Chapter 312: Mutated Sky-breaking Lizard
The deeper the team ventured into the ruins, the more oppressive the atmosphere became!
Matthew noticed Beelzebub had stopped, and his gaze followed to the dark distance beyond.
Thousands of Sky-breaking Lizards were pouring out of a massive cavern ahead.
Shadows emerged from the damaged buildings along the way as well!
"Frontline, hold positions, fire light arrows all around!"
"Shield bearers, move forward. Crossbowmen, split into three teams for staggered firing!"
"Center line, hold your ground!"
"Rear guard, stay alert and maintain defensive formation. Watch for enemies from behind."
"Scout teams, spread out 100 meters and set up light arrows at intervals!"
"..."
Angela's orderly commands had Bay Territory's elite troops quickly snapping to action.
Shouting loudly, they helped the slightly disoriented adventurers form ranks amidst a brief moment of chaos.
Matthew wasn't too concerned about the regular Sky-breaking Lizards.
Lacking variety in their attacks, they didn't pose much threat against focused tactics.
And indeed, that proved true.
The continuous hail of arrows tore through the front ranks of the Sky-breaking Lizards, leaving them in disarray.
Having never faced such an attack before, hundreds of Sky-breaking Lizards were killed, advancing only 40 meters.
As they bunched together, every step forward cost them more lives.
Matthew wasn't idle either, throwing fireball after fireball, each blast taking out over ten Sky-breaking Lizards.
The explosions of fire and the lizards' agonizing screams were constant reminders to everyone—
Never provoke a wealthy and powerful spellcaster!
Watching him cast spell after spell without pause, many in the crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
"He can cast spells instantly?"
"That's an incredibly difficult skill, even for many high-level spellcasters..."
"That's not the point! He's already cast fifteen spells—does he still have spell slots left?"
"Idiot, he's an arcanist! As long as he has enough mana, he can keep casting spells endlessly!"
"Even so, doesn't he have too much mana?"
"You have no idea—this arcanist once cast over a hundred Fireball Spells in one go, wiping out thousands of trolls!"
"That's insanely powerful..."
"..."
As Matthew felt the curious gazes from behind, he continued casting spells while assessing the battle.
There were still 2,400 Sky-breaking Lizards remaining, and for every 5 meters they advanced, they lost 200.
If they didn't change their approach, they wouldn't even reach the soldiers before being wiped out!
The continuous crossbow barrage once again showed off Bay Territory's immense wealth!
It was truly impressive!
Just then, Matthew suddenly sensed a powerful threat.
Crack!
The sound of his Mana Shield shattering reached his ears just as a gaping, tooth-filled maw lunged at him.
It had appeared out of thin air!
Only when its terrifying fangs neared his body did a faint spatial distortion ripple out.
Boom!
The vicious jaws snapped shut, missing their target.
The creature's blood-red eyes reflected a shattered image of Matthew.
A perfectly realistic illusion!
"How did the prey escape?"
The absurd thought crossed the creature's mind.
Its previously infallible killing blow had missed without warning, leaving it stunned.
Before it could land on the ground,
A beam of dark energy struck its body.
Then came a flash of black light.
Followed by a swirling distortion of energy.
Weakness Spell + Slow Spell + Sleep Spell!
The three spells hit it in quick succession, and it instantly fell unconscious.
Under orders to take it alive, Beelzebub "gently" grabbed it.
Recalling the strange attack earlier, a sense of caution crept into Matthew's mind.
Amidst the adventurers' gasps, Matthew emerged from the crowd and stood next to Beelzebub once more.
Only then did everyone realize what had just happened, followed by a wave of shock.
No one had noticed that the incredibly lifelike illusion was fake!
While the others were still reeling, Matthew calmly examined the creature Beelzebub held.
A sleek, pitch-black Sky-breaking Lizard!
A Mutated Sky-breaking Lizard.
Type: Pseudo-dragon creature
Challenge Level: 13+
Abilities:
Advanced—Pseudo-dragon Bloodline LV3: Attack +20, Max HP +15, susceptible to bloodline suppression.
Advanced—Spatial Infusion LV1: Can perform short-range teleportation within 100 meters using spatial energy.
Feats:
Advanced Feat—Shadow Camouflage LV3 (requires shadow scales): Increases stealth checks by +15 in dark environments.
Advanced Feat—Shadow Ambush LV3: When attacking from the shadows, gains +15 to ambush checks and +15 to damage rolls.
Inheritance: None.
Attack Power: 10 (+35)
Defense: 7
HP: 24+15/39
Stats:
Strength: 12
Agility: 18
Constitution: 12
Perception: 16
Intelligence: 6
Charisma: 16
Luck: -3 (Sleeping)
Assessment: Unlucky fool.
"Spatial Infusion!"
"No wonder it mastered spatial abilities..."
"Spatial magic is extremely dangerous and difficult to learn..."
"But if we can uncover its secrets, that wouldn't be a bad thing either."
"This is quite the catch!"
Matthew's thoughts raced as he signaled Beelzebub to bind the creature and place it in the adventurer's portable house.
Seeing this, the other adventurers couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.
Clearly, this strange Sky-breaking Lizard was unusual—otherwise, Matthew wouldn't treat it so carefully.
At the same time, after witnessing the way this mutated lizard attacked, a sense of dread gripped everyone.
Unlike this powerful arcanist, they didn't have illusion spells to deflect such deadly strikes.
If they were ambushed, they could easily suffer severe injuries or even be killed instantly!
An unsettling fear settled over the adventurers.
Fortunately, after this attack, no more mutated lizards appeared.
The Sky-breaking Lizards, having lost over half their numbers, finally gave up and retreated.
Watching them flee, the adventurers, who had spent the day as "shooting machines," finally relaxed.
They had seen firsthand how dangerous the underground ruins could be, and they felt more cautious about further exploration.
Perhaps, next time, they should reconsider the risks...
After the battle ended,
Angela quickly dispelled their fears with a single sentence:
"Bay Territory is offering a 5,000-gold reward for capturing a mutated Sky-breaking Lizard!"
In no time, nearly every adventurer was eager to encounter another mutated Sky-breaking Lizard.
Once again, they were reminded of Bay Territory's staggering wealth.
Just outside the dark cavern,
Bay Territory's elite soldiers began unpacking a variety of supplies.
They were preparing to establish a stronghold here!