Our Dharma Masters are like this.

Chapter 130 Contrast
Two large hunting parties assembled separately.

Carriages, adventurers, and young mages formed a spectacular scene in the morning sunlight.

"Then, Marvin."

Lena waved her hand, "Let's meet in the Hengduan Mountains and see who gets there first!"

"See you then." Marvin waved and then turned to board the carriage.

At Lena's command, all the members boarded the vehicle.

The third and fourth squads each rode in a carriage, while the six escort adventurers shared one. The remaining carriage was used specifically to carry heavy equipment and supplies.

With a crisp crack of the whip, the wheels slowly turned, and the horse-drawn carriage convoy headed in a grand procession toward the main road of Blackstone Town.

The atmosphere inside the carriage of the fourth squad, where Zelier was located, was somewhat subtle.

He chose a window seat, but Yani was right across from him.

To avoid embarrassment, Zellier could only turn his head to the side and pretend to look at the street scene passing by outside the window.

Annie clung tightly to Bev's arm, whispering in her ear every now and then, her eyes occasionally glancing at Zell.

It was Lant's first time attending such a large event, and he fell into his old habit of nervousness. He sat next to Zelier, constantly fidgeting with the hem of his robe.

Lena, one of the team leaders, was also in this carriage.

She crossed her arms and observed the several little ones with their distinct personalities with great interest.

"Zelil".

Mentor Lena broke the silence.

Zelil, who was staring out the window in a daze, snapped out of his reverie and said respectfully.

"Mentor Lena."

"You're a new face; I've never seen you in the guild before."

Lena made no attempt to hide her gaze as she looked at Zell.

After the two looked at each other, Zellier realized that even Lena's eyes were fiery red.

“Because I only came to the Mage Guild two months ago,” Zellier said truthfully.

"Hehe, although you've only been here a short time, you've already made quite a splash."

Lena looked at Zelier and laughed.

"I only heard about your deeds recently after I finished my seclusion. The Blackrock Town branch actually produced a young mage who can rival Kane."

“They’ve gone too far,” Zelil could only reply modestly.

"I don't think so."

Lena said, "We want to show those arrogant guys in the capital that real geniuses can emerge from other places too."

“Zeril is really amazing, Mentor Lena! I went on an adventure with him, clearing out kobolds in a cave.”

Lant, who was standing nearby, found an opportunity to interject and spoke with great enthusiasm.

"Zeril easily took down two of the most powerful kobold behemoths by himself using arcane missiles."

"is it?"

Lena raised her eyebrows high, her smile widening. "It sounds even more interesting than I thought, so I'm even more excited."

The long procession of horse-drawn carriages moved slowly along the main street of Blackstone Town, attracting many onlookers and murmurs of admiration.

"Look, the Mage Guild's hunting party is setting off."

"What a grand display! They've even brought in the elites of the Adventurers' Guild!"

"May the gods bless them and help them return safely, and clear away the threats from our forest!"

Those adventurers who failed to secure a spot in the escort team watched the convoy depart with expressions of envy and resentment on their faces.

When the convoy arrived at the town entrance, the gates of Blackstone Town were already open for them.

The guards on both sides of the road stood ramrod straight, raising their halberds and saluting the carriage caravan.

After leaving Blackrock Town and traveling for a while, the caravan began to separate on its own.

Professor Marvin's convoy headed west, while Lena Manlin's convoy headed east.

"Instructor Lena, why isn't Instructor Marvin coming with us? Wouldn't it be safer with more people?" Lant asked curiously.

"It's because there are too many people."

Lena waved her hand. "A team of sixteen is already the limit for advancing through the Graywood Forest. Any more, and the sound of their footsteps and their scent alone would scare away every monster with a brain within a few miles. How are we supposed to hunt them then?"

“But… their team is missing a high-level mage, won’t they be in danger?” Lant looked out the window at the caravan that was gradually disappearing into the distance.

“Don’t underestimate your mentor Marvin. Although he appears to be a scholar, he did quite a few missions in the Adventurers’ Guild when he was young,” Lena laughed.

"Huh?" Lant exclaimed in surprise.

"You don't know? Marvin is a genuine gold-level adventurer, and he was even a teammate of Hogan, the president of the Adventurers' Guild, in his early years. They had a very good relationship."

"It is precisely because of this relationship that our Blackrock Town Mage Guild is able to cooperate with the Adventurers' Association every year to carry out monster hunting. Other regional branches basically do not have this privilege."

Zell was also somewhat surprised when he heard this.

I never imagined that the gentle and refined Professor Marvin had such an experience.

"Instructor Lena, between you and Instructor Marvin, who is more skilled?" Lant asked.

After all, they are both combat-oriented mages, so I'm quite curious.

Lena was amused by the question and waved her hand dismissively.

"Is there even a question? Of course it's me."

"Not at all."

Bev laughed and retorted, "I heard from Mentor Manlin that when you sparred with Mentor Marvin last time, it seemed like you were at a disadvantage."

"Little girl, trying to sabotage me, huh?" Lena laughed, reaching out to ruffle Bev's hair.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the edge of the Greywood Forest, and the fragrant scent of grass and trees filled the carriage.

The rest of the forest path will have to be traversed on foot.

Everyone got off the train.

Edge of the Greywood Forest.

The tall, greyish-white trees stood silently at the front of the procession, like giants.

The dense canopy blocked most of the sunlight, thus creating a clear boundary between the shadows.

The hustle and bustle of the town is completely shut out here, replaced by an unknown silence.

Zellier didn't feel anything special; in fact, he felt like he was coming home.

He turned his head to retrieve his luggage from the carriage.

However, Zell suddenly noticed that the expressions of the mage in the third squad, as well as Yani, seemed a bit off.

It has become much stiffer.

"Have you noticed the change in their mindset?"

Lena placed her hands on Zellir's shoulders from behind.

"Mentor Lena."

Zellier turned his head and saw that Instructor Lena had an inscrutable smile on her face.

"There are some..."

"That's because for them, stepping into this forest is like entering a completely different world."

Lena's lips curled into a pleased smile.

“There are no class distinctions here. There are no laws, no guards, and no servants. One’s illustrious family background and wealth not only serve no purpose, but may even attract the covetousness of others.”

"All the privileges you receive in town disappear here. You have to find your own food when you're hungry. You have to make your own fire to keep warm when you're cold. If you encounter a powerful monster, you have to pray that your companions are reliable."

Lena gestured with her chin toward the group of tense-looking mages.

"You probably don't feel this way, but in reality, most monks from noble backgrounds are very resistant to it."

"Oh……"

After listening to Lena's words, Zelier finally understood where that sense of unease came from.

Like a canary accustomed to being kept in captivity, suddenly being released into the perilous wilderness will naturally cause intense discomfort.

"This contrast is interesting, isn't it?"

Lena smiled slyly and then walked towards the front of the group.

　I'll only be updating twice today, let me think about the later plot. I'll start updating more tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)