Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 88 - 84: The Flower of Revenge

In response, there was a furious roar from the bear.

The Skeleton Hunter began to run, heading in the opposite direction of the bear.

Bowmen, who aren’t good at melee combat, naturally resorted to hit-and-run tactics.

Compared to the Rangers’ retreat speed, the bear’s charge was like a train coming head-on. The distance between them was shortening, and just as the fragile bones were about to meet with the bear’s paw, the hunters took flight.

That was the first impression in their minds. When you saw those Rangers grabbing vines, lifting off the ground, then swinging through the bushes with the momentum of their sprint, their swift figures and casual postures, there was no better word to describe it than low-altitude flight.

The counterattack began.

The bear tore through the annoying plants before it and sharp arrows, like venomous snakes, struck from concealed corners, targeting the bear’s wounded flesh, right at its solitary eye.

Lyle settled himself and connected to one of the hunters through his consciousness.

He leaped among the vines, releasing an arrow from his quiver with every leap; the sequence was continuous, fluid. In Lyle’s eyes, it was an elegant acrobatic performance, and he couldn’t help but become enthralled by this art of archery, joining the hunt.

Though the decayed arrows didn’t hurt upon piercing flesh, the black venom on their tips gnawed at the bear’s skin like bone-burrowing maggots.

The beast clearly had tasted poison before, and this time the flavor was overwhelming. With a panicked roar, it chose to turn and flee.

With a sprint speed that would despair humans, the hunters began their pursuit, darting out from the dense tree shadows, swinging on vines, hopelessly firing arrows at the receding silhouette of the beast.

Just as the hunters were about to give up the chase, the bear let out an angry roar. Have you ever seen a nearly ten-meter-tall monster turn around in no time? Have you ever seen a creature nearly thirty meters in length charge without a running start?

That monster, in the instant that the hunters’ bodies were still suspended in the air, made an about-face. Thanks to the bear’s previous charges, the vegetation and vines had been significantly damaged, and suddenly the hunters lost their ability to move long distances. They had no choice but to dodge the incoming attacks as best as they could.

Through the hunter’s perspective, Lyle saw a bear’s paw smack a hunter against a tree, the outer bark and wood pulverizing in an instant.

It was like an earthquake. The remaining two hunters watched as wood chips rained down on their heads. The towering bear stood upright, facing the two insignificant insects with a bizarre, almost human-like smile on his massive maw.

The beast had intelligence, the intelligence of a hunter.

Seeing it methodically destroy the vines while charging, the bear knew of the Liveser people’s advantage. It was creating a battlefield favorable to itself, and Lyle was struck with fear. Was human intelligence truly superior?

The hunters didn’t share Lyle’s concerns. They paid no heed to their losses and resolutely launched their counterattack. The tree-top dance continued, despite the ruined stage, despite one of the main performers being struck down. The remaining dancers still gave it their all.

But, having lost one offensive point, their firepower was reduced. The bear could easily withstand the attacks as long as it protected its solitary eye. The arrows were still effective but to a minimal degree. Lyle knew the bear was already infected with the plague from the arrows, but different creatures had different levels of tolerance. Its massive body was enough to neutralize any poison. The effects of the disease would take time to show, but time was exactly what they lacked.

The Jelly Hunter, clinging onto the Talent Sphere, stood on the treetop with the last arrow from his quiver nocked onto his bow. He looked at his kin hidden on the other side and made a hand signal. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The bear halted its assault. It saw that the mouse, which it needed to crush a second time, was covered in a saliva-like substance, utterly disgusting but effective. That very liquid had once sprung tentacles to help the dead mouse grab on to the vines, something to be wary of. The bear lowered its body, all four limbs on the ground, intelligence flickering in its eyes.

It charged again, towards another area.

After its previous rampage, only two areas were left. One was the obstacle-free zone where the Jelly Hunter stood, already ruined by its destruction. The other, a still intact jungle. It remembered there were three dead rats in total—one killed, one standing in the open, posing no threat. That left the other, the actual attacker.

