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Chapter 101: Leading the Squad to Hunt the Serpent

Early the next morning, all seven members of the expedition squad assembled beneath a pillar in the adventurers’ tavern.

They stared in shock at Rock behind Ashura, who, clad in dark-red armor like a Magic Deity, carried on his back a gigantic axe that looked much taller than Gais.

Only then did they reassess this fellow who had been a half-starved pauper two days ago, and even the ever-aristocratic Clay felt a stab of regret.

If he had recruited Rock as his knightly retainer back then, how much face would he be saving right now.

Yet Ashura disliked having Rock stand behind him, because the contrast always made him feel short.

However, when he noticed the others’ envious gazes, his mood improved considerably.

Once Clay confirmed that everyone had arrived, he quickly arranged the formation: Ashura and Rock at the front, the mages Gais and Jella in the middle, the archer Luna and the blonde-waved Christine on the flanks, and the knight Clay guarding the rear.

Everyone agreed the setup was fine, and since their goal was simply to hunt Beasts, nobody cared which direction they chose.

Hearing this, Ashura felt secretly pleased and immediately decided on a destination: the great canyon where the blind Red-Lotus Serpent King had fallen, which was precisely the goal of his journey.

Thus the powerful seven-man squad strode into the peril-filled Beast Forest under the warm morning sun.

After entering the forest, Ashura watched his teammates’ reactions and surmised that, except for Clay and Christine, the others had been here before.

The usually quiet archer Luna in particular seemed as cheerful as if she had come home, which left Ashura puzzled.

The wood-element mage Jella also enjoyed a tree-filled environment, and her magical senses were far sharper here, allowing her to detect danger in advance as they moved deeper into the Beast Forest.

Gais remained relaxed at the forest’s edge and felt thrilled to walk beside Jella, casually hurling explosive fireballs to finish off any Tier-2 or Tier-3 Beasts they met.

Although Jella chatted with him smilingly, Ashura occasionally glanced back and caught a trace of impatience in her lively eyes.

Ashura dared not lock eyes with this thorny rose, for he had no wish to have one of those fireballs land on him.

As for the siblings Clay and Christine, this was clearly their first time inside the Beast Forest, and they had drawn their knight swords the moment they entered, scanning the surroundings with tense faces.

When they noticed the others’ puzzled looks, they pretended nonchalance and turned their heads away, which made Ashura chuckle inwardly.

It seemed the pair really were first-timers here, and although he did not know their objective, no wonder they had joined a team, yet their strength was clearly considerable.

The thought delighted Ashura; he liked having powerful muscle on hand because it boosted his odds of killing the Red-Lotus Serpent King.

Rock obeyed Ashura’s every order and looked more and more like a proper follower, marching at the head and cleaving aside bushes with his great axe, which left Ashura the most leisurely member of the party.

The other members also sized one another up; after all, they had just formed the squad, they were all strong youths, and their curiosity about the Beast Forest outweighed their fear.

While Ashura was daydreaming about what delicacy to have for lunch, a jade-white hand suddenly tapped his shoulder.

Jella beamed at him and said, “Ashura, where are you planning to take us? What wicked scheme are you day-dreaming about?”

Ashura’s heart lurched, but he kept a straight face and replied, “I’m thinking about how to strike up conversation with all the beauties in the team when we break later.”

Jella covered her mouth and giggled, setting off waves upon waves on her chest, and Ashura’s eyes almost glazed over.

But when he caught Gais’s gloomy stare beside her, his gaze snapped back to clarity and he said righteously, “I know a relatively safe route and already discussed it with Rock; let’s push deeper into the Beast Forest first and plan afterward, since no one dares claim full knowledge of this place.”

Seeing the lust he had masked so well, Jella’s lips curled as she thought, “You’re still smitten by my charm, let’s see how long you can keep pretending.”

Yet just as she meant to keep flirting, Ashura suddenly shouted and charged into the trees, trading blows with a Tier-3 Beast… the greenwood savage bull… leaving the others staring at each other, unsure why he would hassle a mere herbivore.

Only Jella caught on, snorted softly, and strode forward, realizing Ashura had partly guessed her plan to redirect trouble.

She truly disliked the nearby Gais; his jokes were not funny at all, and he kept babbling in her ear.

She had intended to give Gais a so-called rival so that his attention would stop fixating on her, and among the men in the team only Ashura fit the bill.

Yet Ashura had clearly seen through her scheme, which made Jella pout unhappily.

After watching Jella walk away, Ashura knew she understood his intention; dealing with smart people was easy… a single look or gesture could resolve everything.

He effortlessly stored the greenwood savage bull’s corpse in his spatial ring, and suddenly remembered the bull they had roasted with the academy team, making him miss the girls who had gathered around him back then.

The squad pressed rapidly toward the forest’s depths; the vast Beast Forest seemed endless, and no warrior had ever been known to cross it, with dangers multiplying the farther one went.

After trekking for more than ten days, they reached a canyon, and Ashura felt a surge of joy, for if he remembered correctly this gorge was where the Red-Lotus Serpent King had plunged from the cliff.

A Tier-6 Beast’s tough body surely would not have died from the fall, and Ashura could not wait to locate it and dig out its beast core.

After spending these ten-plus days together, the squad had grown harmonious and well coordinated, and they had already slain four Tier-5 Beasts in joint battles.

Only Rock had taken a light wound on his left arm, while the others gained plentiful spoils.

Clay voluntarily ceded command of the squad to Ashura and received unanimous approval.

Ashura’s chosen route was genuinely excellent; whenever they encountered a high-tier Beast, he, walking in front, could always warn them early and let everyone prepare.

Although he seldom acted, the few moves he made caused truly astonishing damage, so his serving as captain was far more suitable than Clay, who was entering the Beast Forest for the first time.

At this moment, when Ashura stopped dazing at the canyon entrance, the others walked up and craned their necks to peer inside.

Ashura suddenly turned around, grinned, and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve got a big job… do you dare take it?”

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