“Today, we’ll discuss the application of abilities. Abilities can be roughly divided into two types: active strengthening superpowers and passive strengthening superpowers. Among these, they include…”
“There are many things to pay attention to in the Saint Ruins, like monsters and traps—for example, the air and environment…”
Unlike the previously bottom-ranked Class 18, ever since Su Qi’s Ability was revealed and the others began testing theirs, the once laid-back and easy regular courses in Class 18 had undergone reforms just like the other classes. The focus shifted from theory to actual combat, and before they knew it, the workload had increased significantly compared to before.
This gave Su Qi an uncomfortable feeling, like transitioning from elementary to middle school.
However, along with the increased academic pressure, for an LV6 Ability User like Su Qi who had only descended into the Saint Ruins five times, he was also accumulating quite a bit of knowledge. And it had to be said that studying seriously and slacking off were fundamentally different.
In the past, even after two classes—or even a full day of classes—Su Qi would find it amusing to play on his phone under the desk and chat with his good brother, Mo Yu.
But today, after only two classes, Su Qi felt completely drained.
After all, for someone like Su Qi, who wasn’t a natural scholar, studying was genuinely painful, wasn’t it? Yet when he thought about how he might have to face the Demon King later, it seemed he couldn’t afford not to study.
Ding-dong~ Dong-dong~
At noon, a melodious chime rang through the teaching building. Only after finishing all his classes for the day did Su Qi finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Mo Yu watched as the students filed out of the classroom one after another at the sound of the bell. Then she glanced at Su Qi, who was still frowning slightly while digesting what he’d learned. A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips as she said, “A Qi, you were really listening intently today. If there’s anything you missed, I can give you some free tutoring tonight.”
Unlike Su Qi, a beginner adventurer who needed to absorb a lot of lectures to gain knowledge, Mo Yu—who possessed a Magical Girl Ability and was now a veteran adventurer—had an incredibly deep understanding of both Abilities and the Saint Ruins. In fact, if she were to exaggerate a little, the scholars who wrote these textbooks might not even be as experienced as Mo Yu when it came to Saint Ruins knowledge. After all, not just anyone could become an S-class Adventurer.
Hearing this from his good brother, Su Qi felt touched by Mo Yu’s kindness, but his deep, peach-blossom-like eyes couldn’t help shifting.
Because before class this morning, he’d been shocked by the sight of the Demon King’s Castle, and then he’d been especially attentive during the lectures. For a moment, he’d forgotten today’s main objective: to discuss with Mo Yu the plan for feeding Little Red Pupil. Now that this tutoring plan had come up, it fit perfectly with their discussion agenda.
But as for the location of the tutoring… At his own home, his older sister was around. Plus, there was a hidden door in his bedroom. If his good brother came over and either his own sister or Elder Sister Wen Yin barged in, Su Qi felt that would be a huge problem. Compared to his place, Mo Yu’s home seemed like a better option.
And upon closer thought, it had been a long time since he’d last visited Mo Yu’s house.
But before that, he still needed to go back to his own place and bring Little Red Pupil over.
As for that cute little one, Su Xixi…
Su Qi tilted his head slightly and sized up his good brother. Her figure was graceful and her movements light and elegant, but perhaps because being a Magical Girl emphasized actual combat, her overall build was still a bit slender. Certain specific areas lacked that eye-catching fullness and charm. ‘Well, I guess the source of my good brother’s Magical Girl Ability is pretty orthodox.’
At that thought, Su Qi finally shook his head. He would just make a big meal for the little one tomorrow. After all, his good brother’s production output was clearly not high. If it were Ye Fufu, with her Milk Mother Talent, the little one might be able to eat her fill. No, wait—both of the little ones plus himself could eat together and get full!
And just as Su Qi was shouldering his little backpack, holding hands with Mo Yu, and discussing the details of their tutoring session, at the same time, in the Saint Ruins…
Because they had explored the Fourth Layer yesterday and discovered the Demon King’s Castle, and since all Adventurers’ Guilds shared the same information, countless high-rank adventurers from other regions had responded to the guild’s invitation last night. They had flown to Lin City and begun plunging into the exploration of the Fourth Layer, seeking clues about the Demon King’s Castle.
Moreover, many experts and scholars had brought even more advanced instruments than before. Among these experts was the famous Exploration Superpower Expert, Professor Yang Ming.
After all, something like the Demon King’s Castle, which was shocking just to hear about—what true professional exploration expert wouldn’t be interested?
“Professor Yang, according to the map provided by the Twilight Sun Guild, we’ve now reached the middle layer of the Fourth Layer. There’s a wild Canger Beast about 580 meters ahead of us. We’ll detour to the left. Watch your step and avoid making too much noise.”
Lin Huo, the captain of the Dajing City S-class Adventurer squad, Night Butterfly Squad, pushed aside a layer of dense underbrush and said to Professor Yang Ming and the rest of the team.
Hearing Lin Huo’s planned route, Professor Yang Ming nodded in approval and whispered, “Captain Lin’s judgment is very correct. Although Canger Beasts usually act alone, if they’re attacked, they emit sound waves that attract nearby companions. Unless we’re engaging them head-on, it’s best to avoid them.”
But the moment Yang Ming finished speaking—
Owahhh~
A unique call echoed through the forest of the Fourth Layer.
Hearing the distinctive cry of the Canger Beast, Yang Ming adjusted his glasses in confusion. “That’s odd. Canger Beasts have poor eyesight, and while their hearing is good, they’re relatively docile. Normally, they only get alarmed if you get within 100 meters of them!”
Thump thump thump~
Before Yang Ming could figure it out, the Canger Beast they had just spotted in the distance started rushing toward the other side at full speed. Because of its massive weight, it kicked up clouds of dust, and the ground began to tremble continuously.
Following the direction of the beast’s charge, more and more Canger Beasts soon began to gather. Lin Huo compared the gathering point with the map and frowned deeply. Wasn’t that the location marked as the entrance path to the Demon King’s Castle? Had something gone wrong?
While Lin Huo and the others were puzzled—
Bang~
A massive Canger Beast was suddenly sent flying by a heavy impact.
Roar~
The next moment, a huge, pitch-black Iron-toothed Giant Bear, as massive as a mountain, appeared on the ground, roaring wildly. In the Saint Ruins, it was normal for monsters to have conflicts over territory. But this Iron-toothed Giant Bear had an eerie, dark sheen that was clearly very different from ordinary monsters. To be precise, its art style was off.
Professor Yang Ming fell into deep thought. Had the monsters in the Fourth Layer of Lin City’s Saint Ruins mutated? No, there were even more Saint Ruins near Dajing City, but no mutations had occurred there!
While Yang Ming was racking his brain, he cautiously followed the adventurers another 500 meters forward.
Whoosh~
Suddenly, a huge, pure white Teleportation Array appeared in the sky. Once the array was fully formed, a jet-black Ancient Dragon with burning wings appeared above the Saw-toothed Black Bear.
Seeing these two incredibly powerful, pitch-black monsters, and comparing them to the map of the Demon King’s Castle entrance, Professor Yang couldn’t help but shiver.
‘Hiss… Could it be that the Demon King of the Fifth Plane used the teleportation fluctuations from yesterday’s video feed to locate the Teleportation Array? Is it preparing to invade right now?’