Before arriving here, Kent had naturally done some research on the environment of Little Pan Mountain and the monsters that inhabited the area.
The weasel was a unique species of Little Pan Mountain. Before the mutation, they were often seen here, but now, after the mutation, they had become the local overlords.
There weren't any large monsters in Little Pan Mountain, only some goats, wild dogs, and raccoon-like creatures, so the weasel had an unusual position in this area.
Now, Kent saw a shadow over three meters long flash by, but he didn't pursue it. He knew that after the mutation, the weasels had become a different breed, with much greater combat abilities and intelligence. If he had chased it, he would've likely fallen into one of its traps.
After all, these mutated weasels were known to be cannibalistic, and there had been numerous reports online about them setting traps to capture and devour humans.
"There are weasels around here, I need to be extra cautious. I might end up in one of their traps."
Using his Fire Eyes and Golden Pupils, Kent was able to see more clearly, including traps that would otherwise be hard to notice.
Fully geared, he continued moving through the underbrush. There wasn't much snow on the ground, most of it was stuck on the tree branches.
"Another one?"
A smaller weasel, probably a cub, appeared to the side. Its movements were slow, but Kent wasn't moved. He knew he was being watched by a group of weasels.
Kent pressed on toward the secret realm and, along the way, searched for an Oxygen Mushroom. Eating one of these mushrooms allowed him to breathe normally for a while in the secret realm's oxygen-deprived environment.
Although Little Pan Mountain wasn't large, it was a mountain range with dozens of peaks and a sprawling area of over a hundred miles.
After about an hour, Kent found several Oxygen Mushrooms. These mushrooms were delicate, white as snow, and thin like chopsticks, with a pleasant fragrance. However, they had protectors—a mountain-climbing python with over ten claws on its feet, a low-tier Golden-grade monster at level 39.
Kent took little time to deal with the snake and successfully harvested the mushrooms. Just like with the Snow Bull, he took the energy bead and the snake's gallbladder, placing them in a box. The gallbladder had the effect of improving eyesight and could fetch a decent price in the market.
However, Kent didn't bother with the snake's hide. The hide wasn't tough, and the snake had too many legs, making it difficult to strip off its skin. Plus, its level was rather low.
As he moved forward…
"Not good."
Kent received a warning from Garfield. As before, Garfield sensed danger approaching, so Kent immediately stopped.
Soon, sounds came from the bushes, and monsters were closing in from all directions. Clearly, more than one creature was nearby.
Kent's expression darkened, but he didn't act rashly. He and Garfield immediately climbed up a tree to observe carefully.
Soon, nearly ten weasels appeared in his line of sight, closing in from all directions.
"Just as I thought. The moment I arrived, they spotted me and decided I was their prey. Luckily, I didn't act recklessly earlier, or I'd be caught in one of their traps by now."
Kent's eyes turned cold, and anger surged within him. He couldn't believe he had become the prey—his human dignity was insulted, and he was enraged.
The weasels' sense of smell and eyesight were excellent, and after appearing, they quickly spotted Kent up in the tree. At that moment, Kent fired an iron arrow.
The distance was so short that the arrow hit the ground almost immediately. Although the weasels were quick to react, one of them still got hit.
"Waaahh..."
The weasel pack let out an angry screech.
Kent ignored them. After scanning, he found that these weasels weren't particularly powerful; their intelligence was high, but their combat abilities were rather lacking. They also had decent stealth, and their trump card was the ability to release a foul-smelling gas.
After the mutation, the weasels had become "Stink Bomb Weasels," a high-tier Silver-grade monster. Their fart was a thick, yellow smoke that reeked terribly. This gas had knocked out mercenaries before.
Kent didn't want to smell their stinky bombs. He had heard that the smell was unbearable, so after shooting an arrow to intimidate them, he stopped attacking and tried to think of a better way to deal with them.
The weasels weren't good at climbing trees, and they didn't have any ranged attacks. As cunning creatures, they were only good at setting traps.
For a time, the two sides were at a standstill. The weasels were salivating and eyeing Kent hungrily, but they couldn't do anything about it.
"Forget it, I'll just leave from above." Kent gave up on the iron arrow, then, with Garfield, jumped higher into the trees and began moving away.
However, the Stink Bomb Weasels were persistent. They wouldn't let Kent leave and followed him for about ten minutes.
Kent became irritated. Earlier, he hadn't wanted to deal with them because he feared their stinky gas, and he didn't want to act impulsively and fall into a trap. But now that he had left their territory, he didn't believe there would be traps everywhere. He turned and glared coldly at the weasel pack.
"Enough, a bunch of level 30 pests. Garfield, take care of them."
Kent's anger flared, and he pulled out a rifle. Zhao Mengxi, the daughter of General Zhao, had given him several useful weapons, and as her boyfriend, he had taken a few handy items.
"If I fire, it'll shake the entire mountain, attracting more monsters. So, I'll just injure these weasels, and other monsters will come after them."
Kent thought to himself.
These weasels often bullied other creatures. As the saying goes, "When the tiger falls in the plains, the dogs will bully it." Now, it was their turn to face some retribution.
Garfield leaped into action, positioning himself at an angle to Kent. The two began to attack—the weasels had nowhere to hide.
Kent's marksmanship was excellent. Unlike a bow, which required precise technique, with a rifle, it was just about lining up three points. He fired rapidly, one shot after another, almost without pause, and his aim was accurate.
Meanwhile, Garfield's wind blades were even more deadly, fast and precise. Within 300 meters, he had a high hit rate.
Before long, the weasels were panicking. Several were injured. Though the injuries weren't fatal, they didn't run away but instead glared fiercely at Kent.
"These guys really don't fear death."
Kent was enraged. These beasts didn't know how to show respect. Fine, he had nothing urgent to do, so he might as well play with them.