Chapter 134: Group Taunt

The body with its skull smashed fell to the ground face down like a sandbag, driven by the inertia of the forward rush.

The whistling sound of the baby's wail, squeezed through the whistle mouth, gradually dissipated.

The cold bone club, stained with red and white pulp on the surface, did not lose its remaining force after cracking the skull, and followed the momentum to insert into the meadow.

The strong force transmitted by the club body made the bone club still unable to stop trembling slightly.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Blood ripples rose, and the dull, heavy footsteps gradually became clear.

The burly, sturdy shadow shrouded Scar's corpse.

The thick palm with dense fur grabbed the bone club firmly, and with just a slight exertion, the club body, which had been deeply inserted into the ground, was easily pulled out along with the splashing of blood-brown mud spots.

This was an adult Bugbear whose body size was clearly several circles larger than its peers.

Sturdy bones supported its solid muscles wrapped in thick fat; the body was sturdy and not bloated, and the tough, hairy skin could even resist some iron weapon damage;

the turbid, brownish-red eyes revealed ferocity, the nostrils flared with breathing, spraying hot air, a pair of sharp fangs protruded from the lower lip, viscous saliva dripped slowly, and a simple necklace hung around its neck.

And the most eye-catching thing was the few clusters of bright red mane like spears on its spine.

"Bugbear?"

Xia Nan stood at the village entrance in the distance, feeling surprised in his heart.

In his impression, ordinary Goblin tribes might, because of extreme hunger or being attracted by caravans passing by, leave the Mist Forest to forage outside.

But if there was a leader like a Bugbear, the combat power of the entire tribe would soar under its leadership, so they no longer needed to endure hunger and could put many monsters and beasts they couldn't touch before on the dining table.

And Bugbears, who were naturally lazy, would not actively attack human villages unless there were special circumstances or they had already accumulated a large number of Goblin underlings.

"The body size seems to be a bit larger than the few I've seen before."

Since crossing over, Xia Nan had cleared out dozens of Goblin lairs, and the Bugbears he had seen were close to double digits.

In this situation, although he was still separated by a distance, just through his appearance, he could still clearly feel the difference between this Bugbear and its peers.

It was not just the sturdier and more solid physical body, special bone weapons, but also that condensed momentum that was hard to describe in words.

It was just like the difference between Abi and Berg, low-level adventurers and professionals who had already completed their employment...

"Must leave!"

Xia Nan reacted immediately in his heart.

There were no professionals in the Green Blood Squad, and even for himself, he was still one combat technique away from obtaining a professional level.

Not to mention that there was a newcomer in the team who hadn't even killed a few Goblins.

Even if it was just an ordinary, common adult Bugbear, it was definitely not something they could easily handle, and it was very likely that they would need to pay the price of serious injury or even death of squad members.

For the existence of this Bugbear with clearly unusual strength and suspected to be an elite individual,

engaging in battle rashly was, without a doubt, a stupid act of being irresponsible for one's own life safety.

He couldn't help but take two steps back and turned to look at Adeline beside him.

He was not very worried in his heart.

As a veteran adventurer who was far more experienced than himself and had always been responsible for the team.

Since even he could see that the situation was not right, there was no reason for Adeline not to notice.

According to past practice, the squad would evacuate immediately.

His gaze couldn't help but pause.

Adeline's body seemed to have been frozen in place by some kind of invisible ice.

Motionless.

Her eyes stared straight at the red-maned Bugbear in the distance.

Her face revealed a complex expression that Xia Nan had never seen since joining the squad for so long.

Indignation, resentment, fear, timidity, sorrow... it was as if the sour, stuffy emotions that had been brewing for countless years were ignited and exploded with the appearance of the Bugbear, gushing out from the depths of her heart.

Then, it was ignited by some kind of angry flame that seemed to be captured by the naked eye, turning into a flash of hard, resolute determination with a metallic luster.

"This Bugbear is strange!"

"No, we must evacuate immediately!"

"Abi, let that old man take the villagers and run, don't think about staying, Bugbears are not something they can handle!"

Standing at the end of the squad, Berg couldn't see Adeline's expression.

He, who also had rich adventure experience, reacted instantly the second Scar was smashed and the Bugbear appeared in front of everyone.

The anxious expression of being restless when facing the danger brought by Gnolls in the Mist Forest appeared on his face again.

