Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Beast World 3

Early the next morning, Qi Yuan woke up at dawn.

He’d had trouble sleeping the night before. Luckily, his phone still had some battery left, so he played single-player games for a while. When the battery was nearly drained, he plugged it into the fully charged power bank in his backpack and finally drifted off to sleep.

During this time, He Zhou lay beside him, watching him play. Curious, he asked what it was, but didn’t press further.

Qi Yuan answered a few questions before losing patience.

After returning to bed, he yawned, covered himself with his jacket, closed his eyes, and was about to drift off when He Zhou pulled him into his arms.

It was the transition from summer to autumn, the weather neither hot nor cold.

He Zhou’s body was ice-cold, making Qi Yuan feel like he was being embraced by a cold mat. He struggled to break free, but when he realized it was futile, he gave up.

Fine, let him hold me, he thought. As long as he doesn’t try anything adult men do at night, I can tolerate this much contact.

The jacket wasn’t large, but Qi Yuan still pulled half of it over He Zhou.

Muttering, he said, “I think I need a beast-hide blanket. If the temperature drops, my jacket won’t be enough.”

“There’s probably no quilt here,” Qi Yuan muttered, “so I’ll have to settle for animal hide—but it has to be properly cleaned first.”

He Zhou placed a hand on Qi Yuan’s waist, his mood buoyant. Hearing Qi Yuan’s request, he readily agreed to anything that didn’t involve Qi Yuan leaving him.

“Alright.”

He planned to go hunting the next day, determined to find the softest animal hide for his mate’s blanket. He also wanted to gather some Sweet Fruit, a delicacy beloved by the Tribe’s females. He’d noticed Qi Yuan didn’t seem particularly fond of meat, eating only a small portion before stopping.

“Sleep now,” He Zhou murmured, gently patting Qi Yuan’s back.

He’d seen the Tribe’s Mate Fathers comfort their frightened younglings this way.

The night was silent. In this world, nighttime activities were minimal—people mostly slept.

Qi Yuan slept soundly until he woke naturally, finding He Zhou already up, having boiled water.

He retrieved his toiletries from his backpack and squatted at the cave entrance, using the warm water for a quick wash.

Breakfast was, again, meat—stewed for so long it was fall-apart tender, making it much easier to eat than the previous day’s meal. Yet even with the bowl in his hands, Qi Yuan found it difficult to swallow more than a few bites before giving up.

He forced himself to eat half a bowl, but couldn’t manage another bite. He even felt a little nauseous. Knowing he’d reached his limit, he set the bowl down.

The previous night, Qi Yuan hadn’t seen how much He Zhou had cooked for dinner, but this morning he did.

He Zhou ate a truly enormous amount.

Qi Yuan almost reached out to pat He Zhou’s stomach to see how he could possibly fit it all in, then he remembered He Zhou’s true form: a giant python.

That explained it. A giant python’s appetite couldn’t possibly compare to that of an ordinary human.

After finishing his meal, He Zhou glanced at the gradually brightening sky. It was almost time for the hunt. He had to hurry; the hunting party wouldn’t wait for anyone. Miss it, and you miss out.

He grabbed his bone knife and watched Qi Yuan rummage through his backpack.

“Qi Yuan,” he called out.

“Hm?” Qi Yuan turned around, a berry halfway to his mouth.

He Zhou instructed, “I’m going out with the hunting party. I probably won’t be back until sunset. At noon, I’ll have someone from the Tribe bring you lunch. Just stay here and wait for me—it’s dangerous outside. Don’t wander off, okay?”

Qi Yuan naturally nodded in agreement.

As a frail human who had been in this Dreamscape for a full day, and had only encountered He Zhou as a familiar face, he knew he had no choice but to follow He Zhou’s instructions. What else could he do?

Wander around? Better not.

He had no survival skills for the wilderness. Even the slightest risk in the wild could cost him his life. Qi Yuan was being pragmatically cautious.

“I won’t wander off, don’t worry,” Qi Yuan assured, patting his chest.

He picked up another piece of candy, tore open the wrapper, and popped it into He Zhou’s mouth.

“Be careful out there and don’t get hurt,” he cautioned, genuinely concerned.

He Zhou sucked on the candy and replied, “I’ll be careful.”

He grabbed Qi Yuan’s hand, kissed it, and left immediately, afraid that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn’t be able to leave.

Qi Yuan stood at the cave entrance, watching until He Zhou’s figure disappeared into the distance, before returning inside.

With nothing else to do to pass the time, he started playing a simple single-player game on his phone. But he hadn’t been playing for long when he heard distinct footsteps approaching the cave.

