Chapter 33

Violent Hilly Bear

The chirping of insects could be heard in the quiet forest from time to time, and the lush branches and leaves of the trees covered the sun completely. Sunrays occasionally shone through the gaps like beams of light.

" Caw Caw!" Familiar sounding cries could be heard ahead.

Kaliweir, who was leading at the forefront, furrowed his brows, "Why are there so many Red-Eyed Ravens!? These creatures are very aggressive towards humans! If we do not clean their numbers up in time, they will attract more of their kind which will be extremely troublesome!"

"What now? Should we take a detour?" Raynor asked.

"I'm afraid that might not work, they have already discovered us!" Leylin looked at the image in the A.I. Chip and said without looking back.

The sound of wings flapping gradually got closer. Kaliweir laughed, "Since they have voluntarily come to look for us, we shouldn't hesitate to welcome them!"

The expressions of the others were at ease. After this period of polishing their teamwork, they all have a set of strategies that were customised to deal with the Red-Eyed Ravens.

"Not good! There are 2 of them!" Leylin looked at the screen and his expression changed suddenly.

Kaliweir was startled. As per Leylin's warning, there was indeed another black shadow behind the first Red-Eyed Raven that flew over, and its size seemed to be bigger than others of its kind.

"We're in trouble!" Kaliweir's brows furrowed, "Leylin and Neela, you two deal with the one in front! As for the other one, leave it to us three!"

"Prepare well!" Leylin said to Neela behind him and drew the crossbow that was slung on his back.

"Measuring wind power and humidity! Adjusting trajectory..."

*Whoosh! * A black line streaked across the sky and pierced through the Red-Eyed Raven's body, bringing along a few feathers with it.

"Caw!" The Red-Eyed Raven at the front let out an angry cry and flew towards Leylin.

It actually seemed like it did not sustain any injuries.

"Let's lure it away!" Leylin's expression did not change, and he put down the crossbow that was in his hands.

Thanks to the A.I. Chip, he was very clear that the arrow earlier did hit the Red-Eyed Raven, but the vitality of these crows was rather high, being almost similar to a human Knight. Their feathers were extremely hard too; hence, it did not receive much damage.

The weapons of regular humans do not pose much threat to the creatures of the Magus World.

Seeing Leylin and Neela luring a Red-Eyed Raven away, Kaliweir made up his mind. He shouted loudly, "Raynor and Lilisse, stall the other Red-Eyed Raven that is behind and give me time to prepare my spell."

Raynor and Lilisse looked at each other and then dashed towards the Red-Eyed Raven at the back.

As Raynor ran, he grabbed the bow on his back and shot towards the sky. A few throwing knives accompanied the arrow.

"Caw Caw!" The huge Red-Eyed Raven flapped its black wings and slapped the arrow and knives down.

"It actually used its bare wings to knocked the arrow away!" Raynor's face turned pale and his footsteps halted.

However, the Red-Eyed Raven that was significantly larger than its counterpart had already swooped down and its huge claws cut into Raynor's shoulders, leaving a gash.

Raynor was pinned to the ground by the Red-Eyed Raven.

"Save......Save me!" Raynor shouted and pleaded.

*Bang!!* Just as the Red-Eyed Raven was about to peck down, a bright light flashed. Lilisse raised a huge sword that was even larger than her and swatted the Red-Eyed Raven away.

"Bam!" An iron wire that was made into a net was thrown in front of Raynor.

"I'll stall it, hurry and take the chance to throw the net!" Lilisse, who was usually quiet and a little shy, now seemed to be a completely different person.

"Okay!" Raynor looked at Kaliweir, who was still preparing the cast his spell, and picked up the net.

Lilisse had obviously trained with swordplay before, and the huge steel sword brandished in her hands turned into a silver flash as she knocked the Red-Eyed Raven away to the side.

"Ha!" With a beautiful sweep, Lilisse knocked the Red-Eyed Raven down onto the floor, making mud and grit splatter everywhere.

"A good chance!" Raynor's eyes flashed, and the sharp pain transmitting through his shoulder made his eyes a little bloodshot as he spread the steel wire net and trapped the Red-Eyed Raven within it.

"Caw Caw!" The Red-Eyed Raven continuously thrashed inside, and it seemed as though it would break free from the steel wire net at any moment.

"Kaliweir, hurry!" The Red-Eyed Raven's feathers are too thick, I can't deal much damage to it!"

