Volume 2: Setting Out on the Journey - Chapter 28: The Front Lines (Part Two)

As they drew closer to the front lines, the star beasts they encountered grew increasingly powerful.

The pace of the team that Wang Jue belonged to slowed down gradually.

Previously, when they traveled at full speed, they could pass three to four supply camps in a single day. Later, this dropped to two or three, and slowly dwindled from three down to two.

And now, it had plummeted to just one!

In other words, Wang Jue and his companions were not even guaranteed to reach a supply camp within a full day's travel.

Actually, the main reason for the delay was the time spent dealing with the star beasts they crossed paths with along the way.

Sometimes, right after finishing off one star beast and before they could even catch their breath, another attracted by the sounds of battle would immediately join the fray.

With the front lines coming into view, the number of people in the team was steadily shrinking.

From tens of thousands at the start, fewer than a thousand remained.

Among these survivors, the lowest cultivation level was fundamentally at the Red Star Mirror stage.

Wang Jue was the only one at the Spirit Concealment Mirror stage!

However, despite having the lowest realm, Wang Jue hunted second- and third-grade star beasts not only just as fast as those at the Red Star Mirror, but sometimes even faster.

As long as it was not an overlord-tier existence among third-grade star beasts, an ordinary third-grade star beast was practically no different from a second-grade one in the hands of Wang Jue, whose realm had already been elevated.

At the same time, Wang Jue discovered that when he hunted star beasts of a higher grade than his own, the star points he acquired were not just one, but a staggering ten!

It was precisely this discovery that made Wang Jue the most enthusiastic combatant whenever they encountered star beasts.

Generally speaking, it was not easy for a martial artist at the Spirit Concealment Mirror like him to single-handedly tackle a second-grade star beast.

Yet Wang Jue, this absolute monster, simply did not fall into that category. Slaughtering second-grade star beasts was as effortless for him as eating and drinking, and he could even hunt most third-grade star beasts, needing only to spend a little more time on them.

……

Two days later.

Wang Jue and his exhausted companions, a squad of several hundred people, finally reached the front lines.

In terms of scale, the front line was at least dozens of times larger than City Number One!

What kind of scenery lay beyond the massive forty-to-fifty-meter-tall steel walls? Wang Jue and the others, arriving for the very first time, were filled with intense curiosity.

However, they could not enter the city immediately.

Instead, they stood in line at the entrance to register their personal identification information, after which personnel assigned them living quarters within the city.

"Phew, we've finally made it."

After collecting their housing keys and entering the city, Wang Jue and the others could not stop marveling along the way: "This frontline city is the largest I've ever seen in my life! It's so, so much bigger than City Number One!"

Originally, he had imagined the front line to be 'desolate'. Upon seeing it now, however, he realized that the number of residential areas in the frontline city surpassed that of City Number One by at least dozens of times. Moreover, a glance across the city revealed massive numbers of martial artists active in every corner.

In terms of strength, almost no martial artist here had a cultivation level below the Red Star Mirror!

"Indeed!"

Shen Feng also wore an expression of undisguised shock and awe: "I heard from my friends before that the front line borders the ocean, and this city was built specifically to deal with those marine star beasts. Otherwise, if those star beasts were allowed to invade along the rivers, it would likely threaten the safety zones of humanity and even other races."

"Of course, dealing with those marine star beasts is certainly not something low-tier forces like us can get involved in; that's left to the powerful experts above the Cyan Star Mirror. For martial artists below the Green Star Mirror like us, our main objective is to deal with the star beasts on land."

Compared to terrestrial star beasts, marine star beasts actually posed a far more terrifying threat to humanity.

This was because the surface area of the oceans vastly exceeded that of the land, and since the seas were entirely the territory of star beasts, one could only imagine how many powerful star beasts lurked within the depths.

However, because marine star beasts could not adapt to terrestrial life, they rarely took the initiative to leave the ocean and come ashore.