Regardless of his teammates, he spoke with an accelerated speed and an urgent tone, instructing Abi on the side.

His body had already retreated rapidly in the direction away from the enemy.

"Ah? Oh oh... okay."

Abi was the slowest to react, but seeing the other party's exaggerated performance of facing a great enemy, he didn't ask much, and ran toward the village in a panic.

But just after taking two steps, as if sensing something wrong, his gaze couldn't help but look at squad leader Adeline standing motionless in front, hesitating:

"Boss, I..."

"You guys go first."

Cold and resolute words came from the air.

"Don't worry about me."

Adeline didn't even turn her head, just staring at the red-maned Bugbear in the distance.

Her hands didn't know when they had already gripped her two heavy iron hammers tightly.

Her chest heaved, breathing.

Creak—

It was the sound of metal armor plates rubbing and colliding.

Adeline's body was trembling.

Xia Nan had already made plans to retreat.

Although his soul came from the modern era and he had received higher education, his worldview could be considered normal.

But he considered himself absolutely not any so-called "Saint."

For the commoners in the village, on the premise of being within his ability and conforming to his own moral concepts, he might be able to provide appropriate help.

But facing such a dangerous situation where even he himself couldn't guarantee safety.

Letting him, who was just an adventurer passing by, risk his life for a group of strangers he had never met before.

He wasn't that kind-hearted.

What's more, now that the Bugbear was still a certain distance from the village, even if they were just ordinary commoners, as long as they weren't delayed by the pots and pans in their homes, they would have a chance to survive.

At most, some livestock would be looted.

Compared to life, what did this little loss count for?

On the contrary, Adeline's decision made Xia Nan feel incomparably surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"What are you staying for?"

Clearly possessing the opportunity to retreat, and also possessing the ability to escape.

Yet she acted contrary to the norm and resolutely chose to stay.

Associating with the extremely complex emotions on the other party's face, and the occasional words revealed in casual chats during these days after joining the team.

Xia Nan vaguely had a guess in his heart.

The tone was too firm, and he knew that persuading wouldn't work.

Right now, all he could do was...

Drip—

A bit of damp coolness suddenly came to the tip of his nose.

"It's raining?"

His footsteps didn't stop, and Xia Nan subconsciously looked up at the sky.

The sky, which had been sunny and bright a moment ago, was covered with gray-black dark clouds at some point.

Cold raindrops fell drizzlingly.

The rough, slender mane gradually became damp, revealing a scarlet color like fresh blood.

The Bugbear "Hong Zong" stood beside Scar's corpse, its turbid eyes staring at the village where chaos was vaguely coming from.

This team of adventurers who had turned into life energy to fill the vacancy of blood sacrifice had disrupted its arrangement.

In the plan, it was to get closer, so that those fragile and cowardly humans would have a chance to discover it.

But perhaps it was protected by the supreme main god in the dark, for some reason, the vast majority of the villagers in the village were concentrated near the entrance at this moment.

There was even another team of adventurers who looked quite delicious—their bodies, which were stronger than ordinary commoners, could provide more life energy to satisfy the blood sacrifice requirements.

"One, two... hmm, three and a half."

"Plus those villagers, it should be enough."

A fierce light flashed in Hong Zong's eyes, and its heart was filled with excitement about to welcome the divine gift.

Its sturdy arm suddenly reached toward the metal iron chain around its neck.

"Ding bang!"

It tore it off directly.

Its palm gripped the necklace pendant tightly—a small stone that was gray-white and green, with the same patterns as the altar in the lair engraved on the surface.

It crushed it.

Hum—

Scarlet blood light burst out from between its palms, and under the Bugbear's raw guidance, it gathered in its throat.

"Creak."

The linen pants with holes were pulled tight, and the suddenly expanding, knotted muscles seemed to want to burst them open.

Inhale—

The waist and abdomen tightened, and one could vaguely see the muscle contours shaking violently under the thick fat, and the chest cavity expanded like a bellows.

Green-black blood vessels crawled all over its sturdy neck like branches, and air currents surged over the blood light in its throat, making strange sounds.

The yellowish-brown sharp teeth slowly separated, revealing the red tongue with barbs inside amidst the sticky saliva.

Accumulate power...

Roar wildly!

"Ang!!!"

