My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 57: Monster Strength Out of Whack

"General, why spend so much money to hire these people? I can lead a squad of Soldier Cultivators in and surely eradicate that demon beast." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The speaker was a potbellied officer, referring to the cultivators within the military ranks rather than a particular cultivation school.

The general in the camp took a deep breath, "No, you can’t go."

"Why, General?"

"The forest isn’t peaceful anymore, you’re not as advanced as me, so you can’t feel it. There’s an unusual evil energy."

The general’s expression was somewhat grave, "Didn’t the scouts under your command notice anything?"

The officer hesitated, "It seems... they mentioned those demon creatures have been more restless lately."

The general said, "Exactly, I’ve already sent someone back to the capital to request help from the Demon Suppression Bureau."

"You actually need to call upon the Demon Suppression Bureau’s lord?" The officer’s tone was tinged with shock.

In that bureau, all were top-notch experts, rarely seen in ordinary days.

"To be safe, although this place is beyond the border, if a Demon Race infiltrates, they could swiftly advance past Hengshui. Both of us would lose our heads," the general said.

The officer pondered, "So, those Immortal Masters are just testing the waters?"

"What Immortal Masters?"

The general spat, "They’re just some money-seeking martial rogues."

He added, "I don’t mean to harm anyone. It’s best if they encounter no trouble."

...

"Brother Rui, something’s not right, we’ve already encountered so many waves of demon creatures."

After half a day of searching, the three had breached the forest’s outskirts, encountering five random events along the way. Although they resolved them, the intensity was evident.

Wusun also shook his head, "Indeed, something’s off. With this intensity, some teams simply can’t cope, and this is without even delving deep into the forest."

Li Rui naturally noticed as well. The theme of this Secret Realm is conflict between people, so logically there should be random events, but not too many.

He also suspected that his own unlucky nature might have caused more dangers, which wasn’t impossible.

He stood up and said, "Let’s hurry, we’re only in the mid-section of the forest. From past cases, the target always appears near the intersection of the mid-section and deeper layers. We have to get there first to consider finding the Demon Beasts."

The three continued onward and found traces of a battle; someone was even faster than them.

It seemed that whether or not the Secret Realm’s intensity had truly increased, his unlucky nature was certainly in effect; otherwise, other teams wouldn’t likely be faster.

Li Rui saw from a distance two corpses on the ground and a wounded, fleeing person. His right arm was completely gone, and he was stumbling.

It looked like if his companions hadn’t bought him time, he wouldn’t have gotten far.

Chasing him was a Black Bear Spirit, distinctly different from a wild bear with its especially long yet equally sturdy limbs. As it ran, its mouth with sharp tusks spewed thick, purple mist; it’d evidently not brushed its teeth for ages.

Seeing this, Li Rui exchanged glances with the other two, and after they reached a consensus, they charged forward alone.

.....

Kang Hongliang was a battlefield doctor of the Chi Jia Association, not a profession in reality, but one from the Secret Realm.

This profession is a standard combat-type support, possessing various abilities to heal others during battle, unlike the Golden Wound Medicine, which requires application and waiting to heal injuries.

He was level 14, assigned to the Silent Forest, and teamed up with two colleagues, also level 14.

This trio was definitely not weak in the 11-15 level Secret Realm, allowing them to advance quickly.

Although they had heard of the strength of Huo Yun’s team and felt apprehensive, in this competitive Secret Realm, anything could happen, and they might still win.

However, they quickly discovered that this Silent Forest was different from before. In just over half a day, without even going deep, they encountered three random events.

"Such bad luck."

A companion complained.

Kang Hongliang comforted, "Maybe everyone’s facing the same."

"Impossible."

Another said, "This Secret Realm focuses on confrontation; how can there be so many monsters."

However, it turned out Kang Hongliang might be right. As they reached deeper territory, they found no other team traces.

Luck seemed to favor them. They not only reached the target area first but also found clues. Following footprints, feces, and other signs of activity, they finally sighted the target’s silhouette described by the general from afar.

After a chase, they eventually failed because a den of 14-level Black Bear Spirits appeared ahead.

Fortunately, for the three of them, these demon beasts were manageable but required caution, as Black Bear Spirits are hexagonal warriors with considerable speed, strength, and tankiness; their only weakness is not knowing spells.

However, they misjudged one thing: the instinct within these creatures’ blood.

When other companions perished, the last Black Bear Spirit leader suddenly went berserk.

Its attributes instantaneously improved by more than one tier, and in the sudden change, a swipe sent one of them into the ground, unable to be retrieved.

Kang Hongliang and the other were shocked, the berserk state instantly elevating the monster’s strength to that of at least a 15-level Elite Monster.

The two, disregarding their fallen companion, as there was no need for a burial in the Secret Realm, immediately fled without the slightest thought of counterattack, for their team’s main firepower, instantly deceased, left only a healer and a tank, making victory difficult.

Amid the pursuit, a piercing scream was heard, and the other person instantaneously fell silent.

Kang Hongliang’s heart pounded.

"This level of monster is absurd! Who could possibly beat it?"

Although this Secret Realm had a low probability of soul damage, he would rather return to the military camp and quit the Secret Realm by abandoning the main quest than be slapped to the point of vomiting blood here.

But the berserk Black Bear Spirit’s strength was overwhelming. After a few steps, he felt a giant uncontrollable force from behind, then a scorching pain on his shoulder, and from the corner of his eye, he noticed his entire arm was gone.

This force that tore off his arm propelled him forward, and Kang Hongliang rolled and continued running without stopping.

However, he knew he would likely die in this Secret Realm within ten seconds.

At this moment, a figure flashing with golden light suddenly passed in front of him. Kang Hongliang didn’t see clearly, but vaguely recognized it as a person.

He forced himself to stop, but losing an arm made him lose balance, and he tumbled to the ground. He quickly sat up and shouted back, "Don’t go over!"

However, by this time, Li Rui had already charged at the monster, raising his palm.

"Roar!!!"

The Black Bear Spirit roared and struck.

"No!! You can’t do it alone!" Kang Hongliang was anxious since this person seemed to be there to save him. With two members already dead, failure was certain, so he still gave warnings.

But with a slap.

A huge blow sent the once overbearing Black Bear Spirit spiraling into the sky, crashing to the ground foaming at the mouth.

Instant kill!

Li Rui deactivated the Shenxiao Thunderbolt Heart Scripture, turned back.

"What did you say? I was running too fast earlier to hear clearly."