Upon returning to the ruins, Fars felt a palpable excitement. After living like a hermit for so long, he was finally seeing humans again. However, aside from the occasional encounter with the lone adventurer, life had become somewhat monotonous, albeit stable. The fact that he was contemplating how to deal with that group of adventurers was a testament to the fact that things were still going reasonably well. After all, it was certainly better than being one of the magical beasts that had fallen victim to Fars.
Excitement aside, he needed to carefully consider how to approach the situation. During the day, he continued to meditate with the egg, as he couldn't afford to neglect this practice. Mastery comes from diligence, and idleness leads to decline. With nothing else to do during the day, he spent his time in the small dark room until sunset.
Today, however, his mind was preoccupied, making it difficult to concentrate on meditation. So, Fars ended his session early, sitting alone on his bed with the lucky phoenix egg, lost in thought.
It was still a bit premature to decide how to deal with the adventurers. After all, Fars only knew that among them was at least one high-level swordsman, a likely high-level mage, and a warrior who had yet to reveal his skills. To be cautious, Fars had been observing from a high altitude, unable to discern their true strength from their aura. There were likely a few more people in the tent, but he couldn't confirm that yet.
Given the dangers of the Qiqihar Mountains, few reckless adventuring teams dared to venture deep into the area. Only those with considerable skill would come here. So, with Fars's half-baked abilities, it was fine to bully mid- to low-tier magical beasts, but if he encountered a high-tier beast, he would have to flee. Trying to confront them with his own strength would likely lead to his demise. Humans were not easily dismissed; if they discovered him, they would pursue him relentlessly, making it difficult to shake them off. Fars did not want to alert them to his presence and needed to wait for the right opportunity.
From what he observed yesterday, the area was not within the territory of high-tier magical beasts, as those creatures would not recklessly confront intruders. However, they would certainly be moving around during the day, and it was uncertain where they might go. If their goal was to hunt magical beasts for their cores, they would likely scour the vicinity for easier prey.
If they had already clashed with high-tier magical beasts during the day, the battle would have been significant, making it easier for Fars to track them tonight. Ideally, the high-tier beasts would have weakened them considerably.
Sure enough, when Fars returned to the campsite from the previous night, he found it deserted. After searching for a while, he specifically looked for the territories of a few high-tier magical beasts. He soon discovered signs of a fierce battle in the territory of a high-tier Spikehorn Rhinoceros.
The Spikehorn Rhinoceros was massive and somewhat sluggish compared to other magical beasts. It was proficient in earth-based spells and had strong defenses, typically using spikes or earthquakes to restrict its prey's movements before charging to finish them off.
The battlefield was chaotic, with many trees knocked down, clearly the work of the Spikehorn Rhinoceros. Scattered across the ground were numerous scales, broken earth shields, and several pools of blood. There were signs of both human and Spikehorn Rhinoceros casualties, indicating that the conflict was still unresolved. At the very least, the adventurers had not suffered significant injuries, while the Spikehorn Rhinoceros had likely sustained some damage.
It seemed that the Spikehorn Rhinoceros had fled after being injured, prompting the adventurers to pursue it. The team likely slowed their pace to accommodate the mage or other slower companions, as they had not caught up quickly. Otherwise, they would have had a full day to deal with an injured high-tier beast. Experienced teams typically did not pursue magical beasts recklessly; the saying goes, "Don't chase a desperate foe." Anyone cornered would fight fiercely. As long as the team had a thief or skilled hunter, they would not lose their quarry. Furthermore, an injured prey would seek a place to recuperate if it realized it was not being pursued, making it the best time to catch it.
Fars's previous team had been quite competent; aside from Fars's three mid-level mages, the rest were at levels six or seven, with the captain at the peak of level seven. They primarily explored ruins rather than hunted magical beasts, hence the higher number of mages. The reward for a high-tier magical beast, excluding the core, was only a couple of thousand gold coins unless it was a rare beast or someone urgently needed specific materials.
The magic cores, however, were the main source of income for hunting teams. The price of cores had always been no less than four to five thousand gold coins. Mages needed cores for experiments or as media for certain spells, and crafting high-level magical equipment required cores as well. The magic crystal cannons displayed in the cities of various empires were powered by cores. A pure magic core could easily fetch tens of thousands of gold coins.
However, the risks of hunting high-tier magical beasts were immense. When cornered, a magical beast could severely injure a powerful team. Thus, teams entering the Qiqihar Mountains to hunt magical beasts always prioritized their safety. Even if the prey was severely injured and attempted to escape, they would not abandon mages or priests who lacked self-defense capabilities. They would typically send a thief to trail behind the magical beast, waiting for it to tire before the main force arrived to finish it off.
