Chapter 7-Terrifying Leader-Class Monster！

"Ahhh!"

There was no time to react.

A sudden scream pierced the air.

Jiang Ningyu and her team snapped back to reality, their eyes filled with horror as they took in the scene before them.

Ye Tao, their main tank, had lost an arm in just a single exchange?

The endurance stats he had always prided himself on were as fragile as paper before this giant wolf-like monster!

"What… do we do?"

A support player asked in a trembling voice.

"Run!"

Jiang Ningyu didn't hesitate for even a moment—she turned and sprinted away, abandoning all traces of her usual goddess-like composure.

The other students hurriedly followed suit.

Hearing the agonized screams behind them, the support player hesitated, a trace of guilt flashing across his face.

"What about Ye Tao?"

"Ye Tao will be fine."

Jiang Ningyu, leading the escape, didn't even look back as she spoke rapidly.

"The map wristwatch issued by the instructor is actually an emergency rescue device."

"It will teleport the wearer out of the dungeon before they suffer a fatal injury."

"The principal didn't tell you because he didn't want everyone to rely too much on this tool—it would defeat the purpose of training."

Principal Zhang had shared this information privately with Jiang Ningyu.

It was a small favor, ensuring she could venture deep into the dungeon to level up without worrying about her safety.

Hearing this, the support player felt relieved and focused solely on running.

However, there was one thing Jiang Ningyu didn't tell them—

Once the emergency device was activated, the wearer would be barred from entering any Federation-controlled dungeon until after the combat exams.

After running for a long time, they no longer heard any screams.

The group hid behind a massive tree, collapsing onto the ground, still shaken as they gazed into the depths of the forest.

"That must be the final boss of the newbie dungeon, right?"

The B-rank Archer in the team asked, panting heavily.

When faced with that giant wolf, he hadn't even dared to look at it directly.

His survival instinct had completely taken over, compelling him to flee along with the others.

"That's right." Jiang Ningyu wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"An 8th-level leader-class monster—the only creature in this newbie dungeon that hasn't been nerfed."

"Not nerfed? Are they kidding?!"

The support player recalled the scene earlier and couldn't help but complain.

"Ye Tao is a B-rank tank, a Silver Shield Knight, fully invested in endurance stats, yet he didn't even last a second! Who could possibly withstand an attack from that thing?"

"I bet they never intended for us to reach the deeper parts of the forest in the first place!"

"Throwing something like that in here—who would dare go any further?!"

Jiang Ningyu opened her mouth but hesitated.

Since she planned to venture deeper, Principal Zhang had given her detailed warnings about the area.

That included information about the giant wolf—the Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf.

For a professional combatant, the newbie dungeon was essentially a welcome package from the Federation.

As long as players chose opponents suited to their strength, they wouldn't be in any real danger.

The dungeon was designed to let them safely transition past their weakest stage.

For a top-tier team like theirs, composed of A-rank and B-rank professionals, they could steamroll through most of the dungeon, even leveling up by fighting stronger enemies.

And as for those even stronger than A-rank?

They were rare, but they did exist.

For those true prodigies, the nerfed monsters in this dungeon posed no challenge at all.

The Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf existed specifically for those people.

An 8th-level leader-class beast…

Just thinking about it was despair-inducing.

Jiang Ningyu sighed.

The gap between her and that giant wolf was the same as the gap between her and an S-rank professional—an insurmountable chasm.

But she was underestimating the situation.

Even an S-rank-led team would have to fight tooth and nail before taking down an 8th-level leader monster at this stage.

After resting for a while, Jiang Ningyu pulled herself together again.

From an ordinary civilian to an A-rank genius, she wasn't someone who could be defeated so easily.

Right now, her top priority was leveling up as quickly as possible—

She had to secure the title of Jiangzhou's No.1 in level ranking!

Jiang Ningyu picked up her staff, stood up, and said, "If you're all done resting, let's keep moving deeper to grind levels."

"Jiang, are you out of your mind?! You still want to go deeper?!"

The support player jumped up in shock, no longer caring about politeness or her goddess-like image.

Jiang Ningyu glanced at him indifferently and replied,

"As long as we avoid that area, there won't be any problems."

To prevent unnecessary casualties, all leader-class monsters placed in newbie dungeons had extremely strong territorial instincts.

As long as a player didn't have bloodstains on them and stayed at least 700 meters away from the Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf, it wouldn't relentlessly pursue them.

Wait.

Bloodstains?!

A terrifying realization hit Jiang Ningyu.

The scene of Ye Tao getting his arm torn off, blood splattering everywhere, suddenly replayed in her mind.

At that very moment—

The sound of something massive moving rapidly through the trees echoed through the forest.

Jiang Ningyu didn't hesitate.

She didn't even warn the others. She just turned and ran at full speed.

The rest of the group saw her desperate escape and weren't idiots—they bolted after her immediately.

But that slight delay was enough.

The Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf burst out from the trees and lunged straight at the support player.

"AHHH!"

Unlike Ye Tao, a tank, the support player had no durability to speak of.

The wolf's fangs sank into his torso, nearly biting him clean in half!

A white light flashed—

The support player vanished from the wolf's jaws.

Just before his body disappeared completely, he used the last of his strength to glare hatefully in Jiang Ningyu's direction, screaming:

"Jiang Ningyu! You are nuts—"

But Jiang Ningyu, still sprinting, didn't care about his curses.

Her mind was consumed by terror.

This was a leader-class monster!

Even escaping required sacrificing teammates.

There wasn't even a sliver of hope to fight back!

What now?

What should she do?!

With blood on her body, no matter how far she ran, the Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf would never stop hunting her.

Her mind raced as she ran.

Should she lure it toward one of the other A-rank teams and try to take it down together?

No.

Impossible.

Even if three A-rank teams combined, they wouldn't be a match for this thing.

As an A-rank herself, she knew the difference in power.

At that moment—

The terrifying rustling sound started up again behind her.

Desperate, she had only one idea left.

Her eyes turned toward her remaining teammates.

The Archer hesitated, then realized what she was thinking.

Just as he was about to curse at her—

A lone figure appeared ahead, walking towards them.

Someone was approaching…

Deep in the dungeon, completely alone?!

Jiang Ningyu also saw him.

The two of them exchanged a glance—

A silent agreement was made.

They rushed toward him.

"Li Yao?"

Seeing the person ahead, Jiang Ningyu didn't know why he was here alone.

But right now…

It was just bad luck for him.

Li Yao kept walking forward at a steady pace.

Jiang Ningyu and the others were sprinting like their lives depended on it.

In the depths of the dense forest, the contrast was stark.

As their paths converged—

The Bloodthirsty Forest Wolf lunged at Li Yao.

And then—

In an instant, the battle was over.