Chapter 88: Chapter 78: Shadow of the Monster
Yavenny huddled in the spacious corner seat, watching as Long Yi and his group left. The elf Inspector General was nowhere to be seen. Yet, as Long Yi and the others passed by, they seemed to have not noticed her.
At this point, Yavenny was huddled there, like a helpless little girl. Wherever Long Yi had touched her -- her arms, chest, side of her legs, and above her lips -- there was a gentle, life-filled glow. As the glow flickered, Yavenny curled up tighter, trembling slightly with each shimmer.
Soon enough, the glow finally disappeared, and Yavenny exhaled slightly.
"Ah... so refreshing. Just as expected of the kid I like," she said. "His power is so wild in my body... We just hugged, and the power I lost has almost been replenished. If this kid isn’t even awakened yet, I wonder how strong he could be when he does..."
Saying so, Yavenny actually blushed, seemingly lost in some thought.
After a while, Yavenny’s pointed ears quivered slightly. A scornful smile appeared on her face as she muttered, "Third Prince, tsk tsk, you really are good for nothing. To think you could resort to such a method. Even calling you a waste is an overstatement. But what does it have to do with me? The survival of the human race is merely an occasion for amusement. The human world is so dark and chaotic; these demons are really a bunch of idiots to like it. Hehe, I better hurry up and find my sister. Mm, when we return, I’ll take Long Yi with me for some fun. But his little girlfriend might be a little troublesome... she’s a Guardian Dragon Rider... if I can’t beat her... what should I do..."
For a while, Yavenny was lost for ideas.
And at this moment, some people came to occupy this seat to dine. Soon, the seats were filled. Yavenny, however, had disappeared without a trace.
On the other hand, Long Yi and the others were on their way back to the academy. The eventful events had brought them closer together. Coincidentally, Long Yi learned that although the cook seemed to have a superiority complex, he was actually quite endowed with comedic talent. And Mosquito, who always appeared gloomy, was revealed to be an incredibly repressed person.
The cool night breeze swept over them, snapping everyone out of their thoughts. Especially Ai Lin, her shyness subsided considerably. Her posture whilst holding onto Long Yi’s arm also became much more natural.
"Little Brother Long, that teacher Yavenny is very powerful," Ai Lin confessed. "I saw a subtle conflict between her and that old man. She might be stronger than most elves."
As a member of a prestigious family, Ai Lin had interacted with elves on multiple occasions. However, none of them seemed as powerful as Yavenny.
In Ai Lin’s eyes, the silent battle between Yavenny and the Black Dragon was a complete rout. Yavenny was effortlessly victorious, laughing and chatting whilst fighting the Black Dragon at full strength. Aside from Long Yi and Ai Lin, who are extremely sensitive to energy movements, no one else even knew about it! The precision with which the two handled their powers is impressive!
"Do you envy them?"
Long Yi asked.
"Envy them?" Ai Lin paused, then nodded, "Yes, I do."
"Envious, right? Anybody who says they’re not envious in the face of such powerful individuals is merely putting on airs. Not only are you envious, I’m also envious. Having a goal gives us motivation. Although I believe that I will quickly come to possess the power to rival theirs, I still feel it’s too slow. If only I could progress faster. However, we must be patient. There are many ways to suddenly gain great power in this world, but almost all of them have irreversible side effects. Only the power gained step by step truly belongs to oneself. I firmly believe that I am a genius. When I have surpassed everyone with my power, I will still be young and full of vigor, not like the old man who frightens children even though he is old and worn out."
Hahahaha!
All of them burst into laughter. It’s true, all of them including Long Yi were scared that day. Even Long Yi was nervous for the first time and was ready to attack. Luckily, Yavenny appeared, otherwise, Long Yi was really capable of evacuating everyone from the scene. However, if he were to use that move, his hard-earned practice would be wasted.
"Little Brother Long is right. We are all geniuses. There’s nothing to be afraid of!" Wesley said loudly.
"I am a genius. Who should I fear?" The cook shouted.
Mosquito rolled his eyes, looking aloof, as if he were different from the rest. However, his sudden burst of confidence couldn’t hide his inner thoughts.
Long Yi looked at everyone and said, "Actually, I envy you all too. I envy Ai Lin’s ability to see through the enemy’s power at a glance. I envy Wesley’s ability to see through weaknesses using his talent. I envy the cook’s ability to create so many delicious dishes by himself. I also envy Mosquito’s Nine Mosquito Dragon that can torture someone to death. Everyone has their own strength that others envy. Instead of envying others, we should maximize our own strengths."
Everyone nodded in agreement, with the exception of the cook, who looked utterly disappointed.
"Little Brother Long, I get your point about comforting us, but why is everyone else’s battle talents and my cooking talent the one you envy?"
