EFB Chapter 42 Infiltration
Chapter 42 Infiltration
Ronan's steel greatsword killed two gnolls before turning back again.
With two companions suddenly dead and the enemy's whereabouts unknown, the remaining five gnolls lost all will to fight. Swinging their flails, they ran wildly with their two backward-curved legs toward their lair.
However, their speed could not match that of Ronan's steel-forged greatsword.
Ronan used his "Second Ring Daoist Technique" to activate his manipulation technique, making his steel greatsword move even faster as he chased after the gnolls.
The steel-cast greatsword darted back and forth in the air several times at great speed, like a swimming fish.
Each time they passed through, they either slit the throat of a gnoll or shaved off half of its head.
Snap, snap, snap...
The fleeing gnolls fell to the ground one after another.
A series of messages appeared in Ronan's mind.
[You used your magic to wield a steel greatsword and slay a gnoll, gaining 100 XP.]
Your steel greatsword continues its momentum, slaying another gnoll and gaining 100 XP.
……
[Experience Points: Level 4 Cultivator (5985 XP/6500 XP)]
Before long, he had killed all the gnolls. Seven gnoll corpses lay on the forest floor, their blood forming a stream that emitted wisps of warmth in the winter chill.
Ronan leaped down from the tree branch.
Those captured by the gnolls had given up hope of survival, but now that the gnolls had been suddenly killed by a mysterious figure, they all wept with joy. Upon seeing Ronan, their eyes were filled with even greater anticipation.
Ronan approached the group, took out a dagger from his dimensional bag, and cut the bark ropes binding them.
"Sir, you are such a kind person!"
"Sir, I don't know how to repay you..."
The rescued man, with tears of relief streaming down his face, repeatedly thanked Ronan.
Information appeared in Ronan's mind.
You rescued eleven humans who had been kidnapped by gnolls. They are very grateful to you. You have gained 500 XP.
[Experience Points: Level 4 Cultivator (6485 XP/6500 XP)]
A merchant with a thick mustache got up, tears streaming down his face, and grasped Ronan's hand gratefully, saying, "Sir, I am the leader of this caravan, my name is Finley Engel, an Ascatra from the Amn Empire."
"My family is in the brewing business. This time, I went to Bode's Gate to sell 50-year-old rum."
"In Baldur's Gate, I live in the Elven Song Tavern; in Ascatra, I live on Layton Street. You can find me by mentioning my family name, and from then on, I will be at your service."
"Our 'Golden Armor' adventure team is also at your disposal!" said the halfling wanderer and his teammates.
The rescued man thanked Ronan again, and Finley insisted on giving Ronan several gold bars. After tidying up their carriage, he left.
Ronan used his telekinesis to retrieve the steel greatsword. He first flicked the sword to shake off some of the blood, then took out a piece of coarse cloth from his dimensional bag, wiped the remaining blood off it, and then put it back in its sheath.
He then continued toward the gnoll's lair.
Before long, they could see in the distance a path leading into the depths of the valley, guarded by two jackalmen.
Both jackals looked dutiful, carrying flails and their wolf-like eyes scanning the surroundings.
Ronan figured that if he went down that path, he would reach the gnoll's den, and he had to go in and explore.
He immediately cast the [Invisibility] spell on himself.
A few breaths later, his figure first faded and then disappeared.
The [Invisibility] Taoist technique is similar to the invisibility technique in this world; it simply makes one's physical form invisible.
However, the sound of footsteps, the air currents they create, and the scent emanating from their bodies cannot be concealed.
However, Ronan possesses the [Rock Leap] technique, which allows him to walk silently and leave no trace in the snow.
His "Borrowing Wind" technique allows him to summon a gentle breeze, thereby concealing the air currents generated when he moves.
As for the scent emanating from his body, he could use the [Body Protection] technique to envelop his entire body in an invisible barrier, thus isolating his scent.
Once he was ready, Ronan headed toward the path leading to the valley.
As they passed the two gnolls, the two gnolls kept their wolf eyes wide open, looking around warily, but they did not notice that a human was walking by.
Ronan walked along the path, which became increasingly open, and soon he entered the valley.
He encountered more and more gnolls, mostly gnoll soldiers, each with sharp teeth, ferocious expressions, wearing simple clothes, hunched backs, and doing their own work.
Most of the items they were moving were goods they had stolen from human caravans, including barrels of wine, tableware, clothing, and steel.
They were categorized and carried into various caves.
There were no buildings or tents in the valley, and Ronan guessed that these gnolls lived in caves.
The gnolls couldn't smell Ronan, but Ronan could smell the stench on the gnolls and see the lice crawling all over them.
I wonder if these gnolls ever took a bath after they were born.
Clang, clang, clang...
He heard the sound of hammering coming from one side.
Looking towards the direction from which the sound came, one could see several disheveled dwarves reluctantly hammering iron blanks.
Around the foundry, there were several black iron racks with flails hanging on them.
It seems that after these dwarves were captured and brought here by the gnolls, they were forged into flails.
Legend has it that the weapon of Yenogu, the king of the gnolls, was a three-headed flail.
As servants of Yenogu, the flail can be considered the gnoll's signature weapon.
However, the gnolls mostly use single-headed flails and double-headed flails. The reason they don't use triple-headed flails may be that they dare not use the same weapon as the gods.
Ronan glanced around and saw at least thirty gnolls coming and going.
It wouldn't be surprising if one of these gnolls, known as "Gnoll Fang of Yenogu," appeared, with an average challenge level of 4.
As for whether the "Gnoll Demon Lord" with an average challenge level of 8 will appear, it's hard to say.
In Ronan's "Tricks of the Gods," there is a technique called "Moon-Taking."
This is the Taoist technique called "Mysterious Light Technique." By using this technique, one can draw a circle in one place and display the scene at a certain distance.
The initial range of this Taoist technique is 40 meters, but if he uses the magic power required for a "second-level Taoist technique", he can display a scene at least 100 meters away.
The more magic power you inject, the farther the distance you can project your power.
There are about a dozen caves of varying sizes in this valley.
It was dark and winding inside, and Ronan, being on the outside, couldn't see inside at all.
Therefore, he decided to use [Moon Retrieval] to see what level of power the gnolls in the cave were, in order to estimate the overall strength of the entire gnoll lair.