Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

Chapter 158: Chapter 99: Encampments Sprawling Across the Hills and Valleys

The adventurer squad from Hesse Territory is not in good shape at the moment, each member bearing wounds, yet the druid dares not use Spiritual Energy for healing.

Even when applying potions to their wounds, they must be extremely careful, fearing any sound that might be made.

It’s the massive horde of harpies and gnolls outside that has driven them to such a dire situation.

These monsters, having traversed the cleared western side of Blood Pine Forest, swarmed completely upon nearing the center of Blood Pine Forest. The harpies have built nests in the cliffside caves, acting as sentinels for the entire Green Dragon Followers Legion, vigilant against any invaders approaching the forest’s central mountains.

The gnolls, on the other hand, act as the hunting hounds for the Green Dragon Followers Legion, sniffing out scents and tracking relentlessly.

Originally, the group’s infiltration had been smooth. They climbed through the forest, crossed the mountains, rapidly advancing towards the interior of Blood Pine Forest.

Until they encountered an insurmountable small hill in a canyon!

They had no choice but to attempt to climb over it, and suddenly, this nearly twenty-meter dirt hill rumbled and rose from the ground, showering them with numerous rocks, soil, and trees.

Only then did they realize this was no lush green hill but a bent-over Forest Giant sitting right there!

Under the draconic influence of the Green Dragon’s aura, its figure became exceptionally tall, wielding a thirty-plus meter ancient tree, sweeping through the forest,

The earth-shattering sound startled the entire Green Dragon Followers Legion.

A multitude of gnolls roared out from their camps; these are creatures of the forest, cruel, evil, and adept at tracking.

Using scent alone, they can chase any intruder to their doom.

Even the scent carried by the wind from miles away, they can identify accurately.

If not for Ashfield’s ring granting invisibility and simultaneously removing scent, they would have been overwhelmed and torn to pieces by the gnolls long ago.

However, they did find themselves several times surrounded deeply by monsters, unable to escape the encirclement. It took the desperate fight of the dwarf ranger and Hilude to carve a bloody path out.

The number of harpies and gnolls killed by the duo was at least eighty, if not a hundred.

Yet, with the increasing involvement of Forest Giants, they were finally driven into a hopeless situation.

They could no longer break out; within several hundred miles around, goblins and gnolls howled everywhere, and the night sky was filled with the blood-red eyes of harpies.

The Monster Legion had locked onto their position, with numerous Forest Giants entering this encirclement.

The rumbling sound outside was from these monsters charging recklessly, toppling numerous hills and giant trees.

Even though they have moved far away, the adventurer squad hiding beneath the tree roots dare not make any sound.

Ashfield, while stuffing his mouth with various foods, widened his eyes and cautiously peered outside.

He felt he was about to die, not killed by monsters, but starved to death!

The food they brought on the journey had almost been eaten entirely by him alone.

Vandar and Hilude hadn’t eaten anything in almost a day, giving the most energy-refreshing food to him.

Yet even so, the pudgy half-elf they started out with had become skin and bones, with protruding cheekbones, appearing on the brink of exhaustion.

This ring was truly terrifying, like it wanted to drain his life force dry.

Ashfield cursed this ring, convinced it must be a Greed Ring crafted from an ogre’s rib, causing his stomach to be in a constant state of insatiable hunger.

Waiting for the rumbling Forest Dwarves to go far enough away, Ashfield glared at Hilude, giving her an inquisitive look.

”Think of something quickly! If this keeps dragging on, we’ll be exhausted to death even if the monsters don’t kill us!”

The others also looked tensely at Hilude, this young maiden had displayed unparalleled bravery, wisdom, and decisiveness along the way.

She had won the admiration of everyone in the squad, including the stubborn and strong dwarf ranger.

Without her leadership, the group might have already ended up as monster dung a day ago.

Attracting everyone’s attention, Hilude took a deep breath, and after confirming the monsters had moved far away, he spoke in a deep voice: ”If we keep hiding passively like this, our condition will worsen. The monster’s encirclement is shrinking, and we will be discovered sooner or later.”

”So we must act decisively!”

”Act decisively?” Ashfield exclaimed, then quickly covered his mouth and whispered: ”Are you crazy? It’s just the four of us, how can we attack.”

Hilude calmly said: ”Even you can’t imagine us taking a bold tactic, the monsters definitely won’t expect it either. So at this time, we can’t continue to slowly move stealthily; we should advance at full speed under the cover of the ring, breaking through the encirclement in one go! Towards the safest place.”

”The safest place?” Druid Vandar comforted the giant shepherd deer beside him; this giant shepherd deer wasn’t his mount, it was borrowed from Elf Maiden Lunadeshan, hence it wasn’t very compliant. If it weren’t because both of them are elves, capable of communicating with beasts, this giant shepherd deer wouldn’t even let him ride.

