The wind howled in his ears, and a massive wolf-beast chased relentlessly behind him. If not for Zhang Xiaohou's wind magic helping them escape quickly, Mo Fan admitted he might have already been torn apart by its claws. However, now that he had calmed down a bit, he was ready to fight.
As they reached the deeper part of the cave, Mo Fan turned to Zhang Xiaohou and said, "Houzi, stop ahead. You run, and I'll deal with it."
"No way! I can't leave you behind!" Zhang Xiaohou immediately refused.
The cave opened up into a larger chamber, with jagged rocks below and stalactites hanging from above. They had reached the dead end.
Realizing they had no escape, Zhang Xiaohou noticed the wolf-beast getting closer. It unleashed a whirlwind of sharp stones from its mouth, hurling them toward the two.
Zhang Xiaohou, being a wind mage, had quicker reflexes. He could dodge, but he knew Mo Fan couldn't. Gritting his teeth, he pushed Mo Fan behind a large rock, sacrificing himself in the process.
Mo Fan, caught off guard, was shoved aside just as he was about to cast a spell. To his horror, he saw Zhang Xiaohou's body riddled with sharp stones, leaving gruesome, bloody holes.
"Damn it!"
Cursing under his breath, Mo Fan quickly gathered his magic.
"Lightning Strike - Mad Whip!"
Purple lightning marks formed above Mo Fan, and with one hand high and his fist clenched, he unleashed them. Long electric whips lashed out, striking the giant wolf-beast's body repeatedly, causing its steel-like muscles to crack under the relentless assault.
"Arroooo!!"
The ghost wolf howled in pain as its powerful muscles and thick hide were paralyzed by the thunderous assault.
"Fire Burst – Burning Bones!"
A green flame ignited, but Mo Fan realized if he burned the wolf into ashes, it might draw too much attention. So, he redirected the fire, blasting it at the base of a stalactite above the wolf.
The searing fire quickly heated the stalactite, turning it red-hot. It only took a moment for the large stalactite to break free from the ceiling and fall, like a giant sword, straight into the wolf's body.
Crash!
The massive stalactite pierced through the wolf, nailing it to the ground. With that, the wolf's life was finally extinguished.
After the fight, Mo Fan expected to find a soul essence – a precious item dropped by powerful beasts. But instead, all he found was a weak remnant of its soul.
"Damn it, where's my soul essence?!"
After some frustrated shouting, Mo Fan calmed down. He realized he had been mistaken – the wolf that drops the soul essence wasn't this one, but another that had secretly absorbed the Underground Holy Spring.
No matter, he had slain the wolf-beast and claimed the blue bracelet, which was part of the reward for the mission. With this defensive magic artifact, his safety in future hunts would be greatly increased.
Mo Fan quickly hoisted Zhang Xiaohou onto his back and hurried out of the cave.
From a third-person view, one might not fully grasp the bond between Zhang Xiaohou and Mo Fan. But at that moment when Zhang Xiaohou unhesitatingly pushed him out of harm's way, Mo Fan understood their friendship on a deeper level.
Inside the cave, Chief Instructor Zhan Kong arrived, using fire magic to illuminate the area. The moment the cave lit up, Zhan Kong froze in disbelief. Mo Fan was alive, carrying his injured friend, while the ferocious wolf-beast — the very one Zhan Kong was supposed to take down himself — was impaled and dead!
"It's dead?"
The ghost wolf's combat strength was on par with a true demon. Zhan Kong's original plan was to let it scare the students to give them a taste of a real battle — not for them to defeat it. He never imagined that one of the students would actually kill it.
While there was a bit of clever trickery involved, the wolf was still dead. It wasn't some fluke. The wolf hadn't just coincidentally been pierced by a falling stalactite. With its agility, it could've easily dodged.
"Did... did you do this?" Zhan Kong asked, still in disbelief.
"Yep." Mo Fan nodded casually, then added, "By the way, Chief Instructor, I found this blue bracelet in the cave. When will I get my reward, the magic artifact you promised?"
Zhan Kong froze. He suddenly remembered the promise he had made earlier — a personal reward of a magical defensive item!
Crap! He hadn't prepared any such item!
He never expected anyone to actually complete the challenge. After all, the cave was guarded by the wolf-beast and the blue bracelet was guarding the bracelet. He thought most students would be eliminated at earlier stages, and those who made it this far would face defeat at the wolf's claws.
But somehow, Mo Fan had defied expectations and killed the beast. This kid, who Zhan Kong thought was just reckless, had done the impossible!
"Uh... let's focus on saving your friend first." Zhan Kong said, awkwardly trying to change the subject.
Mo Fan wasn't too worried. Zhan Kong might act laid-back, but he wasn't someone who would go back on his word.
Still, Mo Fan reminded him, "Yes, saving lives is important. But just to be clear, you promised a defensive magic artifact worth tens of thousands."
Zhan Kong almost lost his balance mid-flight as he navigated the stalactites. That reward was going to cost him a lot, even for someone like him!
Just as they were about to leave, Mo Fan noticed something. A shadow moved across the black stone wall and spiraled down in front of him. From the shadow, a curvaceous woman emerged — none other than the seductive and graceful teacher, Tang Yue.
"Tang Yue!" Mo Fan greeted her.
"You're not hurt?" she asked, a smile of relief on her face.
"I'm fine." Mo Fan replied.
Tang Yue was, after all, the one who had provided Mo Fan with his first commission. She was his initial investor, and he didn't want to let her down.
Tang Yue's gaze shifted, and she soon noticed the wolf-beast skewered in the cave. She was momentarily stunned, unable to process what she was seeing.
""This… this is…" Tang Yue stammered.
"You've raised quite the extraordinary student. Mo Fan killed the wolf-beast." Zhan Kong said.
Tang Yue was so shocked, she couldn't hide her disbelief.
"It was just luck." Mo Fan said modestly.
Tang Yue nearly lost it. Lucky? She thought.
This wolf-beast was akin to a real demon, and a high school student had taken it down. Even in a university, this would've been a rare feat!
(End of Chapter)