Tearing, roaring.
Slaughter and blood filled every second of the Mist Forest.
Today was no exception.
*Squelch.*
Blood sprayed as a jackal's head, severed cleanly from its neck with a smooth cut, rolled across the ground.
The attack had been so fierce that the creature had no time to react; its furry face still maintained the ferocious, snarling expression it held in its final moment of life.
Only the slightly contracted beastly pupils and the crimson blood spurting from the throat revealed the tragedy of its decapitation.
*Drip—*
A tiny droplet of blood, like morning dew, fell gently from the tip of a tender leaf.
However, unlike the blood that had previously stained nearly the entire woodland and seeped into the soil, this drop landed upon a black, furry paw.
Only then did this abrupt external influence cause a flicker of discordance in the deep shadow that had been blending into the night, lingering at the edge of the clearing.
It was a massive black panther, nearly three meters long, crouching deep within the shrubs.
Its flawless, ink-black fur was as smooth as silk, appearing as a layer of flowing shadow that made it difficult to detect. Its golden eyes were like flickering fireflies in the night, concealing killing intent and a craving for meat beneath every inch of its pelt.
It paced silently.
Its gait was extremely slow, yet every step it took sent a shiver of dread through the air.
The protruding shoulder blades shifted slightly with each stride, revealing the undulating, tight muscles of its back. Its paws touched the decaying leaves lightly, the thick pads greedily swallowing every possible sound. Only the occasional flash of snowy-white claws in the gaps of the shadows revealed the murderous intent hidden within.
Having grown up in the danger-filled Mist Forest, thousands of hunts had granted this predator, bred by nature, a startling patience that ordinary beasts lacked.
Even as the rich, delicious scent of blood surged into its nostrils with every breath, it remained as it was at the start—low to the ground, burying its body in the mist and darkness, slowly closing in.
Unlike before, it lay in ambush deep within the shadows like an assassin, hunting alone.
An invisible attraction from its bloodline caused it to ignore the noisy beasts around it at this moment, focusing all its attention on the few humans in the woodland ahead.
It had already chosen its target.
Living for years in an environment with a high concentration of magic particles, the panther's intelligence was far higher than that of its kin elsewhere.
It could even comprehend the concept of an "adventurer party" formed by these four humans.
It perhaps did not understand their specific roles or their purpose for entering the forest.
But its extensive hunting experience and decent intelligence led it, almost instinctively, to select the small, frail figure protected by the others as its prey.
Crawling forward, it carefully extended its forelimbs. The fluid lines beneath the black fur were accentuated by the muscles, and its tendons were taut like steel cables storing energy.
Closer, and closer...
Only when the figure clad in plain robes truly entered its attack range did it let out its first beastly roar since arriving at the clearing, the sound erupting from its conical canines that resembled bone-china daggers.
Long-accumulated power suddenly burst forth. The massive body that had been low to the ground transformed into a lethal black blur, pouncing toward the prey at a speed far exceeding ordinary human reactions.
Fair skin, as fragile as paper, possessed no defensive capability against claws capable of shredding thick, tough bark. The slender neck would not even require great force; the natural closing of the jaws would snap it like a piece of dry firewood falling in the forest.
Mid-air, based on countless past experiences, the panther could already imagine the wonderful sensation of swallowing chunks of meat mixed with warm, sweet blood.
But in the next second, a high-pitched wolf howl that inexplicably rang out by its ear snapped it back to reality.
The instinct for survival caused it to acutely sense the terrifying danger contained within the howl. The agility of a feline allowed it to attempt to twist its body mid-air, relying on its powerful core strength to evade the attack.
However, the wolf howl was clearly faster.
*Sshhk—*
An iron-gray wolf fang carved a perfect arc through the air, instantly slicing through the proud, ink-black fur.
Mane, muscle, bone—the sharp blade, propelled by immense inertia and guided by exquisite skill honed thousands of times, pierced deep into the flesh.
The sound of resistance was fleeting.
The headless, ink-black body maintained its forward momentum for a moment before collapsing powerlessly.
Meanwhile, the panther's head—pupils contracted, canines sharp, still maintaining its hunting posture—spun away from the body.
