I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 918

Chapter 15: The Hunt

The next morning, everyone set off together.

With a high-ranking Extraordinary Being taking care of things, the danger of the mission dropped significantly. There was no safer place than beside Roy, so Reid and the others decided to stick around.

Roy didn’t mind bringing them along. After all, Reid and the others were pretty banged up, and it wouldn’t do to leave them behind—if they ran into any monsters on the way back, that could get messy.

But Nia, who usually loved the hustle and bustle, seemed a bit sulky. Since early morning, she was pouting like someone who just woke up with a swollen face.

Reid noticed that Nia always seemed to find pathways that made walking through the jungle easier. “Miss Nia seems quite familiar with the area.”

“Yeah, we came here once before. We ran into a Sequence 5 monster nearby—oh man, it was dangerous back then! But thanks to that incident, I managed to break through to Sequence 5 myself!” Talking about her brave deeds perked Nia right up.

Though it wasn’t as efficient as the Iron Blood folks leveling up in life-or-death battles, the Forest Elf bloodline often awakened during crises.

“No wonder you’re impressive, Miss Nia!” The Adventurers looked at her with admiration.

“But I’m still far behind Roy,” Nia shrugged, a bit disheartened.

What, do you want to rank up by getting beaten up by a Cult and the Demon Race? Roy, the one who actually went through it, didn’t find his experience admirable at all.

Thanks to Nia leading the way, the group didn’t waste time figuring out routes.

After passing through another small path, their view suddenly broadened, and the oppressive feeling of walking in the woods was gone.

Reid and the others eagerly rushed forward to get a taste of the blue sky and white clouds beyond the forest, only to freeze in shock.

What loomed above wasn’t the sky, but fog.

An endless expanse of fog, as if it wrapped the whole world.

According to the intel provided in the mission, this could only mean one thing.

“This is the territory of the Fog-Shadow Mantis.”

Nia’s casual words made the Adventurers pull out their weapons, spread out, and get ready, all alert.

Nia turned around with a smile, “Could you please refrain from acting this time?”

Seeing the girl’s suddenly serious expression, Roy understood.

This outing, this request, was probably for this very moment.

Taking down the Fog-Shadow Mantis solo was what Nia truly wanted to prove; only then could she show she was a true Sequence 5 on her own.

“Provided you don’t encounter danger.”

“Hehe, thanks a lot!”

Nia started warming up her arms and then stepped over the Adventurers’ defensive line, heading into the depths of the fog all on her own.

At that moment, the fog stirred restlessly, an eerie, piercing insect sound echoing.

Nia’s eyes sharpened.

With a buzz, a flash shot through.

White light cut through the fog as the terrifying scythe clashed with a finely crafted short sword in mid-air, the destructive sparks illuminating the figures lost in the mist.

A massive mantis, pure white and about two meters tall, emerged—this was the monster hiding within the fog, the apex predator of this forest, the Fog-Shadow Mantis.

It was said that this beast could take down most foes with just one strike, enveloping them in fog during the attack, leaving nothing but a bisected corpse once the mist cleared, which terrified Adventurers in the Academy City.

However, when the top-tier predator’s ambush missed, its mystique was significantly reduced.

“Watch out for its offspring! Don’t let them get in Miss Nia’s way!”

From the fog, a swarm of small mantises the size of goblins surged forward.

Reid and the others knew they couldn’t interfere in the battle between Sequences, so they turned to deal with the smaller beasts instead.

Using the fog as cover, these monsters, only as powerful as goblins, posed a considerable threat—an unexpected danger.

The little mantises snarled, opening their terrifying mandibles, launching an attack at one of the Adventurers from behind.

Unfortunately for them, Roy was already there, catching its head barehanded and squishing it like a tomato.

“Why are you looking at me? Watch out for the monsters! Now that we’re here, you don’t want to just sit back and reap the rewards, do you?”

“Of course not!”

“Stay alert! Don’t make Roy do our job!”

Reid yelled that, but Roy’s actions definitely eased everyone’s nerves.

With a high-ranking Extraordinary Being on their side, squishing these mantises was like squashing ants—what was there to fear? Just get it done!

However, Roy himself looked at his gooey hands in disgust, activating his Purification ability.

Crushing things with bare hands was kind of cool, but it was also a bit gross.

Meanwhile, Nia continued her fierce battle with the Fog-Shadow Mantis.

Blades of light danced through the fog as one Adventurer sent their weapon into a little mantis; dozens of flashes had appeared in that time.

The Fog-Shadow Mantis was ferocious, but it didn’t enjoy a straightforward fight.

Facing the equally nimble Nia, the mantis quickly changed its strategy.

Once again, a short sword swiped through, but it merely passed through fog, leaving behind only a wisp of blue smoke.

In the next moment, the mantis’s silhouette appeared behind Nia, its scythe poised to strike.

But the predator’s wicked smile froze on its face.

Because its scythe also only caught a wisp of an afterimage.

Accompanying a gust of wind, Nia appeared behind the mantis, striking with her sword and successfully leaving a mark on the enemy.

The Fog-Shadow Mantis’s ability to turn its body briefly into fog, combined with its extraordinary speed, made it a well-deserved top predator.

But the Forest Elf’s ability to turn wind into shadow could achieve the same effect!

In an instant, wind and fog intertwined, fierce and howling.

The white and green luminescence flickered amidst the thick fog, accompanied by surging sparks and splashes of blood, painting a breathtaking yet terrifying picture that left the Adventurers trembling.

Even Reid gulped, not daring to get even a step closer.

Good gracious!

Even that Sequence 7 thief who had nearly wiped them out back then would probably not have known how they met their end if caught in the middle of this!

Only Roy remained unflappable, patiently waiting for the tense battle to unfold.

Both sides had similar abilities and appeared evenly matched, but Nia had a fatal disadvantage.

Both at Sequence 5, the Fog-Shadow Mantis had naturally grown over years, while Nia had just entered Sequence 5—the difference in their Extraordinary Power was evident.

The longer the battle dragged on, the worse it would be for Nia.

As Roy predicted, after another round of clashes, the elven girl was the first to appear from the shadows, covered in wounds and sweat, looking a bit worse for wear.

Amid the fog, the Fog-Shadow Mantis brandished its scythe vigorously, swinging side to side, grinning as it aimed to split its prey in two.

As swords clashed, Nia managed to block the deadly scythe, struggling against its overwhelming force.

The sheer weight of the massive mantis felt like a mountain pressing down, leaving Nia’s expression strained, her mithril swords trembling under the pressure.

The Fog-Shadow Mantis didn’t seem angry. Instead, it let out a terrifying laugh.

In terms of raw strength, its massive size was superior, and it had other weapons to boot.

It opened its toothy maw and lunged down.

Roy’s fingers twitched slightly.

But just then, he abruptly withdrew, surprise flashing across his face.

Suddenly, a loud “thud!” echoed.

Nia surprisingly jumped on the spot, delivering a headbutt from below, smashing right into it.

A loud snap resonated as if some fleshy structure had broken.

The kind of pain ten times worse than biting your tongue while talking on a horse made the Fog-Shadow Mantis let out a horrified wail, its strength sapped as it was kicked away by Nia.