Monster Hunting High School

Facts have proved that, just like the old man Verne said, both Zheng Qing and Lin Guo had thought too much before.

As one of the top centers of power in the wizarding world, the security of First University is unquestionable.

Not to mention the core area of ​​Shushan Pavilion and Linzhong Lake.

Along the way, except for the chance encounter with a tree sperm that fell from a branch because it was asleep, the patrol did not even see two kappas, let alone dragon beasts or other monsters talking in their sleep.

On the other hand, the old hunting dog named May, followed the team shuffling, getting into the grass from time to time, and quietly pulling back a few sparkling red chain snakes.

This made Zheng Qing look with admiration at this old hunting dog with more wrinkles than hair.

Old Man Verne asked several senior students to put the red chain snake into a bamboo basket, and then continued to urge the team forward.

As Zheng Qing walked, he slowly realized that the so-called patrol was probably more of a physical and psychological punishment measure, rather than really expecting these students to do anything earth-shattering or save the world.

Just like a patrol member complained when he was bored, if demons appeared in the depths of the First University, what chaos would the entire wizarding world be like!

The wooden stick in his hand was beating randomly in the grass on both sides of the path. Zheng Qing tried his best to keep his eyes open, trying to find some fun in this boring patrol.

His wish soon came true.

After the team turned around a rockery carved with sand and stone, the crowd suddenly became a little commotion. 【】

Several tall boys pointed in the distance, looking very excited.

"It seems like a kappa is climbing up over there!" Soon, other people in the team exclaimed in low voices.

Zheng Qing followed the team for a few steps and looked intently. On the beach not far away, there was indeed a thin black figure crawling on the shore.

In the moonlight, you can vaguely distinguish its beak, round head, pointed ears, turtle back, and the jade plate on top of its head that looks like a blue plate, converging like water and moonlight.

There is a saying in an ancient book: There are monsters in the water, like three- or four-year-old children, with scales like carp, which cannot be penetrated by shooting. In mid-July and August, fortunately, Qi Shang exposed himself. The knees are like those of a tiger, and the palms and claws are often submerged in the water and come out of the knees. You can pluck them to make them angry.

Of course, things have no permanent shape, water has no permanent potential, and people have no permanent state.

The evolution of kappa recorded in ancient books to modern times has also undergone many changes.

Such as turtle back, such as jade plate.

The kappa's back is similar to that of a tortoise, with a rounded scute, a flat carapace, and three longitudinal ribs.

In ancient times, the carapace of kappas was similar to the scales on other parts of the body, with serrated comb scales. However, with the increasing variety of aquatic elves and the continuous evolution of the fish-men race, in order to enhance defense and resist risks, the comb scales on the kappa's back gradually evolved into thick shield scales, and then slowly evolved into the current tortoise shell form.

The origin of the jade dish is even more strange.

Rumor has it that in ancient times there was a great wizard named Hu Gong. He was impressed by the aquatic elves absorbing the moonlight, so he captured 13 kappas and built organs for them to absorb the moonlight. 【】 Or there is a mirror on the back, a stone on the forehead, or a jade dish on the head. In every nine years, only two kappas with jade plates on their heads can truly absorb the moonlight for their own use.

Therefore, in ancient times, only this kind of water monster with sharp teeth and claws, like a wild beast, could cast spells and become a true aquatic elf, which did not disappear with the passage of time.

It is said that the remaining kappa today are descendants of those two reformers.

Maybe it’s because of Hu Gong’s teaching and transformation, maybe it’s because he has opened up his spiritual wisdom and knows how to advance and retreat. Although modern kappa are still cunning and cruel, they mostly target water ghosts or fish-men, and rarely dare to attack wizards. Most of the time, they live on aquatic plants and fruits on the shore; occasionally they eat meat, and they prefer to dig clams in the mud or catch long insects in the grass.

The patrol team drove away the kappas who climbed ashore. It was precisely because they often damaged the fruits cultivated by the school and stole the spiritual eggs of light bugs and tree sperms that the insect king and tree sprites complained to the school many times.

However, the kappa the patrol saw on the shore today was very strange.

It did not kill the insect eggs in the tree hole, nor did it hold the fruits and gnaw them with relish under the moonlight.

It is crying.

The moonlight is like water, and the moonlight is like smoke.

The cold spiritual light was like a waterfall falling from the sky, slowly pouring into the jade dish above the kappa's head, slowly forming a clear spiritual spring.

This is where the Kappa's wealth and life lie.

The spells hidden in their bloodline rely on this spiritual spring to be cast, and their entire body essence is also absorbed by this spiritual spring. If the spiritual spring dries up, the kappa will lose all its vitality and become dying.

If you can enjoy the blessing of the huge bright moon above your head on weekdays, the kappas will definitely sing, dance and cheer for joy.

But now, the kappa lying on the bank, with shoulders hunched and tearful eyes, was actually wailing under the moonlight.

"Is it moved by today's moon?" someone in the team asked quietly.

"It's impossible," someone immediately retorted: "Although the kappas are intelligent, they don't know how to be grateful... To say that they were moved by the moon would be better to say that they cried with joy."

"Although they are ungrateful, kappa are also social creatures." An old student of Jiuyou Academy with two black stripes on his red robe looked at the crying kappa and said slowly: "Look at its sad look. It’s more like a companion encountering something unknown.”

Has your companion encountered something unknown? Zheng Qing was startled and looked around quickly.

Linzhong Lake is the base camp of these kappas from Jiuyou Academy.

Even the fishmen who regard this place as their territory will not kill these water elves at will. After all, the cruelty of kappas is well known, and no creature in the lake is willing to provoke these difficult guys.

Old Man Verne, holding a wooden stick, walked slowly to the crying kappa, lowered his head and moved his lips slightly, as if asking for the reason.

The kappa raised his head, letting bits and pieces of the spiritual liquid in the jade dish above his head fall down, and just opened his sharp mouth and said something quickly. Its voice was like a baby's cry, but shorter and sharper. It was upsetting and robbed of a lot of sympathy.

"Poor, hateful." Zheng Qing muttered.

Not far away, after the old man Verne finished asking questions, he stretched out his wooden stick and slowly pushed the crying kappa down into the lake.

The kappa's head floated on the water for a moment, and finally slowly disappeared under the old man's stern gaze.

There were several very shallow ripples on the water surface.

After a while, all traces disappeared.

When the old man Verne returned to the middle of the team, everyone looked at him eagerly, hoping to know the whole story.

"It's as I guessed before," the old man didn't sell it, but his description was very concise and vague: "The little guy went ashore to play with his companion, but unexpectedly his companion was dragged deep into the forest by a group of insects. It didn't dare to It’s too far away from the lake, so I can only cry and hope that the patrol will help.”

As for the appearance, type, and quantity of the bugs, the old man did not say anything clearly.

But I don’t know whether it was because he had some scruples that he couldn’t express clearly, or because the ignorant kappa at the other end didn’t say anything clearly.

"These guys always use the patrol team as a nanny." A black-faced boy in the team complained angrily.

As the owners of the school, the wizards of First University have the obligation to ensure the safety of other creatures living on campus. But no one is willing to search for relatives and friends in the deep woods for a kappa in the middle of the night.

The old man glanced at him and simply told the others:

"Grab the wooden stick in your hand, turn into the forest, and search for the missing kappa at the other end... Be careful not to fall behind, and report any abnormal phenomena in time."