After witnessing Feng Hao's terrifying damage output, the three of them cast aside their worries and headed straight for the Breeze Forest.
Along the way, they encountered many first-year teams, most of whom were fighting low-level magical beasts. This gave Zhang Meng, Li Mufeng, and Tu Xiaoshan a strong sense of superiority.
This was even more true for Xi Yueyao. She wished she could let everyone know she was heading into the Breeze Forest to train!
"Feng Hao, you've also reached the Dark Force Fifth Layer? Why didn't you say anything before?" Xi Yueyao asked curiously.
"What's there to talk about?" Feng Hao muttered, but inside he felt a little insecure. 'After all, my Dark Force Fifth Layer was 'grafted' from this girl.' "Anyway, are the detectors ready?"
"Of course." Xi Yueyao didn't press the issue. She shook the black wristband on her arm and said proudly, "This is the Hawkeye Detector my dad bought me. The latest model, too!"
Feng Hao nodded in understanding, his gaze shifting to the other three. "And you?"
"How could we not have something essential for an outing like this?" Zhang Meng scoffed. Li Mufeng and Tu Xiaoshan also revealed their detectors.
"..." Feng Hao rubbed his nose, looking a bit awkward. It seemed he was the only one in the entire group without one.
Truth be told, detectors were standard issue for any Mage. A Divine Sense, when augmented by a detector, could easily pick up on nearby movements. Naturally, the stronger one's Divine Sense, the more effective the detection.
Feng Hao shook his head with a wry smile and asked, "So, who's on reconnaissance?"
Li Mufeng considered it for a moment. "Zhang Meng and I both specialize in mental disciplines and have an aptitude for perception. Our Divine Sense is a bit stronger, so leave the scouting to us."
"Fine by me. It's not like my damage output is needed anyway," Zhang Meng grumbled.
Feng Hao smiled and nodded. "We're almost at the edge of the Breeze Forest. Make sure the scouting is thorough. We can't afford any mistakes."
"Don't worry, we're not totally useless!" Zhang Meng said confidently.
...
「Half an hour later.」 The five of them finally stepped into the Breeze Forest, and the surrounding scenery and atmosphere changed distinctly.
Strange herbs and exotic trees grew in lush abundance. The ground, covered in what must have been years of accumulated dead branches and rotten leaves, felt incredibly soft underfoot. The air was thick with the forest's unique, earthy stench, and the chirping of birds and insects echoed around them.
Feng Hao and the others slowed their pace, carefully scanning their surroundings for any telltale signs.
Since this was a targeted hunt, they needed to be familiar with the habits and characteristics of various magical beasts—one of the academy's required courses. By analyzing the environment and signs of activity, they could determine which magical beasts were in the area. Paired with a search using their detectors, they could quickly locate their targets.
Feng Hao's target was the Ghost Wolf, a unique, solitary wolf species. Compared to other wolf-type magical beasts, its body was more slender. It was incredibly fast and excelled at ambushes, making it the most troublesome creature in the outer reaches of the Breeze Forest!
Ghost Wolves favored dark, damp environments and mostly dwelled in caves, rarely appearing during the day.
Therefore, their daytime targets would be magical-damage and defensive-type beasts. Of course, if they happened upon a rare Dark Force-type magical beast, they wouldn't pass up the opportunity.
"Do you think we'll run into a Tier Three Magical Beast?" Xi Yueyao, unable to bear the silence, whispered.
Zhang Meng rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Can't you say something a little more optimistic?"
"Get lost, you damn fatty," Xi Yueyao huffed.
The words had barely left her mouth when Zhang Meng and Li Mufeng simultaneously stopped. They exchanged a look and reported, "Captain, we have a target!"
Feng Hao's voice was low. "What level?"
"A level-seventeen Iron-toothed Beast, and it's heading our way," Li Mufeng reported, his expression grave.
Hearing this, Xi Yueyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest. 'Phew, I thought I'd actually jinxed us!'
"A defensive-type beast, huh? Looks like Xiaoshan's about to get his materials." Feng Hao glanced over at Tu Xiaoshan.
Tu Xiaoshan nodded excitedly, asking eagerly, "Should we set up an ambush?"
"No need. It's just a level-seventeen defensive beast. We'll take it head-on!" Feng Hao grinned, then looked at Zhang Meng. "Lil' Fatty, lead the way."
"You got it!" Zhang Meng didn't waste a second. With a powerhouse like Feng Hao backing them up, there was nothing to fear.
The group quickly approached the Iron-toothed Beast and soon caught sight of it.
