Novel Full Chapter 85: Leading the Way
Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Leading the Way
Zelir canceled his charge, but Valles’s arrow remained aimed at the young man’s head.
Marcus took a step forward, his body half-shielding Zelir. His deep voice was heavy with menace.
"Who are you, and why are you out here all alone?"
With Valles’s arrow trained on him, the young man shakily raised his hands, his voice stuttering.
"M-m-m-my name is Kaiden... I’m an Adventurer... but we... but we..."
"But your squad’s mission failed, and some of your teammates were killed by a Demon, right?" Gray finished his sentence for him.
Gray’s words were the last straw for Kaiden, who had been struggling to hold it together. His lips turned down, and he burst out crying like a small child.
Seeing this, Valles felt too awkward to keep his arrow pointed at the man’s head and reluctantly lowered it.
"What’s with this guy...?" Zelir’s expression was also a bit conflicted.
If you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to imagine a grown man crying his eyes out like that.
"Whoa, alright, alright, alright..."
Gray slipped over to Kaiden’s side and patted his shoulder. "What’s a grown man like you crying for? C’mon, tell us exactly what happened."
Kaiden sobbed for a long while before finally calming down. He spoke in a hoarse voice.
"We took a mission to eliminate an Earth Lizard Beast... We originally thought it was just... just a slightly stronger Demon, that’s all. But we never expected it to be so terrifying... Doug got hit by it, and his chest was crushed... And Amy..."
At the mention of Amy, the grief on Kaiden’s face deepened.
"Amy tried to save him, but she was struck by the Earth Lizard Beast’s tail... It can also spit venom. Robin’s face was corroded right off... All my teammates..."
Kaiden choked out, "They’re all dead..." before breaking down into loud sobs.
"An Earth Lizard Beast?"
Marcus frowned slightly. "Do you have the commission form?"
Kaiden fumbled around in his tattered Leather Armor for a while before pulling out a crumpled piece of paper.
Marcus took it, and the others gathered around to look.
It was indeed a commission from the Black Stone Town Adventurer’s Guild. The objective was to eliminate the Earth Lizard Beast in the marshlands, and the mission Difficulty was Junior, one star.
This basically confirmed that Kaiden was telling the truth. He really was a pitiful Adventurer whose mission had failed and whose teammates had died tragically.
"Are you... Are you heading back to Black Stone Town?"
Kaiden looked at the group before him, his face filled with misery as he asked, "Can I go back with you? I really can’t... on my own..."
The squad members glanced at Kaiden, then turned away to discuss it among themselves.
"Letting him tag along should be fine. It’s no trouble," said Valles.
"Yeah, let’s take him with us," Gray added.
Marcus nodded as well.
"My thinking is... since we’re already here, we might as well just take care of that Earth Lizard Beast," Zelir suddenly said.
"Huh? Are you serious?" Gray looked at Zelir, a little surprised.
"Of course. It’s just one Earth Lizard Beast, a mere Difficulty-rated Demon. It won’t take much effort," said Zelir.
A look of admiration appeared in Gak’s eyes. He liked this kind of energetic young man.
"But we just got out of a fight..."
Marcus thought for a moment, still a bit concerned. "Zelir, do you have enough Magic Power left? Won’t fighting one battle after another be too exhausting?"
"It’s fine. I have plenty left," Zelir said with a confident smile.
’Even if something unexpected happens, I still have the Energy Crystals that Instructor Marvin and Lante gave me. I can quickly restore my Magic Power.’
Since Zelir was the one who suggested it, and everyone had witnessed his strength, Marcus, Valles, and Gray didn’t argue and all agreed.
Zelir walked up to Kaiden.
"You’re safe now. We can take you back with us."
"Thank you so much!" Kaiden was overjoyed.
"But before that, you need to lead the way for us."
"Lead the way?" Kaiden was confused.
"We’re going to kill that Earth Lizard Beast," said Zelir.
...
Though Kaiden was extremely reluctant, he could only lead the Marcus Squad toward his previous mission area.
’If I refuse, I’ll probably have to walk back alone. In my current state, if I run into any trouble on the way, my fate... probably won’t be a good one.’
Led by Kaiden, the squad left the relatively dry Forest Area and headed toward the low-lying marshlands.
The environment here was more humid, with a muggy feeling in the air. The ground underfoot became muddy and treacherous, like a soaked, thick carpet.
The tall trees of the surrounding area disappeared, replaced by vast stretches of bizarrely shaped deadwood. Their twisted roots were sunk into pools of black water.
Before long, a wide-open marsh appeared before them.
In the center of the marsh was a huge, murky pool. At this moment, a massive, ugly, and ferocious creature was lazing in the muddy water, occasionally rolling over, looking quite comfortable.
The moment Zelir saw the creature, the words "Komodo dragon" popped into his head.
Adventurer’s Association Universal Monster Atlas
[Tier Thirty-One]: Earth Lizard Beast
Individual Threat Rating: [Difficulty]
Appearance:
A large, reptilian Demon, typically over four meters long. Its body is covered in rough, hard, dark-brown scales like rock, and it possesses powerful jaws and sharp claws.
Habitat:
A wetland predator, usually found in swamps, bogs, or damp river valleys.
Special Ability:
The Earth Lizard Beast enjoys rolling in mud. When its scales are mixed with mud and grit, its defensive capabilities are extremely high.
It can also spit a highly corrosive acid that is extremely harmful to the human body and can even rapidly rust metal.
Core Weakness:
No particularly obvious weaknesses have been discovered. To kill it, one must destroy its scales layer by layer to damage its body underneath.
Association Notes:
Do not underestimate the Earth Lizard Beast’s mobility because of its short legs. In fact, its burst speed is extremely high. Be sure to maintain a safe distance.
It is not recommended for squads without a strong ranged class to challenge the Earth Lizard Beast.
"So this is what an Earth Lizard Beast looks like..." Gak was a little surprised.
This particular Earth Lizard Beast was even larger than the Atlas described, its body length likely approaching five meters. Its entire frame was incredibly thick, its head was wide, and a long, forked tongue occasionally flickered from its massive mouth, which was filled with interlocking teeth.
"Your teammates are all..." Valles looked at Kaiden hesitantly.
"There," Gray said, gesturing from a distance toward the Earth Lizard Beast’s bulging belly. "Probably in its stomach."