My computer was acting up again this afternoon. I originally wanted to write more tonight, but there were a lot of noisy kids around, making it impossible to calm down. So, this is the only chapter for today. Xiao Qi apologizes to everyone here.
"Haaachoo..."
I rubbed my nose. Damn it, what kind of godforsaken cold place is this? The howling wind felt like it could blow a person away at any moment. I really don't understand why those Nuns and Priests would run to such a desolate place to build a Monastery.
Riding Little Snow, after three days of travel, we finally arrived at Tamoe Highland. On the first day, after I casually directed Little Snow and the others to kill some Monsters by the roadside, I had already Leveled Up. Then, on the second day, I noticed something unfortunate. Why did it feel like I was going "up"? But thinking about it, since it's called Tamoe Highland, the terrain is naturally a bit higher, so I didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until today, when the path ahead became flat again, and a cold wind blew past, that I realized this damned place wasn't just cold, it was unusually cold! Compared to this, Cold Plains was much better. I couldn't ride Little Snow anymore; if it ran, I'd freeze into an ice pop on its back.
Not only is the climate here similar to Cold Plains, but the environment is also comparable. When I passed by a Small Thicket, I immediately noticed shadows flickering inside. Heh heh, this feeling is really nostalgic. Remembering the few Hardened Skin Rats and Dark Hunters shivering from the cold in Cold Plains last time, I couldn't help but smile faintly. I hope their hides are a bit thicker now, otherwise, in this weather, being able to exert even a third of their combat power would be good.
However, while the feeling of nostalgia is nice, I won't go easy on them because of it. Uh, time to warm up. It's cold, I should move around.
I slowly approached the Small Thicket. Although I didn't think they could be very powerful, I had still developed a good habit of being careful and cautious. This is called strategically despising the enemy while tactically valuing the enemy. When you're out and about alone, it's better to be meticulous.
Sure enough, as I gradually got closer, the shadows in the woods flickered more intensely. Even a rookie could tell there was something wrong inside now. Before long, this group of enemies with an ostrich mindset couldn't stand my slow pace anymore. I saw over a dozen Dark Stalkers "whoosh" out from inside, rushing towards me with sinister grins.
I truly hated these Dark Stalkers to the bone. Every time I saw them, they reminded me of the Blood Pool on the Tower and the desperate gaze of those few corpses. I hated that gaze because it always made me involuntarily think, would I one day leave this world with that same gaze? Or would I watch someone important to me wear that gaze? I couldn't help but think about it, because that gaze was simply too real, too profound...
Before they arrived, I counted them carefully. Hmm, there were exactly 18 of them. Their presence wasn't small. But there shouldn't be just that many. Following my intuition, sure enough, another type of Monster started emerging from the woods—Spiked Beasts. To put it simply, they were the second evolution product of Hardened Skin Rats.
They really are birds of a feather, I sighed. In Cold Plains, their descendants were like this, and upon arriving at Tamoe Highland, they still haven't improved much. It seems no matter how they evolve, there's always a part that can't evolve, and that's their brains.
While I was thinking, my hands didn't hesitate at all. A Molten Boulder had already formed and flew towards them with a "whoosh".
With the dexterity of the Dark Stalkers, dodging it wasn't difficult. As soon as the Molten Boulder left my hand, they scattered in a panic. By the time the boulder flew past, only two unlucky ones were grazed, losing just a little health. Looking at the whistling Molten Boulder, I sighed. How great would it be if I could control it to explode? If so, I could have given them a hard time just now.
However, fortunately, my target wasn't them, but the Spiked Beasts behind them. Although they evolved from Hardened Skin Rats, they still inherited the form with short limbs. Their speed wasn't much faster than Hardened Skin Rats. Some that had just emerged from the woods looked up and found their vision blocked by a giant fiery boulder. They didn't even have time to catch a last glimpse of the blue sky before the boulder exploded. The scorching fragments, like shrapnel scattered after a grenade explosion, could even blow Treehead Woodfist away, let alone these little things? Just this one Molten Boulder had already roasted most of the emerging Spiked Beasts into charcoal. Although I couldn't control the boulder's explosion, I could calculate the explosion time and range to find the optimal distance and angle, aiming for maximum damage. I could still do that. After all, I used to be an Otaku.
Little Snow had already led Little Two and the others to meet the Dark Stalkers. Under the command of Little Snow, this highly intelligent and cunning leader, the 5 Wolves' coordination ability was better than before. The 18 Dark Stalkers were completely toyed with by the 5 Wolves. Meanwhile, the Raven and Poison Creeper were also taking advantage, biting any isolated Monster they saw. If there were no isolated Monsters, they would use their advantage of burrowing and flying to quietly infiltrate the Monsters' ranks and stir up trouble. Ah, the Poison Creeper used to be so honest and reliable, but now it's been led astray by the Raven.
However, there weren't just these enemies. After the Molten Boulder, Spiked Beasts still poured out of the woods continuously, which greatly surprised me. So, the Dark Stalkers were just a diversion, and the main force was these little things! There were already dozens that had appeared, and more were still emerging. By this calculation, there were probably at least a hundred of them. If someone accidentally stumbled into the woods, *sweat*, I wouldn't dare imagine.
At this moment, the Spiked Beasts that had reached the front began to fire their spines simultaneously. The thin spines, hard as needles, stuck into my body, causing numbness and itching. I didn't dare be careless; the spines from a hundred Spiked Beasts were no joke. Unfortunately, the Molten Boulder's cooldown time wasn't over yet. Otherwise, with such a dense group of Spiked Beasts...
