Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: 62. Manyong (2)
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4.
To adventurers, the sweetest thing was something no one else could reach: the unknown realms.
“If there’s a place no one’s been to, we have to go there right away! Leaving it alone wouldn’t make us adventurers!”
But there were always exceptions to everything.
“Minar Forest? That place is a bit...”
That was the case with Minar Forest, nestled on the Oseeria Continent.
It hadn’t always been that way.
Long ago, before the Black Mage was sealed, Minar Forest had been a beautiful place where dragons and humans lived in harmony.
But when disaster struck Minar Forest due to the Black Mage and his followers, everything changed.
The humans who lived there had no choice but to flee in haste, and even the dragons had to hold their breath.
Then, with the appearance of the corrupted dragon Hontail, Minar Forest began turning into hell.
After that, Hontail transformed the forest’s monsters into beings far stronger and more ferocious than those anywhere else.
Even after Hontail vanished, it remained the same.
The surviving monsters dominated Minar Forest.
“That place is hell. Terrifying monster bastards banding together, each establishing their own kingdoms.”
Moreover, one reason Minar Forest was so frightening was that the monsters didn’t just swarm aimlessly—they numbered in the tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, each carving out their own territories and building kingdoms.
That was why Minar Forest was so fearsome.
“Centaurus, Conians, Wyverns, Blood Harps—monster kingdoms everywhere!”
Dealing with one monster didn’t end it; you’d have to face hundreds, even thousands more ahead!
Yet even in such a Minar Forest, there were a few monsters that lived solitary lives without forming packs.
“Griffons like Manyong, absurd monsters like Leviathan.”
Manyong was one of them.
While those monsters built their own kingdoms, Manyong lived in solitude.
“How ridiculous is that?”
No, it wasn’t just about living.
“When Manyong moves, even Centaurus flee.”
It was so powerful that even Minar Forest’s monsters feared it enough to give up fighting.
“Of course. It has to be.”
And it had every reason to be.
“It’s one of the last remaining dragonkin.”
After Hontail disappeared, Manyong was one of the few dragonkin left in Minar Forest.
“Why are dragonkin so scary?”
Dragonkin possessed strength on a completely different level from other monsters by their very nature.
“For starters, they’re huge.”
Dragons were enormous enough to make elephants look puny.
Manyong was no exception.
Even among dragonkin, it was on the smaller side, yet in its presence, even burly Centaurus looked like puppies before a tiger.
“And dragon hide is tougher than any monster’s—way beyond just being leathery. It transcends physical attacks and magical defense alike.”
Even more terrifying was how indestructible their massive bodies were.
“In Manyong’s case, only 6th Circle magic can deal somewhat effective damage. But not fire-attribute spells. No fire magic can harm Manyong.”
Especially Manyong’s absolute resilience to fire.
Even El Pam’s fire-attribute magic, enhanced by Hyperion’s Helm, was useless against that toughness.
That was why.
The moment they learned about Manyong and heard its description, El Pam’s party hardened their expressions.
Of course, everyone knew.
“Still, the Boss handles all attributes, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
That fire magic wasn’t all El Pam had.
But the insane performance he’d shown before was hard to expect here.
Even so, they weren’t too worried.
“We’re here, after all.”
Now at El Pam’s side were none other than 6th Circle adventurers—reliable comrades.
Yet despite his comrades’ reactions, El Pam’s expression didn’t soften.
“I know.”
His comrades immediately grasped the meaning.
“The undead Conians.”
If it were just Manyong here, that’d be one thing—but this place had undead Green Conians and undead Dark Conians.
That alone created a nightmare worse than most boss monsters.
And now facing Manyong on top of that?
It was unlikely to end well.
So they all steeled themselves.
“No.”
To his comrades’ resolve, El Pam said.
“That’s not a problem.”
The undead Conians weren’t a major concern for El Pam to begin with.
In other words, the real problem El Pam had in mind was even bigger.
Then El Pam added.
“And if it were just Manyong, that wouldn’t be a problem either.”
“Huh?”
“The situation is even more serious.”
5.
Gelimer.
The mad scientist wasn’t one to laugh often.
The reason was simple.
He rarely had reason to laugh.
The tasks, homework, and problems assigned to him were laughable before his astonishing scientific prowess.
They barely even sparked interest.
“Heh heh.”
But now Gelimer was letting out a genuine laugh before the Generoids he’d amassed, his puppets.
“Curious why I’m laughing?”
Of course, the Generoids had no interest in why their master was laughing.
Even so, Gelimer happily explained.
“Because I’m certain the nightmare those rats will face exceeds even my expectations.”
That statement, obviously, didn’t refer to Manyong exceeding expectations as Gelimer had added.
Manyong itself wasn’t particularly surprising to Gelimer.
