Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 387 The Man Appeared

The night was as dark as ink, deeply enveloping the rolling Qinling Mountains.

The dense foliage layered upon layered, cutting the already sparse moonlight into even more fragmented pieces, casting only dappled, shimmering spots of light on the forest floor.

Two young men were trudging through the dense forest, their steps uneven. The man on the left was tall and burly, while the man on the right was noticeably thinner, wearing square-framed glasses and possessing a rather refined air.

Their faces were covered in mud and sweat, their clothes were torn in several places by tree branches, they looked exhausted, and they walked slower and slower.

A massive rock-armored snail helped drag the luggage, leaving scorching burn marks on the ground with each step it took, hissing and steaming; a water spirit turtle beside it looked around, its round eyes wide open, remaining highly vigilant at all times.

"Wang Ze, what kind of place is this? It's not even listed on the official Qinling Mountains map app. When are we ever going to get out of here?"

"Damn, if we hadn't been trying to catch that Ice Fox during the day, we wouldn't have gotten lost."

Yuan Xiong was panting heavily. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. His back was already soaked with sweat. "Damn it, getting lost is one thing, but how come there are so many powerful pets in this godforsaken place? It feels like we jumped directly from the newbie village to a high-level dungeon."

Compared to the cursing Yuan Xiong, Wang Ze was relatively calmer, but his tightly pursed lips revealed his inner anxiety.

He first patted Yuan Xiong on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down, then whispered, "Stop complaining. The important thing is to find a place to spend the night. Have you forgotten about that ferocious clawed bear from earlier today?"

"How could I forget?" Hearing this, Yuan Xiong's eyes widened, his expression a mixture of anger and lingering fear. "This place is truly outrageous. There really are such powerful, ferocious clawed bears here. Even if we all joined forces, we wouldn't be a match for them."

After a pause, he said unwillingly, "You should know that my Rock Armored Giant Snail once fought fiercely with Advisor Chen's Wind-Riding Hound."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ze glanced sideways at Yuan Xiong and bluntly retorted:
"Was it really a fierce battle? I seem to remember that you were bullying those amateur beast tamers in the battle restaurant, and then you got a good beating from Consultant Chen who couldn't stand it anymore."

He stroked his chin and smiled slightly: "I remember the Rock Armored Giant Snail was instantly killed by the Wind Rider before its advancement."

Yuan Xiong fell silent. He gave an awkward laugh and then muttered something like "I wasn't in a good state at the time," "I didn't sleep well the night before," and "The ground was too slippery," which made Wang Ze burst into laughter.

Soon, the two got to the point. Wang Ze gazed at the deep, dark forest before him, listening to the occasional chilling roars of beasts, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes.
"That ferocious clawed bear should be the dominant pet in the area. It's understandable that we can't win. After all, Zhuang Jianbai was once beaten up by the Qinling Earth Bear."

“Yes,” Yuan Xiong nodded in agreement.

Then, Yuan Xiong stroked his prickly beard and said in a deep voice, "Luckily, that little green deer suddenly appeared and chased away the violent bear-catcher, otherwise we would really be done for here."

Mentioning the little deer, Yuan Xiong immediately perked up, his eyes shining slightly: "But what kind of pet is that? It can fly and even scare away the Ferocious Claw Bear."

"Look at his thin and weak appearance, he doesn't look like he has strong fighting power at all."

Wang Ze shook his head, his eyes filled with confusion and amazement:
"We've never seen it before, nor have we ever heard of it. At least, there's absolutely no record of this pet on the Beast Tamer's official website. It must be an unknown pet that hasn't been discovered yet; we just happened to run into it."

"And have you noticed how pure the life force it exudes is? I'm sure its potential and quality are beyond imagination!"

Hearing his roommate Wang Ze's analysis, Yuan Xiong's eyes flashed, and then he nodded in agreement, "That's right. Pets that can fly even though they don't have wings are quite powerful, like Consultant Chen's Wind-Riding Dog."

Wang Ze said, "The Wind-Riding Dog doesn't count, does it? It can ride the wind, so isn't it reasonable for it to fly into the sky?"

“That’s true.” Yuan Xiong nodded, and was about to say something when the water spirit turtle, which had been patrolling vigilantly, suddenly stopped.

