Chapter 23

Al moved stealthily near where the large-mouthed lizards were floating in a group and checked the situation again. There were more than thirty of them, and their sizes varied; some were about 1 meter long, while the largest was over 6 meters. While it might be difficult to take down the extremely large ones, the larger ones would likely sell for a higher price. From his experience, lizards around 3 to 4 meters in length would be ideal. It was a rare opportunity to see these large-mouthed lizards, which usually lurk in the shadows of grass and rocks to hunt, out in the open and choose a target.

However, it would be difficult to target anything but the ones at the edge of the group, and the range of the illusion spell he would use was also limited. Fortunately, there seemed to be a few ideal-sized lizards in a place where they could be hunted. Al decided on where to guide the target and then returned to where Orson and the others were.

"Mr. Orson, I found a suitable one. I think it's a bit over 3 meters."

"Which one?"

Al and Orson discussed in detail how to guide it and where Orson would hide and move. The only difference from their previous hunt a few days ago was that the bait had changed from a real object on a stick to an illusion created by a spell, but the basic roles were the same.

"Got it, then that's fine. Rippi and Pippi, make sure to stay hidden."

When Al said this, Rippi looked a bit dissatisfied. However, she reluctantly agreed after Orson explained that a mistake could result in the entire group attacking them. Al placed the goblin corpse he had prepared at the final location and cast the spell.

'Enhanced Perception' - Telescope

'Illusion' - Meat Lump

About 1 meter in front of Al, a meat lump identical to the corpse in front of him appeared. Al kept his eyes on the meat lump and moved his hand up and down. The meat lump moved up and down in the same way.

"Wow, it looks like the real thing is floating in the air. Amazing."

Orson couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. He sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of the meat. Al moved the illusion of the meat lump close to Orson's nose. Orson's eyes widened in surprise; it seemed to have a proper scent.

"Alright, let's start."

Al started walking towards the group of large-mouthed lizards, and the meat lump moved with him. Rippi and Pippi began moving the carriage to a hiding spot, while Orson kept an eye on the meat lump and the group of lizards, monitoring to ensure they didn't deviate from the plan. Al's illusion of the meat lump slowly moved towards the targeted large-mouthed lizard.

A glance...

The large-mouthed lizard's eyes moved to the approaching meat lump. This subtle change was only noticeable because of Al's enhanced perception. The lizard recognized something was coming. The neighboring lizards showed no reaction.

Al cautiously moved the illusion of the meat lump closer to the large-mouthed lizard. The target lizard watched its movement intently. Al then moved the meat lump away from the lizard towards his own position. The lizard lightly paddled the water and started moving towards Al, chasing the meat lump.

"It's working."

Al couldn't help but smile. He whistled sharply to signal Orson, who was watching from behind. Orson responded with a series of whistles. Al slowly backed away while controlling the illusion of the meat lump, guiding the target lizard. The lizard's speed gradually increased. Only one lizard was moving as Al intended, just like the previous hunt. He guided it to the shore, where the target was a bit over 3 meters long. The lizard, lured by the illusion of the meat lump, fully emerged onto the land and started running towards the goblin corpse Al had placed on the ground. It then pounced on the corpse.

<Piercing> Spear Technique --- Armor-Piercing

Orson approached from behind and thrust his spear, finishing the lizard with one strike. Al couldn't help but cheer. Orson glanced at Al and smiled proudly. Hearing the cheers, Rippi and Pippi also appeared, looking at the fallen lizard and exclaiming in excitement.

"Amazing, Mr. Orson."

Al nodded in admiration. Orson scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, and then stepped on the lizard's corpse, pulling out his spear.

"No, no, it's thanks to Al's skillful luring. Unlike regular fishing, we don't have to wait for the bait to be taken, so it might be more efficient. Let's keep it up."

Al, Rippi, and Pippi nodded in agreement. They loaded the lizard's corpse onto the carriage. With lizards of this size, they could fit about three in one carriage. Al headed back to where the group was visible to lure the next one.

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