the day—a sixth-rank magical beast, a Blazing Lion.

This type of magical beast was not particularly large, measuring about two meters in length, covered in crimson mane, and capable of spitting high-temperature flames. Among sixth-rank magical beasts, it was considered troublesome: fast, aggressive, and cunning.

At this moment, the Blazing Lion was lying on a rock, basking in the sun with its eyes narrowed, looking quite relaxed.

Akes observed for a while, confirmed there were no other magical beasts nearby, and began his move.

He chose to approach from the flank.

He suppressed the Fallen Heart Flame to the absolute limit, lightened his footsteps, and used the cover of trees and rocks to slowly close the distance to within twenty meters.

This distance was enough.

He raised his right hand and began to chant.

The surrounding fire elements began to fluctuate.

The Blazing Lion suddenly raised its head, its crimson eyes scanning in the direction of Akes.

"Roar--!"

With a furious bellow, the Blazing Lion leaped down from the rock and lunged toward him.

Akes remained unhurried, continuing his incantation.

Just as the Blazing Lion closed within ten meters, the magic was complete.

"Flame Storm!"

Milky-white flames erupted from Akes as the center, surging in all directions. The Blazing Lion collided head-on with the fire, let out a miserable shriek, and was blasted backward.

But it was not dead.

The defensive power of a Level 6 Magical Beast was far superior to a Level 5; this strike had only wounded it, further enraging it instead.

The Blazing Lion scrambled up, opened its mouth, and spat out a pillar of fire.

Akes dodged to the side while simultaneously beginning his second incantation.

The fire pillar struck the tree behind him, igniting it instantly. The Blazing Lion lunged again, this time with even greater speed, its sharp claws whistling through the air as they aimed straight for his skull.

Akes did not retreat.

He met the charge head-on. At the moment of impact, he slid to the side and slammed his right palm into the Blazing Lion's flank.

Fallen Heart Flame, activated at full power.

As the milky-white flames invaded its body, the Blazing Lion let out a shrill, piercing scream. Its body convulsed violently before it collapsed to the ground, rolling in agony.

Akes stepped back, watching it struggle.

A few breaths later, the Blazing Lion went still.

He walked over, confirmed it was thoroughly dead, and began to collect his spoils. The Level 6 magic core was a size larger than a Level 5 and deeper in color.

"Level 6, not bad."

After stowing the core, he glanced around. The commotion from the fight had been significant and might attract other beasts, so he needed to leave quickly.

He turned and vanished into the dense forest.

The evening of the eleventh day.

Akes sat at the entrance of a cave, tending to the wound on his left arm.

The wound was not deep; it had been left by the Level 6 beast he encountered yesterday—a Thunder Leopard. Its speed had been too great, and he had been a fraction too slow to dodge, getting grazed by its claws.

"Soloing Level 6 beasts is still quite taxing," he muttered to himself, rinsing the wound with clear water before applying herbs and wrapping it with cloth strips.

Once finished, he leaned against the cave wall and let out a long breath.

The harvest over these eleven days had been good. He had killed seven Level 5 beasts and three Level 6 beasts; the magic cores alone were worth at least two thousand gold coins. He had sustained a few injuries, but none were serious enough to hinder his movement.

"I'll roam for a few more days tomorrow, then it's about time to head back."

He closed his eyes, preparing to rest.

Just then--

[Ding-- Detected that the host has entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range for the first time. Special scene check-in triggered.]

[Would you like to check in?]

Akes opened his eyes, stunned for a moment.

A special scene check-in? There was such a good thing?

He recited silently in his heart: Check in.

[Check-in successful.]

[Obtained reward: Sword Immortal World · Fire Spirit Bead (Fragment)-- One of the five elemental spirit beads of heaven and earth, containing pure fire spirit power. Can be integrated into the body to significantly increase fire affinity, increase fire magic power by 100%, and increase fire element absorption speed by 200%. Current status: Sealed, requires gradual unsealing.]

Before the words faded, a scorching aura appeared out of thin air and surged into Akes's body.

In that instant, he felt as if he were submerged in magma.

The surrounding fire elements rushed toward him like mad, their speed many times faster than usual. The Fallen Heart Flame pulsed violently, as if it had encountered something that excited it, and became entangled with that scorching aura.

He did not know how much time had passed before everything returned to calm.

Akes opened his eyes and discovered that his state had changed.

The mana within his body had not increased, but his perception of fire elements was completely different. He closed his eyes and could clearly "see" countless fire-red specks of light floating around him, dancing joyfully as if welcoming something.

"Fire Spirit Bead..."

