In the dark woods.
Everett the half-beast was munching happily on raw meat.
Inside the prison cart, the death row prisoner stared at his empty pants leg in despair. "You monster!"
Everett spat. "Shut up! I haven’t eaten anyone in a month. Let me have my fun. And I’m warning you - if you dare kill yourself early, your daughter will be on my dinner plate tomorrow."
The prisoner trembled in fear as he stared at Everett.
Everett kept chewing on the raw meat and grumbled, "Tch, what a pain. If it weren’t for passing this test, I’d have gone to kill Raymond myself. I heard there’s a female mage in his camp. Tsk tsk. Those death row prisoners are lucky."
Everett bit through the last bone and let out a burp.
Suddenly, the sound of chains came to his ears.
"Who’s there?" Everett jumped to his feet.
"We meet again." Raymond dragged Gregory into view and slowly walked up to the camp entrance, staring darkly at Everett.
Just then, Raymond noticed the broken bones by the fire.
He had studied human anatomy and knew those were human bones. He frowned. "You’re not a half-beast, are you? Human flesh isn’t in a half-beast’s diet."
Everett wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed loudly. "How is a wolf not a half-beast? Since you’re here, you’re not leaving!"
With that, Everett’s eyes turned bloodshot. Steel-like fur burst out all over his body. His already three-meter-tall frame swelled up to five meters before stopping.
"Wolf tribe? So you’re a spy from the beast clans. I couldn’t tell with that human skin on." Raymond looked at Everett, who had fully turned into a giant wolf, and slowly drew the longsword from his waist.
At that moment, a beam of light shone over, landing right on Everett’s twisted face.
Ralph’s trembling voice called out, "Raymond, the memory stone is already recording. You’ve got to win this!"
Everett stared at Ralph, then at Raymond, and nearly choked with rage.
This bastard - why does he record everything everywhere he goes?
"Die!" Everett kicked off his hind legs and lunged at Raymond.
Raymond kept his eyes locked on Everett’s lower body. With one swing, he sliced off both of Everett’s front paws.
Everett stared at his wounds, his pupils shrinking. "How is this possible? My strength and defense are twice as strong as three days ago. How could you beat me?"
Raymond grinned. "Sorry. Three days ago, I wasn’t feeling well. I wasn’t using my full strength."
Hearing this, Everett cursed, "Screw you!" and turned to run.
But Raymond was faster.
Another flash of sword light cut through the air.
Everett’s hind legs were also sliced off by Raymond.
Thud!
Everett crashed to the ground, writhing wildly. "Don’t kill me! You can’t kill me! If I die, the beast tribes won’t let you go!"
Raymond stepped past Everett’s body and walked straight toward the prison cart. "And as a human, I won’t let the beast tribes go either."
As he passed the camp sign, Raymond glanced at the prisoner’s information.
- [Hunter, Black Iron Stage 19. Deserted during battle against the beast tribes, causing his squad’s formation to collapse and nearly everyone to die.]
"A coward, huh." Raymond walked up to the prison cart and cut the chains with one swing of his sword.
He grabbed Hunter by the belt and easily dragged him out of the cart.
"Here." Raymond handed Hunter a tree branch to use as a crutch, then pointed at the pile of broken bones behind him. "Yours?"
Hunter nodded, staring at Everett with pure hatred in his eyes.
Raymond patted Hunter on the shoulder. "Go. Kill him."
Hunter froze for a moment, then a wild look spread across his face.
"What are you doing! You piece of trash! If you come any closer, I’ll bite your throat out!" Everett panicked, struggling frantically.
Hunter walked up to him, looked at his own wounds, then turned to Raymond and smiled. "I’m not a deserter. They threatened me with my daughter. If you can, please save her and tell her her father isn’t a coward."
With that, Hunter ripped open his collar, revealing a bright red tattoo and the tinder already tied around his chest. "You beast tribe scum! Today, I’m taking you down with me!"
"Those are magic runes!" Bobby recognized the pattern at once and quickly covered her eyes.
Blazing flames instantly engulfed Hunter’s body.
Hunter roared and lunged at Everett. Man and wolf rolled together as the fire swallowed Everett and took Hunter’s life along with it.
Raymond let out a sigh. Just moments ago, after dragging Hunter out of the cart, he had noticed a line of text written in blood.
- [Holy Sword Empire Capital, Karmagro Citadel, Slate Street, Mud Alley No. 67. Save my daughter. She’s being held hostage by the beast tribes.]
At that moment, Ralph and Bobby came over. When they saw the words written in blood, they also looked shocked.
"Raymond, let’s help him," Ralph whispered, pleading.
"Yeah, yeah, we can help too!" Bobby stood on her tiptoes and looked up at Raymond with hopeful eyes.
"We’ll bring his daughter back once we get out of here alive." Raymond cut down the signpost, scraped off Hunter’s crime record with his sword, and then dragged Gregory away from the camp.
...
Not long after Raymond left, Barron rushed into the camp with three examiners.
"Damn it! This is the sixth camp!" Barron kicked over three tents in a row, furious.
Every time, Raymond would first cripple the guards’ hands and feet, then let the prisoners finish them off, and finally make the scene look like the death row inmates had broken free and killed the examiners.
What made it even worse was that all those prisoners had somehow disappeared without a trace.
No witnesses, no evidence. Barron couldn’t do a thing to Raymond.
"Screw this! No more chasing! Everyone head to the last camp and set up an ambush! I refuse to believe that twenty of us can’t take down one Raymond!" Barron roared and stormed straight toward Bucky’s camp.
The other squad leaders exchanged glances. They had no better ideas either, so they followed Barron.
Meanwhile.
After Raymond found two more camps empty, he figured out Barron’s plan.
He turned to Ralph and Bobby and said, "You two can’t be part of the fight from here on. Find a place to hide. The test is going to end early."
Ralph’s face twisted with hesitation.
Slap!
Bobby slapped Ralph across the face. "Coward! What’s there to think about? If you want to hide, go ahead. I’m going with Raymond to settle the score with those bastards!"
With that, Bobby tossed a pack of memory stones to Ralph and told him to leave with them.
Ralph’s face turned red. His eyes slowly grew sharp. "I’m no coward! Even if I die, I’ll die with you two!"
Ralph shoved the memory stones back into Bobby’s hands and quickly caught up with Raymond.
"Three idiots! They’ve already gathered now - more than twenty Black Iron Stage peak fighters all together. You have no chance!" Gregory screamed wildly, but he couldn’t break free from Raymond’s chains.
Not until a sock was stuffed into his mouth did Gregory roll his eyes and glare at Ralph.
"I’m a coward, so stop scaring me!" Ralph shook the boot in his hand, steam still rising from inside. "I don’t think Raymond can take on twenty guys either, but if I don’t follow him, I’ll die."
Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!
Gregory struggled a few times, then finally passed out from the stench.
Half a day later.
Raymond and his group finally arrived outside the last camp.
"According to the coordinates Gregory gave us, the camp is definitely set up for an ambush." Raymond patted Ralph on the shoulder and handed him the chain holding Gregory. "Keep an eye on him. If he dies, we fail the test."
"You’re still thinking about the test?" Ralph yelped, his face full of disbelief.
"Of course! Raymond took out all the camps. As long as our prisoner stays alive, we’re the ones who pass for sure!" Bobby’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Let’s go. Stay safe." Raymond patted Bobby on the head and turned to walk toward the camp a few hundred meters away.
The moment he got close, dozens of arrows shot out, flying straight at his face.
At the same time, Barron’s cold voice rang out. "Attack together! Kill him!"
...