Chapter 49

The fight had begun. The adventurers’ offensive attacks seemed to be going rather smoothly. I could not help but be impressed at how they fought while still staying mostly out of danger. They would avoid overly risky moves and took advantage of their numbers to attack from all sides. The wyvern’s energy was easily being drained, just as the number of wounds on it began to grow.

The first part that they attacked were its wings. They were likely trying to cut the membrane there to prevent it from flying away. One adventurer who carried a great shield, acted as a tank in order to parry the oncoming attacks. While the wyvern’s attacks were wild, it also stood firm and would not break its stance. But there were still gaps in its defense. And those did not escape the eyes of the adventurers, and they boldly pushed it back. Once the wyvern had regained its balance again, they would quickly back away and allow the shield-bearer to slam it in the face again to draw attention.

A lot of this strategy seemed straight out of a modern video game. Though, it seemed that there wasn’t a healer about. Perhaps they would use potions? And while there was a shield-bearer, it wasn’t as if he was absorbing all of the attacks. I had seen him drink from small vials and toss them aside several times right after receiving an attack.

You could make especially high-quality potions from good herbs. Herb gathering happened to be my specialty. And I suspected that the potions they were using were of high-quality. As it did not look like any of them had any serious injuries.

Even the occasional damage that was inflicted on them was light. The wyvern was wild and reckless, but that wasn’t doing it any favors. Eventually, the wings were so damaged that it would not be able to fly. There was something very grim about watching the frayed membrane toss in the wind every time its wings would beat, but it was a clear sign of their effectiveness for the adventurers.

The next part that they targeted was the tail. The tail that swung through the air was able to deal heavy blows just like a mace. You would probably be knocked unconscious as soon as it hit you.

The shield-bearer now blocked a blow of the tail, which allowed one of the swordsmen just enough time to come in and strike at it. But the scales were a tough shield as well. Try as they might, they were unable to sever the tail completely, and time continued to go by.

Then all of a sudden, the wyvern moved to take in a deep breath. It was a breath attack. I crouched even lower over the ground until I was practically lying down. The adventurers seemed to have anticipated this move and decided on how they would react in advance, because they quickly moved behind the shield-bearer. The shield-bearer drove the spike that protruded from the bottom of the shield into the ground, preparing their defense.

“GGGGGGgggRRAAAAAAAaAAA!!!”

An overwhelming roar accompanied the wind of its breath. It was a massive discharge of magical energy that shredded nearby trees and plants and blew them away. There was no doubt that they would have died if they had been hit directly…

I had to squint very hard to avoid getting sand in my eyes from the hurricane that was caused. But by the looks of them, the adventurers seemed to be holding up. I could vaguely see them holding the shield-bearer from behind.

Eventually, the magical discharge stopped. There was so much dust in the air, that it was difficult to see. The shield-bearer was hidden behind his shield, but it seemed like he wasn’t moving. What happened? Wasn’t this their chance?

“Hey, hey!”

The wyverns torn wings beat in the air. It wasn’t an attempt to fly, but a way of pushing away the clouds of dust. Once the dust was gone, I was able to see what had happened.

The shield-bearer’s shield had not fulfilled its purpose. Unable to withstand the breath attack, there was now a gaping hole in the center. Was the wyvern’s attack just that powerful?

No, judging by that hole, I feel like the wyvern had deliberately concentrated its attack into one small point. It wasn’t a blast that covered a wide area, it was a high-density blast. But even so, the waves of magic had affected their surroundings and brought about a dust storm. That was probably why I had thought it was your typical breath attack.

I could hear the adventurers become frantic. What happened? They shake the shield-wielder. I could see it clearly now, there was a hole in his armor as well, and a large river of blood was running out of it. His face was completely pale. It’s…too late…

“Hey, Danny! Damn it, the blood won’t stop!”

“Carry him and fall back! Hurry! Use the potions!”

The archer orders. And the man with the greatsword picks up the shield-bearer and moves away. Several others also fell back, potions in their hands. But could the rest handle it with these numbers…?

But there was no one to answer that question for me, and now that the wyvern had recovered after using such a taxing move, it roared once again, and the fight continued.

“Damn! We have to kill it!”

The swordsman who had dealt the first blow roars in return. He picks up one of the swords that the other adventurers dropped and challenges the monster. But it seemed that it was only a matter of time before he crumbled. He was dodging the wyverns attacks by a hair’s breadth as he tried to strike at its legs. It did not look very effective. If he was somehow able to succeed, that would greatly hamper the wyverns ability to move. But that was something they could do because of the shield-bearer. Having to attack and guard at the same time was insane. The other remaining adventurers were also putting in shallow cuts with their swords, but the wyvern would not buckle. This was starting to look very…bad?

“Damn-damn-damn it!! All of you! Run!! We won’t last any longer!!”

The adventurer who carried two swords shouts. The man with the greatsword was running as he carried the wounded shield-bearer. It looked like the flow of blood had at least stopped. But the wyvern was not in a forgiving mood. It quickly found the prey that it had injured. Every other adventurer that surrounded it seemed to suddenly become invisible as it began to madly run towards them. Oh, this was very bad. There was no point in your wounds being closed if you were going to be eaten by a wyvern. What to do? I could try using “Legs of the Forest Wolf’ to help them…

“DANYYYY!!!!”

The voice startles me. Did the need to hide my skill outweigh a person’s life? Sure, they should have had more than one shield-bearer, and where the hell was their healer? And this would be difficult to explain later on.

But, I had no choice really. If someone was dying in front of me, I had to help them.

“AARRGGGHAAA!!”

Silver and emerald wind rushes around my feet as I fly in the air. I pull out my steel swords as I descend down over the wyvern’s head. My voice is raised like a battle cry just as I plunge the swords down into the wyvern. They do not pierce through, but it was enough to distract it.

“GGGGURAAAGAGHHH!!!”

I jumped again and landed right in front of it. In other words, I was now between it and the adventurers.

“What…how? You were…just…?”

“Nevermind that. Run! I won’t last long here either!”

That seemed to shake them out of being stunned, and they quickly moved away.

“You, are you trying to die!?”

“Of course not! I’m out of here as soon as you are!”

“Alright, see you in Spiris then!!”

I quickly look over my shoulder and nod.

“Yeah, catch you later!”

“You better make it! I’m Rex! And you!?”

“It’s Asagi! Now get out of here!!”

This time they run without answering me. But I didn’t have time to confirm it anyway, as I concentrated on the wyvern. It seemed to be a little confused, as I had appeared out of nowhere. But it’s suspicion did not change the fact that I was its prey. We glare at each other. My grip hardens around my swords.

“Let’s go!!”

“GGGggGRRAAAAAA!!!!!”

And then the second fight begins.