Chapter 125 Breakthrough from Zero

Gnolls.

A low-tier humanoid monster living on the Aifala Continent.

Unlike the green-skinned goblins, whose evolutionary history was convoluted and whose racial traits had undergone earth-shattering changes, these ferocious beasts—who looked like hideous, upright wild dogs—had a clear and verifiable origin.

The famous historian Zoltan, the Abyss Gazer, had once detailed and comprehensively proven the origins of the gnolls in his book, Hyena Dynasty: The Unrecorded Ancient Civilization of the Gnolls.

According to the book's records, gnolls were not natural creatures that had evolved within the Material Plane. Their filthy bloodlines, filled with evil and murderous intent, originated from the 422nd layer of the Bottomless Abyss—from the demon lord Yeenoghu, the [Slaughter Beast].

This powerful existence, standing fourteen feet tall and taking pleasure in sowing despair and fear, desired to transform the Material Plane into his livestock farm. During the ancient era, he had unleashed a wind of blood and rain of gore across the Aifala Continent.

Although he was ultimately banished back to the Bottomless Abyss, he left behind the evil seeds of slaughter during his rampage across the continent.

He transformed a pack of hyenas that had been conquered by his power and willingly followed in his footsteps into the modern gnolls. After he left the Material Plane, they gradually multiplied and expanded, becoming a common low-tier monster on the continent.

Logically speaking, as abyssal scions who inherited a demon lord's bloodline, gnolls should have possessed greater combat strength and higher intelligence.

But perhaps as the price for their numbers expanding so rapidly in a short period of time, the strength of these upright hyenas was far less formidable than one would expect from the "Children of Demons."

The average Challenge Rating of an ordinary adult was roughly only "1/2".

In contrast, a ubiquitous green-skinned goblin had a Challenge Rating of "1/4".

They were strong, but their strength was limited.

Of course, in the real world, a rural peasant woman might be able to easily drive off a lone, ordinary goblin with a pitchfork.

But a gnoll, with twice the Challenge Rating, was not something ordinary people could easily deal with.

It required experienced hunters or fully equipped guards to safely handle one.

A long time ago, goblins had not yet acquired their exaggerated, fungus-like reproductive capabilities, and they could still let their own will suppress their bodily instincts.

Back then, gnolls were the most detested and hated existence for all intelligent life on the Aifala Continent.

The profoundly evil demonic bloodline from the Bottomless Abyss filled these canine beasts with an innate malice toward all living things, including their own kind.

It was not solely to fill their bellies or plunder wealth; the vast majority of the time, gnolls attacked other creatures simply out of evil instinct.

Regardless of gender or age, they wantonly slaughtered any intelligent creature weaker than themselves within their line of sight, burning granaries, toppling buildings, and polluting the land...

They carried on the will of their divine father, as if they were born to transform the Material Plane into a cradle for gnolls to breed and multiply.

Their "Chaotic Evil" nature practically pushed them to the extreme corner of the nine-square alignment grid.

Sinister, cunning, and capricious, even the shrewdest human merchants rarely traded with them.

After all, who could guarantee that after receiving the goods, they wouldn't change their minds and treat you as today's dinner just because you hadn't bathed yesterday and smelled a bit ripe?

According to rumors circulating among adventurers in the taverns, the personalities of these hyenas were so twisted that if they went without enemies or targets for a long time and became "too comfortable," they might start tearing into each other within their own packs without needing any catalyst at all.

The Misty Forest was vast and boundless, its air thick with highly concentrated magic particles, serving as a habitat for countless wild beasts and monsters.

Gnolls were naturally present as well, though their numbers were far fewer than those of goblins, insufficient to form large-scale tribes.

Adventurers making a living within its borders would invariably run into a few over the years.

However, they mostly posed little threat. Even if there were casualties, it was just considered a normal loss on an adventure.

That was until recently, when a gnoll tribe from the wastelands, led by their elite members, attacked several towns near Rivervale Town, even landing themselves on the Association's bounty board.

Only then did gnolls become a topic of conversation in the taverns again.

Of course, this was quickly overshadowed by the upcoming Hunting Day.

Right now, during their mission, the Green Blood Squad had consecutively stumbled upon the corpses of adventurers. Based on the residual tracks left on the bodies, they deduced that the attackers were gnolls.

Even if they felt the chances were slim, they had to consider the possibility that the ones they might encounter were this exact same band of gnolls.

Close friends had died tragically right before their eyes, suffering inhuman torture before drawing their last breath, leaving behind ghastly, unbearable corpses.

