Chapter 22: Self Study
Drowners were the monsters Lan had encountered most frequently since arriving in this world. Their widespread distribution was a defining characteristic.
With slimy, frog-like skin, their bodies sported blue or black scales, webbed fingers and toes, and fins on their backs and elbows.
Five drowners charged toward Lan through the mud, their fish-like eyes brimming with a greedy hunger for fresh flesh. The lead drowner, with powerful muscles hidden beneath its blue scales, leaped at Lan from a distance of two meters, its claws poised to strike. Though the claws weren't their strongest feature, the force behind this leap was enough to easily sever a person's neck.
Yet, facing this assault, the young witcher merely smiled. It had been a while since he had seen such… straightforward aggression.
Breaking from the group, charging directly, leaping, and clawing—these drowners had such a relaxed survival environment?
Like a well-rehearsed dance partner, Lan synchronized his movements with the drowner's leap almost instinctively.
From Bernie's perspective, it seemed as if they shared an unspoken "chemistry"!
While Lan's backward leap didn't cover the distance of the drowner's pounce, it was enough for him to evade its claws, positioning his face and neck safely out of reach. Then, the silver sword that had hung at his side naturally rose, its tip aimed directly at the creature's throat.
With a "thud," the blade pierced through, accompanied by a burst of foul blood and shredded flesh.
"Urgh—" the drowner emitted a strangled cry as it fell.
"Hmm?" Lan was slightly taken aback; this was his first time killing a monster with a silver sword. Compared to the sensation of cutting through cooked leather with a steel sword, the way the silver blade restrained the creature exceeded his expectations.
"I intended merely to sever the carotid artery, yet I ended up completely slicing through the vertebrae as well?" His grip was steady and precise, but it was precisely this control that made him surprised by the "accident."
The other four drowners quickly followed up, prompting Lan to abandon any hesitation. With a swift motion, he slashed horizontally with the sword that had just penetrated the drowner's neck, effectively cleaving open half of its throat.
The spray of foul blood that shot out covered the heads and faces of the other spirits. With no eyelids to blink, the blood obscured their vision.
When fighting against monsters that had temporarily lost their sight and sensory abilities, Lan felt free to unleash his full potential.
Utilizing the witcher's swordsmanship, he began to spin his body, shifting his center of gravity between rotations and lateral jumps. The centrifugal force of the "whipped" blade made it easy to sever the drowners' bones.
In just a few breaths, the ground was littered with scales and dismembered limbs. Arms, legs, and even half a torso that had been cleaved from shoulder to rib. The cuts were clean and precise.
The cacophony of their chattering faded, and even creatures notorious for their resilience could no longer muster the strength to scream.
The protective Quen sign Lan had cast—meant to shield him from external attacks—had never been triggered throughout the battle. Instead, it only faded and disappeared after the fight concluded, having exhausted its magical energy.
The fact that a witcher had finished a battle without even activating Quen indicated the overwhelming disparity between him and his foes.
In truth, had the five drowners rushed him all at once, he might have found it troublesome. It's likely not just Quen that would have broken; his cotton armor would have taken hits too. That first drowner had indeed made a major mistake by isolating itself.
Lan pulled out a cloth from his pocket, wiping the remnants of blood and grime from his blade before sheathing it. If he intended to maintain the sword, he would need to oil it later, but for now, a simple wipe would suffice.
Standing at the top of the small rise, Bernie finally joined Lan. However, as he walked halfway, his expression shifted from shock to confusion and back to shock again.
His initial astonishment stemmed from witnessing a witcher's battle with monsters firsthand. He had never seen anyone face monsters with such ease. But the subsequent emotional shifts arose from the fact that after Lan had reduced the drowners to a pile of dismembered limbs, he didn't immediately leave. Instead, Lan pulled out a hunting knife from his waist and began to gather the remains of the drowners into a pile.
Then he started slicing.
Even from Bernie's perspective as an outsider, Lan's technique was clearly unrefined. The knife moved back and forth over the drowner's body as the young man clumsily peeled back the skin, pulled aside the muscle, and pried open the bones.
Layer by layer, he was "liberating" the drowner's body.
Bernie, a fisherman and part-time hunter, could understand the practice of harvesting spoils after a hunt. However, Lan's serious demeanor and deliberate movements didn't feel like mere harvesting to him. It seemed more like Lan was searching for and recording something.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Bernie tilted his head. He had seen plenty of bloodshed, but that was usually with beasts. Though drowners were monsters, they still had a humanoid skeletal structure once skinned.
At this moment, Lan's eyes were intensely focused, and it seemed like this was the moment he valued most compared to the earlier battle. He didn't lift his head but seemed to instinctively understand Bernie's reaction.
"There are many valuable materials on the monster, but as you can see, I am also a novice, otherwise I would not come here to do this unprofitable job. Please be patient, buddy."
Lan gave some explanation for his behavior. Although they had only known each other for a short time, he did not think Bernie was a person who liked to pry into other people's affairs.
Sure enough, the hunter wearing long leather gloves just nodded palely after hearing this, then walked away temporarily with his bow on his back.
The young man's two hands, one of which was holding a hunting knife, were exploring inside the body of a drowner. The other hand gently explored the chest cavity of this humanoid skeleton, getting familiar with the touch of the internal organs and blood vessels.
"Newly added analysis project – [Biological Structure – Drowner.]
Information integration and analysis in progress, current progress: 15%
New analysis project – [Surgery]
Skill source – self-study
Information integration and analysis in progress, current progress – 1%. "
Mentos first reported the situation in the prescribed format. Then started to express his subjective opinions. "Sir, I understand your persistence in implanting the gene seed, but I hope you can reconsider it. I still don't think it's wise to perform surgery on yourself. Especially when your authority is not enough to activate my [body control] function."
The smelly monster's blood was splattering, but Lan's expression remained calm.
"When I have a university degree recognized by the Federation, I guess my long life as a witcher will come to an end. Mentos, I know what I am doing."
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