Starting with the goblin extermination

Chapter 114 Locking on the Target

Now that the battlefield has been chosen, the next step is to find the enemy.

As previously agreed, Ranger Sylvie stepped forward. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a faint green light shone in her pupils. She activated her Ranger skill, [Wild Tracking], once more.

Logan handed her the [Beast Hunting Potion].

It must be said that the ranger's combat skills, combined with the boost from the potion, and the half-elf's naturally sharp senses, allowed everyone to regain their way in this forest where visibility was obstructed.

Regardless of how strong Sylvie's long-range combat capabilities are, her ability to lock onto prey in complex terrain is something many squads covet, since such non-combat skills are not easy to learn.

Logan chose to cooperate with the two of them precisely because of this. While Ellis's direct strength was indeed formidable, Sylvie's tracking ability could save the team a lot of time and avoid many unnecessary battles.

Led by Sylvie, the group moved forward slowly.

It was moving very slowly, and Sylvie would stop and change direction every now and then.

This was, after all, the depths of the Ash Forest, and the Twisted Wood Forest was filled with all sorts of scents, which would disrupt Sylvie's tracking. She had to move cautiously, constantly sorting through the various scents in her mind and nose, adjusting the group's direction little by little.

The four walked cautiously, watching their step and the movement above them. The Twisted Wood Forest was not only where the giant mantis was found, but also the habitat of the level one monster, the Stone-Skinned Giant Lizard.

As the name suggests, this is a monster covered in thick keratin. Its rough, grayish-black skin is exactly like the withered tree trunks and strangler vines in the strangler forest. If you're not careful, you might have your leg bitten off by these beasts that blend into their environment.

However, for Logan and his team, the monitor lizards' supposedly brilliant camouflage was barely effective.

Regardless of Sylvia's heightened senses amplified by her combat skills, and Elsa's [True Sight] combat skill, for Logan alone, the "Hunter's Instinct" feat granted by his job always allows him to detect nearby creatures that might be plotting against him.

As the team slowly advanced, besides the two stone-skinned monitor lizards that Sylvie had warned them to avoid, Logan actually spotted a clueless fellow.

A faint killing intent emanated from his right, and Logan instantly sensed something amiss. Right in front of him, at the base of an oak tree, a two-meter-long stone-skinned giant lizard lay perfectly camouflaged in the mud, with massive gray strangler vines hanging over its head, providing excellent cover.

Upon closer inspection, one can vaguely see its cold, vertical pupils staring intently at Logan, its large mouth slightly open.

Sylvie twitched her nose, smelled the odor, and opened her mouth as if to warn him.

But Logan had already made his move.

挣！

【Thrust - Blood Hunt】

Logan twisted his wrist sharply, and the gray-white longsword transformed into a dazzling silver lightning bolt, instantly piercing into the seemingly ordinary tree root at a tricky angle.

The monitor lizard, which intended to ambush its prey quietly, was instead ambushed by its own prey.

This massive level-one monster was killed before it even had a chance to scream.

Its proud, rough keratin only briefly hindered Logan's longsword. With the sharp tip of the enhanced longsword and Logan's immense strength of 8 points, the sword light instantly pierced the giant lizard's mouth and went straight for its brain!

puff!

With a sudden twist from Logan, the giant lizard's head instantly exploded into a gooey mess, splattering a large pool of blood on the ground.

Sylvie looked at Logan with some surprise. In her opinion, it was rare for an ordinary warrior to have such perception ability. However, when she thought that Logan was a man who could take on a shadow leopard single-handedly, she felt relieved.

This guy is no ordinary professional.

Sylvie rubbed her eyes, her face pale, and canceled the [Wild Tracking] combat skill. Activating the skill for an extended period had taken a heavy toll on her stamina, and the team needed to stop and rest anyway.

Logan leaned against the tree trunk, warily observing the chaotic scenery around him, while chewing on the jerky Elsa offered him. Then, his hands unconsciously rested on the two white spheres hanging from his waist.

【Blinding Smoke Beads】

A type of alchemical item that produces dense smoke when ignited or subjected to violent impact; it is very effective, and the smoke produced is not easily dispersed by the wind.

However, since it was so effective, it was naturally not cheap. Just one cost 10 gold coins. Although it hurt a little when he bought it, Logan still paid the money readily.

This thing is crucial for the upcoming battle.