Yet Adeline's face showed no sadness whatsoever; she did not even display any obvious emotion.

Only her speaking pace and movements had grown a bit faster.

After realizing the kind of enemy their team might have to face, they hadn't even taken the time to collect George's body, leaving it lying silently where it fell.

She simply called out to the rest of the squad, urging them to hurry and leave.

It was just unfortunate timing. Before they discovered the bodies, the sky had already begun to darken, and they had been planning to set up camp nearby.

With this delay, the little time they had left felt even more rushed.

The level of danger in the Misty Forest at night was nearly several times that of the day.

Traveling through the night was undoubtedly courting death.

Therefore, the Green Blood Squad only had time to find a relatively open clearing to pitch camp for the night, making sure to get as far away from the discovery site of the corpses as possible.

"Phew..."

Sparks ignited the tinder, sending a wisp of white smoke rising from his palm.

Abi cupped the ember in both hands, blowing on it gently with absolute concentration. As the smoke in his palms grew thicker, he carefully leaned toward the pile of firewood they had prepared on the ground.

With meticulous care, he placed the glowing ember inside.

Whoosh—

The tiny flame quickly surged and flickered, swirling violently before transforming into a large ball of orange-red fire that eagerly devoured the surrounding firewood.

The gloom in the air was instantly dispelled. Bright flames, wrapped in a comforting warmth, rapidly spread across the campsite.

Abi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Even the fear in his heart from witnessing the gruesome corpses lessened by a fraction.

Beside him around the campfire, Xia Nan had already laid out their sleeping bags and blankets, finishing his own tasks.

Meanwhile, Adeline and Berg were nervously setting up warning traps near the camp.

The gnoll tracks they had discovered earlier had put the entire squad on high alert.

They set up nearly twice the usual number of traps.

Because of this, it took extra time.

It took until the sky had turned completely dark, leaving everything beyond the reach of the campfire shrouded in pitch black.

Only then did the two of them hurry back, one after the other, returning from the left and right sides of the camp.

They sat around the bonfire.

Silence.

The atmosphere was far colder than when they had first arrived.

As for the reason...

Berg's daytime complaints toward Adeline were one factor. But more importantly, it was the ferocious gnolls who had just slaughtered an entire adventurer squad and could launch a surprise attack on them at any moment.

At this point, the squad was still nearly three days' journey away from leaving the forest, which meant they had to endure at least two dangerous nights in the Misty Forest.

The danger lurking in the depths of the profound darkness—intangible yet feeling as though it could strike the very next second—forced Adeline and the others to maintain constant focus and vigilance.

The pressure was immense.

This was exactly why many adventurers, even if they hadn't fought a single extra battle during their mission, would return to Rivervale Town feeling physically and mentally exhausted, requiring days of rest to barely recover.

The mental toll was simply too great!

Xia Nan even felt like he was the most energetic person in the entire squad.

'Maybe it's because I was a lone wolf for so long that I've grown a bit numb to it. Now that I have teammates helping to keep watch, it actually feels less taxing by comparison?' he thought.

The atmosphere remained heavy.

Abi seemed to want to liven things up a bit, but as a newcomer, he was likely worried about overstepping his bounds. He only cracked a few lighthearted jokes, and upon seeing no reaction from the group, he shut his mouth again.

Xia Nan wasn't the outgoing type to begin with. Having long grown accustomed to being alone, he was more than happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

The flames flickered gently as time quietly slipped away in the stagnant air.

For the next several tens of minutes, the group huddled by the fire and hastily filled their stomachs.

The night watch had already been arranged.

Xia Nan and Berg would take the first half of the night, while Adeline and Abi would handle the most dangerous hours of the early morning.

After a full day, even without any battles, they had been through quite a lot. Everyone in the squad was exhausted.

After dinner, the two assigned to the latter half of the night went to rest early.

For a time, only Xia Nan and Berg were left with their eyes open by the campfire.

Just like always, Xia Nan found a sturdy tree trunk, sat cross-legged with his back against it, and laid the Decapitating Longsword across his knees, carefully maintaining it by wiping it down with a cloth.

On the other side, Berg had lost his usual relaxed, veteran adventurer demeanor.

His expressions and movements betrayed obvious unease.

He clutched his longbow tightly to his chest, his legs bouncing with anxiety, and his gaze frequently darting toward the pitch-black bushes surrounding the camp.

He looked like a man possessed; even though he had already checked them numerous times, he still worried whether a trap hadn't been set properly. What if the gnolls slipped in through that exact loophole?

