Chapter 20: Hunting – Part Two (Two Chapters Released Simultaneously, Please Read Consecutively)

Immediately, the entire view before his eyes was shrouded in a strange red light, and a strong sense of danger surged in his heart.

"It's behind us," Robin thought in alarm, and almost instinctively turned his head, his gaze flashing like lightning toward the rear.

Relying on the system's warning, he keenly sensed the danger rapidly closing in from that direction.

A black leopard, like a black flash of lightning, burst out from the dark shadows, its speed so astonishing it left everyone gaping.

The leopard's lithe body exuded a fierce, wild aura.

In an instant, it appeared before Robin like a phantom.

The leopard opened its massive maw, its sharp fangs glinting coldly, and lunged at Robin with a savage bite.

The sudden attack left Robin no time for further reaction; at the critical moment, he could only instinctively raise his powerful bow, trying to block the leopard's ferocious bite.

A massive impact struck, and Robin was knocked to the ground by the leopard, kicking up a cloud of dust.

It was only then that the other three snapped out of their daze and realized the danger had arrived.

Lily reacted the fastest; almost simultaneously, she unhesitatingly drew the dagger hidden on her thigh and, with all her strength, drove it hard into the leopard's body.

Eric was not to be outdone; he drew his short sword and, faster than a flash, slashed at the leopard's eyes, trying to drive the fierce beast back.

Tomson, however, still stared blankly, as if the sudden turn of events had stunned him, sitting on the ground with terror written all over his face.

The leopard's strike missed; reacting swiftly, it thrust its hind legs and, like a black phantom, leapt away, creating distance from Robin and the others in the blink of an eye.

Robin seized the brief gap and quickly rose from the ground.

A crisp "crack!" sounded, and the strong bow that had blocked the leopard's bite gave way under the strain and snapped.

"Now that's a big loss," Robin thought, both hurried and annoyed, silently lamenting.

But there was no time for him to dwell, so he swiftly drew the long sword at his waist, its blade flashing with cold light.

While preparing to attack, he finally saw the leopard's appearance clearly.

The leopard's looks were very similar to a jaguar, but its size was far larger—comparable to a tiger on Earth, and of the most robust build.

Just by looking at its sturdy body, its weight must be at least eight hundred jin.

"It's a Shadow Leopard, one of the Black Forest's most ferocious carnivores," Lily exclaimed, her heart racing, trying to make everyone aware of the danger.

Tomson only came to his senses at this point, sprang up as if waking from a dream, and in his panic drew his sword, his hands trembling slightly from tension.

"Everyone be careful, the Shadow Leopard is extremely fast," Eric said with a solemn face, reminding the group again, his eyes fixed on the Shadow Leopard, unwilling to relax.

As soon as his words finished, the Shadow Leopard suddenly kicked off the ground, dust billowing, and surged forward like an arrow released from a bow.

At first glance, it seemed to charge at Robin, but just as the others prepared to respond, it abruptly changed direction midway, targeting Lily.

This sudden turn made the situation instantly more perilous.

Seeing this, Robin showed no hesitation, let out a loud shout, and swung his long sword forcefully, executing a fierce horizontal slash.

A flash of cold light streaked by, the blade whistling, sweeping swiftly at the Shadow Leopard's flank, aiming to drive it back and save Lily.

The Shadow Leopard was single‑mindedly lunging at Lily, its focus fixed on the prey about to be caught, not expecting Robin to react and strike so quickly.

When the Shadow Leopard was only a breath away from Lily, Robin's long sword swept across its side.

The blade cut through, tearing the Shadow Leopard's black fur, and blood instantly seeped out.

In pain, the Shadow Leopard let out an angry roar, and its body, which had been lunging at Lily, stalled.

At that critical moment, Lily sensed the incoming danger, instinctively sidestepped; though her movement was clumsy, she nevertheless avoided the Shadow Leopard's deadly bite.

The Shadow Leopard's strike missed and it was wounded; angry, it turned its head toward Robin, its green eyes flashing with ferocity, clearly seeing Robin as the greatest threat.

"Roar..."

The Shadow Leopard let out two angry roars at Robin, the sound booming like a muffled thunderclap in the air, making ears ache.

Then it slowly retreated into the shadows, its silhouette flickering in the dim light, as if it could merge into the darkness at any moment and vanish.

"Don't let it escape," Eric said gravely, his tone urgent and unquestionable, "this creature holds grudges and has a keen sense of smell; if it gets away, future hunts in the Black Forest will be dangerous."

He knew the Shadow Leopard's habits; once this beast fixes on a target, it will cling like a maggot on a heel bone, never letting go.

Robin, hearing this, nodded without hesitation, raised his sword, and chased after the Shadow Leopard's fleeing direction.

The Shadow Leopard truly lived up to being the fastest beast in the Black Forest; its form was like black lightning, darting through the woods with ease, and despite Robin and the others giving their all, they could not match its pace.

However, the wound inflicted by Robin's long sword proved useful; the blood continuously dripping left clear tracks on the ground and vegetation, becoming the key clue for tracking the Shadow Leopard.

Tomson, carrying the previously hunted Jumping Goat on his back, lagged far behind Robin and Eric together with Lily.

The weight of the Jumping Goat strained Tomson, but he knew that in the dangerous Black Forest they could not easily abandon such a hard‑won prize.

They followed the blood trail for over ten kilometers, finally stopping at a highly concealed spot.

The area was hidden by dense vegetation; without the guiding blood trail they would never have discovered that this seemingly ordinary place concealed a cave.

"This must be it," Eric said, squatting down to examine the final blood stains on the ground and the speckled traces clinging to the vines, then looking up and pointing at the hidden cave.

"In darkness, the Shadow Leopard's attacks become even more terrifying," Eric remarked, brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the deep cave.

He seemed to be stating a fact, but was actually subtly asking Robin whether to venture inside.

Robin's expression grew solemn as he gripped his sword tightly, and said firmly, "We must go in. The Shadow Leopard is indeed more dangerous in darkness, but the cave's relatively narrow space will limit its agility. If we don't deal with it now, it will surely become a major menace to us later."

There was another thing Robin didn't mention: the broken bow must be compensated, and if they return like this, this hunt would truly cost him his underwear.

(End of Chapter)