With Zhan Kong leading the way, the issue of treating the monkey was finally resolved. When the others learned the whole story after he came out, they began to see Mo Fan as a "hero."
To be honest, he didn't really like that.
Once you get labeled with a title like that, it's easy to get morally manipulated.
He preferred a world without those moral constraints.
In reality, the students praised him mainly because he completed the bounty on his own, which meant everyone received the "A" grade on the evaluation.
"Hey, did you hear? That bounty was completed by a student. Apparently, that student's the one who killed Bai Yang's Dark Wolf Beast!"
"Stop talking nonsense. We all know how tough the Dark Wolf Beast is. If a student could defeat it, I'd eat the bounty board whole!" A muscular leader of a hunter squad declared.
"Then go eat it now." Pan Lijun said coldly, glancing at the burly man.
"Just check for yourself, the bounty is marked 'Completed!'"
The seasoned veterans at the station looked up, and indeed, the bounty status had changed to "Completed." Below, it was labeled, "Tian Lan Magic High School, Second Year Student - Mo Fan!"
"Whoa, no way! This kid's got guts!"
The entire outpost was left in shock!
Especially the guy who just swore he'd eat the board—he was left dumbfounded and quickly slipped away.
Soon, the news spread throughout the outpost.
Aside from Bo City's Guardian Mages stationed at the outpost, most of the people here were roaming hunter mages who survived by taking on bounties and hunting monsters. As the news circulated, many of these veteran hunters found themselves embarrassed. After all, they had been the loudest in ridiculing the students earlier.
Inside the stone house, Chief Instructor Zhan Kong was holding a box, his face full of pain.
"Damn it, these unscrupulous merchants! They charged me 550,000 for a Scythe Bone Shield. What a rip-off!" Zhan Kong cursed angrily.
Pan Lijun, Bai Yang, and Luo Yunbo remained silent. Mo Fan also quietly observed the chief instructor's outburst.
The Guardian Mages in the room couldn't help but chuckle to themselves. Normally, Zhan Kong was the one giving them a hard time at the outpost. Who would've thought he'd have his own setbacks?
"Go call that kid over!" Zhan Kong grumbled unhappily.
"Chief, I'm right here." Mo Fan raised his hand, addressing the somewhat absent-minded chief instructor.
Seeing Mo Fan only made Zhan Kong more frustrated. He still couldn't figure out how Mo Fan managed to kill the Dark Wolf Beast!
But no matter how angry Zhan Kong was, Mo Fan just smiled in response.
After all, the chief instructor was about to give him a piece of magical equipment worth hundreds of thousands!
"Take it, just take it!" Zhan Kong said, annoyed.
Mo Fan had already grabbed it, but Zhan Kong refused to let go. So Mo Fan gently reminded him, "Chief Instructor, would you kindly let go?"
Zhan Kong's mouth twitched, and after a moment of hesitation, he finally released his grip. He was visibly upset, but Mo Fan was ecstatic, now holding onto the prized magical item.
Afterward, Chief Instructor Zhan Kong invited Mo Fan to join him, but Mo Fan politely declined without hesitation.
As a result, Zhan Kong, gritting his teeth in frustration, kicked him out of the house.
With the training over and a month of summer vacation left, Mo Fan didn't hesitate to venture outside the safe zone.
It was his first time stepping into the wild, so he didn't dare act recklessly.
Truthfully, teaming up with hunters would have been the most sensible choice for someone in his current position. After all, these hunters had plenty of experience surviving in the wilderness.
However, he found the hunters in this world a bit dimwitted.
Now that he had the Scythe Bone Shield, he opted to travel alone instead.
Of course, he only explored the fringes of the wilderness, never straying far from the outpost, perhaps just a few kilometers away.
As Mo Fan cautiously moved forward, suddenly, Colossal Eyed Ape Rat jumped out in front of him!
The rat's pupils were as large as basketballs, its eyes covered with bulging tumors that rotated in a way that made Mo Fan's skin crawl.
Its neck was as thick as a tree that needed two people to wrap their arms around. In fact, it was hard to distinguish between its neck and head—it was just that massive!
As soon as the giant rat laid eyes on Mo Fan, it lunged straight at him!
"Bang!"
"Squeak!"
Mo Fan immediately used the Scythe Bone Shield, and the Colossal Eyed Ape Rat slammed into it, letting out a painful screech.
Although Mo Fan felt the impact's terrifying force, he also experienced firsthand the wonders of magical equipment.
"Fire Burst - Burning Bones!"
With the shield holding the enemy back, Mo Fan quickly traced the star path. As the Colossal Eyed Ape Rat staggered, a burst of azure fire shot towards its monstrous body!
"Boom!"
"Squeeeek!!"
With the azure flames engulfing it, the Colossal Eyed Ape Rat let out one last wail before collapsing to the ground as a charred corpse.
Next, Mo Fan saw a faint star-like light drifting toward him.
This was, of course, the remnant soul of the ape rat.
Although a remnant soul provided only a small boost to his little loach pendant, every little bit helped.
"Phew."
Mo Fan finally relaxed his tense nerves.
As expected, once you kill a monster, their oppressive presence isn't as overwhelming.
Plus, the power of the blue flames was quite impressive.
However, he didn't continue exploring but instead returned to the protected zone. First, he needed to reflect on his experience. Second, his success was largely thanks to the Scythe Bone Shield's defense.
Monsters weren't stupid; they wouldn't just stand there and let you attack them.
Plus, the creature he had just killed was only a low-ranking member of the monster species, the Colossal Eyed Ape Rat.
Back at the outpost, Mo Fan didn't return to the city. Instead, he chose to stay at the outpost.
At first, he considered keeping a low profile.
But once he got there, he realized he wasn't all that famous yet.
In fact, trying to hide only attracted more attention.
With nothing much to do at the outpost, Mo Fan spent his time learning about the valuable materials that could be harvested from the Colossal Eyed Ape Rat and the one-eyed magic wolf.
Since he needed to hunt large numbers of remnant and essence souls to help his little mudfish grow faster, it wouldn't make sense to waste the materials left behind after killing monsters.
Monsters were valuable resources. Even the fangs of a low-level Colossal Eyed Ape Rat could sell for several thousand.
The claws, teeth, and fur of a One-Eyed Demon Wolf could fetch tens of thousands. The fur was hard to get, but if he could kill one, he'd easily earn at least thirty thousand.
For most mages, it wasn't worth wasting their magic power on such small gains. But Mo Fan wasn't picky—after all, in his original world, he spent two years hunting monsters and only saved up around 100,000.
Since it would take a large number of monsters to help the little loach level up with remnant and essence souls, the materials from their bodies would also add up to a significant sum.
And if he were lucky enough to find rare claws or bones, he'd hit the jackpot, earning almost ten times the normal amount.
(End of Chapter)