Chapter 49: Master of the Mace
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: Master of the Mace
“Hero Go! Ankylo is a tremendous spirit beast that wields that mace with immense, unrestrained power!”
【Anodontosaurus LV32】
【Status】
「Enraged」「Terrified」
Enraged? And terrified?
The states seemed to contradict each other.
What I could tell for sure was that this dinosaur was extremely angry.
And that its name wasn't Ankylo, but Anodonto.
“…Looking at it closely, it's a bit different from the descriptions. Maybe it's not quite a spirit beast yet? Still, you can't afford to be careless with this one!”
She was right.
Although it was smaller than an Ankylosaurus, it was still massive.
The opponents I'd faced so far, even the long ones, had a certain slenderness to them, making them feel somewhat insubstantial. But the Anodonto was different.
The iron-like armor covering its body. And that tail, tipped with a giant mace.
This was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
Still, there was one positive aspect.
It was a herbivorous dinosaur.
Unless I was hunting it, it wouldn't attack first.
I didn't know why it was angry, but that had nothing to do with me.
“Gekgek.”
Let's just pass by peacefully.
I was about to leave this place anyway.
I expressed my intentions with a gentlemanly expression.
CRASH!
A stalactite in the cave was literally shattered.
“Kieeeek!”
It opened its mouth and roared.
Its mouth was so pathetic you could say it had no teeth, but that only made it look even more bizarre.
Just as described, it really had a temper.
This was not an opponent I could reason with.
“H-Hero! This time, I'll use my Sky-Filling Flower Rain…”
I shook my head.
“Grrrk…”
Look at its osteoderms.
Do you think your hidden weapons could pierce that body?
Besides, I didn't think Tang Soyeong could even use Sky-Filling Flower Rain.
Even if she could, it would be like the difference between immunity to ten thousand poisons and immunity to ten.
I gently pushed Tang Soyeong aside.
“Gegegek.”
Just take care of the spiders.
Especially Nephila. Hold her tight.
If she interferes this time, something really bad could happen.
“Krarararak!”
I roared at the Anodontosaurus.
The meaning of my roar was, of course, "Look at me."
It was a strong opponent.
Even if three Dilophosauruses attacked it, this dinosaur would win easily.
The poison arts would be a variable, but it could easily smash their heads before the poison took effect.
I'd grown stronger through evolution, but I'd still have a hard time against three Dilophosauruses.
Even two would be a struggle.
There was a clear difference in combat power between it and me.
The reason I didn't run and chose to fight was because of the matchup.
The matchup was in my favor.
Its fighting style would be to charge in straightforwardly, relying on the defense of its osteoderms and the attack power of its tail. That's the main characteristic of the Ankylosauridae.
I, on the other hand, preferred a style of evading enemy attacks with swift movements from my footwork, then unleashing powerful techniques like the Dragon's Claws.
Adding my mastery of poison arts to the mix, you could say the Anodonto's fighting style and mine were completely incompatible.
Thud!
Thud!
It charged at me.
It was faster than I expected.
But its moves were obvious.
Either it would ram me with its head, or it would spin its body to aim its heavy tail at my head.
Either way, I was confident I wouldn't get hit.
Here it comes.
Whoooosh.
Its tail.
CRACK!
A tremendous vibration spread throughout the entire cave.
The power was so immense that if I hadn't dodged, I could have been killed in a single blow.
But if it doesn't hit, it's meaningless.
The beast was in mid-spin.
Naturally, the opening to attack was mine…
CRASH!
Its tail, having smashed the wall, swung around once more.
CRASH!
A dinosaur shouldn't be able to move like this.
The reason its attack had so much power was because the force generated from its spin was concentrated in its tail. Therefore, once it missed an attack, the opening should have been mine.
But it continued to unleash a barrage of attacks.
CRASH!
I dodged all of its spinning attacks by a hair's breadth.
I was out of breath.
How on earth could it keep attacking like this?
These weren't the movements of a dinosaur.
This was martial arts.
To be precise, I had to think of it as fighting a martial artist who wielded a mace.
CRASH!
And that martial artist was also wearing armor.
An incredible force shook the earth.
It was similar to the pressure I felt when Baek Yeon-yeong walked.
Strong.
Very strong.
In terms of weight class, I was completely outmatched.
I'd grown a lot bigger, but this thing was a monster that weighed tons.
I wasn't sure about its movement speed, but I couldn't be confident that my attack speed was superior.
I hurriedly threw myself back to create distance.
A head-on fight was impossible.
[Using 「Poison Generation LV1」.]
So I'll take a different approach.
I created poison in the air.
Chwaaaak!
Of course, I had no intention of hitting it directly with the poison like I did with the Deinonychus.
Unless I could inject it inside, this much poison wouldn't be enough to fatally wound a beast of that size.
I continued to consume MP.
The cave floor became slick with poison.
Thump.
Thump!
It stomped its feet to immediately give chase.
The Anodontosaurus charged at me with fierce momentum.
I used the Little Dragon's Sky-Ascending Steps to aim for its flank.
Whoooosh.
Just as its tail was about to swing towards me.
Tat!
I kicked off the wall.
Gecko Wall-Walking Art.
The movement of a tiger.
No, it was the movement of a gecko.
Kicking off the wall, I instantly took up a position on its opposite side.
Its tail was now on the other side.
This was the perfect timing.
But.
I held back for a moment.
Whoooooosh!
The Anodonto's transcendent reflexes brought its tail right to where I was.
If I had attacked immediately, that tail would have shattered my skull.
But now, victory is mine.
CRASH!
