On how PhDs become human evil

Hatayama Aiko and the others didn't understand Bai Jie's meaning at first, but in the next instant—

"boom!"

The ground was forcibly shattered by someone's brute force, and the shockwave that shot into the sky propelled Bai Jie nearly a hundred meters into the air. Then, vortexes of air gathered under Bai Jie's feet, and after they suddenly exploded, they propelled him toward the direction of the North Mountain Range like a jet.

No one expected that Bai Jie would use such an unconventional way of moving. What kind of physical ability was that? Just how abnormal were his ability values ​​and skills?

[Can keep up with my movement speed]

Aiko Hatayama initially thought Bai Jie was just saying it casually, but she didn't expect that they really couldn't keep up with Bai Jie's speed.

"Ms. Aiko, should we follow them?" Yuka asked.

Nodding, Aiko Hatayama said, "Even without Fafnir, I was planning to go to the Northern Mountains today. Shimizu has been missing for a long time, and we haven't searched the Northern Mountains yet, so I thought there might be some clues about him there."

Lucky for clear water.

One of the students summoned is a dark sorcerer. She has a genius-like understanding and learning ability for dark magic, and she can also grasp other types of magic very quickly. As a member of Aiko Hatayama's guard, she has always followed the group.

But he disappeared a few days ago. Aiko Hatayama searched all the surrounding towns and regions but could not find him. The Kitayama Mountains were the only place she had not yet searched.

"Besides, nobody wants to come back today and not get to eat curry rice, right?"

"That's...that's true."

Upon hearing the word "curry rice," the students immediately burst into laughter. It was one of the few foods in this alien world that reminded them of home, and it would be a real loss if they couldn't have it.

"Alright everyone, let's mount our horses and set off!"

Hatayama Aiko smiled.

————————————————————————

The northern mountain range.

The mountains, ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 meters in altitude, stretch endlessly. For some reason, the plants and environment growing here are extremely diverse, making it an incredible place.

Just as I was thinking of seeing colors like those on a Japanese mountain in autumn, the next area was like a summer forest, full of lush green leaves, while conversely, there were also places full of dead trees.

Furthermore, even beyond the visible mountain ranges, there are even more mountain ranges on the other side. Heading north, the mountain ranges continue to pile up. We've already reached the fourth mountain range; beyond that lies completely unknown territory.

It is said that some adventurers wanted to know where the mountains led to and aimed to cross the fifth mountain range. However, with each mountain they crossed, the monsters that inhabited them became stronger, and due to this unique characteristic, they did not succeed.

Incidentally, the highest point in the first mountain range is the former headquarters of the Holy Church – the "Sacred Mountain".

The place Bai Jie was going to this time was located 600 kilometers east of the [Sacred Mountain].

The trees are covered with colorful leaves, some red and some yellow, which is very pleasing to the eye. If you are knowledgeable and observe carefully, you can find spices and wild vegetables everywhere. No wonder Ur Town is so rich, because it is truly a treasure trove of resources.

Stopping at the foot of the mountain, Bai Jie activated his aura perception. Having honed his skills in the Orcus Great Labyrinth, he had reached the pinnacle of proficiency with this skill. It could even take effect while Bai Jie was asleep, and if he used it actively, it could cover a space of three hundred meters around him.

In other words, nothing within a 300-meter radius of Bai Jie could escape his notice. Coupled with Bai Jie's magical perception ability, it could be said that half of the First Mountain Range was within Bai Jie's exploration range.

"Huh? What's this...?"

After walking less than ten minutes into the mountains, Bai Jie's sense of presence detected the presence of someone.

No, it shouldn't be called a human. Bai Jie didn't believe that apart from himself and Nagumo Hajime, these two freaks, there was any other human in this world who could possess such terrifying magical power. If converted into ability points, it would probably be close to 5000 points. You should know that even the hero Ame no Kagami only had a little over 1000 points.

Furthermore, Bai Jie does not believe that humans can have bodies exceeding tens of meters in length.

