Absolute Destiny Game
Chapter 90 - 86 The Wandering Horse Bandit

Chapter 90: Chapter 86 The Wandering Horse Bandit

"Damn, this ghostly thing is really fast!"

In the forest, Xiao Jie and I Want to Be Immortal were chasing the pick-up little monster in a frenzy, one after the other, but still, they were getting farther and farther from it.

Especially I Want to Be Immortal, with only 10 points in Agility, even after taking off the Armored Great Axe, he still couldn’t keep up with the speed.

Xiao Jie was also being left further and further behind.

Xiao Jie felt that this was not good—if they continued like this, they would let it get away. He simply shot an arrow, but the distance was too far, and the pick-up little monster, agile as it was, easily dodged the arrow and even had spare time to turn back and make a face at them.

"Release the dogs! Rou Qiu, go get it!"

"Right, send out Xunlei! Capture it for me!"

The two hunting dogs immediately charged out; Rou Qiu was just a bit faster than Xiao Jie, while Xunlei shot out like an arrow released from a bow.

This hunting dog was a new purchase by I Want to Be Immortal; its combat power was much weaker than Broken Teeth’s, but it also had its advantages, with an innate Level 3 Sprint.

This time, it finally came in handy.

Seeing Xunlei howling and catching up, the pick-up little monster got a fright and didn’t dare to hold back any more, and with a whoosh, it started to speed up.

In the blink of an eye, the demon and the dog vanished from their sight.

Xiao Jie felt a bit uneasy; they had run too far now, way beyond the parts of the map they had explored before, and they didn’t know what kind of monsters lay ahead. This feeling of losing control was really not good, but with the arrow already on the string, he couldn’t afford any hesitation.

He could only run at full speed, trying to catch up as much as possible.

The problem shouldn’t be big, Xiao Jie reassured himself.

So far, most of the monsters encountered in this game weren’t faster than the players, with the main trouble being wild dogs and Corpse-eating Dogs. But with their current strength, even if they encountered a pack of dogs, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

If they did encounter a strong enemy, the dogs could draw aggro, giving both of them enough time and distance to choose whether to fight or flee.

Besides, this game was full of uncertainties, and it was better to face them than to be like Wang Kai, cowering in the village and never coming out.

As they continued running, the two suddenly burst out of the forest and into an open expanse; a wide wilderness unfolded before them, a straight road leading northwards towards a mountain valley pass in the distance.

In this wilderness, one could faintly discern a few figures on horseback patrolling back and forth.

Not far from the forest was a knight, patrolling leisurely.

A wandering horse bandit, Level 10, Life Value 420.

"Feng, it’s a horse bandit!" I Want to Be Immortal suddenly shouted out loud.

Xiao Jie’s eyes also tightened; this horse bandit had been mentioned in the strategy guide written by I Want to Be Immortal’s brother—

Wandering horse bandit: An enhanced version of mountain bandits, they generally appear on horseback, extremely mobile, thus very dangerous. Once discovered, it’s difficult to escape, so it’s best not to provoke them in the early stages, and if encountered, hide as fast as possible—the best outcome is not being noticed at all...

And at this moment, the pick-up little monster was leading Xunlei straight towards the horse bandit.

"Quick, call the dog back."

"I can’t call it back!"

In this game, pets do not have such precise control mechanisms; the player can only give commands, and how well they are performed depends entirely on the pet’s AI.

Now, the distance being too great, Xunlei simply couldn’t hear the command, only remembering the last one issued, and pursued relentlessly.

As they watched the pick-up little monster dash under the horse’s belly without attracting the horse bandit’s attention, Xunlei, when it dashed past, was instead met with the bandit’s broadsword.

The broadsword swung, the horse’s hooves trampled, and Xunlei let out a pitiful whine before falling dead in the northwest.

Rou Qiu saw this, shrank its neck, and quickly stopped its charge, hiding behind Xiao Jie.

Xiao Jie and I Want to Be Immortal also stopped; I Want to Be Immortal was so upset he was almost in tears—damn, my newly bought dog! It had only been with me for less than two days.

But before he could start mourning, the horse bandit was already charging towards them.

The pet triggering a battle meant the owners also entered the battle.

"Damn it, coming right on time. Watch me chop you down for revenge for my dog," I Want to Be Immortal said, quickly putting on his Armored Great Axe, readying himself to take it head-on. He was very confident in his current strength. Even if he wasn’t Level 10, he was only two levels higher than a zombie. It wasn’t a boss, so let’s see how I take you out.

Xiao Jie also drew his sword, charging up and standing shoulder to shoulder with I Want to Be Immortal, ready for combat. It was just a Level 10 little monster, not a boss. What was there to fear in a 2 against 1 fight?

Just as the horse bandit was about to reach them, suddenly, with a kick, the rider spurred the horse, which instantly accelerated, charging towards I Want to Be Immortal’s right side. The thick-backed saber in his hand made a circular motion aimed at a lower body slash.

