Chapter 1462 - 940: The Plan (Part 2)

Chapter 1462: Chapter 940: The Plan (Part 2)

His breathing slowed until it was almost imperceptible, as if he himself were a patch of moss, a strip of bark on this ancient tree’s trunk.

He no longer made any observation that might be sensed as "locking on," letting that invisible, lethal pressure rapidly dissipate.

Sure enough, after a few suffocating minutes of waiting, the predator’s massive body gradually calmed its agitation.

It lowered its ferocious head to drink again, but the rhythm was clearly much more hurried than before; it gulped down a few mouthfuls and then swiftly turned, its steps still heavy, disappearing soundlessly into the dense, impenetrable Shadow of the forest’s depths.

Legolas’s taut nerves finally allowed him to softly exhale the breath that had been suppressed for so long:

"Its vigilance is absurdly high... It seems the final killing operation must be absolutely flawless. Any tiny mistake could render all prior efforts useless—or mean instant Death."

...

"Clashing head-on would be a downright stupid act of suicide."

In another carefully chosen temporary hiding spot, Legolas muttered to himself over the detailed terrain map he had drawn by hand.

In his ice-blue eyes burned a flame that was both cool and intensely bright.

"The supreme art of hunting lies in skillfully guiding the prey, constantly eroding its momentum, and finally creating a perfect opportunity for a single decisive kill. To defeat the strong with the weak, to win with intellect—that is the true brilliance of the Hunting Arrow Rule."

He began a deadly arrangement, precise as clockwork.

He moved into action.

At critical intersections along several of the predator’s habitual patrol routes, and in dangerous zones near the edge of its territory that were most likely to trigger a violent expulsion response, he quietly set a number of insidious traps.

Trigger-type spiked pit.

He did not expect it to pin down or inflict Severe Injury on this colossal monster; rather, the sudden explosion of shrill, piercing noise when it stepped on it, coupled with the abrupt collapse underfoot, would instantly Ignite its Frenzy and instinctive alertness.

The location was deliberately chosen in a relatively open area, convenient for it to immediately observe the origin of the "attacker."

Modified large animal trap.

Meticulously concealed beneath fresh, moist soil and a thick layer of fallen leaves until it was seamless, it was placed on the path it would inevitably take to pursue an "Intruder" once enraged.

The Power contained in the jaws was immense, enough to make it feel stabbing, bone-deep pain and momentarily impede its movement, though absolutely incapable of snapping those tree-trunk-thick legs.

The purpose was likewise to pour fuel on the fire of its anger, while creating a precious, brief pause.

Then came hanging logs and falling rocks.

By cleverly using tough vines and leverage, he set them at the narrow chokepoints along the route.

Once triggered, the heavy logs or sharply angled rocks would crash down with a thunderous roar, terrifying in scale, their main function to create massive shock, disrupt its forward trajectory, and further fan its towering rage.

He deliberately made these traps look rough and crude, like the traces of a hurried deployment.

Through this series of "harassment" attacks, he made the predator feel its territory was being repeatedly invaded in a low-intensity yet extremely irritating way.

He continuously accumulated the surging fury in its heart, and began to guide its Frenzy-ignited focus toward the predetermined direction where the "prey" lay.

Using the precious interval when the outer traps successfully enraged the predator and diverted its attention.

He then captured a sturdy wild boar of medium size.

He worked with extreme care, almost to a harsh, perfectionist degree, ensuring he left virtually no excess scent that could be tracked.

He took a concentrated paralytic toxin extracted from a certain venomous thorn-vine.

And subtly, precisely injected it near several key major blood vessels within the boar’s body.

This toxin would not kill instantly; instead, it would gradually spread with the turbulent flow of blood, causing the prey’s muscular coordination to decline markedly.

The boar’s reactions would grow sluggish and be accompanied by mild dizziness, with onset occurring roughly half an hour to an hour after it was consumed.

The dosage had been calculated with utmost precision—insufficient to completely paralyze a Level Six Monster.

That would be nothing but wishful thinking.

But it would be enough, at the critical moment of a life-or-Death duel, to effectively weaken its despair-inducing speed and deadly precision, making it easier for fatal flaws to be exposed.

He carefully placed this meticulously prepared boar "offering" at a key spot where Legolas hoped the predator would find it.

Near the edge of its core territory.

Yet just so happened to be close to the starting point of the "route" Legolas had planned.

The boar’s body was also deliberately left with some ragged marks, as if inflicted while fleeing in panic, clearly and unmistakably pointing toward that predetermined Road of Death.

Next came the lethal Weapon: Legolas reverently took out the Armor-Piercing Cone Head Arrows he regarded as his very Life.

He sat by a faint yet steady Campfire, and by its flickering amber glow, used his Sharp Hunting Knife and the fine whetstone he carried to begin a soul-poured, painstaking refinement.

Holding his breath and focusing his mind, he carefully polished the cold Metal arrowhead, narrowing and lengthening the originally sharp conical tip, shaping it into a more slender "needle point" form with heightened Piercing, destructive Power, gleaming with a ghostly chill.

At the same time, near the base of the arrowhead where it joined the shaft, he used the knife’s tip to carve several extremely fine yet deep spiral grooves.

These grooves were not meant for spin, but to create slight cavitation effects as the Arrow pierced tough tissue, multiplying internal trauma and guiding scalding blood to surge deeper into the wound.

The arrowhead as a whole had been repeatedly tempered, becoming exceptionally hard.

He chose the straightest arrow shafts, with the tightest and most compact wood grain, and bound the key stress points with extraordinarily tough, thin vines, reinforcing them to ensure the Arrow would not easily snap under the immense Impact from the target’s Scale Armor and bones.