Becoming a God Starts with Acting-Chapter 419: Entering the Hazard Zone

Ariana stared at Matthew in a daze.

In truth, Hunter missions were not useless for one’s studies. The more missions they completed, the more real combat experience they gained, and that was worth a great many points at graduation.

As someone of noble lineage, Ariana naturally did not want to become a wandering hunter. At the very least, she should be part of a noble guard and serve her family. But that was on the condition that her academic performance was outstanding enough...

Ariana almost refused on the spot, yet when she met Matthew’s gaze, she could only fall silent.

"I... I understand." Ariana heard herself say.

Only then did Matthew dispel the barrier. He smiled and said, "Let’s go. Silvanus is already waiting."

Looking at that face of his, no one would have guessed that just a moment ago he had wanted to kill Ariana.

Ariana pressed her lips together and instinctively quickened her pace.

Once she was sure Matthew could no longer see her, Ariana’s expression twisted slightly.

She would tell Silvanus everything. No matter how terrifying Matthew was, he was not stronger than Silvanus. Even his chance to enter Lumina had been granted by Silvanus. Someone as useless as Matthew was the one who should get lost from Silvanus.

Ariana clenched her fists, thinking this to herself.

What she did not know was that Matthew was thinking very differently.

Telling Ariana to get lost had not been a negotiation but an order, and he already had an alternative plan for those who refused to obey.

And clearly, Ariana had no intention of listening.

"Turn her into emergency rations," the voice of the Outer God echoed inside. Matthew replied coldly, "Shut up."

To Matthew, the detestable Outer God was no different from Ariana. The only difference was that at least the Outer God could still bring him some benefit.

On the other side, Silvanus had been waiting at the teleportation gate for a long time. Ariana had forgotten the time while out on a mission. Matthew said he would go fetch her, yet a long while had passed and they still had not returned.

Vivian was draped over Silvanus’s shoulder as usual, whispering into his ear, "Silvanus, this is so boring. Why can’t I take human form and fight?"

"Try transforming after you learn how to tuck your ears and tail away," Silvanus said, recalling the look Nana had given Vivian at sea that day.

Nana had definitely noticed something. She simply chose not to make an issue of it.

Vivian put on an exaggerated sigh.

Just then, her ears suddenly twitched. She turned to look behind her and, sure enough, saw Matthew and Ariana approaching.

Vivian rolled her eyes inwardly. She found everything annoying. To be fair, although Nerio was always "bullying" her, she did not dislike him nearly as much.

"Silvanus, sorry, we’re really late..." Matthew said as soon as he arrived.

Ariana lowered her head and also spoke softly, "I forgot the schedule. Sorry, Silvanus."

Under normal circumstances, Ariana would not have spoken like this, and Silvanus could not help but glance at her.

She looked uncomfortable, her eyes seeming on the verge of tears.

Silvanus then glanced at Matthew. Matthew pressed his lips together and shook his head, looking as though he had no idea what had happened.

"Ariana, if you’re tired, you can rest. It’s fine," Silvanus said gently.

Ariana almost immediately shook her head. "No, I’m fine. I just ran into something unpleasant in class."

"Someone bullied you again?" Silvanus recalled how, back in her first year, Ariana had often been teased for not receiving affection from her family. Things had quieted down after Silvanus stepped in. Could it be happening again now?

Ariana shook her head, clearly full of things she wanted to say. Since she did not want to talk about it, Silvanus did not press further.

He turned around and took the lead into the teleportation gate. "Alright, let’s go."

Their mission this time was to search for the Rainbow Petal Daisy, a type of flower that could enhance mental clarity and dispel illusions.

Such rare plants only grew in unexplored areas of the Land of Light. Places like these were collectively known as Hazard Zones.

Outside Hazard Zones, barriers were usually erected to prevent dangerous creatures or shadow creatures from spilling out, and also to keep ordinary people from wandering inside by mistake.

The teleportation gate lit up. In the blink of an eye, they appeared outside a Hazard Zone. This area was the closest to Lumina, yet it was still over a thousand miles away.

There were other Hunters outside as well, preparing for their own missions. No one paid attention to anyone else; the only thing that mattered to them was whether their missions could be completed.

Silvanus looked toward Ariana and Matthew. "We should be able to complete this mission within two days. Rainbow Petal Daisy tends to bloom in flat, open areas with plenty of sunlight, so prioritize searching places like that."

Matthew and Ariana nodded, indicating they understood.

After confirming that nothing had been forgotten, the group stepped into the Hazard Zone.

It felt as though they had just passed through a curtain of water. When they opened their eyes again, they were in a vast primeval forest. Damp air permeated the surroundings, and the sun high above could barely pierce the dense canopy, leaving the forest floor shrouded in gloom.

"Let’s go."

With that, Silvanus rose straight into the air, passing through the thick layers of leaves. The tallest ancient trees nearly pierced the clouds, seeming to have no end in sight. Fortunately, there were not too many trees of that kind.

The wind rushed past their hair, cloaks billowing. Ahead stretched an endless expanse of green, with other regions hidden within the cloud layer.

Silvanus could even see a corner of land beyond Chaosland, wrapped in mist.

Hopefully, they could fly past this forest before nightfall... Silvanus thought to himself.

However, a sudden change occurred after they had been flying for only thirty minutes.

Before them lay rolling mountain ranges. There were no trees on the mountains, only sheer rock faces, standing starkly upon the land for reasons unknown.

The moment the group drew closer, fierce gusts of wind rose at once, howling loudly and significantly slowing their progress. As usual, Ariana tucked herself behind Silvanus and Matthew. Vivian, flying off to the side in a pose reminiscent of a superhero, could not help but roll her eyes inwardly and cast a disdainful glance at Ariana.

The closer they came to the cliffs, the stronger the wind grew. Yet this was the shortest route, and the cliff range stretched on endlessly. There was no way to fly around to the edge.

Just as the wind intensified upon reaching the cliff face, Silvanus raised his hand. A barrier immediately formed, blocking the powerful gusts.

The group swiftly flew into a massive gap between the cliffs.

The passage was wide enough for twenty people to pass through at once. Howling winds roared right beside them, like the sobbing wails of the mountains.

Even Silvanus could not help but frown at the terrifying force of the wind. At that moment, a loud shout suddenly rang out from afar:

"Get out of the way! Run, now!"

Looking ahead, they saw a figure rushing toward them at full speed—not just one person, but many, as if it were an entire team.

Each of them appeared intact, not as though they had just gone through a major battle. Yet now they were fleeing in sheer terror.