Death Notice

“Hurry up, it’s back!” Qin Lun pulled his hand away from the tree trunk and roared into the Team Channel.

At Qin Lun’s warning, three figures scrambled out of a huge cave just ahead: Cora, Hill, and Frank. Each held a juvenile feline creature roughly the size of an adult Wolfhound. Their eyes were tightly shut, their bodies covered in fine downy fur, and each forehead bore a mark that looked like the character ‘Run’.

These three feline creatures resembled Earth’s tigers or leopards, except their tails ended in spiked barbs like scorpion stingers. This was a ferocious creature of the Silent Forest called a Scorpion-tailed Biao. Mature Scorpion-tailed Biao could shoot petrifying rays from their barbed tails. They were Sixth Tier creatures, just one step removed from High Rank.

The Scorpion-tailed Biao in the hands of Hill and the others were newly born, their eyes not yet open. That was the only reason they had been caught so easily. However, the young Scorpion-tailed Biao shared a strange Telepathy with their parents. Now, as the helpless young ones whimpered, the enraged roars of their adult kin echoed from far away.

“Frank, go support Sas and Hansen!” Hearing this, Frank threw the cub he held towards Qin Lun, ducked low, and vanished into the bushes nearby without hesitation.

“Qin Lun, that Servant Apostle of yours is really capable!” Hill watched Frank’s retreating back and gave a compliment.

In their group, there were currently two Main Tanks (MTs), Sas and Frank. In terms of ability, Frank was definitely no match for Sas. His equipment consisted only of the Skullcrusher and the Specter’s Mask, and he didn’t even possess an Apostle Skill. However, Frank’s Undead Bloodline, inherited from a Guardian, was remarkably strong. His Health Points were even comparable to Sas, who had undergone a Class Change. This made him barely qualify as a passable Primary MT.

Hill praised Frank highly but felt a bit disappointed in Sas. The reason was their different roles within the team. Frank was Qin Lun’s Servant Apostle, effectively an extension of the young Elf’s will – Qin Lun’s arms or legs, requiring no independent thought for choices or judgments. Sas, however, was an independent individual, not a subordinate to others, often needing to hold his own ground in missions.

“Let’s go!” Qin Lun tucked the small cub under his arm, glanced in the direction Frank had gone, then quickly turned and strode away.

Not long after the trio had left, a tremendous roar echoed through the woods. A wave of foul-smelling wind swept the clearing by the cave entrance, and there stood a massive creature. This beast bore an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to the small Scorpion-tailed Biao cubs, but its size rivaled that of an elephant. Its pitch-black eyes narrowed and widened, exuding a terrifying, awe-inspiring might. “ROAR!” The giant Scorpion-tailed Biao flashed into its den and immediately let out a thunderous howl of rage. It reappeared on the clearing almost instantaneously. The beast lowered its head, sniffing the ground intently, then suddenly gave a sneeze. Its muzzle twitched, and a flicker of confusion, almost human-like, crossed its features as it roared again and again.

Only after confirming it couldn’t track its enemies by scent did a trace of crimson appear in its eyes. The enormous scorpion tail lashed out only once. A massive tree encircled the clearing nearby, its trunk thick enough that two grown men could just wrap their arms around it, was cleanly snapped in two.

“Frank, are you still alive?” Hearing the roar from further away, Sas paled. He clutched his broken arm and collapsed onto the ground.

“I’m fine.” Frank silently pushed himself up from the earth. His chest was deeply concave. Two badly broken ribs had pierced through his ribcage. Zombie-green blood, marking his Zombie’s physique, covered his face. His facial bones were deformed, and his left eyeball dangled uselessly, held only by a bloody thread, resembling a deflated marble.

Frank forcefully shoved his ribs back into place and ripped the dangling eye from his socket. He then swayed as he stood upright.

“Hurry! That Scorpion-tailed Biao couldn’t find Qin Lun and is coming for us again!” Hansen dropped down from a large tree beside them.

At Hansen’s words, Sas leapt up in fright, hurriedly pulling Frank to his feet. Together, they desperately fled into the distance. Hansen stayed behind them, carefully covering their tracks and sprinkling grey powder along their path to eliminate any lingering scent.

Today marked the third day since their arrival at the Sanctuary Camp. Shortly after entering, the three Serial Killers realized their plans had gone seriously off track. At the Sanctuary Camp, the issue wasn’t about attacking other camp members; their immediate problem was simply survival.

The Sanctuary Camp was indeed as free as they imagined. Besides the Grand Druid Vima reiterating the three strict rules once more, no one imposed any restrictions on them. Yet, equally, no one offered any assistance.

After arriving, Vima gave them a small empty plot of land, three worn-out tents, and some basic cooking implements. And then… that was it. No more “and then.”

While the Sanctuary Camp grounds were safe from wild creature attacks, every aspect of daily life, including food and water, had to be obtained personally. The established camp members offered no free help to newcomers.

There were only two ways to obtain food and essential supplies at the Sanctuary Camp. One was to work at the designated animal pens or cultivated fields within the camp, earning your keep through labor. The other was to venture into the forest to hunt for food. Animal pelts and special finds could then be traded at the camp’s designated trade zone for other necessities.

