The Witch Hunter System

606 Mercy

Steel-Beaked Eagles…

These grey-winged creatures with metallic features weren't considered powerful beasts in Pangea but weren't too weak either. The majority of them could only reach Rank 2 upon adulthood. Only a few exceptions make it to Rank 3 in their lifetimes.

Such a level of strength posed no threat to Vaan.

Even Jihaad could safely cross their territory as long as he didn't go out of his way to provoke their entire group. As for the regular warriors, they had to execute much more caution when crossing the Thundering Highlands; they had to make use of the rock pillars as covers to stay out of sight.

After all, they were not necessarily strong enough to ensure a swift kill once a Steel-Beaked Eagle spotted them.

If they couldn't kill a Steel-Beaked Eagle before it summoned its kin, they could only await death.

The Steel-Beaked Eagles usually hunted alone, but they would always call out for their kin once they felt threatened. Because of their rallying power, the Steel-Beaked Eagles were considered quite a big threat to those below Rank 3 Body Refiner.

Nevertheless, the rallying power of their cries wasn't the most threatening aspect of Steel-Beaked Eagles.

The most threatening aspect was their ability to store lightning in their bodies. They could paralyze their prey with electrical discharges. In a battle of life and death, even a split-second immobility could prove fatal.

As such, Rank 2 Body Refiners and below were quite wary of Steel-

Beaked Eagles.

It was also believed that the frequent lightning storms above Thundering Highlands were all caused by the Steel-Beaked Eagles.

Their main diet consisted of giant sandworms, most plants native to the land… and occasionally humans.

…

As Vaan passed through the Thundering Highlands with Jihaad in tow, he occasionally stopped to harvest valuable plants and minerals such as Lightning Grass, Thunder Root, and Shock Crystals.

Although Vaan deemed them valuable due to their variety of uses, these items appeared quite common in the Thundering Highlands.

Nevertheless, each time Vaan stopped to harvest them, Jihaad was given a chance to catch his breath. Furthermore, Vaan had also been delayed by a number of challengers who had followed him outside of Sunrock Bazaar.

On the other hand, despite traveling more than thirty kilometers from Sunrock Bazaar, Jihaad had not fully recovered from his exhaustion.

Even Jihaad himself found it surprising. Normal travels would not exhaust a Body Refiner. Thus, in most cases, three hours should have been more than enough time to recover from his sense of exhaustion.

However, it had become clear to Jihaad that he had underestimated the stress he had put on his internal organs during training under gravitational pressure.

Even at that moment, his heart was still pounding loudly inside his chest.

Kewee! Kewee! Kewee!

Following the high-pitched cries of a Steel-Beaked Eagle, Jihaad's tired expression abruptly turned serious with wariness as he looked to the skies. A Steel-Beaked Eagle was swooping down towards them from a high altitude.

They had been discovered by a Steel-Beaked Eagle!

Fortunately, there was only one!

Jihaad became vigilant as he prepared for battle. However, he soon relaxed after realizing he wasn't the Steel-Beaked Eagle's target.

Someone as strong as Sir Pendragon would have no trouble dealing with a Steel-Beaked Eagle.

Kewee! Kuwee—?!

The Steel-Beaked Eagle's sharp and mighty steel talons descended on Vaan—only for the latter to grab. Following a powerful yank, the Steel-Beaked Eagle pulled from the air and slammed into the ground.

Boom!

A small crater was formed under the strong impact, knocking out the Steel-Beaked Eagle. It was incapacitated with a single blow.

The corners of Jihaad's lips twitched at the sight.

The Steel-Beaked Eagle's main body alone was easily five times his body mass. Only adult Steel-Beaked Eagles were that big. Furthermore, its body was riddled with an alarming number of scars. That showed it had quite a long history.

Based on these observations, Jihaad estimated the Steel-Beaked Eagle's strength was around Peak-level Rank 2. And yet, it was dealt with so casually by Vaan.

Jihaad knew he was strong, but the result still surprised him.

"You're not going to kill it, Sir Pendragon?" Jihaad asked with surprise after seeing Vaan ignore the incapacitated Steel-Beaked Eagle, leaving it behind.

"In the Great Ratholos Empire, it is a crime to kill beasts in the wilderness if we aren't going to eat its meat and sell its body parts. We've only just started crossing the Thundering Highlands and still have a long way to go before reaching the next city. It's inconvenient to carry such a large body around," Vaan replied nonchalantly.

"I see… That's true," Jihaad casually agreed with Vaan's reason before suddenly pausing in thought.

He had already seen Vaan stowing away many plants and minerals in his leather backpack. It was impossible for so many items to fit in there unless it was an interspatial storage tool.

As such, Vaan's reasoning was just a random excuse.

In truth, Jihaad had guessed correctly.

Vaan noticed the Steel-Beaked Eagle had far too many scars and recognized its life hadn't been easy. As such, he had arbitrarily decided to spare it out of the goodness of his heart.

Nevertheless, Jihaad decided to drop the matter despite his doubts.

The skies slowly darkened as Vaan and Jihaad made it halfway through the Thundering Highlands. During this 120-kilometer trek, Vaan had looted a surprising amount of plants and minerals. His slow journey could be considered fruitful.

Based on the traces left by pressing travelers, Vaan knew many people had used the same path. And yet, so many valuable plants and minerals were ignored. He was quite speechless by this discovery.

Some people just don't know a treasure when they see one. But as the saying always went – one man's trash was another man's treasure.

When Vaan thought of this popular phrase, he didn't know whether to feel happy or terrible.

Rumble…!

Jihaad's stomach suddenly grumbled like the angry roar of a grizzly bear, prompting Vaan to glance back with a look of wonder.

It was the first time he had seen such a loud stomach rumble.

"Haha… It must be a result of the training back at the Gravity Chamber Center…" Jihaad guessed with a wry laugh, feeling slightly embarrassed by the sudden attention.