The Sea Dragon's Demise
The Sea Dragon thrashed wildly, its face marred by a fresh wound. Every twist of its massive body sent torrents of water exploding outward like bombs. I retreated to avoid the surging currents and calmly studied the creature. Despite the debuff, its enormous frame granted it tremendous physical power, yet its combat skills were clumsy and unrefined.
"It doesn't seem used to pain."
"There aren't many monsters in this region that can match or overpower a Sea Dragon like they do in The North."
"The North is the weird one. If I'd been born anywhere else, I'd be living like a king."
Adela and Beatrice answered my muttered remark. Just as they said, the Sea Dragon moved with an awkward, inexperienced air, as if battle itself were foreign to it. Even though the gash was deep, it should have been able to endure it given its size, yet it flailed in blind rage. It clearly had no idea how to leverage its natural advantages.
Neon, watching from the side, seemed to reach the same conclusion. His expression brightened.
"This might be easier than I thought."
"If it can't fight properly, it's just oversized prey."
I grinned confidently and turned my gaze back to the Sea Dragon, which was gradually calming down. Its blazing eyes glared at us, clearly furious about the wound. I snorted. So what if you glare? You're still just a big monster. Nothing had changed.
I used Blink to appear above its head and drove my sword-spear downward. Black aura sliced through scales and sent a fountain of blood spraying upward. Because it was the second wound, the Sea Dragon endured the pain and reacted. Chaaaaaaaak! Lake water surged violently toward me. The attack would have been lethal if it connected, but I simply Blinked away. From a point dozens of meters from my previous position, I looked down at my companions attacking the Sea Dragon.
"I'll take the left!"
"Then I'll take the right!"
Thanks to the wings on their backs, Adela and Beatrice flew so low they nearly skimmed the lake's surface. They spiraled up the Sea Dragon's body, raking it with their claws. Most strikes only sparked against the scales, but thanks to Paralyze, the occasional weaker scale shattered, exposing flesh beneath.
"Kyaaaaaaaak!"
The Sea Dragon screamed in agony as pain erupted across its entire body. The real battle had only just begun.
While Adela and Beatrice drew its attention, Neon calmly prepared his magic and unleashed it at the open wounds.
"Poison Spear!"
Dozens of poison spears materialized around him and struck the Sea Dragon's injuries with perfect accuracy. Once he confirmed the poison had taken hold, Neon clenched his fist.
"I loaded it with paralysis toxin and neurotoxin! It won't do much against something this big, but it should at least mess with its movements!"
"Nice work!"
Considering the Sea Dragon's size and resistance, the effect wouldn't be dramatic, but it was better than nothing. Seeing the debuffs stack, I gathered my Ikelos fragments into one mass and poured a massive amount of mana into them. Thanks to the elixir I'd absorbed, my mana reserves had grown several times over. I used it without restraint. Black aura rippled across the surface of the fused Ikelos. It was a trick made possible by the unique bond between our souls, but its effectiveness was undeniable.
The Sea Dragon sensed the danger and summoned an enormous wave with tremendous force. I clicked my tongue. Even without combat experience, a monster was still a monster. No wonder it had become the ruler of this lake. Just as I was wondering how to handle the attack—
Wuuum!
A strange pulse spread outward from the fleet behind us, seizing control of the wave's movement. The massive swell that had threatened to become a tsunami subsided, flattening into gentle ripples. At the same time, Jackson's voice rang out.
"You dare raise waves in front of a man of the sea?! I can calm any wave you throw at me!"
Wipe the sweat off your forehead before you brag. Still, I gave Jackson a thumbs-up for providing support even while locked in his own desperate battle, then refocused on the Sea Dragon.
After enduring countless attacks, the creature was covered in wounds. It lowered its body and glared at us before plunging its head beneath the surface and diving toward the lakebed. It had decided fighting on the surface was disadvantageous. I smirked. Only now you realize that? Just how little battle experience do you actually have? I traced a summoning circle in the air.
"Did you really think I'd just stand here and let you scheme from below?"
It was obvious the Sea Dragon intended to launch cowardly, one-sided attacks from underwater. If the battlefield favored only one side, then the solution was simple: break the battlefield.
"Yotun! You're up!"
