webnovel Chapter 500: Were They Really Such A Threat? [Bonus 1/2]
Chapter 500: Were They Really Such A Threat? [Bonus 1/2]
A/N: Bonus Chapter for the supergift—Castle, given by ’Jeffrey_Cornuelle’
Thank you very much!
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Chapter 500: Were They Really Such A Threat?
Leo instructed Shyra and the elves to remain two hundred meters behind while he himself went ahead, riding Nyxa, whose form had been reduced to 2.5 meters.
With a height of just 2.5 meters, Nyxa looked barely large enough to support Leo’s frame on her back. To an observer, she would appear to be a weak Low 2-star beast or, at best, a Mid 2-star beast.
He finally came face-to-face with the scene ahead, where, as expected, a fight was underway.
He was still tens of meters away from where a group of students from Drakensoul Academy were engaged in battle with Ashfang Kobolts.
The Drakensoul Academy students wore the symbol of an emerald-green coiled snake biting its own tail. The only difference was that the snake looked more like a sea serpent.
It was the same type of area Leo had stumbled upon earlier—a 2-meter-deep shallow pond only about 15 to 20 meters wide, surrounded by 10 to 15 trees with trunks nearly 1 meter thick.
With a quick glance, he realized there was also the exact same half-submerged hidden passage leading to a narrow entrance beneath one of the trees.
"What? Is this some sort of trap formation made by these Kobolts to ambush the people who enter the secret realm?" Leo muttered.
Since these Kobolts had likely been dealing with invaders—humans who came to explore the secret realm—for centuries, they surely would have developed some countermeasures. And it looked like this oasis formation was one of them.
"So... how do they bring water here?" Leo muttered curiously, completely ignoring the fight in front of him.
The oasis he had encountered earlier was connected to a natural underground stream that had somehow formed a small crack in the earth. Under pressure, the water flowed upward and created the shallow oasis.
"It’s the same here too?" Leo said in amazement. This oasis had the exact same structure.
It only hinted at one thing.
"It must be artificially made by those Kobolts with the [Earthshaper] talent..." Leo concluded before finally turning his attention to the battle ahead.
It was a group of 10 students, ranging in strength from Peak 1-star to High 2-star, fighting more than 30 Kobolts that ranged from Low 1-star to Peak 1-star.
"Everyone, stay alert! Don’t get hurt by their daggers—they have poison!" one of them shouted. He seemed to be the leader, possessing High 2-star strength.
Skreeee!
One of the students thrust his sword through a Kobolt’s chest. The beast collapsed onto the ground and died, blood pooling beneath it.
"Yes!" the man cheered.
But—
"AHHH!!"
A sneaky Kobolt slashed at his calf, making him cry out in pain and stagger backward.
"YOU FOOL! Don’t celebrate after killing only 1 Kobolt! There are more than 30 of them!" the leader shouted back before cutting through another Kobolt’s neck, sending its head rolling across the ground like a football.
Snort!
Tham!
A boar beast slammed its head into an oblivious Kobolt, launching the poor creature several meters into the air before it crashed onto the ground with a painful thud, writhing briefly before dying.
"Very good, Snout!" the leader cheered. It seemed to be his beast.
Ember Snout Boar (High 2-star) - Ordinary Bloodline
But heeding his own earlier words, the leader quickly refocused on the battle and engaged 3 Kobolts at once.
"Leader! More Kobolts are coming!" one of the men shouted as he retreated behind the cover of the others.
"What?!--AH!"
That momentary distraction was all it took for a Kobolt to slash at the leader’s thigh, forcing him to retreat as his beast rushed to his rescue.
The boar’s hooves turned red-hot while its tusks burst into flames before it charged forward.
Tham! Tham! Tham! Tham!
The boar knocked aside every Kobolt in its path as blazing tusk-shaped marks were branded onto their bodies. The burns sizzled fiercely, filling the air with the scent of scorched flesh.
The opening gave the leader a moment of respite as he quickly retreated to assess the damage.
"F-fuck! It burns so bad!" the leader cursed before taking out a vial and pouring a liquid over the wound. The burning sensation seemed to ease, and his expression relaxed slightly.
"L-l-leader!! I can’t feel my legs! I can’t feel my legs! Please do something!!!"
The man who had been injured earlier was lying on the ground, clutching his leg.
The wound on his calf was bleeding profusely, and from the way his leg flopped with the frantic movements of his trembling hands, it was evident that it had gone numb.
When the leader saw his condition, the colour drained from his face. He emptied the remaining liquid from the vial onto the wound that he had previously planned to save before hurriedly taking out another and drinking it completely himself.
"LEADERRRR!!!" the man cried even louder.
Witnessing all this, Leo was left weirded out.
"Were they really such a threat?" he muttered as he watched the miserable state the Drakensoul Academy students were in.
Were the Kobolts really this capable?
If Leo had paid attention, he would have noticed a Drakensoul Academy Assistant Professor hidden in the shadows, smacking his forehead in embarrassment.
Fuck! These bum students are ruining our academy’s image in front of Aurelius Beast Academy!
The assistant professor grimaced.
He could tell Leo was one of the top students, not only because he was roaming around alone, but also because his so-called 2.5-meter beast possessed the aura of a pseudo 4-star beast, while Leo himself was a Low 4-star—a top student among top students.
If Leo were to say even a few words about how Drakensoul students were having a ’death battle’ against fodder beasts, their academy’s 4th-place standing could drop to 6th or 7th, directly to the bottom of the top academies’ rankings.
As for how something as simple as words could affect their rankings, it was straightforward. The academies ranked 4th through 7th possessed nearly identical strength. Their positions largely depended on reputation, achievements, and the opinions of talented students. If Leo—who was clearly a top student—spoke harshly about their performance, it would be a disaster.
While the assistant professor was having a silent crisis, Leo became intrigued by the battle ahead because a reinforcement group of 20 more Kobolts had just emerged from the oasis.
The students had barely killed around 15 of them, yet 20 more had appeared. Their numbers had climbed back to over 30, and this time Leo recognized a fire shaman among them.
But at that moment—
"You! Who are you?! Come help us! I will pay you handsomely!" the leader shouted when he spotted Leo.
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A/N: Oh wait, we reached 500 Chapters?! God damn!
I sincerely thank everyone who has supported me and will continue to support me throughout this long journey.
It really means a lot, and I will always be grateful.
Thank you!