145: Chapter 0145 Going to Reconnoiter

The cold light of the rune lamp cast dappled shadows on the two figures. Li Size's fingertips slid down the shoulder line of Gelia's uniform, stopping on her slightly trembling back.

He could feel the rapid beat of her heart in her chest, like an unstable Demonic Energy core in the Laboratory.

"Relax a little," he whispered in her ear, his breath brushing past her earlobe, "I'm here."

Gelia's body gradually went limp, her head leaning against his shoulder, her breathing slowly becoming steady. Only her fingertips still clung tightly to his work pants.

The furnace in the Laboratory was still humming softly. The minty scent of the Mental Energy potion mixed with the cedar fragrance from her hair, weaving an ambiguous net in the air.

Li Size gently stroked her long hair, tucking stray strands behind her ear. His fingertip accidentally brushed against her earlobe. Her body shivered slightly, but she did not pull away.

The night outside deepened. The gentle glow of the rune lamp enveloped the two of them, as if isolating this moment of tenderness from the clamor of the outside world.

After a long while, Gelia, who had regained her composure, spoke about the matter with much more calmness.

"I know your unmanned reconnaissance drone just finished mapping the Monte Province. Can you use it to help us scout the forest?

Find a path with fewer Magic Monsters, and we'll advance step by step... I want to know what exactly happened in the forest. I've had a bad feeling recently."

Li Size's eyes instantly turned serious. He picked up the flying message from the table and infused it with Mental Energy:

"Felina, prepare the rest of our unmanned reconnaissance drones.

Gelia and I will go check out the forest in half an hour. She has made some unusual discoveries."

He turned to look at Gelia, his fingertip tracing the collar of her uniform: "Don't worry, I'm here."

The forest in the morning was shrouded in mist. The branches of the towering ancient trees intertwined like giant pythons, and the moss-covered ground emitted the damp smell of humus.

The propeller of the unmanned reconnaissance drone emitted a faint hum as it shuttled between the treetops.

The screen displayed real-time footage:

Shadow Claw Wolf footprints were densely distributed on the left, while the tracks of the Poison Vine Snake on the right were much sparser.

The drone's lens suddenly zoomed in, and Li Size's pupils constricted.

It was a serpentine Magic Monster he had never seen before:

Its body was dark ink-green, and its scales were covered with purple, vine-like demonic patterns, allowing it to blend almost perfectly with the tree trunk under the cover of the moss.

On its triangular head, the amber vertical pupils emitted a cold light. As its forked tongue flickered in and out, the venom dripping from its tip corroded small pits into the fallen leaves.

Its innate abilities were clearly camouflage and poison:

Its body could mimic the texture and oscillation frequency of vines, and its venom contained Demonic Energy components that paralyzed the nerves. Prey entangled by it would lose the ability to move within three seconds.

Li Size quickly recorded it on his terminal:

"Poison Vine Snake, Zero Ring mid-level Magic Monster. Extremely strong camouflage ability, venom has neuroparalytic effects. Must approach with caution regarding concealment."

Gelia held Li Size's hand. Her crimson uniform was particularly conspicuous in the green forest:

"Let's go forward from the right side, where there are fewer Magic Monsters."

Her boot soles crushed dry branches, making crisp sounds, and the pistol at her waist swayed slightly with her steps.

When they advanced fifty kilometers, they encountered the first wave of Magic Monsters: low-level Zero Ring Shadow Claw Wolves. Their fur was like ink, and their sharp claws flashed with a faint glow, but they only stared at them from a distance without attacking.

Li Size noticed a neat wound on the leg of a wolf cub, as if it had been cut by a sharp blade:

"These Magic Monsters were driven here."

Continuing deeper, mid-level Zero Ring Poison Vine Snakes hung down from the trees, their bodies covered with purple toxic patterns, but they only spat their tongues symbolically. Their scales showed signs of being burned.

Gelia drew her pistol, and the bullet, carrying faint blue Demonic Energy, struck the snake's body:

"Their desire to attack is very low, it's like they are fleeing."

When they reached one hundred kilometers, a high-level Zero Ring Flame-Tailed Bear appeared in their view.

Its fur burned with orange flames, and the sound of its paw crushing rocks was deafening.

Yet, it was only running toward the depths of the forest, with a wound on its back so deep the bone was visible, the edges bearing the mark of a rune.

Li Size's pupils constricted: "This is an imprint left by a Wizard!"

This Flame-Tailed Bear was nearly three meters tall, with shoulders almost two meters wide. The muscles beneath its fluffy brown fur bulged like rocks.

Every hair tip pulsed with orange flame particles. When it ran, the flames trailed into half-meter-long light ribbons, scorching black hoof prints onto the mossy ground.

Its paws were larger than millstones, the tips of its claws gleaming with a metallic luster, sending sparks flying when it crushed rocks.

Its tail was like a burning whip, the flame at the end gathered into a sphere, emitting a sharp whistle as it tore through the air when swung.

Its amber beast eyes were bloodshot, yet they showed terror.

It was clearly having its innate ferocity suppressed by the rune wound.

Li Size quickly compared it with the Magic Monster illustrations in his memory, recording with trembling fingertips:

"Flame-Tailed Bear, high-level Zero Ring Magic Monster.

Innate Abilities:

【Flame Armor】: Fur flames can burn those in contact, reducing physical defense by 30%.

【Fire Wave Smash】: Paw strike carries a flame shockwave with a range of five meters.

Passive 【Fire Bath】: Flame intensity increases by 50% when injured, but the rune wound seems to suppress this ability."

Gelia gripped Li Size's hand and reminded him:

"Be careful! Its flames can burn through steel plates!"

Li Size nodded and controlled the drone to raise its altitude...

In the lens, the runes on the Flame-Tailed Bear's back were emitting a faint golden light.

Black smoke emerged from the wound with every step it took; it was clearly being forcibly driven by a Restriction placed by a Wizard.

Just then, the unmanned reconnaissance drone suddenly issued an alarm. The screen displayed a massive shadow in the distance.

A Shadowy Giant Python was coiled on an ancient tree. Its body was as thick as a bowl, its scales smooth like obsidian, and its eyes flickered with dark red light.

Dark shadow energy coiled around its body, devouring the surrounding light. A chain of golden runes encircled it, as if it were a controlled slave.

Gelia's breathing grew rapid, and she squeezed Li Size's hand:

"This is a First Ring Formal-grade Magic Monster!

The illustration calls it a Shadowy Giant Python; it can devour the Mental Energy of a Formal Wizard."

Her fingertip traced her uniform's epaulet:

"All these Magic Monsters are coming from the direction of Feiting, and their wounds and runes... Someone is definitely driving them in the forest!"

This Shadowy Giant Python was fifteen meters long, its bowl-thick body coiled around an ancient tree that three people couldn't fully embrace. Every scale was as smooth as polished obsidian, emitting a deep, faint glow.

The dark shadow energy seeping from the gaps between the scales was like flowing ink, outlining twisted patterns in the morning mist.

Its head was triangular, its dark red vertical pupils devoid of any emotion, containing only pure killing intent.

As its forked tongue flickered, it carried a bone-chilling coldness. The shadow venom dripping from its tongue corroded fist-sized pits into the ground, causing the surrounding moss to instantly wither and blacken.