The sudden appearance of Angelia and Leng Xiangxue startled the already highly concentrated mercenary group, with two members nearly injured by the horn of the "Bronze-Scaled Rhino."

Leng Xiangxue first scanned the group, then turned to Angelia beside her and asked, "What should we do?"

They had rushed over after hearing the roar of the "Bronze-Scaled Rhino," but hadn't expected someone else to have claimed it first. Even more unexpected was that there was only one "Bronze-Scaled Rhino" here—hadn't the "Spiked-Scale Rhino" always been known as a social monster that moved in packs? Why was there only a single one here? Angelia remained silent, still observing!

Forget that this "Bronze-Scaled Rhino" had already been claimed by these soldiers; even if it hadn't, Angelia had no interest in fighting it. One monster like this wasn't enough for both her and Leng Xiangxue! "Let's check somewhere else," Angelia said faintly, turning as if to leave. Just then, a piercing shriek suddenly rang out! "Ah~~~!"

All eyes darted toward Jamie, baffled as to why she was suddenly making such a fuss. Angelia and Leng Xiangxue both halted their steps! "Jamie, what are you screaming about? You almost got me killed!" roared the swordsman after narrowly dodging a strike from the "Bronze-Scaled Rhino." "Jamie, don't get distracted! Hurry and bind the 'Bronze-Scaled Rhino's' movements!" urged the woman gripping a heavy greatsword.

Golden-yellow Battle Qi radiated from her body as she attacked the weak points of the "Spiked-Scale Rhino" with swift, relentless strikes!

The defense of the "Spiked-Scale Rhino" was incredibly formidable, especially the hide on its body, which was tougher than steel and impervious to blades and spears. Even after attacking for so long, these people had only managed to inflict a few shallow gashes on the beast. And this was only a juvenile "Steel-Scaled Rhino"; an adult "Spiked-Scale Rhino" would possess an even more monstrous defense!

To everyone's surprise, the girl named Jamie not only ignored her commander's order but instead scurried over to Angelia and Leng Xiangxue, displaying a look bordering on infatuation! Angelia and Leng Xiangxue were momentarily stunned; this turn of events had caught them completely off guard! "Jamie, what the hell are you doing?" the man's voice carried over again. Without Jamie's water-based binding array, the "Bronze-Scaled Rhino's" movements immediately became more ferocious!

Fortunately, this "Steel-Scaled Rhino" had already expended too much stamina, and besides, this mercenary group had more than just Jamie as a mage, so they could still maintain the situation!

At this moment, Jamie paid no mind to her teammates' calls, her eyes still fixed straight on Angelia and Leng Xiangxue, observing them as if they were some rare specimen!

Just as Angelia was about to ask a question, Jamie spoke first, her tone somewhat hesitant: "Excuse me... are you Senior Sister Angelia and Senior Sister Leng Xiangxue?"

"Uh... Hmph!"

Senior Sisters? Angelia and Leng Xiangxue were startled again, confused as to how this girl knew their names, since they were certain they had never met her before! "I am Angelia. May I ask who you are?" Angelia inquired with a degree of vigilance.

However, upon hearing her reply, Jamie shrieked again: "Ah~~, it really is Senior Sister Angelia! I'm seeing the real person! The real person!"

Watching Jamie's flailing gestures, even Angelia’s normally cool mind became clouded. She secretly wondered if the girl had been hit in the head by the "Steel-Scaled Rhino."

Hearing Jamie's scream, the fighters engaged in battle visibly paused. When they looked closely at Angelia and Leng Xiangxue, their bodies jolted as if confirming something!

Angelia took in their expressions, deepening her suspicion. She turned back to Jamie and asked again, "Who are you people, and why do you know my name?"

"Senior Sister Angelia, we are all graduates of the 'Stay-at-Home Magical Martial Arts Academy.' We've all heard of your deeds! You created miracles in the 'Royal Tournament' and brought unparalleled honor to the academy..." Jamie chattered on incessantly.

Angelia and Leng Xiangxue finally understood the situation. It turned out that to celebrate their first-place victory in the "Royal Tournament" years ago, the 'Stay-at-Home Magical Martial Arts Academy' had commissioned famous sculptors to erect statues of the participating contestants in a conspicuous location. Beneath the statues were not only their names but also brief introductions!

This was why Jamie recognized Angelia and Leng Xiangxue upon their first sight. For the 'Stay-at-Home Magical Martial Arts Academy,' Angelia and the others who competed in the "Royal Tournament" were considered heroes of the academy, constantly held up as examples to every new cohort! (This was, in fact, an important measure the academy took to recruit new students and boost its reputation!)

