Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 13: Hunting with siblings.

HOOT~ HOOT~

After allying all of the little owls, which took quite a while because they would often accidentally press decline, we are now following owl mom to hunt. Hunting in a larger party is always safer and sometimes more efficient, even if you get less experience, that's what Chloe said.

HOOT~ HOOT~

Though... I have no idea why they've been singing this weird song since earlier. Both the mother and the kids trotting behind her. There seems to be a certain rhythm to the song, but the main thing is that it is affecting my hearing. Sure, if I try to focus, I can still make out the small sounds in the distance...

[Skill proficiency achieved a certain level]

[Skill: Enhanced Hearing Lv.1 has become Lv.2]

''...''

Don't tell me this is on purpose...?

''Hoot~ Hoot~''

Stop mimicking them, Ariel. It'll affect your brain.

auf auf

Not you too, Smiley...

Aside from that, I wonder what we will be hunting soon. I tried to ask mom, but she just told me to follow her. Well, worst case, I'll just teleport back to the cave.

Listening to that rhythm for an extended period of time was quite grating, but now it's over.

In front of us stands an old-looking stone building overgrown with vines and small plants, for the size... I think it could fit two or three owl moms. The front door is unusually large as well. The style though, I can't really decipher if it's closer to modern buildings or ancient buildings. 

''Interesting...'' Skely stares intently at the vague patterns left on the wall of the building. ''So there was something intelligent enough to build this here.''

''Never seen these patterns before?'' I ask.

''The Zircon forest was basically not explored by anyone due to the sheer dangerousness of it. The people who braved in, they never came out.'' He grazes his palm gently across the vines.

''Can't you just teleport in and out?''

''Not everybody has access to it, Lady Aurora.'' He turns to me. ''In my era, there were only four known people with the skill, including me.''

''The compatibleness of skills, huh...''

HOOT HOOT

''Ah, alright, we'll follow you right away.''

So we return to behind owl mom again, waiting for her next move. She looks around briefly, then peers into the building with her head, blocking the entire large doorway. 

HOOT

She backs away and pushes the little owls in, then stares at us intently, as if urging us to go inside with them.

''Fine, fine.'' I enter the building with my party.

Hm? I wonder why mom is not coming in. Oh, well.

The interior of the building is a mess, to say the least. From the glass pieces lying on the ground, likely from the broken windows, to the remains of what I would assume furniture, to the walls that used to separate rooms being knocked down, and then...

''There are so many eggs...'' Ariel scans the room curiously.

[Zircon Basilisk Lv.1]

[Zircon Basilisk Lv.1]

[Zircon Basilisk Lv.1]

Oh? Are they the same species as the one I met when I was born?

''Maybe she wants us to earn experience from those?'' I look back at owl mom, who is staring at the little owls running around the house.

''Let these little ones do it, Lady Aurora'' Skely interjects, pointing to a rather witty owl, who's already using [Sharp Claw] to poke one of the eggs. ''Clearing out level one opponents won't make any difference for us.''

''That's true.'' I crouch down and stroke Smiley's back. ''Hmm...''

If there are eggs, then there must also be a mother. I'm sure we're not here just to poke some eggs, isn't that right, mom? 

'''' ... ''''

rustle

Bingo. Something is moving through the bushes. Not step by step, but slithering. It looks like mom picked on that as well, judging from how she's preparing herself right now.

Only seconds later, through the broken window, I see a long, greyish figure burst out of the bushes, flying with incredible speed toward mom.

HOOT

Mom immediately raises one of her legs with claws glowing golden to stop the attack. The 'thing' collides head first with her claw, sounding a loud keng, like metal hitting metal. Only then, can I see the true appearance of it. Glassy grey scales, golden slit eyes, and a body as big as a tree trunk. It's my childhood villain - Mister Snake.

