Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  They moved on.

  “Don’t you think it is overly powerful with the four of us as a team?”

  Shi Gang looked relaxed. “We have easily killed those Class-Five Direbeasts. So much for the Australian continent.”

  “Don’t let your guard down.”

  Ai Yuhe warned. “As Camp Commandant has said, many Australian Direbeasts are stronger than we think. We could die if we are not careful. Never underestimate your opponent!”

  “The casualty rate of previous years’ Super Training Camp was as high as fifty percent. If that figure is anything to go by, we will expect one hundred out of two hundred trainees in this batch to stay back in the Australian continent FOREVER.” Yang Ling-er chimed in.

  “A fifty percent casualty rate?”

  Shi Gang felt a chill run up his spine. This casualty rate was just too high.

  “You can never be too careful.”

  Ling Jiu pointed at the radar screen. “There are some Class-Five Direbeasts in the northwest and a Class-Six Direbeast in the southeast. Which one should we go after?”

  “The score we could get for a Class-Six Direbeast equates to that of one hundred Class-Five Direbeasts. In terms of value, that Class-Six Direbeast is unbeatable. But I am afraid that we might punch above our weight,” Ai Yuhe said.

  “We stand a good chance of killing it with the four of us joining hands.”

  Ling Jiu was eager to try. “With my Gravity Arcana, Yuhe’s dimensional arcana, Shi Gang’s black flame, and Ling-er’s Five-Element Annihilation, I think it is workable.”

  “So are we going after it?”

  Shi Gang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It was crazy to hunt a Class-6 Direbeast. He had never done such a mad thing before.

  “It is not like we have a choice now.” Ling Jiu suddenly spoke. “Someone has gotten those Class-Five Direbeasts!”

  The three of them looked at the radar screen. The amber light dots representing the Class-5 Direbeasts had disappeared, which meant someone else had killed them.

  “There have been Class-Five Direbeasts being killed since the beginning. Other people are no slouch either.” Ling Jiu sighed.

  “Everybody is working hard!”

  “Let’s go after that Class-Six Direbeast before someone else gets it!”

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  “Very well!”

  The four of them got onto the airship and flew toward the location of the Class-6 Direbeast. They came in front of a cliff a few minutes later.

  There was a cave at the bottom of the cliff. Snore as loud as thunder was heard coming from the cave. Apparently, a Direbeast was sleeping soundly inside.

  “The Direbeast’s malevolence is scary!”

  “I feel like I can’t breathe; the air is so heavy.”

  “The aura emitted by this Direbeast is too intimidating! Can we really kill it?”

  The four of them, who looked determined initially, got cold feet when arrived at the cave.

  Despite sleeping deeply, the Direbeast still radiated nighmarish, deadly vibe inadvertently. It made them feel as if there was a huge rock pressing against their chests. They were losing courage.

  “Fear not! With the four of us joining hands, we can surely kill it!” Ling Jiu whispered. “I will attack from the front to attract its attention while you all hide in the dark, waiting to strike at the right moment.”

  “Don’t you think this is too dangerous?” Ai Yuhe frowned.

  “Don’t worry, I have a life-saving trick. Go, hide yourselves!”

  Ling Jiu let out a smile as he walked over. As the other three concealed themselves, Ling Jiu strode to the cave opening and pressed with his might.

  A loud rumble came as the mountain shook and huge rocks tumbled down. The snore inside the cave stopped, replaced by a series of angry roars.

  Before long, a giant wombat, 15 meters tall and over 30 meters long, lunged out of the cave.

  It was black, body round like a giant meatball. No one would doubt its strength when seeing its stout body.

  The amazing thing about this wombat was that it had a pair of compound eyes, much like that of a fly, as if many screens were woven together.

  “It is a Compound-Eyed Wombat! Not good!” Shi Gang’s expression changed.

  “This is a Compound-Eyed Wombat?”

  Ai Yuhe exclaimed. “The legendary Direbeast that is capable of Arcana Replication?”

  “Yep!”

  Shi Gang looked grave. “It is the compound eyes that give it the Arcana Replication ability. so Compound-Eyed Wombat is much stronger than ordinary Class-Six Direbeasts.”

  “Arcana Replication?” Yang Ling-er muttered. “Should we run?”

  “Kill!”

  Ling Jiu and the Compound-Eye Wombat were already in a fight as soon as her voice trailed off. Ling Jiu had turned into a 30-meter-tall Osmium Giant. He was now as tall as ten-story building. At this moment, in front of him, the Compound-Eyed Wombat looked like a little brother.

  Bang!

  Ling Jiu smashed down with his fists as he performed Gravity Arcana, immobilizing the Compound-Eyed Wombat, slowing its movement.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  He kept smashing his fists on the Direbeast. But it was useless.

