บท 185: 186. Chamomile of the Blooming Moon.
"Henselt!"
"Henselt!"
Each roar of the great wraith was inevitably followed by a powerful slash.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
The sound of swords clashing reverberated as sparks flew.
Allen had just barely blocked the previous strike, but the next attack came at him with lightning speed. To be honest, with both strength and agility surpassing his opponent, Allen had initially thought this would be an easy victory.
Using the Aard Sign to slow down the enemy's speed was just a precaution, born from a witcher's instinct. But now, he realized his assumptions were wrong.
In this battle with the great wraith, despite having a clear advantage in attributes, Allen was the one falling behind. This unusual wraith didn't attack recklessly like others of its kind.
Allen could see that it was employing battlefield swordsmanship. Simple, direct, swift... and exceptionally ruthless.
Its sword, twice the length of Elsa's, was wielded with a reckless abandon, exchanging injuries for injuries. Combined with the fact that this great wraith had no obvious weaknesses and could only be slowly worn down with a silver sword and specter oil, its "undying" nature made it all the more dangerous.
These factors together meant that, despite numerous apparent openings, the witcher found it impossible to capitalize on them. Because if he took advantage of these "openings" to attack, the wraith might gain a new wound, but Allen could very well lose an arm. Not even Allen's level 6 Quen Sign was much help here.
Timing his distance, Allen took a hard slash to his side and lightly pierced the great wraith's waist.
"Bang!"
The Quen Sign exploded with a burst, sending a shockwave crashing into the wraith. Yet the black figure of the creature merely rippled as though disturbed by a light breeze, without even a change in its stance, and continued its assault.
Yes, exactly!
While the Quen Sign could block the great wraith's damage, the explosive effect of the level 6 Quen Sign, for some reason, had no impact on this wraith. Allen guessed this might be due to the wraith's unique spiritual state. Perhaps it was a passive ability brought by high constitution and high mysticism, something akin to what gamers from his previous life would call "super armor."
All these factors together made the wraith as difficult to approach as a porcupine.
Although Allen wanted to end the fight quickly, it was not worth risking his life against a monster like this, so he found himself hesitant and restrained for a while. Of course, his superior strength, agility, and perception meant that Allen was in no real danger of losing his life.
"No wonder, despite its lower attributes in three areas compared to mine, this great wraith is at a much higher level."
Allen was feeling troubled.
Just then, a mysterious chant echoed near his ear.
In the next moment:
"Buzz!"
His wolf medallion hummed, and a wave of warmth surged through him. The witcher immediately felt a surge in his power.
"Is that Francesca's magic?"
Allen dodged the great wraith's attack with a sidestep and glanced backward. Francesca was standing behind a thick oak tree, her hands having just finished casting a spell.
"So it really was her!"
"Clang!"
With a flash of steel, Allen instinctively put all his strength into deflecting the wraith's sword.
[Monster Hunt Progress: 34%]
The sudden increase in strength caused the wraith to stagger, losing its balance and leaving its chest wide open.
"This spell is surprisingly effective!"
The witcher's eyes lit up as he seized the opportunity. With a firm stomp on the ground, the power gathered in his spine. The witcher's body spun twice.
"Whoosh!"
Elsa, his silver sword, charged with momentum, sliced through the black fog-like form of the great wraith from its left shoulder.
The whirlwind slash!
Two-thirds of the wraith's body was carved by the sword, coated in specter oil.
"Sizzle!"
The cut hissed as if boiling water had been poured on it.
[Monster Hunt Progress: 49%]
This was another little trick Allen had discovered during the fight.
By maximizing the contact area between the wraith's spiritual body and Elsa, coated with specter oil, not only did it cause more damage to the great wraith, but the Monster Hunt Progress bar also increased significantly. This single attack added 15% progress.
"Allen, this is a wraith-type monster. Focus on defense and don't push for an attack!"
Francesca grew anxious as she saw Allen trying to slay the creature on the spot. The nature of wraiths meant they were monsters that could only be worn down with silver weapons and the passage of time. They weren't creatures that could be eliminated quickly.
If Allen kept pressing with the intent to kill, he would only exhaust himself and eventually give the monster an opening.
