Chapter 117: Behind the Scenes

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"The Second Young Master only wanted to target me personally; this has nothing to do with any of you. So, consider what just happened as if it never occurred, and forget it as quickly as you can. It’s for your own good."

Lante’s tone was laced with helplessness and a hint of warning. Although these words were aimed at the members of the Soul-Extinguishing Mercenary Group, his eyes remained fixed on Xu Wen, who was bowing his head, fiddling with small pebbles on the ground. The fury that comes from being pushed to the brink of death cannot be so easily extinguished, and Xu Wen’s current reactions and emotions were far from normal.

Xu Wen could naturally feel the scorching gaze Lante had pinned on his face. He looked up, picked up a small pebble, and flicked it lightly into the distance.

"Rest assured, we aren’t children. Anyone who can make a former Royal Mercenary like you feel helpless must have an extraordinary background. Besides, that 'Second Young Master' could even command an Eight-Star Summoning Master, and his two guards didn't look weak either. Such a person... we certainly won't be foolish enough to go looking for trouble. That would just be inviting disaster."

At this point, Xu Wen turned his face to lock eyes with Lante, not giving an inch.

"But you should at least tell us what kind of high-ranking official's descendant has the power to be so arrogant and tyrannical within the Scarlet Alliance? Even if we can't afford to provoke them, surely we can afford to stay out of their way?"

The calmness of his tone took Lante by surprise once again.

Could Dean Harman really be so lucky as to have handpicked a student with such talent, character, and magnanimity? Most geniuses of the past were self-important and incredibly arrogant, leading to many of them dying young. If Xu Wen could truly maintain such a temperament under these circumstances...

How should one put it?

Lante’s expression was incredibly complex. His many years of experience told him that if Xu Wen truly held onto Harman’s philosophy of "non-contention," it would be difficult for him to reach the peak of the Nine-Star realm, thereby wasting his natural talent. Yet, if that attitude were fake, it would be even more dangerous!

Sighing, Lante ultimately revealed the Second Young Master’s identity. Fortune and misfortune are twins; it would depend on how the young man chose to navigate it.

As his voice trailed off, everyone except for Xu Wen and the cold-faced Lei E gasped, staring at one another in shock. They had not expected the "Second Young Master" to have such a formidable backer.

The commander of the Royal Mercenary Group, "Philly Pro," was a legendary figure known as the strongest Nine-Star Magic Swordsman of the Scarlet Alliance. The man they had just encountered was his second son, thirty-seven-year-old "Philly Jones." He had been adopted by the Emperor of the Scarlet Alliance and was widely recognized as the most eligible diamond-level bachelor in the entire alliance.

It must be said that even Xu Wen was stunned.

Even though he had already inflated the "Second Young Master’s" background to the highest possible level in his mind after Lante spoke, he hadn't expected the man on the Red-Winged Flame Dragon to possess two nearly invincible layers of influence!

Philly Pro.

His own strength was peerless! He was publicly recognized as the strongest expert in the Scarlet Alliance! Furthermore, he commanded the strongest official force in the alliance—the Royal Mercenary Group—whose members were exclusively Eight-Star powerhouses!

As for the Emperor of the Scarlet Alliance... it went without saying.

The status of being his adopted son guaranteed that Philly Jones could run rampant anywhere in the Scarlet Alliance, or indeed anywhere on the Soul Continent, with the exception of the Dark Empire.

Xu Wen wanted to ask about Philly Jones’s personal strength, but in the end, he didn't open his mouth.

The descendant of a Nine-Star Magic Swordsman, backed by the Scarlet Alliance’s royal family, could be groomed into a super-expert even with average talent. Moreover, the men at his side were all at the peak of the late Eight-Star level.

Lante’s words were certainly not false.

Dealing with him would be harder than becoming a Nine-Star expert! It would likely be easier to kill the Dark Empire’s Necromancer, "Death Soul."

Seeing that no one else was speaking, Lante stared at Xu Wen for a long while before instructing the beast-tamer to soothe the Cat-Eagles and prepare to set off again.

...

After Lante’s explanation, the incident was no longer mentioned. After all, when faced with such an unpleasant experience that one could not retaliate against, the best approach was to forget it, bury it, and let time fade the memory.

Even Xu Wen chose to think this way.

To seek revenge at the cost of offending the entire Scarlet Alliance was irrational, unless he was willing to become a public enemy of the Soul Continent and hide for the rest of his life in a place like the Dark Empire.

"I hope our paths never cross again..." Xu Wen thought to himself, though he didn't even believe it. With his talent and abilities, such a wish was almost impossible to fulfill.

"Mr. Lante, didn't you say we were going to the Black Rock Town? Why are we stopping here?"

A moment later, He Chen climbed down from the Cat-Eagle and looked around in confusion. The Cat-Eagle had landed outside a forest shrouded in white mist. In the distance, mountain ranges stretched endlessly, and the area behind them was vast and empty. It was clearly a Beast Mountain Range; there wasn't a shadow of a town to be seen.

The other members were equally perplexed.

At this moment, Lante signaled for the four beast-tamers to depart. Once the tamers and the Cat-Eagles were gone, the group grew even more bewildered.

Only Xu Wen remained silent. He calmly tidied himself up, took his magic staff and equipment from his ring, and strapped them on one by one.

