Versatile Mage: White Tiger Pendant

Chapter 9: City Monster Hunting Team

A month had passed since the winter vacation, and although they were in the southern region, the park's dense forest resembled the bareness of the northern winter, emanating a sense of desolation.

A middle-aged man in a police uniform approached them. He said, ""Master Magician.... Many people have filed complaints about this park. We can't do much about it. Why don't you consider training in other venues? I have a special place nearby."

Lu Mei nodded with a gracious understanding and replied, "That's fine. We've finished our training."

The middle-aged man heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, I won't disturb you any more."

With that, he turned and left.

Lu Mei looked at Lu Jun who was lying on the ground panting, his whole body was dirty and his skin with numerous bruises. She felt both concerned and relieved. Her brother's progress over the past month had been remarkable.

His mastery of the Wind Track, Flash Step, and Piaoying had become second nature to him, to the point where he could strike fallen leaves with a wooden stick.

In reality, given a mage's reaction time and familiarity with magic, most would adapt quickly. However, her brother's dedication was equally significant. He practically drained her wind nebula's magic power every day before relenting.

As a result, her wind system had improved considerably, and she had become highly proficient in basic wind magic like the wind track.

Struggling to get up, Lu Jun retrieved an ointment and asked, "Is the city management going to intervene? It's not a big issue, right?"

Lu Mei replied, "No, don't move yet. I'll take care of it."

Suddenly, she stopped his movements, knelt in front of him, and hugged her younger brother firmly in her arms. With her slender hands, she retrieved the ointment and gently applied it to his bruised skin.

Lu Jun was caught off guard by the warm embrace. He could smell her faint fragrance and feel the gentle warmth against his face. Raising his head slightly, he caught a glimpse of the tenderness in Lu Mei's beautiful eyes.

The exhaustion accumulated over the past six months, washed over him. He was half-asleep and half-awake, his heart racing, a profound sense of solace enveloping him.

Time seemed to pass unmeasured, and even after applying the ointment, Lu Mei didn't utter a word to wake her brother. She simply held him like that.

Her eyes lowered, lost in thought. Lu Jun bore the weight of many secrets, as if a heavy burden rested on his shoulders. She could only offer solace through her actions.

After a while, her communicator, tucked away in her pocket, suddenly flashed. Frowning, she checked the message.

Lu Jun woke up and struggled to get up, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's about the city's monster hunting team," Lu Mei replied, her brows slightly raised. "Your internship opportunity has arrived."

Hearing this news, Lu Jun's heart ignited a surge of excitement. He was brimming with energy, having trained so diligently for this very purpose – to slay monsters.

The time had come for the debut of the Gale Swordsman.

Lu Mei said calmly, "When the time comes, you will follow their orders. The metal-type casting tools have been prepared in advance. When you encounter others, inform them that it's a magic-slaying tool I've configured for you. Based on their knowledge, they won't be able to know that it's a new magic type."

The advantage of the element is that it's easier to disguise as a magic tool. Unlike Mo Fan, who is immediately recognized as having dual elements when he uses the Thunder Seal, he can maintain an element of secrecy even when he awakened his intermediate-level Shadow element. 

Secondly, metal magic can be summoned in advance, eliminating the need for hasty star manipulation during close encounters. However, the drawback is that its duration is limited. With your first-level stardust magic, it can be maintained for approximately ten minutes.

Lu Jun had trained with a wooden sword to slash everything.

The two of them didn't stop for long. The city's monster hunting team was a step behind, and the citizens were potentially in danger. Lu Mei used the wind track to dash through streets and alleys, drawing the attention of countless bystanders.

Lu Jun was in excellent shape, with both of his magic powers nearly at full capacity. Minor scrapes and bruises were insignificant. The water magician ensured his skin remained soft, free of calluses or scars, ready to participate.

Within a minute or two, they arrived at the scene, a relatively remote commercial street with a normal flow of people. However, reports had indicated that this place's sewers made strange gnawing sounds, accompanied by a foul odor.

Initially, the police had visited the area multiple times but couldn't identify the root cause, dismissing it as non-threatening. That was until recently when seven or eight stray dogs were discovered dead in a nearby alley, bloodied and partially eaten. Passers-by alerted the police, who promptly handed the case over to the city's monster hunting team.

"The sewers likely host Giant-eyed gorilla rats. Fortunately, they were discovered in time and didn't harm any humans," Lu Mei explained with a sigh. She had filled her brother in on the situation during their rush to the location.

Before the two of them could take action, three other members of the city's monster hunting team arrived – one man and two women.

The man had a simple, trustworthy appearance, exuding reliability. One of the women had a round face, a shorter stature, and a pleasant appearance. The other was tall and striking, her fiery red hair matching her fiery temperament.

"You've arrived just in time. This is my younger brother, a water magician who has mastered basic water control," Lu Mei introduced her brother to the team members. 

"This male mage is named Xu Yan. The one with the round face is Mu Yuan, a member of the Mu family branch in Bocheng. She's a junior mage of the ice system. The taller one is Li Xia, a junior mage of the fire system and responsible for the team's damage output."

Lu Jun nodded and observed the three team members, though he couldn't recall their names. It was likely that this team was different from the one Mo Fan had joined a year and a half later. Besides, he hadn't retained the names of several team members from Mo Fan's city. They had merely been minor characters in his recollection.

This was to be expected. In a city of a million people, it was impossible for just a few junior mages to handle everything, and each city block likely had its own team. 

Lu Mei, as an intermediate mage, would soon outgrow this role. She was bound to move to a larger city, where she could earn more in a month than she would in a year here. If that didn't work out, she could even join a wild monster hunting group to rapidly increase her strength.

There were many paths for mages to follow, and Lu Jun understood that his sister's talents would take her far. It wasn't surprising that he didn't recognize these teammates; it was merely a reflection of the real world, unlike the structured novel.

Furthermore, he was aware that his parents had some connection to the Lu family, one of Shanghai's four great aristocratic families.

Li Xia playfully strutted closer to Lu Jun and addressed him with exaggerated coquettishness. "Liant Lu, is this your little brother? A sixteen-year-old little brother, how cute!" 

Her words raised alarm with Lu Mei and Li Xia, who stepped away. They cautioned her, "Don't try any funny business with him, it's illegal."

The red-haired lady stifled a laugh, confident that no young man could resist her charm, though she wouldn't have the opportunity at the moment.

The round-faced Mu Yuan remained silent and bashful, displaying none of the typical characteristics of someone from a prominent family, while Xu Yan offered a friendly smile and greeted, "Hello."

Lu Jun reciprocated with greetings, and everyone seemed at ease. The city staff had already dispersed, and with Lu Mei's presence, facing a dozen or so lower-level slave-level demons wasn't a cause for concern.

Among them was the giant-eyed gorilla rat, which Lu Jun had learned about in his demonology class. It was a subterranean-dwelling creature, adept at digging tunnels, and typically found in city sewers. This monster had a unique feature: an extendable neck with eyes capable of emitting piercing dark-red beams.

This rat-like creature reproduced quickly, had remarkable survival skills, and often lived in underground tunnels and garbage dumps within a city. They primarily subsisted on human leftovers, resorting to cannibalism only when food was scarce. They were cowardly and ubiquitous monsters.

When Lu Mei heard about the case, her initial assessment pointed to the giant-eyed gorilla rat as the most likely culprit.