Chapter Four: In Search of the Silver-Hawk Monster

Desolation Land—true to its name—was steeped in an air of melancholy that assaulted the senses upon entry. Ancient Behemoths, aged and weary, trudged slowly from all directions toward the heart of this forsaken expanse. Some Behemoths, too exhausted to continue, collapsed onto the earth, falling into an eternal slumber.

Behind them trailed hordes of scavengers—vultures, jackals, and giant lizards—awaiting the very moment these titans would fall. If a weaker creature happened to cross their path, these carrion beasts were not averse to feasting on something fresh.

In regions less traversed by living beings, the invasion of negative energy had risen far above normal levels. Corpses long interred beneath the soil, now suffused with this baleful force, had risen as undead, attacking any life that unwittingly entered their domain.

The few remaining safe havens had all fallen under the control of symbiotic tribes allied with the Behemoths; these places now stood at the very frontlines of battle and, paradoxically, had become the least safe of all.

In short, Desolation Land was beset by peril on all sides.

It was into the very depths of this dangerous territory that Liu Zong ventured alone, fulfilling the mission assigned to him and Liu Chun. At the same time, in every class of Sun City No. 3 High School, any student with the potential for both arcane and martial mastery had received the same directive.

The mission was simple, yet fraught with risk: within two days, each student was to penetrate deep into Desolation Land, searching for the elusive Silver Heroic monsters that roamed its inner realms.

Since the great map had only just been unlocked, every Silver Heroic monster within it remained untouched, never yet defeated. Unlike other regions, there was no guarantee of high-level equipment drops upon their death. These monsters were the key nodes of the grand map; without their defeat, gaining control over the entire area was impossible.

How to locate and slay these creatures had become a pressing concern for Sun City No. 3 High School, for the Silver Heroic monsters did not linger in fixed locations. They typically dwelled in the farthest, most inaccessible reaches of the map.

Along the way, one might encounter powerful wild beasts or all manner of unforeseen trouble. If a team were assembled and fought their way through, their strength would likely be depleted before even reaching the Silver Heroic monsters.

Thus, most organizations sent scouts ahead to search. Once the target was found, a mage would lock onto the location and open a gateway, teleporting the strike force directly beside the Silver Heroic monster to do battle.

But this plan had its own flaws: mages, with their fragile constitutions, rarely survived solo expeditions into such perilous territory. They might well perish before even finding the target.

If those trained solely in combat were dispatched, they would find the Silver Heroic monster, yet be unable to open a portal—rendering their efforts futile.

Pairing combat specialists with mages would be akin to sending a small squad to scout; it was resource-intensive, made for a conspicuous target, and drew unwanted attention from nearby monsters.

Thus, students adept in both magic and martial arts became the preferred choice for this mission. Every such student in each class, if available, was assigned this critical task.

Understanding its importance and the tight deadline, Liu Zong and Liu Chun wasted no time after receiving their orders. Taking only the supplies prepared by the school, they plunged into Desolation Land.

Once inside, Liu Zong set out toward his assigned sector. His objective was to find a Silver Heroic monster within the allotted time, or until the task failed.

Throughout his journey, Liu Zong clung tightly to the cloak he had just received—a piece of equipment on loan from the school. It offered some minor reduction in the hostility of wild creatures.

Even so, he was forced to skirt several densely populated monster zones, moving cautiously within the boundaries marked on his map.

Meanwhile, data on the various distant monsters continuously streamed before his eyes, each one marked with a glaring red warning of danger.

Under normal circumstances, Liu Zong would not have dared approach such threats. Now, however, he had no choice but to edge close enough to observe these wild beasts, scrutinizing them for any sign of a Silver Heroic among their ranks.

Only after confirming the absence of a potential Silver Heroic would he proceed to the next area.

Thus, Liu Zong spent nearly a full day searching, yet found nothing.

With the two-day deadline fast approaching, Liu Zong felt the stirrings of resignation. The mission carried no penalty for failure; at worst, he would simply forfeit a reward—no more than a missed opportunity.

But to die carelessly would be a true loss.

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, a distant rumble vibrated through the earth behind him.

He recognized the sound at once: the lumbering approach of an aged Behemoth, dragging its frail body toward the Behemoth Graveyard.

On this vast map, Behemoths were the only creatures that could not possibly be Silver Heroic monsters. Any Behemoth reaching this place was at death’s door, incapable of shouldering such a role.

Whenever he heard such noises, Liu Zong took care to hide, lest the horde of monsters drawn to the Behemoth spot him.

But this time, glancing back by chance, he saw what he expected: a massive procession of scavengers—vultures, jackals, giant lizards—following the Behemoth, waiting for its inevitable fall.

He sighed, resigning himself to another delay, and moved swiftly toward safety.

Just as he rose to his feet, however, something caught his eye—a single, unusual vulture among the circling flock overhead.

This vulture had two identical heads, its feathers a striking shade of violet, making it stand out starkly from the rest.

Liu Zong’s heart skipped a beat at this discovery. Disregarding the lingering danger, he hurried to a nearby rise and fired a beam of white light at the vulture.

This beam came from the school-issued detector, which, once charged for an hour, could scan for nearby Silver Heroic monsters up to three times.

Liu Zong had used it more than ten times along his journey, always in vain—until now. The moment the white light struck, the two-headed vulture in the sky was transformed into pure silver, its data instantly appearing before Liu Zong’s eyes.

[Twin-Headed Vulture, Cain]

[Race: Half-Undead, Half-Scavenger]

[Level: Lv3 (2 stars) Silver Heroic]

[Attributes: Strength 19, Agility 21, Constitution 16, Spirit 22]

[Description: Cain, born with two heads, was always cleverer than the average vulture. It knew what it took to survive and, no matter how dire the situation, never abandoned its own principles…]

Without hesitation, Liu Zong retreated to a safer spot, switched on the signal lamp—also on loan from the school—and transmitted both his location and the information on the twin-headed vulture.