As soon as they entered the woods, Jack turned to Moon Moon and played the touristic guide.
"Welcome to Greenwood Forest, home of some of the cutest but deadliest creatures ever!"
"Woo?!" (Startled!)
Moon Moon instantly turned serious, staring at every little bush, tree, and even at the grass on the ground. It wouldn't be taken by surprise!
"Alright, follow my lead. We'll be progressing in the area since we need a couple of things to open the Dungeon. Luckily, our first target isn't too far." Jack instructed.
He invoked Chicky and the Rat for them to gain some experience, all departing together. They barely walked a few minutes that they were already encountering their first opponent.
There was a tiny, small, and cute white creature munching on grass in the vibrant vegetation: a horned rabbit.
Moon Moon was already getting into a hunting position, ready to pounce when Jack remarked:
"See how its fur is slightly vibrating? This means it's already in combat mode. As soon as you jump forward, it will charge. Do you remember the Chicken's assault skill?"
"Woo!" (Nodding!)
"Well, it's like that but 100 times faster." As Jack explained, the little wolf's eyes bulged in shock. Judging by its master's tone, this was a lot!
"The only way to defeat them is to sidestep when you see their fur twitch. You won't be able to react to the movement, so you need to react to its early tells."
As cute and tiny as this thing looked, it was even stronger than the crabs back at the lake! Thanks to their appealing physique, those monsters were known as Newbie Killers.
How many young schoolgirls had died savagely penetrated after trying to pet a fluffy bunny? Enough to make year-long death compilation videos!
"Woo!"
< Savage Horned Rabbit Lv 17 🍃>
The two came closer very carefully. Then suddenly it jumped at them! The thing was so fast that only a white blur could be seen. Heck, it looked like a ray of light!
— Zoooom! —
"Woo!!" (Scary!)
Moon Moon had barely avoided having its vitals pierced. There was a large gaping wound on its flank. Some flesh and fur stuck on the rabbit's horn as if a skewer.
This had been enough to teach it the true horror of this monster. Sometimes speed equaled power, especially when a charge skill was involved.
"Here, watch." Jack winked at his pet. "Hey, you shitty rabbit! I'm gonna turn you into a pair of slippers! I hope you're comfy enough or—"
— Zoooom! —
As if by mistake, Jack suddenly fell shield first. It just happened that he had the perfect angle to push the creature's head downward slightly.
– 3
Damage wise? Barely noticeable!
Effect wise? Super freaking effective!
That slight push was enough to redirect the bunny. Its charge made it so it slammed its face on the ground, with its horn sinking deep in it.
The poor thing tried to free itself, its small paws paddling non-stop, but it was deeply lodged in the earth.
"Now comes the fun part." Jack grinned as he repeatedly slashed at the creature.
-10
-11
-12
-13
-10
-12
Before long, the rabbit was nothing more than a lifeless, bloodied husk.
At some point, it had tried playing dead to bait him into lowering his guard, but Jack had kept attacking. He even used this as a teachable moment.
— Obtained Rabbit Meat! —
— Obtained Rabbit Horn! —
— Obtained Rabbit Paw! —
There were some trinkets one could do with the paws, but they were about as effective as the ones IRL.
As for the horn, it was a hot commodity that could be traded as a magical material. It was also their objective for the moment.
"Alright, let's keep going. We need more horns, and then we'll switch to the next target."
The group kept hunting, with Chicky and the Rat progressively joining the fight. They were like small chicks scared of flying by themselves. Well, with reasons.
The rabbit did come way faster than the ground ever could! They all learned how to cope using their own methods.
Chicky's learning session was filled with the sound of its bones shattering over and over as it learned to dodge roll. Jack had to re-summon it many times too.
As for Durdoc, it was even worse at dodging but pretty smart. It used poison to attack from up a tree and Jack as a distraction. But, still considered a failure in a 1 v 1 situation…
Moon Moon was the fastest to improve. It quickly found the timing to deal with the creature by summoning fire on itself. The rabbit would then comically jump directly into the inferno!
Before long, they had their own collection of long and very hard horns, some of them having tasted it first hand deep inside their bodies.
The next monster they hunted seemed even more harmless than the rabbit.
< Savage Killer Lavenderflower Lv 19 🍃>
It was a tiny purple flower that looked quite gorgeous, but the truth was completely different. The monster was actually a bunch of deadly roots, trying to skewer passersby!
"Watch your steps: that's about it. Still, it's easier said than done." Jack advised.
As soon as they were in the range of the creature, rows, and rows of roots with sharp pricks tried to destroy them. It was a freaking contortionist game!
"Woo!" (So many!)
