Chapter 34
“You don’t...”
“Hmm? Is something the matter, Yukihisa?”
“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”
... you can’t hear the monster at all?
“That’s our target, isn’t it? It looks really tough...”
Must be Veno’s translation skill that enables me to understand then.
“Muuuu...”
“Woof, woof!”
‘Deny it as you may, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is my territory now.’
Is this some sort of turf war?
No... the alpha Midnight Blue Wolf must be angry that Elbatoxin’s indiscriminately spreading diseases.
‘Well... I shan’t bother with such trivial matters. See how generous I am to you? After all, you have done such a splendid job for me. I shall return the favor and circulate in the swamp the disease I have made. My magnum opus, that is.’
The thought of those zombie dogs suddenly crossed my mind.
Maybe they’re created by this guy.
And then Elbatoxin gives me a contemptuous look.
‘Well, well, well. Look who’s back. To think that I’d ever see you again... consider your fortune mine now, Veno Yveval, the Defiant Dragon.’
What?! It can sense our Spirit Link?
Surely that was just a wild guess.
Actually, that’s quite the curious name that you go by, Veno.
‘Hmph. If anything would conspire with humans in some underhanded tactic... it would be none other than a puny, cowardly newt that is begging for its life. I had forgotten thine existence until now.’
Elbatoxin’s face stiffens and his anger simmers.
‘Heh heh heh... it may have been a while since I’ve heard you speak, but you really are as stuck up as ever, almost as if you don’t know your place. Don’t you know you are no longer the absolute might you think you still are?’
It’s being strangely smug, but it’s acting like a little kid.
‘I thought the dark magic from foolish humans—Forced Possession Summoning—would be rather annoying, but it turns out that it’s providing me with this great opportunity. I should be grateful for the chance to slay you in such a weakened state. Think of the prestige I’ll get!’
‘Hah... thou art but small fry undeserving and unnecessary of Forced Possession Summoning. Even as I am now, thou art still leagues behind me.’
Hey, I mean, we all know that I’m about to fight the guy, so couldn’t you perhaps cut out the dick-measuring contest?
Veno lights up an arrow indicator in my vision, as if telling me to shut up.
I look at where he highlighted and I see Elbatoxin’s veins bulging out.
I get it. He’s playing it all cool but he’s beyond fuming.
‘You sure are still acting all mighty... but that’s fine. I shall now blow you to pieces!’
‘Hmph. I would like to see thee try.’
Without missing a beat, Elbatoxin looks at us, takes a deep breath, and sprays a purplish gas.
“Woof!”
“Mu?!”
The Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha latches his fangs onto Muu, pulls it away from the frontline, and duck behinds me.
“Kya!”
The wolf is even carrying Arleaf with its tail and totally using me as a shield!
“Hey!”
Immediately after, Elbatoxin’s breath engulfs me.
It felt like... simply a breeze from the wind.
Wait, is this the breath he laces with bacteria and virus?!
Shit, I’m screwed! Oh, and don’t just use me as a shield so casually!
‘What art thou doing? Are you not going to counterattack?!’
Oh, right, right.
His breath obscures my vision like a layer of smoke, but while it’s still not sure about the results of its attack, I shake my crossbow to load it.
I use Poison Enchantment and select Moderate Paralysis Poison to freeze it in place.
Thud! It sounds like I got it good.
‘Gah! Wh-What?!’
Elbatoxin sounds surprised.
The smoke clears, and I see that the bolt had merely pierced Elbatoxin’s arm a little.
“Awoo!”
The Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha throws Muu on its back and rushes over to Elbatoxin.
“Mu... muuuu!”
In that split second, Muu gets a grasp on the situation, sticks his axe up, and slams a Hatchet Crash down onto Elbatoxin.
‘Fools! Such an obvious move will n—what?!’
Well, sure, if it were just Muu, you’d likely to have avoided it.
But, it’s not alone.
Muu is strikes from the back of his noble steed, the Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha.
It probably wasn’t too steady on the wolf’s back, so it might not have struck as hard as it should’ve. Then, the Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha quickly circles behind Elbatoxin and leaps up for Muu to cleave it.
“Muu! Mr. Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha! I’ll support you!”
Just to be doubly sure, Arleaf casts Binding Whip and vines tangle up Elbatoxin’s feet, ensnaring it in place.
It immediately rips off the vines, but that second was more than enough.
With a hard strike to its back, Elbatoxin almost topples over.
‘Guh... don’t get cocky, you twerps! Haaaaa!’
A purple liquid spews out from Elbatoxin.
It’s like an area of effect version of Poison Release.
I might be able to copy that.
“Woof!”
The Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha sees the liquid and takes a great leap backwards with Muu still on its back.
Some sort of bodily fluid oozes out from where Muu struck with its axe.
The liquid quickly seals the wound on its back, turning it into a scab.
Elbatoxin then pulls the bolt out of its arm while glaring at me.
‘You shouldn’t get cocky just because you hit me once or twice. You are already infected by the disease I have released. Take this! Rapid Infection Propagation!’
As he says that, Elbatoxin oscillates the air with his whole body, just like when we were at the entrance of the hidden path.
“Arf...”
The Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha receives the blow of the attack; the crystals on his body swell larger and larger, leaving him down on the ground.
“Muu! Muuuu!”
This time, it’s Muu who carries the Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha on its back and returns to my side.
