Chapter 897: Jungle Fiesta
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
The heavy rain in the jungle had washed away most of the corpses' bloody smell.
An ordinary hunter might have found it hard to search for his target under this kind of condition. But for Lorgar, the faint smells that were mixed with the rainwater were more than sufficient for her to hunt.
For example, she knew that a number of animals had died at the same spot. She could sense that the within the different smells of blood, some still smelled fresh, while others carried a rancid odor. This means that several animals had all died at the same place for some time.
It was unlikely for the smell of small animals such as rabbits, rats, and foxes to spread for so far, and even if it did, the smell shouldn't have been so distinct. In other words, this scent most likely came from the carcasses of large animals no smaller than bulls or horses.
The creature that dragged all these large animal carcasses around must have possesed a certain level of strength. Mass storing food this way was also a frequent habit among the carnivorous predators.
Such places were often the nest of these predators.
Most importantly, Lorgar caught an indescribably foul smell within the stench of blood. This was the smell unique to those of hybrid demonic beasts. Had she not turned into a wolf, she would've been only able to smell some odor in the end. Only when she used her ability to transform could she detect the subtle differences in the damp air.
There was a hint of magic power in that smell.
Not every demonic hybrid could absorb magic power, but this one must be a demonic hybrid since its blood contained traces of magic power, making the beast much stronger than ordinary demonic beasts.
It was also one of the improvements she made through hunting in the jungle for these past few months.
If she could have mastered this technique before the holy duel, the Four-winged Eagle that attacked her from the air wouldn't have even been able to touch her.
Although the climate, the environment, and the preys in the Barbarian Land were far different from those in the desert, the technique for hunting was fairly similar. Basically, when it came to hunting, it was all down to being cautious, meticulous and patient no matter where he or she was.
Lorgar's current target was a large demonic hybrid bear.
When it stood up, its height was as tall as three men standing atop one another, and it looked like a mobile iron tower. Lorgar could not tell which demonic beast it managed to integrate with. The monster's skin was as thick as armor and could not be bitten through even by her sharp fangs. Its head looked even crazier. It had four eyes, two in the back, which made her sure-kill techniques such as a sneak attack from the back and biting the throat lose their usual effect.
Five days ago, Lorgar had encountered the demonic bear. After a harsh fight, she broke two claws while the bear lost half of its forefoot and ran away with its stomach cut open. This bear-like beast was probably the trickiest prey to deal with within the Barbarian Land ever since Lorgar had gotten there. It was just about as strong as the legendary beast of the desert. If this monstrosity were instead the first opponent that she had to face after arriving in the Barbarian Land, then she would have been the one running for her life. But now, things are different. She was able to get plenty of battle experience from all the other demonic beasts she had killed before this.
Nevertheless, it was a hunt. Not a duel. She brought herbs cultivated by Leaf and the Cleansing Water made by Lily for this trip. Also, she did not need to worry about minor injuries as she had excellent healing ability after transforming into a wolf. During these days, apart from healing the wounds, she spent the rest of time searching for the demonic bear.
As the smell became stronger and stronger, Lorgar knew that the chase was about to come to an end, and the victor would soon be decided.
She lightly jumped across a puddle. Her paws sank into the wet mud without any sound. She chose to start her attack from a downwind position since this would make it difficult for the beast to detect her presence through smell. She approached the source of the bloody little by little, pinpointed the position of the enemy using her hearing, and slowly lifted the vines in front of her with her front paw.
The demonic hybrid bear then appeared in front of her.
It was not aware of her arrival as it was busily biting into a stout buck, with blood stains on both of its cheeks. The bear's broken limbs that exposed the bones inside made the scene look even more appalling. For ordinary animals that suffered such severe wounds, they would typically opt to hide and recover first before doing anything else. But the bear seemed not to care about the wounds and instead acted as if nothing else mattered other than filling up its stomach.
The Wolf Girl tensed up her hind legs and went into a prone position. This time she intended to destroy its four eyes first so that it would have no chance to escape.
Just as she was ready to go, footsteps could be heard coming from the depths of the jungle.
Lorgar was stunned for a moment.
Why are there such orderly footsteps in the depths of the Barbarian Land?
The new group's footsteps were very heavy and loud, and they apparently didn't care about making their presence known. The alternating sounds of one-two footsteps meant that they were humans, and there were more than one.
Did some hunters from Neverwinter lose their way?
"No…" She immediately rejected this idea. It would take over ten days to come here from the border of Graycastle. Considering the dense forest and wild grassland, it would take more time if they had to walk on land. Not to mention the fact that there were fierce beasts and snakes everywhere once you pass the grasslands. Moreover, hybrid demonic beats roam the grounds around the Taquila ruins. Even if someone had lost their way, they wouldn't have been able to reach here alive.
Lorgar suddenly thought of an answer.
A seemingly reasonable answer, and one that was much-anticipated by her.
At that moment, she felt the hair on her body stand up straight, and her heart started to beat violently. Though she was extremely nervous, her body instantly entered a battle-ready state.
The demonic bear also noticed this unusual sound. It dropped the half-eaten deer leg, climbed up and roared toward the direction of the footsteps.
The bush shook, and the staggered branches were pushed open. Two ugly and ferocious monsters then emerged out of the shadows.
They had dark brown skin and muscled arms, and also wore skull helmets and held deadly-looking bone spears.
Exactly the same as Lightning had described—
They were the demons!
She had finally found them!
The moment the demons appeared, the demonic hybrid bear launched its attack.
It lifted its still-intact front paw and plunged toward the newcomers who dared disturb its feast at a speed which far exceeded that of which should be possible for something as large as itself.
In addition to the demonic bear's power, the charge was further strengthened by the momentum of its entire body. This move was no less deadly than the Four-winged Eagle's dive from the sky. If it were Lorgar facing the charge, she would definitely try to avoid it. After all, she was not an Extraordinary and would have to pay a huge price to block this strike.
But instead of dodging, one of the demons stepped forward, and one of its arms quickly swelled and clashed directly against the giant palm of the demonic beast. With a muffled sound, the two monsters crashed into each other!
It was a stalemate!
Neither the demonic bear nor the demon could push further. But the demon was much shorter than the bear, so it would be unfavorable for the demon if this had dragged on.
However, there was more than one demon!
Another Mad Demon had taken the bone spear and aimed it at the hybrid demonic beast.
The fight was going to end in a moment, and Lorgar had but moments to spare if she wished to take action.
Leave or stay?
"Although the tube on the back of the demon is its weakness, it is still difficult to deal with." She suddenly recalled Lightning's warning. "If you meet the enemies, you'd better immediately retreat and report it to His Majesty."
Reason also told her that she needed to retreat, but her instincts were telling her otherwise as a burning sensation surged through her body.
No, this was not something that she needed to think about.
It was dangerous, but this was what she came for, wasn't it?
According to the information, the Mad Demon would experience a significant period of weakness after its arms had swelled. Lorgar could take advantage of this even if she were fighting against two demons!
"Shoo—"
With a piercing sound, the bone spear shot through the air.
At the same time, Lorgar pounced out of the shadows and bit towards the demon which was still struggling against the bear.