Earth Dungeon 82.1

 Test

Chapter 82.1. Great Elk

A moose, about 5 meters away, was running from the other side of the hill. Apart from its size, it looked like an ordinary moose. That's if people didn't pay attention to the mana and fighting spirit it possessed.

Then people also may not take into account its abnormally fast speed of advancing ten meters in a single step. It was like an ordinary moose.

[It's a big moose. It's a solo-type, ranked D. It seems to be maxed out. Its abilities include plant manipulation, attacks with its horns, and high physical abilities.]

It had deer fur, impressive antlers, and a splendid physique. Its size was the only strange thing. But even if it was a solo D-rank, I should be able to handle it now.

[Azure Dragon has moved away from the water, so it's significantly weakened, but this Great Elk is in its preferred terrain. It's powerful. It's a land-based model, unlike Azure Dragon.]

It seemed like it wouldn't be as easy as I thought. Seriously?

"I can't afford to have my jeep destroyed."

I hastily got out of the jeep and concentrated mana in my palm. If that monster charged at me, the jeep might get wrecked. It's brand new, and I might still have payments left on it.

[Magic Hard Shield]

I activated the Ring of Telekinesis and created a barrier imbued with my magic skills. I quickly closed the distance and lowered my head to bring my horned head closer to the ground.

"Isn't that name a bit too cheesy, Shizuku-san?"

[The first person to find the Great Elk had a questionable naming sense.]

"Well, that's unfortunate."

I pointed my palm at the Great Elk and activated a spell with a cynical smile.

[Mass Flame Lance]

I created high-temperature spears of blazing, magma-like light, and I shot them at the Great Elk. It scattered sparks, heating and distorting the space it passed through as it approached the Great Elk.

However, when Great Elk noticed the flaming spear, it quickly stopped and activated a spell.

[Plant Barrier]

The grass around it rustled and extended, entwining itself around the approaching flaming spear. It burned and turned to ashes, but the grass continued to entwine, and the flaming spear diminished with each attempt until it disappeared close to the Great Elk.

"This guy! He's quite the opponent!"

[It's a multi-stage barrier. Depending on the amount of mana, it can create multiple barriers to reduce its enemy's attacks. If its enemy breached the barrier, there's still a chance of taking damage, so it's a risky magic if it's not confident in your skills.]

Seriously, there's a magic like that?

My proud magic, which hadn't been deflected recently, was easily blocked. At the same time, Great Elk lowered its antlers and charged once again.

[Charge]

I clicked as the horn covered in a crimson aura struck my barrier and made a cracking sound. 

"These horns are tough!"

With a bad feeling, I dodged to the side, and at the same time, the barrier shattered, and the massive horn was coming at me. I dodged a little too late, and the horn grazed my shoulder, tearing my clothes and causing fresh blood to spatter.

I'm rolling over while feeling damage for the first time in a while. Then I activated a magic.

[Icicle Lance]

I didn't have enough time to fully condense it, so I shot it as a regular ice lance, but with a force that exploded the ground. Great Elk managed to sidestep it.

[Plant Barrier]

It immediately created a barrier of plants, and the icicle lance was entangled, losing its power and disappearing.

[Shadow Lance]

[Magic Lance]

I shot magic lances using both hands, but Great Elk moved back in a zigzag and created a plant barrier. 

The high-speed moving lances lost their power in front of the rapidly growing plant barrier. It lost power just by touching it.

[Barriers created by magic and aura can be dispelled by the same means. They are strong against bullets, but you should be cautious about combat techniques.]

"Come to think of it, that's right. I was a bit confused after fighting soldiers."

Against physical attacks, it's like an iron wall, but it gets canceled out by combat techniques and the like. When the mana energy runs out, only the mass and kinetic energy of the horns remain.

It's quite painful, given its massive body.

[Sakimori-san, would you like me to take over?]

Shizuku-san asked with concern. Indeed, Shizuku might easily defeat this opponent.

"No, I'm fine. The match-up is indeed bad, but if I can't defeat a beast-type with a fixed artillery piece, it'll be tough from here on."

I answered without hesitation. A rare type solo? As someone with magic power equivalent to a C-rank, I don't want to run away from a D-rank.

[Shadow Figure]

I used the Shadow Figure for its original purpose. Using the power of mana, I created countless shadowy human figures around me. The shadows looked just like me.

"Great Elk-san, Monster-sanover here!"

Along with the Shadow Figure, I waved my hands and grinned. In response to this scene, Great Elk briefly hesitated and stopped its tracks.

[Accelerator]

Great Elk accelerated and moved in a zigzag, leaving afterimages behind with each step. 

That was a technique often used by Shizuku. Seeing it use it without hesitation, it had an efficiency conversion skill for combat techniques.

[Magic Sword Rain]

Realizing I needed to rely on numbers against an opponent with superior speed, I conjured multiple short swords and launched them at Great Elk like a storm.

[Hard Skin]

Unable to dodge them all, Great Elk hardened its skin and tried to resist. The short swords hit the toughened skin, leaving only superficial scratches and prompting it to charge again. This thing is just too tough.