"Not good, dodge!" Xiao Jie yelled. But it was already too late,

I Want to Be Immortal was about to make a move when he was already struck by the saber, with a "thud," -48!

The strike took away a quarter of I Want to Be Immortal’s Blood Volume.

I Want to Be Immortal, ever since donning this iron armor, boasted amazing defensive power, even Ximen Wuhen hadn’t managed to deal such high damage.

"Damn, what high damage."

Xiao Jie was decisive, "The enemy has a speed bonus, we retreat! Fight again once we’re inside the forest."

From the very moment the horse bandits accelerated, Xiao Jie sensed something was wrong.

Horse combat and infantry combat follow entirely different logics; infantry combat is close-range fighting, while horse combat involves repeated charges, with only one chance to attack per charge. That’s why there’s the saying that generals can fight for dozens of rounds in a duel—an actual round is just one clash between the opponents.

The speed of a battle horse during a charge is extremely fast, so even if you don’t swing your weapon, the speed alone can make the weapon deadly. If the rider is one with the horse and attacks with momentum during acceleration, the resulting damage is immense.

Therefore, in some horse combat games, there’s often the concept of a speed damage bonus—the faster you go, the higher the damage bonus.

The most classic example is a Riding Spear Charge. Ride a swift horse, wield a long spear, and at full sprint, you can kill any enemy with a single blow.

"All are equal before a Riding Spear"—Xiao Jie, who had played Mount & Blade, felt this profoundly.

Although not as fierce as a Riding Spear Charge, cavalry charges too can deal two to three times the damage.

It seemed this game also had the concept of a speed damage bonus, otherwise that attack could not have dealt such high damage.

With their speed advantage, the cavalry could attack whenever they wished, leaving the infantry helpless.

The best way to win was to retreat into the forest—without their speed, there was nothing to fear.

However, the horse bandit seemed to have guessed their intent and quickly circled around, blocking the way between the two and the forest.

Then, they turned their horses and charged again.

"Ditch the armor, get ready to roll!"

Confronting cavalry head-on is an utterly irrational act, but although horses are quick, they have a weakness: difficulty turning.

If you could roll to avoid a head-on attack and counter with bow and arrow when they turned around, that would settle it.

I Want to Be Immortal was obedient and instantly shed his armor. As the battle horse charged in close, he suddenly rolled, evading the slice that whooshed through empty air.

Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Jie fired two arrows in quick succession, hitting the large target with ease.

-11!

-12!

Before he could fire a third arrow, the horse bandit changed direction and charged at him again.

Roll!

Xiao Jie’s roll was even more artful, completely nullifying the bandit’s strike into thin air, while I Want to Be Immortal had switched to bow and arrow to begin firing.

After a flurry of shots from both, the horse bandit’s blood volume dropped by a third.

"Keep at it, we’ll kite it to death."

After being hit by several arrows, the horse bandit suddenly roared and charged straight at them, riding headlong.

Xiao Jie repeated his trick, rolling away fiercely, but the bandit pulled back his reins, astonishingly bringing his horse to a halt, standing on its hind legs and slamming its forelegs into the ground with a thunderous stomp.

War Trample!

"Crap," Xiao Jie cursed, quickly responding with a Ground Roll, rolling a second time to escape the horse’s hooves just in time.

He was about to use a Rolling Blade Slash to scrape some damage.

Bang! The moment the horse’s hooves hit the ground, a shock wave flung him out.

This War Trample move even had a small area splash effect.

Although somewhat disheveled, Xiao Jie was relieved. The splashing damage from the trample wasn’t great—just a few points of damage. As long as he didn’t get directly trampled, there was no big problem.

Plus, the enemy had come to a stop, forfeiting their speed advantage in the charge, becoming an easy target for the pair.

After getting to his feet, Xiao Jie went in aggressively, landing a One Cut, Two Pieces on the horse’s face.

-56!

The horse bandit retaliated immediately with a slice of his own, -18!

Horseback attacks incurred damage penalties. In such close quarters without the speed advantage, the bandit was at a clear disadvantage, dealing even less damage than the mountain bandits.

Meanwhile, I Want to Be Immortal fired two more arrows, and in the blink of an eye, the horse bandit’s blood volume had dropped by half.

Just as Xiao Jie was about to press the attack, the horse bandit suddenly let out a furious roar, kicked his horse, and fled into the distance.

"Damn, don’t run!" I Want to Be Immortal cursed out loud. They had almost finished him off, and now he was running? His revenge for his dog was yet incomplete.

"Come back you bastard, keep fighting if you dare!"

But incredibly, the bandit really did stop, took out a horn from his bosom, and sounded it vigorously—woo woo woo!

Amid the lingering horn sound, two roaming horse bandits galloped in from the distant wilderness, racing side by side, one wielding a long spear and the other two brandishing sabers. With a shout, they all charged toward the duo.

Xiao Jie yelled in alarm, "Crap, run for it, into the forest!"