“You guys! Are you alright?! Here, let me heal you.”
Arleaf casts Aroma Heal while taking out some medicine. Seems like she’s gonna try using it on the Midnight Blue Wolf Alpha.
“It’s a medicine specially made by Yukihisa and his father-in-law... I sure hope it works.”
She removes the swelling crystals and spreads medicine on the wounds. But since the disease has evolved so much, we don’t know whether it works or not.
“Boof...”
Damn it... I can tell what kind of attack that is just by looking at the wolf’s condition.
It’s a skill that accelerates diseases.
How far is its area of effect?
If it covers the whole dungeon, not only will we get infected, but Arleaf’s parents and the other adventurers too.
But while I worry about all that, Elbatoxin stares at me with eyes wide in shock.
‘Wh-What?!’
‘Heh... if thou art thinking what has happened... thou art under the sorely mistaken impression that thy disease is almighty. Did thou think that level of attack would affect beings like us?’
‘Heh heh heh heh... please stop being so pretentious. Any disease and poison I possess should even conquer a dragon.’
‘Perhaps if I were to be fairly weakened first, there may be a chance of infection. But how canst thou be so boastful of something with such questionable efficacy? Absolutely perplexing.’
Hey, uhh, Veno? Could you maybe stop egging it on? Just a little?
‘...’
Elbatoxin furrows his brows at me with a doubtful look.
‘Certainly, he is not infected... yet. Have at you!’
With a snap of its fingers, Elbatoxin takes... something similar to swamp toxin from the walls and hurls it at me.
I would have tried dodging it, but since it might hit Arleaf instead, I stand my ground with all my might.
A-Am I alright? freeweb(n)ovel
Bleh... it went in my eyes and nose.
It doesn’t hurt, but now I’m all damp!
I hear a sizzling sound and that can’t be anything good.
My Smoke Armor is melting!
Am I really okay? It doesn’t do anything to my skin at least.
I’ll check my Create Poison menu just in case.
Deadly Poison of Feebleness
Strong Acid
Bloodflower Toxin
Dorimsvoyta-α Toxin
Dorimsvoyta-β Toxin
Dorimsvoyta-Α Toxin
Dorimsvoyta-Β Toxin
Troy Brain Toxin
Troy Magic Toxin
Looks like he tried to infect me with a bunch of different viruses. Like, I’m being serious when I ask this, but you sure I’ll be fine?
I’m scared that I’ll keel over once this fight ends.
‘What?! All that and only your equipment failed? I-Inconceivable!’
Elbatoxin looks very flustered, but he immediately regains composure and leaps at me.
“Whoo!”
He’s pretty quick, but with Arleaf’s poison and the toxic gas in my system, I’m quicker.
And maybe due to the effects of Poison Absorption, I’m more capable than ever before.
Elbatoxin may be a tough one, but his speed ain’t nothin’ I can’t handle right now.
‘Thine efforts are futile. Why not simple give up and admit defeat? Not only do we have the strength of thine attack, but we have also the power of the miasma... thou who makest light of my weakened state shall have nary a chance of victory.’
‘Nnngah!’
I’m sure Veno only said that because he’s confident, but my bolts don’t seem to do a lot of damage to it. freew ebnovel.com
‘You pretend to be strong, but the poison you used earlier is far from it.’
‘Is that right? ‘Twas but a feint.’
‘...’
Elbatoxin glares at me and measures the distance between us.
I’ve got Arleaf and the others behind me, so I can’t dodge as easily as I’d like.
Gotta keep that in mind.
But still, can I slay the guy just by chipping away at it?
It doesn’t look like my Poison Enchantment does much.
No, maybe I should wait for Arleaf’s parents to arrive.
I don’t mean to just chill here, but I can’t seem to land a decisive blow...
For a monster like Elbatoxin that uses bacteria and toxins as his strength, a Poison-Wielder like me should work well due to my poison resistance. But I don’t have any attacks to land a decisive blow.
Our element is the same... which means that, in a game, my attacks won’t do jack.
Like water off a duck’s back.
What can I do in a situation like this, man?
‘Oi. Why art thou losing hope already? Thou canst launch strong toxins of thine own.’
Veno gives me advice while Elbatoxin and I stare each other down.
But...
‘Just hurry and do it! Put it to the test... with this!’
Veno highlights Moderate Paralysis Poison and Deadly Poison of Feebleness.
But I got that second one from it...
‘Hmph!’
Elbatoxin aimed squarely at me. It tries to mow me down with its hands, which are clad in a purplish aura-like substance.
“Whoa!”
I duck down and dodge it by a hair’s breadth and enchant my bolts with poison.
I don’t have to time to stop and think. I’ll just take Veno’s word for it.
“Yukihisa!”
Arleaf, finished with healing Muu and the wolf, supports me by casting Binding Whip.
‘How vexing!’
Though her attack hits for no damage, that light tug by Binding Whip made enough time for me to pull the trigger on my crossbow.
With a fwip, I stick Elbatoxin with a few rapidly fired bolts.
‘Guuuuh...’
I roll towards it while loading my crossbow and keep firing.
‘Gwaaaa... w-what?! M-my strength...’
‘Surely, thou art the most familiar with this? It is an altered form of the toxins thou released earlier.’
‘You used my own toxin against me? That’s—kuhhh.’
Hmm? It’s getting real sluggish.
Here’s my chance!
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