It suddenly raised its head, its big, round eyes wide open, staring intently into the dark depths of the dense forest ahead.

"There is a situation!"

Upon seeing the Water Spirit Turtle's reaction, Wang Ze's expression changed. He grabbed Yuan Xiong, and the two quickly slipped behind a massive ancient tree that would require several people to encircle. They held their breath and concealed themselves.

For a moment, the night was quiet, the moonlight shimmered, and the only sounds around were heavy breathing.

Whoosh-!
The next moment, a dazzling green streak of light swept past the tree in front of them at a speed too fast for the eye to see.

Where the light passed, it left a fresh, vibrant trace in the air.

"It's it! The little green deer that can fly during the day!" Yuan Xiong exclaimed, his eyes filled with surprise.

After the green deer chased away the ferocious clawed bear, the two were about to take out the pet food they had specially prepared to express their gratitude, but the little guy just glanced at them indifferently and then turned and flew away.

At this moment, Wang Ze also recognized this unique stream of light and was about to call out when a sudden change occurred.

Click!Click!
Suddenly, a series of rapid, loud sounds of branches being trampled and broken came from behind, tearing the tranquility of the night apart.

A cold, ethereal figure moved swiftly through the tall trees, each leap landing lightly on a thick branch, making almost no sound.

Upon closer inspection, the pet was tall and agile, its entire body covered in short, translucent white fur that reflected a cold, eerie light in the dim moonlight.

Most striking are its pair of enormous canines protruding from its upper jaw, like sharp scimitars, which constantly gleam with a chilling light.

The two were pleasantly surprised to see the suddenly appearing pet. They swallowed their shouts and exchanged a glance with unreadable expressions.

This is an Ice-type Ice Crystal Blade Leopard, naturally born with the quality of a Leader.

Looking up, they saw the Ice Crystal Blade Leopard, like a silent white lightning bolt, leaping and bounding through the canopy, instantly surpassing the Azure Amber that had transformed into a stream of light, and appearing precisely on a high branch in front of the tree where the two were hiding.

Immediately afterwards, the Ice Crystal Blade Leopard lowered its eyes and looked forward, its emotionless blue diamond-like pupils fixed on the slightly flustered Qing Po.

At the same time, a purplish-black poisonous dust, shimmering with an eerie phosphorescence, seemed to come alive and spread from behind, cleverly blocking the paths Qingpo was trying to take.

The Illusionary Poison Butterfly fluttered its wings, which were covered with strange human face patterns, and silently hovered in mid-air.

In an instant, the Ice Crystal Blade Leopard and the Illusionary Poison Butterfly surrounded the green deer from the front and back.

Upon seeing this, Wang Ze frowned, his eyes filled with deep confusion.

How could these two completely unrelated pets attack the green deer together?
Yuan Xiong's eyes widened, and with his fiery temper, he clenched his fists, ready to lead his rock-armored giant snail out of its hiding place to help the green deer.

But Wang Ze suddenly reached out and grabbed Yuan Xiong's clothes, shook his head, and signaled the latter not to make any rash moves for the time being.

Yuan Xiong first glanced at Wang Ze, whose expression was resolute, then looked up at the green deer that was surrounded. A struggle flashed in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and continued to hide in the shadows.

"Hoohoho!"

At that moment, a series of deafening roars suddenly erupted, shattering the tranquility of the night.

Countless birds were startled and flew away, their fluttering wings shattering the bright moonlight.

The two immediately turned their heads in the direction from which the roar came, and soon saw a group of bloodshot-eyed beasts roaring wildly, fiercely fighting with a group of wounded Star Moon Deer.

Their relentless, death-defying attitude, completely disregarding their injuries, sent chills down their spines.

What exactly is going on?

Is this still the Qinling Mountains?

In an instant, their minds were churning with thoughts due to the sudden turn of events, and a series of doubts arose one after another.

Before they could think any further, the Ice Crystal Blade Leopard and the Illusion Poison Butterfly pressed forward relentlessly, and the group of Star Moon Deer were forced to retreat under the frenzied attacks of the frenzied beasts, suffering heavy injuries.

"No, we have to help."

Yuan Xiong's clenched fists cracked, his face showing no fear, but rather extreme anger at the scene before him.

The next moment, he turned to look at Wang Ze, who happened to be looking at him as well. Their eyes met, and they nodded at the same time.

