Chapter 270 End of the Hunt
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/Slash!/
With one last strike as he got into a stance, Dale's sword exploded in red light as he aimed the beast's neck!
By baiting it into biting him, he managed to catch it off-guard, exposing its neck for him to strike.
But of course, a Dragon's neck wasn't something easy to cut, it may very well be one of the harder parts of its body where the thickest and strongest scales converged.
Each scale was about the size of his arm and stronger then a steel plate, several cm thick!
"..."
However, the current Dale put nothing of that on his eyes as he struck downward.
He only had one goal!
/CUT!/
A concentrated and controlled mass of energy was sent straight through the Dragon's scales, yet it still failed in going through its flesh!
"!"
Surprised by its resilience, Dale took a step back, knowing full well what the Dragon was about to do.
"ROAAR!"
In rage and pain, the Dragon spun its body, trying to send Dale away.
It didn't care about its nest anymore, its life was more important than that.
But in this moment of carelessness, Dale executed the next part of his plan.
/SLASH!/
He cut at the ground, dividing the tree's canopy in half, causing the Dragon and himself to fall at the same time.
"ROAAR!"
The Dragon exclaimed as it tried to open its wings and fly away, but he didn't let it.
/SLASH!/
/SPLAT/
Another cut that went straight through its wings, sending the beast falling down a hundred meters onto the forest below.
/DASH!/
Dale followed it by clinging onto the tree, running down as he used a strange Skill to keep his feet tied to the trunk so he wouldn't fall.
Smoke was left behind as he ran, as if he was cutting through a cloud...
/BAM!/
The Dragon fell into the burning forest with a loud collision, releasing a cloud of smoke and fire into the sky as the ground trembled.
"Hupp!"
Dale breathed one last time, dashing into the flames as he drew his sword once more.
/FIRE!/
The Dragon tried to breath fire in his direction, but that was futile.
Dale kicked one of the trees and then another, evading the torrent of hot flames as he aimed at the wound he caused before, slashing at it once more before his strength waned.
/CUT!/
/SPLAT!/
Finally, the Dragon's head fell lifeless onto the burning ground, it's hot blood quickly poured onto the ground, creating a puddle around it as the dirt and leaves were stained red.
"..."
Dale stared momentarily at the body before he decisively turned around and kicked the ground, rising to the skies.
There was still one creature left to kill.
…
/Meanwhile…/
"S-Sister! Your hair's on fire!" Erminia exclaimed as she looked at Eleonora
"Huh?! For fuck's sake! Ermin, do something!"
"Cut it!" He said out loud
"Noooo!"
"This isn't your real hair!" He remembered her with a frown as he looked at his Erminia as she took a dagger from her waist
"Oh…"
/CUT!/
"Ahh..."
"... My hair..."
'It wasn't that long, now it's terribly short...'
"... Phew…"
"What a mess." Ermin said as he looked at his sisters
/Burns…/
The siblings looked at the burning forest behind them, the fire still spreading all around.
"He's taking quite some time, guess he was somewhat challenged this time." Eleonora said with a sigh as she threw her burned hair aside
'Those Dragons were likely the culprits.'
Although they were unable to approach the center of the fight, they saw the two Dragons flying high in the sky.
The rest of their time was spent running away from the overleveled monsters they couldn't face.
Even if they were Level 28 on average and had high Stats, coordination, Skill Levels, and Ability, they still couldn't face a CL 70+ enemy, or any of the other creatures in the forest for that matter.
Even a CL50 would be hard, much less those flying reptiles…
That in itself was impressive for a Standard Player, but they couldn't really be impressed about their achievements after seeing what Dale could do.
[DING]
[You have completed the Mission, Guild Contract: Dragon Hunt (Newborn)]
[Calculating Mission progress…]
/Thud…/
As he heard the message, Ermin sat on a rock nearby, letting out a sigh as he smiled slightly.
"About time, I was about to die."
'... Even though were having fun just running around, I don't think we'll be able to do this for long.'
'It's hypocritical to complain about being carried around, but I'm more worried about him then us.'
'... Well, if he helps us get a few more Favor, that should be enough for us.'
'Once that's done, I'll try to convince my sisters to leave... Yeah.'
Ermin closed his eyes as he rested by a tree.
…
/Meanwhile…/
[Calculating Mission progress…]
[Ding]
[Manifestation of the Perfect Self 1-??? has deactivated]
"!... Huff… Cough!.. Pfft..."
'I hate this feeling.' Dale thought as he wiped blood from his lips, spitting the rest onto the ground
'The sudden deactivation of this Skill disrupts my energy circulation due to the difference between our abilities, stinging my insides a little.'
