Alpha: "Because this is exactly what you asked for — a herd, Commander-tier minions, and quick gains. You said you wanted to clear your debt fast, didn’t you? Then this is your best chance."
Lin Fang narrowed his eyes, whispering internally, "You misunderstood. I wanted sothing efficient, not suicidal. I’m not alone now — I can’t drag them into a King-tier domain."
Alpha: "Kiddo, just because it is ruled by a King Tier monster doesn’t an there are King Tier monsters around. The powerful ones always stay deep in their lair. Moreover, what better place to hunt than a savanna? You can find all kinds of animals that live in a pack. If you intend to earn coins and clear the debt as fast as possible, it’s better to hunt down monsters that live in packs than to search for solitary ones. And since you are too afraid to lead them, you can just stick to the outer periters. How about sticking to the edges of this river? I’m sure you could find a herd of Water Buffalo Demons. They’re territorial, but their defense is lower than other Commander-tier species. You could handle them while protecting these two liabilities that you brought with you. But first, you either have to push them away or make them trust you. Hesitation will only lead to unnecessary consequences."
Lin Fang exhaled, feeling the tension in his shoulders ease slightly as a thought ca to his head. "That sounds more reasonable."
He turned back toward the two following him. Wang Jie was scanning the treeline nervously while Anne stood beside him, clutching the torch tighter, her Direwolves low and cautious.
"Lend a hand, Alpha..."
He then looked at Wang Jie and Anne, but without any reply, he continued to walk to the shore and stopped.
Anne and Wang Jie stood still at the edge of the stream, the torchlight flickering between them as if unsure whether to shine forward or retreat into the dark. Lin Fang, however, didn’t hesitate. He crouched down near the water and stared at it.
"What’s he doing?" Anne whispered, clutching the torch tighter.
Wang Jie frowned. "I don’t know... maybe testing the current?"
But then, Lin Fang extended his right hand and slowly dipped it into the cold water. Ripples spread outward as mana poured into the waters.
Then, suddenly—
ZAAAP!
The entire stream erupted in a blinding storm of light as bolts of electricity danced violently across the surface, illuminating the darkness for tens of ters on both sides.
Anne gasped and stumbled back. "W-What the hell!"
Her Direwolves growled, fur standing on end as faint sparks cracked over their bodies from the ambient energy. Wang Jie squinted his eyes against the light, shielding Anne instinctively. anwhile, fish type and many other monsters began to float up to the water surface one after another.
In the middle of all that chaos, Lin Fang stood calmly with his hand still half-subrged in the water and his expression tranquil as his eyes glowed in molten gold.
anwhile, on the holographic screen, a constant stream of system notifications filled his sight:
1 Spirit. 12 Coins. 1 Spirit. 6 Coins. 10 Spirits. 80 Coins. 100 Spirits. 2200 Coins. 100 spirits. 1700 coins
And on and on, the stream of ssages rising faster than he could read. Overall, he gained over 17632 coins and 1304 spirits.
As the storm of sparks faded gradually, Lin Fang finally withdrew his hand. The stream cald again, and he exhaled slowly, letting out a faint smirk. "Okay, this is quick money. 1.7 million credits... earned just like that... Luckily, I seed to have found a few rare grade monsters."
Alpha: "I must say I’m impressed too. To earn more quickly, you should look for a monster with a poison elent. Then, you can just poison the waters and farm the coins."
Wang Jie stared blankly at the scene. "He’s... farming monsters—just by electrifying the water?"
Anne could barely process it. "That’s... that’s insane."
But in the next minute, they couldn’t help but exchange a glance in surprise, seeing that Lin Fang didn’t go into the waters to collect their heads or extract their spirit cores. Instead, he said, "Let’s go..."
Lin Fang stepped into the stream without looking back, the water parting faintly around his boots as ripples glowed faintly blue where his feet t the current.
Behind him, Wang Jie and Anne stood still for a long mont, uncertain. Then Wang Jie nudged her gently.
"Babe... did you sense it?" he whispered, his tone unusually grave.
Anne nodded, but then replied, "This still doesn’t prove his strength though. Even though I could see tens of fish and monsters die, they weren’t strong monsters either. Moreover, he used water’s conductivity to deal with them."
Wang Jie shook his head slowly, his gaze still fixed on Lin Fang’s back as the man moved through the shallow current.
"Not that," he muttered. "Didn’t you feel it? That... presence?"
Anne frowned slightly. "Presence? What do you an?"
He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, his voice barely audible over the soft lapping of the water. "It’s the Spirit King."
"Spirit King?" She furrowed her brows.
"We’ll talk on the way. Co on—he’s moving fast. We can’t lose him now."
Without another word, Wang Jie adjusted his grip on his gear and followed after Lin Fang, the torchlight in his hand flickering wildly as they waded into the water. "Co... quick..." he urged.
Anne took a deep breath and followed, her Direwolves stepping carefully behind her.
As she caught up to her boyfriend, she grabbed his arm, "What was that about, Darling? What Spirit King? What did you feel?"
Wang Jie’s face was tight, eyes darting between Lin Fang’s silhouette ahead and the mist swirling around them. He leaned toward her, continuing to whisper. "It was only for a second, but I’m sure that he was possessed by a Spirit King."
Anne blinked, her steps faltering. "Possessed?"
He nodded, voice dropping even lower. "Only Spirit Kings can do that kind of possession. You didn’t see it—but when his mana flared just now, there was a second presence in his aura. And the fact that he was possessed by a spirit king when there is no monster companion around only suggests that he had bonded with one, and those who did are basically the innate souls."
"Innate souls..." She gasped in surprise and then gave another look at Lin Fang’s back, with unreadable thoughts in her head.
Unseen to them, high above the treetops, a couple of drones humd quietly, slicing through the misty air. Its thermal sensors flickered to life, overlaying outlines of the three figures and two Direwolves. One of the drones changed its direction and left the place while the other beeped.
[TARGETS ACQUIRED]
Sector: 37-B
[Cadet 23] [Cadet 07] [Cadet 08]
Data uplink comncing...
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