The battle between Kent and Golden Sky was indeed spectacular. Both of them had similar beast mastery skills, but Golden Sky's physical fitness and combat techniques were far superior to Kent's.
Ten minutes later, Kent was regretfully defeated, his frustration clear on his face.
Meanwhile, Fan Qingmei merely glanced at him, saying nothing.
Kent, upon noticing this, briefly showed a barely perceptible flash of malice.
...
The Wind and Cloud Tournament concluded as expected, and the new rankings were released. Kent's rank shot up to 95th, making him the most astonishing participant of the event.
Zhao Mengxi also took part, her progress not as dramatic as Kent's, but with his subtle assistance, she had made significant strides. She seemed to have a special connection with the number 6, securing the 666th position.
As for Kent's follower, Yu Zhengfeng, still in the assessment phase, he only received minimal help from Kent, so his strength was relatively ordinary, ranking around 1300th.
"Phew, the semester is finally over."
With the conclusion of the Wind and Cloud Tournament, the semester had ended. Ji Guanghe, leading his A-class students, held the final class meeting.
This meeting was short and focused mainly on reflecting on the semester, acknowledging everyone's progress, and particularly praising Kent's remarkable performance.
Additionally, he briefly mentioned the academic focus for the next semester, urging everyone to start training combat techniques along with their professional courses, especially for the upcoming year.
"I know many of you are eager to venture outside the city and start practical training to become qualified patrol officers. However, according to school regulations, only after completing the first year can you go for trials outside the city."
Ji Guanghe announced, "Please continue working hard and improve your strength. I will give you a special opportunity. The top six performers this year will be granted the chance to venture outside the city during the summer break."
Upon hearing this, many of the outstanding students cheered, and Kent felt a slight anticipation, though he knew he did not need such an opportunity.
This semester, he had already reached adulthood, with a combat strength of over 300, qualifying him to leave the city. However, a combat strength of 300 only allowed him to venture into nearby suburbs. Now, with his strength exceeding 2000, he was capable of heading to much farther places.
Thus, he had no intention of waiting for the summer. This winter break, while most would be returning home for the New Year, Kent decided to venture outside the city alone. He believed that as long as luck wasn't too cruel and he remained cautious, he would be fine.
After the meeting, everyone packed up, preparing for their various trips.
Most students chose to return home, as being a student of Earthstar University brought great pride to their families and was something to boast about to friends and relatives.
"Are you really not going back? You could come to my place for the holidays. I want you there, and my dad thinks highly of you," Zhao Mengxi insisted, not giving up.
"Besides, this could be the perfect chance for us to discuss things."
Kent gently stroked her long hair and couldn't resist kissing her, smiling as he replied, "Mengxi, I appreciate your offer, but I want to grow stronger faster."
Zhao Mengxi looked at him, and after a moment of hesitation, she finally nodded in agreement.
After sending Zhao Mengxi to the airport, Kent said, "Have a safe trip, I'll miss you."
"Kent, remember to contact me whenever you can."
"Of course."
After watching Zhao Mengxi leave, Kent returned to his hotel, made a simple preparation, then took a ride to the northern city gate. He arrived at the registration office, where he had to pass a strict qualification check before receiving his mercenary license.
In Earthstar, those who contracted beasts were called Beast Masters. However, most Beast Masters only contracted ordinary, low-tier beasts, and their strength was average. They would never be allowed to leave the city, and if they did, it would be a death sentence.
This was why mercenary Beast Masters existed—organized by factions into mercenary groups or occasionally acting alone.
An hour later, Kent's qualification was approved, and he became a registered mercenary, though his rank was only one star.
The promotion of mercenary stars was simple. Everyone started at level one, and to rank up, one had to provide monster materials and pay a certain number of credit points.
Raising your star level not only enhanced prestige but also brought some privileges, like posting tasks, forming temporary teams, and even creating mercenary groups.
Kent didn't need any of these privileges, so after obtaining his mercenary license, he paid a hundred credit points at the city gate and walked out.
"By the way, kid, do you need a transport vehicle?" the officer asked in surprise, noticing Kent had nothing with him and didn't appear to be from a wealthy family.
"The snowstorm makes it a bad time to leave the city. You look like you're new to this, so don't tell me you're planning to walk. If you have the funds, I suggest you buy something like a snowmobile or a snow cart."
Kent smiled in response to the kind suggestion.
"No need, I'll travel with my beast."
Kent summoned Garfield outside the city. Now four meters long, Garfield looked like a giant tiger. Kent climbed onto Garfield's back, and they took off at full speed.
The officer watched Kent disappear into the distance, muttering to himself, "This kid doesn't seem reckless, but he's still heading out. His beast doesn't look ordinary... Hope he has good luck."
As Garfield ran, it was extremely light on its feet, especially in the snow. It was much more stable and swift than other large mounts.
The snowstorm raged, and the sky was overcast. The northern wind howled, dispersing the mist. Kent could clearly see far into the distance.
"Though monsters can tolerate the cold, in weather like this, there are very few monsters active outside."
Kent, fully equipped in B-level combat gear, with his helmet and boots on, traveled north for over thirty miles before finally encountering a monster.
It was a snowfield ice wolf, quick and agile. But because food was scarce, it was starving and its icy eyes glowed with a fierce light.
When Garfield appeared in the distance, the ice wolf, which had been hiding in a ruined brick house, immediately became excited. It fixed its gaze on the approaching prey, ready for a fight.
Kent, fully alert, noticed Garfield suddenly slowing down. The beast was cautiously watching the house from afar.
Kent immediately grew cautious. He knew that Garfield, being a feline, had an exceptional sense of danger, and its pause meant it had detected a threat.
Kent connected with Garfield mentally and, after receiving a response, he was even more certain of his suspicions.
"Looks like a monster is planning to hunt me."
Kent narrowed his eyes and activated his fiery eyes with golden pupils. However, he saw no immediate signs of danger.
The ability of his fiery eyes with golden pupils allowed him to see through illusions and view changes in the area within the last ten minutes. This suggested that the beast had been hiding for a while, waiting for the right moment.
"Interesting."
Kent ordered Garfield to approach slowly, then took out his bow. As they entered the range of a thousand meters, Kent shot an arrow at the building.
His spiral arrow technique had reached a certain level of power, enough to pierce through the decaying and weathered brick walls.