After hearing Jamie's explanation, both Angelia and Leng Xiangxue felt an involuntary chill. For the normally low-key pair, having statues erected publicly made them feel rather uncomfortable! "Senior Sister, Senior Sister, could you sign an autograph for me?" Jamie said, actually pulling out paper and a pen, causing Angelia and Leng Xiangxue to break out in a cold sweat!

Just as Angelia was unsure how to respond, a dull thud suddenly echoed, making the entire ground seem to tremble! Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw that the "Steel-Scaled Rhino" had finally been subdued, lying flat on the ground!

Only then did the group finally breathe a collective sigh of relief. The woman holding the heavy sword walked over at that moment. Jamie seemed afraid of this woman and quickly shrunk back like a meek cat upon seeing her approach.

"Jamie, dereliction of duty. We will deal with the consequences later!" The woman first reprimanded Jamie, then turned to Angelia and Leng Xiangxue, saying, "Hello. I am the captain of the 'Setting Sun Mercenary Group,' my name is Ingrid!"

As she spoke, her eyes appraised Angelia and Leng Xiangxue, deeply puzzled as to why the two looked about the same age as her. Hadn't they graduated from the 'Stay-at-Home Magical Martial Arts Academy' long ago? Why did they still look so young?

As seniors, Angelia and Leng Xiangxue couldn't maintain stern expressions and offered brief introductions in return!

"Senior Sisters, why are you here?" Jamie couldn't help but interject from the side.

Ingrid shot Jamie a glare, the meaning clearly conveying that she shouldn't pry into others' privacy.

"I apologize. I failed to properly discipline my team member," Ingrid said apologetically.

"It's nothing," Angelia's voice remained placid. "If there is nothing else, we will take our leave now!"

She and Leng Xiangxue still had monsters to hunt and couldn't afford to waste time here!

"Wait... please wait a moment!" Ingrid hurriedly called out to stop Angelia, who was about to depart.

"Is there something else?" Angelia stared directly at Ingrid.

"I heard you are a very formidable swordswoman. I would like to spar with you!" Ingrid's eyes held a look of firm resolve.

During her time at school, she had frequently heard the name Angelia mentioned. As a fellow female swordswoman, she desperately wanted to meet this legendary senior in person and see if she was as powerful as the rumors claimed! Now that she had finally met the real person, her fighting spirit flared up! (Who says only men are competitive? A woman's desire to win, once aroused, can become a terrifying force!) Angelia's brow suddenly furrowed, her expression turning somewhat serious.

Ingrid mistook Angelia's reaction as displeasure at her challenge. However, she did not regret the request at all; her fighting spirit only intensified! She needed to personally verify whether this senior sister was living up to her hype!!

It was at this moment that Angelia finally spoke: "You all had better leave this place immediately. It will be very dangerous here soon!" Huh?

Ingrid was thrown into confusion by Angelia's abrupt, contextless statement. Just as she was about to ask for the reason, Leng Xiangxue, who had been silent, suddenly spoke: "Angelia, something seems to be coming!" "En," Angelia nodded, her eyes beginning to glow with fierce intensity. Ingrid grew more perplexed, staring blankly at the two, unsure what they were up to.

Not much time passed before the ground began to tremble slightly, and as more time slipped by, this tremor became more pronounced! What was happening? Was it an earthquake? The members of the "Setting Sun Mercenary Group" all wore confused expressions, standing silently in place without making a sound. "You still have time to leave," Angelia's voice rang out again, even as she began covertly rubbing her fists together in anticipation. "What exactly is going on?" Ingrid's confusion mounted.

After another minute or so, a sound like thunderous waves approached from the distance, reminiscent of a bursting tsunami—boom, boom, boom! "Amy, see what that is?" Ingrid suddenly turned to a nearby girl; she hadn't lost her composure entirely.

Amy was a wind mage. Upon receiving the instruction, she cast a Flight spell and ascended into the air, looking toward the source of the sound. "Amy, what do you see?" Ingrid inquired from below.

Amy did not answer. Because the distance was too great and obscured by trees, she could only see vast clouds of dust rapidly approaching, resembling a sandstorm.

The sound grew louder, and Amy finally discerned what was coming. However, her pretty face instantly turned ashen white as paper, and her spirit momentarily scattered, causing her to tumble from the sky. Fortunately, Ingrid below had been watching Amy closely and swiftly flew up to catch the falling girl! "Cap... Captain, so... so many 'Steel-Scaled Rhinos'..." Amy managed to say in an extremely trembling voice.

Everyone was drawn in by her words, none of them noticing the subtle glance exchanged between Angelia and Leng Xiangxue just moments before—a look that clearly conveyed:

It’s time for us to make our move!!!