“We’re having seafood today.”
Shen Man set her cup of milk tea on the table and casually flipped through a few pages of the menu.
She looked up at the waiter and rattled off a string of dishes without hesitation.
“Steamed Boston lobster with garlic and vermicelli, steamed Leopard Coral Grouper, salt and pepper mantis shrimp, stir-fried flower crab with ginger and scallions, and a pot of seafood porridge.”
She closed the menu and looked at Lin Yuan across from her.
“No dietary restrictions, right?”
“None.”
Lin Yuan sat down across from her, his eyes instinctively scanning the price column in the bottom right corner of the menu.
The prices here weren't listed in Huaxia coins, but in academic credits.
A single dish of steamed Leopard Coral Grouper cost fifteen credits.
This entire meal would cost at least sixty or seventy credits.
To be honest, Lin Yuan hadn't fully grasped the credit system of Magic City Academy yet.
But put simply...
Shen Man’s single meal was the equivalent of nearly half a month’s worth of mission rewards for a rising sophomore.
“Professor Shen,” Lin Yuan said, leaning back against his chair with a helpless tone.
“How many of my future lives did this meal just cost?”
“Don’t worry, not many.”
Just as she spoke, Shen Man picked up her milk tea and took a long, hard sip.
Her cheeks puffed out instantly, making her look somewhat cute.
“Just the price of a few Tier 3 monsters. You just broke through the defense of a Tier 3, Level 1 with a single spear. Killing a Tier 3, Level 1 monster will be like child's play for you.”
Lin Yuan followed up immediately, “Then I’ll kill a few more later to pay you back.”
“No need.”
Shen Man set down her milk tea, her expression turning serious.
“This is part of my recruitment benefits. If I recruit an S-rank freshman, I treat them to a meal in the first semester.”
“You’re the only S-rank I recruited this year, so this meal is on me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the waiter began serving the dishes. The fresh aroma of the garlic lobster wafted over, instantly filling the entire table.
Lin Yuan broke apart his chopsticks and picked up a piece of lobster meat.
The meat was firm and springy.
The garlic and vermicelli had soaked up all the delicious juices of the lobster.
With one bite, a wave of satisfaction rushed straight to his head.
“Professor Shen,” Lin Yuan said while eating.
“Is there anywhere near Magic City where I can go for training? You know, a place where I can grind... I mean, hunt monsters and gain combat experience.”
He forced himself to swallow the word “grind” and replaced it with “hunt monsters.”
At that moment, Shen Man was looking down, peeling a mantis shrimp.
Hearing this, she looked up at him with eyes full of amusement.
“Can’t sit still already?”
“I can’t.”
Lin Yuan nodded frankly, making no effort to hide it.
“There are still eight days until the freshman convocation. I can't just stay in the training room the whole time. Abilities and combat experience need to be accumulated through actual combat.”
Shen Man stuffed the peeled mantis shrimp into her mouth and wiped her hands clean with a tissue.
Then, she leaned back and thought for a moment.
“Actually, there is a place.”
She picked up her phone, swiped quickly across the screen, pulled up a map, and turned it toward Lin Yuan.
“Azure Tide Forest. It’s about sixty kilometers southeast of Magic City.
The terrain is a mix of coastal forest and valleys. It’s massive—more than three times the size of the D-rank danger zone in Donghai City.”
“The outer area is filled with monsters from Tier 1 to Tier 3. Most of our academy’s students go there for training. I used to go there myself.”
She moved her finger slightly on the map, pointing to a label marked Azure Tide Bay.
“Here, ten kilometers east of the Azure Tide Forest outer area, is a resort beach with a resort hotel nearby.
Ability users who go there to train all stay there to rest and resupply.”
“The Ability User Association has specialists patrolling the waters near the hotel regularly. There’s never been an incident of sea monsters harming people. It’s absolutely safe.”
Lin Yuan silently memorized the location and gave a slight nod.
“What about the internal areas?”
“Don’t you dare go inside!”
Shen Man’s tone turned serious instantly.
“The Azure Tide Forest outer area mostly has Tier 1 and Tier 2 monsters, with the occasional Tier 3. It’s perfect for your training.”
“But the core valley has Tier 4 and even Tier 5 monsters! With your current strength, you can’t even touch them!”
“The perception and attack methods of a Tier 4 monster are far superior to a Tier 3. If you run into one head-on now, it’s no different from seeking death.”
She paused and warned him again.
“I know you’re brave enough to challenge those above your level. But in wilderness training, challenging those too far above your level is suicide.”
“Your spear has incredible explosive power, but you can’t sustain a long battle. A Tier 4 monster can tank one of your strikes, but you can’t survive a single blow from it.”
Lin Yuan didn't argue with Shen Man’s words.
He immediately thought back to the Hexagon Building in Donghai City.
That Tier 5 Shadow Abyss Wolf had been able to lock onto his position from across an entire street.
If Meng Hao hadn't arrived just in time, he wouldn't have survived.
The higher the monster’s rank, the larger the gap between tiers, and the more terrifying the chasm in strength.
He could bridge the gap between Tier 1 and Tier 2 with combat techniques and his tempered body.
But from Tier 3 to Tier 4, there was an impassable divide.
“I’ll only stay in the outer area. I won’t enter the internal zones,” Lin Yuan said in a low voice.
Shen Man stared at him for a few seconds, judging that he wasn't lying.
“Fine.”
She picked up a piece of flower crab and put it in her bowl.
“By the way, I have two rising sophomore students who are also training in the Azure Tide Forest.
The girl is named Xu Qing, a B-rank lightning ability user. She’s been stuck at Tier 2 Peak for a long time and wants to use actual combat to break through to Tier 3.
Her boyfriend is Jiang Yu, an A-rank ice ability user with Tier 3, Level 3 strength.
If you run into danger, you can ask them for help anytime. I’ll give them a heads-up.”
“Okay.”
Lin Yuan nodded, firmly memorizing the information about the two of them.
The seafood porridge was served just then.
The steaming white porridge was filled with large chunks of shrimp and crab meat, topped with finely chopped scallions.
Lin Yuan ladled out a bowl and drank it after blowing on it to cool it down.
The porridge was thick and smooth, and the sweetness of the seafood had completely infused into the grains of rice. The texture was exquisite.
“Professor Shen.”
Lin Yuan set down his spoon, his expression calm.
“I want to head out this afternoon.”
Hearing this, Shen Man’s hand scooping the porridge froze.
Then, she quietly finished scooping her bowl and set the spoon on the edge.
“Leaving today?”
“Yes.”
Lin Yuan looked up, his tone very firm.
“I’ll go back and pack after lunch, then head out this afternoon. I’ll stay a night at the Azure Tide Hotel and enter the forest tomorrow morning.”
Shen Man didn't try to talk him out of it.
She simply leaned back, picked up her milk tea, and made a slight noise with the straw as she sucked on it, remaining silent for several seconds.
“Fine.”
This time, she agreed exceptionally calmly.
“I could tell a long time ago that you wouldn't stay in the academy. To you, an eight-day break is just a waste of time.”
She set down the milk tea and immediately picked up her phone to send a message.
“I’m sending you the map of the Azure Tide Forest.
Green is the outer safe zone, light red is the danger zone—stay within your limits—and the deep red core area is absolutely forbidden!
That’s not a suggestion; it’s an order!”
...
Rate on N.U.
