Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Reunion with Daniel

"Charles?!"

Several students from the same school recognized the figure and couldn't help but cry out in astonishment.

Just in the nick of time, a spear had descended from above, striking the Bloodthirsty Rhino and altering its course, saving Lyra from certain doom.

"Thank you for saving me..." The girl who had fallen to the ground still looked shaken, her lips slightly bluish from fear.

Charles helped her to her feet and, after offering a few comforting words, guided her to a safe spot nearby. Then, gripping his spear tightly, he approached a pile of rocks. His previous strike had been hurried, merely diverting the ferocious beast's charge without hitting a vital spot—it was likely still alive.

From the pile of rocks came a sound, and the massive beast's body began to rise again. Though the earlier strike wasn't fatal, it had left a gaping wound in its chest. The pain from the injury only made it more enraged:

Roar! Roar! Roar!!!

The Bloodthirsty Rhino let out a furious roar and activated its skill [Rhino Horn Rips]. Its horn extended to a length of two meters, like a giant bayonet, and charged straight at Charles. The ground trembled with the force of its enormous body as it ran.

"Mousie! Mimetic Illusion!" Charles commanded.

"Got it!"

At the exact moment the rhino was within 30 meters of Charles, an identical rhino appeared in front of him, complete with a bayonet-like horn, charging headlong toward the Bloodthirsty Rhino.

"What the..."

The surrounding students were stunned by what they saw, especially those who had once attended the same school as Charles. In their memory, Charles's mystical beast had been a useless frost wolf—how did he suddenly have a Bloodthirsty Rhino?

"Could it be that Charles has tamed a Bloodthirsty Rhino as his mystical beast?" one boy exclaimed.

Boom!!!

A deafening crash echoed as the two identical rhinos collided at full speed, their sharp horns tearing into each other's faces, turning them into a bloody mess.

Despite mimicking the exact same skill, the ferocious beast Mousie had transformed into was of a lower level, and it quickly fell to the ground, dead.

"No..."

Seeing this, Lyra, who had just started to calm down, covered her mouth in fear, letting out a gasp. Through her tear-filled eyes, she saw Charles summon a massive crocodile nearly 10 meters long!

"Charles... has he already become a Level 3 Beast Master? How is that possible?" Another boy exclaimed, his face full of disbelief.

A talent this terrifying was something only the city lord's family in all of Lsengard could boast. But becoming a Level 3 Beast Master was supposed to mean the ability to form a contract with a third ferocious beast—taming such a ferocious beast was no easy feat!

Ignoring the puzzled looks from those around him, Charles issued battle commands through [Mind Communication]. These past two months of constant combat had given him a wealth of battle experience.

As the giant rhino charged toward him again, Charles remained completely unflustered.

The rhino unleashed its most powerful skill, [Emerald Prison], causing a wave of water-attribute energy to materialize into a massive blue net that lunged toward Charles.

Just as the net was about to trap him, the giant freshwater crocodile stepped in front of Charles, becoming ensnared by the [Emerald Prison]. A dull thud echoed as the rhino collided with the crocodile. Despite sustaining some injuries, the crocodile's massive, sturdy body, like a thick mountain of flesh, managed to absorb the impact and neutralize the attack.

Twin-headed Tiger.

Timberwolf.

Rumbling sounds.

...

One after another, mystical beasts were summoned by Charles, seemingly as easily as pulling out consumables. The students watching finally realized this was just one of Charles's skills.

These mystical beasts, while not particularly strong and even prone to shattering with a single hit, had one overwhelming advantage: numbers! Under the relentless assault from this endless horde, the once-mighty Bloodthirsty Rhino began to falter.

In the brief moment it was distracted, Charles's spear shot forward with explosive force, piercing straight through the rhino's heart, causing blood to spray in all directions.

Rumble, rumble...

To the shock of everyone present, the massive body of the Bloodthirsty Rhino collapsed.

The ferocious beast, which had moments ago seemed unstoppable—defeating even the strongest among them and killing two of their classmates—was now lying dead at the tip of Charles's spear! Everyone stared at Charles in stunned silence, unable to utter a single word.

[Ding! You have defeated ferocious beast [Bloodthirsty Rhino] (Lv23, Bronze Division Quality)!]

[Mystical Beast Max (Lv.18) Loyalty +0! Experience +500! Your mystical beast has leveled up!]

[Mystical Beast Mousie (Lv.18) Loyalty +0! Experience +500! Your mystical beast has leveled up!]

As these notifications flashed before his eyes, Charles couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

After killing hundreds of ferocious beasts and now defeating a Level 23 beast, both Mousie and Max had leveled up simultaneously!

Without even taking the time to harvest materials from the Bloodthirsty Rhino, Charles dashed over to a nearby pile of rubble. Clearing away the stones and branches, he found Daniel lying there, barely conscious.

