Qian Jin dragged his weary body, using the pickaxe to steady himself so he wouldn't collapse, then turned to glance at the nodding-off Black before hauling the pickaxe and stepping out the courtyard door.

Thud...

The threshold of the courtyard gate was too high; Qian Jin couldn't lift his foot high enough and pitched forward, landing just outside.

Clang... clang... clang...

On the empty, quiet street, Qian Jin slowly dragged the pickaxe toward the edge of the village. This was his second time coming to the Endless World, yet he had never truly ventured outside this village to see what the scenery beyond looked like.

Blue sky, white clouds, green grass... green trees...

Before Qian Jin had even fully registered anything beyond these sights after leaving the village, he saw a dark shadow speeding towards him from a distance. Compared to it, the speed of his Zuolun Tianren was like a slow-motion replay.

What was that? A wolf! With three heads!

Just as Qian Jin reacted to what he saw, the wolf lunged. He had only swung the pickaxe halfway when the three heads bit down—one on his throat, the others on his shoulders...

Pfft...

A sharp, searing pain brought Qian Jin bolt upright from the bed, his hand instinctively reaching for the spot on his throat where he had been bitten.

"That was close..." Qian Jin started, then immediately felt several distinct indentations around his throat. They hadn't pierced through, though.

Tearing off his sweat-soaked shirt, Qian Jin examined his shoulders. Each bore two shallow rows of canine teeth marks. When he pressed lightly, the pain still lingered.

"You've got to be kidding me?" He touched the indentations on his neck again. If those things had actually broken through, wouldn't he be dead? This Endless World was far more terrifying than he imagined.

"That wolf..." Qian Jin tried to recall clearly. He had been too exhausted at the time; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so clumsy as to be bitten without even managing a counterattack.

The sky outside was turning a pale gray—the color of fish bellies. Qian Jin looked at Rolin, who was still sleeping, then got up, washed the sweat off himself, changed his clothes, and sank back into recollection.

"This Black..." Qian Jin slowly nodded. "He did that on purpose..."

Qian Jin lay weakly on the damp bed, muttering softly, "Even if he wanted to show me that there are terrifying things outside, did he have to be so extreme? What if he had actually killed me? What then?"

"Kill you? What are you talking about?" Rolin stirred, rubbing his hazy eyes with a chubby hand. "Who's trying to kill you? Oh, right, Qian Jin, I had a wonderful dream last night—you married my sister."

Qian Jin looked helplessly at Rolin. Even in his dreams, this guy couldn't forget about introducing his sister to him.

"It's early morning, and I just had a nightmare. Please don't share your sweet dreams with me, thank you."

"Mine wasn't a nightmare, it was a beautiful dream."

"Classmate, to me, that was also a nightmare."

A deep, resonant horn blast suddenly echoed across the campus. Rolin immediately groaned, "Morning drills again. This is my nightmare!"

Qian Jin shook his head, looking at Rolin whose physique was clearly unsuited for a warrior. "Hey! Stop complaining. If you don't want to be punished with extra laps, hurry up and go."

The full moon hung high, and there was no sign of the pale gray dawn in the eastern sky yet. On the training grounds of the Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors, warriors from three different grades quickly ran towards their designated class formations. The mages were gathered on a massive platform, sitting cross-legged and meditating to train their mental power.

The daytime in October was known for its 'Autumn Tiger' heat, which could be even more unbearable than high summer. However, this heat lacked the oppressive dryness; the air carried more of a subtle chill.

Qian Jin hunched his neck, continuously pounding his sore arms and the muscles elsewhere on his body. His mind kept replaying the attack by the three-headed monstrous wolf in the Endless World. At the time, he had only registered its speed, but now recalling it, its concealment skills were also superb. He hadn't even detected its exact location, which was indeed similar to the Thief branch of warriors—masters of hiding.

"Look! Qian Jin!"

"Oh? Isn't that the guy with the face that seems to commit crimes? He defeated Zuolun Tianren?"

"That's right! I heard from a senior who was at the scene that he beat Zuolun Tianren without even using a battle technique."

"No battle technique? Is that true? Does that mean he didn't use his full strength? Isn't he ranked tenth among the first-year warriors? Zuolun Tianren is ranked eighth."

"I don't know about that, but the seniors watching the fight said Qian Jin could at least rank in the top six of his grade, he's just too lazy to fight, leaving the sixth and seventh spots to those who love to show off..."

"Who are you calling show-offs?"

"You think Qian Jin is stronger than me?"

Voices clearly laced with anger erupted suddenly from two small formations. Several first-year students who had been whispering quickly turned their heads back, then simultaneously shrank their necks and looked in other directions.

Zelda, currently the sixth strongest first-year warrior, and Fabucaras, the seventh, were glaring fiercely at the students who had been murmuring quietly.

Qian Jin stood within his formation, yawning widely, completely unfazed by the gazes shooting his way from all directions—be they looks of surprise, admiration, challenge, or confusion.

After a night of smithing iron, all Qian Jin wanted was a place to sit down and rest for a while. Looking at the formation that hadn't started running yet, Qian Jin felt, for the first time, a genuine fondness for the theoretical classes of the Warrior path; at least there, he could sit on a classroom bench and relax his aching muscles.

Mid-yawn, Qian Jin smelled a faint, sweet fragrance wafting towards him and found a female magic academy student standing before him. She had curved eyebrows, large eyes, thick and full red lips, a rosy complexion, and her red mage robe was cinched at the waist, undeniably outlining her prominent chest and upturned hips. Her golden-yellow hair cascaded over her shoulders.

"Are you Qian Jin?"

Qian Jin rubbed his sleep-filled eyes, his mouth twitching several times as he looked at the beautiful but somewhat arrogant female mage before him. "And who might you be?"

A series of sharp gasps sounded from the surrounding squads, accompanied by surprised and bewildered looks directed at Qian Jin, as if they were staring at an undead creature.

Rolin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He rubbed his slightly chubby hands back and forth, his eyes curving into two crescents as he said with a grin, "Qian Jin, that's Juliethe! She's the campus beauty of our Oakland Academy of Magic and Warriors, the most beautiful girl in Oakland, Juliethe!"

A flicker of pleasure and smugness crossed Juliethe's eyes. Although she heard such praise every day, which woman ever tired of hearing compliments?

Juliethe? Qian Jin's eyebrows tilted upward sharply, a slight crease forming between them, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes. Being Rolin the fatty's roommate, it was nearly impossible to go a day without hearing about this woman.