Chapter 63: Wilderness
Su Hao wasn't joking; he was serious about graduating early. Since he had already learned the fundamentals and advanced to the Master level, he didn't need to spend another year playing academy games with other youngsters.
His most important task now was to unravel the mystery of beast patterns, setting aside everything else. However, he had too few beast patterns at his disposal to support his research.
To acquire a large number of beast patterns, he needed a massive amount of funds, and even with money, it wasn't guaranteed that he could buy them. Beast patterns were priceless items; no one would easily put them up for sale.
Therefore, he planned to personally enter the wilderness, hunt down ferocious beasts, and obtain beast patterns.
It was a well-considered decision. The wilderness was a vast research resource with everything one could want. So why always focus on the beast patterns controlled by humans?
In the worst-case scenario, he might end up antagonizing the entire Lingyun Town, which wouldn't be worth it.
Moreover, he had just killed Jin Datong, so it would be wise to keep a low profile for a while.
However, being in Lingyun Town, he didn't know if he could maintain a low profile. If he encountered trouble, he was accustomed to wiping it out in one go. If he accidentally exposed his Grandmaster-level strength, who knows if anyone would suspect him of killing Jin Datong?
Therefore, finding a way to achieve his goal of collecting beast patterns while avoiding risks seemed like a good choice.
As for the concern about powerful beasts in the wilderness?
His "Radar" wasn't just for show; it could detect powerful beasts in advance, allowing him to avoid them. It could also be used to search for targets and hunt down suitable ferocious beasts.
In his eyes, the "Perception" rune was simply divine.
Su Hao went directly to Old Liu Dao and said, "Teacher Liu, I'm here to apply for early graduation."
Old Liu was surprised and asked, "Early graduation? Why do you want to graduate early? Although you're already an advanced elite warrior, once you reach level two, there will be a course on battling fierce beasts that can enhance your combat abilities. It's still useful."
Su Hao didn't want to mention that he was already a Master, but he also didn't want to deceive Old Liu. So he said, "The level two courses won't be of much help to me. I don't want to waste time. I think there are more important things I need to do."
Old Liu rubbed his bald head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Alright! I agree to your graduation, but remember, you will always be a student of Lingyun Warrior Academy. Keep your academy badge safe."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "If you have any questions, feel free to come to me. I'll answer whatever I can."
Su Hao nodded with a smile and said, "Thank you, Teacher Liu. I will."
Old Liu said, "Three years later, your class will have a graduation ceremony. You should come back then, and I'll prepare your identity badge."
...
After bidding farewell to Old Liu, Su Hao found Xiaopang and He Qingqing.
"Xiaopang, I'll be away for some time. Take good care of Qingqing, alright?" Su Hao said seriously to Xiaopang.
Xiaopang immediately stood upright and said loudly, "Don't worry, Brother Su! I know. Anyone who dares to bully us will face the thunderous consequences. Besides, I have many sworn brothers in the academy. No one would dare to bully me."
Su Hao nodded. Xiaopang was a talented individual who knew how to use the influence of 'Wu Xiangwu' to build his own power.
He Qingqing asked in confusion, "Where are you going, Wu Xiangwu?"
As soon as she heard that Su Hao would temporarily leave the academy, a sense of insecurity emerged deep within her heart.
Su Hao replied, "Just strolling around. No specific destination."
He Qingqing asked again, "How long will you be gone?"
Su Hao shook his head. "I'm not sure how long it will take. Don't worry, Qingqing. Xiaopang will take care of you."
Xiaopang immediately patted his chest proudly.
Everyone needed to grow, and everyone had to face their own lives. Su Hao couldn't protect them forever.
People from different worlds would eventually drift apart.
Su Hao sighed. He had watched this girl grow up since childhood, as well as Xiaopang. He sincerely hoped that they would find their true companions in the future.
After packing his daily necessities, Su Hao went directly to the marketplace to purchase essential supplies.
