Volume 7 Chapter 2 Part 1
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Translator: Kell
“Enemy in sight!” the Spy, a class that possessed excellent vision, cried. “It’s a monster that looks like a mass of jewels!”
I can think of a few types of monsters that fit the criteria of “a mass of jewels with mana greater than an Emperor Ogre”. Most of them, however, can be taken down with two Steam Explosions. There’s one kind that’s difficult to deal with, but the rest we can kill in seconds.
“Any other features?” I asked.
“It looks like a dragon… no, a big lizard. A wingless dragon of some sorts…”
“A Jade Dragon, huh? That’s gonna be a problem.”
Apparently, we came across the one that’s difficult to deal with. The Jade Dragon is a monster that’s one of… no, the sturdiest of all gem-type Area Bosses. In terms of durability, it’s almost at the same level as a Raid Boss.
It’s not that it’s physically strong, but it’s just simply hard. You can’t deal damage to it. The jeweled armor that covers its entire body repels not only physical attacks, but also special ones such as fire, cold air, and even poison.
But a tough defense is not all that it possesses. Unlike normal dragons, a Jade Dragon doesn’t fly or breathe fire. Instead, it has a robust jaw for chewing rocks, its main diet, and extraordinary strength befitting its huge body.
Shields and armor are useless against this monster. These equipments are merely lumps of metal essentially. Correction. For a Jade Dragon, they don’t even count as lumps; they’re more like thin sheets.
What can a few millimeters or centimeters of metal do to protect against an enemy whose staple food is rocks harder than metal?
If armor is nothing to the dragon, human flesh and bones are not much different from tofu to it. Once you are caught in its jaws, you will be cut in half before you even get the chance to fight back. A Critical Counter with a sword is meaningless if the entire weapon is devoured.
Tough and powerful. Its lack of special abilities made it virtually invincible. It’s basically a war tank that possesses extraordinary strength.
From a purely ranking perspective, the Raid Boss I killed in the past, the Lightning Dragon, is higher. But that monster had a weakness. It doesn’t perceive humans as enemies unless attacked first, so even an imperfect powerful attack can land a hit if launched first. That’s why I was able to take one down back then.
The Jade Dragon, on the other hand, has no such obvious weaknesses. It’s much more difficult to deal with a solo physical attack aimed at you directly than some flashy lightning or flame attack.
It’s the worst possible enemy for humans, who use techniques to compensate for their lack of strength.
“Stay away from the enemy at all costs!” I roared. “Don’t even think defensive magic will work!”
“C-Copy that!”
Sensing the serious situation from my tone, the troops’ expression changed. As I watched them, I began preparations for battle.
“Water Discharge.”
I sprayed water using magic on the ground in front of me, soaking the ground. Since defensive magic and counters are ineffective, our only choice is to to use other means to stall the monster. Even I can’t take a Jade Dragon down by fighting it head-on.
“Anyone who can use water-type magic, do the same!”
“Yes, sir!”
Normally, I would use Sticky Bomb to halt enemies in their tracks, but unfortunately I can’t use it against the Jade Dragon. Nothing wrong with the spell itself. It’s just that the ground itself gets ripped apart. Even a strong adhesive is useless if the entire earth underneath is pulled out.
If the Jade Dragon had a weakness, it would be the weight of the jewels covering its entire body. While it possesses enough power to support its huge body and move quickly, it still needs to kick the ground to move. So the answer is not to pin it to the ground, but make it sink.
“Gwwwwooooaaaahhh!”
The Jade Dragon’s roar reverberated from deep within the forest. It should have been several kilometers away, but it sounded pretty close now.
“Watch out for objects from above!” I said.
“Does it use long-range attacks?”
“No. It’s the trees and rocks that get thrown in the air!”
While we were talking, a tree came flying from afar. It wasn’t a branch. It was a hardwood tree that had snapped from the middle of its trunk. Probably weighing a few tons, it was flying through the air like a pebble.
An Archer quickly moved away from his position, and the tree landed where he was just seconds ago. It wasn’t exactly an attack from the Jade Dragon. The tree just happened to be on the monster’s path as it charged straight at us.
It would’ve immediately killed anyone it hit. Shields can protect against sharp knives, but they’re useless against a runaway truck. Pure force and speed are powerful weapons in their own right.
“Here it comes!”
Finally, the enemy revealed itself. A mass of glittering jewels was approaching us furiously, flinging trees and rocks along its way. From a distance, it looks like nothing more than a pile of treasure, but when it’s closing in at a high speed, the jewels look like sharp spears.
“Keep the water flowing!”
The ground in front of us was already a bog. However, the Jade Dragon did not even try to avoid it. It probably has no concept of evasion in the first place. It hasn’t experienced anything that required it.
As it charged straight forward, the Jade Dragon lost momentum right in front of us. Its body was sinking into the muddy, wet ground. First phase of the strategy is a success.
“Cast Flame Magic!” I ordered. “Flame Circle!”
“Aura of Fire!”
“Flame Wall!”
An all-out attack of fire magic struck the Jade Dragon. Yet as it body burned, it never let out so much as a shriek. It probably doesn’t feel anything at all. Gemstones are highly heat-resistant. Actually, comparing heat resistance of living beings to inorganic substances is wrong.
Nevertheless casting spells is better than cutting it down, since it wouldn’t be able to repel magic completely. We might not be able to cause pain, but the temperature of its body surface would still increase.
“Even if it doesn’t look like it’s working, keep attacking!” I said, firing as much spells as possible. There was no response, but I didn’t let up.
An armor made of gemstone is not conductive, and water and acids have no effect on it. Our fire magic may not be that effective, but it’s the best we got in this situation.
Of course, the Jade Dragon won’t just sit there quietly. It’s not like we rendered it immobile using binding magic. It was just sinking in the mud. I chose a spot where the ground was the most loose, but there’s always a limit.
“Gwoooooooooooooooaaaahhh!”
As the dragon roared, its body began to lift off the ground. Although its legs were completely buried, the huge crystal at the tip of its long tail was on hard ground. After an air-shaking roar, the ground cracked, and the creature leapt.
“What?!”
With a rumble that shattered the earth, the Jade Dragon jumped to the air. Its sheer strength allowed it to lift its huge body up with only its tail. It leapt to the side, to hard ground.
I’ve been waiting for this exact moment.
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