"Silly, come here . "

Gao Peng waved Silly over, and Silly drifted to him .

Puchi? Puchi?

The past few days of intense battles had taken its toll on the body and mind of familiar and monster trainer alike .

The forest view might be stunning, with a beautiful sunrise that took his breath away, but Gao Peng was still getting tired of it after spending so many days in it .

He yawned . For the past few days, his main motive had been collecting valuable items .

"A Red-Banded Silverleaf is worth three credits, which is one credit less than a Blue-Light Goldenrain Flower . But the size of a Red-Banded Silverleaf is smaller than a Blue-Light Goldenrain Flower by almost half, so when factoring in the size, the Silverleaf is more valuable," Gao Peng muttered to himself .

He took out a Blue-Light Goldenrain Flower from Silly's personal s.p.a.ce dimension and placed two Red-Banded Silverleaves inside .

The thrifty Gao Peng was making careful calculations . Diligent, frugal, and overflowing with pa.s.sion, he was the standard of an eligible bachelor in this new era .

As he walked ahead through the forest, the sounds of birds and insects suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but the empty sound of the blowing wind .

The quiet, spooky, dark forest seemed to be hiding something horrifying . The trees here were denser, blocking out most of the light from above, and shadows were all around .

The low winds began to carry a faint, foul smell, like that of raw fish being left out to rot in the middle of July .

Crunch .

With each step he took, the crunch of fallen leaves beneath his feet was deafening in the silence of the forest .

Gao Peng furrowed his brows . Something was out there watching him .

"Be careful . "

His familiars didn't need Gao Peng's warning . They had already sensed that something was amiss . Da Zi's eyes, normally carefree, were carrying a cautious glint . Silly was obediently sitting atop its master's head with its tentacles gently waving .

Stripey suddenly noticed something and charged at a bush, shouting .

Chi!

Rustle, rustle .

In the direction of Stripey's charge, a bush shook a little, and out hopped a white rabbit, fleeing as quickly as its legs would allow it .

Seeing that it was just a rabbit, the familiars relaxed a little . But then a pitch-black blur shot out from the bush behind the rabbit and struck it like a snake striking its prey .

A long, thin insect limb had pierced through the back of the rabbit's brain and out through its forehead . The limb was white in color, with bluish-purple discolorations like those on a corpse . Red blood trickled drop by drop from the brows of the rabbit .

The long limb came from deep within the bushes . Just the exposed area of the limb was at least fifteen feet long .

On the surface of the limb were rings that separated it into multiple segments, like a growing bamboo plant showing the signs of growth .

Schloo .

This bamboo-like limb retracted, disappearing into the depths of the bush, and the rabbit fell flat on the ground with a twitch .

This bamboo-like limb retracted, disappearing into the depths of the bush, and the rabbit fell flat on the ground with a twitch .

In the middle of the rabbit's forehead was a b.l.o.o.d.y hole roughly the thickness of a thumb . Fresh blood trickled out .

Just from a segment of the limb, Gao Peng was unable to see the monster's attributes . He would have to see at least four-fifths of the entire monster before he could do so .

The forest once again fell into a deathly silence .

Gao Peng squinted and then let out a laugh . He had seen plenty of movies where characters in similarly horrifying situations would act like idiots, insisting on proceeding headfirst even when it was clear that danger was up ahead .

There was more than one path to take, so why gamble with his life? This was an easy choice to make .

Facing the direction of the monster, Gao Peng slowly backed away, saying, "Let's go back the way we came . "

He and his familiars slowly retreated, never taking their eyes off the direction of the monster .

As they left that patch of forest, the monster in the depths began to follow .

The air suddenly brought a gust of cold, foul-smelling wind, causing the leaves around them to rustle violently .

It seemed as though Gao Peng's unusual way of approaching the situation had piqued the curiosity of the monster in the forest, drawing it out .

Gao Peng began backing toward a wide clearing with a pond in the middle . Along the forest edge, they could see two long, white claws slinking their way forward . From behind the trees, they could feel the monster's gaze on them .

Gao Peng sighed to himself . His familiars still lacked a means of long-range offense . Otherwise they could simply attack from afar . Even if such attacks weren't very damaging, they would at least be able to see the entire monster and make out its attributes and weaknesses . Then they wouldn't have to take such a pa.s.sive approach .

Gao Peng and his company were mere steps from the clearing .

All of a sudden, one of the monster's slender limbs pierced out from within the woods in a blur .

All of a sudden, one of the monster's slender limbs pierced out from within the woods in a blur .

The speed kept increasing, and the limb kept on stretching .

In the blink of an eye, it had covered dozens of feet in one burst .

Dumby side-stepped to its left into the path of the strike, but the limb pa.s.sed right through the gaps in Dumby's body . . .

