34: Area 7

"Exactly, just like you... oh no, just like Higgs the Blood Controller," Ash Leaf nodded.

"If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have mistaken you for someone else back then, would we?"

The large orc quickly chimed in; he was the one who had started the misunderstanding by speaking up first.

"Tell me quickly, what is a 'Prefabricated Academy Robe'?" Ronan asked with urgency.

He felt he was finally about to learn why certain strangers treated him with such deference.

"You're asking me?" The Grey Elf was taken aback.

"Who else?" Ronan felt a strange sense of familiarity with this scene. "Is it something I can't ask?"

"Testing me again?" The corners of Ash Leaf's mouth curled up; she remembered where this conversation had happened before.

"Test, test, just tell me everything you know."

..."So impatient. You can't pick up girls without patience..." Savage Stone shook his head, looking like a disappointed mentor.

Ever since the two dwarves met, it was as if a silence spell had been cast around them; they were lost in their own whispers, completely ignoring everyone else.

And since Ash Leaf was always with Ronan... this left two idle members from both squads with nothing to do.

"Patience? It's all about the character model being top-tier, don't you get it?"

The scrawny Drill Mouse sat on Savage Stone's broad shoulders. The two of them gestured and gossiped about Ronan and Ash Leaf, needing only a handful of melon seeds to complete the picture... "Actually, I don't know much either..." Ash Leaf leaned toward Ronan's ear.

"There is a group of people in the Arcane Arts Society who hold extremely high status. They are mostly young, and their strength varies greatly."

"The strong ones, like Higgs the Blood Controller, can take on an entire squad alone. The weak ones are no different from ordinary people..."

"But they all have one thing in common—they are all Mages."

"Their attire is also very uniform. I only found out by chance that they call them Prefabricated Academy Robes..."

At this point, she looked down at the magic robe on Ronan. "The robe you're wearing looks very similar."

"What academy?" He didn't recall any faction called an academy in Moonless City.

"How should I know?" Ash Leaf shrugged.

"Maybe it's a training institution for you Mages."

"Us Mages? Aren't you one too?"

Ronan was confused. Her magic was a bit unconventional, but it was still magic.

"..." Ash Leaf seemed to realize she had misspoken and fell silent.

Most of the squads in the square had already finished collecting their number cards.

Different numbers represented different areas. With Moonless City as the center, smaller numbers were closer to the city, while larger numbers were further away.

The number Ronan received was 7, which was basically on the outskirts of Moonless City.

This was a number Viscount Roland had specifically given him.

The Viscount hadn't even looked at the cards when others took theirs, but when it was Ronan's turn, he had specifically picked this one out for him.

The Viscount had originally wanted to find the largest number, as further from Moonless City meant higher danger.

Unfortunately, under the butler's watchful gaze, he didn't dare make it too obvious, so he changed his strategy and chose one of the smallest numbers.

Clearly, the Viscount felt there was no valuable intelligence to be found near Moonless City.

Since he couldn't send Ronan to a dangerous area, he would give him an area where there was nothing to find, at least preventing him from making any money.

On the contrary, Ash Leaf's squad received a large number, 82. It seemed the three of them were heading to a remote area for their 'team building'.

Ash Leaf strongly suspected that the clown handing out the cards had targeted them as well simply because she knew Ronan.

After the two squads bid each other farewell, Ronan's trio rushed toward the designated Area 7.

"Captain, our number is so low, we shouldn't be far from Moonless City, right?"

As Drill Mouse walked along, he realized they were essentially moving from one safe zone to another.

As long as one didn't enter the Monster Forest, the surroundings of Moonless City were considered safe zones.

"Our destination is right on the edge of Moonless City; we'll only be near the outer perimeter of the Monster Forest while passing through."

Ronan flipped the card over to show them; the back of the card depicted the general layout of Area 7.

The three were heading there directly from the manor. Since their path was cut off by a river in the middle, they would briefly pass through the outer perimeter of the Monster Forest.

"Dammit, why is it only Number 7?"

Evil Axe complained; he had only just learned the specific number they had drawn.

Hearing this, Ronan and Drill Mouse both looked toward him.

"What?" Seeing their gazes, Evil Axe asked blankly.

"Boss, you're back to normal?" Drill Mouse said with a look of pleasant surprise.

Immediately, his head was met with a punch.

"When the hell was I not normal?" Evil Axe cursed.

"He really is back to normal! Captain, look!" Drill Mouse exclaimed.

His figure suddenly vanished, then reappeared in another position.

He had successfully dodged Evil Axe's second punch.

Ronan nodded with a smile and quietly spread out his Spiritual Power net.

He had always been curious about Drill Mouse's teleportation-like skill and took this opportunity to observe it.

Because his Spiritual Power had increased significantly, the range and strength of his Spiritual Power net had undergone a qualitative change.

Even though they hadn't entered the outer perimeter of the Monster Forest yet, the nearby area was already within the coverage of his Spiritual Power net.

Huh?

Through the perception of his Spiritual Power net, Ronan unexpectedly discovered a strange figure hidden behind a tree.

"On alert."

He quickly warned Evil Axe and Drill Mouse, his gaze fixed on where the figure was.

Both Evil Axe and Drill Mouse were startled and immediately entered a combat stance.

Evil Axe drew his short axe instantly, while Drill Mouse gripped his new dagger in a reverse hold, his entire being vanishing into thin air.

This time, Ronan clearly saw the entire process of Drill Mouse's skill.

It turned out that Drill Mouse's skill wasn't teleportation, but invisibility combined with a short-distance dash.

By now, he was already following Ronan's gaze, using his invisibility and dash to rapidly close in on the target.

Unexpectedly, the strange figure behind the tree seemed able to see Drill Mouse's approach. With a movement of its feet—

After several leaps, it disappeared into the depths of the Monster Forest.

Drill Mouse revealed himself, sniffed around, and walked to the tree where the figure had been.

"Let's go take a look." Ronan motioned for Evil Axe to follow. "Stay alert to our surroundings."

Evil Axe nodded, his eyes scanning the depths of the Monster Forest.

"Captain, you could spot someone from that far away." Drill Mouse couldn't help but marvel, giving a thumbs up.

"You're not bad yourself; your nose is quite sharp," Ronan replied with some mutual praise.

"That guy... the smell was too pungent... look at this place."

Drill Mouse rounded the tree and pointed to a spot on the trunk.

The bark in that area was charred black, as if it had been corroded by some kind of solution.

"Who would hide here and attack tree bark for fun?" Drill Mouse voiced his doubt.

"I'm afraid the other party didn't 'attack' the bark..." Ronan observed the charred bark closely.

"The corrosion started spreading from two contact points. There's no pit from an impact, and considering the shape of the contact points and their proximity..."

He pondered for a moment before giving his judgment.

"This looks more like two fingers accidentally touching the bark, and the corrosive power left behind on the bark caused this."

"In other words... the party's physical body itself might carry corrosive power."

Hearing this, Drill Mouse looked horrified. "Holy crap! Where did a Poison Man come from?!"

"No..."

"Captain, you mean this guy isn't a Poison Man?"

"I mean, it might not even be human."