EP.49
“Great Master! Anodontosaurus is an immensely powerful spirit creature that wields that iron mace with great proficiency!”
【Anodontosaurus lv32】
【Status】
『Fury』 『Fear』
Fury? And fear?
These were contrasting states.
The only clear information was that this dinosaur was extremely angry.
And its name was not Ankylosaurus, but Anodontosaurus.
“…Upon closer inspection, it looks a bit different from what I’ve heard. Is it not a spirit creature yet? Still, it’s definitely not an opponent to be taken lightly!”
That statement was correct.
Even though it was smaller than an Ankylosaurus, it still possessed a tremendous size.
The opponents I had faced so far, despite their length, did not give off a robust feeling; they seemed somewhat insubstantial. However, Anodontosaurus was different.
With its armored body and that massive mace-like tail.
It was certainly not an opponent that could be dismissed lightly.
But there was one positive aspect.
It was a herbivorous dinosaur.
If I wasn’t hunting it, it likely wouldn’t attack first.
I didn’t know why it was angry, but that was irrelevant to me.
“Gek gek.”
Let’s just pass peacefully.
I was planning to leave this place anyway.
I expressed my intention with a gentlemanly demeanor.
Kwah-ah-ahng!
The stalactite in the cave was literally shattered.
“Kyah-aaah!”
It opened its mouth and roared.
Its mouth, so meager that one could say it had no teeth, actually made it seem even more grotesque.
As expected, it indeed had a fiery temperament.
It was not a being that could hold any conversation.
“G-Great Master! This time, let me use my Ten Thousand Flowers Rain….”
I shook my head.
“Grrr…”
Look at its bulk.
Would it be possible to inflict any harm on that body?
And I didn’t think Tang So-young could use Ten Thousand Flowers Rain either.
Even if she could, it would only be a difference between a mild poison and a severe poison.
I gently pushed Tang So-young away.
“Ge-ge-geg.”
You take care of the spiders.
Especially catch Nephila well.
If you intervene again, it could turn out to be a real disaster.
“Craaaargh!”
I roared at the Anodontosaurus.
The meaning of my roar was, of course, to draw its attention toward me.
It was a formidable opponent.
Even if three Dilophosaurus charged at it, that dinosaur would easily prevail.
The poison attack was a variable, but it could easily crush a head before getting poisoned.
Though I had evolved and grown stronger, fighting three Dilophosaurus would still be tough.
Two alone would already be overwhelming.
There was a clear difference in combat power between it and me.
Even so, the reason why I didn’t flee and chose to confront it was due to the advantage of my combat style.
In terms of combat style, I had the advantage.
It would attack head-on, relying on the defense of its tough armor and the power of its tail — that’s the biggest characteristic of sauropods.
In contrast, I preferred a combat style that utilized quick movements to evade attacks thanks to my agility, then unleashing powerful techniques like Dragon Claw Technique.
Having also mastered poison techniques, I could say that I was a direct counter to the combat style of the Anodontosaurus.
Thud!
Thud!
It charged at me.
Its speed was faster than I had anticipated.
But it was an obvious move.
It could either slam its head into me or spin its body to swing its heavy tail toward my head.
I was confident that I wouldn’t be hit by either.
Here it comes.
Whoooooooosh.
Its tail.
Kwah-aa-aaang!
An immense tremor spread throughout the cave.
If I hadn’t dodged, a single strike could have killed me.
But if I didn’t get hit, it meant nothing.
It was currently in a spinning motion.
Naturally, the attack privilege had to be mine….
Kwah-aa-aaang!
Once again, its tail smashed against the wall.
Kwah-aa-aaang!
For a dinosaur, it shouldn’t be able to execute such movements.
The reason its attacks wielded such overwhelming power was that the force generated while spinning was concentrated in its tail. Therefore, after one failed attack, the attack privilege ought to shift to me.
Yet it continued to launch attacks.
Kwah-aa-aaang!
By a hair’s breadth, I dodged its spinning attacks.
I was out of breath.
How on earth was it capable of continuing such an assault?
This was not the movement of a dinosaur.
It was martial arts.
To be precise, I had to think of it as grappling with a martial artist wielding an iron mace.
Kwah-aa-aaang!
But this martial artist was armored as well.
An immense force shook the ground.
It felt similar to the pressure I experienced when Baek Yeon-Young walked.
Strong.
Very strong.
In terms of scale, I was overwhelmingly at a disadvantage.
I may have grown significantly, but it’s a monster that fluctuates around the ton range.
I wasn’t sure about its speed of movement, but I found it hard to believe I had the upper hand in attack speed.
I hurriedly threw myself backward to create distance.
A direct confrontation was impossible.
[Activating “Poison Generation lv1”.]
Thus, I turned away.
I created poison in the air.
Swoosh!
Of course, I didn’t plan to hit it directly with this poison like I did against the Deinonychus.
I wouldn’t be able to inflict a critical injury on that size unless I was attacking internally.
I continued to consume MP.
The cave floor was soaked in poison.
Boom.
Boom!
It immediately stomped forward to pursue me.
The Anodontosaurus charged at me with fierce momentum.
I aimed for its flank using the Little Dragon Ascending Technique.
Whooooooosh.
At that exact moment, as its tail was about to swing toward me—
Smash!
It crashed into the wall.
Wall Contraction.
The movement of a tiger.
No, it was the movement of a gecko.
I kicked off the wall and quickly occupied the opposite side.
Its tail was now in a different position.
This was the optimal timing.
However.
I decided to hold back for one moment.
Whooooooosh!
The Anodontosaurus’s extraordinary reflexes brought its tail right to where I was.
If it had attacked right away, that tail would’ve shattered my skull.
But now, it was my victory.
Crash!
