Chapter Eight: Fierce Battle! The Moonlight Hunter
“What exactly was that just now...”
Yichen gazed at the shattered corpse of the Steel Parasitic Oak, his brow furrowed slightly.
He touched his right eye.
It burned fiercely and stung sharply.
He tried to recall what had just happened.
Why had such power suddenly surged within him?
But no matter how hard he tried, the memory was veiled, as if obscured by some unseen force.
Could it be that with the increase in magical power, his spiritual strength had also been correspondingly enhanced?
This possibility was not out of the question.
A faint voice echoed in his subconscious, prompting him to consider this.
An information panel popped up.
[Skill Acquired: Steel Guard Arm D]
[Effect: Generates a hard steel armor on the arm, enhancing defense and strength]
He activated the skill.
Instantly, a silvery-white armor appeared on his arm. The surface shimmered like flowing water, and at the elbow was a spiraled spike, its tip slightly curved—not merely decorative but as sharp as a blade.
The gauntlet was solid yet did not hinder movement; instead, under its enhancement, he became more agile and light-footed.
Yichen tested a few punches; the rushing wind of his fists howled as his power had indeed increased significantly.
The only drawback was the high energy consumption.
With Yichen’s current magical power of 453, he could maintain it for only one minute.
Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed as a poisonous spring erupted nearby.
A cloud of toxic mist formed, corroding everything in its path.
Seeing the poisonous fog drifting toward him, and now that he had obtained all three guiding orbs, there was no reason to linger further.
He infused his magical power into the guiding orbs.
They instantly emitted dazzling white light, soaring into the air and arranging themselves like constellations before shattering with a snap, scattering countless white light particles.
Amid the scattered particles emerged a translucent white spirit dove.
The dove, seemingly imbued with intelligence, flapped its wings and circled once before perching on Yichen’s shoulder.
It gestured for him to follow, then flew eastward.
Yichen followed closely behind.
The spirit dove would guide him to the giant tree area of the Poison Moon Forest, where the Moonlight Hunter dwelled.
Without pause, Yichen set off immediately.
Along the way, he encountered no monsters.
Finally, the dove disappeared before a lake.
Though called a lake, it was merely a shallow pool, no more than five centimeters deep.
Its vastness made it appear like a mirror, shimmering under the moonlight with pure and crystalline ripples.
Looking up, Yichen saw a slender sapling standing at the center of the lake.
That was his target.
The Takiyu Sprout.
An extremely rare material, often used in mysterious rituals to greatly enhance human perception.
But only a few organizations knew exactly how to utilize it.
Yichen stepped in, breaking the still water’s surface, splashing as ripples spread outward.
As the first wave touched the tiny sapling, a faint magical fluctuation arose.
A wind blew from nowhere, causing the sapling to sway and emit a verdant glow.
With a whoosh, the green light shot skyward like a pillar.
“A barrier?”
A transparent dome enveloped the entire lake.
When Yichen looked back at the sapling, the water’s surface was completely empty.
At the same time, beneath the lake, a shadow glided swiftly.
Suddenly, the water bubbled vigorously.
From the rising water emerged a leopard-man bathed in silvery moonlight.
He wielded a curved blade, his tail swinging like a pendulum.
[Moonlight Hunter]
Yichen placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, readying himself for battle.
The water rippled faintly, touching his heels.
From behind came a low growl.
A black panther stealthily approached from the rear.
“A two-against-one... interesting...”
Facing multiple foes, Yichen showed no fear; instead, a fierce fire of battle blazed in his dark eyes.
Splash!
Water flew.
Yichen moved!
He lunged at the Moonlight Hunter, holding his blade backward to deliver an upward slash, the tip spraying water droplets.
The Moonlight Hunter retreated to evade but, obscured by the spray, did not counterattack.
Yichen had anticipated this was merely a feint.
The real strike was yet to come.
He reversed his grip, pressing down; the upward slash swiftly turned into a powerful downward chop.