And it struck Gao Peng dead center in the chest, sending him flying backward .

A fraction of a second before impact, Gao Peng felt a strange ripple slither across him, which then extended outward toward Da Zi's body .

Gao Peng grunted as he hit the ground, bringing his hands up to his chest to find it still in one piece . He looked looked over at Da Zi and saw that a hole had been punched into its carapace, leaving a depression that was shaped like a swirl . It almost pierced right through Da Zi's abdomen!

Gao Peng had activated s.h.i.+fting Constellations in the nick of time to absorb the blow, saving him and Da Zi .

Dumby was dumbstruck . It looked down at its empty and fleshless body and scratched its bald head .

Gao Peng was shocked to the core . He had not expected the monster to be able to launch an attack from such a long distance! He and the monster had been at least a hundred feet apart!

The monster couldn't possibly be that big . Most likely it had the ability to extend its limbs . Otherwise the patch of forest would not have been able to hide a body that huge .

. . .

Inside the Monster Trainer College Entrance Examination Special Ops Unit Headquarters, a person said in a severe tone, "This Corpse Mutation Dream Stick Insect has already killed one candidate . It knows that the trainer has a weaker defense than the familiars and that it should attack the trainer first . "

"Are any of our operatives nearby?" asked the Special Ops Captain .

"White Rose is currently five kilometers from the target location . She is flying there now . "

"Are any of our operatives nearby?" asked the Special Ops Captain .

"White Rose is currently five kilometers from the target location . She is flying there now . "

"Good . One person has already died at the hands of this monster . If more fatalities occur…" The Special Ops Captain had a headache .

"Don't you think those guys are crazy? 'Be prepared for the possibility of deaths,' they said . 'It's for the training of our cadets . ''We hope for a more realistic experience . '"

"Now that someone has actually died, they are more anxious than anyone else," the Captain said, his headache worsening .

"Captain, haven't they always been like this? This isn't the first time," mused one of the members of the team .

The captain let out a long sigh . "Let's hope this candidate can hold out until White Rose reaches him . "

Far away, a black and white giant albatross was soaring through the sky . On its chest was a white rose, adding a hint of beauty to its appearance . On the back of the albatross rode a short-haired girl . What left the deepest impression were her eyes, which were narrow and sharp .

. . .

"Retreat!" Gao Peng ordered, coughing as he hugged his chest .

Dumby turned around and grabbed its master and Da Zi before making a run for it .

Stripey turned towards the monster's direction and shot out a few b.a.l.l.s of white spider silk before also turning and fleeing .

. . .

"This guy is pretty clever!" said the Special Ops Captain's as his eyes lit up . He had expected the little guy to try to fight it out with the monster . Thank goodness he knew better and retreated .

