Chapter 208 Attack and Secret Signal

Xia Nan reacted quickly.

Although this was a rare safe environment on their adventure, and he had been deeply immersed in recovering his mental focus, the good habits he had built since his transmigration—along with a Perception of 10—still kept him alert to his surroundings.

Almost the moment the scream reached his ears, an iron-gray glint flashed through the air as the Decapitating Longsword instinctively left its sheath and fell firmly into his grip.

The bowl of mixed mushroom soup he had been holding spilled across the floor.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye, frowning slightly.

However, Xia Nan did not immediately rush toward the sound. Instead, he focused his attention, checking his immediate surroundings as quickly and safely as possible.

He hadn't spent all those days in the tavern for nothing.

He had heard enough bizarre anecdotes to know that using a teammate's commotion to draw attention and launching an ambush while the Adventurers were distracted was a common tactic for monsters and even intelligent creatures.

Only after confirming no enemies were lurking in the surrounding darkness did he silently use [Gravity Control] to lighten his body and boost his movement speed.

Heading toward the sound, his iron-clad, pitch-black figure melted into the night, leaving only the howl of the wind in the air.

The village was not large. Although the empty houses were scattered, a dozen seconds was enough for Xia Nan to arrive at the scene.

The first thing that caught his eye was a collapsed wooden cabin. It had clearly just happened; sawdust and dust still hung in the moonlit air.

More than half of the house had collapsed, split in two right down the roof ridge. It looked as if it had been twisted and torn apart by some tremendous force, leaving only slanted beams and crooked, hanging planks.

His nostrils flared as a faint scent of blood drifted in with his breath.

"This should be Mint's place, right?"

Xia Nan frowned, feeling a sense of foreboding.

A deep shadow flashed across the ground in his line of sight.

A split second later, a tall figure clad in leather darted directly into the ruins, beating him there by a step.

Veris's house was much closer to this place than his own. Although his reactions were fast, they weren't enough to offset her advantage in distance—especially since she was a Rogue.

Therefore, by the time Xia Nan followed her into the ruined cabin, the Half-Drow Veris was already crouching down to check Mint's injuries.

No extra reminders or explanations were needed. Sweeping his gaze over Mint, Xia Nan immediately stood guard over the two of them, staying alert for an ambush by an enemy that might not have left yet.

At the same time, his mind rapidly analyzed Mint's injuries based on his hurried glance.

It looked terrifying. Scarlet blood had dyed almost half of her robe red, but the actual wound seemed to be just a five-inch scratch trailing from her left shoulder to her collarbone.

Her right ankle appeared to be sprained, leaving her slumped against the wall.

Other than that, there were no visible injuries.

As for Mint herself, judging from her expression and the look in her eyes, she was still lucid. She wasn't critically injured or on the verge of death.

"Thud! Thud!"

A few hurried seconds later, accompanied by a flurry of rapid footsteps, Cash rushed over with a grim expression.

Behind him was the gradually awakening village, roused from its slumber by the commotion.

"How are her injuries?" Cash nodded in greeting to Xia Nan before striding forward to ask Veris.

Before Veris could answer, Mint spoke up. "Captain, I'm fine."

"It's... it's just a minor injury."

Although her voice still sounded a bit shaken, she was coherent and didn't seem too weak.

Glancing at the largely collapsed wooden cabin nearby, Cash furrowed his brow. "What exactly happened? What attacked you?"

"A Lycanthrope! It was a Lycanthrope!" Mint said repeatedly. Her already pale face looked even more bloodless under the moonlight and against the stark contrast of her blood. Her body trembled slightly, as if she were still gripped by fear.

"Just now, I was planning to organize my supplies for when our team enters the forest tomorrow, and then I suddenly heard footsteps outside..."

"You didn't set up warning traps?" Cash interrupted.

"I did, I absolutely did. I remember it clearly!" Mint showed a rare flash of agitation. "My mentor told me before that even on the brightest moonlit nights, we can't let our guard down."

"I just don't know how it managed to bypass my traps."

"Fortunately, it seemed to be wary of something and didn't attack right away. That gave me enough time to make some noise and grab my staff."

"And then?" Cash asked with a serious expression, as if pondering the girl's words. "Did you chase it off?"

"No, I don't think so." Mint shook her head hesitantly. "It had incredible Strength. The walls were as fragile as dead bark against it, offering absolutely no defense."

