Chapter 117: Hanging by a Thread

Dominion was ruthless.

Setting the minimum level of the lowest-grade Wild Steeds so high was clearly deliberate. It was an obvious tactic, pushing players toward spending money on the system’s own warhorses instead of trying to capture one themselves.

Marcus knew that once the average player level reached thirty, this entire area would be packed. Players would swarm the plains, all competing to catch mounts, turning it into a chaotic battlefield.

Just as he had expected, the Wild Steeds posed little real threat to him. The only moment of danger came when four of them whinnied at the same time and charged together, hooves slamming down in a frantic flurry that dealt more than seven hundred damage in an instant. Aside from that brief and messy exchange, there was almost no pressure at all.

It was too easy.

His attack power, combined with the devastating area-of-effect magic unleashed by his Shadow-Stained Gryphon King, tore through the herd with frightening efficiency. The shadow magic spread outward like a scythe cutting through wheat, and the surrounding Wild Steeds fell one after another. Without slowing down, Marcus pushed deeper into the plains, uninterested in wasting time on creatures that barely qualified as opponents.

Step by step, he moved past the trash-tier Wild Steeds.

Soon, a new group of horses came into view.

They were taller and broader, their muscles clearly defined beneath sleek hides. Long manes rippled in the wind, tails flowed freely, and their powerful legs struck the ground with heavy, confident steps. These were unmistakably superior mounts.

Marcus narrowed his eyes and cast Insight on one of them.

Zephyr Steed: Level 45

Health: 5000

A famous wild horse of the Atlan Plains. Known for its imposing physique, wind-like speed, and remarkable stamina. The standard mid-tier warhorse for Level 50 Knights.

Skills:

Whinny: Active skill. Summons nearby Zephyr Steeds to attack the enemy.

Hoof Stomp: Active skill. Uses fore or hind hooves to deal massive damage to the target.

Roaring Charge: After a long whinny, the steed charges forward, dealing double damage, with a chance to knock back and stun the target.

If a Knight rides a Zephyr Steed, the Knight can use the skill “Roaring Charge,” allowing them to charge while striking with their weapon, dealing double the Knight’s attack damage. Although powerful, the skill has a slow initiation and requires precise timing.

Marcus froze.

’How is this possible?’

His Insight skill should not have been able to reveal the attributes of a monster more than ten levels higher than him. He immediately opened his skill panel to check.

Insight: Level 1 (2358/5000)

Active skill

Magic Cost: 30

Allows the user to detect basic information within a five-meter radius, discover basic traps and stealth, observe basic information of monsters no more than ten levels higher than the user, and view the basic attributes of players at or below the user’s level.

It was still Level 1.

Then how had he seen the full details of a Level 45 Zephyr Steed?

To confirm, Marcus cast Insight on another horse from the same group.

Zephyr Steed:

Level ???

Health ???

Skills ???

’System anomaly.’

That settled it. His Insight had not broken its rules, instead it seemed to possess a hidden trait. There was likely a small chance for it to reveal the attributes of monsters far above his level, similar to the Appraisal skill he had learned from the Appraiser. That skill occasionally revealed the details of Red Artifacts and Mythic Artifacts, even when most players could only see basic information from Golden equipment.

If Insight could sometimes bypass level restrictions, then using it on stronger monsters would naturally accelerate its experience gain. Marcus made a mental note to cast it more frequently on high-level enemies, hoping to push it to Level 2 as soon as possible.

His attention returned to the Zephyr Steed’s skill list.

The Roaring Charge skill, with its ability to deal double damage, was absurdly strong. For Knights with low base attack power, this skill alone could dramatically boost their combat effectiveness. It made the importance of a proper mount painfully clear.

At Level 40, Knights unlocked mounted combat skills, allowing them to fight in tandem with their warhorse, coordinating movement and attacks as a single unit. This was the defining trait of the Knight class. Other classes could ride horses as well, but for them it was only transportation. For Knights, the horse itself was a weapon.

For Marcus, who already had unusually high attack power, gaining access to Roaring Charge would be terrifying.

He estimated that against a Level 25 monster, a single Roaring Charge could erase nearly two-thirds of its Health. If it triggered a Critical Hit, it would be an instant kill.

He genuinely liked the Zephyr Steed.

More than that, he wanted one.

He wanted to capture a steed and examine its base stats for himself. But reality quickly intruded. The Zephyr Steed was Level 45, while he was only Level 29. The gap was enormous.

Could he really handle one?

