Prepare for battle

Over the past few nights, Han Shuo had gone out alone, relying on his keen senses to hunt nearby magical beasts. The man and skeleton worked together seamlessly, making their hunts unfailingly successful. So far, they had collected four grade-five Magic Beast Cores, along with some valuable pelts, horns, and limbs.

While hunting magical beasts, Han Shuo not only tried using his Demonic Cultivation Art but also repeatedly practiced the Bone Spike Magic he had mastered. His combination of close- and long-range attacks often produced remarkable results.

Han Shuo had never experienced the panic and nervousness the students had shown when first facing magical beasts. From beginning to end, he remained just as calm, even numbingly cold.

Even Han Shuo himself did not know why he felt none of those unpleasant emotions during the process. He even vaguely sensed excitement and anticipation deep within himself while hunting magical beasts, as though he greatly enjoyed the process.

I really am no good person! Han Shuo thought mockingly. He took the harvested Magic Beast Core and the Wind Blade Demon Wolf's pelt from Little Skeleton, patted his glossy black skull, and said with a smile, "Come on, we can head back now."

Clutching his bone blade, Little Skeleton followed behind Han Shuo and swiftly retraced their route, not a trace of emotion stirring in his hollow eye sockets.

Partway back, Han Shuo recited an incantation and sent Little Skeleton back to the other dimension. As the tents came into view, he slowed his steps, slipping through the shadows of the trees at an unhurried pace.

It was already the latter half of the night, and Fanny, Lisa, and Amy had taken over the watch at the tents. Lisa and Amy looked drowsy, their eyes half closed. One glance was enough to tell that they were taking the opportunity to slack off, failing entirely to shoulder their responsibilities.

Fortunately, Fanny understood how important keeping watch was. Her bright eyes constantly swept their surroundings. The moment Han Shuo's faint footsteps drew near, she abruptly turned her alert gaze toward his approach.

Holding her Magic Wand, Fanny frowned, her lovely face wary. She slowly approached in Han Shuo's direction and called softly, "Who's there?"

"Miss Fanny, it's me!" Han Shuo slowly emerged from the shade of the trees and spoke to her quietly.

"I knew it had to be you. I went looking for you just now, but there was no one in your tent. Where did you run off to in the middle of the night?" Fanny fixed her eyes on Han Shuo and asked in bewilderment.

"Nothing much. I was looking for a secluded place to practice magic. After I asked you about Bone Arrow Magic last time, I started finding quiet places to practice at night. I think only repeated practice can ensure that I make no mistakes at all." Han Shuo scratched his head and explained softly, looking utterly honest.

"Brian, it's good that you're so diligent. Once some time has passed and you've mastered more magic, I'll explain this to the academy authorities. Then you can immediately be relieved of your status as an odd-job servant. You might even receive the same treatment as the students." Fanny looked at Han Shuo and spoke after a moment's thought.

"Oh, I was sold to the Babylon Academy of Magic and Martial Arts. Does knowing magic really mean I can be freed from my status as a servant and slave?" Han Shuo paused in surprise before asking.

Fanny nodded and said with certainty, "No mage has ever been an odd-job servant or a slave. Mages enjoy a superior standing throughout the Qio Continent. Even though our Necromancy Department has declined, if you can prove that you know how to use Necromancy, your status will change immediately. You'll no longer have to be reduced to a servant who cleans."

"I see. That's wonderful. I still have a lot of questions I hope you can answer, Miss Fanny. I'll work hard to improve as quickly as possible and become a qualified mage." A thought stirred in Han Shuo's mind. He suddenly remembered the many things he still did not understand in the magic books he had read before, and decided to take this opportunity to clear them up.

"No problem. Whenever you have any questions about Necromancy, you can ask me. I'll help you. Er... although you're a little lecherous now, I'm certain you're a natural Demonic Body talent. I'll definitely free you from your current status." Fanny smiled faintly and spoke in a lilting voice.

Han Shuo gave a guileless smile, seemingly not having heard Fanny call him lecherous at all. After a little thought, he began asking her about magic.

After a while, Fanny exclaimed and looked at Han Shuo in astonishment. "Oh, heavens, Brian! You already know so much about magic! Where did you learn all this? Your questions are every bit as good as those of an ordinary Magic Apprentice. This is unbelievable!"

