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Chapter 526: Catachan-Subplane
A misty rain gently fell.
The "pitter-patter" of rain beating against the leaves drowned out everyone's breathing.
Chris exhaled a faint breath, feeling the cold, damp wind brush against his cheeks, and held himself still.
A gray-green cloak covered his body, blending perfectly with the surrounding shrubs.
He had been waiting here for an hour.
Chris had prepared for this mission for a long time.
He underwent two weeks of training, primarily focusing on camouflage and team attack coordination.
According to Alice's thinking, the enemies they would face in the future would become increasingly dangerous.
Everyone in the adventurer's group not only needed to improve their skills but also their tactics.
Unlike other adventuring parties who resisted change, Alice's party, which regularly trained alongside Bay Territory's army, had an entirely different experience.
Cooperative adventuring wasn't about fighting solo.
Whether outnumbered, outnumbering the enemy, or even one-on-one duelsâ
Bay Territory's military camps offered corresponding training methods.
"Roar...!"
An ear-splitting roar swept over with a sudden gust of wind.
The drizzle in the air was abruptly scattered.
"It's here!"
Chris's heart tightened. He instinctively held his breath, fearing that any sound might alert the figure hidden in the misty rain.
Bang!
A powerful impact erupted, venting immense, violent force.
A tree, three people wide, was effortlessly snapped in two.
The breaking fibers of the wood strained under the weight of the falling trunk, snapping and splintering with loud "crackling" sounds.
A massive shadow gradually came into view.
Through the gaps in the underbrush, Chris caught sight of the charging figure.
Its gray-green scales were riddled with scars large and small.
A fang-filled maw roared madly.
Gusts of wind, stirred by its cries, spread outward in waves, amplifying its howls and pushing them even further.
It beat its bloodied wings again and again, roaring and summoning gusts of wind.
Yet the once-powerful thrusts couldn't lift it into the air.
At the joint where its wings met its back, a gleaming silver crossbow bolt was lodged.
The bolt, stained red with blood, still drained the creature through the blood grooves along its sides.
Sensing its growing weakness, the colossal beast scrambled forward on all fours.
The once-pitiless gleam in its eyes was now replaced with an indescribable panic and fear.
This was the target of Alice's adventuring party: a wind dragon that lived in the Dark Forest.
This wind dragon had reigned as the apex predator of the surrounding area, the undisputed top of the food chain.
In the past, it roamed unchecked, taking whatever prey it desired.
Now it had become a defeated, fleeing beast.
Whoosh!
The dull sound of a projectile cutting through the air made the wind dragon's heart skip. It instinctively rolled its body in an attempt to dodge the attack.
But its bulk was too massive, and the surrounding trees hindered its agility.
Despite its desperate evasion, the fast-flying bolt found its mark.
The intense pain caused the wind dragon to shudder violently. The weakness in its leg where the bolt struck caused it to slow significantly.
The scales it once prided itself on for defense were as fragile as paper now, leaving it desperately charging forward to escape.
"Halt! Where do you think you're going?!"
The roar of the shout startled the wind dragon so much it trembled all over, its already weakened front claws still throbbing with pain.
In a single blow, the enemy had left it injured and grounded, rendering it unable to resist the terrifying power it had faced.
Watching the wind dragon charge closer, Chris carefully adjusted his breathing.
As it came within 30 meters, and its lone remaining front paw struck the ground, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
The stout bowstring snapped taut, unleashing its stored power.
The immense force transferred into the silver-white bolt.
Engraved with numerous runes, the bolt's magical patterns activated the moment it was released.
"Lightening Spell," "Sharpness Spell," "Acceleration Spell," "Power Strike Spell"âŚ
Augmented by multiple spells, the solid, heavy adamantine bolt rapidly accelerated, turning into a deadly white streak!
The wind dragon, unable to dodge in time, felt its freshly landed front claw falter and its entire body topple to the ground.
The massive momentum sent the ten-meter-long creature tumbling through the forest.
Without waiting to see the result of his shot, Chris immediately stowed the dragon-hunting crossbow in his storage belt, scrambling aside on all fours.
Boom!
The wind dragon's enormous body flattened the dense underbrush.
Though grievously injured, it fought through the pain, struggling and roaring as it tried to rise.
Just then, a lightning-clad figure leapt down from the treetops above, slamming into the wind dragon's belly with force.
Thud!
The powerful blow made the wind dragon spew out a mouthful of bloody spittle.
Enveloped in agony, it felt a paralyzing sting from its abdomen, and instinctively opened its maw:
"Roar...!"
Breath of Wind!
The bright white breath released dozens of tangible wind blades.
Sensing the danger, the lightning-clad figure rolled nimbly to the side, avoiding the core of the breath attack.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ferocious impacts struck the shield the figure had raised high, the chaotic flurry of fine wind blades thinning the aura that protected him.
Feeling his arms grow sore, the lightning-clad figure grinned at the wind dragon as it tried to turn its head:
"Tough luck, you big lug!"
"Ah...!"
Another figure burst forth from the mist like a cannonball.
Before the wind dragon could react, Morak had already raised his hammer high, slamming it down on its neck.
The wind dragon's blood surged violently, its head spinning as it was overwhelmed by intense pain.
Then the sharp sound of arrows cutting through the air reached its ears.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Crack!
Crack!
More bolts pierced into the wind dragon's body.
But this time, each bolt trailed a thick iron chain behind it.
Each chain was anchored by a massive iron lock at the other end, ensuring that no matter how much the wind dragon struggled, it couldn't break free.
Half an hour later.
This now-weakened behemoth, bound tightly with numerous iron chains, was slowly transported to Bay Territory.
Even in its dire condition, the wind dragon's life was never at riskâjust its pride.
