Arc 1: Luxuria

Chapter 9: Clearing the Land Part IV

 

Horned Serpents were known inhabitants of the Extollan Wastes, just like the Black Wolves and the predatory birds known as Blood-Winged Eagles. An ordinary Serpent's width was around an average adult Human's size and their length could go up to four or five meters at best. However, the Horned Serpent that made its home in the rich underground Mana Vein located in southwestern part of the Wastes had grown to extremely exaggerated proportions.

This particular Horned Serpent had gained some manner of intelligence, but its innate territorial and aggressive instincts still prevail at the best of times. Therefore, it would attack anything it sees at first sight.

In one instance, the Serpent, which had already evolved into a Mana-Beast, had almost lost its life. It was captured, tortured and experimented on, though the giant snake had no idea what exactly happened. For some reason, its captor released it back to the wild, where the Serpent found its way home once more and ate a few Human miners who discovered the Vein while it was absent.

Nowadays, the few Human settlements in the Extollan Wastes were long aware of the extremely dangerous Mana-Beast in the southwest. For these villagers who mined or hunted for a living, the odds of survival were a lot better if you encountered a Chimera rather than this particular Serpent. At least a Chimera, despite being a half-monster, can be reasoned with.

The Horned Serpent had spent some years being the undisputed king of this part of the land, contending with only some Black Wolf packs and the annoying Blood-Winged Eagles in the air. The huge, crimson-colored Eagles with wingspans of a few meters were once the Serpent's predators, but how the tables have turned. It was too bad the Serpent couldn't fly; otherwise, it would have hunted all these wretched Eagles in the vicinity.

Now, imagine the Serpent's surprise when it encountered two Demons in the caverns it created by burrowing into the ground. It had a particular dislike against the Demons, whom it could kill but not eat. For the Serpent, anything that was not digestible was a bane of its existence.

Still, it did not prevent the Serpent from trying to swallow the smaller Demon. Left alone for a few years, it was complacent and got blinded in one eye for its carelessness. Extremely angered, for it had never felt such searing pain since its capture in the past, the Serpent searched for the prey that escaped, using the vibrations in the ground as its primary sensory organ.

When it came close, the Serpent was once again surprised. Floating just ahead of him was a small round and furry creature with bat-like wings. Seeing that it was too tiny and not worth a meal, the Serpent would have ignored the strange thing, but suddenly it became extremely annoying, screeching and screaming like a dying bird.

Now agitated, the Serpent chased after the mysterious flying ball-like being. The soon-to-be-snack was quick, but it never disappeared from the Serpent's vision. The Mana-Beast followed up to the bend that would lead to a large and wide underground cavern that housed the Mana Vein that expedited its growth and power.

Then suddenly the Serpent found itself in a strange, new place.

It seemed to be a man-made structure with sturdy, towering ivory walls that could even hold out against the Serpent's immense strength. It writhed and twisted in displeasure, especially after hearing the nearby howls of Black Wolves and the flapping of wings of its archrivals, the Blood-Winged Eagles. Provoked by its instinct as a Mana-Beast to destroy every living being to prove its own power, the Serpent rushed to hunt down its enemies.

As if guided by an unknown power, with the walls sliding and moving to reveal pathways, the Serpent arrived at the center of this strange place. There, a bloody melee between hundreds of creatures had begun and the Serpent willingly jumped into the fray.

For hours, the Serpent hit Wolves with its tail, coiled around an elephant-like beast and took a bite of the Eagles in the air, whose flight was hampered by the low ceiling. Despite the Serpent's tremendous offensive power and the tough scales on its body, the battle was wild and fierce and there was no clear divide between ally and foe. It was slashed by sharp claws and drill-like talons, tackled and bruised by large mammoths and boars and exposed to a plethora of different spells of various elements from Magic-wielding beasts.

But a Mana-Beast was still a Mana-Beast after all. The Horned Serpent emerged victorious amidst the ferocious struggle, but it had also taken considerable damage.

Thinking that it should rest and lay low for a while, the Serpent was ready to find its way out when suddenly it was transported back to the cave system it called its home.

And directed right at the Serpent's hand was a haphazardly made Ballista powered by the same Mana Vein ores it protected.

The black-haired Demon beside it had a deadly glint in his gaze. "Fire!"

~

Haruki's plan was crazy and risky, there were a lot of unknown factors, and one error could lead to the painful death of him and his compatriots. Still, Monad's words gave him the reassurance and confidence he needed.

"Don't worry, Lord Haruki, I trust you." With a handsome smile despite his weak and Cursed state, Monad was still as eloquent as ever.

