Chapter 235: A Guest Who Brings Danger

Chapter 235

A Guest Who Brings Danger

Boom!!!

“What’s happening?!!”

“Damn it!! It’s a horde of beasts! They’ve gone berserk for some reason and are rampaging through the forest!” one of the hunters explained as he rushed in to grab his gear. The other hunters also prepared for battle; the loud explosion was not something they could ignore.

Hearing that a horde of beasts was rampaging in front of the camp, many hunters went pale. They had spent so much time setting up the camp yesterday. If it were suddenly destroyed, all that effort would have been in vain. Moreover, they hadn’t even fully engaged in the war yet, and now they were being attacked by beasts!

“What? Are they heading towards our camp?” Someone asked with pale face. Others waited anxiously for the answer, including the young woman who had just approached Luke. She, too, was tense.

“Yes, yes! Actually, they wouldn’t have come this way if it weren’t for those institute students on mission running in for help.”

“Huh? What do you mean students came asking for help?”

“It’s the students from the Ares Institute, the nobles’ kids. They came asking for protection. It seemed like they’re also on a mission for the palace, gathering supplies mission. They said these beasts suddenly launched attack on them, and they have no idea why. The leader’s gone to check the situation now.”

“Oh, great! Why does something happen every single day? Last night it was the Seven Night Poison group, and now we have students bringing trouble?”

“Hurry up. They may be students, but we have to help them. Today’s students are tomorrow’s hunters, and they’re now at the front of our camp. They barely escaped with their lives.”

“Tch! I know! If those kids are from noble families, we should demand compensation in gold coins!” The hunters grumbled but immediately rushed out with their weapons.

The woman under the cloak frowned. She had a bad feeling that more chaos was coming into her life. Well... This situation felt all too familiar, as if she had experienced something similar before.

“Sir Luke, you’re going to help, aren’t you? In that case, I’ll keep this food for you until you return,” the female hunter said before quickly taking the food back, not wanting to delay Luke any further.

However, Ellie didn’t really want to help them from the beginning. Still, she didn’t have much choice. She hadn’t yet used Luke’s name to the extent that anyone who heard it would immediately think of his contributions to the war.

While Ellie was still training in the 1st-floor camp, Luke was out on the battlefield, making a name for himself...that was her plan all along.

Ellie’s small frame moved forward. Upon inspecting the situation through her spores, she discovered that the horde of attacking beasts indeed used poison, just as she initially suspected. The person leading them was also the same. And yes...that person was none other than “Emma.”

The student from the Beast Training Branch, had been assigned to a mission in the 2nd floor. The Dawn Light Forest initially had no poisonous beasts. Unfortunately, the vile individuals from the Seven Night Poison group had turned the surrounding beasts into poisonous creatures. The poison in their bodies triggered an immediate attack on Emma as soon as they encountered her. No! It should be said that as soon as they became poisonous beasts, their target was Emma from the start!

With Emma in the group, it meant that the heroine of the story also got caught in the crossfire. The bodies of the 10 students were covered in wounds. Luckily, being from noble families, they had healing potions with them; otherwise...they might have perished already.

Compared to the hunters who had to fend for themselves, encountering such an attacking horde of beasts usually meant some comrades would be sacrificed. But these students were different.

They were a group of beast users, naturally keeping a distance from the battle. However, the recent battle was quite intense. Besides Nara, 4 of their beasts had died. The remaining 5 were all support or long-range attack types; otherwise, they would have lost those too.

- Formicidae, Level 1 (Poisoned): Attributes - Small ants with venoms. Their bites cause pain that can reach the brain. If bitten by many, the venom can cause significant torment. Special Property after additional poisoning - Evolution to level 1, increasing the potency of their venom and enlarging their size by 50 times.

Action Panel

Option One: Use the rooting of the purple mushroom spores to mark the locations.

Option Two: Use the rooting of the purple mushroom spores to decompose internal organs.

Option Three: Use the rooting of the purple mushrooms for decomposition. -

The name of beasts that Ellie had previously encountered appeared before her again through the inspection by her little purple mushrooms. These creatures were the venomous ants she had dealt with earlier by having her little purple mushrooms target their queen, causing the worker ants to scatter and deal with the rebel soldiers. She hadn’t expected to encounter them again in this state.

The tiny worker ants, which once had minor venom and were about the size of a thumb, were now as large as coconuts. Their sharp teeth were now prominently visible, with venom dripping from their edges, making them look exceptionally terrifying.

Many people felt a wave of fear. The only one who seemed undisturbed was the little Apple, who sat ready, drooling at the sight. It probably needed just one command from its master to jump into the midst of what it saw as a delicious feast.

"Argh!! I’ve been bitten! The venom is excruciating!"

"Ugh! Help, help me." The cries of many people rang out as several hunters were being attacked. The chaos at the front of the camp showed no signs of improvement despite everyone’s efforts to help.

"Don’t spread out. Back to back, form a circle. They’re numerous but not strong. If anyone is poisoned, pull back. If you fall, others might not be able to help in time. This isn’t the usual Formicidaes’ venom; it’s much stronger. Be careful!"