The little wolf couldn't help but be impressed. There were almost as many roots here as vines back home. This thing looked super dangerous too!
"We need the purple flower. It's an excellent all-purpose stabilizer for most magical life skills. It's also the thing's only weakness (kinda)."
It really was the fastest way to destroy it, but it meant going inside and stealing a flower that the creature pretty much used as bait. Doing so was what one would call insanity!
"Here's a great trick to destroy it. Keep attacking until it starts to move slower, then go for the kill!" Jack showed by example.
Thus started another avoiding training.
Pets VS Tentacles!
Pets VS Tentacles! Revenge edition!
Pets VS Tentacles! Super Deluxe OP Over 9000 Revenge Edition!
Yes, it took them a while to master it. The Rat tried to attack it from a distance, but the plant would simply retreat underground to safety.
But it was all worth it:
[Congratulations! ++Pets Fighting Prowess!]
Eventually, Jack's inventory was full of horns and purple flowers. There was only one thing missing.
Jack slowly led them deeper into the forest. Then he stopped at an empty clearing.
"What do you think?" He asked with a mischievous smile.
"Woo?" (Puzzled!)
Was there anything special with that part of the forest? No matter how the little wolf looked, it seemed exactly like the others.
But that's when the Rat suddenly noticed something as it chattered its teeth in surprise! A few leaves were floating in the air, forming a silhouette!! 🍃🍃
( )
`–(_ _)–'
Y-Y
/##
/
`–'. ,
| `.__________/)
"Shriek?!" (Is that?!)
The Rat couldn't believe what it was seeing or wasn't seeing in this case! It couldn't sense anything and yet….
That's when Jack finally explained:
"That's an Invisible deer, and it's very true to its name. Its antlers are akin to blades, its teeth are sharp enough to tear armor, and it loves crushing skulls with its hooves."
"Woo?!" (How mysterious!)
"Yes, also very deadly. Always surprising to see someone's skull randomly explode while walking. In any case, this one will be hard to kill just because of its raw specs."
Jack glanced at them all, explaining their battle plan:
"Chicky, jump on its back and peck like there's no tomorrow!"
"Durdoc, you're on acid duty. Target its eyes. They'll be at about this height!"
"Moon Moon, I want constant fire on it. You don't need to keep the ability active, just to make it burn to reveal it."
"Alright, let's do this!"
That is how one hell of a fight began! To an external spectator, it would have seemed like they had all gone mental as they started striking the air.
Even with the burn effect, it was hard to notice the creature. It really was good at camouflaging itself.
Luckily there was a trick. By using both sight and smell, it was possible to track it easily— at least for Jack.
< Savage Invisible Deer Lv 21 🍃>
It was incredibly fast, strong, and resistant. Honestly, just piercing its tough skin would have been difficult. The only thing he could do was use his newly obtained ability.
— Jack Used Demonic Ghoulish Touch! —
This would bypass the thing's defenses. As for resisting the attacks, he was 100% counting on his accumulated experience. Frankly, he was guessing how the creature would move.
His only shot at victory was to make it perish from demonic energy overdose.
As for the raising effect, he wasn't too worried about that since it was just a chance. He couldn't be that unlucky, right?
After a good 20 minutes of constant fighting, Jack finally defeated the creature.
+55 XP!
— Obtained Deer Antlers! —
— Obtained Deer Meat! —
Just as they were happily celebrating their hard-earned victory, a surge of demonic energy suddenly spread. Oh no! Not now!!
[The Invisible Deer Has turned Into A Macabre!]
[Congratulations! Great success!]
[It Hungers For the Living!]
[It Sees You!]
"RUUNNNN!!!" Jack screamed at the top of his lungs.
Macabre Invisible Deer:
– Infinite Stamina
– Incredibly Powerful!
– Very Hungry For Human Flesh!
– Unaffected by Demonic Energy!
Conclusion: the chances of victory were zero!
There was no hesitation as they all ran away. Jack could only pity the poor sob that would suddenly encounter an Invisible "Zombie" Deer. Not a pleasant experience for sure!
"At least we have what we came here for: 1 Deer Antlers, 3 Flowers, 9 Rabbit Horns. Let's unlock the Fairy Garden, shall we?" He sighed in relief.
"Now, Chicky or Durdoc, who wants to become a gardener?"
"?!?"
"?!?"
"It's called Fairy GARDEN for a reason…."
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[A/N] Hype! Feb Mass Release Time! 🔥
How did the Deer art turn out? I hope good xD
So close to #25! Monthly Trending. #26 is about to pass us 0_0! Gotta, sell more chaps!!! 😆