  The fat on the Compound-Eyed Wombat’s body shook and formed ripples of flesh, perfectly blocking Ling Jiu’s punches. The Direbeast was unhurt.

  However, Ling Jiu’s attack had angered the Compound-Eyed Wombat. It stretched out its paws and caught the Osmium Giant, then came down to bite at the Osmium Giant’s head.

  “Now!”

  The other three made their moves at once.

  “Dimensional Shackle!”

  “Burn it!”

  Boom!

  Ai Yuhe performed a Dimensional Shackle, immobilizing the Compound-Eyed Wombat on the spot. Following immediately, its head suddenly went up in black flames.

  Shi Gang had also acted.

  “Annihilation!”

  As Yang Ling-er shouted in low-pitched voice, the bloody mouth of the Compound-Eyed Wombat suddenly disappeared into thin air.

  That’s right. Disappearing into thin air.

  Without its mouth, the Compound-Eyed Wombat screamed in agony.

  ‘She just annihilated the Direbeast’s mouth? Yang Ling-er’s arcana is terrifying indeed.’

  As Ling Jiu exclaimed in his mind, he was performing another move. While the Compound-Eyed Wombat was being immobilized, he formed two gigantic hands and smashed at the Direbeast’s head.

  “Eightfold Rolling Thunder!”

  Bang!

  Scorched by the black flame, the scalp of the Compound-Eyed Wombat was gone. Even the thick layer of fat underneath the skin was burned, leaving the white skull exposed in the air. It was as horrible as it could get.

  So, when Ling Jiu smashed down his fist, he instantly crushed the Compound-Eyed Wombat’s skull, thrusting his fist into its brain.

  Blood and brain were splattered everywhere.

  Chapter 84: Second Awakening, The Knocks on the Door at Night

  Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  “Phew!”

  “I’m exhausted!”

  Shi Gang slumped to the ground, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Ai Yuhe and Yang Ling-er also breathed a sigh of relief.

  It had only been just a moment, but the battle was hair-raising. Lucky for them, they had been working well as a team. Otherwise, it would be hard to know what would have happened.

  “We made it!”

  Ling Jiu walked back up. “Give yourself a pat on the back; we have just killed a Class-Six Direbeast together.”

  “This is a notorious Compound-Eyed Wombat. What we achieved is truly commendable!”

  Shi Gang chortled. “Luckily that Yuhe had used her Dimensional Shackle to stop it from using its Arcana Replication in time. If not, we would have been done for.”

  “Compound-Eyed Wombat? The Arcana Replication?” Ling Jiu was startled.

  “You don’t know what it is, Ling Jiu?”

  Shi Gang pointed at the body of the Direbeast. “This is a notorious Compound-Eyed Wombat that could replicate the abilities of other Direbeasts for its own use!

  “So it was far stronger than the ordinary Class-Six Direbeasts. Had it not been for Yuhe’s Dimensional Shackle, we would have been in great danger.”

  “It was a team effort!”

  Ai Yuhe reached to draw her hair to the back of her ear. “The eyes of the Compound-Eyed Wombat are the most valuable part of its body. If we could gouge them out, we could sell them for a good price.”

  “Yep. They are the key ingredient for Second Awakening potion. Once the potion is consumed by those arcanists with replication ability, their Arcana Replication will undergo Second Awakening.” Shi Gang nodded in agreement.

  “Second Awakening?” Ling Jiu was none the wiser.

  “Don’t you know the Second Awakening?” Ai Yuhe looked at Ling Jiu in surprise.

  “I have never heard of it before.” Ling Jiu shook his head.

  “I can’t believe it.”

  \r \r \r

  At first, Ai Yuhe had wanted to take a jab at Ling Jiu. But when she thought of Ling Jiu’s background, she realized she could not blame him.

  “In fact, our arcana could undergo a Deep Awakening, which is the so-called Second Awakening, or even Third Awakening.”

  “Deep Awakening?” Ling Jiu’s heart skipped a beat.

  “The awakening we underwent during first test of arcana is called the Initial Awakening. The next awakening is called the Second Awakening.”

  Ai Yuhe explained. “The Second Awakening is far harder than the Initial Awakening. But after the Second Awakening, our arcana will grow stronger, just like my Dimensional Arcana.”

  “I could only perform some simple manipulations of dimensions after my Initial Awakening so I hunted the Void Falcons and collected their bladders just to find someone to make a Second Awakening potion for my Dimensional Arcana.

  “And I succeeded.

  “After my Second Awakening, my Dimensional Arcana has become more powerful. So Ling Jiu, you have done me a big favor when you helped me hunt those Void Falcons last time.”

  “It’s okay.” Ling Jiu’s eyes flashed. “How to make the Second Awakening potion?”

