"This is troublesome now."
Zhou Mingyang couldn't help but smile bitterly.
If it were other ordinary second-order fierce beasts,
the four of them together might have been able to hold on for a while.
But with the strength of the Bloodthirsty Bear, its paw, like a large iron pot, would crush everyone to death!
They couldn't even withstand it.
"There's another possibility, which is that as soon as we enter the residential area,
we'll be wiped out by these swarming first-order high-level fierce beasts, without even needing the Bloodthirsty Bear to make a move."
The bald youth pouted.
The four of them, united, could at most deal with three or four first-order high-level fierce beasts.
But there were more than thirty first-order high-level fierce beasts in the open space of the residential area below!
This meant that whether it was the second-order Bloodthirsty Bear
or the remaining first-order high-level fierce beasts, they were all creatures they didn't dare to provoke.
"The difference in fierce beast configuration between the core and Central Areas is too great.
The strongest in the core area were only first-order mid-level, but in the most core area, not only did the strongest fierce beast become second-order,
even these ordinary fierce beasts are first-order high-level. How are we supposed to play?"
The petite girl, Meng Di, pouted unhappily.
"Before the examination, I heard that the person who set this year's Martial Arts college entrance exam questions was Old Liu, but I didn't believe it.
Now it seems, this kind of abnormal fierce beast combination must be his work, no doubt about it!"
The long-haired boy said through gritted teeth.
The person who set the Martial Arts college entrance exam questions in Jiangnan Province rotates every year.
And Old Liu, the question setter, was one of the ruthless ones among many.
The Martial Arts college entrance exam arranged by him had a death rate more than double that of other years!
"First-order high-level fierce beasts and second-order fierce beasts in the most core area are a fixed combination for the national Martial Arts college entrance exam.
It's just that Old Liu changed it to the more difficult Bloodthirsty Bear.
We can't blame others; we can only blame ourselves for not being strong enough."
Zhou Mingyang sighed.
The Martial Arts college entrance exam was originally about selecting the best of the best; the most core area was equivalent to the last big question in a math exam.
Only those who could solve this big question were truly considered a favored child of heaven.
He was a highly anticipated genius in Jiangcheng.
But when placed in the entire Jiangnan Province, he didn't even have the qualifications to touch this final exam question… "Speaking of which, Astret, that guy, worked so hard for most of the day, painstakingly earning over three thousand points.
Yet, it's still not as fast as killing the second-order fierce beast and over thirty first-order high-level fierce beasts in front of us."
The long-haired youth's mouth curved slightly upward, his expression a bit gloating.
The points for fierce beasts in the most core area were much higher than in the core area.
Killing a first-order high-level fierce beast would earn 100 points.
If one could kill the final second-order fierce beast, one could immediately get 4000 points!
"Humanity needs powerful Ability User with outstanding combat ability. What's the use of killing more scum?"
The long-haired boy clearly held some resentment towards Astret.
Zhou Mingyang frowned upon hearing this, but in the end, he said nothing.
After all, it was the truth.
The Martial Arts college entrance exam required fierce Ability User with strong power!
Not just killing machines who only knew how to kill low-level fierce beasts.
Just like Blue Star today, although fierce beasts ran rampant,
as long as all Ninth-Order Beast Emperors in the fierce beast population were killed, the remaining fierce beasts would collapse without a fight.
And if the Beast Emperors were not all killed, killing more ordinary fierce beasts would be useless.
It was precisely because of this that the Martial Arts college entrance exam set the points for fierce beasts in the most core area so high.
This way, by killing the second-order fierce beast, one could obtain enough points to dominate the entire examination.
And the second-order fierce beast was also the must-win target for candidates aiming to become the Provincial Champion.
However, despite saying this, Zhou Mingyang still silently added a sentence in his heart:
'Astret is useless, so wouldn't those of us with lower scores be even more useless?'
He thought this in his heart, but since they would still be fighting side by side later, he didn't retort.
"Alright, let's not talk so much."
"Later, we'll go down and try to lure out a few first-order high-level fierce beasts."
They definitely couldn't directly enter the open space of the residential area where the second-order Bloodthirsty Bear was stationed.
Therefore, Zhou Mingyang's strategy was to lure them out one by one, killing as many as they could.
Of course,
it was also possible that they wouldn't be able to lure out any.
If that were the case, their group would have no choice but to return to the Central Area.
"Time to get to work, time to get to work."
"Tsk, going to a place where a second-order fierce beast is stationed to lure fierce beasts, isn't this just asking for death?"
"Heh heh, even if it's asking for death, don't we still have to try?"
"..."
