Chapter 146 The Heart Is Strong But The Body Is Weak [Part 1]
Thirteen ordered everyone to have a light dinner early because they might not have any time to eat later once their guests arrived.
When they were done, they quickly got into position and kept their eyes peeled, looking at the darkness around them, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Monsters that were hiding in the dark.
Half an hour later, their guests finally made their presence known.
Thirteen and his subordinates didn't see them.
Instead, they heard them.
The creepy laughter of the Hyenas reverberated in the dark night, making almost everyone, with the exception of Thirteen and Adira, feel their hearts shudder.
There was an eerie, disturbing air about the laughter of the Golden-Eyed Hyenas, which made even the fearsome Ogres hold the shields in their hands more tightly.
These Hyenas were no ordinary Monsters.
They were Jinns, and the reason for their laughter was likely the presence of their most favorite prey.
Humans—and not just any ordinary Humans but Wanderers.
Jinns loved to eat Humans. It was for this reason that they would often attack cities. Through it, they would have their fill of Human flesh.
Whenever they sensed a hunting party composed of Barbarians, they would make a beeline in their direction, with the intention of feasting on their flesh and satisfying their bestial instincts.
"Calm down, Cristopher," Thirteen said as he patted the shoulder of the chubby boy, who seemed to be hyperventilating due to anxiety and fear. "I'm here. I won't let them kill you."
"T-Thank you, Young Master," Cristopher replied as he forcefully tried to calm himself down.
The chubby boy had faced Monsters before, so he didn't understand why he was having a panic attack.
Thirteen knew the reason, but he kept his silence. Cristopher's uncontrollable discomfort was a Wanderer's natural reaction when facing a Jinn for the first time.
It was part of the law of Wanderers that The One had created for those who would travel to Solterra for the first time, allowing them to know who their mortal enemies were, and the foes they needed to overcome.
Half a minute later, the hooting of an owl reached everyone's ears.
There were no owls in the grasslands, but there was a Pocopoco who could imitate any sound and voice as long as he heard it at least once.
This hooting was part of the coded message that Vassago and Thirteen had agreed upon, which informed the young boy that the Monsters had started to encircle their camp.
The Hyenas' laughter earlier had scared away most of the Monsters near Thirteen's camp, with the exception of the Warsor Black Hounds.
The three Black Hounds, who also had arrived near Thirteen's camp, were paying close attention to the situation, which they would use to their advantage to free their brethren.
Of course, they made sure to distance themselves from the Golden-Eyed Hyenas, for they knew how dangerous those Monsters were.
Although they were fast and could run away before the Hyenas could get to them, they were still hesitant to come too close to these creepy monsters because the Jinns were stronger than them.
"They have started to spread out," Thirteen said before ordering Bruno to start throwing the torches that they had prepared outside of the 100-meter protective perimeter that was littered with holes.
The light from the fire would allow them to faintly catch a glimpse of their opponents, who were shrouded in darkness.
Although the fur of the Golden-Eyed Hyena wasn't pitch black like the other monsters in the Furvus Grasslands, the surroundings were still way too dark for them to pinpoint their location.
The only way to know where they were was through the eye shine, which caused their eyes to glow in the dark.
Fortunately, they managed to capture a Warsor Black Hound first, allowing them to use its long hairs to change their bowstrings, giving it a boost in range.
The mounted Crossbow that Cristopher was going to use could now reach a target of up to 200 meters, which doubled its original range.
While everyone was waiting, the laughter of the hyenas grew louder, indicating that they were getting closer to the camp.
In time, Thirteen and the rest were able to see small golden glowing orbs in the distance, which were the eyes of the Golden-Eyed Hyenas.
Just like Vassago had stated, these monsters had spread out to create an encirclement, but Thirteen wasn't too worried about the Hyenas surrounding them.
What he was paying close attention to was the location of the four wagons, which had been moved to block their path of escape.
It was the only area where there were no traps laid out on the ground, making it the only safe place for the Hyenas to traverse in order to reach them.
Thirteen never underestimated his opponents, especially when one of them was a Rank 4 Jinn Monster.
Just like he expected, a Golden-Eyed Hyena approached the location of the wagons, coming near the torches that Bruno had thrown on the ground.
Everyone caught a glimpse of a monster that was over a meter tall, with a few red stripes on its golden coat.
Its ears, muzzles, and throat were black in color, but its golden eyes, which were filled with mischief, eyed them from a distance.
A moment later, laughter escaped its mouth, making all the other Hyenas laugh with it.
Without a doubt, this was the leader of the Golden-Eyed Hyenas, who had come to feast on them.
Giga Chad, who was right beside Thirteen, became tense as the eyes of the Rank 4 Monster had locked onto his body while laughing creepily.
"Don't worry, Giga," Thirteen patted the Chad Skunk's neck, reassuring it that everything was going to be fine. "We'll kill it before it kills you."
The Chad Skunk whimpered, but it held its ground.
Giga Chad was only a Rank 2 Monster, so feeling afraid of a stronger Monster was only natural.
Thirteen eyed the Monster in the distance before lightly rubbing Tiona's neck.
"Tiona, I'll leave that one to you," Thirteen said softly. "Be careful."
The Black Snake nodded her head before crawling down from Thirteen's body.
It was time for her to help her Master fight, which made Adira, who was watching nearby, look at the Black Snake in excitement.
The Domini Mortis was the most poisonous snake in the world.
Similar to her Master, it was perpetually fated to remain a Rank 1 Monster throughout its lifetime.
The reason why this happened was not because the Gods, who once ruled Solterra, hated the Domini Mortis.
No. In fact, they feared and respected it.
There was even a saying in the ancient text of the Scholars that if the Domini Mortis were allowed to raise their ranks, they would become the strongest monster in Solterra, without any other monster being their match.
Tiona slithered silently into the night, disappearing into the darkness.
If Adira were to offer her assistance, this battle would have been far easier.
But since the Drow had clearly stated that she would only observe them, Thirteen decided to let Tiona join the battle.
The Hyenas, who had also appeared outside the 100-meter defensive line, became confused because there were holes all over the place that they were unable to traverse.
One of them even tried to jump over the hole, but since Hyenas weren't really that good at jumping, it fell on the trap and was unable to extricate itself from it.
Thirteen didn't place any spears to kill the Monsters that would fall into the trap because there was no need for it.
Tiona slithered in the direction of the fallen Hyena in order to neutralize it.
Although her poison wouldn't kill it instantly, repeated bites would make the Monster weaker and weaker, disabling it from joining the battle.
Although the Domini Mortis was only a Rank 1 Monster, and its foe was a Rank 3 Monster, which was stronger and bigger than her, the Black Snake wasn't worried.
Just like the Chad Skunk, Tiona had one other ability, and that was to unleash a poison spray at its target. The only con was that its range was very short and only reached up to a meter.
However, that was enough to target the fallen Hyena, who could do nothing but accept Tiona's one-sided attack, rendering it incapable of joining the battle ever again.
When the Black Snake reached her destination, she saw the Hyena trying to jump out of the hole, which was impossible for it to achieve.
Since that was the case, Tiona didn't hesitate to open her jaws wide and unleash an inky, and poisonous spray that hit the Hyenas' face dead center, causing it to howl in pain.
After accomplishing her goal, she slithered away in order to approach the other Hyenas.
Using the darkness as her cover, she planned to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.
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