NOVEL NEXT Chapter 313: Chapter 313: One Arrow, Two Hilichurls
"I encountered it in the Starglow Cavern. Razor and I had just found an Exquisite treasure chest and were about to take it when it suddenly attacked us. Talk about bad luck!" Bennett said, looking defeated.
"Yes, that's right," Razor echoed slowly.
"Ah, well, great adventurers always face challenges on the road to greatness. This means you're one step closer to your ultimate goal—yes, exactly like that!" Nolan offered encouragingly.
His words did the trick; Bennett, easily moved by such talk, felt his spirits lift. Before long, his gloom was replaced with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and determination!
Unfortunately, they didn't learn much from Bennett and Razor—the Cryo Hypostasis appeared in both areas without any clear pattern.
With no choice but to search the mountain themselves, Nolan and his party prepared to set out, planning to start with Wyrmrest Valley and then move on to Starglow Cavern. At least now, they had specific locations to focus on, saving them from blindly wandering about.
The trio began their journey toward the snow mountain entrance.
As they approached, they noticed a noisy crowd gathered ahead, seemingly debating something.
"Huh, what's going on up there?" Amber asked, hands on her hips, while Eula crossed her arms, equally puzzled.
"No idea. Let's go find out," Nolan suggested.
As they moved closer, they caught snippets of the conversation. At the entrance to Dragonspine, in the Snow-Covered Path region, a group of Hilichurls had set up a blockade, harassing adventurers attempting to enter or leave the mountain.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't pose much trouble; the gathered adventurers could easily drive away a few Hilichurls. Unfortunately, among the group was a fearsome Frostarm Lawachurl leading the blockade.
This had turned the situation into a standoff, with adventurers inside the mountain unable to leave and those outside unable to enter.
The only way around the blockade was to take a treacherous route over thickly snow-covered mountain paths, which would be hazardous even for seasoned adventurers—best avoided if at all possible.
"Oh, it seems if we want to enter the mountain, we'll need to deal with those Hilichurls first," Nolan remarked with a smile, sensing an opportunity for Adventure EXP right at his doorstep. He doubted any ordinary monsters could pose a threat to him—unless that Frostarm Lawachurl was not only close to his level but also a leader-grade one.
"This falls under the duties of the Knights of Favonius as well," Eula added with a nod, her pale chin lifted. As the captain of the Reconnaissance Company, she was long accustomed to dealing with monsters.
The trio slipped past the adventurers without drawing attention and quietly made their way down the path toward the mountain.
Perhaps because of the blockade ahead, they encountered no other adventurers on the way. However, they did spot a few concealed operatives from the Adventurers' Guild.
This wasn't surprising; the Guild's scouts were always out gathering information, and with the road blocked by monsters, they would naturally keep a close watch on the situation.
Little Amy's job wasn't too different from the other scouts, but thanks to Oz, it was far easier for her than most.
A light layer of snow covered the road. The two girls' knee-high boots sank just past the heel as they walked.
After a few dozen steps, they spotted a group of Hilichurls lingering lazily near the path ahead.
Maybe it was the mountain environment, but these Hilichurls looked different from the usual ones.
The difference was most obvious in their weapons. For instance, the regular club-wielding Hilichurls held wooden sticks covered with ice, making them look far more dangerous. The archers, too, were using arrows imbued with Cryo elements, and the Hilichurl Berserkers carried shields that seemed to be crafted from ice and snow—a perfect target for Pyro attacks.
But the most striking figure was the Frostarm Lawachurl, a giant, snow-white creature that looked like a colossal snow monster. Its imposing aura was no less intimidating than that of the Geo Lawachurl they'd faced before.
Nolan's eyes shifted to a golden hue as he assessed the creature's strength. Charging in without a plan could be disastrous. If it was stronger than he anticipated, things could get ugly fast—potentially ending in a complete defeat and a "restart."
[Level: 69]
In moments, he gauged the Frostarm Lawachurl's strength—it was indeed formidable. No wonder the adventurers outside, even those with Visions, were hesitant to take it on.
Without Nolan's team, the forward camp at Dragonspine would have no one able to confront it directly.
Amber, currently at level 40, could handle the level 20-30 Hilichurls with ease, especially in this snowy terrain where her Pyro skills had an edge. All the Cryo elements on these creatures made it simple to trigger Melt reactions.
The more robust Hilichurl Berserkers could be left to Eula. With levels capped around 50, they wouldn't be able to hold their ground against her raw power, even without elemental reactions.
As for Nolan, he would naturally face the Frostarm Lawachurl. After all, the biggest bounty in Adventure EXP was on it.
Amber and Eula agreed with his plan. It was, after all, just clearing out monsters, so they opted for whatever method was most efficient.
"Amber, you can start by using Pyro arrows to take out the two Hilichurl Shamans near that tree, then throw Baron Bunny to distract them. Eula and I will charge in from the sides," Nolan said, positioning himself and the girls behind a rock to conceal their approach.
There was no need for an honorable fight against monsters; sneaking up on them was fair game.
"Got it! Just leave it to me!" Amber grinned, patting her chest with confidence.
In the next second, she drew a Favonius Warbow from her Vision. Her gloved fingers pulled the bowstring back, aiming at the Hilichurls over a hundred meters away.
The arrowhead glowed with fiery red Pyro energy, tiny flames swirling like fiery serpents around it.
At the perfect moment, Amber let the arrow fly with a soft whizz, sending it streaking through the snowy sky like a red comet.
Surprisingly, mid-flight, Amber's arrow suddenly split into two!
"Heh, Lisa told me that's an ability I gained after unlocking a Constellation point. I call it 'One Arrow, Two Hilichurls!'" Amber said, her pale face lighting up with a smile.
It wasn't just a double-arrow attack, though. Without draining her own energy, she could harness ambient elemental power to create two hits with no loss in damage. As she grew stronger, she'd be able to split her arrows into three, four, or even more—a truly powerful innate ability!
(End of Chapter)
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