Chapter 19

“Nwaa! Nwaa! Nwaa!”

Early the next morning, a small group of Bugbears complained to their peers as they stood around one a small pond. This pond was one of the smallest fresh-water sources on the island, and as a result, only had about ten Bugbears assigned to it. These Bugbears felt disinclined to wait at these small ponds because the Sprites were more likely to converge on the larger ponds, which meant they would end up with the remnants from the other Bugbears’ feast.

Rustle…

Despite their complaints, the Bugbears immediately went on alert when they heard a strange rustling coming from the forest. Their gazes narrowed as they tightly clenched clubs raised high in anticipation. “Nwaa!”

Following a Bugbear’s threatening cry, a young man walked out of the forest with a Dusklight Wolf on his shoulder. The young man, who wore a crafty grin, was naturally Rao Wu. “Hey there, guys,” Rao Wu jokingly called as he juggled a small stone in his right hand. “It’s time to retire.”

Whoosh!

Rao Wu’s suddenly thrown stone struck a Bugbear right in the forehead, causing the stunned soul monster to fall on it back in a near faint.

“Nwaa!” The Bugbears’ leader, enraged by Rao Wu’s disrespect, let out a shrill cry and then ordered the Bugbears to hunt down the petulant child.

“Oooh, they’re fast, alright.” Rao Wu’s eyes twinkled in excitement as he turned tail and fled into the jungle with the Bugbears right on his heels. Rao Wu fled through the forest, turning this way and that when he came across strange vine borders that seemed like walls. If he wanted, Rao Wu could possibly climb over these barriers. But, in that time, the Bugbears would not only catch up but also certainly kill him.

The Bugbears revealed evil laughter when they saw the frantic Rao Wu running for his life. The barriers were a godsend for them, otherwise, with Rao Wu’s speed, he might have outrun them.

Wait… outrun them? The Bugbears’ leader suddenly had a bad premonition. It looked at the distant Rao Wu as he once again stopped and then turned to his right to avoid a barrier.

Why couldn’t the Bugbears catch up to Rao Wu? Despite stopping numerous times, the distance between Rao Wu and them remained nearly constant. It was almost like Rao Wu was intentionally keeping the distance equal… !!!

“Nwaa! NWACK!?”The Bugbear leader wanted to warn its companions to stop, but at that exact moment, the ground suddenly gave way beneath them, causing over seven of the ten-man hunting party to fall into a large hole.

“Nwaaaa!” The frightened Bugbears cried out in fear but were unable to climb out of the steep, eight-feet pit. Then, to their ultimate despair, vines stretched out from behind the surrounding trees and then grew over the hole, shutting them off from view.

The Bugbears’ leader, who was one of the three to not get caught in the trap, stared in shock and fear. It could not understand. Did the forest come to life? How did those branches so coincidentally grow over the pit, burying its companions alive?

“Over here!”

Rao Wu’s sudden shout snapped the Bugbear leader out of its reverie. It looked up to see the youth grinning as he examined the plant-covered hole. “Nwaa!” The Bugbear leader, confident that Rao Wu was somehow involved in the strange occurrence, screamed out a challenge.

“You’re on.” Surprisingly, Rao Wu happily accepted the challenge. He jumped down from the tree with Xian Da on his shoulder and then approached the three Bugbears. His eyes shone with a strange glint as he looked at the three tense Bugbears. “There are two more than expected, but… Well, I guess it still counts as training even if it's extreme.” He then looked at Xian Da and said, “You’re up.”

Xian Da nodded, let out a low bark, and then jumped down from Rao Wu’s shoulder. The cub slowly approached the Bugbears, caution, and courage coldly burning in its eyes.

Rao Wu smiled as he looked from Xian Da to the Bugbears. “Hey, I don’t know if you guys understand me, but I’ll let you go if you win this fight. I won’t interfere. What do you think? Fair, right?” Just in case, he had Xian Da translate his intentions to the Bugbears.

“Nwaa~” The Bugbear leader looked at Xian Da in disdain. All they had to do was defeat this tiny cub? How hard could that be? The Bugbear leader, feeling the task beneath it, ordered the remaining Bugbears to attack Xian Da.

“Nwaa!” The Bugbears screamed out their battle cries and then rushed at Xian Da, clubs raised high. As low-tier creatures, the Bugbears did not have many unique skills, but as melee-focused combat monsters, their expertise with the club was nothing to be scoffed at.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Within seconds the Bugbears were upon Xian Da, and the clubs rained down like meteors upon the ground.