In the short term, their threat certainly could not compare to that of the land-dwelling star beasts.

"Whoa, is that a 'Rune Desert Eagle'?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, isn't that a Green Star Mirror expert? They're so rare you can barely spot one in City Number One, yet I see one the moment I arrive here."

"Not surprising. The front line is not only the main stronghold for humanity and all other races, but it's also a major base for the star beasts. Not just humans, but experts from all other races have rushed here as well, so seeing many powerhouses is nothing out of the ordinary."

As Shen Feng and the others walked toward their quarters, they stopped from time to time to watch, their faces filled with wonder.

……

About half an hour later.

Fully armed, the five members of Shen Feng's group walked through the gates and into the residential compound where their quarters were located.

"Huh, isn't that the Hurricane Team? How come they've come to the front lines too?"

"I heard the Hurricane Team recently added a newcomer nicknamed the 'God of Slaughter'. Sounds like he's quite formidable!"

"Hehe, that guy has genuine skills. He slaughtered over ten thousand second-grade star beasts in less than two months. Could you do that?"

At this moment, some acquaintances of Shen Feng within the compound who had heard of Wang Jue's exploits began discussing animatedly upon seeing the members of the Hurricane Team enter.

"Hmm?"

Wan Qianshan, who was chatting with friends under the shade of a tree, turned his head at the sound of the crowd's chatter: "Wang Jue?"

At that moment, the five members of Shen Feng's group were walking toward their assigned rooms.

"Xiaoshan, do you know this Wang Jue?" asked a burly, thickset man beside him.

"Yeah."

Wan Qianshan nodded and said, "Not only do I know him, but he became an adventurer in the exact same batch as me. We even ran into each other during the four-grade rat tide outbreak in City Number One last time. I just didn't expect that after half a month apart, the next time we meet, he'd have made it to the front lines as well."

The previous rat tide had resulted in the death of the captain of Wan Qianshan's original team.

Left with no choice, the surviving members of Wan Qianshan's group had to join other martial artist teams, eventually following their new team to the front lines.

"Who would've thought that kid's nickname is actually the God of Slaughter?"

The burly man punched Wan Qianshan lightly on the chest. "Xiaoshan, you've got to step up your game. Don't let yourself get outshined by him."

Wan Qianshan: "..."

Watching Wang Jue's figure gradually disappear into the building, a complicated mix of emotions welled up in his heart.

Back when they participated in the adventurer actual combat assessment together, he had been recruited and chosen to join the Martial Arts Association branch, whereas Wang Jue had chosen not to join any branch, opting instead to remain a pure, independent adventurer.

At first, he had assumed that with the backing and cultivation of the branch, he would surely leave Wang Jue far behind in the dust.

Never did he imagine that in the blink of an eye, he was still just a newcomer who needed to struggle and strive, while Wang Jue had already made a name for himself within the martial artist community. Now, the moniker 'God of Slaughter' was known to the vast majority of people who had come from City Number One to the front lines.

For a martial artist, making a name for oneself was an exceptionally difficult feat!

It could be achieved, for instance, through a shocking, earth-shattering battle!

Such as pulling off an out-of-realm challenge.

Or, for instance, by racking up astonishing combat achievements!

Like Wang Jue slaughtering over ten thousand second-grade star beasts in less than two months.

Or perhaps, through the accumulation of fame over long, hard years!

Given enough time, one would naturally forge a reputation and title of their own!

Take the captain of the new team he had joined and the other team members, for example; it had taken them more than a decade of accumulated reputation to earn their titles!

Wan Qianshan had no idea how long it would take before he could claim a title of his own.

He could not help but feel a twinge of envy toward Wang Jue.

After all, that guy was already considered a figure of established renown nowadays!

"Don't worry, Captain."