"My thorns barely managed to delay it for a few seconds, but..."

She glanced down at her swollen ankle.

"I was too hasty when stepping back and accidentally twisted it, falling to the ground."

"I thought I was dead..." Mint paused, a look of deep confusion crossing her face. "But for some reason, even though it could have definitely caught me with just one more step, it simply turned and ran away."

"Maybe... it heard you guys coming?"

"What about its detailed appearance? Did you get a clear look?" Cash nodded slightly in understanding before pressing further. "Was it a werebear?"

Having just suffered a close-quarters attack, Mint should have been able to see the enemy clearly, even in the dark of night.

But when faced with Cash's question, she shook her head uncertainly.

"It was shrouded in a layer of black shadows that not even the moonlight could pierce. Even standing right in front of it, I couldn't see it clearly."

"I only barely managed to guess it was a Lycanthrope based on its roar and general build."

"As for whether it was a werebear..." A thoughtful look appeared in the young woman's eyes as she tried her best to recall. "All I can say is that its body was much slimmer than a normal werebear's. I can't be sure."

"Mint is right," Veris suddenly spoke up from where she was crouching nearby to check the girl's injuries.

"I was closer, so I was the first to arrive." She glanced at Xia Nan on the other side, then looked directly at Cash, her tone carrying a hint of strangeness that an outsider wouldn't have noticed.

"When I got here, although I missed the direct fight, I caught a glimpse of the Lycanthrope's shadow from afar through the dust of the collapsing cabin."

"Just as Mint said, its figure wasn't as bulky as a werebear's, and it was tangled in thorns."

"But I only caught a fleeting glance. By the time I rushed over, it was already gone."

"Which direction?" Xia Nan, who hadn't said a word since the beginning and had been carefully listening to their conversation, suddenly asked.

"Do you remember which direction the Lycanthrope fled?"

As soon as he spoke, Mint raised her uninjured right hand and pointed toward the plains behind the house.

"Right there!"

Xia Nan walked over with slow, heavy steps. As he focused his Perception to sense his surroundings, his eyes scanned the ground.

The good news was that there were footprints.

The bad news was that the footprints left on the ground, much like the Lycanthrope's shadow-shrouded body that Mint had described, had been heavily disguised.

The specific shape of the foot and the number of toes were completely indistinguishable. It was as if the creature had worn some sort of shoe cover, leaving only a trail of blurred, uniformly deep oval tracks in the mud.

And at a distance of about ten meters behind the house, they abruptly vanished, as if it had teleported.

Furthermore, there was no sign of any fleeing figure on the open plains under the distant night sky.

"How is it? Did you find anything?" Veris's inquiring voice came from behind him.

Having spent so much time together, even though he hadn't deliberately shown it off, the rest of the team knew that Xia Nan's Perception far exceeded that of a standard Adventurer.

Seeing him take action now, they naturally felt a degree of anticipation.

He didn't answer directly. After pondering for a moment with his back to the others, a flash of gray light suddenly flickered in Xia Nan's eyes.

[Heart-Guided Vision]!

His mental energy was consumed rapidly, draining away by the second, and he felt slightly dizzy.

The night-shrouded world before his eyes instantly transformed into pure blocks of black and white. Incredibly complex ripples of gravity collided and blended into one another, turning into fine, dense ripples of water.

Suddenly sensing something amiss, he memorized the location in his mind.

The special vision snapped shut in an instant.

Xia Nan stepped forward, walking toward the spot that had revealed an anomaly under [Heart-Guided Vision].

He bent down and reached out his hand.

The next second, a small tuft of pitch-black mane appeared between his fingers.

Turning around to show his teammates his discovery, he focused his attention, scrutinizing their reactions.

Mint's reaction was entirely normal, fitting her image as someone who had just been attacked by a Lycanthrope.

She was startled at first, and then, after getting a clear look at what was in Xia Nan's hand, she excitedly pointed out that it might be hair left behind by the fleeing Lycanthrope.

However, Cash and Veris's expressions were quite fascinating.

They were similarly stunned, but immediately following that was a look of immense, jackpot-winning joy.

Xia Nan noticed that, despite a slight difference in timing due to when they each got a clear look at the mane, their identical expressions of astonishment mixed with ecstasy were exactly the same.