The plan had three steps. Firstly, have Asmo search for the Mana-Beast and have it run after the Familiar. He should lead it to the Mana Vein, which was pivotal to the overall success of his plan. Luckily, with Monad's Mana Vein Detection Skill, they were able to easily locate it, which was also conveniently found in a cavern with quite a large space. A confrontation might be inevitable, so a wider area to work on was perfect.

Second, use Monad's Ability. In his panic and despair, Haruki had completely forgotten that his Hero was never a combatant in the first place. Monad was a Builder Hero, and his expertise was in the rapid construction of useful structures such as the Steles. The "Labyrinth of Vorre" was the epitome of his Skill set.

The Labyrinth could be built anywhere, so it didn't matter if they were underground. Once the Serpent arrived, Monad activated his Skill and per Haruki's instructions, constructed the maze on the surface above them. More importantly, there was a certain part in its description that Haruki made sure to fully utilize: [All neutral and hostile units within the area will be forcibly transported inside the maze-like structure].

"This is important, Monad," Haruki told the Hero as he was relaying his instructions. "You need to focus and try to ensnare as many creatures as you can. Thankfully, we left the Wolf carcasses alone, so there should be a lot of carnivores gathered around it now."

While Demons didn't need food for sustenance, Haruki would still like to eat. However, he wisely left Wolf meat alone.

"I can control everything inside the Labyrinth," added Monad, staring at the Sovereign with undisguised admiration. Only the severity of the situation stopped Haruki from blushing at the hot and heavy gaze. "I'll make sure all the beasts inside have a lovely encounter with our dear Serpent."

Haruki grinned pleasantly and nodded in agreement. "If they could finish it off, the better. But I'm not counting on it - the Serpent is too huge and too powerful. That's why we need the third and final step in the plan."

The Master turned to the Familiar, who had been listening in but not uttering a word. "Asmo, with the 1,000 Mana left and the other resources we haven't used up, what's the fastest defensive structure we can build?"

"M-master?" Asmo was still trying to catch up with the proceedings; his mind was still meandering on the fact that Haruki chose not to use his Sovereign Ability. Despite that, he was an efficient "System Guide", so he had an answer on the fly. "Asmo thinks the Mana Ballista will work with Master's requirements."

"How long will it take to build one?"

"Twelve hours."

"I see." Haruki put a hand on his chin, narrowing his eyes into a sharp and serious glare. "With two people on the job, it would take six hours. Monad's Rapid Construction Passive Skill lets us build twice as fast, so three hours is just enough for Monad to hang on."

Monad had a gentle and reassuring smile on his face, as if telling Haruki to trust him as much as he trusted the other.

"The Labyrinth's maximum duration is also three hours." Haruki clicked his fingers in triumph. "Perfect!"

"W-what're you planning, Master?" The Familiar looked a little too anxious, fearing that his fate in the next three hours was at stake.

Haruki, still mad at the Familiar for coercing him to have sex with Monad, ignored the creature. "Can the Ballista be built underground?"

"Here, Master? Asmo thinks the ceiling is high enough so it can be built here."

"Alright. After you're done playing bait for the Mana-Beast, the two of us will build the Ballista here."

"W-what?! But Master, you and I cannot-"

Haruki quickly cut him off. "We can't spawn Demon workers without the Obelisk and even then, I don't think we have enough Mana to spare. Besides, you got all the "knowledge" necessary for a Guide; the details about a Ballista's construction should be in your head and I say we use that knowledge to build a Ballista of our own."

Asmo was shocked to speechlessness. Monad had a proud and satisfied smile on his face.

To deal the final blow, Haruki opened his arms and presented the magnificent clumps of solid Mana crystals in the area. "We need this Mana Vein, right? I say we claim it now. A Ballista would prove a good temporary outpost, wouldn't you say?"

~

Exactly three hours after Haruki's proclamation, the badly wounded Horned Serpent that just emerged from the Labyrinth of Vorre took a direct hit on the face, courtesy of the Mana Ballista.

The Ballista was equipped with explosive bullets made from condensed Mana. Though with Haruki's shoddy carpentry skills and Asmo's lack of hands and feet, the structure turned out to be a little misshapen. Still, the Demons were known for their unconventional means of constructing their buildings like the extendable "living" Demonic Den, so Master and Familiar need only guide the Mana, lumber and stone to the perfect spot and help the Ballista "grow" into being.

The fully "grown" Ballista was now rapidly busting out a barrage of Magic-infused bullets every five seconds or so. Haruki gleefully watched as it gradually drained the Horned Serpent's HP bar.

