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ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 377 Part 2

ShangriLa Frontier Chapter 377: Side Story 1 – The Tiger Hunting Pankration – Part 2

When it comes to Saiga-0, she tends to compare all of the monsters she encounters to the Nightprowler Luukan without fail. That is why whenever she was fighting some wild beasts she would never feel pressure or fear, since all the other beast-enemies paled in comparison to Luukan.

「Judging by its looks…… I don’t think that it possesses any kind of elemental properties.」

If it would be indeed like so, it would mean that this was simply a large beast that relies on brute strength in combat. But no, Saiga-0 shook her head here, coming to the conclusion that it was still too soon for them to actually decide on things like that without any kind of proof.

Elemental attributes…… Here in this game, there is no guarantee that a monster would not have some of them to its disposal. And even if they did, why would it be indicated in a straightforward way to the players?

After all, Nightprowler Luukan’s Shadow powers are not related to any attribute of any kind. However, if you were to ask if Luukan is all about raw brute power, that would not be the case, either.

When facing a new opponent in battle it is imperative to determine the nature of that monster and discover the possible attack patterns it might have. And a knack and keen eye for observation is something that any player aspiring to be the “top” of this game should possess. In the least, that is.

Needless to say, after overcoming many strong opponents alongside the top players of this game, Saiga-100 included, Saiga-0 had the exact sense to analyze her opponents and the necessary skills to do so.

As a side note here, Saiga-0 was sure that a certain bird-headed individual who was not playing as a President also possessed such observation skills, and that those skills of his were even better than her own.

In other words, when it comes to assessing the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses and attack patterns is to see and experience them for yourself and then refer them to the similar attacks and patterns that you have experienced before or in any other game out there.

Not to mention that Sanraku was probably used to his opponents suddenly switching attack patterns and behaviors, since that is exactly what shitty games would throw the player’s way, not to mention various bugs and glitches.

「……!! Diale-san! Watch out not to stand in front of it when it opens up its mouth!」

「So, it has a roaring attack up its sleeve, huh!?」

The tiger starts to inhale the air into its lungs which causes its chest to expand so much that you would think its ribs would start to break one after another. It was an action that would clearly not be any mere howl. And if anyone in here would take a look at what was happening to the tiger right about now, they would surely see a tsunami-like effect being released from the tiger’s opened mouth.

「GOROROROROROAAAAAA!!!」

A roar. There was a huge sonic blast just now, one strong enough to shatter the atmosphere and heat up the air, obliterating everything that stood in its path in a straight line.

To describe this effect in simple terms, it was as if you just shot a blast of microwaves from the tiger’s mouth. It was a simple yet very effective ability.

「W-Whoa there?! The tree just exploded to bits!?」

「Apparently its breath works just like a microwave oven! It’s an attack that is going to be extremely potent against any form of organic enemies! …… Or no, that’s not it! We should come forward and face it head on!」

「Huuah!? Are you out of your mind!?」

「It’s going to be okay, we are going to win this battle for sure. I shall draw its attention towards myself, while you should focus on preparing your strongest attack, Diale-san!」

「Guh…… Nununu, alright! I get it! But don’t you think that going out there right in front of it is going a little bit overboard here!?」

Saiga-0 smiled reassuringly towards Diale, but since she was wearing a fully plated body armor with a face engraved in its helmet, the Vorpal Bunny was unable to see that at all.

Therefore, an attack like that has one fundamental flaw, even though at first sight it may sound and look quite menacing, being effective against all humanoid opponents, regarding their equipment and skills.

「…… After all, microwaves can only heat the things that are on the inside, they cannot cause direct harm to the things that are outside.」

That is, if you possess any kind of physical barrier, you can block that attack no problem. That is why Saiga-0 equipped a long, jet-black sword in her hands, a sword that is almost as long as she was tall. Then, brandishing that sword, she stands right in front of the tiger.

「Let’s hunt us some tigers, shall we!?」

When going against the beasts, there is no need for concern when it comes to one’s action being fair or not. There is only a head-on clash, and the loser will be the one who exposes their back to certain death as a result of said clash.

That is why this beast…… A beast whose name is going to be later revealed as Lore Tiger…… can only follow its basic instincts, and clash with its opponents head-on, realizing that their opponent was a formidable one that needed to be completely dominated.

「Kuh……!」

The guard skill “Protect Charge” is a skill that can be used with shields exclusively, but upon mastering it, you could use it in combination with the belly of the breatswords, since it could also be used as a shield. So right about now, the assault that would only be possible with a great shield in hand collided head on with the advancing body of the Lore Tiger.

The two of them clashed with a mighty THUD! and Saiga-0 could feel that she was actually being pushed back a little bit. However, she still managed to endure the mighty pressure of her opponent and stood her ground firmly.

「……!!」

This might be a little bit off-topic here, but feline creatures and monsters tend to have flexible bodies and can perform almost acrobatic-like movements with relative ease. Because of that their skin tends to be stretchy. What I wanted to say here is that you can easily grab those flabs of skin, even though your opponent may be the size of a small car or a light truck.

「…… “HIGHEST STRENGTH”!!」

The moment she shouted those words, a skill activated and Saiga-0’s Strength received a tremendous boost for a short duration. Thanks to that Saiga-0 was able to repel the pressing tiger and push it back, not forgetting to seize the opportunity and grab the tiger by the throat the moment the monster was left open for attacks.

「This is Saiga Style…… Self-Defence!」

Saying that, she squatted down, assumed the proper stance, and finally managed to throw in the air the opponent that was way bigger than she was.

It was a martial art that puts emphasis on things different than your standard self-defense techniques, such as imitating the image and stance of the enemy, instantly adjusting to that enemy and throwing them faster than they would expect you to act.

Seeing the image of the armored knight being able to lift up and carry such a giant tiger over her head, Diale could only whisper in admiration as he was about ready to cast the spell he was preparing.

「I honestly can’t tell who the real monster is in here anymore.」

Those were the kind of words that any pure-hearted maiden of seventeen-years-old would be deeply hurt to hear.