Within the Savage Forest, the vegetation was dense, the species myriad, and the strange cries of various magical beasts were an incessant chorus.

Having finally escaped, Sheryl and his group were now taking refuge beneath a massive tree, looking utterly spent.

“Captain, you don’t think they’re still following us, do you?” Edra gasped, her voice trembling with lingering fear. She had certainly quieted down now, finally learning some restraint. “I sincerely hope not,” Sheryl replied, his own breath ragged. He couldn't believe his rotten luck; leading his junior cohorts on their first real trial and immediately running into Wind Chasing Wolves—it was the height of misfortune. “What about those two? Are they going to be alright?” Monica asked, her face etched with worry. “They’re definitely goners!” Jeraldin declared with a flippant air, clearly unconcerned. Monica fell silent, a heavy feeling pressing down on her chest. It was understandable; those two had kindly warned them, yet they hadn't listened, only managing to drag those saviors into danger. What sort of mess was that? For a time, the easygoing atmosphere had vanished, replaced by tense, drawn faces.

They rested for an unknown, lengthy period. Only after confirming that the pack of Wind Chasing Wolves had truly retreated did Sheryl’s party begin to cautiously advance. Every nerve ending was taut; the arrogance of before had completely evaporated.

Finally, after nearly an hour spent traversing what should have been a short distance, they arrived at the location where Zhong Shenxiu and Robin had last been. The sight that greeted them stunned them into immediate silence.

Sprawled before their eyes was a graveyard of Wind Chasing Wolves. Their corpses lay strewn about in disarray everywhere. What in the world had happened here? Sheryl could scarcely believe his eyes. These were Wind Chasing Wolves, not some stray mongrels. How could they all be dead so suddenly? What kind of power could achieve such a result? Wait—what was this? Sheryl suddenly noticed something else. There was no blood, no sign of a struggle, yet the wolves were undeniably dead. This… this was profoundly eerie. What event had transpired in this spot?

“Whoa, so many dead Wind Chasing Wolves! We could make a tidy profit off this,” Jeraldin chirped, his eyes gleaming as he immediately knelt down to start digging out the Magic Crystal Cores. “Are you serious? They sell for good money? Then I’ll help you! We can split the earnings fifty-fifty, how about that?” Edra instantly chimed in. (The author quickly retracts the earlier statement that she had ‘finally learned some restraint.’) Monica was utterly speechless! Watching the antics of these two clowns from the sidelines, Monica suddenly had a strange thought: these two were rather well-suited. If they ever got together and had children, what kind of child would they produce?

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Several days later, within the halls of the Dubulai Magic and Martial Arts Academy.

“Sheryl, you’re back! How was the trial? Any problems?” At the Dubulai Academy, a man with a broadsword strapped to his waist addressed Sheryl. This was none other than Sheryl’s instructor, Cassius. “Instructor Cassius, our squad completed the trial successfully; there were no casualties,” Sheryl replied respectfully. “That’s good to hear. With you leading, I assumed nothing would go wrong,” Cassius said, noticing Sheryl looked as if he had more to say. “Is there something else?” “Instructor Cassius, I wished to consult you on a matter.” “Oh?” Cassius’s interest was piqued, as this student rarely sought advice. “What is it?” “Instructor Cassius, could you please examine how this ‘Wind Chasing Wolf’ died?” Sheryl said, withdrawing the corpse of a Wind Chasing Wolf from his magic ring. Cassius thought it was something significant, only to see it was this minor issue. He dismissed it slightly, saying casually, “Let me see!”

He then began examining the wolf’s corpse. However, the more closely he inspected it, the more solemn Cassius’s expression became, his brow furrowing unconsciously. No wounds, no signs of poison, external structure perfectly intact, death appearing peaceful—indicating minimal struggle before death. This was truly bizarre! Cassius murmured internally. Having navigated countless storms in his career, Cassius had never encountered anything this strange. “Where did you find this?” Cassius asked.

Sheryl then recounted the events of that day in brief. “Based on what you’ve told me, the death of this ‘Wind Chasing Wolf’ must be connected to those two children,” Cassius concluded firmly after a moment of thought. “Think about it: he warned you about the large number of magical beasts, right? That implies he was either undetected by the wolves or they simply couldn't harm him. When you fled, those two children were calmly eating. Unless they were complete fools, they must have had a reason not to fear the Wind Chasing Wolves.”

In truth, Sheryl had already come to the same conclusion, but he simply couldn’t accept that two mere children could have slain so many Wind Chasing Wolves. What method had they employed? “The cause of death for this Wind Chasing Wolf is too baffling; I honestly don’t know how it died,” Cassius had to admit the fact. “To understand the cause of death here, I think we’ll have to ask Instructor Marcoxian for help.”

Marcoxian was a teacher of Water Magic, but she personally mastered both Light and Water dual-elemental magic. She also possessed considerable knowledge of medicine and nursing, serving as the supervising instructor for the school infirmary. There is an ancient saying in the East: speak of Cao Cao, and he arrives! This saying seemed universally applicable, even in this other world, as Marcoxian appeared just then, carrying a stack of books. “Instructor Marcoxian, could you spare a moment?” Cassius called out happily. “Hello, Instructor Cassius, what can I do for you?” Marcoxian approached. “Instructor Marcoxian,” Sheryl called softly, his expression calm, showing no flicker of distraction despite her beauty. “Oh, aren’t you Sheryl? I heard you were leading your juniors on a trial. I didn't expect you were already back!” Marcoxian asked with a smile. Before Sheryl could reply, Cassius interjected eagerly, “Instructor Marcoxian, could you examine how this Wind Chasing Wolf died?”

Even if Cassius hadn't asked, Marcoxian was already wondering why Cassius was examining a dead Wind Chasing Wolf in broad daylight. Hearing his request, Marcoxian nodded, squatted down, and began her inspection. Initially, Marcoxian looked puzzled, but soon her expression shifted to one of utter shock. “Instructor Marcoxian, did you find anything?” Cassius asked urgently. “This ‘Wind Chasing Wolf’ died in a truly strange manner. It appears its heart was shattered by a burst of kinetic force, which caused instant death. And—” Marcoxian brushed her delicate hands off and stood up, continuing, “—it was a one-hit kill!” At those words, both Cassius and Sheryl started in surprise! “Now, can you tell us what on earth happened here?” Marcoxian’s eyes flashed with the innate curiosity inherent to women.