They have to do something.

Wang Zefei looked around and quickly analyzed the current situation: "These Star Moon Deer should be helping this little green deer. We need to help them defeat those strangely behaving pet beasts first."

Yuan Xiong stared wide-eyed, his voice rough: "If you ask me, why don't we just defeat the Ice Crystal Blade Leopard and the Illusionary Poison Butterfly directly?"

Wang Ze glanced at Yuan Xiong indifferently and said, "If the teacher finds out, he will definitely criticize you for not paying attention in class. The Illusionary Poison Butterfly is a Star-quality pet beast. It would be difficult for us to deal with it even if we joined forces, not to mention there is also an Ice Crystal Blade Leopard that is eyeing us covetously."

Yuan Xiong immediately fell silent, then muttered, "Alright, let's do it your way."

Then, he looked at the green deer and whispered, "You little guy, you'd better hold on. I'll come and rescue you after I've dealt with them."

"Hey, you rescued us during the day, and we'll rescue you at night, so we're even."

The next moment, the two strode out of their hiding place and simultaneously commanded their respective pets to launch an attack.

The Water Spirit Turtle let out a low groan, and water vapor condensed around its body. A semi-transparent blue water shield suddenly appeared in front of a Star Moon Deer that was exhausted, helping to block the claws of a mad beast.

The Rock Armored Giant Snail opened its mouth and spewed out a series of scorching sparks. The flames surged and were powerful, suddenly tearing through the night and striking a crazed pet beast with bloodshot eyes.

Although Yuan Xiong and Wang Ze were only minor figures in the vast Yunhua Beast Taming Academy, outside of it, they were the envy of countless beast tamers as powerful figures from the academy.

The sudden reinforcements invigorated the Star Moon Deer, who, despite their exhaustion, struggled to their feet and rejoined the fierce battle.

The melee resumed, the sounds were deafening, and two flying beasts shrouded in the darkness of night suddenly tore through the sky, approached Qingpo, and looked down.

A gentle breeze ruffled Wen Die's long hair. She squinted her eyes, enjoying the moment, before noticing the two beast tamers and their pets who had suddenly appeared. She curled her lip and casually spat out the chewing gum she was holding: "Tsk, and two idiots who want to be heroes."

Leng Yi completely ignored this little incident, his entire gaze fixed on Qing Po, who was trying to find an opportunity to break through.

Wen Die knew what was important, so she ignored the two mediocre beast tamers and focused on directing the Illusionary Poison Demon Butterfly to launch a fierce attack, continuously compressing Qing Po's movement space.

"Roar!"

The Ice Crystal Blade Leopard and the Illusionary Poison Butterfly launched a fierce attack from the front and back at the same time, but Qing Po, who was in the middle, was not flustered. His crystal-clear antlers suddenly bloomed with emerald green light, and then a surge of life energy spread outward from his body.

A gust of air blew, and a verdant energy barrier appeared, enveloping and protecting Qingpo from the attacks of the two powerful pet beasts.

Bang bang bang!
With a deafening explosion, the energy barrier shook violently, and within moments, spiderweb-like cracks appeared.

Seeing this, Wen Die gradually showed an interesting smile on her face and sighed, "As expected of the pet that the organization went to great lengths to obtain, even after we targeted it and weakened its condition, it was still able to resist for so long."

She paused briefly, tossed her long purple hair, and smiled faintly: "Interesting."

boom!
Under the relentless attacks, the energy barrier surrounding Qingpo shattered like a bubble, and Qingpo once again transformed into a stream of green light, attempting to fly away.

However, the earth-shattering commotion had already alerted countless indigenous people hiding in the darkness.

A fluffy snow squirrel peeked its little head out from a high tree hole, nervously watching the chaotic battlefield below.

It saw the little green deer that had healed its wounds with green light, and the Star Moon Deer that were being fiercely attacked by the crazed pets. Its little eyes widened, its tiny paws waved wildly, and it angrily let out a shrill cry: "Sizzle!"

It hesitated for a few seconds, then finally mustered its courage and hurled its biggest and hardest pine cone, which it had treasured for so long, at a crazed black flame hound that was pouncing on the star-moon deer!
Boom!
The pine cone flew in a perfect parabola through the air, hitting the Black Flame Dog's nose precisely from a great distance.

