Sunlight struggled through the layers of dense canopy, casting countless swaying patches of light across the forest. Whenever a beam happened to fall on Loa, an exceedingly faint, almost transparent glow could be seen flowing gently over his skin-the protective gauze robe formed by battle-qi covering his body after he had begun to consolidate his standing as a Rank 5 Warrior.
The true middle region generally referred to the area between a hundred and several hundred kilometers into the mountain range. This was where mid-level magical beasts roamed in earnest. Fifth- and sixth-level beasts were everywhere, and occasionally even a Seventh-Level Magical Beast would wander out of the core region to hunt. As for the deeper core region, where seventh-, eighth-, and Level Nine Magical Beasts were rumored to dwell, and where Saint magical beasts might even appear, Loa had no intention of so much as approaching it. That would not be training. It would be suicide.
Only a few days after he stepped into the outskirts of the middle region, the forest put him in his place-or rather, offered him a rather unusual "welcome gift."
It was a peculiarly shaped magical beast, resembling a mountain goat enlarged several times over, but with a much more powerful build. Its short, silver-gray hairs stood like needles. Most striking of all were the enormous curved horns atop its head, their tips wreathed in threads of blue-white electricity. It was a Ragehorn Lightning Sheep, one of the rarer lightning-attribute Fifth-Level Magical Beasts.
The moment Loa saw it, only one thought crossed his mind: Who the hell knew why a sheep could fucking shoot electricity?!
"Baaa!!"
The Ragehorn Lightning Sheep was clearly hostile toward the intruder as well. Without any attempt to test him, it threw back its head and let out a savage