"Sorry, big guy." Buhara let out a laugh, his massive body rolling into a ball of flesh, and slammed outward violently. Nen surged, firmly wrapping his body, expanding into a ball.
"Boom!" Relying on his body weight combined with the speed of the charge, he forcefully knocked the Armored Rhino onto the ground. Though this rhino wasn't the largest among the few, its size was still quite exaggerated. It, whose weight was measured in tons, was actually knocked over by Buhara, a human, using brute force.
With the force of the rebound, Buhara flew into the air. He felt as if his body had suddenly thinned down, though he wasn't sure if it was an illusion. His Nen ability was closely related to the fat on his body. At this moment, his fists had clearly grown much larger—this was not an illusion. Descending from the sky, Buhara slammed his fists downward violently.
"Meat Board Hammer!" His fists were like hammers; the enlarged fists combined with [Hardening] made their power unquestionable.
"Bang!" Simple and direct power crushing. The rhino, knocked onto the ground, didn't even have time to get back up before the powerful force struck its side, with a portion of the attack transferring to its most vulnerable abdomen. This strike was sufficiently fatal. The rhino immediately let out a mournful roar. Fortunately, the armor covering its exterior wasn't just for show; much of the powerful force was still blocked. The rhino spat out blood but didn't lose its ability to resist. Its massive body rolled a few times, forcing Buhara back a few steps, allowing it to roll and get up.
Then, the rhino turned its head and charged over. Buhara's strength wasn't bad, but this Armored Rhino, just like its name suggested, had an outer shell as hard as steel. Fortunately, he could be considered a power-type fighter who used his fists; with a bit of grinding, the scales of victory still tilted toward him. If he had switched with Menchi, she might truly have been unable to do anything about it.
On the other side, the Tentacle Python had already sustained many injuries in the previous battle; facing the attacks of Menchi and Gawain, it was virtually powerless to fight back. It fell into a disadvantage almost instantly. The reason it wasn't immediately annihilated was simply that they needed to save people. This was also why Menchi and Gawain came together to target this monster, which was in the worst condition.
"Seasoning Arrow - Chili." A seasoning bottle appeared in Menchi's hand; the scattered chili powder, wrapped in Nen, was shot out. A Nen arrow, like flames, directly hit the snake's eye. The Nen exploded, the chili powder dispersed, and then burned like flames. A pungent, choking smell filled the air around the snake's eyes and head. Though it hadn't caused much substantial damage to it, the entire python's head was currently thrashing wildly. Clearly, it was in extreme pain. Its entire body struggled and thrashed, and the tentacles on its body also began to wave around randomly without any pattern.
"Slash!" Seizing this opportunity, Gawain went directly to the base of a tentacle and fiercely swung the greatsword in his hand. This flexible giant tentacle was directly severed from the base. Snake blood gushed out. Following that, another chili powder Nen arrow was shot onto the wound. Now, the painful stimulation became even more intense. The entire snake body was struggling violently. But the villager entangled on that tentacle had already been rescued by Gawain.
Inside the boundary, the villagers had regained their composure. They recovered from their previous panic and looked at the situation outside. Rabik had been watching the battle outside, muttering to himself. "These Hunters are very skilled at hunting." He had seen many Hunters in his life; after all, the outsiders who came here were all Hunters. He had also seen Hunters hunt. But there were also differences between Hunters.
And one point must be admitted: fighting and hunting large creatures is completely different from fighting among people. Some masters can be described as powerful in battles between people. But once they are thrown into the wilderness, into this Secret Realm to fight these rampaging beasts, these masters will instantly be at a loss. Their methods and attack styles are all aimed at humans. It must be admitted that human physique is completely different from that of beasts. The difference is obvious. The human body is too fragile; a light attack can potentially cause fatal damage. The more powerful the monsters in the wilderness are, the more vigorous their abundant life force is. Their defense and physique are incomparable to humans. And at this point, these masters will fall into the problem of insufficient attack power. They might be able to barely escape using various methods, but wanting them to hunt head-on is almost impossible.
And these few Hunters before him clearly had rich experience in dealing with large creatures; their attack methods and containment techniques made these large creatures suffer terribly. Especially the guy holding the Saintess. Rabik had to admit—that guy's power made even him feel envious. Pure violence.
