Fantasy Lord: I Have a Moving Castle

Chapter 69: Chapter 22 Night Helmeted Owl, Fierce Poison Rat

Chapter 69: Chapter 22 Night Helmeted Owl, Fierce Poison Rat

The silver moon shone brightly, accompanied by the whistling of the forest wind.

In Lantern Firefly’s hand was an owl-like Demon Beast, one of Char’s captures for the night. Of course, the other harvest was the Praying Power gained from slaying the Undead.

The owl had first been injured and then knocked unconscious.

Knocking it out was necessary; the Demon Beast’s destructive power was too strong. If it were not knocked unconscious, it could become aggressive at any moment, making it hard to control.

Even though it was knocked out, Char did not let his guard down and chose the always reliable Lantern Firefly to hold onto it. Whenever there were signs of the owl Demon Beast waking up, they would hit it again.

This owl-form Demon Beast, known as the Night Helmeted Owl, was a level 2 challenge Demon Beast, larger than the Clover Mantis with feathers as black as night, glistening with a metallic sheen. It flew almost silently at night, like a silent assassin.

The Night Helmeted Owl was one of the most feared natural predators for various small creatures that live and forage at night. Once targeted by a Night Helmeted Owl, survival was nearly impossible unless one was stronger than it, like the Clover Mantis or Lantern Firefly.

Once the Night Helmeted Owl begins its hunt, it almost never fails, making it highly effective at predation.

Its feathers not only looked metallic but were as durable as metal, yet they were not as heavy, providing the Night Helmeted Owl with excellent protection.

Besides its physical defense, the Night Helmeted Owl also possessed unique defense skills that could form a layer of armor resembling the night sky around its body once activated.

This was also the origin of the Night Helmeted Owl’s name.

The Clover Mantis first spotted this Night Helmeted Owl as it hid in its tree hollow. Unexpectedly, the Clover Mantis happened to pass by its cave.

Although the tree hollow was well-hidden, and the Night Helmeted Owl was even better concealed within, the Clover Mantis still managed to spot it from such a close distance.

After a brief skirmish, the Clover Mantis pierced through the night-colored armor of the Night Helmeted Owl, injuring its wing and then knocking it out unconscious.

For ordinary animals and weaker Demon Beasts, the Night Helmeted Owl was a silent nighttime killer, but to the Clover Mantis, it was merely a slightly threatening opponent.

The two were vastly different in strength; the Night Helmeted Owl could barely make any impact in front of the Clover Mantis unless it had discovered and avoided the Clover Mantis early on.

Apart from the Night Helmeted Owl, Char’s basket also held another Demon Beast.

However, unlike the Night Helmeted Owl, this Demon Beast was already dead.

It was a rat-type Demon Beast named “Fierce Poison Rat,” about the size of a lamb, robust and sturdy, with coarse and hard brown-black fur that was quite prickly, capable of releasing a painfully venomous bite.

Though the Fierce Poison Rat looked fierce and venomous, its challenge level was not high, only reaching level 1. Other than its venomous nature, its combat ability was slightly inferior to that of the Green Skull Ghost Spider.

Char directly had the Clover Mantis kill it, planning to take it back to upgrade the Star Worm.

Because the Fierce Poison Rat was no longer a part of his planned lineup.

He had ideas for the fifth Magic Pet.

First and foremost, no more bugs!

Of the existing four Magic Pets, three were bugs. Although there were innate limitations—the Magic Pets summoned with Prayer Fragments could only transform from various weak creatures, and the forest was filled with a myriad of bugs—having three out of four was still too high a proportion.

Second, nothing ugly.

Having the choice, why not make things more pleasant for oneself? Why bother with dissatisfaction?

The Fierce Poison Rat, not fitting his aesthetic in the first place and unlikely to look good even after transformation, was naturally not his choice.

Lastly, it would be best to supplement what is currently lacking in his team.

Now his team had both damage dealers and healers, capable of both ranged and melee attacks, unafraid of aerial or ground battles.

It could be said that the basic framework of the team had already been established.

But crucially, they were still missing a tank.

His current team lacked a character with high defense and bulk who could withstand furious offenses from enemies, hold the line, and allow others to carry out their attacks with ease.

Despite seeming to have it easy since acquiring the Clover Mantis, even when they were previously pursued by the Undead, they hadn’t faced much pressure.

But that was because they hadn’t met a truly formidable and tough opponent—once a large, brutish enemy appeared, the small stature of the Clover Mantis simply couldn’t stop them.

The enemy would crush everything in their path and send him soaring with a single strike.

Therefore, recruiting a bulky tank was essential.

However, if they couldn’t recruit one, securing a magic pet of a mount type with sufficient speed would also be beneficial.

In cases of danger, without a tank to protect himself, Char could still ride the mount to escape.

Although the Wind Winged Horse could serve as a mount, it was ultimately part of a carriage, and additionally, the level of a Wind Winged Horse was a bit low; even at full speed, it was uncertain who would be faster.

If the speed wasn’t fast enough, how could it carry him to escape?

Char’s ideal magic beast would be a leopard or a wolf, like the Floral Blue Leopard, which would provide both mount and combat capabilities if successfully acquired.

Even a deer would do, though it might be slightly less effective in combat, it could potentially bring surprises in support.

Lastly, the attribute—ideally, the attribute of the new magic pet should differ from those of the existing ones.

The Night Helmeted Owl wasn’t his ideal choice, but it was still acceptable; capable of activating the Black Night Armor, though not bulky or large enough to provide sufficient safety, it still qualified as a defense type beast, right?

Besides, it was a bird.

Although the Clover Mantis, Lantern Firefly, and Star Worm could all fly, in terms of flying ability, they definitely couldn’t match the Night Helmeted Owl, a bird class (at the same level); like the Clover Mantis and the others, they simply couldn’t fly too high.

Just then, Char suddenly noticed that the trees in front of him began to move, as if turning into ghostly figures, lunging at him with fangs bared and claws extended.

This is—

He was startled, instinctively bending his bow to prepare for a rapid shot.

But his shock didn’t subside.

Too close!

At such a close distance, the bow and arrow were hardly effective.

More crucially, with the perception capabilities of him and the Clover Mantis, it was hugely illogical that they only noticed the anomaly so late!

What on earth were these ghostly things?

Char internally screamed, scanning the trees that had suddenly turned into ghostly shapes, but no information was displayed.

Not only did Char react, but the Clover Mantis and Lantern Firefly also sprang into action.

Green Arrows pierced through the air, the Green Blade slashed, and Streaming Fire shot forth, each unleashing their power; Auson then quickly burrowed into the ground, only half of his mushroom cap visible, with his eyes almost touching the ground, observing the situation above.