The first order of business, now that he knew how he could place a trap, was to make it and prepare it.

The matter of the trap itself was harder than Yi Qiang had originally given it credit for. The principal problem was that of materials - the mountain he hunted for Eartheaters on was completely barren on the surface - there were absolutely no resources Yi Qiang could harvest and use for his traps. That was different, conceivably, the deeper one went but that would be pointlessly - clearly, the giant worms wouldn't be harmed by anything made by those materials if they could slide around in it all day.

Ultimately, the marksman was left with little choice but to use Empyrean Dragon's Armaments to form his traps. That had its own issues, Qi expenditure chief among them, but it was all he had without incurring significant risk for what may amount to nothing by digging up minerals or ores from beneath the earth.

At the very least, Yi Qiang's Qi reservoir had increased dramatically thanks to Intuition's boost to all of his attributes, so any traps large enough to harm an Eartheater would be more manageable.

I seriously doubt I can cause a fatal wound with one trap, or even damage an Eartheater enough to kill it slowly. No; this will have to be a war of attrition.

Yi Qiang grimaced. Troublesome.

If the hunter wanted to come out on top of this hunt, he would have to slowly drain his quarry. Eventually, as enough wounds racked up and enough energy was drained to heal them, the Eartheater would die quietly and inevitably. Hopefully.

There was no need for additional complication - if Yi Qiang devised the right trap, he could conjure it over and over, eking out a victory. After all, he was far from afraid of a war of attrition - the rate of his regeneration, the marksman was sure, was equal to no other.

Yi Qiang closed his eyes, revolving the scene of an Eartheater bursting through the earth in his mind and studying it.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

They typically fly out with mouths wide open... while I'm sure their inner mouth is sturdy, sturdy enough to withstand jagged rocks and who-knows-what down there, I doubt it's harder to penetrate than their outer skin. So that is my target.

The momentum they fly out with isn't a force I can hope to counter with my skills or stats right now. I need to have them work against themselves...

Yi Qiang's eyes widened and his fingers started to dance in the air. Eyes shut from concentration, bright golden particles began to condense in the air.

Slowly, under Yi Qiang's fingers, they molded into an apparatus like a bear trap. However, the edges were double-sided, the teeth cruelly jagged, and the slant of the jaws flatter. It was a device perfectly suited to latch into a colossal mouth and pierce, wounding further and further as the mouth pressed harder.

The marksman looked upon his creation with intrigue and anticipation.

There's no reason that shouldn't be enough to cause serious injury... and when it starts to lose effect, I can start slowly growing the spikes on it, assuming I don't lose connection to the Qi.

Ready to begin his plan to kill a Colossal Eartheater, the marksman sat down and listened to the tremors in the earth beneath him for any sign of an Eartheater.

It was only seconds before Yi Qiang felt the familiar rumbling and summoned a simple, dense ball - there was no need to make a particularly intricate object; on the contrary, the simpler it was, the easier it would be for the marksman to maintain a connection with it. As he waited, looking around for the ground to part, his eyes narrowed in preparation.

As it burst through the ground into the air, jaws agape, Yi Qiang deftly tossed the ball into its jaws, concentrating his focus on it and ready to pour in more Qi if necessary.

It held strong, though, even as it effortlessly slipped within the Eartheater. Working as expected, the marksman felt his Qi construct slip below the ground and start moving through it at incredible speeds.

His Qi started to swirl and form the previous modified bear trap, holding it by two protruding handles. Yi Qiang readied the construct for when he felt the ball move upwards.

Around a minute of tunneling around later, Yi Qiang knew the Eartheater was about to come up, bursting through the ground. He hoisted the apparatus and prepared to throw it into the beast's mouth, sharp eyes watching the earth for the earliest signs of movement so he could react quicker.

As soon as the earth started to split, Yi Qiang's construct flew through the air, catching perfectly in the Eartheater's mouth.

Got him.