Kevin was currently holding the Saintess with one hand and dragging the tongue with the other, making that frog fly back and forth. That large frog could only keep its mouth wide open, moving painfully as Kevin dragged it, and it was even occasionally violently flung away. This was equivalent to Kevin dragging a rope with one arm and swinging an elephant around. This scene made one break out in a cold sweat just by watching. She wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but Melusine felt as if even the raindrops were no longer falling on her.
"Ying!" A sharp cry. In the sky! Kevin, who was dragging the frog, instantly dodged to the side, and he had to let go of the tongue he was holding. A silver giant eagle's claw gripped the spot where Kevin and the others had just been, instantly crushing the mud and rocks below. Another one came. And one that could fly.
"Can we only just watch like this?" A young man inside the boundary couldn't help asking, his voice full of urgency. Outsiders were fighting for them, and another monster had arrived, but now they could only watch.
"Don't do something foolish, you guy. If you run out, you'll truly be harming them." An experienced villager nearby immediately cursed loudly, stopping the young man's idea. An accident had already occurred during this hunt, and now there were two villagers outside increasing the attraction. If another one went out at this time, it would truly be fatal.
"They're too far away; my attacks can't reach that distance." A villager responsible for hunting couldn't help saying, shouting and yelling to try to remind Kevin and the others to come closer, but his voice was blocked by the rain curtain. Kevin and the others weren't cooperating with these villagers, nor did they have any intention of bringing these monsters to the boundary for the villagers to attack. After all, in their opinion, the attacks of these monsters seemed capable of penetrating the boundary; if they dragged another one out, it wouldn't be worth the loss.
"Don't panic. They are much stronger than us. We don't need to worry about that man." Rabik, walking over, shouted loudly, stabilizing the morale of the villagers. The villagers looked closely. It seemed that was indeed the case.
The giant eagle that attacked from the sky didn't have any effect on Kevin, because it couldn't catch him at all. Judging by Kevin's appearance, he even intended to take down that giant eagle as well.
Red Tongue Assault. Kevin dodged the attack by flipping over with one hand on the ground, then immediately leaped sideways. He once again dodged the eagle's attack.
"You two beasts are really smart." After dodging a few attacks, Kevin couldn't help cursing. After that frog took a punch and its tongue was released, it started looking for opportunities to sneak attack, staying far away. It was also very cautious when sticking out its tongue, afraid of being caught by Kevin again. It could be said that it learned very quickly based on the situation. And the eagle in the sky was even more annoying; relying on its ability to fly, it would dive in and then immediately flee. Moreover, because it was coordinating with the frog, Kevin really couldn't find an opportunity to give it a punch.
"Ying!" Another strange cry. This time, it wasn't the eagle flying down. Instead, from its crying beak, it spat out sound bullets.
"What is that?" Kevin instinctively raised his hand and gathered Nen, but he was still blown away. And he experienced ringing in his ears. Even the Saintess in his arms closed her eyes, her expression showing some pain. The current Kevin was able to maintain [Concentration] for a long time during battle, but he didn't see the attack at all. The tongue attacked again. This time Kevin couldn't dodge.
"Clang!" A collision sound rang out. Kevin forcefully blocked it with his own aura; the hexagonal barrier became extremely obvious.
"There's no other way." Kevin prepared to give himself a shot; he originally didn't want to go through this much trouble, but there were two villagers after all. The attraction was too great, and if a few more came, it would be troublesome. The main thing was that he also had to save people and couldn't fully unleash his strength. With his speed and way of using power, if he wasn't careful, he might not save the person and even injure the Saintess in his arms.
Just then, the Saintess reached out and placed her palm on Kevin's chest. Pink Nen surged, flowing into Kevin's body.
"Do you think I'm beautiful?"
"Huh?" An attack came from the side; Kevin quickly dodged. This time, the opponent's attack grazed past him, tearing his clothes. That was close! After dodging the attack, he couldn't help frowning and looking at the Saintess in his arms. A nonsensical question at this time was completely interfering with his judgment. But seeing the Saintess's slightly flushed cheeks and the Nen surging from her hand...
Kevin immediately swallowed his words; he understood. Some kind of restriction? He then nodded. "Beautiful. I have to say, you are exactly my type."
