Chapter 95: Ogre
On the flat ground outside the mountain forest, Yeluo stood beside Scholar Heide, inquiring about the assessment.
“Teacher, this mountain forest seems to be exceptionally different from ordinary forests.” He lowered the long-range telescope in his hand.
“Yes, it must be the work of some witch.” Scholar Heide’s eyes were deep, recalling some past events.
“A witch?” Yeluo was quite surprised.
“That’s right, you should have heard similar rumors. In the early days of the Regas Kingdom’s establishment, witches were secretly involved.”
“Such rumors do have a certain basis. Their strength is formidable, but their training environment and system are completely different from the Candle Fort School where you and I belong,” Scholar Heide mused.
“If my guess is correct, the one who created this assessment area should be a powerful witch with the ‘Nightmare’ Nature.”
“Their power is enough to infect the forest and cause it to undergo some kind of change.”
…
Inside the forest, Xilutiya, holding a Black Steel Short Sword, battled several approaching Black Wolves.
These Black Wolves had blood-red eyes and black fur. They lacked the wild ferocity of Ti Lang, but possessed a different kind of fearless madness that feared no pain, chilling one to the bone.
The black sword blade swung with her waist, carving a sharp semi-circle and cutting a Black Wolf in half. Another crazed Black Wolf, unafraid, leaped forward through the blood and bit the maiden’s sleeve.
By this time, three Black Wolf corpses already lay at Xilutiya’s feet. The remaining four had not fled and continued to swarm forward, attempting to tear her apart and knock her down.
Seeing this, Xilutiya no longer hesitated. She reached for the Lantern at her waist, and then an orange-red ring of fire bloomed in the dim forest, accompanied by several pained wolf howls.
The remaining four Black Wolves were turned into fireballs, rolling and struggling madly on the forest floor, causing the damp leaves to emit wisps of white smoke.
Soon, their movements slowly ceased, their bodies turned completely charred black and fell to the ground.
Sword in hand, Xilutiya advanced and checked their condition, forming a rough judgment in her mind.
It’s getting more dangerous. These wolves were likely ordinary wild beasts originally, but after being corrupted by the ‘Nightmare’ Nature, they became exceptionally frenzied, with their strength and speed partially enhanced.
Could it be that all the wild beasts in the entire mountain have been affected?
If this was the work of the assessment organizers, what level of professional would be capable of casting such a large-scale spell? The maiden felt she had to re-evaluate her understanding of high-level professionals.
…
Before nightfall, Xilutiya finally followed the faint tracks and found the hidden spring on the mountainside.
Cool spring water flowed from the stone crevices in the mountains, icy to the touch, containing an incredibly faint ‘Mist Shadow’ Nature.
Carefully taking some, she took small sips and found a hint of sweetness. It must be the ‘Sweet Water Spring’ the instructor mentioned.
Afterward, Xilutiya took out three small water bottles she carried, filled them with water, then stoppered them and secured them to the straps on her waist.
Thus, the first objective was completed.
She looked at the sky, which had already darkened, and decided to find a relatively safe place to sleep and rest.
The Lantern in her hand was simply rotated, opening a portion of its closed iron window. The ‘Fire Cloud Orchid’ blooming in the glass bottle emitted a faint halo, illuminating the mountain path ahead for the maiden.
Invisible light and heat transformed into ripples, slowly expanding outwards, burning away some approaching mosquitoes and poisonous ants. Xilutiya, guided by this specially made Lantern, walked safely on the pitch-black mountain path.
However, the other students were not as safe.
Mike squatted under a cracked cliff, a campfire burning in front of him, emitting wisps of smoke. Yet, he couldn’t withstand the onslaught of various insects, making him miserable.
“There are so many mosquitoes and insects here,” he muttered, taking out a small piece of mosquito repellent and lighting it, causing it to emit wisps of smoke.
“I wonder where Brother Jieluo and the others are now. This should be a place they stayed a few days ago.” He followed the path of Jieluo’s team, proceeding smoothly without encountering too many wild beast attacks, but also finding no clues about the spring.
“I’ll leave it at that for now. I’ll sleep well tonight, and I need to pick up the pace tomorrow.” He stirred the campfire in front of him, took out the Thin Blanket he carried, wrapped himself, and leaned against a nearby rock.
…
On the other side, Karen secured herself on a high tree branch to spend the night. Although it wasn’t very comfortable, it was safer.
Komiya was also making a fire in the woods, roasting tonight’s food for herself and ‘Dough’.
“Don’t paw at it, it’s not cooked yet.” Komiya pulled back the white Ti Lang’s paw and sprinkled more Salt Grains, adding a touch of flavor to the roasted rabbit meat.
Suolin did not make a fire. After taking an antidote, he found a hidden spot, wrapped himself in a Blanket, and half-buried himself in the soil. At this point, he was so weak he had no strength left, and could only pray that no other wild beasts would find him tonight.
The Noble Youth Baron squatted on a rocky mountainside, roasting a fried egg in front of him, gazing at the distant mountains, estimating how long it would take him to arrive tomorrow.
Some students stayed in caves, some built temporary sleeping places for themselves with Tree Branches, and some took an unconventional route.
Even at night, Iona did not stop. The ‘Blazing Sun’ Nature’s power circulated within her, providing her with sustained Stamina. The Torch in her hand illuminated the mountain terrain at night, gradually approaching the place where the spring water flowed.
…
The next morning, Xilutiya woke up from under the large tree where she had slept, stretched, and stood up.
She had slept quite well last night. The Lantern in front of her not only provided stable light and heat but also drove away many weak wild beasts, preventing them from approaching.
If the starting points of the various students were connected like a ‘U’ shape, then their current positions were gradually converging towards the center of the ‘U’, with the probability of encountering each other constantly increasing.
…
“Huff, huff—”
A student ran frantically through the mountains. He was wearing Chainmail with a robe over it, and his Sword was nowhere to be seen. Behind him, a tall figure repeatedly pushed aside Tree Branches, playfully chasing the student as if herding chicks.
“Ogre, there’s an ogre here…” The student’s eyes were filled with fear as he stumbled along.
“Roar—” The Tree Canopy behind him was torn apart again by a thick blue hand, revealing a head with a large, coarse horn.
Ugly in appearance, wearing extremely tattered animal skins, this Ogre stood nearly three meters tall. A thick Wooden Club was held in its massive arm, and it swung again at the student hiding under the tree.
The student quickly rolled away, but was still grazed by the thick Wooden Club. One of his arms was directly broken and twisted backward, the intense pain causing him to cry out in agony.
“Why is there an ogre in the assessment…” His face was covered in Soil and blood as he fled with all his remaining strength, mumbling to himself.
As an enemy of humankind, Ogres are not tolerated by any secular nation. Whenever they appear, they are hunted. He never expected one to appear here.
“Heh, heh…” The Ogre looked at the screaming student, letting out a chilling laugh. Then, its broad foot advanced again, cracking the Soil of the mountain, and one hand reached for the unfortunate student.
Soon, screams of fear and distortion spread through the mountains, startling flocks of birds.
This assessment had recorded its first casualty.