  “Different types of arcana need different types of Second Awakening potion. Take me for an example; for my Dimensional Arcana, the key ingredient is the air bladder of the Void Falcon,” Ai Yuhe explained. “You are of Earth-, Gravity-, and Power-type arcana. You need to find the organs of the Direbeasts with these abilities.

  “Once you have found these things, hand them to the company, and the company will do the rest.

  “Of course, you can always get it from the black market. Just that it will cost an arm and a leg. Besides, there is no guarantee that the resulting potion will be reliable.”

  “I see.”

  There was a light in Ling Jiu’s eyes as he glanced at the Compound-Eyed Wombat.

  Shi Gang had just said that the eyes of the Compound-Eyed Wombat were the key ingredient in making the Second Awakening potion for the replication ability. Did that mean Ling Jiu just needed to gouge out its eyes, and he would be well on the way to making the Second Awakening potion?

  ‘Hold on a second! The Arcana Replication?’

  “Did you just mention the Arcana Replication, Shi Gang?” Ling Jiu put up a confused expression. “Is there really an Arcana Replication in this world?”

  “The Arcana Replication used to be a hypothesis and assumption. But it has become real this year.” Shi Gang nodded. “There have been a few people reportedly awakened to Arcana Replication this year. Don’t you feel strange?”

  “I have heard about it, too.”

  Ai Yuhe nodded in agreement. “Just that the Arcana Replication of these people are imperfect, with a lot of limitations.”

  “The effect of some Arcana Replication would not last long. The replication ability would disappear after some time. Some Arcana Replication would stop working after one or two arcana were replicated……

  “All in all, the effectiveness of the Arcana Replication leaves much to be desired. It is far from God’s perfect replication ability that people have always been thinking.”

  “Indeed. But even then, the Arcana Replication arcanists are still sought after. I heard that many arcana combines were fighting for these talents.” Shi Gang nodded, then suddenly took a jab at Ling Jiu. “There is a ton of information in the forums and arcanist groups. Don’t you browse these forums?”

  “I am afraid that he is too busy with practicing self-cultivation and has no time for this.” Ai Yuhe smirked.

  “You know me best!” Ling Jiu scratched his head, looking embarrassed with a polite smile on his face. But deep down, there was a stormy sea of emotions.

  He was not the only person capable of Arcana Replication. Some other people have been awakened to this ability. Besides, it all happened this year, which was something strange.

  The key thing was, these awakened Arcana Replication arcanists were sought after. Did that mean he could now reveal his replication ability?

  He figured he needed to find out people’s attitude toward Arcana Replication. If Arcana Replication was no longer a secret, then there was no point for him to hide it anymore.

  Of course, this was not the point. The key thing was the Second Awakening.

  ‘If my Arcana Replication could undergo a Second Awakening, will I become stronger just like what Ai Yuhe said? Stronger in what respect?’

  “Let’s move on and hunt the Direbeasts.”

  While Ling Jiu was still deep in thought, a pat on his shoulder by Shi Gang jolted him out of his little world. He quickly nodded. ……

  As all the trainees swung into actions, the number of Class-4 and Class-5, even Class-6 Direbeasts around the fortress quickly dwindled

  Within a day, those Direbeasts within 50 miles radius had been wiped out completely. This made hunting the Direbeasts even more difficult unless they looked deeper into the wilderness.

  On Friday morning, Ling Jiu and three others continued their hunting. They now aimed at Class-6 Direbeasts because of the lack of Class-5 Direbeasts.

  With Ling Jiu as the tank, Shi Gang as the mage, Ai Yuhe as support, and Yang Ling-er as the assassin, their tacit cooperation became the most lethal weapon. By the end of the day, they had hunted 80 Class-6 Direbeasts, which they were extremely happy about.

  “A Class-Six Direbeast earns 10,000 scores. We have hunted one hundred and sixty of them these two days, which means we have one point six million scores in total. Each person gets four hundred thousand scores!”

  Inside the maglev airship, the four of them chatted away over dinner, and Shi Gang was especially excited. “Making it to top thirty shouldn’t be a problem, I guess?”

  “Who knows?” Ling Jiu said. “We will go into the deeper part of the wilderness tomorrow and hunt as many Class-Six Direbeasts as possible. The more, the merrier!”

  “Wish us the best of luck!”

  A smile broke out on Ai Yuhe and Yang Ling-er’s faces. They were happy about today’s achievement, too.

  Suddenly, there were loud knocks on the door. “Open the door! Courier service! Quickly open the door!”

  “Someone has come!”

  “The last I checked; the airship was in stealth mode. How did people find us?”

  “The stealth mode can only hide us from the Direbeasts, but not the instrument on other trainees’ hands. Yuhe, open the door and see what they want from us.”

  “Okay.”