Nidalee

Chapter 9: Nidalee

After leaving the village, Yuan Chen walked through the dense forest without much caution.

According to Lupe, a special ritual had been set up around the village using the Yuan Chu Axiom, meant to warn off intruders and keep them at bay.

Under normal circumstances, beasts wouldn't venture anywhere near the village. Of course, monsters with enough confidence in their own strength, such as Elemental Drakes, could simply ignore this warning magic.

At least in this little village, Granny Lupe was the only one who might be able to hurt one.

In the game, Elemental Drakes were easy to farm as long as you weren't playing support, but in the lore, their power was still top-tier. And as a nation that coexisted with the elements, Ixialia's forests were home to countless Elemental Drakes.

Though they were drakes, they were far more savage than the ones on the Valoran Continent that could be tamed.

There were no signs of large beasts along the way at first, but as they gradually ventured deeper into the jungle, Yuan Chen could clearly feel the desolation of civilization and the wildness of nature.

The enchantment on his refined Ixialian armor, which had once made the vegetation part before him to open a path, was gradually starting to fail.

Before, wherever he went, a path would automatically open up for him. Now, at most, the enchantment only lessened the resistance of the shrubs and weeds. To make any real progress, he still had to hack through them with the short blade in his hand.

Just then, he suddenly felt resistance underfoot. Only Yuan Chen's control over his body, far beyond that of an ordinary person, allowed him to react quickly. Otherwise, he would have fallen flat on his face.

"Look out!" Milio called from beside him.

A restless flame ignited in Milio's hand, its light illuminating the dim forest.

Looking down, Yuan Chen saw countless vines, seemingly alive—or rather, intelligent—wrapped tightly around his ankles like the tentacles of an octopus. It was clear that the vines had woven a huge net across the ground, like a hunter waiting for prey to wander in.

"These are Spider Vines. If you fall, they'll wrap you up tight in an instant. They're incredibly strong—even strong enough to crush the bones of cattle and sheep!"

Yuan Chen swallowed, then nodded seriously. He raised the Yixialian War Saber in his hand and slashed twice.

The vines were cut to pieces. Seeming to realize that Yuan Chen wasn't easy prey, they immediately retreated into the nearby bushes and made no further attempt to attack.

It had been only a small incident, but it had still left Yuan Chen in a cold sweat. To be sure, his body had been honed to an incredible degree, but even the most rigorous training had its limits for an ordinary person.

In Ionia's traditions, the gap between a warrior and a dancer wasn't all that wide; both sought harmony with all things. But their methods of cultivation were worlds apart—

At least physically, Yuan Chen was a light-armored warrior. He might have been several times stronger than an ordinary person, but in game terms, he was about on par with the top-lane quartet: Riven, Fiora, Dao Mei, and Camille.

When all was said and done, Runeterra was, at most, a low-magic world. The truly powerful were Aspects from the Immortal Heaven, the Dragon King, Bard, or Freljord's demigods. In a world like that, even Darius had once been beaten by a pig.

If he really wanted to, Yuan Chen could try activating his class, "Demon Agent"...

Compared with ordinary classes like dancer, warrior, and mage, Demon Agent sounded like a class of at least legendary, if not demigod, rank. But the problem was that no matter how powerful he became, he would still only be an agent. The benefits he gained now might be great, but when Lord of Laughter came to collect his debt, it wouldn't be so easy to fob him off.

At least, Yuan Chen had no intention of selling his future for a moment's pleasure...

Fortunately, he had a local with him... Yuan Chen glanced at Milio, who was holding a flame in his hand, and thought, Otherwise, in the face of Ixialia's forest, which has endured for ten thousand years, even a master would have to pay a steep price for knowing so little about it.

At least, as far as Yuan Chen knew, nine out of ten members of Noxus's expeditionary forces in Ixialia had died in the coastal forests on the outskirts...

With that in mind, Yuan Chen grew more alert and deliberately activated his connection to the Water Element.

He had deepened his connection to the Water Element simply to sharpen his awareness and stay vigilant. But not long after he called upon the Water Element, Yuan Chen narrowed his eyes.