At the same time, he unleashed magic, gathering cyan wind elements on the blade’s edge.
Serpentine Wind Blade!
The Moonlight Hunter sensed the trick and tried to block, but the attack’s trajectory was wildly unpredictable—anyone seeing it for the first time would be caught off guard.
The cyan wind blade struck the Moonlight Hunter square in the chest.
Yichen pressed the advantage with another slash.
“Roar!”
The black panther leaped from behind.
Yichen clicked his tongue, forced to abandon pursuit, and turned to face the panther.
Claws clashed with blade.
The panther’s strength was immense.
Yichen stepped back half a pace, steadying himself, just as a pure white moon blade struck from the side.
[Blood Rage]
Crimson blood aura burst forth.
Speed surged; Yichen became a blur, dodging the moon blade and circling behind the black panther.
The sudden acceleration left the panther no time to react.
The blade fell.
The sharp longsword pierced the panther’s body, leaving no room for respite, followed by three consecutive slashes.
The black panther instantly lost its fighting ability.
Just as Yichen prepared to finish it with the Serpentine Wind Blade, a pure white moonlight barrier suddenly enveloped the panther.
Clang!
Yichen’s attack was deflected!
The Moonlight Hunter struck.
This was the downside of fighting two at once.
If he couldn’t swiftly eliminate one enemy, he’d be at a disadvantage.
Hunters gained the ability to kill monsters beyond their level by relying on teamwork, overwhelming foes by numbers.
Unless possessing overwhelming power, more opponents meant greater danger.
Yichen knew this well.
He had to finish quickly!
If the Moonlight Hunter and the panther truly coordinated, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Fueled by raging magic, Yichen charged.
A diagonal slash!
The force was so great it pushed the Moonlight Hunter back with a single blow.
But the Moonlight Hunter was no pushover; as a top-tier level 1 monster, its strength was formidable.
It quickly regained footing, swinging its curved blade in the air, unleashing moon blades from tricky angles toward Yichen.
Yichen responded with the Serpentine Wind Blade.
For a moment, spinning moon blades clashed against the serpentine wind blades, triggering a massive magical explosion that rippled outward, stirring countless water droplets.
Before the droplets settled—
Clang!
Long and curved blades met.
Blades flashed like rain.
In this close-quarters life-and-death duel, every moment counted.
Yichen’s strikes were powerful and relentless, the straight, swift blade pressing the Moonlight Hunter hard.
Though only a level 1 monster, the Moonlight Hunter’s blade skills were extraordinary. Its unique physiology allowed joint hyperextension, blocking attacks from unexpected angles.
If Yichen were only a one-star hunter, he might have been stymied by the Moonlight Hunter’s impenetrable defense.
But now, his magical power had surpassed two stars—
A tangible difference in power.
No matter how skillful, technique could not overcome raw strength.
“Hmph! It’s over!”
Yichen’s blade fell.
The fierce force carved a hollow on the water’s surface.
The Moonlight Hunter barely blocked it.
But Yichen’s attack was not finished.
With a swift horizontal slash, the blade struck the Moonlight Hunter’s neck.
The powerful impact shattered its head.
No blood poured from the cut; instead, countless moonlight particles scattered.
“Not dead...”
Yichen frowned in disbelief.
Just as he prepared to strike again to end it, the Moonlight Hunter raised its hand to cover its neck, halting the dispersal of moonlight particles.
The black panther revived and moved beside the Moonlight Hunter.
The Moonlight Hunter stroked the panther.
In the next instant, the panther transformed into a massive curved blade, thrust into the lake’s surface.
The headless Moonlight Hunter drew the curved blade.
Eyes suddenly sprouted on the blade.
The entire water surface began boiling, a terrifying magical force sweeping the battlefield.
Whirling wind, splashing water.
Yichen stared in shock at the transformation—this was beyond the intelligence he had.
He could not allow its magic to grow further.
He charged, attempting to interrupt the Moonlight Hunter.
