The Journey of the Rainbow Dragon

Time flies by.

It took two and a half days of traveling.

The three of them finally arrived at the Plains Forest area where the Dire Horned Ox was.

The Ibi Forest occupies a very large area, almost equivalent to 1/5 of the territory of the Rose Kingdom, and the terrain is also diverse, far more than just forest.

At this moment, in front of the three people was a piece of burnt brown land, intertwined with low bushes.

They have arrived at a famous area in the Ibi Forest - [Plain Forest].

This is a gathering area for herbivores, with grass and shrubs intertwined to form a vast plain landscape.

In the forest of the plains, the animals living here basically feed on grass.

Due to the wide field of vision, a few carnivores can only lurk underground or in the sky if they want to hunt successfully, thus forming a strange ecological balance.

Everyone can see a variety of animals traveling freely on the plains, and there are groups of deer foraging in the distance.

Although there are no tall trees here, the lushness of the grass and the calm atmosphere give a sense of tranquility and security.

"Strange, didn't you say that the ferocious horned ox is here? Why isn't it?"

Laya unfolded the map, looked at it for a long time, scratched her head and said in confusion.

"There is indeed something wrong. According to the information Otto said, it stands to reason that there should be a few third-order big-antlered deer herds here."

Fran also frowned.

Along the way, they encountered almost no large creatures, only some low-level herbivores.

Bill, who was following the two men, frowned and looked at the traces of the surrounding earth.

"Look."

Bill suddenly pointed to the grass not far away and said in a deep voice.

Raya and Fran looked in the direction they were pointing, and saw an oval-shaped, giant cow hoof print about one meter long appearing on the lawn.

The knowledgeable Fran recognized it at a glance as the target they were looking for - the Dire Horned Ox.

The three of them hurriedly ran to the land next to the cow's hoof prints to observe carefully.

Sure enough, following the mark, they also found several scattered hoof prints on the surrounding ground.

The three of them followed the hoof prints all the way to a muddy field, only to find that the cow's hoof prints suddenly stopped and disappeared when they reached here.

"It's true that they are the hoof prints of a ferocious horned ox, but why did it stop here?"

Fran frowned and said with some confusion.

Bill, who had explored the surrounding area, also shook his head and said that he had not found any clues related to the Dire Horned Ox.

Seeing the solemn expressions on the two people's faces, Laya's mind twitched and she suddenly said:

"Maybe it flew away?"

Hearing this, Fran and Bill looked at Laya speechlessly.

The Dire Horned Ox has no such thing as wings, and even the Dire Horned Ox that has evolved to the fifth level does not have any flying abilities.

"Hey hey hey, just kidding~~~"

Realizing that she had said something wrong, Raya scratched her head in embarrassment and said with a naive smile.

"Your joke is indeed very cold."

Fran stood up from the muddy ground, wiped off the yellow mud on her body, helplessly summoned a ball of water, and complained while washing it.

"Then what happens next?"

Raya summoned a ball of fire and quickly dried Fran's wet palms while asking.

"First find a place with a wide field of vision to observe the terrain here. In addition to the ferocious bull, there should be a hydra around. It's just that the information Mr. Otto gave is vague. I need to find the location he mentioned."

Fran carefully studied the map they carried, then looked at the surrounding environment, and finally suggested exploring a small mountain peak not far away.

The view there is wide, and it is easier to find the fourth-level monsters suitable for defeating.

Raya is good at it. She has always regarded Fran as her external brain, and she is right to ask her when she is in trouble.

Bill on the side also nodded and whispered at the same time:

"Let's take a rest there by the way. After two days of traveling, I see you are very tired."

"That's fine."

Fran nodded, quickly rolled up the map, put it into the sapphire storage ring on her index finger, and prepared to get up and set off.

Laya glanced at the sapphire ring, and then at the old-fashioned storage ring on her hand that looked like a solid copper ring, and she suddenly said with envy:

"Fran, where did you buy your storage ring? I've been looking for it in the capital for a long time and haven't seen the same style."

"Forehead"

Hearing this, Fran hesitated for a moment, then whispered:

"This is what my mother left for me."

Laya stuck out her tongue and said embarrassedly:

"Oh fine."

The three of them blessed a group with strong winds and then walked quickly on the peaceful grassland.

But they didn't notice it.

