Chapter 84: The Hunt

“Hmm~ The nest of the Gold-Devouring Eagle, this should be the place.” Zheng Yichen looked up at a mountain peak ahead. Speaking of this, it had to be said that the Mercenary Guild was truly a good place. Although its structure was a bit loose and free, the information inside was definitely not fake. At the very least, among the large and small hiring notices, there was a considerable amount of useful intel.

For example, the nest of the Gold-Devouring Eagle that Zheng Yichen was searching for now. If he had to look for it himself, who knows how much time it would have taken. But by going to the Mercenary Guild, Zheng Yichen found a related quest. Although the quest for the Gold-Devouring Eagle was not easy, a newly registered Adventurer mercenary could not accept such a quest. However, it wasn’t completely impossible to take on.

As long as a certain deposit was paid upon accepting the quest, it could be taken. If completed, the deposit would be fully refunded when claiming the quest reward. If the quest failed, then the deposit was as good as gone. Moreover, for this type of quest, failure usually meant the person would not come back anyway.

Getting the deposit back or not made little difference.

The quest Zheng Yichen accepted was to harvest the longest tail feather of the Gold-Devouring Eagle. Of course, since such a quest existed, this plume was definitely no ordinary feather. It was the most stable and essence-filled plume on the Gold-Devouring Eagle’s body. Not only was it beautiful and dazzling in appearance, it also possessed some magical effects. That single feather could cut through steel without damaging the feather in the slightest, and that was without any processing!

If used after processing, the effects would be even better. This quest was the only one Zheng Yichen picked from many related quests that did not interfere with his own needs. The others almost all required collecting all the important materials that could be produced from the Gold-Devouring Eagle. Although the commission prices were high, they were not what Zheng Yichen wanted.

As for why he needed to find this thing, it was purely for his upcoming machine tool manufacturing plan. To process and cut metal and such, the quality of metals in this world was quite good. Zheng Yichen could not immediately create some precision machine tool that was difficult to damage. Relying on Magic to handle materials was indeed efficient, but not only did it take time… he couldn’t keep doing that forever, right?

To make a machine tool, he still needed some special materials. Those Magical Beasts with various magical abilities were the best choice.

The Gold-Devouring Eagle, as the name suggested, was a Magical Beast that fed on metal. Years of eating metal caused their bodies to undergo a mutation. Their bodies became indestructible, their feathers as sharp as swords. Any random feather could be used as a dagger or a longsword depending on its length. This Magical Beast belonged to the extremely dangerous category.

Because their tough feathers made them difficult to injure with blades and swords, their Magic Resistance also greatly increased. After all, what was hard on the Gold-Devouring Eagle wasn’t just their feathers but their bodies. Of course… they also had weaknesses. As Magical Beasts, aside from having great effectiveness against metal and powerful physical attacks, they had no ability to cast Magic.

“It’s been a long time since I moved my body.” Zheng Yichen quickly approached the distant mountain peak that looked like a sharp sword. The Gold-Devouring Eagle was a solitary creature. It wasn’t their mating season now, so there wouldn’t be any female eagle here. If he had come a few months later, then he would have to face attacks from two Gold-Devouring Eagles.

Among Magical Beasts… there was a characteristic that felt very odd to people. Many female Magical Beasts were fiercer than the males! According to research, the reason those females were fiercer was that only by being fierce enough could they ensure the safety of their offspring.

As Zheng Yichen approached, a sharp cry was heard. A huge eagle with wings spread reaching nearly eight meters charged at Zheng Yichen. It showed no fear at Zheng Yichen’s appearance, probably because… it felt their sizes were similar?

Ahem, just as described in the books, the Gold-Devouring Eagle had a violent temperament. Because they gnawed on metal year-round, their brains had somewhat hardened anyway. Any being that intruded into their territory would be met with fierce attacks. Similarly, due to their individual characteristics, the population of this violent Magical Beast had never decreased.

Because they were hard to fight.

Looking at the feathers on its wings that flashed with a cold light under the sun, getting slashed by that wing probably wouldn’t be much different from being hit by a chainsaw sword. Let’s first test its combat ability.

Muttering to himself, a Magic Array appeared in the center of Zheng Yichen’s right claw. If the Magic Rune Array engraved in the Mind Sea manifested during Spellcaster, that belonged to the method of enhanced Spellcaster. Activating it directly in the Mind Sea meant the external Mana had to go through a process of being guided into the body. If the Magic Rune Array manifested outside the body, then that process would be skipped, and the efficiency of gathering Mana would be higher. In the same casting time, the power unleashed would naturally be greater.

However, this might also allow those with extensive knowledge to identify what Magic was being cast through the Magic Rune Array, enabling them to prepare defenses in advance.

Against a Magical Beast, Zheng Yichen had no such concerns. It would take a ghost for it to discern that. Dazzling lightning was clenched in Zheng Yichen’s palm. This was a Thunder Magic, designed to release a magical lightning strike at the enemy. However, Zheng Yichen used his Talent to forcibly grasp it in his palm, changing its manifested form from the usual lightning shape into a sphere!

Trying to increase the pressure, he shook his head slightly. Squeezing it to this state was the limit; going further was still not possible. Zheng Yichen thought, if someday he could compress a released spell into a shape as small as a peanut or a grain of rice, even an ordinary Fireball Spell… would be game-changing, right?

Staring at the Gold-Devouring Eagle charging straight at him, Zheng Yichen swung his palm towards its head. Sensing the threat, the Gold-Devouring Eagle lost its previous momentum, shrieking as it retreated backward. Zheng Yichen wouldn’t let it escape so easily. Since it came, it shouldn’t leave. The Gold-Devouring Eagle flew fast, but Zheng Yichen’s flying speed wasn’t slow either. His right hand held the Magic, while his left hand held a summoned Magic Arms… Frostmourne!

The icy cold air erupting from Frostmourne enveloped the retreating Gold-Devouring Eagle. Because Frostmourne itself imprisoned a large number of Wraiths, the cold air was tainted with great Negative Energy during an attack. Enveloped in the cold air and subjected to the dual assault of cold and Negative Energy, the Gold-Devouring Eagle shrieked sharply, but its speed slowed down.

Seizing the opportunity, Zheng Yichen approached it again and slapped the Gold-Devouring Eagle on the head. The compressed Thunder Magic in his right hand completely erupted the moment it touched the eagle’s head. The power released after compression far exceeded that of a normally cast spell. The strong lightning strike immediately enveloped the Gold-Devouring Eagle, with violent currents coursing over its body.

At this moment, it also revealed its Magic Resistance. Even though paralyzed by the electric current, it did not completely lose the ability to move. Its head struggled wildly under Zheng Yichen’s grip; its wings cut at his arm like blades, and its talons ferociously clawed at his chest.