Eileen had been by Xu Wen’s side the whole time. Since cautiously letting go of his hand on the Cat-Eagle, her mood had become rather strange, but she was sharp; seeing Xu Wen gear up, she immediately understood.

The other was Lei E.

After his defeat in the arena, he had voluntarily requested to join the Soul-Extinguishing Mercenary Group primarily to learn more about Xu Wen. For over two years, almost no one in the academy had impressed him. Among his peers, he found their talent and insight lacking, so he wanted to see what exactly made Dean Harman’s disciple so different. Was it diligence, or something else that allowed him to reach that level?

Although Xu Wen never spoke to him, Lei E believed that by imitating him, he could slowly learn the secret to Xu Wen’s success—and eventually, he would chase him down and surpass him! Therefore, he also began to equip himself meticulously.

Noticing the actions of the three, Lante shook his head and sighed: These students really didn't give their mentor a chance to show off.

"Since everyone has resolved to become a qualified mercenary, from this moment on, you must earnestly learn and adapt to every habit of a mercenary."

"The town is about thirty to forty miles from here, but that is a place for rest when leaving. Before every mission, I do not want you to spend the night in a safe, relaxing inn. You must keep your nerves taut from now on! This is the first lesson I am giving you today: camping in the Beast Forest!"

"..."

The group’s expressions changed drastically!

During the journey on the Cat-Eagles, Lante had shared many stories about beasts attacking camps at night, and he had described the Beast Forest at night as terrifying and dangerous. They hadn't expected to start on the very first night...

He Chen scanned the members present, walked up to Lante, and lowered his voice: "Mr. Lante, isn't this... progressing a bit too fast? After all, some of us have never even entered a Beast Forest... shouldn't we get a feel for it during the day first?"

"Of course you can!" Lante nodded without hesitation and pointed toward the forest. "Go in right now! Let yourselves experience the charm of the Beast Forest, and I will be right behind you to provide support."

It was over.

Xu Wen calmly scanned the people around him. Although there wouldn't be any real danger on this trip, the shock and tension were unavoidable. It was only because he had the "Beast Skeleton" as a sturdy shield that he dared to hunt alone in the outer reaches of the Black Water Mountain Range. For the others, spending a night in the Beast Forest for the first time without any experience—being able to close their eyes at all would be an achievement.

However, Xu Wen certainly wouldn't point it out. That would disrupt Lante’s plan and hinder the growth of the Soul-Extinguishing members.

Immediately, the group, led by He Chen, began their first official journey into the Beast Forest with some trepidation.

From the moment they stepped into the forest, they had officially embarked on their path as mercenaries!

They hadn't been in the forest long before signs of instability began to appear in the ranks:

"...Didn't Mr. Lante say he was our mentor? How did he vanish so quickly?"

"Exactly."

*Smack!*

A crisp sound rang out as someone in the group raised their arm, revealing a mosquito crushed in their palm amidst a splatter of blood. "Good heavens, such a big mosquito, it wants to suck a person dry... Hey, guys, will this thing be poisonous?"

"Enough, stop chattering. Think about the mercenary survival manual we read these past few days... As for you, stop shouting. You're young, what's a little blood loss? It’ll just help clear your system. Even if it is poisonous, it doesn't matter; I have medicine here."

He Chen was already acting like the "leader" of the group, demonstrating the necessary qualities of a captain.

Xu Wen, the vice-captain, was a bit incompetent and heartless. He didn't spare a glance for his own people, nor did he show any sympathy. He let them jump at every little noise while his own gaze swept around, judging the grade of the beasts that had once lived in this area based on fallen leaves, tracks on the ground, and peculiar scents.

Beast tide...

Based on his initial estimation, one shouldn't appear here. There were still fresh droppings of a Three-Star beast nearby.

"Finally back in the Beast Forest..."

Xu Wen didn't dare to be the least bit lax, entering his state of focus meticulously. He knew that the reason no beasts had appeared yet was because the aura of twenty-one people was too overwhelming. Even Four-Star, or entry-level Five-Star beasts, wouldn't dare show their faces during the day!

But once a beast did appear, the situation would become very dangerous—at the very least, it would be a high-level Five-Star beast, or... a pack of mid-level beasts.

They had been trekking for nearly an hour...

A faint white mist began to appear in the forest. Initially, no one paid any attention to this white fog, which clearly lacked any toxic or strange scent. They had learned before entering that a beast called the "White Rhino Roar" lived in large numbers in some of the Scarlet Alliance’s mountain ranges and could create a persistent white mist in their territory.

However, as the group ventured deeper, the mist did not dissipate; instead, it grew thicker and thicker!

"..."

He Chen decisively ordered them to stop and made a "hush" gesture. With a *whoosh*, two clusters of deep blue flames erupted from his hands.

Xu Wen looked at He Chen with slight surprise, frowned, and switched his ordinary magic staff for his Lava Staff. He glanced at the members who still didn't understand He Chen’s intent and whispered a reminder: "Warriors in front, other classes in the back. Prepare for battle."

Those who hadn't applied the survival manual realized what was happening. Seeing the white mist around them being rapidly evaporated by He Chen’s deep blue flames, widening their field of vision, they suddenly understood that the captain intended to wipe out a group of "White Rhino Roars" to clear the path. They immediately formed a circle and entered combat readiness.

In less than two minutes, the white mist had dissipated to several dozen meters away, and from the depths of the fog, rustling sounds began to emerge...