Green Caterpillar Forest

"Haha, Brother Xia Ming, our Azure Flame Academy has plenty of beauties. You don't have a girl you fancy yet, right? I'll introduce one to you someday!" Along the way, Tang Ge had already grown familiar with Xia Ming. The moment this fellow mentioned beauties, his eyes lit up, and he swore up and down that he would introduce some to Xia Ming.

Xia Ming was also quite interested in Azure Flame Academy, so the two chatted and laughed all the way. With Sherlock occasionally chiming in as well, the atmosphere remained pleasant.

Hearing Tang Ge say he wanted to introduce him to beauties, Xia Ming smiled. "You guy, can you stop having beauties on the brain all the time? Can't you think about something else?"

Tang Ge gave a sly grin and struck a powerful pose, clenching his right fist as fighting spirit surged through him. "Brother Xia Ming, a life without beauties is an incomplete life. Beauties are like mountain peaks, waiting for me to climb and conquer them! Freya, the magic instructor our academy calls the Flame Beauty—that is the summit I want to scale!"

Looking at Tang Ge's pair of gleaming lecherous eyes, Xia Ming felt his balls ache. This horny bastard was even setting his sights on one of the academy's teachers.

Fortunately, Sherlock was fairly reliable. He explained to Xia Ming, "To put it plainly, our mission this time is to hunt a level-five Magic Beast, a Sabertooth Tiger. There are hardly any Magic Beasts above level six in Green Caterpillar Forest, and Sabertooth Tigers have always been solitary creatures, so this mission is relatively safe. With one level-five battle master and two level-three mages, we won't have any problem making our way through Green Caterpillar Forest."

Xia Ming nodded. He already knew all of this.

Green Caterpillar Forest lay on the western side of Azure Flame Island. By the time the three of them reached it, the sky had gone completely dark. The murky night and dense forest gave off a sense of danger.

Even the silhouettes of adventurers were hard to spot, while the howls of Magic Beasts occasionally rang out.

"It's still a little dangerous to enter Green Caterpillar Forest at night, but we came prepared and brought a tent. The three of us can just take turns keeping watch," Tang Ge said.

Xia Ming nodded in understanding. Wanting absolute safety as an adventurer was no different from a fantasy, and besides, he had come specifically to temper himself this time.

"Let's go." Since they had made their decision, Xia Ming did not hesitate any longer and urged them onward.

The three of them entered Green Caterpillar Forest together. As a level-five battle master with thick skin and sturdy flesh, Tang Ge naturally took the lead. Sherlock and Xia Ming followed close behind.

Fortunately, the trees around the forest's edge were relatively sparse, and the three proceeded deeper along a woodland path. As the trees around them grew denser and denser, the sky gradually became so dark that they could not see their hands in front of their faces. Traveling under such night conditions became exceedingly difficult.

Xia Ming frowned and recited a fluid string of magical notes. A pure white radiance flashed at the tip of the Earthflame Staff, and a ball of white light appeared in Xia Ming's hand.

First-tier spell [Illumination]!

The moment the spell was cast, the forest brightened, its light falling across the three men's faces.

Sherlock shot Xia Ming a surprised glance. Using magic to light the way at a time like this—wasn't this guy afraid of exhausting his mana? A level-three mage did not have much mana to waste.

"Hehe, having a mage around is great. Brother Xia Ming, you're not like that bastard Sherlock. He never uses magic for illumination at night!" Tang Ge complained to Xia Ming.

Sherlock snorted coldly without arguing, though inwardly he grumbled, What mage would be so full and bored that he'd waste mana on something as trivial as lighting? Especially in a dangerous place like a Magic Beast forest, conserving mana is the true path.

They traveled another long stretch, nearly an hour, before approaching the center of Green Caterpillar Forest.

All along the way, Xia Ming had used Illumination to lead the group onward.

Watching Xia Ming continue to maintain Illumination, Sherlock felt a trace of shock rising in his heart. This guy's mana was rather terrifying. Though it was only a first-tier spell, maintaining its consumption over such a long time still placed astonishing demands on one's mana. Yet this fellow was still bouncing around as if nothing had happened.

Tang Ge had clearly noticed it as well. His expression became somewhat strange, and he exchanged glances with Sherlock. Both of them realized that Xia Ming was no ordinary person.

Tang Ge led the two to an open area and stopped. He suggested, "Let's stay here tonight. Sherlock, take out our tent."

Sherlock took a large tent from his pack and quickly began setting it up. He clearly was not doing this for the first time and worked with great proficiency. Before long, the tent had taken shape.

The vast starry sky, the pitch-black night, and the occasional roars of Magic Beasts drifting from the depths of the forest stirred a strange feeling within Xia Ming.

"What a wonderful night. Pity there aren't any beauties keeping us company!" Tang Ge, who could not go three sentences without mentioning beauties, sighed.

He swung his greatsword twice, sending explosive cracks through the air. Tang Ge stretched his body and said magnanimously, "I'll keep watch tonight. You two frail mages can go to sleep!"

Xia Ming did not refuse. "All right. If you can't hold on and get sleepy in the middle of the night, wake us up."

Xia Ming recited another string of incantations, and a fireball appeared in midair, igniting the pile of dry grass on the ground. The air instantly grew warmer.

The tent was large, more than spacious enough for three people to sleep in. Xia Ming closed his eyes. Perhaps because he was too tired, he soon drifted off to sleep.

But they were in the wilderness after all, and Xia Ming did not sleep particularly soundly. He woke groggily in the middle of the night, feeling the urge to urinate.

Rubbing his eyes, Xia Ming got to his feet. He saw Tang Ge sitting outside the tent on watch. The fellow was full of energy, apparently not sleepy in the slightest.

The forest at night was somewhat cold, immediately chasing all drowsiness from the awakened Xia Ming. He walked toward Tang Ge, intending to chat with him, when he suddenly heard rustling sounds from nearby, along with several howls from Magic Beasts.

Those howls sounded like wolves!

Xia Ming instantly became alert.

Tang Ge's reaction was no slower. His grip tightened around his two-handed greatsword, his entire body tensing as he stared fixedly ahead.

Sherlock inside the tent sprang to his feet like a carp flipping from the water, grabbed his staff, and rushed out. It seemed Sherlock had been maintaining vigilance at all times as well. Of course—in a dangerous Magic Beast forest like Green Caterpillar Forest, no one dared to sleep too deeply.

Xia Ming narrowed his eyes, sensing an abnormality in the mana around them. Several emerald-green lights abruptly appeared in the dark forest, like ghostly flames that made the hairs stand on end.

Only when those green lights drew nearer did Xia Ming realize that they were a pack of... wolves!

There were six wolves in all, covered in gray fur and exceptionally robust. Savage light gleamed in their emerald beast eyes. Their jaws hung open, baring fangs, while saliva dripped onto the ground with soft pattering sounds.

"These are level-two Magic Beasts, Storm Mad Wolves!" Xia Ming recognized them at once. Anthony had given Xia Ming quite a few Magic Beast illustrated guides, which Xia Ming had studied carefully.

Six Storm Mad Wolves!