'This is dangerous. Next time, I'll try to avoid this if possible.'
'But in any case… It's done.'
He looked at the body of the Dragon, letting out a sigh of relief as he smiled proudly.
Who wouldn't be happy to take down a Dragon?
Dale fought some Dragons before, but they weren't the same thing.
He dusted his greaves and sword, only to notice its damaged state.
It was chipped and it even seemed a bit molten, it was unusable anymore.
'Hum, so this is the fate of a weapon when used by me in full power… Well, it lasted long enough for a Unique Grade Sword that I grabbed without much consideration.'
'I don't know what this is made of but it doesn't matter either way.'
'A shame though, the Skills it has are quite good with this Set, I'll try to repair it later but not now.'
'It's at times like this I miss Caladgolg… A simple sword with simple Skills but a lot of lingering power.'
'What surprises me is that I still have some strength left… This isn't everything I can do.' He thought as he looked at his hands
'This Dragon alone did make a drop or two of sweat fall from my forehead, but it wasn't that big of a deal, its flying ability was likely the most annoying part about it.'
'If I had Caladgolg, that wouldn't have been a problem, I wouldn't have had to strategize around it as much… Though if I had it, I would've likely defeated it in a single slash just like the Reflection did against the Great Devil in the Simulation.'
'They're about the same CL after all… Which is quite astonishing.'
'I still don't quite know how the Reflection can draw so much power while in the possession of the sword… And the fact I didn't bring it to test that pains me.'
'But it's like a combination of the sword's ability to amplify my energy plus its own Skill activation, I'll figure it out eventually.'
'In any case, that's all I had to say on this.'
'There's much to learn still.'
[DING]
[Hidden Objective, Hunter has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Draconic Heritage has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Burning Forest has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, A Contract to Remember has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Guild's Pride has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Dragon Slayer has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Dragon Hunt has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Finish the Hunt within Ten minutes has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Seed of Cataclysm (Demonic) has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Seed of Cataclysm (Mutants) has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Seed of Cataclysm (Savage) has been attained]
[Hidden Objective, Seed of Cataclysm (Numbers) has been attained]
"Oh..."
'I forgot about it. The seeds.'
'Strange, this time there were no unique interactions... Is it because the seeds don't mix in with the environment?'
'I'll keep that in mind.'
[DING]
[Achievement: Even the Children?]
[You have been awarded 20,000 Favor]
[Achievement: To bring down the Ruler of the Skies…]
[You have been awarded 25,000 Favor]
[Achievement: First to Complete a Class 2 Mission]
[You have been awarded 50,000 Favor]
[Achievement: First to Complete a 6-Star Mission]
[You have been awarded 50,000 Favor]
[Achievement: First to Complete a 7-Star Mission]
[You have been awarded 75,000 Favor]
[Achievement: First to Complete a 8-Star Mission]
[You have been awarded 100,000 Favor]
[Hidden Achievement: Nature's Menace]
[You have been awarded 50,000 Favor]
[Hidden Achievement: Who needs a Bow?]
[You have been awarded 50,000 Favor]
[Hidden Achievement: Small Time Fable]
[You have been awarded 50,000 Favor]
[Hidden Achievement: To make the Impossible…]
[You have been awarded 100,000 Favor]
[Hidden Achievement: Interest of an Unknown Beast]
[You have been awarded 30,000 Favor]
[DING]
[Calculation completed]
[You've been awarded 200,000 Favor and 1 Loot Box (Material)]
[Due to the Hidden Objectives, you've been awarded an extra 300,000 Favor]
[Due to your Special Packages, all Favor and Recognition rewards times 3]
[Due to the Great Instance Modifier (Demonic), (Mutants), (Savage), (Numbers), rewards are partially modified]
[You've been awarded an extra 500,000 Favor]
[You've been awarded 3,000,000 Favor (Final Value)]
[You have been awarded, Greater Instance Modifier (Savage)]
[A True Hunter can tap into their inner ferocity while maintaining their reason]
[Your Recognition increases and your Achievements spread]
[Many have noticed your actions]
[Within a few seconds, you'll be transported out of the stage]
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Notes
That's about it, I've showed everything I wanted with the initial parts of the Hanging Gardens Arc.
There are some encounters I wanted to show of course, but for now, no more instances like this, no more details.
I hope that I kept you entertained so far, let us proceed... Tomorrow!
Peace!
(Sorry of this came a bit rushed, I'm still constipated and witting with this feeling is... Complicated)
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