"SKREEEE..."
The Iron Armor Lizard's massive, python-like black tail never reached Jiang Qiu's face. As its guts and blood slid down the spear shaft, the tail faltered before limply falling.
He slammed it to the ground with a THUD, pinned its head under his foot, and pulled the spearhead out with a wet SHLICK.
[Slaughter Drill x1]
[Ancient Martial Spear (Proficient)]
[335/1000]
'Killing one Low Tier Demon Beast gives five points.'
[Kill Count: 1]
A phantom image flashed on the Recording Ring. Jiang Qiu glanced at the stunned, dazed crowd and raised an eyebrow. "What are you all looking at me for? Aren't you going to get ready? Iron Armor Lizards are pack animals, aren't they?"
"!!!"
His words jolted them back to reality. The students looked around, their long spears feeling like extensions of their own arms, their eyes darting left and right. "So, should we retreat?"
A muscle in Jiang Qiu's cheek twitched. He couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh.
Just then, Zhang Shan, his legs soaked in blood, stepped forward, his face a mask of fury. "Retreat, my ass! We're here to kill Demon Beasts! Brother Jiang, I'll go check every room and corner of this supermarket!"
He gripped his fist and spear shaft tightly, his thick brows furrowed in anger. His will to fight was the strongest, but so was his resentment!
Jiang Qiu nodded, holding his long spear at an angle. "If there's one Iron Armor Lizard in this supermarket, there's never just one.
If your spear gets bitten, drop it and use your fists.
If you can't win, call for me."
Liu Zili and Wang Guanjia each gripped their spears and went their separate ways, their eyes glinting like cold stars. Zhang Shan spat, let out a curse, and ran up the stairs with his spear.
The remaining students looked at each other, then also fanned out, spreading toward different storerooms or some dark corner, their sword-shaped or cone-shaped spearheads gleaming coldly.
A slightly scrawny student who had remained behind looked at Li Si, who was watching Jiang Qiu's departing back. The scrawny student's eyes were pleading, "Fourth Brother, can I go with you? I'm afraid of getting solo-killed by an Iron Armor Lizard..."
"Solo-kill my ass! As long as you don't get ambushed up close, you're telling me you can't kill one?!" Li Si, like a cat with its fur on end, glared at the student before him. "We've got Brother Jiang, who kills Iron Armor Lizards like he's spearing rats! There's no way Site Eight is going to be the first one to have someone eliminated! And there's no way we can't even clear out a temporary base!
For this training hunt, we got the damn first-pick site!"
The student stood frozen, wiping a spray of spit from his face, and watched as the fuming Li Si stalked into the darkness where the window light couldn't reach.
'Why is even Li Si so impulsive?'
'Was it because that thrust he made to save Zhang Shan was completely useless? Did it get to him...?'
At this thought, he pouted and huffed, "Alone it is, then. These hunting grounds were pre-screened by the teachers. If I really can't even kill a single Iron Armor Lizard, I'll just... call for Brother Jiang."
The last student gripped his long spear and walked toward the still-unopened door of a dark warehouse.
THRRRUMMM...
The sounds of climbing on walls rose and fell throughout the supermarket, accompanied by strange SKREEEing cries. In an instant, the students' high-spirited shouts erupted one after another, the sounds of blades sinking into flesh and being pulled out, of steel edges and armor plates clashing in a crisp wail.
SWOOSH—
The Double Arc Blade Spear Head sliced off an Iron Armor Lizard's head. Jiang Qiu single-handedly lifted the remaining corpse, tossed it out of the silent warehouse, and turned toward the next room that might be hiding a lizard.
'Why is a practical training hunt called a practical training hunt?'
'The teachers have already scouted and culled the area. Most of what's left are Low Tier Demon Beasts, perfect for a hunt.'
'Once you confirm what kind of Demon Beast lives in this supermarket, you can use your knowledge to exploit their weaknesses. For example, Iron Armor Lizards are actually quite timid. They're prey for many stronger Demon Beasts and like to hide in their own little nests.'
'Maybe because our site on Central Street is close to the Secret Realm Distortion Center, we managed to find an Iron Armor Lizard nest right at the start. This is a huge score.'
'A single Iron Armor Lizard should have a hundred pounds of pure meat. At two hundred yuan a pound, that's twenty thousand!'
"Keep killing."