Charles frowned as he checked Daniel's condition. But when he saw that the system panel displayed his health status as "Minor Surface Injuries," his frown deepened...

If he had been at Level 12 and faced such a powerful ferocious beast head-on, he would have either been seriously injured or killed!

What kind of physique does this guy have to only be knocked out?

At that moment, Daniel suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing Charles, he rubbed them with his dirty hands. "Charles, it's really you! Am I in hell?"

"Idiot!" Charles retorted, pulling out a few healing pills from his backpack and tossing them at Daniel. "You've got some nerve, surviving when the rest of your squad didn't."

Swallowing the healing pills, Daniel hesitated for a moment before clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. "That scumbag Robert lured us into the valley. If it weren't for my thick skin, I'd be dead under the beast stampede by now."

"Was it really Robert? I heard... he's dead," Charles said, pretending to be nonchalant.

"Robert's dead? Don't let me find out where he's buried, or I'll make sure to take a dump on his grave!" Daniel's face lit up with glee upon hearing the news. He suddenly flashed a triumphant grin, showing off the hexagram mark on his palm. "You used to mock me, but look at this—my mystical beast really does have thick skin and can take a beating!"

Seeing Daniel's smug expression, Charles was speechless.

He couldn't help but recall how, before leaving Lsengard, Daniel had said, "I've got a few mines and ranches back home waiting for me to inherit. This whole training thing doesn't matter—just surviving and getting back to Lsengard is enough."

Charles couldn't help but genuinely admire the foresight of Daniel's father!

As the two of them continued their light-hearted conversation, the people who had scattered earlier began to regroup.

Lyra, supported by a few other girls, approached Charles with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would've happened to me..."

Seeing a girl coming over to talk, Daniel, who had been lying on the ground looking miserable, suddenly sprang to his feet:

"Ah, dealing with low-level mystical beasts like that is nothing! You saw me—I didn't even move, and it just ran into me and died! Hahaha!" Daniel shook his golden hair and pulled out his phone. "Mind if we exchange contact info? If you ever find yourself in danger again, just give me a call, and I'll be there in a flash!"

"Uh... actually..." Lyra and the other girls exchanged glances with Charles, then awkwardly looked at Daniel, swallowing the words they had been about to say.

After the few girls walked away, Daniel strutted up to Charles with a smug look on his face, raising his eyebrows playfully. "So, what do you think? With my looks and skills like this! If you can't make it in the future, just come and rely on me!"

"Oh, by the way, do you have a solar charger? I lost mine on the way here. If it weren't for the fact that the trial cards don't need power, I wouldn't even be able to upload my points." Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Charles chuckled softly but didn't have the heart to burst his bubble. Once Daniel charged his phone and saw his 20,000 points, he'd probably be in for a shock.

This was the same guy who, back when they were 16 and in their first year of high school, dragged Charles to a red-light district, flaunting a VIP gold card and telling him to pick any girl he liked. Charles had never seen anything like it before, and when a half-naked woman approached him, he ran away in a panic.

Despite his shameless bravado, Daniel wasn't a bad person.

Charles glanced at his watch, realizing he'd already spent over an hour here. The time left for him to climb the leaderboard was running out.

Just as Charles was about to leave, a shout rang out from the crowd ahead: "A beast core! There's a second-tier water-attribute beast core inside this Bloodthirsty Rhino!"

A beast core! And a second-tier one at that!

At this explosive revelation, the crowd erupted in excitement.

Beast cores were incredibly rare materials that could not only help mystical beasts advance but also enhance the attributes of equipment. They were so rare that the probability of a ferocious beast producing one was said to be less than 1%.

Charles hadn't paid much attention at first, but when he heard it was a second-tier water-attribute beast core, he jolted to full alertness.

Isn't this the final material needed to forge the [Nine Netherworld Armband]?

Following the direction of the voice, Charles indeed spotted a blood-streaked, azure beast core in the crowd.

"This ferocious beast was killed by Charles, so naturally, this beast core belongs to him," Lyra suggested.

As soon as Lyra spoke, most of the surrounding people quickly agreed.

"Exactly! Whoever kills the beast deserves the core. I'd like to see anyone try to take it!"

"Hey, Charles, if you don't mind sharing a bit of the beast meat or blood, I'd be more than satisfied..."

Charles wasn't one to be overly modest, especially since he had been the one to kill the ferocious beast. He was about to step forward and claim the core when a deep voice suddenly called out from a short distance away: "Is that a second-tier water-attribute beast core? My mystical beast just advanced and could really use it. Lyra, you wouldn't mind handing it over to me, would you?"

Another group of students approached, with a tall, muscular boy at the center, surrounded by his companions like a king among his subjects.

The boy was handsome, though his skin was tanned from the harsh sun. His eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity as they locked onto the beast core in Lyra's hand.