By the shore of a clear lake,
A gentle breeze ruffled the lake's surface, creating ripples, and a bonfire flickered.
Under the cover of night,
Three large Lizardmen stealthily entered the water from another part of the lake, swimming silently along the current towards a different section of the shore.
Their dark green, scaly skin on their backs blended perfectly with the lake's surface in the moonlight as they glided through the water.
At the same time!
Besides the three Lizardmen who entered the lake, figures of Lizardmen also appeared simultaneously from three other directions, numbering between three and five each, totaling 16 Lizardmen.
From all directions, they slowly and silently encircled their prey, approaching the bonfire by the lake.
"Guji!"
The cry of a feathered bird echoed in the night.
This was a bird that liked to prey on fish, one of the most disliked birds by the Lizardmen, and also the most numerous bird around this lake.
Therefore, the sound of this bird's call, mixed with the bird calls coming from other directions in the night, was not conspicuous.
About 150 meters directly in front of the bonfire by the lake,
Four Lizardmen lay prostrate in the grass, their sharp eyes peering through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the bushes ahead, looking at the human figure by the bonfire.
"Boss, they're all in position," a Lizardman with a bow and arrow on his back whispered to the Hunting Chief beside him.
"Tell them not to act rashly, wait for my command," the Hunting Chief Lizardman reminded, his expression serious yet excited.
This was their first time hunting a human!
Among all the Hunting Chiefs in the tribe's history, he must be the only one.
Even if the opponent was a spellcaster, he was confident he could take him down.
The strongest spellcaster he had ever seen was the tribe's High Priest, who naturally couldn't fight a spellcaster barehanded, but if he used a weapon, he would definitely win in close quarters.
It was said that other tribes had stronger priests, which the Hunting Chief Lizardman thought was probably just boasting by other tribes' Lizardmen.
What's more,
To capture this human alive, they had deployed all 16 members of the Hunting Squad!
"Guji," the Lizardman with the bow and arrow nodded, then, pinching his throat, let out a bird call, and then whispered:
"Boss, when do we make our move?"
This wasn't hunting ordinary beasts, but a rare human. If they could capture him alive, it would surely cause a sensation in the tribe.
No!
Perhaps it would cause a sensation in the other four tribes as well.
"The opponent is a spellcaster, and he might possess some kind of warning magic. Also, that wolf-like demon beast by his side is quite troublesome."
"When it's almost dawn, that should be when the human and that demon beast are most relaxed."
Although the Hunting Chief Lizardman was somewhat excited, he was also clear.
The human opposite dared to appear alone in the Great Marsh, so he must have some strength. They had to be cautious.
By the shore,
Lyle had a five-pound fish, similar to a grass carp, skewered and roasting over the bonfire. A faint aroma began to waft as its surface gradually turned golden brown.
The Evil Hound lay beside Lyle, sniffed its nose, glanced at the grass carp on the bonfire, then withdrew its gaze and turned its head.
It knew that this fish probably wasn't for him.
"No wonder the Lizardmen love to eat fish, the fish in this lake really taste good."
Lyle looked at the nearly cooked roasted fish, flipped his palm, took out salt and chili powder, and sprinkled them on the surface of the roasted fish.
These were spices he had bought when he left the Royal Capital, only getting three kinds: besides the most common salt, there was also sugar and chili powder.
Salt was relatively cheap, but sugar and chili powder were priced in silver coins, very expensive. It was said there were other types of spices,
but the shop didn't sell them.
Lyle knew there was a magic in another world specifically for making spices, but obviously, he wouldn't waste skill points on such a thing.
[Experience Slot: 132725 / 70000]
He glanced at the experience value on his attribute panel.
In less than two days, he had gained about 5000 experience points. Although the demon beasts in the Lower Lake area were not high-level, there were many of them.
Unfortunately!
After clearing some, these demon beasts realized they couldn't be provoked and began to hide.
"The Lizardmen should have made their move by now, but I wonder which tribe it is?"
Lyle looked at the roasted fish, its aroma becoming richer after adding salt and chili, a satisfied expression on his face, then spoke softly.
The entire Lower Lake area of the Great Marsh was considered Lizardmen territory, but the number of Lizardmen was too small, scattered throughout the Great Marsh,
making them somewhat difficult to find.
He remembered.
In the future, Bone King sent a 5,000-strong army of ordinary undead to wage war against the Lizardmen.
As a result, the five Lizardmen tribes combined only fielded about 1,300 troops, which included combat-capable female Lizardmen. Even adding the old, weak, sick, and disabled to make a round number,
Lyle estimated that the total population of the five Lizardmen tribes was at most around two thousand, averaging only 400 people per tribe.
And the area of the entire Lower Lake region of the Great Marsh was much larger, so finding these Lizardmen was not an easy task.
