He hadn't expected Hou Jinjai to also receive a silver treasure chest.
Zayen knew very well that a silver chest was one grade lower than a golden treasure chest—but that didn't mean its contents were ordinary in any way.
On the contrary.
The Crimson Eclipse Sword and the Teleportation Card had both come from silver treasure chests. Each of them had drastically increased his combat power and increased his chance of survival in Leon, this dangerous place.
Because of that, Zayen had never underestimated silver treasure chests.
If anything, he was certain of one thing—
The item inside Hou Jinjai's silver chest would not be simple at all.
Hou Jinjai suddenly felt a sharp gaze that made his heart tighten with a faint sense of danger.
Instinctively, he raised his head.
The moment he looked up, Hou Jinjai's eyes met Zayen's.
But before Hou Jinjai could even react or say a word, he saw Zayen raise his hand.
Buzz—!
In the next instant, the surrounding energy surged wildly, gathering around Zayen's palm and rapidly condensing. A short golden dagger took shape, its blade shimmering with sharp, oppressive light.
Without giving Hou Jinjai even a moment to think, Zayen flicked his wrist.
Whoooosh—! Krrsh —!
The golden dagger shot forward.
It moved at an incredible speed, tearing through the air with a sharp whine as it flew straight toward Hou Jinja.
Hou Jinjai instinctively tilted his head to the side.
Shrrk—!
The dagger flashed past his face, missing him by a hair's breadth. A few strands of hair were cleanly severed, drifting slowly through the air.
But before Hou Jinjai could even feel relief, his expression changed drastically.
Zayen—who had been standing in front of him just a moment ago—suddenly vanished.
He disappeared without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.
"Fuck… not this again. …"
Hou Jinjai didn't waste a single second. The moment Zayen vanished, his instincts screamed in warning. He kicked off the ground and leapt backward at incredible speed, forcefully widening the distance between himself and the space behind him.
That scene—
That disappearance—
It was exactly the same.
During his fight with the Voidfang Dreadwolf, the beast had used that same method: vanishing without warning, erasing its presence entirely, only to reappear an instant later and strike from a blind spot. Every time Hou Jinja hesitated, the result had been brutal.
He refused to let history repeat itself.
His grip tightened around Ruyi as his eyes swept the surroundings, senses stretched to their limits, ready for an attack from any direction.
Because he knew one thing for certain—
When an enemy disappeared like that…
The next attack was never far behind.
Hou Jinjai turned around the instant his feet touched the ground.
There—standing just a few meters away from his previous position—was Zayen.
He was holding the very same golden dagger in his hand. Zayen stood there calmly, as if he had never moved at all, with a faint, relaxed smile hanging on his face as his eyes locked onto Hou Jinja.
Looking at Hou Jinjai in front of him, Zayen said calmly. "Your reaction is much faster than I expected. Good instincts."
Hou Jinjai's muscles tensed when he heard what Zayen said. His entire body shifted into a combat stance without conscious thought.
Zayen had appeared exactly where the dagger had passed moments earlier.
A chill suddenly ran down Hou Jinjai's spine.
If Zayen could appear wherever that dagger landed…
Then distance meant nothing.
He could appear at any location the dagger struck.
Zayen took a step forward.
"Relax," Zayen said lightly. "I am not here to fight you."
With that, the dagger vanished into golden particles as Zayen lowered his hand.
Hou Jinjai didn't relax in the slightest.
Instead, he stared at Zayen as if looking at a completely different person.
But before he could ask the question on his mind, the system notification appeared again.
[System Notification]: It has been detected that one of the three Special Magic Beasts, the Voidfang Dreadwolf, has been killed. Two more special monsters will now begin to refresh.
[System Reminder]: Special Monsters appear for a maximum of two hours and will disappear after that time limit.
Seeing the system notification, the chat channel erupted in shock and panic.
"Damn it! Is this system trying to kill us?! Two more Special Monsters refreshing at the same time?! I don't even dare to hunt low-level beasts anymore!"
"Relax! Upstairs, check your map. You can see everything."
"Map?! Oh my god… their locations are all marked?!"
"Perfect… now I can avoid them entirely."
Messages flew faster than anyone could read, players spamming warnings, tips, and disbelief all at once.
Some were panicking, some were strategizing, and a few were already rushing to prepare for the new wave.
"This is great; I was just worrying about not having a place to grind monsters for leveling."
Zayen immediately opened the map to check.
Since there were only two hours, he naturally had to deal with the closest special magic beast first.
"You're the one!"
Zayen didn't hesitate for even a second.
His eyes locked onto the nearest Special Monster marked on the map, and without wasting any time, a golden short dagger materialized in his hand once more.
Hou Jinjai's expression instantly changed.
The moment he saw the dagger appear again, his muscles tensed, and he instinctively took a fighting stance.
But to his surprise, Zayen didn't throw the dagger at him this time.
Instead—
He flicked his wrist and hurled the golden dagger toward the distance with tremendous force.
Whoosh—
The dagger tore through the air like a streak of golden lightning, vanishing deep into the forest in the direction of the marked location.
Hou Jinjai froze for a brief moment. Then his pupils shrank.
"…Don't tell me," he muttered under his breath.
The next instant—
Zayen's figure blurred.
And the next second vanished.
At this moment, Hou Jinjai stood there, completely stunned, his mind blank for several seconds.
The image of Zayen vanishing and reappearing at will replayed over and over in his head like a nightmare he couldn't shake off.
Hou Jinjai took a deep breath and forcefully steadied his emotions.
"There's no time to stand around." The system had already refreshed the Special Magic Beasts. If Zayen was already moving, then staying idle would only mean falling behind.
Hou Jinjai turned around abruptly.
The white staff Ruyi slammed lightly against the ground as he pushed off with explosive force.
Boom—!
The earth cracked beneath his feet as his body shot forward like a cannonball, rushing toward the closest Special Magic Beast marked on the map.
Wind howled past his ears, and trees blurred into streaks of shadow as he sprinted through the forest at full speed.