Ashen Dragon

Chapter 195: Chapter 121 Encounter
 

Summer Night Autumn Rain, having exhausted all his spell slots in the previous battle, chose to return with the main team for a long rest, leaving only the trio to venture into the depths of the Kalka Mountains.

This mountainous region, located north of Stormy Ridge, was rarely visited by humans and was filled with countless legendary tales. Stories about giant evil snowmen that sucked out brains, the wailing Polar Night Demon Tower, and the ghostly shadows on the snow were widely spread across the Northern Countries.

“Hoo—”

The cold wind howled past, coating the rocks with white frost and bringing a chill to the valley.

“Damn, this… this place is freezing.”

Mantou shivered, exhaling white puffs of breath from his nostrils.

“Serves you right for not preparing in advance.”

Xin Dog took out a blue potion and tossed it casually to Mantou. It was a potion for cold resistance, made from magical herbs that grew underground, quite a rare potion.

Mantou pulled the cork out and gulped it down. It felt like a furnace had been ignited inside him, warming him up immediately.

“Feels good.”

“Good job, Xin Dog.”

Mantou, feeling cozy, gave Xin Dog a thumbs-up.@@novelbin@@

“This is great stuff!”

The Heavenly Berserker, being a Barbarian with a robust constitution, wasn’t too bothered by the cold but still drank his prepared potion. Warm steam rose from his body, and two white plumes puffed from his nostrils, making him feel invigorated.

“Hoo-hoo—”

Another sharp sound pierced the air.

“Stay alert, that might not just be the wind. Prepare for combat!”

Xin Dog noticed something amiss and cautioned everyone sharply.

The sound wasn’t just the wind whistling through the valley; it carried a mournful, wailing tone, similar to the howling of wolves.

The cliffs on both sides of the valley flickered with strange, colorful shadows, accompanied by rustling noises.

Natural War Maniac quickly turned his head, but the place where the noise came from was empty, showing only dark rocks.

“Looks like we have incoming enemies, trying to be sneaky.”

Xin Dog drew his bow, fired an arrow at the rock, and it exploded upon impact, creating a blaze of fire.

The creatures hiding behind the rock were startled by the fire and scattered, revealing themselves.

The standing creatures were about two meters tall, their backs covered in fur and hunched. Their heads resembled those of hyenas, with disheveled yellow teeth and blood-red triangular eyes.

The blood-red eyes stared intently at the people in the valley, growling deeply from their throats, wishing to tear them apart and devour them.

These monsters preferred eating intelligent beings alive, letting their prey witness their own consumption, relishing the terrified screams before death. Humans made up a significant part of their diet.

“Gnolls?”

Xin Dog immediately recognized these creatures. He had killed many in the mines but felt something was off.

Gnolls preferred warm and humid environments, often appearing in warm plains or underground areas, rarely in such cold mountains. Moreover, their appearance differed from regular gnolls—their skin had red-brown and black fur, with some spots becoming bald, growing sparse white scales.

All three players instantly thought of the Dragonblood Goblins from the Ashen Kingdom.

“Interesting, could it be White Dragon Bloodline?”

“No wonder they can withstand the cold.”

“We should catch a few alive if we can.”

Xin Dog became intrigued, observing the gnolls with growing excitement—this was a rare special breed, and sending them to the Tower of the Great Sage could fetch a considerable amount of gold and contribution.

The battle commenced immediately.

“Awooo—”

The Dragon Vein Gnolls howled toward the sky, their cries sounding eerily like sobbing.

These creatures leaped off the cliffs toward the group, snarling and drooling foul-smelling saliva.

“Go, go, go! War Maniac Bro, Mantou, you hold them off.”

“Damn it, Xin Dog, why don’t you go handle these disgusting things yourself?”

Despite his complaints, Mantou advanced with his Silver Sword to engage the enemy.

The Heavenly Berserker, eager for a fight, roared skyward, stomped fiercely to activate his frenzy, and charged at the gnolls with bloodshot eyes.

“Aaargh—”

“Battle, yes!”

The Heavenly Berserker swung his Great Axe horizontally, decapitating a gnoll and making the others retreat in fear.

Mantou seized the opportunity to rush in, performing actions like tides, his sword movements were incredibly swift, effortlessly slashing open the gnolls’ chests and spilling their organs.

Xin Dog, even more dramatic, drew his Hunting Longbow and marked the gnolls with a purple Hunter’s Mark.

“Whoosh—”

The arrow pierced through the air, striking one gnoll’s heart and emerging from the other side, its sharp head bloodied. The power of the Hunter’s Mark continued tearing the wound, causing additional damage, ensuring the gnoll’s death.

“Don’t kill too quickly!”

“Leave some for capturing alive!”

After shooting another gnoll dead, Xin Dog reminded the others.

Against these fourth-level professional gamers, whose true power far surpassed their stats, ordinary gnolls with a touch of White Dragon Bloodline were no match, becoming mere tools for the gamers to farm experience and loot.

But quantity could make up for the lack of quality.

Mantou and the Heavenly Berserker fought on the frontlines, but the gnolls around them instead of decreasing, multiplied rapidly, with growing howls echoing from afar.

“Damn, how many of these dog things are there—”

“It’s endless, totally endless.”

Standing in the valley, Xin Dog grew serious, glancing around as hundreds of hyena-like ugly heads peered from the cliffs, their numerous blood-red eyes making his scalp tingle.

“Uh-oh—we might have stumbled into their lair.”

“What?”

More and more gnolls swarmed, forming a mottled wave of stench threatening to engulf them.

Even the largest gnoll took a deep breath and exhaled a chilling breath—a freezing breath, similar to that of a White Dragon!

Mantou, startled, rolled several times on the ground to barely avoid it. The spot where he had stood was now coated in thick frost.

Having earlier underestimated their enemy, Mantou and the Heavenly Berserker launched attacks from opposite sides, placing them far apart, and Xin Dog was further away at the valley’s end with no chance of providing support.

Mantou glanced at the diverging paths within the valley and, struck with a sudden idea, shouted: “Let’s split up and escape!”

“Got it!”

So, with Mantou and the Heavenly Berserker going left and right and Xin Dog moving backward, the three of them raced off in different directions.

“Awooo—”

The greedy but not-so-intelligent gnolls hesitated, unsure whom to chase first. They stood there howling for a while before finally splitting into three groups at their leader’s command and pursuing in various directions.