Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Ambushed
Sherman sat in the study, quietly reading the newspaper on the desk.
Just then, a red-faced burly man knocked on the door and walked in.
“Sir, the identity has been confirmed, it’s Mar, he was bitten to death by a beast.”
“That woman from Mar’s family is making a relentless fuss in front of the police station, she insists it was you who sent him into the woods…”
Sherman frowned slightly, “Give her some money and send her away.”
After her man died, although this woman acted greedy for money, she unintentionally blurted out the truth about the matter.
“You sent him to follow that young man, why didn’t he do his job properly, what was he doing in the mountains?”
The red-faced burly man muttered to himself.
Sherman shook his head, “While Mar was greedy, he was serious about his work. If he went to the forest, that can only mean one thing.”
Sherman looked up, “He went following that young man.”
“Keep an eye on him!”
“Don’t act in town, there are already enough complications lately, no need to attract more trouble.”
“But if he enters the forest again.”
Sherman gave the red-faced burly man a meaningful look.
“You should know what to do.”
The red-faced burly man answered.
“Be clean about it, don’t leave any traces, get the information then feed him to the wolves.”
As he spoke, he pulled a brown glass bottle out of his pocket, “Rub this on yourself, and they won’t attack you.”
The red-faced burly man took the glass bottle and left.
Sherman walked to the window and looked at the young men in the yard, “Two have already died, and with this young man, there’s only one left before success.”
Looking at the neatly arranged glass bottles in front of him, Roger showed a satisfied smile on his face.
“Concentration Potions, Spirit Communication Water, these should be enough for a long time.”
He opened a secret compartment in the floor and placed some of the Potions inside, taking the vast majority with him, preparing to put them back in his house in town.
After all this, he drank a serving of Concentration Potion, picked up a wooden stick, and assumed a stance, practicing once again.
Over an hour later, Roger collapsed on the bed, exhausted both physically and mentally, setting the time, he drifted off to sleep in a daze.
Upon waking, his stomach was empty, so he grabbed some fast food from his backpack and ate it messily; Roger suddenly felt that the house needed a kitchen.
Just returning to modern life, he found burgers and fried chicken incredibly delicious, but after having too much these past few days, he truly missed the cuisine from the great empire!
Checking the time, it should be around 2 p.m. His supply of herbs had run out, but Roger planned to go out and gather some more.
After this preparation, he noticed a problem, a specific intermediate step in several of the formulas required the same three herbs mixed into a solution.
It was a kind of base material, which he could collect in advance and then prepare some in readiness, saving a lot of time during the potion-making process.
With this in mind, he emptied his backpack, pushed the door open, and left the cabin, deciding on a second thought to hang the newly bought iron axe on his belt.
This axe was much sharper than the one he had on the island; it might look blunter, but at least it was a weapon.
The afternoon sun was somewhat scorching, but next to the graveyard, a cool breeze blew gently. Putting the environment aside, this was indeed a great place to escape the summer heat.
He walked through the graveyard, where the vast majority of tombstones had collapsed and were in ruins. Based on some of the blurred inscriptions that remained, he estimated that this place had a history of at least a hundred years.
This time, he didn’t choose to move closer to the road. He had scoured that entire area clean, and even if there were any that had slipped through the net, he estimated there wouldn’t be too many.
Changing direction, he moved deeper into the wilderness.
The further south he went, the more lush the trees became, and he could hardly see any traces of human activity. This time, he came prepared with a compass. As long as he didn’t run around recklessly, he shouldn’t lose his way.
He spent the entire afternoon burrowing in the woods without coming out until his backpack was stuffed full again. Lifting his head, he saw the sun in the sky falling towards the west. It wouldn’t be long before darkness fell.
“There’s not enough time.”
Right now, he wished he could spend 24 hours here every day. Properly arranged, he should be able to train three times a day, which would make his progress speed incredibly astonishing.
Climbing over a small mound, Roger subconsciously discerned his direction. But just then, his heart tightened, and he suddenly lunged forward, rolling on the ground and then leaning against a small tree.
He looked up and saw a wolf baring its fangs leaping at where he had just been standing in the dim underbrush.
If he had reacted just a bit slower, he would probably have been knocked down by now.
Taking a deep breath, there wasn’t a hint of panic in Roger’s heart. He slowly unbuckled his backpack, his right hand reaching for the iron axe at his waist.
Compared to his first encounter with a wolf a few days ago, his strength hadn’t increased all that much, but his corresponding combat skills had undergone a qualitative change.
At the very least, he had gone from a complete novice to a proficient fighter.
A lot of the moves from the Universal Sword Techniques were not suitable for attacking, but the principles were the same. Roger slightly raised his elbow, a position that was convenient for defending as well as for swiftly swinging the iron axe.
With his previous combat experience, he believed that this time, as long as he could seize the opportunity, he would be able to inflict a heavy blow on the beast opposite him!
Roger roared low, his eyes filled with a fierce killing intent, “I just need a beast’s heart for making Potions.”
After speaking, he didn’t stay on the defensive, but instead took a step forward, feigning an attack.
The beast opposite seemed to understand Roger’s provocation. Its body crouched down, its hind legs kicked off the ground, and it leaped towards him.
Roger had just climbed a mound, so the beast was now standing on the high ground of the mound, while he was relatively in a lower position. Given the height difference, if it managed to pounce, Roger would have hardly any room to resist.
At the critical moment, he didn’t back off but advanced instead. With a sharp toss of his left hand, the unbuckled backpack hung on his arm. He shouted loudly and burst forth with all his strength, charging into the leaping wolf!
The backpack was soft and couldn’t inflict any damage on the beast, but propelled by the full force of Roger’s charge, and taking advantage of his weight and momentum, he still managed to knock the wolf away.
His body barely hesitated, and the next second, Roger decisively threw the backpack away and accelerated again, both hands gripping the axe, he chopped forward!
The wolf sprang up from the ground, its front paw batting away Roger’s backpack, but in the next instant, the sharp iron axe was already upon it.
Roger hadn’t aimed for the wolf’s hard skull or the more lethal neck, but instead targeted the body area where it would inflict the most damage, the section where the torso and hind legs connected.
Roger’s strength was now astonishing, and with the addition of technique, the axe struck the target precisely.
The skin was slashed open, muscles torn apart, and the sharp edge of the axe carved a large wound into the wolf’s body, blood spraying out and revealing the stark white leg bone underneath!
The wolf let out a pained howl, knocked down by an axe blow, but as it scrambled up from the ground, it ignored Roger and turned to flee into the distance.
“Thinking of running?”
Roger bellowed lowly, lifting his axe and pursuing!