Nedeli

Chapter 9: Nedeli

Leaving the village and walking in the dense forest, Yuan Chen wasn't overly vigilant.

According to what Granny Lupe had said, special rituals were set up around the village using the Yuan Chu Axiom to deter and warn.

Under normal circumstances, beasts wouldn't rashly appear in this area. Of course, monsters like Elemental Drakes, which had sufficient confidence, could disregard such warning magic.

At the very least, in this small village, the only one who could possibly harm it was Granny Lupe.

Although in games, Elemental Drakes could be farmed casually as long as you weren't a Support, in the background story, the power of Elemental Drakes was still quite top-tier. And as a country that coexisted with elements, Ionia's dense forests were also inhabited by a large number of Elemental Drakes.

While these were Drakes, they were much fiercer than those on the Valoran Continent that could be tamed.

The initial part of the journey showed no signs of large beasts. As they gradually ventured deeper into the jungle, Yuan Chen could clearly feel the desolation of civilization and the wildness of nature.

The equipment enchantment, which was attached to his refined Ionian armor and could normally make the grass and trees in front of him part to create a small path, was gradually losing its effectiveness.

If before, wherever he walked, a path for easy passage would automatically open up, now it could at most reduce the resistance from shrubs and weeds. To truly move forward, he still had to chop with the dagger in his hand.

Just then, he suddenly felt resistance under his feet. Yuan Chen's control over his body was far beyond that of ordinary people, and he reacted swiftly. Otherwise, he would have immediately fallen to the ground.

"Careful!" Milio's voice came from the side.

A ball of restless flame ignited in his hand. The light released by Milio illuminated the somewhat dark and dense forest.

Looking down, a large number of vines, as if possessing life...

Or rather, possessing intelligence, were tightly wrapping around Yuan Chen's ankles like an octopus's tentacles. Clearly visible, these vines had already woven a large net on the ground, like a hunter waiting for prey to enter.

"These are Spider Vines. If you fall, they'll immediately tighten around you. They're incredibly strong; they can even snap the bones of cattle and sheep!"

Hearing this, Yuan Chen swallowed a mouthful of saliva, then nodded seriously. He raised his Yixialian War Saber and slashed twice.

The vines were cut to pieces. As if realizing Yuan Chen was not to be trifled with, these vines immediately retracted into the nearby bushes after being chopped, no longer attempting to attack.

Although it was just a minor incident, it still made Yuan Chen break out in a cold sweat. Admittedly, Yuan Chen's physical fitness was incredibly strong after tempering. But similarly, ordinary professions, no matter how much they trained, had their limits.

In the traditions of Ionia, the gap between warriors and dancers wasn't large; both aimed to find harmony with all things. But their methods of cultivation were vastly different—

At the very least, in terms of physique, Yuan Chen was a lightly armored warrior. Compared to ordinary people, perhaps several times stronger, but if placed in a game, he'd be similar to the "Top Lane Four Sisters"—Riven, Fiora, Irelia, Camille.

After all, the world of Runeterra itself was, at best, a mid-tier magical world. Truly high-level combatants were the Aspects from the Immortal Heaven, the Dragon King, Bard, or the demigods of Freljord. In this context, even Darius had been beaten by a pig.

If he really wanted to, Yuan Chen could try to activate his profession called "Demon Agent"...

Compared to ordinary professions like dancers, warriors, and mages, "Demon Agent" sounded at least legendary, if not demigod-level. But the problem was, no matter how strong, they were still just agents. While the gains were great now, when the Lord of Laughter came to collect his debt, it wouldn't be so easy to brush him off.

At the very least, Yuan Chen didn't intend to sell his future for a moment of pleasure...

Fortunately, he had a local with him... Yuan Chen glanced at Milio, who held fire in his hand, and thought to himself: Otherwise, in front of this Ixialia's Dense Forest that has existed for ten thousand years, if he didn't understand it well, even a master would have to pay a considerable price.

At least, as far as Yuan Chen knew, ninety percent of the exploration troops from Noxus in Ixialia had died in the outer coastal woodlands...

With that thought, Yuan Chen heightened his vigilance and actively activated his connection with the Water Element.

