To be honest, this was the first time Charles had ever received a gift from a girl.
In his previous life, even though he had achieved great success in the business world, his focus on work left him clueless about relationships. He always thought that money could win the hearts of all women, but in the end, he was played by a woman to the point of losing everything…
A pure-hearted girl’s affection is rare and precious, and when that girl is a beautiful serpent maiden, it’s something beyond compare—even more stunning than the most beautiful actresses he had ever seen in his previous life.
While Charles was lost in thought, Aria handed him a small jade bottle.
Charles gently shook it, noticing it was empty, and curiously asked, “What is this?”
“An antidote.”
“An antidote?” Charles looked puzzled. He had been taking some medicine to resist the serpent poison over the past few days, and those purple mists didn’t seem to have affected him.
As Charles stared at the little jade bottle in confusion, a faint scent of pure heart flower filled the air. Before he realized it, Aria was standing right in front of him.
Just as Charles was lost in confusion, Aria suddenly opened her mouth and sank her fangs into his neck.
…
By the small valley near the pond, Charles applied healing ointment to his neck, feeling a bit dazed.
“The riginal serpent venom, so this is how to detoxify it…” Charles gently gritted his teeth due to the sting coming from his neck.
The venom must have been from when Charles had “stolen a kiss” from Aria back in the ancient tomb.
Fortunately, Joshua hadn’t poisoned him—Charles couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would have been like if Joshua had been the one to administer the antidote.
Thinking back, Charles recalled how Aria had tilted her snow-white chin, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked utterly satisfied, as if she had finally gotten her revenge. That little jade bottle she’d given him had been nothing more than a distraction.
Charles glanced at the points ranking.
————————————
[Ferocious Beast Mountain Training Points Leaderboard]
1st Place: Grace [25,426 points]
2nd Place: Thomas [20,149 points]
3rd Place: Charles [19,684 points]
…
————————————
Nearby, there was also a countdown: [Time Remaining Until Lsengard Training Data Collection Ends: 1 day, 16 hours, 25 minutes, 38 seconds!]
Seeing the countdown ticking away, Charles instantly snapped back to focus. “Just a little over 5,000 points—I’m not about to let that little brat Grace look down on me!”
Every rank higher on the leaderboard meant gaining access to more precious treasures in Lsengard’s Vault after the training ended.
With Max and Mousie both at Level 18, and Charles on the verge of breaking through to become a Level 3 Beast Master, if he could secure 1st place, he might even win a high-quality mystical beast egg from the Vault!
No matter what, Charles was determined to claim that top spot. He started jogging towards the valley.
“Max, Mousie, get ready for battle!” Charles issued the command mentally.
Standing on the path leading to the pond where the ferocious beasts came to drink, Mousie activated the skill [Mimetic Illusion], transforming into a massive giant freshwater crocodile. After leveling up to Level 18, Mousie’s illusions now possessed the combat power equivalent to a Level 18 ferocious beast.
Seeing the obstruction, the pack of ravenous and thirsty gray wolves became extremely agitated and began to attack the giant freshwater crocodile.
However, the crocodile’s tough hide was as impenetrable as a fortress wall. No matter how fiercely they bit and clawed, the crocodile remained unmoved.
Whizz, whizz, whizz—
While the crocodile held their attention, Max unleashed a barrage of ranged attacks on the gray wolves. Under the onslaught of Max’s relentless assault, the pack of Level 15 to Level 17 gray wolves quickly found themselves overwhelmed, their bodies covered in blood as they tried to flee.
“Trying to run? Not that easy!” Charles sneered, pulling out his ice and fire supreme spear from his storage space and activating his skill, [Puncture Thorn]!
In the narrow confines of the canyon, there was nowhere for the wolves to hide. With a powerful thrust of his spear, Charles skewered the gray wolves like a row of shish kebabs.
[Ding! You have defeated ferocious beast [Gray Wolf] (Lv16, Black Iron Quality)!]
[Mystical Beast Max (Lv.18) Loyalty +0! Experience +100!]
[Mystical Beast Mousie (Lv.18) Loyalty +0! Experience +100!]
[Acquired Gray Wolf Hide ×1!]
[Acquired Gray Wolf Fangs ×4!]
…
[Ding! You have defeated ferocious beast [Gray Wolf] (Lv18, Bronze Division Quality)!]
[Ding! You have defeated ferocious beast [Gray Wolf] (Lv15, Black Iron Quality)!]
…
The notifications kept flashing before his eyes, making Charles feel dizzy with excitement. The smile on his face was uncontrollable as he genuinely marveled at how Aria had chosen such a perfect spot for him!
This oasis was the largest water source in the area, attracting a constant stream of ferocious beasts to drink. A large number of ferocious beasts gathered in this region.
