The Glorious Transcendent-Chapter 60: Mission of the Second-Rank Team

In a clearing free of trees, the group stood as darkness surrounded them.

Ling Shao placed his hands on his waist and spoke loudly.

"Now... take your positions."

The members rushed off in different directions, as if the darkness had swallowed them whole.

Mei Lan remained standing in her place, deeply confused—even Kogan had vanished into the darkness.

She couldn’t keep up with their speed, nor did she grasp what was happening, and so she stayed frozen in place.

"U-um... excuse me... what am I supposed to do?" she asked in a hesitant, nervous tone.

Ling Shao furrowed his brows. "Just stay away from me and ready your weapon."

"Y-yes, sir." Mei Lan lowered her head and quickly moved into the darkness.

’It would’ve been better if she hadn’t come,’ Ling Shao sighed.

He hadn’t wanted Mei Lan to join them. All of them were Rank One—except for her.

Even though Kogan didn’t know his own rank yet, that didn’t change the fact that he was strong.

Her presence would only put her in danger—and in such a situation, any harm that came to her could jeopardize Kogan’s future.

The only one who didn’t bring his partner along was Ling Shao.

The reason they always worked in pairs was to protect their partners.

But in reality, they were only protecting themselves.

Who is the person willing to do the impossible for you?

It’s the one whose life would be affected by your absence.

Even someone who loves you might seem like they’re doing everything for your sake.

But no.

They’re doing it for themselves—for their own feelings.

When someone confesses their love to you, they’re doing it for themselves alone.

When two lovers break up, and after some time, one of them starts getting close again—apologizing, wanting to go back to how things were.

Are they doing it for their partner?

No.

****

Each member of the team took their position.

The strategy wasn’t much different from that of the lower-ranked team.

’Let’s see what happens. It doesn’t look like we’ll be waiting as long as before.’

Kogan knelt behind a tree, one knee to the ground, surrounded by darkness.

Ling Shao stood tall amidst the shadows, his back straight—he looked like the ruler of the place.

The area he stood in was slightly lower than the rest of the terrain, which was exactly why they had chosen it.

He took a deep breath, then released a dense aura—so dense it illuminated his surroundings with a pale gray light.

Second Rank Essence!

A gust of wind blew, causing the tree branches to shake.

The group’s faces lit up under Ling Shao’s aura—he looked like a burning flame.

Three seconds later, his aura vanished, and darkness returned.

But just moments after, Ling Shao released his aura again—for another three seconds.

Unlike the first time, a group of shadows now appeared around him.

With thick black fur, long tails, and claws firmly embedded in the ground, the wolves bared their dagger-like fangs.

"Hmph, just First Rank," Ling Shao muttered in disappointment.

Under normal circumstances, First Rank creatures hunt targets of their own level—and the same goes for Second Rank ones.

In this case, Ling Shao had intended to lure out a Second Rank beast.

But what appeared before him was a large pack of First Rank wolves.

And that could only mean one thing.

"It’s started," Mei Lan gritted her teeth and readied her crossbow.

Crystals embedded in the team members’ shoulder guards, vambraces, and leg armor began to glow with a soft white light. This allowed them to see one another clearly and avoid inflicting accidental injuries.

This action also served to confuse the attacking wolves—not because of the light, but because of the Essence.

Earlier, the Essence had been dormant and concealed, in order to prevent the wolves from sensing their presence.

The plan was for the wolves to gather around Ling Shao at the center. At that moment, the Essence crystals would be activated, flooding the area with Essence and disorienting the wolves. This would make them easier to kill.

Cries rang out among the group. One fighter lunged forward, driving his pointed sword into a wolf’s side. But the beast twisted quickly, slashing his face with a sharp claw. Blood poured from the wounds.

"Good reaction," Ji Shun praised as he healed his wounds.

Relying on the light emitted by the crystals on his body, his partner loosed a swift arrow that pierced the wolf’s neck.

A First Rank beast can pose a deadly threat to someone of the same level—especially if they lack proper equipment.

But by working in pairs, they could make up for the lack of heightened senses and divided focus.

Another wolf leapt out from between the trees, but a nearby fighter spun around at the last second, driving his sword forcefully into its chest.

The wolves howled, radiating a killing aura.

One of them dashed forward, charging toward a man.

"Come on!" Lang Luo shouted, swinging his sword with force.

But the wolf leapt to the side, avoiding the blade. It landed on the trunk of a tree, then quickly launched itself toward his partner in the back.

"You think I’m an easy target?" Sayako Rin scoffed, drawing her sword. With a swift, graceful spin, she sliced off the wolf’s head.

These wolves possessed a measure of insight—they recognized that the woman was carrying a long-range weapon, a bow, and thus attempted to take her out with a sudden strike.

But it seemed that—Sayako Rin had anticipated the move, and killed it swiftly while it was still in midair.

After ten Refinement Cycles, a person reaches the First Rank, which makes them several times stronger physically than an average person—and even their senses become sharper.

The more cycles one adds, the stronger they become.

That’s why some individuals are stronger than others even within the same rank.

Mei Lan held her crossbow in front of her, her hands trembling. She couldn’t aim properly. The wolves were too fast and blended into the darkness.

Meanwhile, the First Rank fighters were darting through the trees, and she couldn’t focus on any target. They were all moving at the same time, in different directions.

"I haven’t reached the required level yet."

Her face turned pale, and sweat dripped down her forehead. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"These wolves go after the stronger ones, so Kogan and I should be safe."

She calmed herself with that thought.

If First Rank beasts only targeted individuals of the same level, that meant they wouldn’t go after those ranked lower.

’These wolves are fast, but they don’t seem like much of a threat to me. I could probably handle ten of them at once.’

Kogan focused on the scattered battles ahead, gripping his axes tightly, waiting for the chance to use them—but none of the wolves approached him.

Since the squad was taking care of everything, Kogan was just about to lower his guard, when a sudden sensation crawled over his skin, making his whole body shiver.