Initially, deepening his connection with the Water Element was purely to increase his attention and maintain alertness. However, not long after releasing the Water Element, Yuan Chen narrowed his eyes.

As the Water Element responded, Yuan Chen clearly sensed a faint, elusive scent of blood lingering in his nostrils...

Thinking this, Yuan Chen raised his arm, signaling Milio beside him to remain silent. Seeing this, Milio quickly extinguished the fire in his hand, crouched down, and took out a small, exquisite Axiom Wheelblade, preparing for battle--this surprised Yuan Chen somewhat.

Firstly, he didn't expect Milio to understand his intentions so quickly and prepare for battle. Secondly, he didn't expect Milio to fight using a staff...

Come to think of it, it made sense. No matter how naive one was, Ixialia's Dense Forest would teach every life to survive and fight... Also, Milio hadn't truly become "Ming Zhu" yet, and the Axiom Wheelblade, in both its design and usage, was most suitable for Ixialia's Elementalist.

But at this moment, a sound of something breaking through the air erupted instantly. Sensing that the water mist he had set up around them had been pierced, Yuan Chen didn't hesitate. He clapped his hands together, and the water bag in his backpack instantly exploded, transforming into a surging wave of water that shattered the incoming projectile.

Immediately after, two more water waves formed in the air. Rolling up two sets of twenty-four Axiom Wheels in total, the intense flowing water, carrying the sharp wheelblades, shot towards the direction where the water mist had been pierced!

Bang!!

Two water cannons exploded, instantly sweeping away the surrounding shrubbery. The remaining tree branches were covered in sharp marks from the slicing wheelblades.

He missed.

Noticing the absence of any creature, Yuan Chen knew the opponent had dodged in advance. He transformed the flowing water into small snakes, weaving them around the scattered wheelblades and bringing them back to his side, Yuan Chen began to vigilantly scan his surroundings.

The weapon that attacked them was a crude Wooden Spear, tipped with a carefully sharpened Beast Fang. Although the craftsmanship was rough, its power, projected with immense force, was like a siege crossbow, clearly indicating a power beyond that of an ordinary human.

And upon confirming it was a spear, Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow...

Spears were a very niche weapon in Ixialia. They were simply unsuitable for combat in dense forests. Mid-range combat would be hindered by the dense shrubbery and trees, making it impossible to swing, while long-range throws would lose sight due to the thick vegetation and enemies could easily use trees to evade.

Close combat was even more out of the question... Any weapon associated with "long," like a whip, was generally unsuitable for close-quarters fighting.

Under such circumstances, to still hunt with a spear in the jungles of Ixialia...

Maintaining his vigilance, Yuan Chen tentatively asked, "Nedeli, is that you?"

Nedeli, titled the Wild Huntress, nicknamed Nidalee, was one of the veteran heroes who debuted in the early days of the game League of Legends. Before the arrival of the overpowered Qiyana, seven out of ten reasons why Ixialia was called a "small smurf server" were due to this damn hero--

Her burst damage was outrageously high, her skill range was far, her movement speed was fast, her engage cooldown was short, she had self-healing, and she had both ranged and melee forms. Her Q skill was known as the "squishy shredder"; a normally developed Nidalee throwing a spear with her Q skill would cause even a tank to take significant damage, and squishy targets would either be forced to retreat with critical health or die on the spot.

She had high mobility, cleared jungle quickly, and dealt explosive damage. Therefore, she had always been one of the most favored heroes by smurfs and a veteran jungle carry hero, with a large following among both professional players and casual gamers.

In the smurfing community, she and Ekko were known as Wolong Fengchu, constantly vying for supremacy.

It wasn't until the arrival of the overpowered Qiyana that the smurfing favorites Wolong Fengchu became a three-way competition.

But that was all in the game...

"..."

After a brief silence, a low feline growl was heard, followed by a cold female voice from the dense forest.

"Who are you, and why do you know my name?"

"It really is you?"

Hearing a response, Yuan Chen breathed a sigh of relief and spread his hands, saying, "Don't worry, we mean no harm."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen actively controlled the flowing water, sweeping the Axiom Wheel within it back into the water pouch on his backpack--

At least on the surface, Yuan Chen had genuinely put down his weapon. No one knew that, also within Yuan Chen's backpack, two sets of War Dance Blades, already coated with poison, were ready to strike.