Wrapped in crimson blood, it rolled across the ground.
Like a billiard ball, it lightly collided with the first jackal's head and came to a stop.
A ferocious wolf head, blurred by grass clippings, thick mist, and blood-soaked flesh, floated in the air.
Without sheathing his sword, and having no time to warn Mint to be careful of sneak attacks, he had already returned to his original position in the party formation amidst the whistling wind.
*Clang!*
A sharp venomous fang, hissing with steam, was easily blocked by the snake-scale arm shield possessing "300% Corrosion Damage Resistance," leaving not a single mark on its surface.
With a fluid pull of his left hand, the sharp edge of the arm shield slit the throat of a colorful venomous lizard, sending it flying.
Simultaneously, his right arm exerted sudden force. An iron-gray sword light flashed, and with a [Whirlwind Slash], he cleaved a wolverine attempting a sneak attack in the chaos in half.
Chest heaving, Xia Nan panted heavily.
"Where are all these beasts coming from? Is this never going to end?"
At this moment, although there were no obvious wounds on his body, both the surface of his blade and his plate-and-chain composite armor and leg guards—along with the under-padding—were stained with blood and shredded meat.
Several dozen minutes had passed since they discovered the horned deer that had intruded into their camp.
The beast tide that had surrounded the camp in his perception had long since launched an all-out assault on the Sea Thorn party.
He didn't know what reason drove these crazed beasts to ignore their instincts of caution and dread toward other predators, rushing toward the group like moths to a flame.
He also didn't know why, even though the meadow was nearly covered in a layer of corpses, these beasts showed no sign of retreating, continuing to attack the party with a fearless tenacity.
But he knew in his heart that if this continued, the collapse of the Sea Thorn party was inevitable.
To some extent, the team was already on the verge of being completely disrupted.
Because both Kash and Vyris had gradually drifted from their original positions amidst the onslaught of the beasts.
This allowed more and more beasts to penetrate the gaps in the formation, flanking them from the sides and rear, or directly ambushing the party's core caster, Mint, as had just happened.
It was only because he reacted quickly and gained extreme mobility through the effect of [Fang Hunt] that he managed to maintain a brief and fragile balance.
During the battle, Xia Nan's peripheral vision swept across the field, his thoughts racing.
As expected, Kash and Vyris were hiding their true strength; their abilities were far beyond what they had shown during the fight with the Night-Walking Wolves.
The tide of beasts was forcing the two to use their full power, continuously releasing combat techniques they had never previously revealed to repel the surrounding creatures.
Kash gripped the stone spear with both hands, the muscles in his arms bulging. With a thunderous *boom*, the spear tip fell like rain, swirling mist and blood, leaving a blood-red afterimage in the air.
The half-man-high jungle tiger before him was instantly turned into a corpse by the spear's thrust.
This level of power was undoubtedly a "Combat Technique."
As a Ranger, Vyris continued to wield her two poison-coated daggers, leaving lethal wounds on beast after beast.
In just a few dozen minutes, many beasts lay on the ground beside her, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.
It was clearly visible that as Vyris moved, a blurred afterimage followed her; her figure had suddenly become much more agile and swift, weaving through the beast swarm.
This should also be some kind of combat technique that increased agility.
"These two old foxes, quiet as usual, but they've hidden quite a lot," Xia Nan grumbled inwardly.
Of course, he hadn't used his full power either.
With the combat system Xia Nan had currently constructed—ample stamina, extremely high mobility, and instantaneous explosive power—if there were no other distractions, simple numbers would find it difficult to inflict effective damage on him when facing enemies far inferior in strength.
Take the current beast siege, for example. The reason he looked somewhat strained was, on one hand, because he wasn't using his full strength, including not fully unleashing techniques like [Gravity Control] and [Gravity Etching].
On the other hand, it was because he needed to maintain the formation, protect his teammates' flanks, and occasionally rush out to provide support.
To some extent, this greatly limited Xia Nan's performance, forcing him to abandon the advantage of his high mobility.
If he were the only one on the field right now, while he might not be able to kill every single beast, breaking through the encirclement to retreat safely would be extremely easy.