[Name: Crowned Horned Serpent]

[Level: 50/???]

[Rank: A (Empowered by Mana Surge)]

[Race: Monster]

[Stats:]

[HP: 50/1250]

[MP: 200/600]

[Strength: 150]

[Stamina: 125]

[Intelligence: 60]

[Resistance: 95]

[Agility: 120]

[Charisma: 30]

[Luck: 100]

[Skills:]

[Stone Skin (Rare, Level: 6); Rampage (Rare, Level: 5); Heightened Senses (Passive, Level: MAX); Counter Curse (???, Level: ?)]

Haruki glared at the 50 remaining HP; every hit of the Ballista could only drop its health by at most 5 points.

The Horned Serpent took three more consecutive hits, staggering but not out for the count. It suddenly turned feral and ignored the succeeding blast of the Ballista's next bullet, slithering so fast it took only half-a-second to reach Haruki.

With a yell, Haruki leapt away, just in time as the maddened Mana-Beast crashed into the Ballista, destroying their hard work with one hit.

"Master, it's using its Rampage Skill!" Asmo's worried voice registered in Haruki's mind, but the panic in the Familiar's tone did not infect him.

In fact, Haruki just smiled as he stood up from the ground. "Gotcha."

A burst of Magic flashed on the Ballista's remains, revealing a Stone Stele imbued with a golden-brown light. Within mere moments, the heavy Serpent sunk into the suddenly softening ground, practically finding itself trapped in a Quagmire.

"30 HP left…" Haruki faced the struggling Mana-Beast. But no matter how strong it once was, with its badly wounded body, it could only merely writhe like a worm in the sticky mud-like mire fueled by Monad's Magic and Haruki's ingenuity. The young man knew that the Serpent would definitely target the Ballista first, so he came up with a Step 4. "I guess it's up to me to finish this."

Haruki concentrated, forcing all his remaining MP into the tip of his fingers, two hands pointed to the Serpent. "Pierce through the shackles of the eventide, Shadow Needles!"

A dozen thorns made of pure darkness emerged from the ground and the ceiling, piercing through every inch of the Horned Serpent's long and gigantic body. The Quagmire held it in place, so it could only hope to endure the incoming onslaught of attacks.

With Haruki's low Intelligence and Level 1 rank in Darkness Magic, the Mana-Beast could have probably survived if it was in the game. However, in this world, nothing is stopping Haruki from hitting where it hurts. He made sure that each fired Shadow Needle strike through its myriad wounds and even commanded a couple of them to target the head.

Even with the Serpent's Stone Skin activated, with repeated barrage on just one area, it will definitely crack and crumble. Haruki's last Needle punctured through the Mana-Beast's scaly triangular head, embedding from the jaw and into the eye that Monad's spear once stabbed.

The Mana-Beast's head harshly dropped into the ground, spurting dark blood all over. Finally, it laid unmoving; the reigning king in this land had fallen.

Haruki ignored the various Level Up messages and warnings of his depleted MP. He rushed to Monad's side, who laid half-conscious throughout the entire fight, safely hidden inside a hole in the wall. Haruki used his Identifying Magic and finally breathed a sigh of relief - the Curse had been dispelled with the Horned Serpent's death. In time, Monad's HP would recover, and they can finally leave this hellhole.

The positive change in his body already moved Monad into a more awake state. "L-lord Haruki?"

"Monad, I…!" A bout of dizziness assaulted Haruki's head, freezing his entire body as he fell towards the Demon Hero. "I did it…"

Monad stretched out his arms and the younger man was draped all over him, fainting from over exhaustion. The Demon Hero chuckled softly, embraced the frail and trembling body, and kissed the forehead of his beloved Demon King.

"You did well, Haruki."

~

On the surface of the Extollan Wastes, a red-haired man with golden reptilian eyes stared as the strange white tower on the horizon faded from his sight.

"Whoa!" Beside him, a silver-haired man with large wolf-like ears bellowed in surprise. "What the hell happened, Captain? How could a large structure suddenly appear then disappear?"

The "Captain", with his relatively larger left arm wrapped in bandages, never took his gaze away from where the mysterious building once stood. Behind him, a large black scorpion's tail emerged, the stinger shining with a deadly glint underneath the setting sun.

"Captain?" The other man asked, his mouth riddled with sharp shark-like teeth. His pair of cerulean eyes was a reminder that he was once a Human.

"Don't mind it." The red-haired man turned around, heading back. "As long as they stay away from us, we proceed as planned."