I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 261 - 261 260.Forest Ranger_1

Chapter 261: 260.Forest Ranger_1 Chapter 261: 260.Forest Ranger_1 Lu Ban didn’t have much time to think about the mission content. With one hand, he raised the crossbow, while the other materialized “Testament.”

Boom—

Before Lu Ban could pull the trigger, the grey wolf collided with an invisible, transparent barrier.

Boom boom boom—

Lu Ban saw several similar monsters all crashing into this barricade, trying to break through, yet unable to take a step forward.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

The next instant, the crossbow arrows were fired.

The sparse but deadly arrows pierced the bodies of these monsters, in their eyes, through their fur, black blood fell to the ground, melting the snow and releasing a burst of chilling, foul stench.

Lu Ban noticed that the reason for the sparse crossbow arrows was because the archers were divided into three groups.

The three groups were scattered, with only a third of them shooting at a time, and as one volley was completed, the second group would take over, while those who had just fired began to reload their crossbows.

A classic mid-range weapon tactic.

However, Lu Ban wasn’t too clear which volley he was part of; he saw that after three rounds of coordinated shooting, the monsters were almost beaten back.

Then, he heard movements behind him, and turning his head, he saw several people wearing heavy armor and cloaks.

Lu Ban, who had just thought the outfit looked familiar, remembered that this was Shia’s attire.

They were mages.

The moment he realized this, invisible shockwaves spread from the hands of those mages.

In an instant, the monsters that had yet to fall crumbled from their snouts, their flesh cleaving apart, forming a distinct columnar void, their gruesome bodies slammed against the surrounding tree trunks, dripping blood.

What followed was the cleaning up of the battlefield.

People grouped in threes and finished off any demonic beasts on the ground, thrusting their spears into the bodies, repeating three times until they were completely lifeless.

Lu Ban climbed up from the snow and saw the person beside him brushing the snow off his cloak.

“See, I told you, there’s nothing dangerous,” he said.

He seemed much younger than Lu Ban, possibly only sixteen or seventeen, with a tender face and a hint of youthful naivety, yet the way he held the crossbow was impressively proper.

“Birmingham, come help.”

Another older person called from behind, and the youth followed.

So his name was Birmingham.

Lu Ban had already grown accustomed to the fact that names in Night Country tended towards Western styles with some Eastern influences, likely from remote regions. At least in Gray Tower and Hei Tower, such names and customs seemed more widespread.

Around him, the bodies of the monsters were everywhere, sufficient to block out the sunlight sneaking through the tree gaps, which remained deep and dark, with only some handheld crystals emitting light to illuminate the area.

“After the cleanup, load up the cart, we’re returning to the fortress,” the leading mage commanded.

Horses pulled carts loaded with the bodies of those monsters. Despite their ferocity, it seemed the flesh and blood of the monsters was an important food source. Lu Ban followed Birmingham, listening to him rattle on.

“I’ve said, under normal circumstances hunting isn’t dangerous at all; our tactics are solid, and even if we encounter an ambush, it wouldn’t be a problem,” he said.

He pointed towards the front of the column.

The goods were in the center, then outward were crossbow archers like Lu Ban and Birmingham, and on the outer circle, infantry with spears and light armor. The mages rode among the troops, the commander walked at the forefront, and lightly armed scouts on horseback were dispersed throughout the woods, triple-layering their defense of the surroundings.

“With such an arrangement, even if monsters attacked the outermost scouts, the ones in the middle could still relay the information back, putting the team on a war footing.”

“That’s not to mention the mages using Detection Spells continuously. Lu Ban had seen Shia’s spells, which could ensure the absence of enemies within a hundred meters at the very least. With such a tight intelligence network, it was indeed not easy to be taken by surprise and overwhelmed by an attack.”

“Lu Ban had a casual chat with Birmingham on the road, getting a clear picture of the current situation.”

“They belonged to a military organization known as the Forest Rangers, which was under the Hei Tower, specializing in the defense of the Black Forest, and Lu Ban was part of the patrol unit belonging to Black Fort, the largest stronghold within the Black Forest.”

“The composition of the Forest Rangers was diverse, ranging from high-born but magic-ignorant scions of Mage families from Gray Tower, to the poorest of the poor who could not afford a meal. By joining the Forest Rangers, one could secure the most basic food and clothing. However, they also had to undergo training and stand on the front lines defending the Black Forest.”

“As for the mages, they were the envoys from Gray Tower stationed at the fort, and according to Lu Ban’s observations, their fifty-odd person unit was assigned three mages, though he wasn’t clear whether that was considered many or few.”

“Even within the Forest Rangers themselves, there seemed to be distinctions.”

“The scouts were mounted, mostly well-trained youths who had mastered some unique combat skills.”

“The infantry largely came from impoverished households, armed with spears, axes, war hammers, etc., and wore leather armour that could only protect against scrapes.”

“The crossbowmen originated from the infantry, promoted for good performance, or with prior crossbow training, and were also equipped with short swords. Some had Tracer Arrows that could illuminate an entire area, playing a critical role in the Black Forest where ancient trees obscured the sunlight.”

“The commander wore chainmail, rode a horse, and carried a sword, looking to be in his thirties or forties with sharp eyes.”

“The three mages did not seem old, perhaps only a year or two older than Lu Ban. It was curious that the armour they wore was the heaviest, resembling the knights in tin cans from the medieval period.”

“‘Black Pine Town is up ahead; the folks there are nice, and we’ll be able to rest a bit there,'”

Birmingham spoke cheerfully, continuing to chat about this and that.

“In his eyes, Lu Ban was a new recruit, and Birmingham considered himself Lu Ban’s big brother.”

“‘Don’t worry, with me here, no one can bully you. Just call me brother, and I’ve got your back,'”

Birmingham patted Lu Ban’s shoulder.

“‘Brother,'”

Lu Ban responded, and the younger boy beamed with pride.

“‘Follow me, and you’ll have soup and meat to eat.'”

Birmingham puffed up his chest.

“‘You’re still acting as someone’s big brother? With your height, just be careful not to be taken by a Winter Wolf,'”

someone teased from the side.

“‘Get lost, stop ruining my image in front of my little bro,'”

Birmingham rolled his eyes.

It seemed Lu Ban was his only little brother there.

But it didn’t matter.

Lu Ban felt the cold winter of the Black Forest. This cold was neither the magical attacks of the south nor the physical attacks of the north, but a kind of cold that froze both soul and body, making even thoughts sluggish. It was hard not to think there were Extraordinary Powers at work.”

The gloomy forest looked all the same, and the path was covered by snow. If not for the commander knowing the way, the whole troop might have gotten lost in this monotonous scenery.”

Just when Lu Ban was wondering how much longer they’d have to walk, the dark forest ahead suddenly brightened.”

Before him, a large clearing appeared, and Lu Ban saw that it was a small town.”

*

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