257. I, Allen, Declare You the Strongest!
"Shhh~"
By the time the knight came back to his senses, he could already hear the sound of flesh being pierced and the heart-wrenching screams of the monsters behind him. The knight was about to turn around when the coachman of the duke's carriage suddenly leaned out, waved his right hand vigorously, and shouted: "Keep moving forward!"
Before the words even finished, another deathly spear shot forth from the carriage. But this time, the pair of cold, cat-like eyes that once struck fear now gave a reassuring sense of dependence, like leaning on a mountain.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
--------------------------
One icy blue spear after another.
After reaching the pinnacle of mastery, the Ice Spear Spell had changed, not just in size. The elemental structure of the spears seemed to undergo a qualitative transformation, becoming sturdier and more flexible.
In less than three minutes, thirteen ice spears had been embedded in the grass on both sides of the narrow path, and none had shattered.
Each one pinned down a ghoul beneath it.
Most of them were already lifeless, and only a few were still struggling and howling in pain.
Those few were lucky enough to escape the Witcher's "Monster Hunt" and got hit by spears he had aimed manually. However, their movements were gradually weakening.
"Roar~"
"Roar~"
The remaining dozen or so ghouls seemed to notice their companions falling rapidly, and after a few loud roars, they began to change their running path. They started using small patches of trees as cover before they even got close.
"Clever beasts…" the Witcher muttered from atop the carriage. "But it won't help…"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Two more ghouls were pinned to the ground.
As long as they were within the range of the Monster Hunt, coupled with the telepathically controlled Ice Spear Spell, Allen could hit his mark with deadly precision every time. The trouble these ghouls brought him was nothing more than a few extra doses of 'Drowner' heart essence to restore his stamina from using the Monster Hunt. And, of course, he could no longer practice shooting moving targets. Thus, three more ghouls were pierced.
"Roar~"
Facing the very real threat of death, the remaining ghouls at the rear finally began to slow down out of fear, quickly increasing the distance between them and the speeding convoy.
The Monster Hunt had no range limit, but for it to work, it required Allen to penetrate the magical aura surrounding the monsters. And from the moment of penetration to the guaranteed hit, both the intensity of mental power and time were necessary.
So, as the distance increased—especially when it kept growing—the mental power would quickly weaken, soon no longer ensuring a perfect hit. Thus, the Witcher ceased his chanting.
Now, only about ten ghouls were left.
But behind the ghoul pack, there was still a massive creature that Allen had never faced before. It hid far off in the trees on both sides, cautiously directing the ghouls from a safe distance, occasionally revealing a shadow beneath the cover of the trees.
If it weren't for the unique, heavy "thud, thud" sound that Allen's acute hearing picked up, he might not have even noticed the creature. So, ever since he had climbed onto the roof of the carriage, Allen had been assessing this creature's strength and thinking about how to deal with such a cunning monster.
Just then—
"Thud, thud, thud~"
The ground suddenly groaned and trembled. The Witcher looked toward the source of the tremor...
"Roar——"
A terrifying roar echoed.
The remaining ghouls, who had been retreating, suddenly seemed to go berserk. They leapt forward, closing the gap with the knights at the rear of the convoy much faster than before.
Not only that, but the creature hiding in the shadows, seemingly enraged by the heavy casualties of its underlings, let out a long, violent howl, revealing its form.
Allen was momentarily stunned when he saw the creature's true body. It had a similar four-legged structure to the ghouls, and its front and back legs alternated quickly, leaving afterimages as it charged toward the convoy.
Its face, strangely similar to a human's, was covered with sharp black spikes that extended along its spine to its back.
These sharp, jagged spikes were terrifying and ferocious, enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.
"Is that... a Alghouls?"
Allen's mouth dropped open in surprise. It wasn't that he didn't recognize the creature, nor that it was his first time seeing one… but rather…
This thing was 'massive'!
"Thud, thud, thud~"
The trembling of the ground grew more violent. Crouching on the carriage roof, Allen suddenly felt as if he had been transported back to the lake during his trial in the mountains. Back then, when the Cyclops charged at him, the ground trembled just like this.
And this Alghouls was no smaller than that old beast.
"Unbelievable..." Allen thought.
In the game, even though the word "gigantic" was in the name, the Alghouls wasn't actually that big—it was only slightly larger and heavier than a normal ghoul.
