The third one.
Gotta admit, the monster density in the safe zone is really low, and there’s only one kind of monster in each area.
After wandering around for most of the day, I’ve only managed to catch three mountain mules.
Looking at the pitiful single-digit score on my gold card, Mo Li, who at first thought going to the danger zone was optional, finally realized how important it was.
Lanyin Academy deliberately made it so students couldn’t just hide in the safe zone and pick up scraps, forcing them to hunt in the danger zone.
Otherwise, it’d be way too easy.
If you could just catch a couple of low-level monsters in the safe zone and pass the test, that’d be a joke.
Lanyin Academy, which values quality over quantity, definitely wouldn’t allow opportunists like that among the new students.
Getting a hundred points in five days just by staying in the safe zone isn’t realistic.
Mo Li had to head to the danger zone.
The sooner he racked up enough points, the sooner he could finish the test—no need to drag things out and risk something going wrong.
All the reserve students from the Papal State group already saw him as public enemy number one.
They probably dreamed of killing him.
Running into those noble brats might be just as dangerous as running into monsters in the danger zone.
As for the exact route through the danger zone, there wasn’t one—Mo Li didn’t know.
He just walked wherever he felt like.
The safe zone’s only so big.
If you keep walking in one direction, you’ll get out eventually, right?
Along the way, he picked up an extra kill, taking down a small monster.
The points were low, but better than nothing.
After tossing the spoils into his cloak, Mo Li kept moving.
By the time evening rolled around, Mo Li reached the edge of the safe zone.
On the trees ahead, big red X’s were painted with dye, and not far away stood a sign.
“Danger zone ahead.
Think carefully.”
“Pointless.” Mo Li walked over and kicked the sign.
“Like I could pass the test without going in.”
Since it was getting late, Mo Li sat down on the ground, took out the compressed biscuits and clean drinking water Norma had given him before he left, and started eating right there.
This was way better than when he used to be on the run, eating whatever he could find.
Back then, he’d just gnaw on grass roots or eat dirt when he was starving—literally eating dirt.
After eating until he was about seventy percent full, Mo Li got up, straightened the sign next to him, and entered the danger zone.
Guess it really deserves to be called the danger zone.
The atmosphere changed as soon as he stepped in, especially after dark.
The whole forest felt like it was shrouded in something eerie.
Dressed in a white robe, Mo Li walked through the forest, looking totally relaxed on the outside, but secretly gripping his curved blade and hand crossbow tight.
He walked for nearly twenty minutes.
The sky was almost completely dark, and Mo Li was far from the border between the danger and safe zones.
Other than his own footsteps, there was only the sound of wind rustling through leaves and grass.
The forest was eerily quiet.
Logically, the monster density in the danger zone should be higher.
Walking for almost half an hour without seeing a single monster was weird.
Either he’d gotten insanely lucky, or some monster that was good at hiding had already set its sights on him… Mo Li was betting on the latter.
“Man, I’ve been walking for ages and haven’t even seen a monster’s tail?” Mo Li complained.
“Whatever, I’ll stop for tonight.
I’ll head back and come again tomorrow.”
With that, Mo Li put away his hand crossbow and curved blade, turned, and started to leave.
“Roar!” Just as he turned around, the jungle suddenly rustled.
A huge beast, its fur silver under the moonlight, burst out and lunged straight at Mo Li.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!” Mo Li spun around, sending three boomerangs flying.
The beast missed its pounce, and the three boomerangs bounced harmlessly off its fur.
“Oh, finally decided to show yourself?” Mo Li said coldly, not stopping his movements as he pulled out his single-shot crossbow and fired.
“Clang!” The sharp bolt hit like it had struck a wall, bouncing off without a scratch.
The arrowhead was even blunted.
“Tough hide.
Bet I could make a lot of money selling this thing.” Mo Li licked his lips.
No wonder it was a monster from the danger zone—anything that popped out was this dangerous.
Mo Li was getting excited.
“Roar!” The monster roared at the sky, clearly pissed at being toyed with.
It charged at Mo Li on all fours.
Against a monster with such thick skin and muscle, there weren’t many ways to attack.
The best bet was to aim for weak spots like the eyes or nostrils where there was no fur, but that was tough—especially in the dark.
Besides, Mo Li didn’t plan on using such a complicated method.
Up close, the monster’s teeth and claws were deadly weapons.
With its brute strength, it could tear a human apart easily.
Most people would try to keep their distance, but Mo Li did the opposite.
Instead of backing away, he moved in.
His hand made a drawing motion, and he pulled an ice-blue curved blade out of thin air.
Under the moonlight, it flashed white as he jammed it between the monster’s teeth.
The monster didn’t get what was happening.
Used to biting through anything with its sharp teeth, it chomped down without a second thought.
But this time, it met its match.
Two rows of sharp fangs clamped down, but the steel blade in its mouth didn’t budge.
The monster was stunned, then tried to bite harder and crush it.
But suddenly, its gums went cold, and it let go of the ice blade immediately.
“Waaah!” The monster’s teeth, gums, and mouth were all covered in a thick layer of ice.
The pain from the frostbite drove it crazy, making it thrash around.
Instead of helping, it ended up breaking one of its own fangs.
“How’s that? Tasty?” Mo Li grinned at the miserable monster, mocking it.
“Roar!” The monster was completely enraged.
With no teeth left, it went for Mo Li with its claws, determined to tear this reckless human to pieces.
“Bring it on.” Mo Li gripped his blade with both hands.
In an instant, the blade in his hands burst with dazzling ice patterns, and a huge ice blade, over ten meters long, shot up from the tip.
[Hanxi: Ice Soul Slash]
“Rooaar!?” Seeing the massive ice blade in Mo Li’s hands, the monster was stunned.
“Slash, slash, slash!…” The sharp frost crashed down, the freezing air covering the ground, freezing the monster and the earth together.
Mo Li calmly took a potion from his cloak, tied it to a crossbow bolt, and fired.
“Boom, boom, boom!” The potion tied to the bolt exploded violently as soon as it hit the ice.
“Not bad, not bad.” Mo Li, standing far away, watched the fireball rise.
This was the new potion formula he’d traded from the alchemist Lana, Norma’s friend.
When it hit ice, it exploded violently.
Mo Li had wanted to try the combo of Hanxi and this potion for a long time.
