Karen could only force out two awkward laughs.
This disgusting tactic sounded entirely fictional, obviously generated by the system! Taking ten thousand steps back, even if this trick was actually effective, he would rather die than smear that filth on his body!
Afterward, he continued to approach and probe a few other NPCs. Unfortunately, despite asking around the entire village, he still couldn't gather any truly useful piece of intelligence.
Forget it! He refused to believe that with the tactical mindset and intelligence of an adult from the modern world, he couldn't take down a low-level monster!
"Be careful walking out there." Eleanor gently adjusted the collar of his leather armor, deep anxiety hidden in her eyes: "If you get out there and feel scared, just boldly ask your father to bring you back! The village's historical records have never documented anyone being able to defeat a Spiked-Back Rat on their very first trial. Even the most excellent warriors took four or five rematches to succeed!"
Karen nodded decisively, carefully rechecking the tension of his bowstring and the number of arrows in his quiver. Having completed all preparations, he strode alongside Mr. Blackwood straight toward the village gate.
Oakstone village was surrounded by a strip of yellow dirt road about two arm spans wide. This strip of land acted as a protective barrier ring. Only when one truly stepped across that road were they considered to have left the safe zone.
And Karen was about to become the first member of the young generation brave enough to step across that boundary strip! According to legend, in every generation, the first warrior who dared to step across that road would become the most outstanding person.
Right now, the village gate area was packed with people. As soon as the Blackwood father and son appeared, dozens of pairs of eyes immediately locked onto them. The crowd chanted in unison highly scripted cheering lines like "May the Gods protect you!" or "You can do it, young man!".
Meanwhile, the NPC children looked at him with eyes brimming with admiration and jealousy.
"Karen is so cool! He's the first one to dare challenge the boundary! I bet later when he faces the Spiked-Back Rat, he won't show a single trace of fear!"
"What's so special about Karen?! If you gave me the chance, I'd dare to step out there too!"
"Hmph! You're only good with your mouth! If you have the guts, go out there yourself right now and let's see! Weren't you always bragging about not being afraid of magic beasts?!"
The corners of Karen's mouth twitched. He felt like he was being put on display as a strange creature in a zoo. He ignored the crowd, carved a path to walk a few hundred more meters, and very quickly, the toe of his leather shoe crossed the dirt boundary strip.
However, the exact moment his foot touched the land on the other side of the boundary, Karen's pupils violently contracted.
What the hell was this?!
It was clearly separated by only a thin dirt road, but the difference was exactly like two completely separate spatial dimensions. Inside the village, there was absolutely no trace of any monster; the environment was peaceful and absolutely safe. But right here in the rice field area before his eyes, there were countless giant Spiked-Back Rats running amok!
He absolutely did not use the wrong word; the number of magic beasts here was truly countless! It wasn't a sparse one or two spawning randomly, but on average, every field square had up to four or five Spiked-Back Rats present!
They moved about in swarms, thoroughly plowing up the fields, aggressively walking right under human noses as if afraid others wouldn't see their existence. This arrogance truly exceeded imagination!
"Father, why don't the warriors in the village organize a formation to wipe out all these magic beasts?"
"This is a problem without a solution, son..." Mr. Blackwood clearly showed a helpless and exhausted expression: "The mechanics of this land are very wicked. As soon as we kill one, not long after, another Spiked-Back Rat will be born out of thin air to fill the spot! Unless we can completely eradicate the Spiked-Back Rat King—the mastermind manipulating everything! But the snag is, we've searched everywhere and still can't find that monster's lair!"
"Spiked-Back Rat King?" Karen muttered. A pack of monster rats also had a king?! But thinking about it, this was also quite reasonable. In the Bestiaries, most pack-living magic beasts were led by an Alpha. It was only normal for the Spiked-Back Rat species to have a commanding king.
Karen stood still observing for a while. He noticed the Spiked-Back Rats running amok out in the fields were of almost equivalent size and agility levels, with no individual showing superiority.
He decided to act. Pulling an arrow from the wooden quiver on his back, he drew the bow, aiming straight at the monster frantically digging at the closest distance.
But the problem was, these rats kept moving nimbly and jerking continuously, making precise aiming incredibly difficult. He had to employ patience.
One minute, two minutes... then fifteen minutes passed.
The sun began to climb high, radiating sweltering heat down onto the fields. Sweat dotted Karen's forehead, stinging the corners of his eyes.
Just as his concentration began to show signs of cracking...
The opportunity had arrived!
Karen's gaze focused, the fingers drawing the bowstring suddenly loosened.
The arrow tore through the wind, plunging toward the target.
Thwack!
The arrow grazed the hard skin on the monster's hind leg, only enough to leave a shallow scratch and a few drops of dark blood dripping onto the ground.
Damn it! What a pity! The arrow was dodged by a hair's breadth!
Just as Karen was about to reach back to draw a second arrow, he suddenly realized the injured Spiked-Back Rat was going crazy. Its eyes were laced with bloodshot veins, and it charged straight at him at a terrifying speed.
Karen jolted, hurriedly stepping back.
But what astonished him to the point of his eyes popping out was not the monster's ferocity, but... what was hovering right above its head!
Right above the head of the rat he had just scratched, a brilliant bright red chart bar suddenly appeared!
"Father! Do you see that?!" Karen cried out in panic. He even forgot to draw his bow, just keeping his head down dodging the monster's lunges, his eyes glued to that bizarre red bar.
"Of course I see it! You're running for your life all over the field, how could I not see it?!" Mr. Blackwood burst into highly amused laughter: "Do you need me to lend a hand? But if I interfere, this test is considered a failure!"
Karen froze. The meaning of his father's words was completely different from what he was asking!
He dodged attacks while trying to glance around, attempting to verify a crazy hypothesis. And he was right. The HP bar above the Spiked-Back Rat's head... only he alone could see it!
Declining his father's offer of help, Karen gritted his teeth, stepping back while quickly drawing another arrow, drawing the bow, and shooting straight at the charging monster.
Thwack! The arrow pinned into the monster's shoulder.
A miraculous thing happened! The exact moment the target took the hit, the HP bar hovering above its head immediately dropped a chunk. At the same time, an illusory number bearing the text -2 bounced into the air and then vanished!