Chapter 212 The Beast Lurking in the Shadows

Snapping jaws and frenzied roars.

Slaughter and the stench of blood filled every passing second in the Misty Forest.

Today was no exception.

"Squelch."

Blood spurted as a jackal's head, sheared cleanly from its neck, tumbled to the ground.

The strike was so swift it left no time to react; the furry face still wore its final, ferocious snarl, teeth bared in a vicious grimace.

Only its slightly dilated eyes and the crimson blood spraying from its severed spine testified to its grisly decapitation.

Drip—

A single bead of blood fell softly from the tip of a tender green leaf like morning dew.

Rather than seeping into the soil like the gore that had already dyed the woodland floor red, it landed on a black, furry paw.

Only then did this sudden external disturbance cause the deep shadow—prowling the edge of the battlefield and melting into the night—to reveal a sliver of disharmony.

It was a massive black panther, nearly three meters long, crouching deep within the bushes.

Its flawless, pitch-black coat was smooth as silk, cloaking it in shifting shadows that made it nearly imperceptible. Its golden eyes flickered like fireflies in the dark, concealing its murderous intent and craving for flesh beneath every inch of fur.

Silent steps.

Its gait was agonizingly slow, yet each step was enough to make a heart palpitate with dread.

Its prominent shoulder blades shifted subtly with each pace, hinting at the taut, writhing muscles along its spine. Its paws touched down lightly on the rotting leaves, the thick pads greedily swallowing any potential sound. Only the occasional flash of bone-white, hooked claws through the gaps in the shadows betrayed its hidden malice.

Raised in the perilous Misty Forest, thousands of hunts had gifted this natural predator with an astonishing patience that ordinary beasts lacked.

Even as the rich, savory scent of blood flooded its nostrils with every breath, it remained just as it had been from the start, burying its low-slung body into the fog and darkness as it crept slowly closer.

Unlike before, it lay in ambush deep within the shadows like an assassin, hunting alone.

An invisible allure stemming from the very origin of its bloodline made it ignore the noisy beasts around it, focusing entirely on the humans in the woodland ahead.

It had already picked its target.

Living year-round in an environment dense with magical particles, the black panther possessed an intelligence far higher than its kin in other regions.

It could even grasp the concept of the "Adventurer Squad" formed by these four humans.

It might not understand their specific roles or know their purpose for entering the forest.

But its rich hunting experience and decent intellect allowed it to instinctively lock onto its prey: the petite, frail figure protected in the center of the group.

Crawling forward, it carefully extended its forelimbs. The sleek lines beneath its pitch-black fur were perfectly accentuated by its muscles, tendons pulling taut like steel cables gathering power.

Closer, and closer still, until the figure draped in plain robes finally entered its attack range. Only then, from between conical fangs like bone-porcelain daggers, did it unleash its first beastly roar since arriving at the edge of the battlefield.

Its long-accumulated strength suddenly erupted. The massive body hugging the ground transformed into a lethal shadow, lunging at its prey with a speed far exceeding the reaction time of any ordinary human.

Pale skin, frail as paper, offered zero defense against claws capable of tearing through thick, tough tree bark. The slender neck wouldn't even require effort to snap; a natural closing of its jaws would break it like a dry twig fallen in the forest.

In midair, drawing on countless past hunts, the panther could already imagine the exquisite sensation of swallowing chunks of meat mixed with warm, sweet blood.

But a split second later, a high-pitched wolf howl inexplicably ringing in its ears snapped it back to reality.

A beast's instinct for survival allowed it to keenly sense the terrifying danger hidden within that howl. Its feline agility enabled it to rely on its powerful core strength to twist midair, attempting to dodge the incoming strike.

However, the wolf howl was clearly faster.

"Slash."

An iron-gray wolf fang carved a perfect arc through the air, instantly cleaving through the panther's proud, pitch-black coat.

Fur, muscle, and bone. Carried by immense momentum and guided by a delicate mastery honed thousands of times over, the razor-sharp blade sank deeply into flesh.

The sluggish sound of slicing meat was fleeting.

The entirely black, headless body maintained its forward-lunging posture as it crashed powerlessly to the ground.

Meanwhile, the panther's head—its beastly eyes contracted, sharp fangs bared, and still locked in a hunting expression—spun off, completely severed from its body.

Drenched in crimson blood, it tumbled across the earth.

