Chapter 137 – Wild (4)
The party who heard Roden’s muttering next to him glanced at him.
“”Dinosaur?””
“Master, what does dinosaur mean?”
“Ah… Not a big deal. In my hometown they called the Drakes dinosaurs.”
It would take Roden years to properly teach them what dinosaurs were, as her basic background knowledge was quite different, and with enemies running in, she didn’t have time to leisurely talk.
“Well, it’s not particularly important, so let’s focus on the battle for now.”
“Yes.”
That’s why it’s a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of
‘To be honest, there’s not much difference between a dinosaur and a drake, so the fact that dinosaurs say something isn’t that important… Basically, they are large reptiles. It wouldn’t be strange if people here call me a mutant drake.’
Grabbing a sword of length and weight that was quite similar to the black sword, Roden, who had been newly equipped at the forge he passed through on the journey, looked at the grey-brown dinosaurs that were slowly surrounding them.
Sleek appearance and body movements suitable for it, a theropod the size of an adult male standing tall, and claws reminiscent of hooks.
Because I know with Roden’s knowledge… It shares most of its characteristics with the dinosaur widely called “Velociraptor” Or the nickname “Velociraptor”. He decided to think of them as raptors for convenience.
ㅡDoo-doo-doo-doo!!!
While searching for the enemies, the number of raptors that quickly moved and completely surrounded Roden’s party and opened their mouths threateningly was nine. In terms of head count alone, the difference is more than doubled.
“… There is no indication that it feels different. As you can see, I plan to attack from all sides at the same time. I and Marill will be in charge of the front and back, so you two, Loxia and Merim, will calmly counterattack while responding to the flanks.”
“Quiree!!”
Roden jumped high and slashed the raptor before he could hear an answer from the two.
Chow! Immediately, blood and entrails splattered, the creature broke in two and crashed to the ground.
For a monster on the 1st floor of the dungeon, it showed fairly fast movements, but that’s all, it’s not that great.
‘Hmm… For now, I’ll just deal with two more and let the rest fight them off, which is just the way to gain experience.’
Thinking so, Roden jumped at the two who were about to jump from both sides of the front, approached at a speed that even a raptor’s reflexes couldn’t react, and cut their throats one after another. Slice it gently as if you were cutting vegetables.
The rest of the raptors flinched at the sight of three of their own kind being killed in an instant by just one.
“Curiic!”
“Quayek!”
They signaled each other with nervous cries and started charging at once in all three directions except for Roden.
First of all, instead of prey that is burdensome to deal with right away, they decided to target relatively small and slender females first.
The moment the raptors got closer to the three women and jumped high, Merim, who planted a ring-shaped staff into the ground, chanted an incantation.
“Fire Wall!”
ㅡFire up!
A sudden burst of flame roasted the flying raptors from bottom to top.
You might think that it is dangerous to handle the flames because it is a place with overgrown bushes, but the area around here is quite humid, so the possibility of a large fire is minimal.
Anyway, the heat was fierce, but it wasn’t high enough to burn instantly, so if you passed it quickly like this, you might get light burns, but you wouldn’t be fatally injured.
… It would be a different story if it was linked with other magic.
“Gravity down!”
Loxia’s voice as she swung the wand from top to bottom resonated,
“Quaaaaa!!”
At the same time, the raptors felt a huge, invisible hand pressing down on their bodies, and were driven to the ground like an N or S pole led by magnetic force. In the place where the citadel of roaring flames was built.
Chii profit!! The smell of burning leather stimulates the sense of smell. The raptors, who suffered the pain of being roasted raw from their belly skin sticking to the floor, screamed and struggled, but the force of gravity Loxia was temporarily controlling was stronger than their strength.
Merim looked at the raptors who were slowly being burned to death by the flames rising from below, weighed down by her gravity, with an unexpected look on her face.
“I was planning on putting her on her feet for a few seconds and then pouring in extra hits… Does this work better than expected?”
Wide-range magic, such as gravity control magic, is supposed to lose its effectiveness in proportion to the area it affects. Nevertheless, the magic Roxia is currently using exerted its power to immobilize the enemies in front of it on top of the wall of fire.
‘It’s not my attribute, so I can only teach you basic level earth magic, but you can produce this much power… As the days go by, I’m getting more and more out of common sense. Even if I do this or that, am I the demon lord?’
Although Roxia was pleased with her marked progress as Merim, a position she has been teaching her magic from the time she knew nothing about her magic to this day.
‘… This kid can’t make stupid mistakes like the old me.’
People who consider themselves special are prone to arrogance. Merim, who knew that fact through her own experience, was vaguely concerned about her Roxia’s overgrowth.
“It’s a happy mistake. As long as the two of us keep up with this magic, we’ll be able to deal with these guys comfortably. Sister Merim.”
“Uh… , Huh. If Marill takes care of the remaining drakes, it will be just right.”