But...
Witchers should know the nature of wraiths, shouldn't they?
Why didn't Allen seem aware of this?
Supporting Grandma Asha, Francesca was filled with doubt. But then she suddenly remembered that Allen was only fourteen years old. It all made sense now.
"Of course!"
"For someone so young, with such impressive swordsmanship and Signs, it must have taken a lot of time to hone those skills."
"It's only natural that he might be less knowledgeable about monsters."
With that realization, Francesca quickly began sharing her knowledge about wraiths.
"I read in books that wraiths are very hard to kill, but they disappear once daylight comes!"
"And also…"
"Wraiths don't usually stray too far from where their bodies are!"
"You could just hold off the monster and then leave."
That may not be the case!
Allen thought to himself.
At least, in the abandoned castle of Viscount Hudson, those wraiths roamed freely under sunlight. After being tainted by dark elements for so many years, whether or not this wraith adhered to the rule of staying near its body remained uncertain.
"Don't worry, I've got this."
"Keep casting your enhancement spells!"
The witcher shouted.
Though Francesca was puzzled, her instincts from the mine had made her accustomed to following the witcher's commands.
"Buzz~"
The sound of her melodic chant echoed like a spring dropping into a well. The wolf medallion hummed in response. Within seconds, Allen felt his body lighten as if a heavy burden had been lifted. His dodging speed had increased by at least half.
"Is this a Featherweight Spell?"
"Increased agility!"
Prepared for it, Allen quickly adjusted to his enhanced body with a few deft movements. Like a gust of wind, or a falling leaf, he easily dodged the great wraith's frenzied slashes. Now, this is how a sorceress should be used!
Allen thought to himself.
That so-called fire baptism is nothing compared to these enhancement spells.
"Whoosh!"
A sharp blade whistled through the air, passing right before his eyes.
"Slash!"
Effortlessly evading, Allen lightly pushed off the ground, and Elsa pierced the wraith's chest once again.
[Monster Hunt Progress: 57%]
The gap between Allen and the monster wasn't very large to begin with. After Francesca's round of enhancements, he easily struck the great wraith three more times.
[Monster Hunt Progress: 75%]
"Only 25% left—four more strikes!"
Allen exhaled deeply, feeling invigorated. However .He didn't get careless. Before the previous Yrden sign ended, he immediately placed another one on the ground.
Then.
He guided the creature, which looked like black mist, from one Yrden trap into another. With a level 3 Yrden sign, it can exist as two magic traps simultaneously. This certainly improved the margin for error. Now, the reason Allen could handle this so easily...
Besides Francesca's various enhancement spells, the fact that the large wraith was constantly trapped within Yrden's slowing magic field was also a crucial factor. When its health dropped to a quarter remaining.
The blurry black mist surrounding the large wraith contracted again, and the muscular form of a human male clad in armor became more distinct.
"Roar!"
"Henselt! Henselt!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
It was hard to imagine that this ferocious and enraged large wraith...
Was once the kindly old man who had invited him and Francesca to eat cake when they first met.
"What did Henselt do?"
Allen was puzzled. In the third phase, the large wraith's speed and strength increased significantly. Each attack sliced through the air with a whooshing sound.
But unfortunately...
This increase was still not enough against the strengthened Allen. In just a few minutes, Francesca had cast three enhancement spells on the witcher. Allen's strength, agility, and perception had increased by at least one-third.
Clang!
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed through the night. Occasionally, there was the hissing sound of liquid evaporating violently. The thin blue sheen of the specter oil had, at some point, been completely consumed in Allen's back-and-forth combat.
Just by looking at the transparency of the large wraith's spirit, Allen wasn't sure how many bottles of specter oil it would take to completely kill a large wraith.
However.
It didn't matter anymore.
Clang!
Swords crossed.
The last 1% of progress was completed.
[Monster Hunt Progress: 100%]
Time froze.
The sound of the night wind stopped in his ears. The world fell into silent stillness.
Creak~
Creak~
Creak~
Bright red footprints were left one by one behind him as he stepped through the grass. The black, menacing face was magnified in his blue cat-like eyes. As he strolled forward. The silver sword, gleaming with a cold light, was raised.
