Chapter 173
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Race: Imitation Bone Dragon Lv63–68
Job: False Dragon Lv3–8
Skill: 【False Dragon Claw】
【False Dragon Fang】
【False Dragon Horn】
【False Dragon Tail】
【Vitality Enhancement】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【Dark Magic】
【Non-Elemental Magic】
【Roar】
【Intimidation】
【Flight】
【Status Ailment Immunity】
【Magic Resistance】
【Blunt Vulnerability】
【Light-Attribute Vulnerability】
【Poison Aura】
【Dragon Factor】
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Apparently, the formal name of that bone dragon is Imitation Bone Dragon. Its level range is equivalent to that of a Spartoi Leader. It doesn't seem to be as strong as it looks.
Still, as is customary for anything with Dragon in its name, it possesses 【Dragon Factor】. Its explosive power when cornered is terrifying. We must never let our guard down.
However, the real problems are the number of enemies and the scientist's sheer strangeness. The advantage of numbers goes without saying, but that scientist is seriously dangerous. Anyone would think so after seeing the results of 【Appraisal】.
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Name: David McFarlane
Race: Cyborg Human Lv72
Job: Mad Arcane Scholar Lv2
Skill: 【Mechanical Body】
【Mad Mind】
David McFarlane Quality: Poor Rarity: L (Legendary)
A human whose body was largely mechanized by an ancient civilization.
Mechanized bodies were not uncommon at the time, but individuals that have survived into the modern era are rare.
Severe deterioration over time has caused errors in both body and mind.
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There are plenty of things I want to say, such as the fact that he's a Cyborg Human, a Mad Arcane Scholar, and possesses bizarre Skills, not to mention where his level display went. But more than anything, what I want to ask first is why both his status and item information are being displayed.
Does that mean the Cyborg Human is both a living being and an item? The wealth of information is helpful, but these 【Appraisal】 results are simply too shocking.
My further 【Appraisal】 also raised another question: how does he control those Undead? He doesn't even possess a Skill that seems related to Undead. The mystery only deepens.
"Brother, what are we going to do?"
"...We'll worry about that later. Have Jigorou and Cal keep the Imitation Bone Dragons occupied somehow. Everyone else will deal with the Spartoi."
"Heh! Leave it to me!"
"Mmm... It can't be helped, I suppose..."
Jigorou looked openly delighted. Genzourou, on the other hand, looked openly dejected. He probably wanted to fight as well, but we chose Jigorou and Cal because they were a good matchup for exploiting the enemy's 【Blunt Vulnerability】. Still, I shouldn't forget to make it up to him.
"If we wipe these out quickly, I think we can take your prey too."
"Now I'm really raring to go!"
"Tch! We'll take them down quickly and come help you instead!"
"You two..."
"D-don't let it get you down."
Ruby was so exasperated by the fired-up men that she was speechless. If your own grandfather were starved for battle in a game, that would be a natural reaction. Shio was trying to comfort her, but it didn't seem to be helping much.
"Good to see you have plenty of spirit. Sei, Kanna, and Raga, stir up the battlefield as much as you can. Genzourou, Eiji, and Moss-san, hold the front line. Everyone else, reduce the number of those mooks as much as possible."
"What about the rear guard?"
"Support attacks. I'll support our defense as well. ...Here they come!"
We sprang into action as the immense horde approached. Jigorou nimbly leaped onto Cal's back, and, as if that were the signal, Cal took flight toward the Imitation Bone Dragons.
"Grrrrrrrrrrooooooow!!!"
"Yip!? Gyaaaah!?"
Cal rammed straight into one of them, bit down on its neck, and forced it to the ground. Cal then shook its head, smashing the enemy's head against the ground. It was Cal's specialty when hunting.
In a pure clash of strength, Cal seemed to have come out on top. Judging by how easily Cal knocked it down, Cal apparently had the advantage in weight as well. Even if the dragon was larger than Cal, it had no flesh, so that was only natural.
"Grrrrrrrrrrooooooow!"
"Gyaaaaoooooo!"
"Gaaarrroooooooow!"
It wasn't as though Cal could finish it off just like this. The other three rushed in to save the Imitation Bone Dragon struggling beneath Cal. Although the Imitation Bone Dragon was weaker than Cal, the other three would certainly pull Cal away if this continued. But there was one person who could stop them.
"Take this! Shhaaah!"
Jigorou leaped from Cal's back and delivered a flying kick to one dragon's head. Using the head he had kicked as a foothold, he leaped again and brought his heel down on another one.
"Gah!?"
"Gek!?"
The two Imitation Bone Dragons staggered with short cries after the blows Jigorou unleashed with beastlike battle cries. Their HP bars had barely decreased, but cracks had appeared in their bones, so the attacks were definitely doing damage. Their HP must have been extremely high.
"Grrr...!"
"Gaaarr!"
As Jigorou kicked the two dragons away, Cal used its tail to intercept the remaining one. The dragon caught the blade-sharp tail with its claws. The claws hadn't even chipped, so it was certainly worthy of being called a Dragon.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter!"
"Hnnngh!"
"I won't let you through!"
"Pathetic!"
"Keep going! Just buy us time!"
The giant-monster battle taking place behind us was incredible, but we were busy too. We had to bring down the horde of Undead, including the Spartoi streaming toward us, with so few people. Genzourou and the others in particular were fighting desperately with shields and weapons.
