*whoosh whoosh*

Lin Ming crouched in the shadowy branches above, watching silently as several dog-like silhouettes darted past below.

After several dozen seconds, he exhaled in relief and dropped from the tree. Gazing at the direction where the figures had vanished, he muttered helplessly, "These Night Hounds really do have sharp ears. I barely made a sound, and they came running. Good thing I held back and didn’t strike. Otherwise, things would’ve gotten messy."

The moment he’d shouted earlier, Lin Ming knew trouble was coming. He’d scrambled up a tree, crushed some wild fruits in his hands, and smeared the juice over his body to mask his scent. When he saw the creatures approaching, he silently praised his own quick thinking.

They were Magic Beasts—Night Hounds. Though only E-rank, these pack hunters of the forest possessed fierce tribal loyalty. Harm one, and the entire pack would hunt you relentlessly until the last of them fell. Their strength lay in numbers: ten weren’t enough? A hundred would come. A hundred failed? A thousand would rise. A truly formidable race.

That was precisely why Lin Ming dared not provoke them. Could you imagine hills swarming with endless waves of Night Hounds? He could defeat them all—but this wasn’t part of his mission. Worse, slaughtering too many might anger the terrifying Divine Beast deep within Verdantwood Mountains. Even escaping alive would be a gamble.

"Alright," Lin Ming muttered once the Night Hounds were long gone. "Time to search for Jade Vipers again. Then I’ll find a spot to catch some shut-eye." He began rustling through nearby bushes.

*rustle rustle*

After scouring countless thickets, not a single Jade Viper appeared.

"How strange—not even one!" Lin Ming scratched his head after another empty bush yielded nothing. He frowned at the burlap sack in his hand. "This viper jumped out of a bush earlier... Was it just weird?" Shaking his head, he decided to sleep first and search again tomorrow.

He picked a sturdy tree draped with vines, not thinking twice—vines grew on every tree here. He leaped onto a thick branch, wiped it clean, then tied the sack containing his sole viper to the trunk. Yawning, he lay down and drifted off.

Silence reigned through the night.

The next morning, half-asleep, Lin Ming felt something coiling around his body—like a child clinging tightly, yet lacking the strength to hold on. He dismissed it; nothing in this forest threatened him now.

Then—a trace of killing intent.

Lin Ming’s brow furrowed. His right hand snapped out, slashing knife-like toward the source.

*HISSSS—!*

A pained shriek pierced the air. The coils around him loosened. Without glancing back, he flicked off the strange liquid on his hand and rolled over.

"Huh? Wait..." His drowsy mind struggled. "That sound... familiar. What was it?"

*Hiss... hiss... hiss...*

His eyes flew open. "Snakes!" He scrambled upright. "What did I just cut?!"

He stared at the blood still clinging to his right hand. Cold dread shot through him. Below the tree lay a headless, two-meter-long emerald serpent. His gaze jerked upward—and there, on another branch, hung the severed head, venomous fangs still snapping menacingly. (*Note: A snake’s head remains active long after decapitation.*)

Clutching his head, Lin Ming groaned, "What have I done?! Why did I kill it?! Do you know how hard it is to find one?!"

As he lamented, a vine behind him stirred—then lunged.

"Killing intent!" Lin Ming spun, fist driving forward.

*THUD!*

A sound like a bursting watermelon echoed. He stared blankly at the green, headless body writhing on the ground.

A strained smile tugged at his lips. "No way... I killed another one?"

This viper was far worse off—its entire head pulverized, only its body twitching pitifully below.

Lin Ming dropped to the ground, heart aching as he surveyed the two corpses. "4,000 gold coins... gone." He covered his face, silent tears falling. Then, with grim resolve, he gathered branches and dry leaves.

...

*Sizzle sizzle sizzle.*

Two skewers held glistening, boneless viper meat over a small fire. Lin Ming waited patiently, having drawn a circle of the "accidentally deceased" vipers’ blood around the camp to ward off other Magic Beasts.

The aroma of roasting meat filled the air. When it was done, Lin Ming pulled out a skewer. The first bite revealed tender, succulent flesh—pure wilderness flavor.

After finishing, he clasped his hands together. "Alas... I just ate a 4,000-gold-coin breakfast. Such Sin. But waste not, want not."

Arms crossed, he frowned. "Why was I ambushed twice in that tree? That makes no sense." He pulled out his Student Card to check the quest details—then tucked it away silently. The description offered no clues.

As he reached for the sack holding his last viper, a nearby vine snapped toward him like lightning.

This time, Lin Ming wasn’t careless. His palm clamped down on the "vine’s" neck. It thrashed wildly, its long body coiling around his arm to force his grip loose.

Staring at the writhing "vine," realization struck. A smile spread across his face. "So that’s it! These vipers disguise themselves as vines to ambush prey!"

He’d unknowingly killed two Jade Vipers while sleeping. Now, seeing the green serpent blend perfectly among the vines, the truth clicked.

Carefully, he knocked the viper unconscious—2,000 gold coins per head, after all. He bound its jaws shut and tossed it into the sack.

Lin Ming’s eyes swept over the countless vines draped across the trees. To him, they looked like bags of gold. Clear liquid dripped from his chin. "Heaven above... if all these are vipers, you won’t believe this—I, Lin Ming, could buy a three-story villa!"

Wiping his mouth, he rolled up his sleeves, eyes blazing with determination. "My preciouses... come to Papa!"