After confirming that the surrounding area was clear, Marcus activated Taunt, carefully drawing the attention of a single Zephyr Steed that had wandered slightly away from the herd. The moment it locked onto him and charged forward, the battle began.

“-180.”

“-190.”

Marcus clenched his teeth.

The numbers floating above the steed’s head were painfully small. Facing a Level 45 monster head-on was no joke. Dealing less than two hundred damage per hit felt demoralizing, especially when the Zephyr Steed had a massive five thousand Health.

If this continued, how long would he have to keep hacking away before it finally went down?

Worse still, Marcus’s defenses were clearly lacking against a Level 45 Zephyr Steed. A normal attack dealt around 380 damage, while Hoof Stomp slammed into him for more than 570. The level gap crushed any advantage his high Agility might have given him. He was rarely landing Critical Hits, and dodging was nearly impossible. The steed’s attacks were simply too fast and too precise.

At least his Accuracy remained solid. Without it, he would not even be able to land consistent hits, and the fight would have been over from the start.

By constantly chugging Health Potions, Marcus fought alongside his pet, the Shadow-Stained Gryphon King, grinding the battle forward inch by inch. Shadow magic flared again and again, and little by little, the Zephyr Steed’s Health bar dropped. Victory was finally within reach.

Although he was clearly battered, the fact that a Level 29 player was soloing a Level 45 elite mount was nothing short of impressive.

“…”

’Oh, come on!’

Marcus’s heart sank.

Just as the Zephyr Steed’s Health dropped below ten percent, and he topped off his own Health in preparation for a Taming attempt, the steed suddenly raised its head and let out a long, piercing whinny. The Whinny skill activated.

Three nearby Zephyr Steeds responded instantly.

Their eyes burned red as they thundered toward him, hooves pounding the ground, their killing intent unmistakable.

’Time to run.’

Marcus made the decision instantly. His Health sat just above 2000. Handling two Zephyr Steeds would already push him to the limit. With three more charging in, there was no chance at all.

“Hiss…”

Just as he turned to retreat, the wounded Zephyr Steed seemed to sense his fear. It proudly raised its front hooves and let out a long, triumphant neigh, its posture radiating dominance.

“Roaring Charge!”

“-790.”

The ground shook.

The steed crashed into Marcus head-on, its hooves slamming him into the dirt and ripping away 790 Health in a single blow. Even worse, the impact left him Stunned, his body completely unresponsive.

’Damn it!’

Only now did Marcus understand. That long whinny had not been a simple taunt, it was the wind-up for Roaring Charge. No wonder Insight had described the skill as slow to initiate. With enough experience, a player could recognize the signs and escape before the charge landed.

Unfortunately, this was Marcus’s first encounter with a Zephyr Steed.

He had not recognized the warning, had not moved, and had paid the price.

Knocked down. Stunned. Unable to drink a potion.

Helpless.

Marcus could only watch as the Zephyr Steed circled back, preparing to attack again. The other three were already closing in, only a few steps away.

He was finished.

’This is so damn lame.’

To think he, Marcus; reasonably handsome, undeniably strong, the scourge of countless monsters and players alike, was about to be paste under the hooves of four overgrown horses.

His pet, the Shadow-Stained Gryphon King, cried out in panic as it saw its master struck down. Beating its wings frantically, it unleashed a Small Storm toward the four charging Zephyr Steeds, doing everything it could to protect him.

But the poor creature was still under Level 20. At best, it was only as strong as Marcus himself. Facing four Level 45 enemies, it had no chance.

Worse still, these Zephyr Steeds were not mindless low-level monsters. They easily avoided most of the pet’s attacks, brushing aside the harassment and ignoring the gryphon entirely. Their focus was clear.

Marcus was the true target.

’Wow, I’m just that popular,’ Marcus thought with bitter irony.l.

“Hiss…”

“Roaring Charge!”

The wounded Zephyr Steed began its wind-up once more. Marcus felt time stretch painfully thin as three seconds ticked by. He struggled with everything he had, desperately trying to shake off the Stun and escape.

“-780.”

It was useless.

The steed’s level was too high. The Stun lasted longer than three seconds, and Marcus was forced to take another Roaring Charge head-on.

’This is bad.’

No, it was worse than bad.

With less than 500 Health remaining, Marcus could not survive another hit. And even if he somehow did, the three fully healthy Zephyr Steeds were already within striking distance.

The Shadow-Stained Gryphon King cried out again and again, wings flapping with desperate force as it unleashed Small Storms nonstop, fighting far beyond its limits.

Marcus’s last hope rested entirely on his pet. He was truly hanging by a thread.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep