The Rose Mercenary Squad advanced in the Illusionary Mist Valley in an orderly formation. Monkey quickly flashed through the mist, whistling from time to time to indicate his location.Immediately behind him were Dennis and Scott, the two heavyweight meat s.h.i.+elds who could take the heaviest hits. In contrast, Sivir was at the very rear of the party, defending against any potential attacks from behind.
As part of the outskirts of the wilderness, the Illusionary Mist Valley was an area that they regularly frequented, so they were very familiar with its terrain and environment.
However, the magic beasts in the wilderness didn"t always stay in the same place. High-tier magic beasts could pop up even on the outskirts of the wilderness, let alone in the Illusionary Mist Valley. Just a single 5th-tier magic beast could very likely demolish their entire squad, so they could never be too careful.
Their target for the day was the Ironhide Bull. In the past, they had encountered Ironhide Bulls on several occasions, but they were very troublesome to deal with, and no one had offered a high enough price, so they skirted around the Ironhide Bulls instead of taking the risk to hunt them down. However, they were targeting the Ironhide Bulls on this occasion, but were not having much luck. As such, they could only advance slowly.
"Are we even going to find any Ironhide Bull today?" Time gradually pa.s.sed, and Eva was the first one to voice her impatience.
"Don"t worry, hunting has always been an endeavor that requires a lot of patience. In the wilderness, it"s imperative to always be on your guard. Otherwise, you could be reduced to prey for other magic beasts before you find your own prey." Sam suddenly thrust his steel trident downward, pinning a poisonous viper that was pouncing toward Eva"s ankle to the ground. The viper writhed and hissed for a while before falling dead.
Eva hurriedly withdrew her foot and sidled up closer to Evan as her face paled with fear. She had clearly been frightened, and she nodded as she stammered, "G-got it."
"Whistle~"
Right at that moment, a longer whistle sounded from up ahead, and all of the mercenaries" eyes lit up.
"The target has appeared; prepare for battle! Sam, you go set up the traps. Scott, you go and help Sam. Eva, stay with Sam and Scott. Everyone else, disperse and get into the formation that we agreed on earlier. We have to conserve our energy before trapping the Ironhide Bull. The mission requires the capture of an entire Ironhide Bull, so try not to inflict too many wounds on it." Sivir delivered a rapid set of instructions as she charged forward.
Sam contemplated the situation momentarily before rus.h.i.+ng toward a col. That area was most suited to setting up a large trap. With Scott"s help, it shouldn"t be an issue to dig a hole large enough for an Ironhide Bull to fall into.
Sivir rushed toward the source of the whistling, and soon heard a series of heavy hoovesteps thundering toward them. The ground was tremoring slightly as if there were a gargantuan creature coming their way.
"It"s coming! Everyone, disperse. Don"t get into a direct confrontation with it. A 4th-tier Ironhide Bull has extremely powerful ramming force, and there are no trees that can act as obstacles in the Illusionary Mist Valley. If it begins to gather speed, it"ll be very difficult for us to escape. It"ll also be quite hard for Sam to set up a trap for such a large creature in a short time, so we have to employ guerilla warfare tactics. We"ll pester it with attacks, then immediately flee so we can exhaust it. Then, we"ll lead it toward Sam and the others. Make sure to look after yourselves." Everyone disappeared into the mist after hearing Sivir"s instructions. All of them had found perches such as jutting rocks or hills, which would provide some safety for them from the Ironhide Bull.
"She"s a big one, Squad Leader!" Monkey yelled as he rushed onto a nearby hill. A ma.s.sive five-meter-long Ironhide Bull rushed out from the mist and crashed headfirst into that hill. The entire hill tremored as a result, and rocks began to clatter down from above. Monkey almost fell off from the violent tremors, and even though he tried to evade as best as he could, he was still struck on the head by a tumbling rock, leaving a bleeding gash on his head.
"Monkey, are you alright?" Sivir hurriedly asked. All of the other mercenaries were also quite concerned.
Monkey panted as he replied, "It"s no big deal, but it hurts a little, and the swelling is affecting my vision, so I"ll require some treatment."
"Alright, you stay there; leave the rest to us." Sivir was relieved to hear that, and she hurled her boomerang toward the Ironhide Bull.
The boomerang struck the Ironhide Bull on the neck, and it was as if it had crashed into a metal statue. A dull thump erupted as the collision occurred, and the boomerang flew back into Sivir"s hand. However, it had only left a tiny little indentation and a white mark on the Ironhide Bull"s neck.
The most renowned property of the 4th-tier Ironhide Bull was its iron-like hide. It was an exceptional material used for making soft armor, and was close to impenetrable to the 4rd-tier Sivir. In the Rose Mercenary Squad, perhaps only Evan"s magic could pose a threat to it.
However, Sivir"s attack had still attracted the Ironhide Bull"s attention. It turned to Sivir with a pair of wide enraged eyes, and it charged toward Sivir while gathering speed at an incredible rate.
Sivir began to run away in a zigzag route, able to evade the Ironhide Bull every time just before it crashed into her. At the same time, she lashed out with her whip occasionally to further enrage the Ironhide Bull.
Dennis and the others also began to pester it with attacks, making the Ironhide Bull rush toward one target after another like a headless chicken. Even though none of their attacks inflicted any substantial damage, they were able to sap away at the Ironhide Bull"s energy, and they could tell that its speed had already decreased. However, its eyes were only becoming fiercer as it rushed toward Sivir again.
All of the mercenaries had also expended a lot of energy, but all of them wore smiles on their faces. According to how things were current progressing, it wouldn"t be long before the Ironhide Bull would completely exhaust itself. Sam"s traps were most likely close to completion as well, so it looked like they had the Ironhide Bull in the bag.
However, right at that moment, another burst of thundering hoofbeats began to approach, much to everyone"s horror and dismay.
Monkey, who had a makes.h.i.+ft bandage around the gash on his head, yelled, "This is bad! We"ve got another Ironhide Bull coming at us! Look out, everyone!"
"Retreat! Disperse! Goad this one toward Sam!" Sivir"s expression changed drastically upon hearing that, and she charged toward the second Ironhide Bull on her own. She had to draw it away in another direction. Otherwise, facing two 4th-tier magic beasts at once would spell disaster for the Rose Mercenary Squad.
"You guys retreat first; I"ll go help Sivir!" A grave expression appeared on Evan"s face as he rushed toward Sivir. He brandished his wand and specks of blue light appeared in the air.