Becoming an adventurer by copying monster abilities

Chapter 95 The Treasure Hunting Team and the Underground Ruins

Owl Bear, challenge level 3.

Unlike those strange creatures that are proficient in magic or possess supernatural abilities.

The reason why Xiao Xiong can maintain his position at this level is entirely due to his undeniably powerful and inexplicable physique.

In addition, it has a savage characteristic of locking onto its prey and then relentlessly pursuing it until death.

This terrifying monster with a bear's body and a bird's beak became the nightmare that lower-class adventurers least wanted to face.

Once the other side sets their sights on you, it becomes a fight to the death.

Of course, it's usually the adventurers who die.

At this moment, the owl-bear, which was in a frenzied state, instinctively felt an extreme panic originating from the depths of the forest.

However, due to its extremely low intelligence, its walnut-sized brain was simply unable to comprehend the source of this fear.

Extreme unease transformed into a boiling bloodlust, and Luke's sudden appearance provided it with a perfect outlet.

"roar!"

It was accompanied by a roar that sounded like a bear's howl mixed with the shriek of a raptor.

The owl-bear's massive, chariot-like body suddenly activated, charging wildly toward the humans before it.

Luca entered Sunset Forest this time, although nominally on an external commission.

However, he was actually not far from entering the depths of the forest.

A sense of crisis pounded wildly in Luke's nerves, and he had no heart for fighting.

His feet never stopped moving, his legs, enhanced by the [Dire Wolf] ability, kept him moving.

His powerful ground control and explosive power far exceeding that of ordinary people allowed him to unleash astonishing speed in the forest.

However, this is, after all, a dense primeval forest with intertwined tree roots, rather than an open plain.

Under the tyrant's fury, the distance between the two sides could not be completely widened for a time.

And so, the man and the bear chased each other through the dark, deep forest.

It sped all the way towards the outer buffer zone.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the forest.

A small, low-level adventurer party of three is cautiously exploring the forest.

The leading man leaned his longsword on the ground and asked, "Are you sure the clues to that underground ruin are really in this area?"

"How could it be fake?"

Beside him, a thin man with a weasel-like face rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming with greed: "Boss, you know the nature of my profession. It gives me a special sensitivity to some buried relics or treasures."

Although the sensation is very weak, if I go a little deeper in that direction, I'm sure I can find a more precise location!

"But..

'

At the very back of the group, the ranger carrying a hardwood longbow couldn't help but interrupt his companion's fervor.

His face was pale, and he looked warily into the deep woods: "Although it's a downer to say such things on a treasure hunt, I suggest we get out of here quickly. That terrible tremor that came from the depths of the forest... I'm sure you felt it too."

I have a bad feeling.

"What are you scared of? That fluctuation is clearly coming from deep in the forest, quite a distance away!"

The thin man with the special profession of "treasure thief" spoke up: "I heard that the Adventurers' Guild invited a lot of high-level professionals to deal with those demons deep in the forest. The fluctuations just now might have been caused by those big shots."

"That's right! Even if the sky falls, those high-level adventurers will hold it up!"

A greedy lust ignited in the eyes of the man called captain.

An undiscovered underground site often represents countless treasures buried in the dust of time.

Buried inside are jewels, equipment, and various unknown treasures of immense research and monetary value.

They had heard similar stories from many bards:

An adventure team discovered an unknown underground ruin in Sunset Forest. They either gained a lot of wealth or their strength increased by leaps and bounds, making them "superior people".

If they can actually find such a place.

So, they only need to gain a little benefit to live a life of luxury and wealth in the big city.

Compared to the vague and unseen danger, this temptation was enough to make them abandon the vigilance that adventurers should have.

The captain suddenly raised his longsword, his fighting spirit high: "Enough talk, let's keep going!"

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a loud snapping sound came from the woods ahead.

Then, to their astonishment, they saw a human adventurer sprinting at incredible speed in the direction they were heading.

Behind the adventurer, a large but fast predator was tightly gripping its jaws.

Owlbear? !

