Chapter 52: The Graceful 'Jump Slash'
Chapter 52: The Graceful 'Jump Slash'
"Everyone, except for Rayn and Matteo, return to your original positions!" Velen waved his hand, and the elite Nightwatchmen immediately ceased their rest, nocking arrows and stealthily moving into the surrounding bushes around the encirclement.
As planned, the short Matteo went forward to lure the enemy, while Rayn hid himself near the valley's narrow pass, not too far from the entrance.
"Whoosh!"
The group of Fishmen warriors reacted similarly, chattering and waving their weapons as they charged towards the encirclement.
Just as everyone thought that this wave of Fishmen would swarm into the encirclement like the previous time, the tall trident warrior suddenly let out a loud roar, "Wala-la!"
To everyone's surprise, the Fishmen warriors started to slow down and eventually came to a halt at the narrow pass of the valley.
Velen's face turned pale, thinking, "This is bad!"
The Nightwatchmen were significantly outnumbered by the Fishmen, and even if they managed to defeat them, half of the Fishmen would likely escape, failing to achieve their intended goal.
Moreover, if they engaged in a frontal battle, the Nightwatchmen would undoubtedly suffer considerable casualties.
This was not what Velen, as the team leader, wanted to see.
The tall trident warrior stepped forward from behind the group of Fishmen warriors, gazing at the valley where the previous wave of Fishmen corpses lay scattered. He couldn't help but shout in anger.
Matteo became increasingly anxious. He not only stopped his retreat but moved closer to the narrow pass, shooting several arrows at the clustered Fishmen warriors.
However, aside from the first arrow that killed a Fishman warrior, the other two arrows were deflected by the tall trident warrior, who used his shiny trident to knock them away.
Matteo wanted to continue shooting, but he realized that he had already exhausted the dozens of arrows in his quiver!
Now, Matteo was in a dilemma.
Rayn, hidden outside the valley, also sensed that something was amiss.
Through the bushes, he could clearly see two or three dozen Fishmen gathered at the narrow pass, refusing to enter the encirclement within the valley.
This was obviously not in line with the plan to lure the enemy that Captain Velen had mentioned.
Rayn faintly heard Matteo's angry curses and taunts from within the valley.
"Have the Fishmen become smarter? Do they know it's a trap?"
"It's possible. After all, there are Fishmen corpses scattered inside, and we didn't have time to deal with them before this second wave arrived."
Given this situation, Rayn had a bold idea.
"If you won't go in, I'll force you in!"
In the next moment, Rayn shook the large two-handed greatsword in his hands, and the soft sheepskin wrapping flew to the side.
Rayn dug his toes into the ground, causing it to dent, and like a charging tiger, he rushed straight into the Fishmen warriors from behind.
At that moment, Captain Velen, hidden in the valley's bushes, had beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"What should we do?"
"Charge out directly? No good! That will turn into a chaotic battle, and with our small numbers, even if we win, it will be a pyrrhic victory!"
"But if we don't charge out, the enemy will block the pass, putting us in an even more passive position!"
"We have no choice but to charge!"
Just as Velen was about to stand up, he suddenly sensed a commotion among the Fishmen at the pass.
He focused his attention and saw a bright silver light appearing, flashing left and right, seemingly driving the Fishmen warriors into the pass.
"Is that... Rayn?" Velen's eyes lit up as he exclaimed.
The silver light was none other than Rayn, who had unlocked 'Smith's Strength lv3'. With his enhanced strength of 10(+6), Rayn rampaged through the Fishmen warriors like an untamed horse, trampling them underfoot.
The terrifying sight of Rain wielding a fine steel greatsword with 16 points of strength was akin to a high-speed sewing machine in action, as he swung it with incredible force.
"Wala-la-la!" The tall trident warrior, now fully aware of the danger behind him, roared in anger and charged towards Rain, brandishing his trident.
"Bring it on!" Rain, far from being intimidated, felt a surge of eagerness as he witnessed the charging warrior.
"Leap Strike!!"
Rain's feet dug into the ground, causing the earth to crack, and he soared into the air with incredible speed. With a powerful downward slash, he executed a devastating Leap Strike on the charging trident warrior.
The strike left Rain with a sense of exhilaration, as if every fiber of his being had been purged.
"Crack!!"
The tall warrior, holding his trident high, desperately tried to block Rain's strike, but to no avail. Rain's sword had cleaved the trident in two, and to make matters worse, a bloodline appeared on the warrior's forehead, splitting it in half.
"Sizzle!"
In the next moment, a fountain of light blue blood erupted from the bloodline, spraying like a fan-shaped geyser.
The tall warrior instantly split in two, his eyes bulging and his fish-like mouth opening and closing as if trying to say something.
Witnessing their leader being defeated in a single strike, the remaining warriors were terrified, their fighting spirit shattered. Those still alive scrambled back into the narrow passage, seeking refuge.
Although they suspected something was amiss inside, staying outside meant certain death. No one would choose certain death over a chance of survival.
The fishmen warriors shared this sentiment.
"Well done!"
"Rain, you're incredible!"
". . ."
At this moment, the Elite Nightwatchmen, hidden in the bushes, stood up one by one, their excitement overwhelming any concern for the less than ten 'defeated warriors' who had stumbled into the trap.
Rain's battle, lasting less than half a minute, had filled them with adrenaline and awe.
After a few volleys of arrows, the entire valley was littered with the nauseating, stench-filled corpses of the fishmen.
"Haha, Rain, you did it!"
Velen strode towards Rain with long strides and gave him a hearty embrace, still savoring the thrill of that powerful Leap Strike.
After witnessing Rain's devastating Leap Strike, the fishmen warriors dared not show themselves, instead fleeing towards the narrow passage and charging into the valley.
Rain paused, taking the time to reflect on his powerful Leap Strike.
This was Rain's best Leap Strike since learning the Grizzly Sword Technique, and the system notification confirmed this.
[Your skill, Grizzly Sword Technique, has improved, but you've gained 248 experience points.]
[You have experienced a battle, gaining 83 experience points for the Nightwatchman profession.]
The progress bar for Grizzly Sword Technique shot up, leaping from lv3 (101/500) to lv3 (349/500), surpassing the halfway mark. The Nightwatchman profession level also saw a significant increase, reaching lv2 (137/300).
The rewards were indeed substantial!
(End of Chapter)
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