Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The teen desperately looked toward the two cameramen, who were taking turns recording him.
That was not what I meant… Are you guys misunderstanding something?
The teen was in utter despair. The cold wind whistled as it blew past, making his nose run. He sneezed but didn’t dare wipe his nose. He was afraid that he would fall if he let go!
Mortified, the teen buried his head into the fluffy feathers of his Volcanic Vulture’s back and wiped his snot onto his familiar.
Sigh, it’s all over. I can’t face people anymore after this. No matter how famous I may get in future, this moment will follow me forever. I’ll never be allowed to forget this.
…
Dumby rushed madly through the jungle, snapping branches under its feet and leaving bushes and weeds dancing in the air of its blurred afterimage.
Gao Peng was very grateful for his Shifting Constellations technique. At the speed they were going, being whipped by these branches would definitely cut him open. At that moment, Gao Peng realized how practical this ability of Uncle Liu’s truly was.
Practical, but not particularly powerful. It allowed him to neglect nitty gritty details for a bit.
“Hey! Slow down! Slow down, you!” Through the blur of tree branches to his right, Gao Peng could see another blur that was travelling alongside them through the dense forest. On the back of that blur was a boy, wailing, “You don’t have to go so fast! Hey! There’s no prize for first place, so slow down!”
Finally listening to the boy’s words, the blur reduced speed, revealing itself to be a large, silver pig.
The pig had a slightly long snout like that of a wild boar. Domestic pigs had short, flat snouts, but this pig’s was rather thin and long by comparison. The only thing it lacked was tusks, and it had no bristles on its back, which was smooth and hairless, giving off a faint, silver glow from the star light that shone on it.
[Monster Name]: Stellar White Pig
[Monster Level]: 25
[Monster Grade]: Perfect
[Abilities]: Star-Force (Effect 1: Active Effect; Can absorb stellar energy from the stars to form a layer of Stellar Thread Armor on its body. Activation of this ability has no upper limit, but the rate of stellar energy absorption is limited by the monster’s level. At current level, absorption can only take place at night. Effect 2: Active Effect; When Stellar Thread Armor is active, the monster’s agility is increased.
[Monster Condition]: Healthy (Disgusted)
After the pig slowed down, the boy sprawled on the pig’s back noticed Dumby to his left, and he seemed surprised that there was actually someone who could keep up with his Stellar White Pig. Then he realized how awkward he must look arguing with his familiar and looked away in embarrassment. To think that he was seen in such an unsightly situation!
Gao Peng smiled to himself. He thought of how he was called “spider-riding boy” by netizens after appearing on Chang’an Television. Because spider and pig both sounded the same, there were also those who called him “pig-riding boy.”
He had finally met the real “pig-riding boy” in the flesh, and he could finally throw away the unpleasant moniker that he’d been carrying since the day of the first exam. At the thought of this, Gao Peng’s gaze softened as he looked at Ye Han.
He gave Ye Han a thumbs-up and said, “All the best!”
Then, he gave Dumby a pat on its bald head, and Dumby sped up, leaving Ye Han to stare at their backs.
All the best? Why would he wish me all the best? This guy must be a nutjob! Ye Han thought, dumbfounded.
The auras of Commander tier familiars were being spread throughout the whole forest. They were not yet within the bounds of Dayang Mountain Forest, and in this neighboring ordinary mountain forest, the elemental forces within the air were weak and the monsters that lived there were neither large nor strong. Feeling the auras of hundreds of Commander tier familiars passing through, all the monsters along the way were on the verge of wetting themselves in fear.
A black-furred wild boar buried its head in the dirt, the rest of its body shivering in fear. Up in a tree, a small snake lay frozen like a dead branch as a Commander tier familiar walked past, a hint of evil accompanying the thick stench of bloodthirst. After it passed, the small snake fell from the tree with a pata sound like a wooden stick, its small tail twitching.
…
“Second place is almost here. Get ready to shoot in that direction,” said the cameraman on the helicopter.
“OK.”
The teen on the Volcanic Vulture finally managed to squeeze out a smile. The cameramen were finally filming someone else!
In the distance, three figures were approaching. It was impossible to tell which one was in the lead.
The trees shook and a cheetah rushed out of the forest. Its body was completely covered in glistening gold, and on its back was a trainer who sat upright the moment they dashed out of the forest.
Closely behind it was a giant, strong-looking humanoid figure. Every step it took on the ground was filled with intense force and rhythm. The figure suddenly jumped upwards and raised its arms high.
Boom!
It landed solidly and steadily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of leaves. As it stood upright, the strong winds howled, lifting its black robe. On the monster’s shoulders sat a boy, his arms wrapped around the humanoid giant’s head.
“Hey, why is the head of that humanoid giant green?” one of the cameramen muttered to himself.
The spot of green stood out against the giant’s head, and it made a very strange sight. The helicopter’s searchlights shone down right on Dumby’s head, which reflected a pale greenish light that was misty and ephemeral, giving off the aura of a spirit.
“Is that a hat?” the cameraman asked, frowning, and then zoomed in and took a picture of Dumby’s head.
Gao Peng’s face remained expressionless. Dumby, this important duty shall be left to you!
Dumby’s face showed no expression. It just stood firmly in place.
Grunt, grunt!
Behind them, another area of dense forest burst apart and out charged a silver wild boar. The wild boar trampled across the grass, displaying a ferocious charging force! Such vigor!
It viciously glared at the back of Dumby and spat on the ground with disdain before throwing Ye Han off its back. It faced its master with disgust. Look at the other master sitting directly on his familiar’s shoulders. You just had to butt in and make me slow down. If not for you, do you think they could have overtaken me?
The Stellar White Pig circled angrily, unhappy at having lost the race. Then, without any other way to vent its frustrations, it finally faced its owner and viciously spat a mouthful of saliva in his face.
Standing next to them, Gao Peng was at a loss for words. This was the first time he had come across such a helpless monster trainer. In most cases, the trainer was the dominant one in the trainer-familiar relationship. But there were also exceptional cases when the reverse occurred, especially if the trainer had a weak personality and the familiar had a strong one. Even so, this pig was really irritable.
In no time at all, one by one, Commander tier familiars were rushing out of the forest into the empty plain. After a few minutes, Stripey came skipping out of the forests as well and crawled happily next to its master.
The last to reach the plain was the Vine-Covered Rock Monster. It ambled slowly out of the forest, reaching out with its two strong arms to effortlessly uproot a few small trees and thrown them aside. It had forcefully created a path through the forest in this manner. Jiang Ke tiptoed carefully behind his Rock Monster.
“Through the entrance ahead will be Dayang Mountain,” announced the voice from the helicopter. “Near the entrance, we have placed field-combat backpacks with compressed biscuits, canned food and bottled water inside. Each person may only take one.
“I know that some of you have had experience surviving in the wild and are proficient in doing so, whereas some of you have rarely been outside the city. So, my best advice for you all is to survive! Only by surviving can you hope to get a high score!”
