Against Tigers

Chapter 48

Ray continued to harvest bamboo, sniffing the scent like a drug addict due to his fondness for the pleasant smell of tea leaves. Unbeknownst to him, a cluster of flaming eyes closed in on him silently and stealthily, without making the slightest sound. Gradually, the flaming eyes approached until they were very close to Ray, but he remained completely oblivious due to their silent approach.

Once they were in the right position, the group with flaming amber eyes began to adjust their positions with great precision. Without much delay, Ray found himself unknowingly surrounded. The group of yellow-eyed creatures crouched down and prepared to pounce, maintaining their positions like statues.

Meanwhile, Ray, still unaware of the imminent danger, continued to struggle with the bamboo around him. Thirty minutes passed, and the figures with glowing yellow eyes remained frozen in their positions. Finally, the figure with cold eyes began to move his eyes, signaling the others to gather momentum before launching their attack.

Shhh! Suddenly, Ray's nose began to expand and deflate unnaturally as if he had detected something unpleasant. Bang! A dull crashing sound echoed through the air. With that, the group of lunging figures could finally be faintly seen under the moonlight.

Shhhh! Ray, who had already activated his talent, shuddered in horror as he looked down. It turned out that his peculiar behavior of continuously activating his [Rank D Dog Nose] talent to indulge in the scent of tea leaves had inadvertently saved his life. He had no idea that a monster was approaching, and even with his slight vigilance, Ray remained completely oblivious. It wasn't until his nose picked up the scent of an unfamiliar animal that Ray sensed something was wrong. Although he couldn't identify the specific animal smell, it was clear that the scent was distinct and intense, indicating the presence of multiple figures.

Now it was proven that a herd of tigers had come seeking revenge, and Ray, who survived the encounter, could only feel grateful. "It's a good thing I was so greedy for tea leaves, otherwise I might have died. Even if I had survived, I might have been disabled," Ray thought, still horrified. For the first time, Ray realized that there was a form of greed that could end well. Taking another look at the scene, Ray could only shake his head bitterly as he saw the consequences of his negligence in yesterday's battle.

It was clear that these monsters were the tigers from yesterday's battle. Without further delay, Ray began to fight the three groups of black and orange patterned tigers. His movements were now natural, and he could hold his ground against all three tigers without activating any of his talent abilities. Ray maintained this practice out of fear that something urgent might arise, leaving him unable to act.

With only one talent ability corridor remaining, Ray saw no need to waste it at the moment. He fought back and forth, managing to hold his own against the three tigers, although the fights were close and intense. It took Ray a long time to subdue the tigers, as the two active talent corridors had entered a cooling period. Nonetheless, Ray felt a sense of satisfaction because he now had the upper hand.

During the battle, Ray couldn't help but think of thanking Hou Yunfei for his contribution. However, these thoughts caused him to lose a bit of focus on the fight. Despite Ray still successfully suppressing the three tigers, the distant eyes that flashed with coldness finally found an opportunity to attack.

"Roar!"

Ray, whose mind was drifting, was suddenly startled. Due to his negligence, two large claws slapped his body hard, causing him to feel a sharp pain. Ray quickly dashed backward in an attempt to make amends.

"Gr... Roar!"

As expected, after Ray moved away, a jaw suddenly opened, chewing the air where his body had been just moments ago. Off balance, Ray fell into a sitting position. As he saw the enormous jaws closing in front of him, he felt a numbness in his scalp.

"Damn, it's so terrifying!"

Ray's body trembled, and cold sweat covered his entire body. The tiger that missed its attack glanced at Ray meaningfully. Ray remained frozen with fear, unable to move. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, the three tigers he had fought earlier had surrounded him from behind.

The tigers were cautious and calculating, despite their opponent, Ray, sitting helplessly on the ground. Once they were ready, the largest tiger was instructed to attack Ray together. The tigers leaped higher than before, intending to chase Ray and prevent his escape.

Completely oblivious to their intentions, Ray remained in shock, unable to move his legs. As the group of tigers closed in, there was no sign of any prey making a move. The tiger leader assumed that Ray, like their past prey, was desperate and awaiting slaughter. With that, the tigers hastened their advance.

Kaboom!

The crashing sound was louder this time. However, instead of the expected bloody scene, four tigers pressed down on a peculiar orb of light with a rainbow color.

"Hhhhh, this talent is still very useful! I love you, magic clam, so much!" Ray exclaimed happily in his heart.

Having calmed down a bit, Ray didn't want to waste this opportunity. He began grabbing each tiger's neck with his Dragon Claw technique.

Splat!

Splat!

Splat!

The three tigers met a tragic end under Ray's clawed grip.

Sp--

As Ray was about to continue scratching the neck of the largest tiger, the creature quickly jumped and dodged with a backflip. Ray watched, somewhat impressed.

"How can such a massive creature jump with such agility?" Ray wondered, feeling a bit confused. He had just realized that the tiger was no smaller than the bear he had fought previously. In normal circumstances, a tiger in a place like this would be a rare Rank 1 monster.

"Grr...."

Bang!

Ray, still lost in his thoughts, suddenly felt a powerful impact. The tiger didn't allow Ray any rest. After landing steadily on the ground, it attacked Ray's body with its huge claws. Fortunately, the transparent rainbow-colored protective barrier firmly shielded Ray, preventing him from being badly injured.

Unable to burst the protective barrier, the frustrated tiger relentlessly pummeled Ray.

Bang!

Bang!

Kaboom!

Despite its efforts, the bubble remained solid, and Ray inside remained untouched. Ray, feeling as if he were conducting a stress test, couldn't help but feel delighted.

"It seems these clams are something!"

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of dull impacts echoed frequently. Ray, unaware that his talent was entering a cooldown period, reveled in his success. The irritated tiger circled Ray like a cat that had found a new toy.

Ray was about to mock his opponent when, to his surprise, the rainbow bubble that had protected him for so long suddenly vanished into nothingness. Ray's proud expression quickly transformed into one of terrified shock. The tiger, observing this, slightly pulled back its lip, revealing both sides of its fangs as if it were smiling. Its smile deepened as the yellow pupils of its eyes narrowed.

The sight that appeared before Ray's eyes made his heart pound with fear. It was clear that Ray was in trouble now!