Chapter Fourteen: A Night Under the Stars and the Sudden Arrival of a Mysterious Girl
Before long, the two of them returned.
“Damn it, that guy is too cunning!”
The mage let out a soft sigh.
“Don’t worry, sooner or later we’ll catch him!” The warrior gritted his teeth, then turned to Yang Feng and asked, “Did you see a short man pass by just now?”
“I did. He went that way.” Yang Feng pointed in the direction the short man had fled.
“Thanks!”
Just then, the warrior’s gaze suddenly landed on the crow warriors hovering above Yang Feng’s head.
“A summoned pet? And a crow, no less?” The warrior’s face showed utter astonishment.
“Crows are omens of misfortune. Are you perhaps a practitioner of dark magic?” The mage at his side frowned, looking intently at Yang Feng. At the same time, the staff in his hand glowed with a white light.
Suddenly, the warrior grabbed the mage by the arm.
“Don’t meddle in unnecessary matters. Let’s hurry and chase the short guy!”
“Alright.” The mage nodded, then followed the warrior away.
Watching the two depart, Yang Feng let out a cold snort. He had observed the two men in secret just now—they were probably only around level 15. If they dared to attack him, he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate. In the wild, monsters weren’t the only threat; humans were far more dangerous. Killing for treasure out here was commonplace. Even if you were slain, there would be no one to stand up for you.
Next, Yang Feng began his monster-slaying session.
[You have slain a level 10 Forest Wolf. Experience +350.]
[You have slain a level 11 Cobra. Experience +400.]
[Congratulations, you have obtained a portion of Cobra Venom!]
[…]
The system notifications echoed endlessly in Yang Feng’s mind. The more monsters he killed, the faster his experience climbed. Forty level-three crow warriors plunged into a frenzy of monster-hunting, while Yang Feng relished the thrill of leveling up.
Against the level-three crow warriors, the level-11 cobras stood no chance. However, as Yang Feng’s level rose, so did the experience required to advance. This made leveling up increasingly slow. Now that he had reached level 11, it would take at least six thousand Forest Wolves to reach level 12. Even with forty crow warriors rampaging, the experience gains were still too sluggish.
By nightfall, Yang Feng was still forty percent short of the experience he needed to reach level 12. As darkness fell, he lit a campfire, skinned a Forest Wolf, and roasted its meat over the flames.
Slaying monsters not only yielded experience and materials, but their meat was also edible. Compared to ordinary animals, the flesh of monsters was more nutritious and could boost a person’s immunity.
“At this rate, I should reach level 12 by tomorrow,” Yang Feng mused. “But when I’ll reach level 15 is anyone’s guess. Once I hit level 15, leveling will become even slower. There are only a few days left until the college entrance exams. How did they manage to reach level 20?”
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
“Dungeons?”
“The dungeon at Greenhill Town?”
“Could it be that they reached level 20 by running dungeons?”
Dungeons were classified by difficulty: one-star, two-star, three-star, and so on. The Greenhill Town dungeon was a two-star challenge, featuring stronger and higher-level monsters. Defeating them meant greater experience rewards.
“So that’s it—they must have leveled up by clearing dungeons! Tomorrow, I’ll go to Greenhill Town and see for myself.”
With that resolution, Yang Feng made up his mind.
Spending the night in the wild was fraught with danger. A single misstep could result in a monster attack. For the sake of safety, Yang Feng released all forty of his crow warriors, instructing them to eliminate any monsters within a hundred meters and patrol the area. As for himself, he sat cross-legged on the ground, deep in thought.
With forty crow warriors patrolling nearby, Yang Feng had little to worry about regarding his own safety.
Howls echoed from the depths of the forest—the cries of Forest Wolves rang out intermittently, making the deserted surroundings all the more eerie and foreboding.
Caw!
Around midnight, a piercing shriek from a crow warrior shattered the silence. Yang Feng’s eyes flew open.
“Someone’s coming? Is it another adventurer out to train at this hour?” he wondered aloud, though he remained seated. Still, his vigilance was heightened—it was, after all, the wilderness, not just outside the city. Survival here demanded the utmost caution.
Minutes passed. Eventually, a figure appeared before Yang Feng. He recognized the short figure who’d fled earlier in the day.
Looking more closely, Yang Feng realized the short person wasn’t a man, but a girl. She gazed at him, pale-faced, and asked, “Do you have anything to eat? I haven’t eaten for a whole day and night!”
Without a word, Yang Feng tossed her a roasted wolf leg.
The girl seized it and devoured it ravenously—she was clearly starving.
As she ate, Yang Feng studied her carefully. She appeared to be around his age, about eighteen, with delicate features—a true beauty in the making. As for her level, Yang Feng refrained from probing out of courtesy; casually using a detection spell on someone was considered extremely rude.
“Thank you,” the girl said gratefully once she’d finished eating.
“No need,” Yang Feng replied coolly.
“By the way, what’s your name?” she asked.
Yang Feng didn’t answer.
Seeing his silence, the girl frowned and cast a detection spell on him.
Soon, she had his information. “Your name is Yang Feng, a student from East Sea First High, level 11. Your class is Cursist? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that before! And during the day, I saw the crows around you. Are they all your pets? It’s rare to see someone using crows as summoned creatures!”
She gaped at him in astonishment.
Yang Feng felt exasperated. How could she use detection magic so freely? If she’d done that to someone with a bad temper, a fight would have broken out for sure.
Since she had used a detection spell on him, Yang Feng saw no reason to hold back and cast one on her in return. To his surprise, his spell failed—leaving him momentarily stunned.