"I'm only about twenty achievements short of being able to participate in the graduation assessment. The seniors were right—field work really is the fastest way to earn achievements."
"So, you fellow, you'd better put down your weapon and give up resistance. That way you'll still have a chance to live and undergo labor reform. Otherwise, even if you die on the spot, your head can serve as proof for exchanging achievements. The folks at the achievement exchange don't care whether you're alive or not."
Seeing her sword energy completely blocked, the girl wasn't annoyed. Instead, she held her blade vertically before herself, beginning to restrain her sharpness and gather momentum. Blue light converged around her body, gradually shifting toward deep blue. Though she now looked like an ordinary person who couldn't use magic, the stabbing pain of sixth-sense danger warnings was very real indeed.
"Damn it, these cultivators—not a single one of them is easy to kill! Ahhhhhhhhh! Die!"
Hearing his opponent remain calm after seeing him block her attack, acting as if his defeat was already declared, the dark wizard nearly ground his teeth to powder. His blood pressure spiked instantly, bloodshot veins crawled across his eyes, turning them completely red. He roared and violently slashed his artery with his blade, letting the spurting blood stain the entire cleaver red.
"Demonic Blood Violent Light! Malice United! I sacrifice my blood! Nothing shall remain uncut!"
Accompanied by rage and blood, the dark wizard rapidly chanted his incantation. His aura immediately weakened, but his cleaver erupted with sinister dark red ghostly light.
Step forward, swing the blade.
The blood-colored blade light nearly shattered everything around it.
Not far away, passing Glenn and Hermione saw red flash before their eyes. They immediately rolled to dodge as the red blade light swept past at waist height from where they'd been standing, cutting down row after row of trees.
"Let's go help that sister!"
Standing up immediately, Hermione saw wave after wave of blade light being unleashed by the dark wizard, about to strike the cultivator. She couldn't help but slow her pace and draw her wand.
"Looks like that cultivator doesn't really need us."
Glenn held the opposite view. After successfully testing that magical light beams could block the blood-colored blade light, he didn't plan to stay here any longer.
Besides, the aura emanating from the girl fighting the dark wizard wasn't weak at all.
"Spirit Sword emerges! Break!"
Having finished gathering momentum, the cultivator held her sword horizontally across her chest, raised her hand to lightly stroke the blade, then slashed straight across.
A deep blue sword energy, more solid and brilliant than before, flashed and vanished, cutting through all the incoming blood-colored blade lights along its path before dissipating in the air as if it had been mere illusion.
But the angry expression on the dark wizard's face gradually stiffened. His body swayed once, then he knelt and collapsed forward, his head separated from his body, rolling far away.
"Hmm hmm~ Achievement plus one. Who's next, I wonder?"
The young cultivator hummed a leisurely tune, sheathing her sword and skipping over to the dark wizard's corpse. She took out a small box, aimed it at the head rolling on the ground, and with a "whoosh" sound, collected it inside.
Probably using some kind of spatial storage technique.
"...That sister really is amazing."
Hermione's mouth twitched slightly. She briefly recalled her memories from the past seven days—in her memory, this cultivator had given her the impression of being warm and hospitable, skilled at Go, with a good personality, neither arrogant nor impatient, and she didn't treat Hermione differently for being a foreigner... Hermione hadn't expected this sister to be so powerful, and also... somewhat unhinged?
"Without real strength, Grandmother never would have agreed to let her join this beast-hunting activity."
Glenn wasn't very surprised. Besides this judgment, he could generally sense a person's strength in daily life.
Glenn could only say that among this year's beast-hunting activity participants, none of the young cultivators from North China Academy of Magical Arts were weak.
Moreover, they were basically all older than him and Hermione. Based on what he'd just heard from that girl, Glenn felt he could make a bold guess:
The students participating in this activity were very likely all North China Academy of Magical Arts students about to graduate. Though he wasn't clear what exactly "achievements" were or their purpose, he figured they should be some kind of "proof" related to whether they could graduate normally.
"Oh... thinking about it this way, it's a bit like the basis those people in my previous life used when ranking assassins—target head count. Should be something similar."
Glenn thought this way. Seeing Hermione notice his expression and show an "I'm very curious" look, Glenn shared his speculation with her.
"...So this beast-hunting activity actually has only us two as 'genuine participants'?"
Hermione was slightly embarrassed. As far as she knew, North China Academy of Magical Arts graduates didn't have time to participate in any activities unrelated to their studies. Even if they chose Beast Master studies and needed magical creature partners, they definitely would have participated in beast-hunting activities when they were similar ages to her and Glenn.
"They're all older than us?"
"Mm, I'm certain."
Faced with Hermione's incredulous second inquiry for confirmation, Glenn gave a definitive answer. On this point, he could be sure.
"Good grief, I was wondering why the few... upperclassmen I saw from afar along the way were all so amazing. Turns out they're all older than me—that's fine then."
There are always people beyond people, skies beyond skies. Throughout this journey, the girl's pupils had been shocked several times, and a feeling of unwillingness to accept defeat began spreading in her chest, her competitive spirit stirring restlessly.
Now that she knew the truth, Hermione's suddenly increased pressure gradually subsided... but the drive for improvement awakened in her heart still hadn't disappeared.
The girl was confident that by the time she approached graduation, whether in strength or academics, she would definitely surpass these older brothers and sisters!
Thinking of this, Hermione's mood became passionate and surging. Her running speed also increased considerably. Glenn shrugged—he was already used to this.
Hermione could always find ways to motivate herself. Though it was a good thing, Hermione would also become more fatigued than usual because of it, which Glenn didn't really want to see.
He'd need to keep a closer eye on the girl from now on.
"Glenn, look! The protective barrier is right ahead!"
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