Sound waves like bombs exploded instantly, carrying the blood light that had originally accumulated in its throat, and layers of sound waves rushed toward the village direction at an exaggerated speed that ordinary people couldn't react to in time.

The weeds on the ground were instantly flattened by the violent air currents, and pebbles and grass clippings flew and rolled.

Xia Nan, who was planning to seize the time to leave this place, had a flash of red light in his peripheral vision.

The next second, the blood-colored sound wave had already crossed the spatial barrier and passed through his body.

At this moment, Xia Nan felt as if he had suddenly returned to a few months ago, facing the petrifying gaze of the Basilisk, that strange situation where he lost his perception of the outside world in an instant, and his spirit and attention were gathered in his body.

It was just that, compared to needing to control his physical body at that time, using skin, muscles, and tendons to resist the petrifying power from the outside world.

Right now, while the sound wave invaded his flesh and blood, it also seeped into his mind.

Trying to disorder his spirit and interfere with his will.

The bright gold drops from the Snake Cave Secret Realm made his constitution reach a "8" point, which was far beyond ordinary people and even outstanding among low-level adventurers.

He didn't even need any fine control, his physical body blocked the erosion of the sound wave, isolating those blood-colored energies outside his skin pores.

But at the same time, he resisted the blood light that invaded his mind with great difficulty.

The "5" point perception attribute was not enough to help him resist the interference from the outside world.

Fortunately, the practice of 【Gravity Solidification】 during this recent period of time allowed his perception ability to improve slightly.

And he did not completely fall.

Instant recovery.

The originally quiet world was filled with shouting, scolding, and crying.

Not far in front of him, the archer Berg, who had fled first, had stopped at some point and turned around, facing Xia Nan directly.

On his anxious and restless face, besides the flush caused by the intense emotions in his heart and the violent movements of his legs, there was an extra touch of desperate paleness.

"Why... how could it be..."

"No, impossible."

His lips moved, he muttered.

It seemed that he was using his will to fight against the physical body that had already been eroded by the blood light sound wave, yet no matter what, he couldn't move his legs.

Even if it was just the shortest inch, he couldn't move away.

His hands were trembling, as if he were a marionette, reaching behind him and taking down his wooden longbow.

Nocking an arrow on the string.

In just a few breaths.

He had actually transformed from his original panicked escape into a posture of preparing for battle.

"Hmm?"

Xia Nan felt surprised in his heart.

His brain turned rapidly, and he only had time to connect the other party's eerie actions with the sound wave carried by the Bugbear's roar.

In his ears came more footsteps.

Those villagers who should have fled the village under their warning were now surging over from the village entrance road under Abi's lead.

Holding temporary weapons like pitchforks and iron pots in their hands.

It was as if they were going to fight the Bugbear to the death to protect the village.

Along with Abi at the very front of the crowd, an unnatural fighting spirit appeared on his face.

"Are they all possessed?"

Xia Nan only felt that it was very wrong.

"Wasn't it an evacuation, why did they all come back?"

On the entire field, except for Adeline who had chosen to stay and fight, it seemed that only he was not affected.

Wait!

He was suddenly stunned.

It was only until this moment that Xia Nan finally noticed.

His perspective seemed to have not moved for a long time.

His gaze couldn't help but look down.

What came into view were his legs that stood firmly on the ground, no matter how he drove them, they refused to take even a step forward.

He thought he had been hit by some kind of control spell similar to "Hold Person."

But when Xia Nan tried to turn around and face the direction of the Bugbear.

All restrictions seemed to dissipate into nothingness like an illusion.

Trying to pull out the decapitation longsword from behind, aiming at the air in front, and slashing down violently—he could move.

Lifting his left hand, holding the dark snake-scale arm shield in front of his chest, simulating a defensive posture—unaffected.

Moving left and right, taking steps forward—his body was free, without any restrictions.

Only retreating, he couldn't.

In his mind, he couldn't help but recall the blood-colored sound wave that tried to erode his will and flesh, and the sudden change in attitude and eerie actions of Berg and the others afterward.

Xia Nan seemed to have suddenly thought of something, his gaze condensed, and he looked at the burly Bugbear with red mane still standing in place in the distance.

In his ears was the roar of Adeline, who had not moved her body from beginning to end at the very front of the team, filled with anger and fighting spirit:

"It's a group taunt!"

"Prepare for battle!!!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 135 =====

(End of chapter)