The bear’s paw crushed the last dense patch of vines. As the skeleton shattered, bone fragments flew from its palm. The bear roared triumphantly.

Now only one dead rat was left, with no cover to hide behind—it had nowhere to run.

Its maw cracked into the widest smile as the beast turned slowly and proudly, ready to enjoy the struggle of its prey.

But its hunter had vanished, right there in the open, amidst the stark emptiness.

A tremendous fear filled its heart, and the bear finally remembered its instinctual dread, looking at a spot less than a meter away.

There was nothing but pure air, yet a shape gradually formed, as if outlined by a brush and colored in— the Jelly Hunter had shot his lethal arrow straight into the eye of the beast.

Roar!!!!!

The blind bear thrashed about, its gigantic paws beating the air aimlessly.

The Jelly Hunter dropped his bow and drew a curved knife from his belt. The ancient yellow blade had weathered the years, but its edge remained as sharp as ever.

"Beasts, after all, are beasts."

The tentacles of the Talent Sphere shot out, and the hunter climbed onto the body of its prey, much like a lion biting into the throat of its quarry.

Fifty meters away, two figures clad in leather armor stood side by side.

"That’s natural camouflage, right? Grandfather."

"Yes, as a symbol of elite Rangers, the natural camouflage skill, heh, less than half of the five thousand royal elite can master it, and we have one right here. I truly have a good son," Echel tossed his dagger, his gaze merging with the flying cold gleam, "Liveser’s true guardian to die in the jaws of a beast, what an irony."

"Kayla, Lyle’s trial has ended. You go take him to receive his reward. I have some matters to attend to."

"Okay, Grandfather."

......

Lyle followed Kayla, who did not blame her for desecrating the bodies of her people, instead, she took her to receive the reward.

"Liveser has its own burial culture. We begin with nature and we return to it. We are accustomed to burying our departed loved ones under the soil."

"But there are exceptions. Some who are about to depart choose natural funerals, allowing their relatives to throw their bodies deep into the dense forest to feed the beasts and become fertilizer. We grow up drawing nourishment from nature, and when we fall, we return to the roots, and the crows reciprocate. It may seem absurd to you, but this is the way of Liveser. We believe that nature is not our enemy, but our mother."

"Of course, this new custom was not easy to implement in Liveser at first."

"Until one of our Kings chose a natural funeral, setting an example for us all."

"In Liveser, we are not afraid of novelty; if it is effective, we accept it—no matter the hardships, no holds barred."

"Those hunters who chose to bury themselves in the wilderness to become tools for Lyle are also acceptable. You too are a part of nature."

The two arrived at the initial beast’s den, which gaped like a gigantic maw that swallowed the light.

"The reason you need a hunting ritual to obtain the Sword Dance Mandala is that you must perform the hunt to receive it."

In the filthy, odorous den, Lyle witnessed a marvel.

It was a sea of flowers, soaked in the sole ray of sunlight.

The expanse outside was but a drop in the ocean.

Thousands of white mandalas swayed gracefully; beneath them, atop the darkened soil, were human skeletons and decaying animal flesh, nourishing this floral sea.

In the midst of the white, one flower stood out, peerless in its beauty.

Larger petals, slender stamens like unsheathed swords. It was twice the size of a normal mandala and exuded an exotic fragrance.

It was black.

It was luring Lyle.

Compelled, Lyle reached out to touch the flower.

A thousand palm shadows overlapped on Lyle’s hand.

Lyle blankly watched those sudden apparitions.

"Hunter, you have avenged us. Please take this flower, to which we have given all our nourishment, and may our offering bring you a pleasant surprise."

The terrifying faces gradually dissipated.

The Sword Dance Mandala detached itself and fell into Lyle’s palm.

"Unpredictable death and love, those blessings from the dead, Lyle, this is a flower nourished by revenge."