Spending over half an hour, Reyn climbed the rock Madlen had indicated earlier.
From here, the entire farm lay in plain view.
Reyn activated Soul Eye at full power, zooming in and scanning several square kilometers. After two soul transformations, his vision reached levels unimaginable for ordinary people. Unhindered, he could discern a face at ten thousand meters.
Of course, dust, moisture, and clouds usually limited visibility to four or five thousand meters.
Even so, Reyn's sight far surpassed the "Eagle Vision" element.
He could not only see distant objects clearly but magnify near details and take precise measurements, like a high-precision instrument from his past life.
Reyn estimated: straight-line distance from the rock to the leopard pens was under three thousand meters.
He surveyed the rock. Not very steep, fifteen meters high, adjoining the range. From the edge, dozens of peaks stretched to the horizon.
"Finding it won't be easy!"
Reyn shook his head but stayed undaunted.
Per Madlen, the Swift Shadow Thunder Leopard had appeared here last month. Recent good weather, no rain. If lucky, traces might remain.
Scent long dissipated, of course.
But paw prints or fur snagged on grass and branches might linger.
Reyn's gaze, like radar, methodically scanned the rock section by section. No detail escaped. Soon, he found fur tufts and feathers, but not from the Thunder Leopard.
Ten or fifteen minutes later.
Reyn's eyes sharpened: on the cliff's inner side, several shallow paw prints, size of two adult palms. Shape like a blooming plum blossom—classic feline.
The Thunder Leopard visually resembled a felid from his past life.
He crouched, studying intently. Prints faint. By size, the beast over four meters long, weighing over two thousand pounds!
Matched Hardin's description of that Swift Shadow Thunder Leopard.
Reyn circled the tracks and soon spotted a blue-gray fur tuft on a low shrub branch. Thin hairs hollow inside—insulating trait of Thunder Leopards.
As expected, definitely Thunder Leopard traces.
Reyn rejoiced greatly.
Lucky: over a month later, he'd found leads to the Thunder Leopard.
He followed the tracks' direction, soon spotting more fur.
Vegetation on Gray Dragon Mountain was extremely dense. Low forest blanketed nearly every patch. Under trees sprawled thick brush and weeds. With the Thunder Leopard's bulk, whichever way it went, it brushed branches, leaving fur.
Such tiny fibers usually blew away in mountain woods. Even a Superhuman would struggle to spot them. But the leopard unluckily crossed Reyn.
To his eyes, each tiny strand shone like a banner guiding the path.
Tracking fur, he pressed through the mountain forest.
Dense branches and grass whipped his body. An ordinary person couldn't take a step; even a Superhuman couldn't move fast.
Reyn applied Dragon Power Art on himself. Now branch and leaf strikes felt like a breeze; entangling grass yielded to slight tension, shredding apart.
Sole drawback: his light leather armor soon stained with green plant sap.
"Hm?"
Cresting the ridge, Reyn emerged into open ground but lost the Thunder Leopard's trail.
More exposed here; wind likely carried off all fur.
He pondered. Following the trail, he'd gleaned the beast's habits: avoided trails, preferred steep slopes.
Climbing the ridge two or three hundred meters, he found fur again on a rocky slope.
Reyn smirked.
"As I thought."
Sky darkened gradually; night fell soon. Meant little to Reyn—plenty of strength left—but he halted, frowning slightly.
Voice of All Things conveyed beast roars from the silent night forest.
His movement noise stood out especially at night, drawing attention from countless hidden creatures.
All day long, Reyn relied on the Voice of All Things to detect various beasts in advance and deliberately avoided them, successfully evading any attacks.
Even without coming face-to-face with them, Reyn identified most as ordinary animals by their auras and heartbeats. Only two or three could be considered demonic beasts; they had decent strength and possibly elements in their souls, but none posed a threat.
However, avoiding encounters became more difficult at night.
Reyn decided to first find a place to spend the night.
A moment later, standing at the entrance to a rocky cave, Reyn listened to the heartbeat echoing from inside. It was very strong, but the breathing was long and steady. Someone inside was sleeping soundly.
"Must be a mountain bear."
Reyn pulled the Book of Runes from his bag. The pages flipped on their own, soul force surged like a stream, and a small flame danced on his palm, rapidly expanding into a Fireball the size of a head in two or three seconds.
