Chapter 16

The hunt continued, but it had gone deeper.

In fact, even if the current earnings were divided among six people, it would be enough to cover Ji Ran and Lydia's tuition fees... Not to mention, the bone-blade sword and the Boots of Swift Stride were definitely worth more than 1,200 gold coins. Of course, these two items now had owners and didn't need to be sold.

However, there were still plenty of materials left. If they were pieced together, Ji Ran could make two or three ordinary magical treasures... They might not have the best attributes, but they would still be usable. Even so, selling them for tuition money would definitely not be a problem, and there would still be plenty left for living expenses.

But Ji Ran didn't want to piece these materials together; it would be a disgrace for a Master-level alchemist. Even if he were to make low-level magical treasures, he wanted to do it to the best of his ability!

So, he even rejected Beck's playful request.

"Rest assured, once I find suitable materials, I will definitely forge you an exquisite magical item!" Ji Ran promised solemnly.

Beck had no choice. Although he was extremely eager for the magical item, if someone said they would make him a better one, what could he complain about? Besides, his current weapons and armor were good enough for now. It was just a matter of time, so he could wait.

The group ventured deeper and deeper, already entering the heart of the Level 3 monster zone, close to the Level 4 monster zone. At this point, Lys decided not to go any further. Level 4 monsters were too powerful; after all, there was a significant difference between the Silver and Bronze ranks, which wasn't easy to overcome. He could protect himself, but what about the others?

He decided to hunt here and return to town when it was almost time for the Azure Wind Academy entrance exam. The distance to the commercial city of Baise wasn't too far, and there would be enough time to prepare on the way.

If they had continued as planned, it would have been a rather stable and smooth operation. However, one day, things suddenly changed.

They had just hunted a Level 3 monster, the Giant-Eared Ostrich, and were enjoying a bird meat feast prepared by Ji Ran when, suddenly, a beam of white light shot up from the nearby forest, reaching over a hundred meters high. The white light disappeared in an instant, like a flash of lightning, leaving no trace.

If they were in the forest, with the leaves blocking the view, it would have been difficult to spot the white light. However, Ji Ran and the others had chosen a riverside clearing for their picnic, so the white light was clearly visible.

"What was that?" Everyone looked up, and Beck voiced his confusion.

Lys frowned as he looked at the white light. "That's not ordinary light... It feels like something from an interdimensional summoning spell. Monsters definitely don't have that ability; it must be a human or some other intelligent race. And, I have a sense of familiarity..."

Ji Ran remained silent. He knew too little about this world, and it was better to let someone with more experience make the judgment.

"I sense a violation of nature from that direction. Although I'm not a Druid, my elven nature makes me detest that place," Aileen put down her chicken and looked at the area with a serious expression.

"Violation of nature? Then my feeling might be right... Aileen, take everyone and leave. Head back the way we came," Lys stood up, picked up the bone-blade sword by his side, and seemed to have made a decision.

"What do you mean? Uncle Lys, you want Aileen to take us and run away? What are you planning to do, go over there and join in the fun? No way, how can I miss out on the action!" Beck was the first to jump up before anyone else could react.

"Uncle Lys, if there's something, just tell us, and we can discuss it and solve it together. If it's a powerful enemy we can't handle, we can all leave together. You don't need to go alone," Ban, who was more composed, also tried to persuade Lys.

"What's going on? You want me to take these people and run away without a clear explanation? Even if you look down on me, there's a limit," Aileen's expression turned cold—well, actually, her expression was mostly the same.

Seeing the three of them stand up, Uncle Lys lowered his head and took a deep breath. "This is my own business, and it has nothing to do with you. You don't need to take the risk with me. Go to a safer place. I'm sorry, Ji Ran, I might need to use this sword for a while, and I'm not sure if I can return it. But my share of the loot will be yours, and you can forge your own magical weapon... Consider it a bit of compensation for the labor."

With that, Lys prepared to head toward the direction of the light.

"Wait!" Ji Ran called out to Uncle Lys. Seeing Lys turn around, Ji Ran smiled widely.

