TL: Etude
After Ye Tian joined Wind Wolf's team, another mid-stage warrior joined, completing the ten-member squad. About half an hour later, everyone had been sorted into their respective teams. Wind Wolf was elected as the team leader, a decision Ye Tian had no objections to.
"Our mission is to clear out the beasts in this area," Wind Wolf said, holding a newly issued map and pointing to a specific region.
Ye Tian looked over; the area was about thirty kilometers away from Linhai Base.
"Captain, isn't that a bit far? We've never gone that far before," a team member frowned.
"We have no choice. This mission spans 100 kilometers. If you came to participate in this beast-cleaning operation, you should have been prepared for this," Wind Wolf replied.
The others nodded reluctantly. After drafting a simple battle plan, they prepared to head to their destination. Things in the wilderness could change rapidly, so they didn't spend too much time discussing the plan.
Given the distance of this mission, they chose not to drive. Vehicles might be convenient for carrying supplies, but they lacked the agility needed for the uneven terrain of the wilderness. So, traveling light and on foot was the best option.
On the way, Ye Tian thought to himself, "First, I'll complete the assigned task with Wind Wolf and the others. Then I'll head to where the Mighty Ants are to stir the pot."
Through chatting with Wind Wolf, he also learned Wind Wolf's real name—Zhang Feng. Wind Wolf was the name of the hunting squad, which over time had become his nickname. Zhang Feng's talent was not high; he only had a basic cultivation talent. Reaching the late stage of a warrior was already quite an achievement for him. Although he could theoretically reach the elite warrior level in his lifetime, becoming an elite warrior was extremely difficult.
Ye Tian found it easy to become an elite warrior because his talent was extremely high. He had a high-level cultivation talent. For Zhang Feng, who only had a basic cultivation talent, the bottleneck between a warrior and an elite warrior was like a chasm. That's why Zhang Feng had taken on this mission, hoping for significant gains and possibly breaking through his bottleneck during combat.
Warriors grew through battles. Although this mission was a bit riskier, it was also an opportunity. For Zhang Feng, who had been fighting for years, it was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
"Ye Tian, you're not even twenty yet, right? You're already a late-stage warrior at such a young age. With such high talent, why would you participate in such a dangerous mission?" Zhang Feng curiously asked.
"Tempering," Ye Tian simply replied.
In an instant, Zhang Feng felt a sense of admiration. He knew that the talented warriors from the large families in Linhai Base wouldn't dare to venture into the wilderness alone. When they did, it was under the protection of multiple elite warriors. Compared to them, Ye Tian was undoubtedly a true warrior.
Zhang Feng asked himself, if he had higher talent, he might not dare to enter the wilderness alone. Instead, he would choose to join a major force and cultivate under their protection.
The thirty-kilometer journey was long. Since they couldn't speed up too much in the wilderness, it took them most of the day to reach their destination.
"Everyone, although our task is to clear out the beasts in this area, if we encounter any medium-level beasts, we should call for backup," Zhang Feng reminded the team.
Calling for backup was a right given to each team. Each team leader had a communicator, a piece of elemental equipment. However, its range was limited to only ten kilometers.
Everyone agreed with Wind Wolf's statement, knowing that they couldn't handle medium-level beasts on their own. If they encountered one, they would definitely call for help from elite warriors.
However, Ye Tian shook his head secretly. He knew that the so-called communicator was nothing more than a comfort. With such a long stretch of territory and an unknown number of beasts, there would never be enough warriors to clear the way without heavy losses. Therefore, even if Wind Wolf contacted other elite warrior squads, no one would come to their aid.
Many people understood the principle of "saving oneself over saving a friend," but when it actually happened, they still clung to a glimmer of hope.
"Up ahead, there are three grass wolves, which are low-level beasts. Let's go kill them," Wind Wolf said, pointing to three low-level beasts three hundred meters away.
Grass wolves were among the weaker low-level beasts, manageable even for newly promoted warriors. Soon, the three grass wolves were killed instantly by the team.
Wind Wolf and the others didn't bother collecting materials from the grass wolves. There was nothing particularly valuable on them, and the entire corpse was worth only tens of thousands at most. Given the size of a grass wolf, roughly that of a small cow, it was not easy to carry, so they naturally had to abandon it.
The team continued to search for traces of beasts and soon spotted more.
Hunt the beasts! Search! Hunt again!
Initially, things went smoothly for Wind Wolf and the others. The number of beasts they encountered was not large, and their strength was not particularly formidable. A long period of smooth progress made the team somewhat complacent, but Ye Tian never let his guard down.
"The valley up ahead is our main cleaning area. Be careful; there might be powerful beasts inside," Wind Wolf said gravely.
Forests, valleys, and rivers were often the most dangerous places in the wilderness, while flat and open areas were generally the safest.
Just as the team entered the valley, a beast rushed toward them. It was a lizard, three meters long, with a red body and spines on its back, looking extremely ferocious.
"What kind of beast is this?" someone frowned.
Clearly, they had never seen this type of beast before. Even Wind Wolf, who had seen many things, didn't recognize it. There were too many types of beasts, and they only recognized some that were near Linhai Base. Since this beast had never appeared near Linhai Base, they naturally didn't know what it was.
Type: Fire-Spitting Lizard
Bloodline Talent: Basic
Fire Talent: Sub-Basic
Upon seeing the talents of this lizard, Ye Tian immediately became serious.
"Be careful, everyone. This is a Fire-Spitting Lizard with a fire talent!" Ye Tian quickly warned.
"What? This lizard has a fire talent?!"
The color drained from everyone's faces.
-----------
If you're enjoying the story, please leave a rating and review!