Encounter Battle

Xia Ye Qiuyu, having exhausted her Spell Slot early in the battle, chose to return with the main group for a long rest, leaving only the trio to explore the depths of the Karkha Mountains.

This mountainous region, located north of the Storm Highlands, is sparsely populated and has countless legends and stories. The Giant Evil Snowman that sucks the brains of humans, the howling Polar Night Demon Tower, and the ghostly figures in the snow are all legends widely circulated in the the North countries.

"Call--"

The cold wind howled past, covering the rocks with a layer of white frost and bringing cold to the valley.

"Holy crap, this... this place is so damn cold."

The steamed Steamed Bun was shivering from the cold, and puffs of white smoke were coming out of its nostrils.

"Serves you right for not preparing in advance, you deserve to freeze."

Singo took out a bottle of blue potion and casually tossed it to Steamed Bun. It was a cold resistance elixir made from magical herbs that grow underground, making it a rather precious potion.

I pulled the cork out of the Steamed Bun, gulped it down, and felt as if a stove had been lit in my stomach, instantly warming me up.

"Comfortable."

"Well done, Xin Gou."

Steamed Bun gave a thumbs up with a contented look on his face.

"Nice one!"

Because of his Barbarian physique, Tian Battle Maniac didn't care much, but he still drank the spiritual medicine he had prepared in advance. Warm heat emanated from his body, and two puffs of white smoke came out of his nostrils, making him feel extremely comfortable.

"Whoosh—"

Then came the shrieking sound again.

"Attention, this doesn't seem like a mere rumor. Prepare for battle!"

Singo sensed something was wrong and keenly pointed it out.

The sound was not just the sound of the wind blowing through the valley, but also a mournful howl, like the howl of a jackal.

A strange, colorful shadow flashed across the cliffs on both sides of the valley, accompanied by rustling sounds.

The Born Battle Maniac quickly turned his head away, but the place where the sound was coming from was empty, with only dark rocks.

"It seems there are enemies coming; they're being secretive."

Singo drew back his bow and shot an arrow at the rock. The arrow pierced the rock and exploded violently, creating a burst of flames.

The creatures hidden behind the rocks were also startled by the firelight and scattered, revealing their true forms.

The upright creatures were about two meters tall, with manes covering their high, arched backs. Their heads resembled those of hyenas, with messy yellow teeth and blood-red triangular eyes.

Those blood-red eyes stared intently at the group in the valley, growling from deep within their throats, as if they wanted to devour them alive.

These monsters love to eat intelligent creatures. They enjoy devouring their prey alive, letting them watch themselves being swallowed, and they crave the terrified screams of intelligent beings before they die. Humans make up a large portion of their diet.

"Gnoll?"

Singo recognized the monster at a glance; he had killed many in the mines, but something still felt off.

Gnoll prefer warm and humid environments and are generally found in warm plains or underground. They rarely appear in such cold high mountains. Moreover, their appearance is different from that of Gnoll —their skin is not only covered with reddish-brown and black fur, but also has many bald spots covered with sparse white scales.

The three players immediately thought of the Dragonblood Hobgoblin of the Burned Kingdom.

"This is interesting. Could it be the bloodline of White Dragon?"

"No wonder it can withstand the cold."

"It would be best to capture a few alive."

Singo immediately became interested, and his gaze towards the Gnoll became more excited—these were rare and special breeds, and supplying them to the "Tower of the Great Wise One" would probably earn him a lot of Gold Coin and contribution points.

Battle is imminent.

"Aww—"

The Dragon Vein Gnoll all looked up to the sky and howled, emitting a mournful cry that sounded particularly eerie.

These monsters pounced down from the cliffs towards the group, baring their teeth and claws, their mouths often dripping with foul-smelling slime.

"Go! Go! Go! War Maniac Bro, Steamed Bun, you guys go up and hold them off."

"Damn, Xin Gou is giving orders to you, why don't you go up and fight these disgusting things yourself?"

Despite complaining, Steamed Bun still grabbed his standard silver sword and stepped forward to fight.

The Born Battle Maniac, who had been itching to fight, roared to the sky and stomped its foot to unleash its berserk mode, charging towards the Gnoll with bloodshot eyes.

"Ahhhh—"

"The battle was exhilarating!"

The Born Battle Maniac giant axe cleaved through the air, decapitating a Gnoll and sending them scattering in terror.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Steamed Bun rushed forward, his Tide-Like Movements swift and powerful, his sword swings incredibly fast, easily slicing open the Gnoll's chest, causing his internal organs to spill out.

Singo went even further, drawing his Hunting Longbow and marking the Gnoll with a purple Hunter Mark's mark.

"Whoosh—"

With a piercing sound, an arrow pierced the monster's heart with a single shot. The sharp arrowhead, dripping with blood, emerged from the other end of the body. The power of the Hunter Mark continued to tear open the wound, causing additional damage and ensuring the Gnoll beyond dead.

"Don't kill too quickly!"

"Leave me a few to capture alive!"

After killing the Gnoll with another arrow, Singleo reminded the others.

In the face of these professional players who have reached level four and whose actual strength far exceeds their stats, ordinary Gnoll with a trace of White Dragon blood, are no match for them and can only become tools for players to farm experience and loot.

However, quantity can compensate for quality.

Steamed Bun and Born Battle Maniac were fighting on the front lines when they discovered that the Gnoll around them had not decreased but had increased, and howls were constantly coming from afar.

"Holy crap, how many of these scumbags are there?!"

"They can't kill them all, they simply can't kill them all."

Singo's expression turned serious as he looked around. He saw hundreds of ugly, hyena-like heads protruding from the cliffs on both sides of the valley, their densely packed, blood-red eyes making his scalp tingle.

"Oh no, we seem to have stumbled into their lair."

"Ah?"

More and more Gnoll surged up, forming a mottled wave, and the stench almost overwhelmed the group.

Even the largest Gnoll took a deep breath and exhaled a cold breath— Freezing Breath similar to that of White Dragon!

The Steamed Bun was startled and rolled several times on the ground to barely avoid it. The spot where it had been standing was now covered with a thick layer of frost.

Because they had been too overconfident, Steamed Bun and Battle Maniac launched their attacks from both sides. The two were quite far apart, and Singo was watching from a distance at the edge of the valley, unable to support each other at all.

Looking at the Steamed Bun in the road in the valley, Mantou had a sudden inspiration and shouted, "Let's split up and escape!"

"OK!"

So Steamed Bun and Battle Maniac ran to the left and right, respectively, while Singo ran to the back, and the three of them ran in different directions.

"Aww—"

These incredibly greedy but not very intelligent Gnoll were also stunned for a moment, unsure of which one to chase first. They stood there howling for a long time before slowly splitting into three groups under the urging of their leader and chasing in different directions.