Like the Shadow Leopard, the Giant Mantis is an agile monster. Its movement speed is even faster than the Shadow Leopard's, and what's even more terrifying is its sharp blade, which it wields with incredible speed. Combined with its compound eyes possessing terrifying dynamic vision, an ordinary professional would be torn to pieces in seconds if they were to confront it head-on.

However, if they attack together, the giant mantis may be able to escape directly due to its extremely fast speed.

Therefore, Elise is not the main character in this battle. Although her defense is very high thanks to her combat skills and armor, and she won't be directly killed by the giant mantis, her heavy punches will definitely be like when she faced the shadow panther before. She won't even be able to touch the giant mantis's shadow, and will only be used as a live target to continuously weaken her.

Dynamic vision is Logan's forte, and all three of them, except for Ellis, possess special sensory abilities.

With that, the subsequent actions became a logical next step.

By using smoke to obscure the giant mantis's vision and disable its prized compound eyes, an advantage can be created.

Thinking of this, Logan rubbed the ring on his hand.

In the smoke, they must use their sensory advantage to cut off the giant mantis's retreat and gain the initiative. Then, using Logan's ring and the Wild Hunt skill, they will control it and finally swarm in for a swift kill.

Simple tactics are often the most effective tactics.

After a short rest, Sylvie once again activated her combat skills and led the team to search for their target.

After walking for about half an hour, Sylvie suddenly stopped, her brows furrowed. She sniffed the air, listened intently for a moment, and then solemnly signaled for everyone to quietly move eastward.

As the group drew closer, the sounds of heavy objects falling to the ground and meat being chopped gradually became clearer in the forest.

They held their breath and stopped behind two enormous oak trees.

found it.

Ellis was delighted to have found her friend's prey and instinctively hooked her arm around Logan's shoulder, pulling him behind the tree trunk. Her astonishingly large and full breasts, hidden beneath her chainmail, pressed against Logan's arm once again.

"There!" She patted Logan on the shoulder hard.

Logan stared intently ahead, his heart pounding as he spotted his prey, and he nodded excitedly.

In their excitement at finally finding their prey, the two seemed to briefly forget the intimate scene that had unfolded in the cave the previous night.

But just a few seconds later, Ellis felt a hard pressure on her chest. The familiar masculine scent beside her made her stiffen, and her breathing, which had been heavy with excitement, suddenly became rapid and unnatural.

She glanced at Logan out of the corner of her eye. The man looked perfectly normal, his handsome eyes fixed on the monster in front of him, seemingly unaware of their intimate embrace.

Elise bit her lower lip hard, trying to hide her wildly beating heart and suppressing the urge to back away and create distance. Perhaps she didn't want Elsa and Sylvie to notice the change in their relationship, or perhaps subconsciously, some other emotion she dared not admit made her crave this moment of dependence.

But soon, their attention was completely drawn to the fighting ahead.

In the open space ahead, three shadows could be vaguely seen dancing wildly through the hanging vines.

Get a little closer, and the scene before you is chilling.

It was a giant praying mantis that stood upright, reaching a height of three meters.

Its entire body was covered in hard, jade-like carapace, and two huge, ruby-like compound eyes on its inverted triangular head were slowly turning, capturing all the movements around it.

Its two enormous, folded forelimbs were covered with sharp serrations that gleamed with a faint, cold light.

At this moment, it is fighting two opponents at once, facing two enormous stone-skinned giant lizards!

Two bodies were already lying on the ground. This was not a battle, but a massacre.

Faced with two monitor lizards attacking from the left and right, the mantis nimbly glided across the ground, its terrifying compound eyes instantly locking onto the opening when the left monitor lizard lunged.

Swish-!

Logan saw the huge afterimage of its waving forelimbs, and then heard a sharp explosion in the air.

puff!

Scalding blood sprayed into the air instantly, and the head of the stone-skinned giant lizard was severed cleanly from its neck by the sharp blade as smoothly as cutting butter!

The headless corpse, still carrying its momentum, crashed heavily into the mud. The cut was as smooth as a mirror, and the flesh and blood spilled to the ground with a thud.

Immediately afterward, before the other monitor lizard could even land and stand still, the massive blade slid down mercilessly once again.

Sizzle—

The giant stone-skinned lizard was pierced straight through the center of its head! The giant mantis pulled downwards, and with a terrifying sound of flesh tearing, the lizard was cut in half symmetrically from the center.

Steaming hot entrails spilled onto the ground, and a strong stench of blood filled the air.

This is the giant mantis, a rare and deadly level-one monster deep within the forest.

He will also be Logan's next opponent.