If one day Xia Nan truly needed to formally form or join an adventurer party, his role in the team would actually be more like Vyris the Ranger.
Roaming the flanks to provide support for teammates.
Except he had higher defensive capabilities, stronger explosive mobility, and a few small spell-casting abilities.
*Ssh-vroom!*
A dagger flashing with a cold light and a green-purple luster precisely pierced the back of a hyena's skull, stinging and withdrawing like a bee's stinger—a clean harvest.
The silver-white hair inherited from the Drow elves was stained crimson by blood, and the surface of her dark skin was a mixture of sweat and meat fragments.
Even though her posture remained as agile and swift as a Ranger should be, her current blood-soaked appearance made her look more like a Berserker who had survived a bloody war.
"Kash!" Vyris shouted shrilly, "These animals aren't right! Should we retreat?"
In the past, for these two veteran adventurers, let alone fighting to this extent, they likely would have withdrawn the moment they realized they were surrounded by a beast swarm.
They would never allow themselves to fall into an overly dangerous situation.
But now, the traces found after the Green Wheat Village raid had convinced them that the target they had been pursuing was indeed the beastman from Xia Nan's investigation mission.
Their rich experience as adventurers had also led them to link this strange event of encountering so many beasts to the beastman.
With the long-sought target right before them, they were naturally unwilling to simply retreat.
But...
Kash gripped the stone spear tightly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force as he pinned the leopard beneath him completely.
He suddenly leaped back, causing a claw reaching for his neck from the side to miss, leaving only three deep gouges on the surface of his scale armor.
The shout from the Drow half-elf on the other side of the field reached his ears.
He snapped his head up, his gaze sweeping over the party members.
The prolonged, high-intensity combat had caused Vyris's speed to gradually slow down compared to the beginning.
Although they both knew they still had trump cards unplayed, now was clearly not the time.
Mint was in the center of the team and was in poor condition.
Even though the group had tried their best to maintain the formation, a few "fish" had slipped through the net.
She also needed to concentrate her attention on casting spells to support her teammates, making lapses inevitable.
She had already suffered some light injuries, and her face had grown paler due to the excessive consumption of mental energy.
Xia Nan was further away, and the angle was poor, so Kash couldn't see him clearly.
But he knew that many of the beasts that leaked past his side were dealt with by the other party, doubling the other's stamina consumption.
In his peripheral vision, the other's blood-drenched appearance suggested he wouldn't last much longer either.
He made a decisive call.
Kash gritted his teeth and roared loudly
"Tighten the formation, prepare to retreat!"
Having already established a corresponding retreat plan, the members of the team did not panic upon hearing the command.
They simply exerted a sudden burst of force to clear the surrounding beasts and quickly closed in around Mint.
Kash swung his stone spear violently, not seeking to kill, but merely to clear a small space in front of him.
Simultaneously, he pulled several fire-oil bombs from his waist pouch and hurled them abruptly into the dense forest ahead.
*Boom—*
The oil and dust exploded with a single spark. The surging, swirling flames seemed to trigger a primal fear deep within the beasts' bloodlines in an instant, causing them to cry out and retreat.
"Now!"
Under Kash's command, the Sea Thorn party seized the opportunity and rushed quickly through the gap cleared by the flames in the beast swarm.
Even at a time like this, their professional discipline as veteran adventurers allowed them to maintain a basic formation.
Kash led the front, Vyris roamed, Mint was in the center, and Xia Nan brought up the rear.
The decision to retreat and the subsequent operations were handled without issue by Kash.
However, he had overlooked a more critical factor.
The Mist Forest was a famous gathering place for magical monsters in the Kingdom of Servia.
Having caused such a commotion, how could there be only ordinary beasts on the field?
The one who suffered most was Xia Nan, who was the first to notice the anomaly and the first to take a defensive posture.
In the haste of the movement, he only had time to raise his left arm shield.
In the next second, a colossal force sent his entire body flying, crashing into the nearby woods.
Under the light of the fire, although thick mist still lingered in the dark forest, visibility was significantly higher.
It was precisely because of this that, amidst the intense pain and dizziness, he caught a glimpse of a burly figure with the head of an owl and the body of a giant bear.
(End of Chapter)