Departure

"Leader, we've received word that the Budaso Adventure Team is heading to the Wild Grasslands. Should we...?"

A short, dwarfish man reported this to a young man with a slicked-back hairstyle and glasses.

As the dwarf finished speaking, he made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes filled with hatred.

"Tap, tap, tap!"

The young man tapped a finger against the table. The image of Reke surfaced in his mind, and the mix of ferocity and terror on his face distorted his otherwise refined features.

"Leader, what are you hesitating for? The chance to avenge my brother is right in front of us. I must kill them."

The dwarf said this with deep resentment.

Ever since he learned of his brother's death, he had thought of nothing but revenge. Had it not been for the leader stopping him every time, he would have already gone to settle the score.

What the dwarf did not know was that he had been deceived by his leader. His brother's death had no direct connection to the Budaso Adventure Team, but because the young man dared not speak the truth, he had pinned all the blame on them.

"We've waited a year; don't be impatient now. If we strike, it must be a fatal blow that leaves none of them alive. Go and scout out the exact personnel details again."

Receiving the leader's reply, the dwarf's face lit up with a smile, and he ran off impatiently to gather intelligence.

As the dwarf left, the young man was left alone in the room of several hundred square meters.

This young man was Hatton, who had been scared off by Reke a year ago, and the dwarf who had just left was the older brother of the brute Reke had killed.

Ever since Hatton fled Panxi City in terror, he had moved their adventure team to the neighboring Crescent City.

He had spent the past year gathering information and had learned that Reke was not actually part of the Budaso Adventure Team, which gave him hope for revenge.

He dared not provoke Reke, nor did he even dare to stay in Panxi City for fear of running into him and losing his life. He blamed everything on Pat, thinking that if Pat hadn't led that man to the guild, they never would have met, and he wouldn't have had to abandon over a decade of his foundation.

"Pat, oh Pat, you've certainly chosen a fine graveyard for yourself."

Hatton looked at a white porcelain bottle on the table and let out a sinister laugh.

If Pat had stayed in Panxi City, he wouldn't have dared to stir up trouble, but their trip to the Wild Grasslands provided the perfect opportunity.

Inside the white porcelain bottle was Beast-Attracting Powder he had purchased at a high price. A mere pinch could attract beasts from a ten-mile radius, and if this entire bottle were used, beasts within a thousand miles would be driven into a frenzy.

Pat and his team were completely unaware of Hatton's plans and were currently holding their final mobilization.

"Everyone, starting today, our special training officially begins. The road ahead is paved with blood and sweat. If anyone is afraid, I will give you the chance to quit now. Leave the team if you must."

Pat stood on a high platform, addressing the nearly one hundred people, both old and young, below.

Silence. The crowd below was perfectly still; not a single person left the ranks, and no one spoke. The elders looked at him with firm eyes, while the young ones gazed at him with excitement.

Pat nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.

"Move out."

The massive crowd moved in perfect unison following Pat's command.

Bellis looked at Lan Xin, who was standing behind Pat, and unable to suppress her curiosity, she flew over and said, "Little sidekick, why are you in our team? Shouldn't you be following behind that country bumpkin?"

"Bellis, Brother Lei does not wish to bicker with you, but you must show him respect." Hearing how Bellis referred to Reke, Lan Xin frowned, his small face etched with seriousness.

"Tch, mind your own business. Just stick to being a sidekick." Bellis didn't take Lan Xin's expression to heart at all.

Ever since they met, the two had argued every time they saw each other over how Bellis addressed Reke.

"You are truly ungrateful." If not for Reke's instructions, Lan Xin would have already gone up to fight Bellis to the death.

Unable to strike, Lan Xin turned his head away, unwilling to engage with Bellis any further.

Pat and the others watched the two with smiles on their faces.

Lola's eyes darted around as if she had thought of something amusing, and she pulled her third sister aside to whisper.

Reke naturally sensed the commotion over at the building, but he chose to ignore it. In his view, this was no different from a group tour, so there was nothing to be concerned about.

Uti, however, was different. Looking toward the building, her heart was filled with worry.

It was the first time her child was leaving her, and she was worried he wouldn't eat well or that he would get hurt.

"Uti, don't worry about me for the next little while; I have a mission to complete."

"Ah? Reke, are you leaving too?"

Uti suppressed her anxiety for her son and turned to look blankly at Reke, not expecting that within a single day, she would be left all alone.

"Yes, take care of yourself."

Reke was always decisive in his actions; after giving his instructions, his figure vanished into thin air.

He flew in the opposite direction of the Wild Grasslands.

This was the first time in over a year that Reke had traveled to another city.

When he accepted this mission, Reke had already planned to spend the coming year visiting other cities.

This mission involved exploring a Super Ancient Civilization, and it was a large-scale adventurer quest that required a level of 5 or higher, with no limit on the number of participants.

According to the publicly available information on the mission, the Super Ancient Civilization might hold methods to strengthen one's mental power.

It was this specific detail that attracted Reke; his greatest concern was losing his sanity after transforming into a Giant Ape.

If this wasn't resolved, he would never have the chance to experiment with transforming into a Super Saiyan, nor would he dare to try, for fear of killing himself in the process.

As for the Super Saiyan God, to be honest, Reke could not fathom it. He could not understand how it was possible for five Saiyans with righteous hearts to simply pour their righteousness into another Saiyan to achieve the Super Saiyan God transformation.

One had to know that according to the lore, the divine transformation was far beyond Super Saiyan 3.

Super Saiyan 3 was no minor transformation; it was a four-hundred-fold multiplier. Furthermore, based on the three-million combat power threshold for the base Super Saiyan transformation, the threshold for Super Saiyan 3 should be even higher—at least over one billion in base form.

Yet, the Super Saiyan God required only six Saiyans with righteous hearts, with no other prerequisites.

Regardless, Reke did not approve of it. Even if it were a temporary method, Reke did not count on it. Was this not blatantly rubbing their hard work into the dirt?

He placed all his hopes on Super Saiyan 4, which was also a form of validation for his own efforts.

The issue of sanity was of paramount importance, so Reke was moved when he saw the mission information. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, Reke would not hesitate to make the trip.

The departure time for the mission was still far off, so Reke was in no rush. He would land in every city along the way to stroll around, sample the local delicacies, and observe the local customs.

While Reke was unhurried, Pat and his group were not having such a smooth journey.

As soon as the battle broke out, the young members of the adventure party who had never seen blood were in a panic; some were so stunned that they just stared blankly at the beasts, failing to react even when the claws were right in front of them.