Everyone burst out laughing again. Wesley patted the cook’s shoulder, his face reflecting that he understood.
It’s frustrating. The Giant Swallow Dragon of the Head Chef is by no means ordinary, it belongs to one of the more rare dragon species. This kind of ability to consume everything when maximized, could even swallow magic, Fighting Aura techniques, negative curses on allies, and even illnesses!
Unfortunately, his Giant Swallow Dragon is still too small at the moment, able to consume only some common foods.
This is something Long Yi is fully aware of. But for some reason, bullying the Head Chef always feels rather satisfying.
As everyone returned to the academy, just about to leave, the Head Chef suddenly stopped Long Yi.
"Brother Long, Brother Long, I have some good news to tell you." The Head Chef said in a whisper, creating an air of mystery.
"Huh, what a coincidence? I have something to talk about too." Wesley was taken aback.
"You guys wouldn’t be talking about the same thing, would you?" Mosquito asked.
"The thing I want to talk about involves the Demon Tribe." The Head Chef said.
"Ah, so that’s it. What I wanted to talk about is also this." Wesley laughed.
"Demons?" Long Yi and Ai Lin exchanged glances. To these two students who are oblivious to affairs outside, they had no idea what was going on.
The two then started to give their accounts.
It turned out that recently, over the renowned neutral zone of the Gentle Wind Plain in the central continent, demonic creatures increased suddenly. This was due to a Plane scar which abruptly appeared above the Gentle Wind Plain. The cause of the scar was unknown, but it allowed some large demons to flee across. Once these members of the Demon Tribe appeared, they immediately infected all the nearby creatures, turning animals and plants into their subordinates, and started a frenzied expansion.
Almost instantly, all the nations dispatched Dragon Knights to eradicate these roaming creatures and gradually converged at the Gentle Wind Plain. Unsurprisingly, on the Gentle Wind Plain, Dragon Knights of the Black Dragon Empire and the White Dragon Empire started a series of confrontations. Elsa, one of the Guardian Dragon Knights from the White Dragon Empire, even chopped off the horn of a Black Dragon from the Black Dragon Empire, which they considered a great disgrace.
Rumor has it that the incident was caused by the adoring Black Dragon Knight, who publicly confessed his love to Elsa on the spot, inviting her to join the Black Dragon Empire. To which Elsa charged with her Dragon-slaying Sword without a word.
Of course, only the individuals involved know the exact truth. The rumors may not be entirely correct.
Then, the matter brought up by the Head Chef and Wesley was indeed related to those demonic creatures.
The regular army’s battle with the Demon Tribe has ended, all the large demons were exterminated, but the infected creatures have infiltrated various places in the world, leading to the gradual increase of demons within the borders of various nations.
The scattered creatures were not particularly strong, deploying a regular army for a large-scale hunt would be wasteful. Thus, the empire decided to issue a mission to hunt down these creatures within the Dragon Knight Academy. Any student in the Second Year and above can accept this mission. It not only destroys the creatures but also tests the combat abilities of the students. Completing the mission not only offers rewards of gold and equipment but also something extremely important and attractive.
Military credits!
Yes, these are rare military credit missions!
In this barely peaceful era, military credits are not easily attained. It’s not something these students in the academy can even imagine. But now, an opportunity to earn military credits is right in front of their eyes. Who wouldn’t be tempted? Basically, the students from military families have all received messages from within their families, preparing for war in full force. They are just waiting for the official imperial task to be released and they will immediately set off.
Since only Second Year students can accept the mission, Head Chef and Mosquito, both being First Year students, did not receive any notice from their families. Their families believed it had nothing to do with them. It was only after hearing some rumors from some good terms senior students and querying their family when they learned of the matter. They took this opportunity to inform Long Yi. Wesley, on the other hand, relied solely on his astonishing intelligence gathering ability. But where he got the information from remained a mystery; he wouldn’t disclose his sources, claiming he must respect the rules of informant confidentiality.
"Brother Long, are we going?"
Ai Lin asked Long Yi, her eyes brimming with anticipation. She is actually very interested in this matter. She is eager to test her strength through real battles rather than staying in the academy. The Magic Fighters’ combat power is too strong, and she probably can only spar with Long Yi during the training. Nevertheless, Ai Lin still feels somewhat restrained, she needs a real battlefield.
"Go! Of course, we go! Why wouldn’t we?!" Long Yi expressed his willingness three times in a row.
Every true warrior yearns for a real battlefield, Long Yi is certainly no exception!
"In that case, I’ll start gathering information. Brother Long, if I don’t show up before we set off, you come find me. I’ll give you some useful things." After saying this, Wesley dashed off.
