Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

This trap wasn't set by him, but rather discovered by chance by a desperate mountain outlaw who had dug it. Compared to them, those guys no longer cared much about the lord's orders and no longer valued their own lives so much, only caring about enjoying themselves as soon as possible. Therefore, they were also the main force of poaching in many places.

Moldy venison and nutritious liver and kidneys will never have trouble finding a market with butchers, and processed hides can easily fetch a good price. If a poacher can gather a gang and work diligently in a place rich in game for a year or two, he can easily accumulate a large fortune. If he can find a way to legitimize the source of this money, he can live a carefree life without worrying about food and drink.

Throughout history, there have been many stories of poachers hiding treasures in the mountains, only to be hanged by the lord before they could enjoy them. Those who tell these stories often imply that the coins are most likely still in the mountains, waiting for a lucky person to find them, and that once someone becomes that lucky person, they can escape their miserable lives.

He had such daydreams during his most difficult and distressing times, and even went into the mountains to search for them. However, he did not find the bags containing the money, but instead found a trap specifically used to hunt wild animals.

The trap was located at the intersection of a narrow path, a path mostly worn out by wild animals traversing the mountains. It was extremely narrow, and most animals would habitually continue along this path. The trap was also very cleverly made. Not only was a deep burrow dug into the hard, solid soil, but the entrance was also covered with a wooden fence, wrapped with fallen leaves and branches, and loaded with heavy objects. Once the prey was caught in the trap, it would be squeezed to death in the narrow burrow, ensuring that the precious fur would not be damaged and could be skinned whole.

Moreover, although the place is remote, it looks like a proper road because wild animals often walk there. Now it is covered with thick fallen leaves because it has not been used for a long time... If he can lead this guy there and make him fall into the trap, he won't even have to lift a finger. The falling rocks will cover everything.

To do this, he needed to take a gamble—a gamble that this guy didn't know the roads here so well, that he didn't know that the road was actually a dead end leading deep into the foothills.

Taking advantage of the fact that the other person was unable to walk and could only rely on him, the young hunter quietly changed his direction of travel. At an inconspicuous fork in the road, he silently took a secluded path... And Lady Luck smiled on him once again. The person next to him did not raise any objections and had no idea where the path led... and therefore had no idea what he was up to.

Meanwhile, the man in black robes grinned with smug satisfaction. This kid actually chose those secluded paths, probably afraid of being discovered poaching. This made things convenient for him, saving him a lot of effort. If he went a little further, he could finish his business deep in the dense forest where wolves roamed.

At that moment, almost simultaneously, a thought flashed through their minds—it's done! ...

Chapter 407 Each with their own ulterior motives (2)

What a wonderful place, truly a wonderful place...

He could barely suppress the smile on his lips. This dark forest had somehow strayed from the main path into the mountains. He had already chosen a good spot—a place where the bushes were slightly sparse, where wolves were likely to roam. He could leave the remaining fodder there and clear it out before nightfall.

It's time to make a move. He shouldn't delay any longer. In a way, it's all thanks to this kind-hearted fool; otherwise, given his current condition, it would have taken him a lot of effort to get here.

He suddenly coughed, and his wrist began to twist and deform, preparing to tear open the other person's neck the moment he turned around, while also preparing to drink the scalding blood.

His body had long been starving and thirsty. Not only had he not received the nourishment of the primordial essence, but he didn't even know when he had last tasted the most basic flesh and blood... He originally thought that they could accomplish great things by enduring humiliation and hardship, but he never expected to end up like this, and instead, he was tormented by hunger and thirst all over his body.

"Huh? What is this thing..."

The prey he had been eyeing suddenly let out a questioning sigh, making him tense as well. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a bad feeling immediately arose... Could the Imperials have already blown their way over? How did they know he would take this shortcut?!

With that thought in mind, he let go of the guy and let him go ahead to scout the way, so that if there were any problems, he could escape in time.

The young lovers seemed deeply drawn to something unusual. He muttered something as he walked towards a twisted, bizarre tree. The tree's shape looked as if some force had grasped it, stretched it out, and then twisted it three times; every branch was filled with unnatural deformation and swelling. The lower half was covered in thick moss, while the upper half, though bearing small leaves, offered no protection from the sunlight, making it look more like a withered tree.

It is indeed very distinctive and strange, standing out as a landmark even in this dense forest. Even the most careless person can spot this odd tree at a glance... making it easy for searchers to find their way here.

He sensed something was wrong and immediately decided to abandon the hunt. He gritted his teeth and pulled the crossbow bolt from his leg, ignoring the tendons that had been torn by the barbs. He controlled the parasite to plug the wound and stitch up the blood vessels, and immediately turned around to look for a way to retreat.