The Anodonto's massive body toppled over in an instant.
It was only natural for it to lose its balance after swinging a tail that heavy.
On top of that, the floor was slippery, slick with poison.
It was enough to make it fall.
This is my chance.
While it's struggling to get up, I have to unleash a fierce assault.
I crossed my hands and gathered my strength.
Dragon's Claws.
I wasn't satisfied with just that.
[Using 「Poison Gathering LV1」.]
I gathered the poison on the floor into a single point.
This skill's range isn't very long, so it's impossible to use it for interception from a distance.
But that's fine.
Because the place I gathered the poison was my claws.
Dragon's Claws and poison arts exploded towards it simultaneously.
It had no means left to block this attack.
This is the end.
Chwaaaaaak!
The moment I unleashed the Dragon's Claws at it.
“Hero Go! Behind you!”
KWWAAAAAAAANG!
A tremendous impact slammed into my body.
I was literally sent flying several meters by the force.
CRASH!
…What hit me?
My head is spinning.
My Dragon Scales were covering my body, so nothing was broken, but the immense shockwave still went right through me.
I can't clear my head.
“He… Hero Goooooo!”
No, I have to get a grip.
I clenched my teeth and forced myself up.
How on earth did it attack me in that situation?
There's no way it could have gotten up in that short amount of time.
Whoosh.
The scene unfolding before my eyes could only be described as shocking.
Whoosh.
It hadn't gotten up.
It was still in the same position it had fallen into.
CRASH!
Except, it was spinning its body like crazy, swinging its tail indiscriminately.
I had to abandon the notion that this was a dinosaur.
It was a human in a dinosaur's skin, wielding a mace.
That's how I had to think of it.
Kwagagagak!
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
CRACK!
It approached me while still on its back.
I don't know the principle behind it, but it was moving by spinning its shell.
Kwagagagak!
Truly, it was the ultimate technique of a mace master.
I was in a state of shock from its attack.
My vision was blurry.
And even this was after I instinctively raised my left hand to partially block the attack, reducing the damage.
Thanks to that, my left hand was shattered.
To be in this state even after blocking… if I let it land even one more clean hit, I would be saying goodbye to this world.
I had no time to look back.
“Grrrrrrr.”
I was in a situation where one more hit would kill me anyway.
Chajajajak!
I transformed the shape of my Dragon Scales.
A form that maximized attack power, resembling a Western dragon.
I had to pour everything I had into this.
[Using 「Reverse Scale LV1」.]
[Temporarily acquiring 「Sky-Filling Flower Rain」.]
The secret technique of the Tang Clan that the Dilophosaurus showed me.
Sky-Filling Flower Rain is a technique for throwing countless hidden weapons.
The Dilophosaurus substituted its own poison-laced feathers for the hidden weapons.
I didn't have anything like that.
Therefore, my Sky-Filling Flower Rain was a half-assed version.
No. Not even a quarter.
Chwaaaaaak!
The poison covering the floor flew towards it.
Normally, an attack like this wouldn't do any damage.
But right now, it was exposing its most vulnerable part—its belly.
It would definitely have an effect.
Kwadeuk!
Whoosh!
Its speed slowed.
But this, too, wasn't a fatal blow.
Even if it was poisoned, the poison wasn't strong enough to kill it.
My technique was just a hastily improvised version of Sky-Filling Flower Rain.
[Using 「Reverse Scale LV1」.]
I gathered all my remaining MP.
[Temporarily acquiring 「Nine Yin White Bone Claw」.]
Before, I had used this technique vaguely, without fully understanding it.
A technique I used when my anger reached its peak, pouring all my internal energy into it.
The Sky-Filling Flower Rain I just used was pathetic compared to the original.
It was a martial art hastily created with the power of the status window, so of course it was weak.
The Nine Yin White Bone Claw was also hastily borrowed through the status window.
But, even if it was vague, I had used it before.
Kwadeudeudeuk!
How to use it, what principles it was composed of—it was all there in my head.
Crush the enemy's head with five fingers.
KWWAAAAAAAANG!
My five claws, imbued with all my internal energy, crushed the enemy's head.
Crack.
Thud.
The Anodontosaurus, having received a powerful blow, collapsed on the spot.
Yes. I won.
It was a series of truly dangerous moments.
The Anodontosaurus was an opponent worthy of being called a formidable enemy.
In exchange for crushing its skull, all my claws had been broken.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say my defeat was sealed the moment I was hit by its mace.
Look. Even now, it's hard to move my body…
…
I defeated the enemy, so why didn't my level go up?
Whoooooosh!
Its tail swung at high speed.
It wasn't dead yet.
This is unavoidable.
I couldn't use the Nine Yin White Bone Claw again.
The same went for the Dragon's Claws.
My left hand was already shattered, and the claws on my other hand were all broken.
All I had left now was my tail. And my feet.
It's do or die.
I supported my body with my left leg.
Rotating my body as little as possible, I stretched out my right foot.
The target wasn't the club itself, but the joint connecting the club and the bone.
I had to strike there to block the attack.
CRASH!
The air was thick with dust.
…Did I succeed?
Yes. The very fact that I can think this is proof that I succeeded.
But why can't I feel my leg?
It wasn't painful enough for my leg to have been severed by its attack.
So, should I say it didn't collide with the Anodonto's tail at all?
It was incomprehensible.
“Lizard.”
A familiar voice.
“Little lizard.”
There was only one person in this world who would call me 'little lizard'.
The dust settled, and her figure appeared.
She was holding the Anodonto's tail lightly with one hand, looking at me.
“…You're not so little anymore.”