On top of the dome, a pair of sharp red-gold eyes had quietly stared at the three of them.

thirty minutes later

The three of them finally arrived at the foot of the bare mountain.

"Huh~~~ I can finally rest."

Fran breathlessly breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time reached out her hand to wipe the sweat on the top of her head.

The continuous release and blessing of the group blast technique along the way consumed a lot of her magic power. At this moment, Fran just wanted to find a place to meditate and rest.

Bill, as usual, went to the nearby area to investigate the situation.

As usual, Fran found a flat place to rest, while Raya summoned a flame to raise a small bonfire.

Just when she was about to skewer the raw lizard meat she had hunted earlier on a wooden stick and start cooking.

Sudden

"Raya, Fran, come here quickly!"

In the distance, Bill's urgent shouting woke up Fran, who had just entered a meditative state, and Raya, who was skewering meat.

"What's wrong?!"

Without any time to think about it, Laya threw the meat skewers away and ran towards the place where Bill's voice came from.

"Wait, be careful of deformation"

Seeing Laya disappearing in a hurry, Fran could only give up the warning words on her lips, struggled to get up and ran after her.

But with a shortage of magic power, how could she keep up with Laya, who had been working since she was a child? Naturally, she was left further and further behind.

By the time Fran came to the position where the two were huddled, panting, Raya and Bill were already standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down at the bottom of the cliff as if observing something.

Seeing this, Fran frowned.

"you."

Just when she was about to say something.

"Fulan, look."

Raya turned her head stiffly and looked at Fran, her voice trembling and her eyes full of fear.

Beside her, Bill frowned and kept looking at the surrounding environment, seeming to be wary of something.

"what?"

Fran frowned, put back the words she wanted to scold, and then walked quickly to the two of them and looked down.

The moment she saw the scene at the bottom of the peak, Fran's eyes immediately widened, and even her pupils subconsciously narrowed for a moment.

A large number of broken armors and staffs were scattered at the base of the bare peak.

These broken pieces of equipment were scattered around, looking like they had been destroyed in battle.

The scariest thing is.

On top of these items, hundreds of human and non-human corpses were lying quietly, exuding a rotten smell.

From time to time, a few fat white maggots would emerge from the hollow eye sockets of the skeleton, constantly gnawing at the remaining black and purple flesh strands on the thick white bones.

Under this mountain of corpses

The dried blood dyed the land black, and the scarlet wild flowers broke through the blood scab and bloomed into beautiful flowers.

Black and purple internal organs, blue and white brain fluid, and the ferocious eyes rolling in the corner

An aura of death and terror permeated the area, in stark contrast to the flowery peaks above.

"This was a brutal battle."

Fran's voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were a little frightened, but she still managed not to retreat.

"vomit--"

Laya, who saw such a scene for the first time, couldn't bear it anymore, turned her head and started to retching.

It’s not that they haven’t seen the corpses of monsters during this trial, nor have they seen the corpses of adventurers who died unexpectedly.

But the sight of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood with a large number of broken human corpses stacked up is completely different from the fear and nausea caused by a single dead corpse!

Even a veteran of many battles would be chilled to see this situation, let alone the three magic apprentices studying in the academy?

"Is everything okay?"

Fran patted Raya's back gently and subconsciously glanced down again.

Instantly, her attention was attracted by a corpse wearing blue armor.

To be precise, it was a gray stone hanging from the body's waist that caught Fran's attention.

This made Fran, who had originally thought about leaving quickly, suddenly change her mind.

After hesitating for a while, she suddenly said:

"Let's go down and check it out."

"What?"

Bill turned his head in surprise and looked at Fran, who was usually calm, wondering why she would make such a dangerous choice.

After hesitating for a moment, Bill seriously rejected Fran's suggestion and expressed his guess:

"No! We have to get out of here quickly."

"I suspect that there is a nest of an overlord-level monster. This is where it discards the corpses of its prey. Otherwise, there would be no way there would be so many corpses gathered together."

This was the first time Bill had expressed firm opposition since his trip.

You should know that he usually never refuses the arrangement between the two of them, which shows how worried he is this time.

Hearing this, Fran bit her lip and said nothing.

But the fact that she didn't move proved that she had not given up on her original idea.

Laya, who finally stopped retching at this time, also realized that something was not right about the situation.

