Volume 7 Chapter 2 Part 2
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Translator: Kell
“Steam Explosion.”
I unleashed the only spell that I had not used so far, aiming at the ground where it was about to land. The moment the dragon landed, my spell activated. The ground shook as a rumbling echoed, not the kind of sound you’d expect from a proper landing.
It’s not often that the power of an AoE spell is concentrated on a single monster because it’s usually spread out over a wide area. But this time, I cast the spell right between the ground and the dragon, sandwiching it, therefore focusing all of its power on the creature’s body.
For the first time, the Jade Dragon let out a pained cry as jewels scattered from its body. The power of the spell had lifted its body, tilting it to its side. No matter how tough it was, the Steam Explosion still hurt it if used like that.
Have another one.
“Dual cast.”
Dual cast is a spell that re-casts the magic I used just before—Steam Explosion, in this case.
With a loud explosion, flames blew the dragon away. This time the spell’s power was not focused on the creature, but it was still enough to knock the dragon off-balance. At first its body was tilting, and now it was on its back.
The spot where the dragon rolled onto was the same spot it was at a moment ago—the bog. But this time it was on its back, in a much more precarious position than before.
It used its tail to get out earlier, but the body of a living creature is not designed to exert power when it’s lying on its back. All the moreso when it’s sinking into mud. Even a strong dragon can’t get out of this situation that easily.
“Gwooaahh!”
The Jade Dragon flailed its limbs and tail around, but it could not regain its posture. On the contrary, the more it struggled, the more its body sank into the mire. No matter how strong it is, it can’t exert its power without a proper foothold.
Still, this situation will not last that long. We need to settle this now.
“Flame, Pillar!” I shouted. “Follow up! Use everything you got!”
A large amount of flame magic rained down on the Jade Dragon. But despite the countless attacks, including two Steam Explosions, the Jade Dragon showed no signs of slowing down. It flailed about on its back as if it had not received any damage at all.
If it gets out this time, there’s no next move. I can cast Steam Explosion again after sixty seconds, but I probably can’t push it back into the bog as easily again. If it came down to an actual battle, the difference in pure power will put us at a huge disadvantage.
“Flame Circle!”
“Fire Arrow!”
“Flame Purification!”
“Fire Bomb!”
As we fired a series of flame magic, the dragon flapped its tail, moving it towards the surrounding trees. I don’t know if it’s doing it on purpose, but its body was gradually moving towards where trees grew.
“Sir Eld, the tree!” the archer in the unit said.
“Just focus on the offensive!” I ordered.
Taking down a tree is easy, but it won’t solve the problem. I chose a field with the fewest footholds, but if the dragon moved a little, there are plenty of spots where its tail can latch onto. That said, it can’t use it to push or pull.
In order to move a body so huge that it takes two Steam Explosions to topple it over, you need a monstrous strength comparable to that of a dragon. The only path to victory is to keep attacking.
Man, tough as always, I thought as I continued watching the dragon wail around.
Of the countless Area Bosses, it’s safe to say that this is one of the most annoying ones. There is no other Area Boss that can take this many attacks but suffer little to no damage, with only a few gems scraped off its body.
Several seconds later, the Jade Dragon’s tail reached a tree. Creaking, the tree tilted, and at the same time, the dragon’s huge body also started moving out of the bog. Even a tree that could easily be rammed down could serve as a foothold for the dragon’s body to move.
Finally, the dragon was out of the bog. Unlike before, it didn’t leap. Instead it dragged its body across the ground as it got up. There was no chance to throw it off balance again with another Steam Explosion.
“Flame Circle!”
“Flame Wall!”
“Fire Blast!”
We continued the barrage of spells. Then suddenly the dragon kicked the ground. After taking one step forward, it let out a cry.
“Gwaaaaahhhh!”
It was completely different from the its previous roar. This time, it was shrill, like it was in pain. Then its legs stopped moving.
We made it.
The flame magic spells were finally starting to show their effects. It would’ve been better for my heart if we got it done sooner, but we still made it in time, so all’s good.
“Almost there! Fire as much flame magic as you can!”
As I shouted my orders, I cast spells left and right. Unable to mount any resistance, the Jade Dragon gradually weakened. There was no trace of its monstrous strength from earlier.
The thick shell made of gemstones made it look like an invincible monster, but inside its amor was just flesh and blood, albeit strong. Because it’s encased in a carapace, it can exhibit ridiculous strength at the expense of durability. The dragon could only wield the power it displayed because of this. Muscles that are supposed to be protected by a shell are vulnerable.
Only flame magic can pierce through the shell and actually reach its muscles. It’s not like the spells can penetrate the armor of jewel, but they can raise its temperature. Flame magic is effective in this case, in the sense that it can pierce through without breaking the armor.
A few degress rise in temperature is pretty useless, but by continuously firing spells, we raised the temperature to the point that it became fatal to the dragon. It might look like our spells have no effect, but once it starts becoming effective, the result is remarkable. The armor that’s supposed to protect the dragon’s body turned into a deadly weapon that scorched it.
Unable to support its own weight, the dragon collapsed on the ground.
“That’s enough! It’s over!” I declared.
Hearing my words, the members of the squad stopped attacking, relief on their faces. It was a tough fight, but after it was done, I found that there were no injuries or deaths on our side. A crushing victory. Of course, the real battle is against the Empire. We don’t want casualties before then.
“Now what to do with this guy?”
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