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Name: --              

Race: Zircon Basilisk                    Title: --

Level: 33

HP: 136/136                    MP: 116/123

STR: 4.3                     INT: 4.7

AGI: 5.4                    STA: 4.8

Skill: [Sharp Fang Lv.9], [Hard Scale Lv.8],
[Enhanced Vision Lv.7], [Stealth Lv.5], [Bite Lv.5],
[Inspect Lv.4], [Lightning Magic Lv.5].

State: Agitated.

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Okay, so its skills work similar to what I know, and mostly for improving its physical abilities, except for [Lightning Magic].

[Lightning Magic: Enable the user to control lightning magic] [Rare]

I hate whoever made the descriptions for these skills, such nothing burgers.

While I'm busy thinking about that, it seems like the power struggle between mom and the snake has come to an end. Mom decisively kicks the snake away, sending it flying straight into the trees in the distance.

[HP: 130/136]

It barely did any damage to the snake though.

''Ariel, you stay behind.'' Skely speaks up. ''Your skills won't be able to do anything to it.''

''Smiley, you too.'' I tell my puppy.

''Understood.''

auf

In most cases, having a level significantly higher than your opponent would help you negate their skills, especially debuff skills, that's what Skely told me.

Looking out the window again, the snake seems to have recovered and is now eyeing mom angrily. Mom, on the other hand, is hovering calmly over her opponent, occasionally firing wind blades from her claws at the snake, which are pretty much dodged. It seems like we have to come up with something to help mom while she's playing with the snake, if we want the experience, that is.

''Any tactics?'' I ask Skely.

''Let me think for a moment...''

Hmm... Is there anything we can use against that one... I'd imagine its scales are extremely tough to pierce, judging from its [Hard Scale], so I have to somehow expose its flesh. But if I go out there like this, I'll get 'one-shotted' right away.

Right, the gauntlet. If I could extend the range of my claws however I wanted according to the amount of mana I used, shouldn't I be able to extend them all the way through the scale and into the flesh itself? Or would my claws bounce back?

''Lady Aurora, let's go up the roof. I want to snipe its eyes safely on there.'' Skely extends his arm to me. 

''Good plan.'' I grab his palm.

I still can't get used to this bone texture though.

Now on the rooftop, I can see the battlefield more clearly. The snake seems quite frustrated. It tries to jab at mom multiple times to bite her down, but mom can fly, so there's not much competition there. 

BOOM

''Oh.''

From the snake's mouth, a sudden bolt of lightning shot toward Mother, accompanied by an almost deafening noise. Mom fortunately escaped that, having only a light burn on her wing.

''O Holy Light, grant me the power to purify evil.'' Skely points at the snake's head and chants.

A golden chain bursts out of his back and wiggles its way toward its enemy, much like a snake. Once again, with Skely's phenomenal aim, the pointed tip of the chain stabs the unexpected snake right through its left eye, red blood spurting as the snake writhes violently, its body whipping the poor trees repeatedly. The chain disappears right after that.

HOOT

Not missing this chance, mom immediately jumps at the snake and slashes at its body with her claw, causing it to become even more agitated.

[HP:92/136]

Good, keep going-

'''' !!! ''''

In its little meltdown, the snake somehow spots us all the way up here and starts to rush toward us.

''Lady Aurora!'' Skely extends his arm again.

''You run first. I have something I want to try.'' I reply.

Skely looks alternatively between me and the approaching snake before nodding slightly and blinking away.

I activate the gauntlet ability on [Sharp Claw], setting it to ten meters, and patiently wait for the snake to come. Just as it's about to devour me with its gaping mouth, I blink nine meters to the side and raise my arm, aligning it so that the tip of my claw blade would cut through its interior if it continued on that path.

"Oh, it's working."

HISS

The foolish snake lets out a piercing shriek as I feel my blade run fairly smoothly through its flesh, but from the outside, it doesn't seem to hurt at all. I guess this is what you would call 'internal injury'.

[HP:86/136]

[HP:79/136]

[HP:70/136]

[HP:62/136]

Heheheheh... I can practically hear my experience going up... The system doesn't have any sound though.

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