"...Ah, it's really hard to find these kinds of mushrooms this season. We're in for a treat today."

Just as he was about to jump off the mountainside, the guy's words hit him like a heavy punch to the head, making him turn his head with a twitching mouth and glare fiercely at the other person. Only then did he see that the guy was busy picking some white-stemmed, red-capped mushrooms from the twisted tree trunk.

This type of mushroom is rare in the southern regions, and it usually only grows on tree trunks in a semi-rotten state. However, because it tastes extremely delicious, even more tender and sweet than meat, it is often very valuable. There are even many people who make a living by collecting these expensive mushrooms in the forest and selling them to those picky lords.

He could certainly understand the guy's surprise at seeing such things. After all, these mushrooms had somehow covered one side of the tree trunk, and picking them would yield at least five or six pounds, which was not a small amount of money for this man. However, he was still embarrassed and annoyed by the panic caused by the guy's overreaction and resolved to deal with him more carefully later, so that his fear and pain would compensate for his own mental anguish.

"Oh, so that's what it is... But I came here with you, so there's a share for everyone, especially since you shot an arrow at me..."

And so, he narrowed his eyes and approached his opponent. As he spoke words intended to lull him into a false sense of security, he slowly extended the dangerous bone blade from his wrist, preparing to tear his prey apart—he had waited long enough and was quite impatient.

Thick layers of withered leaves crumbled beneath his feet, and the other man wore an angry expression. This was within his expectations; mortal lives were always short and mundane, filled with petty squabbles over worthless things… But thankfully, the blood spurting out after their throats were ripped open was all equally sweet, all capable of nourishing his body.

While keeping his opponent in a daze, he prepared himself. Just as he approached, becoming only six steps away from the withered tree, he suddenly heard an unusual thud beneath his feet—

Clap!

A huge pit, about two meters long and wide, suddenly collapsed beneath his feet. The withered leaves piled up on top fell like snowflakes, and he was caught off guard, tumbling down amidst the swirling dust and heavy impact. He let out a panicked roar, his outstretched bone claws digging fiercely into the surrounding soil, temporarily securing him at the entrance and preventing him from falling directly below.

"We have no grudges against each other, but I can't live well if you live, so go to your death in peace. At least there won't be any wolves gnawing on your bones if you die here!"

Even amidst the chaos, the sound of the crossbow bolt being nocked was extremely clear. Then, as he raised his head to say something, the arrow struck his mouth with unerring accuracy, knocking out two teeth and piercing his tongue and jaw together. The excruciating pain caused him to instinctively loosen his grip, and he rolled to the bottom of the pit.

Seeing the creature roll down, the young hunter didn't hesitate to reach out and grab a stake protruding from the ground next to the twisted, withered tree. He pulled hard, and with a tremor, a wooden plank on the side of the pit crashed down. All the stones, each the size of a human head, that had been inside rolled out and, in the blink of an eye, filled half of the trap amidst the dust.

If it were a ferocious beast, it would have already broken its bones and lay there on the verge of death. But for the resilient man in black, there was still enough time for him to struggle a little longer. He suppressed the blood gushing from his throat and desperately tried to push away the stones piled on top of him.

Crunch!

The crossbow was pulled back and the trigger engaged, and a barbed, wide-winged arrow, specifically designed for cutting flesh and bleeding, was secured to it. The end of the arrow was slotted into the string to prevent it from falling out, and the hunter lifted it up and aimed downwards.

The guy was in a pretty bad state. Although he tried desperately to struggle during the fall, he was buried below the chest by the falling rock. Undoubtedly, many of his bones were crushed, and he was unable to move at all, becoming a living target.

"Wait, we can talk!"

Seeing that he was about to be caught off guard and lose his life, the man in black robes finally panicked, raising his face covered in dust and blood as he began to beg for mercy in a hoarse voice:

"I have gold on me, lots of gold. If you let me go, I'll give it all to you!"

The hunter hesitated for only a moment, then his expression turned fierce again.

"No need for that. We've come this far, it's a fight to the death! I want to live, and live well, so you'll die here. Blame it on the bad timing of your arrival today!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he pressed the trigger. The arrow flew out, but it struck the hard bone blade, sparking as it missed its target. This caused his eyebrows to twitch twice.

"I knew you weren't normal... Now I'm even less likely to let you go!"

As he spoke, he continued to string his crossbow, then raised it and aimed at an area that the other man could not easily cover with his hands, firing mercilessly as if he was determined to kill the guy right there.

