Chapter 91: Taimo Highlands

"Yawn..."

I rubbed my nose. Damn, what the hell kind of place is this? It's even colder than the Ice Plains. The howling wind seems like it could blow a person away at any moment. I really don't understand why those nuns and priests would build a monastery in such a desolate place.

Riding on Little Snow, after three days of travel, we finally arrived at the Taimo Highlands. On the first day, I casually directed Little Snow and the others to kill some monsters by the roadside, and I had already leveled up to 16. On the second day, I noticed something was off. It felt like we were going "up." But thinking about it, since it's called the Taimo Highlands, the terrain should naturally be a bit higher, so I didn't pay much attention. Today, when the landscape ahead was flat again, a cold wind blew by, and I realized just how damn cold this place was. Compared to this, the Ice Plains were much better. I can't ride Little Snow anymore; running in the cold, I'd freeze into a popsicle on its back.

The climate here is similar to the Ice Plains, and the environment is almost the same. When I passed by a small forest, I immediately noticed some shadows moving inside. Heh, this feeling is truly nostalgic. Thinking back to those hard-skinned rats and Dark Hunters shivering in the cold on the Ice Plains, I couldn't help but smile. I hope their skin is a bit thicker now; otherwise, in this weather, they'd be lucky to use even a third of their combat strength.

However, while the feeling of nostalgia is nice, I won't go easy on them. Uh, let's warm up a bit. It's cold, so I should move around more.

I slowly approached the small forest. Although I didn't think they would be very powerful, I've developed the good habit of being cautious. This is called strategic contempt but tactical respect. When you're out and about, it's better to be careful.

Sure enough, as I got closer, the shadows in the forest moved more violently. Even a beginner could tell something was wrong. Soon, these ostrich-like enemies couldn't stand my slow pace anymore. I saw a dozen Dark Assassins suddenly rush out, grinning maliciously as they pounced on me.

I hate these Dark Assassins to the core. Every time I see them, I'm reminded of the blood pool on the tower and the desperate eyes of those corpses. I hate that look because it always makes me think, will I one day leave with such a look? Or will I watch someone important to me with that look? I can't help but think about it because that look is too real, too profound...

Before they could reach me, I carefully counted them. Hmm, there are 18 of them, and they have quite a presence. But there shouldn't be just that many, right? As I thought, sure enough, a new type of monster started emerging from the forest—spiked beasts, which are essentially the second evolution of hard-skinned rats.

"Truly a nest of snakes and rats," I sighed. On the Ice Plains, their descendants were like this, and here in the Taimo Highlands, they haven't improved at all. It seems that no matter how they evolve, their brains never do.

While I was thinking, my hands didn't hesitate. A molten rock had already formed and flew toward them with a "whoosh."

With the agility of Dark Assassins, it wasn't hard to dodge. As soon as the molten rock was released, they scattered to the sides. When the rock flew past, only two of them were slightly grazed, losing a bit of health. Watching the molten rock fly by, I sighed. If I could control it to explode, that would be great. Then I could have given them a good scare just now.

However, my target wasn't them but the spiked beasts behind. Although they are the second evolution of hard-skinned rats, they still have short limbs. Their speed isn't much faster than hard-skinned rats. Some of them, just as they emerged from the forest, found their vision blocked by a huge flaming rock. They didn't even get to see the last bit of blue sky before the rock exploded. The scorching fragments, like shrapnel from a grenade, flew everywhere, even knocking down tree branches. What chance did these small creatures have? Just one molten rock roasted most of the spiked beasts into charcoal. Although I couldn't control the rock to explode, by calculating the explosion time and range, I could determine the optimal distance and angle to maximize damage. After all, I used to be a hardcore gamer.

Little Snow and the others had already engaged the Dark Assassins. Under Little Snow's intelligent and cunning leadership, the five wolves worked together better than ever. The 18 Dark Assassins were completely outmaneuvered by the five wolves. Lazy Crow and Venomous Vine were also taking advantage of the chaos, biting any stragglers. If there were no stragglers, they would use their burrowing and flying abilities to sneak into the enemy's ranks and cause more trouble. Ah, the once loyal and honest Venomous Vine has been corrupted by Lazy Crow.

However, the enemies didn't stop there. After the molten rock, more spiked beasts kept emerging from the forest, which surprised me. It turned out the Dark Assassins were just a decoy, and the main force was these small creatures. There were already dozens of them, and more kept coming. I estimated there were at least a hundred. If someone accidentally wandered into the forest, I dare not imagine what would happen.

