High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1586: Chapter 330 Monster Beast!

The waters of the Silent River were crystal clear and bright, like a mirror.

The patrol officer leaned on the railing, gazing at that mirror while repeatedly trying out new smiles and pouts. He felt he needed some aspirations; after all, he couldn’t just use the same expression to deal with all the media.

If any media still wanted to interview him, that is.

”Tsk,” Mr. Robert stared at his reflection in the water, shook his head, and complained, ”The water level is too low—I can’t see very well... If it were a bit higher, it’d be perfect.”

The river seemed to hear his complaint, gently rippling as its surface rose slightly.

The patrol officer beamed at the much clearer reflection on the water’s surface, filled with joy.

”Higher, even higher.” He pulled out a newspaper from the pocket of his cloak, comparing the smiling face in the lake’s reflection with the ideal image in his mind. Completely oblivious, he did not notice the water level steadily rising beneath him.

Until the shimmering waves crept onto the tips of his shoes, the rippling undulations shattering the smile he had just meticulously adjusted.

The patrol officer angrily raised his head, looking toward the far side of the river—he thought some wizard who had just received a sigil from Jini Cottage might be teasing him. Those tricksters who recently gained power loved pulling this type of juvenile prank.

Then, the smile on his lips froze.

Pairs of eerie orange, sickly green, and pallid white eyes emerged from the surface of the water, staring unblinkingly at the shore through the thin morning mist. Beneath the once-transparent river, the shadows of their pitch-black forms and horrific skin faintly appeared behind those eyes.

A menacing and frenzied aura burst forth.

Robert Lee bit into the tip of his tongue.

Ouch!!

He took a deep breath, flung out a magical alarm, and grabbed the bronze whistle in his hand, blowing it forcefully.

Bright fireworks and piercing whistles shattered through the morning fog, echoing across the entirety of Beta Town. At the same moment, desperate cries erupted from an old street in the northern district:

”Monsters! Monsters!”

Not far from the patrol officer, at a street corner, a figure clad in a black cloak and cradling a longsword watched the panicked retreat of the alarmed patrol officer with satisfaction. The cloaked wizard ignited another talisman paper.

A streak of flame flashed as blue smoke rose from the talisman paper, drifting toward the river.

Below the dam, beneath the water’s surface, the ’monsters’ slowly raised their heads, their jaws widening, releasing a series of chilling roars. The sound stirred ripples across the once-calm water, traveling along the narrow old street, into the distance.

...

...

Several streets away from the dam.

Outside the Forest Goods Market in the northern district of Beta Town, in a small roadside diner.

It was early morning, and pedestrians were sparse along the road. Not many stores had opened yet, but this diner, serving breakfast for dock workers, had already fired up its stoves.

That didn’t guarantee the owner’s diligence.

The owner was curled up in a soft armchair by the diner’s entrance, cradling a glowing law book in the dawn light. About a dozen small sprites dressed in tattered gauze bustled to and fro, struggling to carry giant ladles, jars of seasoning, and bowls larger than themselves between the steaming stove and dining tables. The rich aroma of food filled the air.

Mai Dong stood at the street corner, hugging a Kun Fish Plush Toy, sniffing the fragrant air wafting from the diner, and swallowing his saliva.

Zhang Boren glanced down at the little witch and sighed heavily.

”You know the rules,” he said, gently patting Mai Dong’s head in consolation. ”When performing dimensional tasks on a timeline, it’s strictly forbidden to make unnecessary contact with this node... If we accidentally trigger a butterfly effect, it’ll be a catastrophe.”

”But I’m hungry.” Mai Dong tilted her face upward to look at her team leader, appearing pitiful. ”I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t make friends... I’m truly miserable.”

Zhang Boren felt a wave of frustration—he was particularly weak against the little witch’s tone, which made him regret his earlier concession.

Previously, during task allocation in the Silent Forest, Mai Dong was supposed to remain at their original spot, following the diviner’s instructions to build a magic circle for sniping the Outer God’s followers.

But this was Mai Dong’s first visit to Buji Island, and she had never gotten the chance to tour Beta Town. She had insisted on joining her team leader’s tour of the northern district to broaden her horizons.

Zhang Boren, bothered by her clamorous complaints, hesitated but eventually agreed to let the little witch tag along—his task being to clear the magical creatures detained at the dockside Forest Goods Market. Yet denied access to stores, prohibited from purchasing delicious snacks, bound to linger in the cold and damp corners, Mai Dong soon grew weary of this assignment.

”Hold on a bit longer,” Kunpeng Hunting Team’s captain reassured his spirit witch, thumping his chest in assurance. ”Once the mission is done, we’ll head back... I’ll buy you three Pandora magic boxes this time!”

Pandora Magic Boxes were highly popular gifts in magical markets—nobody knew what lay within until opening it. Rumor had it someone recently uncovered a dragon egg from one.

Mai Dong’s eyes lit up. She immediately raised four fingers, paused, then swapped them for a full hand: ”Five! I want five boxes!”

”Deal!” Zhang Boren extended his pinky finger and hooked it against Mai Dong’s in agreement.

The little witch looked regretful, suspecting she’d undervalued her bid.

Just then, a streak of dazzling fireworks ascended above the low street-side shops. Bright crimson spread like ink over half the sky, clearly marking an urgent warning signal. Accompanying the scene was a sharp whistle cutting through the breeze.

Diner patrons paused briefly, dropping their bowls and fleeing on foot.

Northern district folks deserved praise for their cautious instincts.

Even the originally napping diner owner bolted quicker than anyone else—he didn’t even have time to untie the apron wrapped around his waist—leaving behind a cluster of sprites with ladles and firewood suspended mid-air, stunned and bewildered.

”Swordsman’s Task is complete!”

Zhang Boren snapped his fingers confidently, grabbed the little witch’s shoulder, and steered her toward the Forest Goods Market: ”Now it’s our turn.”

Mai Dong squeezed the plush toy tightly in her arms.

”I still don’t get it,” she sighed like an adult. ”Why do we need to scare that poor patrol officer? Won’t issuing a false alarm get him fired...?”

”Not only will it not get him fired, he might even earn a Merlin Medal.” Kunpeng Hunting Team’s captain explained as he led the little witch onward. ”It’s not a false alarm he issued—it’s an early true alarm by about half an hour... By the time the northern district wizard group assembles and prepares for the Black Tide, they’ll discover the real tide has only just arrived at their doorstep.”

”The Great Sage of the northern district will surely figure that out.”

With that, the two reached the Forest Goods Market. Zhang Boren fished two badges out of his pocket and pinned them onto his chest, striding toward the market gates while yelling at the young wizard guards:

”Didn’t hear the alarm? This is not a drill! Evacuate immediately!”

”This is not a drill!”