But in real life, it was truly gigantic!
This creature's size easily classified it as a large monster.
No wonder there had been no ghouls in the other areas. Where a Alghouls resides, ordinary ghouls will instinctively gather, as if it were the king of the ghouls.
"Roar——"
"Roar!"
"Roar~"
The ordinary ghouls began to howl in response to the Alghouls's relentless approach. With the magical aura of the approaching monster, the knights' horses began to panic, becoming harder to control.
After using the Ice Spear Spell to kill two more ghouls, Allen saw that even the well-trained knights were starting to be affected by the Alghouls's aura, succumbing to fear. And when the seven remaining ghouls almost simultaneously lunged at the convoy, Allen knew he couldn't play the role of a mage any longer.
"Clang~"
The silver sword was drawn.
In the next second, Allen's gaze swept over the remaining ghouls and the gigantic monster now less than fifty meters from the convoy.
He jumped lightly.
Like an experienced wildcat, in one smooth motion, he stepped onto the shoulders of a knight, leaving the group dumbstruck. Before the knight beneath him could even react, Allen leapt again, landing steadily on the rump of the last horse in the convoy. By this point, the seven ghouls were less than three meters away from the horse's fluttering tail.
Allen's sharp eyesight could even catch the murky saliva dripping from the ghouls' mouths, forming long strings as it splattered onto the grass below.
"Roar——"
All seven ghouls roared in unison, leaping two meters into the air like hungry tigers, aiming to devour the Witcher who had ambushed them. But Allen's gaze remained fixed on the Alghouls.
In a split second, he kicked off the horse's rear, spinning mid-air.
In the blink of an eye, a faint red light flashed, forming a perfect arc. The necks of all seven ghouls followed the beautiful trajectory of that arc.
Splat!
All the ghouls were decapitated at the same time. Their mud-stained claws continued to flail, unaware of their own deaths. Their ugly heads were already propelled into the air by the pressure of their own blood.
Body and head separated.
Thud
The Witcher landed, and with a slight bend of his legs, he absorbed the momentum.
In the next second.
The ghouls' bodies hit the ground with a series of thuds. Blood rained down, turning the pale-yellow soil into a dark red, yet not a single drop fell on the Witcher. It was as if the blood itself was afraid.
--------------------------
"By the goddess Melitele, how did he jump from the carriage onto Angur's shoulders?"
"Is that really the issue? Can someone tell me, are all Witchers this terrifying? This kid doesn't even look older than my son, and at his age, my boy is still chasing after women's skirts..."
"By the beard of a dwarf, do you have a death wish? Keep your voice down!"
"It's fine. Witchers from the School of the Wolf are heroes more upright and noble than knights. They won't care about such trivial matters..."
After the Witcher slaughtered a few ghouls.
The knights, mounted on their horses, disregarded their strict military discipline and noble etiquette, constantly looking back with awkward postures.
The voices of chatter and discussion filled the air.
Until a middle-aged knight wearing a golden lily badge on his chest appeared.
Holding a dark red potion, he rode back into the formation from the stable hand and scolded angrily: "A child who hasn't even reached the age of baptism is protecting us, men old enough to be his father, are standing like spectators..."
"And you still have the nerve to joke?"
"Knights, where is your sense of shame?"
"Do you realize that our lord is currently being protected by a child!!!"
The knights, who had been joking and laughing in relief, instantly fell silent, leaving only the sound of hooves hitting the ground echoing in their ears.
This silence only made their embarrassing retreat all the more awkward.
No one used the excuse that the boy was a Witcher, and that behind him were bloodthirsty, frenzied monsters instead of armored rebels. Even though he was a Witcher, they shouldn't be weaker than a child. Although that child did indeed seem extraordinary.
"Remember the shame of today well."
"And then..."
The middle-aged knight with the golden lily badge swept his eyes solemnly over the knights, then looked worriedly at the slender figure facing the enormous monster ahead, saying: "Pray to Kreve for our little hero, that he may remain undefeated in battle!"
------------------------
Allen was naturally undefeated, or else he would've been dead long ago.
Facing the Alghouls, he never once thought he would lose. After all, no matter how strong a monster is, as long as it's facing him alone, and can't instantly kill him while he's protected by a Quen sign...
