5: Chapter 5, First Crisis

"Everyone, listen up! Start building the camp immediately!"

Wang Sheng's voice echoed throughout Mist Valley, the golden rune in his palm flickering slightly.

Almost simultaneously, Shen Xun'er clapped her hands—a gesture that had conditioned the entire class of girls into silence for four years, and one that remained effective even in this savage world.

Sixty-two pairs of eyes turned to look at her in unison. Her voice was steady and clear: "Murong Xue, Xiao Yuqing, take the sports group to clear the valley entrance. Use boulders and thick logs to set up a roadblock."

"Su Mengyao, see if you can use the nearby vines to weave a perimeter wall. Qin Luoxi, set up a simple warning signal at the entrance."

"Hua Jieyu, organize the cave into a medical station. Everyone else, come with me to set up the tents. Move quickly!"

No one questioned her. Fear was the best mobilization order; the lingering power of Wang Sheng's golden light and Holy Light Slash made everyone instinctively choose to obey.

Murong Xue and Xiao Yuqing led the sports group to transport the boulders. Stones that would have required three or four strong men to move back on Earth could be carried by just two people here; the crossing had enhanced everyone's physical capabilities.

Murong Xue's brown ponytail swung crisply. Her long, toned arms tensed, muscles defined, and though her windbreaker was torn by thorns in several places, she remained as sharp and spirited as a blade unsheathed.

Su Mengyao crouched beneath the rock wall, her emerald-green hair hanging down, as she pressed her palm against the soil and tentatively injected her intent.

Several spirit vines, as thick as an arm, emerged from the crevices, growing rapidly to interweave into a vine wall at the valley entrance.

She opened her eyes, the corners of her mouth curling into a gentle arc. Her full, soft figure crouched amidst the vines, looking like a painting of a nature goddess.

Qin Luoxi drew patterns on the muddy ground at the valley entrance. The lines seemed to well up directly from her mind, her fingers tracing them automatically.

When the patterns were completed, they emitted a pale blue light before sinking into the ground. A look of confusion crossed her classical profile: "If something crosses this line, the patterns will glow to sound an alarm... I don't even know how I managed to do that."

Shen Xun'er organized the logistics team to set up tents, while Hua Jieyu tidied the cave into a medical station, her almond-shaped eyes smiling with dimples flickering in and out of view.

Everyone was busy; no one stopped.

But the savage world would not give anyone time to catch their breath.

The sun set in the west, the purple-red sky turning dark, and the two suns—one red, one blue—slowly descended toward the western mountains.

The fluorescent grassland lit up one by one, and the Lingxi River shimmered with a faint, ghostly blue light.

Just as the last ray of sunlight vanished, pairs of green eyes lit up in the forest across the Lingxi River.

Wang Sheng noticed it first. Standing by the roadblock at the valley entrance, the hairs on his body stood on end instantly; the instincts of a Holy Light Warrior sensed danger before his conscious mind did.

The golden rune in his palm pulsed violently.

"Everyone, retreat to the center of the camp! Murong Xue, battle group, come to the valley entrance!"

Before the words left his mouth, three black shadows shot out from the edge of the forest!

Their iron-gray armored skin gleamed with a cold metallic luster in the dim light, their backs rising high like iron plates, and their fangs like daggers—Iron-Backed Wolves!

They were the size of calves, weighing three or four hundred jin, with pure killing intent and hunger in their dark red eyes.

It wasn't three. It was nine. In teams of three, they lunged toward the valley entrance simultaneously from the left, center, and right!

The front-row roadblock was smashed open by the first Iron-Backed Wolf, the sound of thick logs snapping piercingly loud.

The spirit vine wall was torn open, and pale green sap spilled out. The girls' screams rose and fell; the Savage Beasts radiated the fierce pressure of apex predators, causing everyone to tremble instinctively.

Wang Sheng stepped forward, blocking the very center of the valley entrance.

The first Iron-Backed Wolf lunged at him, its fangs half a meter from his throat. He clenched his right fist suddenly, the golden rune in his palm exploding, and Holy Light gushed from between his fingers, wrapping his entire fist in scorching golden flames!

One punch!

"Bang!"

The golden fist imprint slammed into the Iron-Backed Wolf's forehead. Its iron-gray armored skin was pierced through like paper, and its massive body flew backward three meters, snapping a small tree before its limbs twitched and it stopped moving.

The entire scene froze.

The second Iron-Backed Wolf hadn't even had time to react when Wang Sheng had already sidestepped the third one's pounce.

His left hand condensed a golden Shield of Light to block the fangs from the side, while his right hand slashed horizontally—Holy Light Slash!

The golden crescent blade of light precisely struck the second wolf's neck. Its carapace shattered, and the Iron-Backed Wolf howled as it toppled over.

But he didn't have time to think; six more Iron-Backed Wolves were breaking through the gaps in the spirit vine wall from the flanks, charging toward the girls!

Murong Xue was the first to meet them, grabbing a broken piece of wood as silver armor materialized out of thin air at the critical moment.

Gripping the wood with both hands and putting force into her waist, her full, toned body traced a fierce arc as she smashed the club into the Iron-Backed Wolf's waist!

"Crack!"

The wood shattered, and the Iron-Backed Wolf was knocked off course, hitting the rock wall, yet it struggled to its feet, its dark red eyes filled with fury.

Murong Xue's hand was split and bleeding, but she didn't retreat. Her right hand condensed a translucent spear of Holy Light; her primary profession skill had been triggered at this life-or-death moment.