Especially now, shrinking under the root sheltered by vines, the proud giant shepherd deer was particularly irritable.

Of course, the druid hoped to charge out quickly, but he questioned doubtfully: ”In this dark forest, dangers and monsters lurk everywhere, where really is the safest place?”

Hilude decisively pointed at the highest peak in the east of the forest where mountains overlapped and trees were luxuriant, upon which stood the oldest tree whose black canopy resembling the giant umbrella that towered against the sky.

The Young Green Dragon, Deceitful Wings, Aeliria, Erebos, Cuiying constructed its nest on this canopy, like the crown over the entire Blood Pine Forest, with its vast shadow enveloping everything below.

”The greed of dragons makes them most apprehensive during sleep of other creatures breaking into their lair to steal treasures. Therefore, I speculate it would definitely nurture many hunting hounds beneath the crown, alert to the intrusion of any invaders’ scent.”

”The gnolls currently hunting us down probably originate from there. They have been dispatched in large numbers, launched attacks on us, and are crazily searching within this encirclement.”

”But they’d never expect that we abruptly change our cautious stealth into a sudden sprint to break through the encirclement. The most dangerous and safest place is indeed their lair. We can exploit their negligent mentality, taking advantage of the kobolds’ slack in their camp, traversing the entire camp, and penetrating into the dragon’s nest from the most dangerous direction.”

Dorglin the dwarf couldn’t comprehend such a complex strategy. He raised his sharp two-handed axe and suddenly swung it at Hilude!

A shrill scream rang out, a profusion of blood splattered everywhere, covering everyone, as the two severed body halves fell heavily to the ground.

Then the dwarf’s voice was heard: ”Dwarves are accustomed to straightforwardness and don’t get complex strategies. But this direct strategy suits dwarf inclinations. The only issue is, Hilude, you need to act quickly now! A pack of gnolls are roving over here like hyenas!”

The gnoll that Dorglin just chopped was the one ambushing; these monsters were too numerous, wandering and running amok, even hiding within tree holes risked unexpected discovery by them.

Hilude also swiftly unleashed his bright rune sword, the radiant light illuminated the pitch darkness of the night. She rapidly advanced, unleashing a flurry of attacks, instantly slaying the gnoll wielding a bow and arrow skulking ten meters away, who had become alerted upon his companions’ sudden disappearance.

Such a sudden assault startled Ashfield: ”Hilude, come back quickly! Your aura gets exposed when you go out.”

Hilude’s sword light chained assaults; a kobold about to ambush her screamed out as his long lance was severed by the fierce rune sword. The relentless blade did not lessen, slicing through his right shoulder, bisecting him into two parts, leaving a neat incision.

”Slay these nearby kobolds, let them sense our aura, creating an illusion that we’re still lingering here.”

Dorglin laughed excitedly, taking out the large-bodied fire gun from behind: ”Aha! Make a little commotion, eh? The dwarf has long wanted to throw arms wide open and battle freely.”

Before finishing his words, a thunderous explosion echoed in the silence of Blood Pine Forest, the targeted kobold’s chest got blasted open, scattering flesh widely, leaving a bloody hole perforating through his entire body.

Such large-caliber bullets couldn’t possibly be repelled by the kobold’s leather armor. Despite their strong physiques unlike the green skins, they couldn’t bear to fight resolutely while having their heart pierced through.

Under the fully unleashed champion-level ranger’s fire, seven gnolls and kobolds nearby were executed within less than two minutes.

The intense battle noise alarmed the whole forest! From all directions came the monsters’ excited howls, roaring as they charged towards here.

But the adventurer squad, already under the ring’s enhancement by Ashfield, swiftly left this area.

They even brushed past the kobold team excitedly charging in, as the forest giant’s overwhelming presence masked their passing sound.

It’s rather inaccurate to describe it as riding through, because each of them had their unique mount. Hilude rode a horse, Vandar rode the giant shepherd deer, Ashfield rode a gray swan, and the combat dwarf rode a combat ram.

In the dense forest, it was rather Hilude on horseback who was the slowest. But fortunately, her superb riding skills compensated for the speed difference.

The gnolls completely didn’t anticipate the adventurer squad would be this fast, trying to search according to their predictive direction and speed, failing to trace the adventurer squad’s aura.

Hilude’s strategy soon proved effective; their group reached the vicinity of the mountain where the Green Crown resided faster than anticipated.

Yet, as they approached the green dragon’s nest, crossing over the last peak, the scene that unfolded before them made everyone deeply inhale a cold breath!

Below the mountain was an expansive and vast monster tribe and encampment; countless goblins and gnolls’ beast-hide tents sprawled densely across the broad land, scattered all over the mountainside and valley, extending beyond sight.