Chapter 119: The Inexperienced Team

The ground trembled violently as the elephantine leg of the “White Rhino Roar” slammed down, carving a deep crater into the earth. The Frost Battle Master narrowly rolled aside to evade the blow, a faintly freezing fighting spirit coalescing before him. Two white fists of fighting spirit struck solidly and almost simultaneously against the head of the demon beast. A roar echoed!

The “White Rhino Roar,” hurt and momentarily staggered, gave the Battle Master an opening to circle to its side. His fists, thickly coated in frost, repeatedly struck in midair, leaving one white fist mark after another on the beast’s wall-like, sturdy body. Its furious howls did not cease as it staggered backwards.

Nearby, a swordsman was less fortunate. Before he could react, a “Water Flow Break” strike from a “White Rhino Roar” behind him caught him off guard. Though the attack’s damage was minor, the force sent him flying and crashing hard.

Magic collided!

The battlefield seemed to descend into chaos.

Yet the “White Rhino Roar” never managed to breach the Soul Extinguishing mercenaries’ firepower line. Seven swordsmen, working in unison with an archer, a beast tamer, and ranged fire mages behind, held the entire front line firmly. Not a single step was allowed forward. The corpses of seven “White Rhino Roars” lay sprawled in the center of the battlefield, forming an unyielding barrier for the Soul Extinguishing mercenary group.

“Go!”

Golden flames flickered once more across Xu Wen’s body. Several struggling mages nearby brightened with recognition—the magic that had just felled two “White Rhino Roars” simultaneously.

Hundreds of golden-red flames transformed into serpentine shapes, writhing and surging forward!

They split into three streams, each targeting one of the “White Rhino Roars” that three warriors were struggling to hold back. The flames were like venomous fangs from a golden serpent’s mouth, lightning-fast, rushing straight ahead… Roar!

But the “White Rhino Roars” were no fools. Having been injured three times in a row by Xu Wen, they had long since focused their defense on him. As the magic erupted, the three targeted beasts all growled lowly, their bodies enveloped in a moist, shimmering aura like rolling waves.

The golden flame serpents plunged into the aura but were immediately vaporized into tangible steam, their power severely weakened!

Meanwhile, several “White Rhino Roars” broke out from the rear, charging left and right.

“Watch out!!”

No one expected the three “White Rhino Roars” previously blocked at the rear to suddenly focus all their attention on Xu Wen, launching a simultaneous attack.

Even He Chen, who had been quietly observing the battlefield and its trends, failed to notice… By the time everyone realized what was happening, shattered ice flower fragments burst from the ground like a startled mole, grabbing Xu Wen’s legs from below. Then, three thick water jets shot out like lasers from the beasts’ mouths. To make matters worse, a three-meter-high ice spike appeared above Xu Wen’s head, bearing down with thunderous force.

“Xu Wen!”

The warriors were all drawn away; the mages had no time to chant, their eyes wide open, helplessly watching the magic descend.

Yet.

Others did not notice—it was inconceivable that Xu Wen, who always cherished his body, would be without any defense.

Xu Wen was acutely aware of the consequences of excessive firepower output!

In the game, it was called “drawing aggro”; in this real world, it was even more critical. Besides, these four-star beasts were no fools—they would never remain passive.

The moment the ice shards wrapped around him, deep blue flames burst from Xu Wen’s feet, purely conjured through spiritual power, dispelling the faint chill. The massive ice spike falling from above was more troublesome—both attacks involved physical impact.

“There’s no other way.”

With a thought, a clear eagle’s cry rose from the forest.

A fierce wind surged, blades of wind flying everywhere!

Summoned to Xu Wen’s side, the Black Wind Eagle flapped its wings in unison. Just as the ice spike was caught in the ripples of the Flame God’s shield, it was sliced into countless ice fragments and blasted away before touching Xu Wen.

The water jets themselves were four-star level attacks, but weakened by the triple ripples of the Flame God’s shield, their force was greatly reduced and easily shattered by the Black Wind Eagle in one strike.

Everyone was startled by the Black Wind Eagle’s sudden appearance but didn’t pause. Instead, they intensified their assault, quickly finishing off the three “White Rhino Roars” severely wounded by the wild dance of golden serpents.

Led by Lei Ao, the warriors surged past the fallen beasts, launching a final assault on the surviving monsters.

Xu Wen and He Chen were no slackers either… Golden Flame Wheels spun wildly.

The golden serpents danced fiercely, reaping the last few beasts who had lost all fighting spirit, finally ending the Soul Extinguishing mercenary group’s first battle.

“Is everyone all right?”

He Chen asked the female priest, Xiao Nuo, within the team.

Her face was bright with excitement and joy:

“Three with minor injuries, a short rest and a healing pill will be enough.”

“Good! Check your equipment for damage.”

Everyone responded that their gear was intact, but their eyes were fixed in wonder on the Black Wind Eagle standing next to Xu Wen, voraciously swallowing a pill.

“Deputy Leader, is this… your contracted beast?”

Silver Moon Proud Dragon stared at Xu Wen in disbelief. Naturally, he recognized the food Xu Wen had just fed the Black Wind Eagle.

Xu Wen nodded.

