Chapter 3: Sentinel, Li Shao

Sentinel, Li Shao.

Don't play tricks.

Under threat to her life, the shopkeeper had no choice but to obey the words of the murderous star who destroyed her business.

Her gaze turned to the 'Young Lady' wearing a silver mask, her eyes flickering slightly.

In the firelight, a tiny light spread from her body.

In the blink of an eye, the three of them were transported elsewhere.

Towering trees blocked the view of their tops, light couldn't penetrate, fallen leaves carpeted the ground, making it gloomy and damp.

【Damp, what damned place.】 Li Shao wasn't too satisfied with this landing point; although Dark Forest is called that, it doesn't mean it's a forest.

He pushed his goggles onto his forehead; a cold light flashed in his narrow red eyes, and he saw the shopkeeper flung sideways, slamming into a wide tree trunk, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

【Provoke me? Who gave you the courage.】 The red eyes, indifferent and unwavering, said 【You still have some fighting spirit, but your strength is too weak.】

Fire-affiliated ones dislike damp places; any Sentinel knows that.

The man's face was gorgeous to the extreme, like a burning flame flower, wild and fervent, with a hint of red at the corners of his eyes—a trace of his overpowering innate ability lingering in his body.

A flame ignited in his hand, drifting slowly toward the shopkeeper.

Since we've already come to Dark Forest, this person who repeatedly provoked him needs to learn a lesson.

At that moment, Fu Guang moved, lunging at the immobilized shopkeeper and shouting quickly, 【Give me the token!】

Those sapphire-like eyes lit up; an invisible surge of psychic power made the shopkeeper stare for a moment, then she handed out the point of light she gripped tightly.

The silver ring on her hand glowed; she pressed her palm against the shopkeeper's chest, and before the flame arrived, the shopkeeper's form gradually dissipated, leaving Dark Forest.

The man's eyes shifted; he had locked onto the shopkeeper—even if the token was in her hand, it was useless. As a B-rank shopkeeper, she would have to endure this blow; though not fatal, it would certainly be unpleasant.

But now the shopkeeper had left Dark Forest, and his attack had no effect on the silver-masked woman.

Fu Guang rolled on the spot; the protective bead granted by the White Tower on her chest dimmed, a layer of blue energy enveloped her, the residual firelight striking her caused no ripple, and she glanced back at him amidst the flames.

The firelight reflected in her blue eyes, adding a hint of brightness.

The hand rolling the fireball paused, 【A-rank?】 His gaze swept over Fu Guang; the girl's attire didn't match a Sentinel's usual style, since they often spar, Sentinels prefer tight-fitting clothes to avoid hindering movement.

Meanwhile the girl wore a trench coat, high heels, and white gloves on her hands, her graceful bearing not that of a Sentinel but rather like a high-and-mighty guide from the White Tower.

A guide traveling alone? The White Tower and the Military Department would never allow this; though lone-wolf Sentinels are few, they certainly aren't nonexistent.

Heh, he let out a cold laugh, showing a hint of mockery toward Fu Guang, who had just reached his chest; another madman desperately craving a guide.

Li Shao had always been a genius; obtaining purifiers wasn't difficult for him, whereas those high-and-mighty guides usually kept their distance.

Just using them as dogs to boss around……

He curled his lips into a sharp smile, spear in hand, sweeping horizontally toward Fu Guang, who flung her coat aside in one motion.

Blue light suffused the coat; beneath it were a bound-sleeve top and a pair of black long pants, her blond hair tied behind her back.

【Now you look a bit like a Sentinel.】 Li Shao sheathed his spear at his slender waist, the tip turning slightly, killing intent looming.

【Sentinel, won't your blood ever run out?】 Fu Guang covered the reddened flesh on the back of her hand, conjuring a blue whip in her hand.

Sentinels, being war machines, unleash deadly moves without hesitation; this frail body of hers is truly too weak, her brain assaulted by wave after wave of needle-like pain.

【Before I die, I will surely take you with me.】 Li Shao replied nonchalantly.

A flame-engulfed lion appeared at his side, about three meters long, with wings of condensed fire on either side of its body, the tip of its long tail flickering with a small flame.

The lion stretched lazily, its warm, fluffy fur shaking as it slowly circled her.

Psychic manifestations are always keener than the Sentinel herself; the great lion blinked its glossy black eyes, gazing at her.

【Whoa.】

It turned its head toward its master and called out.

Meanwhile Li Shao fiddled with a blinking communicator, receiving a message from a teammate: 【Li Shao, you couldn't really be dead, could you?】

【Where did you die? We'll go collect your corpse.】

【This mission's superiors gave a bottle of S-rank recovery fluid; I suppose you won't get to enjoy it.】

【As for your share, we'll just take it; we can't let a teammate die for nothing, right?】

【There's still one chance for guidance.】 The person on the other end said, sinking into immersion, voice ethereal: 【Hope it's a gentle guide.】

【You're dreaming beautifully.】

The topic in the communicator twisted like a mountain road's eighteen bends; Li Shao, exasperated to the extreme, said: 【Old man hasn't died yet, the mission isn't finished, what are you all happy about?】

While Li Shao was replying, the fire lion padded to Fu Guang's side, its soft ears folding back, taking tiny careful steps to approach, then, unobstructed, lay down, resting its big head on its forepaws and gazing at her.

Quite the little charmer.

Fu Guang observed the creature formed from psychic power; in her sea of consciousness, that is, her psychic landscape, there was only a blue giant egg, constantly devouring her psychic power—this is also why she came here.

If this continues, she will surely die from psychic exhaustion; her psychic power has already been depleted by over ninety percent under the heavenly thunder, otherwise the egg wouldn't possibly become a dead egg.

If this egg fails to hatch, Fu Guang believes she will surely regret it; her intuition has always been spot-on.

Her head ached; Fu Guang decided not to linger, planning to sneak away. In the next breath, a warm, golden large paw landed on her shoe; the lion's soft ears bent backward, refusing to look at her, and the paw pressed down, not retracting.

【Shh.】 Fu Guang pulled her foot free, signaling the lion to stay still, but a hand reached out to her shoulder.

Fu Guang, relying on instincts honed in the lower secret realm, dodged that move, turned around, and saw Li Shao standing behind her with arms crossed: 【What's your name? Which legion do you belong to?】

Over ninety percent of A-rank and above Sentinels join the Military Department, which is why Li Shao asked that.

Fu Guang's heart skipped; she didn't know how legions were named, but she remained composed and countered: 【Before asking others, what's your name?】

【Li Shao, belonging to the Ninth Legion.】

Fu Guang decided to make one up: 【Bai Yu, First Legion.】

【First Legion?】

【Any problem with that?】

His crimson lips split into a grin: 【Of course not.】 Li Shao stepped forward, using his uninjured hand to embrace Fu Guang's shoulder, saying in a brotherly tone: 【Bai Yu, since we've met by fate, let's walk together a stretch.】

Inside the communicator: "Come quickly, I found a treasure."

What could make Li Ge treasure it so much?

One, a guide.