320 Chapter 320 - Web of Traps (1/2)
Sakurazaka Moony continued to poke through the leaves littering the jungle floor as he said to Oathless Sword, ”If this person is an expert, he won't just place the traps haphazardly. Those we've found on the jungle floor beneath the detritus could've been placed to draw our attention. Perhaps, there is an even more powerful trap waiting for us deeper in the jungle.”
”What would be an even more powerful trap?” Oathless Sword nervously asked.
”Hunting Trap that lasts for even longer,” Sakurazaka Moony answered. Oathless Sword had the strongest urge to slap this man to death.
”Everyone, take care of where you're stepping to,” Oathless Sword turned back to remind the others. There was really no need for him to say that, as everyone had started watching where they placed their feet the moment they heard that first man's scream when that trap was triggered.
”Can we continue onward like this?” Oathless Sword asked Sakurazaka Moony.
”The trap itself doesn't deal damage,” Sakurazaka Moony answered, ”It's only use is to render a target immobile. You've seen that their Hunting Trap's duration can last for over a minute. The current use it has in combat is to complement it with a ranged attack after. If we continue to rush onward without fully grasping our current situation, we may be slowly eaten alive.”
”Can't we just find all the traps first?” Oathless Sword was staring at the stick Sakurazaka Moony was holding.
”Normally, you would be right, but don't forget that traps don't have a mind of their own unlike us, humans. A real trap expert won't simply set a trap down and wait for the prey to stumble on it. Not only can a trap limit a person's movement when triggered, it can also be a means to contain a person when not triggered. By choosing to manually search for the traps, our actions are already being controlled by the trappers, so they most likely have something planned against us.”
”I know that…” Oathless Sword sighed deeply. Sakurazaka Moony was really such a nag. Even if he did not know much about traps, he at least understood the logic behind the use of traps.
”What I'm trying to say is that the solution to our current situation is not uncovering the many traps they've set up but finding out how many people are out there to get us!” Sakurazaka Moony's voice diminished in volume as he spoke. He then swept his solemn gaze around him once more. The rustling sound of leaves in the jungle complemented Sakurazaka Moony's tone, and everyone involuntarily felt a shiver down their spines as they too began to look around in hopes of knowing just how many people were out there lying in wait for them.
”Let's stop our progress for now. Call the other leaders to gather and discuss our next step,” Oathless Sword declared.
The battalion had already come to a halt by now. All the players were patiently waiting for news from the front as they discussed the matter in their respective groups. Suddenly, Gu Fei turned back and shouted, ”Someone's here!”
”Who?” Gu Fei's shout was not just heard by Young Master's Elite but also by Oathless Sword and his men despite them being in front of the entire battalion.
Gu Fei fixed his gaze on the direction that they had just passed through. ”There's definitely someone there just now.”
”Is it a player or a NPC?” Brother Assist asked.
”It's definitely a player. NPCs don't have killing intent,” Gu Fei replied.
Killing intent… Everyone was curiously staring at Gu Fei now.
”I'll go take a look!” Gu Fei pulled out his sword and carefully headed in the general direction where he felt the killing intent. It was only a fleeting sensation, as the other party might have only looked at him transiently, yet the experienced fighter Gu Fei was still able to feel it. While he could not pinpoint where exactly this person was, he could guarantee that someone was really standing there!
”I'll accompany you.” Sword Demon pulled out his dagger, entered Stealth, and carefully followed behind Gu Fei. All had their eyes fixed on them as they departed. Oathless Sword and his men finally made their way over moments later, asking upon arrival, ”What happened?”
A player pointed to Gu Fei's figure among the trees. ”He said there's someone behind us.”
”Someone? A player or a NPC?” Youthful Reflection suddenly asked.
All had a strange expression on their faces. Young Master Han sighed. ”The heck. Why is everyone asking the same question?”
Youthful Reflection was not amused by this.
Young Master Han laughed. ”Sorry, I'm not disparaging you specifically.” As Youthful Reflection was slightly softening to Young Master Han's comment, the latter continued, ”It's everyone else including you.”
Everyone, including Youthful Reflection, was absolutely furious by this.
”Careful!” Gu Fei's shout was heard by all the players and they saw him nimbly leap backward as his Moonlit Nightfalls speedily stabbed downward. The crisp sound of metal clashing together rang about, followed by something shining near his foot. They then saw Gu Fei land on his feet and said aloud in all seriousness, ”There's a trap here.”
Sakurazaka Moony hurried over and began to examine the activated trap by Gu Fei's foot. The trap's craftsmanship was far more complex than what they had found before, and it even had a faint metallic shine to it. The sharp jaws that would have dug into the flesh of the trapped target glistened. Everyone could not help but shiver at the sight of this.
Sword Demon canceled his Stealth state beside him; Gu Fei's warning just then had been for his sake. Even Gu Fei's heart was palpitating at the moment. ”This trap is really abnormal. It could actually spring out and chase after its target.”
Everyone stared at Gu Fei with an expression as though they were looking at a monster. Gu Fei had clearly stepped on that trap mere moments ago, yet he was able to almost instantly jerk his foot out of harm's way. Since this particular trap could actually spring from the ground and chase after its target for a short distance, Gu Fei had no choice but to stab his sword down in that same instant to stop it. It was evident who the truly anomaly here was!