The blood on the ground had only recently dried, indicating that the adventurers had just pursued the beast. If Fars followed from the air, he wouldn't take long to catch up.
Fars did not expect the cumbersome Spikehorn Rhinoceros to severely injure the team, but he was certain that their strength would be revealed to him. Even when hunting a rabbit, a lion uses all its strength. In the perilous Qiqihar Mountains, underestimating the enemy could lead to a short life.
Their trail was easy to follow—a group of people and a massive magical beast were quite conspicuous in the quiet night. The Spikehorn Rhinoceros, a small tyrant of this generation, was now fleeing in injury, leaving chaos in its wake. Many low-tier magical beasts scattered in fear, creating a scene of pandemonium in the forest.
Though he had fallen behind for a while, Fars caught up with them within an hour. He suspected that he could track the fleeing Spikehorn Rhinoceros without the thief's guidance, as the downed trees and the panicked animals clearly indicated the direction of its escape.
The show was far from over, and Fars was close to catching up with the main event. The Spikehorn Rhinoceros might not be fast, but its stamina was impressive. It had likely been running for several hours without stopping, and it seemed capable of running all night.
Fars was concerned that if the adventurers did not end this battle soon, he wouldn't have the luxury of waiting for the Spikehorn Rhinoceros to tire out. He needed to return to the ruins before dawn; the world under the sun no longer belonged to him.
Clearly, the pursuing adventurers were also growing weary. After chasing for so long, the warrior was not tired, but the mage was likely exhausted. Fars could now see that the group consisted of six people, including a woman. Though her features were obscured in the darkness, her alluring figure stirred excitement within Fars. It had been a long time since he had encountered feminine charm, and he was determined to eliminate this group. As for the young woman, it would depend on Fars's mood—if she complied, he might keep her around for a while, enjoying her company and occasionally feeding on her blood. If she resisted, she would simply become a delightful meal.
Fars was not afraid of encountering a fierce woman; magic was quite powerful. Generally, if a person lacked effective means of resistance and fell into the hands of a mage, their fate would be worse than death.
This young woman appeared to be in her prime, her figure strikingly voluptuous. She moved gracefully through the jungle, likely in her twenties. She carried a longbow and a quiver, suggesting she was an archer.
Aside from the previously seen swordsman, warrior, and mage, there was also a thief keeping a tight grip on the Spikehorn Rhinoceros from a distance, and the last member was another swordsman, but unlike the high-level swordsman, he wielded a massive two-handed sword.
These individuals were not entirely unscathed; aside from the mage and the female archer, the others bore various minor injuries. The warrior, likely a main tank, had sustained heavier wounds, with bandages wrapped around his chest. When dealing with a prey like the Spikehorn Rhinoceros, one could easily suffer broken ribs if knocked down or grazed. Fars had never experienced the force of such a collision; the Spikehorn Rhinoceros had no means to deal with him, as its spells were primarily earth-based, which held little significance against a winged Fars. However, he had witnessed a ferocious mid-tier violent bear that had killed a man with a single charge.
After pursuing for a while, the Spikehorn Rhinoceros showed no signs of stopping, while the adventurers temporarily halted, likely to discuss their next move. The swordsman Fars had first seen appeared to be the leader, and it seemed they were preparing to finish off the Spikehorn Rhinoceros. They could not delay any longer; it was already late into the night, and everyone was feeling fatigued. They needed to conclude the battle and rest to better face the unknown dangers ahead.
The discussion was brief, and soon the leading swordsman let out a sharp whistle, likely signaling the distant thief. It was time to take action. He quickly moved forward with the swordsman wielding the two-handed sword, while the injured warrior and archer stayed behind with the mage, proceeding at a slower pace. With fewer people left behind, their safety was compromised. The noise from the pursuit would surely alert nearby magical beasts, and an ambush could spell trouble.
Fars had considered launching a surprise attack, but that thought was quickly extinguished. The three remaining members of the group demonstrated a level of coordination that was frustrating. A few foolish magical beasts prepared to ambush the leading swordsman, but before they could act, the vigilant female archer spotted them. A few arrows flew through the air, followed by the mage's fireball, directed by the arrows' trajectory.
The magical beasts were not severely injured, but they fled in terror. Fortunately, the displayed strength of this group was not overly impressive; although the mage acted quickly, he was still slower than Fars. The most crucial factor was to assess the strength of the two-handed swordsman and the thief. If they were still at mid-level, whether level five or six, Fars's plan could still be realized.
After observing this brief interlude, Fars quickly flew ahead, where the real drama was unfolding.
However, it was unfortunate that Fars discovered he was not the only one looking to take advantage of the situation.