In other words, the being that is now appearing in Bai Jie's perception must be a non-human being. Considering that there are many powerful demons in this Northern Mountain Range, it is not difficult to guess that it is a powerful demon.

The problem is that powerful monsters don't go out of their way to travel from the depths of the Northern Mountains to this place. They usually stay in the fourth mountain range or even deeper, and are definitely not native to the first mountain range.

If it were true, it would have been discovered long ago and the kingdom would have come to punish it.

"Powerful monsters, the disappearance of adventurers, and the appearance of a large number of monsters... I sense a conspiracy. It seems someone is planning to cause trouble behind the scenes again. Really, there's no shortage of such people in any world."

P.S.: Um, although I said I wouldn't write anything today, my body still couldn't help but write. My soul won't allow me to be a procrastinator!

P.S.: Hoshiguma is now at Elite 2!

Section 242, Chapter 17: It's just slaying a dragon, I've even ridden one before.

Bai Jie's pace was not fast. Although he was supposed to be rescuing people, he was not in a hurry. He had never been to the Northern Mountains before, and the strange mountain scenery he had never seen before aroused his curiosity.

He couldn't understand why the ecological structure of this mountain range could violate the laws of vertical natural zones. Logically speaking, it was impossible for a mountain peak to have broad-leaved forests while another mountain peak had deadwood forests. So Bai Jie was very interested in why this phenomenon occurred.

This meant that he spent three-quarters of his time collecting experimental materials and analyzing geology, leaving only a quarter of his time for traveling. Now, it was almost sunset, and he had only just arrived at a waterfall.

"Wow, this is something interesting I've come across."

Bai Jie stopped by the waterfall, squatted down, and picked up the things at his feet.

It was a tattered shield, clearly destroyed by a violent blow, and completely unusable. Beside the shield were several other similarly damaged objects.

Backpacks commonly used by adventurers, broken spears, shattered swords, armor reduced to scrap metal... coupled with various battle traces scattered throughout the area within a one-kilometer radius of Bai Jie's detection range, Bai Jie had basically determined what situation he was currently in.

BGM: Famous Detective Detective Kennamon, start!

"The person I asked me to find came to the Northern Mountains with an adventure team and was attacked by a powerful monster. The adventure team managed to hold off the monster by using hit-and-run tactics, and then fought their way here, only to be wiped out by the monster."

"And the count's son has disappeared around here—or rather, his footsteps stop around the waterfall, and there's this unnatural wind... Oh, I see, is it there?"

Bai Jie felt he had a talent for being a detective, and he was able to deduce almost perfectly what had happened there based solely on the traces left at the scene.

"Alright, it's time to go rescue that young master. He's caused so much trouble for others. I hope he's still alive. I don't want to waste my energy on random people."

With a clang, the [Four Directions Gods] sword hanging at Bai Jie's waist was drawn. The four-colored blades pointed diagonally at the lake surface, and wisps of sword energy spewed out from the tip of the sword, creating ripples on the lake.

Two moons!

"Shuashua——!"

Two crescent-shaped sword lights instantly cleaved the lake's surface like Moses parting the sea. The waterfall and the lake's water were directly separated by the sword energy, and behind the waterfall, a dark cave appeared.

This is actually a waterfall cave?!

Putting away the [Four Directions Gods], Bai Jie lightly leaped into the cave.

Upon entering, the path immediately bends upwards. After passing through, a rather spacious cave appears. Water and light pour down from the ceiling, and the falling water flows into a pool below. Judging from the fact that the water doesn't overflow, the pool must lead to a deeper area.

In the deepest part of the space, a man lay on the ground.

After Bai Jie approached and confirmed that the man was a young man in his early twenties with a respectable and refined appearance, but whose face looked like that of a dead man.

However, he did not have any serious injuries, and there was still a small amount of food left in his backpack. He was probably just sleeping. As for his pale complexion, it was probably because he was alone here.

"Well, it's good that you're still alive—wake up, kid!"

