The Mighty Mage
Chapter 320: Sheng Yan

Chapter 320: Chapter 320: Sheng Yan

The atmosphere instantly stilled.

After a long silence, Leader Li sighed and said,

"Try to speed up."

......................

Forgotten Elemental World.

The hunting team involved more than 40 people. The leader of the group was decided to be Yu Jin.

Yu Jin was a third-year student, he had wind, earth, and plant elements, making him the strongest among all the students.

His wind element had already reached Emperor Rank, while earth element was at Super Rank and plant element at the peak advanced rank.

What complimented his cultivation was his paranoid personality and cautious nature. He didn’t recklessly ask everyone to enter the forest, instead, roamed around the area with the patrolling team.

After having a basic knowledge of which area had more beasts as compared to others, he decided to avoid those areas, setting his target to hunt in areas where the beasts were fewer and less powerful.

But even that doesn’t help the hunting team much.

The weakest beast in the least populated area was a soldier-rank beast Arthropods.

(Slave --> Radical --> Soul --> Solider --> Master --> Kryptic)

The air in the hunting zone was tense as the group stood facing the soldier-ranked arthropod.

Its antennae quivered, and its sharp, poison-tipped claws gleamed menacingly under the faint sunlight filtering through the forest canopy.

Yu Jin, at the forefront, kept a steady gaze on the creature, assessing the situation.

His sharp instincts told him that engaging the creature recklessly was a grave mistake.

One of the students couldn’t help but complain,

"Hey! The meat of arthropods doesn’t change well. Can’t we change to something else?"

Gu Jin rolled her eyes when she heard his comment. Was he even in his right mind? Currently, it would be a luxury if they could have something to eat.

Yu Jin holding the same perspective as Gu Jin scolded the student,

"We are not in a market, where you can decide on what you want to eat. Also, we are not going to hunt the ants..."

Before he could finish, a sharp gust of wind streaked past him, slicing through the air.

The sudden attack struck the arthropod, leaving only a faint scratch on its hardened exoskeleton.

Startled, the creature emitted a piercing, otherworldly screech.

Yu Jin’s head snapped toward the source of the attack.

"Jung Shao!" he bellowed, fury lighting up his usually composed face.

The culprit, a tall student with cocky confidence etched across his features, lowered his hand, clearly pleased with himself.

"What?" Jung Shao said, shrugging nonchalantly. "I thought I’d show the group what real power looks like."

"Real power?" Yu Jin’s voice was cold, cutting through the tension like a blade. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done?"

Jung Shao’s smug demeanor faltered. "I just wanted to prove I could take it down. It’s just one beast—"

"JUST ONE?" Yu Jin interrupted, stepping closer. His voice rose, commanding everyone’s attention.

"Arthropods never travel alone. They’re hive creatures. You’ve just signaled their group that we’re here!"

Gu Jin, who had been observing quietly, cursed under her breath.

"Idiot," she muttered.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the screeching arthropod as its calls reverberated through the forest.

Sure enough, moments later, faint rustling sounds began to emerge from the dense foliage.

The noise grew louder, a chilling cacophony that signaled the approach of more arthropods.

Yu Jin raised his hand to silence the group.

His expression was grim, but his voice was steady as he quickly issued orders.

"Listen up. These creatures have a hard exoskeleton. Simple attacks won’t get through. Their weak point is the soft joint where their head connects to their thorax. Aim there and nowhere else."

He glanced at Gu Jin and Yan Mei, then at the rest of the group.

"The arthropods will swarm us. If we’re not organized, we’ll be wiped out. Here’s the plan. First I’ll lead the vanguard and hold their attention.

Yan Mei, use your chaos element to create disruptions in their movement. Focus on disorienting them.

Sheng Han, use your water element to create a slippery terrain. Slow their advance.

Plant element users I know your plant element is strong. Use it to create barriers and bind their limbs when possible.

The rest of you will provide ranged support using wind and earth attacks. Do not, under any circumstances, engage them alone."

Jung Shao opened his mouth to speak, but Yu Jin cut him off. "No more impulsive actions. This is a group effort. If you can’t follow orders, stay out of the fight."

