The five Terrorclaw Beasts’ eyes gleamed red, clearly in a state of excitement, while their “food” was obviously unaware: Julius Caesar, Kyle, Elsa, and Jeffrey, all four of them kept their heads down, eyes closed, devouring their meal, as the Terrorclaw Beasts crept ever closer.

You must never underestimate them. These creatures move extremely fast; once they get close, in close combat, an ordinary warrior would be torn to shreds.

In the end, it was Julius Caesar who spoke up. “Jeffrey, it’s your turn!”

As he spoke, he slapped away Kyle’s hand that was reaching into his territory. Jeffrey still said nothing, but a flash of brilliance suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Fast? That word wasn’t nearly enough to describe the speed of that instant.

It could only be described as lightning-quick: draw the bow, shoot the arrow, then continue eating—all in the blink of an eye. The five snarling Terrorclaw Beasts were like they’d been petrified, motionless, each with an arrow stuck in its mouth. The instant the beasts opened their mouths to breathe was their only weakness, and also their most vulnerable spot. But the gap when their mouths opened was so tiny, it was almost impossible to exploit. Yet Jeffrey’s arrows seemed to ignore the resistance of the water, piercing straight through the Terrorclaw Beasts’ heads.

No one spoke; everyone kept eating. But from the looks in Elsa and Kyle’s eyes, it was clear they were shocked, because this was Jeffrey’s first time taking action. What was even stranger was, how did Julius Caesar know Jeffrey could handle this situation? Yet Julius Caesar kept smiling as always, and Jeffrey acted as if nothing had happened.

Soon, Jeffrey finished eating, then silently sat on a reef, putting some distance between himself and the others.

Kyle was a bit annoyed… Ever since this kid joined, his eating speed had dropped to fourth place. Julius Caesar and Elsa both ate faster than him. Oh Sea God, could there be a mistake? He was famous in the tribe for eating fast!

Julius Caesar strolled over to the Terrorclaw Beasts. He wasn’t like these spendthrifts; who knows, maybe one of these beasts had a magic mirror inside, which could sell for a gold coin each.

The Terrorclaw Beasts’ supposedly hard armor was crushed like tofu under Julius Caesar’s foot, one after another. But unfortunately, there was nothing inside. Julius Caesar was a bit frustrated too—seems luck really wasn’t on his side today.

Kyle’s beard practically floated up in shock… Crushing a Terrorclaw Beast’s shell with one stomp—how much strength did that take? Although Kyle prided himself on his strength, he wasn’t confident he could do it, nor had he ever tried. Even Jeffrey was a bit surprised. But after spending some time with Julius Caesar, he’d learned that this guy was good at everything—except he loved gold coins too much, and wore almost nothing decent, a typical pauper.

After eating and drinking their fill, they set out toward their destination. At the center of the C-class Ghana Sea was a Flying Serpent’s nest, the most dangerous place in the Ghana Sea. Flying Serpents were at least level six, extremely fast with few weaknesses, had some ability to dodge attacks, possessed deadly poison and water magic, and lived in groups—making this one of the most troublesome missions. But someone had offered a reward of a thousand gold coins; the target was a single serpent gallbladder. As for what the gallbladder was for, that wasn’t their concern.

Julius Caesar was in it for the gold coins, while Kyle and Elsa didn’t really care. As for Jeffrey, he was even more indifferent—he just followed along, ignoring everything else.

Chapter 7: Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover (Part 1)

One’s own strength is always more important than equipment. —“Julius Caesar’s Quotations”

Actually, equipment is also essential. It’s just that the king was poor at the time, so he made this excuse for himself. —“True Explanation of the King’s Quotations”

As they got closer to the Flying Serpent’s nest, the number of corpses on the ground increased. Wealth always comes with risk; if you’re surrounded by a group of level six or seven Flying Serpents, the sea would be filled with flying serpents, and intruders would be instantly blasted to pieces.

Other adventurers began to appear around them as well. They weren’t the only group to take this mission, but everyone else stopped here at the edge—at most, they’d send someone fast to lure out one or two targets, then take them down as a group. No one was foolish enough to charge straight in; the corpses on the ground were a clear warning. But suddenly, a strange four-person team appeared and marched straight in.

Some experienced veterans were already shaking their heads. So young—yes, they had courage and impulsiveness, but you only have one life. This kind of recklessness only leads to tragedy.

But no one stopped them. This was a well-known unspoken rule: all adventurers are secretive individuals, each with their own identity, and none like to be disturbed. The team before them didn’t look like much—clearly, there were no powerful royals among them, just two Sheoubei and two Feishi fishfolk. Only that Feishi woman was truly a waste.

As Julius Caesar and his group entered, the other adventurers all retreated, some even abandoning their targets. If the serpent nest was stirred up, the enraged Flying Serpents wouldn’t stop at just killing a few adventurers.

Safety first—that’s the first law of adventuring, even though adventuring itself is about seeking danger.

The Flying Serpent’s nest was made up of many iron-rich reefs—in fact, it was an iron mine. The seaweed that grew from absorbing the iron ore was a favorite of the Flying Serpents, which is why they lived here in groups. The scales of serpents that absorbed iron ore were also exceptionally hard, and were one of the materials used for armor. But clearly, adventurers didn’t come here for such meager profits.