Chapter 23: The Girl Named Alice (Part 1)
On the return journey, the magical beasts they encountered grew weaker and weaker. When Linley stepped into the outer region, the beasts he met were almost all third or fourth rank, posing no threat at all. But even so, Linley didn’t dare to let his guard down completely.
Dellinger walked side by side with Linley, but deep down, he was filled with worry. Linley now carried an air of steady composure, yet when he acted, he showed no mercy. His eyes held a coldness that pushed others away.
Dellinger still remembered that before entering the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, Linley’s gaze had been filled with sincerity, and he had been quick to trust people.
After pondering for a long time, Dellinger finally sent a soul transmission: “Linley.”
Linley, who was nimbly weaving through the forest, turned his head and looked at Dellinger in confusion. “Grandpa Dellinger, is something the matter?”
Dellinger nodded solemnly. “Linley, before we entered the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, I warned you that people’s hearts are hidden behind their skin, and you shouldn’t trust others easily. I told you to stay vigilant.”
Linley nodded. “Grandpa Dellinger, you were right. People really can’t be trusted easily. If I had listened to you earlier, I probably wouldn’t have taken that knife to the stomach.”
Dellinger shook his head. “While you shouldn’t trust others easily, you also shouldn’t be overly cautious. If you stay like this, how will you ever get along with people in the future? Remember, don’t be too cold, but don’t be too trusting either. Trust is built gradually through long-term interaction. Don’t let others’ words sway you easily.”
Linley was sharp-witted. He had read many books both at home and at the Ernst Institute, and after hearing Grandpa Dellinger’s words, he understood a bit more. But after two months of brutal life, witnessing the cruelty of human nature so clearly, it was truly hard for him to trust anyone.
“Grandpa Dellinger, I understand.” Linley nodded.
Dellinger sighed inwardly, but he also felt relieved. “At least Linley still has the little shadow mouse ‘Bebe’ to keep him company, and some good friends at the Ernst Institute. He won’t become excessively cold.”
Dellinger still remembered, thousands of years ago when the Pru Empire still existed, a white-robed man who was a Saint-level powerhouse of the empire like himself. That man was a powerful Sword Saint, but also an extremely reclusive person.
“Grandpa Dellinger, what do you think Father’s reaction will be when he sees all these magical beast cores?” Linley suddenly looked at Dellinger and asked with a smile. At this moment, Linley’s eyes held the eager anticipation of a child hoping for his father’s praise.
Like a student who had done well on an exam, hoping for his father’s approval.
“Linley, are you planning to give all these magical beast cores to your father?” Dellinger asked with a smile.
Linley nodded. “Of course. These magical beast cores are worth over seventy thousand gold coins. I only need enough to not go hungry—a few dozen gold coins a year is plenty. But Father has to manage the entire clan and pay for little Wharton’s tuition. These cores should go to him.”
Linley didn’t want to sell the cores himself. After all, he had no experience in trading and might even be cheated without realizing it.
“Haha, I believe your father will jump for joy.” Dellinger laughed heartily.
Linley grinned, then quickened his pace along the return path.
He couldn’t be bothered to kill third or fourth-rank magical beasts. Moving swiftly and flexibly through the mountain range, Linley leaped over a small stream when he heard fierce roars and human shouts from deeper in the forest.
“Huh? Anyone who dares to come to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts should at least be a fifth-rank warrior. The outer region usually only has third and fourth-rank beasts. Why is there such a fierce battle?” Linley wondered.
In the inner region, where fifth and sixth-rank beasts roamed, and even seventh-rank ones occasionally appeared, such brutal fights might happen. But in the outer region, this was rare, and battles usually ended quickly.
With a push of his legs, he leaped seven or eight meters, easily jumping between the trees. In no time, he reached the battlefield.
Standing on a branch, Linley quietly observed.
Two young men and two young women were fiercely fighting a Bloodthirsty War Pig. One of them, a youth in white armor, was shouting commands: “Number Two, don’t run around! Protect Alice! I’ll lead this stupid pig. Nia, don’t panic! Shoot at its vital points!”
These four clearly had very little experience. When danger struck, they panicked. Only the leader in white armor seemed somewhat steady.
“These four are really bold. That kid in white armor is probably a fifth-rank warrior, but the other three are at most fourth-rank.” Linley shook his head inwardly. The other three hadn’t even reached fifth-rank and still dared to come to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. They were certainly audacious.
Another red-haired youth shouted in panic, “Boss Kalan, didn’t you say the outer region only had third and fourth-rank beasts? This is a fifth-rank magical beast!”
The leader, a youth named Kalan, was also filled with helplessness. As a fifth-rank warrior, he had brought three good friends to train in the outermost area of the mountain range, thinking there would be no danger. But he never expected to encounter a fifth-rank beast.
“Pfft!” A dozen earth spikes suddenly erupted around the Bloodthirsty War Pig, three of them stabbing into its body. But they shattered against its thick hide.
“Roar~~”
The Bloodthirsty War Pig roared angrily at the only mage among the four, then charged at her at full speed. The momentum of its charge was terrifying, and flames occasionally shot from its snout. This sent another youth into a panic.
“Dodge, Alice, dodge!” Kalan shouted loudly.
The girl named Alice had long golden hair and a pair of dreamy, hazy eyes. At this moment, she was frantically trying to escape, but the Bloodthirsty War Pig, though not highly intelligent, was still far smarter than an ordinary beast.
The war pig chased after Alice.
Seeing the war pig charging at her, Alice tried to run faster, but she tripped over a vine and fell. Looking back, she saw the red-eyed war pig charging like a madman. With her frail body, she would be crushed to death if it trampled her.
Alice froze in terror.
The other two youths and the girl were also stunned, unable to react in time to save her.
“Alice!” Kalan could only shout in pain and desperation. Though he was a fifth-rank warrior, his experience was sorely lacking.
“Pfft!”
Seven or eight sharp earth spikes, shimmering with dense yellow light, suddenly erupted from the ground. Though the fifth-rank Bloodthirsty War Pig had thick skin, two of the spikes pierced into its tough muscles, and blood began to flow from its belly.
But…
The spikes only penetrated the muscles, not reaching any internal organs.
“Roar~~” The war pig screamed in pain, lifting its head.
“Pfft!” A black short blade descended from above like lightning, stabbing directly into the war pig’s eye. The eyeball burst, and the blade pierced through its entire head. The war pig convulsed violently, trembling like a sieve, and soon stopped moving.
Kalan, Nia, Alice, and the others felt their hearts pounding from the shock.
They watched as a strong young man in blue warrior attire skillfully extracted the magical beast core from the Bloodthirsty War Pig. Then, without a word, he turned to leave. But Kalan was the first to recover his breath and immediately shouted, “Friend, wait a moment!”