Chapter 279: The Calm Before The Storm [Part 1]
High above the sky, a grimoire was observing the monster army from a distance.
It had come to identify the powerful monsters among them, as well as gauge the strength of the Monster King, the greatest threat on the battlefield.
"...This might be bad, Leone," Daedalus said in a serious tone.
"You can say that again," Leone replied as he looked at the Status Page of the Monster King, which Daedalus was showing him.
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[Valdrion]
Race: Bronze Dragon
Prestige Class: Monster King
Grade: Epic
Strength: 13,000
Agility: 12,500
Dexterity: 11,000
Vitality: 13,500
Intelligence: 10,000
Skills: Dragon Claw [Level 5], King’s Breath [Level 5], Sovereign’s Flight [Level 5], Draconic Dominion [Level 5]
Signature Ability: Bronze Tempest [Level 10]
Prestige Class Ability: Monster King
— All Dragon-type monsters within 5 kilometers gain +50% to all stats
— Roars inflict Fear upon enemies with a lower Grade than the Monster King
— Physical and Magical Damage Reduction +50%
— Breath attacks ignore 50% of the target’s Physical and Magical Defense
— Flying speed increased by 100%
— Deals 20% increased damage against all non-Dragon monsters
— Monster armies under his command gain +30% Attack, Defense, and Morale
— Immune to Fear, Charm, and Intimidation effects
—————
The young man had expected the Monster King to be strong. But now that he had seen its raw stats, he realized that it was truly a class on its own.
"Based on your rankings, Daedalus, how strong is this monster?" Leone inquired.
"Rank 7," Daedalus answered. "Dragons are inherently strong monsters because they are Apex Monsters. But aside from the Monster King, there are four other dangerous monsters serving as its bodyguards. All of them are Rank 6."
The grimoire then displayed the Status Pages of the Ogre Warlord, the Harpy Queen, the Pteranodon Tyrant, and the Black-Scaled Basilisk to show Leone.
——————
[Grondar]
Race: Ogre
Prestige Class: Ogre Warlord
Grade: Epic
Strength: 4,800
Agility: 1,800
Dexterity: 1,400
Vitality: 5,000
Intelligence: 2,000
———————
[Seraphyne]
Race: Harpy
Prestige Class: Harpy Queen
Grade: Epic
Strength: 2,200
Agility: 4,100
Dexterity: 3,700
Vitality: 2,300
Intelligence: 2,700
———————
[Skyrax]
Race: Pteranodon
Prestige Class: Pteranodon Tyrant
Grade: Epic
Strength: 2,900
Agility: 4,500
Dexterity: 3,400
Vitality: 2,500
Intelligence: 1,700
———————
[Voragor]
Race: Basilisk
Prestige Class: Black-Scaled Basilisk
Grade: Epic
Strength: 3,500
Agility: 2,300
Dexterity: 2,100
Vitality: 4,300
Intelligence: 2,800
———————
Every single one of them was an incredibly strong monster in their own right. Though compared to the Monster King, all of them looked cute in comparison.
"They all seem to be waiting for the rest of their army to arrive," the grimoire reported. "Perhaps they think attacking with their full force will reduce the number of their casualties."
"It’s like using a sledgehammer to crack an egg." Leone sighed. "This is overkill."
"Indeed." Daedalus agreed. "The robed people might have a hand in this. Perhaps they persuaded the Monster King by implying that losing more of their army at this stage is not wise."
"Have we confirmed that they are indeed from the Bonegnash Tribe? Is it possible they have come from an outside force like the Kingdom of Britannia?"
"I’m not sure," Daedalus replied. "However, the chances of them being from the Bonegnash Tribe is higher."
The young man pondered for a while before asking the grimoire another question.
"Among the four Rank 6 monsters, which one would be best to capture or neutralize first?" Leone inquired. "We still have the Adamantine Shackles. And dealing with one of them as soon as possible is most ideal."
Before Leone even asked this question, Daedalus had already considered which monster to prioritize.
"In terms of threat level, the Ogre is at the top of the list. It has a very high regeneration rate, closing wounds in mere seconds," Daedalus replied. "On the other hand, the weakest among them is the Pteranodon Tyrant.
"But it’s only a threat in the first place because it can fly. Though, if we get the chance, we should catch the Pteranodon Tyrant, or at least knock it out. If we succeed, you can unlock the Flying Mount, Pteranodon, from the Arcane Shop."
"That sounds like a good plan," Leone replied. "However, once the war starts, it will be difficult to target the Pteranodon Tyrant."
Depending on the situation, Otto would need to focus on fighting against the Monster King first.
After scanning the monster army, Daedalus returned to the fortress. Leone then gathered his vassals, as well as the chieftains of the different tribes, to hold an emergency meeting.
He then shared the information the grimoire had gathered. Unsurprisingly, this news made all of their expressions turn grim.
"A Bronze Dragon..." Malik frowned.
Since the true protector of the Sandreaver Tribe was also a dragon, he understood more than anyone how powerful this monster must be.
"So, what’s the plan?" Hagen asked with his arms crossed over his chest. "Since the Bronze Dragon can easily ignore our defenses, only the siege weapons can hit it. I’m afraid there’s nothing else we can do aside from hoping for the best."
"If only we could bring it down from the sky... we might have a chance of subduing it." Oswald rubbed his chin. "But dragon scales are very hard. They are resistant to both magic and physical attacks. This will not be easy."
"It’s also difficult to come up with a strategy against it since it will not be the only thing we need to worry about," Duncan commented. "Aside from the Monster King, there are many other flying monsters in its ranks. Which should we prioritize? The King? Or its minions?"
There was really no right or wrong answer to this. All monsters in that horde posed a threat to them. In the end, the only thing they could do was to react to what was right in front of them.
"We will act accordingly to the situation," Leone answered. "I only informed everyone about the monsters we need to pay extra attention to."
Everyone nodded in understanding. Knowing their enemy was very important, as it would help them figure out what to do.
Of course, Leone planned to give separate orders to his vassals later. He had already given Otto the mission of eliminating the Harpy Queen first.
What made the Harpy Queen dangerous was its ability to use Wind Magic.
Daedalus believed it could repel the bolts of the ballistas and the repeating crossbows during the battle, which was why killing it had become a top priority.
"The only question now is how much time we have left before the monsters start attacking again," Malik stated.
"I believe the Monster King is waiting for its entire army to arrive before launching another attack," Leone replied. "The one we faced are merely the vanguards."
Everyone had bitter looks on their faces after Leone shared this bit of information.
They had only faced the vanguard so far, and yet, they had already suffered over a hundred casualties.
If the Monster King and his powerful subordinates joined the battle, forget about hundreds.
Thousands of people could die unless a miracle happened.
The Bonegnash Tribe knew that the chieftains of the middle and high-ranking tribes had gone to the Aslan Tribe.
Because of that, there was no better place to attack than Grimjaw Mountain. If they succeeded, they could kill the leaders of all the tribes in the Borderlands in one fell swoop.
Osteon had taken a gamble and successfully convinced the Monster King to collaborate with him.
While the details of their alliance were still unknown, both parties were determined to carry out this attack without fail.
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