He casually hurled the Fireball, which shot into the cave like a cannonball.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted from the cave, accompanied by a burst of flames. Half the mountainside shook, startling countless beasts and birds in the area.
Fortunately, the cave was carved into solid rock and didn't collapse from the blast.
Reyn waited half a minute for the heat inside to subside before entering.
The cave extended seven or eight meters deep. It had previously been overgrown with weeds and reeked terribly, but the Fireball explosion had incinerated it all. The ground was charred black by the intense heat. Chunks of bear carcass were scattered everywhere—the only clue to its former inhabitant.
The bear had been torn apart in its sleep, not even managing a sound before death. Little remained of the carcass.
Reyn was pleased with the power of his Fireball.
He picked up one half-roasted bear paw—perfect for dinner. It just needed a bit more cooking.
After eating the bear meat, he rolled a massive boulder weighing no less than ten thousand pounds sterling to the entrance, blocking the passage and leaving only a small gap for air.
Only then could Reyn sleep peacefully.
Waking at dawn, he meditated first, replenishing the Fireball charge in the Book of Runes, then resumed his search for the Thunder Leopard.
Over the next four or five days, Reyn combed through Grey Dragon Mountain.
The Thunder Leopard's path was extremely convoluted, darting across the mountains in all directions. The beast was incredibly fast and cautious, rarely lingering in one spot for long. It rested at night in trees or caves, hunting everywhere by day.
Several times, Reyn nearly lost the trail.
Fortunately, thanks to the Eye of the Soul and the Will of Truth, he found the tiniest clues and continued the pursuit.
He had a hunch that the Swift Shadow Thunder Leopard was already nearby.
Kreeee...
A drawn-out cry came from the sky. Reyn looked up: at a thousand meters altitude, a black speck circled proudly in the air—an eagle.
Reyn immediately darted under the tree canopy.
His gaze pierced through the gaps in the leaves. Zooming in, he examined the eagle as if magnified dozens of times—every detail crystal clear.
The bird was not large, with a wingspan under two meters. Its feathers were entirely black, save for a ring of red feathers around the eyes. Pupils transparent yellow. Its gaze held remarkable intelligence. The eagle surveyed the mountain forest below.
"Red-Eyed Eagle!"
Reyn consulted the Bestiary and identified the species immediately.
This was a powerful predatory bird, capable of flying high and fast—a typical animal companion with the "Eagle Vision" element.
Among advanced Ranger specializations was one called Wild Hunter. Such hunters could form spiritual contracts with animal companions, sharing soul elements. In the city, a Wild Hunter's power might go unnoticed, but in the wild, it was one of the strongest professions, especially for tracking—no one could match them.
The vast majority of Wild Hunters tamed Red-Eyed Eagles for aerial reconnaissance.
"A hunter nearby."
Reyn's heart sank slightly. A hunter here, at this time, in this area of the mountains... Clearly, their target was likely the Swift Shadow Thunder Leopard too.
Hardin was right: other Superhumans were also tracking the Thunder Leopard, and this hunter was probably not alone.
Reyn listened for a moment but heard no human voices. The hunter and any companions were likely quite far off.
The Red-Eyed Eagle circled high above, lingering for a long time.
Reyn waited patiently for nearly an hour. Finally, the Red-Eyed Eagle, apparently tired, flew off into the distance and landed, revealing the direction of the Wild Hunter.
"So that's where he is."
Reyn thought for a moment and decided to ignore him for now, continuing the search for the Thunder Leopard.
But soon he realized this was just the beginning of his troubles. That hunter released the Red-Eyed Eagle every hour to survey a vast swath of forest from above.
Reyn didn't want to be spotted, so he had to hide each time and wait for the eagle to leave.
This drastically reduced his search efficiency. In a full day, he advanced less than ten kilometers. Moreover, the Thunder Leopard's tracks often looped, so he was practically marking time.
Out of desperation, Reyn traveled at night to shake off the hunter.
Three days later.
Deep into the night, Reyn emerged from a thicket of brambles, climbed a steep slope, and plucked several blue-gray hairs from a tree branch.
The darkness didn't hinder his vision. He examined the hairs closely, and his expression suddenly changed.
The tracks were very fresh. Tiny flecks of skin at the base meant they'd been shed from the Thunder Leopard's body no more than three hours ago.
