Danielle stared blankly at the gray, misty wasteland. She thought the lower-level areas were bad enough, but this was even worse. She imagined that after walking just a few dozen meters, she wouldn't be able to see her teammates clearly.
Zachary gripped his iron knife tightly, looking at her with concern. "How are you feeling? Do you think you can manage?"
Last night, he saw Danielle searching online for strategies, looking for weaknesses in dangerous beasts. But seeing her pale face now, he felt reluctant.
"If it gets too tough, don't force yourself. I can handle it with the others. We can always find another teammate to join us."
"No, I'll go." Danielle swallowed hard. "I promised to bring back a bear paw for Rain tonight. I can't break my word."
Zachary was about to say something more, but Danielle had already nodded at Leng and the others, resolutely stepping out of the protective barrier.
Zachary followed closely behind. Just as their team entered, another group of more than ten people appeared at the same spot.
"Boss, let's hurry in. We can't let them escape," Wei You said, lazily blowing out a puff of smoke and flicking the cigarette butt on the ground.
"Don't worry. With Yan Jie around, we won't have any issues, right Yan Jie?"
Yan Jie, a muscular woman, responded with a rough tone, "Of course. I've solo-killed a medium-level beast before. Dealing with a few beginners like them is nothing."
One of the younger members hesitated and spoke up, "But I noticed the man has a yellow mark on his arm too. He seems strong."
Yan Jie ripped off her sleeve, revealing a bright yellow mark on her arm. Medium-level beasts have different strength levels, and one way to tell is by the color of the mark on their arm. Yan Jie's mark was much darker than Zachary's, which meant she was definitely strong.
Wei You smirked and kicked the younger member who had spoken. "Don't you know your place? Let's go, Yan Jie."
Yan Jie grinned, teasingly pinching Wei You's backside as she led the way. Their group started heading toward the direction Danielle and her team had taken.
Meanwhile, Danielle remained unaware of the danger closing in on them as she curiously examined her surroundings.
"Isn't the wasteland supposed to be dangerous? How come we haven't seen a single beast, even after walking so far?" Danielle asked.
Zachary remained alert, scanning the area. "Beasts are smart. They usually don't come too close to the barrier."
He glanced at Leng and the others. "They're just unlucky. High-level beasts won't come near either."
Danielle nodded lightly. "Maybe it's just our lucky day?"
Fei Yang, with a pure and innocent look, turned to Zachary. "Yeah, maybe we're just lucky."
Leng shook his head, ignoring the two innocent ones, and focused on Zachary.
"What do you think, Zachary?"
Zachary placed the black knife across his chest, growing more cautious. "Let's keep moving."
They walked another hundred meters, finally encountering a rodent-type beast. Zachary swiftly slashed with his knife, sending the beast flying.
"These low-level beasts may be weak, but there are a lot of them," Zachary remarked.
Danielle nodded. "Even if they're mutated, they're still just rats. They reproduce quickly."
The rat-type beast was too fast for Danielle to keep up with. Her reaction speed was slower than Leng, who was a healer.
In the end, Zachary killed the beast with a single strike. He reached into its head and quickly pulled out a small transparent crystal. It was much smaller than the ones Leng's group had held.
Danielle covered her nose and approached, looking at it. Zachary's eyes showed a hint of sympathy.
"Can you still hold on?" he asked.
Danielle paused, then nodded firmly. "I'm fine. I can keep going."
To grow stronger always comes at a price.
After slaying several low-level beasts, they finally arrived at the Black Sha Bear's territory.
Zachary carefully explained the Black Sha Bear's traits to Danielle and the others.
"The Black Sha Bear likes to stay alone. Just surround it and wear it down slowly.
Remember, don't look into its eyes, or you might lose your mind."
The bear was called the Black Sha Bear because its eyes radiated a deadly aura. Staring at them for too long would slowly corrupt your mind, even leading to comrades turning against each other.
Danielle nodded and swallowed hard. "Don't worry, I'm ready."
Zachary patted her head. "You don't have to be too nervous. Your strength isn't in close combat. Think about what you're really good at."
Danielle was confused. She was a space-type talent, so if she wasn't good at close combat, was she meant for long-range attacks?
"Right, long-range!" She realized.
Her eyes sparkled, and Zachary could tell she had figured it out.
They proceeded into the mist, and soon the air was filled with the deafening roars of the Black Sha Bear.
Danielle's palms sweated uncontrollably. She wiped them on her clothes. "Don't worry, just stay calm."
Leng gave her a small smile. "Don't worry. The Black Sha Bear isn't fast. It's a good one to wear down."
As they spoke, Zachary rushed out from the mist. A massive black figure, nearly four to five meters tall, followed. It was much larger than the pig-like rat beasts they had seen earlier.
Danielle almost felt like she wanted to die. Zachary shouted as he ran, "Get into position!"
The four of them quickly surrounded the Black Sha Bear, but Danielle felt that this "surrounding" was a joke. The bear could crush her with a single step.
The Black Sha Bear angrily pounded its chest and charged at Zachary.
Zachary leaped into the air, kicking the Black Sha Bear in the chest. Though he was knocked back, the bear also stumbled backward, becoming even more enraged.
Then a jet of flames shot toward the bear's head.
Danielle had never seen Fei Yang's fire before, and it was incredibly impressive.
Meanwhile, Leng stood at the back, her hands moving slightly. Yellowish light surrounded Danielle and the others, restoring their energy.
Danielle felt her tiredness fading away as her body filled with strength. This must be healing magic. It was incredible!
For a moment, she felt her space-type powers weren't as useful as she thought.
Suddenly, Zachary shouted, "Danielle, watch out!"