CHAPTER 419: CHAPTER 218: SUBTLE RECALIBRATION AND FORCE FIELD ENERGY

From Xia Nan’s perspective, he naturally didn’t know the intricacies involved.

His entire knowledge of Mint was merely as a somewhat suspicious spellcaster teammate.

Before this, he wasn’t even aware of her identity as a beastman.

Under these circumstances, more about this girl’s past, her mental journey after being infected with beastification, her encounter with Priest Reine, and her enmity with Cash and Vireis...

All of it was unknown.

With the scene unfolding before him, the conclusion Xia Nan could draw—

Mint was precisely the mastermind behind the turmoil among the forest beasts, and also the target of the Association’s beastman investigation mission.

Perhaps she had some unknown agenda, using excellent disguise abilities to infiltrate the Sea Thorn Squad as a spellcaster, continuously causing trouble for him and others along the way.

Recalling it now, the Temple Night Wolf Pack encountered previously, and the Bear just now, were most likely all attracted by her.

And after feigning death to escape, she used some sort of doppelganger ability to lure the other three squad members deeper and finally used that suspected magic item earring on her body to instigate Cash and Vireis to stab him in the back.

Oh, it seems Cash and Vireis’ target was likely this magic accessory.

Now, with Cash and Vireis already dead, she resumed her true form.

Xia Nan couldn’t understand the detailed meanings within her vague words, and the information he currently had was insufficient to determine Mint’s specific objectives.

But that didn’t matter.

He just needed to know that Mint had launched an attack on him and that was enough.

"Want to kill me? Then I’ll kill you first."

Buzz——

The iron-grey sword light intertwined with the silver moon overhead, drawing a sharp, perfect arc in the air.

[Vortex Slash]!

Juice splattered!

The solid metallic weapon, enhanced by strength far beyond normal, and exquisite skill, burst forth with astonishing lethality in an instant.

The vines and thorns, rising from the soil like a wave toward Xia Nan, were instantly slashed apart.

The distinctive stench of plant fluid, mixed with the scent of blood in the air, surged into his nostrils with each breath.

His legs suddenly exerted force, seizing this moment of gained space... [Teeth Hunting]!

Howl——

The high-pitched, lingering wolf howl seemed to overpower the roars of the other beasts on the field, and a phantom wolf’s head constructed of grass clippings, mist, and broken thorns emerged with a roar.

Propelling Xia Nan’s body, it easily weaved through the surrounding thorns and beast herd, charging straight toward the figure in the center of the field that was gradually expanding and contorting.

Xia Nan might not be adept in deduction.

But his exceptional combat talent and keen perception ability still helped him analyze the situation on the field with terrifying efficiency and make the most accurate judgments.

First, retreating... was not a good choice given the current situation.

Just as Mint had mentioned earlier, the Mist Forest at night, with its dense fog and extremely low visibility, made the already obstructive dense woods even more troublesome.

Trying to move quickly for long periods within it using [Teeth Hunting] would be very difficult.

Not to mention having to deal with the pursuit of the beast pack and thorns.

Exposing his back to the opponent was potentially even more dangerous than staying on the field.

Thus, he must abandon any thoughts of retreat and confront the fight head-on.

When it became clear that combat was inevitable, he naturally began to think about the key to breaking the deadlock.

The good news was that this area ahead was barely considered open, allowing unrestricted use of [Teeth Hunting] and not limiting his highly mobile combat style.

The bad news was that he had to face not only Mint herself but also deal with those annoying thorns emerging from the ground and the ferociously aggressive beasts surrounding him.

Fortunately, that Bear Beast was not present on the field; otherwise, no matter how dangerous it became, he’d have no choice but to turn and attempt escape.

Xia Nan was very experienced in group battles, or rather, fighting against multiple enemies simultaneously.

The numerous goblin nests cleared on the forest’s outskirts, littered with the corpses of Bear Goblins, Earth Goblins, and various goblins, gave him substantial understanding of this combat mode.

Unless there were special circumstances, trying to clear out those underlings first, before having a one-on-one confrontation with the strongest Elite Monster was extremely dangerous and unrealistic.

After all, the opponent had autonomous will; it couldn’t just stand by and watch you deal with the small fries without doing anything.

It would only join in, launching a siege with all the enemies on the field.

Therefore, capturing the leader is the priority.

As long as Mint could be dealt with first, the thorns and beast packs on the field, having lost their source of power and influence, would become insignificant.

High-speed movement.

The air, thick and sluggish due to resistance, sent stinging air currents crashing against his cheeks, pushing his dark hair into wild disarray.

With the beheading longsword clenched tightly in his hand, Xia Nan fixed his gaze on the deep shadow ahead, rapidly closing in amid the sound of wolf howls.

Ooooo——

It was a low, terrible growl, as if endured under something.

Mint stood still.

The originally petite and frail body of the spellcaster was unrecognizable now.

The Bear Beast’s strong, sinewy muscles had ripped apart the simple robe, now resembling a ragged napkin draped around the neck, torn into pieces by sharp claws with a gentle tug.

Thick saliva dripped from her opened, narrow beast maw, and a pair of semicircular beast ears poked out from behind her head; her eye sockets bore no whites, only an abyssal, despair-inducing dead black.