As those two words were spoken, phantom images flashed successively on his Recording Ring.
[Kill Count: 3]
[Kill Count: 4]
...
CLICK.
A flame leaped from the lighter's tip, catching on some plastic-wrapped scrap wood. The fire bloomed like a lotus, its light instantly casting the seated silhouettes of the sixteen students across the utility room walls.
"Killing Demon Beasts feels so damn good! I was so scared when that Iron Armor Lizard lunged at me, but then I remembered Brother Jiang was nearby, and I wasn't afraid anymore. I just instinctively dodged and thrust my spear, and skewered it!"
"Ahaha, Brother Jiang is the one who can casually pierce armor and kill an Iron Armor Lizard with a single thrust. With him around, how could you be scared?"
"Yeah, thank goodness Brother Jiang is leading us, or we would've missed out on all this Iron Armor Lizard meat. This is Demon Beast Meat! Eating it tempers your body. I heard that if you eat it at our stage, the effects are pretty good."
"My dad bought some for me to eat before. The effect is decent. That feeling of your body being tempered isn't as good as using Wusu Fragrance, but the difference is still obvious if you eat it for a few days... Mm, I can smell it now."
The sizzle and pop of rendering fat tantalized their taste buds. Under everyone's eager gazes, Zhang Shan lowered the long spear he was using to roast the meat over the fire. With a dagger, he carved a large piece of belly meat from the blackened Iron Armor Lizard, grinning as he offered it to the young man seated in the main spot, who was staring into the campfire. "Brother Jiang, the Iron Armor Lizard meat is cooked."
"Thanks."
Jiang Qiu took the steaming, pitch-black piece of Iron Armor Lizard meat. As all eyes focused on him, he took a bite. His teeth broke through the crispy, charred skin to tear off a piece of the firm, tender meat beneath.
He chewed for a moment, then swallowed with a GULP. It felt like a hot coal sinking into an ocean of coal. A wave of heat passed directly through his stomach wall, boiling his blood and sending it surging like a mighty river.
'This is Demon Beast Meat?'
Jiang Qiu's eyes lit up slightly. He suddenly noticed everyone was still watching him and raised an eyebrow. "It's pretty good. Go on, everyone eat."
"Alright, thanks, Brother Jiang."
"This stuff is so expensive! I can finally eat my fill of Demon Beast Meat!"
"Don't you all get in a damn hurry! We killed fourteen, and Brother Jiang killed ten. That's twenty-four in total! We wiped out every last one in the supermarket, there's enough for everyone to get full!" Zhang Shan cursed good-naturedly as he carved off several large chunks, passing them to Liu Zili, Wang Guanjia, and himself. He then tossed the entire charred carcass, now with a large hole in its belly, to Li Si. "You divide the rest, kid. Next time, you're on cooking duty."
"I killed one too, you know! And you're making me cook?" Li Si snorted, pulling out his dagger to cut the meat. "Isn't Hu Ye'ye the only one who didn't get a kill? She can be on roasting duty from now on."
"Catch."
Hu Ye'ye, huddled in a dark corner, froze. When she looked up, a five-pound chunk of Demon Beast Meat landed in her hands, accompanied by a rich, savory aroma.
The lively chatter continued around the campfire. She gnawed on the crispy, fragrant, and tender Iron Armor Lizard meat by herself, occasionally stealing glances at Jiang Qiu, who was feasting heartily. Just then, something in the corner of her eye seemed to reflect the firelight, flashing for an instant before disappearing.
'Is this what Demon Beast Meat tastes like?'
'Jiang Qiu...'
MUNCH, MUNCH...
The hearty meal continued. Jiang Qiu's cheeks worked tirelessly as he chewed, silently listening to the others talk and chat.
[Extremely Low-Quality Body Refining x1]
[Iron Flesh]
[21/1000]
Huh?
Jiang Qiu's chewing paused.
'Eating Demon Beast Meat also counts as Body Refining...'
Just as he had this thought, a series of metallic, scraping, and halting crawling sounds came from outside the door. It grew closer, sounding similar to an Iron Armor Lizard, but accompanied by the harsh screech of sharp claws digging into concrete. The entire wall began to tremble.
Gradually, the noise in the utility room died down. Fifteen hands reached for the spear shafts by their feet. Jiang Qiu was already on his feet.
"Did you really scatter the Demon-exorcising Powder?"
"I did..."