Chapter 33: Young and Reckless

"The Crab Gang is really a bunch of paupers, no wonder they can't afford the booze," muttered Field, weighing the pouch of money in his hand.

Chi-Chi burst into laughter. Ten people, barely scraping together less than two hundred gold coins, no wonder Field called them poor.

Fortunately, their weapons were still worth something - daggers, machetes, tridents - could probably fetch two or three hundred gold coins if sold.

Oh right, the biggest score this time was their carriage. Although their carriage was smashed by Field, their horses were still intact, just slightly injured.

These were hexa-pedal horses, like the one Field was driving, brass-grade magical beasts that ran faster than regular horses, easily worth five hundred gold coins.

Thinking about this, Field's mood improved again.

With two horses pulling the carriage, they made better time and arrived in Greelar City by early morning, successfully delivering the alcohol to the buyer.

The buyer was very pleased to receive the alcohol, not only promptly paying the final payment, but also giving Field a bottle of high-quality rum as a tip.

Wasn't that a pleasant surprise?

This rum was even more luxurious than the bulk rum they sold at Eva's store. A bottle cost eighty gold coins, quite expensive for ordinary folks.

After drinking a sip, Field fell silent.

Because the taste of this alcohol was exactly the same as the one he was given for free at Eva's.

This type of alcohol was sold by the bottle, not in bulk.

In other words, just because of one sentence from her, she spent eighty gold coins buying him alcohol.

After a moment of silence, Field shook his head.

"Silly girl."

Before long, he finished the whole bottle of rum.

With a boozy exhale, Field, along with Chi-Chi, headed to the market in Greelar City to cash in the weapons and horses. In a hurry to sell, he didn't even bother to haggle, but still managed to get over seven hundred gold coins.

With everything done, Field didn't plan to return immediately.

After all, he had come to Greelar City once, so how could he just leave like that?

Of course, he had to maintain good relations with Professor Holan!

Arriving at Haidis Academy, the gatekeeper mage recognized Field and registered him before letting him in.

After dropping off the final payment and Nick's carriage at the unloading area, Field headed to the library.

"Hello, I'm here to see Professor Holan."

"Professor Holan is still in class. Would you like me to inform her that you're here?" The library administrator looked at Field, then rubbed his fingers together, winking suggestively.

"Please." Field slipped him five gold coins, which he happily accepted, saying he'd take care of it.

Originally, Field thought he would have to wait until class was over for Holan to come out and greet him. But unexpectedly, the administrator came out shortly after, looking somewhat surprised at Field's expression.

"You can go in now, to section six," he said.

"Oh, alright." Field was also somewhat surprised, but didn't dwell on it, and led Chi-Chi into the library.

Arriving at section six, Field saw a group of students sitting around a long table on the other side of the bookshelf, each holding a book and copying something diligently.

Holan was sitting on a high stool, legs crossed, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, appearing both intellectual and sexy.

Seeing Field, Holan set down her book and gave him a faint smile.

"Did you come to see me for something?" 

"I thought maybe you needed me, although I have no evidence, but I came anyway." Feld chuckled. 

Hollan gave him a sardonic look. 

A few days apart, and this guy was still as smooth-tongued as ever. 

"Weren't you in class?" Feld glanced at the students nearby; a few looked up at him before returning to their notes. 

"It's nothing, just wanted you to come and give these students a lecture." Hollan said. 

"A lecture?" Feld blinked. 

Hollan nodded, whispering, "A few naive youngsters want to go hunting for silver-grade beasts, so I thought I'd find an experienced mercenary to tell them how dangerous it is." 

"Dangerous?" Feld raised an eyebrow. 

Hollan remained silent. 

Seeing Hollan's expression, Feld quickly said, "Indeed dangerous. Students should stay in school and study well. Why go hunting beasts for no reason?" 

Hollan agreed, saying, "So, your task is to make them realize how difficult it is." 

"I haven't even become an official mercenary yet, and I'm already getting tasks?" Feld laughed. 

"Just getting you accustomed in advance. So, will you take it? The commission is a hand-brewed high-mountain white peach tea." Hollan smiled. 

"Accepted!" 

Hollan nodded in satisfaction, then turned and said, "Jelly, Ailo, Milas, Glaros, come here." 

At her words, several students in their late teens put down their notes and walked over. "Professor Hollan." 

"This is an experienced mercenary. If you're really planning to hunt a Spotted Python, you can ask him for advice." 

Instantly, several students looked at Feld with curiosity in their eyes. 

"You guys, listen up," Feld grinned widely. "I heard from Professor Hollan that you're planning to go die?" 

Hollan: "...When did I say that?" 

But it seemed Feld was already in the zone, and she didn't interrupt, tacitly agreeing. 

And as soon as Feld spoke, a youth named Jelly immediately became indignant. "It's just a Spotted Python. We're three silver seven-stars, plus me as a silver eight-star. How is that going to get us killed?" 

So naive. 

But that's exactly what Feld wanted—first, to stir up their competitive spirit, then to strike them hard. 

"So, you think you can handle a Spotted Python?" Feld smirked. 

"Of course!" the youths said confidently. 

Milas, a female student, even lifted her chin and said, "A Spotted Python, with an average grade between silver four-star and six-star, only a few individuals can reach silver eight-star and above." 

