Chapter 121: Aisarakus
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121: Aisarakus
BOOM—!
The ground shuddered violently. High above, the ice and snow clinging to the dome disintegrated in the tremors, cascading down like a white waterfall.
"Waaaah!"
Maomao scrambled to the side, desperate to avoid the massive sheets of snow plummeting toward her.
In her panic, she nearly tripped, only managing to steady herself by grabbing onto a jagged bone protrusion.
Taro Ball and Yu Yunsheng also regained their footing, their expressions shifting as they exchanged sharp looks.
"Brother, what’s happening now?!"
Before anyone could answer, a more terrifying sight unfolded.
Above them, the dense, interlocking network of massive ribs began to groan under an unbearable weight.
Then, the layers of permafrost and ice covering the bones began to peel away. Massive chunks of ice and rock, far more lethal than mere snow, rained down like meteors.
Before Maomao could react, a boulder the size of a house hurtled toward her.
CRASH—!
At the critical moment, Taro Ball appeared at her side with speed that defied limits. He grabbed her by the collar and hurled her sideways with all his might.
After a dizzying spin, Maomao landed in a snowbank, her head swimming.
A second later, Taro Ball’s voice rang out.
"Retreat! Get out of here! Xiao Yu, take Elania and run!"
Yu Yunsheng didn't hesitate. She grabbed Elania’s hand and bolted toward the exit.
But it was too late.
The exit, which had been nothing more than a dim opening, began to rise into the air.
At that moment, both Taro Ball and the dazed Maomao realized the gravity of the situation.
Outside, the blizzard that had shrouded the area began to settle.
The mountain range that had lain prone for tens of millions of years was moving.
First, the tail lifted slightly, sweeping away eons of accumulated ice and snow.
Then, the bones of its limbs let out thunderous cracks as claw bones buried deep in the permafrost were slowly unearthed.
Finally, the skull rose inch by inch, turning toward a specific direction.
"Hrrrngh..."
A roar that shook the very soul erupted from deep within the massive remains.
The Skeletal Giant Lizard had awakened.
[Chaos - Skeletal Giant Lizard Lv.120]
[Disaster-grade Hidden BOSS]
[HP: 4.12 Trillion / 4.12 Trillion]
[...]
[An undead behemoth that has slumbered for eons. Now nourished by Chaos, it has been granted new life.]
A deathly silence fell over the small party.
The 4.12 trillion HP bar stretched across the top of their vision like an insurmountable crimson chasm, radiating a suffocating pressure.
【Holy crap! This thing actually stood up!】
【Bro, seriously? I was just joking earlier. There’s no need to turn the whole dungeon into a boss fight!】
【It has the "Chaos" prefix. Is this another plot by the Chaos Church?】
【Level 120, 4 trillion HP... this is a World Boss, right? There are only four people there. Can they even fight this?】
【Forget it. Even if you brought every single veteran from the closed beta here right now, they wouldn't even be enough to feed this thing.】
【Taro Ball can respawn if he dies, but what about my Elania? If she dies, she’s gone!】
【Where’s my "Background Lady"? Someone save them!】
Faced with the cataclysmic Skeletal Giant Lizard, Taro Ball was momentarily at a loss.
In his memories, a beast tide was supposed to break out on the third day of the game, causing all the skeletons in the Land of Storms to awaken, but they were eventually wiped out by the Northern Empire.
It was only the first day. Theoretically, this shouldn't be happening yet.
Is this a butterfly effect caused by my rebirth?
Taro Ball grew anxious. It was fine if the players died, but if Elania died with them, everything would be ruined.
Wait, Void Crossing has a resurrection mechanic, and I can force a "disengaged" state after reviving. With the speed buff from Void Crossing, I should be able to get Elania out of here in time.
In the heat of the crisis, Taro Ball immediately formulated a plan.
But just as he was about to move, the Skeletal Giant Lizard acted.
"HRRRNGH—!!!"
In an instant, the world spun.
Before they could react, a pitch-black mist swallowed their vision.
[Dark Tide Lv.13]
[Releases a black mist with a radius of 5,000 meters. All other units within range have their vision reduced by 90%, movement speed reduced by 80%, and Mana recovery speed reduced by 80%. Every 10 seconds, units gain one random debuff. For every debuff stack, Strength and Agility decrease by 1%, up to a maximum of 40%.]
As the mist rose, the group felt as though they had fallen into a swamp of thick ink.
They could barely move!
【It’s over, it’s really over!】
【Someone save them! I really don't want to see Elania die like this!】
【Did I forget to check my horoscope today? Why did I open the stream just to see this?】
【Damn, this world is too cruel. How can such a cute blonde loli be cornered like this?】
【Chaos, right? Just you wait for the open beta. If I don't wipe you out within three days of the launch, I'll delete my account!】
While everyone’s attention was fixed on Elania, the Skeletal Giant Lizard twisted its massive body and turned its gaze elsewhere.
Within its perception, a familiar aura flickered.
Though the aura was incredibly faint, the beast could not ignore it.
It reminded the creature of the powerhouse who had killed it once before—the Ice Dragon, Aisarakus.
Normally, a Skeletal Giant Lizard haunted by such a shadow would have fled the moment it sensed that aura.
But this time, the lizard felt differently.
While the aura triggered the terror of being slaughtered by Aisarakus, the power behind it was currently pathetic.
If it hadn't been actively searching, it might have lost the trail a second later.
Scanning the area, the Skeletal Giant Lizard locked onto its target.
It was the blue dragon puppet held in the arms of a human girl.
"HRRRNGH—!!!"
Suddenly, the Skeletal Giant Lizard felt an unprecedented surge of excitement.
It never imagined that the mighty Ice Dragon that had once butchered it would now be reduced to such a weak, wretched form!
It didn't even need skills. It only had to lift a bone claw and press down to achieve its revenge and settle the grudge of being trapped in the Land of Storms for ten million years!
Without a second thought, the Skeletal Giant Lizard raised a bone claw a hundred meters wide and slammed it down toward Maomao.
To the players, however, it looked like the attack was aimed at all of them.
Watching the mountain-sized claw descend from the sky, Maomao felt an unspeakable pressure.
Dizzy and overwhelmed, she lost her grip, and the blue dragon puppet slipped from her arms, falling toward the ground.
"Ah! My—"
Maomao instinctively reached out to catch it.
Just as the puppet was about to hit the ground, a slightly exasperated voice echoed in everyone’s ears.
"Fine. It seems I must step in after all."
In the next heartbeat, a ripple of ice-blue light erupted from the puppet. The Skeletal Giant Lizard’s massive bone claw was forcibly repelled upward.
BOOM—!
As if a brilliant light had pierced through, the black mist surrounding them instantly vanished, though the sky remained hidden.
When the group looked up again, the Skeletal Giant Lizard had been knocked flat on its back, looking utterly pathetic.
In its place stood a far more majestic silhouette—a dragon-shaped form shimmering with a crystalline, ice-blue glow.
[Aisarakus Lv.126]