“Rraff!” Xian Da barked as he jumped around to dodge the unpredictable blows. Unfortunately, try as he might, he could not find an opportunity to launch an attack. Forced on the defensive, Xian Da was extremely frustrated! If it was one-on-one, it was confident it would have been able to start a swift counterattack.

“Don’t be impatient,” Rao Wu’s calming voice reached Xian Da at the height of his frustration. Channeling his uncle, Rao Wu continued, “You’re a servant-ranked Dusklight Wolf. It’s no surprise that two 4th Stage Phase One monsters are causing you so much trouble. Instead of getting angry, think about the tools you can use to turn the situation into your favor. What unique skills do you have over them? What are their limitations? If I didn’t think you could beat them, I wouldn’t have sent you out there.”

“Ruwu~” Xian Da let out a whimper as it retreated from the Bugbears’ strike range. It processed Rao Wu’s words, choosing to study its opponents carefully. The Bugbears were fast and dangerous, but that was it. Aside from their clubs and acid breath, they did not hold any other major threat.

Furthermore, Xian Da could tell that these Bugbears were not used to life-threatening combat. Their movements were wide and easily telegraphed. If it were not for their superior numbers covering these flaws, Xian Da would not have had nearly as much trouble.

‘I was losing to these idiots!?’

Upon realizing the true nature of his opponents, Xian Da’s eyes narrowed in controlled anger. It bared its teeth, letting out a low growl as it crouched into an attack position.

Rao Wu, seeing the change in Xian Da, grinned and then said, “Go. Show them the efforts of your training.”

Whoosh!

Xian Da dashed across the ground at full speed, red eyes fixed on the Bugbears. The Bugbears, who had also taken a short break, rushed at the incoming cub, clubs raised high over their heads.

Xian Da looked at the clubs, and then, after a swift calculation swiftly banked to the right once he was within range.

“Nwaa!” The Bugbears reacted with insane reflexes and swung their clubs in Xian Da’s direction. Swoop! But then, just as the clubs were swung, Xian Da’s little paws shifted in mesmerizing fashion, and suddenly, he lurched to the left instead.

“A feint! Brilliant, Xian Da!” Rao Wu’s eyes shown with delight. The young man was beyond pleased that Xian Da learned the importance of incorporating feints and redirects into his attacks at such a young age.

“Rraff!” Xian Da let out a bark, signaling that it wasn’t done. With the clubs still mid-swing, he had free access to the wide-open Bugbears. Xian Da felt the desire to jump at their throats, but recalling Rao Wu’s advice, he chose to be patient and chose the safer option.

Rriip! “Nwaaa!” The Bugbears let out a cry of pain as Xian Da’s claws tore through their ankles. Xian Da might have been 2nd Stage, but its claws had evolved to 3rd Stage the previous night. It was more than sharp enough to deal with these Bugbears’ defenses.

“Nwa! Nwa!” The angry Bugbears turned around and spat clumps of green acid at Xian Da.

Faced with the splatter that covered a broad range, Xian Da immediately turned tail and fled. Unfortunately, despite the Dusklight Wolf’s quick reaction, a small clump of the acid fell onto his back. Ssss! Xian Da suppressed a loud yelp as the corrosive liquid ate through his fur and threatened to seep into his blood.

“ROLL!”

Xian Da immediately slid its body across the ground, using the rough earth to scrub off the bulk of the acid. Having survived the crisis, it stumbled to its feet and then inspected the affected zone. Seeing the sizeable patchy hole where fur used to be, the little cub was angered. It felt insulted and belittled, and would not rest until it had returned the favor.

The Bugbears, for their part, laughed at Xian Da, mocking its patchy fur with sly grins.

Rao Wu looked at the Bugbears out of the corner of his eyes. Regardless of the outcome, he had already marked the oblivious fools for death. Defeating Xian Da was one thing. He would never forgive anyone who mocked the hardworking Dusklight Wolf. With a snort, Rao Wu turned away from the Bugbears and then looked at Xian Da. Under his breath, he muttered, “Now, how will you react?”

“Grrr…” Xian Da let out a low growl as he glared at the Bugbears. Fortunately, he managed to maintain his reasoning and knew rushing in blindly was precisely what the Bugbears wanted. Once again, he closely monitored the Bugbears, searching for any signs of weakness.

Whruuu~

A tense silence hung over the forest as the three monsters engaged in their standoff. Tak. Suddenly, Xian Da took a light step to his right, causing the Bugbears to tense and raise their clubs.

Xian Da, however, did not attack, but rather, walked a small circle around the Bugbears while maintaining a low growl. Unbeknownst to the Bugbears, Xian Da’s attention was on their feet as he circled them, keeping track of their shuffling speed.

