Eighth Order Isn't It Just a Matter of Course

With that, Su Qi took Liu Yuan's hand and walked off decisively in one direction without the slightest hesitation.

Leaving behind ten people standing there, utterly bewildered.

The nine students exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from shock to confusion.

Wu Gong, the balding instructor, twitched his lips several times, wearing a pained look that screamed, "I knew this would happen."

"Is he... serious?" one student stammered, breaking the awkward silence.

"Are we just... being abandoned like this?"

They were the top students of the Magical Card Academy, the elite—each brimming with pride.

They had been coaxed and persuaded by Wu Gong to act as "training partners" for Su Qi, already nursing a grudge about it.

And now, the man hadn’t even spared them a glance, treating them like air before ditching them.

What was this?

A power move? Or just plain disrespect?

His first words were literally "dismissed," and then he went off to sleep?

"Ahem!" Wu Gong cleared his throat loudly, forcibly pulling everyone's attention back.

He sighed deeply. "Su Qi... has always operated this way. You’ll get used to it."

"Now, listen up," Wu Gong said, his tone turning serious. "Since Su Qi has left you to your own devices, I’ll lay out the rules clearly."

"This evaluation is team-based. You’ll earn points by hunting dimensional creatures."

"Given that all ten of you are at the early seventh-tier level, the scoring standards are as follows."

He raised a finger.

"Sixth-tier dimensional creatures: 1 point."

"Seventh-tier dimensional creatures: 100 points."

"Eighth-tier dimensional creatures: 10,000 points."

"As for ninth-tier..." Wu Gong paused, his voice drifting slightly. "One million points. But that’s just for the one-in-a-billion scenario. Consider it a joke."

Someone muttered under their breath, "Then tenth-tier would be a hundred million?"

Wu Gong rolled his eyes. "There’s no record of a ten-member seventh-tier squad ever successfully hunting a tenth-tier creature. At that level, we’re talking about a completely different class of life. If you see one, run."

He scanned their expressions before continuing. "You’re competing against six other teams, but interference is strictly prohibited. No sabotaging others’ hunts. If you try any ‘if I can’t beat the monster, I’ll beat the players’ nonsense, you’ll be disqualified and face severe penalties."

After explaining the rules, Wu Gong clapped his hands. "Alright, that’s all. I’m off to sleep too. Been swamped these past few days."

"Already had a mountain of things to deal with, and then some jerk reported me for corruption. Almost got me handcuffed—good thing my conscience is clean."

"Three days from now, scores are due by 10 a.m. Meet Captain Lin Xiao at the rendezvous point."

With that, he too vanished in an instant, as if he couldn’t wait to leave.

Now, only the ten students remained, staring at each other in awkward silence.

Abandoned by their captain, and now their instructor had bolted too.

"So... what do we do now?" someone whispered.

In the absence of leadership, Liu Feiyu, the bespectacled young man, stepped forward.

He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the dappled forest light.

"Since we’re teammates now," he said calmly, his voice clear enough to command attention, "I think we should start by getting to know each other. Better coordination that way. Agreed?"

When no one objected, he took the initiative. "I’ll go first. I’m Liu Feiyu, specializing in control and defense. Strong in support and disruption, weaker in direct frontline combat."

After his example, the others hesitantly followed suit.

"Li Ran. Close-quarters combat specialist, high defense."

"Yang Fuchichan. Fast, good at scouting and ranged attacks."

Liu Feiyu nodded. "Yang Fu is a rare surname—"

The girl meekly corrected him, "Actually, my surname is Yang..."

...

The nine introductions proceeded smoothly, all fairly standard.

Competent, but nothing extraordinary.

Yun Huang found it odd.

These were supposed to be top-tier students of the Magical Card Academy—why were their abilities so... average?

Finally, she noticed everyone’s eyes on her.

Meeting their gazes, Yun Huang spoke evenly.

"Yun Huang. My primary ability is fire manipulation, but it’s not ordinary flame. Effective in both close and ranged combat. Frontline strength is..."

