CHAPTER 71: IRONCLAD RAPTOR

"On guard, a beast could be inside," Harry warned, taking small, silent steps toward the cave.

His sword resting in his palms ready to strike.

Sephie brought out a spear.

Meanwhile, Jessie got a unique weapon. Harry wasn’t sure what it was—it was as sharp as a sword but looked like a rope.

Harry could inspect it, but he ignored it for now. He couldn’t take his eyes off the cave.

As he entered, the sound of wind rushing in and the smell of iron nauseated him.

"Blood," Harry indicated.

He felt a wet substance on his legs.

It was blood. But there was no source of blood.

Harry felt something was wrong. There was blood, but no carapace.

"Run!" Sephie exclaimed.

Hearing her, both Harry and Jessie followed.

As they came out of the cave, a beast appeared in front of Harry. It was on four legs, aiming to take his head off.

Its speed was fast enough to startle Harry. He was only able to create a single barrier—it cracked and was about to break when a whip-like sword severe

d the beast’s legs.

Harry was now more startled.

"Torque"—it was something he had read about in books.

The whip was used by Jessie. When she flicked it slightly from the handle, the momentum increased almost tenfold by the time it reached its endpoint.

The beast cried out in pain.

But its speed was so high that before they could deal any extra damage, it had already gotten far into the distance.

"Bad call, run!" Sephie shouted and ran inside.

The other two followed.

She knew there was a predator, but she wasn’t sure it was an agile beast waiting for them outside.

Their best choice was to stay in the cave. It couldn’t use its agility inside, making it easier to kill.

Harry’s heart was racing fast. He had been so close to death.

"Thank you for the help."

"Me expect same," Jessie winked at Harry.

Harry gave her a thumbs-up.

He hadn’t inspected either of them, but now he was sure Jessie was at Elemental Master Level 6.

They waited for half an hour, but the beast didn’t enter.

"It’s no fool. The beast knows its limits," Sephie said.

It was already dark now, and inside the cave, there was minimal light.

Harry used some wood to start a fire. He already had everything ready in his space ring.

"You wasted space on this wood?" Sephie asked, surprised by Harry’s priorities.

Harry just shook his head and thought,

’I guess I still have the biggest space ring here.’

For them, it was wasting space. For Harry, it was utilizing space.

They sat down.

"You two can cultivate. Me watch for any threats," Jessie stated, her small stature standing firm at the cave opening.

Cultivation was not only for improving their level, but it also helped regain stamina and restore lost Qi.

In three hours, Harry was back at his peak. It was the benefit of hemostasis.

"I am done. You can cultivate now." Harry stood and walked over to Jessie.

"This beast is still lurking. Be aware," Jessie said and went to meditate.

Harry stood there, nothing interesting to do his eyes fell on Sephie’s exposed skin. It was fascinating how different they all were.

All three were humans, but Sephie had tough skin similar to beasts, while Jessie, though short, had remarkable tenacity.

He pondered who the real human was. But then he palmed his head—of course, all of them were real humans. It was just the conditions that had changed their outer appearances and inner thoughts.

For example, wearing a swimsuit was not vulgar to Jessie because it was their tradition.

He was lost in thought when something flew across the opening. It was so fast that Harry was unable to notice what it was.

He straightened his back, holding his sword—ready for anything. But nothing came.

Another half-hour later, something flew across the opening again.

This time, Harry got closer. He was ready with his Inspect skill.

The beast came and went, but Harry was unable to inspect it in time.

It happened three to four times before Harry succeeded.

[Inspect]

[Ironclad Raptors: Elemental Master Level 5. Cannot fly but acts as if it can.]

Harry tilted his head, unable to understand the description. Its level didn’t match its high speed.

He couldn’t even make out its features while it "flew," yet the description said it couldn’t fly.

The night passed, and the sun’s rays cast shadows on the trio’s faces. A smile bloomed on Sephie’s face. The warmth—it was what she was used to.

But it wasn’t warm enough to make her comfortable.

"What’s the plan? The beast is still lingering out there," Harry asked for their opinions.

The beast was still running from right to left, then left to right, every 5-10 minutes.

"If it continues like this, I hope it will get exhausted soon enough," Sephie said.

But Harry didn’t think the same. There was no reason for the beast to fly around. If it understood the threat of entering a closed space, then it surely knew how to conserve energy.

Harry explained his reasoning, and they all agreed.

"So, what do you suggest?" Sephie asked.

Harry brought out a bow followed by arrows.

"I need you two to distract it while I try to hunt it down."

"So you want me to be your bait?" Sephie raised an eyebrow, grinning, then answered, "I’m in."

Jessie also nodded. They had to go out. There were multiple reasons not to stay in one place.

First, they needed to find their friends—they could be in danger too.

And while they could keep hiding in the cave, there was no guarantee that a stronger beast wouldn’t come for them.

The trio readied themselves.

They waited for the beast to pass one more time. As it flew from right to left, Jessie and Sephie rushed out.

The Raptor landed at a distance. On the ground, it didn’t look nearly as fast.

It had a stocky build with powerful forelimbs. Its shape resembled those beetles that fly fast but can’t control their flight.

As they observed the beast, a screeching noise came from behind.

Harry was already summoning multiple barriers for protection.

Jessie whipped her sword, generating an echoing boom in the air, and the beast turned into a red mist. Blood splattered everywhere.

But when they looked beyond the flying blood, their hearts sank.

Harry felt his body stiffen.

A group of Ironclad Raptors had appeared—seven beasts in total.