...one Molten Boulder could have taken out at least a dozen. I secretly regretted that I had indeed thrown it a bit too hastily just now. Learning from this experience, I must first observe the enemy's situation before making a judgment in the future.
While reflecting on my recent mistake, my hands didn't stop at all. I cast a Firestorm. Although its killing power wasn't as great as Molten Boulder, it still hit about 10 Spiked Beasts. Next was Werewolf Transformation. Ahhh, I'll fight to the death...
"Just kidding! Time to bail!"
What, no guts? Damn it, you think I'm some kind of god? That's nearly a hundred Spiked Beasts! Even if they don't pose a huge danger to me, who wants to be pricked by a hundred spines every few seconds for no reason? If I really charged in, by the time I eliminated them, I'd have more spines on me than wolf fur.
Little Snow and the others were also startled to see me, their master, turn tail and run, and then look at the hundred-plus Spiked Beasts charging fiercely behind us. They no longer bothered to toy with the few pathetic Dark Stalkers. Their claws extended from their paws, and fangs bared from their mouths. In an instant, the last few Stalkers fell dead. Especially Little Snow, its attack was simply terrifying, and it also had that 10% chance of Giant Claw Tear, which not only doubled its attack but also allowed it to leech health.
Seeing that we had actually run, the Spiked Beasts' small, beady eyes turned red, and they desperately waved their short limbs to chase after us. Unfortunately, even the slowest member of our party, the Oak Sage, was a bit faster than them. Before long, we escaped their sight. Only their angry "chirping" screams drifted over from afar. Hey, I said, why are you so angry? Didn't I just kill a few of your companions? You'll respawn in a few days. Why bother?
However, since they were so enthusiastic, I felt bad just leaving like that. Before they had been back in the woods for long, my anger hadn't subsided, so I came calling again. This time, what greeted them was still Molten Boulder and Firestorm. When the mood struck, seeing how fired up they were, I even friendlily performed an Arctic Blast to cool them down. After receiving more spines as encouragement, although there were now fewer than 50 Spiked Beasts in front of me, no longer posing any significant threat, I still chose to run away. Hoho~ There's a big surprise waiting for them later.
These Spiked Rats were truly enraged. That damned Adventurer actually came to harass their peaceful lives repeatedly. This time was even worse; he had killed nearly half of their brothers and sisters. But that guy's hide was very tough; all the spines stuck into him seemed to have no effect. And he was slippery; he'd unleash fire and run before they could even fire a few rounds of spines. For the first time in their lives, they hated their parents for not growing their limbs a bit longer so they could chase that guy and shoot him into a beehive.
When that damned Adventurer disappeared from their sight again, this group of furious Spiked Beasts could only return home helplessly. The flowers and grass along the way became scapegoats, shot full of holes by them.
After finally getting home, one by one, they burrowed into the woods. Before long, the Spiked Beasts behind noticed something was wrong. Why were the companions who went inside all making "chirping" sounds? At this moment, this group of Spiked Beasts, dizzy with rage, finally smelled a strange scent from their home.
Damn it, their home had actually been occupied by the enemy! And judging by the scent, it was clearly the summoned creatures of that wicked Adventurer from just now. These Spiked Beasts were almost fuming with rage, their eyes watering. The anger and grievance in their hearts! This bullying, they were being bullied right at their doorstep!
Lying in ambush inside the woods were none other than Little Snow and the others. When it came to jungle combat, how could these little things that only injure people with spines be a match for Wolves and the Poison Creeper? Having lost the advantage of cover, heh heh, today they would also get a taste of being ambushed.
At this moment, I was standing not far away with the Raven, watching this farce. Don't think I was just purely teasing them. This was actually a type of tactics: exchanging the smallest price for the greatest victory. I can still rely on the Bugged Amulet and Little Snow and the others now, but in the future, as the enemies become more powerful, if I don't add others to the party, I will gradually lose this advantage. In that case, I will have to rely more on tactics to achieve victory. This is exactly what I need to train now.
These poor Spiked Beasts circled around outside the woods, but unfortunately, they couldn't think of any good solution. They were so anxious they kept "chirping" loudly, occasionally firing spines irritably into the woods. Unfortunately, due to the obstruction of the woods and their inability to determine the enemy's position, their spines couldn't exert much effect. Finally, they made a decision I hadn't anticipated—a collective suicidal charge into the woods. The enemy was hidden, they were exposed, and their spines couldn't function at all in the dense woods. I think they should have known this, but they still bravely charged in. It seems they are quite fixated on the concept of "territory".
There was a sudden commotion in the woods. Screams and roars continuously came out, and then the sounds gradually quieted down. Before long, Little Snow and the others walked out of the woods safe and sound, while the more than 50 Spiked Beasts had become more than 50 corpses.
Adding the 18 Dark Stalkers, these hundred Monsters brought me a rich gain. It was a tactical victory, and the satisfaction of manipulating the battlefield was intoxicating. Of course, I didn't forget to run into the woods to pick up the loot. Dozens of Gold Coins and over ten Light Healing Potions. Although there was no equipment, this gain was considered decent.
After the battle just now, I paid more attention to the application of tactics. In every combat, I tried my best to minimize the cost, even if it took more time. What I have most of right now is time. Compared to others, my speed of Leveling Up is simply too fast. Sometimes I even consider whether I should slow down a bit.
(end of chapter)