It was past six in the afternoon.
The sun was slowly setting in the west.
The colors of dusk painted the Sky 's hem, and the evening glow drifted gently, creating a sense of leisure.
After school, Jiang Yuan returned home, comfortably rolled around on his bed for a bit, then prepared to get up and make something to eat.
Opening the refrigerator, he found only a few eggs and some potatoes, not even noodles.
Jiang Yuan then remembered that he had said he would buy groceries two days ago but had completely forgotten.
There was no other way; he had to go downstairs.
The supermarket wasn't far.
Just as Jiang Yuan passed a manhole cover in the residential area, a distinct clang of metal hitting stone echoed from the sewer.
Jiang Yuan stopped, his gaze fixed on the slightly trembling manhole cover.
The clanging sound reached the manhole and then fell silent.
Jiang Yuan squinted, intending to take a closer look, when suddenly a chill shot up his spine from his feet, straight to the top of his head.
With a 'bang,' the manhole cover was sent flying by a dark shadow.
A strong, fishy stench assaulted him, and Jiang Yuan's eyes widened.
It was a Giant-Eyed Blood Rat!
Although this Giant-Eyed Blood Rat was very thin and much smaller than others of its kind, he could instantly confirm that it was indeed a Giant-Eyed Blood Rat!
To prepare for the future Bo City disaster, he had already researched all the monster species around Bo City in the library.
"Monster! It's a monster!!!" a passerby screamed.
The scene immediately descended into chaos, people fleeing as if insane.
The more chaotic it became, the more it seemed to incite the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's ferocity; its basketball-sized blue eyes, covered in disgusting tumors, spun wildly.
"Gugugu…" The Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's chest emitted a strange low growl, and the next moment, it lunged forward.
A passerby who couldn't dodge was knocked down, and the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's beast claws brutally pierced into their thigh.
"Ah!" A scream was accompanied by splattering blood.
Jiang Yuan was stunned; everything happened too fast, he couldn't react, and blood had already splattered onto his face.
The Giant-Eyed Blood Rat seemed to have no intention of immediately killing the human wailing beneath it, letting them slowly lose their life on the ground, its vicious gaze beginning to search for its next victim.
Jiang Yuan finally snapped out of it; without a moment's hesitation, he turned and sprinted away.
It was true he could use magic, but he didn't believe he could escape unscathed the first time he encountered a Servant-level monster.
Any mistake could cost him his life!
However, Jiang Yuan's sudden movement caused the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat to target him first, howling as it charged over.
Feeling the increasingly close stench and roar behind him, Jiang Yuan cursed under his breath, thinking how unlucky he was to be targeted even then.
The monster ranks are Servant, Warrior, Commander, Monarch, and Emperor.
These correspond to the Mage ranks of Basic-Level, Intermediate-Level, Advanced-Level, Super-Level, and Forbidden Curse.
Although they correspond, often a team of Mages is needed to deal with a single monster of the same level.
Jiang Yuan didn't have destructive magic like the lightning or fire elements, so he had no intention of turning to counterattack; he could only try to buy time until the City Hunter Squad arrived.
The Giant-Eyed Blood Rat was incredibly fast; the distance between Jiang Yuan and it was already less than a meter, and the stench emanating from it felt like it was trying to burrow into his lungs.
Jiang Yuan knew he couldn't escape, so he suddenly dodged, causing the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat to miss, while simultaneously sketching a Star-Orbit in his spiritual space.
But with the intense spiritual fluctuations, the Star-Orbit quickly disintegrated.
He was facing a monster for the first time and couldn't even cast a spell!
"Damn it!" Jiang Yuan growled, the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat already lunging again, forcing him to continue dodging.
The Stardust would make a Mage's physique stronger; otherwise, Jiang Yuan would have long since died under the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's claws.
But as his physical strength drained, Jiang Yuan's clothes were already torn, and several horrifying wounds, from which hot blood flowed, could be seen through the rips.
For some reason, the bleeding and pain made him calmer.
Jiang Yuan understood that the beast behind him wasn't failing to catch him, but rather enjoying the hunt, toying with him as its prey!
If he dragged it out any longer, even if he wasn't torn apart, he would bleed to Death.
Jiang Yuan realized the seriousness of the situation; his mind was clearer than ever before, and in just a single breath, a dazzling Star-Orbit traced a beautiful arc in his spiritual space.
On the verge of Death, he finally cast aside all external factors and completed the Star-Orbit with abnormal speed.
"Water Magic - Water Barrier!"
In the air, a stream of water materialized, floating around Jiang Yuan like a silk ribbon.
Jiang Yuan turned, leaped backward with force, putting some distance between himself and the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat.
Seeing its prey show signs of resistance, a hint of mockery flashed in the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's eyes, and its huge eyes actually glowed a crimson red.
A crimson penetrating light shot out, aiming to take the life of the human before it.
However, as soon as this light touched the Water Magic - Water Barrier, its lethality greatly diminished; the light that passed through only caused Jiang Yuan an uncomfortable burning sensation.
The Giant-Eyed Blood Rat, seeing that the human it was toying with had actually blocked its crimson ray, furiously swung its sharp beast claws.
The distance between the human and the beast closed again.
Jiang Yuan was no longer as flustered as before, calmly thinking of a counter-strategy.
His eyes flickered; risking being torn apart, he slightly shifted his body, and the dangerous beast claws almost grazed his chest.
The chance to counterattack had arrived!
With a thought, a chilling aura spread, and the water stream condensed into an ice crystal spear that shot out.
"Ice Magic - Ice Barrier!"
"Jie!" The Giant-Eyed Blood Rat roared in pain.
The ice spear had directly pierced its most vulnerable abdomen, and foul-smelling blood gushed out.
The counterattack was remarkably effective; Jiang Yuan gave the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat no time to breathe, once again urging the magic energy in his Stardust to condense another ice crystal spear and stab towards the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat.
The Giant-Eyed Blood Rat did not sit idly by either, its eyes continuously shooting crimson rays as it roared forward.
Facing the enraged, desperate Giant-Eyed Blood Rat, Jiang Yuan surprisingly didn't find it that difficult to deal with.
He constantly moved through the gaps between the rays and the beast claws; every time an opportunity for a counterattack arose, he would leave a deep bloody hole in the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's abdomen.
Some internal organs even spilled out from the wounds.
The Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's aura grew weaker and weaker, and its movements became sluggish. It was clearly at its last gasp, its life hanging by a thread, capable of Death at any moment!
Jiang Yuan's magic energy was now completely depleted, and his physical strength was also nearing its limit; his ability to drag on for so long was entirely due to the activation of human potential.
He widened the distance one last time, watching the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat slowly die from afar.
Just then, several figures arrived swiftly.
The City Hunter Squad had arrived.
"Fire Burst - Rupture!" the leading captain shouted, and a fiery red energy shot into the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's body.
In an instant, flames erupted from within the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's body.
The Giant-Eyed Blood Rat ultimately died with regret; it never imagined it would be pushed to such a state by its own prey.
After the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat died, a glimmer of light, invisible to anyone, flew out from its body, disappearing to an unknown place.
They looked at the wounds on the Giant-Eyed Blood Rat's body and realized that the Mage just now was about to finish the battle.
Unfortunately, when they arrived at the scene, they only saw a blurry figure disappear around the corner and didn't see their appearance.
The captain scanned the surroundings; he had indeed seen the Mage's figure just now, but the most important task now was the aftermath, and he didn't have time to investigate which Mage it was.
Perhaps it was just a passing Mage