Chapter Five: The Crushing Blow

The chill of frost had not yet fully dissipated, and the beast’s movements were still sluggish. It could only watch helplessly as the woman in black disappeared into the distance, knowing it had no hope of catching her this time. Its rage, apparent in its bulging bronze eyes, shifted entirely to Elijia, who had dared block its path. With jaws agape, it charged at her, intent on devouring her whole. This beast cared nothing for beauty; no matter how beautiful a human woman was, in its eyes she was nothing more than prey.

At that moment, a sudden gust of force swept in from behind. The beast’s senses were keen—though its body had not fully recovered from the numbing cold, it managed to lash its tail with surprising agility.

A sharp crack rang out. Luo Chen’s right wrist felt as if it had been struck by an iron rod, his sword veering off course so that it nearly missed its intended target: the beast’s anus.

His instructor had once remarked that for many magical beasts, the anus was a point of weakness—much like the reverse scale of a dragon. To strike there was to risk provoking the creature into a frenzy.

And indeed, the beast’s golden fur bristled from head to tail, its fury reaching an unbearable peak. As a high-level magical beast, such an indignity was intolerable—how dare a mere human attempt such a violation! It was the deepest shame, an unforgivable insult.

Without a second thought, the beast abandoned the feast at its feet. With a thunderous roar, it lunged at Luo Chen instead.

Luo Chen turned and fled, and at that very moment, a golden light approached from the distance—a handsome young man with flowing golden hair. Luo Chen, seeing him, felt as though he had found a savior. This was Kevin, a student as renowned as Elijia herself at Weston Academy. Kevin hailed from the illustrious Derozan family, famed throughout the Canglan Continent, where the Forest of Dread was located. Rumor had it that the Derozan bloodline traced back to an ancient Western European noble house, upholding the old chivalric code for generations. Raised with the finest education, Kevin was known as a true gentleman with a sterling reputation at the academy.

Luo Chen and Kevin were not close, but Luo Chen believed Kevin to be a good man—surely he would step in to help.

“Kevin! I’m so glad you’re here—quick, stop that beast!”

Kevin cast a glance at Luo Chen and the unconscious Elijia lying on the ground, his expression dark and uncertain. He had been watching from the shadows, witnessing everything. The strength of the beast was more than he could handle—confronting it would be sheer folly.

Besides, what did he stand to gain by helping Luo Chen?

In the end, Kevin acted as if he hadn’t seen Luo Chen at all, slipping away at a distance to avoid getting caught up in the chaos.

“Kevin, you—” Luo Chen was so furious he nearly spat blood. That self-proclaimed brave knight, so proud and chivalrous in daily life, was now revealed to be a coward, terrified for his own life. A knight? Nonsense! Luo Chen cursed Kevin and all his ancestors in his heart.

The beast paid no attention to the unexpected interloper. Its wrath was focused entirely on Luo Chen, who could do nothing but run—cursing his parents for not giving him two extra legs, and wishing, not for the first time, that he had wings.

Hardly had Luo Chen and the beast left the scene when a chorus of voices sounded from afar—no doubt the tutors responsible for camp security, drawn by the disturbance.

Kevin’s right hand flared with golden light, and he struck himself hard on the chest. Blood gushed from his mouth as he hurled himself backward, feigning injury.

Soon enough, the tutors of Weston Academy arrived, shocked to find Elijia and Kevin both unconscious. “Kevin, what happened here?” one demanded.

Kevin struggled to sit up. “Tutors, Elijia was attacked by an unknown high-level beast and fell unconscious. I was nearby on an assignment and rushed over to help, but the beast was far too strong—even with all my strength, I was no match. Fortunately, the sacred power of my family’s combat skill, the Fist of Glory, can intimidate such monsters. I managed to scare it off by sheer luck. Otherwise, neither Elijia nor I would have survived.”

The tutors all frowned. They had strictly warned the students not to venture deeper into the Forest of Dread or provoke any magical beasts of the fourth tier or above. Who had drawn that nameless monster out? For both Elijia and Kevin—the academy’s most outstanding students—to be injured so quickly, the beast must be at least seventh tier. Had it not been for the Derozan family’s sacred combat aura and the Fist of Glory’s divine attribute, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Bonnie, the medical tutor, her hands aglow with white light, quickly examined Elijia’s injuries. “She’s fine,” she announced. “Just a brief loss of consciousness from a psychic attack. She’ll wake soon.”

A chill ran through the crowd. Beasts capable of psychic attacks were exceedingly rare—and nearly impossible to guard against.

Lant, the tutor responsible for group assignments, asked in surprise, “Elijia’s partner was Luo Chen. Where is he? Kevin, did you see him?”

Kevin nodded. “I did.”

“And where is he now? Was he hurt?” Lant pressed.

Kevin hesitated. “When the beast appeared, Luo Chen—he, he left.”

“What?” the tutors exclaimed in unison.

They understood Kevin’s meaning, though he had been as tactful as possible. Their faces turned grim. That Luo Chen must have panicked, abandoning his unconscious partner to save his own skin.

Such behavior was utterly despicable.

The third tutor, Reagan, spoke up, “Regardless, for the students’ safety we must suspend all tasks and return to the academy. Until we can confirm that the beast has retreated into the depths of the forest, this area is far too dangerous.”

His suggestion was met with unanimous approval. At once, one of the tutors fired a warning flare.

Meanwhile, Luo Chen was still being relentlessly pursued by the enraged beast. Though not especially strong, the power that the will to survive could unleash was astonishing. Luo Chen ran with desperate speed, beyond his usual limits. The beast, still sluggish from the cold and weakened by the earlier encounter with the woman in black, was unable to catch him at first. But this would not last. Soon, the beast began to recover, and the balance of the chase shifted.

The beast’s furious roars grew closer and closer. Glancing back, Luo Chen saw it was less than twenty meters behind. Heart pounding, he hurriedly drew every throwing weapon he carried—shuriken, boomerangs, willow-leaf knives—and hurled them all backwards as he ran.

At Weston Academy, the use of throwing weapons was a compulsory subject. They could compensate for the lack of ranged attacks among lower-level energy warriors—and, as Luo Chen now demonstrated, they served another vital purpose: creating a chance to escape when being hunted by a magical beast.

But with Luo Chen’s strength, such weapons had some effect on lesser beasts like wind wolves. Against this monster, they were utterly useless. Not a single blade could pierce its tough hide. The beast sneered inwardly—foolish human, was this meant to tickle me?

Throwing weapons cost money, and Luo Chen, poor as he was, hadn’t brought many. Besides, too many would slow him down. Now he was down to his last packet.

Not a single blade, not a single dart, not a single knife, but an entire packet—his final life-saving trump card.

Luo Chen pulled the packet from his breast pocket and flung it at the beast with all his might, shouting as he did, “Why not chase after that woman? I’m not even good-looking! Take this—my Thunderous, Invincible, Super-Demonic, Ruthless, Inhuman, Soul-Reaping Powder!”