Looking at the Fierce Horse lying dead on the ground, Fang Zhou sighed with some regret.

It's a pity. Such an ideal creature to serve as a mount has no rationality and can't be tamed at all.

In the Era of Myth, due to changes in physical laws, vehicles like motorcycles, cars, and armored cars that humans originally used for transportation could not adapt well to the battlefield environment. Instead, the somewhat primitive mounts of Professionals were fully functional and shone brightly.

Fang Zhou actually envied Meng Hongzhuang for having a giant bear that could be used as a mount. Traditional Mages like him were not as naturally endowed as a Natural Summoner like Meng Hongzhuang, nor were they like Knights who could contract mounts. If he wanted his own mount, he either needed to acquire a high-quality pet that could be ridden or wait until he advanced to Bronze rank and learned the Bronze-level Universal Magic, Summoned Mage Mount.

Both options seemed very distant for Fang Zhou at the moment. He shook his head, pushing the thoughts from his mind, and commanded the Skeletons to begin dissecting the robust Fierce Horse.

This Fierce Horse was far rarer than other Fierce Beasts like Fierce Rats, Fierce Rabbits, or Fierce Wolves. Its hide, hooves, and tail were all materials needed by the academy. Fang Zhou estimated that the materials from this horse were worth at least three contribution points.

A few minutes later, he washed the materials clean in the rain and packed them into his backpack. Fortunately, Fang Zhou had prepared a maximum-capacity backpack, and his physical attributes could bear the load, allowing him to store these materials for now. Thinking of this, his desire to own a Spatial Storage Treasure grew even stronger.

After advancing for another two hours, the heavy rain finally ceased. The once-suffocating air inside the cave now seemed much fresher. Sitting on a large rock, Fang Zhou drank some water while checking the rankings on his Hunting Recorder. Unknowingly, he had already climbed to the 3rd position.

The two people currently ahead of him were old acquaintances. First place was Meng Hongzhuang, the Natural Summoner. Second place, however, was Gu Zhiqiu, the Storm Mage. However, once Fang Zhou finished clearing out the Goblin Caves, he should be able to surpass them and seize the top spot.

He checked the map and calculated that, at his current marching speed, he was about an hour away from the Goblin Caves. By his meticulous calculations, he still had seventy percent of his Spiritual Power remaining, which should be enough to support the battle to clear the Goblin Caves. After a short rest, Fang Zhou proceeded deeper into the cave with fifteen Skeletons in good condition.

Half an hour later, in a patch of forest.

Hunting Points +3.

Soul Power +0.05.

Fang Zhou had just killed a Rotting Wood Puppet that tried to ambush him. As he was about to dissect its Rotten Wood Heart, the thermal imaging radar suddenly blared an alert. He quickly closed his eyes to focus his Perception, then looked up at the sky. In the distance, a swarm of black dots was approaching, seemingly targeting him.

Fierce Ravens?

Fang Zhou frowned and retreated behind his Skeletons. These were a type of Fierce Beast created through the demonization of ravens. They fed on carrion, and their claws and beaks were highly venomous, making them a difficult group of demons to deal with. However, their bodies were very fragile, their individual combat power was extremely low, and their Perception was not particularly strong. As long as one cleared the scent of blood from themselves upon spotting the ravens, it was possible to fool their sense of smell and escape.

The Fierce Ravens were charging toward Fang Zhou likely because he had killed too many demons along the way. Both he and his Skeletons were stained with so much blood scent that they attracted the swarm's attention.

Still, it's just a flock of ravens. Do I really need to avoid them?

Fang Zhou chuckled, glancing at his surroundings. He was in a forest, where the tangled branches crisscrossing the open air would hinder the Fierce Raven swarm from leveraging their numerical advantage. The time and terrain were on his side. Then it was time to fight!

「Outside the cave.」

At Sea City Military Academy, many first-year cadets were watching the livestream of Fang Zhou's battle. Through his perspective, they naturally saw the swarm of Fierce Ravens whistling through the sky.

They exclaimed in surprise, "Are those Fierce Ravens? There must be over a hundred of them! You don't want to mess with that!"

"Why is Fang Zhou just standing there? Those Fierce Ravens are clearly coming for him. He should either hide or run. Does he actually plan to face them head-on?"

His admirer with the oval face retorted, "Why not? Don't forget, Fang Zhou has the Group Attack Skill Skeleton Arrow Rain. He can take out several thick-skinned Little Inferior Demons in one hit, let alone these fragile Fierce Ravens."

A more knowledgeable cadet shook his head and replied, "Fang Zhou is formidable, but there are simply too many Fierce Ravens. He's been hunting in the cave for most of the day; how much Spiritual Power could he possibly have left to cast Skeleton Arrow Rain multiple times? Besides, a Fierce Raven swarm of this size is bound to have a Middle Rank Apprentice leader commanding it. Their battle instincts are terrifying!"

"Exactly, and Fierce Ravens are poisonous, which makes them a huge threat to humans. Fang Zhou is being really unwise this time!"

Another cadet, who seemed to enjoy the drama, taunted with a hint of sour grapes, "Heh heh, I wonder if our prospective number one seed is about to get eliminated because of his own arrogance? Now that would be a fun story to spread!"

Amid the pessimistic discussion from the other cadets, his admirer with the oval face began to feel a bit panicked. She pressed her lips together tightly and held her breath as she watched Fang Zhou's battle livestream.

「Inside the cave.」

Soon, over a hundred Fierce Ravens blanketed the sky above the forest like a dark cloud. Their beaks were like hooks, their wings pitch-black, and their eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty red light. After circling briefly in the air, the swarm let out piercing shrieks and charged toward Fang Zhou below.

Meanwhile, Fang Zhou stood with his back against a towering tree, protected from above by a dense canopy of corrupted vines. His fifteen Skeletons encircled him, standing ready for battle.

Facing the tide-like onslaught of Fierce Ravens, Fang Zhou decisively swung his Magic Staff, casting Skeleton Arrow Rain directly into the densest part of the swarm. In an instant, dozens of arrows made from bone fragments cascaded down like a storm, plunging into the flock of Fierce Ravens. The arrows, infused with potent Undead energy, instantly knocked more than a dozen Fierce Ravens from the sky. For a moment, feathers flew and pained cries filled the air.

However, this only seemed to stoke the swarm's ferocity. From within the flock, a Fierce Raven noticeably larger than the others let out a few shrill cries. The swarm instantly dispersed, yet their diving speed increased.

Found you!

A sharp glint flashed in Fang Zhou's eyes as he immediately diverted a portion of his Spiritual Power to lock onto the Fierce Raven leader hiding within the swarm. Social demons almost always had a leader. For low-level demons like the Fierce Ravens, which relied on numbers to win, eliminating their leader was like destroying their brain, significantly reducing the threat.

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