Chapter 617: Mouse

Not even a day had passed since the fight with the level three taipan. Rachel’s massage had basically removed any physical exhaustion, but Liam still felt a lingering weakness in his very soul, a clear sign of his self-abuse.

Of course, the near-death experience played a part in that. While Liam had healed completely, suffering so much had left a mark that only genuine rest could remove.

Yet, Liam had to push himself a bit more, especially in the face of that unique occurrence.

Removing the taipan, leaving the mine temporarily untouched, and the wet season created the perfect conditions for the main ingredient to arrive. It was why Liam had Rachel leave a tracking device on the surface while he was resting, and his intuition paid off.

Truth be told, rather than intuition, Liam had to thank a mix of his hunting upbringing and Rachel’s information. The latter was also how he had come up with the idea of using such an ingredient in the first place. He wouldn’t have known about its existence otherwise.

Liam left the underground hall on his own and occupied a spot on top of the rocky formation’s edge, his body cold and motionless as he inspected the barren expanse ahead.

The radiant, scorching sunlight didn’t show it, but rain was coming. Liam felt it in his very bones, and he wasn’t the only animal with such a sixth sense.

Movement happened over the stony soil. It was tiny and swift, barely noticeable, but nothing could escape Liam’s superhuman senses. He could see his prey with his bare eyes, not needing any Qi to enhance them.

’They are wary,’ Liam thought, tasting that emotion in the air. ’But they shouldn’t be sure I’m here.’

Liam had always possessed rather superhuman senses, but he had picked them up from animals. So, it stood to reason that magical beasts would have them, too.

However, Liam was also a snake. He was a predator meant to remain perfectly still and unnoticeable, ready to snap at any prey that entered his range.

On top of that innate ability, Liam had perfected the vile perfume. It still stank terribly, but he had made it so that the user wouldn’t suffer from it. Others could smell it, but that was exactly what masked his presence.

The smell would give away Liam’s presence, but it would also hide his nature, making others unaware that a deadly predator lay in wait.

Moreover, Liam had laid a proper bait, one sure to attract hungry prey.

There was another scent in the air, one of thick blood and rich flesh. The Qi-dense mine already acted as a beacon for magical beasts, but Liam had added pieces of the taipan in specific locations so that anyone could smell them.

Prey was bound to arrive like that, especially the one Liam needed since he was literally advertising that its prime predator was dead.

’Can they really do what Rachel listed?’ Liam wondered, pointing his bow down while pulling on its string.

The rocky structure’s immediate surroundings were empty. Still, it didn’t take long before one of the more courageous prey ventured into it to chase after the appealing smell, driven by hunger.

The prey was a mouse barely thirty centimeters long, a level two magical beast, with yellow fur that perfectly blended with the environment. It was wary but quick on its feet, making a run for it as soon as a cavity appeared in its view.

Yet, a dark arrow pierced the mouse’s bottom before it could reach the cavity, pinning it to the ground.

Liam watched attentively from his higher position, this time using Qi to enhance his sight. The mouse squeaked in pain, thrashing against the arrow, which eventually dissolved into ethereal energy.

The mouse wasn’t pinned anymore, but the injury had paralyzed its rear. It could barely crawl, but that was when the impossible happened.

The wound started to close, and the process wasn’t slow. Bone, muscle, flesh, skin, and even fur regrew at unbelievable speed, surpassing what the Invincible Oasis’ amphoras were capable of.

’Incredible,’ Liam couldn’t help but gasp internally.

The rodent living in the Great Quiet Desert was special. Its actual name was spiny mouse, and its main and only ability involved incredible regeneration.

When Qi joined the equation, that incredible regeneration became monstrous, to the point where even magical items and alchemical products couldn’t mimic it.

And Liam needed that monstrous trait for his Heavenly Blossom project, so he pulled the bowstring again, this time aiming at a different body part.

The mouse resumed running as soon as its lower body worked again, only for an arrow to hit its head dead center, causing a small explosion afterward.

’It won’t regrow, right?’ Liam wondered, watching attentively. He honestly had fought so many nigh-immortal opponents that he wouldn’t be surprised if the spiny mouse’s head suddenly reformed.

Luckily, nothing of the sort happened. The magical beast’s headless corpse remained a corpse, but its sudden death acted as a warning to all the others that had remained behind.

Of course, Liam couldn’t let his prey escape, especially the level three specimen he had felt behind that incoming group.

’Let’s go,’ Liam ordered, and the fan at his side shot to his feet as soon as he jumped.

What followed was pure aerial superiority. Arrows fell nonstop, always blowing off heads, leaving death in their wake.

There was no battle, at least nothing worthy of such a name. The mice couldn’t fly and didn’t wield any ranged attacks. They also weren’t as fast as the fan, so Liam was free to do as he wished. The hunt was no more than target practice.

By the time everything went silent, Liam landed before a bigger, maimed corpse. The mouse in question was about half a meter long, a level three specimen. Everything higher than its front legs had disappeared, having needed a special treatment from Liam, but it had died nonetheless.

’It’s time to stop now,’ Liam thought, storing the corpse and setting off to retrieve the others. His hunts were temporarily over. The time for alchemy had arrived.