Level Seven Magic Beast

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Earth Essence Gold alone was not enough to tempt Xia Ming. After all, it was something that could be put to its fullest use only by warrior classes. But if there were magic gemstones growing alongside the vein, that would be an entirely different matter!

Xia Ming's grip on the Earthflame Staff tightened unconsciously as he suppressed the excitement in his heart.

"The Earth Essence Gold here should be enough to forge five sets of equipment. Not bad," Xia Ming said with a smile.

Tang Ge was so excited that even his voice changed. "Five sets?" He had originally thought that refining all this Earth Essence Gold into enough material for two sets of equipment would already be good enough. He had never expected there to be enough for five!

Su Weiwei's clear eyes swept over Xia Ming, carrying an unfathomable hint beneath their coldness. To determine how much Earth Essence Gold lay within the vein with merely a few glances—what astounding discernment was that?

Xia Ming nodded calmly and began chanting an incantation. A scorching fireball appeared in his palm. It was only the most basic spell: Fireball Spell.

Yet Tang Ge's eyes lit up. He seemed to vaguely understand what Xia Ming intended to do and hurriedly cleared a space for him.

Xia Ming walked over to the vein and used the fireball to draw a circle around it. The fireball blazed, leaving behind a layer of black powder around the rock and marking every spot where Earth Essence Gold lay within the vein!

After finishing, Xia Ming clapped his hands and said to the others, "Fortunately, Earth Essence Gold usually exists near the surface of a vein rather than being buried deep underground, so mining it is fairly simple. Still, be careful. This Earth Essence Gold hasn't been refined yet, so its toughness may be lacking. Don't use too much force when digging."

Luckily, Tang Ge and Su Weiwei were both warrior-class professionals. Otherwise, excavation would truly have been difficult. If Xia Ming alone had discovered this Earth Essence Gold vein, he could only have stared at the ocean and sighed. Had he done it himself, he would have had no choice but to blast open the vein directly with magic, which would undoubtedly cause severe damage to the Earth Essence Gold ore.

Su Weiwei and Tang Ge nodded at the same time. Neither knew anything about mining, but with a master like Xia Ming here, neither would overstep their bounds. They simply followed his instructions.

Su Weiwei was a level-six Grand Knight, while Tang Ge was a level-five Battle Master. Both were outstanding among warrior-class professionals. Their battle qi was sharp as blades—the perfect tool for cutting through the vein.

Piercing screeches rang out without end as showers of sparks burst forth. Bit by bit, the Earth Essence Gold emerged from the soil, its earthy yellow luster growing ever richer. The stone walls of the cave began to tremble as though shivering, while tiny shards of rock flew up and thick dust billowed freely.

Finally, with a crisp ding, half of the Earth Essence Gold was exposed aboveground. A flash of joy rippled through everyone's eyes.

"This Earth Essence Gold is of excellent quality. The accompanying magic gemstones are very likely high-quality as well!" Xia Ming's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged.

But at that moment, a violent crash suddenly sounded from outside the cave, accompanied by a terrifying roar.

All four of them spun around in alarm. A powerful presence bore down upon them, and judging from that aura alone, it was countless times stronger than the Sabertooth Tiger!

"Th-this Magic Beast's aura!" Sherlock was the most shaken. His face had gone pale, and panic covered his features. Judging solely from its aura, the approaching Magic Beast was absolutely not something they could contend with at their current level!

Whoosh!

The silver longsword spun sharply, its clear sword cry instantly drowning out the Magic Beast's roar. Clad in silver armor, Su Weiwei watched the front with cold, vigilant eyes, yet she stepped forward without hesitation to shield everyone behind her. Her Frost Battle Qi surged explosively, her momentum rising to its peak in an instant.

"To think I've fallen so low that I need a woman to protect me." Xia Ming looked at Su Weiwei standing at the very front and laughed self-mockingly.

Tang Ge, too, faced the enemy as though confronting a great foe. He rushed forward to stand beside Su Weiwei, gripping his sword with both hands, utterly alert.

