Chapter 207: Surprise, Exit

The air on the field froze for a moment.

The serious injury and departure of the team's core spellcaster was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

From Xia Nan's perspective, he could see clearly.

Kashi, who had originally held his stone spear high with both hands when the Owl Bear rushed straight toward Bo He, as if wanting to attack the enemy with a combat technique to relieve the pressure on his teammate.

The second after the girl was knocked flying, his face, which had been tense and flushed from the high-pressure battle, first froze suddenly, and then an inexplicable expression appeared on his face.

His hands, which had been gripping the stone spear tightly, loosened quietly, and it had already fallen from the charging state of the impending attack.

Weiruisi performed even more obviously.

Failing to break through the defense twice in a row actually caused this Rogue from the Underdark to break down a bit.

The dark, tall figure almost took the opportunity to move to the side and rear of the Owl Bear.

Just two more steps forward, and she would have been able to stab the short dagger in her hand into the opponent's vital point on the rear thigh, where the defense was slightly weaker.

But after seeing Bo He's figure flying backward while spitting blood, she slammed on the brakes.

Her pointed leather boots left two deep marks in the soft soil.

And she exerted force again, turning the advance into a retreat, pulling a shadow behind her, and suddenly retreated toward the rear.

Although she didn't cause damage to the enemy, she no longer needed to bear the danger after the attack, reducing the possibility of angering the Owl Bear and making the situation worse.

Up to this point, it had been only a few dozen seconds since the Owl Bear suddenly appeared and launched an attack on the Sea Thorn Squad.

And apart from Bo He, whose life or death was unknown, the other three, including Xia Nan, actually hadn't suffered any injuries serious enough to affect the actual battle, and all still possessed sufficient combat power.

Xia Nan was even highly certain that the other two in the team had trump cards they hadn't brought out yet.

If they worked together to deal with the Owl Bear before them.

Not to mention being able to defeat the opponent head-on, it wasn't impossible to circle for a short time, or even force it to retreat temporarily.

And he himself had long been prepared for battle, and a detailed combat plan had been considered twice in his heart.

The Owl Bear's body was massive and its strength exaggerated, but its flexibility was slightly lacking.

With 【Tooth Hunt】, if he was careful while wandering, he should be able to respond.

Limited by his own strength and the sharpness of the decapitation longsword, 【Spinning Slash】 alone might not be able to achieve a fatal blow, but even if it were just a minor injury, accumulating hundreds of them would eventually lead to a qualitative change.

Coupled with the control effect provided by 【Gravity Control】 and the force field damage of 【Gravity Etching】 that ignored physical defense, if he could seize the opportunity, he might really be able to cause high damage to the opponent that would affect the situation.

After all, this is the real world, not a game purely composed of data; "challenge rating" can only be used as a reference for measuring the average strength of a certain monster, and there are many variables in specific situations.

And if one had to say, although his professional level was only "1," if factors such as specialties, combat techniques, and equipment were added, could he be the same if he were placed together with an ordinary warrior who was also only level 1?

Xia Nan himself didn't believe it.

Therefore, while discovering Kashi and Weiruisi quickly stopping their hands, he only thought they wanted to regroup and rearrange the formation to deal with the Owl Bear before them together.

But what he didn't expect was that just as Xia Nan wanted to step forward, he saw Kashi take out two more fire oil bombs from his waist bag and throw them fiercely toward the enemy in front.

Boom—

The fierce firelight suddenly engulfed the massive body, and the dense mane and downy feathers became the best fuel at this moment, with the orange-red flames nearly burning the Owl Bear into a huge ball of fire.

More hair means weakness to fire!

Xia Nan's eyes lit up, thinking in his heart that they were indeed experienced veteran adventurers, able to remain calm at such a moment and use the few remaining throwing items to create an advantage for the team.

"Coo-hum!!"

The Owl Bear's painful and sharp howl made the bushes on both sides tremble slightly, and its massive body with strong explosive power also fell into a stiff state as the flames lingered.

Now is the time!!!

Talent and experience allowed Xia Nan to perceive this short opportunity, and with the decapitation longsword gripped tightly in his hand, he took a step forward, already wanting to approach quickly.

But it was also at this moment that Kashi, who had thrown the fire oil bombs, did not use this precious opportunity that had been hard-won to step forward and attack with Xia Nan as expected.

Instead, he turned around instantly, not even looking at the burning Owl Bear, and threw the stone spear in his hand into the forest behind him.