They had to hold the line if we were going to handle this many enemies. Therefore, I prioritized strengthening them with 【Enhancement Arts】 and healing them with 【Soul Arts】. In the meantime, Ruby's group and Shio's group finished off the enemies one by one. If we could maintain this pace to the end, victory seemed possible.
"Aha! Ahahahahaha!"
"Even though it's a game, my wife has started laughing maniacally while cutting down enemies... What am I supposed to tell my father-in-law...?"
"Let's go!"
"Awooooo!"
At this point, those with the greatest breakthrough power and mobility among us charged into the enemy formation. Every time the fangtian ji swept through the air, enemies went flying like splinters, and each time a horse neighed, something cracked. Elsewhere, a club reinforced with true steel mowed down enemies, while a wolf's howl and a fairy's magic rang out.
Because there were so many enemies, they weren't completely unscathed after racing through the gaps in the formation. Even so, they didn't hesitate for a moment before charging in again. They were the next most injured after Genzourou's group, so I hurriedly supported them with 【Enhancement Arts】 and 【Soul Arts】 as well.
The high-defense fighters formed a wall and absorbed the enemy's charges, those with mobility shattered their formation, and everyone else launched an all-out attack. This strategy seemed to be working well. The enemy appeared confused too, so if we continued like this...
"Hoh? For monsters that are nothing more than resources for us Humans, you seem capable of fighting with rather impressive coordination."
The scientist, David McFarlane, rubbed his chin with one hand and watched us with a scientist's eye. Neither his voice nor his expression showed the slightest hint of panic. Was he trying to flaunt how relaxed he was?
"Then I'll add a few more."
"What!?"
When McFarlane raised his left hand, the ring on his middle finger began to glow purple. Then the ground cracked open with a series of popping sounds, and new Spartoi emerged from within!
"That's cheating! It's against the rules!"
"How foolish. I find it insulting that you thought this was the extent of my forces. I suppose that's all one can expect from monsters."
Shifune couldn't help complaining, but McFarlane merely snorted in derision. If I were in his shoes, I would have done the same. If he still had plenty of forces in reserve, all he needed to do was flaunt his composure and taunt us. Making his opponent uncomfortable increased the likelihood that they would make a mistake. It was a sound tactic.
"What's with that guy?! He's pissing me off!"
"Baaah, calm down. Don't take the bait."
Shifune was on the verge of taking the bait and was huffing angrily, but Wool soothed her between singing and casting support magic. Exactly—if you lost your cool, you could lose to an opponent you should have been able to defeat.
"Everyone, prepare for a long battle. We're going in assuming we'll use up all our current resources!"
"Sure thing, leader! Let's spend freely!"
Shiitake began tossing out all kinds of items without holding back. She threw attack items, interference items, and even healing items. They healed allies if they hit them while damaging Undead, making it a two-for-one deal.
It looked like we were consuming them at a frantic pace, but Shiitake, being an alchemist, possessed a tremendous number of items. We gave her items as payment for letting her handle tasks such as making potions. She was probably now unloading the stockpile she had built up.
"Whew... This old body is starting to feel it."
"It's just your imagination, Genzourou-san!"
"Of course. I was joking."
"You mean to tell me you have enough breathing room to joke in this situation? No way!"
"A real-life cheat is so unfair!"
Eiji and the others were fully occupied dealing with the enemies in front of them, but Genzourou somehow had enough leeway to crack jokes while cutting enemies apart. The three blades wielded by his four arms traced complex arcs, sending heads flying left and right. Sometimes he even cut off wrists and forcibly disarmed his opponents. Despite his complaints, Genzourou was still the most valuable tank among us.
Still, there was no doubt that we would eventually be worn down at this rate. As I cast magic while considering what we should do, Shio descended from the sky beside me.
"What are we gonna do, Izaam-san? We seem to be holding out for now, but if he summons more, we'll definitely lose."
"Yeah, you're right. For now, try shooting McFarlane with your bow."
"Roger! Spiral Piercing Shot!"
Shio's arrow sped toward McFarlane while spinning violently. It looked difficult to stop with my magical defenses. I wouldn't trust anything but Holy Shield to block it. If it hit him squarely, even McFarlane wouldn't escape unscathed.
"Hmph, as if that would work."
This time, his staff began to glow. A dome of light formed around him on every side. T-this was Sanctuary! Shio's arrow shattered the Sanctuary, but was stopped. Damn, taking him down wouldn't be easy.
"I'll try this too. Double Shot!"
Shio quickly fired two arrows in succession. This Weapon Art sacrificed the power of each arrow for the sake of rapid consecutive fire, while the accuracy of the second shot dropped sharply.
"Gah!?"
"Huh? This is working surprisingly well!"
One arrow had apparently been stopped by Sanctuary, but the second pierced McFarlane's shoulder. Considering the power of that Weapon Art, perhaps the Sanctuary's output wasn't actually that high. If so, that might be the clue we needed to defeat him.
"...I have a strategy. I'd like to try it once my hands are free. Shio, will you help me?"
"Aye aye, sir! Leave it to me—you can relax!"
Shio thumped his chest as he answered. Since he was wearing leather armor over his fluffy feathers, it made a soft, anticlimactic poof.