–Roar~–
Klang! Klang! Klang!
In the dense, shadowy forest, the canopies suddenly began to sway.
–Help! Is anyone nearby?!–
Countless fine threads flickered through the woods—so faint that without a Moxel, no one would notice them, mistaking them for cobwebs at best.
Suddenly, a brilliant golden ray of light flashed through the forest.
–Ah, it’s Quad!–
–Someone’s coming! Let’s move over!–
Hasty, panicked footsteps echoed through the trees. A hunting team was desperately fleeing toward the mountain exit. Their faces, once filled with terror and despair, instantly lit up with excitement at the sight of the beam sweeping through the forest.
After nearly half an hour of lamenting their misfortune, they had finally encountered a high-level Moxel user.
–Help, master!–
–Don’t panic, just come straight over here.–
It was actually the captain of the Da Jiafang Cargo Crew!
Everyone was both shocked and thrilled!
They sprinted wildly, because behind them in the woods, an unprecedented beast was charging forward, crashing through everything in its path. Its massive form flickered in and out of view among the shadows, sending leaves rustling violently in the trees.
–Spread out! The ‘Scener Master’ is coming!–
BOOM!
Two massive tree trunks snapped with a thunderous crash, countless fragments flying wildly, each carrying a faint, silvery-white phantom light.
–The Scene Master.– Yang Zicang stared cautiously at that figure.
This was the Scene Master. Aside from the rat that had been altered by the Council member, this was the first time he had encountered them himself.
Every attack of these monsters was akin to a Chronos artifact, naturally imbued with a considerable amount of Chronos at no cost to their lifespan. After all, these creatures knew nothing of Chronos amplification; they possessed no Moxel at all.
Yet that was precisely what made them so terrifying.
–Ah, they’re here so soon, and my Chronos is almost bottomed out!–
The crowd turned their heads in panic. The mere proximity of such a being filled them with dread. If anyone were grazed by it, a single kick could send them flying a dozen meters, their clothing torn to shreds, leaving no chance even to strike back.
[Dispatch.]
[Position manifests, ten units.]
Whoosh! Several people felt their speed double in an instant, rushing past the main blast zone. Only a few fragments landed on them, canceling out hours or even days of time.
–Lyu Zhi,– Yang Zicang called out softly.
Lyu Zhi nodded under immense pressure, turning against the tide of the crowd as he raised the longsword in his hand.
–Aaaaah!– Lyu Zhi mustered his courage and roared, bracing himself to charge forward, but his feet remained firmly rooted to the spot.
–What are you doing?–
Lyu Zhi looked up nervously at Yang Zicang. –Brother Zicang, I…–
A face uglier than tears crept onto Lyu Zhi. He took a slow, hesitant step. But the monster waited for no one—it was already thundering toward him. Catching sight of that massive, ferocious figure, Lyu Zhi was so terrified he nearly drove his sword into his own foot.
–What’s wrong with you now?–
–I-I’m… charging up my strength…– Lyu Zhi said, his voice thick with tears.
Yang Zicang delivered a swift kick to his backside.
Lyu Zhi squeezed his eyes shut and charged forward with a wail, leaving the fleeing onlookers momentarily stunned.
–What a… spirit of self-sacrifice.–
–Even a chivalrous hero in those dramas doesn’t look this tragically heroic when facing death!–
If it weren’t for the fact that this guy had been brought here by Yang Zicang, a wave of despair would have already washed over the others.
Thump, thwap.
In less than three seconds, the golden-red radiance on Lyu Zhi’s body had faded to a dull pale gold.
–Sigh.–
Yang Zicang shook his head.
He had originally thought that this kid, with his physique, could become something if he trained in secret arts—he’d felt a flicker of hope for cultivating another expert for the team.
–Help!–
Lyu Zhi’s scream was even louder than that of his predecessors.
It seemed that, without relying on a training contract, becoming an expert in such a short time was utterly impossible for now.
The massive monster, his eyes blazing red with fury, charged madly with a ferocious aura. Just as Lyu Zhi closed his eyes, forcing himself to suppress his terror and brace for the monster’s thousand-pound collision, Yang Zicang’s figure approached rapidly from behind, as light as the wind.
–Brother Yang.– Lyu Zhi rushed over.
–Captain Jia.–
The few scattered figures in the forest gasped in awe as they watched Yang Zicang’s advancing form.
This head of the Cargo Crew from Major Client Jia hadn’t even used a Moxel!
Relying solely on his body and pace, he quickly overtook his knocked-back teammate and, with sharp, piercing eyes fixed on the Lord of this Sight, deftly snatched the longsword from Lyu Zhi’s hands mid-flight!
