NOVEL FROG Chapter 33: Lorica Squamata
“It’s freaking huge!”
“Is that even fur anymore? That looks like iron needles!"
“Stop gawking at it and get in the formation,” Zyrus shouted at the forefront of the group.
“Roger that.”
“Why isn’t it attacking?” Ria asked after sending Shi kun to handle the other players. Although she was in charge of all the players, her position wasn’t suitable for an in-field commander.
The role of a strategist was much more suitable for her.
“Before we step into the ring, it won’t.” Zyrus gave a concise replay as he observed the field boss. As its name suggested, Tauranox was a bison-like monster.
Of course, it only looked like it. A body that spanned almost two dozen feet, Hooves that gave off a scorching red aura, and a pair of horns that shined in a silver luster.
Its black fur shined in the morning sunlight, giving the creature a majestic appearance. The bulls on earth would look as cute as a kitten in front of this monstrosity.
As Zyrus had mentioned, the bull was surrounded by a ring of green light. The 100-meter green circle stood out conspicuously in these surroundings, where not even a blade of grass was present.
“How are we going to fight that?” Jacob inquired while he observed the monster.
“You guys won't be fighting him, because you’ll die in a hit.”
“Thought so.”
“You’re way too calm about this!”
“Since he bought us here, that’s his problem,”
“…”
Ria was left speechless at Jacob's nonchalant response.
“Haha.. that’s not a bad way to think. You guys go back and handle its minions,”
“They’ll come out once you enter?”
“Yup.”
“Tch.. whoever designed this must be a sadist,”
Zyrus couldn’t help but nod at her remark. As the one who was once caught in this trap, he knew how insidious it was.
‘357 huh, that’s much better than the last time,’ Zyrus sighed as he sauntered towards the ring.
The system didn’t give any details about the Tauranox, neither did it mention what rewards the players would get after defeating it.
It showed nothing else apart from the number of players present, a seemingly useless piece of information.
But since it wasn’t Zyrus’s first time fighting it, he knew that it was a hint. The number of minions summoned by Tauranox was the same as the players in the area.
It didn’t matter whether they fought or ran, the number of monsters would remain the same.
It was a cruel trap. Hundreds of players would charge in to defeat the big monster by overwhelming it with numbers, only to be besieged by the same number of its minions.
'About time I settle the beef with this bastard,'
The moment Zyrus stepped into the ring, everything changed in an instant.
*BAANG*
The earth cracked like a waffle as Tauranox Slammed its hooves. Black mist surged from the ground, taking the shape of miniature bulls. Of course, they were only miniature when compared to Tauranox.
*MUUUU*
“Stop mooing motherfucker,” Zyrus grabbed his spear and charged forward. Tauranox had marked him as its target as well.
Both leaders charged towards one another without paying any heed to their surroundings. Be it the players or the minions summoned by the field boss, none of them had the qualification to join in their fight.
*Clang*
-17
He almost dropped his spear after hitting its horn. Even with his strength, he was flung back a dozen feet after a clash of raw power.
‘Haa.. this fucker hits as hard as ever. Thankfully, I’ve got this armor,’
[Lorica Squamata (Unique) (Evolvable)]
A platinum armor made with the scales of Auricrust Crab. The soul of the slain crab has been sealed inside the armor, giving it a chance to evolve further.
Durability: 495/500
DEF +35
By using 100 Durability the skill Lunar Aura can be used.
Lunar Aura: Under the moonlight, you can lift an opponent with 10 level difference and deal 500% vibration damage. The damage will scale with strength and vitality.
Note: The skill will damage the Auricrust Crab’s soul
Note: The skill is an absolute skill, and it can activate regardless of the target's size and state.
Satisfied with the armor’s durability, Zyrus dusted his tail and lunged forward once again.
*Clang*
-17
*Krrrrsh*
His feet scratched against the ground as he was once again pushed back. If not for his steel-like scales, he would’ve lost his legs by now.
“Hahaha.. This is what I’m talking about. COME AGAIN,”
*MUUUU*
*Slash*
-178
Zyrus's blood boiled in excitement as he slashed the monster’s nostril. Even though it was a critical hit on the weak spot, it only dealt half the damage compared to the ogre leader.
Tauranox’s resistance against physical attack was nothing to scoff at.
Their fight became more and more intense with every passing second. Neither Zyrus nor Tauranox used their mana as if on cue.
It was a fight with pure physical strength.