He put his phone away and went outside to find Xu Fu had come looking for him.

“Qi Yuan!”

Xu Fu’s eyes instantly welled with tears at the sight of him.

“Are you alright?” He rushed over to Qi Yuan, scanning him from head to toe.

Only after confirming he was unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

“This world is terrifying!” he exclaimed. “I realized there isn’t a single human like us in this tribe! They’re all Beast Spirits!”

“After that snake took you away, I was brought to the tribe’s Shaman. They told me to stay there until the Chieftain returns, then they’ll decide what to do with me.”

“Qi Yuan, I’m so scared.” He clutched Qi Yuan’s hand, his voice filled with helpless distress.

Qi Yuan wanted to say, I’m scared too, but he held back, instead patting Xu Fu’s hand to reassure him.

“Relax,” he said. “Take a deep breath first.”

Only after Xu Fu seemed calmer did Qi Yuan explain their current situation.

“Xu Fu, to be honest, leaving this tribe would be a death sentence. Besides, the people here don’t seem to harbor any real malice toward us. You don’t need to be so afraid.”

“Better to live a miserable life than die a glorious death. Only by staying alive can we hope to return to our world. So, when they transform into their Beast Forms, we need to remain calm. The fewer weaknesses we show, the greater our chances of survival. Understand?”

Xu Fu rubbed his eyes and nodded, acknowledging the logic. He understood the reasoning, but accepting it would take time.

“Qi Yuan, can I stay with you?”

“I’ll head back to the Shaman’s place this afternoon.”

Qi Yuan looked apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Xu Fu. I can’t just take you into the mountain cave. This is He Zhou’s cave, and I only live here.”

“But I can keep you company outside the cave.”

He really couldn’t decide on his own to bring Xu Fu into the cave; boundaries had to be respected.

At the very least, they’d need to wait for He Zhou to return tonight and get his approval.

Xu Fu quickly waved his hand, realizing his request was rather unreasonable.

“Staying outside is fine. I don’t need to go in.”

Even if he could go in, he wouldn’t. He was still terrified of that Giant Python named He Zhou. Just the memory of their first encounter might haunt him for life. Last night, he’d even had a nightmare—dreaming the Giant Python hadn’t transformed into human form but had simply swallowed him whole. He’d jolted awake in a cold sweat.

Just as they found a clean spot outside the cave to sit down, several young men approached, carrying bamboo baskets.

As they passed Qi Yuan and Xu Fu, they sized them up with appraising glances.

One of the more lively ones stepped closer and asked, “Are you two the new females?”

Females?

Qi Yuan didn’t understand and turned his head, looking at Xu Fu for his reaction.

Xu Fu was also staring at him in confusion. Their eyes met, and they decided to play it safe.

Xu Fu turned back and gave a perfunctory reply: “Umm, yes, we are.”

A standard evasive answer.

After confirming, the young man introduced himself.

“My name is Zuo Yu. Would you like to join us to gather Sweet Fruit?”

Qi Yuan pressed Xu Fu’s hand, which was resting on the ground, signaling him not to speak.

“I’m Qi Yuan, and this is Xu Fu.”

“I’m sorry, He Zhou instructed me not to wander around before he left with the hunting party.”

“Thank you for the invitation. Once we’ve familiarized ourselves with the Tribe, we’ll definitely join you next time if the opportunity arises.”

His eyes sparkled, and a gentle curve lifted the corners of his lips, animating his features and making him exceptionally handsome.

Zuo Yu was momentarily stunned. Undeterred by the polite refusal, his gaze lingered on Qi Yuan with undisguised fondness.

No wonder the cold-hearted He Zhou brought him straight home, Zuo Yu thought. If it were me, I’d have done the same.

There were plenty of attractive individuals in the Tribe, but this newcomer, Qi Yuan, was truly captivating at first glance. And his words were so pleasant to hear.

Zuo Yu nodded. “Then you must join us next time, okay?”

They watched the group depart.

The color drained from Xu Fu’s recently restored complexion.

“I was wondering yesterday why Yin Tong asked He Zhou where he found those two females when we first arrived at the Tribe.”

“But I was so anxious that I forgot halfway through my thoughts.”

“If it’s meant literally…”

“Qi Yuan, I can’t stand this world anymore. I’d rather die.”

Having already experienced the ABO Dreamscape, Qi Yuan, though somewhat surprised, was still able to accept it. After all, to him, it was just a dream.

He could understand Xu Fu’s reaction, knowing they were fundamentally different.

In fact, Qi Yuan had also heard Yin Tong’s question yesterday, but he had forgotten about it after relaxing in the cave, only remembering it just now.