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun stood on the high ground in the back, her silvery-white hair fluttering in the night breeze. Her body trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the uncontrollable power surging within her.

An Iron-Backed Wolf charged toward her, and she suddenly extended both hands, ice-blue light gushing from her palms!

A Frost Ray struck the Iron-Backed Wolf's front leg, and ice crystals grew wildly from the joints, freezing it into an ice sculpture in three seconds.

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun was stunned. She looked down at her hands; the ice-blue light had faded, but a bone-chilling cold remained in her palms, and the sense of power was clear—it was definitely not an illusion.

Shock flashed through her ice-blue pupils: "I... I can do this too...?"

Zhao Linger was crouching in the center of the camp. When an Iron-Backed Wolf crossed the defensive line and charged, her scream suddenly changed pitch, carrying a strange frequency, and the sound waves spread out as tangible ripples.

The Iron-Backed Wolf stopped abruptly, shaking its head in pain, its movements clearly slowed.

Zhao Linger covered her mouth, her large, watery eyes wide with disbelief, her baby face filled with astonishment. Her slender waist was slightly bent from tension, and the rounded, full curves beneath her cropped sweatshirt were particularly conspicuous under the glow of the fluorescent grassland.

Wang Sheng had already caught up, using Holy Light Slash with his left fist and Shield of Light with his right, killing two Iron-Backed Wolves slowed by the sound waves within three steps.

The last one tried to flee, but Murong Xue's Holy Light spear pierced into the weak spot of its carapace under the armpit from the side, the tip of the spear running it through.

The battle ended.

Mist Valley was deathly silent. The fluorescent grassland illuminated the nine Iron-Backed Wolf carcasses, and the air was filled with the scent of blood and something scorched.

Shen Xun'er ran out from the center of the camp, her jet-black hair disheveled, her almond eyes filled with anxiety.

She ran toward Wang Sheng but tripped over some loose stones, her knees hitting the ground hard. The skin on her fair, slender lower leg was broken, and bright red beads of blood seeped out.

Wang Sheng covered the distance in two strides and crouched before her, silently extending his right hand to cover her knee. The golden rune in his palm lit up, and gentle Holy Light seeped from between his fingers. Healing Light.

He hadn't used it intentionally; that power welled up naturally, as instinctive as breathing.

The golden light swirled over her knee, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, returning to perfect condition in less than five seconds, not even leaving a trace of a scar.

Shen Xun'er widened her eyes, looking at her knee, then looked up at Wang Sheng. Her almond eyes reflected his face, the faint light still dissipating from his palm, and the clear radiance of the twin moons in the night sky, her eyes rimmed with red.

"Don't cry," Wang Sheng said softly, wiping the corner of her eye with his thumb.

"I'm not crying," Shen Xun'er sniffled, though the corners of her mouth curled up.

She grasped Wang Sheng's hand, which was still resting on her knee, interlacing their fingers, their palm temperatures blending together.

A system notification rang in his mind: "Ding! Killed Iron-Backed Wolf ×9, obtained Tribe Contribution Points ×90, Savage Beast Core ×9 (Low Grade)."

Wang Sheng stood up and surveyed his surroundings. Sixty-two girls were standing or sitting; some were still trembling, some were hugging their knees, but everyone was alive—no one had died.

Fear was still present, but something else had begun to grow within that fear.

The way all the girls looked at Wang Sheng had changed: with awe, belonging, and peace of mind. He was the only light in the darkness, the only person in this savage world who could protect them.

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun sat alone by the stream, her silvery-white hair hanging down, her ice-blue eyes lowered as she looked at her hands.

Wang Sheng walked over and sat down, remaining silent for a moment: "Your Frost Power has awakened. It's very strong."

Frost Mage Lin Shiyun tilted her head slightly to look at him. Her ice-blue pupils looked like two pieces of crushed ice in the faint light of the stream, but underneath the crushed ice, something seemed to be melting.

In the end, she only said one sentence: "Your light... is very warm."

She stood up and walked away, her silvery-white hair tracing a cold arc. The stunning curves between her waist and hips were exceptionally clear under the glow of the fluorescent grassland; beneath her cold exterior, she hid an unknown warmth.

Wang Sheng was taken aback. The ice queen had said something warm?

The night deepened. The Savage Beast carcasses were moved to the perimeter of the valley entrance, and the nine dark red Savage Beast Cores were put away.

Wang Sheng sat by the campfire, staring at the flames, lost in thought. Shen Xun'er leaned quietly against his shoulder, Murong Xue stood guard at the valley entrance, Su Mengyao repaired the spirit vine wall, and Zhao Linger occasionally poked her head out of the tent to glance at him before retreating, feeling at ease.

Just when he thought he could finally rest for the night, "Ding!"

The system notification was more solemn than any time before: "The profession awakening for all members is about to be triggered. Please have all tribespeople mentally prepared."

Wang Sheng looked up abruptly, gazing at the sixty-two figures, some asleep and some awake, beside the campfire.

The water of the Lingxi River gurgled, the clear radiance of the twin moons bathed the valley floor, and the faint light of the fluorescent grassland pulsed in the night, like the heartbeat of the earth.

He stood up and walked to the center of the camp, his voice not loud but clear: "Tomorrow, everyone will gain power. When that time comes, we will no longer be prey waiting to be hunted by Savage Beasts."

The campfire reflected on his face, the golden rune in his palm flickering slightly. "We are the hunters."