Chapter 30: Carapace

Wood was a professional.

Whether from the perspective of a "guard" or an "adventurer," he was the most experienced member of the entire party.

Even during a brief, temporary rest along the journey, he would meticulously arrange comprehensive warning traps in the surrounding area.

However, many times, perhaps because he was too professional and his traps were too detailed and rigorous, when Xia Nan and the others detected the warning sounds and prepared for combat in tension, they would ultimately find that the trigger was merely a few harmless forest creatures.

Regarding this, although Xia Nan sometimes felt mentally exhausted, he didn't actually harbor much resentment, nor would he let his guard down due to the frequent warnings, as described in the fable of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" from his previous life.

Being a bit tired was better than dying silently under the claws of some monster.

The scene of the gnome Elki's head splitting open under a goblin ambush was still vivid in his mind.

*Snap... Ring! Ring! Ring!*

At dusk, amidst the dense thickets shrouded in thin mist, the sudden sound of a snapping branch was followed by a series of rapid, loud metallic rings.

A trap had been triggered!

Xia Nan rose abruptly, hands gripping his Decapitation Longsword tightly. His eyes stared intently in the direction of the sound while simultaneously maintaining vigilance of his surroundings, fearing something might circle behind him.

Not a moment of negligence.

The half-elf and his guard were the same.

The moment the bells rang, Heian picked up the wooden longbow resting at his feet, drew the string, and aimed the sharp arrowhead toward the swaying grass in the distance.

Wood's figure, which had been quite visible in Xia Nan's line of sight, suddenly dimmed, as if covered by a blurry shadow; his presence plummeted instantly.

In comparison, Larry and Doris were half a beat slower to react.

After all, one was a plump young master from a wealthy family, and the other was a frail individual who had been repeatedly startled.

After walking through the Misty Forest all day, they were exhausted and physically spent.

Fortunately, at least their attitude was serious.

Even though they knew in their hearts that the trigger was likely just a rabbit or a deer again, they still gripped their weapons and rose into combat stances.

*Crackle.*

The campfire flickered.

The air seemed to hold nothing but the soft sound of burning firewood.

As night approached, the spreading mist seemed to thicken, making the dim twilight scattered within it appear exceptionally decadent and powerless.

Visibility was far inferior to that of the daytime.

Given the complex environment, the members of the squad did not rush forward, instead standing their ground in a state of alert.

*Tap... Tap...*

Xia Nan leaned against a large tree, his expression tense.

His black pupils reflected the silhouettes of the distant bushes and grass, and his nostrils flared slightly with each breath.

This time, it seemed different.

According to the commotion from previous trap triggers, those timid herbivores would usually flee in panic once startled by the bells.

Back at the camp, one would hear a short burst of footsteps gradually receding, occasionally accompanied by a sharp, panicked cry.

The current situation was the exact opposite.

After the bells were triggered, the movement in the grass merely paused for an instant before resuming.

It was as if the creature had even detected the squad's location because it was approaching them in a straight line.

The crisp sound of branches and stalks being crushed, the strange footsteps like sharp objects hitting the ground, and even a grating noise caused by some rough object rubbing...

Like the increasingly intense and sharp background music before a "highlight" scene in a horror movie, Xia Nan watched the swaying bushes ahead, his heart beating faster and faster.

Finally, accompanied by a piercing, shrill hiss unique to insects—one that felt as if it would burst one's eardrums—four hideous, crawling figures appeared before them.

Their bodies were encased in wave-like carapaces as coarse and thick as rock, with four powerful, thick chelae extending to the sides, their joints covered in sharp protrusions.

Bean-sized compound eyes reflected the faint light, and split mouthparts opened and closed slightly amidst the hissing. Through those glinting, pale fangs, one could vaguely see the contracting esophagus and viscous saliva within.

Most eye-catching were the feathery antennae protruding upward from the sides of its head, and the long, fin-like tail that branched at the end like a fish.

"Rust Monster!"

Wood's low growl, filled with astonishment, reached Xia Nan's ears.

"Damn it, why is it here..."

"Prepare for combat!"

As soon as the words fell, a wooden arrow tipped with white tail feathers tore through the air, spinning through the mist.

As an archer, Heian had completed his aiming motion the very second the warning bells rang.

Once Wood confirmed the combat, Heian completed the squad's first attack.

However, the overly dim and blurry environment caused the half-elf's arrow to miss slightly.

Even though he had deliberately aimed for the Rust Monster's tiny eyes hidden beneath its thick carapace, he still failed to hit accurately.

*Clang!*

The metal arrowhead collided violently with the yellowish-brown chitinous shell, splashing stray sparks in the twilight.

It scraped and bounced off.

It left nothing but a dark brown scratch on the monster's coarse shell.

Battle was imminent!

Four Rust Monsters, each about five feet tall, charged toward the squad amidst sharp hissing.

First was Larry, who was closest.

Whether it was the courage provided by the blonde girl behind him or the embarrassment of his cowardly performance during the insect tide earlier that day, this wealthy young master actually displayed courage far beyond the norm.

Raising his one-handed hammer high, ignoring the pale, soft flesh exposed by his tight short clothes, he lunged forward with a sudden burst of speed.

The iron hammer, gleaming with metallic luster, smashed down heavily toward the Rust Monster's short, narrow head.

*Bang... Ah!*

The sharp sound of hard objects colliding erupted suddenly in the forest.

Immediately following was a scream filled with agony.

Facing the hard iron tool—a crystallization of human intelligence and skill—the Rust Monster's yellowish-brown chitinous shell cracked into a fine web of fractures almost instantly upon contact.

But... that was all.

Because in the next second, the violent recoil traveling through the hammer caused numbness from Larry's fingertips to his arms and even his chest, as if he had lost sensation in his entire right side in an instant.

The hammer slipped from his hand and fell onto the meadow. Larry showed a look of pain, staggering backward in a clumsy manner.

But how could two legs compare to four chelae?

*Hiss—*

The deafening insectoid chirping almost created invisible waves in the air; the sharp mouthparts opened and closed, and the aura of death grew thicker.

At this critical moment, Doris, who had been hiding behind Larry, actually summoned all her strength and hurled another one-handed hammer toward them!

*Clang!*

By a stroke of luck, the hammer struck directly against the Rust Monster's fragile mouthparts, causing its entire body to stumble.

Larry scrambled on all fours, taking the opportunity to retreat.

Thick green saliva dripped from the Rust Monster's cracked mouthparts, splashing onto the iron hammer.

*Sizzle...*

Accompanied by a pungent, thick smoke, the metal hammerhead—which was strong enough to crack an insectoid shell—suddenly softened and charred as if it had encountered a natural predator.

"Watch out! Rust Monster venom can corrode metal!"

Wood, who had long since vanished from sight, shouted an urgent warning.

"What!?"

Xia Nan, who was gripping his polished Decapitation Longsword and preparing to rush forward to support them, suddenly slowed his pace.

(End of Chapter)