abcnovels
Chapter 213 Enemies Before Dawn
Chapter 213 Enemies Before Dawn
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?Prison Star Calendar?
?Year 187, June 30?
?8:13 PM?
?Countdown to Confession Death: 19 days?
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After a long day's journey, Tyler did not feel the least bit fatigued.
On the contrary, he felt in excellent form.
Compared to the constant worry of stumbling upon a "battlefield" in Sunny Town, exploring in the wilderness felt like an idyllic paradise.
By midday, Tyler had mastered the use of the upgraded "Fir Dragon Bow". This bow now featured a folding function, greatly improving its convenience, and could also catch enemies off guard in special circumstances.
In conjunction with the new entry "Intentness" of the Hunter skill "Heart of Focus" (which allows him to see the trajectory of the arrow in advance), Tyler could reliably hit targets within a hundred meters and had over a ninety percent hit rate up to one hundred and fifty meters.
This effectively extended the original effective range of 100 meters to nearly 200 meters.
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Equipment Name: "Fir Dragon Bow"
Equipment Effects:
1 Equipment requirements: Strength 50 and Dexterity 60 or more,
2 If equipper's attributes do not meet the requirements, it cannot be used;
3 Attribute Gain for the equipper: Strength +10, Dexterity +30;
4 Characteristic Gain for the equipper: Penetration Effect +30;
5 Equipped Skill: "Power Arrow";
"Power Arrow": Each arrow shot can infuse 100 points of magic power, enhancing the physical damage of the arrow by 300 points;
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With the help of the new skill "Power Arrow", even when encountering animals with tough skin and thick flesh such as wild boars or rhinoceroses, Tyler could reliably cripple their mobility first, then pinpoint their weak spots for a killing blow.
Over half a day, Tyler harvested experience for the Hunter occupation (5+210? / 1000), and also secured food for himself and Moto-chan for dinner.
It is worth mentioning that since Moto-chan mutated from a regular warhorse to the demon "Iron-hoofed Warhorse", its diet is no longer limited to fodder, hay, and bran. It has developed a taste for meat.
Under the moonlit starry sky, the duo enjoyed a leisurely dinner.
After a satisfying meal, Tyler practiced the skill "Shadow Behind" (Proficiency: 10+30?/ 110) in the open space.
Unintentionally, he noticed two wheel marks on the ground. Stooping down, Tyler used his identification ability to confirm them, obtaining the result: "Wheel marks of the Snowy Hart Family's carriage".
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?Prison Star Calendar?
?Year 187, July 1?
?4:16 AM?
?Countdown to Confession Death: 18 days?
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Upon the dirt road leading to Delis Town, the Snowy Hart Family's white horse carriage was moving steadily at a leisurely pace.
Two drivers from the Azure Lizard Family were taking turns, one presiding over the day, the other governing the night, all with the aim of reaching Delis Town a bit sooner, so that Vanessa Snowy Hart in the carriage can gain an advantage in the formation of the Labyrinth Raid Team.
Within the carriage, Vanessa was resting, leaning against the window.
In her slumber, she faintly heard the chirping of the doe spirits and immediately woke from her dreams.
She cast a vigilant glance outside the window, found nothing unusual, and then turned her attention to the three doe spirits beside her.
The doe spirits were all awake, anxiously peering around, which confirmed to Vanessa that she had not been hallucinating.
If the doe spirits were chirping, it meant that entities with hostile intentions were approaching them.
Vanessa slid open the window, informed the driver of the imminent danger, and then opened the carriage door, released the three doe spirits to run alongside the carriage.
She took out her silver flute, preparing herself for combat.
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Minutes later, the resounding howls of wolves began echoing nearby.
Hearing the intermittent howls, Vanessa knew she had been surrounded by "them".
"Driver, steer the carriage to an open and well-lit area, then take shelter inside the carriage."
Vanessa, who had faced "them" in battle multiple times, was not panicked. She calmly arranged the countermeasures.
The reason she, a noble young lady, was protecting the two drivers wasn't out of kindness, but because after the battle, she would still need someone to drive the carriage for her.
In order to respond in a timely manner, Vanessa half stepped out of the carriage door, one hand gripping the edge of the roof.
She then made a forceful leap upwards, skillfully flipping herself onto the roof of the carriage.
At this moment, atop the speeding carriage, Vanessa, dressed in her battle attire, was kneeling on one knee on the roof.
One hand holding down her feathered hat, the other clutching her silver flute, she let her black hair flutter behind her, scanning the surroundings with her vibrant green eyes.
Before long, the carriage entered a wide-open plain.
However, at the same time, several dark silhouettes had crossed from the far left and right of the carriage, circling around to the front, preparing to launch a forceful attack.
Behind the carriage, several other dark shadows were following at a leisurely pace.
Vanessa had a clear view. She knew the enemy's encirclement had been completed.
But that didn't matter. After all, every time she encountered "them", it always started with being surrounded...
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And ended with her wiping them out.
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The white horse carriage gently halted on the open field, as the two carriage drivers from the Azure Lizard Family quickly retreated into the safety of the carriage interior, securing the door behind them.
Three doe spirits evenly positioned themselves around the carriage, while atop the carriage roof, Vanessa elegantly stood, surveying her surroundings while playing a melodious tune.
— "Doe Spirit Concerto: First Movement - Thorns"
As the ethereal notes of the flute resonated in the air, the three doe spirits, initially indistinguishable from ordinary small deers, suddenly grew into robust tamed harts, and most incredibly, their sturdy antlers sprouted blades that could rival any sword's edge, chilling to behold.
As if in defiance of Vanessa's flute, the enemies encircling the carriage began to howl intermittently, seemingly a show of force and a final communication before launching their onslaught.
Night winds howled, interweaving with the flute and the howls, casting an eerie pallor over the darkness before dawn.
Without warning, three dark figures sprang out from around the carriage, hurtling straight toward the harts who were prepared for battle.
However, under the command of the "melody," the harts didn't rush to meet the attack but waited until the enemies charged close, then lowered their heads to ram their antler blades at them!
In the blink of an eye, the assailants were unable to evade the harts' attack, repeatedly impaled and hoisted onto the antlers.
Only at that moment, under the feeble light, did they reveal their true forms.
It turns out, the dark figures surrounding the white horse carriage were a pack of giant wolves, their size rivaling that of a bull.
Their limbs held potent strength, their claws were sharp as daggers, yet their soft bellies remained their fatal weakness.
The instant death of the assaulters did not deter the wolves' resolve, on the contrary, a new wave of assault was immediately launched following the failure of the first.
The wolves' strategy was to use the sacrifice of their vanguard to entangle the harts' defenses...
Their true objective was to take down the commander atop the carriage roof, Vanessa!
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As the harts were unable to shake off the bodies on their antlers in time to rejoin the battle, the melody of Vanessa's flute subtly transitioned, seamlessly entering a new chapter.
— "Doe Spirit Concerto: Third Movement - Shedding Fir"