"Zizi!"

The snow squirrel excitedly jumped a few times on the branch, letting out a triumphant cry.

The cries were like a bugle call to charge, and one cry after another followed.

call!
A bellbird with a wingspan of nearly one meter and feathers as sharp as knives silently flew out from the pitch-black night. It let out a sharp cry, its wings flapping violently, whipping up several sharp wind blades, which slashed fiercely at the Thunder Shadow Leopard that was trying to ambush a Star Moon Deer.

"Hmph!"

A large, robust Frostboar with protruding tusks roared out of the bushes. With its head down, it smashed through two crazed pets blocking its way like a runaway mini-tank, protecting several injured Starmoon Deer.

Whoosh!
A slender, ice-blue figure silently appeared on a tree branch. The Ice Fox opened its mouth and exhaled a cold breath, precisely freezing a pet beast that had gone mad.

More and more wild pet animals are emerging from the darkness, appearing from their hiding places such as tree holes, nests, rock crevices, and pools of water.

They may not be strong individually, but at this moment they joined the fierce melee without hesitation, using their own methods, such as ramming, pecking, scratching, or releasing weak STAB skills, to fiercely attack those frenzied invaders!
The pressure on the Star Moon Deer herd, Yuan Xiong, and Wang Ze, who were originally struggling to cope with the frenzied attacks of the crazed pet beasts and on the verge of collapse, suddenly eased.

"This is this"

Yuan Xiong stared blankly at the large group of wild pets that had suddenly appeared before him, completely bewildered.

what on earth is it?

A chaotic battle between pets in the Qinling Mountains?
Wang Ze leaned against a tree trunk, panting heavily. He looked at the wild beasts that had bravely joined the battle, his eyes filled with disbelief, shock, and excitement.

Before he could think about the reasons, he quickly composed himself, turned to look at Yuan Xiong, and roared, "Forget everything else, keep fighting!"

With the support of these pet beasts, the battle situation instantly turned around. Although the frenzied pet beasts felt no pain, their fierce offensive was forcibly contained by their increased numbers and well-coordinated counterattack, and they were even forced to retreat step by step.

Wen Die, who had been observing coldly, finally frowned, a hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes: "A bunch of annoying bugs!"

With a slight flick of her finger, the Illusionary Poison Butterfly hovering in the air immediately understood, and its alluring wings began to vibrate rapidly in a peculiar rhythm.

The Dance of Poison and Enchantment!

The next moment, a sweet, cloying aroma with a strong hallucinogenic effect, mixed with deadly phosphorus powder, swept towards the group of wild beasts like waves.

The first few bellbirds and frost-cold pigs to be hit instantly became sluggish and stiff, their eyes glazed over, and they staggered a few times before collapsing to the ground with mournful cries, their bodies twitching slightly.

Seeing this scene, Qingpo, who was trying to find an opportunity to break through, was instantly filled with unbearable sorrow.

Without any hesitation, it immediately changed direction, transformed into a green light, and flew back to the fallen pets.

Immediately afterwards, Qingpo lowered its head, and its crystal-clear antlers once again radiated a warm glow of life. The emerald green light gently shone down, trying to dispel the toxins and heal the injuries of these pets.

When Wen Die saw that Qing Po had turned back again, a cold, smug smile appeared on her lips: "Fine, saves us the trouble of chasing after you."

The Ice Crystal Blade Leopard silently leaped down from the high branch, flanking Qing Po from the left and right with the Illusion Poison Butterfly, completely blocking Qing Po's retreat.

The frenzied beasts that had been driven back roared wildly once more, regrouped, and launched a second, even more ferocious attack.

After a long and arduous battle, the Star Moon Deer were exhausted and collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain, unable to rise again to fight. Yuan Xiong and Wang Ze's pets were also covered in wounds, panting heavily, and almost completely drained of energy.

"Don't these pet beasts have stamina bars?!" Yuan Xiong looked at the raging beasts that surged forward again, his face full of doubt and uncertainty.

The patterned butterfly calmly observed the completely surrounded Qingpo and its defenseless protectors, stretching lazily as it spoke with a mocking tone:

"Don't waste your energy, little cutie. Just come with us. You don't want to see these little ones get hurt because of you."