"I read all this in the magic books in the library while helping Jack clean it. After I discovered last time that I could cast Bone Arrow Magic, I started looking into why." Han Shuo lied without blushing or missing a beat, speaking to Fanny with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Brian, I was right about you. You really are a magical genius!" Hearing Han Shuo's explanation, Fanny exclaimed again.

Just then, Han Shuo suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. His expression turned serious, and he hurriedly said, "Something's approaching, but this time it doesn't sound like a magical beast. It sounds more like humans."

At Han Shuo's words, Fanny's lovely face changed slightly. In her alarm, she reached out and seized his arm, heading quickly straight toward the tents. As she walked, she said, "There are all sorts of races in the Dark Forest, and not all of them are friendly. Even humans like us sometimes become murderous over a high-grade Magic Beast Core. We'd better take precautions now."

In her alarm, Fanny's slender, delicate hand gripped Han Shuo's wrist. Fanny had no other thoughts, but Han Shuo already harbored improper intentions. The smooth feeling of her five fingers against his wrist immediately left him somewhat entranced, and his mind suddenly recalled that intoxicating sensation on the warhorse a few days earlier.

"Everyone, get up! Lisa, Amy, hurry and wake everyone up. Prepare for battle! Danger may be approaching!" At Fanny's words, the half-dozing Lisa and Amy both jolted awake. Sensing the approaching danger from her alarmed voice, they began shouting as they hurried to the tents to raise the alarm.

For a time, Lisa's and Amy's shrill cries rang out around the tents. The sleeping students hurried out one after another, disheveled and bleary-eyed, hastily preparing for battle.

At that moment, Fanny happened to glance at Han Shuo and discovered him smiling down at her delicate hand around his wrist, seemingly enjoying himself. Anger rose in her heart. She gave him a vicious pinch with the hand holding him before letting go, then whispered furiously, "Damn you, Brian. I'm finding you almost as lecherous as Fitch."

Han Shuo cried out in pain, an embarrassed, guileless smile on his face, but inwardly he was speechless. I wonder what Fanny would think if she knew I was the one who groped her lovely bottom last time.

Amid the students' confusion, heavy footsteps gradually drew closer from the distance and reached everyone's ears. After Fanny's pinch, Han Shuo began to calm down as well. The lustful gleam in his eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by a profound indifference as he watched everything around him with the cold gaze of a bystander.

The heavy footfalls kept approaching, accompanied by strange, huffing cries. Gene frowned and said in puzzlement, "Footsteps that heavy shouldn't belong to humans, but two-legged magical beasts are rare too. What could they be?"

Fanny frowned in thought. Then her bright eyes lit up, and she suddenly shouted, "Everyone, hurry and summon Skeleton Warriors to hold the front! We've probably run into the Dark Forest's Ogres!"

The moment the word "Ogres" left Fanny's mouth, everyone froze. Some of the female students shuddered, fear appearing on their faces. Gene was startled as well and hurriedly called everyone together to form a defensive ring. He also took out a brown Magic Wand resembling a tree root, his expression thoroughly cautious.

Magic Spells poured from the mouths of the students and teachers. Skeleton Warriors, Ghouls, and Zombie Warriors appeared out of thin air before them, along with two enormous Abomination Warriors summoned by Fanny and Gene.

Abomination Warriors were relatively high-ranking dark creatures. These enormous abominations wielded iron clubs, their flabby bodies possessing greater strength and sturdier defenses. They were commonly used as meat shields by necromancers.

Sure enough, a short while later, eight Ogres appeared in everyone's sight amid the heavy footfalls. They stood around two and a half meters tall, their flesh lead-gray, and carried spiked clubs and spears.

Ogres were creatures that lived in groups, with a dozen or so making up a tribe. Lazy and fond of plunder, every one of them was a born bandit. They knew how to use spiked clubs and spears, and their strong, tough bodies gave their close-range attacks great force and destructive power.

However, what frightened everyone most was not the Ogres' strength but their habits. As their name suggested, Ogres were called man-eaters because they ate people. When they encountered humans while plundering, they not only stole everything but also captured the humans to eat as food.

Around Han Shuo and the others' circular defensive position, Skeleton Warriors, Ghouls, Zombie Warriors, and Abomination Warriors formed an outer defensive ring. Within stood the necromancers capable of ranged attacks, all watching solemnly as the Ogres approached with huffing cries.

"Prepare for battle!" Fanny shouted, already raising the Magic Wand in her hand.