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Chapter 83: Trust Me

In this way the students had trekked through Beast Forest for 16 days, moving from the outer rim into the middle zone.

They could now often spot Tier-4 Beasts, and relying on their numbers they were able to cut down such beasts in short order.

Some outstanding students even slew a Tier-4 Beast on their own for the first time, looking extremely excited and proudly displaying their newfound strength.

During these 16 days Ashura profited handsomely, for selling all kinds of dinners filled his coffers.

The four girls who worked with him were equally invigorated, counting the hours until nightfall so they could sell supper and split the credits.

However, each evening they now earned only a few hundred Academy Points, because many students had belatedly realized they had spent nearly all the credits on their badges buying dinner.

This left some students full of regret and directly caused Ashura’s nightly income to decline.

At present the five of them had each earned more than 5 000 credits from the meals, and they were already planning how to spend that money once they returned; Ashura intended to stop selling dinners after tonight’s batch.

Because the deeper they went, cooking at night inside Beast Forest was becoming unsafe.

The academy column was currently marching along a mountain ridge, and in 3 more days they would reach the designated end of the exam; Ashura used his Twin Swords to clear the bushes blocking the path ahead.

Behind him Instructor Ella was fending off Instructor Anthony’s eager small talk, and at times she felt Anthony was even more childish than Ashura walking in front.

Through her recent contact with the problem student Ashura, she found that although he seemed unreliable, he could always react and judge situations quickly and accurately.

Take the nightly meal sales, for example; she was clearly exploiting Ashura’s labor, and as an Instructor she felt a little ashamed, because at first she had only wanted to give the truant boy a hard time, never imagining they would end up earning so many credits.

That made her see Ashura in a new light, and the credits in her pocket delighted her as well.

She was already thinking of asking her Grand Arch-Magus grandfather Aiwei for a magical treasure after they returned to the academy, so she could give it to Ashura as compensation.

Moreover, Ashura occasionally displayed a familiarity with everything in Beast Forest that astonished Ella, and she could not understand how he possessed such extensive knowledge.

Before Instructor Ella could collect her thoughts, startled cries rose not far ahead; the column had not panicked like this for a long time, and Ella and Instructor Anthony immediately ran forward to see what was happening.

Ashura sniffed the air, frowned, and followed them.

Several students were besieging a crimson python as thick as an arm; a lotus-shaped mark sat on its head, and although it should have been only a Tier-4 Beast, its speed was incredible, darting through the column like a red streak and leaving the students flustered.

Moments earlier the red python had leapt from the treetop and ambushed a Warrior student; if that student had not been wearing decent body armor, he would likely have been badly injured.

Few Beasts would attack a large student group on sight; most would leave or hide.

Yet this red snake looked ferocious and showed no fear when surrounded; its body emitted a faint pinkish mist that caused dizziness and nausea when inhaled.

Seeing that it was merely a Tier-4 Beast, Ella and Anthony both breathed easier, yet neither of them could identify the species, for Beast Forest held tens of thousands of kinds.

Suddenly, after a student with a sword wounded the vicious python, it lunged toward Ella and Instructor Anthony trying to escape.

Anthony instantly drew his spear, eager to perform in front of the Instructor he admired, but as he prepared to thrust, a voice behind him shouted anxiously, “Do not kill it!”

Hearing the warning made Anthony hesitate for an instant, but he still drove the spear forward, the tip piercing the snake’s head with precision; a cloud of red vapor burst forth, and the body collapsed limply to the ground.

The young Instructor flashed a proud smile, when a figure dashed up, glanced at the corpse, and then looked around nervously; both Instructors and the surrounding students stared blankly at the buzz-cut youth whose cooking tasted so good.

One student was the first to react and joked, “What’s wrong, Ashura? Planning to make snake soup tonight? Does it hurt that the head is gone?”

Everyone burst into laughter, especially Instructor Anthony, who curled his lip in disdain, thinking that a student who liked small business could never amount to much.

But the usually carefree Ashura looked grave, and his first words left everyone puzzled as he said urgently, “Instructors, is there any way to ask other teams or the academy for help? Send a distress signal quickly… we are in big trouble!”

After Ashura spoke, the crowd exchanged looks; Instructor Ella frowned and asked, “Don’t mess around, this is no joke; if you cause trouble you could be disciplined.”

Ashura simply locked eyes with her and said firmly, “Trust me! Signal for help and I will explain afterward.”

Seeing that determined gaze, Ella suddenly felt flustered; the pressure Ashura released in that moment made her breathing quicken, and the strong masculine aura set her heart racing.

She hesitated only a heartbeat before biting her lip, drawing out a magic scroll, and throwing it into the sky.

The scroll instantly formed a red pillar of light that lingered overhead, conspicuously bright in the forest.

Anthony turned on Ashura at once and shouted, “Nonsense! You tricked Instructor Ella into using a distress scroll… do you know what responsibility that carries? If you can’t give a good reason I’ll have the academy expel you!”

Ashura cast Anthony a contemptuous glance, paying no heed to the male Instructor’s threat; in that look he seemed to be staring at an idiot.

Anthony burned with rage and reached out to grab Ashura’s collar.

Instructor Ella stepped sideways to block in front of Ashura and, equally tense, asked, “I did as you asked; now tell me what danger we’re in.”

Because the distress scroll had been used, the 6 Instructors and all the students had stopped and gathered around Ashura, eager for an explanation, while several students who disliked his money-making were whispering sarcastic remarks.

Ashura looked around and said quickly, “Those of you who were here just now, smell yourselves… do you notice a nauseating, fishy stench? Some of you might even have pink powder on you!”

On hearing this, everyone raised an arm to sniff, and several students retched at once; even Ella and Anthony carried that sickening odor.

Before anyone could ask, Ashura sighed and said, “This snake is called a Red-Lotus Serpent, famed for its speed and venom; it is savage, lives in colonies, and is a growth-type Beast whose strength increases with age, the strongest being the Tier-7 Red-Lotus Serpent King.”

“After it dies the red mist from its body clings to its enemies, and its kin will avenge it to the death.”

“We are about to face a swarm of Red-Lotus Serpents, possibly in great numbers; there may even be a Tier-7 Serpent King, so everyone better pray for themselves.”

“By the way, all credits for tonight’s reserved dinners are non-refundable…”

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