Since they would be together for the next three months, he couldn’t keep little Black without a proper identity for so long. It was better to bring him out early for mutual growth. After some thought, he also summoned “Little Tiger.”

The little fellow was bursting with energy, letting out a mighty roar that echoed through the forest in all directions.

“...Two?”

Silver Moon Proud Dragon was a bit shocked… He had been chosen as a beast tamer from a young age due to his affinity talent and was currently training only one four-star intermediate Purging Wind Ape. Xu Wen, a mage with high magical talent, was simultaneously raising two contracted beasts, both already reaching advanced two-star levels?

What a joke…

Hidden in the shadows, Lante silently shook his head, rubbing his aching temples.

“Dean Notting never mentioned Xu Wen was a beast tamer…”

Xu Wen naturally avoided dwelling on this topic, simply explaining that once he learned the Beast Spirit Pill accelerated and promoted the growth of contracted beasts, he became interested in raising two, refining pills and nurturing them for some time.

“So fast?”

Silver Moon Proud Dragon doubted it.

He had always believed his affinity was high and his connection with contracted beasts strong, yet it took him more than two years to raise his Purging Wind Ape to two stars. Xu Wen did it in just two months?

“I don’t know either. Anyway, Little Black and Little Tiger are very obedient. Whatever I ask them to do, they do.”

Xu Wen’s explanation was cheeky and utterly disheartening.

Eileen, nearby, was suspicious… She had never seen Xu Wen summon contracted beasts along the way. Whether it had been two months was hard to say, but seeing Silver Moon Proud Dragon’s wounded expression, she chose not to speak up.

“I’m numb to it now,” He Chen suddenly waved his hand, sighing. In this short time, he had the most contact with Xu Wen and was most deeply affected. “Let’s get to work—clean the battlefield, collect spoils… Xu Wen, if one day you suddenly drop your staff and pick up an axe, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

With that, he turned around gloomily and walked toward the massive corpses scattered on the ground.

“An axe?”

Xu Wen stroked his chin, looking seriously contemplative, scaring everyone else away.

Only Lei Ao remained, standing like a stone behind him, gazing at his back with furrowed brows. The presence of two contracted beasts made him feel the distance between them grow even wider.

Twenty “White Rhino Roar” corpses were assigned to a group of novices for disposal. The progress was predictable.

Some didn’t even know how to handle the bodies, staring at the enormous beasts as if in awe.

“What are you all standing around for? Get to work!”

“Um, Deputy Leader Sack, how… how do we do this?” A group of people stood dumbly—mages and swordsmen alike.

“Fools! First, use fighting spirit to scan. Check if there’s a magical core inside their heads. If there is, extract it. Four-star cores are quite valuable, as are chunks of meat, horns, and teeth… What do you all think about when you read?”

“Thinking is one thing, but we’ve never actually done it. How about you demonstrate?”

“…”

After a while, Sack Qi stopped in front of the first corpse to demonstrate:

“Please, I’m a mage, why do I have to do this kind of thing… Fine, I’ll show you. Cut open this part a bit…”

Several female members turned their faces away and walked aside.

A long half-hour passed before the Soul Extinguishing mercenary group’s grim dissection experiment finally concluded. It was arduous but successful—they had decomposed the first beast’s corpse. It was just too massive.

“Set up camp here, light fires! We’ll stay overnight.”

Seeing the sky darken, He Chen immediately gave the order.

The young women reluctant to perform autopsies gladly set up camp, while He Chen personally led several mages to fell surrounding trees, constructing basic defenses for the makeshift encampment.

Xu Wen didn’t join in. He stepped aside, tossing a Beast Spirit Pill to the two little creatures, quietly feeding them pet food, then directed them to frolic around the innocent trees nearby—training.

Until nightfall, when the forest fell completely silent, the group finally stopped their work. Surrounded by the stench of blood, they ate some simple food and gathered around the campfire, discussing the day’s battle and sharing insights.

The Purging Wind Ape stood guard, perched on a fallen log two meters thick.

“As the leader, I made several strategic mistakes today that put some brothers in danger…” He Chen began with self-criticism.

First, he had lured the White Rhino herd’s attack; then, he had mistakenly commanded all warriors to advance, leaving no one to support the mages from behind. Additionally, he had underestimated the White Rhinos’ defense and failed to focus fire timely. Lastly, as leader, he hadn’t fully understood the strength of every member, resulting in somewhat reckless orders.

“I was wrong too. I got too nervous during the fight and didn’t see the bigger picture, holding everyone back,” two warriors admitted, blushing.

Several mages also spoke up, candidly acknowledging their spells often missed and their confusion mid-battle. Thus, everyone openly shared their shortcomings and formulated a new battle plan.

Xu Wen glanced at He Chen, who was earnestly gathering and integrating everyone’s information.

He finally understood why Sack Qi was so devoted to following him.

He Chen truly was a capable leader; unfortunately, Xu Wen knew that to the Soul Extinguishing mercenary group, he was merely a passerby, nothing more.

Closing his eyes, Xu Wen carefully recalled a spell from the ancient tome Dean Notting had entrusted to him, soon becoming engrossed.

(To be continued)