“Moss, are you nervous?” Alan was inexplicably anxious before they set off.

“Don’t worry, Alan. The instructors and I are here,” Moss said as he put his arm around Alan’s shoulder.

Alan nodded but did not reply. However, he was not the only one who was anxious. Most students were. They had to face life-threatening situations during this phase, after all.

Beep! Beep!

When the departure whistle sounded, the students’ anxiety significantly decreased as they dispersed. The students probably only felt tense because they thought they would overthink if they sat still.

…

After a two-hour drive and a thirty-minute rapid travel, the first batch of students finally arrived at the edge of the war zone. They saw the dragon-like great wall before them. It wound for thousands of miles, looking imposing. The students could not help but exclaim.

“The great wall is magnificent!”

“It’s not just a wall. It has become a motivating sight to behold.”

Flying Wolf completed the relevant procedures before the test while the students admired and praised the great wall.

“Flying Wolf!”

As they were about to leave, someone shouted his name. Flying Wolf turned around and saw it was a commander. He approached the commander and warmly greeted him, “Long time no see, Commander Falcon.”

“Flying Wolf, you came all this way and were going to leave without saying hello?” Falcon said dejectedly.

Falcon was tall and formidable. He wielded a knight’s sword that was six feet long. Considering the scars on his hands and face, Moss knew Falcon had witnessed and experienced many unknowns on the battlefield.

Flying Wolf responded, “Aren’t you leading some people on a mission? I wanted to visit you when this year’s training program ends.”

Falcon stepped forward and hugged Flying Wolf. Then he pulled Flying Wolf to the side and whispered, “You must help us encourage young people to devote themselves to the greater cause of protecting humankind.”

“These guys are only juniors and sophomores. They haven’t even taken their college entrance exams yet,” Flying Wolf whispered back.

“So what if they’re sophomores and juniors? I’ve been on the front lines since I was sixteen.” Falcon tapped his sword on his shoulder and asked, “Oh, are there any good seedlings in this year’s training program?

“If so, you should focus on helping me nurture them. You could also point those students to the military camp so they can experience it firsthand!”

“Yes, yes. You’ve said that countless times!” Flying Wolf answered while looking at some of the students.

The two chatted before Falcon brought them up the beacon tower smilingly.

When the students reached the beacon tower, they saw majestic dragons crossing giant mountains, passing through the vast grasslands, deserts, and diving into the deep seas.

Moss could not help but feel excited, especially when he saw the Magical Beast territory before him. His battle hunger and desire to protect pulsated through his body while his spiritual power inadvertently increased.

It gave Falcon, who had introduced the great wall to the students, a sense of connection. He looked at Moss and asked Flying Wolf, “That student’s spiritual power is commendable. How is his performance in the training camp so far?”

“B-666 obtained first place in the second phase. He’s a level 23 knight,” Flying Wolf replied as he looked at Moss, cross-armed.

“A level 23 knight, eh?! That’s interesting!” Falcon could not help but look at Moss a few more times.

“However, I still think highly of that level 23 swordmaster. Knights are…”

Before Flying Wolf could finish, Falcon became disgruntled. “What? Are you looking down on knights?” He flexed his biceps in front of Flying Wolf as he spoke.

Flying Wolf shook his head helplessly.

Then Falcon smiled, heavily patted Flying Wolf’s shoulder, and continued, “I still think you should help us, especially those outstanding students you mentioned. We have a shortage of people on the front lines!

“Oh, I’ve recently noticed some strange movements in the Magical Beast territory. You guys should be more alert this time, Flying Wolf.”

Afterward, Falcon looked at the other side of the great wall profoundly.

…

The instructors led their teams and set off toward the Magical Beast territory. After about thirty minutes, Flying Wolf’s group, walking in front, stopped. The other groups immediately followed suit.

“Everyone split up!” Flying Wolf ordered urgently.

Hearing this, Red Spider led her group to a hidden location. She explained, “Listen up, you guys. The actual Magical Beast territory is up ahead, and your mission is to scout the Evil Rhinoceros’ nest. Then you must mark its exact location, number of targets, and levels.

“You have one hour to complete your mission. Return to the local area immediately if you haven’t found your targets within one hour. I repeat, the longest you can take is one hour. All teams must regather here. Are we clear?”

Red Spider’s group nodded and began to move.

Moss told his teammates to be careful and leaped into a dense forest, disappearing from everyone’s sight.

Red Spider watched her group leave and turned on her monitor to observe the red dots.

…

Twenty minutes later, Moss combined the knowledge he gathered from his teachers and instructors to analyze the Evil Rhinoceros’ information in his mind. Through careful observations, he looked for the rhinoceros’ subtle traces and finally located their gathering point.

He quickly hid, controlled his breathing, and adjusted his spiritual power to blend into the environment better. He did this so the rhinos would not discover him.

After twenty minutes of careful observations, Moss got the necessary information and prepared to retreat. However, he noticed some energy fluctuations nearby.

He quietly took his binoculars and looked toward the energy fluctuations. He was shocked at what he saw.

‘A spatial rift!’

Moss was puzzled when Magical Beasts emerged from it, one after another.

‘That’s bizarre. Why are more Magical Beasts emerging?’

The spatial rift disappeared and reappeared multiple times before disappearing again.

Moss put down his binoculars and rubbed his eyes, seeing more Magical Beasts emerging from the spatial rift. He knew he was not hallucinating.

Although he could not understand what was happening before him, he could tell it was abnormal. He looked at the time and hurriedly headed to the rendezvous point.

Precisely one hour had passed when Moss arrived at the rendezvous point. He was the first to complete the mission after writing his investigation report. Then he described, in detail, the bizarre situation he had just witnessed to Red Spider.

“What’s happening?” Moss asked.

Red Spider frowned, her expression solemn. She seemed to have a hunch that something terrible might happen.