Like a billiard ball, it lightly bumped against the earlier jackal's head and came to a rest.

A ferocious Wolf Head, formed of grass clippings, dense fog, and bloody chunks of meat, floated indistinctly in the air.

Xia Nan didn't sheathe his sword. He didn't even have time to warn Mint beside him to watch out for sneak attacks.

Amidst the howling wind, he had already dropped back into his original position within the squad's formation.

"Clang!"

A pair of sharp, venomous fangs hissing with acidic vapor was easily blocked by the Snake-Scale Arm Shield, which boasted "300% Corrosion Damage Resistance." Not a single mark was left on its surface.

Yanking his left arm with the momentum, the sharp edge of the Arm Shield sliced open the colorful poisonous lizard's neck, sending it flying.

At the same time, power surged through his right arm. An iron-gray sword gleam flashed by. With the execution of [Spinning Slash], a wolverine attempting a sneak attack in the chaos was cleanly cut in half.

His chest heaving, Xia Nan panted heavily.

"Where are all these beasts coming from? Is there no end to them?"

At this moment, although he bore no obvious injuries, the surface of his blade, his Plate-Chain Composite Armor, and his leg armor—along with the under-padding beneath—were all caked in blood and shattered bits of flesh.

Dozens of minutes had already passed since they discovered the horned deer that had intruded upon their camp.

And the beast pack they had sensed surrounding the camp had long since launched its siege against the Sea Thorn Squad.

He had no idea what was driving these maddened creatures to ignore their natural fear of other predators and their cautious instincts, rushing at the group like moths flying into the flame.

Nor did he know why, even with corpses nearly carpeting the meadow, these beasts showed no sign of retreating, continuing to assault the squad without fear of death.

But he knew that if this continued, the collapse of the Sea Thorn Squad was inevitable.

To some extent, the team was already on the verge of being completely disrupted and scattered.

Because whether it was Cash or Veris, both had gradually drifted from their original positions under the relentless siege.

This allowed more and more beasts to break through the gaps in their formation, flanking them from the sides and rear, or directly ambushing Mint, the Spellcaster at the core of the team, just as the panther had.

It was only thanks to his quick reflexes and the extreme mobility granted by [Fang Hunt] that they maintained this brief and fragile equilibrium.

In the heat of battle, Xia Nan swept a glance across the field from the corner of his eye, thoughts racing.

As expected, Cash and Veris had hidden their depths quite well. Their true strength was absolutely nothing like what they had shown during the fight with the night wolves.

The endlessly surging tide of beasts was forcing both of them to use their full power, constantly unleashing combat techniques they had never previously revealed to drive back the swarms around them.

Cash gripped his Stone Spear with both hands, the muscles in his arms bulging. With a deafening boom, the spear tip rained down like a torrential downpour, churning the fog and blood to leave a bloody red phantom in the air.

Under the spear's thrusts, the half-human-tall jungle tiger before him instantly turned into a mangled corpse.

Without a doubt, such destructive power was a "combat technique."

As a Rogue, Veris continued to wield her twin daggers slathered in deadly poison, carving fatal wounds into one beast after another.

In just dozens of minutes, many beasts were already lying on the ground nearby, foaming at the mouth and convulsing violently.

Furthermore, one could clearly see an indistinct afterimage trailing behind Veris as she moved. Her figure had suddenly become much more nimble and swift as she wove through the pack.

It was likely some sort of combat technique that boosted Agility.

'These two old veterans usually keep quiet, but they sure hid their skills deep,' Xia Nan thought critically.

Of course, he wasn't using his full strength either.

Given Xia Nan's current combat system—abundant stamina, extreme mobility, and instantaneous explosive power—if there were no other constraints, sheer numbers of far weaker enemies could hardly deal effective damage to him.

Take the current beast siege, for example. The reason he looked somewhat strained was, on one hand, that he wasn't going all out; he hadn't freely employed combat 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 even rush out to provide support.

To a certain extent, this severely restricted Xia Nan's performance, forcing him to sacrifice the advantage of his high mobility.

If he had been the only one on the field right now, while he might not have been able to slaughter every single beast, breaking through the encirclement to safely retreat would have been a breeze.

If the day ever came when Xia Nan needed to formally build or join an Adventurer Squad, his actual role within the team would be far closer to Veris the Rogue.

Roaming on the flanks to provide support for his teammates.