Her gaze swept over the wild beasts that were being healed by Qingpo but were still weak, and her voice rang out softly: "Won't you suffer even more serious injuries?"

Qingpo looked up and around—the exhausted Star Moon Deer, the wounded Rock Armor Giant Snail and Water Spirit Turtle, and the wild pets struggling to get up to protect it but unable to do so.

Its clear eyes were filled with pain and struggle, and the life force flowing around it seemed to have dimmed. It slowly lowered its head, as if falling into silence.

Wendie watched Qingpo's every move, then suddenly laughed and said, "How about we play a game and see if you can escape faster, or if they fall down faster?"

Upon hearing this, Qingpo lowered his head even further.

But the next moment, a gust of wind howled from the horizon, whipping Wendie's long purple hair into a flutter. She instinctively looked up, and a calm voice suddenly pierced through the wind, clearly reaching her ears:

"How about we play this game and see if you can escape faster, or if your pets fall down faster?"

At the very instant the sound rang out, a dazzling streak of light tore through the distant night sky without warning.

This streak of light was initially just a tiny, almost imperceptible point of light, but within a single breath it stretched and expanded wildly, as if traversing space, instantly occupying most of the field of vision.

Wherever it passed, the air was violently pushed aside, emitting a piercing shriek, and the violent airflow that swept out pressed down the branches and leaves of the trees below.

The target of this streak of light was crystal clear—it was aimed directly at the Ice Crystal Blade Leopard, which was about to launch a fatal attack on Qingpo.

The man in cold clothes, who had remained silent until now, suddenly changed his expression. His pupils contracted to dangerously small pinpoints. A strong sense of crisis washed over him like ice water, and he issued the command almost without thinking: "Get out of the way!"

The Ice Crystal Blade Leopard's fighting instincts are extremely strong. The moment the Beastmaster's voice rang in its mind, its entire body of gleaming white fur bristled.

With his limbs taut to the limit and ice crystals spreading beneath his feet, he was about to leap to the side and back with all his might, but his eyes, like blue diamonds, reflected the deathly light that filled his entire field of vision, and his hair was swept wildly by the gale.

The speed of this streak of light completely exceeded its reaction limit. Just as it exerted force to push off the ground, darkness had already swallowed all its vision, and a howling wind rushed towards every part of its body.

boom! ! ! !

A deafeningly loud, muffled impact suddenly rang out.

The Ice Crystal Blade Leopard didn't even have time to let out a mournful cry before it felt an incomparably violent force surge through its entire body like a flash flood.

Immediately afterwards, its body was struck head-on by a heavy truck traveling at full speed, flying backward uncontrollably, breaking three trees as thick as bowls in succession, and finally crashing heavily onto a huge rock, the surface of which was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks.

"Roar"

The Ice Crystal Blade Leopard collapsed amidst the rubble, struggling to stand, but could only vomit blood mixed with ice shards. Its limbs convulsed violently, and its cold blue eyes were filled with pain and disbelief before it lost its ability to fight.

This sudden change brought a moment of deathly silence to the entire battlefield.

Leng Yi could no longer maintain his icy expression. His pupils trembled violently, his mouth opened slightly, and he staggered forward almost in a loss of composure. He stared intently at his ace pet, which had been instantly killed, his face full of incomprehension.

His huge pet animal just lay down like that?
The playfulness and ease on Wendie's face vanished instantly. She abruptly turned to look at the Ice Crystal Blade Leopard lying motionless on the ground, her eyes gradually changing: "This speed, this power."

At that moment, the violent airflow and ear-piercing sonic boom caused by the [Vortex Assault] slowly subsided, and amidst the swirling dust and scattered energy fragments, a tall figure slowly solidified.

Cola walked proudly through the air, surrounded by lingering breezes that still hadn't completely dissipated, causing its fluffy fur to fly backward.

It slightly raised its chin, its azure eyes burning with excitement and fighting spirit. A grin spread across its mouth, revealing an arrogant expression full of provocation, as it looked down at the patterned butterfly and the cold-clothed figure in front of it: "Awooo!"

Finally, it's my turn, Cola, to show my prowess!

Upon seeing Cola appear, Wendie's lips curled into a slight smile. She shrugged, as if she had expected it:
"See? The man the leader warned us to be careful of has really appeared."

(End of this chapter)