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Volume 8 Chapter 6 Part 3

Translator: Kell

The second method is to fortify your defense and let the enemy wear itself down. But this, too, is difficult.

A Sage’s defensive spells are not suited to withstand attacks for very long periods of time. Magic Veil is the strongest, but it consumes a large amount of mana each time the caster is attacked, so it’s more for emergency use than for long-term endurance. No matter how versatile Sages are, tanking attacks continuously is a tough task.

I would guess that one attack will consume at least twenty percent of mana. Unfortunately, I don’t have the firepower to defeat the enemy before I run out of juice. If this were BBO, I could last a long while by drinking mana potions, but in this world, there’s none of that, at least not enough to restore my mana.

There are other fighting styles as well, like not casting Magic Veil to conserve mana, and enduring the pain of the attack, while healing with recovery magic or healing potions, but this would require the strength to withstand at least one blow to the body. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. If I take a direct hit, I’m insta-dead.

Using Critical Counter is an option, but likely impossible to apply in this case. Not only are Critical Counters difficult to land, a Dwarf Dragon’s attacks are so fast that timing your weapon perfectly is pretty much a matter of luck. Even the best at using Critical Counters would probably only be able to parry half of the attacks.

It looks like I got all the doors closed around me. The well-known methods in BBO can’t handle the current situation. So I decided to use a method that didn’t exist in BBO.

“Magic Veil.”

First I cast Magic Veil so I wouldn’t die instantly from an attack. And then…

“Fire Bomb”.

For now, I’m going to fire one offensive spell. I’m not going to use Steam Explosion. Not because I’m saving it, but I plan to not use it even once in this fight.

The spell has high power output, but because I would get caught in the blast, it would limit my movements. If I’m caught in the blast with Magic Veil on, it would only reduce my mana, and Steam Explosion’s mana consumption is also ridiculously high. It’s an excellent Skill, but it’s only a hindrance in this battle.

In response to my attack, the Dwarf Dragon let out a weak roar, as though it wasn’t hurt at all. Fire Bombs have a small explosion radius, so they usually hit even an enemy like the Dwarf Dragon, but it’s not really powerful. Steam Explosion is dozens of times more powerful than Fire Bomb.

In fact, my Fire Bomb would not do much damage to a Dwarf Dragon. However, if I hit it countless times, it would eventually have an effect.

Anyway, I don’t really expect much from my firepower, so it’s no problem. There’s not much difference between withstanding an attack for thirty minutes or three hours. Since I don’t have enough firepower, the important thing in this battle is to create a situation in which I can continue to withstand attacks.

If I can balance mana consumption with recovery, I can prolong the battle as long as necessary. In a one-on-one battle against a superior opponent, this is the right way to go. The problem is that I have no potions for this.

I can think of several ways to defeat this thing, but let’s try the easy ones first. I have a feeling it won’t work, but there’s no harm in trying.

“Sticky Bomb.”

I cast a restraining spell and bound the Dwarf Dragon to the ground. If this could restrain it, it should be easier to kill.

Dwarf Dragons’ abilities lean more towards physical strength. In exchange for its ridiculous power, they don’t have Fire Breath or the power of flight that ordinary dragons use. It doesn’t have a single means of long-range attack, which means I don’t have to be afraid of anything as long as I keep my distance.

A move that I couldn’t use in BBO could probably be used in this world.

“Sticky bomb. Sticky Bomb.”

Once I confirmed that the first Sticky Bomb hit, I followed it up with more. Dwarf Dragons essentially don’t dodge weak attacks. Therefore, it’s easy to hit them with magic, but it’s also difficult to keep them in check by forcing them to dodge.

In other words, I can use all the status effect magic I want. Although, whether or not they’re effective is another matter.

“How’s that?”

As I watched, the Dwarf Dragon, bound by Sticky Bombs, took a step forward. It was as though there weren’t even any Sticky Bombs there at all.

It’s not that the spell didn’t work. The floor where Sticky Bomb had been just a moment ago crumbled and peeled away. It managed to get itself free through sheer power.

“Gwwoohh?”

Sensing something off, the Dwarf Dragon seemed confused. However, it didn’t look at all like it was having difficulty moving. It was as if it had stepped on a piece of gum while walking down the street.

I thought it would be useful if it could stop in its tracks for at least one second, but even triple-layered Sticky Bomb did nothing. I suppose it’s not really about how many Stick Bombs I cast, but how tough the floor is.

“I knew it…”

The reason why no one had come up with a strategy for the Dwarf Dragon, despite its obvious weakness of having no long-range attacks, was because there was no way to keep your distance from it.

If you tried to tie them up, they would escape by force. If you tried to escape, they would close the distance at a speed faster than even high-mobility spells. If you tried floating in the air, they would knock you down using its tremendous leaping power.