Azimuth: The Elden Throne (New Version)

Chapter 268 Dragon Hunt: Mayhem

I'll say it right here, this chap was a bit weak to me.

I'm a bit sick right now due to constipation so this chap was a bit rushed in the end.

Sorry to all, I'll try to edit it again when I'm feeling better.

That's about it for now, apologies if it felt rushed.

Have a nice weekend!

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/ROARR!/

This time, there were no notifications as the seeds were imbued into the land.

Only the screams of the monsters around them bellowed as the air grew continuously heavy and thick.

Something was happening to their surroundings, but whatever it was the leaves of the small and large trees around them hid it away from their sight.

/JUMP!/

Dale did not hesitate anymore, moving to deal with his target, after all, he wanted to get the five minutes bonus as well.

He jumped to the top of the tree before him, climbing its monstrous trunk.

This was the second largest tree in circumference he had ever seen, overshadowed only by the dead Sacred Tree in the Horizon woods.

In comparison, the size difference may be as large as that of the sun when placed side by side with the Earth.

A tree that could house an entire city on its trunk compared to a tree that was around the circumference of a house… It was a bit different.

It wasn't even as thick as its roots…

…

/Hustle!/

Reaching the canopy of the tree as he brushed aside the foliage, he squinted his eyes to a world of green for as far as his eyes could see.

/CHAOS!/

But amidst this peaceful scenery, chaotic sounds echoed from the woods underneath the emerald ocean.

Beasts of all kinds were battling where he couldn't see, and this caused him to remember something…

This scenario… It was just like when the Great Devil was let loose.

The creatures going berserk and doing things they wouldn't normally do, a strange enveloping feeling in the air whenever he drew in a breath…

/FWOOSH!/

/SCREECH!!/

Just as Dale scanned his surroundings, he was hit with the surprising sight of two massive birds fighting each other as they burst through the canopy of the trees.

But ignoring their conflict, he continued to scan around… Until he saw his target.

An even bigger tree, albeit not by much, stood a few Km away from him, it could only be there as the sound they heard at the start before came from the same direction.

However, there was a clear problem…

/ROAAAR!/

Dale saw two reddish Lizards flying around the tree, angrily warning trespassers of their presence.

Thick red scales, four legs, and massive horns growing from the sides of their jaw…

It wasn't the same as the Wyvern, this was…

/ROAAR!/

A Dragon.

(Image?)

/BOOOOM!/

One of the Dragons, the biggest of the two, opened its mouth as it released a powerful jet of red light, pulverizing a tall crooked monster Dale couldn't quite compare with any animal on Earth.

'... Well… Shit.'

'So they returned.'

[DING]

[Guild Contract: Dragon Hunt Rating has been raised from 6-Star to 8-Star]

Watching the two adult Dragons rampage around the forest, Dale questioned if this was even feasible for Level 80 players.

But he had a job to do…

[Red Forest Dragon (Young Adult)

Challenge Level: 245-255

*Elite*

*Boss*

Affected by:

#Demonic Corruption

#Rapid Mutation

#Berserk

]

[Red Forest Dragon (Young Adult)

Challenge Level: 250-260

*Elite*

*Boss*

Affected by:

#Demonic Corruption

#Rapid Mutation

#Berserk

]

'This won't be easy… In fact, as of right now, I can't defeat them.'

'I'm not that much stronger ever since my encounter with the Red Wyvern, and these two are much stronger and over many other Buffs too.'

'But this proves my previous idea, that this was a time Quest.'

'A group of four Level 60 players wouldn't be able to complete this mission, no matter the angle.'

'And I can't expect four balance-breaking individuals to participate in a mission at once.'[1]

'They were meant to climb the tree and defeat the infant dragon and leave before the parents arrived.'

'Of course, the mission doesn't specify what kind of player it has to be, but that doesn't change anything, HardCore or not, this mission is impossible.'

'I would like to believe that any Task from this Event has a way to be beaten given its difficulty Rating, but since I used four Modifier Seeds, I can't tell if that's the case anymore.'

'To modify could mean bringing this out of the expectations of its creator, so I might have just created something that is unbeatable… From the perspective of a Level 60 player.'

'Still, the Rating changed to 8-Star, so this is within the realm of possibility for a Level 75 player while it was also the maximum level someone could have to participate in this mission, especially so for a HardCore player.'

'Not going into details about their total Stat, but the total Stat gain of a Level 75 player would be decently close to that of the Dragon's Challenge Level, albeit obviously just like the Wyvern, Stats won't make one win, they have to master every single aspect of them, something I lack to this day.'[2]

'Maybe even the Reflection can't do that, but it's much closer to such a reality than me.'

