Ancient trees towered into the sky, and the undergrowth was dense!
The forest was fraught with danger. One had to tread carefully. Not to mention the powerful magical beasts lurking in the depths, even the ordinary wild animals roaming the outskirts were not to be trifled with!
A tiny venomous spider or an unremarkable little snake could easily take Monte's life. Caution was the key to longevity!
"Rustle—rustle—"
The grass ahead suddenly shook. Monte's eyes narrowed. He pushed aside the bushes and saw two pig-like wild beasts!
They were about the size of ordinary wild boars, but their bodies were a vibrant green, and they possessed scorpion-like tails. The tips of their tails were raised high, gleaming with a sinister green luster—clearly highly venomous!
"Huh? Scorpion-tailed Green-skinned Pigs? What great luck!"
Monte's eyes lit up and he couldn't help licking his lips. These were Scorpion-tailed Green-skinned Pigs. Their meat was exceptionally delicious and highly favored by noble lords. One such pig could sell for 3 to 5 gold coins!
Two of them together would be enough to cover the cost of his magic test!
Monte raised the borrowed dagger and quietly crept closer.
The two Scorpion-tailed Green-skinned Pigs were completely unaware of the approaching danger. One was mounted on the other, its lower body shaking rapidly as it engaged in a rather shameless act!
And then…
There was no "then."
They sacrificed their lives for the noble cause of propagating their species—dying gloriously, dying heroically, and dying with purpose!
"Ding! Killed 2 Scorpion-tailed Green-skinned Pigs, obtained 8 gold coins!"
The system's prompt sounded at the right moment. Monte opened his palm, and eight shiny gold coins appeared in his hand—the exact spoils from slaying the two pigs!
"My cheat is really convenient. The wealth I obtain can actually be withdrawn!"
Monte weighed the coins in his hand. They were heavy and solid—genuine 24K pure gold. Then, he stored them back into the system.
Not only could he withdraw physical coins, but he could also store them. This was another useful function of the Ultimate Pickup System—extremely convenient!
This meant he didn't have to carry heavy carcasses like other hunters. It saved him a lot of effort and allowed him to keep hunting continuously. Truly killing two birds with one stone!
"The only regret is that no glowing orbs dropped."
Monte shook his head, feeling a bit greedy. Compared to the gold coins themselves, he was far more eager for attribute orbs that could increase his strength!
"Keep moving!"
…
"Puchi— Puchi—"
After advancing for several kilometers, a chilling sound suddenly came from ahead. Monte pushed aside the foliage and immediately broke out in a cold sweat!
The forest vegetation was too thick, limiting visibility and light. Yet through the dense, dappled tree shadows, he still saw a massive creature coiled up ahead.
A giant python, as thick as a water barrel and roughly thirty meters long, was curled up, stuffing a black tiger the size of a yellow ox into its mouth!
The python's body was dark green. Its jaws were stretched open nearly 180 degrees, and the black tiger's head had already been swallowed. Unless something unexpected happened, this black tiger would soon become the python's meal.
"If a python this huge appeared on Earth, it would definitely cause a huge commotion!"
Monte swallowed hard, hesitation flashing in his eyes. Such a massive python would surely yield rich rewards if killed!
The question was—could he actually kill it?
After thinking for a moment, Monte decided against it. This thing was simply too big. Even from a distance, he could feel its ferocious and icy aura. He had zero confidence in taking it down!
In that case, it was better to leave. His life was more important!
"Ding! Drop detected. Would you like to collect it?"
At that moment, the system's cold voice rang out. Monte looked closely and saw a glowing orb behind the dark green python!
No!
Not just one!
Two white orbs, one silver orb, and one green orb!
A total of three glowing orbs!!!
"Collect! Collect them immediately!"
Monte shouted in his mind!
"Distance too far. Unable to collect!"
"Damn it! Is ten meters considered too far?"
Monte grumbled. He pushed through the bushes and carefully crept closer. Although his life was important, since he had seen the orbs, it was worth taking this small risk!
"Ding! Fusion successful. Host's Constitution +5!"
"Ding! Fusion successful. Host's Spirit +2!"
"Ding! Fusion successful. Host has acquired Level 1 Magic: Thorn Vine!"
A warm current surged into his body, rapidly strengthening his physique!
A cool sensation rushed into his brain, making his thoughts sharper and more active!
Monte didn't have time to dwell on these changes. He was completely captivated by the new magic he had obtained. "Level 1 Magic: Thorn Vine? Wait… magic?"
Monte couldn't help but look at the giant python, cold sweat forming on his forehead. Ordinary wild beasts would never drop magic—not even the lowest Level 1 spell!
That meant the dark green python in front of him was actually… a magical beast!
A chill ran down Monte's spine. Right at that moment, the dark green python also noticed his presence. Its snake eyes turned toward him, flashing with cold killing intent!
"Run!"
Monte didn't hesitate for a second and bolted!
But it was still a step too late. With soft "puchi puchi" sounds, countless dark green vines shot toward him at high speed!
The vines were covered in sharp thorns that glinted with a chilling light. Monte had no doubt about how deadly they were. If he got entangled, he would either die or lose a layer of skin!
In this critical moment, Monte gathered all his strength and leaped high into the air like a spring, instantly clearing the range of the thorn vines. He dove into the bushes and vanished from sight!
"Hiss~~"
The dark green python stared in the direction Monte had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time!
…
"Whew~~"
"That nearly scared me to death!"
Monte leaned against a tree, panting heavily. Luckily, he had reacted quickly, and the python had been busy eating. Otherwise, he might have died there. He was definitely not a match for a magical beast right now!
"Damn it! The Magical Beast Forest is way too dangerous! I've only just entered the forest and I already ran into a magical beast!"
"How terrifying must the depths of the forest be?"
Monte wiped the sweat from his forehead, becoming even more vigilant. The Magical Beast Forest was far more dangerous than he had imagined. He had to be extremely careful!
"Together!"
"Kill this beast!"
"Roar roar roar~~~"
At that moment, the sounds of intense fighting drifted into his ears. Monte's body trembled. He immediately pricked up his ears and listened carefully!
"A fight! There are people fighting over there!"
"It sounds like a group of people surrounding and attacking a magical beast!"
Monte's spirits instantly rose. The more people there were, the higher the chance of glowing orbs dropping. And the stronger the fighters, the richer the orbs would be!
"Should I go take a look?"
After hesitating for a moment, Monte still crept closer.
What he saw next was an intense scene!
A giant spider, standing four meters tall with a blood-red body, was being besieged. Its eight legs slashed and stabbed like eight steel spears, swinging wildly and forming an impenetrable defense!
Attacking it were four humans—three men and one woman!
The men fought in front, wielding weapons against the giant spider, while the woman stood in the rear, holding a magic staff and chanting complex, awkward magical incantations!
"Ding! Drop detected. Would you like to pick it up?"