The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix’s Novels Also Desires Happiness

75. Double Surprise

“I’ve found the target.”

In the dark and deep jungle, Ariel crouched low, like a leopard, concealed by the dense bushes.

She held her breath, her keen eyes fixed tightly on a spot not far away.

Under a large tree ahead, a massive tiger-like magical beast, covered in jet-black markings, was half nestled in a tree hollow, with the other half exposed to the starlight, its gigantic head resting on its crossed front paws, occasionally letting out a thunderous snore, seemingly in deep sleep.

“It’s probably an ordinary magical beast at the early stage of the third rank; in this area, it should be considered the top of the food chain. Not only the core, but its claws and fur could probably fetch a good price.”

The teacher’s voice echoed in Ariel’s ear,

“Well, do you feel confident?”

“It seems a bit troublesome.”

Ariel carefully examined the magical beast, instinctively squinting her eyes.

The classification of magical beasts is rather rough, as these creatures do not have a cultivation level per se, so they are only divided into ordinary ranks equivalent to the martial artist realms of one, two, and three, the overlord level equivalent to rank four, and the dominator level equivalent to rank five.

And above all magical beasts, there are only four known to exist on the entire continent, referred to as the “Source of Destruction”… the disaster level.

When the Silent Moon attacked the Shadow of Belrand, the sea monster Leviathan that appeared was one of the disasters.

But at that time, just to momentarily suppress the Leviathan, it required several crowned ones to join forces, and even in that battle where the moon’s projection fell as the conclusion, the sea demon Leviathan still managed to retreat unscathed, and to this day, its whereabouts remain unknown as it stirs up chaos.

From this, it can be understood that in battles of the same tier, magical beasts have an overwhelming advantage over humans.

“Well, that’s fine.”

Ariel pouted and said to herself:

“As long as it’s not a sovereign-level beast, it won’t pose much of a threat to me.”

“Then let’s make it quick.”

“Yes.”

Ariel responded softly, the power she had been accumulating released like an arrow from a bow, her slender body instantly darting out from the bushes without any resistance.

She wasn’t hiding to launch a surprise attack.

Because this magical beast was very cautious, even while sleeping, it had hidden most of its seemingly vulnerable body in a tree hollow.

No blind spots.

Therefore, she needed to gather her strength, break through from the front, and then…

A single strike to kill!

In an instant.

A fierce gale rushed through the woods, countless evergreen leaves swirling down from the branches, forming a chaotic downpour.

Then the downpour was violently torn apart, Ariel wielding a massive sword, much taller than herself and wrapped in bandages, surged forward with the force of a landslide, striking down suddenly—smash!

“Roar!”

The magical beast suddenly awoke, standing upright, its cold tiger eyes reflecting Ariel’s indifferent face. It stared at this ant who dared to intrude, erupting with an indescribable rage.

The magical beast let out a deafening roar, muscles swelling like a dragon beneath its steel-like fur, limbs slightly bending, the ground cracking. The dark patterns on its body began to emit a brilliant ghostly glow.

Magic power and the stench of blood converged, almost capable of tearing everything apart.

But the next moment…

The anger in the beast’s eyes turned to terror.

Ariel’s massive sword, its bandages subtly inscribed with runes, loosened a section, revealing a pitch-black blade.

It saw flames bursting forth.

Seething fire.

Scorching fire.

Behind the great sword trailed a long tail of flames, illuminating the forest as if it were daylight.

This was no landslide; this was… a meteor falling!

The air in the forest let out a mournful wail as the blunt sword, which had no sharp edge, at this moment displayed a sharpness not inferior to divine weapons.

The air was cleaved apart, magic power was cleaved apart, patterns were cleaved apart, fur was cleaved apart…

Then there were flesh, bones, and internal organs…

Everything… was cleaved apart.

When Ariel let out a breath of murky air and elegantly flicked her great sword, behind her, the fierce magical beasts… had already been neatly split in half.

Blood rain fell, nourishing the land.

Having just performed a flashy move, Ariel immediately shook her head in frustration, splattering the blood from her hair:

“Really stinks.”

“Who told you to always show off? There’s no one else here.”

“Hmph, being cool is an attitude, you know?”

Ariel put her hands on her hips and said:

“Master, you don’t understand. This kind of place is very likely to trigger a hero-saving-the-beauty incident in the wild. If I’m not cool enough, how can I capture a girl’s heart?”

“…Let’s talk about getting your childhood friend first,” Ariel’s master retorted.

“Hehe, isn’t that just a piece of cake?”

Ariel confidently muttered a few words, pulled out the small knife from her waist, and began to collect materials from the magical beast’s corpse.

She collected meticulously—claws, teeth, fur, core; if it weren’t for the fact that the beast’s meat contained too many impurities to be edible, she would probably have moved the entire corpse.

Then she wouldn’t have to keep eating black bread.

Unfortunately…

“But, the hard days are about to come to an end soon.”

Ariel picked up the core, examining it carefully under the starlight, her face involuntarily breaking into an excited smile:

“Originally, finding a valuable pure core last night was already a stroke of luck, but I didn’t expect tonight’s haul to be even better.”

“Adding it all up, it should be enough to make two hundred thousand Aimiers.”