Lilisse shouted anxiously.

"Thank you for your efforts!" At this moment, Kaliweir finally finished his spell, and a dark red coloured fireball was blazing in his hands.

"Hurry and move!" After Kaliweir shouted, Lilisse and Raynor hurriedly scattered.

"Let's go! Negative Energy Fireball!" With a fling of Kaliweir's hands, the dark red fireball streaked across with a booming sound until it landed perfectly on the Red-Eyed Raven's body.

*Boom!* A huge sound reverberated continuously in all directions, along with a surging heat wave.

The intense wind from the explosion also burned a huge crater in the ground, and the surrounding plants and shrubbery did not escape from it either.

"Nice one!" Raynor had run a little too slowly and was swept onto the ground by the wind behind him. His clothes were stained with mud. However, when he looked at the Red-Eyed Raven, he was indescribably happy.

"Haah..." Kaliweir panted too, "This Negative Energy Fireball takes too long to cast and I need someone to help me stall the enemy. However, its might is extremely great!"

Lilisse straightened her fringe. As she looked towards the direction that Leylin and Neela had run in, there was an obvious tinge of worry in her eyes, "I wonder how they are doing now?"

"Don't worry! Leylin and Neela are very strong, and we also managed to deal with the bigger one ourselves..." Kaliweir comforted her. This was the first mission that he had taken in a year, and he, too, wanted the perfect ending.

"We're alright!" Just as Kaliweir was speaking, both Leylin and Neela walked out from a thicket of bushes.

A few black feathers clung to their bodies, but they did not seem to have sustained any injuries.

"Where is the other one?"

"Over here!" Leylin raised the black claws in his hands, and then looked at the huge pit. "Wow, this fellow. I reckon that had at least 6 degrees of power, it seems like Kaliweir is pursuing lethal spells.

"Since everyone is okay, let us hurry back, I have a bad feeling about this!" Kaliweir's face darkened, "The monsters lurking around the school these days seem to be a little too much!"

"I agree, were the academy missions before this dangerous?" Leylin asked.

"That's not right! Even if we accepted a patrolling mission like this, we needed at least 1 month to find 10 Red-Eyed Ravens. However, we have exceeded that amount in just 10 days!" Neela explained beside him.

"After we return, let us report this situation, I feel there's something amiss!" Lilisse said suddenly.

"If there are any problems it'll be for the Magi to solve! We had better leave here as soon as possible, I don't feel safe out here!" Raynor added.

"Nicely said! Let us hurry!" Kaliweir said as he threw the broken iron wire net aside and picked up a black claw.

As everyone did not have any objections, the team hurried back.

"Why would these 2 Red-Eyed Ravens obstruct us on our return trip back to the academy? Could it just be a coincidence?" Leylin suddenly felt uneasy and hastened his footsteps.

The rest of them seemed to have the same ominous feeling, and the team hurried along.

"Do you think those 2 Red-Eyed Ravens earlier were guarding some treasures? You know, ravens have a habit of collecting shiny items!"

Neela, who was at the back of the group, saw the gloomy expressions on everyone and said half-jokingly.

"Those are normal ravens. Although the Red-Eyed Ravens also have the word raven in their name, their bloodlines are closer to that of a Bramble Thorny Bird. Therefore, they don't have the habit of searching for treasures, but instead have an acute sense for a few special plants. In fact, Magi often raise Bramble Thorny Birds too, to use them to search for those special plants!" Leylin replied, not turning back.

"How do you know that?" Raynor was obviously not convinced.

"Bramble Thorny Bird's origins and how to raise them. It's on the level 3 bookshelf in the library, I read it recently." Leylin replied blandly.

"Oh! Leylin! You're so awesome!" Sparks could be seen in Neela's eyes again.

Raynor turned away.

"Eh?" Leylin took a sniff and suddenly smelled a very fragrant scent.

"Stop! Did you guys smell anything?" Leylin hurriedly halted.

The group stopped. "Smell what?" Kaliweir's expression tightened, and he gripped the cleaver in his hands.

"I seem to have smelled a very fragrant scent!" Leylin explained.

"Fragrance? There are only odours that make people want to vomit in this forest! And now it is getting more serious!" Raynor interrupted.

"I actually smelled a whiff of Jasmine Flowers mixed with Black-Oiled Roses!" Lilisse wrinkled her nose.