"Although magical beasts are generally stronger than humans, we have the advantage in numbers and quality." 

"We just need to find a Spotted Python of about silver six-star, and we can definitely succeed in the hunt!" 

"Looks like they're all top students; quite knowledgeable." Feld nodded, then said, "But have you ever considered one thing?" 

"Can you survive encountering a Spotted Python in its breeding ground?" 

"Why wouldn't we?" Jelly and the others were skeptical. 

"I'll tell you why," Feld said, his smile fading. "Because it's September, the breeding season for Spotted Pythons, and most cold-blooded snake-like magical beasts. Do you know what that means?" 

"It means that if you encounter one Spotted Python, you'll encounter an entire breeding group of pythons!" 

"The four of you can handle one Spotted Python, but can you handle ten, twenty, or even fifty?" 

At Feld's words, Jelly and the others' faces changed instantly. 

But Feld's speech continued.

"Didn't see that coming, did you? Because these things are rarely recorded in books, and even if they are, you obviously wouldn't know." Feld spread his hands. 

"And even if you're lucky enough to encounter a lone Spotted Python, you should know that during the breeding season, Spotted Pythons are quite active, especially now that we're nearing the end of the mating season." 

"Encountering a lone Spotted Python means it's either a solitary snake, frustrated from not finding a mate, or a female python urgently seeking an egg-laying site after mating." 

"Regardless, their aggression is several times higher than usual!" 

"And in the forest, there's more than just Spotted Pythons." 

"Do you know what Spotted Pythons eat?" 

"They eat another type of snake, one that poses no threat to them but can easily poison silver-grade snakes—the Red-Banded Triangle Viper!" 

"Now, it's also the breeding season for Red-Banded Triangle Vipers. During this season, the bright red scales on their bodies will shed and change into camouflage colors resembling their surroundings. This is to better protect themselves while mating and laying eggs." 

"When you enter the forest, you might step on a camouflaged Red-Banded Triangle Viper as your first step. Its venom is hemotoxic. Let me ask you, do you have the corresponding antidote with you?" 

"No? Is it because pythons aren't venomous, so you didn't prepare?" 

Jelly and the others turned red with embarrassment because Feld was right; they hadn't prepared, hadn't even considered it. 

"We prepared..." Milas said hesitantly, "We prepared a generic snake venom antidote..." 

"Haha," Feld exaggeratedly laughed, "Excellent! That will only prolong the onset of your poisoning, allowing you to dig your own graves before you die. Quite considerate, isn't it?" 

Hollan's eyes twitched. 

How hadn't she noticed before that this seemingly honest guy was so sharp-tongued?! 

"You!" Jelly glared at Feld but was soon met with Feld's sharp gaze. 

He found himself unable to meet Feld's eyes and could only blush and lower his head. 

"A generic snake venom antidote isn't a true antidote; it only slows down the toxin's effects, giving you more time to survive." 

"But it seems you can't grasp this survival time." 

"And then I'll ask you, do you know what else lives in the same area as Red-Banded Triangle Vipers?" Feld continued, a smirk creeping onto his face. 

The students remained silent, just listening intently. 

"Well, I don't even know what they're called, and they're not even recorded in your encyclopedias because they're so inconspicuous." 

"They're a type of tiny mite, only the size of sesame seeds." 

"They love the scent of snakes and parasitize themselves in the scales of snakes, feeding on their blood. And just like snakes, they carry venom." 

"Perhaps the venom is negligible, only to slightly paralyze the snake during biting, making it less sensitive to pain. But what if there are thousands or even tens of thousands of these little things?" 

"Let me tell you, the number of these creatures will skyrocket during the snake breeding season. In a clump of grass half a person tall, there may be thousands or even tens of thousands of these little creatures hidden!" 

"They move silently; you might walk through a clump of grass and end up with hundreds or thousands of them on you without even knowing." 

"And then they'll bite through your skin, numbing you with their toxins. Thousands of bites will gradually accumulate toxins in your body to a certain extent. You'll feel weak in your limbs, and eventually, even walking will be a luxury." 

"Finally, you'll watch helplessly as your body becomes covered in these little bugs, a black mass clinging to your skin like black sesame seeds, impossible to shake off." 

"To make it easier for them to feed on your blood, they'll even gather in your nostrils, pores—anywhere they can penetrate into your body." 

"You'll see moving bumps under your skin like living goosebumps." 

"And then, you won't see anymore, because your eyeballs are also a delicious treat to them!" 

As Feld vividly described, not only did Jelly and the others turn pale, but even the students taking notes nearby stopped, feeling a chill run down their spines. 

"I call these little bugs Sesame Mites. Isn't it a cute name?" Feld chuckled. 

Jelly and the others couldn't help but step back a few paces, their eyes filled with fear.

"Now, do you still want to go?" Feld asked.

Jelly and the others exchanged glances, then shook their heads, looking somewhat disappointed.

Feld was quite satisfied with the effectiveness of his sermon and continued, "What you need to do now is focus on your studies here at the academy and not worry about such things."

"Hunting monsters has never been a cool thing. If I could go to school, I wouldn't even think about becoming a mercenary and venturing into the forest to encounter those terrifying things."

"Really?" Jelly asked.

Feld: "Not really. I enjoy keeping company with danger and terror!"

Everyone: "..."