“With these two hundred thousand, I can buy materials in Ailierze, make magic scrolls, and sell them; two hundred thousand will double in no time!”

“That would be a full four hundred thousand!”

“By then, Lia will definitely be taken aback by me!”

Ariel happily packed away the materials, her gaze inadvertently glancing at the brilliant starry sky.

“The night sky in the south is definitely more beautiful than in Beirlande…”

She sighed, then suddenly thought of something, her eyes shining:

“Ah, right! Next time I have the chance, I should invite Lia to stargaze together!”

“Beautiful girls love romantic stars; this is a great opportunity to increase affection!”

After fantasizing for a while about the scene where she and Lia gradually drew closer both physically and spiritually under the stunning starry river, Ariel suddenly felt a tingling sensation in her body, and the fatigue from fighting all night vanished in an instant.

“Should we continue?”

“Of course, there’s still some time before dawn; every little bit counts.”

“Do as you wish.”

Ariel’s master did not stop her.

Because this all-night practical experience was immensely beneficial for Ariel.

“It’s just a pity that there aren’t any valuable magical beasts around here.”

Ariel continued forward, sensing her surroundings while sighing, cradling the back of her head:

“Gathering like this bit by bit is really exhausting.”

“Don’t get too complacent; the more valuable the magical beast, the more dangerous it is.”

“Mm-hmm, I know. I’m just venting a little.”

Ariel pouted, “But after all, that ridiculous pink bear said that in this area, there are no…”

Her words abruptly halted.

Her footsteps also came to a stop.

In the jungle, apart from the cold wind blowing through the night and the rustling of leaves, an unexpected silence fell.

A different atmosphere began to spread.

“Ariel.” Her master’s voice carried a hint of seriousness.

“I know.”

Ariel fixed her gaze ahead, her hand reaching behind her, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly.

“I see it.”

Right ahead.

Not far away.

On that conspicuously large rock, exposed under the faint starlight.

Sitting quietly… was a fox.

Small in size, ordinary in appearance.

Except for the strange patterns on its body, it looked like just another normal fox.

But…

“Magical beast.”

Her master’s voice echoed in her ear:

“Dominant level.”

Ariel felt a surge of tension.

“Strange, didn’t that peculiar, smelly bear say there were no magical beasts this powerful? Was he lying to me?”

“No, I think… this is related to that incredibly pure core you dug out from that weak little beast last night.”

“So that means…”

“This is probably about the little beast’s parents or something.”

Ariel’s master sighed:

“The purity of a beast core is influenced not only by the strength of the beast but also by its bloodline.”

“No wonder…”

Finally seeing the bone-deep hatred in the fox beast’s eyes, Ariel bared her teeth, “So am I lucky or unlucky?”

“Depends on how you choose.”

The master asked, “So, do you want to escape?”

“Escape…”

Ariel narrowed her eyes.

This was indeed the best choice; with that pink bear around, as long as she escaped back to the camp, a mere dominant-level beast wouldn’t stir up much trouble.

But…

For some reason, at this moment, that annoying face suddenly echoed in her mind.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, that guy seemed to be the type who would fight with all his might. How would he choose if he faced this scene?

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

“How much chance do you think I have?”

“Forty percent.”

There was a pause in the voice.

“Based on the data on paper.”

“On paper…?”

Gazing at the increasingly dangerous beast, a slow smile crept onto Ariel’s lips, the iconic rebellious grin that hadn’t appeared on her face for a long time resurfacing.

“Master just said that the more valuable the beast, the more dangerous it is; the reverse holds true as well, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s no reason to hesitate.”

Ariel raised the Heavenly Fire Greatsword in her hand, pointing it at the beast, and grinned:

“Wait for it, Lia, this time the surprise will be doubled!”

……

……

“Eh? I… how did I fall asleep?”

The sky began to lighten with the dawn.

Liya opened her eyes from her dreams, momentarily dazed, before plunging into a state of panic.

She remembered that last night, she had accepted Mu En’s invitation to come stargazing.

In other words…

Liya slowly turned her head.

On the grass swaying in the gentle breeze, a faint scent of fresh grass wafted into her nostrils, making her feel inexplicably drowsy.

And in the center of her vision, that golden-haired man had one hand resting on his abdomen, the other behind his head, his eyes slightly closed, his expression peaceful, as if he were having a beautiful dream, a captivating smile unconsciously playing at the corners of his mouth.

“No, this isn’t a dream, is it?”

Liya’s face flushed slightly as she looked at Mu En, who had unknowingly moved very close to her. Suddenly, she hugged her knees, disregarding the grass clippings that had stained her newly changed clothes, and quickly turned over several times.

After moving a little farther away and turning her back to Mu En, her heart gradually calmed down a bit.

But her cheeks remained hot.

“How… strange. Why did I agree to such an invitation?”

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Clearly, she had wanted to refuse at that time.

Yet inexplicably, she still ended up coming to stargaze with him.

“Could it be that I was under some strange magic?”

“But I have the protection of the goddess’s holy light; most negative effect spells shouldn’t work on me.”

“Ariel’s sleeping spell didn’t work either.”

“Ugh… how strange.”

A few faint stars still twinkled in the sky, and the pure-hearted girl curled up, lost in a rare moment of confusion in her life.