She reconsidered. "Frontline strength is solid, but my durability is mediocre. Makes up for it with strong recovery."

She paused, then added, "In critical moments, I can severely wound an eighth-tier creature."

Dead silence followed.

Severely wound an eighth-tier?!

For seventh-tier early-stage students like them, even surviving an encounter with a weaker eighth-tier creature was a stroke of luck.

Did she think just anyone could fight above their rank?

And Yun Huang claimed she had that kind of firepower?

"But," Yun Huang continued, "after using it, I’ll be incapacitated for a long time—effectively out of the fight."

A powerful trump card, but a double-edged sword.

Liu Feiyu’s expression shifted slightly.

He adjusted his glasses, studying her. "I reviewed your file before coming here."

"You seem... stronger than recorded."

Yun Huang explained, "Before, I hadn’t fully mastered my abilities."

"And now?" Liu Feiyu pressed. "Complete control?"

She shook her head. "Not yet."

Liu Feiyu’s glasses gleamed as he processed this.

"Once a month?"

"One use takes over two months to recover from."

He didn’t respond immediately, instead falling into thought.

When he spoke again, it was with academic detachment.

"A trump card that can cripple an eighth-tier is incredibly valuable."

"Tactically, we should reserve it for absolute emergencies."

"And since it’s once a month, it probably won’t factor into our initial ‘expected score,’ or at most count as half."

"My suggestion: Day one, we focus on hunting sixth-tier creatures. Use it to gel as a team, learn each other’s styles, and steadily build points."

His proposal was logical and cautious.

Most of the group nodded in agreement.

Better safe than sorry in an unfamiliar environment.

But Li Ran, the burly boy, scoffed.

"Teamwork? What kind of teamwork can you learn from a bunch of sixth-tier trash mobs?"

"In my opinion, we should just find a seventh-tier creature to test our skills. How else are we supposed to stand out?" His voice carried an unmistakable arrogance, clearly confident in his close-combat abilities.

Liu Feiyu frowned slightly. "Li Ran, teamwork isn’t about individual heroism. Challenging a seventh-tier creature recklessly is too high a risk. If casualties happen, we’ll be in a tough spot."

"What’s there to fear?" Li Ran thumped his solid chest. "I’m the one taking the front line. If I’m not afraid, why should you be?"

"A team of seventh-tier fighters ganging up on sixth-tier prey—won’t people laugh at us?"

"Laughter doesn’t matter. Survival does."

"If we can secure the ranking, great. If not, there’s no need to gamble with our lives."

The burly man, never one for words, summed it up bluntly: "Coward."

As the two were about to escalate their argument, the girl named Yang Fuchichan quickly stepped in to mediate.

"Hey, hey, no fighting! I think Liu Feiyu is right. Let’s play it safe for now."

With someone smoothing things over, the tension eased slightly.

In the end, the majority ruled, and the team adopted Liu Feiyu’s plan.

They chose a direction and began cautiously advancing deeper into the forest.

Along the way, Yang Fuchichan made use of her speed, scouting ahead and periodically relaying intel back to the group.

About half an hour later, she returned with good news.

"Up ahead, there’s a pack of sixth-tier [Ironback Boars], around a dozen or so. No signs of seventh-tier creatures nearby."

As heirs of prominent families, they were already well-versed in the bestiary of this realm.

Ironback Boars were a common sixth-tier species—decent defense but predictable attack patterns, making them ideal for team practice.

"Prepare for battle!" Liu Feiyu immediately ordered.

The ten swiftly arranged their formation. Li Ran charged ahead without hesitation, flanked by two other melee fighters, while ranged attackers and supports held the rear.

Yun Huang’s position was unique—she stood slightly behind the center, able to reinforce the front or attack from a distance as needed.

"Roar!"

Li Ran bellowed, slamming into the boar pack with full force.

The fight erupted instantly.

A dozen Ironback Boars roared as they charged, shaking the ground beneath them.

But these elite students from the Magi-Card Academy were no pushovers.