Even the way they forcibly suppressed their emotional fluctuations after that fleeting moment of joy, keeping their facial expressions tight and controlled, was remarkably identical.

Silently noting this in his heart, Xia Nan showed no extra emotion on his face as he handed the tuft of mane to Mint.

"Look closely. Is this it?"

The girl reached out and took it, rubbing it between her fingertips before bringing it close to her nose for a light sniff.

"Yes, this is it! This tuft of mane was definitely left behind by that Lycanthrope!"

She seemed very certain, as if she were quite familiar with the scent of Lycanthropes.

"Ahem." Coughing lightly, Cash took over the conversation, displaying a concerned expression. "How are your injuries? Will you be able to manage tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Mint hurriedly sat up. "I'm fine, Captain."

"Although it looks a bit serious, it's actually just a minor injury. The cut on my shoulder was even caused by splintered wood falling from the ceiling. That Lycanthrope didn't even touch me, so there's no need to worry about me contracting Lycanthropy."

"It's just a small scratch. I'll treat it myself when I get back, and it'll basically be fully healed by tomorrow. I won't slow the team down."

"Mhm." Cash nodded, his gaze sweeping over Xia Nan and Veris nearby before glancing at the distant plains swallowed by darkness.

"The night is a natural home ground for wild beasts."

"Furthermore, the Lycanthrope that attacked Mint seems to possess some sort of concealment ability. Rushing out in pursuit would be too dangerous."

"Once Lycanthropes fully fall to corruption, their temperaments might become berserk and bloodthirsty, but their intelligence remains on par with their original intelligent species," Veris added, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Based on Mint's description, we can't rule out the possibility that it set up a trap in advance, deliberately exposing its tracks to lure us into a chase."

"Therefore, I personally suggest that we take turns keeping watch tonight. While giving Mint enough time to rest properly, we'll also stay alert against another enemy attack. We can figure out our next move after daybreak tomorrow," Cash proposed with a serious face.

Veris harbored the same hidden motives in her heart, so she naturally wouldn't object.

Mint was injured and had difficulty even moving; she needed time to heal. Going out to fight in her current physical state would only make her a burden.

Xia Nan astutely sensed his teammates' intentions. Furthermore, the current environment was indeed unsuitable. Rushing into pursuit when the Lycanthrope had already vanished without a trace would only put him in a more dangerous situation, so he nodded in agreement as well.

Looking around and seeing that no one in the team had any objections, Cash began to give instructions at a faster pace.

"Xia Nan, take Mint to your cabin first. Veris and I will go back and pack up our things. We'll meet up shortly and spend the night at your place."

"Remember to double-check all the warning traps around the perimeter, and set up more..." Saying this, Cash shook his head. "Never mind. You take Mint back first. We'll inspect and set them up together once we group up later."

Understanding his meaning, Xia Nan exerted force in his right hand, pulling Mint up from the ground, and supported her as they walked toward his house.

Behind him, Veris and Cash walked together, seemingly taking the same path to return to their respective lodgings to pack.

They remained silent, not saying a word.

They waited until the figures of Xia Nan and Mint in the distance had completely disappeared into the night.

Only then could Veris no longer suppress the excitement in her heart. She deliberately lowered her voice, which was trembling slightly from ecstasy. "It's it, right! Isn't it!"

Seeing this, the curve at the corners of Cash's mouth grew more pronounced, until he finally broke into a wide grin. "Never mind that tuft of mane, didn't you see the figure yourself when you rushed over?"

"What do you think?"

"I really didn't expect this." As they walked along the path, Veris's dark skin seemed to blend into the darkness.

"A Lycanthrope... a Lycanthrope..."

"I should have realized it sooner. How could a normal beast have such high intelligence, leading us on for so long?"

Suddenly, as if thinking of something, she couldn't help but frown.

"In that case, Mint is easy enough to deal with, but what about this Xia Nan...?"

"This is his quest. Knowing his personality, he definitely won't agree to just return for nothing. But if we really take this to the end, and the kid finds out..."

"Don't panic." Cash, on the other hand, had gradually calmed down.

"That beast has played us for fools for a long time. Even if we're close to it now, it won't be that easy to catch."

"We need Xia Nan's Perception. As for the rest..."

"If he doesn't find out, that's fine. I don't care if we give him all the quest rewards."

"If he does... act on my secret signal."