Only with higher defense, stronger explosive mobility, and a dash of minor spellcasting capabilities.

"Hum!"

Flashing with a cold gleam, a dagger edged in green and purple light pierced precisely into the back of a hyena's neck. It struck and withdrew like a bee's stinger, reaping the life cleanly.

Her silver-white hair, inherited from her Drow Elf lineage, was dyed crimson with blood. The surface of her dark skin was slick with a mixture of sweat and minced flesh.

Even though she maintained the swift and agile posture expected of a Rogue, her current blood-soaked appearance made her look more like a berserker who had survived a Blood War.

"Cash!" Veris shrieked. "There's something wrong with these beasts! Should we fall back?"

In the past, these two veteran Adventurers wouldn't have even let the fight drag on to this point; they likely would have evacuated the very second they realized they were surrounded.

They would never allow themselves to fall into such an overly dangerous predicament. But right now, the tracks discovered after the Green Wheat Village ambush had confirmed the identity of the target they were pursuing: it was the very Lycanthrope from Xia Nan's investigation quest.

And their rich Adventurer experience had already led them to connect this bizarre, sudden encounter with massive numbers of beasts to that Lycanthrope.

With their long-sought target right in front of them, they were naturally unwilling to just retreat.

But—

Cash gripped his Stone Spear tightly with both hands, his palms turning slightly pale from the excessive force as he thoroughly pinned down the leopard beneath him to its death.

At the same time, he lunged backward, causing a sharp claw that reached for his neck from the side to miss, leaving only three deep gouges on the surface of his Scale Armor.

The Half-Drow's shout from the other side of the battlefield reached his ears.

He jerked his head up, his gaze sweeping over the members of the squad.

The prolonged, high-intensity battle had gradually slowed Veris down compared to her initial speed.

Although both knew they still had hidden cards left to play, now was clearly not the time.

Mint was positioned in the middle of the formation, and she was in poor shape.

Even with the group trying their hardest to hold the line, a few beasts still slipped through the net.

Since she had to focus her attention on casting spells to support her teammates, some lapses were inevitable.

She had already taken minor injuries, and her face was even paler from the excessive drain on her mental energy.

Xia Nan was further away and at a bad angle, so Cash couldn't get a clear look at him.

But he knew that many of the beasts that slipped past his side had been dealt with by Xia Nan, meaning the boy's stamina drain must have doubled.

Catching sight of Xia Nan from the corner of his eye, absolutely drenched in blood from head to toe, Cash figured he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer either.

He made a prompt decision.

Gritting his teeth, Cash roared, "Shrink the formation! Prepare to retreat!"

They had long since formulated a contingency retreat plan, so upon hearing the order, the squad members didn't panic.

Instead, they unleashed a sudden burst of power to clear away the surrounding beasts, then rapidly regrouped with Mint at the center.

Cash forcefully swung his Stone Spear. Rather than aiming to kill, he simply sought to clear as much space as possible in front of him. At the same time, he pulled several Fire Oil Bombs from his belt pouch and hurled them violently toward the dense forest ahead.

Boom—The oil and dust exploded violently from a single spark. The raging, swirling flames seemed to immediately awaken a deep-seated terror in the beasts' bloodlines, causing them to shriek and recoil.

"Now!"

Under Cash's command, the Sea Thorn Squad seized the opportunity and quickly charged through the gap the flames had carved into the beast pack.

Even at a moment like this, their professional discipline as veteran Adventurers kept them holding their most basic formation.

Cash held the frontline, Veris roamed the flanks, Mint stayed in the center, and Xia Nan brought up the rear.

Cash's impromptu decision to retreat and his subsequent execution were both flawless.

However, he had overlooked a far more critical factor.

The Misty Forest was a famous monster gathering ground in the Servia Kingdom.

With a commotion this massive, how could the battlefield only attract ordinary beasts?

The one to suffer a heavy blow was Xia Nan, who was the first to sense the anomaly and the first to assume a defensive stance.

Moving in a rush, he only had time to raise his left Arm Shield.

A split second later, a majestic, crushing force sent his entire body flying through the air, crashing into the adjacent woods.

Illuminated by the firelight, the gloomy woods, though still swirling with thick fog, had significantly better visibility.

It was precisely because of this that, through his severe pain and dizziness, he caught a glimpse of the burly figure bearing an owl's head and a giant bear's body.