In less than half an hour, Charles had already slain nearly 30 low-level ferocious beasts that had come to drink, boosting his points by almost 500! At this rate, overtaking Grace was just a matter of time!
As Charles made his way through the valley, he continued to rack up points while collecting valuable ferocious beast materials. Just as he was nearing the other end of the canyon, the ground suddenly began to tremble, and he could faintly hear cries for help in the distance.
Deciding to investigate, Charles swallowed a miraculous speed pill and reached the other side of the valley within minutes.
With a light tap of his foot, he launched himself onto a nearby cliff wall. Just as his strength was about to give out, he found a protruding rock to push off from, and with another swift leap, he landed securely on top of a hill.
From his vantage point, Charles could finally see what was happening. A ferocious beast was savagely pursuing a group of people, some of whom appeared to be injured.
Charles quickly checked the ferocious beast’s status panel.
—— [Bloodthirsty Rhino]——
[Attribute]: Water
[Level]: 23
[Quality]: Bronze Division
[Skills]: Rhino Horn Rips,Water Cannon Attack, Emerald Prison
[Mood]: Agitated
[Health]: Healthy
[Weakness]: Earth Attribute
[Description]: Rhinos are typically herbivorous, but this mutated rhino seems to have developed a taste for meat. Beware of its restrictive skill [Emerald Prison].
Charles wasn’t exactly the heroic type, and facing a Level 23 ferocious beast was risky given his current strength.
He was just about to retreat when he suddenly recognized a familiar figure among the fleeing group.
“Daniel?! You’re still alive!” Charles couldn’t contain his excitement and leaped down from the hill, landing atop a giant tree below.
In the dense forest ahead, a group of students dressed in Lsengard Beast Mastery High School uniforms were desperately fleeing. Their torn clothes and the wounds on their arms suggested that their time in the Ferocious Beast Mountains had been anything but easy.
“Help me…” In the chaos of the fleeing group, a slender girl at the back of the pack tripped over some shrubs. She turned to look at the massive beast charging toward her, her eyes filled with despair.
The others around her were too terrified to act. Most of them had only recently advanced to Level 2 Beast Master, and with such a formidable ferocious beast bearing down on them, they were more concerned with saving themselves than risking their lives to rescue her.
Charles was moving swiftly through the trees, pushing himself to his limit. But as he saw the situation unfold, it seemed he might be too late to save the girl.
Just as he braced himself to witness the girl get crushed, a chubby figure suddenly stepped in front of her.
“Are you crazy, Daniel!” Charles shouted in shock as he quickly assessed Daniel and his mystical beast’s stats.
[Name]: Daniel
[Age]: 19
[Height]: 176 cm
[Skill]: Petrified Skin
[Beast Master Level]: 2
…
—— [Rock Turtle] ——
[Attribute]: Earth
[Level]: 12
[Quality]: Bronze Division
[Skills]: Petrified Skin, Rock Smash
Daniel activated his skill, [Petrified Skin] causing his skin to turn a deep brown, like granite, with rough, cracked textures forming on the surface. He stood in front of the girl alongside his mystical beast, prepared to take the full force of the beast’s charge.
“Charging in like this is suicide!” Charles cursed inwardly.
Daniel’s mystical beast was only Level 12, which meant Daniel himself was effectively also at Level 12. Facing a Level 23 ferocious beast, especially one in a berserk state, was nothing short of suicidal.
Charles immediately summoned his mystical beasts, Max and Mousie, but it was already too late—
Boom!
With a dull thud, Daniel’s round body was sent flying like a soccer ball by the Bloodthirsty Rhino. He crashed through the trees with a series of splintering sounds before slamming into a nearby rock, blood pouring from his mouth.
“Daniel is the strongest among us, and even he couldn’t stop it. What are we going to do?”
“Who said there aren’t any powerful ferocious beasts on the outskirts of the Ferocious Beast Mountains? The guild really messed up with this location!”
“That beast is about to hit Lyra! Oh no…”
The strongest member of their group, Daniel, had been easily overpowered by the savage ferocious beast, leaving the fleeing students in a state of panic. Some of the girls even covered their eyes in fear.
At this moment, the girl named Lyra stood frozen, her face drained of all color. She stared blankly at the powerful ferocious beast charging toward her, her expression one of utter shock.
Thud!
A dull, sickening sound echoed through the forest, mingled with the noise of flesh being torn apart. The girls who had covered their eyes went pale, their legs giving out beneath them, their cries stifled by sheer terror.
A gasp rippled through the surrounding students. The girls hiding behind a rock peeked through their fingers, and to their surprise, they saw that Lyra was unharmed. Standing in front of her was a familiar figure.
A tall, handsome young man with a sturdy build stood protectively in front of Lyra, holding a dark blue spear. The spear’s tip gleamed coldly, dripping with fresh blood…