The Bugbears, oblivious to Xian Da’s intent, shuffled in place, making sure to keep the Dusklight Wolf in their sights.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, without warning, Xian Da sped up into a fast dash, but still kept the same radius around the Bugbears.

“Nwaa!” The Bugbears also quickly turned in place, but one of them let out an involuntary wince, and then limped slightly on its left foot where Xian Da had attacked it.

“Rraff!” Xian Da’s gaze turned sinister once he spotted the opportunity and immediately charged in from the Bugbear’s side.

“Nwaa!” The Bugbear turned to face Xian Da, but he suddenly lurched to the right, changing his angle of approach. The Bugbear was forced to pivot on its left foot to match Xian Da, which inadvertently worsened the gash in its foot. The Bugbear stumbled on its left foot as sharp plain flared up its leg.

Xian Da quickly closed in before the other Bugbear could react and then unleashed [Punishing Claws], ripping the Bugbear’s tendons to pieces. “Nwaaaa!” Xian ignored the crippled Bugbear as it fell to the ground, and quickly retreated before the second Bugbear could launch a counterattack.

“Hehe… That’s it, Xian Da. Whittle away if you can’t destroy them with raw power.” Rao Wu’s eyes gleamed with pride. This lesson was one every monster in the jungle learned at some point in its life. However, without being taught, Xian Da had figured it out for himself at such a young age. That alone was worthy of praise.

With one Bugbear successfully crippled, Xian Da’s confidence blossomed, but he did not let the victory get to his head. Keeping Rao Wu’s words in mind, he once again patiently circled the Bugbears while awaiting his opportunity.

“Nwaa!” The uninjured Bugbear ultimately lost the battle of resilience. Angered, it charged at Xian Da, eagerly hoping to smash the little one to pieces.

Xian Da, however, had other ideas. Rather than attack, it waited patiently, watching the incoming Bugbear with widened petrified eyes like it did not expect the Bugbear’s charge.

“Nwa! Nwa!” The Bugbear, emboldened by Xian Da’s expression, charged in and then swung down at the petrified Dusklight Wolf.

Boom!

Shockingly, the Bugbear’s attack struck the ground, completely missing its target. It barely had time to process its miss when a fiery heat seared along its neck.

Ta. Ta.

Xian Da softly landed behind the Bugbear and then walked toward the crippled Bugbear as the previous tumbled to the ground, clutching its bleeding neck.

Nearby Rao Wu whistled in praise. The Bugbear might not have seen what happened, but as a third party, it was all too clear to him. In that last moment, Xian Da had jumped back and then used the tree behind him as a springboard to lunge at the Bugbear’s exposed neck.

Xian Da’s sharp nails cleanly tore through the soul monster’s neck before its club even struck the ground. How could it have had a chance to dodge?

Xian Da beamed with pride when it stood over the injured Bugbear. The angry Bugbear did its best to defend itself, but its wildly flailing arms could not prevent its ultimate fate. Xian Da easily dodged the arms and then calmly bit out the monster’s throat. Finally, he coldly watched the Bugbear gurgle on its blood until it collapsed dead.

“Awooo~” Proud of its victory, Xian Da raised its head high and then released a long, loud howl as if announcing its presence to the world at large. This was its first real test on its road to one day standing at the top of the world!

“NWAA!”

Bang!

“Rwaa!” Xian Da yelped in fright as an explosion rang out above it. It looked up, and its eyes widened in horror and shock when it saw a massive club suspended above its head by a familiar leg.

Rao Wu winced as he smiled at the Bugbear leader. “Looks like I underestimated you. Why the hell does an ugly thing like you know something like [Pitiful Appearance]?” Rao Wu looked at the Bugbear leader that now clearly emitted the aura of a 9th Stage Phase One Soul Monster. “Wait. No. It isn’t as thorough as Pitiful Appearance. You can’t hide your true aura when you fight for real. That’s [Aura Suppress]? Interesting. Were you hoping I would let down my guard so you can launch a sneak attack?”

“Nwaa!”

Rao Wu looked at his trembling right leg and then let out a rueful laugh. “Well, I guess it kinda worked.” He then looked at Xian Da and said, “Retreat Xian Da. I’ll take this guy on.”

“Rraff!” Xian Da retreated behind Rao Wu, but then let out a concerned bark.

“Now, now, don’t insult me, Xian Da,” laughed Rao Wu as he retrieved his outstretched leg. He winced as the hurt leg throbbed in pain. “Bad leg or not, there’s no way I’m losing to a Phase One monster.” Rao Wu retrieved a bone dagger from his ring and then held it aloft. A pair of dangerous gray eyes glared at the Bugbear leader from above the blade as he whispered, “I’ve already surpassed this level.”