The composition of this treasure-hunting team is extremely awkward.

The strongest fighter was the captain, who had just reached level 3, while the other two were only at the pitiful levels 1 and 2.

Facing an Owlbear that requires a fully equipped Tier 3 squad to contend with, especially in jungle melee combat, charging in would be a certain death for them.

Watching the backs of the man and the bear rushing past, the three adventurers froze on the spot, not daring to even breathe.

Only after the terrifying commotion had subsided somewhat did the level 2 "Treasure Thief" swallow hard and break the deathly silence in a low voice: "Boss, what do we do next? That kid's route seemed to be heading towards the ruins as well. Could he be here to search for treasure too?"

The captain's eyes flickered intensely in the dark shadows of the trees as he quickly made his calculations.

The fact that the opponent was chased so badly by the Owl Bear shows that their strength is definitely not that high.

If they really came for the ruins, they still have the advantage in numbers.

Given that, how could he allow the other party to get there first?

Greed ultimately triumphed over reason. He lowered his voice, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Let's go over there too, but don't follow too closely. If that person is also after the ruins, then we'll help that owl-bear!"

On the other side, Luke's dire wolf powers had completely dissipated.

However, thanks to his newly improved stamina and agility, he was still able to maintain a safe distance from the Owl Bear with ease.

He continued running for a while, making sure he was far away from the dangerous area that had made him feel like a frightened bird.

Luke suddenly stopped in front of a rocky wall.

He turned around and looked at the behemoth behind him that was crushing down like a heavy bulldozer.

We'll deal with this big guy first.

That would be perfect, serving as his first test after advancing to Level 3 professional.

Otherwise, this seemingly harmless and cute beast might really mistake him for an easy target.

[Imagination Manifestation] activated, the ogre's power is enhanced upon him.

Luca's already improved strength and physique have been further enhanced, reaching 9 points on the panel.

Feeling the explosive power surging from his muscle fibers, Luca drew his silver-white half-sword.

They met head-on with the massive body that crashed down like a small mountain.

"Bang!"

The steel shield clashed violently with the owl-bear's massive claws, producing a dull thud that made your teeth ache.

It must be admitted that a monster rated level 3 solely based on its physical strength truly lives up to its reputation.

Even Luca, who had already exerted his full strength, felt a strong tingling sensation in his entire left arm after taking the blow.

Even though Luca has already broken through to level 3, in a pure contest of strength, this enraged owl bear is definitely not inferior to him.

However, that's all there is to it.

In terms of agility, speed, and the use of combat techniques, Luca has achieved a level of superiority.

As the owl-bear roared and swung out its other giant claw, Luke's perception had already clearly discerned its movements.

It appeared full of flaws and extremely clumsy.

The spine of the half-sword precisely rested on the side of the owl-bear's claws, and the [Mind's Eye Sword] was activated instantly.

A powerful counterforce erupted from the sword, causing the owl bear to momentarily freeze and lose its balance as it lunged forward.

Luke flicked his wrist, and the silver-white longsword transformed into a cold arc of light, slashing fiercely towards the unsuspecting owl's throat.

The longsword slashed through the air.

However, against such a large creature, the cuts inflicted by the half-sword were clearly insufficient to kill it instantly.

The thick feathers and tough skin on the owl-bear's neck reduced most of the power of the sword strike.

The sharp blade only managed to tear a shallow gash before being firmly blocked by the dense muscles, unable to penetrate any further.

The excruciating pain did not deter the beast; instead, it completely unleashed the ferocious instincts within its bloodline.

The owl-bear's eyes were bloodshot, and its massive body lunged forward, launching a brutal charge.

The body, imbued with terrifying power, slammed into Luke's chest like a battering ram.

"boom!"

Luke was thrown off his feet and crashed into a rock wall some distance away.

It knocked down large amounts of rubble and dust.

An impact of this magnitude would be enough to rupture the internal organs of an average level 3 professional.

But for Luca, whose physical abilities had been further enhanced and who had been given ogre attributes, it was nothing.

