Chapter 24
Effect: Hits come with a 100% bleeding chance, a 50% (+40%) slow chance, and a 20% (+30%) maiming chance, dealing 50% extra damage to beast-type creatures.
Inlay: Source Energy Crystal (Rough)
The hunting trap is a standard beast trap mechanism. It’s difficult to trigger for humanoid enemies but works wonders on beasts. Before becoming a professional hunter, the hunters working at the hunter's lodge primarily relied on traps rather than bows and arrows for hunting.
The only drawback of this trap is its durability, which is tied to the damage it inflicts. For instance, if it’s used to catch a rabbit with only 20 health points, the trap can still be used 5 to 7 more times. However, if it’s used on a target with a higher health pool, exceeding the maximum damage, it can only be used once.
Now, the Source Energy Crystals embedded in the traps provide extra damage but do not increase the trap's durability. Therefore, after being triggered by wolves with health points between 180 and 200, the trap can no longer be used.
But with the current damage output, it’s not needed anymore.
“Awwooo…”
More than a dozen wolves didn’t even make it past the ‘military zone’ designated by Ye Bai before they all collapsed to the ground.
The additional damage from the Source Energy Crystals is lethal for ordinary monsters below level 20, not to mention it also enhances the chances of triggering the negative effects of [Slow] and [Maim].
As for how Ye Bai could ensure the traps would be effective?
She had to thank the villager Roman, whom she sent out on the fifth day of village construction. Following Ye Bai’s teachings on the ‘Mosquito Coil Exploration’ method, he explored the surrounding area in circles, allowing her to understand the distribution of ferocious beasts nearby.
Once the locations of the beasts’ habitats were determined, during the territory upgrade, she could draw a straight line from the Creation Tree as a starting point, which would inevitably align with their movement routes. Ye Bai had already instructed the villagers to stay indoors, minimizing the chances of drawing aggro, and finally set traps along that route. It was bound to be a sure catch.
The wolves, being the closest to the territory and the fastest, were the first to hit the traps.
After waiting for a while, the southeastern residential area, with its doors tightly shut, was eerily silent.
The villagers had securely locked their doors, clutching tools like hoes and axes, nervously standing behind them, afraid to make a sound.
“Thud, thud, thud…”
A heavy sound echoed from a distance, growing louder and faster, even causing the ground to tremble slightly.
“Snort… snort…”
The sound of footsteps accompanied by grunts announced the arrival of wild boars, their bodies covered in sharp black spikes, eyes blood-red, and with protruding tusks.
A total of eight wild boars burst into the residential area all at once.
From their position near the Creation Tree, Ye Bai and five villagers could see their figures in the distance, thanks to the slightly elevated terrain.
“Clang! Clang! Clang…”
“Aw~!”
The traps set in the center of the ‘井’ (well) area were triggered again, causing the wild boar pack to come to an abrupt halt, with the lead boar letting out a piercing scream.
The wolves didn’t even get a chance to scream, as they were akin to the cave bats Ye Bai had once slain in a dungeon—high attack, low health, and fragile.
The wild boars, however, were different. They were not only 3 to 4 levels higher than the average level 10-12 wolves, but they also had thick hides and substantial health, typically over 800. Their attacks were formidable, but their method of charging made them less agile.
At this moment, when the wild boars triggered the traps, they didn’t die instantly like the wolves; instead, they entered a state of low health, howling in pain, causing their formation to break and scatter chaotically.
As soon as the first wild boar stepped on the trap, Ye Bai raised her bow, nocking a fire arrow and aiming at the pile of hay she had set up earlier in the day.
Draw, aim—shoot!
…She missed!
“Cough…” Feeling the gaze of the five villagers on her, Ye Bai cleared her throat and quickly grabbed another fire arrow.
See? With such a dismal hit rate, it’s no wonder Ye Bai didn’t choose the bow as her starting weapon for dungeon runs.
“Whoosh!”
The second fire arrow ignited the haystack, flames shooting up high and illuminating the residential area as bright as day.
Ye Bai had been using a non-free mode, which affected her hit rate, but compared to her own archery skills, this mode was clearly more reliable. After all, the system’s hit rate is directly influenced by distance and target size. The haystack was only about thirty meters away, and it was a large target; missing the first shot was just a stroke of bad luck for Ye Bai.
As the haystack caught fire, the wild boar pack, which had been lost, suddenly found their direction—anywhere but the flaming residential area.
‘Fear of fire’ is a trait common to all beasts, though the priority of action varies among different species.
After the wild boars triggered the traps, they rampaged through the residential area. Even though Ye Bai had ordered all villagers to stay inside, it would be troublesome if the boars accidentally smashed through a house.
Once the flames appeared, the wild boars that scattered from the residential area didn’t get far before they all collapsed to the ground.
With a 100% trigger rate for the bleeding effect, they lost 30 health points per second, along with the Source Energy Crystal effects boosting the probabilities of slow and maiming to 90% and 50%, respectively. The wild boars, already having lost a significant portion of their health from the traps, couldn’t struggle for long.
“Awesome!”
Seeing this, the four tense villagers around Ye Bai let out a collective sigh of relief, cheering in unison as the crisis was averted.
At that moment, however, Ye Bai raised her bow again, nocking an arrow, the cold tip aimed toward the northern woods that had yet to be cleared.
“It’s not over yet.”
Kali seemed to sense something, her gaze aligning with Ye Bai’s.
The other four villagers felt a tightening in their chests and turned to look as well.
The woods were silent.
Then, faintly, heavy footsteps could be heard…
Unlike the wild boars, these footsteps were slower and heavier, each step rhythmic, as if they were treading on the hearts of those listening, exuding an inexplicable sense of intimidation.
“Thud, thud, thud…”
The footsteps grew louder, and the leaves on the branches began to sway.
Suddenly, a crisp ‘clang’ rang out, and the thudding footsteps halted—this was the familiar sound of a trap being triggered.
Just as the four villagers perked up—
“Thud, thud…” The footsteps resumed.
This time, they were faster. Clearly, the owner of the footsteps hadn’t been severely injured by the trap like the wolves and wild boars; instead, it seemed to have been enraged, quickening its pace toward this direction.
Moments later, a towering shadow emerged from the woods.
Standing upright, it was a massive creature, at least three meters tall, with eyes as red as the other beasts, and its brown-black fur shimmered with a silver sheen under the spore light.
A ‘Identification’ skill revealed some of the attributes of this gigantic brown bear to Ye Bai.
【Brown Bear】
Level: 18
Status: Frenzied, Bleeding, Slowed
Health: 3040/4000
Compared to the previous wild boars and wolves, the brown bear’s health bar was wider and more complex, clearly indicating its status as an [Elite Monster].
“Here comes the star of the show,” Ye Bai said with a smile.
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Chapter 17
“L-Lord…”
The sight instantly terrified the four villagers, except for Kali, who all raised their bows in unison, nervously asking, “What do you need us to do?”
“You don’t need to do anything.”
Ye Bai replied nonchalantly, her bowstring taut, the arrow tip aimed at the approaching brown bear, exuding the calm demeanor of a seasoned expert.
Long before sending Roman to explore the surroundings, Ye Bai had discovered a large beehive, which made her suspect that an elite brown bear was lurking nearby.
Though the stereotype of ‘bears love honey’ might draw some eye rolls, it served as a method for Ye Bai to deduce the bear’s whereabouts.
She had brought the four villagers to keep watch, not just… ahem, not merely to show off, but primarily to ensure that after defeating this elite monster, these villagers she was focusing on could share in the experience points and level up.
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