Clang!
The jet-black curved blade blocked Yichen’s strike.
That dreadful magic had reached the level of a stage 2 monster.
The Moonlight Hunter’s speed was lightning-fast.
The massive black curved blade seemed imbued with intelligence—cunning and ruthless—leaving Yichen off guard.
Another slash came.
The strike was immense.
The terrifying magic even distorted the surrounding air.
Yichen reacted swiftly.
He activated Steel Guard Arm.
The silvery-white armor enveloped his arm.
Strength and defense surged dramatically.
He crossed his blade to block.
The strike was stopped just in time.
But the next moment, excruciating pain erupted!
Blood splattered everywhere.
He had been hit!
The black curved blade had still grievously wounded Yichen.
Disbelief clouded his face.
A horrifying wound on his chest bled profusely.
He had blocked the attack—why was he injured?
Suppressing the pain, he retreated.
He swallowed a nutrient potion and a healing salve, channeling blood aura to recover.
Fortunately, it was not fatal.
Under the aid of blood aura and medicine, the wound visibly healed at an astonishing rate.
“Huff... huff...”
Yichen panted heavily.
His eyes fixed unwaveringly on the black curved blade in the Moonlight Hunter’s hand.
The eyes on the blade gleamed mockingly.
Yichen instantly understood.
The reason he was hurt—
Was entirely due to the black curved blade’s power.
It ignored defense!
“Interesting...”
Decisively, Yichen discarded his sheath, unstrapped the pistol and magazine from his waist.
Extra gear would only hinder his movements.
He grasped the longsword with both hands, adopting a battle stance.
Lowering his body, he concentrated all his energy at his dantian.
The Moonlight Hunter, puzzled, continued to mock him as before.
To it, this human’s struggle was futile.
Its curved blade ignored defense.
Even if Yichen could heal, once was manageable, but twice? Three times?
Its slashes were countless.
Yet the Moonlight Hunter remained cautious.
Yichen’s strikes were powerful and heavy, wielding strange wind blades—it had witnessed this before.
Who knew what other tricks this human held?
It had to strike first.
A curved blade that ignored defense combined with cunning slashes—no one survived that.
The Moonlight Hunter moved!
The black curved blade attacked from a bizarre angle.
Yichen, however, remained motionless.
Long ago when training at the martial arts hall, his master often said:
“War is the way of deception. Strike where the enemy is unprepared; attack unexpectedly. Appear weak but conceal deadly moves.”
At this moment, Yichen emitted not a trace of magical aura.
Yet just as the black curved blade was about to fall—
A cold gleam flashed.
Yichen struck.
His longsword sliced precisely across the Moonlight Hunter’s wrist.
The Moonlight Hunter’s right hand was severed.
The black curved blade spun in the air several times before falling into the water.
Yichen gave no chance for the Moonlight Hunter to react.
His movements were lightning fast.
Countless serpentine wind blades engulfed the Moonlight Hunter in a torrential storm.
The Moonlight Hunter’s body, essentially composed of moonlight particles, had the advantage of being a pure magical entity—no matter the wounds, its actions were unaffected.
Headless, handless, it could regenerate as long as it had sufficient magic.
But its weakness was clear.
When faced with stronger magic, the pure magical body rapidly disintegrated.
Under the relentless wind blades, the Moonlight Hunter’s form dissipated into countless particles—
Until nothing remained.
As the last particle vanished, Yichen turned his gaze to the black curved blade embedded in the water.
The eyes on the blade showed terror.
Even monsters fear death.
Yichen looked down coldly.
“Ignoring defense is indeed powerful.”
“But unfortunately... your moves are too easy to read.”
His longsword fell.
In an instant, it shattered the curved blade into fragments.
[Monster hunted]
[Magic power gained: 40]
[Magic power: 453 → 493]
[Skill acquired: Pure Moon Silver Blade]
[Effect: Grants weapon the ability to ignore defense]