Silly, come here . Gao Peng waved Silly over, and Silly drifted to him . Puchi? Puchi? The past few days of intense battles had taken its toll on the body and mind of familiar and monster trainer alike . The forest view might be stunning, with a beautiful sunrise that took his breath away, but Gao Peng was still getting tired of it after spending so many days in it . He yawned . For the past few days, his main motive had been collecting valuable items . A Red-Banded Silverleaf is worth three credits, which is one credit less than a Blue-Light Goldenrain Flower . But the size of a Red-Banded Silverleaf is smaller than a Blue-Light Goldenrain Flower by almost half, so when factoring in the size, the Silverleaf is more valuable, Gao Peng muttered to himself . He took out a Blue-Light Goldenrain Flower from Sillys personal s.p.a.ce dimension and placed two Red-Banded Silverleaves inside . The thrifty Gao Peng was making careful calculations . Diligent, frugal, and overflowing with pa.s.sion, he was the standard of an eligible bachelor in this new era . As he walked ahead through the forest, the sounds of birds and insects suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but the empty sound of the blowing wind . The quiet, spooky, dark forest seemed to be hiding something horrifying . The trees here were denser, blocking out most of the light from above, and shadows were all around . The low winds began to carry a faint, foul smell, like that of raw fish being left out to rot in the middle of July . Crunch . With each step he took, the crunch of fallen leaves beneath his feet was deafening in the silence of the forest . Gao Peng furrowed his brows . Something was out there watching him . Be careful . His familiars didnt need Gao Pengs warning . They had already sensed that something was amiss . Da Zis eyes, normally carefree, were carrying a cautious glint . Silly was obediently sitting atop its masters head with its tentacles gently waving . Stripey suddenly noticed something and charged at a bush, shouting . Chi! Rustle, rustle . In the direction of Stripeys charge, a bush shook a little, and out hopped a white rabbit, fleeing as quickly as its legs would allow it . Seeing that it was just a rabbit, the familiars relaxed a little . But then a pitch-black blur shot out from the bush behind the rabbit and struck it like a snake striking its prey . A long, thin insect limb had pierced through the back of the rabbits brain and out through its forehead . The limb was white in color, with bluish-purple discolorations like those on a corpse . Red blood trickled drop by drop from the brows of the rabbit . The long limb came from deep within the bushes . Just the exposed area of the limb was at least fifteen feet long . On the surface of the limb were rings that separated it into multiple segments, like a growing bamboo plant showing the signs of growth . Schloo . This bamboo-like limb retracted, disappearing into the depths of the bush, and the rabbit fell flat on the ground with a twitch . In the middle of the rabbits forehead was a b.l.o.o.d.y hole roughly the thickness of a thumb . Fresh blood trickled out . Just from a segment of the limb, Gao Peng was unable to see the monsters attributes . He would have to see at least four-fifths of the entire monster before he could do so . The forest once again fell into a deathly silence . Gao Peng squinted and then let out a laugh . He had seen plenty of movies where characters in similarly horrifying situations would act like idiots, insisting on proceeding headfirst even when it was clear that danger was up ahead . There was more than one path to take, so why gamble with his life? This was an easy choice to make . Facing the direction of the monster, Gao Peng slowly backed away, saying, Lets go back the way we came . He and his familiars slowly retreated, never taking their eyes off the direction of the monster . As they left that patch of forest, the monster in the depths began to follow . The air suddenly brought a gust of cold, foul-smelling wind, causing the leaves around them to rustle violently . It seemed as though Gao Pengs unusual way of approaching the situation had piqued the curiosity of the monster in the forest, drawing it out . Gao Peng began backing toward a wide clearing with a pond in the middle . Along the forest edge, they could see two long, white claws slinking their way forward . From behind the trees, they could feel the monsters gaze on them . Gao Peng sighed to himself . His familiars still lacked a means of long-range offense . Otherwise they could simply attack from afar . Even if such attacks werent very damaging, they would at least be able to see the entire monster and make out its attributes and weaknesses . Then they wouldnt have to take such a pa.s.sive approach . Gao Peng and his company were mere steps from the clearing . All of a sudden, one of the monsters slender limbs pierced out from within the woods in a blur . The speed kept increasing, and the limb kept on stretching . In the blink of an eye, it had covered dozens of feet in one burst . Dumby side-stepped to its left into the path of the strike, but the limb pa.s.sed right through the gaps in Dumbys body . And it struck Gao Peng dead center in the chest, sending him flying backward . A fraction of a second before impact, Gao Peng felt a strange ripple slither across him, which then extended outward toward Da Zis body . Gao Peng grunted as he hit the ground, bringing his hands up to his chest to find it still in one piece . He looked looked over at Da Zi and saw that a hole had been punched into its carapace, leaving a depression that was shaped like a swirl . It almost pierced right through Da Zis abdomen! Gao Peng had activated s.h.i.+fting Constellations in the nick of time to absorb the blow, saving him and Da Zi . Dumby was dumbstruck . It looked down at its empty and fleshless body and scratched its bald head . Gao Peng was shocked to the core . He had not expected the monster to be able to launch an attack from such a long distance! He and the monster had been at least a hundred feet apart! The monster couldnt possibly be that big . Most likely it had the ability to extend its limbs . Otherwise the patch of forest would not have been able to hide a body that huge Inside the Monster Trainer College Entrance Examination Special Ops Unit Headquarters, a person said in a severe tone, This Corpse Mutation Dream Stick Insect has already killed one candidate . It knows that the trainer has a weaker defense than the familiars and that it should attack the trainer first . Are any of our operatives nearby? asked the Special Ops Captain . White Rose is currently five kilometers from the target location . She is flying there now . Good . One person has already died at the hands of this monster . If more fatalities occur… The Special Ops Captain had a headache . Dont you think those guys are crazy? Be prepared for the possibility of deaths, they said . Its for the training of our cadets . We hope for a more realistic experience . Now that someone has actually died, they are more anxious than anyone else, the Captain said, his headache worsening . Captain, havent they always been like this? This isnt the first time, mused one of the members of the team . The captain let out a long sigh . Lets hope this candidate can hold out until White Rose reaches him . Far away, a black and white giant albatross was soaring through the sky . On its chest was a white rose, adding a hint of beauty to its appearance . On the back of the albatross rode a short-haired girl . What left the deepest impression were her eyes, which were narrow and sharp Retreat! Gao Peng ordered, coughing as he hugged his chest . Dumby turned around and grabbed its master and Da Zi before making a run for it . Stripey turned towards the monsters direction and shot out a few b.a.l.l.s of white spider silk before also turning and fleeing This guy is pretty clever! said the Special Ops Captains as his eyes lit up . He had expected the little guy to try to fight it out with the monster . Thank goodness he knew better and retreated .