The Iron-toothed Beast was covered head to toe in black armor, resembling a rhinoceros from Earth but much larger. Two cyan tusks, like a pair of steel blades, protruded from the corners of its mouth, giving it a ferocious and terrifying appearance.
The Iron-toothed Beast had been on a leisurely stroll, occasionally nibbling on tender branches and leaves. Upon sensing Feng Hao and his team, it immediately grew wary, pawing the ground with its front hoof as it assumed a battle stance.
"So this is an Iron-toothed Beast? It's not cute at all!" Xi Yueyao pouted.
"Hey, Class Rep Xiyue, magical beasts are supposed to be vicious. What's all this about 'cute' or 'not cute'?" Zhang Meng scoffed.
Xi Yueyao was instantly offended. "Nonsense! My great-aunt's Miaomiao is adorable!"
"You're comparing a pet to a magical beast?" Zhang Meng said with a look of contempt.
"Hmph! Miaomiao is a Tier Five Magical Beast, and she's incredibly powerful!"
"A Tier Five Magical Beast for a pet? Yeah, right, keep bragging." Zhang Meng's face was a mask of disbelief.
"I'm not bragging! Just you wait, when my great-aunt visits, I'll bring Miaomiao over to tear your house down!" Xi Yueyao threatened.
Li Mufeng, cradling his Magic Energy Gun as if facing a formidable foe, saw the two still bickering and snapped, "Can you two take this seriously? We're in the middle of a battle!"
"What's there to be afraid of? The boss can handle it all by himself," Zhang Meng said, looking completely relaxed.
"..." Li Mufeng was at a complete loss for words, his face darkening with exasperation.
As it turned out, Li Mufeng's worries were unfounded. Feng Hao produced a pair of daggers—one held in a standard grip in his right hand, the other in a reverse grip in his left. Without a word, he charged the Iron-toothed Beast, clearly having no intention of waiting for a coordinated attack.
Feng Hao had faced the Iron-toothed Beast before in the Monster Simulator. At his current level of sixteen, dealing with a level-seventeen magical beast was a piece of cake, especially a clumsy, defensive type like this.
It was no exaggeration to say that this type of beast was the weakest kind for him to face. He'd even dare to fight a Tier Three. Magical beasts were, after all, still just beasts. With a little bit of brainpower, you could toy with them until they were dead.
HUFF... HUFF...
The Iron-toothed Beast snorted heavily and charged straight at Feng Hao.
'Heh.' Feng Hao thought with a smirk. With a few quick, light steps, he adjusted his position and easily sidestepped the Iron-toothed Beast's charge. As he spun, he slashed at the beast's tail with his reverse-gripped dagger.
Unfortunately, the Dark Moon Dagger wasn't sharp enough to sever the Iron-toothed Beast's tough tail. Besides, a wound there wouldn't inflict much damage.
Having missed its charge, the Iron-toothed Beast instinctively tried to turn and re-engage.
However, as it turned, it was met with a wild flurry of slashes from Feng Hao!
Channeling his killing intent through his Dark Force, a dark light pulsed from his daggers. The shadowy blade energy landed squarely on the Iron-toothed Beast's face. Though no blood was drawn, the Dark Force had already surged into the beast's body and begun to wreak havoc from within.
"Holy crap, that damage is insane!"
Li Mufeng had been monitoring the fight with his detector. His Divine Sense was only strong enough to read the Iron-toothed Beast's basic stats.
He could just see the Iron-toothed Beast's Qi Blood dropping in massive chunks. The words of his startled cry had barely faded when its sixty-thousand-plus Qi Blood hit zero. In the blink of an eye, its life force was completely extinguished.
It wasn't just him; Zhang Meng and Tu Xiaoshan, who had seen Feng Hao's power before, were equally dumbstruck!
Xi Yueyao's brain was wired differently from everyone else's. She wasn't amazed at all. Instead, she just pouted and grumbled, "What's so great about that? I could've done it too!"
The Iron-toothed Beast now lay at Feng Hao's feet, its body completely devoid of any external wounds.
This was precisely what made Dark Force Magic Masters so popular. Unlike other forms of damage, Dark Force could secure a kill without damaging the beast's materials. This was especially critical when hunting rare magical beasts, as only Dark Force could keep the loss of valuable parts to a minimum.
For this reason, high-end hunting teams always included at least one Dark Force Mage—sometimes even more!
"Xiaoshan, get over here and harvest the materials. Don't tell me you expect me to do it?" Feng Hao sheathed his daggers and chuckled as he looked over at the others.
"Uh... Right!"
Tu Xiaoshan snapped out of his shock and scrambled forward to start carving up the Iron-toothed Beast's carcass. Given how perfectly preserved it was, he had enough materials to make several sets of armor.