He raised his right hand, and with a thought, a ball of flame manifested in his palm.

It was a milky-white flame, but brighter and hotter than before. He could feel that the power of this flame was more than double what it had been.

"100% power increase, 200% absorption speed..." Akes muttered to himself, "And this is only in a sealed state?"

He recalled the lore from the original work. The Fire Spirit Bead was one of the five supreme treasures of the Sword Immortal World, containing the purest fire spirit power in heaven and earth. If fully unsealed, the power would be unimaginable.

He did not sleep that night.

Because the Fire Spirit Bead had merged into his body, the surrounding fire elements automatically converged toward him; the sensation was so vivid that he couldn't sleep at all.

He simply sat up to cultivate.

With the Five Spirit Wheel in motion and the Fallen Heart Flame pulsing, coupled with the enhancement of the Fire Spirit Bead, his absorption speed was three to four times faster than usual. He could clearly feel the magic power in his middle dantian growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"At this rate, I'll reach the fifth rank within a month."

The fifteenth day.

Akes stood on a hillside, looking down at the valley below.

There was a group of magical beasts in the valley, about a dozen or so, all fourth or fifth-rank fire-type magical beasts. In the past, he would never have dared to provoke such a large group, but now—

He wanted to try.

He raised his hand, channeling the Fallen Heart Flame and invoking the enhancement of the Fire Spirit Bead.

A ball of milky-white flame condensed in his palm, growing larger and brighter. He didn't chant any incantations; he simply compressed the flame, pushing it to its limit.

Then, he threw it toward the valley.

The flame landed in the center of the valley and exploded with a roar.

Milky-white waves of fire spread in all directions. The dozen or so magical beasts shrieked in unison; four or five dropped to the ground instantly, while the others scattered and fled.

Akes himself was stunned for a moment.

"So fierce?"

He jumped down the hillside and walked toward the valley.

There were five magical beast carcasses: four fourth-rank and one fifth-rank. After collecting the magic cores, he stood in place, feeling the power within his body.

The enhancement from the Fire Spirit Bead was truly terrifying. The same spell had double the power, yet the consumption remained roughly the same. This meant his current combat strength was more than twice as strong as when he had first entered the mountain range.

The twenty-third day.

Akes prepared to head back.

Over these twenty-plus days, he had killed more than twenty magical beasts, and his bag was half-full of magic cores. There were fourth and fifth-rank ones, and five sixth-rank ones. At market price, they were worth at least five thousand gold coins.

He had several wounds on his body, but none were serious.

"That's enough." He packed his gear and took one last look at the depths of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. "I'll come back next time."

He turned and headed in the direction of Fenlai City.

Three days later, outside the east gate of Fenlai City.

From afar, Akes saw several people waiting at the gate.

Yale, George, and Reynolds were all there, with Linley standing slightly further away.

"Third brother!" Reynolds was the first to rush over. "You're finally back! We thought you'd been eaten by magical beasts!"

"Almost," Akes said with a smile. "But it wasn't me who got eaten; it was the beasts."

Yale looked him over. "You're thinner and darker, but you're in good spirits. How was the haul?"

"Not bad." Akes patted the pack on his back. "Enough for a few good meals."

"Then let's go, Wald!" Yale waved his hand. "My treat!"

That evening, at the Wald Hotel.

The table was full of dishes, and the five of them chatted as they ate. Akes shared some of his experiences from the Magical Beast Mountain Range, leaving Reynolds startled and amazed.

"Over twenty magical beasts? By yourself?"

"Otherwise? It's not like they care about fair play."

"Too fierce! When will I be able to be like you?"

"Cultivate hard, and you'll be there in a few years."

George smiled and poured wine for Akes. "Come, let's celebrate third brother returning alive."

"Celebrate your head, I was always going to return alive."

"Then let's celebrate your bountiful harvest."

"That's more like it."

Yale raised his glass. "Come, cheers!"

The five glasses clinked together.

Linley even drank a little for once; although his brow was furrowed, he swallowed it down.

[Ding—Detected that the host has completed the first trial in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, with a bountiful harvest.]

[Would you like to check in?]

Akes recited silently in his heart: Check in.

[Check-in successful.]

[Reward obtained: Azeroth Blink—Allows for an instantaneous forward movement of ten meters; cooldown time is one incense stick.]

A cool breath surged into his body, quickly settling into silence.

Akes's lips curled upward slightly.

"Third brother, what are you smiling about?" Yale leaned in.

"It's nothing." He raised his wine cup, "Come, let's have another."

"Cheers!"

Under the moonlight, the laughter of the five youths drifted out the window and toward the distant night sky.