Looking at Fran, who was full of hesitation, and then at Bill, who had a serious expression, Raya knew that she could no longer remain silent.

"How about we go down and take a look? How about we run away after seeing it?"

Laya suggested in a low voice, while looking at Bill with pitiful eyes:

"Teacher Tina must be here anyway, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

"this"

Bill looked at Laya's pleading eyes, and he couldn't say the firm words he had originally said.

He really couldn't refuse this girl.

Think again and again

In the end, the three people who calmed down decided to go to the foot of the mountain together to investigate the situation.

With the smell of fishy and rotten smells intertwined.

Fran held her nose and took the lead step by step towards the mountain of corpses, while Raya and Bill behind her looked around vigilantly to prevent any wild beasts from attacking.

Fortunately, the blue-armored corpse was scattered on the edge of the corpse mountain, so Fran didn't have to run too far. Fran quickly came to the corpse.

"It's really you!"

Fran looked at the rubble around the corpse's waist, a trace of sadness flashed in her eyes.

While the two were not paying attention, she gently bent down and put the thumb-sized stone into the space ring.

"How about it?"

Suddenly, Raya poked her head out from behind her and asked with concern.

At the same time, she gently held Fran's cold little hand, passing on the slightest warmth to her.

Laya saw that her friend seemed to be in a bad mood at this time.

"never mind."

After adjusting her mood, Fran forced a smile, looked at Laya and said:

"let's go"

Before she could finish speaking, Bill, who was following the two of them, suddenly changed his expression:

"Get away!"

While shouting loudly for the two of them to leave, he ran towards the two of them at a very fast pace, with a strange pace that almost left several afterimages.

next second

Accompanied by a sharp bird call.

A sharp golden claw suddenly fell from the air and suddenly grabbed Raya and Fran above their heads.

"not good!"

Bill's eyes widened as he saw the eagle's claws falling from a height of 100 meters to the top of the two men's heads.

At the critical moment, Bill didn't have time to think too much and rushed towards the two unresponsive people based on instinct.

The body that had once half-stepped into the legend reached its full potential at this moment. With the blessing of some kind of foot combat skills, Laya and Fran came first.

"Don't pass"

Raya, who was the first to react, finally noticed the attack in the air.

She immediately activated the protective magic shield to protect herself

However, she knew that she could not dodge this attack, and could only look anxiously at Bill who rushed towards her, trying to keep him away from the attack range.

However, things developed so fast that even Tina, who was lurking in the distance, did not react.

In the flash of lightning, Bill had already stepped into the attack range of the huge claws.

He pushed the stunned Fran away with a calm push, and at the same time kicked Laya away who had activated the magic shield at close range. Finally, he retreated elegantly sideways, narrowly avoiding the aftermath of this blow. .

"boom!"

The huge eagle talon, nearly three meters wide, brushed against Bill's hair and landed suddenly on the corpse and the ground below.

The powerful impact shook the entire surrounding ground, causing dust to fly.

Like a sharp blade that blows hair and cuts off hair, the sharp claws instantly cut off the hair on Bill's forehead, causing him to break into a cold sweat.

If this claw is implemented, I am afraid that not only the heads of the three people will bloom, but the entire body will be crushed into pulp.

"Huh-huh-"

Looking at the phantom of the sharp claw that slowly dissipated, the hearts of the three of them were beating rapidly.

They finally realized how terrifying and cruel it is to survive in this forest. This is no longer a simple school exercise, but a World of Warcraft paradise in the real world.

One careless move could mean the difference between life and death!

The three of them looked at each other subconsciously, silently giving each other a firm look.

Feel the magic gathering in the air again.

"Walk!"

Without any time to think, Bill roared and used that strange pace again, dragging the two of them back quickly.

Fran also quickly released her magic. With the help of high-speed singing skills, she quickly released the group blast technique and feather falling technique on the three of them.

In this way, while the Wind Technique increases their speed for thirty minutes, they can also ignore the height difference and quickly jump between the mountains and forests, and they can do some cliff jumping to survive at any time.

But Tina, who was hiding in the dark and wanted to help the three of them, suddenly stopped.

"This is."

She looked at Bill's rapidly jumping figure, frowned tightly, and shouted out the name of the familiar combat skill in surprise:

"Elf War Steps?" (End of Chapter)