"Thank you!" Kevin's answer made the Saintess's cheeks even redder, and the Nen that had already surged into Kevin's body began to take effect. "This is a gift." The Saintess murmured softly.
Holy crap! Kevin couldn't help but be surprised, because a pair of wings grew on his back. Though they were constructed from Nen, they looked like transparent insect wings, similar to those of a small fairy. But he could really fly! His wings flapped, carrying a faint pink glow, and Kevin immediately flew up. He didn't need much control; he could use them just by thinking about it. It could be said there was no learning cost at all.
The moment he could fly, Kevin didn't choose to kill the eagle in the sky. Instead, he directly rushed toward that frog. The frog didn't have time to dodge before Kevin flew directly above it.
"Toad, die for me!" Kevin's right hand was held together, thrusting forward. The Nen in his body turned into a penetrating property, instantly piercing through the frog's head. A bloody hole immediately appeared; he could even see the ground beneath the frog through the hole.
"Croak!!" A painful cry, the sound of impact. The giant frog immediately fell to the ground and began to convulse. Kevin leaped, grabbed the frog's tongue, and pulled it out by the root. A large amount of blood splattered out. But Kevin, holding the tongue, immediately flew into the sky.
"How long can these wings last?"
"One minute."
"That's enough." One minute sounded short, but it was completely sufficient for Kevin.
According to the normal principle of seeking advantage and avoiding harm, the eagle in the sky should have fled at this time. But it had no intention of escaping at all, still wanting to snatch the Saintess from Kevin's arms. Kevin flew directly toward the eagle. Nen surged into the tongue. It was rare for him to use this technique. He whipped it out forcefully. The speed at which this tongue whipped out was even faster than the frog's own lunge speed. The ability Kevin gained from the [Thrust Potion] wasn't just a bonus for himself, but could also accelerate anything covered by Nen. The tongue worked too—the frog's tongue.
"Whoosh!" A piercing sound of air being torn. The frog's tongue whipped out directly, instantly striking the giant eagle. The powerful force immediately caused the opponent's skin to split and flesh to tear, with a large amount of feathers flying everywhere. After a moment of frantic adjustment—it was a giant eagle after all—it wasn't struck down.
Just then, Kevin directly whipped the tongue, and it wrapped around the eagle's body like a strange long whip, coiling around it a few times to entangle it. Kevin plummeted sharply from the sky. The tongue instantly straightened, and a powerful force was immediately transmitted to the giant eagle's body. He violently yanked it downward.
A cry came, and it flapped its wings trying to break free, but the previous strike had already made its posture unstable, and now being pulled, it was truly powerless. After struggling two or three times, it was pulled down by the immense force.
"Bang!" It crashed onto the ground with a loud thud. Kevin immediately released the tongue, flapped the wings on his back, and flew onto the eagle's head. Just at this moment, the wings disappeared. His entire body began to fall downward. His feet were together. His body was like a sharp cone. Nen wrapped around him, layer upon layer. He directly smashed onto the eagle's neck. Instantly, the entire neck twisted, and malice surged in along with the Nen. The opponent's head was instantly disconnected from its body. But the exterior did not suffer overly severe damage. The huge body struggled and twitched a few times, then its resistance weakened.
"Phew, done." He didn't feel any more creatures rushing over; the attraction should have reached its limit. Kevin turned his head to look at the distant, still motionless black figure. After taking a look, he withdrew his gaze.
He returned within the boundary, holding the Saintess. At this time, Buhara had already dealt with his target. Gawain also brought that villager back within the boundary. Kevin, upon returning to the village, then placed the Saintess he was holding onto the ground. At this moment, the Saintess's originally wet legs were completely dry. Kevin's Nen had been protecting her, otherwise his speed would have affected her body.
"Gasp!" A maid let out a cry of surprise. The Saintess instantly tilted and fell. Kevin quickly hugged her again. Looking at the Saintess's calm eyes watching him, Kevin felt a bit awkward.
"Uh, sorry." He had completely forgotten that she couldn't stand at all. The hidden snake draped on the Saintess was completely dizzy at this moment and had no strength to support the Saintess. His Nen had protected the Saintess, but not the snake.
The maid quickly ran over, pushing a wheelchair. "Please put Miss on the wheelchair." Kevin quickly placed the Saintess onto it.
