Blacksmith: The Tempering Begins With One’s Flesh - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Mass Raid

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Lin Feng waited at a spot where he had seen cat demons before, and stayed there for more than two hours. It was almost noon when Lin Feng finally saw three wandering cat demons poke their heads out of the rubble not too far away.

Even amongst the demonic beasts, Grade-2 cat demons were especially nimble and quick.

Lin Feng had done his research into them before coming here on his cat hunt.

He knew that these beasts were fast and cowardly. If he jumped out of nowhere, he might not only fail to capture them, he would probably let them escape too.

With that in mind, Lin Feng pressed himself deeper into the shadow of a nearby building, hiding carefully.

Although it was already high noon, the buildings in Whitewing were quite compact, so it was quite easy for someone familiar with the city like Lin Feng to hide where the sun could not reach.

He crept along a half-toppled wall, following the Grade-2 cat demons. Not long later, Lin Feng smiled.

Cat demons liked to stay in narrow and dark corners.

As expected, the three cat demons finally arrived in the corner of an old alleyway and settled there.

There were walls all around, so this was his best chance to strike.

Lin Feng did not wait a second longer. He launched forth with his legs, jumping out from behind the ruined wall in a second.

His muscles, as strong as a Grade-3 weapon, left a trail of air in his wake.

In almost an instant, Lin Feng had pounced up to the three cat demons.

The cat demons had some of the best reaction times amongst the demonic beasts too.

As such, the three cat demons immediately realized what was happening, attacking Lin Feng with their sharp claws all at once.

However, Lin Feng was ready for them. He blocked three pairs of claws with just one arm, and at the same time, he abruptly swept his leg toward one of the cat demon’s waist, choosing the weakest-looking one.

His kick was far from feeble, making a sound as it sliced through the air. The next second, the cat demon Lin Feng kicked crashed into a wall and fell unconscious.

The other two cat demons reacted instantly too. Their claws flew at him rapidly, trying to tear his exposed muscles to shreds.

Nevertheless, Lin Feng’s muscles were far too strong for them. No matter how hard the two cat demons tried, they could only just leave faint white marks on his skin.

There was a flash of confusion in his eyes.

Lin Feng did not give them another chance to gather their wits, though. With one hand, he grabbed a cat demon’s claws and swung his other fist hard into its face.

His punch landed squarely, and the cat demon could barely even cry out before Lin Feng’s fist shattered its skull.

The third and last cat demon finally realized how much danger it was in. Instead of attacking recklessly, it leaped up and tried to run away by jumping across Lin Feng’s head.

That did take Lin Feng by surprise. He tried to catch the cat demon from mid-air with his hands, but the Grade-2 cat demon was just too fast for him. Its figure flashed through the air and disappeared like a mirage.

“Shoot…!”

Lin Feng cursed inwardly.

It was too late.

The cat demon shrieked piercingly the moment it left Lin Feng’s field of vision.

Its cry was deafeningly shrill, penetrating the entire area in an instant.

There was a thin layer of cold sweat on Lin Feng’s back now.

He did not fear any single Grade-2 demonic beast.

However, if this cat demon summoned all the beasts throughout Whitewing here, Lin Feng would not be able to feed them all even if he had nine lives.

He shifted his feet, and in no time at all, he had run to where the cat demon was.

The cat demon was still screaming into the air at the time. Lin Feng timed his strike perfectly, suddenly leaping up from the ground and smashing his foot into the cat demon’s back.

With the strength of his entire body behind it, his kick punched through the cat demon’s body.

As he saw the blood flooding the corner, Lin Feng frowned. He then pulled out a sharp knife and chopped off the three cat demons’ claws, putting them into a cloth sack he had prepared in advance.

As Lin Feng was about to turn and leave, however, he suddenly saw a few other Grade-2 beasts glaring at him, slowly surrounding him.

“…”

He sighed helplessly. Although Lin Feng figured something like this would happen when he snuck into Whitewing despite the risks, he did not expect it to happen so suddenly.

There were at least a dozen beasts gathering in this corner now. 

Lin Feng clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, dashing into the mini-beast tide.

Thankfully, his Grade-3 body was still up to the task.

Lin Feng’s recent reinforcements of his bones were showing the full extent of their usefulness as well now.

In the past, Lin Feng would often feel his bones crumble under the weight of his muscles if he fought for too long.

Now, however, he could stand amidst the dozen beasts and fight them with his Grade-3 muscles for at least ten whole minutes.

The beasts collapsed under his attacks, one after another.

Lin Feng’s final punch took down an exceptionally large boar-type beast.

It was only then that he felt a few drops of sweat roll down the back of his neck.

“Ten minutes… huh?”

He murmured to himself.

Soon, Lin Feng made his calculations based on his earlier battle.

Right now, his bones were strong enough to tide him through ten minutes of intense battle. 

If he went beyond ten minutes, his organs, which were protected by his bones, would begin to rupture and bleed again as a result of his intense activity.

There was no helping that, unless Lin Feng found a way to reinforce his organs.

Just as Lin Feng heaved a sigh of relief, however, he suddenly noticed that he had been surrounded by another hoard of beasts before he knew it.

This time, there were clearly more Grade-2 beasts than before.

Lin Feng slowly ran his gaze across the beasts surrounding him.

Before long, he realized that most of them were Grade-2 cat demons.

He had barely had time to feel shocked when he saw the beasts before him automatically part, revealing a small gap in the crowd.

There were soft footsteps coming from the gap. Lin Feng’s grew wider.

The one that appeared before him was a giant cat demon with a body that shone vaguely with a purple light and bright emerald eyes.

It was at least twice the size of a regular cat demon.

If he looked closely, he could even see that the cat demon had unexpectedly sharp teeth.

“Is that a…

“Shadow Cat Demon?”

Lin Feng murmured the name uncertainly, but the alarms were already going off in his head.

A Shadow Cat Demon was a mutation among Grade-2 cat demons. Not only was it strong in attack and quick on its feet, most importantly…

It was a Grade-3 demonic beast.