Shen Ziwei nodded heavily at Fang Zhou and, with Wang Tao's help, lay down on the stretcher on the back of the Silver Pegasus.

Wang Tao had also heard Fang Zhou's earlier words, but he merely sighed to himself. Many Priest Professionals had already researched bone regeneration. Among them were even powerhouses at the Legendary Crown level. But in the end, it was all for naught.

Although Fang Zhou was hailed by some as the most talented Undead Mage in history and had indeed independently developed the Skeleton Series Skill Tree, it was a different matter entirely. But could the bones of a skeleton—an Undead Creature—truly be the same as human bones?

Wang Tao didn't truly believe Fang Zhou could do it, regarding his words as nothing more than kind-hearted comfort. But in front of Shen Ziwei, he certainly couldn't say it out loud.

He nodded at Fang Zhou before steering the Silver Pegasus toward the Cave Fortress.

Watching the Silver Pegasus disappear from sight, Fang Zhou turned back to clean up the ravaged battlefield. The bones of the Jackal Wolfmen and the teeth of the Wargs were materials needed by the military academy. In addition, the three elite Middle-rank Jackal Wolfman Apprentices had contributed three pieces of Gray Inferior equipment. The Jackal Wolfman Battle Group, which had just been wiped out by his Skeleton Army, had contributed a total of thirty contribution points' worth of resources to Fang Zhou.

But these meager resources had cost Shen Ziwei an arm.

Fang Zhou shook his head slightly, giving himself a silent warning.

I must not act recklessly!

After collecting the spoils from the annihilation of the Jackal Wolfmen, Fang Zhou looked at the items Shen Ziwei had given him. The bundle of Demon materials wasn't much to look at. It contained common items like Fierce Wolf teeth, goblin ears, and Stone-Skinned Lizard Scale Armor, worth less than twenty contribution points in total.

But that [Ring of Burning Fire] was a fine piece. Fang Zhou looked at the description on the attribute panel.

[Ring of Burning Fire] (Gray Inferior, Marvel): A piece of equipment created by a Flame Mage. No usage requirements. Can consecutively cast a Lower-rank Apprentice-level [Fireball Skill] up to three times, after which it requires natural recharging.

A Lower-rank Apprentice-level [Fireball Skill] was naturally nothing special to Fang Zhou. However, the true value of the [Ring of Burning Fire] lay in its lack of Profession or Attribute restrictions, making it usable by any Profession. For a Lower-rank Apprentice Combat Professional like Shen Ziwei, it was powerful enough to serve as a trump card. Even among the 180 seeded candidates participating in the Cave Hunt, not many possessed such a fine piece of equipment.

After all, most equipment required support from one's Profession and Four-Dimensional Attributes. If one's Profession didn't match or their Four-Dimensional Attributes didn't meet the requirements, even the most powerful equipment would be useless. Possessing the [Ring of Burning Fire] implied that Shen Ziwei had the backing of a powerful Flame Mage who was skilled at creating Marvels.

Surname Shen? A Flame Mage?

A flash of insight struck Fang Zhou. Could this Shen Ziwei be related to Instructor Shen Hongyu, who's in charge of the Meditation class? If that's true, it's quite tragic.

After all, the reason Shen Ziwei had the confidence to hunt in the dangerous Frozen Tundra was her reliance on the power of this [Ring of Burning Fire]. But the outcome was a blessing turned to a curse. In a sense, it was this very ring that had caused Shen Ziwei to lose an arm.

Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on matters that didn't concern him and slipped the [Ring of Burning Fire] onto his finger. If he encountered small Demons like Fierce Mosquitoes or Swamp Flies again, this ring would come in handy.

After gathering the Skeleton Army scattered across the hilly battlefield, Fang Zhou opened the Hunting Recorder. Once the signal was restored, he corrected his route toward the Thorn Jungle.

Over an hour had passed since he rushed to answer the distress signal. By this point, the day was waning, and the light from the Magic Energy Moss had grown extremely faint. Fang Zhou knew he couldn't reach the Thorn Jungle before nightfall. Unwilling to march in the dark, he decided to stick to his original plan: head to the Town Ruins for the night.

As the cold wind howled once more, the temperature on the Frozen Tundra dropped even further. Fang Zhou commanded a few skeletons to shoulder the now much heavier packs and continued toward the Town Ruins. To speed up his march, Fang Zhou couldn't be bothered to hunt any Demons he encountered, as long as they didn't suicidally throw themselves in his path.

An hour later, under the last faint glow of the Magic Energy Moss, Fang Zhou finally led his Skeleton Army to the Town Ruins.

This place had once been a thriving part of Sea City. When the Demons invaded, this place, like many cities on Blue Star, became a bloody battlefield in the Human-Demon Blood War. The bombardments of heavy weaponry in the early stages of the war, combined with the various Skills used by Professionals and Demons, had reduced it to a desolate ruin. Now, it lay silent within the dark Cave.

From a distance, the collapsed buildings resembled silent, weathered monoliths, eroded by wind and rain. The roads were shattered, and weeds and moss grew from the cracks. The once-bustling streets had turned to dust. Now, only the barely perceptible glow of the Magic Energy Moss cast fragmented shadows across the lifeless land. The light was so faint that one could barely see their own hand in front of their face.

Fang Zhou gripped his Magic Staff tightly. The inlaid Primary Moonlight Stone at its tip pulsed with a cold, silver light in the encroaching darkness. According to the Hunting Recorder's data, these Town Ruins had become a playground for Demons. He would likely have to fight a bloody battle just to find a place to rest.

However, as he quietly led the Skeleton Army into the ruins, the expected tide of Demons failed to materialize. Instead, he found only small, sparse groups of wandering Demons. It seemed as if they had been scattered or suppressed by some unknown force, making the ruins feel even more eerie and desolate.

PUFF. PUFF.

A thick layer of dust covered the ground, making a soft sound with each step as Fang Zhou moved between the ruined walls. His gaze remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings as he searched for a location that could both ward off potential threats and provide temporary shelter.

Finally, the ruins of an old department store came into view. It stood on high ground. Though dilapidated, its core structure remained solid. Its high remaining walls and complex interior formed a natural defensive position—easy to defend and difficult to assault. It was an ideal place to set up camp.

However, the ruin was not unoccupied.

His sluggish thermal imaging radar issued a warning. Almost immediately, Fang Zhou detected low grunts coming from inside the ruins, mixed with the scraping sound of hard objects dragging across the ground.

He halted the Skeleton Army and raised his night-vision binoculars to inspect the building's interior.

Inside the dim building, a pack of Fierce Boars was resting. Their backs bristled with sharp quills, and their eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty red light.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.