The few of them bantered with each other as they prepared to go downstairs.
However, at that moment, a black figure swiftly rushed from a distance.
The figure moved very fast, like a leopard, arriving at the entrance of Jinse Garden residential area from afar in just a few seconds.
"Astret!"
Zhou Mingyang's gaze narrowed slightly.
Although he was on the eighth-floor rooftop, relying on an Ability User's strong eyesight,
he still recognized the figure below as Astret, whom he had met once, at first glance.
"Astret is here too? Where is he? Where is he?"
"Astret? Hmph, I want to see who he really is!"
Unlike Zhou Mingyang, Meng Di and the others had not encountered Astret.
So, upon hearing Zhou Mingyang's voice, the few who had already reached the stairwell quickly turned back and looked down.
When an Awakener transforms into an Ability User, not only is their Ability strengthened, but their physical fitness also improves accordingly.
Therefore, the height of the eighth floor was nothing to them, allowing them to clearly see the person below.
Below, in front of the open space of the residential area, a young man stood there.
The young man was tall and sturdy, with a resolute face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.
Having gone through countless battles, more than half of the black battle suit he wore was stained dark red!
And the black long spear he carried on his back, its originally sharp and bright blade, was now uneven, like a cleaver that had cut too many bones.
It was precisely because of this long spear that the young man's steady yet powerful aura gained an extra touch of ferocity!
"What a handsome young man!"
No matter when, women are always emotional creatures.
Thus, the moment Meng Di saw Astret, her beautiful eyes lit up.
"For an F-grade long spear to be used by him until it's in such a dilapidated state, it's hard to imagine how many fierce beasts he has killed."
The bald boy, on the other hand, marveled at the broken state of Astret's weapon.
You know,
F-grade alloy is incredibly hard; for it to be used to this extent was enough to indicate the frequent and brutal nature of the battles.
"Daring to appear in front of a pack of fierce beasts like this, isn't that just seeking death?"
The last long-haired boy snorted coldly.
"Roar—"
"Owoo—"
As expected, due to Astret's appearance, the fierce beasts below quickly became agitated.
In the blink of an eye, more than ten first-order high-level fierce beasts roared and charged towards him!
"It's over! He's alarmed the fierce beast pack!"
Meng Di let out a gasp.
"Why is Astret so reckless?"
Zhou Mingyang frowned.
At this distance, even if they wanted to help, it would be too late.
And by the time they rushed down, Astret would probably be dead beyond dead.
"What else could it be? The confidence that being first place brought him, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth."
The long-haired boy sneered, his gaze fixed below, "He uses a spear, but that spear of his probably won't save him."
Just as he said, at first Astret could handle the few fierce beasts that rushed forward.
But the subsequent fierce beasts that followed closely were too much for him to parry, and his figure was quickly submerged among more than ten fierce beasts… "Astret… he won't just die like this, will he?"
Looking at the figure that disappeared into the fierce beast pack, Zhou Mingyang was somewhat incredulous.
The other party had risen like a comet in just a few hours.
And now, was he going to fall like a meteor?
Most importantly, what was Astret thinking?
Knowing that the most core area was full of first-order high-level and second-order fierce beasts, how could he still appear so brazenly in front of them?
"But speaking of which, he really did lie to me. He never used his Thunder-type Ability from beginning to end.
Forget it, when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. If he lied, he lied."
Zhou Mingyang and Astret had only met once, so he didn't feel much about the other party's safety.
At most, he was just curious about this foolish act of his.
And at that moment, Zhou Mingyang and the others suddenly felt a pang in their hearts.
A low, majestic voice rang in their ears:
"Divine Thunder!"
The next moment.
Accompanied by chaotic and piercing thunder, a purple shockwave violently emanated from the very center of the fierce beast pack below, within their line of sight!
Bang!!
The fierce beasts that came into contact with this shockwave were all struck hard, their bodies charred black, and they flew back four or five meters!
And the originally dense fierce beast pack was instantly cleared, as if a piece of graffiti had been lightly erased with an eraser, creating an open space!
In the center of the open space, Astret's tall and slender figure stood like a God of War.
Around his body, streaks of purple lightning swirled, as if welcoming the arrival of their king, constantly cheering and leaping.
And at this moment, Zhou Mingyang and the others suddenly realized.
That wasn't a shockwave at all, but a high-voltage electric net formed by condensed purple lightning!!
"This??!!"
Looking at the figure in the center of the open space, like a God of Thunder, Zhou Mingyang was dumbfounded. After a long while, he finally reacted and murmured:
"Astret… he really does have a Thunder-type Ability…"