It was a rare monster in Minar Forest, one glimpse of which would give an adventurer lifelong bragging rights—but Gelimer could create as many Manyong as he wanted.
If he had the necessary materials.
Nor was Manyong the only one.
Most monsters were something Gelimer could produce anytime, which was why they held no thrill for him.
In short, this Manyong had something different.
“Dragons can use magic.”
Something very special.
“And there’s a Hydra’s Heart there.”
That was the reason.
“A Manyong with a Hydra’s Heart—truly, I wonder how nightmarish it’ll be.”
6.
“Ah.”
There was one thing El Pam’s party prided themselves on.
They might not be the strongest adventurer party in the Maple World, but no other party had witnessed more abnormal, irrational spectacles than them.
And now, even they were dumbfounded.
“Boss.”
The scene unfolding before them left them no choice.
They could see it.
Manyong flying through the sky on its small wings.
Of course, that alone wasn’t surprising.
“That green smoke.”
What shocked them all was the thick green mist visibly swirling around Manyong.
“Poison Mist, right?”
And that it was Poison Mist.
In truth, that was absurd.
Poison Mist magic created a toxic fog when cast, but it was extremely faint.
Even a 6th Circle mage’s version would feel like just a light haze.
Yet the Poison Mist around Manyong now wasn’t merely visible.
The green glow made it nearly impossible to clearly see Manyong with the naked eye!
“That level...”
Obviously, Poison Mist’s power grew stronger with the fog’s density.
‘It’s about the level I gather with Room.’
Moreover, that color was similar to when El Pam used his Room technique to condense poison with telekinesis.
In other words, the poison around Manyong now matched the potency of El Pam’s maximum compression.
And El Pam wasn’t your average 6th Circle mage.
He wielded the incredibly potent item, Hydra’s Fang.
No adventurer here could withstand the Poison Mist El Pam gathered with Room.
“One breath and you’re dead.”
In other words, Manyong’s surroundings were a hell where breathing was forbidden.
Holding your breath wouldn’t help you fight, either.
“Even skin exposure won’t let you last long.”
That level of poison was lethal on mere contact.
“How is that possible?”
At this point, it wasn’t just surprise—it was bewilderment.
The Manyong they knew was a dragon with powerful Fire Breath and fire resistance!
It had nothing to do with poison-attribute magic.
El Pam was different.
“Dragons can use magic.”
“Magic?”
“Depends on the individual. Manyong in particular carries an egg.”
“An egg?”
“The being inside that egg uses magic too. The type varies.”
El Pam knew Manyong well.
‘Didn’t expect a Poison Mist user.’
Even El Pam hadn’t seen a Poison Mist-casting Manyong before returning to the past.
“That powerful?”
“No way.”
Of course, dragons could simply use magic, but not at that potency.
Equivalent to a 4th or 5th Circle mage, at best.
The reason for such absurd power was one thing alone.
“It’s because of the Hydra’s Heart.”
The legendary item here had fallen into Manyong’s possession.
Anyway, the situation was clear.
“Unexpected.”
And the given situation clearly exceeded even El Pam’s predictions.
He hadn’t anticipated an individual wielding such potent poison.
At that fact, El Pam’s comrades hardened their expressions.
Not from despair of being unable to catch it.
‘How long can Kiri and I hold out?’
It was from wondering if their deaths could buy enough time for El Pam and the others to survive.
Only two weren’t agonizing.
“Good thing, at least.”
“Huh?”
El Pam, upon seeing Manyong, immediately relaxed his previously tense expression.
“That’s a good thing?”
“The Hydra’s Heart item seems far more powerful than I expected. It’ll be a huge help. Fortunately.”
At El Pam’s follow-up explanation, everyone looked even more incredulous.
Joy over an unattainable item?
Then it dawned on them.
‘No way?’
For him to show such confidence meant he had a way to take down that absurd monster.
“Boss, you had something up your sleeve!”
“Exactly.”
“As expected! What is it?”
“My comrades.”
“Huh?”
Dibo, Miner, and Ralph looked utterly baffled at the response.
He was relying on them now, acting all relaxed?
“B-Boss? Sorry, but we’ve never learned how to survive that thing.”
“Kiri has.”
Only then did El Pam’s comrades realize.
Unlike them, Kiri wore a similar expression to El Pam.
“Kiri? You?”
“Master lent me the item he was using.”
And now everyone understood why.
“Master? You mean...?”
Mikhail!
Kiri was equipped with items from none other than the greatest knight in Cygnus Knights history.
“Thanks to this, I can endure that poison.”
“F-For how long?”
“About 10 minutes.”
And that item made it possible.
“Plenty of time. To take down that Manyong.”
To defeat that absurd monster.
“Then let’s start the hunt.”