Reyn rejoiced. This meant the Swift Shadow Thunder Leopard had passed here just hours earlier!
It was deep night now. Thunder Leopards were usually inactive at this hour, so it was highly likely resting nearby.
Standing on the slope, Reyn scanned around and quickly spotted the most probable spot.
Several hundred meters upslope loomed a forty-meter cliff, near the mountain's peak. This was one of the highest peaks in the Grey Dragon range; from the top, nearly half the mountainous terrain was visible. The temperature was very low, and the cold wind cut like a knife.
Reyn crouched and slowly crawled up the steep slope.
He pushed the Voice of All Things perception to its limit. Countless sounds—wind rustling, trees swaying—filled his ears. He also heard the heartbeats and breathing of myriad birds and beasts hiding in burrows and nests; all amplified in his mind to utmost clarity.
A moment later, Reyn's heart skipped.
A unique heartbeat reached his ears—incredibly powerful, standing out from the other animals like a crane among chickens. Reyn recognized it instantly.
This was the strongest creature he'd encountered since entering Grey Dragon Mountain.
He pinpointed the source: from a ledge on the cliff.
Reyn looked up. The ledge was thirty meters above ground. From his angle, only a shadow was visible, with a blue-gray patch protruding, rising and falling rhythmically with that heartbeat.
"Finally found you!"
Reyn's gaze locked on the blue-gray patch—the head of the Swift Shadow Thunder Leopard. Though only a small part was visible, the Eye of the Soul revealed its soul.
One glance took his breath away, heart racing.
"Lightning Affinity!"
"All these days of grueling search weren't in vain! This Thunder Leopard has truly reached mid-rank demonic beast, and its soul has birthed the Lightning Affinity element!"
Reyn was overjoyed but made no sound, fearing to wake the Thunder Leopard.
He continued observing. Besides Lightning Affinity, this Swift Shadow Thunder Leopard had four more elements: "Agility," "Swift Run," "Strength," and "Spiked Thunder Armor."
The first two agility-type elements didn't surprise Reyn—they were standard for Thunder Leopards. But its "Agility" was third level, and "Swift Run" second—clearly, this beast was far stronger than its kin.
He paid little heed to the first-level "Strength."
What thrilled him most was "Spiked Thunder Armor." This was a second-circle lightning system spell, a rare self-only defensive element.
Like many casters' shields, this protective spell reflected physical attacks and, upon impact, unleashed lightning to counterattack the enemy.
The higher the circle of Spiked Thunder Armor, the stronger the reflected lightning.
"It's damage-reflection armor!"
Reyn marveled inwardly.
This Swift Shadow Thunder Leopard had a full five elements—more than any demonic soul he'd seen before. And each was highly useful. Combining them would multiply its power manyfold.
But joy turned to difficulty.
The Thunder Leopard was cunning, choosing a ledge for rest that was hard to approach. Even if Reyn climbed up or rappelled from the top, the beast would spot him.
Reyn circled the cliff from various angles but found no suitable attack path.
He crept slowly to the base, closing to a hundred meters, and deliberately lay on the leeward side so the leopard wouldn't catch his scent.
Observing from cover, Reyn racked his brain.
"Such height... If it falls, it'll hurt too. With its weight, it might even splatter to death."
Reyn gauged the distance: a Fireball could reach.
He stepped from cover, directly below the cliff, opened the Book of Runes, and activated the enchantment. A crimson Fireball formed on his palm, swelling rapidly.
As the spell completed and light flared, the Thunder Leopard on the ledge woke instantly.
It opened its eyes to see the incoming Fireball.
Boom!
The explosion shattered the night silence, carrying far on the wind.
The entire cliff shuddered, rocks tumbling. The massive figure was blasted off but flipped agilely midair, pushed off the cliff wall with its paws, and lightning-bolted downward.
"What fast reaction!"
"Activated Spiked Thunder Armor before the Fireball hit, avoided most damage, and spotted me."
Before the thought finished, the Thunder Leopard landed and charged.
Reyn had anticipated this. Emerging from cover, he'd used himself as bait to provoke the attack.
He might lag in speed, but in direct combat, he feared it not.
After the Fireball, Reyn prepared the next spell.
One hand gripped the hilt of Song of the Azure Sky, the other extended forward. A Reynbow Beam shot from his fingertips, streaking toward the oncoming Thunder Leopard.