At this point, the leading spiked rats started firing their needle-like quills. The quills, sharp as needles, caused a tingling and itching sensation when they hit. I didn't dare to be careless. A hundred spiked beasts firing quills is no joke. Unfortunately, the cooldown for the molten rock hadn't ended. Otherwise, a single molten rock could have taken out at least a dozen. I regretted throwing the molten rock too hastily. I need to learn from this mistake and observe the enemy's formation before making a decision.

While reflecting on my mistake, I didn't stop. I cast a Firestorm. Although it wasn't as powerful as the molten rock, it still took out about 10 spiked beasts. Then I transformed into a werewolf. Ah, let's go all out...

"Ha, no way, it's too risky, let's retreat!"

What, no courage? Damn, you think I'm a superhero? That's nearly a hundred spiked beasts. Even if they don't pose a huge threat to me, who wants to be pricked by a hundred quills every few seconds? If I charged in, by the time I finished them off, I'd be more spiky than a wolf.

Seeing their master run away, Little Snow and the others were also surprised. They looked at the hundreds of charging spiked beasts and stopped playing with the Dark Assassins. Their claws and fangs were bared, and the last few assassins fell to the ground. Especially Little Snow, its attacks were terrifying, and with a 10% chance of a massive claw tear, it not only doubled its attack but also drained blood.

The spiked beasts, seeing us run, red-eyed, tried to catch up, but even our slowest member, the Oak Sage, was faster than them. Soon, we were out of their sight, leaving only their angry squeaks behind. "Why are you so angry? I just killed a few of your friends. They'll respawn in a few days. Why make it so hard on yourselves?"

However, since they were so enthusiastic, I couldn't just leave. Before they could return to the forest and cool down, I came back. This time, I greeted them with a molten rock and a Firestorm. Feeling playful, I even cast an Arctic Storm to cool them down. After receiving more quills as encouragement, although there were fewer than 50 spiked beasts left, I still chose to retreat. Hoho, there's a bigger surprise waiting for them.

These spiked rats were furious. The damned job changer had harassed them multiple times, and this time, he had killed nearly half of their siblings. But the guy was tough, and all the quills seemed to have no effect on him. He was also very slippery, setting fires and running before they could launch more quills. For the first time, they hated their parents for not giving them longer limbs to catch up and turn him into a pincushion.

When the damned job changer disappeared from their sight, the angry spiked beasts had no choice but to return to the forest. Along the way, the flowers and grass became their scapegoats, riddled with quills.

Finally, they returned home, one by one entering the forest. Soon, the spiked beasts in the back noticed something was wrong. Why were the ones inside squeaking? At this moment, the enraged spiked beasts finally smelled a strange odor in their home.

Damn, their home had been occupied by the enemy. The smell was unmistakably from the job changer's summoned creatures. The spiked beasts were almost fuming with rage, tears streaming down their faces. They were so angry and so wronged—this bullying had come right to their doorstep.

Lurking in the forest were Little Snow and the others. In a forest battle, these creatures that only attack with quills were no match for wolves and Venomous Vine. Without the cover of the forest, today they would taste the bitterness of being ambushed.

I was standing nearby with Lazy Crow, watching this farce. Don't think I was just toying with them. This was also a tactic, achieving the greatest victory with the least cost. I can still rely on the bug amulet and Little Snow, but as enemies become stronger, I'll need to rely more on tactics to win. This is what I need to practice now.

These poor spiked beasts ran around outside the forest, unable to come up with a good plan. They squeaked in frustration, occasionally firing quills in a fit of anger. Unfortunately, the forest blocked their view, and they couldn't determine the enemy's position, so their quills were ineffective. Finally, they made a decision I hadn't expected—they charged into the forest en masse. The enemy was hidden, and in the dense forest, their quills were useless. I think they knew this, but they still bravely charged in, showing their strong sense of territory.

The forest was immediately in chaos, with screams and roars echoing. Soon, the sounds gradually died down. A moment later, Little Snow and the others emerged unscathed, while the 50 spiked beasts were now 50 corpses.

Including the 18 Dark Assassins, these 100 monsters brought me a lot of experience. But the satisfaction of a tactical victory, controlling the battlefield, was even more intoxicating. Of course, I didn't forget to collect the loot from the forest—dozens of gold coins and over ten light potions. Although there was no equipment, this was a decent haul.

After this battle, I paid more attention to tactics, trying to minimize the cost in each fight, even if it took more time. I have plenty of time, and my leveling speed is much faster than others. Sometimes I even consider slowing down.

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End of Chapter 91