Bai Jie slapped him hard across the face. The sharp pain woke the sleeping man up. He covered his red face and asked in a tearful voice, "Who are you? Why did you hit me? Even my father has never hit me!"

"Are you Will Kudetta? The third son of the Earl of Kudetta?"

"I am... Could it be that you were sent by my father to rescue me?"

“It was Ilva, the minister of the Adventurers’ Guild in Fulian, who asked me to come and rescue you. It’s so good that you’re still alive (to me).

Because there's no need to waste energy using resurrection magic.

"Are you still able to walk? I'll take you back to Ur Town. There are some divine apostles patrolling here. I'm sure they can protect you."

"To think that an apostle of God would protect me... I am truly humbled and grateful for God Eshid's great kindness!"

"I still have the energy to pray to Eshid, so it seems like everything should be alright. Let's go."

As he said this, Bai Jie slapped him across the face again, knocking him unconscious.

First, he wakes up the sleeping person, then he knocks the awakened person unconscious. In terms of methods and actions, Bai Jie is truly a villain.

------------------

Like dragging a garbage bag, they grabbed Will's clothes and pulled him out of the water curtain cave. Just as Bai Jie returned to the shore and was about to go back, his movements suddenly stopped.

"Really... I always feel like I get caught up in trouble so easily. Someone's already causing trouble so quickly."

As Bai Jie spoke, he looked up at the sky, gazing at the being that was now looking down at him from above.

"G——————AAAAAA~~~!!!"

It let out a deep roar, its entire body covered in jet-black scales. As it flapped its wings, golden eyes swept down from the sky... It was a [Dragon].

The dragon was about seven meters long, with five sharp claws on its long forelegs, and huge wings that grew from its back emitted a faint glow, as if imbued with magic. Perhaps for this reason, whenever it flapped its wings in the air, it would create a strong wind—unthinkable for wings of that size.

But what is most impressive, of course, are those golden eyes—like the moon rising in the night. The vertical slits in their pupils, befitting a reptile, still radiate a beauty despite being fiercely narrowed.

Golden eyes narrowed to slits, and a deep roar came from the black dragon's throat.

The overwhelming sense of oppression reminded Bai Jie of the dragon-like monsters he had encountered in the Great Labyrinth of Orcus. But compared to the black dragon before him, those monsters were like little birds. Its majesty truly made it the king of the skies.

"So that's how it is. Those huge scars were left by you."

Upon seeing the black dragon, Bai Jie understood why there were some irregular tributaries in the nearby rivers; the channels of those tributaries had been carved out by the dragon with its claws.

As far as the monsters of the abyss are concerned, although it is far inferior to the Hydra, it should have the power equivalent to a monster on the 90th floor.

Upon seeing Will's figure, the black dragon immediately cast a sharp glance at him. Then, in front of the stiff human, it slowly raised its head, tilted it back, opened its mouth full of sharp teeth, and gathered its magic power.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"

A strange cry echoed through the mountains at dusk, and the next moment, jet-black breath, like a laser beam, shot out from the black dragon's mouth!

P.S.: I'm sleepy, going to bed now. I need to recharge so I can start working at 4 AM tomorrow.

Section 243, Chapter 18: The First Day of the Seven-Day National Day Holiday (1/4)

The pitch-black dragon breath, like a laser beam falling vertically, arrived in front of Bai Jie in an instant at supersonic speed!

"boom!"

With a deafening roar, the shockwave and heatwave spread outwards, and the surrounding earth, like melted ice, took on an extremely distorted and abnormal shape, looking just like melted chocolate.

Dragon breath has always been the most representative move of the dragon race. Its versatility is like that of magicians who all know how to use projection magic. It is a standard feature of every dragon.

Its status as a standard skill stems not only from its swift activation but also from its terrifying power. Countless films and television shows depict dragons reducing entire cities to ashes with a single breath. While this black dragon's breath may not be as exaggerated, its ability to scorch the earth still places it at the highest level of magic.