From beyond the rift above the summoning circle, an ice spear came hurtling down. Even underwater, it showed no sign of slowing. I nodded in satisfaction. While I could have simply received throwing-spear support, summoning Yotun directly felt more fitting. After all, this was our first hunt in the western region. Solving everything with a single click would lack romance. Besides, even without calling Yotun, defeating the Sea Dragon wasn't particularly difficult.
As expected, the ice spear vanished into the water. Moments later—
"Here it comes."
I felt an ominous vibration beneath my feet and leapt backward. The moment I moved away from the source, a towering pillar of ice erupted from the lakebed with majestic force. If Yotun had come in person to throw it, an iceberg would have formed instead, but this was more than enough against a Sea Dragon that could barely control its own power.
"Kyaaaaaaaak!"
"I knew you wouldn't dodge it!"
Just as I'd predicted, a massive ice spear impaled the Sea Dragon's body. It let out a pained shriek and surged upward. Shattering the spreading ice around the wound with violent movements, the creature gathered water for a counterattack. I sighed at the sight of it still moving so vigorously despite being pierced.
"This is why giant monsters are such a pain. Their ridiculous durability is just unfair."
"It's dozens of meters long, so it can't be helped."
The Sea Dragon was slowly growing accustomed to battle. Its innate size and relatively comfortable environment were awakening its dulled predatory instincts. Unlike its earlier crude manipulation of water, it now floated hundreds of sharply honed water spears in the air. That alone was proof.
"Once it gets used to fighting, things won't go this smoothly anymore."
"Then we kill it before that happens."
"Exactly. I'll finish it off, so just keep drawing its attention."
After giving Adela a brief order, I looked at the Ikelos. The sight of it cloaked in black aura was deeply reassuring. I continued feeding it mana to maintain the aura while surveying the battlefield.
Adela and Beatrice dodged the barrage of water spears while flying around the Sea Dragon to hold its focus. Even Neon, positioned far away, used magic to irritate it. As the stalemate dragged on, an opening finally appeared.
"Krrrrrr!"
Unable to endure the tedious standoff any longer, the Sea Dragon lunged at Adela, who had flown too close to its face. The moment its head shot forward from its defensive coil, I launched the Ikelos. The fragments tore through the hastily formed water barrier and scattered in every direction. The shards, infused with black aura, spun violently and engulfed the Sea Dragon's face.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!
A storm of fragments capable of grinding everything to dust erupted. I gripped my sword-spear tightly.
"Did we get it?"
"Not yet. That attack might have pushed it into a crisis, but it's not enough to finish it."
I ignored Neon's attempt to jinx us and kept my eyes on the Sea Dragon. Sensing mortal danger, it summoned water jets at a speed far greater than anything before, wrapping them around its face. The streams that touched the storm were shredded and fell away, but more kept rising, disrupting the fragments' movement. Eventually, the water completely enveloped the storm and burst outward, sending the Ikelos fragments tumbling down powerlessly.
"Krrrrk...! Grrr...!"
The Sea Dragon's face, now free of the storm, was a gruesome sight. Not a single scale remained intact. The original wound looked like a mere scratch compared to the deep, lethal gashes covering it. It was a clear demonstration of how devastating attacks that ignored conventional defenses could be, but the situation had taken a turn for the worse. The Sea Dragon, now acutely aware of the threat to its life, was lowering its body, preparing to flee into the depths.
It would be ideal if we could drive it away completely, but there was a high chance it would recover in its nest and then interfere with the excavation team at the ruins.
"The ruler of the lake is running away!"
"Don't let it escape!"
The fleet belatedly realized what was happening and moved to intercept, but the few remaining monsters threw themselves forward to block the way. Even when they fired cannons in desperation, the rising water jets deflected the shots. Just as it seemed the hunt would end in failure—
Light flashed above the Sea Dragon's head. Using Blink, I appeared directly in front of it and drove my sword-spear into its eye.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Kyaaaaaaaak!"
Surrounded by water that favored it and lacking combat experience, the creature's survival instinct would outweigh its fighting spirit. Anticipating its escape, I had prepared Blink in advance and struck its vital point. The Sea Dragon thrashed and screamed in agony with one eye pierced, but it was too late.
Thuuuuk!
I drove the aura-clad sword-spear so deep it vanished from sight. The sensation of something being reduced to pulp told me the aura had reached its brain. The Sea Dragon's movements ceased. As it collapsed lifelessly and the experience points flowed in, I pulled out my weapon with a bright smile.
It had been a perfect hunt.