Jiuye could clearly feel abnormal energy fluctuations around them. Being trapped in this mud was bad news. He had to think of a way to get out.

“Hey, weren’t you saying you’re an S-Rank Spirit Master? Can’t you think of a way to get us out? Something’s coming!”

The pink-haired woman had her back to him, but she suddenly swung her blade at him with a backhand slash. It nearly scared him out of his skin. The tip of the blade was only a few centimeters from his nose. The young man sucked in a sharp breath.

“Beautiful lady, don’t get worked up! Please, help me out. Something really is coming!”

The woman drew back her katana and turned to glare at Jiuye. “Even now, you’re still trying to fool me? Are you trying to get yourself killed faster?”

She’d barely finished speaking when a dark shape shot out of the bushes nearby.

The woman’s expression changed completely at the sight.

“What?!”

The shadow landed on a nearby tree trunk. It had gray-black skin and heavy scales, and stood roughly two meters tall. Most importantly, its head wasn’t human—it was a crocodile’s. Its feet were huge and powerful, and its two short arms ended in a pair of sharp claws about ten centimeters long. It opened its mouth, revealing a row of razor-sharp fangs.

The crocodile looked at the two of them trapped in the mud, paying particular attention to the pink-haired woman. Then it burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! You’ve been chasing me all this way for days. You’ve worn me out, too. I was thinking I’d rest for a day or two, then go find you in the city. But look at you—you’ve come right to me, and now you’re stuck in the mud. An S-Rank Spirit Master trapped in a mud pit. Just thinking about it is hilarious!”

From what the crocodile said, it wasn’t hard to tell that it was the Level 42 monster the woman had been chasing all these days.

“Don’t get cocky! The moment I get out, I’ll chop you to pieces!” the woman said, glaring at the crocodile. Then she turned to look at Jiuye behind her. “Hey, are you a Spirit Master?”

Jiuye nodded. “Uh, I guess you could say that.”

“What Rank?”

“D-Rank or C-Rank, I think?”

“You…” The pink-haired woman was speechless at Jiuye’s answer.

Listening to their conversation, even the crocodile couldn’t help laughing.

“Hahaha! Don’t tell me you’re planning to team up with this kid to fight me? If you don’t know, I’ll tell you. The energy inside him is pitifully weak. D-Rank, C-Rank? He’s probably only E-Rank.”

E-Rank was the lowest rank among Spirit Masters. Though he was a Spirit Master, his overall strength was about on par with an ordinary person who was a little better at fighting.

Exposed by the crocodile, Jiuye scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile.

“Aw, you saw through me.”

The pink-haired woman turned and shot Jiuye a look.

“You’re the lowest rank, E-Rank, and you still call yourself a Spirit Master? You’re the first E-Rank Spirit Master I’ve ever met. If you were C-Rank, or even D-Rank, that’d be one thing. But I have to fight to get out of here, and I’m worried the shockwaves from my attack might hurt you, you E-Rank.”

Jiuye chuckled.

“Exactly! If you’re worried about hurting me, why were you chasing me around with a sword just now?”

At the mention of the crocodile, the woman had finally let some of her anger from earlier subside. But Jiuye’s words immediately made her furious again. Red light burst from her body, and the entire muddy pit exploded.

“Whoa!” Jiuye yelled. The shockwave really did send him flying, and he disappeared into the bushes beside them.

...