Chapter 613

Chapter 613: The Pig-Nosed Bastard

The heavy footsteps stomping across the frozen ground drew closer and closer.

That pig-nosed bastard outside had an unexpectedly sharp nose, and its sense of smell was actually even keener than a kobold’s.

Although Hill and the others had already treated their bodies to reduce their scent.

There were still times when these monsters managed to catch it anyway.

Step by step, the black shadow of the monster had already appeared within their field of view.

This meant that the creature was right behind the corner ahead.

The long-haired monster also seemed to have entered a heightened state of alert.

The hand gripping the massive bone club tightened noticeably, and it slowly raised the weapon.

It assumed a stance that looked ready to swing at any moment.

From this alone, it was obvious that this thing was not as stupid as it looked.

In the next instant, it took a step forward, and its massive form appeared directly in Hill’s sight.

At the exact moment both sides became aware of each other’s presence.

Harold, who had been climbing along the cliff face, dropped straight down from above.

Using the force of his fall, the bronze battle axe in his hands came crashing down onto the monster’s head.

With a single blow, accompanied by the sound of cracking bone, the blade of the bronze axe sank nearly a third of the way into the monster’s skull.

The terrifying impact even caused the surrounding area to visibly cave inward.

Blood immediately began to spill from the monster’s mouth and nose.

However, Harold’s devastating strike from above still failed to kill it outright.

“Roar—”

A low roar filled with pain and violent rage echoed across the entire hill.

The sound made Harold’s heart skip a beat as he straddled the monster’s body.

“Damn it!”

After cursing, Harold instinctively tried to pull out the bronze battle axe to deliver another finishing blow.

But the blade had gotten stuck in the monster’s skull, and he could not pull it free in time.

All of this happened in a split second.

Faced with death, the monster roared madly and swung the bone club in its hands.

Its bloodshot eyes were filled with pure brutality, showing a clear intent to drag others down with it even if it died.

Seeing this, Hill snatched a spear from a nearby soldier.

In the blink of an eye, the sharp sound of metal piercing flesh rang out, and the spearhead plunged straight into the monster’s throat.

This dealt the final blow to the creature that was teetering on the edge of death.

However, the strike was already too late.

The roar had already been sent out.

Any other monsters in the area, as long as they were not deaf, would have heard it.

Soon, similar warning roars echoed back from all directions.

Hill and the others’ expressions darkened instantly.

“Move, now. If we get surrounded, we’re done for!”

As she spoke, Hill sprinted forward a few steps and climbed straight onto the back of the mammoth, Hak.

Nearby, Harold quickly mounted his ice bear as well.

Since hiding was no longer an option, there was no point pretending anymore.

The group bolted in one direction, fleeing at full speed.

The surrounding monsters clearly noticed the disturbance and began gathering rapidly.

Harold glanced back and saw quite a number of them, at least several dozen, possibly even over a hundred.

A trace of lingering fear flashed across his face.

If they had fought those monsters head-on earlier, they would have lost a lot of people.

They ran with their heads down for who knew how long.

Those monsters were bulky and slow, and their long-distance running ability was terrible, so under normal circumstances, they could not catch up.

What they feared was the monsters tracking them by scent and footprints.

Because of that, Harold, Hill, and the others did not dare to stop for even a short while.

They ran for an unknown amount of time, but it felt like they had gone far enough.

Hak and the ice bears were close to reaching their physical limits.

The group gradually slowed down.

Taking advantage of her height on the mammoth’s back, Hill turned her head to look behind them.

There was no longer any sign of the monsters.

“Phew—”

Letting out a long breath, Hill checked the sky again and spoke.

“It’s getting late, we need to find a place to spend the night.”

After speaking, she glanced at Harold.

“Same as always, your people gather food, my people set up the shelter.”

The bitter cold lands were covered in snow all year round.

To survive the night here, locals either built fixed camps, or dug snow caves deep enough nearby.

Once night fell, everyone would hide inside the snow caves and block the entrance with packed snow.

Only a few small holes were left to allow air to circulate.

This was partly to shield themselves from wind and snow.

It was also to avoid attacks from wild beasts and monsters, allowing them to rest with some peace of mind.

These were the most basic survival skills needed to live in the bitter cold lands.

However, their group was quite large, and they were accompanied by massive creatures like mammoths and ice bears.

Digging a snow cave that could accommodate that many people, including mammoths and ice bears, was clearly unrealistic.

As a result, the usual arrangement was for the scouting team members to rest inside snow caves.

Meanwhile, northerners like Harold and Hill would camp outside the caves.

With the current climate, it was not cold enough to be unbearable for them.

Night fell quickly in the bitter cold lands.

After nightfall, multiple campfires were lit around the camp.

After eating some simple food and drinking 2 bowls of hot soup, everyone went to sleep early.

The day had been exhausting for them.

Even so, nights in the bitter cold lands were never truly peaceful.

The slightest unusual movement immediately put the ice bears and mammoths on alert.

Harold, Hill, and the others resting in their tents all opened their eyes at once.

The soldiers assigned to night watch reacted immediately by extinguishing the campfires.

Before long, the scouting team members who were sleeping soundly in the snow caves were also awakened.

To be honest, they were already used to being woken up in the middle of the night.

Sleeping peacefully was a luxury.

This alone showed just how harsh the living conditions in the bitter cold lands were.

“Those monsters are way too persistent…”

After realizing that the monsters from earlier had already chased them to this area.

Hill’s mood sank even further.

At this moment, she really wanted to step on those pig-headed bastards and tell them, “If you have that much spare energy, why don’t you go look for some food instead?”

Even though those pig-heads probably saw them as food.

Judging by the numbers, they were a whole pile of food.

Alright, that was very likely the biggest reason those pig-heads refused to give up the chase.

No matter what, they had to leave this place as soon as possible.