"Not tonight, though. Hearing what you said, I feel like I've been too irresponsible as a mentor, so I plan to set off for Haidis tonight," Holan said.
"So, excellent mercenary, are you willing to accept the mentor's escort request?"
"Of course!" Feld snapped his fingers.
"Then I'll get ready now, and we'll leave at noon!" Holan said eagerly.
"No problem!" Feld nodded.
With a few hours until noon, Feld decided to complete two gold-level tasks first.
The task locations were in Nulmryn. Two tasks: help Eli find the 'Wineflower Herb', and hunt down a gold-level magical beast—the 'Lonehorn Barbarian Bull'—to obtain its horn. Of course, if he could obtain the horn without killing it, that would be preferable, though it would be more challenging.
Departing from Greela City to Nulmryn was closer than from Haidis, only eighty kilometers away. With Feld's speed, the round trip would take less than an hour.
So, he had about three hours for the tasks.
Completing the two gold-level tasks, escorting Holan to Haidis, then going to the docks to deliver the final payment for the wine delivery task to Nick would mean completing three gold-level tasks directly.
Thinking about this, Feld felt a slight sense of satisfaction.
"Not bad at all, efficiency is really high!" he thought.
"You go get ready. I'll finish two gold-level tasks on the way. We'll meet at the school gate at twelve," Feld said, getting up.
"Alright," Holan nodded.
Though surprised by Feld's efficiency, Holan didn't doubt his ability to complete two gold-level tasks in such a short time. After spending some time together, she had a basic understanding of this reliable guy.
Bid farewell to Mentor Holan, Feld left the carriage and the final payment in the unloading area of Haidis Academy. It was safe there, with no need to worry about thieves. After all, those who could attend Haidis Academy for study wouldn't stoop to thievery.
Then, Feld set off with Keke, entering 'Full Throttle Mode'.
Poor little Keke, barely holding down the milk she just drank, almost spilled it out.
Upon arrival in Nulmryn, Feld looked at the uncomfortable Keke with an apologetic smile.
She was carsick, and she was making Feld sick, too.
After taking a short break, Feld entered Nulmryn with Keke.
The 'Lonehorn Barbarian Bulls' were easy to find due to their massive size. Standing at three to four meters tall and five to six meters long, they resembled rhinoceroses but were even larger and more ferocious. When they walked, the ground would tremble slightly, leaving behind large footprints.
Soon, Feld found the footprints of the Lonehorn Barbarian Bulls.
In his past life, mercenaries in the wastelands were called 'Wasteland Hounds', not only because they were as fierce and ruthless as hunting dogs, but also because mercenaries who could thrive in the wastelands possessed strong hunting abilities like hunting dogs.
And Feld was one of the best among them.
With such large footprints and traces along the way, it would be hard for Feld not to find the Lonehorn Barbarian Bulls.
Before long, he spotted his target: a three-star gold Lonehorn Barbarian Bull.
Among beings of the same level, magical beasts are generally more powerful than humans, a congenital factor determined by their race. Even at the same three-star gold level, the strength of a lonehorn barbarian bull is at least five to six times that of Melbourne, whom Feld easily knocked down with a single blow. Additionally, their defense is stronger, and they benefit from the advantage of their massive size. It's like comparing ten Melbournes to a lonehorn barbarian bull. However, reality doesn't always work that way.
Magical beasts have innate magical talents, but these talents are often limited in number, with lower-level magical beasts typically having only one or two, and some even lacking any innate magic at all. In contrast, humans can learn combat skills if they're warriors, magic if they're mages, and even hundreds or thousands of universal spells that can be learned by any profession. Utilizing these skills along with their intelligence, humans, who may not have physical advantages, can sometimes defeat magical beasts of the same level or even stronger ones with overwhelming force.
This illustrates the power of magic.
Of course, Melbourne really couldn't defeat a lonehorn barbarian bull, and Feld doesn't even know a single universal spell.
All this is to say that fighting magical beasts head-on is difficult for humans. And Feld is a complete freak!
Because when he saw that lonehorn barbarian bull, his first thought was—I want to go head-to-head with this big guy!
There are grooves on the lonehorn barbarian bull's horn, with each groove representing a star. The one Feld found had three grooves, proving it to be a three-star gold beast.
As a gold-level magical beast, the lonehorn barbarian bull has almost no natural enemies in this forest. Therefore, it appeared very casual, standing in the open grassland, chewing on grass as if it weren't afraid of anything attacking it.
Under normal circumstances, there really wasn't anything to worry about.
There are basically no platinum-level magical beasts in this forest, so other magical beasts wouldn't dare provoke such a massive creature, standing four meters tall and five to six meters long.
But Feld is different. He casually walked into the lonehorn barbarian bull's line of sight, then threw his heavy hammer aside and beckoned to the lonehorn barbarian bull with his hand.