Shoo—

The combat technique was activated, and the silent figure was attracted like a magnet, disappearing from the field in an instant.

Weiruisi had perfect tacit understanding, and her movements were even faster.

When Kashi took out the fire oil bombs and hadn't thrown them yet, she had already retreated into the bushes to the side.

When Kashi turned around with the stone spear in his hand, even his shadow couldn't be seen.

Huh?

Xia Nan's footsteps paused suddenly, only feeling the boiling fighting spirit in his heart being poured with a basin of cold water, cooling down in an instant.

He also reacted immediately, and his legs, which had been moving forward and accumulating power, stomped hard on the ground.

"Bang!"

Mud stars mixed with leaf fragments flew all over the sky, and before they had time to fall, they accompanied the mist in the air, and under the pulling and tearing of the invisible airflow, transformed into a ferocious wolf head.

Wrapping the figure holding the grey sword, it roared away in the direction away from the battlefield.

Making a small detour of half a circle, Xia Nan went to check the direction where Bo He was knocked flying on the way, wanting to confirm the other party's state.

No corpse was found, only some bloodstains and fragments of robe cloth remained on the meadow, and that simple purple sandalwood staff was also broken into two halves, lying quietly on the ground.

Thoughts flashed through his mind, time was tight, and he didn't have the energy to think too much, so he picked up the broken staff and stuffed it into his backpack.

Xia Nan's body was wrapped in the phantom of the wolf head amidst the increasingly manic and violent cries, disappearing into the forest.

Xia Nan's speed was very fast.

But compared to the high-pitched and long-lasting sound when used in open plain areas in the past, the wolf howl of 【Tooth Hunt】 at this moment was sometimes high and sometimes low, and often had short pauses, just like the sound of a television when the signal fluctuates.

It wasn't that he had suffered any injuries that affected the use of the combat technique.

It was just because of the environment in the dense forest, there were too many trees, and the vast majority were too thick, not something he could crush through with his current physical strength.

Going straight, the use of 【Tooth Hunt】 was therefore affected.

Every time he encountered thick trees that were difficult to break, Xia Nan could only pause his forward posture, twist his footsteps to go around, and then re-cast 【Tooth Hunt】.

But even so, his speed of movement in the forest was much faster than ordinary adventurers.

When facing that Shihua Xiyi in the past, no matter how he ran, he couldn't pull away the distance from the opponent, and in the end, he relied on the help of Haian and Wood to earn a life.

At this moment, the Owl Bear, whether it was physical strength, explosive power, speed, or the degree of hatred for himself and others, after the flames of the fire oil bombs went out, was far above the Shihua Xiyi.

Yet Xia Nan still left the opponent behind at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After all, he was no longer the rookie adventurer who had to spend half his savings to buy a bottle of healing potion and had only mastered one combat technique.

8 points of agility, 7 points of strength, and 8 points of constitution allowed him to maintain the speed of a 100-meter sprint for a long time, running wildly in the forest while maintaining his center of gravity and nimbly avoiding the obstruction of trees. And the bonus to balance ability when on an unstable plane by 【Tidal Shaping】 also made Xia Nan move as if on flat ground even when running away, facing small pits, branches, and soft mud on the forest floor, maintaining a considerable speed.

At the same time, the temporary reduction of body gravity under 【Gravity Control】 made his footsteps even lighter, as if walking on the moon, often just stepping on the ground with one step, and his body would fly forward a long distance.

Even the speed when casting 【Tooth Hunt】 was a few points faster.

In just over ten seconds, the roar of the Owl Bear behind him disappeared completely.

Of course, it was also possible that the opponent's hatred was mainly on Kashi, who threw the fire oil bombs, and there was no reason to pursue him.

Not at ease, he ran deeper for a while before Xia Nan slowly stopped his footsteps.

"Hoo..."

His chest heaved, he panted, and a slight scent of blood remained in his nasal cavity—from the blood and flesh fragments on the surface of his armor.

His gaze swept across the surroundings, the dense grass half a man's height, the thorny bushes tangled like a ball of thread, and the dim sunlight approaching dusk spilled down from the gaps in the canopy above, scattering quietly in the increasingly thick mist, illuminating countless tiny floating dust.

In his ears, there was a "shasha" light sound mixed with unknown insect chirps and branch collisions.

Secluded and quiet.

Just like the appearance of the Mist Forest in the world's impression.