The opponent was more troublesome than he had expected. The strange claw seemed to be able to intercept his crossbow bolts because it was only used to defend his chest and face. Meanwhile, the opponent had already freed part of his other hand that was being held down.

After a slight hesitation, he simply threw his crossbow aside—it was no longer realistic to rely on it to kill the opponent; he needed to find a more effective and simpler method.

The method is obvious. Just like the reason for controlling the other party, he only needs to find more stones and keep throwing them down. Sooner or later, he will be able to bury the other party completely!

So, just as the man in black robes breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had a chance of escaping, he had already moved a rock, about half the size of a millstone, from the nearby bushes, and with his face flushed and veins bulging, pushed it down the edge of the pit.

Boom! Bang! Bang! ——

The stone collided and tumbled within the cave, pressing down with terrifying weight and potential energy. Then, amidst the black-clad man's terrified scream, it slammed down on him, crushing his arm into pieces like straw, before rolling forward to the right and smashing his jaw.

He was speechless. The hunter didn't dare to slack off at all. He kept searching for stones from the surrounding grass and trees. The smallest was only the size of a human head, and the largest was comparable to a millstone! The size and shape of these stones made it very difficult for him. He could only move them slowly to the cave entrance by constantly lifting and lowering them on the ground, and then push them down.

At first, he could hear the sound of bones being smashed, but later all he could hear was the sound of stones colliding with each other. Dust kept billowing out of the hole, and even finer stone chips were produced from the collision of stones. Amid his heavy breathing and the sound of leaves being crushed, there was an indescribable sense of oppression.

He frantically moved stones and threw them in, not knowing how long he worked, until he couldn't find a single stone bigger than his foot in an area of ​​several dozen meters. Only then did he finally stop. By then, he had filled the pit two feet higher, and there was no longer any sign of life below.

Logically, he should be relieved now, since that person, no matter how strange, should be dead by now... But for some reason, he was still very flustered and uneasy. After hesitating for a while, he looked at the sky, which was getting dark, and gritted his teeth before taking out the axe from his bag.

He decided to find some more firewood, light it, and burn it properly, as if only then could he die in peace. This idea came to him suddenly, like a flash of inspiration that happens in daily life, but it was so firm that it drove him to act quickly.

In this way, he chopped down the driest parts of the surrounding trees with his axe, quickly cut them into arm-length pieces, threw them in, and then lit a handful of dry leaves with a flint he carried with him, throwing them in to ignite the dry wood.

The dead parts of the tree had already lost all moisture, so they burned extremely quickly. In no time, the large pit in front of him had become a fire pit. The raging flames illuminated an area several meters around it, even dispelling the darkness that was gradually enveloping him. The sudden increase in heat made him sweat profusely and pant heavily.

The flames burned fiercely, and propelled by the fuel, the temperature rose higher and higher, turning the color of the flames into a pale gold. The surrounding soil was baked dry, cracked, and crumbled, with many sections visibly collapsing, but this was not enough to completely extinguish the flames inside.

Gradually, his nose began to detect a horrible stench of burning flesh, causing his heart to inexplicably quicken, pounding in unison with the flames. His face turned pale, and he became somewhat bewildered. He stood there dumbfounded, watching the flames he had ignited grow ever stronger.

When he made up his mind, his ruthlessness was so terrifying that even he himself felt terrified... But after he finished and was sure that the crisis was over, he began to feel a sense of lingering fear—both for the mysterious danger of the other party and for his own ruthless methods.

In his previous life, he never once imagined that he would one day grind someone he had only known for half a day to dust, leaving no trace of their body. And when he did these things, he did them without the slightest hesitation, and he did them cleanly and efficiently.

But regardless, he has destroyed all traces, and then he can return to his normal life, nothing will change... nothing will change...

As if convincing himself, he gritted his teeth, packed up his things, and prepared to leave after the fire in the pit was extinguished... If nothing unexpected happened, the soil here would collapse after the fire was over, and it would become a gentle slope covered with weeds in two or three months. At that time, no one would be able to tell what had happened here.

***Slap! Slap!

The young hunter's hair stood on end, and he turned his head sharply—and from the darkness, a person dressed in a black robe slowly walked out, his iron face bearing a half-smile.

"Well done! Absolutely well done!"

Chapter 408 Each with their own ulterior motives (3)

Brazil's Saiyaros exclaimed in genuine admiration, his joy overflowing even through his iron mask. In the dim forest and amidst the blazing firelight, his face was covered in blood-stained iron mask, and the whip made of overlapping blades hung at his waist, while the curved knife in his hand was stained with a trace of blood.

