Chapter 48: Ascension to Hunter

In a quiet, secluded chamber.

Now drowned out by the low growls of a boy.

After Boge drank the Eagle Eye Potion, he first felt a searing pain as the liquid slid down his throat, then transformed into a surge of heat rushing through his limbs and body.

“Ah—!”

He felt excruciating pain all over his body, especially in his eyes, as if flames were burning inside his eyeballs; his vision twisted and reformed.

This unprecedented agony forced him to collapse onto the cold floor, rolling back and forth while clutching his eyes.

“No, my Lord is watching me—how could I act so disgracefully?”

Thinking this, Boge gritted his teeth and, through blurred vision, knelt on one knee before Xia Mingyu, bowing his head deeply and refusing to make another sound.

“You’ve worked hard, Boge Chu.”

In a world of darkness, he felt his shoulder gently pressed by his Lord, and a soothing voice whispered beside his ear.

After what felt like an eternity, Boge’s consciousness gradually cleared, the pain receded, and his vision returned.

But unlike before, he now clearly saw the tiny dust particles in the air, every fine crack on the chamber walls, and the greatness of the Lord before him.

“Congratulations—you’ve successfully assimilated the Eagle Eye Potion.”

Xia Mingyu regarded the boy with satisfaction, especially his eyes.

They were an unforgettable pair.

The irises glowed amber, shimmering with a metallic coldness under light, radiating intense penetration—when stared at, one felt as if pinned by a raptor’s gaze.

Yet upon noticing Xia Mingyu’s gaze, the cold light in those eyes faded, becoming humble and reverent.

“My Lord, it is your glory that has blessed me,” Boge said plainly.

It was no lie—it was his truest thought; it was that voice in the darkness that awakened his consciousness.

“But you didn’t ascend directly to Hunter?”

Xia Mingyu looked at the white “Hunter” above the boy’s head, a trace of regret flickering across his face.

“No, My Lord—I feel I’ve reached my limit; what I lack now is only a Great Deed,” Boge shook his head and explained.

After taking the potion, he clearly sensed his strength had swelled two or threefold, and a strange energy was coalescing—yet bound by some invisible chain, unable to be released.

Great Deed—Xia Mingyu pondered.

When he ascended to True Magician, he had achieved his Great Deed by casting a triple-layered rune spell; thus, the Hunter’s Great Deed must be—a thrilling hunt!

The next day.

Wolf Howl Forest.

Soft sunlight filtered through Cengcengdiedie branches and leaves, converging into golden beams that gently fell upon moss-covered earth.

“The sunlight is truly blinding!”

Feeling the heat on his facial skin, Xia Mingyu pushed down the brim of his hat further.

“My Lord, why not rest in the shade here while I accomplish my Great Deed, then return to you?” Boge, fully armed with a quiver and bow on his back and an iron sword at his waist, suggested.

“No need—I wish to witness your Great Deed,” Xia Mingyu said calmly.

Having learned the Great Deed required for ascending to Hunter, the two had returned here for hunting once again.

They had even declined Viscount Hughes’s strong offer to accompany them; after all, this was merely an ordinary hunt, unworthy of a Starlight-tier warrior’s involvement.

Besides, he wanted to step outside for some fresh air—though Black Wolf Castle was comfortable, everyone there was too reverent, making him uneasy.

Howl!

“My Lord, we’ve reached the heart of Wolf Howl Forest—no need to advance further.”

Hearing the distant, intermittent howls of wolves, Boge halted.

“Please wait atop the tree and witness my Great Deed,” he said respectfully.

Xia Mingyu did not refuse; he gathered blank magic in his fingertip and drew a “Wind” rune and an “Impact” rune on the ground beneath him, then stacked the two runes.

Whoosh!

With a burst, a violent sphere of wind slammed into the ground.

Using the recoil, Xia Mingyu leapt upward, seized a thick branch above him, and executed a nimble flip to land atop the tree.

Since ascending to the Supernatural rank of True Magician, his physical strength had greatly improved—he could now punch three or five college students with his bare hands.

Seeing Xia Mingyu safely positioned, Boge pulled a black solid from his waist pouch and lit it with a match.

Once ignited, the black solid emitted a pungent, fishy stench that made Xia Mingyu, perched above, instinctively cover his nose.

Wolf Attractant—a scent specifically designed to lure wild wolves, gifted to Boge by the seasoned Knight Solin.

Howl! Howl! Howl!

Shortly after the Wolf Attractant was lit, distant howls rose in succession through the dense forest, accompanied by faint sounds of branches being shattered.

Boge’s gaze sharpened, his amber eyes as piercing as a hawk’s.

Through layers of shrubs and leaves, he clearly saw the trembling eyelashes of a gray wolf sprinting toward him from hundreds of meters away.

Without hesitation, he swiftly drew an iron arrow from his quiver, nocked it, drew the bowstring made of pine wood, which trembled and hummed sharply.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the arrow crossed hundreds of meters, piercing the gray wolf’s eye socket and driving straight through its skull to pin it to a tree.

Howl!

A distant, agonized animal cry echoed.

This was only the beginning—Boge repeated the motion again and again, his fingers moving so swiftly they became mere blurs.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One iron arrow after another struck like Death itself, each triggering a mournful cry moments later.

“Impressive—equivalent to shooting an arrow through the gate to pierce a spear!”

Xia Mingyu, perched on the tree, marveled at the sight.

Even from his vantage, his eyes could barely make out distant black dots—he could not even tell if they were wolves.

Yet at such a distance, Boge had already drawn, aimed, and killed the wolves with pinpoint accuracy.

Sensing Xia Mingyu’s limited vision, and with seven or eight arrows still left in his quiver, Boge lowered his bow and drew his iron sword.

Moments later, accompanied by wolf howls, nine robust gray wolves surrounded Boge, glaring at him with hatred-filled eyes.

The alpha wolf, at the forefront, stood over a meter tall at the shoulder and nearly three meters long.

Though a wolf, its size rivaled that of a male lion on Blue Planet, radiating an intensely dangerous terror.

“Sun, Fire, Impact.”

Seeing this, Xia Mingyu silently began drawing runes—if Boge showed weakness, he would unleash his magic without hesitation.

(End of Chapter)