But precisely because of this, a live wind dragon would bring Alice's adventuring party an additional 50% in earnings.
It also further boosted their renown!
The visually striking scene quickly spread throughout the area.
"A dragon! It's really a dragon!"
"It looks like a wyvernâŚ"
"It doesn't seem like one of the wyverns captured by Bay Territory's army. It actually looks like a wind dragonâŚ"
"According to the 'Dragon-Slaying Guide,' that's definitely a wind dragon!"
"Look at those woundsâthey've been stitched up now, but you can tell it was hit by dragon-hunting crossbowsâŚ"
"This wind dragon is fully grown, at least an extraordinary-level creatureâŚ"
"It's Alice's adventuring party again. Have they become this strong now?"
"Didn't you know? Recently, they spent nearly 300,000 gold on multiple dragon-hunting crossbowsâŚ"
"That's a huge investment! Where did they get so much money?"
"They arrived early and have always followed the territory's policies on adventuring. They must have earned a lot."
"You're not aware? Alice's adventuring party bought several excavation golems at the ruby mine."
"They're currently bringing in tens of thousands of gold a dayâŚ"
"Their growth is so fast. I'm so envious!"
"They're recruiting new members, selecting talented and well-suited young adventurers to expand furtherâŚ"
"Just this wind dragon alone will net them at least 200,000 gold!"
"That's not allâdid you forget the dragon's lair?"
"Good pointâŚ"
"âŚ"
Steward Ralph smiled as he approached Alice and gestured for her to come inside.
Noticing the gazes of the surrounding adventurers, Alice couldn't help but flash a brilliant smile.
Over a dozen crates filled with gleaming gold coins made everyone's eyes light up.
The crowd immediately began murmuring excitedly; many people were clearly tempted.
Some even flipped through the "Dragon-Slaying Guide" in their hands, determined to make a name for themselves.
This was a mutually satisfying "announcement."
The Alice Adventuring Party needed to recruit more elite members.
Bay Territory, on the other hand, sought to establish a solid reputation.
After this mission, many adventuring parties began to envy their success.
"But we won't send them to their deaths. To purchase a dragon-hunting crossbow, you must have at least two extraordinary-class professionals."
Ralph, the steward who was introducing the dragon-hunting crossbow, continued explaining to Annie.
"There will also be limits on the number of membersânot more than 100, not fewer than 30âand the casualty rate must be controlled."
Annie nodded thoughtfully. After observing Bay Territory's policies for some time, she found them to be quite interesting.
The policies didn't completely restrict adventurers' actions, nor did they let them roam entirely unchecked.
This structured approach not only didn't irritate adventurers but actually kept them obedient, thanks to consistently high returns.
Annie found this approach to be somewhat inspiring.
In the past few days of fighting, the fearsome strength displayed by the Cole Elven Kingdom had caused significant losses for the Ail Elves.
This was despite the Ail Elves having focused heavily on fortifying their defenses and relying on cities and strongholds to resist invasions in recent months.
If they had been fighting in the openâ
The Ail Elves' forces might have been unable to withstand the Cole Elven Kingdom's army.
Because of this, Annie couldn't help but worry.
The cities and strongholds needed to enhance their defensive capabilities and deliver more powerful counterattacks.
The goal was to inflict maximum damage on the Cole Elven Kingdom's forces.
By weakening their combat strength, they could slow down their advances.
Annie's decision to rush to Bay Territory during such a critical moment was due to the remarkable effectiveness of the combat supplies purchased there.
Although Bay Territory's combat supplies weren't top-tier, they were abundant and sufficient to meet their needs.
The Silverleaf family, defending several border fortresses, endured heavy attacks from large enemy forces.
It was thanks to the plentiful bows, crossbows, arrows, nutritional potions, and vitality potions that they withstood two days and nights of fierce assaults.
Through tenacity and sustained combat capabilities, they managed to hold out, albeit at the cost of over 2,000 elven warriors, until reinforcements arrived.
The Silvermoon family had performed the best among the Ail Elves' major families, earning accolades from the Elven Council.
Thus, even though the fighting was not yet over, Annie hurried to Bay Territory.
There she witnessed the cooperative efforts between Bay Territory and the Alice Adventuring Party.
She saw firsthand the adventuring party's rapid "progress" and laid eyes on the dragon-hunting crossbows.
Captivated, Annie naturally wanted a closer look at the dragon-hunting crossbows.
However, Ralph, well aware of the Ail Elves' actual situation, did not recommend the dragon-hunting crossbows to her.
The reason was simple: the current production of dragon-hunting crossbows was insufficient.
Following the lord's directive, 70% of the dragon-hunting crossbows were allocated to Bay Territory's soldier-led hunting teams, with the remaining 30% going to adventurers.
For the time being, there weren't any spare dragon-hunting crossbows available for Annie.
Seeing Annie's eager expression, Ralph was ready and smiled as he introduced her to a true defensive weapon:
"Come take a look. These dragon-hunting crossbows are actually large individual combat weapons, not suitable for battlefield use."
"As the lord aptly put it, large-scale warfare depends heavily on manpower and production capabilities."
"When manpower is at a disadvantage, the most crucial war instruments are cost-effective weapons that require minimal training, deliver consistent damage, and can be used for extended periods."
"For example, this dwarven-produced long-handled firearm I'm holding. It has excellent range and damage, and can be mastered in just three days."
Annie accepted the dwarven firearm from Ralph. Its heavy weight made her frown slightly.
But then she considered that it wouldn't be an issue for defensive purposes.
Veteran John, who had been waiting, picked up another dwarven firearm and skillfully loaded it before firing at a distant target.
The alchemical gunpowder ignited explosively, releasing a flash of light and heat, propelling the spinning bullet forward.
"Bang!"
At a target 300 meters away, a dazzling flash erupted.