Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 759 - 24 Hunting Begins_1

Chapter 759: Chapter 24 Hunting Begins_1

A ghastly, resonating roar erupted from the swamp, reverberating through dense trees and spreading across every inch of the surrounding marshland. This peculiar sound was an imitation of the roar of the hydra, one of the swamp’s dominant creatures.

The hydra, a creature unique to marshlands, never leaves the Whispering Swamp. Only about thirty of these magical beasts inhabit the entire hundred thousand square kilometres of the Whispering Swamp, but each one possesses power beyond the Legendary Rank. They are so formidable that they have been associated with the Drakes and are sometimes referred to as the nine-headed dragon. This gives an indication of how terrifying they are. Their bodies are not exceptionally large, about forty to fifty metres in length, and no higher than ten metres, but they possess an unproportionate strength, capable of crushing boulders with a casual flick of the tail. The most distinguishing feature is that they have nine necks and nine heads, but only one consciousness. This consciousness is borne by the nine heads collectively, thus as long as one head remains, it ensures the continuity of its consciousness. Moreover, they have remarkable regeneration capabilities and hence are among the hardest-to-kill magical beasts in the Yarran world. Even Drakes find them challenging when battling alone. No sentient being would willingly fight this monstrosity, especially not in a swamp. In the swamp, although the hydras may appear hefty, they are born predators at the top of the food chain. Once a hydra targets prey, no magical beast can escape. Consequently, the roar of a hydra instils fear in all magical beasts. Upon hearing the hydra’s roar, all the magical beasts instinctively flee the region in trepidation.

And indeed, the moment the hydra’s roar echoed throughout the swamp, the previously tranquil marshland was engulfed in chaos. Countless magical beasts were startled by the roar and started to flee in the opposite direction of the hydra. However, the roar did not originate from just a single location. Six or seven similar roars were heard from various locations, forming a rough circular pattern that enclosed an area of about five to six square kilometres. Forced by the roars, a significant number of large and medium-sized magical beasts frantically fled towards the centre of the encircled region, ignoring the presence of their natural enemies near them. All these beasts were desperate for survival.

Then, the hunt began.

Lizardmen and elves, both beloved species of Artemis and exceptional hunters, practice totally different hunting styles. The hunting style of the elves, aligning with their personality, teems with grace and romance. When elves embark on a hunt, they only need two bows, a quiver of arrows, and a small bag. They venture alone into the forest, relentlessly tracking a cunning prey, battling it wits and strength until they manage to shoot it down in the woods. They then go on to look for another prey. Rather than hunters, they resembled poets, wandering alone in the depths of the forest and composing poems of the elves and the woods with their bow and arrows. Watching the elven hunt is like admiring an exquisite piece of art. Every action, every step, is so graceful it takes one’s breath away. However, lizardmen are different. Lizardmen always hunt in packs, they scare their prey using various methods, then collaborate to besiege their prey. It’s more like a furious forest warfare, within which each hunter plays a small part. The success of a hunt depends more on team coordination rather than individual abilities. Watching them hunt is more akin to witnessing an elaborate dance, with each participating individual playing their part, contributing their effort to the performance.

What stood before everyone now was such a scene. Hundreds of large and medium-sized magical beasts of different forms ran wildly in the marsh. Behind them, the high Tree Network constantly issued rustling sounds. Countless Lizardmen, smeared with camouflage paint, closely chased after the herd through the Tree Network. Like cats playing with mice, they calmly and coldly drained the prey’s strength. Along the escape route of the fleeing beasts, more and more triggered traps laid by the Lizardmen in advance, whining as they fell to the ground. The victims’ cries exacerbated the herd’s panic, making them run even faster. Every time this happened, a few members from the Lizardmen surrounding the beasts on all sides would stay behind, cleanly severing the prey’s neck, putting them out of their misery. The hunters following behind the beast herd were also not idle. They were not only chasing but on their tail, arrows from the thick foliage of the Tree Network quietly flew out, accurately hitting the last few beasts in the neck. The prey fell screaming, the beasts up ahead, due to their course, were unable to sense their companions dying to the hunters behind, still running away in fear of the hydras. The hunting party, relying on crossbows and traps, safely kept dwindling down the prey’s numbers.