The Magic Beast's roars grew louder and louder, meaning it was drawing ever closer to Xia Ming's group.

At last, a pitch-black shadow blocked more than half the cave entrance. The terrifying Magic Beast appeared before them, and Xia Ming's pupils contracted.

It was an enormous lizard!

Its body was a full five or six meters long, entirely covered in earthy yellow scales. Every scale was at least as large as a washbasin, clattering with metallic sounds as it moved—sharp and terrifying.

The enormous lizard flicked out its tongue in hisses, like a deadly venomous snake. Its gaping jaws, packed with sharp poisonous fangs, opened and closed as viscous venom dripped from its teeth, sizzling when it struck the ground.

Those beastly eyes, radiating sinister coldness and savage ferocity, were enough to make one's legs tremble and send one running for one's life.

"This is... an Earth Giant Lizard!" Xia Ming said in astonishment.

An Earth Giant Lizard—a level-seven Magic Beast! Those words alone explained everything. Su Weiwei, the strongest among the four, was merely a level-six professional, let alone Xia Ming and the other two. The difference between level six and level seven was by no means something skill could overcome, much less against an Earth Giant Lizard, a Magic Beast infamous for its brutality and savagery.

"Damn it, why is there a level-seven Magic Beast here?!" Tang Ge was both shocked and enraged as he cursed viciously. A level-seven Magic Beast in Green Caterpillar Forest—how was that possible?!

The Earth Giant Lizard advanced toward them step by step. The aura and pressure unique to a high-level Magic Beast swelled along with it. Combined with the Earth Giant Lizard's savage eyes, the crushing pressure nearly robbed Xia Ming and the others of their breath. The knuckles of Xia Ming's hand around the Earthflame Staff had turned white, and cold sweat soaked his Starry Robe.

The Earth Giant Lizard's mouth carried a heavy stench—the smell of venom mixed with rotting flesh. Xia Ming had no doubt that if this beast bit someone even once, there would be almost no chance of survival...

"Fuck, I'll fight this beast to the death! Brother Xia Ming, you get out of here first!" Tang Ge cursed, yet he remained as steady as a mountain at the front. When an adventuring party encountered danger, mages were naturally protected first, while warrior-class professionals stayed behind to cover the retreat. It was an unwritten rule in the world of adventurers.

Under such circumstances, fleeing was undoubtedly their only option. But someone had to hold the enemy back and provide cover, and Tang Ge stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.

The silver longsword whirled like a rushing current. Icy crystals condensed at its tip, while the air let out rumbling booms as if exploding. A powerful fighting spirit rose from the female knight, clearly revealing Su Weiwei's determination not to retreat.

The Earth Giant Lizard did not attack immediately. Instead, it confronted Tang Ge and Su Weiwei, and a trace of greed seemed to surface in its beastly eyes—the kind that appeared only upon seeing delicious food.

"Let's go!" Sherlock shot Xia Ming a meaningful look, cast the wind-element Lightness Spell on himself, and, while the Earth Giant Lizard's attention was focused on Tang Ge and Su Weiwei, darted more than ten meters away in a flash. He circled behind the Earth Giant Lizard to a relatively safe spot.

The Earth Giant Lizard seemed utterly uninterested in Sherlock, turning a blind eye to his little maneuver. Its venomous eyes remained locked tightly on Tang Ge and Su Weiwei, as though it wished to swallow them whole and flay them alive.

Seeing that he was safe for the moment, Sherlock let out a breath of relief and kept waving at Xia Ming, signaling for him to come over.

Xia Ming also knew that this was no time to hesitate. He cast Lightness Spell on himself as well, his steps becoming light and swift. In the blink of an eye, he too slipped past the Earth Giant Lizard!

And the Earth Giant Lizard appeared equally uninterested in Xia Ming. Its blood-red beastly eyes did not even shift, remaining fixed only on Tang Ge and Su Weiwei...