"Everyone be careful! There is the stench of a wild beast!" *Shiing!* Kaliweir unsheathed his cleaver. This situation was obviously strange. Leylin also placed his hands into his waist pouch.

*Hu!* A gust of wind blew over. It carried a fishy stench that stung the nose.

*Grooarrr!!!* The roar of a ruthless beast sounded.

The plants in the surrounding black forest also bent from the pressure caused by the beast's roar.

Kaliweir's face changed greatly, "Be careful, it's a huge one!"

*Boom Boom!* The heavy steps rang. Leylin and the rest saw the appearance of the creature.

It was a huge black bear and its skull was split open as if exposing its brain. There was also a 'V'-shaped, white mark on its chest, like a lightning scar.

"Be careful! It's the Violent Hilly Bear; each one is comparable to a level 3 acolyte! Last time, it was this fellow that we met!"

Kaliweir's pupils shrank to the size of a pin, "Be careful of its roaring attack. It was this attack that killed Hank previously!"

"Damn it! Let's disperse and run!" Raynor's face turned pale and he suddenly turned around and scooted off.

"This coward!" Neela fumed and her face turned red. The Violent Hilly Bear increased its speed because of Raynor's sudden escape.

"There is no choice left! This exceeds our capabilities, so let's scatter and run. Let's hope to meet each other back in the academy!"

Kaliweir smiled bitterly and made his decision.

Chapter 34

A Knight's Breakthrough

After Kaliweir finished speaking, he took out a black powder-like substance from his robes and sprinkled it onto his legs. He suddenly appeared taller and upon closer inspection, it seemed that not only had his height increased, but there were also tufts of black fur growing out of the bottom of his shoes.

With this black fur, Kaliweir's speed increased tremendously and he disappeared from the forest in the span of a few steps, with a speed faster than Raynor's.

"The seed from a blade of Nimble Grass? It seems like Kaliweir used it to protect his life, but the aftereffects of this seed are not small!"

Leylin muttered, looking towards the two girls at his side, "It is a little embarrassing to say this, but we had still better split up!"

"Since we chose to come out here and take such risks, we should naturally be prepared to lose our lives! To be honest, the fact that you were able to stay behind those two guys has already shocked us !"

Neela said as she took out a green potion in a test tube and threw it on the floor. A green-coloured hurricane swept up and enshrouded Neela and Lilisse within its centre.

"See you at the academy!" Enveloped in a whirlwind of green, the two girls disappeared from Leylin's vision.

"Everyone has a trump card, huh?" Leylin smiled, moving his feet and disappearing from the forest.

In a flash, the party of five began to split up, with everyone using their own methods to escape from the scene.

Leylin's footsteps never faltered, and the trees on either side of him disappeared into the distance as he sped ahead.

"The attack power of the Violent Hilly Bear is extremely high, while its speed is just average. In the party of five, Kaliweir used the Nimble Grass, while Neela and Lilisse used a speed-enhancing potion. As for me, I have the strength of a Knight, and therefore, my speed is pretty good. However, Raynor, the first to run, has the slowest speed amongst the five of us and is also in the greatest danger. If he did not prepare any trump cards, it is highly likely for him to die here."

"I should be able to escape from this Violent Hilly Bear's hunting grounds with Raynor as a decoy, so I had better not use this potion just yet!"

As a Potions Master, Leylin was still rather rich despite not being able to sell his goods in bulk. Naturally, he had prepared several trump cards that could protect his life, without which he would not have the confidence to come outside to train.

Every step he took was perfect, his every move and action seemed to blend in with the forest and he did not receive any obstructions from any branches or vines, his actions as smooth as flowing water. His speed was actually almost the same as Kaliweir who had used the Nimble Grass.

"Groarrr!" A vicious roar sounded.

Suddenly, a black figure appeared in front of Leylin, and with it came a huge bear paw.

"Impossible! How could it have made a detour to be in front of me? Was Raynor unable to draw it away ?"

Greatly startled, Leylin's body reacted, his conditioned reflexes causing him to take out his cross blade and begin slashing in front of him.

*Clang!* Leylin hurriedly used the huge recoil travelling through the cross blade to turn his body around and escape the attack range of the bear's paw. He did not have a good grip on the cross blade and as a result, it flew out of his hands.

*Bang!*

At this moment, Leylin did not hesitate to throw a fire red potion at the Violent Hilly Bear.