"There is actually danger involved, hiss hiss." At the top of the trees, Galantis stood in the center of the hunting ground, where all prey would finally end up, and explained to the young girls, "Although these fleeing creatures are panicking, their senses are still very sharp, hiss hiss, once they realize something is amiss, they will suffer furious attacks from the herd. Hiss hiss, even though my clan is in the Tree Network, most of these are magical beasts, many of them possess long-range attack methods – a barrage of long-range attacks can cause significant damage to the hunters. Plus, if this large number of beasts escapes, the hunting in the next few years will not be easy. They will remember and won’t be deceived next time."

Though they couldn’t see the specific hunting ground situation, they could roughly judge what had happened through the sounds and energy sensing. Witnessing the Lizardmen’s hunting scene firsthand, they could only use the word ’astonishing’ to express their feelings. They had never thought that hunting could be treated like a war, winning victories through tactics and cooperation.

"Is this your original plan?" Pannis didn’t stand with the girls. He stood alone on a flat, sturdy branch far from everyone else, asking Graneer who was by his side, "Is the plan to hunt normally, using a large quantity of people and beasts to lure the Lurkers out of the mud, in order to confirm their actual strength?"

"Yes, we believe this is relatively safe, hiss hiss." Graneer explained: "Even if the Lurkers capture some of our clansmen, it’s okay. The sudden killing power of the Lurkers is not high; they shouldn’t be able to harm the clansmen instantly. Hiss hiss, we would have time to rescue them."

"That’s because you’re imagining an ordinary Lurker as your target." Pannis smiled and shook his head, "If your target is a Demigod magical beast, I’m afraid you won’t think the same way. With a Demigod magical beast’s strength, even if they only rely on physical power, they can easily strangle a professional of Gold Rank to death in a few seconds with their tentacles, let alone there are many Silver Rank in your hunting team. If the Lurkers are truly lured out without preparation, your casualties could be great."

"I’ve speculated the same, sss." The old Lizardman seemed helpless, his tail drooping as he spoke. "But we have no choice. After all, this magical beast has appeared in our hunting grounds, and its appearance might very well be related to our entire Lizardman race."

"I haven’t asked in detail yet." Pannis inquired: "What exactly happened? Lurkers usually dwell in the Southern Marshes, right? The Northern Swamp isn’t suitable for them. Why would one suddenly appear here, and moreover, a special Demigod Rank Lurker? You also mentioned earlier that this magical beast’s arrival has something to do with your whole race?"

"Sss, the existence of this Lurker started not recently." The old Lizardman sighed and explained: "There were signs indicating it has been lurking in these hunting grounds about four to five months ago. However, since it was the annual end-of-year closed hunting season at that time, no one was around the hunting grounds, leading to only two disappearances. We only found their gnawed remains afterward. It was from these two disappearances that I started suspecting it was the work of the Lurker, but others were not easy to convince. Most people thought it was just a common magical beast attack and did not pay much attention."

"Did not pay much attention, huh." Pannis pondered: "So, it’s only now that preparations are being made to deal with it?"

"Yes, sss. It was not until a month ago, right after the closed hunting season ended, a scouting party of four entered the hunting grounds to prepare for the hunt. They disappeared," Graneer said: "This time, though, clues were left behind— so many that I can confirm it was a Lurker. Others had no choice but to trust my experience."

"So, how did it come here?" Pannis asked further: "It couldn’t have just walked over, could it? Even a Demigod Rank Lurker, running all the way from the Southern Marshes to the Northern Swamp, would find it pretty tough. It’d be even more impossible for it to come undetected. Do you have any clue as to this? Why did you say it’s related to your whole race?"

"No, but the young ones of the Lurkers are not big, sss. They’re only about the size of two adult Lizardman fists during their infancy," the Old Lizardman explained: "If someone were to transport Lurker’s infants, sss, they might be able to bring them from the Southern Marshes."

"So you suspect it was secretly brought over by members of your own tribe?" Pannis frowned and asked: "But..."

"No, quite the opposite, sss. I believe that our kind wouldn’t do such a thing. The only possible explanation is that an outsider did it." The old Lizardman suddenly lowered his voice, glanced over at the direction of Galantis, and then whispered: "For the past six to seven years, there have always been some mages from the Kingdom of Mages visiting the High Priest annually."

"I see." Pannis narrowed his eyes and murmured: "That’s the real reason why you are reluctant to ask for Alcmene’s help, isn’t it?" (To be continued. If you like this piece, welcome to visit qidian.com and vote. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)