The most important items were various types of knives and tools: pliers, tweezers, burners, bottles of different sizes, special solutions, desiccants, and so on.
Once he was prepared, he left the city, selected a direction, and drove forward while activating his 1,000-meter detection radar.
No matter where he went, Xiaoguang would always record the coordinates, so there was no need to worry about getting lost.
Opening a 1,000-meter detection radar was the most cost-effective range Su Hao calculated. A 1,000-meter detection range was already quite far, and he would have enough time to react to any situation.
Furthermore, the 1,000-meter detection radar had a minimal burden on his stamina, so he could keep it on at all times.
While he was still near Lingyun Town, Su Hao occasionally encountered people, but he evaded them by using the radar.
After two days of travel, he rarely encountered other people; most of the encounters were with wild beasts.
Suddenly, Su Hao stopped in his tracks and looked into the distance. He sensed a unique aura on the edge of his radar. It had a tendency towards chaos and violence, but its strength was not high, only that of an intermediate-level elite.
"Could it be a ferocious beast?" This piqued Su Hao's curiosity.
He approached slowly, hiding behind a tree trunk and observing the direction of the aura.
It was a large centipede.
About thirteen meters long, with a body the thickness of a water barrel. The red and black patterns on its shell reflected a unique luster. The two huge pincers at the front firmly held a black-haired wild boar, while the numerous legs underneath moved in a regular and intertwined manner, entwining the prey. The black-haired wild boar soon stopped moving.
This scene made Su Hao's scalp tingle.
He hesitated whether to draw his sword. After killing this thing, he would have to dissect it to find the beast pattern...
Just thinking about it made him uncomfortable.
"Forget it, forget it. Appearance is not important; as long as it has a beast pattern." Su Hao dropped his large package and drew his long knife, instantly appearing beside the centipede. With one strike, he beheaded it.
The head of the centipede rolled off, but the two pincers were still tightly gripping the black boar.
Su Hao had read about it in books. Centipedes could grow to become Master-level creatures. The one before him was still in its undeveloped juvenile stage. However, the book never mentioned where the beast pattern of a centipede was located.
There was no other choice. Su Hao gritted his teeth and used tools to pry open the centipede's shell piece by piece. Finally, inside the fifth section of the shell, he discovered a complex and beautiful pattern.
This was the beast pattern.
"What the hell is this?"
In addition to the pattern, Su Hao also saw a long golden thread wriggling within the flesh.
Was this a parasite?
He quickly recorded the pattern in his Spatial World and immediately left, feeling a bit disgusted.
It was too challenging for his senses.
Not to mention the unbearable stench. If he couldn't find a beast pattern soon, he would give up.
With just a glance, Su Hao knew that the pattern was incomplete and practically useless. Its properties were unknown. He could only record it and compare it with complete beast patterns in the future.
After another five days of travel, Su Hao encountered more and more ferocious beasts. They were all at the elite level and were unable to escape Su Hao's grasp. He dissected them, recording their beast patterns.
Su Hao held the same attitude toward ferocious beasts as any other human in this world: blood feud, mortal enmity. If you die, I live.
Setting aside the fact that his birth mother was killed protecting him from a surprise attack by ferocious beasts, from the perspective of being a human, he had the responsibility to exterminate any ferocious beast he encountered.
The greatest enemy of humans in this world was ferocious beasts. Only by wiping them out could humans truly become the protagonists of this world. Otherwise, human cities would always be at risk of destruction.
As Su Hao ventured further, he gradually entered the wilderness.
Powerful Grandmaster-level ferocious beasts occasionally appeared, while elite-level ferocious beasts were numerous, but none escaped Su Hao's clutches. They were dissected, and their beast patterns recorded.
Half a month later.
Su Hao found a cave, killed a Ghost Pattern Giant Spider inside, and cleaned it up, making it his base.
"From here on, I'll collect a large number of beast patterns."
(translated by begs)