"Come on, let's have a go!"
Although the lonehorn barbarian bull didn't understand what Feld was saying, it sensed Feld's provocation. And it felt threatened by Feld's presence. For intruding into its territory, the lonehorn barbarian bull had always dealt with intruders with its horn!
So, it swallowed the grass in its mouth, turned around, and aimed its horn, with a diameter of half a meter, directly at Feld. Hot air sprayed from its wide nostrils, and its front hooves rubbed against the ground.
Keke, who had jumped onto a tree, watched nervously.
When she heard Feld say he wanted to compare strength with the lonehorn barbarian bull, her reaction was similar to that of an average person—seriously, a meow?
This thing is called a "barbarian" bull not just because it's barbaric and has a bad temper, but also because of its brute strength!
Among gold-level magical beasts, the lonehorn barbarian bull's strength is among the top. And Feld, as a human, wants to compare strength with it, which is really absurd no matter how you think about it.
But Feld is confident.
After all, giants aren't just big in size!
"Moo—" A rough bellow sounded, and the lonehorn barbarian bull charged forward.
Its massive body was like a tank, and Keke, squatting on the tree, could feel the ground trembling.
However, Feld had no intention of dodging. Instead, he lowered his body, spread his arms, and prepared to meet the charge, with an excited smile on his face.
As the lonehorn barbarian bull approached, its sharp horn gleaming, Keke had no doubt that even a city wall would be pierced through.
As for Feld... he certainly wasn't stupid enough to take the horn head-on. That's not wrestling, that's suicide.
The lonehorn barbarian bull was already in front of Feld. At the moment when the horn was about to pierce Feld, he suddenly turned his head and bent down, and the horn grazed past him from above his shoulder.
But Feld didn't retreat. Instead, he pressed forward, using his shoulder to wedge between the bull's head and its horn. His muscular arms swelled with blood, pressing against the bull's massive and hard skull.
The tremendous strength of the lonehorn barbarian bull was revealed at this moment, pushing Feld backward in a sideways motion.
However, Feld bent one leg and planted it on the ground, while the other leg supported him from behind. From his heel to his waist and then to his shoulder, he formed almost a straight line, allowing him to exert his strength to the fullest.
Backing up for a good fifteen or sixteen meters, the lonehorn barbarian bull's speed unexpectedly began to slow down. Slower and slower it went, until finally, it backed up thirty meters and stopped. Deep grooves appeared on the ground, plowed out by Feld's feet. At this point, Feld's ankles and below were sunk into the ground, making the ground beneath him extremely compacted.
The lonehorn barbarian bull's eyes were filled with disbelief. It found that it couldn't budge this two-legged creature, much smaller than itself!
If it weren't for the initial momentum gained from its charge, the lonehorn barbarian bull might not have been able to move Feld at all. His almost perfect support posture withstood most of the bull's momentum.
Standing nearly two meters tall, Feld seemed extremely small in front of the lonehorn barbarian bull, who was four meters tall. But to the lonehorn barbarian bull, it felt like it wasn't facing a human but a steel tank!
"Is it my turn now?" Feld grinned, his forehead pressed against the bull's skull.
Then, his eyes turned fierce, and he let out a roar, his muscles instantly tensing, blood pumping into them, veins bulging, muscles in his back twisting together, thighs swelling, and pants tightening, even making the sound of fabric tearing.
The leg bent forty-five degrees and braced on the ground started exerting force. With Feld's low growl, both man and bull moved.
The lonehorn barbarian bull, terrified, found that although its four hooves were planted, it was starting to move backward!
The heavy nostrils breathed heavily, and the lonehorn barbarian bull continued to move its four hooves. It realized that the human in front of it wanted to wrestle with it, but it refused to give in!
But the fact was that it kept moving backward, unable to stop no matter how it tried to move its hooves forward.
At this moment, Keke, squatting on the tree, felt as if it wasn't a wrestling match between a man and a bull, but between two magical beasts!
From the moment he took the first step, Feld had won. His strength seemed to grow stronger and stronger, pushing the lonehorn barbarian bull backward along the path it had come.
Then Feld roared again, and a pattern of blood and energy appeared around his body, rotating. His strength surged once again.
But it wasn't over yet; magic surged! Even if only less than five percent of his free magic power could be mobilized, it was enough!
Magic burst out, flooding Feld's body, boosting his strength once again in a short time.
"Give me... UP!!!" A massive roar echoed through the sky. The lonehorn barbarian bull found its front hooves leaving the ground, and its body uncontrollably twisting in the direction Feld wanted.
As Feld exerted all his strength, the lonehorn barbarian bull couldn't resist anymore and was directly overturned on the spot!
Boom! The massive body toppled, crashing to the ground, shaking the earth.
Feld also laughed, sweat pouring down his forehead.
"You lost. The loser has to leave something behind."