The leader gave rapid advice. As hunters, not soldiers, their commands weren’t as detailed or precise. The leader himself wasn’t used to giving such specific orders, so he could only provide advice and let them use their individual hunting skills to fight.

Ellie observed the chaotic battle. She saw dozens of people being treated for poison in the back, mostly those who were already in support roles and thus had the skills to assist effectively. Among the injured hunters were also the 10 students lying on the ground. After fleeing into the camp and getting some rest, many of them were doing much better, which was a relief...

"Senior Luke!" Upon seeing Ellie in the familiar cloak, Emma, who was distressed from losing her beast, called out. Luke had just come outside, and she recognized him immediately.

The cloaked figure nodded in acknowledgment. Ellie had no time to interact with the students. The camp’s situation was truly dire.

Seeing Luke pass by, Emma couldn’t help but blush. Nara, Mirin, and Lucy also didn’t expect that they would see Senior Luke again. The remaining 6 students didn’t understand how the 4 knew the hunter, but...Emma’s greeting didn’t go unnoticed by them, nor by the young hunters who were interested in Luke.

Luke’s small figure appeared alongside the familiar Demon Frog, which had now grown to two meters, towering over the other hunters. As it leaped forward, the ground around them shook. The anxious hunters felt immediate relief when they saw how the Demon Frog decimate the Formicidae upon arrival.

Their morale restored, and their cheers echoed loudly, signaling a turning tide in the battle. The association leader let out a small sigh of relief.

"Finally, you’re here."

Seeing how effectively the Demon Frog performed its duties, the hunters’ morale soared. In Luke’s guise, Ellie stepped forward, leaping onto the camp’s wooden wall, a tree trunk wide enough for 1 person to hug, then swiftly drew her bow she had always carried and fired into the fray.

A Formicidae, about to bite the head of a fallen hunter, suddenly collapsed with an arrow lodged in its back. Seeing this, the hunters turned to look behind them, only to find Hunter Luke aiming his bow. Each arrow he shot brought down a Formicidae with a single hit. Luke’s prowess made the other hunters gulp nervously.

They had initially thought of him as a potential threat to be wary of, but after witnessing his skill, they realized that if Luke wanted to take them down, he wouldn’t even need the giant Demon Frog. His archery alone could eliminate them in an instant!

"Sir Luke!!"

"Hooray!! Sir Luke is here to help!!"

"The Demon Frog Warrior is here to save us!!" The crowd cheered. It wasn’t a few people who had been saved by Luke’s timely interventions, and their gratitude was immense. This was the second time Luke had ensured their survival!

The camp’s situation improved significantly with such a powerful front line that could crush dozens of worker ants in one fell swoop and a reliable rear guard. The hunters fought with the ferocity of fearless beasts, lunging forward and slashing at the Formicidaes with all their might. Even when someone was nearly overwhelmed, the terrifying arrows would come to their rescue just in time.

The Formicidaes swarmed in by the thousands, an overwhelming number it was hard to handle. However, due to the ferocious battle, the hunters eventually emerged victorious. Ellie had to borrow arrows from other hunters, as the 40 arrows she had brought weren’t enough. Fortunately, the other hunters recognized Luke’s incredible skill and willingly shared their arrows without hesitation.

It took nearly an hour of fierce battle, but finally, the crisis was over.

"W-We did it. Huff. We won. Is this...real?"

"We won!!"

"Awesome!! Hunter’s amazing, Sir Luke is amazing!!"

"Haha, bring it on, you mutated Formicidae! You think we’re scared just because you mutated?!!"

"We’re hunters of the Ares Kingdom. A few little ants are nothing." Overjoyed by their incredible victory, everyone cheered loudly.

Ellie jumped down from her position. After shooting arrows for over an hour, it wasn’t surprising that she felt a bit sore.

"Senior Luke! Here’s a restorative potion." Before Ellie could say anything, Emma already approached with a bottle of mid-level restorative potion. If it were anyone else...they wouldn’t easily give away such an expensive potion that costs several coins. However, Emma, coming from a noble family, was different. Especially for someone she felt special about, a single potion was nothing.

"Mmm, thank you very much." Ellie accepted the potion after verifying it with her spores to ensure it was safe. She then drank it, opening the fabric at her mouth immediately.

Ellie’s cloak was specially designed to allow her to eat and drink with other people. In fact, the head and body parts of the cloak were separate. The cloak always covered the back and hair, making her face appear not too small and feminine. As for her face, she wore a black mask that seamlessly matched the cloak, which the part around the mouth could be pulled down like a regular face mask.

Using special makeup techniques, Ellie had darkened her face slightly to appear like a man who had endured hard work. There was a small scar on her cheek, giving the impression of a man with battle experience. This was the reason her face was covered—to hide the scar.

Emma and the others had only glimpsed a small part of Luke’s complexion. The highlights made her cheeks look less round and feminine, giving her a more serious and imposing appearance. However, it also showed that Luke wasn’t as unattractive as they might have imagined.