"I'm a very stingy person. Once I heard I wouldn't get the labor fee, I couldn't let it go. How about this, I'll go with you, and we'll see what's happening over there together. If it gets too dangerous, we'll run together. It's better than me worrying here."

"You..." Uncle Lys didn't finish his sentence when Beck chimed in.

"Exactly, it's more fun if we all go together! It's not like there's something good over there, and Uncle Lys is worried we'll fight over it, right?"

"I..." Lys was about to explain when Ban spoke up.

"Uncle Lys, we've been together for so long. Don't you trust us? Even if we face danger, would we abandon you and run away? If that were the case, you wouldn't have formed a team with us, right?"

Lys looked at everyone, his lips moving, but he didn't know what to say.

"Be straightforward, Uncle Lys. Don't think that going alone to die will impress us. That would just make us think you're irresponsible. If you have the courage to go alone, don't you have the confidence to bring us all back together?"

Aileen's words were as sharp as ever, but everyone else felt that she made a lot of sense...

"Exactly! Uncle Lys, you saved me and brought me out to earn tuition. I... I won't run away on my own!" Even Lydia stood up, showing her courage.

"You... Sigh, it's not that I want to abandon you. This has nothing to do with you, and it's very dangerous. I have old grudges with them, and running away isn't my style. But you don't need to take the risk with me..."

Aileen waved her hand. "No need to say more. If you think it's dangerous and could endanger our lives, leave with us. If you have a reason to go, don't try to leave us behind. I think having us with you might make you think twice before doing something rash."

This time, Uncle Lys didn't say much. He lowered his head and was silent for a moment. Then, he suddenly looked up. "I understand. Since you insist, we'll go together. But I must make it clear: you must follow my commands and not act on your own. It might be very dangerous, extremely dangerous!"

He spoke solemnly, and everyone listened attentively. But Beck, as usual, was curious and playful. "Very dangerous? How dangerous, more than a Level 4 monster? Or... like a Level 5 monster?"

"More serious than that. If it were a monster, we could target its weaknesses and deal with it. But our opponent this time might be someone like us... or an intelligent being," Lys looked at Beck seriously.

"An intelligent being?" Everyone was surprised.

Actually, during this time, they had encountered other adventuring teams. Although the Blue Pine Forest wasn't one of the largest adventure areas, it was vast, with moderate monster difficulty, attracting many adventurers between the Bronze and Silver ranks. Adventurers hunting here were somewhat familiar with each other and would greet each other when they met.

Of course, according to Uncle Lys, adventurers weren't always friendly. There were often reports of entire teams being wiped out during adventures, and a large part of these incidents were caused by other adventurers. Disputes, competition for prey, old grudges, and greed... There were many reasons for adventurers to attack each other.

If the teams were of similar strength, it was hard for them to fight each other... After all, killing a thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of your own wasn't a good deal. But if there was a significant difference in strength, or one side was in danger while the other was hiding in the shadows... who could say what would happen?

Far from the city and the law, the dark side of human nature was fully exposed. Even in the city, such ugly things still happened.

Fortunately, there weren't any particularly strong adventuring teams in the Blue Pine Forest, and Uncle Lys had good relations, so they hadn't had any conflicts with other adventurers. But now, Lys said their opponent was an intelligent being...

"I'm not entirely sure, but let's go and see. Hopefully, it's just a false alarm," Uncle Lys forced a smile, but everyone could see his worried expression.

The group moved toward the direction of the white light.

The closer they got to the source of the white light, the more serious Uncle Lys and Aileen's expressions became.

"Look at the traces around here; they are clearly man-made. There must be quite a few people gathered over there," Uncle Lys observed the broken branches, leaves, and footprints on the ground.

"The sense of revulsion is getting stronger. It seems something evil from another world is appearing," Aileen frowned and looked into the distance.

"Be careful! Hide!" Suddenly, Uncle Lys whispered and quickly hid behind a large tree.

The others were already used to finding hiding spots in the forest. Even Lydia quickly found a bush to hide in. Some climbed trees, others lay down, and they instantly disappeared into the surroundings.

At that moment, a group of people slowly approached from a distance.