Chapter 146: Jungle Massacre!

Indeed, the quest Lu Kuan had now officially triggered was the storyline mission to acquire a unique, world-only pet!

Half the reason Lu Kuan had braved leaving Magma Fortress so early was tied to this very quest.

"Hello there~"

Just as Lu Kuan was immersed in the memories of the past, overwhelmed with excitement, a cute voice came from behind him. Coming back to his senses, Lu Kuan realized that he was now surrounded by a bevy of young women.

Lu Kuan hurriedly put away the stone fragment and turned around to see that the speaker was a petite female gnome mage, standing around 150 centimeters tall. She looked somewhat familiar, and was currently studying him with curious eyes.

"Ah, you're... Xiao Qin?" Lu Kuan quickly recognized her, quite surprised.

"Yeah, yeah! I thought I might have mistaken you for someone else~"

The gnome mage smiled, finally certain she hadn't seen wrong, and said excitedly, "I always thought fatty was lying to us. So you really are this amazing~"

The female gnome mage, whose appearance had changed somewhat, was Lu Kuan's high school classmate. She had a cheerful personality and got along well with everyone in the class, especially close with Dai Guang... What a coincidence indeed~

Though thinking about it, it made sense. Ninety percent of the players from East Sea City were automatically assigned by the system to the vicinity of Magma Fortress, so running into one or two acquaintances was inevitable.

"Are you guys having a gathering here? Why so many people?"

Having successfully accepted his quest and met an old friend in a foreign place, Lu Kuan was in high spirits and smiled at Xiao Qin.

"Mhm~ These are senior sisters from East University. They organized a guild, and I came in early to get familiar with things~" Xiao Qin said with a cheerful smile.

Hearing this, Lu Kuan understood. Xiao Qin's mother seemed to be a professor at East University; she was probably arranging for her daughter to experience university life in advance.

With his mind on the quest, Lu Kuan chatted for a few more moments before bidding farewell to Xiao Qin, and then jogged away under the piercing gazes of the group of girls.

"Xiao Qin, Xiao Qin, was that guy your classmate?"

Curious girls gathered around, asking the question on everyone's minds: "He's an expert, right? He must have come from Magma Fortress."

"Definitely, because his character spawned in Magma Fortress,"

Xiao Qin said with certainty, then as if remembering something, she giggled, "You guys probably wouldn't guess—on this year's college entrance exams, his score ranked sixth in our grade. Getting into East University will be a breeze for him."

"Really now~"

Girls loved gossip, but compared to Lu Kuan's academic performance, these people were clearly much more interested in his gaming skills.

"Didn't the big sis always want to recruit experts into the guild? I think this one fits the bill."

"We'll talk about it later when the opportunity arises. No rush. Didn't Xiao Qin say he'll be coming to East University sooner or later? We can evaluate him then."

"Right, right, quality over quantity..."

...

Lu Kuan was entirely unaware of the girls' heated discussion. At the moment, he only wanted to find the temple mentioned in his quest log as quickly as possible to advance his progress.

The appearance of the Blazing Demon Sword had drastically increased the pressure on Lu Kuan. He knew very well that Red Master and his people were no mere nobodies.

Currently, on Lu Kuan's map within a fifty-mile radius, aside from the Temple of Pelor in White Water Village, there were two other temple-like markers visible.

"Let's start with the closest one~" Lu Kuan looked up at the sky and once again quickened his pace.

As evening fell,

Two figures sprinted through the woods at a breakneck pace, uttering not a word, startling countless birds into flight.

"Stop!"

The leading figure gave a low shout, and both instantly slammed on the brakes, coming to a halt. As the leaves stirred up by their dash slowly drifted down, the forest returned to quiet.

The surroundings were the most typical of jungle environments—a canopy blocking out the sky, dense bushes, and a layer of decaying leaves nearly half a foot deep on the ground.

The two figures half-crouched in the grass, their eyes scanning their surroundings vigilantly, looking like they were facing a formidable enemy.

"Watch the high canopy, don't stay in open areas. His most dangerous asset is his ranged bow attacks."

Someone issued a warning in the party channel, and the two figures immediately and instinctively lowered their bodies. Deep in the jungle, beasts howled, and the canopy above rustled. The enemy felt as though they could leap out at any second, making them feel like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow.

Yet, the two failed to notice that less than a meter behind them, a cold-gleaming short sword was slowly extending out from the void.

First the tip, then the blade, and finally the small half of the arm holding the hilt, encased in a black leather glove. The short sword was raised high, paused in the air for a fraction of a second, and then slashed down fiercely!

"Splat!"

The strike carried immense force. The rear person had no time to react at all; their head was cleanly sheared off, and steaming hot blood burst and sprayed in all directions, dazzlingly vivid!

"Who's there!"

The front figure reacted quickly. Seeing his teammate's avatar suddenly turn black on the interface, he realized something was wrong and reflexively lunged forward, executing a neat forward roll to escape the danger zone.

The figure had clearly undergone rigorous training. Ambushed under unknown circumstances, the safest method was to quickly leave the scene and reduce the probability of being caught in the crossfire to a minimum.

Unfortunately, in the split second of lightning and flint, he failed to realize that the person launching the close-quarters ambush was neither an assassin nor a warrior, but a ranger.

"Swish! Swish!"

The figure landed, stood up, lowered his body and bent his knees, just as he prepared to sprint forward again, two feathered arrows shot in like lightning, piercing straight through his thighs.

"Ugh... He's here!"

The moment he was struck by the arrows, the figure knew who had ambushed him, and immediately shouted in the party channel.

Then... and then there was no then.

Four or five meters behind the figure, Lu Kuan's silhouette had completely materialized, standing in place with an indifferent expression.

After shooting out the back of the head of the person attempting to flee, Lu Kuan quickly looted the corpse without any wasted motion, and plunged directly into the darkness.

Barely a minute later.

Accompanied by a rustling sound, several figures leaped out from all directions into the clearing, rushing to the scene of the incident.

"Damn it, a step too slow again!" Someone kicked a nearby tree trunk, cursing viciously.

That sentence echoed everyone's current sentiments. For half the afternoon, the Blazing Demon Sword had thrown all its resources into hunting Lu Kuan across this jungle, but now, three hours had passed, and what was the result?

Their side had lost five people! All of them top-tier professional gamers!

That ranger, Old Lu, was like a venomous snake hidden in the darkness, lurking quietly and never appearing on the frontal battlefield.

However, once this venomous snake darted out flicking its tongue, it was far more than just a little painful.

In the dim light of the jungle, a scarred bald head was particularly conspicuous—it was none other than Red Master, the leader of the Blazing Demon Sword.

"It's already dark. Old Lu has most likely broken through the encirclement,"

Red Master glanced at the map, his tone devoid of any ripple: "Tell everyone to stop wasting time. Put all energy into finding the temple and prepare for the upcoming quests."