Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 37: Hunter Sect Squad in Action
Chapter 37: Hunter Sect Squad in Action (3)
Leisurely Moment really wanted to say they wouldn’t die at all, but suddenly felt there was no need.
Many times, only when one faces death will they earn respect from others. When others discover the risks you face are negligible, anything you do may become taken for granted.
Old Link’s movements were quick. In just a moment, he found two young men who were strong and looked a bit shy. They had both seen merfolk multiple times.
One of them, named Rick, had even fought merfolk before.
“They are as weak as children, holding fish spears, but they can’t even touch my chest,” Rick said as he led the Hunter Sect Squad.
“You’re fully armored and carrying standard weapons. Are you a knight?” the “Troublemaker” asked curiously after observing the young man leading the way for a moment.
“No, how could that be? Don’t joke,” Rick chuckled, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. “I don’t have that talent. However, there are two promising children in the village who were taken to Winter City to study. I’m just an ordinary village guard.”
“As for the armor and long sword, they were gifts from our benevolent King,” Rick said, stroking the long sword in his hand with affection and reverence. “Almost every village guard has them. Depending on the size of the village, there are usually 20 to 50 village guards. We are usually responsible for village security and also help villagers with minor matters. We receive our wages from knights every month.”
“But we also farm. His Majesty the King said that land is our foundation and should not be neglected.”
The “Troublemaker” cast an Insight skill on Rick’s information. It was indeed as he said; he was just a level 3 village guard. However, judging by his demeanor, he seemed even more elite than the level 7 town guards of Dawn Town back then.
The group walked and chatted. After a while, they finally arrived at a lakeside covered in reeds. These white reeds covered an area of several hundred meters in front of them, and they couldn’t see the end further away.
“Be careful, this is where they often appear. Although their combat effectiveness is average, a surprise attack can still be quite painful,” Rick slowed his pace, drew the long sword from his waist, and his relaxed expression became serious.
The Hunter Sect Squad players exchanged glances. To complete their mission, they would definitely need to capture a merfolk, not just kill monsters. Therefore, they didn’t draw their weapons. Instead, they took out clubs and ropes from their backpacks. The top-tier Binding skill rewarded in the Dragonflame City battle last time could finally be put to use. Normally, they would practice binding each other for fun.
A group of people quietly ventured into the reed marsh. The lake water here barely reached their knees. However, these reeds were too tall; any single one was much taller than an adult.
“Gurgle gurgle, quack quack.”
“Gugaga gurgle.”
Strange sounds came from ahead.
Rick turned around, nodded at the Hunter Sect Squad players, and slowed his steps even further. He hadn’t been here before, but they were already quite deep. It was very likely that they were approaching the lair of those water monkeys. He carefully parted the reeds in front of him and saw a shallow area about five to six meters wide, surrounded by reeds. More than ten water monkeys were dancing strangely around a beast bone, led by a strong water monkey, making coordinated “gurgling” sounds.
Rick retreated and turned to the Hunter Sect Squad players. “This should be a small group of theirs, not far from their lair. There are quite a few of them. Let’s switch… Oh, don’t!”
Before he could finish, Rick was shocked to see five “Foreigners” excitedly rush out, waving their clubs and ropes. “This…” Rick gritted his teeth and could only charge after the players.
“Big eyes, sausage mouth, fish head – that’s definitely a Koutao Merman. Yu Ci, go for the big one, the level 12. The remaining ten or so are ours. Knock them all out and drag them away!”
“Just watch, Leisurely Brother~” Yu Ci grinned and activated the Knight’s Charge skill. In an instant, he appeared before a group of Koutao Mermen still shaking their behinds.
“Hey guys, having a good dance? Have you paid protection money? Do you know this territory is under my protection?”
[Koutao Merman Leader – Second Tier – Level 12]
The Koutao Merman Leader couldn’t understand what the human in front of it was babbling about. Even if it could understand, it wouldn’t have had the chance, because the wooden club in Yu Ci’s hand had already swung down onto its fishy head. With a muffled thud, the Koutao Merman Leader’s HP dropped by more than half. It spun three and a half times in the air like a top, flew out, landed, foamed at the mouth, saw stars, and fell unconscious. This was Yu Ci holding back; otherwise, at his current level of 29, he could have easily killed the fat-headed fish instantly.
“Gugaga gugaga!”
The remaining merfolk reacted. They stared with their frog-like eyes, their behinds pouting as they retrieved their weapons from the nearby reeds. These weapons were a motley assortment: sickles, hoes, fish spears, and even spatulas. The players almost burst out laughing. *This is it?* They lived almost as poorly as Goblins. Although they were united, they were no match for the ferocious Hunter Sect Squad.
A moment later, all but two of the Koutao Mermen were bound together with ropes. Each one was securely tied in a bear hug, with large bumps on their heads and bruised and swollen faces. Rick stood by, dumbfounded. He had expected these unassuming and always agreeable Foreign warrior-like individuals to be similar to him, capable of fighting one or two merfolk at most. He never imagined they would be so formidable.
“Hehehe, it’s been a long time since I felt this good.”
“Indeed. We were facing high-end monsters before, like the Dragonflame City Crusaders, the Griffin Legion, and even gods appeared. King of Winter is always causing trouble; we players also face a lot of pressure~” Qing Xi Yue shrugged. Unleashing unchecked power was the fun for them as players. Following the King of Winter was exciting, but the enemies they faced were just too outrageous.
“You are all so amazing!” Rick looked at them with admiration. What he envied the most were warriors and knights who could use skills. Unfortunately, his talent was too poor, and he wasn’t qualified to learn skills. He only had a bit of brute strength and some basic combat techniques.
Just as the players were feeling proud, the sound of “Gugaga gugaga” suddenly came from behind them. The players turned their heads and saw a Koutao Merman standing there blankly, its sausage mouth trembling slightly, its eyes full of panic as it looked at the plight of its companions. As if noticing the gaze of the six humans, it turned and fled. In its haste, it pulled out a bone whistle hanging from its neck.
“Beep—” The sharp whistle pierced the sky, echoing far into the reed marsh.
