With a swift transformation back into human form, Shuai Chang pulled out the iron blade from his backpack and began to extract the fangs from the fallen beastmen.
Five male beastmen approached him, thanking him profusely, “Thank you for saving us. These are two fangs we hunted from the fallen beastmen this morning. Please accept them and help us out of the Dark Forest.”
Shuai Chang lifted his eyes and accepted the two fangs. The concern and distress in their eyes were genuine. “Is this considered a reward?”
The leader among them spoke up, “My name is Aelrin, I am a five-star male beastman from the Beastman Academy.”
The other four also introduced themselves, and they were all from the same academy.
Shuai Chang asked, “Do you have your iron blades with you?”
Aelrin nodded eagerly.
Shuai Chang continued, “Help me collect the fangs from these fallen beastmen, and I will take you out of the Dark Forest. These two fangs will serve as your payment for assisting me.”
Aelrin was astonished to find that the fangs he had just given away could come back to him. He nodded furiously, “Thank you, benefactor! May I have the honor of knowing your name?”
“Aydonis, a three-star male beastman from the Beastman Academy.” The star ranking tests primarily assess combat ability; even if someone has excellent physical potential, it becomes useless without practical fighting skills.
Aydonis’s nine-star physique combined with a one-star combat ability resulted in a three-star evaluation.
Aelrin was stunned, “Three, three stars?” How could that be possible?
The five of them had witnessed Shuai Chang single-handedly fighting more than twenty fallen beastmen earlier; how could someone so strong only have a three-star rating? Aelrin felt ashamed about his own five-star rank.
“You didn’t hear wrong. Now is not the time to be surprised; it’s getting dark. I suggest you pick up the pace; I don’t want to spend the whole night here hunting fallen beastmen,” Shuai Chang said casually.
The fangs of fallen beastmen are deeply embedded in their mouths, making them difficult to extract without considerable effort.
“I’m sorry! We’ll hurry!” Aelrin lowered his head in shame, realizing he had forgotten about the task at hand, which was quite unprofessional.
As evening fell, the roars of fallen beastmen echoed through the Dark Forest, frightening the five male beastmen who couldn’t transform into beast form, causing their faces to pale.
Shuai Chang was tired of fighting and simply released his aura to dispel the approaching fallen beastmen.
Following Shuai Chang, they exited the Dark Forest and returned to the Beastman Academy, almost unable to believe what had just happened.
The five male beastmen bowed in gratitude to Shuai Chang. “Aydonis, you saved our lives! From now on, you will be my leader!” Aelrin declared.
Shuai Chang waved his hand, throwing the two fallen beastmen fangs back to Aelrin, “There’s no need for that. My hobby is world peace. Even if you recognize me as your leader, I won’t help you fight; my claws are only aimed at fallen beastmen.”
Aelrin’s face turned red, “Leader, it’s because I admire you that I want to call you that!”
Shuai Chang chuckled, “Go get some rest. Do you have class tomorrow morning?”
Aelrin shook his head, “No class tomorrow morning.”
Suddenly, Aelrin’s eyes brightened. Could it be that he would get to assist the leader?
“Meet me at the trading room at nine o’clock tomorrow, and then we’ll go into the Dark Forest together,” Shuai Chang instructed.
Aelrin nodded eagerly, grinning widely, “Yes, leader!”
The other four had star ratings of three or four, and with Aelrin’s five-star rank, they could be of some help. However, bringing along the other four would simply be a burden, and they were self-aware enough not to be too jealous of Aelrin.
The male and female beastman dormitories were at opposite ends of the academy. Shuai Chang intended to check on Anqi Luo before going to sleep, so he said to Aelrin, “You all go back; I have something else to do.”
Then he walked in the opposite direction of Aelrin and the others.
The night had already darkened; a bright moon hung in the sky along with a few twinkling stars, casting a long shadow of Shuai Chang’s tall figure on the ground.
Aelrin and the others watched in admiration, their eyes filled with longing for such strength.
“Isn’t Aydonis heading towards the female beastman dormitory?” the purple-haired male beastman suddenly asked.
“Uh?” Aelrin didn’t catch on at first, but soon understood after running the thought through his mind a couple of times. He excitedly slapped his thigh, “Aydonis is amazing! At only twenty years old, he already has a female beastman boyfriend!”
The other four sighed in envy.
Shuai Chang had no intention of hiding his relationship with Anqi Luo. Upon arriving at the female beastman dormitory entrance, he asked the elderly dorm manager, “Could you please call Anqi Luo for me?”
The dorm manager scanned him several times with her cloudy eyes and slowly asked, “What is your relationship? What do you want with him?”
“Anqi Luo is my boyfriend, and I would like to see him before bed.” Shuai Chang’s face turned slightly red, much like a boy in love for the first time.
“Aydonis! You’re back! Did everything go smoothly today?” Anqi Luo, upon hearing someone mention a tall male beastman with dark green eyes standing downstairs, couldn’t help but rush down upon picturing Aydonis in his mind. He was thrilled to see his handsome boyfriend.
After Anqi Luo registered with the dorm manager, he took Aydonis’s hand and walked to the side of Galan Lake to talk.
The stars were mirrored in the lake’s surface, and a gentle breeze scattered the moonlight.
They strolled along a pebble path slowly; Anqi Luo’s head was lowered, his palm radiating warmth, while Aydonis’s dry hand perfectly enveloped it.
Anqi Luo broke the silence, “How many people did you take to the Dark Forest?”
“Six. One of them is a five-star male beastman named Aelrin. We agreed to venture back tomorrow morning. Do you need any herbal plants?” Shuai Chang replied.
Anqi Luo stopped walking and they sat on a bench by the lake, “I want to make more herbal medicine for you, but I need a lot of Wairui grass and green fruits.”
Shuai Chang wrapped his long arm around Anqi Luo, trapping him in a warm embrace. He chuckled softly, “What reward do I get if I bring some back for you?”
Anqi Luo’s ears flushed red from his warm breath, shifting uncomfortably, “The herbal medicine is for you.” What other reward could there be?
“But I’m your boyfriend; helping me make herbal medicine is a basic gesture. It shouldn’t be considered a reward. If I bring you Wairui grass and green fruits, could I get a kiss in return? Not the kind that restores energy; I want a pure kiss.”