As the Water Element responded, he clearly sensed a faint trace of blood lingering at the tip of his nose...

Yuan Chen raised his arm to signal to Milio not to make a sound. Milio quickly caught on and extinguished the flame in his hand. He crouched down and took out a small, finely crafted Axiom Wheelblade, readying himself for battle. This surprised Yuan Chen.

First, he hadn't expected Milio to understand what he meant so quickly and prepare for battle. Second, he hadn't expected Milio to use a staff for combat...

Thinking about it, that made sense. No matter how innocent someone was, Ixialia's forest would teach every living thing how to survive and fight... Besides, Milio hadn't truly become the "Ming Zhu" yet. The Axiom Wheelblade, in both its design and how it was used, was the most suitable weapon for an Ixialian elemental mage.

But just then, a sharp whoosh cut through the air. Sensing that the water mist around them had been pierced, Yuan Chen didn't hesitate. He clapped his hands together, and the waterskin in his pack instantly burst, turning into a surging wave that smashed the projectile to pieces.

Two more waves took shape in the air. They swept up two sets of twelve Axiom Wheels, and the surging water carried the razor-sharp blades straight toward the direction where the mist had been pierced!

Boom!!

The two Water Cannons exploded, sweeping away the nearby bushes in an instant. The remaining tree trunks were scored with the sharp marks of spinning blades.

He'd missed.

Seeing no trace of any creature, Yuan Chen knew his opponent had dodged in advance. He turned the water into little snakes that gathered the scattered blades and brought them back to his side, then warily scanned the surroundings.

The weapon that had attacked them was a crude Wooden Spear, its tip fitted with a carefully sharpened Beast Fang. The craftsmanship was rough, but thrown with such strength, it hit like a ballista bolt. Whoever had thrown it clearly possessed strength beyond that of an ordinary human.

Once he'd confirmed it was a spear, Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow...

Spears were uncommon in Ixialia, because they were completely unsuited to fighting in a dense forest. In close-to-mid-range combat, the thick underbrush and trees made them impossible to swing. At long range, dense vegetation blocked the line of sight, making it easy for an enemy to dodge behind a tree.

And close combat went without saying... Any weapon with "long" in its name, such as a long whip, was generally unsuited to fighting at close quarters.

And yet, in Ixialia's jungle, someone was still hunting with a spear...

Remaining on guard, Yuan Chen cautiously called out, "Nidalee, is that you?"

Nidalee, title: Wild Huntress, nickname: Nidalee. One of the old champions who had been in League of Legends since the game's early days. Before the overpowered Qiyana came along, this champion was responsible for seven-tenths of the reason Ixialia was called the smurfing region—

Her burst damage was absurdly high, her skill range was long, she moved quickly, her dash had a short cooldown, and she had built-in healing and both ranged and melee forms. Her Q Skill was known as the squishy-target remover. A Nidalee who was farming well could land one spear with her Q Skill and leave even a heavy tank stunned; a squishy target would either go home with barely any health or die on the spot.

She was highly mobile, cleared the jungle quickly, and dealt explosive damage. That was why she had always been one of the most popular champions among boosters, as well as a classic jungle carry with plenty of fans among both pro players and ordinary gamers.

In the boosting world, she and Ekko were known as Wolong Fengchu, evenly matched rivals.

It wasn't until the overpowered Qiyana arrived that the boosters' favorite Wolong Fengchu became a three-way contest.

But that was all in the game...

"..."

After a brief silence, a feline growl rang out, followed by a cold female voice from the forest.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

"So it really is you?"

Hearing her answer, Yuan Chen relaxed a little and spread his hands. "Don't worry, we mean no harm."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen deliberately controlled the flowing water to sweep the Axiom Wheelblades back into the waterskin in his pack—

At least, to all appearances, Yuan Chen had put down his weapons of his own accord. No one knew that two sets of War Dance Blades, already coated in poison and stowed in his pack, were poised to strike.

Only an idiot would actually put down his weapons.