Then Monster Hunt would teach the monster how to be a quiet and harmless creature. So, as the Alghouls charged at him with the momentum of a mountain avalanche.
Not only did Allen not feel afraid, but he was actually thrilled. Especially when he saw...
[Name: Alghouls]
[Level: 57]
[Attributes: Strength? Agility 39, Constitution? Perception 33, Mystery 21]
The level was about ten levels higher than him, which meant that when rewards were calculated, the evaluation for this challenge would be maxed out. But the overall stats matched the power scale of the Witcher world, aligning with Allen's strength.
Before entering the cold, indifferent state of Monster Hunt, he even started to look forward to what kind of golden-quality formula might drop from the Alghouls's chest near the altar of the goddess Melitele.
But unexpectedly...
When the Alghouls saw Allen efficiently kill its seven underlings within twenty meters of him...
It immediately stopped in its tracks.
In the warm spring sunlight, with birds chirping and flowers blooming.
A monster that devoured people, and a Witcher who hunted monsters, stood staring at each other on this narrow path for a full two seconds.
Then, under Allen's astonished gaze, the Alghouls, towering like a small mountain in comparison to the Witcher, decisively turned around and sprinted towards the dark, dense forest beside the path.
This sight left Allen completely dumbfounded.
He stood there, stunned for three seconds, before realizing that the monster was trying to escape.
His treasure chest and formula were running away!!!
Thud, thud, thud~
The ground's tremors became fainter and fainter as the Alghouls quickly fled the scene.
"Damn!"
"This Alghouls is really sly!"
Allen spat, immediately sprinting after the fleeing Alghouls.
This was the first time he had encountered a monster that, instead of salivating at the sight of him, fled in a panic.
What a novel experience!
Though Allen would rather not have it.
Agility didn't necessarily dictate running speed.
Though the Alghouls's agility was three points lower than Allen's, its longer stride made up for it.
One step from the Alghouls was equivalent to four steps from the Witcher. Plus, Allen had hesitated for three seconds due to the monster's strange behavior, giving it a head start.
As a result, catching up was a challenge.
Once they entered the forest, the unfamiliar terrain almost allowed the Witcher to lose the chase entirely.
If not for the thought that Monster Hunt would provide the best path to kill the monster upon completion. And that he could use the Ice Spike spell to attack the creature.
Plus, while the Alghouls had a tough exterior, it wasn't like a Drowner King or Swamp Elder who could shield itself with magic. So, his Monster Hunt progress was building up nicely.
Without any one of these factors, the Alghouls might have truly escaped.
But, unfortunately...
After nearly half an hour of pursuit, the Witcher, though slightly out of breath, stood firmly on the longest black spine of the Alghouls's back.
"Roar——"
The Alghouls let out a fear-filled roar.
A rancid stench, like rotting meat mixed with foul water, assaulted him. But the Witcher remained expressionless. The glint of silver rapidly enlarged in the monster's enormous pupils.
Slash!
Head and body separated.
Its massive black claws still tried to grab Allen, but after waving a few times in the air, they crashed heavily to the ground.
Dust filled the air.
[Ding!]
[Monster group "Alghouls" Lv57 vanquished!]
[Reward settlement: Overcome the enemy, base rating D, Over-leveled kill +3—C, Decapitation intimidation +3—B, Outnumbered victory +3—A]
[Final rating: A]
[Loot obtained: Alghouls's Heart Essence, Ghoul's Heart Essence33, XP Orb12, Alghouls's Treasure Chest5, Ghoul's Treasure Chest5]
[Ding! Monster Encyclopedia "Alghouls" activated]
[Ding! Hunting Quest: Alghouls I (Kill Alghoulss 0/20) activated, accept?]
"Hu——huff——hu——huff——"
Accepting the quest casually, Allen leaned against the corpse of the Alghouls, panting heavily for a while before catching his breath.
He glanced happily at the evaluation and rewards.
With a complex expression, he looked at the now peacefully lying monster and sighed: "Though it wasn't dangerous at all from start to finish..."
"You're definitely the trickiest monster I've ever faced!"
....
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258. We are family, aren't we?
259. The Unavoidable Soft Rice.
260. The Fearsome Good Luck.
261. Melitele Again?
262. Did Yennefer Start Hating Me?