He appeared silently beside the young hunter, who had just finished dealing with the initial attack, like a ghost emerging from the shadows. He then suddenly uttered a word of praise, catching the hunter completely off guard… and the effect was, of course, quite remarkable. The young man was terrified, his crossbow trembling and falling down the hillside. His face was pale, and he looked as if he might scramble away at any moment.

He knew why, of course—he and the man burning in the pit were dressed somewhat similarly, both in black robes, except he was wearing an iron mask. He had just killed someone to silence them and turned around to see a similar figure emerge. Anyone would be terrified.

Not to mention, his appearance, covered in blood and emerging from the boundary between darkness and firelight, was quite ferocious and would normally scare people half to death.

Seeing that the young man had already raised his axe, looking ready to fight him to the death, Brazil's Saiyar chuckled:

"Don't panic, I'm here for him too—"

As he spoke, he pointed his finger toward the blazing fire pit and tapped it lightly, making his meaning very clear. However, the other party remained very wary and silently took two steps back, clearly not intending to believe him so easily.

“I know you are scared and worried right now, but you don’t need to be afraid of what you have done. You have not committed any crimes under the laws of the Empire. On the contrary, you have done a good deed… I originally wanted to show you some things, but I suppose you don’t recognize them. You just need to know that he is a criminal of the Empire. There is a reward for catching him, and there is also a reward for killing him.”

The young hunter stammered, his grip on his axe never loosening, nor did he believe a single word the other man uttered. After all, the man's sudden appearance was too coincidental, so coincidental that it sent chills down his spine.

"That's good, that's good. I was just worried... In that case, I'll take my leave now, sir. I have things to do at home. I don't need any rewards; it's all for the sake of contributing to the empire..."

As he spoke, he began to back away, relying on the terrain he had memorized from years of lurking in this area, preparing to retreat to the main road leading up the mountain—traveling in the mountains at night was not a wise decision, as nocturnal beasts were waiting for this opportunity to feast, but he was now willing to take the risk rather than stay in this dangerous and eerie place... If possible, he probably would never come to this area again.

"Don't rush off, young man. I have something I want to tell you."

Oh no! His body stiffened, and he became fierce... Just as he expected, this guy had no intention of letting him go. Now he had no choice but to fight for his life!

He has never lacked the courage to fight to the death, even though he has already risked more today than in the first half of his life, and very likely more than in the second half.

incite!!

It wasn't until he felt a sharp pain in his wrist that he realized his axe was no longer in his hand... It had just been a gust of wind, like a bird flapping its wings next to his ear, and the pulling pain in his wrist meant the axe was now in the hands of the man in black opposite him.

A terrifying whip, made of interlocking and overlapping blades, hung from the opponent's hand, its end writhing like a living snake. The gleaming blades clashed and rubbed against each other, producing a crisp yet somewhat grating sound, ready to tear flesh and blood at any moment, ripping large pieces of tendon from the bone.

He broke out in a cold sweat and dared not move... He had indeed been thinking of striking first, intending to throw the axe at the other party to buy himself time to escape... But now he was just laughing and crying, lamenting his foolishness.

The other party was extremely dangerous, so dangerous that it gave him a sharp feeling, like a blade pressed against his heart, like a ferocious beast sharpening its fangs in the dark, eager to tear open his throat and empty his internal organs... He could feel his fingers trembling and his legs becoming uncontrollable, no matter how hard he tried to control them, it was all in vain, because it was an instinctive fear, every part of his body urging him to run away as fast as he could.

But his rational mind was also calmly telling him the consequences of running away—the whip could wrap around his throat before he could even react, and then with a gentle tug, it could tear his head off.

He was like a tied-up pig in front of the other party, completely at their mercy and with no room for resistance.

"That's right, that's exactly it. That's what's most interesting about you. You're determined enough to do things, and you make quick decisions. You always understand your situation clearly and make the most appropriate choice. You're a smart person."

Brazilian Saiyar laughed heartily, flipped the axe in his hand twice, and then tossed it to the other man. The young man caught it, then cautiously bowed to him.

"My lord, what do you have to say to me? I am just a poor, ordinary commoner. I violated the empire's ban by going hunting in the mountains to earn some extra money to supplement my family's income. If you are willing to let me go, I will be extremely grateful. If not, I am willing to accept punishment."

Brazilian Saiyaros looked him over carefully again, then nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

"Don't overthink it. Just like I told you, he was also our target. You managed to intercept him, which is a merit in the end. Hunting in the mountains during the prohibited season is a minor offense. Not only will I not arrest you, but I also want to give you a chance."

"Chance?……"

“That’s right.” His iron mask flickered slightly in the firelight, and the flames in the crater had weakened considerably, no longer as intense as before, but still providing a considerable amount of heat.