Yan Mei gave a small nod of approval at Yu Jin’s composure under pressure.

"Got it," she said, her voice calm but firm.

She began channeling her chaos element, tendrils of swirling, dark energy forming around her hands.

Gu Jin hesitated for a moment.

Her mutated plant element had a poison attribute, but she wasn’t ready to reveal that yet.

She chose to focus on her standard abilities instead, summoning thick vines to form a barrier in front of the group.

The first wave of arthropods emerged from the shadows, their numbers quickly growing from a few to over a dozen.

They moved with coordinated precision, their sharp claws clicking ominously against the ground.

Yu Jin launched into action, his wind element swirling around him like a protective storm.

With a burst of speed, he darted forward, drawing the creatures’ attention away from the group.

As the battle raged on, Yu Jin’s leadership shone.

He moved like a seasoned warrior, coordinating the group’s efforts and adapting the strategy as needed.

"Yan Mei, focus on the ones at the rear! Sheng Han, create a barrier of water behind us to cut off reinforcements!"

Despite the chaos, the team began to find their rhythm. Yan Mei’s chaos element proved invaluable in keeping the arthropods disoriented, while Sheng Han’s water attacks created natural choke points.

Plant element user’s vines provided much-needed defense, and Jung Shao’s wind attacks redeemed his earlier mistake.

By the end of the skirmish, the ground was littered with the carcasses of the arthropods.

The group was exhausted but victorious.

The students cheered as the realization set in—they had survived their first major battle in the Forgotten Elemental World.

As the group prepared to haul the arthropods back to camp, Yu Jin’s sharp gaze landed on Jung Shao.

"Jung Shao," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument, "a word."

The group fell silent as Yu Jin led Jung Shao away from the others.

Jung Shao followed reluctantly, his earlier confidence replaced with nervousness.

Once they were out of earshot, Yu Jin turned to him, his expression severe.

"Do you understand what you did back there?"

Jung Shao looked down, scuffing the ground with his foot.

"I just... I wanted to prove I could help. I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand."

"Prove?" Yu Jin repeated, his voice rising.

"This isn’t some school competition, Jung Shao. Your actions could have gotten us all killed. If that arthropod hadn’t called for reinforcements, we might have been able to avoid this entire fight."

Jung Shao clenched his fists, frustration was evident in his posture. "I didn’t think—"

"Exactly," Yu Jin interrupted.

"You didn’t think. In this world, every action has consequences. Next time, you follow my orders, or you won’t come with us. Is that clear?"

Jung Shao nodded reluctantly.

"I understand."

"Good," Yu Jin said, his tone softening slightly.

"You’re strong, Jung Shao. But strength without discipline is a liability. Remember that."

Gu Jin with her good hearing heard their entire conversation and fell into deep thought.

Something was amiss.

Was it with Jung Shao or with Yu Jin...she couldn’t pinpoint it, but her guards were raised.

The two returned to the group, where the students were busy organizing the carcasses for transport.

By the time they returned to camp, the hunting team was met with cheers from the other students.

The cooking team immediately set to work, preparing the arthropods for consumption.

Despite their earlier complaints, no one dared grumble about the meal—they were simply grateful to have food.

As the group settled down to eat, the atmosphere lightened.

Students praised Yu Jin’s leadership, but he remained quiet, his focus elsewhere.

Gu Jin was having her dinner when a pale snow-like complexion hand poked her. Turning around she saw Sheng Han standing with a graceful smile on her face.

Sheng Han was very beautiful. She was just like an elf with her look black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.

As as beautiful she was, Sheng Yan was strong too. Much stronger than her.

With how familiarly Yu Jin had ordered, Gu Jin guessed that she was in 3rd year too. But the question was...why would Sheng Yan be interested in talking with her?

Did she mistook her for someone else?

"Your name is Gu Jin, right?" Sheng Yan asked her blue glinting with excitement.

When Gu Jin nodded, Sheng Yan continued,

"Thank you."

Before Gu Jin processed her words, Sheng Yan asked,

"Would you mind if I kiss you?"

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