Reign of the Hunters (200+)

Chapter 257

Chapter 257 The Doluo Tribe (Part 1)

Ye Ci dismissed Ol' Four in a bid to avoid unwanted aggro and entered Stealth. She traversed around the traps and advanced deeper into the forest.

As Ye Ci had expected, she encountered some humanoid NPCs some 500 yards away. Several Humans clothed in animal hide with bows strung on the backs were setting up traps. Their bodies were sturdy, and they were way taller than a standard Human. Their well-toned muscles, slightly reddish skin, big soles, and strong limbs were telltale signs that they were used to life in the jungle.

Ye Ci remained hidden behind a bush, observing the NPCs from afar. The physical traps that were buried were not high-tiered, but were expertly planted. Even Ye Ci herself would find herself in deep trouble if she was not a Huntress, a character class that was adept at laying down traps.

The NPCs spoke in a language not known to Ye Ci as they worked on setting up their traps. This came as a source of great curiosity for Ye Ci. There were 59 recorded races in Fate, each with their own unique language. Members of these 59 races lived in different tribes, which brought more diversity to the language of the races. It was entirely normal for Ye Ci who knew only languages in the game to not understand the words spoken by the NPC, but most NPC would speak in a Common Language that was mainly used to communicate with players in the process of handing out quests.

The NPCs then stood up and headed deeper into the forest once they were done setting up the traps. Ye Ci tailed the NPC from afar. Despite her curiosity about their destination, she knew that she could not afford to get too close. She had cast Detection earlier on, and found that the NPCs' were at the level of 70, and were neutral. This fact alone, however, did not guarantee her safety. While neutral NPCs bare no ill will towards the players, it also meant that they did not have a good impression of the players as well. This was why Ye Ci made the decision to remain hidden.

The NPCs did not set up more traps along the way, and were instead chatting happily with each other. Ye Ci marked the trees with a dagger as she followed the NPC deeper into the forest to prevent herself from getting loss as the terrain was not known to her.

A primitive village built from wood and animal hide soon appeared in Ye Ci's view. She waited patiently a safe distance away, and began slowly making her way to the outskirts of the village once she was certain that the NPCs have entered deep into the village, with the intention of scouting the village out and to search for the NPC named Dalufar.

But just as Ye Ci approached the village, an eye-shaped orb mounted on a pole outside the village turned towards her, and her Stealth was immediately dispelled with a system notification ringing in her ears: "Stealth attempt failed."

Ye Ci's heart sank. I've been discovered! She turned around and began to leave.

A loud roar came from the village before she could safely withdraw, "Dfrgm ......edgm!!"

And Ye Ci found herself surrounded by weapons that were pointed at her. The weapons themselves were dull, but Ye Ci knew that she would not be able to survive even with her Agility when she was in the midst of such a huge number of enemies.

She stood still as she stared her assailants. The dozens of different faces each wielding a different weapon stared back at her with blank expressions. Ye Ci was stunned. Just what are they? They have the appearance of humans, but their movements were too fast! Where did they even come from?

Any attempts from Ye Ci to communicate with the NPCs ended with failure. From the blank expressions on their faces, it was obvious that they could not understand even a single word from Ye Ci's mouth. Ye Ci was at a loss. What should I do in a situation like this...