With a light swing.
Swoosh!
A soft sound.
Whoosh!
The night wind roared.
Time began to flow again. But the large wraith remained still.
In the next second, Just as Allen wondered why the system notification hadn't sounded yet, he suddenly froze.
"Thank you, child."
A gentle, elderly voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Please tell Sadia…"
"I have fulfilled my wish and gone to follow Lord Hudson."
"From now on, someone else will have to accompany her to see the chamomile blooming under the moon each year."
Allen instinctively looked up at the large wraith's face. But before he could discern its expression.
In the next moment.
Bang!
The large wraith's pitch-black spirit body suddenly exploded into a small cloud of black mist. It was carried away by the night wind. And disappeared.
[Monster "Large Wraith (Hode)" Lv56 defeated!]
[Reward Summary: Overcoming the Enemy, Base Rating: D, Over-Level Kill +3—C]
[Final Rating: C]
[Acquired Loot: Large Wraith's Purified Spirit1, Experience Beads6, Large Wraith's Treasure Chests*3]
The system notifications rang wildly in his mind.
But Allen stood there in a daze, not paying attention to the evaluation and rewards of the hunt. This was the first time a monster had thanked him after its death. It felt somewhat strange.
"Al... Allen, how did you do it? You actually managed to kill that monster?"
"That was a wraith!"
Francesca's shocked voice came from behind.
Allen instinctively turned around, following the sound. But the first thing that caught his attention wasn't Francesca, but Sadia.
At some point, Sadia had woken up.
Their eyes didn't meet.
Sadia stood motionless, her face expressionless, her gaze almost parallel to the ground.
Allen could guess.
She was likely staring at the spot where the large wraith had just disappeared.
"I'm sorry."
For some reason, Allen couldn't help but apologize. Hearing this, Francesca stopped talking and looked down, following Allen's gaze.
"Grandma Asha!"
"When did you wake up…"
It was then that she noticed the "old woman" at her feet had already woken up. Thinking of how the monster Allen had just killed had been transformed from the very man Grandma Asha had just buried. She immediately wiped the surprise and excitement off her face.
"Grandma Asha, a wraith is formed from the resentment and anger of the dead, and it has no connection to the soul of the living."
Francesca knelt down and tried to explain on the witcher's behalf.
"It seems Francesca still hasn't figured out Sadia's true identity," Allen thought.
"It's not your fault." Sadia took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tilted her head up slightly.
After a long time.
She opened her eyes, her face calm, and smiled at Francesca.
"Did you forget, Francesca?"
"I'm Asha, a healer from the temple of Melitele, the goddess of healing."
"I know basic monster lore…"
"I just…"
Sadia suddenly fell silent.
"Just what?" Francesca asked.
"Nothing."
Sadia shook her head and unconsciously turned back to stare at Hode's grave for a long time. It wasn't until Francesca called her name softly, worried, that she snapped out of it.
"Sorry, I got lost in thought," Sadia whispered.
Then.
With Francesca's help, she slowly stood up.
"Francesca, could I ask you to go back and tell Lysa and the children at the cabin that everything is okay?"
"They must be worried sick."
Sadia smiled as she made the request. Francesca glanced at Allen, concerned. When she saw Allen nod, she left, turning back to look several times. Once Francesca's figure had completely disappeared.
Sadia stood staring blankly in the direction of Hode's grave, not saying a word. The meadow suddenly became quiet. Only the rustling of leaves in the night wind could be heard.
After a long while.
Allen, feeling slightly uncomfortable, broke the silence.
"Enid was wrong…"
Sadia instinctively looked at Allen.
"Wraiths 'are' connected to the souls of the living."
"When I killed... exorcised the large wraith, I heard a voice in my head…"
Sadia remained silent, staring at Allen expressionlessly.
"He said: Please tell Sadia."
"I have fulfilled my wish and gone to follow Lord Hudson."
"From now on, someone else will have to accompany her to see the chamomile blooming under the moon…"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
187. Sadia and the Child of Miracles.
188. Gate of Ard Gaeth.
189. Witcher Master Allen.
190. Spatial Skills.
191. Still Want to Participate in the Apprentice Duel Tournament?
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