This truly is a masterful move—after all, we’re not really some liberal arts school; we are the Beast Academy.
Upperclass Magical Beasts are, of course, far stronger than the lower-year students. In a full-on war between clubs, the seniors are guaranteed to win.
“Haha, but do you really think that’s enough to stand against me? Ten-Step Hall, oh, Ten-Step Hall… you’re nothing but a Wild Dragon, hahaha.”
Orange Sea Dream lounged in her luxurious rocking chair, one leg crossed over the other, swirling her wine glass as she gazed out the window at the Civilization Campus, letting out the sharp, villainous laugh of a true antagonist.
If you can form an Adventurer team, then I, too, can gather an upper-year Magical Beast squad.
Why would you assume the seniors don’t have any Chosen Beasts? Don’t tell me you really think only the first-years have elites? Surely not, surely not?
Once again, Orange Sea Dream made her high-profile return, practically uniting all the second and third-year students in the high school division.
Kurosaki stuck close by her side every day, getting familiar with all the faces, and naturally her status soared.
She got to enjoy good food and drink daily and occasionally beat up disobedient upperclassmen.
Who in the school didn’t know by now that she was the First Ruthless One beside President Hai Meng?
So much so that everyone started calling Kurosaki by a derisive nickname: “Old Mo.”
It implied she was like an old black dog at Orange Sea Dream’s side!
Not that they were wrong.
Kurosaki was born to play the dog—give her food and she’ll never question anything, has no thoughts of her own, never interferes with her boss’s decisions, never bothers to ponder right from wrong; whoever the boss tells her to bite, she bites.
Kurosaki is one of those purely carefree people, never caring what others think, never depressed, never competing pointlessly; she just lives each day at ease.
In contrast, Older Sister Baicheng was the type born with a melancholy air—always looking troubled, as if she were brooding over the fate of the nation.
But in truth, she wasn’t thinking about anything at all, except how to grow stronger.
In the end, only Qingshamu was truly depressed.
—————
“Bang~ Bang~ Bang~”
Back at the modest inn, a knocking sounded from Feini and the others’ room.
Feini, already dressed in her cozy pajamas, got up to answer the door, only to find Qingshamu standing outside, clutching a pillow, blank-faced.
“What do you want?” Feini asked.
“I’m not used to sleeping alone. I want to stay with you all. I can sleep on the sofa,” Qingshamu replied.
Feini looked a little reluctant, but after all, the three of them had been together for so long—she could only let Qingshamu in.
Qingshamu was still in her Black Knightess Set, radiating killing intent as she walked.
But the moment Feini closed the door, Qingshamu took off her mask and light armor, took a deep breath of Feini’s scent, and visibly relaxed. What a wonderful smell, truly intoxicating.
Once unmasked, Qingshamu’s demeanor changed at once—she became playful, almost like a completely different person, flopping onto the small sofa like a puddle of mud.
Her heart was exhausted. Lately, she’d been endlessly tangled up in the question of undercover loyalty between the races: she had to act in front of Demons, act in front of humans, nearly to the point of splitting in two.
Now, only when she was alone with Feini and White Feather Dove could she let down her guard, take off her mask, and return to her original self.
Because in front of them, she didn’t have to worry about her pride; after all, she’d long since lost face in their eyes.
“Suit yourself.” Feini climbed back into bed and promptly went to sleep.
“Baicheng, how’s your magic training coming along?” Qingshamu asked.
“It’s okay,” White Feather Dove replied perfunctorily.
“Do you need any advice on Moonlight Magic?” Qingshamu pressed on. “With things so tense lately, I can’t cast magic in front of outsiders.”
“Meditation needs a quiet environment,” White Feather Dove said impatiently, then fell silent.
Qingshamu, having received the cold shoulder, decided she might as well use this time for her own Meditation.
She hadn’t been able to train her magic for several days—she felt like she was missing out big time.
First, she went to lock the doors and windows, then carefully returned to the sofa, sat upright, closed her eyes, and at last could relax and focus on cultivation.
Since it had been a while since she’d last Meditated, the Hero quickly slipped into a perfect state of unity between body and mind, bathed in a soft moonlight glow as she greedily absorbed the world’s magical power.
At this rate, even if she had slacked off for a while, she wouldn’t fall behind at all; her training speed was still much faster than anyone else’s.
As expected of the Hero, she truly was extraordinary.
Feini, however, found it a little hard to bear—why did this girl have to glow whenever she cultivated? The whole room lit up.
But she couldn’t very well tell her to stop, could she?
Her character might not be the epitome of kindness, but she wasn’t so unreasonable as to make a fuss over something like this.
Feini could only pull the blanket over her head and force herself to sleep.
……
After a restful afternoon nap, night fell, and the Lost Beast team gathered once more.
The seven members made their way to the inn’s dining room, sitting in a corner table to eat a simple dinner.
Now, they could only order off the menu—no way to make a big communal meal—so costs had soared. Just feeding the team was expensive, especially with the big eaters.
Feini had now become the group’s treasurer, in charge of the money. Otherwise, at this rate, the Tooth Beast Sisters would eat through the entire bounty fund in a single day.
And by now, their team was rather famous. Many scheming Adventurers were circling around, glancing over from every direction.
Everyone in the business wanted to know which faction these seven mysterious girls came from. But no one had any information on them, as if they had appeared out of nowhere in the No Man’s Land.
Yet the Elite Kingdom Knight Order treated them with respect.
It was clear that some high-ranking officers knew their true identities, so they clearly weren’t just a bunch of Wild Dragons.
Otherwise, they’d have been thoroughly investigated by now, instead of being able to dine here so openly.
After dinner, the seven left the inn’s dining hall and strolled through the colorful, bustling streets.
Each Beast Academy girl was full of curiosity. Ten-Step Hall had to use all her strength to keep the Golden Fang Beast Sisters in check—they nearly ran off to dine and dash at several restaurants.
“Feini, where exactly are we going? There’s so much good food here—Ye Qilian can hardly resist! But we don’t have money; where do we go to earn some?”
Ten-Step Hall asked, holding a Golden Fang Beast in each hand.
“The Adventurer Association,” Feini replied with a smile. “We’ll go register as Adventurers and an official party. Then we can take jobs and make money.”
At this, all the girls—except Qingshamu—had eyes that sparkled with excitement. They were itching to get started, brimming with anticipation.
A squad of Magical Beasts coming to the Adventurer Association to take on monster-hunting quests?
Could there be anything more fantastical in the world?
Actually, there was—the Hero herself running off to attend Beast Academy in the Demon Domain.
A true age of legends, brimming with unimaginable wisdom and dazzling schemes.
The seven members of the Lost Beast team arrived at Central Street in the Kingdom of Huanxu.
Up ahead stood a massive, eggshell-shaped building. To the left, a broad plaza; to the right, a park, both packed with people.
If you looked closer, you’d see they were all Adventurers.
That was the largest Adventurer Association in the No Man’s Land—the Huanzu Branch.