"Alright, let’s leave this matter here. I have a question—were the monster and student corpses in the river your doing?"
Evan Chu felt something was off. Although they were fighting monsters, they were still some distance from the riverbank—it was impossible for the monster corpses to end up in the river.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about. We only ran into that one monster this time, and it was much tougher than we expected. Five of my brothers died, including our strategist. As for the riverbank, we haven’t been there yet." Ryan spoke slowly, but his tone showed he was telling the truth.
Evan Chu frowned slightly. If it wasn’t Ryan’s group, could it be Sea Dragon Academy’s students? Then the corpses in the river must be Heavenly Dragon Academy’s. A sense of foreboding welled up in his heart.
He immediately made a decision: "Sterling Yates, take five brothers and head south. Report back immediately if anything happens. Gus Bullard, take five brothers east. Same orders—report back right away if anything comes up."
"Blake Murong, take the remaining brothers and go west. Same deal—if you run into monsters or anything else, report back immediately. Don’t act on your own. The rest of you will stay here with me and rest up. We’ll wait here for two hours. I think the real showdown with Sea Dragon Academy is about to begin."
This news was undoubtedly exciting. Many students were eager for battle—in a world where martial strength rules, only constant fighting can prove one’s worth.
Though there would be injuries, blood, and even death, at this moment, no one felt the slightest fear. After all, they had a Boss who could make an eighth-rank flying monster his little brother—following him made even danger seem surmountable.
The three squads set off, leaving Rhea Yang, Lily Tang, Ryan Ouyang, and Gabe Goldstone behind. Evan Chu paid special attention to Gabe, whose strength was the weakest—he could only stay by Evan’s side.
"Ryan Ouyang, what do you think about this joint academy trial?" Evan Chu asked, making conversation.
"This is playing with our lives. The monsters are too strong, danger is everywhere, and sometimes we run into Sea Dragon Academy people. Everyone’s complaining," Ryan Ouyang analyzed, his face showing helplessness.
At the mention of Sea Dragon Academy, Evan Chu immediately thought of their scheme. He turned serious and told Ryan, "I’ve discovered a secret—Sea Dragon Academy’s honors-class students have appeared in our ordinary-class zone. You know what that means, even if I don’t spell it out."
The urgent thing now is for you to go back and warn your teammates. If you run into Sea Dragon Academy students, try to avoid them. Of course, if they want to join my group, I won’t object. Go discuss it with them and come back.
"Seriously? Damn those guys! Sea Dragon Academy is shameless. If I run into any of them, I’ll kill them all!" Ryan Ouyang said angrily.
"It’s good to have that spirit, but if you run into honors-class students, you might be the one killed. Don’t be impulsive! Think of the bigger picture—losing your life isn’t worth it." Evan Chu smiled. Ryan was strong, but only among the ordinary class; in the honors class, even an average student could fight him.
"Alright, I’ll go tell them now. If they want to join, they can. If not, I hope you won’t force it." With that, Ryan Ouyang turned and left.
Lily Tang and Rhea Yang didn’t speak. Both had their own thoughts, but seeing Evan Chu’s commanding presence made them happy. If only they could leave this dangerous, exciting place soon.
Gabe Goldstone spoke up: "Evan, let me help out too. I may not be strong, but I won’t be a burden. Right now I feel useless, like I always need protecting."
Evan Chu grinned. "Big brother, what are you talking about? Look, Lily Tang and Rhea Yang aren’t doing anything either. You’re my big brother, so you’re their big brother too. Since when does the big brother do all the work? That’s what little brothers are for." He understood Gabe’s feelings very well.
About an hour later, a student came running, shouting, "Boss! Boss! There are monsters! Lots of monsters!"
Soon he reached Evan Chu, panting heavily. “Boss, we found monsters—at least a hundred of them! None are very strong, and Blake Murong’s team is waiting for you!”
Evan Chu’s face lit up. So many monsters—and not very strong. This would be easy.
Just then, two more students ran back. One said, “Boss, we found a cave. The entrance says ‘Spiritwell Cave’—Gus Bullard is waiting for you there.”
“Boss, we saw a group of students fighting monsters. Should we help?” Nearly all three teams sent back news, and all of it was exciting. For a moment, Evan Chu didn’t know what to choose.
Evan Chu frowned helplessly and looked at Lily Tang and Rhea Yang, hoping they could give some advice.
The two girls understood. “Let’s go hunt monsters—finish the mission quickly. The cave isn’t going anywhere, we can explore it later. As for helping those students, it’s not necessary. They might not want help, and could even think you’re trying to steal their Magic Crystals,” Rhea Yang said.
Lily Tang nodded in agreement. Evan Chu thought Rhea Yang’s analysis made sense. “You two go tell them to meet up with Blake Murong. We’ll go hunt monsters.”
Then he said to Gabe Goldstone, “You come too. Just take care of yourself—don’t let the monsters hurt you!”
“Am I really that hopeless? I’m not as strong as you, but I can still handle a few monsters. Don’t underestimate me!” Gabe Goldstone protested.
Evan Chu and the others quickly followed the messenger to Blake Murong’s position. Seeing Evan arrive, Blake stepped forward. “Boss, these monsters aren’t high-level, but there are a lot of them. Should we wait for the others before attacking?”
Evan Chu looked carefully at the distant monsters—they looked like wolves, but it was hard to see clearly from this distance. There were indeed over a hundred, and it wouldn’t be easy to deal with them.
“There are too many. Let’s wait for everyone and then attack together. These monsters might not be as weak as they seem, and this is clearly their territory—there could be a stronger leader.”