Bear School Astartes

Chapter 820: Chapter 803: Decoctions and Treasures

The three of them took turns engaging with the Sheep-Horned Demon in a relay fashion.

Finally, at the very moment contact ended, the Sheep-Horned Demon was dead.

If this kind of demon were among ordinary humans, even in a professional army, it would cause at least dozens of casualties before being skewered like a porcupine by spears and pikes.

Soldiers with pikes and spears would combine their strength to pin it down, restricting its movement, while crossbowmen from afar would shower it with several volleys of silver-tipped arrows until it was a tattered rag.

Yet in the continuous attack from Lann, Geralt, and Rong Buqiu, it was merely a matter of a brief encounter.

”Phew~ This is probably the fastest I’ve ever completed a task.”

Geralt withdrew his silver sword from the chest of the Sheep-Horned Demon, accompanied by a ’clatter’ as metal grinded against bone.

”From sighting it to finishing it... was it even a minute?”

”One minute and three seconds,” Lann replied, flicking his blade to the side, instantly clearing the foul-smelling blood from the Lady of the Lake’s Sword. ”To be precise.”

After wiping clean the sword, Lann began scraping the soles of his shoes against the tunnel’s rocky walls.

This layer of slime and debris was truly nauseating.

Rong Buqiu curiously approached the already dead Sheep-Horned Demon.

It tilted its head from side to side, examining the Sheep-Horned Demon’s still open, huge eyes and the horizontal pupils within.

”Just... it just died like this meow? Really fast.”

Rong Buqiu looked somewhat confused and unaccustomed.

Having finished scraping his shoes, Lann came over and gently patted Rong Buqiu’s small head, and it squinted its eyes in enjoyment.

”Monsters in this world don’t have the wild life force, nor the tough scales or fur, as the monsters where you’re from. So once you find the right spot and method, battles often conclude within minutes.”

Back in the monster world, even for something like a Fierce Jackal Dragon, wearing it out would take hunters with exaggerated weapons ten, if not several dozen minutes.

Let alone bringing it to the brink of death.

”But at the same time, these monsters’ strange, supernatural magic abilities are why we strive to shorten the fight.”

Lann tapped the Sheep-Horned Demon’s hind hoof with his toe.

”It seemed like it could emit some kind of supernatural darkness that plunges you into pitch blackness. If it’s your first encounter, you’d probably bleed upon facing that move. But if you kill it the moment you make contact, it’s helpless.”

”I see meow!”

Rong Buqiu nodded sagely, as if taking Lann’s words as some kind of truth.

”Monsters are different from one another... so the strategies are different... Mm-hmm, meow!”

Having cleaned his silver sword and returned it to its back scabbard, Geralt walked over expressionlessly and began extracting trophies from the Sheep-Horned Demon with a small knife.

Meanwhile, he said,

”The supernatural darkness you mentioned is actually a magic of the Deer-headed Demon, commonly referred to as ’demon’.”

”In the middle of their long face, they grow an extra third eye horizontally. When that eye opens, anyone it glances at is plunged into darkness.”

Despite Geralt’s stoic expression, Lann always felt like he was being teased.

Rong Buqiu tilted its head in confusion, looking at Lann.

”Uh... did I mix it up? Anyway, it was my first time seeing a Sheep-Horned Demon, and I’ve never even seen a Deer-headed Demon.”

The young Demon Hunter scratched his cheek, uncertainly saying.

”Oh, it’s best not to make quick assumptions about things you don’t know meow. Learned something new meow!”

Rong Buqiu nodded sagely, causing a twitch in the corner of Lann’s mouth hidden in shadow.

Geralt efficiently gathered all valuable items from the Sheep-Horned Demon.

This included its pierced heart, a large piece of stinky hide, its head, and sharp fangs.

In the chest cavity, he also found a mutagen.

He placed the mutagen in a portable preservation bottle and handed it to Lann.

”A Sheep-Horned Demon’s mutagen is essential for making [Sheep-Horned Demon’s Decoction].”

Lann took the preservation bottle, watching as the mutagen floated in the potion.

Looking like a cell magnified thousands of times, it resembled a regular red mutagen, except with green spots at the nucleus.

Demon hunter decoctions represent a level above magic potions in demon hunter alchemical knowledge.

Lann had already mastered them.

Decoctions, compared to magic potions, are characterized by higher potency, more remarkable effects, and longer durations, but the downside is the exponentially increased toxicity.

Even the lowest-level decoction has over five times the toxicity of a regular magic potion.

While magic potions last at most a few hours, decoctions’ effects last at least half a day from the get-go.

However, perhaps due to the unique mutagens from monsters’ bodies used in these decoctions, they can grant demon hunters powers akin to monster traits.

For example, [Sheep-Horned Demon’s Decoction] allows a demon hunter’s footing to be as stable as a Sheep-Horned Demon’s during its effective period.

Under the effect of this decoction, impacts strong enough to knock a person flying would only give a demon hunter a slight stumble.

Other decoctions have distinct characteristics, such as greatly enhancing life force regeneration at night.

Or greatly increasing Magic Seal strength during stormy weather.

These are traits monsters can exhibit, and those warlocks who created the demon hunters used monster mutagens as a trigger, bestowing demon hunters with these temporary abilities through extraordinary alchemy.

Lann tossed the preservation bottle containing the Sheep-Horned Demon’s mutagen up and down, smiling.

This is a good object for practice.

”Alright, now let’s find the tools and equipment Belengar left here.”

Lann put the preservation bottle into his alchemy pouch, calling Geralt and Rong Buqiu to their serious task.

The tunnel wasn’t large, so finding things went smoothly.

The Sheep-Horned Demon had no intention of hiding the sword-forging tools.

They found a large cloth bundle, so worn and tattered after decades.

However, Belengar had waterproofed it back then, so inside was a layer of oilcloth. A clanking sound of iron colliding echoed from within.

Lann hoisted this large bundle, completing the mission in doing so.

”No wonder Belengar couldn’t defeat this Sheep-Horned Demon... Carrying such a big package, I wouldn’t want to fight either.”

The young demon hunter complained, while Geralt continued rummaging through the tunnel.

He was used to being frugal, and the Sheep-Horned Demon’s lair still contained many of the beast’s treasures.

He habitually searched more, in case there were valuable items.

Sure enough, he actually found something.

A sturdy, moisture-proof treated parchment was pulled out by Geralt from a tattered bag.

The parchment rustled, shedding dust as it unfurled.

But Geralt’s expression was surprisingly delighted.

”This is... the blueprint for the boots of the Wolf School’s advanced armor?”

Geralt turned around, looking at Lann with excitement, still holding the parchment.

Lann raised an eyebrow in surprise.

...He really found a treasure?