The ferocious and violent beasts before, and the blood that nearly dyed the ground red, seemed like illusions in the forest.

Xia Nan looked up at the sky that was darkening rapidly, his brows slightly furrowed.

Even though he had escaped the danger, there was not the slightest sense of relaxation in his heart.

He was vigilant against the shadows under the tree crowns around him.

Thoughts floated in his mind.

Strange, very strange.

Clearly, the previous month and a half had been very normal, taking missions, entering the forest, hunting targets, completing missions, even if there were more beasts due to the recent turmoil, it was completely within the understandable range.

But it just happened to be this last mission before leaving the team, when it was the Sea Thorn Squad's turn to help him complete the commission.

Everything changed.

First, Bo He was actively attacked by a Beastman in a human village, then the beast horde that besieged them crazily in the forest, and in the end, even monsters of the level of an Owl Bear came out.

Xia Nan had to suspect whether there was some trickery in this.

Was that Beastman watching them in the dark, hiding behind and tripping them up; or was it targeted for looting by other adventurers he didn't know; or... was there a problem within the team?

Could it be Bo He?

Xia Nan couldn't help but recall the scene of the girl being knocked flying by the Owl Bear, her chest sunken to that extent, which was a serious injury that could completely cause one to lose consciousness.

But when he rushed over before leaving, he didn't find Bo He's body.

He only picked up the broken staff on the meadow.

Was she really seriously injured and dragged away by other beasts lurking around who didn't dare to approach, or...

He was extremely puzzled in his heart.

But under his keen perception, he had noticed the abnormality in Bo He since the beginning of joining the squad.

It made him always feel that things wouldn't end so simply.

This girl who claimed to have taken up a niche profession under the "Druid" category might not have exited like this.

As for Kashi and Weiruisi.

Although the decisive retreat of the two when facing the Owl Bear just now made Xia Nan feel surprised.

But thinking back now, it wasn't completely incomprehensible.

After all, the Owl Bear was indeed not an existence that an adventurer squad of their level could solve.

Especially when the spellcaster in the squad suffered a heavy blow and lost the ability to fight.

Two old foxes, naturally, couldn't risk their lives against monsters far beyond their own strength for someone else's mission, for such a newcomer who had just joined the squad.

Avoiding casualties, minimizing risks, retreating... was indeed the most rational choice.

Xia Nan considered this, his face without too many emotional changes.

Kashi and Weiruisi's actions, if standing from the perspective of the two, were certainly no problem, but for Xia Nan...

What he was thinking in his heart, only he himself knew.

Then, there was that Owl Bear.

Monsters of this level, under normal circumstances, should not appear on the outer edge of the Mist Forest.

Of course, it was possible that it was just nearby and attracted by the thick scent of blood on the field.

But if there was a one-in-ten-thousand possibility that the reason it attacked the Sea Thorn Squad was the same as those violent and crazy beasts...

Then things would get troublesome.

After all, if you could even drive an Owl Bear, who could say if there would be a few more Shihua Xiyi, Xieweishi, and the like.

As things stood, the team was scattered, and the investigation mission had no possibility of continuing.

Xia Nan planned to leave the Mist Forest first, return to a nearby village to rest for two days, and at the same time wait to see if any teammates could come out.

As for whether to return to River Valley Town to complete the mission or continue the investigation later, that would have to be decided based on the specific situation at that time.

Thinking in his heart, he checked his physical condition again.

He hadn't suffered any injuries, the Owl Bear's surprise attack at the time didn't have a process of sufficient charging, and it was just a swing of the arm instead of claws, and he had blocked it with his arm shield.

After landing and recovering, there wasn't even a minor injury.

The only damage was the plate-chain composite armor he wore outside—the thick iron plate on his chest was slightly sunken and deformed, and cracks appeared on the surface of the metal ring buckle at the left connection.

It was still within the range of being repairable.

Preserving the possibility for Xia Nan to continue maintenance and care in the future.

His fingers touched the metal plate on his chest, feeling the uneven texture of his fingertips.

For some reason, he suddenly sighed.

Twisting his footsteps, he walked toward the forest on the side.

Wanting to leave the forest, returning the same way was definitely not possible, who knew if he would encounter that Owl Bear that had been angered again.

He thought about making a big circle, bypassing the direction where the squad and the beast horde fought, and walking from the other side.

Just hoping that he wouldn't encounter any more trouble along the way.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 208 =====