Naturally, Zyrus was on the losing end in this fight. He was losing more HP despite blocking all the attacks.
Compared to this fight though, the player's battle was far more brutal. The minions summoned by Tauranox were similar in size to a real bison. Except for their iron-like skin, there wasn’t much of a difference between them.
However, that was still too much for the players to handle. Average adults had 5 stats in general. Even after leveling up a dozen more times, they were only twice or thrice as strong in practice.
All of them had the means to exert their maximum strength, but their enemies weren’t simple either. The minion’s horns were impossible to block if they didn't have a shield warrior supporting them.
They were able to hold their ground thanks to the new equipment, but the stalemate wouldn’t last long. Zyrus already knew that things would turn out this way.
*Thrust*
-178
‘I don’t have to worry about them, I can't afford to.’ Zyrus grinned and wiped the blood from his chin.
His internal organs were rattled to the point where even a little shock caused him to puke out blood. Less than a third of his HP remained at this point.
Tauranox wasn’t in the best condition either. Its HP was well above 60% by Zyrus’s estimate. However, as a cost of clashing with his spear, one of its horns was broken.
There was no way a monster's horn could handle a frontal clash with a unique-grade weapon, even If the monster in question was a field boss.
Every inch of his body was screaming in pain, but Zyrus enjoyed this sensation. How long had it been since he fought with all his heart?
“Do you need help?”
A feminine voice whispered in Zyrus’s ear as he stood up once again. He didn’t have the leisure to look back, nor did he need to.
‘She seems pretty good at using that tiara,’
*Slash*
-10,-178
*Muuu*
“Kuk-”
Zyrus had lost count of how many times he was flung away like a ragdoll. If not for his vitality which was comparable to a mini-boss, he would have died ten times already.
“Finish the fodders and retreat!”
Even while spewing out blood, he commanded Ria with resolution.
“But-”
“That’s an order.”
“…I understand.”
*Thrust*
-178
*Puchik*
Finally, Tauranox’s defense crumbled after a fifth blow on its eye.
“MUUUUUUU”
-500
“Hahaha, That’s what you call a bullseye,” Zyrus chuckled and took out a purple bottle from his inventory.
After biting the cork with his razor-sharp teeth, he gulped down its contents in one go.
+500
‘Phew.. Even with this, my HP is only 1300,’ Zyrus frowned as he looked around him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to fight anymore, but that bastard had an ‘Invincible’ buff after losing half of his HP.
Most of the minions were dead by now. With the death of 43 players, Ria had also lost her crown.
Ironically, goblins were unscathed in both of the battles. With their long-range attacks they managed to kill a lot of minions without being harmed.
Of course, it was only possible with their teamwork with human players. Without them in the way, the bisons would have flattened the goblins into meat paste.
With his rich combat experience, Zyrus only needed a glance to figure out the overall situation. In the best-case scenario, he had thought that more than 300 players would survive from the original ~450 players.
Although a lot of them died against the ogre, the remaining ones became stronger as well. Thus, his prediction wasn't off by much.
“Don’t engage anymore, Run as far as you can. All leaders, go all out and finish the minions,”
“Roger that,” Shi kun gave a spirited shout and used the most powerful skill he had, Wrathful Reckoning.
Except for two, all of the remaining bisons were slowed down to a crawl. Goblins and humans rained down arrows upon them even as they retreated.
*Flicker*
That wasn’t all.
Jacob, who hadn’t used a single bit of his mana, also joined the fight. Fifty bucket-sized fireballs fell on top of the surviving minions.
Even Zyrus was forced to take a sharp breath at this. This Instantaneous power was second only to his poison breath. And since it didn’t target allies and enemies alike, this was more practical than his attack.
‘Nice, looks like everything worked out for the best,’ Zyrus smiled faintly and roused his mana as well.
All of his preparations were for this moment. He knew about Tauranox’s attack pattern.
The field boss only used physical strength in the first half.
Only after bringing down its HP below 50% would the second phase start. Before that though, it would use the shining horn’s power and charge around the battlefield.
In an ‘Invincible’ state at that.
It was also the reason why he took so many blows to crack his horn.
*HUFF*HUFF*
Unfortunately, its horn wasn’t the only organ filled with power. White mist blew out from Tauranox’s nostrils as the monster dug the ground with its hooves.
No, it wasn’t digging the ground. The ground melted into lava when it came in contact with its hooves.
*Boom*
The raging monster charged at Zyrus With a speed that’d put a cheetah to shame.