Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1065 - 180

Chapter 1065: 180

"Stupid mice, thank you for seeing me off," Pannis said, hands on his hips and a smug look on his face as he pointed at the dense crowd of giant arrow mice lying on the ground, numbering four to five thousand, shouting with a wild laugh, "Thinking of eating us? You’re far from capable. Maybe come back when you’re ten times more in number, hahaha."

The spot where Pannis stood was no longer within the confines of the forest meadow. It was clear that the closer one got to the edge of the meadow, the shorter the grass and the denser the trees grew. The herbivores of the meadow seemed to have an innate fear of the forest, not daring to step into the dense woods. Alarmed by the fleeing team, some animals scampered in all directions but would immediately turn around upon reaching the area where the trees grew denser, running along the edge of the forest toward the distance.

As the number of trees increased, the types of trees also changed, gradually reverting to the original vegetation characteristics of the other areas of the Forest of Death. In reality, any large forest area isn’t entirely covered by trees; lakes, marshes, meadows, and plains dot the forest like islands, each with its own unique flora and fauna.

The relentless swarm of mice that refused to give up had now stopped, covering the edge of the meadow like a white carpet, tens of thousands of blood-red eyes staring greedily and hatefully at the expedition more than a hundred meters away. Yet, despite the mere hundred meters separating them, the swarm of mice acted as if facing an insurmountable wall, preferring to pile up at the edge of the meadow rather than take a single step forward.

"Hahaha, come on, don’t just stare at me, come and bite me," Pannis taunted from a distance, behind him were the girls, bending over and gasping for air. The Demigods were scattered nearby, seemingly enjoying the scenery leisurely but were actually on guard for the girls who were recovering their strength. As for Pannis, everyone had grown tired of commenting on his behavior, letting him provoke the mice from a distance: "Aren’t you supposed to bite, supposed to shoot thorns? Why aren’t you shooting now? Come on, I’m standing right here waiting for you, a bunch of cowardly fools."

"Are those arrow mice really not going to pursue across the border?" Catherine asked a bit worriedly, "What if they suddenly go mad and chase us over here, wouldn’t it be dangerous for us to rest here?"

"Don’t worry, they wouldn’t dare to cross the border to pursue," Flare said gently with a smile, shaking her head, "In this territory, the forest rhinoceroses are their natural enemies, arrow mice couldn’t possibly defeat a forest rhinoceros, and yet one can easily kill them. So, they would never dare to tread into the territory of the forest rhinoceros. And remember, they are mice, one of the most timid of all creatures, and very suspicious too. If it were other magical beasts, perhaps they could be driven mad by greed and anger to lose their rationality, but not the arrow mice. So, you can rest assured. Generally, the borders of territories in the Forest of Death aren’t distinctly marked, but this place is special as it’s right on the boundary between two different landscapes, making the border very clear."

"Hahaha." Pannis’s laughter was loud and ear-splitting, clear enough for the mouse swarm more than a hundred meters away to hear, seemingly unafraid to alert the forest rhinoceroses that even the swarm of mice feared. Suddenly furious, the mice shot another batch of thorns at him, but regrettably, the thorns couldn’t reach him, the closest one falling thirty meters away from him. Thus, Pannis laughed even more arrogantly.

However, just as he was laughing jubilantly, his face suddenly changed, his laughter stopping abruptly as if someone had choked him, turning and darting away like an arrow. Behind him, another wave of thorns came shooting over, and this time the shooting distance was exceptionally far, almost grazing the hastily fleeing Pannis and embedding into the ground, making one quite worried upon seeing it.

That was the angry Rat King attacking, a Demigod Rank magical beast, the most powerful individual in the swarm, whose thorn attack had a range and piercing power superior to its fellows. As the leader of the group, it rarely engaged in battle itself, delegating everything to its subordinates. Now, however, the Rat King couldn’t help but come to the forefront of the swarm, shooting dozens of thorns at Pannis. But just after firing, the Rat King didn’t even look at the results before turning its head and burrowing back into the crowd, making it impossible for others to distinguish it anymore.

"These damned rats are too cunning," Pannis said as he rushed back to the team without looking back, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Luckily I was alert enough, or I would have fallen for those sneaky bastards’ tricks."

"You had it coming," Lina said, half-angry yet amused as she punched Pannis’s back a few times. "We were already safe, and you just had to go provoke them. Weren’t you practically asking for them to shoot you with their thorns? They merely accepted your invitation, and now you complain about their treachery? I think you’re the sneakiest one here."

"Hey, I almost got hurt, and you’re still hitting me," Pannis cried out, covering his head. "Have you no sympathy at all? Ouch, hey, don’t hit the head—ah, just because I said not the head, doesn’t mean you can hit my back. You can’t hit me anywhere!"

Catherine watched her boisterous teammates, her face alight with a warm smile. The tension and psychological pressure brought about by being chased by the Arrow Mouse had been washed away amid the noise. Pannis always liked to do this, adjusting the team’s mood in his own way without them noticing, easing their psychological burdens—although his method was, admittedly, questionable.

"We should have gotten through the toughest part by now; I already know your plan for what comes next," Flare said, glancing at the timer and calculating the time in her head, nodding thoughtfully. "However, it seems like we’re a bit tight on time."

"It won’t be much different," Pannis shook his head. "And by getting this far, we almost can’t fail completely anymore. Even if we don’t make the time, it doesn’t matter. At worst, we can just find a safe place in the forest rhinoceros’s territory and wait another day."

"True, if our luck isn’t too bad, spending a night in the forest rhinoceros’s territory won’t be an issue," Flare agreed. "Then why not set our target as the forest rhinoceros’s territory from the beginning? Wouldn’t that be easier?"

"No, I’m afraid some people might not be able to make it if we delay," Pannis shrugged, his comment pregnant with meaning. "If we’re delayed, who do you think can still make it after one night, after seeing those things? So, if possible, it’s still best to get through today."

"Uh, okay, I have to admit you’re right," Flare glanced sideways, it was unclear whom she was looking at. "I think taking an alternative route might be easier for us."