Liu Feiyu’s cards manifested into countless tough vines, bursting from the earth to entangle the boars’ legs, drastically slowing their movements.

Meanwhile, Yang Fuchichan’s right hand blurred as she fired arrows with pinpoint accuracy, targeting the boars’ vulnerable joints.

At first, the battle seemed smooth, but soon, their lack of coordination became apparent.

Li Ran, caught up in the thrill, pushed too deep and found himself surrounded by three or four boars.

Thankfully, sixth-tier creatures posed little real threat to him.

Had it been worse, the flanking melee fighters would’ve had to cover for him, disrupting their rhythm and weakening the formation.

"Li Ran! Fall back! Stay in formation!" Liu Feiyu barked.

But Li Ran, lost in the exhilaration of battle, ignored him, reveling in the raw, bone-shaking combat.

Yun Huang remained quiet in the rear, mechanically conjuring fireballs and launching them with clinical precision.

She didn’t stand out—just maintained the expected output of an average ranged fighter.

The fight lasted about ten minutes.

In the end, with only minor scrapes to show for it, they wiped out the entire pack.

The [Life Sacrament] glowed with verdant light, recording their achievement.

"Phew… done!" Li Ran wiped sweat from his brow, grinning with unspent excitement.

"See what happens without coordination?" Liu Feiyu’s expression was grim. "If those had been seventh-tier creatures, Li Ran, you’d be a corpse right now."

Li Ran scoffed. "But they weren’t. What’s the big deal? I knew they were sixth-tier before I charged."

"I’m not stupid—I wouldn’t rush a seventh-tier like that."

Liu Feiyu clenched his jaw, frustrated but unable to refute the logic. "The point is we’re practicing teamwork. You should’ve fought them as if they were seventh-tier."

"Practice my ass. Let’s just fight a real seventh-tier."

……

The ten hadn’t gone far when Yang Fuchichan reappeared from the trees, her face pale.

"Up ahead… there’s a lone seventh-tier intermediate creature—a [Quakebear]."

Seventh-tier intermediate!

Quakebears were notorious for their brute strength and defense—temperamental and extremely dangerous.

"Go around it," Liu Feiyu decided instantly.

"Go around?!" Li Ran’s eyes lit up. "It’s just one! There are ten of us—why fear it?"

"This is the perfect target for teamwork!"

He glanced at the others, seeking support. "Killing it is worth a hundred points! That’s like slaughtering a hundred boars! Fortune favors the bold, guys!"

The allure of a hundred points was undeniable.

A few students visibly wavered.

Liu Feiyu grew frantic. "No! We just saw how badly we lack coordination. Challenging a Quakebear now is suicide!"

"You’re just scared!" Li Ran shot back. "With Yun Huang’s trump card, what’s there to fear? If things go south, she can just nuke the damn thing!"

All eyes turned to Yun Huang.

She lifted her gaze, coolly meeting Li Ran’s stare.

"My ability is reserved for boosting our final score by ten thousand points. I won’t waste it on your recklessness."

……

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the realm…

Lunchtime arrived swiftly.

A campfire crackled merrily, a massive slab of meat sizzling above it, juices dripping into the flames.

Su Qi wielded a small knife, leisurely carving shallow cuts into the roast before sprinkling it with spices from his pouch.

Beside him, Liu Yuan watched with starry eyes, practically drooling.

"Brother, is it ready yet? I’m starving."

"Patience," Su Qi replied without looking up. "It’s not done."

Liu Yuan eyed the roast—larger than she was—and asked curiously, "What kind of meat is this? It smells amazing."

"Oh, just an eighth-tier Boar King that got in my way earlier. It was too noisy, so I dealt with it."

Su Qi spoke as casually as if he’d swatted a fly.

"Eighth… eighth-tier? Guess that counts as ‘dealing with it’..."

"Mhm." Su Qi sliced off a perfectly charred piece, blew on it, and held it out to his sister. "Try it."

Liu Yuan took a tentative bite—then her eyes sparkled like stars.

"So good!"

Su Qi smiled, cutting a piece for himself before leisurely digging in.