'Hum… I feel it would be a bit weak on my part to just use my Skill without giving it a try on my own, but I also want to see how the Reflection would do or think when presented with this situation.'

'Not to say I want my time bonus.' Dale thought as his eyes sharpened

'Since I was given a gift, I won't keep it at bay!'

Dale took a deep breath and activated his temporary Skill:

[Manifestation of the Perfect Self 1-??? has been activated]

... And his eyes immediately changed.

/Shua.../

The Hunter now jumped into the leaves, vanishing from sight.

...

/ROAAR!/

The cries of the beasts continued as the minutes passed, but the Dragons were efficient.

While one attacked, the other stood back, and when one got tired, the other took over.

So on and so forth.

And now, after a few minutes of battling, the smaller Dragon was tired, having screamed far too much, so it flew up high back into its nest.

The bigger Dragon understood its partner's need, so it took over the watch, resting on the sides of the tree as it looked around in caution.

/Flap... Flap.../

/Thud.../

The smaller Dragon reached the nest, a massive bowl of branches and even solid stone atop the canopy of the tree.

It was sturdy and extremely solid, as it barely even budged to its weight and size.

To think a Dragon would nest on a tree like a bird...

"?..."

The first thing the Dragon noticed was the lack of anything in its gaze.

It used to have two Newborns and one Egg.

Dragons usually had between one and five eggs in a clutch, but of those five, almost always only one would survive.

There were cases when multiple Eggs grew, but during growth, the Infant Dragons would always injure each other, leading to the weaker or most of the time, both dying.

Mature Dragon parents would learn to prevent such fatal occurrences, they needed at least one to survive after all.

But these two were new parents, they weren't sure of what to do yet, that was why they were so aggressive around their territory despite there being a pretty clear solution to what they should do.

Remain still.

/Growl.../

The Dragon growled in a low, soft tone, very much unexpected from such a massive beast.

It looked around, waiting for a reaction, and eventually...

/Sha sha.../

From within the 'twigs', a head popped up. A 'Small' lizard the size of a large boar appeared.

Miniscule in comparison to the Dragon, it was still one, albeit its wings weren't even that developed yet.

/Huff.../

Seeing the little Dragon approach made the older one relax a little as it exhaled strongly, creating an air current that pushed the smaller one a bit.

It opened its wings but that barely did anything.

Still, this was just one... Where was the other?

/FLASH!/

"?!"

That was when it happened...

Emerging from the twigs and rubble, Dale emerged like a bolt of lightning, hitting the older Dragon straight in the neck, puncturing it in one strike!

The Dragon didn't even manage to scream as it lost its balance, falling to the sides of the tree.

/Roar! Roar!/

Meanwhile, the smaller Dragon kept screaming loudly, trying to warn both its aggressor and family of the danger nearby.

/FLAP!/

And that was when the bigger Dragon noticed the commotion, rising to the top of the tree full of wrath.

/ROAAAAR!/

A scream stronger than any before, its anger was evident.

"HUPP!"

But Dale wasn't here for that, he immediately followed up with his next attack, releasing a powerful and sharp blue wave of light towards the Dragon's wings!

/SLASH!/

"!"

/Fwoosh!/

Yet, in a surprisingly agile display of speed, the Dragon evaded his slash as it dived in his direction, its right claw opening as it did so.

"..."

It may seem that Dale's fate had been written, being on the sight of such a powerful beast, however, that was exactly what he wanted.

He had observed those creatures for a while as he approached the nest, he saw what they were capable of.

Stronger than him due to their size and build, more resilient than him due to their scales, thick skin, and bones.

They could breathe fire and they seemed to possess something in their sleeves they had yet to show, Dale couldn't give them the chance to spew a sea of white flames on him.

Nor could he go after them in the sky, that would only be putting him in greater danger.

He needed to create a situation where they would approach him instead while also not breathing fire into his surroundings.

As such, this plan came into being.

"HUPP!"

/SLASH!/

One strike was all that he needed now that the beast was in a direct course to him.

He would take it down, right here, right now.

And then focus on the second newborn he had yet to take out.

/ROAAR!/

...

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Notes

[1] Dale is referring to people that are much, much stronger then their Level may indicate

[2] (2X Stat gain per Level between Levels 0 to 49 -> 100)

(3X between Levels 49 to 75 -> 78, so about 178 Levels without any items)