Her worries about her uncertain affairs are put aside for now, and Merim, nodding her head at Loxia’s words, looks at Marill as she keeps her magic with her.
Only two left now. Those guys were engaged in a fierce battle with Marill, who was guarding her rear, and blood was flowing all over her body. Anyone can see that Marill has the upper hand.
“Qiaaaaa” !!”
Even when the two raptors were covered in blood, they tried to attack the enemy somehow by wielding sharp teeth and claws like hooks, but to no avail.
Marill made full use of the evasive moves she had learned from Roden, evading with her maximum efficiency, and at the same time launching a sharp counterattack.
“Huh!”
Thinking her slog had been enough, she slithered to the ground with a brief clatter to finish her off, then she slashed her target’s ankle in a watery motion.
With the sound of a sharp sword, the raptor whose tendons were severed collapsed to the ground.
Straightening her stance, Marill thrust her buckler forward as if she were swinging her straight punch, striking her raptor in the head, slamming it all the way to a nearby tree.
ㅡKudeuk… ! Kudo deuk!
Caught between the buckler and the tree, the raptor’s head squeaks, and finally, it’s a poop! Her whole skull was crushed to the bone.
Marill finished the first battle in this dungeon with her single sword, slashing the throat of the raptor struggling on the floor that had just slashed her ankle.
ㅡ Clap! Match! Match!
“They must have been unfamiliar types of enemies, but everyone fought well.”
After clapping her hands lightly and saying thank you for your hard work to Roxia and her twin sister, Roden decides to take a break with them and collect her booty.
Of course, what can be rescued from beasts with only their bodies is blood and flesh.
“This dinosaur… No, the value of drakes is scaled leather. Did you say it comes out especially from the tail? I will do the peeling, so you guys just do the prep.”
… After a while.
The bodies of the raptors were gathered in one place, except for the four burned to death. After cutting off their tails without delay, Loden drew out her slashing knife and thrust it between flesh and hide without hesitation.
ㅡ Whirik, Poof-! Chewy.
“Oh oh…”
An exclamation escaped the mouths of Loxia and her twin sister, who were watching her. Roden’s hand, which peeled her tail skin like a tangerine, was as unstoppable as that of a professional.
“Wow, what a perfect separation. Master. In this state, I can get a good price without looking at it?”
“I heard that tail leather sells for just over 50 coppers on average. Considering that it is on the first floor, it is quite salty.”
A monster’s skin is more valuable the more it peels off without any flaws.
As the two wizards looked at the neatly painted tail leather and spoke one word at a time, Marill was concentrating as much as possible so as not to miss Roden’s hand movements.
Roden smiled lightly at Marill’s willingness to learn these little things from herself, and either slowed her movements down or let her practice them herself, stripping off the rest of her tail.
‘… I should also take care of the meat. When else will I be able to try dinosaur meat?’
Roden took a pound of meat from the appropriate part.
The leather on the body side is also somewhat expensive, but it takes a lot of weight to take care of everything sparingly, and it will take a lot of time, so I left it as it was and went on.
Afterwards, while exploring the jungle on the first floor of the Wild Dungeon, Roden and his party encountered other dinosaurs besides the raptors who would fight them from time to time.
It is a herbivorous dinosaur called “Protoceratops” In modern times, with a head shape reminiscent of a shield when viewed from the front.
The guys, who were on average a little bigger than wild boars, didn’t show any signs of being hostile to a group of humans like Roden’s party.
If you approach them blatantly, they threaten you, and you can often see carcasses being eaten by a group of raptors.
About two hours after entering the dungeon, Roden and the others, who were experiencing a part of the Cretaceous period and feeling strange feelings… I opened the gate to the next layer, and threw myself towards it without hesitation.
* * *
At the same time, the top floor of the Mage Tower in the Colorado Branch.
Artera, the mage lord who was looking through the piles of papers and research journals as always, was staring intently at Loxia’s wizard registration application, which she had just checked.
“… So you’re saying that this demon is the disciple brought by Merim? When was the last time you visited?”
“According to the guide, it was the day before, in the morning to be exact. Master of the Magic Tower.”
“Keuheum, Merim too… If I had revealed my name to the same mage, not the staff, I would have met him right away…”
The gray-haired middle-aged wizard, drooling and groping his long beard like a mountain god, handed over Loxia’s application form to his assistant and apprentice right next to him.
“If it’s a demon, you can quickly find out where they are staying in the city. As soon as you find it, tell them to visit the top floor of the Magic Tower as soon as possible. And of course…”
“Yes, I will instruct Merim to come along. Master of the Magic Tower.”
The disciple who received the application form respectfully bowed his head and went downstairs.
So, left alone in the room, the Magic Tower Master turned his back on the desk with all kinds of papers scattered around and looked down at the city scenery through the window, hoping in his heart to reunite with Merim.
‘I made a demon as a disciple… It’s like that child. To be an adventurer. It’s been a while since I’ve met a fickle person who kicked the chance to become the next Mage Tower Master candidate.’