Swoosh! Nearing the monster, Yang Zicang spiraled like a top beneath the beast’s bucket-thick, scale-clad claw. With a golden longsword, he slashed at the monster’s leg.
[I canceled out 1500N!]
The monster’s thigh snapped, and red blood splattered in the dim light, but it merely flew past the young man’s shoulders and armpits—its trajectory had been altered.
–Is this monster that long-lived?– the few men exclaimed in astonishment.
Yang Zicang also sighed inwardly. Using two thousand years of Chronos in his attack, just one sword on the leg had offset fifteen hundred years. The Chronos that blanketed this Scenery-level monster’s body was indeed at least ten thousand years.
–Roar!–
The monster let out a miserable howl, yet it still dashed majestically toward Lyu Zhi, who thought himself safe. It rammed him flying, then crashed heavily onto the trunk of a large tree, before turning back to glare madly at Yang Zicang.
–Ah! Why are you still coming for me!–
Bang! This massive, just-risen body flew out again like a rag, a sight that made one’s heart throb with dread.
Lyu Zhi tumbled through the woods, tree branches whipping relentlessly against his body.
–Take it slow,– Yang Zicang called from afar. –I endured this kind of torment for a long time before I finally honed my physique technique.–
With that, he twisted his body swiftly, evading the Scenery Lord’s charge like a leaf dancing in the wind.
–What?! Brother Jiazi, is this how you trained?–
With a mouthful of dirt and teeth bared in pain, Lyu Zhi stared at Yang Zicang’s ghostly movements.
[Chang Ao wants to Perform an Invest on me.]
Lyu Zhi noticed the sudden Pro-Invest and chose to accept it.
[Chang Ao has Invested 100N in me.]
{_-Hey bro, is your team still hiring?–_}
Lv Zhi immediately became cautious: –What do you mean?–
{_-A bro with skills as ordinary as yours could land a spot in Cargo Crew, a major client. I think I should be able to too, and I eat very little.–_}
–Get lost.–
……
{_-This Term Captain Jiazi is so formidable.–_}
The group fleeing through the forest watched as the young man leaped and spun, each swing of his sword accompanied by a metallic hum. Exploiting the terrain and the monsters’ weakness of being large and hard to turn, he danced around, gradually disabling the creature’s limbs.
With a massive tremor, the monster finally crashed to the ground.
{_-Jia, Captain Jia, actually defeated an A-level Scene Mist zone monster so effortlessly!–_}
They crowded around, Su Fang’s grimy face filled with awe. The people beside her weren’t much better off, all wearing expressions of envy.
Having someone with this level of strength in the team dramatically boosted everyone’s survival rate.
The Scene Mist monster wasn’t dead yet, but it could no longer pose a threat.
{_-It looks so bulky.–_}
{_-It aged a lot all at once, huh.–_}
Across B-grade and above Crosspace zones, you don’t need to kill every living monster—you only need to dispose of the one that carries the distinct elemental energy of that Scene Mist. Therefore, it is the Scene Mist Lord.
Especially for large-scale zones like A-Class Crosspaces, clearing all living creatures within half a month is utterly impossible.
But eliminate the Tabula Master of each scene, and the energy—whether stolen by it or controlled by it—will revert to the small scene space, fully stabilizing the Tabula Land.
–Kill it, and that’s how many Chronos we’d get?–
The few of them muttered greedily to one another.
–Playing Jiazis’ trick like this must have drained a good chunk of its lifespan.–
–If one strike finishes it, the Chronos earned should be even more.–
On the ground, the beast whimpered. From the mountain forest, continuous roars echoed, as if summoned from afar.
Yang Zicang, having failed to contact Morris, looked at the others and said:
–The monsters inside have gone mad; they’re charging right at us. Let’s get out of here fast!–
–Alright, let’s move quickly—a beast horde is terrifying, and no one can hold it back.–
Lyu Zhi limped over, and Yang Zicang gestured for him to deliver the fatal blow to the Tabula Master.
Thud! The long sword stabbed into its heart, and the beast’s hot blood surged out.
[I’ve earned back 2300N.]
[I’ve gained a reward of 1750N.]
–Captain Jia, aren’t you leaving with us?– a lady from the team asked.
–We move faster. We’ll stay behind to cover the retreat; you all go ahead.–
After the others had left, Lyu Zhi turned his head excitedly toward Yang Zicang, like a child who had just received New Year’s money:
–Bro, Yang-ge! We instantly got 1,700 years of Chronos! Stabilizing an A-Class Cross—land could probably earn us ten to twenty thousand!–
Yang Zicang smiled slightly. –Too bad we don’t have that many QuadMoxel for you to resonate with the Cross–land.–
In the city, an A-Class Cross–land can almost never appear naturally.
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