Chapter 75: Leng Yuexin Has Disappeared!

In the outer reaches of the Forest of Forgetting Sorrows, a dragon beast, about three meters long and pitch-black, was attacking a pack of bronze-rank Azure Scale Wolves. Atop the dragon’s spine sat a handsome youth who appeared to be fifteen or sixteen years old. His lips curled into a faint smile as he watched the fleeing wolves below. The Azure Scale Wolves, terrified by the dragon’s pursuit, scattered in all directions, with not a shred of intent to resist.

On the ground, another white-haired youth was also chasing the wolf pack. A pair of crimson-gold wings extended from his back, transforming into two sharp blades that reaped lives with swift efficiency.

The dragon beast soaring above was an undead hatchling that Lin Huang had recently acquired—Black Charcoal. Naturally, the youth riding on its back was Lin Huang himself, while the white-haired youth below was his old companion, Bai.

The reason they targeted this pack of Azure Scale Wolves was Lin Huang’s desire for a more impressive mount. Azure Scale Wolves were covered in blue or green scales, measured over five meters in length, and stood about three meters at the shoulder. Sturdy and muscular, they excelled in both endurance and speed, making them one of the most sought-after mounts in this world and the first choice for iron and bronze-rank hunters.

In less than twenty minutes, over thirty Azure Scale Wolves were slaughtered by Bai and Black Charcoal. Lin Huang pieced together thirty fragments to form a complete monster card, which he opened to examine.

[Monster Card]
[Rarity: Common]
[Monster Name: Azure Scale Wolf]
[Monster Type: Exotic Beast]
[Combat Level: Bronze One-Star]
[Skill 1: Sturdy (Intermediate)]
[Skill 2: Bloodthirsty Hunt (Beginner)]
[Summoning Permission: Unlocked]
[Card Evaluation: Trash]

“Bloodthirsty Hunt? That seems to be a tracking skill,” Lin Huang’s eyes brightened as he tapped to view the skill details.

[Bloodthirsty Hunt (Beginner): When activated, this skill greatly enhances the sense of smell, allowing the user to distinguish various scents within a ten-kilometer radius. Especially sensitive to the smell of blood; if detected, the range extends to thirty kilometers.]

“Little Black, extract the card skill!”

Lin Huang looked forward to this extraction. For monsters of the same category, skill extraction could only be performed once. If he extracted Sturdy, his original Sturdy skill would be upgraded. If he obtained Bloodthirsty Hunt, he’d gain a tracking skill. Either way, he would be satisfied.

[Skill extraction initiated… Randomly selecting a skill for the host… Selection complete… Congratulations, host, you have obtained the skill—Bloodthirsty Hunt (Beginner).]

“Excellent, finally a tracking skill!” Lin Huang knew that such a skill would be immensely helpful in future monster hunts, and even aid in wilderness survival.

After pocketing the card, Lin Huang set out for his next destination, accompanied by Black Charcoal and Bai.

……

Time flew by, and Lin Huang had now spent seven days in the Forest of Forgetting Sorrows, still without any word from Leng Yuexin. If not for his trust in her character, he would have suspected Li Yanxing and the others of deliberately abandoning him here.

Fortunately, Lin Huang was no longer the person he had been just a few days prior. With Bai and Black Charcoal by his side, he could now sweep through most of the monsters on the forest’s outskirts with ease.

Having advanced to the Iron rank, he had not been idle over the past days, hunting all manner of monsters in the outer forest. In just five days, he had accumulated over three thousand bronze-rank card fragments, assembling three complete monster cards. He had also obtained a rare monster card as a full drop from a slain creature.

He had used all three Reward Doubling Cards at critical junctures, doubling the rewards for ten cross-rank kills, resulting in a total of twenty functional cards. The only regret was that the rare monster card had dropped after the doubling cards were exhausted.

This marked his seventh day in the forest. As dusk approached, Lin Huang chose a clearing and pitched his tent. After setting up camp, he started a fire nearby and took out the pre-sliced meat he had prepared days earlier for a barbecue.

Sitting cross-legged by the fire, Lin Huang sipped a drink leisurely, watching as the meat sizzled on the grill. The grill was a recent purchase. Ever since he saw Fatty with a full set of cookware, Lin Huang decided that even in the wild, he shouldn’t shortchange himself. Eating rations every day was unacceptable, so he bought a simple set of kitchen gear, including this grill.

The sky overhead deepened in hue as the meat on the rack turned golden and the aroma grew rich. Flipping the barbecued meat, Lin Huang called out, “Little Black, give me an update on my card situation.”

[Host currently possesses 25 functional cards: Advancement Card x3, Temporary Transformation Card x5, Quest Card x3, Treasure Card x3, Life Energy Storage Card x2, Item Card x3, Privilege Card x1, Flawless Card x2, Healing Card x3.]

[Monster Cards: 9 total—Black Charcoal (Epic), Bai (Rare), Tyrant (Rare), Violet-eyed White Eagle (Rare), Minotaur, Lion-headed Troll, Azure Scale Wolf, One-eyed Demon Ape, Phantom.]

[Remaining card fragments: Iron rank—1,027; Bronze rank—3,051.]

“Show me my exclusive cards,” Lin Huang nodded and issued the command.

His personal exclusive card quickly appeared before him.

[Host: Lin Huang]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 15]
[Combat Level: Iron Rank One]
[Life Type: Eerie Hand (Rare)]
[Combat Skill 1: Wild Blade Scripture (Blade Arts)]
[Combat Skill 2: Snow-Stepping Phantom (Movement)]
[Monster Skill 1: Blood Power (Level 2)]
[Monster Skill 2: Sturdy (Intermediate)]
[Monster Skill 3: Great Strength (Intermediate)]
[Monster Skill 4: Demon Eye Intimidation (Intermediate)]
[Monster Skill 5: Absolute Defense (Beginner)]
[Monster Skill 6: Bloodthirsty Hunt (Beginner)]
[Monster Skill 7: Limit Vision (Beginner)]
[Monster Skill 8: Replicator Eye (Beginner)]
[Monster Skill 9: Breath Concealment (Beginner)]
[Summoning Permission: Unlocked]
[Summon Limit: 2]
[Evaluation: Only enough to get by among Iron ranks.]

The four new skills had all been extracted in the past few days: Bloodthirsty Hunt from the Azure Scale Wolf, Limit Vision from the Violet-eyed White Eagle, Replicator Eye from the One-eyed Demon Ape, and Breath Concealment from the Phantom.

Lin Huang wasn’t unfamiliar with these skills, though he hadn’t used them much yet.

After dismissing his personal card and seeing that the meat was nearly done, Lin Huang served himself and began to eat.

He had barely taken two or three bites when Little Black’s warning sounded.

[Alert: Sudden event detected. Quest Card objective updated!]
[New objective: Enter the depths of the Forest of Forgetting Sorrows, locate the missing Leng Yuexin, and bring her back to Worry-Free City! Time limit: 20 days.]
[Rewards for completion: 1 Treasure-tier Item Card, 1 Advancement Card.]
[Penalty for failure: Two monster cards will be randomly removed.]