Lyle was still very interested in this group of Lizardmen, such as their four great treasures, magic technology, and so on.
The smell of roasted fish spread around with the night wind.
Making the Lizardmen hiding in the dark, one by one, unable to help but swallow their saliva. Although they had mastered the skill of making fire, they preferred to eat their food raw.
Now, suddenly smelling the roasted fish with added spices made many Lizardmen somewhat restless.
However!
To avoid startling the human, all the Lizardmen could only wait silently.
The night grew deeper.
The bonfire's light on the lake shore also gradually weakened, then completely extinguished.
The entire Hunting Squad of Lizardmen still made no move; everyone was waiting for the Hunting Chief's command.
Time passed bit by bit.
A sliver of white appeared in the eastern sky.
The Hunting Chief Lizardman, prostrate in the grass, perked up, his sharp gaze falling on the Lizardman with the bow and arrow beside him.
"Guji."
The archer Lizardman immediately pinched his throat and let out a bird call.
In an instant!
All the Lizardmen moved.
The first to act were the three Lizardmen who had been in the lake. They surfaced from the water, quickly locking onto Lyle and the Evil Hound on the shore.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
These three Lizardmen simultaneously raised their trident-like weapons and hurled them with force towards Lyle, producing urgent whooshing sounds.
On the shore,
The Evil Hound, lying beside Lyle, twitched its ears, suddenly raised its head, and stood up, blocking Lyle from behind. It saw the tridents thrown from the lake.
"Roar."
The Evil Hound bared its sharp, ferocious teeth, and the chains on its body moved, instantly shooting out and striking down the three tridents flying through the air.
"The three of us will hold off this demon beast!"
The three Lizardmen in the lake, seeing this scene, showed no surprise. They roared and rushed towards the shore.
The three of them were originally meant to deal with this demon beast, which was why they had created a commotion and attacked first.
Almost the moment the Evil Hound left Lyle's side, dense whooshing sounds once again came from the air.
Arrows flew from three directions, all shooting towards Lyle.
"They really picked a good time."
Lyle, sitting cross-legged on the ground, yawned and calmly swept his gaze over the dozen or so Lizardmen emerging from three directions.
A scroll appeared in his palm, and he casually crushed it.
Light condensed!
A Flame Archangel appeared out of thin air, spreading its broad wings to block Lyle.
All the incoming arrows struck the Flame Archangel's bright armor, making "clink-clank" sounds, and were all blocked. The thirteen Lizardmen rushing from three directions, seeing their arrows so easily repelled, their eyes trembled.
"Use the grappling hooks!" A loud shout came from among the Lizardmen.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Grappling hooks with ropes attached flew over, easily ensnaring the Flame Archangel, and the ropes quickly tensed.
"Spellcasters are indeed dangerous!"
"But we have the advantage in numbers. Daben, A-Jie, your two teams lead your men to hold off that summoned creature, and I'll deal with the spellcaster."
The Hunting Chief Lizardman roared, gripping his axe with both hands and rushing forward.
According to his plan!
The three Lizardmen in the lake would hold off the demon beast by the human's side, then use grappling hooks to ensnare the opponent's summoned creature, forcibly pulling it away from the human.
Thus, the vulnerable spellcaster human would be exposed before him, and as long as he could quickly get close, he could end the battle.
Even if other unexpected events occurred, the advantage in numbers could compensate!
In the Hunting Chief Lizardman's eyes, this hunt was destined for their victory from the very beginning, it was merely about how to capture the human alive and reduce the possibility of comrades being injured.
And everything before him was proceeding exactly according to plan!
However!
The Hunting Chief Lizardman had just rushed out a certain distance, the excitement of victory still fresh in his eyes, when a hint of surprise appeared in his gaze.
The ropes tied to the Flame Archangel's body were clearly pulled taut, yet the Flame Archangel showed no sign of being pulled.
"How can this be?"
The Hunting Chief Lizardman was somewhat shocked; those comrades pulling the ropes were all the strongest members of the Hunting Squad.
Suddenly!
The Flame Archangel flapped its wings, soaring straight into the sky, and the several Lizardmen pulling the ropes, unable to resist, were easily pulled into the air.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Screams came from the air, followed by those several Lizardmen falling from mid-air, hitting the ground with heavy thuds.
The sudden change brought a silence to the air!
"Ah—"
Painful screams once again broke the quiet atmosphere. This time, the screams did not come from the Lizardmen on the ground, but from the three Lizardmen who were encircling the Evil Hound by the shore.
This demon beast, whose physique seemed even less robust than their female Lizardmen, had actually easily torn off one of their comrade's arms.
The successive unexpected situations left everyone present somewhat bewildered.