High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1587: Chapter 331 Zhang Boren’s Mission

”Re-report!!”

An urgent sound of footsteps echoed from outside the door, soon followed by a porcupine-like white-haired Warlock barging into the second floor of Sakura Pub, into the meeting hall of the Jini Wizard Group.

”Insolence!”

The Sage’s attendant furiously flipped open the Law book in his hand, his other hand already pressing onto the frog inside his pocket, preparing to teach this rash intruder a lesson.

The Wizard group of the North District was still a fledgling organization. Its predecessor, the Tricksters, had been accustomed to freedom in their daily lives, and their understanding of rules was on par with that of the old-school Gypsy wizards. Even though they revered power and obeyed the strong, expecting them to adhere to the intricate audience protocols like the Wizards of the Moon Council would require a prolonged period of adjustment and familiarity.

The intruding Warlock realized his mistake. His face turned pale, resembling the color of his hair.

Korma awakened from her meditation, catching sight of the Law book flipped open in the attendant’s hand.

”Wait,” she stopped the punishment before it could happen, her gaze falling on the porcupine-like white-haired Warlock: ”What happened?”

Since returning from Danghag, Korma had reorganized the missions of the North District Wizard group. She disbanded the medium-sized patrol teams of around ten people and restructured them into smaller squads of 3-5 members. These squads were then widely deployed to the edges of Silent Forest to guard against potential dangers.

In addition, she appointed several elder accountants to organize the recent expenditures of the North District Wizard group, intending to request substantial funding from Su Shijun.

She had been working non-stop from last night until morning, even taking a brief trip outside during that time, combined with prolonged lack of adequate rest. Despite being a Big Wizard, Korma felt a trace of exhaustion.

Thus, before the sun fully rose, she took advantage of the respite, sitting on the black high-back chair at the far end of the hall. She entered brief meditation to recover from the mental fatigue.

The Warlock dropped to one knee, bowing his head, his voice trembling slightly from the tension: ”Apologies, Great Sage... But we just received an alarm. Near the old streets of the North District Port, there’s been a significant appearance of magical beasts. It might signal the prelude to the Black Tide...”

Korma lifted her head, her gaze cutting through layers of barriers, toward the direction of the North District docks.

In her sight, all remained tranquil there, without the murky magical fluctuations that usually preceded the arrival of the Black Tide. Yet, in the alleys near the port, familiar presences scattered frantically as though a herd of sheep fleeing the wolf’s howl.

”Who issued the alarm?” The Witch withdrew her gaze, her tone calm.

”Robert Lee,” the Warlock answered immediately, ”a captain from the Beta Town Patrol Team, highly experienced, so he was retained by the School Works Committee and assigned to train our newly formed patrol teams.”

”Where is he now?”

”He’s currently headed to the School Works Committee to request assistance.”

Korma paused in thought, her fingers swiftly calculating in her sleeve, and cast a glance at her attendant: ”Have any of our patrol teams reported any anomalies?”

”Everything is normal,” the attendant replied softly.

Korma’s brows furrowed tighter.

Though her divination skills weren’t outstanding, her foundational knowledge was solid. With the added tier advantage of a Big Wizard, theoretically everything happening in the North District, big or small, shouldn’t escape her grasp.

However, the results of her calculations, the reports from her subordinates, and the scenes she observed were riddled with contradictions. The divination indeed indicated imminent danger; ominous portents even pricked her palm during the calculations. Yet, the risky areas shown in the divination shifted erratically — at one moment emerging from the water, another moment from the woods, and then again from the campus.

As the saying goes: trust a book too much, and it’s better not to have one; rely on divination too much, and it’s better not to divine.

Realizing that divination could no longer offer her meaningful guidance, Korma abandoned further calculations and decided to rely on her instincts.

”Gather the scattered patrol teams,” the Sage rose from her throne. Her towering figure enveloped the hall, stretching outward, all the way past Gu Diao Street: ”According to our plans, proceed to the North District Port immediately and establish a forward defensive formation.”

”Until Danghag’s reinforcements arrive, we’re the North District’s only line of defense.”

”Yes!” The Wizards of the North District inside the hall lowered their heads, responding in unison with precision and resound.

...

...

”This is not a drill!!”

”Everyone, evacuate the port area immediately and head to the shelters!!”

”Move quickly! Cerberus’ three heads are drooling after you!”

”I repeat, this is not a drill!”

Zhang Boren’s two badges glinted on his chest in the morning light, dazzling the eyes of every small vendor in the Forest Goods Market. Under the tall Warlock’s roar and prompting, they barely managed to hastily pack their stalls before blindly fleeing with the crowd.

Businesspeople are synonymous with shrewdness.

But at the same time, they are the greatest risk avoiders.

The conspicuous alarm in midair, the chaotic noise outside the market, the terrifying sounds emanating from the nearby river’s surface, and the rumors spreading throughout the town recently — all coupled with the presence of this ’official’ wizard before them — quickly convinced them to embrace the idea: ”The Black Tide is here; we must flee.”

Of course, Zhang Boren’s badges played a significant role in this.

One of the badges represented the Trident Sword, specifically the gold badge symbolizing a top-tier registered wizard; the other badge belonged to the First University, denoting a mid-ranked commissioner from the School Works Committee’s external affairs department.

Both identities were fake, but both badges were as genuine as they could get. He had received them from the assistant team’s acting leader before departing Black Prison. Apparently, every hunting team deploying into the timeline receives related identification tags to reduce temporal rejection in the current era.

Moments later, the market was already deserted.

”I’m off to deal with those ’variables.’ You stay here and don’t move,” Kunpeng Hunting Team’s leader instructed the Little Spirit Wizard Mai Dong, pointing to the market entrance: ”If you notice unfamiliar presences approaching, remember to alert me.”

The Little Witch clutched her doll tightly and nodded firmly.

Zhang Boren took a deep breath and darted toward the warehouses near Silent River like a whirlwind. Those warehouses were filled with cages of all sizes, imprisoning various magical creatures swept in by the Black Tide months ago — those that passed the Alliance’s quarantine inspection and were deemed harmless had already been sold off. The leftovers in the warehouses were all flawed in some way.

Take that Ao-Yin, for example. It hadn’t rid itself of the Mad Hunt’s influence and flew into a frenzy every half hour. Or that Sui-Ti — one of its two heads functioned normally, but the other bore crimson eyes that were suspected to be tainted with demonic aura. And then there was the nursing Chisel Tooth, retained out of simple moral considerations and left unsold — its cage even housed a Black Mountain Goat, presumably to nurse the young Chisel Tooth.

The Warlock quickly pasted Explosion charms onto the cages, occasionally glancing at the tags hanging from the cages to evaluate why they had been left behind. It only took a short time for him to finish his preparation.

Patting his hands and satisfied with his work, he left the warehouse and casually ignited the Explosion charms. Wisps of green smoke wafted among the cages.

But then, an image flashed in his mind of the Chisel Tooth’s cage.

And of the Black Mountain Goat inside the cage.

The Warlock came to a slow halt.

Something seemed off.

Zhang Boren wasn’t an intelligent wizard, but he was a hunter with sharp instincts. He quickly sifted through the images floating in his mind and realized what had caused the sense of incongruity.

The Black Mountain Goat had horns.