SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS-Chapter 865: Hunting Beasts [1]
Kent stepped into the Administrative Hall of the Immortal Living Pool Sect.
Golden sunlight filtered through the high jade-framed windows, illuminating the marble floors where dozens of disciples bustled about. The air was filled with the soft rustling of papers, echoing footsteps, and the occasional bark of an elder giving instructions.
At the far end of the hall stood a tall counter behind which several staff members worked. But only one of them caught Kent's attention.
She stood with quiet elegance, dressed in form-fitting lavender sect robes that highlighted her graceful figure. Her nameplate gleamed: Administrator Hua Lan. Her features were sharp, delicate, and mature—her long hair tied into a bun with a single silver pin, her lips naturally pink, and her eyes calm and calculating.
Kent approached with an easy stride, his robes fluttering behind him.
"I'm here to accept a sect mission," he said, placing his jade identity token on the counter.
Hua Lan looked up, her gaze pausing on Kent's face for a moment longer than necessary. "You must be… the one who never left his room for a whole month," she said with a soft smile. "Vikram Das… or should I say, Disciple Kent."
Kent smiled. "I didn't know I'd become that famous so quickly."
"Let's just say… word travels fast when someone cultivates for a whole month straight, without food, rest, or even responding to official calls," she replied, lightly tapping his token. "But… impressive aura. You made this stone hum the moment you placed it down."
Kent leaned slightly forward, placing one hand on the counter, voice warm. "I'm flattered. But I'm hoping the mission board offers me something that can match my 'impressive' cultivation."
Her brow arched slightly, amused by his confidence. She gestured to the glowing mission tablet that rose slowly from the counter. Three missions flickered into view:
Herb Gathering – [Low Reward, High Challenge]
• Description: Collect rare herbs from the forest with partial spiritual awareness.
• Risk: Medium – Plants may hide or move.
• Reward: 20 Credits per full satchel. Beast Core Collection – [Medium-High Risk, High Reward]
• Description: Hunt mid-level spirit beasts in the forest and extract their cores.
• Risk: High – Fighting required.
• Reward: 60 Credits per verified core. Academy Cleaning Tasks – [Safe, Tedious]
• Description: Help clear the eastern library, trim spirit gardens, and clean lecture halls.
• Risk: None – Laborious and time-consuming.
• Reward: 10 Credits per day.
Kent studied the tablet, brow furrowed. "Hmm. Each with its own headache," he muttered.
"Need help deciding?" Hua Lan asked, crossing her arms under her chest, leaning slightly toward him.
Kent looked up, flashing a grin. "I wouldn't mind a suggestion… especially if it comes from someone with sharp eyes and a gentle voice." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
She laughed softly, not flinching from the flirtation. "You're certainly not shy. Fine. If you want my honest opinion…" She tapped the second mission. "Go for the beast cores. It's dangerous, yes. But you'll earn more credits in less time. Besides…" She paused, her smile deepening, "with your aura and beasts, it suits you more than gathering shy herbs or sweeping libraries."
Kent nodded slowly, eyes still locked on hers. "I had a feeling you'd say that."
Hua Lan leaned in just a bit. "Besides… I'd hate to see someone like you stuck plucking weeds."
He chuckled. "Then it's settled. Beast core collection it is."
She tapped her token against his jade identity tablet. A red glyph glowed briefly as the mission was officially bound to him.
"Here." She handed him the Mission Scroll—a rolled silver paper sealed with a violet stamp. "The deeper forest near the West Ridge is your testing ground. The beasts there are aggressive but mostly below fifth rank. That should be enough of a warm-up."
Kent accepted it with a bow. "Much appreciated, Administrator Hua Lan. I'll make sure to bring back enough cores to make you remember me."
She smiled again, this time with a faint blush barely visible. "I think I already will."
Kent turned, his steps light but full of purpose. As he passed through the wide archway and exited into the courtyard, the wind tugged at his robe, and the forest in the distance beckoned like a hungry beast.
Time to hunt.
—
The wind howled faintly as Kent stood at the edge of the great forest surrounding the Immortal Living Pool. Before him loomed ancient trees with bark as thick as a boulder, their leaves whispering with life and danger. The dense canopy above darkened the ground, where mist curled between roots and distant cries of spirit beasts echoed like old war drums.
With the Mission Scroll tucked into his robe and the Abyssal Mace resting on his back, Kent stepped forward, boots sinking slightly into the mossy earth. Behind him, the world of clean white robes and orderly halls faded; ahead, the wild awaited.
He took a long breath.
"Thirty beast cores," he muttered to himself. "Shouldn't be hard."
Just as his foot crossed into the deeper parts of the forest, a silver-furred beast dashed across the underbrush, leaving claw marks behind. His thirty-plus beasts inside the spirit ring stirred, growling in anticipation.
"No," Kent said aloud. "I'll hunt alone this time."
He moved like a shadow between trees, his body weaving through vines, branches, and sudden pits. The beast marks on the trees guided him deeper toward the West Ridge, the zone noted in the mission scroll. The spiritual pressure thickened. The very trees here breathed life, and Kent could feel his body buzzing with invisible energy, the pool's influence even reaching these woods.
Suddenly, a rustle.
He paused.
A three-eyed crimson ape leapt from the side, roaring as it swung its heavy arms, aiming to crush him into the earth.
Kent didn't even flinch.
He spun, unslinging the Abyssal Mace, and brought it crashing down in a single arc. The impact crushed the ape's shoulder, then ribs. Bones cracked, a howl of pain rang out, and Kent spun the mace again, this time ending it cleanly with a blow to the skull.
The spirit core rolled gently onto the ground as the body slumped.