He only needed to catch his breath briefly before he stood up.

Compared to his previous experience of being knocked away by the evil ape demon in the forest, Luke is now practically a "superman".

The probing was over, and Luke had no interest in continuing to fight this mindless beast in close combat.

[Imagination Manifestation] was activated again, and the projection of the Banshee of Terror that had just been acquired appeared in my mind.

In an instant, the savage aura belonging to the cannibals faded away.

Instead, a wave of fear that sent shivers down one's spine swept over it.

Luca's originally long, human arms transformed into sharp, black claws with a single breath.

With its low intelligence, the owl bear is completely unable to perceive what is happening to its prey or sense any danger.

It still roared and pounced, its sharp beak, capable of crushing steel, straight for Luke's chest.

Luca did not dodge; his giant claws flashed with a cold black light, displaying the same ferocious fighting style.

It crouched low, its claws leaving several afterimages in the air.

The incredibly sharp fingernails transformed into indestructible blades, using the momentum of the charging owl-bear to pierce into its opponent's chest.

"Pfft!"

Using the terrifying kinetic energy of the relative impact, Luca's claws directly tore through the owl bear's feathers and bones.

With a downward pull, the enormous creature was instantly disemboweled.

Warm blood and internal organs immediately spilled onto the ground.

But the owl bear still demonstrated incredible resilience.

Even after suffering such a fatal blow, it continued to roll and struggle wildly in the pool of blood.

They tried to fight back with their last bit of strength.

With a well-prepared move and a nimble roll, I straddled its back.

The jet-black claws would occasionally pierce into the opponent's skin, leaving behind hideous and terrifying wounds.

After struggling violently for a while, the massive, mountain-like body finally collapsed with a thud.

It completely cut off their livelihood.

This fearsome monster, with a challenge level of 3, lost to Luca, whose profession level was also 3, in the realm of melee combat, which it prided itself on.

"call...

'

Luke slowly climbed down from the owl bear's corpse.

The black scales and claws on his hands receded like the tide, restoring them to their normal appearance.

He looked down at himself, his body covered in dark red blood, though he looked rather pathetic.

The battle wasn't very difficult for him; in fact, it was quite easy.

After all, he hasn't used many of his trump cards yet.

At the same time, it also allowed Luke to more intuitively understand his own combat strength.

At the very least, his professional level is definitely different from others.

Its "value" is even higher than that of the challenge level.

Luke cleaned up the bloodstains that were obstructing his view.

Looking at the owl bear's corpse, he wondered if there was any valuable material he could bring back.

As a pure beast, the owl-bear has no equipment or special materials on its body.

The only thing that might be worth something is its thick fur coat.

It should have a good market if used to make armor or simply to make clothing.

However, the body of the owl bear under his feet had been torn to shreds by the claws of the banshee of terror, resembling a tattered sack.

The pelts that can be cut off are probably not enough to make even a money bag.

Just as Luke was contemplating whether to cut off the opponent's claws as a trophy, he happened to look up.

The rock wall behind him, which had been covered by dust and thick vines, had collapsed and crumbled in large sections after he had hit it.

Behind those ruins, a deep, dark hole, more than two meters high, suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Luke narrowed his eyes slightly and walked over.

Judging from the moss and sediment around the cave entrance, this place has been abandoned for a very long time.

He peered curiously inside, using his dark vision.

Within sight, only a narrow passageway could be seen.

It stretches diagonally downwards, dark and deep, with no end in sight.

Despite a flicker of curiosity, Luke had no intention of going down to explore.

The cave doesn't look particularly special; it's probably just a nest dug by some small to medium-sized wild animals or monsters.

Moreover, if we waste too much time here, it would be difficult to cope if some strange event were to occur again deep in the forest.

He had no desire to confront the being that had previously emitted terrifying energy.

Having made up his mind, Luke decisively turned around and prepared to leave.

However, just as he turned around...

The strange mark on my wrist, which had been dormant for a long time, resembled a blade and antlers intertwined.

Without any warning, the burning, stinging sensation returned...