Meanwhile, on a distant tree...
The student who had previously shot a sneaky arrow was now dumbfounded, staring at the scene before him, even losing his ability to react.
"K-Knight!?"
The student opened his mouth wide, fear welling up in his heart. His legs went weak, and he fell from the tree. Ignoring everything, he desperately tried to escape.
"You think you can run away?"
Sauron's eyes flashed with light. Unperturbed, he bent his bow and shot an arrow that accurately pierced through the fleeing student's back.
Thud!
The escaping student fell to the ground, struggling for a moment before becoming motionless.
Sauron turned around, his gaze fixed on Amos.
"Knight!"
Amos tightly covered his wound. Despair filled his face, and he trembled as he spoke, "You are actually a Knight! How is it possible for you to become a Knight!?"
Sauron remained expressionless, the cross sword pressed against Amos's neck.
"Speak, who sent you to kill me?" Sauron demanded.
"...I don't know."
Amos shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "I only know that the person had a Western border accent, gave me some money, and asked me to find a way to kill you."
"Is that all?" Sauron frowned slightly, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
"I swear, I'm not lying."
Feeling Sauron's killing intent, Amos hurriedly pleaded, "I'm sorry, Young Master Sauron, it was my momentary obsession. Please spare my life."
"As long as you spare me, I'm willing to give you this!"
Saying this, Amos reached into his chest.
"Go to hell!"
The next moment, Amos's face twisted into a malicious grin. Suddenly, he rose and lunged towards Sauron.
Swish!
Sauron remained expressionless as he thrust his sword through Amos's chest.
Amos's expression stiffened, and his eyes gradually lost their luster.
After killing Amos, Sauron frowned slightly.
He didn't get much useful information from the others. All he knew was that the person who wanted to kill him was indeed from the Western border.
"It seems I can't leave the capital for a short period!"
Sauron's eyes flickered. Due to the disappearance of the Lord of Night Raven City, there were probably many people in the Western border who didn't want him alive.
Therefore, at least for a short time, Sauron could only stay in the capital. Only here would people from the Western border be hesitant.
Afterward, Sauron bent down and searched Amos's body.
In the end, from Amos and the others, Sauron obtained a dozen gold coins. For common students, this might be a considerable sum, but for Sauron, it was negligible.
"Better than nothing."
Sauron shook his head, disposed of the bodies, and then turned to leave.
Soon, another two hours passed.
For Sauron, who had been promoted to Knight, the birch forest was not too dangerous. As long as he didn't venture into the deepest part of the forest, hardly anything could harm him.
Roar!
Just as Sauron was resting in place, a sudden roar echoed from afar, as if a terrifying giant beast was roaring deep in the forest.
Sauron frowned slightly.
At this moment, the trees in front shook, and a short student appeared, looking panicked. His face carried an expression of lingering fear.
"What's going on?" Sauron asked solemnly.
"Beast Tide! It's a Beast Tide!"
The short student's eyes were full of terror. He said, "There's a Beast Tide in the depths of the birch forest. Those large magical creatures have gone mad!"
As he spoke, the short student crawled and scrambled away.
"A Beast Tide? How is that possible?"
Sauron frowned slightly, a hint of contemplation in his eyes. The birch forest was a trial ground for Holy Splendor Academy, and the probability of a Beast Tide occurring was almost zero due to the limited number of magical creatures inside.
Just then, another roar came from deep within the forest.
Sauron's eyes flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, instead of fleeing outward, he quickly moved towards the direction of the roar.
After becoming a Knight, Sauron had a certain ability to protect himself.
Avoiding danger altogether was not a long-term solution. Perhaps he could rely on his identity as a member of Holy Splendor Academy to stay in the capital for now.
However, in the future, he would eventually have to return to the Western border.
By then, dangers would come one after another. If he didn't experience some challenges now, how would he face real enemies in the future?
In the forest, Sauron moved swiftly.
Not far into his journey, he heard another roar. Sauron squinted, using both hands and feet to climb a nearby tall tree.
From this elevated position, the front view was clear.
In the depths of the forest, groups of Azure Wolves seemed to have gone mad, with crimson eyes and a bloodthirsty light, surrounding several students.
Further away, a giant bear continuously roared.
The giant bear had ash-gray fur, and even while lying on the ground, it reached a height of three meters. Its massive size exuded an oppressive aura. Each roar made the surrounding trees tremble.
"Mountain Rampage Bear!"
Sauron squinted, recognizing the giant bear. It was the most dangerous magical creature in the birch forest, a Mountain Rampage Bear with battle strength comparable to an intermediate-level Knight.
At the moment, the Mountain Rampage Bear seemed to be in a state of madness.
Its scarlet eyes shimmered with a bloodthirsty light, and its bloody mouth was wide open, continuously roaring towards Myrcella, the Red Knight, not far away.
"Everyone, be careful, something's not right!"
Myrcella, in place, had a solemn expression, her gaze fixed on the Mountain Rampage Bear. It seemed like she was pondering why the ominous beasts in the forest had collectively gone mad.
Just then, the Mountain Rampage Bear suddenly pounced.
Myrcella frowned slightly, but her reaction was decisive. She unsheathed her scarlet long sword and faced the charging Mountain Rampage Bear.
At the same time, the surrounding wolves also began to act chaotically.
The students in the center unsheathed their swords, but facing the frenzied ominous beasts, they seemed a bit at a loss.
Only one person remained unusually calm.
It was a tall and burly young man wielding twin swords. Faced with the approaching wolves, his swordsmanship was swift and fierce.
"Knight!"
Sauron's heart stirred. In just a moment, he recognized the young man as a true Knight. His mind also recalled the identity of the figure behind Goliath.
A common genius, Goliath.
Entering Holy Splendor Academy with Sauron, this commoner displayed outstanding innate talent. Months ago, he had already reached the Knight realm, a true genius.
Relying on his Knight's battle strength, Goliath blocked attacks from more than ten Azure Wolves.
However, Sauron noticed that Goliath seemed to be holding back. He had been on the defensive since the beginning of the battle, only counterattacking when the Azure Wolves approached, as if protecting someone.
"Evelyn?"
Sauron looked in that direction and saw a familiar silhouette behind Goliath. It was Evelyn, the girl who had fainted when he first crossed over.