"Thank you for saving me," the Saintess said, looking at him with her red eyes.
The village chief also quickly ran over at this time, looking anxiously at the Saintess. "Are you alright, Melusine? Are you injured?" Looking at the village chief's worried eyes, the Saintess's expression became a little cold, but she still shook her head.
"I'm fine. Mr. Kevin protected me very well." Saying this, the Saintess looked at Kevin, then silently turned her head away again.
"Thank you, thank you so much." It was clear that the village chief was truly grateful, shaking Kevin's hand up and down.
"It's nothing, it's nothing."
"Kevin." Gawain's voice came from the side. Kevin quickly rushed over.
At this time, a villager was lying in front of Gawain—it was that unfortunate villager who had been captured and taken out. This villager was not in good condition. His hands were clearly broken, and his bound body showed signs of excessive squeezing. There were dark purple ligature marks on his skin, his face was pale, and his legs looked to be in extremely poor condition. He was not as lucky as the Saintess.
Kevin quickly pulled out two tubes of potion from his waist and poured them into the other person's mouth. They were potions for healing fractures and treating burns/injuries. The potions went down. This villager's condition immediately began to improve at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"He's fine now."
"Thank you! Thank you so much." The villager's family members directly knelt beside the two of them, bowing in thanks.
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Kevin waved his hand, and Gawain also stepped forward to help the other person up.
As both villagers were brought back, the outside also returned to calm. Buhara and Menchi had no intention of coming back at all. They had already gathered the four corpses together and were looking left and right at them, studying them. Compared to the situation here, they were more concerned about the edible parts on those four monsters.
The hunting team began to act again. The corpses outside were dragged in and began to be dissected and segmented. These creatures were too large to be transported directly into the village, so they were segmented directly on site.
Rabik found Kevin. "Thank you for your help." Kevin couldn't remember how many times he had told these people not to mention it. He waved his hand again, indicating that the other party didn't need to mind.
"These four prey are your spoils of war, but because of the festival, could we trade with you?" Hearing the other party's request, Kevin nodded. These four creatures combined weighed tens of tons. He definitely had to sell their flesh and blood to the village. However, Kevin reminded him, "Some parts of these four prey might be materials I need, and those parts I will not sell."
Rabik nodded. "Of course. These are your spoils of war. We will only purchase the part you are willing to sell." After agreeing, he let the other party proceed with the segmentation. Kevin also quickly moved closer to Menchi.
"Don't be in a hurry to get your hands on it. It's not too late to touch it after they've segmented it. Don't you believe in their skill?" Looking at the impatient Kevin, Menchi directly pulled him back.
"I want to touch it." Kevin put away his eager mood and squatted beside them, waiting patiently.
It has to be said that the butchers among these villagers were indeed skilled. For such large creatures, they butchered and segmented them very smoothly. They all used their respective Nen abilities. More Nen abilities were displayed this time. They found that most villagers in this village constructed their Nen abilities according to their professions.
The villagers responsible for hunting constructed Nen abilities that were various weapons capable of enhancing hunting. Those villagers responsible for butchering, segmenting, and cooking—their Nen abilities were mostly related to what they were good at. Only a very small number, like Bian Locke and those people, had Nen abilities that were incompatible with the overall style of the village. Most villagers' Nen abilities were somewhat plain and unadorned.
Kevin strongly suspected that it was related to their inheritance, as well as the education and atmosphere they received from a young age. For those who were incompatible, most of their Nen abilities were of the detached type. They were almost all focused on outward reconnaissance. They should be the group among the villagers who most yearned for freedom.
Because the village was closed and not free, their worldview was limited from childhood to adulthood. Even with books, they couldn't experience things firsthand. Their ideas were never flexible or broad enough. The Nen abilities they constructed would also be as plain and unadorned as most of the villagers', closely related to their family's profession and the education from their elders.
Though there was still some information connection, they had essentially been disconnected from the outside world for nearly three hundred years. In three hundred years, the outside world had long since entered the modern era, or even the contemporary era. Various literary and artistic works, and various concepts, had long been widely spread. Flashy Nen abilities were also increasing year by year. But these ancients from three hundred years ago still had very traditional thinking, and their Nen abilities were relatively simple.