He stood up, wanting to go over and check one more time, but the blurry silhouettes of the bushes in the gloom made him hesitate and step back.

Xia Nan glanced at him and shook his head imperceptibly.

Only then did he withdraw his gaze.

The long night dragged on. They were keeping watch, but it was impossible to just stare blankly at the bonfire for the better part of the night.

He had to find something to do.

...

...

"Thud, thud, thud."

Muffled footsteps echoed from overhead. Faint light seeped through the cracks of the cellar door, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.

She huddled in the corner, trembling, not daring to move an inch.

Her heart pounded violently, so loud she could even hear the roar of her blood rushing, yet she did everything she could to hold her breath.

The footsteps abruptly stopped.

A massive shadow blocked out the only light source from above, plunging the entire cellar into pitch darkness.

She held her breath as deep, overwhelming fear coiled in the depths of her heart like a shadow.

"Ah!!!"

A man's furious roar suddenly rang out.

There was not a shred of relief at being saved in her heart; only a deeper, more suffocating despair permeated within.

'Don't! No!' she screamed in her heart countless times, yet she couldn't control her body at all.

Then, there was that shrill whistling sound again, like the wailing of a baby.

Thud—

The muffled sound of flesh colliding.

The man's furious roar ceased abruptly.

She didn't know how much time had passed before she finally mustered the courage to push open the cellar door and peek her head out.

What greeted her eyes...

...was only the mangled, bloody corpse lying on the ground.

And outside the door, she saw a burly silhouette—resembling an upright bear with maroon fur on its back—gradually walking away under the escort of countless green-skinned goblins.

"Crackle!"

Sparks flew.

Adeline snapped her eyes open.

She gasped for air, the clothes on her back already soaked with sweat.

To the side, Xia Nan was looking at her with a strange expression, his mind involuntarily recalling how her breathing had suddenly quickened just moments ago, mumbling indistinguishable words.

'Did she have a nightmare?' he wondered in surprise, though he didn't dwell on it.

Judging by the time, it was almost the latter half of the night anyway. It was good that she was awake; it saved him the trouble of having to wake her.

His attention returned to the space in front of him.

On the grass right before him lay an inconspicuous leaf with yellowing edges.

It seemed no different from the fallen leaves seen everywhere in the woodland.

But upon closer inspection, one could see dark soil sprinkled across both ends of the leaf.

It added extra weight.

This ensured that even when a light breeze blew through the forest, the leaf wouldn't flutter along with it.

Xia Nan leaned forward, his eyes locked onto the leaf on the ground, his concentration absolute.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Faintly, he seemed to sense invisible ripples lingering and spreading around the leaf like flowing water.

He imagined an invisible hand reaching into it, gently and slowly.

Giving it a slight pluck.

"Rustle..."

An extremely faint sound of soil scraping against the leaf's surface drifted through the air.

Even though there was absolutely no physical contact, nor any obvious air current...

...that leaf seemed to be lifted by some invisible force.

Just like when it had fallen from the branch.

But in reverse.

Rising up, bit by bit.

And then suddenly dropping!

Xia Nan instantly deflated, his leaning body falling back against the tree trunk.

In his heart, however, there was a faint surge of joy.

'Finally, some progress!'

After his relentless training over the past many days, the [Gravity Compression] from the Wild Mage Notebook was finally showing results.

Although he could still only barely float a leaf, it was at least no longer like before, where he would practice for a whole day without seeing any effect.

And this proved that his training method was effective!

From a leaf, to a pebble, and then to a branch...

If he kept practicing like this, sooner or later, this "spell-like ability"—which could be used without needing the Magic Weave—would reach a level where it could be utilized in actual combat.

It might even integrate with him, manifesting on his Attribute Panel as a "combat technique" or a "Feat".

Having finally achieved a "zero" breakthrough with [Gravity Compression], he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

On the other hand, there was also an unexpected harvest.

During the process of maintaining long-term focus and channeling his mental strength...

...Xia Nan felt that his mental strength, or rather, his Perception of his surroundings, had also invisibly improved.

Although it hadn't yet reached the point of altering his panel attributes, compared to before...

'Hm?' His train of thought suddenly paused.

Under the confused gazes of Adeline and Berg, he stood up abruptly, his eyes snapping toward the dense forest north of the camp.

And just two seconds after his abrupt movement...

"Clang-bang!!"

It was the ear-piercing noise of a trap being triggered.

(End of Chapter)