Chapter 85: Angela Northwind

Far beyond the safe boundaries of Sector Sixty-Seven, where towering trees stretched toward the sky and the dense canopy concealed countless dangers, a figure clad in full-body armor floated high above the forest.

The metallic suit gleamed beneath the sunlight filtering through the clouds, its streamlined surface reflecting faint traces of blue light. Small fluctuations of energy rippled around its joints as the figure hovered effortlessly in the air, overlooking the seemingly endless sea of green below.

Jackson looked down at the forest stretching beneath his feet, unable to suppress the excitement bubbling inside him.

"Amazing!"

His voice escaped through the armor’s communication system, carrying a hint of disbelief.

He had known that Rank Three armor was valuable, but he hadn’t expected it to be this impressive.

With the Peak Rank Three armor Veronica had provided, he could fly through the air with astonishing ease. He only needed to direct his thoughts, and the suit would respond almost immediately, allowing him to ascend, descend, or change direction with remarkable precision.

Normally, flight was a privilege reserved for Awakened who had undergone the First Life Transformation. Before reaching that realm, even powerful Third Sequence experts had to rely on specialized equipment or particular talents if they wanted to travel through the air freely.

Yet Jackson could now accomplish the same feat simply by wearing this suit.

He had spent a considerable amount of time testing its capabilities, and the more he experimented, the more impressed he became.

This was undoubtedly the finest piece of technology he had ever possessed, second only to the virtual world itself.

Although he didn’t fully understand how the armor worked, he had heard that its flight system relied on manipulating forces associated with the Earth’s magnetic field. The suit apparently converted those forces into controlled movement, allowing its wearer to overcome gravity and maneuver through the air.

Whatever the underlying mechanism, Jackson had no intention of complaining.

He could fly.

That alone was enough to make the armor worth its price.

After spending another moment admiring the view, Jackson shifted his attention toward his objective.

With a thought, the armor’s systems responded.

A low hum reverberated through the suit, and the energy circulating around his body intensified. The next instant, Jackson shot forward like a missile, tearing through the air above the treetops.

The wind howled against his armor as the forest blurred beneath him.

Tall trees became streaks of green, while distant hills and rocky outcrops swept past in rapid succession. Every movement felt smooth and responsive, allowing him to maintain tremendous speed without sacrificing control.

Jackson couldn’t help but feel that the world had suddenly become much smaller.

Previously, traveling through the Outer Forest had required considerable time and effort. He had to navigate the terrain, avoid dangerous monsters, and remain alert to threats hidden among the trees.

Now, most of those inconveniences had practically disappeared.

He could simply fly over the forest and head directly toward his destination.

With this newfound advantage, Jackson began completing the academy missions he had accepted one after another.

Whenever he reached a designated area, he would locate his target, eliminate it, and collect the necessary evidence before moving on to the next mission.

His efficiency was astonishing.

The missions that might have required an ordinary hunting party several hours to complete often took him only a fraction of that time. His Third Sequence strength, combined with the mobility provided by the armor, allowed him to travel and fight with far greater freedom.

As the days passed, the contribution points recorded on his student identity card steadily increased.

Five days later, Jackson had completed nearly every mission he had accepted.

Only one remained.

He hovered above the forest, checking the information displayed on his student identity card.

"Now, killing a Third Sequence Thunder Crocodile..."

Jackson’s expression became slightly more serious.

"This one’s going to be tricky."

He had deliberately saved this mission for last.

According to the academy’s records, the Thunder Crocodile inhabited a region deep within the Outer Forest, hundreds of kilometers from Sector Sixty-Seven. It was a powerful Third Sequence monster, notorious for its formidable physique and destructive lightning-based abilities.

Unlike the weaker creatures he had encountered during his previous missions, this opponent wouldn’t be easy to deal with.

Jackson studied the mission details once more, mentally reviewing the information about his target.

He was just about to set off when something unusual happened.

Rumble!

The forest below suddenly trembled.

Jackson’s head snapped up.

A moment later, a series of deafening explosions erupted from somewhere beneath the dense canopy. Powerful shock waves tore through the surrounding vegetation, sending branches flying and causing the crowns of nearby trees to sway violently.

Birds burst from the treetops in a panicked flurry, their cries quickly swallowed by the thunderous commotion below.

Jackson immediately halted his flight.

He lowered his altitude slightly and peered through the gaps between the trees.

Several figures were moving rapidly through the forest.

One of them was a young woman.

The others were chasing her.

Jackson narrowed his eyes, using the armor’s enhanced vision to examine the scene more closely.

Then his expression changed.

"Eh? Isn’t that Angela?"

He recognized her almost immediately.

There was no mistaking that familiar figure or the cold, arrogant bearing she carried even while fleeing for her life.

Angela Northwind.

His villa mate from Golden Radiance Academy.

Jackson hadn’t expected to encounter her in the Outer Forest, especially so far from the sector’s safe boundary.

More importantly, why was she being chased?

He didn’t rush to intervene.

Instead, Jackson remained suspended above the treetops, quietly observing the situation.

Although Angela was his villa mate, they weren’t particularly close. They had barely exchanged a few words since arriving at the academy, and she had hardly shown any interest in interacting with him.

There was no reason for him to recklessly throw himself into an unknown conflict simply because they happened to share a villa.

First, he needed to understand what was happening.

Jackson’s gaze shifted toward the pursuers.

There were at least seven of them.

Every one carried a powerful, vicious aura, and their movements suggested considerable combat experience. They weren’t ordinary hunters who had stumbled upon a young Awakened in the forest.

Most of them had already reached the Third Sequence.

Even from his position above the trees, Jackson could sense the pressure radiating from their bodies.

But that wasn’t what made him wary.

There was something else.

A chilling sensation crept over his senses, sending a subtle warning through his instincts.

Jackson had encountered that feeling before.

It was an unmistakable sense of danger, something that seemed to cling to these individuals like an invisible layer of darkness.

His expression gradually turned cold.

"Demonic hunters..."

The words escaped his mouth in a low murmur.

A name immediately surfaced in his mind.

There was no doubt about it.

Angela Northwind was being hunted by demonic hunters.