Only an idiot would truly put down their weapon.

The other party clearly realized this and said even more directly, "I can smell the Poison Grass. Don't try to trick me! Who are you! Why do you know my name!"

Nedeli's voice came from the dense forest again, but with each utterance, the direction changed. Clearly, Nedeli hadn't stopped moving but was constantly traversing the jungle--

Even without making any unnecessary sounds.

After discovering that Nedeli had no intention of attacking further, Yuan Chen, while silently communicating with Milio through Water Element, said:

"I'm a hunter from a nearby village! Unknown beasts have been attacking our village recently, harming our cattle and sheep! Was it you? If so, please leave!"

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

Nedeli's stern words pierced Yuan Chen's lie, "An idiot who can't even lie. The Yixialian don't have skin as fair and smooth as yours!"

Hearing Nedeli's words, Yuan Chen was momentarily unsure whether to be angry or pleased--it couldn't be helped. Compared to the tropical rainforest climate of Yixialian, the environment of Ionia was indeed nurturing. At least, in Yuan Chen's memory, no Ionian, male or female, had rough skin.

If one had to mention rough skin, it wasn't unheard of, but it was mostly among Monks like Lee Sin, or Martial Artists... those who tempered their spirits by refining their flesh and bodies. It would be a miracle if their skin were delicate.

"Get out of my territory!"

Nedeli's voice came from the dense forest, tinged with a hint of gritted-teeth anger, "No one is welcome here!!"

"Can't we talk?"

Yuan Chen frowned and said, "This concerns whether I can stay here, otherwise I'll have to--Milio, ignite!!"

Mid-sentence, Yuan Chen abruptly changed his tone to a low growl. Milio, having already prepared through the characters formed by Water Element on his own body, was ready.

The young man's reddish-brown face held a hint of excitement. This confrontation with a powerful enemy in the wilderness was unprecedented and the adventure he had always dreamed of!

The next moment, magnificent flames erupted from the young man's palm.

It was clear that Milio's grasp of the old Elemental Axiom was crude. Without the constraints of traditional Axiom Constraint, the flame in his palm was more like a burst of Explosive Flame, detonating in the air almost instantly.

Scattered firelight shot towards the surroundings, illuminating a large swathe of the Primeval Jungle's sky-obscuring, dark canopy in an instant!

And within this burst of firelight, Yuan Chen quickly spotted the figure of a woman, hidden not far away, who had instinctively closed her eyes due to the blinding flash.

With a thought, Yuan Chen cast Scout Skill. Without the slightest hesitation, he spread his arms, lifted them, and instantly summoned twelve Sharp Blades from his backpack. They transformed into several silver streaks that tore through the air!

The other party had already expressed her rejection. Further negotiation would be a waste of time. Having never set foot in human territory, the best way to deal with a Wild Creature like Nedeli was to show his fangs--

For wild animals, the only signal they understood was danger!

In short--

This man was going to fight!!

And as the old mistress of the dense forest, Nedeli was by no means weak. Almost the moment she closed her eyes, her entire body rapidly elongated, her bones becoming slender and tough, pale yellow fur sprouting on her skin, and her nails transforming into sharp talons!

Transforming into a slender, agile, and powerful Cougar, Nedeli rolled towards a nearby shrubbery almost without hesitation.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A few War Dance Blades landed in the soft, damp soil, while the remaining ones, under Yuan Chen's control, seemed to possess a consciousness as they pursued the direction Nedeli dodged.

But even after the shrubbery was torn to shreds by the blades, there was no trace of a Cougar!

At the same time, the personal data regarding Nedeli, after being hit by Scout Skill, appeared in Yuan Chen's mind.

Name: Nedeli.

Race: Vastaya.

Status: Lightly Injured.

Class: Shapeshifter LV6 / Assassin LV4.

Equipment: Bone Spear (Common).

Skill: Form Shift: Switches to a second Form, "Cougar," gaining powerful agility, strength, and burst, while also embodying the ecology of a cougar.

Trait: Wilderness Blessing (Epic): When located in dense forests or wilderness, will passively receive Wilderness Blessing, increasing agility. Grasses and shrubs will actively conceal her presence and sounds, and provide her with shelter.