The moment the test tube exploded, a scorching red flame suddenly engulfed the Violent Hilly Bear.

Leylin did not stay to watch the scene. Instead, he immediately turned around and ran.

"The explosive potion's might may be great, comparable to an average rank 0 spells, however, it still lacks the power to penetrate the Violent Hilly Bear's thick hide.

"Groarrr!" The Violent Hilly Bear's roar sounded from behind, and it seemed to be getting closer to Leylin.

Leylin turned around to look, and his eyes almost popped out, "This is illogical!"

He saw that the Violent Hilly Bear's head was a little charred, but the rest of the body remained undamaged. The explosive potion seemed to do nothing else apart from further enraging the Violent Hilly Bear.

The Violent Hilly Bear's massively oversized body seemed to be as light as a feather and did not hinder its speed in the slightest, allowing it to tail behind Leylin.

"A.I. Chip! Take readings!"

Leylin gave a command, but the A.I. Chip did not reply even after half a day and only a faint static noise could be heard.

"A.I. Chip! A.I. Chip!" Leylin called out again, but it was to no avail.

"Damn it, just what exactly is happening?"

Leylin's face distorted in frustration. The A.I. Chip was his greatest trump card in this world. Suddenly losing it had turned him a little crazy.

*Thwack!* The Violent Hilly Bear caught up to Leylin once again, and it swatted with his massive paws as if it was swatting at a mosquito.

"Umbra's Hand!" Leylin hurriedly chanted and a black coloured hand rose from the Violent Hilly Bear's shadow, firmly holding on to the bear's paw.

The huge bear roared nonstop but was unable to escape from the Umbra's Hand.

Seizing this opportunity, Leylin hurriedly ran off. "The Umbra's Hand's effect will only last for a few seconds! I must hurry!"

Leylin fled miserably.

"Damn it!" Leylin grumbled yet again, "What on earth is going on? This Violent Hilly Bear is stronger than my expectations, and it has such a swift speed too!"

In the black forest, the grass and shrubbery blew in the strong wind and the occasional insect cry could be heard from time to time.

"At last, I have finally escaped for now!" Leylin ran for a dozen-odd minutes before he dared to turn back and look. The dark forest resembled the mouth of a huge beast, seemingly wanting to swallow him whole.

"Caw! Caw!" Just when Leylin had finally caught his breath, the abominable sound of ravens could be heard in the sky.

Leylin raised his head and looked. There were ravens that were much larger than the Red-Eyed Ravens from earlier. Furthermore, there were three of them! Once they spotted Leylin, they immediately swooped down towards him.

"My cross blade has already been lost and my spiritual force and Magical Power are almost drained too. Am I going to die here today?"

An ominous premonition rose in Leylin's heart.

A black talon came slashing at him, and Leylin hurriedly attempted to dodge it. In spite of his attempts, the claw of the raven etched three gashes into his back.

The immense pain clouded Leylin's vision, "No! I don't want to die! I have not qualified as a Magus yet! Or seen the rest of the world! How could I just die a silent death here !"

As he tumbled to the ground, Leylin picked up a green rock from behind him.

"Ha!" Jumping back up, he viciously smashed the rock down onto the Red-Eyed Raven's head!

*Bang!* This time, Leylin used all of his strength, and the Red-Eyed Raven swayed as it fell onto the floor.

"Caw! Caw!" Angry cries were heard in the sky. Seeing that their comrade had died like that, the other two Red-Eyed Ravens immediately cried out and swooped down to avenge it.

"Bring it on!" Leylin lowered himself slightly, coiling his body into position, like a leopard who was about to catch its prey.

He felt every artery in his body expanding quickly, and the blood continuously surged, circulating huge amounts of energy into the various parts of his body. A warm current gradually rose in his lower abdomen, and the wound on his back no longer seemed as painful.

"Die!" Leylin shouted, and flung the rock in his hands out ruthlessly. This time, he seemed to have used all his energy, and the warmth in his body constantly responded to him. The rock let out an ear piercing whistle and directly struck one of the Red-Eyed Ravens.

"This is......Internal life energy!" Leylin was mildly shocked. He had attained the qualities of a Preparatory Knight long ago. Moreover, he meditated constantly, so he was almost comparable to that of an actual Knight. However, he had not been able to ignite his internal life energy until now, and he never thought that he would be able to have a break through at this point.