Students

[A/N: For those who wondered why the mc always recognized magic beast even though he hadn't seen it before, is because among the books he got from Faraday, some of it contained info about magical beasts.]

In a place with a water source, some magic beast will definitely come to drink water. Once there are magic beasts, it means there's food as well. That's why Ling Fan proposed to go to the river...

Ling Fan was lucky as he arrived at the river, because he saw a first-level water-type magical beast - a spotted water snake, twisting its body and swimming toward the river.

The spotted water snake was over three meters long, with beautiful patterns all over its body. Its light yellow eyes were constantly alert, scanning its surroundings.

When Ling Fan noticed the snake, the snake also noticed him and his companion, Robin. The snake suddenly stopped its movements, floating on the water like a curved branch.

The snake was contemplating whether to escape or attack. It was conflicted, as Ling Fan and his companion looked tender and delicious, but it feared they might be something he couldn't mess with, and fighting them could lead to self-harming.

The survival law of magical beasts was simple: either hunt for food or become food!

Though the spotted water snake wasn't exceptionally powerful, it was extremely cunning. As soon as it felt threatened, it would either run away fast or attack immediately! (Even though snakes don't have feet! Hehe, a little joke there!)

By the time Ling Fan was observing the snake, it had already made its decision. The snake thought that Ling Fan and his companion appeared soft and weak, and it was quite hungry, so it decided to make a meal out of them!

With this thought in mind, water jets shot out of the snake's mouth, but its body didn't move an inch, maintaining a safe distance.

But was this distance truly safe? Would it be effective against someone as formidable as Ling Fan?

Surely, only a fool would think that! The safest distance from someone as terrifying as Ling Fan was them being not seen, not being detected by him, and most importantly, not being remembered by him!

As the water jets rushed towards Ling Fan, he didn't even attempt to dodge. However, just as the water jets were about to touch him, they were suddenly dispersed by an invisible barrier.

If it weren't for the fear of getting wet, Ling Fan would have let the water jets hit him. With his current level of strength, he wouldn't have been harmed in the slightest!

Before the snake realized that things were going south and tried to flee, Ling Fan already used the sacred finger flick technique. An energy wave pierced into the snake's mouth, passing through its body.

The poor snake didn't even get a chance to resist before it perished. In no time, it became a meal for Ling Fan and his companion.

Ling Fan stole a glance at Robin, who was enjoying her meal. He wondered, weren't women supposed to be afraid of these things? How come he couldn't tell that from Robin?

Perhaps it was because they hadn't had meat for a long time, but both of them thoroughly enjoyed their meal. In the blink of an eye, the roasted snake meat was completely gone.

After finishing their meal, they continued their journey.

With the swift eagle acting as a fantastic radar, Ling Fan and his companion's progress significantly quickened. With the eagle's help, Ling Fan could choose the best route to move forward.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, twenty days had passed. Ling Fan was finally about to leave the magical beast forest. If everything went as expected, they would reach "Gulu City" in about four or five days.

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Meanwhile, in the same magical beast forest:

"Monica, do you know? After hearing that I was selected for this training mission, I couldn't sleep well for three days! I never thought I could be training alongside our academy's No. 1. Oh my god! I even doubted if I was dreaming..." A girl dressed as a mage whispered to her friend nearby.

"Adela, you've said that at least ten times already; I will recite it if you want," Monica replied, somewhat exhausted.

"Aren't you excited? This is the first time you're training with Sheryl, right? Don't you want to witness her amazing strength?" Adela defended herself.

"Forget it; I'm not as infatuated as you! You're still so young; remember, you're not even an adult yet!" Monica playfully scolded her overenthusiastic friend.

Ever since witnessing Sheryl's strength in the "Power Ranking Competition" at the academy, Adela had become Sheryl's loyal fan. She mentioned "Sheryl" practically all the time, and Monica was starting to get tired of it.

"What's wrong with being fourteen? At fourteen, I already know everything. Don't you have someone you admire?" Adela nudged closer to Monica with a mischievous smile. "Come on, spill the beans! Do you have someone or not? I promise not to tell anyone!"

"When did you ever keep a promise? I bet you want everyone at school to know, right?" Monica shot back at her teasing friend.

"Does that mean you actually have someone?" Adela's eyes brightened, displaying the excitement when someone got to discover a gossip.

"Forget it, you big fool! Stay away from me; I'm afraid people will say I know you," Monica said, showing a face that wanted to keep her distance from Adela.

"Don't lower your guard, everyone. Even though we easily dealt with those small magical beasts just now, we can't relax! Remember, you're here for training, not for sightseeing!" Sheryl's voice came from the front of the group.

The team consisted of students from the "Dove Magic and Sword Academy." They had come here for training. The group consisted of seven people - three mages and four swordsmen. Sheryl, with her considerable strength and experience in her previous missions, was assigned as the team leader to guide the younger students in their training.

"Training here is so dull, dealing with only small magical beasts. It's not exciting at all. If it were up to me, we'd go to the 'Forest of No Return' for training; that would be thrilling," Geraldine said, twirling her long sword.

"Just you? In the 'Forest of No Return,' you wouldn't even have a shred of your bones left!" Reese retorted.

"I'm already an 'Advanced Swordsman!'Geraldine boasted.

"'Advanced Swordsman' means nothing!"

"Yeah, being an 'Advanced Swordsman' means nothing. Unlike someone here, who's still just an Official Swordsman.'"

"Don't get too cocky; I'll surpass you one day!" Reese walked away indignantly.

The group continued to advance slowly, when suddenly, they heard a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound, getting closer.