Chapter 523: Golden Rain
"Level 7!" Ajiu lowered her voice, her tone urgent. "I told you we accepted the wrong quest! We've only been in the Canglang Plains for less than 10 miles and we've already encountered a Level 7 quest. Who knows what's hiding in the cave!"
"Shut up! Prepare for battle!" Batel's voice suddenly became sharp and decisive, completely different from the honest and cheerful Mongolian lad from before.
He gripped the sword hilt with both hands, the tip pointing diagonally to the ground, his legs slightly bent, his center of gravity lowered, his gaze fixed intently on the every movement of the Steppenwolf.
"Stone, hold it head-on! Ajiu, flank it! Little Deer, find an opportunity to shoot it in the eye! Fang Yuan, don't rush to fire the arrow, wait for Stone to catch it the first time!"
The Steppenwolf moved.
Its hind legs kicked off the dry, cracked earth, kicking up large swaths of sand, and its entire body lunged straight at Batel like an arrow released from a bow.
The level 7 advantage over level 5 made its explosive power far exceed the team members' expectations.
Stone dove diagonally to the front before the Steppenwolf could pounce on Bartel, his left hand holding the round shield in front of him, his whole body shrinking into a ball behind the shield.
"Bang!"
The moment the shield collided with the wolf's claws, a sharp metallic scraping sound rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.
The impact made Shi Tou's arm go numb, and his feet slid back nearly half a meter on the hard ground, but he gritted his teeth and refused to fall.
"Ajiu, go!" Batel roared.
The moment Shi Tou shouted "Hold on!", A Jiu had already crouched low and circled around from the right flank.
He waited until the wolf pounced on the rock for the second time, its body still in mid-air and not yet recovered its strength, then suddenly drew his knife, the dagger precisely piercing its hind leg joint.
The wolf, in pain, howled and turned to pounce on A-Jiu.
Ah Jiu had no time to retreat, so he could only crouch down and roll to the side. The wolf's claws grazed the back of his neck, bringing with them a gust of bloody wind.
He rolled around once before he managed to stand up, his mouth full of sand.
The deer's bowstring twanged.
She aimed her arrow at the side of Steppenwolf's neck, which was exposed as he turned around.
The moment the arrow pierced the exposed skin, the Steppenwolf let out a sharp howl and turned to pounce on the fawn.
"Fang Yuan!" Batel had already charged out with his two-handed sword.
Fang Yuan's crossbow played a crucial role at this moment, as he aimed at the Steppenwolf's right foreleg joint.
The crossbow bolt left the bowstring and pierced the gaps in the wolf's leg joint scales. Although it wasn't powerful enough to penetrate, the impact caused the wolf's pounce to go astray.
Its original trajectory of lunging at the fawn was abruptly deflected, and the wolf's claws grazed the fawn's left shoulder.
The fawn seized the opportunity to roll away and create distance, and when it got up, it had already nocked a second arrow.
Bartel arrived, and taking advantage of the moment when the Steppenwolf was hit in the front leg by the crossbow bolt and lost its balance, he cut in from the front, raised his two swords high above his head, and delivered a full-force downward slash to the Steppenwolf's shoulder blade.
The Steppenwolf's howl changed from high-pitched to hoarse, and finally fell silent.
Its body fell to the ground, its limbs twitched twice, and then it remained still.
The five men remained frozen in their fighting stances for several seconds until they were certain that the wolf's eyes had completely lost their light, before they gradually relaxed.
Shi Tou sat down hard on the ground, his left arm aching from the impact.
He placed the shield aside, pressed his right hand against the painful spot for a while, and then slowly moved his shoulder.
Ajiu sat not far away, his knees still throbbing, but he had a blade of grass in his mouth and his tone returned to its usual flippant: "I just said we accepted the wrong mission, now I take it back. Five level 5s against one level 7, zero casualties."
He sheathed his dagger, looked up at the sky, and suddenly asked a very practical question: "But what do we do with the wolf's carcass? We still need to clear out the caves."
"First, check if there are any energy crystals, and peel off the scales as well."
Fang Yuan was already squatting next to the corpse of the Steppenwolf, using his dagger to pry open the scales on its back, his movements methodical and steady.
“We’re not those rich kids who only pick up the equipment after the battle is over. Our team has to use every piece of material sparingly.”
He wrapped the gray energy crystal he had dug out in a cloth and stuffed it into his waistband. He also cut off a small piece of scales from the wolf's back, strung it on a rope, and hung it outside his backpack.
He stood up and looked at the ground stained black with wolf blood, and said in a deep voice, "However, the presence of level 7 monsters in this area indicates that this area was never intended for low-level teams."
Batel stood up, looked at the still gray and empty wilderness in the distance of Canglang Plain, and suddenly grinned.
"When Lord Lin first arrived at Canglang Plains, was his first battle similar? There was no crushing victory, no luck, it was just everyone doing their job."
"We just did that. Let's move on. The lair hasn't been cleared yet, the mission isn't over."
The five people reorganized their equipment.
Just then, a pale golden curtain of light slowly unfolded in the sky.
Countless tiny golden specks of light drifted down from the light screen, landing on the dry earth of the wasteland, on the distant Tianji Mountains, and on the hair and shoulders of the five people.
The Canglang Plain was silently changing in the golden rain.
With each drop of golden rain seeping into the soil, a wild grass sprouts from the cracks, moss emerges from the edges of the dried-up gullies, and dark green moss climbs upwards along the rock crevices.
The dry, dusty smell in the air disappeared, replaced by a warm and sweet aroma.
Five people stood in the golden rain, and no one spoke.
Stone's eyes reddened, but he turned his head away and rubbed his eyes hard with his uninjured right hand.
He had seen good soil before. When he was a child, he followed his grandfather to grow wheat in their old home in Beihe. The best fields were black soil that had been deeply plowed three times. You could squeeze oil out of it if you held a handful in your hand.
At this moment, the soil of Canglang Plain, soaked by the golden rain, is finer and deeper than the black soil of my hometown. Every grain of soil seems to be a living thing that has just awakened from its slumber.
Batel looked up at the pale golden curtain of light in the sky.
He recalled riding horses on the grassland when he was a child, the horses' hooves treading on the morning dew, the dewdrops clinging to the blades of grass.
It is just as clear, just as sparkling, and just as full of life.
"Captain, shall we continue with the mission?" Little Deer tilted her head back, letting the golden raindrops fall on her cheeks, and asked softly.
"Of course we should continue."
"Lord Lin has changed the fate of this land. We can't change anything major, but at least we can clear out this den in front of us."
Batel slung his two-handed sword over his shoulder and strode toward the mountains: "As the great ship of Beacon Fire Territory sails forward, we little cogs must turn with it."
The others followed silently.
Five somewhat slender figures gradually disappeared into the distance amidst the golden rain, eventually merging completely into the deep silhouette of Tianji Mountain.
(Tomorrow, Apostle-level combat power will be unlocked)