Global Awakening: I'm the Only One Ready-Chapter 42. Karma, Aurora Academy, Western Upheaval! (2)

My path of evolution has only just begun.

At this thought, Lu Yuan let out a quiet sigh. On the surface, he might look powerful, but it was nowhere near enough. He had to continue pressing forward; otherwise, how was he supposed to deal with the crises in the future?

As these thoughts weighed down on his mind, he turned and left without another word.

"Qingyu, what's with that guy?" Qin Lan flared up as she watched Lu Yuan's departing back.

He didn't even thank them after being saved; he just walked off without even turning back to spare a glance.

"Maybe he was shaken by that mutated beast." Senior Wu, the man covered in scales who wielded the sabre earlier, stepped forward. "Some Awakened are like that. They thought gaining extraordinary power means they can run wild as they wish. But the world outside is a lot more dangerous than they imagined. We should try to be more understanding."

The other two students of Aurora Academy nodded in agreement.

"Alright, enough." Zhu Qingyu cut in and said, "We came here to track the pair of Monohorn Giant Wolves.

"They are extremely dangerous and ferocious. They've already destroyed several towns. The pressing matter at hand is to find their trail and report back to the professors so stronger Awakened can be dispatched."

Backed by authorities, Aurora Academy's mission was to maintain order and safeguard ordinary civilians.

As students, Zhu Qingyu and the others had to contribute their part by tracking down mutated beasts and if possible, slay them.

Of course, Zhu Qingyu and the others stood no chance against creatures like the Monohorn Giant Wolves. Their task was only to locate the beasts' trails and report back to the Academy.

Qin Lan let out a long sigh. "The beast attacks are getting worse by the day. Just relying on our Academy isn't enough. Have you heard? A major incident broke out in the West. Several powerful Mutated Beast Kings have been born. A lizard mutated into a colossal dragon that spews molten magma, burning entire cities to ash. And even the legendary Cerberus appeared. Wherever it went, it left death in its wake. Just the thought of that is terrifying."

"Yeah...I saw it too. The news is all over the internet. It's trending everywhere."

"Yeah! The West even sent tens of thousands of troops armed with heavy weapons, but it was all useless."

"I heard some bigshot is planning to call upon the Holy Knights of Mount Olympus and also the Celestial Archangel of the Vatican to step in."

"Tell me—who do you think is stronger? The Western Holy Knights, or our Winged Celestial God and the other Supremes?"

The group spoke one after another, each adding to the heated discussion about the latest global upheaval.

Qin Lan even brought up the Five Supremes for comparison, but in the end, no one could reach a conclusion.

The situation in the West was little different from that in Huaxia. As powerful Awakened emerged, so too did mutated beasts rampage unchecked. For weaker nations that lacked strong weaponry, entire countries had been wiped out overnight.

As students of Aurora Academy, Zhu Qingyu and her companions knew more than most. Their voices carried an undercurrent of worry.

"Enough. Let's not dwell on this. We should focus on our task." Zhu Qingyu gestured toward the darkening sky. "If we delay any longer, we'll waste another day."

Only then did the others realize dusk had already fallen. Mutated beasts grew far more savage after nightfall, so retreating to safety was their only option. Until then, they had to make full use of the last sliver of daylight to continue their search.

Zhu Qingyu led the four others deeper into the forest, combing the wilderness. Yet after nearly an hour, they still hadn't found the slightest trace.

"We'll have to continue tomorrow," Qin Lan said, her expression tense. "It's time to pull back."

"Mm. Let's head back first," Zhu Qingyu agreed. She had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.

"Wait," Senior Brother Wu suddenly called out. "Don't you find it strange? Ever since we began searching, we haven't run into a single mutated beast. Doesn't this feel... wrong?"

All of them went silent completely.

During the day, they clashed with several mutated beasts in succession. Yet for the last hour, not one had appeared. By right, with night drawing near, mutated beasts should have been even more active..

Has something happened?

The group exchanged uneasy glances. Zhu Qingyu urged everyone to remain calm. After a brief moment of contemplation, she suggested they retrace their steps. It was the safest path, since they had gone through it and didn't encounter any danger.

The others nodded quickly. The situation was far too strange. Against ordinary mutated beasts they might still hold their own, but if they faced something stronger, they would be powerless.

A thunderous howl suddenly reverberated through the entire forest.

The cry was shrill and laced with boundless fury. Even nearby predatory birds, themselves mutated beasts, shrieked in terror and fled skyward.

Zhu Qingyu and the others felt their eardrums buzz painfully. The sound was so close they had to clap their hands over their ears. Only after some time did the discomfort fade enough to endure.

What should we do?

Judging from the roar, this beast was terrifyingly strong.

Zhu Qingyu gritted her teeth and made her decision. She was going to approach closer for she suspected that it was one of the Monohorn Giant Wolves.

Fortunately, each of them carried a mysterious artifact issued by the Academy, capable of concealing their auras for a short time. With it, they had at least some guarantee of safety.

Without further words, they advanced cautiously toward the source of the roar.

Before long, they emerged into a clearing.

The sight before their eyes left them momentarily stunned.

"The Monohorn Giant Wolf...is dead," one of them remarked softly. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The massive beast lay sprawled across the ground, its crimson fur soaked in blood. Its frame was shattered, its bones splintered, and one of its legs had been torn away.

All around, colossal trees lay broken, and a deep chasm scarred the earth.

Clearly, an intense battle had taken place not long ago. Some mysterious existence had slain the Monohorn Giant Wolf.

Judging from the devastation, the strength of that existence was unimaginably terrifying, its destructive might overwhelming.

Who killed the Monohorn Giant Wolf?

That was the collective question weighing down on everyone's mind.

The Monohorn Giant Wolf was equivalent to an Awakened at Foundation Realm VIII.

But before they could dwell further, another colossal figure emerged near the crimson wolf's corpse.

This wolf was even larger. Its body was covered in azure fur that shimmered with radiant light. With every step it took, the ground trembled. An oppressive aura flooded the clearing, and the single horn upon its head gleamed like a celestial blade; it was several meters long and looked seemingly sharp and sturdy enough to cleave the very heavens.

The earlier roar had come from this Blue Monohorn Giant Wolf. It had discovered the death of its mate and was consumed by boundless rage.

"This... this wolf! Its strength is at least Foundation Realm IX... maybe even higher! Didn't the reports say both beast kings were only tier eight?! This doesn't match the intel at all!" Qin Lan's face turned pale, her hands shook uncontrollably. The instinctive fear of facing a higher species was something she could not suppress.

Zhu Qingyu and the others fared no better. If not for the artifact concealing their presence, the Blue Giant Wolf King would have already noticed them.

And if that happened, with their pitiful strength, death would be instantaneous. They would have no chance to resist.

This was the wide gulf between them.

"Let's leave." Zhu Qingyu immediately made a decision. The current situation was far beyond what they could handle.

But soon, a chilling howl resonated in the air.

This time, the Blue Monohorn Wolf King's cry carried no hint of fury. Instead, it had a strange feeling—

Like it was issuing some sort of order!

Zhu Qingyu's face darkened drastically.

"This is bad! It's summoning a beast tide!"