Chapter 565 - 564: The Resting Owlbear

Chapter 565: Chapter 564: The Resting Owlbear

Colin, for his part, was glad for the escape from Old Yaxi’s somber topic.

He glanced back helplessly at Orelia, who was walking beside him with the small owl cradled in her arms.

The little creature was perched in the crook of the Tiefling’s arm, its large eyes narrowed in what looked like pure bliss.

Colin said hesitantly, "Orelia? I need it to fly up and scout the area."

"Oh? Alright." Orelia quickly nodded, then gently stroked the owl’s head.

The small owl immediately flapped its wings and took flight, soaring up above the canopy.

It was worth noting that the little owl made very little sound when it flew. Even when it flapped its wings right in front of him, Colin could barely hear a thing. He suspected it had something to do with the gray, downy feathers on its wings.

Once the small owl was high above, Colin closed his eyes, and his vision shifted to the top of the canopy.

In such an open area, the owl’s sensory advantages were particularly pronounced.

Through its eyes, Colin could see far more distant places than he could with his own naked eye, as if he were looking through a pair of binoculars.

Moreover, in this state, Colin was exceptionally sensitive to movement within his field of vision. Simply put, his motion detection was superb.

The downside was that its eyeballs couldn’t move; it had to turn its entire head to look elsewhere.

Also, an owl’s vision was typically hindered by bright light, but Colin felt no such impairment. ’Perhaps this owl is a special breed,’ he thought.

Before long, Colin spotted a cluster of treetops shaking slightly in the distance.

He directed the small owl to adjust its hovering position.

Peering through the dense leaves, Colin saw the scene at the base of the trees.

It was a bear-like creature, and it was vigorously rubbing its back against a birch tree.

However, its upper body was covered in thick feathers while its lower half had fur identical to a bear’s. Its four limbs also sported the same sharp claws as a bear.

The strangest part was the creature’s head, which looked almost identical to an owl’s. Combined with the way it was rubbing against the tree, it looked somewhat endearingly clumsy.

Colin pulled his consciousness back to his own body.

"Did you run into trouble, gentlemen?" Old Yaxi asked.

"There’s an Owlbear blocking the path up ahead," Colin said, looking at Dorn. "Have Kase come back."

"An Owlbear? I’ve heard they’re terrifying creatures," said Old Yaxi. "Why don’t we take a detour? You’re all still young; there’s no need to fight a beast like that."

Just then, Kase leaped down from a tree trunk up ahead.

He said excitedly, "Heard from Shorty that you spotted an Owlbear?"

"Yes."

Colin nodded. "Those beasts have foul tempers, and their Intelligence is so low they can’t tell if an enemy is stronger than them. If they’re hungry and come across anything alive, they’ll attack without hesitation. That’s why even beasts stronger than an Owlbear don’t want to mess with them."

"I know all about ’em," Kase said, his excitement growing. "We’ll have to find a way to preserve its fur. It makes for great pillow stuffing. You and pointy-ears better not use any fire."

Hearing this, Old Yaxi, who was sitting nearby, silently furrowed his brow.

He didn’t say anything more, however, merely watching them quietly from the oxcart.

"Dorn and I will go, then. It’ll be a good chance to test my Magic," Colin said, taking the Spellbook from his belt and flipping it to the page for *Fly*.

"What about me? Can’t I go?"

"We can both use Mind Damage. That gives us the best chance of keeping the fur intact," Colin said, his eyes fixed on his Spellbook.

Hearing that, Kase deflated and wandered over to groom Big Hoof Treasure’s coat.

Once he had finished reviewing, he began to recite the Spell, resting his free hand on Dorn’s shoulder.

As he recited the Spell, a flowing gray Spiritual Light flickered over both of them. Then, transparent feathers appeared at their sides. Unlike with *Feather Fall*, these feathers didn’t drift down, but floated in place next to them.

Using the Rising Tier Spellcasting technique, the *Fly* spell took effect on both Dorn and Colin simultaneously.

"So, how am I supposed to fl—whoa!"

Dorn’s body lifted into the air as he spoke.

"Just think about where you want to go. It’s simple," Colin said, controlling his own ascent into the air. "Be careful, this Magic only lasts for ten minutes at most. If you can’t land in time, get back to me. I can still save you with *Feather Fall*."

"Alright, I’m not some greenhorn," Dorn said. "Let’s go. Head for the Owlbear."

Colin recalled the small owl from the sky and, guided by the images he’d seen, flew toward the Owlbear’s location.

The two flew through the air, one after the other, and soon arrived above the patch of rustling canopy.

Below them, the Owlbear had apparently tired of its scratching and was now lying on the ground, asleep.

The beast didn’t look hungry, but Colin had no interest in risking an attack by letting it be.

*Hold on.*

Dorn, hovering beside him, pressed his palms together.

He stared intently at the gap between his hands, the salt-and-pepper beard on his chin trembling as beads of sweat formed on his bald head.

Then, Dorn slowly parted his hands.

A bright red Spiritual Dagger slowly materialized between his palms.

Aside from its color, the design of this Spiritual Dagger was completely different from the ones he had created before. The blade now had a sharp, serrated section, and the Dagger itself had no handguard.

*What is that?* Colin asked mentally.

*It’s a trick I learned from that Mantis-man. This way, as long as I know a weapon’s Forging method, I can apply a corresponding Enchantment to the Spiritual Weapons I create. In terms of magical effect, this Dagger is now about the same as the one you gave me.*

’So that means the Spiritual Dagger is equivalent to a non-Ordinary Level Magic Dagger,’ Colin thought. ’That’s a pretty handy ability.’

*Wait for me to get into position next to the Owlbear. I’ll make my move after you finish Casting your Magic.*

With that, Dorn turned Invisible.

Colin hovered in midair, quietly waiting for the signal.

He had already reviewed the Magic Model for *Mind Spear* this morning, so he was ready to perform the Casting at any moment.

*I’m ready.*

Upon receiving the signal, Colin drew his blade and entered his Sword Dance. He used the blade’s hum to begin Casting the Magic.

As the Magic completed, a flash of bright silver flared between his brows. In the bright sunlight, however, the flash was barely noticeable, and the sleeping Owlbear below remained completely unaware.