Chapter 277 - 250: Advanced Enhancement Card
Qin Ziwen glanced at his surroundings and immediately recognized this working-class leopard.
Although the Beaked Eagle and the Monkey-eating Albatross had fought fiercely, they hadn’t flown far.
The Beaked Eagle was so fast that it had caught up to the Monkey-eating Albatross before it could get very far.
So they were still in the area surrounding the Gated Community from before.
"Well now, if it isn’t the little leopard," Qin Ziwen said, clicking his tongue twice to call it over.
To his surprise, the leopard in front of him hesitated for a moment before actually walking over.
"You’re not afraid of me?" Qin Ziwen was a little surprised.
The leopard stopped about two meters from the man and his bird. It glanced up at the Beaked Eagle, looking a little frightened.
It recognized this Monkey-eating Albatross. The bird had been a tyrant in the surrounding mountains, a rampant and arrogant bully that did as it pleased.
Most of the local animals were on its menu.
And now, the corpse of that very same Monkey-eating Albatross lay right in front of it.
So the leopard decided to play it safe. It lay down, narrowed its eyes, and let out a quiet call, "Nnngh."
"Alright, I won’t hurt you. Come here and let me pet you. If you’re good, this is all yours." Qin Ziwen pointed to the Monkey-eating Albatross corpse beneath him. The creature looked large, but it was mostly feathers and bones; there wasn’t much meat on it.
The leopard didn’t seem to understand, but when Qin Ziwen beckoned, it glanced warily at the Beaked Eagle and then, surprisingly, came over.
Qin Ziwen placed his hand on its head.
With his current physical condition, even if the leopard suddenly turned vicious, he could easily pin it to the ground.
This was the confidence that came with growing stronger. It wasn’t the kind of confidence that came from a rise in status, but one that stemmed from a deep-seated belief in his own power.
Before, he would never have been so bold when facing a wild leopard.
He rubbed his palm over the leopard’s head. The fur felt like a coarse, stiff towel.
The fur on this leopard’s head probably hadn’t been groomed in a while.
As he scratched his fingers over its head, the leopard instinctively narrowed its eyes to thin crescents. Its whiskers quivered, and its whole face seemed to relax.
Then, a purr began to rumble unconsciously in its throat.
"Hahahaha, good leopard."
After patting its head gently and satisfying his urge to pet a leopard, Qin Ziwen stood up. "Alright, we’re off."
With that, he leaped onto the Beaked Eagle’s back and flew off.
The leopard, which had been enjoying the petting so much it had sunk to the ground, opened its eyes in a daze. It raised its head and stared at the departing figures in the sky. ’Why did he suddenly leave?’
𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
The way Qin Ziwen had been petting it was an unprecedented experience.
It was nothing like scratching an itch with its own claws; the sensation was difficult to put into words.
"ROAR~"
Letting out a dissatisfied cry, the leopard ambled over to the Monkey-eating Albatross, ready to enjoy the feast the human had left for it.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes.
The leopard turned its head to see a large pack of brownish-gray wolves emerging from the tall grass.
The wolves closed in, not attacking, but simply surrounding it from all sides.
The leopard let out a yelp and scrambled up a tree in frustration.
It stared down at the food on the ground, the very picture of misery.
"AWOO~" it couldn’t help but cry out again, looking up at the sky.
But alas, the human and the Beaked Eagle were already long gone.
...
They arrived back at the cave, returning to a familiar place.
As the Beaked Eagle approached, the bats inside the cave began to screech uneasily.
Qin Ziwen frowned. There were a lot of bats.
’If they all fly out in a swarm, this could be a real problem.’
Fortunately, they weren’t very bold. As long as the Beaked Eagle kept its distance, they just made a racket without taking any other action.
Qin Ziwen stood on his tiptoes and peered into the depths of the cave.
Deep within the pitch-black cave, there was a conspicuous speck of green.
Qin Ziwen was very familiar with green Cards—it was the color of an Enhancement Card.
’Looks like the altar respawns Cards even when no one is around.’
After giving instructions to his Beaked Eagle, Qin Ziwen headed into the cave.
A short while later, he reached the altar deep inside, where a dark green Card was floating in the air above it.
Compared to the solid green of a regular Enhancement Card, the back of this dark green Card had a more complex pattern.
He let out a soft sound of surprise. ’This doesn’t look like a regular Enhancement Card.’
He picked up the Card.
[Advanced Enhancement Card]: A single-use Card. Upon use, increases an Extraordinary Unit’s standard physical attributes by 1-star and also raises one Ability Level by 1.
Compared to a regular Enhancement Card, this advanced one had fewer restrictions; it wasn’t limited to only humans or animals.
In other words, this Advanced Enhancement Card was universal for both humans and animals.
He put the Card away.
Qin Ziwen headed back the way he came.
From the ceiling of the cave, the bats let out ear-piercing shrieks.
Suddenly, one of the bats spread its wings and flew right at him!
The move was like knocking over the first domino. In an instant, the bats in the cave erupted into a frenzy!
"SKREEE! SKREEE! SKREEE!"
Countless bats spread their wings, a dense cloud flying in every direction.
Qin Ziwen’s heart clenched. He instinctively ripped off his jacket to cover his head and sprinted for the cave entrance with all his might.
As he ran, he felt something collide with his back.
He paid it no mind. Right now, he had only one goal: the cave exit.
A loud cry from the Beaked Eagle came from the mouth of the cave.
It spread its wings and charged directly into the cave, sending bats flying.
Seeing the Beaked Eagle, Qin Ziwen leaped into the air and grabbed onto its talons. The eagle spun around inside the cave and then flew back outside.
The world around them went from dark to light.
Fresh air washed over him as they flew out of the cave.
Qin Ziwen took a few deep breaths.
He shook his head.
The bats hadn’t followed them out; they were still flying wildly about inside the cave.
Qin Ziwen glanced back, a shadow passing over his eyes.
After landing, Qin Ziwen checked himself over. He discovered he’d gotten lucky and wasn’t badly hurt, save for a small scratch on the back of his hand where a bat had gotten him.
Though the bats had swarmed, only a few had actually attacked him. Most of them had just been flying chaotically inside the cave.
"Are you hurt?"
Qin Ziwen checked over the Beaked Eagle and found its thick feathers had protected it from any injury to its skin.
Riding the Beaked Eagle back the way they came, Qin Ziwen spotted the location of the Monkey-eating Albatross’s corpse.
However, a large pack of brownish-gray wolves now surrounded the corpse, and the leopard was nowhere to be seen.
"They actually stole it." Qin Ziwen was stunned for a moment, then found it amusing.
’It really is a working-class leopard, only gets to eat leftovers.’
"Let’s go. Down we go," Qin Ziwen said, patting the Beaked Eagle’s head.
’These wolves are bold, daring to steal something I gave away.’
The Beaked Eagle understood immediately and began to descend.
The wolf pack surrounding the Monkey-eating Albatross’s corpse sensed something. The pack leader raised its head and howled.
The next second, the Beaked Eagle swooped down, plucked the leader from where it hid within the pack, and carried it a hundred meters into the sky.
High in the sky, the brown wolf, having never experienced such heights, clamped its legs shut as urine trickled from between them.
A few drops of foul-smelling yellow urine spattered onto the leaves below. The leopard dodged back, then raised its head, its dark eyes staring unblinkingly through the gaps in the foliage at the human in the sky.
...
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