The massive body of the Anodontosaurus fell down in an instant.
After moving its heavy tail like that, losing balance was only natural.
Moreover, the floor was slick with poison, making it easy to slip.
It was enough for it to fall.
Now was my chance.
I had to unleash a barrage while it struggled to rise.
I crossed my hands and gathered great strength.
Dragon Claw Technique.
But I wasn’t satisfied with just that.
[Activating “Poison Concentration lv1”.]
I concentrated the poison spread across the ground at a single point.
This skill doesn’t have a long range, so it was impossible to use from afar like an interception.
But that was fine.
The point where I gathered the poison was my fingernail.
The Dragon Claw Technique and the poison attack erupted simultaneously toward it.
It had no means left to withstand this assault.
It was over now.
Swoosh!
Just as I unleashed the Dragon Claw Technique toward it—
“Great Master! Behind you!”
Kwah-aa-aaah!
A tremendous impact struck my body.
I literally flew several meters from the sheer force.
Crash!
…What just hit me?
My head was spinning.
Though my body was protected by the Dragon Scale, I suffered the brunt of that overwhelming shock.
I couldn’t gather my thoughts.
“G-Great Master! G-Great Master!”
No, I had to focus.
I clenched my teeth and stood up.
How did it attack me in that situation?
There was no way it could have raised its body in that brief span of time.
Whooooosh.
The sight before my eyes was shockingly astounding.
Whooooosh.
It hadn’t risen at all.
It maintained its original fallen position.
Kwah-aa-ah!
However, it was spinning its body wildly, wildly swinging its tail.
I still couldn’t shake the thought that it was a dinosaur.
It was a human, wielding a mace while wearing the guise of a dinosaur.
That was how I had to think about it.
Kwah-gwah-gwah!
Whoooosh.
Whoooosh.
Kwah-ahn!
It approached me while remaining on the ground.
I didn’t know the principle behind it, but it was moving by rotating its shell.
Kwah-gwah-gwah!
It was truly the technique of a master wielding an iron mace.
I had taken a significant shock from its attack.
My focus was off.
Moreover, I had instinctively raised my left hand to block its attack to some extent, which reduced the damage.
Thanks to that, my left hand was mangled.
Even after blocking, it was this bad; if I allowed just one more effective hit, it would be game over for me.
I had no leisure to look behind.
“Grrrrrr.”
After all, I was in a situation where one more attack would seal my fate.
Swish!
I transformed the shape of the Dragon Scale.
It maximized my attack power, resembling a Western dragon.
I had to pour everything I had into this.
[Activating “Wrath lv1”.]
[Temporarily acquiring “Ten Thousand Flowers Rain”.]
This was the hidden technique the Dilophosaurus had shown me.
The technique known as Ten Thousand Flowers Rain involved launching numerous projectiles.
The Dilophosaurus substituted its feathers, soaked in poison, as projectiles.
I had nothing like that.
Hence, my version of Ten Thousand Flowers Rain was incomplete.
No.
It was not even a quarter of that.
Swoosh!
The poison on the ground surged toward it.
Normally, such an attack wouldn’t inflict any damage.
However, the beast was currently exposing its most vulnerable area: its belly.
It would definitely have some effect.
Crack!
Whoosh!
Its speed decreased.
However, this too was not lethal.
Even if it was poisoned, it wasn’t at a level that could kill it.
My technique was hastily cobbled together to mimic Ten Thousand Flowers Rain.
[Activating “Wrath lv1”.]
I drew together all my remaining MP.
[Temporarily acquiring “Nine Yin White Bone Claw”.]
Previously, it was merely a vaguely used technique.
But now, with my anger peaked and using all my internal power, I wielded it.
The Ten Thousand Flowers Rain I had just used was insignificant compared to the original.
It was only natural that it would be weak, having been hastily created by the system’s power.
The Nine Yin White Bone Claw was also something hastily borrowed from the system.
However, though vague, I had already used it once.
Crack!
I remembered how to use it and the incantations that formed it were firmly in my mind.
Shatter the enemy’s skull with your five fingers.
Kwah-aa-aaah!
With all my internal power, my five claws shattered the enemy’s skull.
Crack.
Pop.
The hard-hit Anodontosaurus collapsed right there.
Yes.
I had won.
It had truly been a continuous series of dangerous moments.
The Anodontosaurus was indeed a formidable opponent.
After shattering its skull, all my claws were now broken.
The moment I was hit by its iron mace, my defeat was practically guaranteed.
Look. Even now, it was difficult to move my body…
…
I defeated the enemy, yet why hadn’t my level increased?
Whooooosh!
Its tail whipped around with incredible speed.
It wasn’t dead yet.
There was no dodging this.
I couldn’t reuse the Nine Yin White Bone Claw.
The Dragon Claw Technique was out of the question too.
My left hand was already mangled, and my other hand’s claws were all broken too.
What was left for me now were my tail.
And my legs.
It was a matter of fight or faint.
I supported my body with my left leg.
Minimizing my body’s movement, I extended my right leg forward.
My target was not the mace, but the joint between the mace and the bone.
I had to strike there to block its attack.
Kwah-aa-aaah!
Dust filled the air.
…Did I succeed?
Yes. The very fact that I could think this means I had succeeded.
But why was there no sensation in my leg?
It couldn’t be that my leg was chopped off from its attack, as it didn’t hurt at all.
So, did it mean I hadn’t even hit the Anodontosaurus’s tail?
It was an incomprehensible situation.
“Lizard.”
A familiar voice rang out.
“Little lizard.”
There was only one person in this world who would call me a little lizard.
As the dust settled, her figure appeared.
She lightly grasped the Anodontosaurus’s tail with one hand and looked directly at me.
“…You’re not so little anymore.”
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