C4 The Mutated Human-face Lizard.

An hour later, Han Feng reached the Rock Forest, located twenty miles outside L City.

Renowned as the premier hunting ground nearby, the Rock Forest was a hunter's paradise, where capturing juvenile Demonic Beasts or slaying their adult counterparts could yield massive profits. Overnight riches were no longer just a dream.

Yet, it was also a hunter's hell.

Statistics showed that each year, tens of thousands of hunters perished here, with a mortality rate exceeding forty percent.

The forest was home to numerous high-level Demonic Beasts, incredibly sensitive and usually in a dormant state. The presence of a powerful individual could awaken them, triggering a catastrophic rampage.

A decade ago, three A-class Beastmasters ignored warnings and ventured deep into the forest, slaughtering numerous Lord-tier Demonic Beasts. Their recklessness cost them their lives and led to nearby villagers being devoured.

Ultimately, the vice principal of the Hunting School had to intervene to drive the beasts back, though he couldn't eradicate them completely.

Investigations revealed that only Beastmasters of B class or higher could be detected by the high-level beasts. Consequently, a strict rule was established: only Beastmasters below B class could enter the area.

This didn't concern Han Feng, who wasn't yet a certified Beastmaster and lacked any ranking.

Around the Rock Forest, members of various Hunter Guilds and L City's patrolling guards were stationed.

Most hunters belonged to a guild, which provided intelligence, equipment, and support services. In return, hunters completed assignments, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Still, some preferred not to share their profits with a guild and formed independent teams, though this significantly increased their risk of death.

After clearing the checkpoint, Han Feng, leading his grass mud horse, proceeded into the forest.

Calls and offers bombarded him along the way from people with various agendas.

"Young man, it's tough going it alone. Why not join our guild? There's a 20% discount if you sign up over the weekend, and the monthly fee is just five hundred star coins..."

"Joining a guild means signing a contract, and that means reading the fine print—too much hassle."

"Hey there, check out our top-notch Demon-Hunting gear. Buy two, get one free, and we offer installment plans with interest rates starting at just 5%!"

"The gear's fine, but I can't be bothered to wear it."

"Man, at your level, not joining a guild or wearing gear, you're looking at high mortality rates. Might I suggest some insurance? Give your loved ones extra security."

Han Feng couldn't be bothered to respond to such pitches.

"Received lazy trait from Han Feng. Experience +125."

"Received lazy trait from Han Feng. Experience +250."

Han Feng's bewildering behavior drew many curious looks. As he was about to brave the forest solo, two girls suddenly stood before him.

Twin sisters, they were clad in armor woven from Diamond Silkworm silk, their ponytails and delicate features giving them the appearance of fairytale dolls.

"Hello, I'm Zhou Xue, and this is my sister, Zhou Lin," the slightly taller twin introduced.

Both in their early twenties and free hunters, they extended a sympathetic invitation for Han Feng to join their team.

Han Feng couldn't help but sneak a peek at their vital areas, swallowing hard. Who could turn down an invitation from a beauty?

"What an adorable alpaca! What's its name?"

"It's called Grass Mud Horse, my spiritual pet," Han Feng replied, eyeing the alpaca nuzzling Zhou Lin's chest with a twinge of envy.

"You're quite the oddball," Zhou Xue remarked, never having seen anyone use an alpaca as a spiritual pet before, leaving her at a loss for words.

The sisters were both D-class Beastmasters, and their team included a young man named Yao Jie.

Yao Jie, a C-class Beastmaster, served as the team's captain.

Upon seeing the sisters bring in someone he considered worthless, Yao Jie's brow furrowed. He bluntly addressed Han Feng, "Once you're part of the team, you follow my commands. You report to me before you do anything. If you can't handle that, you can leave now!"

"Captain, I need to pee. What should I do?" Han Feng asked with mock seriousness.

The sisters couldn't help but burst into laughter at his antics.

Yao Jie let out a cold snort and summoned his elite Level-20 Flash Wolf.

"Let's move out!" he commanded, mounting the wolf and leading the way into the forest with an air of authority.

The sisters quickly followed, each summoning their own spiritual beasts—Zhou Xue with her Level-15 Flying Rainbow Rabbit, and Zhou Lin with her Level-13 Cloud-Piercing Mink.

"By the way, what's the grade and level of your spiritual beast?" Zhou Lin inquired, her curiosity piqued.

Before Han Feng could respond, Yao Jie, who was ahead, scoffed, "An ordinary animal turned spiritual beast won't exceed Level-10. And its grade? It's obviously junk at first glance."

Han Feng wasn't fond of Yao Jie and was about to snap back when a black shadow darted out from the bushes ahead.

"That's... the Fire Emperor Rat!" Yao Jie exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he gave chase without hesitation.

"Come on!" The sisters, equally thrilled, quickened their pace.

The Fire Emperor Rat was a very low-level Demonic Beast, so feeble that humans could easily dispatch it with a knife. It was also known as the Treasure Beast, for where it dwelled, treasures were sure to be found.

Finding its lair could mean stumbling upon hidden riches, which explained the team's excitement.

However, Han Feng sensed something was off. The Fire Emperor Rat was a rare creature, typically found deep in the wilderness, not near the forest's edge. He accessed his system and scanned the area.

Demonic Beast Name: Shadow Beast

Quality: Normal

Level: 5

Status: Hidden

Skill: Disguise

Damn, it wasn't the Fire Emperor Rat at all—it was a Shadow Beast, and they'd fallen for the ruse!

Shadow Beasts often associated with Human-face Lizards, lacking the strength to fight alone. They connived with the lizards, luring prey into their range for an ambush. After the Human-face Lizard made the kill, they'd share the loot.

Yao Jie, despite being aware of such common knowledge, lacked Han Feng's system to discern reality from deception, clinging to a thread of wishful thinking.

The Human-face Lizard typically wasn't a high-level threat, and Yao Jie's Flash Wolf could usually handle it with ease. However, Yao Jie dreaded encountering a mutant variant—and as luck would have it, that's exactly what happened.

Yao Jie and his companions were drawn into a pockmarked muddy terrain, and by the time they realized it was a trap, it was too late. A colossal lizard, five meters in length and tipping the scales at over four hundred kilograms, burst forth from the mud. A torrent of mud struck the Flash Wolf's forelimbs, sending Yao Jie tumbling off its back and into the mire.

The lizard was covered in brown skin and bore a grotesque face—a blend of three parts snake to seven parts human. It flicked a purple tongue, dripping with deadly venom.

Demonic Beast Name: Mutated Human-face Lizard

Quality: Superior

Level: 20

Status: Bloodthirsty

Skills: 1. Mud Escape Thrust 2. Explosive Magma 3. Flying Dagger Poison Claw

To Han Feng's astonishment, he too had stumbled upon a mutated Human-face Lizard. "What in the world is that?" he muttered, peering from behind a tree at the beast's stats when the grass mud horse nudged him aside.

He spun around to find the massive head of another lizard where he had just been standing. Another mutated Human-face Lizard! That was too close for comfort—if not for the grass mud horse's quick thinking, he would've been this creature's next meal.

Meanwhile, Yao Jie was already in the thick of battle. The Flash Wolf, along with a Flying Rainbow Hare and a Cloud Piercing Marten, struggled to contain a single Human-face Lizard.

Han Feng, on the other hand, was left to face one on his own. Just when it seemed like the odds were against him, the grass mud horse erupted into action...