Chapter 2

A-rank Sentinel

Dark Street is the dark side of this planet, and any behavior is permitted here.

Moreover, this is one of the entrances to the outskirts of Dark Forest.

It will only become more chaotic.

Dark Forest is composed of dark matter; it does not truly exist anywhere in the star sea, yet because of the pass, it is everywhere.

Within it lie countless rare treasures, including items that can enhance a Sentinel's strength, as well as treasures that can boost a Guide's spiritual power and purification ability.

A Sentinel's strength and a Guide's purification ability are their foundation; their social status changes with their strength.

Therefore, this is a treasure trove that people flock to, but it is too dangerous, so many also call it the Golden Furnace.

The pass to enter Dark Forest is one of Fu Guang's goals this time.

And the shopkeeper is the guide she painstakingly selected.

Inside the tavern, broken tables and chairs are piled up, and the cleaning robot opens its mouth to devour them bit by bit.

The walls are smeared with multicolored marks, the bar counter glows with dim red light, and the shopkeeper's hidden chill surrounds Fu Guang.

Click click click.

"You say you want to go to Dark Forest?" the shopkeeper tapped a finger on the bar; the woman standing inside the room clashed with this chaotic scene.

Like a lamb that strayed into the forest.

The room fell silent; Fu Guang smiled faintly at the shopkeeper, whose question did not require her answer.

The shopkeeper pondered for a moment; taking people into Dark Forest is actually not troublesome, but this young lady would rather take a six‑month detour before voicing her request, which may be considerable.

She narrowed her eyes, looking down at the girl, idly thinking she might obtain a satisfactory price.

"Fine, speak up—how much are you willing to pay for the guide fee?"

"One b-rank star stone."

Hearing this, the shopkeeper's expression barely flickered; a b-rank star stone is hard to come by for her but not unobtainable, and it isn't enough to sway her.

Fu Guang smoothed her glove, her voice calm: "After success, there will also be a bottle of b-rank purification agent."

"Really?" the shopkeeper's eyes narrowed; a flash of sharp light burst in her pupils for an instant before retracting, and she fixed her gaze on Fu Guang's expression.

She stepped closer, voice tense yet low, asking: "Are b-rank potions all tightly controlled by the White Tower, reserved exclusively for the Military? Do you really have a way?"

When she mentioned the Military, her voice dropped to a near‑inaudible whisper.

b-rank Sentinels are the minimum standard for Military admission; that place is a paradise for the strong and a hell for the weak.

She walked up to Fu Guang; her 1.8‑meter frame cast a shadow that enveloped Fu Guang.

Fu Guang heard mention of the Military, a glint flashed in her blue eyes, and she replied in a low voice: "Of course—I would never deceive anyone."

"By then, won't we be able to tell real from fake right away?"

Seeing that Fu Guang's expression did not change under the B‑rank pressure, and unable to gauge her strength, the shopkeeper's tensed muscles relaxed.

She smiled slowly and said, "That's natural."

"When do we depart?" the shopkeeper asked, heart burning.

A single bottle of b-rank purification agent could buy the lives of many b-rank Sentinels; on the black market it fetches an astronomical price unimaginable for those Sentinels who need the agent.

She could forsake a c‑rank agent, but a b‑rank one is absolutely out of the question.

"The sooner, the better."

Outside, someone suddenly ran in, shouting, "Boss, that new Sentinel…"

Before he could finish speaking, the door was kicked open and fell over.

Where the door had been, a red-haired man stood, his recently retracted leg long and powerful, clad in black tactical boots.

Looking up, an exoskeleton mecha encased this unexpected visitor, though the mecha on his right arm was shattered, exposing a bloody wound.

Half of the man's face was covered by a purple visor, his red eyes hidden behind it, only his smooth jawline visible.

His gaze, as sharp as a leopard's, swept over the faces of those inside, then turned to the shopkeeper: "You're the one in charge here, shopkeeper?"

From the moment the man appeared, the shopkeeper's facial muscles tensed involuntarily—this isn't B-rank, it's A-rank!

The nerves in his brain suddenly tightened; under the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him, his voice trembled uncontrollably: "I am—may I ask what brings you here?"

In his peripheral vision, the shopkeeper noticed the young lady's spot; at some point, her face was covered with a silver-white mask, shielding her brows and eyes.

Fu Guang saw the sudden intruder, her pupils constricting; he was an A-rank on the verge of breaking through to S-rank, but his aura fluctuated, as if he were severely injured.

Noticing the shopkeeper's seemingly casual yet guarded stance, the newcomer curled the corner of his mouth, shifted his gaze to Fu Guang, and scanned her up and down.

He said, "Naturally, it's the same purpose as that lady's—the Dark Forest."

Li Shao aimed straight at the target, not wanting to waste time here.

High-ranking Sentinels have keen ears and eyes; surely he heard the just-concluded conversation, and any delaying words the shopkeeper had prepared would be hard to utter in an instant.

Fu Guang glanced at the Sentinel's arm wound, realizing that the blood from this A-rank's arm kept flowing, showing no sign of stopping.

You know, the higher a Sentinel's rank, the stronger its regenerative ability; Sentinels have always been called humanoid weapons.

An S-rank Sentinel can destroy a star; though an A-rank isn't that monstrous, it can still shatter half a star—on this C-rank planet, what kind of person could inflict such injury?

He must be an outsider; then whatever wounded him—is it pursuing him?

She didn't know, but her spirit tensed up.

"I don't have that much patience," the red-haired man summoned a flaming spear, and with a single-handed blast he destroyed the tavern, along with the heat weapons hidden behind the wall that had just been activated.

In an instant the tavern became a ruin; Li Shao's spear tip pointed straight at the shopkeeper's forehead, his red eyes glinting, his voice carrying a hint of unrestraint: "Watch your reply, or the next shot will blast your brains out."

The shopkeeper's forehead was blackened and reddened by the intense flames, and a smell of roasted meat spread.

Flames danced on the spear, and across the wreckage blossomed red lotuses that burned in the wind; in the blink of an eye, this tavern turned into a raging sea of fire.

Fu Guang felt her skin sting from the flames, scorching and unbearable.

This is still the result of the S-rank Sentinel's control; otherwise, in an instant they would have turned into a handful of dust.

Sweat beads welled up from her forehead in layers, sliding down her cheeks, falling into the scorching, unbearable land.

The shopkeeper's gaze seemed drawn by something, his eyes fixed unmoving on that long spear, with no ability to resist.

Fu Guang moved her hand slightly; that is the domain unique to S-rank Sentinels, and it is obvious that the man before her is a genius who comprehended a domain at A-rank.

The man seemed not to have noticed his domain expansion.

Obviously he currently cannot well control his ability; is it instability from the upgrade? Or is he injured?

Realizing this, Fu Guang spoke, "I'll take you with me."

"If you don't move the gun aside, she will die."

Sentinels are energetic madmen, doing whatever they want; who knows if he might really get a wild idea and kill the shopkeeper.

She has already devoted half a year to the Dark Forest, and does not want this possibility.

The red-haired man looked at Fu Guang, his eyes showing a hint of surprise; he hadn't expected that in this tense situation, someone could still speak to him.

He retracted his spear, planted it crosswise into the ground, and leaned against it obliquely.

He looks quite handsome, yet this confirms Fu Guang's earlier thought: he is indeed very weak now.

When upgrading, a Sentinel's attack desire is unprecedentedly strong; it is certainly not a time to rest just because an opportunity appears.

This is really great.

Fu Guang licked her canine teeth; as a doctor, she also wanted to see what exactly differs about an A-rank Sentinel.