Wan Qianshan clenched his fists involuntarily. With Wang Jue serving as a benchmark right ahead of him, he certainly dared not slack off even a fraction: "Back then, he and I were both hailed as three major prodigies. Even though he's already a somewhat famous figure among martial artists now, that doesn't mean I'll let myself be left behind by him!"

"Since he could pull it off, then naturally, I can do it too!"

……

On the other side.

Upon returning to his quarters, Wang Jue first took a thorough shower before lying down on the bed, promptly drifting off into a deep sleep.

The main reason was that the intensity and frequency of the battles they had experienced over the past few days had left him somewhat exhausted both physically and mentally.

Now that he had a place where he could properly rest, he naturally intended to make the most of it.

After all, based on his understanding of team captain Shen Feng, if nothing unexpected happened, they would likely be heading out to hunt star beasts bright and early tomorrow morning.

The night passed quietly.

Wang Jue slept all the way until past nine o'clock the following morning, skipping dinner the previous night entirely.

Upon waking up, Wang Jue headed straight to the bathroom to wash up and take another refreshingly quick shower.

No sooner had he stepped out of the bathroom wiping his hair with a towel than his comms chimed with a call from the captain, telling him to head over to the nearby restaurant for a meal.

Ending the call without delay, Wang Jue quickly put on his combat suit, strapped on his weapons, shield, and backpack, and stepped out of his room.

Before long, Wang Jue arrived at the team's designated assembly point.

Stepping through the door, he saw Shen Feng, Su羽, Jiang Yunyan, and Jiang Yunxin already seated at a table. The tabletop was completely bare, clearly indicating they were waiting for him.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Wang Jue offered an apologetic smile to everyone and quickly found an empty seat to sit down.

"We're teammates, don't be so overly courteous."

Shen Feng waved a hand dismissively without a trace of mind. "Alright, now that Wang Jue is here, let's order. Once we head out this time, it'll be several days before we return, and we'll be stuck eating dry rations then."

As he spoke, Shen Feng beckoned to a young waitress standing not far away, and the group proceeded to order some of their favorite dishes.

Taking advantage of the time before the food was served, Su Yu chimed in with a look of eager anticipation: "Hehe, what grade of star beast do you think we'll run into later? First-grade? Second-grade? Third-grade? Or maybe fourth-grade?"

"That's hard to say."

Shen Feng thought for a moment and shook his head. "I checked some information regarding this area yesterday, and learned that first- and second-grade star beasts are quite rare on the front lines. On the contrary, third- and fourth-grade star beasts are the most numerous, fifth-grade ones are also quite common, sixth-grade ones are relatively rare, and anything above seventh-grade is basically impossible to bump into. If we really do run into one of those, we can only blame our own bad luck."

"Captain, our current strength is just about enough to handle third-grade star beasts. Wouldn't it be far too pushing it to deal with fourth-grade ones?"

Hearing Shen Feng's words, Jiang Yunyan furrowed her delicate brows slightly. "Although every member of our squad has improved and our strength has grown, haven't we still fallen short of the threshold required to handle fourth-grade star beasts?"

Their team's strength was undoubtedly much higher than before, but it certainly hadn't reached the point where they could go around provoking fourth-grade star beasts.

In her view, if they were to take on fourth-grade star beasts simply because their strength had increased, it would undoubtedly be an act of seeking death!

"Do I look like the kind of brainless person who would do that?"

Shen Feng laughed in exasperation. "Relax, I got a good grasp of our squad's overall strength on the way here. Taking on a fourth-grade star beast is no different from marching to your execution; I haven't lived enough yet to foolishly drag you all down to your deaths!

"Even though we can't handle fourth-grade star beasts, that doesn't mean we can't handle third-grade ones, right?"

"Captain, are you saying our target this time is third-grade star beasts?"

"Spot on."

Just as they were speaking, the young waitress brought the dishes ordered by Wang Jue and the others to the table.

Seeing this, Shen Feng and the rest ceased their conversation and eagerly began to eat.