This system would normally be reasonable. But since the Sanctuary Camp lay at the very center of the Silent Forest—a place where even a rabbit was at least a Fourth Tier monster—simply surviving felt extremely dangerous.

Despite the hardships of the previous three days of difficult hunting, Qin Lun’s group soon discovered that most Silent Forest creatures provided valuable materials.

Consider the huge beetle, strikingly similar to a scarab, they had hunted yesterday. Its back shell was actually precious raw material for crafting equipment. If integrated into Sas’s Purple Tower Shield, it might even upgrade the shield’s quality to Dark Gold.

That giant beetle was a formidable Sixth Tier creature, its immovable form nearly mountainous. Its sluggish movements were their only advantage; otherwise, victory would have been impossible. They wore it down relentlessly until it finally died, but the process took an entire day. Luck alone meant they hadn’t encountered any other predators during that time.

After killing the giant beetle, they expected significant rewards. Unfortunately, this ‘Aojia’ creature proved incredibly stubborn. In its final moments, its Magic Core exploded inside its body. Apart from its tough carapace and formidable pincers, it left them almost nothing useful.

Even the remaining shell offered only a small central portion usable for Apostle equipment. Despite its exceptionally High Rank quality, it could only benefit one person, so it was allocated to Sas. The massive pincers sold for a decent price at the camp trade zone, fetching them several days’ worth of food.

After two days of careful probing, Qin Lun’s group finally accepted the current task on the third day: capturing young Scorpion-tailed Biao. They actually got lucky with this mission because Master Vima had posted it.

A descendant of the Grand Druid had recently arrived at Sanctuary Camp from the Outer World. His low-level abilities meant acquiring him a summon was clearly the best choice. Master Vima’s combat partner was a powerful High Rank Unicorn. Her other summons were powerful High Rank creatures, unsuitable for her young Elf descendant. Thus, she posted a hunting quest.

The quest offered multiple summoning options; Scorpion-tailed Biao was just one. Ordinarily, Qin Lun’s group wouldn’t get such a task. Adult Scorpion-tailed Biao were Sixth Tier, a serious challenge for them but manageable for Sanctuary Camp’s other veteran members.

However, Master Vima, hoping to favor Qin Lun as a fellow member of the Elven Race, gave him the quest priority. It was somewhat of a mixed gesture on her part – a favor, yet a difficult one.

At the mission’s start, Qin Lun’s group underestimated the Scorpion-tailed Biao. They successfully lured the mother away from her den and captured the three newborn cubs. But unlike the equally Sixth Tier ‘Aojia’, Scorpion-tailed Biao were incredibly fast, and the power of their scorpion tails was unexpectedly fierce.

The team had two MTs and Hansen as an Off-tank. Without them, their stand wouldn’t have worked. All the same, Frank and Sas had paid a heavy price, suffering severe injuries that would require spending valuable healing items.

“Hill and the others got close to the camp. They finished the task as planned!” Hansen glanced at the Team Channel and visibly relaxed.

Helping each other walk, the three hurt souls reached a prearranged gathering spot. Hill and Cora were already waiting, but the small Biao cubs were nowhere to be found.

“Heh, step one’s finally done. Sas, Cora, head back first. We’ll enter the camp with this ‘pangolin’ later!” Hill nudged a large rhino-sized creature lifelessly slumped beside him with his foot. It resembled a pangolin, now utterly still on the forest floor.

Upon arriving at the Sanctuary Camp, the group hadn’t stayed together. Openly, they had split into three smaller factions. Qin Lun lived completely alone. Sas and his wife Cora formed one group. Frank, Hill, and Hansen became the third. This arrangement served a specific purpose – blurring the sight of others within the camp.

The Apostle Team that first angered Hill and Hansen might have followed them to Sanctuary Camp. Hansen still bore a faint Soul Mark left by that team. Sas and Cora, meanwhile, possessed highly distinct items – the Purple Tower Shield and the Emerald Parrot Staff. Splitting into three made them harder to identify.

Of the three factions, Sas and Cora were certainly in the greatest danger. The Soul Mark on Hansen was very weak after the trip to Sanctuary Camp. Its signal was faint and muddled, especially since Sas and Hansen camped near each other. Qin Lun was the hidden piece. Frank’s presence made the enemy underestimate them – who would expect a mere Black Iron Team to have six Apostles?

Sas and his wife accepted this arrangement, believing the separation was primarily a safety measure. They remained completely unaware they were actually serving as the most exposed bait in a trap.

They arrived back at the camp several minutes before the others. Hill’s trio entered later, hauling their large “pangolin” on a makeshift stretcher made of branches pulled with difficulty.

“They’re here. Deal with them as planned.” The instant they stepped into the camp area, Qin Lun’s voice quietly warned them through the Team Channel.

Hill looked up. Approaching from the direction reserved for newcomers was a small team. A large man led them. He was staring intently at the “pangolin” the trio dragged behind them, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable meaning.