His opponent had clearly realized as much. She spoke even more bluntly. "I can smell Poison Grass. Don't think you can fool me! Who are you, and how do you know my name?"

Nidalee's voice came from the forest again, but each time she spoke, it came from a different direction. Clearly, she hadn't stopped moving. She was constantly weaving through the jungle—

Without making a single unnecessary sound.

Seeing that Nidalee had no intention of attacking again, Yuan Chen quietly communicated with Milio through the Water Element. At the same time, he said:

"I'm a hunter from a nearby village! Some unknown beast has been attacking our village and hurting our cattle and sheep. Was it you? If so, please leave!"

"You're not a hunter from around here! I know what that hunter looks like!"

Nidalee's cold words exposed Yuan Chen's lie. "You're an idiot who can't even lie properly. Ixialians don't have skin as fair and smooth as yours!"

Hearing Nidalee's words, Yuan Chen couldn't tell whether he should be angry or pleased. Compared with Ixialia's tropical rainforest climate, Ionia really was gentler on the skin. At least, as far as Yuan Chen knew, Ionian men and women alike all had smooth skin.

That wasn't to say no one had rough skin, but most of them were martial monks like Lee Sin, or martial artists of some sort... They honed their spirits by hardening their bodies, so it would have been strange if their skin had been delicate.

"Get out of my territory!"

Nidalee's voice came from the forest, laced with barely restrained anger. "No one is welcome here!!"

"Can't we talk this out?"

Yuan Chen frowned. "Whether I can stay here depends on this. Otherwise, I'll have to—Milio, light it up!!"

He had only gotten halfway through his sentence when he suddenly changed tack and barked the order. Milio had already prepared, using the characters formed by the Water Element on Yuan Chen's skin to receive his message.

A hint of excitement showed on the boy's reddish-brown face. Facing a powerful enemy out in the wild was a first for him, and the sort of adventure he'd always dreamed of!

The next moment, a blazing inferno surged from the boy's palm.

It was clear that Milio had only a rough grasp of the old Elemental Axioms. Without the usual Axiom Constraints, the flame in his palm was more like an Explosive Flame bursting outward. It detonated in the air almost instantly.

Scattered firelight shot through the air, illuminating a large swath of the primeval jungle's canopy, which had blotted out the sky!

Amid the burst of light, Yuan Chen quickly spotted the figure of a woman hiding nearby, her eyes squeezed shut by the sudden glare.

With a thought, he cast Scout Skill. Without the slightest hesitation, he spread his arms and raised his hands. Twelve blades sprang from his pack, turning into streaks of silver light as they shot through the air!

His opponent had already made it clear she refused to talk. Further negotiation would be a waste of time. Since she had never set foot in human territory, the best way to deal with someone like Nidalee, a wild creature, was to show her his fangs—

Wild animals only understood one message: danger!

Anyway—

This was a fight!

As the former master of the jungle, Nidalee was no weakling. The moment she closed her eyes, her body stretched and changed. Her bones grew long and strong, pale yellow fur sprouted across her skin, and her fingernails became sharp claws!

Transforming into a lean, agile, powerful cougar, Nidalee rolled toward the bushes at her side without the slightest hesitation.

Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Several War Dance Blades sank into the damp soil. The rest chased after Nidalee's escape route under Yuan Chen's control, as if they had minds of their own.

But even after the bushes had been torn to shreds by the blades, there was no sign of a cougar!

At the same time, after Scout Skill landed, Nidalee's personal data appeared in Yuan Chen's mind.

Name: Nidalee.

Race: Vastaya

Status: Lightly wounded

Class: Shapeshifter LV6/Assassin LV4

Equipment: Bone Spear (Common)

Skill: Shape Shift: Switches to the second form, "Cougar," gaining powerful agility, strength, and explosive power, while also acquiring a cougar's natural abilities.

Trait: Wilderness Blessing (Epic): While in a forest or wilderness, she passively receives the Wilderness Blessing. Her agility increases, bushes and undergrowth actively conceal her form and sounds, and provide her with protection.